Omaha Marian High School May 2018 Network Student Newspaper

THE NET WORK Marian High School - 7400 Military Avenue Omaha, NE 68134 - www.marianhighschool.net - Volume 62 Issue 8 - May 2018

Crowning Mary May Queen Maria Determan ’18 places a crown of flowers on the statue of Mary. Determan was chosen to be May Queen by her fellow seniors.

May Queen graces Marian with inspiring values, embodies faith

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n May 8, senior Maria Determan led second grade daughters of alumnae to the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The girls were dressed in white Communion dresses as they were led by the May Queen. When Mrs. Anna Kolterman, Campus Minister and Worship Choir Director, pulled Determan aside earlier in April, Determan had no idea what she was going to tell her. “You’re this year’s May Queen” was not what she expected.

“I was surprised, but mostly honored that my classmates would give me that kind of honor. There are more than a hundred other people in our class and for them to choose me made me feel very special and honored,” Determan said.

May Queen is an honored tradition at Marian that commemorates the connec-

tions made between the Servants of Mary and students, as well as honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each year the May Queen is selected by the members of the senior class. The selection of May Queen is based on a student who shows strong interest in her faith and lives out her faith life daily.

“I have incorporated faith in some big ways and some small ways. The bigger ways, more visual ways, would be going to Decade Darlings every day, because I think that it’s a nice way to think of others around you. I go to Hearts of Marian on Wednesday, which is a more personal way of growing in your faith,” Determan said.

Determan participates in physical ways of showing faith, but she is also very in tune with the spiritual and mental aspects

of faith. “I always try to be positive and encouraging to others, because that is an aspect of faith that some might not think about. But to me it’s a very important part of my faith,” Determan said.

As a senior, Determan is involved in many extracurriculars at Marian. She sings in Worship Choir, Select Women’s Choir, writes for The Network, is a leader for retreats through Campus Ministry, helps with the Recruitment Team and is a leader in the Sundae Wednesday Club. Although her commitment to all of these activities makes her a busy Marian girl, she always leaves time for her faith.

“I would say anywhere you go, even at Marian, you can’t just expect to gain a faith life. If you don’t seek it, you’re not going to find it. So if you want to find

yourself and find your faith, you’re going to have to step out and go find it,” Determan said.

Determan’s best friend, senior Megan Doehner, knows just how deep Determan dives into her faith. “Without fail, she carries a glow within her, bringing God’s love and graces to every single person she encounters,” Doehner said.

Doehner introduced Determan at the May Crowning ceremony with a heartfelt speech.

Determan’s advice to underclasswomen in growing in their own faith life was an encouraging message. “There are plenty of ways at Marian to be involved and if you take the first step, then you’ll fall into it - in a good way - and hopefully find what you’re looking for,” Determan said.

Sisters share, celebrate their 125th U.S. anniversary

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arian is founded upon the values of Compassion, Community, Service, Spirituality, Marian Identity and Empowerment. All of these values have come directly from the Servants of Mary who founded the school’s hallowed grounds. But the mission of the Servants of Mary started long before the founding of Marian; in fact, this community has been positively impacting the country for the last 125 years. The sisters journeyed from England to continue their mission in America.

The quasquicentennial (125 year anniversary) of the Sisters began with their work in Mount Vernon Ind. in 1893. For some perspective, in 1893, the first ferris wheel made its debut and Grover Cleveland was the president. In Mount Vernon, the Sisters founded St. Matthews after a long journey by boat. These women left

INSIDE

everything that they knew, all in the name of God and their mission to do His will.

“I think that the Servants of Mary and other religious sisters were our first real feminists. They took it upon themselves to not just teach, but to build schools and build curriculum,” President Ms. Mary Higgins said.

The Sisters continued aiding the people of Indiana, Illinois and Iowa for the next 25 years. In the year 1918, the Sisters created a grade school in Omaha called Holy Name. “The sisters arrived in Omaha on a Thursday and started school the following Monday,” community counselor Sr. Kerry Larkin said.

On April 26, Holy Name recognized the work of the Sisters and inducted them into their Hall of Fame.

They continued to expand their ministry throughout Nebraska, and eventually

reached as far as Colorado, New York and Washington, D.C. In 1955, the Sisters created an allgirls high school in Omaha; Marian High School. Since then, Marian has blossomed into a faith-cultivating environment, full of confident young women. “I think that Marian is an amazing school; to have 700 girls going to a Catholic school in today’s world is pretty amazing,” Larkin said.

“Our school being founded by the Sisters has strengthened our bond of sisterhood because we model it after the Sisters before us,” junior Anaja Arthur said.

On Aug. 4, the Sisters will be having a celebration to commemorate their anniversary. “It is just a real year of jubilee and celebration. We are having events all over the country celebrating the anniversary, each month in different cities,” Larkin said.

The Sisters have spent 125 years serving the Omaha. The survival and success of the Sisters is a prime example of God’s work in our world. A small group of women dedicated to their religion has continued to thrive despite society moving in other directions. Their mission is to emulate the compassion of Mary, and they have dedicated their lives to doing so. “Their charism is that of compassionate presence. That does not mean feeling sorry for people. It means they are willing to listen to people and open their hearts in every situation to understand people’s needs. To be genuinely kind in all situations,” Higgins said.

“This is a great year to be grateful for how God has taken care of us in the last 125 years, and to wonder where God will take us in the next 125 years,” Larkin said.

News

OPINION

in-depth

sports

SHELTERING TREE Brings A Connection p.2

THE PLAID SKIRT IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND p.4

Soaring high and saying goodbye p.8-9

the secret life of team managers p.12

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THE NET WORK (May 2018)

NEWS

Sheltering Tree brings a new connection to the Servants of Mary hayleygolden

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ou may or may not have noticed the new building just east of the convent and Marian on 72nd Street.

The building has a strong connection to the Servants of Mary.

“A woman named Shirley McNally had opened a Sheltering Tree in Bellevue and contacted us about the possibility of us selling some of our property to them. So we sold a small amount of our property, and then they built the building down there,” Sr. Jackie Ryan said.

The building, which was initiated by Sheltering Tree, Inc., was built for the purpose of helping adults with disabilities live more independently. “We build buildings for individuals with disabilities and then they apply. We also have activities planned,” said Anne Carter, treasurer of Sheltering Tree.

The idea for this community originated in 2005 by Tom and Shirley McNally and their children; though the idea didn’t come to life until September 2015 when the Bellevue location opened. “We had the same burden that all families do when they have a child with developmental disabilities, or any disability. You just wonder what’s going to happen to them,” President of Sheltering Tree Shirley McNally explained.

“We just came together with our church and with other families and decided that we would create our own setting, privately-owned so that they could be taken care of the rest of their lives, and we would not worry about it.”

The Servants of Mary are happy to show their support of the building and

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the organization. “We see them as our neighbor, and we want to reach out to them and mutually work together,” Ryan said.

The Servants of Mary have made an impact on many at Sheltering Tree; not only by selling them the land, but also by working with the residents. “When we had the opening and everyone moved in at the same time, they all came in on a Friday evening for a big pizza party and 39 of the [servites] came down and joined them to welcome them home.”

McNally and Carter note that Sheltering Tree is open to anyone willing to volunteer. “The residents would love it. Watch a TV show, play a game of cards, a craft or something,” McNally said Senior Grace Woltemath thinks the new building was a great addition for the Marian community. “I’m glad the building is so close to Marian because it makes for easier access to and from the school. That way we could do trips to visit the residents in later years, which would be really cool,” Woltemath said.

Service opportunities may be in the works for Marian girls. McNally and Carter spoke with President Mary Higgins, about the potential opportunity.

“She wants us to be a service project for Marian girls. We welcome that opportunity,” Carter said.

At the end of the day, Sheltering Tree wants to provide a safe and welcoming environments for its residents.

“They’re just like everybody else,” McNally explained. “They just want to belong.”

We see them as our neighbor, and we want to reach out to them and mutually work together –Sr. Jackie Ryan

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Problem-solving no difficulty for S.A.M.E. maddierobertson

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n its third year of re-emergence, the Along with the health section, other team Society of American Military Engineers members worked on areas such as water, (S.A.M.E.) is working to solve problems big architecture, power, communication and and small. research.

The club, composed of 11 sophomores, “Our team came together really well. It’s juniors and seniors, focuses on finding definitely a group effort. We all divide the solutions to issues affecting communities roles pretty evenly. We each have our own of all shapes and sizes using their STEM subject matter of expertise,” Arun said. and architecture skills. Science teacher Mr. The competition, which was held April 16 at Matthew Winterboer, who has moderated UNO’s Scott Conference Center, was filled the club for the last three years, described with a day of observing other teams, preparthe brainstorming process for their annual ing for their presentation and discussing with S.A.M.E. competition at the University of four engineers and architects the ins and outs Nebraska Omaha. of their project.

“It was After a chala rigorlenge of ous day identiof comfying a petition, problem the locally, group nationwon a ally or Top-5 someAward thing of Diseven tinction broader. and a S.A.M.E. 2018 Emily Nguyen ’20, Kelly Williams ’20, Tayla McWilliams ’20, This $500 compe- Zoe Zier ’19, Cassie Palmer ’18, Amirtha Arun ’19, Audrey Laney ’19, Alexis prize.

Jordan ’19, DaKara Cooper ’18. Not pictured: Eleanor Ricketts ’19 and tition They won Emilee Braun ’18. is very Gold Levopen ended. el Honors in Applied Science, Innovation, Teams are responsible for coming up Research, Teamwork, Technology, Proposal with their own problem that needs a soluand Presentation. The only category they tion,” Winterboer said. earned Silver Level Honor in was SustainAfter seeing the devastation caused by ability.

Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, the “While it would have been nice to get group decided to focus on a way to combat first place, I’m happy with the way things the aftermath of a natural disaster. After turned out. We worked hard,” senior DaKara months of planning, S.A.M.E. created a Cooper said. school that could be used as a relief center The club’s mentor, Metropolitan Combefore a hurricane or other natural disaster is munity College Architecture Professor and set to strike.

Marian graduate Stephanie Peterson ‘01, Junior Amirtha Arun, who has been was also part of S.A.M.E. in high school. a part of the team for the past two years, “Watching students rise to this challenge worked on the health section of the project. and push themselves out of their comfort “When a natural disaster happens, people zones to learn and produce a project worth don’t always get access to antibiotics. Alexis talking about (worth building!) is the main Jordan and I worked on the storage of antibi- reason I keep involved. It’s my favorite otics,” Arun said. part,” Peterson said.

Renovation aims to bring new academic, spiritual atmosphere juliahingorani

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ew and refurbished classrooms and hallways. An Academic Center. A grand new entrance and lobby.

A Chapel honoring the Servants of Mary. These are just some changes to Marian to be expected in the next few years.

Two years ago, the Marian administration sent out a survey to staff, students, faculty and parents to understand the desires of the Marian community. This Master Plan revealed that the current remodeling plan and building additions were at the top of the results for improving the campus. The capital campaign for fundraising was “Confident to be Marian: A Campaign for a New Generation of Women.” This theme “reflects the goal of Marian preparing for the future while continuing the legacy of an all-girls, Catholic school of excellence that prepares students to become confident, independent, thinking leaders inspired by faith,” President Mary Higgins said.

Athletic Director Rochelle Rohlfs, the representative for the project, will be working alongside Higgins, Principal Susie Sullivan, faculty members, Board committee members and the architecture team on planning the renovation. MCL Construction is currently employed for the renovation.

The Academic Center and Facility Renovation was estimated to cost $7.2M. After conducting more than 100 in-person interviews with past donors and Marian constituents, it was determined that the capital campaign should be able to raise between $8 and $10 million.

Since November of 2016, fundraising efforts have been able to collect $9.5M in pledges. This money will not only go toward the renovation, but also toward tuition assistance. Individual donors and foundations are the primary pledges.

The Academic Center is to be the “crown jewel” of the renovation and will include study rooms and a

collaboration space for students to work. The Academic Center is aimed at modernizing Marian. “It will afford a whole new level of academic research and collaboration along with greater access to technology,” Higgins said.

Some sections of the physical building of Marian High School have remained the same since 1955, meaning that some areas are in dire need of being updated.

Sixty-three years later, the building is set to be remodeled, bringing a new look and feeling to the halls of Marian. The project is set to break ground on May 18.

When the project kicks off in May, the current entrance students use everyday will be temporary closed and students will use Entrance 9, which is the door located closest to President Higgins’ office. During this summer, the priority is to remodel all of the classrooms with new carpet, ceilings, lighting and paint.

Other than the dramatic changes in the physical ap-

Architectural design by MCL Construction

pearance of Marian, the changes will also be felt within the students. “The updated Chapel will enhance the space as a quiet, spiritual place for girls to focus on their faith and for classes to enjoy for meditation,” Rohlfs said.

The time and effort put into the renovation is aimed at giving students a sense of pride for their school. The changes can help make teachers and students feel valued within their educational environment. “The academic atmosphere will be brighter, colorful and pleasing to the eye,” Higgins said.

The renovation process will take two summers and the 2018-19 academic year. This project is scheduled to be complete by Aug. 1, 2019. However, when students return in the fall of 2018, they will be welcomed with brand new classrooms.

NEWS (3)

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

Accreditors ensure that Marian is evolving, improving, flourishing

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tudents may have heard the term “accreditation” floating around among teachers and administrators in the last month or so. More likely than not, students have questioned, “What is accreditation exactly?”

Accreditation can be likened to a final examination of the administrative world, the big test for teachers and students alike. Accreditation occurs every five years when AdvancED, an international, non-profit and non-partisan organization, observes the ways in which an educational institution is run.

AdvancED is the largest organization of its kind in the entire world. The accreditation process is extremely helpful when a place like Marian seeks a professional opinion from individuals who are not regularly affiliated with this school.

“It is a big deal for a school to say that this particular organization has given us their approval,” English teacher Ms. Susie Sisson said.

This is a chance for the administrators of other local institutions to share their feedback with Marian. For Marian’s accreditation, AdvancED professionals were a collection of administrators from Gretna Public Schools, St. Mary’s of Bellevue, St. Bernadette and St. Stephen the Martyr.

This group of accreditors took to the halls, classrooms and even lunch tables of Marian April 9 and 10 to uncover the answer to the burning question on the administration’s mind: Will Marian be accredited for the next five years?

Some students may recall the lengthy AdvancED survey sent out last spring about how Marian is doing both in and out of the classroom. This was one of the very first steps of the accreditation process. First semester, Principal Susie Sullivan presented the results to the student body in an assembly.

While the four accreditors are in the building for the official two-day observation, they “look at leadership capacity, learning capacity and resource capacity.

Underneath these things there are standards you have to meet. They tell you what standards you are doing well on and what you have to work on,” Sullivan said.

AdvancED will send the official report 30-45 days after the observation period.

In this report they will give Marian a set of powerful practices (things Marian is already doing well), areas of improvement (things Marian started, and should continue improving), and improvement priority (something Marian needs to focus on).

“They did 192 interviews between students, parents, faculty and 20 observations of classes,” Sullivan explained.

“They really noticed how our students were advocates for our school. They said it was heartwarming to hear the stories that the girls said about Marian and the faculty,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan was also proud that students recognized the hard work of the faculty, “They work their tails off,” she said.

Students sad for Guo to go maddierobertson

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lthough she is leaving after only a together to make this class comfortable year of teaching at Marian, Mandarin for both sides,” Guo said.

I teacher Ms. Jessie Guo has left an everIn addition to the language difference, lasting mark on the Marian community. the classroom setting was different for Before coming to Marian, Guo worked Guo. In China, most class sizes average in Lincoln, Neb. through the Confucius about 70 students. At Marian, they are Institute. There, she was a Mandarin capped at 30. Guo appreciates the smallteacher. scale class sizes and the opportunity it “My job was flexible. I went half-time has given her to more easily reach out to to schools who couldn’t afford a full-time students. teacher,” Guo said.

Because of her expired visa, Guo will Guo reached out to preschools, adults have to travel back to her home country and other community members interested of China. However, she does not plan in learning more about Chinese language on letting go of teaching or the Marian and culture. community.

After teaching in Lincoln for four An app know as WeChat will allow her years, Guo was reassigned to Omaha. to stay connected to her students, includIn addition to teaching evening and ing the seven who are taking Mandarin II. weekend classes, Guo secured a job at Guo has touched the hearts of many, Marian to teach Mandarin I. but students and faculty have had just as “It’s a really much of an impact nice commuon her. French nity with nice teacher Mrs. Janet students and Tuttle, who Guo nice teachers. shared a classroom We teachers with, has been help prepare an indispensable students to be friend to Guo. independent.

“Mrs. Tuttle The students was my mentor, are cooperaactually. She will tive,” Guo said. always answer my Throughout English questions,” the school year, Guo said.

Guo learned Tuttle even alongside the inspired Guo to students how to include more Chimost effectively nese culture into teach students her lessons after a language they Chinese treats Ms. Jessie Guo shares Chinese dessert Guo saw her do the cookies with an Honors Composition and Literature had never been same in her French class celebrating the Chinese New Year. Guo not only exposed to pre- taught the Mandarin students, but she was a frequest classes. viously.

“And thank you guest in other classes talking about Chinese culture.

“Most people for teaching me think this is really challenging. I push French,” Guo said. She has taken almost them really, really hard. But they don’t every French I test along with Tuttle’s say no and they follow my pace. We work class this school year.

Sisson was one faculty member who truly worked her tail off for the accreditation process.

“Ms. Sisson was invaluable. Not one Accreditating Team Betsy Harding from St. Bernadette, Trish Wallinger from detail was left St. Mary’s of Bellevue, Roseanne Williby from St. Stephen the Martyr and Viunturned,” olet Glasshoff from Gretna Public Schools ask questions to Marian students Sullivan said. on April 10. The accreditation team interviewed students, parents, faculty This is her and staff to get a holistic view of what Marian is all about.

24th year at for some, Sisson has embraced accreditaMarian, so she has experienced the action. “It’s a lot of work. I like it actually, I creditation process many times before. think it is very interesting,” Sisson said.

Sisson had no doubt that Marian would Not only did Sisson dedicate hours to be accredited; she is a seasoned profesMarian’s process, but she donates her time sional in the accreditation world. This to allow other schools to have this same year, she took on the duty of organizing stamp of approval from AdvancED. Sisemails, meetings and paperwork for these son received training in accreditation and two intense days of observation and is now actively involved in the accreditainterviews. tion of other schools in the metropolitan Sisson was tasked with describing evarea. “I love going to other schools. I’ve ery single aspect of Marian in a few pagdone visits at Skutt and Duchesne,” Sisson es. If you tried, could you describe every said. single aspect of Marian in a few pages?

Both Sullivan and Sisson agree that She formulated this report for AdvancEd they are glad that the tedious process is to explain the progress Marian has made over. However, both admitted that accredover the last couple of years, as well as itation was a rewarding experience. “It is the school’s main educational priorities. really good for a school because it forces The project “was time consuming,” us to think about why we do what we do.

Sisson admitted. She spent hours on the It forces us to figure out how we want to task, and “wanted it to be well-crafted,” be better. What could we be doing to be a Sisson explained. better school?” Sisson said.

Though this process may seem tedious

Janata’s vocation takes her beyond Marian’s classrooms maddierobertson

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or 30 years, Ms. Kathy Janata has served the Marian community by incorporating compassion, wisdom and innovation into her work.

Before working as a theology teacher and school counselor at Marian, Janata taught for Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Mississippi. Her position as a junior high school history and religion teacher involved working with students impacted by poverty.

After six years of teaching, she moved back to Omaha to be with family. Here, she began working at Holy Name High School as a Inspired by faith Ms. Kathy Janata talks with her religion teacher and a campus min- Block C Theology II class. The sophomores are disister. She was also the volleyball cussing the Apostolic Pillar of the Church. and basketball coach.

In time, Holy Name came to “Marian has been my life for so long,” the decision to close down its high school. Janata said. “Over 30 years there are so Dr. Luvern Gubbels, a frequent substitute many people who have had an influence teacher at Marian, was principal of Holy on me. To mention just one or two would Name at the time. He was the one who be insufficient.” recommended Marian to Janata.

In addition to appreciating all Gubbels At the time, Marian was looking for and Kish have done for her, Janata is espea campus ministry position and theology cially grateful for the Servants of Mary. teacher who could also coach swimming.

“These women exemplify sacrifice, un“I came back for my second interview selfishness, courage and faithfulness. They in goggles and fins,” Janata said. Betsy mean so much to me,” Janata said.

Kish, who was principal at the time, was “I have been extremely blessed to meet impressed and amused by Janata and hired the most motivated students and successher. ful alums. I have worked side-by-side Since then, Janata has worked as a the- with extremely dedicated, talented and ology teacher, school counselor, I.D.E.A.S kind faculty and staff and I have the greatClub moderator, Yoga Club moderator, est respect for the most generous, unselfEquestrian Club moderator, Step Club ish and caring parents I have ever met. It moderator, Worship Choir member, and is a special community,” Janata said. softball coach.

Though she will no longer be working As Janata goes to utilize her gifts in at Marian, Janata’s dedication, spunk and the wider Omaha community, she plans kindness will stay will remain with everyto remember her time at Marian and the one she encountered. relationships she made throughout it all.

(4) Opinion

T HE NET WORK

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am 99.9 percent sure that when Viktor Krum said, “This tent is for champions and friends” he was talking about Marian. If you think about it, Hogwarts and Marian are interchangeable in almost any circumstance.

People (swimmers) walk around in mysterious robes during the winter time, girls run through the hallways on brooms, there’s that one creepy old guy who’s always behind you (sorry, Hertel Mr. Baker), there are me secret tunnels that no one what? knows about and we have audrey moving staircases (is it hertel just me or does walking to third floor get higher and higher each day?).

These halls have actual powers. I mean, how else could you explain teenage girls actually enjoying school? People walking through the hallways with REAL smiles on their faces? Unheard of.

Hogwarts teaches its students to have courage and use the skills that they learn to fight dark magic. At Marian, we are given the same amount of bravery to help fight our own darkness: the unknown future. We are given a foundation to help us not be afraid of obstacles that get in our way.

Obviously Hogwarts has its faults, as does Marian. Hogwarts’ fault may be much bigger considering that it is the target of the one and only Lord Voldemort. Marian has the same issue whether it be key stealers or window breakers; that’s why we made our own force field to fight off evil just as Hogwarts did. We

closed the gate to Soph lot, and boom! Nothing ever happened again. I’m telling you, this is REAL magic happening here.

I’m pretty sure we can start calling Richard and Wayne Hagrid since they are now the “gate keepers” of Marian. All they need is a giant tarantula named Aragog and they’re set.

You have to admit it, Hogwarts has some bomb feasts. I think that Marian does, too. We might not have Nearly Headless Nick rising from our tables to start conversations but we do have Sister Jackie to come and give us a hug while we scarf down taco salad and breadsticks.

You know when Harry met all of his best friends at Hogwarts? I feel like I have a squad of some pretty magical people. I may not have fought off the Dark Lord during my time here, but my friends have stuck by me through everything, as has my class. Whether it be Field Week stress, ACT prep or helping with the Common App, they stood by me with wands, or iPads, in hand, warding off our enemies.

What I’m trying to say with all these geeky Harry Potter references is that there is no place as magical as Marian. I know that next year I will miss walking through the corridors- I mean hallways- every day seeing the most amazing people that I have ever met. If you’re like I was, and want to go to a school like Hogwarts, pretty soon you’ll realize that you were at a better place the whole time.

The bond between Marian girls and their teachers annacook

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f every teacher in the world was neutral and emotionally closed off around their students, there would be no great composers or leading scientists. The world would be void of artists and world leaders. The ability to form a camaraderie or bond with your teacher impacts how well you do in the classroom.

Now that’s not to say you’ll be best friends and make friendship bracelets with every one of your teachers, but having mutual foundations of trust and respect will go a long way in the classroom. A majority of the students who responded to the May Network Survey stated that the following qualities described a good teacher: understanding, humorous, kind and enthusiastic.

Teachers have the amazing ability to inspire their students, and Marian’s are no exception. At Marian it’s a norm to be chased down the hall by Mr. Baker or to have heated conversations with Mrs. Cotton about whether Oedipus deserved to die or not. Forming camaraderie with teachers makes that next chemistry test a little easier

or the next presentation a little less nerve-wracking.

Although there will always be one subject that you just simply do not vibe with –and that is perfectly fine– the opportunity to actually enjoy spending an hour and a half with your teacher can make learning an interesting and entertaining experience.

For example, I am not a lover of physics. Trust me, I’ve tried, but there just isn’t something that clicks between me and physics. Even though the complex concepts of physics frustrated me to no end, Mr. Winterboer’s easy-going and helpful personality helped me succeed in the class.

Cherish your teachers, reach out, and they’ll most likely respond positively. Learning is a two-way street that requires both the student and the teacher to put in effort and to be open-minded. The bonds made with teachers oftentimes define the experience with the class or subject and inspires students to reach for their dreams.

“ The plaid uniform skirt is a Marian girl’s best friend

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“But Hogwarts­—I mean Marian— is my home!”

(May@2018)

Cherish your teachers, reach out, and they’ll most likely respond positively.

shannonmcsweeney

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y morning routine includes the following: wake up at 6:00 to “Imma Be” by the Black Eyed Peas, go on Twitter, realize it’s 6:40 and I have to pick my carpools up in five minutes, brush my teeth, say goodbye to my mom and dogs and finally leave for school. The only reason I don’t get to school 20 minutes late every day is because I don’t have to dedicate any time to choosing an outfit for the day. This is why I love my uniform.

The Marian staple that is royal blue and plaid is an underappreciated blessing in every Marian girl’s life. If I had to find an outfit to wear every single day, I would probably go insane, mostly because my only shirts are Spirit Day shirts. The fact that I have clothes already picked out for me in the morning is one item to cross off

my to-do list.

Let’s talk about the uniform. The blue polo is comfy enough to double as pajamas and sleep in (which I am guilty of) and you can choose between a skirt and a skort to show your individual style. We can also throw on a cardigan or a black sweater if we want to get a little dressed up, or a blue quarter zip if the third floor teachers decide to make their classrooms an Arctic tundra (as they often do). There are enough options to add some personalization to make your uniform unique, but not enough to stress about what to wear.

It’s a win-win situation.

When I walk into Marian at the crack of dawn, it calms me to know that everyone will be dressed similarly, because that means I don’t have to spend time com-

plimenting everyone’s outfits. If we wore real-people clothes, it would take forever to start class because everyone would be

Shannon’s Last Day of High School

showering everyone else in compliments because Marian girls are too darn nice.

Seriously, if you ever need a confidence boost, walk through any hall at Marian with a new accessory or hairstyle and I guarantee you’ll get at least three compliments.

There may be downsides to having a uniform, the biggest one being I don’t own non-Marian clothes and apparently it would be weird to wear my skort in college, but the royal blue outfit we all wear creates a sense of community in our school. I love having a pocket on the right side but not on the left, popping the collar on my polo and having the best style of any school on 74th Street.

Don’t go breakin’ my heart... when bands break up hailierydel

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espite not knowing them in person, bands and musicians act as best friends, role models and inspiration. When a band breaks up, or when a musician passes, it stings deep. Lately, it seems like artists have been dying left and right.

Rude.

When we listen to a band’s record, it’s a personal experience. The artist felt deeply enough about something to put hours worth of blood, sweat and tears into a musical story. Through listening to this musical story, we can truly get to know the individuals behind the music. Through this process it’s easy to see how we can become attached to people we have never met in our lives.

Music that is executed well can be a means for saving lives, it can be strength through adversity, inspiration to move on

and most importantly an emotional outlet for feelings you might not even know you were feeling. Eloquently spoken words can easily inspire these huge life connections. It’s only natural to feel connected to people when you bond over mutual life happenings.

Oftentimes, when we thoroughly enjoy an artist we commit time and energy to listening to the entirety of their work. Exploring a band’s musical repertoire takes you on a journey of growth with them. In a way we feel like we too, have grown up with the band.

That’s personal.

I personally grew up with Linkin Park. They were

one of my mother’s favorite bands during my childhood. Naturally, we were constantly bumping Linkin Park around the house, in the car or whenever we had a free moment. When I heard news that lead singer, Chester Bennington, passed away, I cried. Real tears were streaming down my face. The loss wasn’t just some dude in a band, it was a role model, a friend and an inspiration.

I certainly wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Bennington amassed a huge and loyal following with his music.

Whether or not we knew them, losing an artist, or a band is a deeply felt loss.

The bond formed over mutual life strug-

gles is intensely personal. Losing a loved artist is like losing a close friend.

Band Break Ups of the last year according to fuse.tv • Audioslave • Wonder Girls • Alex & Sierra • Black Sabbath • Mobb Deep • HIM • 2AM graphic by shannonmcsweeney

OPINION (5)

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

I always have, always will; Do it for the vi nyl

W

e’ve all heard that cliché come out of an alternative/hipster barista at your local coffee shop’s mouth. “It sounds better on vinyl.” Well the truth is, Barista Chad, you’re totally right.

And I’m not just saying that to try to be cool. I have a valid belief that listening to music on a vinyl is better than listening to CDs or streaming music audrey on your phone.

Music is an hertel experience, and I believe that listening to vinyl allows for that to become even more of a reality.

Because technology has become a part of our everyday lives, listening to vinyl has become such a unique experience.

A reason that listening to vinyls is so unique is because you’re more likely to listen to them from beginning to end.

Vinyls allow you to admire the record as a whole value of work. There’s no skipping over songs, (well you can, but it’s kind of a pain to change the song).

There’s an inkling to listen to the whole body of work that the artist has put out.

A certain artistry goes along with the creation of a vinyl record including the sleeve and cover art. Many people who listen to vinyl become more appreciative of the artist’s concept of the record,

which means that person appreciates the art. Many artists who create vinyls have an appreciation for art in itself which allows the person who listens to that artist to appreciate it as well.

Listening to vinyl also helps people create a more diverse music taste.

Nothing beats going to a record store and looking at cover art, digging it and taking it home. Because vinyls are a bit expensive, people actually listen to them instead of just saving a song to one playlist that you “promise you’ll listen to a little bit later.”

My favorite record stores in Omaha are Homer’s Records, Drastic Plastic and Almost Music.

All of them are in East Omaha, so if you’re like me and live in West O don’t worry because vinyl is totally worth the drive. The expense of a vinyl can range from store to store though, so make sure you go to different ones to compare prices and get the best bang for your buck.

Make sure to check out antique stores around the Omaha area for vinyl as well.

They usually have the cheapest vinyls.

However, whatever price vinyl is, it is worth it.

You can’t beat the power of vinyl, not even with an aux cord.

CDs equal go-to jamming style hailie rydel

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Electronic mediums easy for most eclectic of music tastes

L

istening to music electronically lilywatkins is the best because you can take it with you anywhere. There never has to be a time when you’re craving tunes but don’t have anything to bop to again.

Just pull out your device, open up a CD anymore when you your music account want to share a mixtape or music library and let yourself get washed away in with a friend.

If you listen to your the beat. music through downloads or Electronic music is easily through sites, you can listen the most versatile; there’s to the same music through practically no place you different devices (phone, can’t play it. tablet, laptop, etc.) as long You don’t have to deal as the account is connected. with lugging a boombox You can pause in the middle or Walkman around. Even of your Spotify playlist after if you don’t have Wi-Fi, your workout and then pick you can still play whatever up right where you left off songs you have downloadlater on another device. ed. Not to mention, if you The exploration possimake playlists through apps bilities for electronic music like Spotify or 8tracks, anyare much wider than that of one in the world can access physical music as well. It is them. much easier to listen to and You don’t have to burn look for new music through,

for example, Spotify, than a record store. Spotify (and other music-sharing apps) often provide a recommended playlist of songs periodically based upon your song history.

It is also possible to listen to similar music when listening to a particular song. For example, if you listen to a lot of alternative music, you will be recommended more music of the same genre from artists with similar styles.

Whether it’s playing from a boombox or a Bluetooth speaker, music’s value doesn’t change. It may not have the same reverb as a record player, but bumping music from your phone is one of the best options out there. You can access practically any song ever recorded through your phone and play it whenever you want.

You can listen to it through your headphones or play it aloud for everyone to hear.

Music Delivery Method Debate

ny free moment in my life is occupied with music. Whether it be opera, metal or rap, music is constantly playing.

My mother first purchased me a cheap toy radio at the age of 5. I was gifted the artful masterpiece “Hot Fuss” by the Killers.

Not to exaggerate or anything, but that CD changed my 5 year-old life. In this day and age, music is easily accessible.

We have a multitude of mediums to bless our ear holes, but to this day, CDs are still my go-to way of jamming.

When any decent artist creates a record, it tells a story. CDs force you to listen to a record in its entirety. You can’t very well read and appreciate a story in all its glory when you skip pages. It irks me to no end when people pick and choose tracks off a record, or worse yet, just singles to listen to.

Congratulations, you just read chapter 1 and 17, I hope you’re happy with yourself.

Listening to an album is an event, and we need to treat it as such. An artist just gave you a piece of him or herself

and you’re going to spit on them by only listening to their single? Shame on you. Sit down in your car, in your bed, wherever, with no distractions and let your ear holes be blessed.

Driving by yourself with the radio blaring is the cheapest form of therapy (trust me...). Nothing beats the feeling of popping in a disc, rolling the windows down and driving until everything seems alright.

Nothing beats it. C’mon people. CDs all the way my friends.

Why winning, healthy competition are good for the soul P

icture this: 15 red-faced 5-year-olds running around a field trying not to trip over their own feet who eventually manage to get a ball into a goal. A rather painful sight, but this micro-soccer experience is generally where children get their first sense of competition.

Competition and hard work are extremely American values. You compete, you work hard and eventually you will reach your goals. Regardless of if this philosophy is applied in sports, school or just life in general, healthy competition is always a good thing.

But when competition is taken away and the mentality becomes “everyone’s a winner,” children lose the understanding that hard work equates a reward. When children grow up thinking that they will

win regardless of their effort, they lose out on the joy that can come from working hard and earning a victory, instead of winning simply for showing up.

In reality, there is no such thing as winning for delaney participation. You get what you work stekr for, and simply showing up is not going to earn you much. Competition, and sports in particular, instill values of hard work, teamwork and learning how to cope with failure at an early age. If a child is taught that as long as they try their best

THE NET WORK STAF F

The Network is a monthly publication of the journalism students at Marian High School, Nebraska’s only Class A Catholic, North Central Accredited college preparatory school for girls. The Network is a member of N.H.S.P.A. and the N.S.P.A. It is our goal to provide an accurate and informative news source for the student community. Opinions expressed on opinion pages do not necessarily represent those of the entire community.

Students, faculty, and friends are invited to voice their opinion in Letters to the Editors.

All letters must be typed, signed, and sent to this address: The Network, Marian High School, 7400 Military Ave., Omaha, NE 68134 Or emailed to us here: netpaper@omahamarian.org Or call us at 402-571-2618 x 1134 An electronic version of this paper and exclusive content can be found here: mariandigitalnetwork.com

Follow us on Twitter @MHSbeat • Follow us on Instagram @MHSpub •

Friend us on Snapchat @MHSpub

they are winners, they will have a tough time when they try their best and still get denied from a college, or do not get the job they applied for.

While sheltering a child can give them immediate happiness, the end result is a child with an inability to cope. Understanding how to both win and lose with grace are vital life skills, and competition fosters both of those.

Competition does not have a strict application to sports, but just allowing children to compete in anything, and teaching them that losing

is okay, teaches that if they keep working and persisting they could get the result that they desire.

In the moment, losses seem to be the worst possible outcome, but in reality the lessons learned from losses can be more powerful than never being tested or failing.

Competition has given me an understanding of hard work, and how important it is to respect all opponents. It has taught me to treat all aspects of life with the same attitude that nothing will be handed to you, and that to get what I want I have to work hard and likely, beat other people out. Life as a whole is a competition, and there will always be winners and losers; persevere, work hard and you could end up with the life you want.

managing editors: maddierobertson & gracesall copy editor: delaneystekr photo editor: audreyyost graphics editor & online editor: maggieprosser front page editor: allisonostapowicz news editor: juliahingorani & hailierydel feature editors: hayleygolden, samanthafabian, juliaveik & lilywatkins opinion editors: katherinemartin & abbymclaughlin indepth editor: audreyhertel sports editors: annacook & audreyyost entertainment editors: sofyherrera & shannonmcsweeney photo essay editor: mariadeterman circulation manager, reporter & photographer: hailierydel adviser: marshakalkowski

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

(6) FEAT URE

Girls ready for fun, educational opportunities over the summer abbymclaughlin

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arian girls are always busy. Whether it’s homework, soccer practice or just hanging out with friends, we always find something to make time go by. However, in the summer, there’s no homework or projects to fill time. Instead, these Marian girls found other ways to get the most of their time and spark their interests.

Junior Lily Blake will be attending Girls’ State June 3-9. Girls’ State is a government-run simulation on University of Nebraska Lincoln’s campus. The application process is selective, with only one girl from each school being able to be sent to the conference. At the conference,

Lily Blake ’19

Blake will fill out paperwork to run for office and take a test over current issues and the Nebraska Blue Book, a reference manual with information on Nebraska’s State Government, geography, economy, history and culture.

Participants also run and fill every office in the Nebraska Unicameral. Everyone has a chance to do the jobs of the position they were elected for the week they’re there. Blake will also have a service opportunity in the Lincoln area. “I am interested in government so this looked appealing to me. It will be fun to socialize and work with other girls who share my interest,” Blake said.

Freshmen Jenna Andersen and Maddison Fitzgibbons will be attending a marine biology camp called Animal Camp Jamaica.

From July 1-14, they will study fish on the reefs of Jamaica and explore the other parts of Jamaica.

In the future, both Andersen and Fitzgibbons want to study marine biology, so they decided to participate in the camp. The application

process started last September, and they didn’t find out if they were accepted until November. “I think having field experience will help me a lot in my science classes here at Marian,” Andersen said.

Sophomore Sara Lighthart, is attending a screenwriting camp at Loyola Marymount University, in Los Angeles, Calif. She will be attending the beginners screenwriting camp from July 15-28. At the camp, professors and other professionals will teach Lighthart how to write scripts for movies, specifically a drama, a comedy and a horror script. “I want to be a screenwriter, so this will be the beginning of the process,” Lighthart said.

Lighthart had to submit three essays.

Within those, Lighthart had to write a personal statement, along with her own scene and script. With the help and encouragement from guidance counselor, Mrs. Laura Gelecki, and English teacher, Ms. Adie Magistro, Lighthart was successful throughout the application process. Those attending the camp will have full access to

Sara Lighthart’ 20

facilities, go on television set tours and to Disneyland for a day.

Sophomore Eleni Patsalis is attending Summer Immersion at Columbia University. At this camp, from July 17 to Aug. 3, she will be taking classes focusing on molecular biology and genetics. To attend the camp, Patsalis had to write an essay, send in her transcript, PSAT scores and teacher recommendations. “I like learning more, and I think it will be good to learn in a different classroom setting,” Patsalis said.

With endless opportunities to be discovered, Marian girls can always find something to fill their time.

Living and learning: Students share stories about their growth this past year at Marian samanthafabian

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his year has been a year unlike any other, as it has presented Marian students with a variety of different challenges and opportunities. Although it has been a year of ups and downs, each moment can be taken as a learning experience that ultimately makes each student stronger in the end. Read below about the stories of four students’ 2017-2018 academic year and what they have come to learn from this year’s trials and tribulations.

Emily Folts ’18

“S

enior year has been one of the most rewarding years of high school for me.

I have always had pretty good grades, but I never really put full effort into school.

I went through most of high school barely studying and hoping it would get me by. First semester of this year, I took control and went to Starbucks or DoSpace almost every day after school and I studied for every sin-

“T

gle test. At this point I have some of the best grades I’ve ever had because of how hard I worked.

It is very rewarding to accomplish goals you have set for yourself. I brought this confidence into other aspects of my life, like working out and healthy grocery shopping, and it has made me a happier person.

One of the most difficult things I’ve had to accept this year is that there aren’t answers to all questions.

It’s really frustrating to not know what I want to do in life,

his past year I’ve grown so much academically because it finally hit me that if I wanted to be successful, I’d have to work hard. This last year I’ve learned that I needed to let go of the things that weren’t making

and it’s even more frustrating when you have to actually make commitments without being fully sure.

It’s also very hard to grasp the concept of losing people without really knowing why.

Sometimes not knowing everything pushes me out of my comfort zone to really learn more about the world.

I’ve grown intellectually in the sense that I answer my own questions and give my own reasons.

I’ve had quite a few friends throughout my years of high school. Friends are meant to lean on each other, but I felt like I leaned on them a little more than they did to me. This year, however, I learned to

me happy, and I needed to put myself first and do the things that made me happy. The thing that changed me most is when my mom told me that at the end of the day my grades weren’t everything, and she wouldn’t

Paige Foley ’21

“I

have learned to prepare a week before a big test, and to make many different Quizlets.

I figured that going to a teacher or tutor to help you figure out what you are doing wrong helps you in the long run.

This year I have become more independent, outgoing and I have grown in my personality.

be there for myself a little more. Since I was much more confident with myself and following my own advice, I was able to be a better friend to everyone that had supported me when I needed it. My friendships are much deeper and are more than just someone to go to the movies with. They’re about the late nights driving to Fremont for no reason, walking through every aisle in Target because maybe we’ll find something cool and talking about problems and throwing out any ideas for solving them. I truly found people that only want to lift me up, and it has made all the difference.”

Jayden Rocha ’20

“A

cademically, I have changed how I go about learning the material I am given in each class.

Freshman year I was so focused on just memorizing the material and getting the questions right that I failed to understand the point of school is to learn information you can later apply. This year I have done a better job understanding the concept of the material.

Personally I have

care as long as I was giving it my all.

The greatest moment in the last year was when I was sitting in the choir room before final performance for play and they were giving senior speeches. I

For example, I have learned that I am kind of funny so when other people are upset, I try to use my mistakes or something really stupid that I’ve done to make people laugh. I have become more able to stand up for what I believe is right and know what’s best for myself; I have had to let go of some people that were

changed how I react to situations.

We all know that sometimes things just don’t go our way, but if we are constantly freaking out about things, they will never get finished. My saying for this year is ‘if you have time to worry, you have time to pray.’

The most difficult thing I had to accept this year was knowing that some people are gonna be better at me than some things and I won’t always be good at everything. I am a very competitive person, but I’ve come to understand that everyone has different

strengths and weaknesses, and I have strengths and weakness just like everyone else.

The biggest obstacle I have overcome this year is being my biggest supporter instead of my biggest critic.

My relationship with my mom has grown immensely this year. Honestly, she is my best friend. With all the challenges and wonderful moments sophomore year drags you through, she has been my rock. I hope everyone has someone in their lives that support them like my mom supports me. My relationships in general have grown a lot this year because I just realized the importance of others in my life.”

Avery Streeter ’19

just looked around realized just how much that group of people had made me confident, loved and accepted, and I couldn’t even think about how hard it would be to watch them all go.”

very close to me because it was the best decision for myself.

I have also learned that not everyone is going to like you for who you really are, and you don’t have to change yourself to fit in or make yourself seem normal. Not everyone is normal, we are all weirdos in our own way, and if people like you for that,

then they are your real friends.

Your real friends will be with you through thick and thin and won’t judge you for your mistakes. One idea that has changed the way I think is not everyone is gonna live tomorrow, so you have to live every day like it’s your last.”

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

FEAT URE (7)

Sweet treats bring sweet smiles to seniors hayleygolden

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Sugar rush Morgan Hodges ’18 and Ellie Messerschmidt ’18 hand a cookie to Caitlin Wessling ’18 after Easter Break. Their holiday-themed cookies have become a staple for seniors at Marian.

Frosting queen Ellie Messerschmidt ’18 frosts cookies for Easter. Making cookies has been a tradition since Sophomore year. Photo courtesy of Morgan Hodges ’18.

hey can be seen walking the halls before or after the latest holiday with their cookie duffel bags in hand. Seniors Morgan Hodges and Ellie Messerschmidt have become an iconic duo throughout the school due to their famous sugar cookies. “I had no idea what was going on because I didn’t realize it would be a thing and they were just like, ‘Here, do you want a cookie?’ I barely knew Ellie and I had never met Morgan, but I just thought is was really sweet because they made cookies for everyone in the class and it was adorable,” senior Maddie McKillip said.

Both girls were ecstatic to see the reaction of their peers. “We were excited that everyone reacted so well and looked forward so much to ‘cookie day’,” Hodges said.

Hodges and Messerschmidt started this tradition sophomore year. “The first time we did it was Valentine’s Day our sophomore year and we only made about 50 cookies. Now we make about 250, so that was quite a difference,” Messerschmidt said.

According to Messerschmidt, the initial idea came from Hodges. “It was actually Morgan’s idea. She just came to me one day at Christmas and she had given me a gift, and I was like, ‘What if we gave cookies to the whole class?’ and she thought it was a good idea. We got this great cookie recipe from my grandma and we started making them,”

Messerschmidt explained.

The overall process is taxing, but together, the two make an efficient pair. “I make the dough the day before and then Morgan comes over and we bake the cookies together and frost them together.

Making the dough takes about an hour, and then making all the cookies the next day takes about five hours. So about six hours total,” Messerschmidt said.

In addition to cookies, Hodges and Messerschmidt add prayers to the bags.

“That’s what Morgan does. So when I make the dough, she makes the little card,” Messerschmidt explained. “When she gave me my gift there was a prayer in it, so we decided that we need to bring that aspect into everybody’s lives.”

Hodges explained that faith plays a big part in adding the prayers. “Faith is a big part of both of our lives, and we felt we couldn’t leave that out,” Hodges said.

To choose the prayers, Hodges created a process to choose one that fits. “I read a few and pick the one that stands out but also fits on the card,” Hodges said.

The reaction throughout the grade and even the entire school was tremendous.

“It always makes my day better because I just put it in my backpack and I save it for lunch and then I pull it out at lunch and I’m like ‘Oh, I forgot they gave me a cookie this morning. That was so sweet.’

It’s like a second moment of joy, and I can just be happy about the cookie,” McKillip said.

For Messerschmidt, handing out the cookies is the best part of the overall process. “Handing them out, for me, is just really fun getting to see everybody and everybody always smiles and tells me that I made their day, and that’s a huge deal for me,” Messerschmidt said.

Hodges also enjoys handing out the cookies, in addition to having fun while making them. “I like singing along with the music while rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies, but I also like handing them out and seeing the look on everyone’s face,” Hodges said.

Both girls have gotten more out of this experience than becoming professional bakers. “I’m kind of shy, so handing out cookies was hard for me the first couple times, but then as we did it more and more, it got easier for me to go up to people I didn’t know and ask them if they wanted cookies and stuff, so it was like my way of meeting new people,” Messerschmidt said.

“I have been able to see how valuable a freely given gift can be to someone and that making someone’s day is worth all of the hard work,” Hodges added.

Overall, the smiles that come with this tradition prove to be worth the work. “It makes me smile because I love making people happy, and so I carry that with me through the rest of the day and it helps me see that I helped my class be happy,” Messerschmidt said.

Summer reads hook readers with emotion juliaveik

“T

The Go-Between

he Go-Between” by Veronica Chambers is the incoming freshmens’ summer read. It’s a coming-of-age story that features a Mexican teen named Camilla del Valle, or Cammi. Cammi’s mother is a famous telenovela actress in Mexico, her father is a famous voice actor and her brother is studying abroad.

When her mother is given the chance to play a minor role that will eventually become a main role in an American show, they move to Los Angeles, Calif. Cammi starts attending a private school where her new friends assume she is a scholarship student and treat her like she’s poor. She decides to keep up the ruse to see what they might say about her if she didn’t have money, but secrets can’t last forever.

Cammi has to face a choice of who she really is and if she’s any different than what people believe her to be. Through friendships and turmoil, Cammi must learn how to represent her culture positively while not straying from who she is.

“I think it’s a great choice for freshmen because they can relate to Cammi’s experience of entering a brand-new school where she doesn’t know anybody. Cammi has to navigate a new school, a new country and new friends. And while Marian students may not be involved in the same situation, they can certainly relate to some of those experiences,” English teacher Ms. Susie Sisson said.

The freshmen will not be able to Skype with the author. However, the freshmen will have the opportunity to listen to a speaker.

Where’d you go, Bernadette?

“W

here’d you go, Bernadette?” written by Maria Semple, is a quirky novel about a woman named Bernadette, her family and the events leading up to her disappearance while on a cruise ship.

Bernadette, her husband Elgin and her daughter Balakrishna, or Bee, live in Seattle. Elgin works at Microsoft on a project called Samantha 2 and Bee attends a private school where the other moms don’t think very highly of Bernadette.

As a reward for keeping perfect grades, Bee requests to go to Antarctica on a family trip. At first, Bernadette is willing and even excited for her trip, but as it grows closer the worries of turbulent waters and seasickness begin to overwhelm her.

An intervention gone wrong and a run in with the FBI leads to Bernadette vanishing without a trace for several months and leaves Bee to pick up the pieces. “‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette?’” is a perfect book for the soon-to-be sophomores. It’s quirky and insightful, just like they are. I’m so excited to share in Bee’s story with them,” English teacher Ms. Adie Magistro said.

The sophomores will have the opportunity to Skype with the author and ask her any questions they have about the book.

“It’s a tremendous privilege for our students to meet Maria Semple.

So often, we find ourselves at the end of a novel with questions we wish we could ask the author. In this case, we can,” Magistro said.

“J

Juliet

uliet” by Anne Fortier, is a re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” with its own twists that takes a step away from the classic to become its own unique tale.

The story begins when Julie Jacobs’ aunt dies and leaves her with a key to a safety deposit box in Italy and a clue to her past. Julie finds out that she, and her estranged twin Janice, are related to Giulietta, the real-life Juliet.

When she discovers that the curse placed on the two families, “A plague on both your houses,” may be coming after her next, she begins the search for her own Romeo to break the curse and save her life.

With help from the handsome Alessandro, she seeks her Romeo while discovering the real-life counterparts for each character in the original “Romeo and Juliet.”

As the novel progresses, readers see both the past and the present intertwine in an excellent story of a dangerous romance.

“I applaud Fortier and her writing plan.

She clearly wanted to showcase a familiar story to her audience, but she rejuvenated the old tale so that readers were seeing it in a whole new way. Fortier’s expansion on the classic was organized and I greatly appreciated the fact that she didn’t drag readers deeply into Elizabethan England - in fact, she completely avoided it,” English teacher Ms. Megan Piernicky said.

The junior class will also have the chance to ask the author questions about their summer read via Skype.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

“T

he Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein is the seniors’ summer read for next school year. The seniors will have the opportunity to ask Garth Stein questions about “The Art of Racing in the Rain” via Skype. This unique novel is written in the perspective of the family dog, Enzo, who is not all you might expect a dog to be.

Enzo deals with very human emotions and thinks just as complexly as people do.

Stein’s portrayal of the inner thoughts of a dog are a brilliant mixture of comedy and serious lessons about life brought about through classic dog behavior and racing metaphors.

“It’s definitely a tear-jerker and I think there’s some really deep lessons that Enzo kind of comes across over the course of his life and shares with readers that can make for some great discussion to kick off the year,” English teacher Mrs. Aleecia Cotton said.

Throughout the book, you see Enzo grow with his owner Denny, who has always been interested in the challenge of racing cars. Enzo shares Denny’s love of racing. Enzo is there when Denny brings his future wife Eve home, and when their daughter Zoe is born.

Enzo is a wonderfully complex character who is always loyal to Denny and does his best to protect the people he loves. “If you’ve ever bonded with an animal at all, I think you’ll love this story,” Cotton said.

(8- 9) IN-DEPT H

Seniors soaring h aND Saying

The Major Key

The Class of 2018’s most popular majors UNDECIDED

NURSING

ENGINEERING

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Things change, people change, majors change, too

3

Find out why these teachers changed their majors in college Mr. Greg Golka

Original Major: History Changed Major: Education

“I had some experiences that led me to think that I might be an effective teacher, so I decided to pursue it.”

78 2

4

7 2

Mr. Craig Panning

Original Major: Accounting Changed Major: Education

4

“I changed because I always considered education to be something that interested me.

I thought about how my high school teachers inspired me and I wanted to provide that support for students.”

The Senior Network staff doesn’t want to adJOURN from the halls of Marian No one had any idea that one day in August of 2014 would have had so much of an effect on us. We had no idea that having no principal was abnormal, Soph Lot would cease to exist our junior year, the letters A,C and T would haunt our lives for two years straight and Mrs. Surprise Day would be the best employee at Marian. We had no idea what kind of a place Marian is. Sure, we had heard upperclasswomen say “There’s no place like Marian,” and “Cherish your time,” but we could never truly believe it until our own senior year.

Here we sit, reminiscing about all of the amazing things Marian has done for us. It has provided us with so many memories and skills that would take hundreds of copies of The Network to explain.

We will miss our inside jokes, getting hit with books in Room 320, screaming songs at the top of our lungs, bathing in body paint and hearing Mrs. Turnquist say “Whoever ordered Jimmy John’s, your order is here.”

As seniors we have realized that these everyday occurrences are very special. Take time to appreciate the little things that make Marian, Marian.

Appreciate the balls of hair that grow underneath your chair in physics class, the beeping interrupting the announcements, the sweat you break after walking up to

third floor, the one girl who fans you after you ran eight laps in weight training and spying on the StuBo girls to see if they put tennis shoes in their locker. Because we are leaving we won’t have these experiences anymore, but we hope that you all will be appreciative of it.

Next year, Marian might be changing physically, but the bond and sisterhood shared amongst its students will not. Over the past few years we have witnessed how Marian can bring people together during times of hardship and joy, and we have witnessed how faith plays a huge role in that. Marian has showed us that God is a constant presence at Marian whether it be through the faculty and staff, the students or even Max, the unofficial-official Marian dog.

Marian has become a home to all of us and it’s not just because there was a dog that roamed the hallways.

Marian has built an actual community for us. It has made us feel like we belong somewhere in the world and allows us to be ourselves without fear of judgement. Because

of Marian, we feel empowered to chase our dreams and not be afraid of what the future holds. On our first day, they told us that we would become leaders at Marian.

Four years later, each and every one of us can say that we are in fact confident, independent, thinking leaders inspired by faith.

Thanks for joining us on our ‘journ’ey, Marian. You have left an im‘print’ on us that we will have for the rest of our lives. And no, we will never close The Network.

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

“And they were roommates...”

high

Girls from the Class of 2018 share their thoughts on living with roommates next year

goodbye

“I met my future roomie on my official visit and she seemed sweet and a good person to live with. I am most excited to have sleepovers with someone every night and just be able to live with my best friend.”

- Delaney Gunn ‘18

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2

4

1

1 6

1

2

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“Sharing rooms is definitely not my favorite, but I know I will really get along with my roommate. I think it’ll be helpful to have someone with me a lot that’s dealing with all the change too, so I’m excited.”

- Annie Sullivan ‘18

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“Since I will be playing soccer, the coaches set us up for random roommates with three other players on the team. I started texting one of my roommates and we really seem good for each other.”

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-Jaedyn Johnson ‘18

“I decided to room with a girl I know that is a Marian girl because I thought we would get along together and bring the best out of one another!”

- Samantha McGargill ‘18

Final Destinations: California

Loyola Marymount University Santa Clara University

Kansas

Colorado

Kentucky

Colorado State University Front Range Community College

Illinois

University of Western Illinois Loyola University Northwestern University

Iowa

Iowa State University University of Iowa Iowa Western 7

Community College The University of Kansas University of Louisville

Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts at Lowell

Michigan

Michigan State University

Minnesota

University of Minnesota College of St. Benedict College of St. Olaf

Missouri

St. Louis University Rockhurst University Northwest Missouri State University University of Missouri Truman State University

Nebraska

University of New Hampshire

New York Cornell University

Ohio

Central State University University of Dayton

Oklahoma

University of Nebraska Lincoln University of Nebraska Omaha Nebraska Wesleyan Wayne State University Metropolitan Community College Creighton University

University of Oklahoma Oral Roberts University

New Hampshire

Belmont University

Dartmouth University

South Carolina

Clemson University

South Dakota

University of South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Southern Methodist University Texas A&M University Texas Christian University

Washington

Gonzaga University Washington State University

Washington, D.C.

George Washington University

Wisconsin

Marquette University

Taiwan

National Security Language Initiative for Youth

FEAT URE (10)

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

Slam poets share their souls, time on local stage at Louder Than A Bomb festival allisonostapowicz

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arian’s Slam Poetry club has been competing in Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB) events for four years. Slam meets every Tuesday after school where the club does workshops, shares personal poems and writes poems based off prompts given to them.

After winter break they start to prepare for the Louder Than a Bomb competitions held in the spring. LTAB is a teen poetry festival started in 2001 by young Chicago authors.

The event aims “to bring teens together across racial, gang and socio-economic lines. LTAB is a friendly competition that emphasizes self-expression and community via poetry, oral storytelling and hip-hop spoken word.”

The club spends lots of time revising the poems they use in competitions.

Toward the beginning of the school year, the club consists more of open poetry.

The girls in Slam Poetry share pieces they have written to get feedback or just to share a bit about their life.

Sharing poetry consists of sharing very personal aspects of your life and having all your emotions out on the table for everyone to experience.

“Sharing poetry is the equivalent of going on a first date and revealing all your

feelings people who understand and don’t and deepjudge me. I will be a part of the est, darkest club next year. We have no juniors secrets. But in the club at the moment and the because we seniors are leaving, so next year I’ll have shared be one of club leaders along with all the deep sophomore Shelby Yaghoutfam,” dark stuff, us said sophomore Anna Methe. girls in Slam One of the club’s two coaches is have become Carolina Hotchandani who was an so close English professor at Northwestern. because we Hotchandani highlights the writing have already and grammar aspects of the poetry, talked about and gives the girls feedback on their everything writings. and evThe second coach is Traci erything Schacht who has a background in is out on social activism and has been a part the table,” of Marian’s Slam Poetry Club for senior and two years. Schacht helps the girls Speaking out, sounding proud Courtney Kilroy ’18, Anna Methe ’ 20, Shelby Yaghoutco-captain fam ’20 and Lily Watkins ’18 perform their group piece titled “Our Fire and our Fury.” with voice control, volume, gestures Courtney and performance.

The team placed 20th in the Louder Than a Bomb Competition 2018.

Kilroy said.

“With the balance between Watkins has been a member of Slam Senior Lily Watkins is a co-captain grammar and performance it has made Poetry since her freshman year at Marian. along with Kilroy. Watkins’ jobs consists our team a lot more successful and Kilroy has been a member since her sophof sending out all emails reminding girls well-rounded,” Watkins said. omore year. “Slam has taught me how to of their deadlines. Kilroy and Watkins “When I first worked at Marian I saw give feedback, also how to share how I am show the members what being a team how cool the club was and knew I wanted feeling and make poetry out of it,” Kilroy means. They show leadership skills so to be a part of it. I think it’s the coolest said. the club will run smoothly when they club at Marian,” club moderator Ms. Adie “I love expressing myself through Slam graduate.

Magistro said.

Poetry in a safe, fun environment with

UNO Ambassadors Forum swings through Omaha, students able to attend maggieprosser

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he fifth annual Burlington Capital and University of Nebraska at Omaha Ambassador’s Forum took place on April 4. Local citizens from all over Omaha joined the college community at the UNO Thompson Alumni Center to talk about President Donald Trump’s administration’s foreign trade policy after one year into his presidency. Lunch was served as the speakers prepared.

Marian girls were just one of the three schools at the forum. International Issues teacher Mrs. Katy Salzman joined the ten girls for the field trip. Each of these two teachers has a passion for teaching young women about government and the world.

Central was represented as well as abroad students from an organization called the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from UNO. The girls even got a round of applause for being young leaders that cared about increasing their knowledge of international issues.

“I think it’s important to put a face to the people who are out in the world representing the United States and our interests.

Many don’t understand the work of the State Department and the role of diplomacy in solving some of the trickier issues in

become engaged in world events in whatever career path they choose,” Salzman said.

An ambassador is the president’s highest ranking representative Girl power Juniors Katie Kennedy, Lily Gonzalez and Lily Blake read through to a specific their pamphlets at the Ambassador’s Forum. The girls enjoyed an afternoon out nation or with their teacher Mrs. Katy Salzman. international the world that affect our lives (whether we organization abroad. Because of their high know it or not). If it weren’t for the work rank in government, their visit to Omaha of U.S. diplomats and their efforts to solve was especially notable. problems before they erupt into conflicts, Former ambassadors James F. Colwe would find ourselves in a much more lins, Earl A. Wayne, Susan L. Ziadeh and precarious situation in the world. I also Deborah A. McCarthy presented at the hope that this event helps to educate meeting. All four of these former ambasstudents about the big challenges the U.S. sadors have extraordinary resumes and faces in the world and inspires Marian have worked multiple jobs in different girls to go into foreign service or at least

Seniors declare post-graduation intentions

countries. Each ambassador had a selected topic to speak to for about 20 minutes.

The topics included the rising economic and military authority of China, the security challenges presented by extremist Islamic terrorism and the dawn of North Korea as a nuclear power.

“I was interested in going to the ambassador’s forum because I really like learning people’s different views on political issues. I am planning to go into any type of international business,” senior Donna Yang said.

Moderator Tom Gouttierre introduced each leader and read through all questions asked at the end of the speeches.

All questions were asked in parliamentary procedure; everything was written down on paper and handed up to Gouttierre.

“I learned more about the United States stance on allies and trade with other countries. I asked the ambassadors questions on current political issues and U.S. relations with other nations,” Yang said.

Girls enjoyed hearing from the ambassadors throughout the afternoon. They even got to catch a picture with the four after the luncheon was over.

Mapping it out Members of the Class of 2018 sit on the floor of the East Gym on May 4 before passing the microphone and sharing their college and course of study plans with the underclasswomen. Nebraska and other Midwest colleges seemed to be the most popular choices. Photo by Lydia Delkamiller.

The Net work (May 2018)

(11) Feat ure

Privilege Walk sparks conversation, awareness for sophomores, freshmen

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f one or both of your parents have a college degree, take one step forward.”

“If you have ever been profiled by someone else using stereotypes, take one step back.”

These statements became part of an activity on April 17 for freshmen and sophomores during their theology block.

The activity, called the Privilege Walk, was organized by the IDEAS (Increasing Diversity and Equality Among Students) club as a way to bring awareness to the privileges that students at Marian have.

Students in each block went to the East Gym to participate, and began by standing in a straight line holding hands. As statements were read by IDEAS club members, students would move forward or backward depending on the statement. As the activity continued, it became more difficult for the girls to hold hands with their classmates as the distance between them became more defined.

“We didn’t want people in the back to feel as though they were less

because they didn’t have a lot of privileges, and we didn’t want people in the front to feel guilty about the privileges they didn’t have a choice to have. We just wanted to promote understanding and to show that we may go to the same school and look the same but everyone is dealing with something in their life,” senior club leader Amou Majok said.

“I think my classmates learned to be happy with what they have because not everyone has that,” sophomore Aker Ajak said. The girls began to realize how different their backgrounds are, despite their commonality in Marian.

This privilege of a rigorous education in itself is something all Marian girls can share.

However, there are many differences between students that are often unrecognized. At least 36 percent of Marian students do not have their own car and 6 percent do not have their own bedroom. More than 26 percent of Marian students have relied on public transportation at some point in their lives.

These factors may seem minute, but they can be

a big deal for someone who lacks these things.

“We also share many privileges, such as going to a private school, and we also share many disadvantages, such as dealing with gender discrimination,” Majok said.

“My hope was that students can identify what they have, be grateful for what they have, regardless of how much or how little and be sensitive to each other. While privileges sometimes lead to opportunities and materialistic things, they do not always guarantee happiness,” club moderator and theology teacher Ms. Kathy Janata said. Her hope from the activity was to encourage girls to be kind to one another as well as take time to get to know their classmates before accepting stereotypes.

The privilege walk is the main event that the IDEAS club provides for the students. The club also volunteers at women’s shelters and hopes to have a day to wear cultural clothing at school to showcase their families’ cultures in the future.

“Privileges don’t al-

ways equal happiness.

Many students in the front felt guilty for taking steps forwards and I want them to know they didn’t do anything wrong.

Many students in the back felt embarrassed for being so far behind everyone, and I want to thank them for being courageous to answer honestly, and also let them know it’s not their Standing together Students in the Block H theology classes stand fault,” Majok said. holding hands while participating in the privilege walk on April 17. SixThe Privilege ty-one percent of the 105 students surveyed after the activity said they Walk is not an aclearned something new about themselves through participating. tivity reserved to the Marian community.

This activity is practiced nationwide “The Privilege within schools Walk helped with the me realize intent of opening the effects up a of privilege.” dialogue between people Strongly Agree - 41 of different backgrounds.

Agree - 44 The same goal No Opinion - 14 is present, to help people Disagree - 6 understand that *Chart based on the 105 diversity is a Strongly Disagree - 0 responses of the Privilege positive aspect Walk Evaluation sent out by of society, an the IDEAS Club. opportunity for learning.

0

6

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14

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Marian Mimes join in the Autism Puzzle Walk, use skills for smiles juliaveik

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he Marian Mimes, founded in 1972, is a unique group of individuals who forgo words in exchange for facial expressions and gesturing. Miming allows members to grow in confidence of what their body language is communicating while bringing smiles to others’ faces.

Miming, contrary to popular belief, is not all about avoiding all talking and sounds. It’s about practicing the nonverbal expressions that you already make and maximizing them.

Mimes have to use these expressions to help observers understand what is happening during their skits.

“Despite the fact that you can’t talk, it’s really a lot of fun if you put everything you have into it,” junior Eleanor Ricketts, who has been a mime for two years, said.

The mimes performed at the Thanksgiving prayer service, roamed around making mischief during Open

House, performed skits over a lunch block on March 27 and had the opportunity to walk around in full mime attire and makeup at the Autism Society of Nebraska Puzzle Walk on April 14 at the Ralston Arena.

The Puzzle Walk is a part of the mission of the Autism Society, which is the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization. The Autism Society exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism.

They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy (https://www.autism-society.org/).

The mimes have been invited to volunteer at the Puzzle Walk for four years.

The Ralston Arena was packed full of

bouncy houses, face painting, clowns, a magic show and a photo booth on the main floor.

The upper level was lined with booths for different companies and programs that support families and children impacted by autism.

There were also two quiet rooms in case any of the kids started to have sensory overload and needed a break.

A person who struggles to deal with everyday sensory information can experience sensory overload, or information overload. Too much information can cause stress, anxiety, and possibly physical pain. This can result in withdrawal, challenging behaviour or meltdown.

Often, small changes to the environment can make a difference. (http://www.autism.org. uk/sensory) The quiet rooms made for the event in Baxter Arena were designed to help negate and prevent sensory overload.

People dressed as

characters from different hit films and tv series roamed through the crowd, including Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Voldemort and characters from Star Wars. These characters were included to help add to the general experience of the kids attending the walk.

The mimes walked through the crowds on both levels to entertain kids and make them smile throughout the morning, and then had the opportunity to join in the physical walk. This year it was snowing, so the walk was limited to a short loop around the Ralston Arena.

“What I enjoy about the Puzzle Walk is seeing the smiling faces of those at the walk. It’s so uplifting knowing that with just one event I can put a smile on someone’s face and it means the world to me,” junior Leah Ramaekers said.

Mimes away Leah Ramaekers ’19 and Julia Veik ’18 are ready to start a morning of miming at the Autism Puzzle Walk. The main floor of the Ralston Arena had bouncy houses, slides and obstacle courses for the kids attending the walk. Photos courtesy of Alyssa Carlson.

Mascots all around Olivia Ramaekers ’19 and Leah Ramaekers ’19 pose with a company mascot. There were several mascots walking around the Ralston Arena, including the Omaha Lancers’ mascot Blade the Chicken.

Dressed to impress Julia Veik ’18, Olivia Ramaekers ’19 and Leah Ramaekers ’19 strike a pose with Spiderman and Superman. There were several people dressed as well-known movie characters roaming the Ralston Arena.

(12) SPORTS

THE Net work (May 2018)

Marian soccer: Alive, kicking through the season shannonmcsweeney

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fter hearing a pep talk from their coaches, circling up to pray the Hail Mary and giving each player time to say petitions, the Marian Varsity Soccer team is ready to play. These pre-game rituals, along with the closeness of this year’s team, are just a few of the reasons why the team feels confident about their chances at State.

The team is on their way to their third consecutive State Championship title. Their team of 23 players, five coaches, three team managers and two dogs has worked hard since March to make it to the final game on May 14. Because of this training, the team is closer than ever before.

“I think the team has been the closest that it’s been all year. The seniors this year are great leaders and we bring in the freshman under our wings more than we ever have,” junior midfielder and defender Lily Gonzalez said.

“It’s not cliquey, the freshmen aren’t with the freshmen, the sophomores aren’t with the sophomores; it’s juniors and freshmen and sophomores and seniors, all of us together.”

The team bonds with Sunday night dinners and pregame naps, but they have been close since tryouts. “We became a family immediately once we found out all of the people who were on the team. It’s a really great dynamic,” said senior defender and team captain Megan Valenzuela.

The togetherness of the team is what has brought them this far, especially during their game against Westside on April 21. Assistant coach Monica Bosiljevac, a Marian alum who led her team to victory against Westside during her senior year, was excited for this year’s team to beat

their rival.

“As soon as Westside scored that first goal, I said ‘Oh heck no, we are not losing,’ The fire was back,” Bosiljevac said.

“The team really took care of it from there and their comeback story of how the game unfolded speaks for itself.”

Marian scored two points before Westside re-tied the game, but the Crusaders scored the final point in the final seconds and won.

Reaching for the goal Mali Seran’18 receives the ball and heads toward the goal. Marian played Omaha Although they North on April 30 at Marian for the District Tournament, Marian took the win against Omaha North, 10-0. are having a success- Photo by Lily Heim. ful season so far, the our Marian way and hopefully things will turn out.” varsity team is not taking any breaks.

Marian has qualified for the State Tournament, so they “We beat a lot of the Class A teams this year but that will play their first round of state at Morrison Stadium on doesn’t mean that they’re not gonna come out even hard- May 9. er during State,” Valenzuela said. “We just need to play

Trap team shot for the gold at State Tournament samanthafabian

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n 2004, former physics teacher Mr. Bruce Esser and cur- coaching experience at Millard West. Esser said he believes State Competition on May 4 and 5 at Doniphan, Neb., the rent chair of science department Dr. Sharon Genoways that with this previous experience under his belt, Mr. TraMarian White Squad, composed of Meredith Wichman, decided to team up and establish the Marian Trap Team. cy can help prepare the young shooters for the next step.

Kassidy Carpenter, sophomore Delaney Baumberger, Alex Now, in the team’s 14th year of competing, they have parHe also noted that Mr. Tracy “has the patience, positive Young and senior Tyra Carstens, ended up placing fourth ticipated in numerous meets and have accumulated a total attitude and technical knowledge to teach newbies how in Handicaps. of seven State to shoot “It’s great Championtrap,” Essthat we did well ship trophies. er said. and got fourth Due to In out of almost the program’s addition 20 girls teams,” previous to introCarstens said. success, the ducing Although Marian Trap the feeder the team had Team had team to their sights set decided to this year’s on winning establish a program, State, Esser feeder team Marian’s noted that the earlier this varsity team’s success year with the Trap is not based hopes that it Team was on the number could help also able of trophies introduce to acquire they gain, but junior high 22 girls to rather, the Trap Queens The Marian State Trap Team lines up for a photo followShooting for a win Samantha Tracy ‘19, Anna Feldman ‘20, Anna ing the State Trap Competition on May 5. The team has worked hard all shoot for girls to the improvement of Denman, Elizabeth Brisbin ‘20 and Grace Voth pose for a photo after season and really grown as a team. Photos courtesy of Anna Feldman. its own proshooting at the State Trap Competition on May 5. They have competed each individual sport and to their program gram this year together on the same squad since the beginning of the season. shooter. early on. They also established the program as a way for with the help of girls from other “We are in girls to get a head start in the basics of shooting, as they Omaha-area high schools. Although the middle of the want girls to be prepared to thrive when they arrive at this number is relatively low compared to previous years, pack right now but have increased our score every week.

Marian. this year’s team has been able to achieve a great number of Watching a shooter break a target and the big grin they Because the feeder team is a new addition to Marian’s individual and team wins. have on their face is our measure of success,” Esser said.

Trap Team program this year, Esser has employed the Now that they have completed the final stretch of their Regardless of the outcome at the State competition, this help of junior Samantha Tracy’s father, Rich Tracy, to be season, the team is grateful for all of the opportunities year’s trap team has successfully improved themselves each in charge of the junior program as he has had previous and victories they have been granted this season. At the week and has continuously represented Marian well.

The Secret Life of Team Managers: Behind the scenes audreyyost

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arian girls love being involved, and that’s why so many volunteer their time to so many different aspects of Marian. From athletics to theater, there’s something for everyone at Marian. A huge pull for some is to be a team manager (TM) for a sport or activity that they love. It is common for injured athletes to be team managers while they are recovering. In other cases, it isn’t uncommon to sign up for a team manager spot to be involved and get to know the people on the team.

“You get to learn reliability and how to follow directions while spending time with your best friends; it’s sort of like the best of both worlds,” senior and varsity soccer team manager Lauren Isenberg said.

But being a team manager is not all fun and games. It is hard work because, yes, they are an essential member of the team. From attending every event they can to video recording every game, to helping with practices, it is a commitment. But the commitment is worthwhile

because it teaches life lessons and it makes relationships that could last a lifetime.

Soccer team managers have an especially taxing workload. They shag balls, record games, get water from the athletic trainer Melissa when the girls are parched during practice, help with drills, take stats during games if needed, get ice for girls who are injured and anything and everything else the soccer team needs. But team managers are not just for varsity sports. Junior varsity soccer is managed by juniors, this year TMs are Lizzy Byrne and Leah Ramaekers.

“I decided to become a TM because I had recently quit soccer, but I knew I was going to miss it. But being a team manager kept me close to the game. It’s like I always say, it’s all the perks of being on the team without all the work. Basically what I do is make sure all the balls are pumped, keep stats during games, run the Twitter account and occasionally play goalie during practice. I love

being a TM because some of my best friends are on the team and it gives me a chance to hang out with them,” Byrne said.

There are usually multiple spots, and a good amount of spots on the varsity volleyball, soccer, swim, and track and field teams. But, even reserve and junior varsity have spots open for team managers to help out.

There are team manager spots for everyone, even for clubs during every season of the year. Being a team manager helps you stay connected and become a part of something.

Becoming a team manager it isn’t as hard as you would think. Most girls just email the coach and let them know they are interested. If you know someone in the club or on the team they can also put in a good word for you. As tryout time comes around for sports, it’s probably a good time to let the coaches know that you are interested.

SPORTS (13)

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

Athletic Hall of Fame set to recognize outstanding athletes, coaches, patrons, parents maggieprosser

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arian’s Athletic Wall of Fame has been a long standing tradition since back before most alumni can remember.

The Athletic Wall of Fame wall became so full they had to make it digital to showcase all of our outstanding athletes.

One of the many things Marian prides itself in is outstanding student-athletes.

Just ten years ago, Marian’s previous Athletic Director, Mr. James Miller created the Athletic Hall of Fame to recognize exceptional student athletes after they had left the courts and fields of Marian.

The Athletic Hall of Fame reaches out to previous athletes, coaches, state championship winning teams and even Marian athletic patrons. They have specific requirements for coaches and athletes. A student have to be graduated from Marian for at least five years, has to have won a varsity letter, and demonstrated some type of leadership or achievement through athletics in high school and college. A coach has to be retired, have coached four full seasons of the same sport as a head or assistant coach, and shown superb leadership throughout their time as a coach. A selection committee gets together every year to decide which nominees should be chosen.

This year the committee will be recognizing Karen Criss Brown ‘06 for achievements in swimming and Lindsey Slocum

Robertson ‘06 for softball.

Brown swam from the University of Louisville for two years and then transferred to swim at the University of Nebraska. Brown attended the 2013 ceremony for her induction as a 2004-2005 swim team member. Her family will be in attendance to cheer her on.

“It’s a great feeling being in the Hall of Fame with a team and now individually. I took and still do take a lot of pride in representing Marian.

Being an athlete while in school really teaches a lot of lessons and gives you character traits that can’t be learned in a classroom and those lessons and traits transfer to the real world,” Brown said.

Ashley Carter ‘03 will also be receiving a soccer posthumous award.

“It means so much to us [to have Ashley up for this award]. It’s just another reason Marian and our family help her memory live on. I got teary-eyed when I

found out, but I was very, very happy and Sophomore Grace Bentley played softvery proud. The first thing I wanted to do ball, basketball and tennis for two seasons. was call my husband and Chris which is She is planning on attending the ceremony her fiancé. He’s still in our lives,” Mrs. for her second year.

Georgia Carter said.

“It’s so inspiring to see past athletes The 1986 State Championship-winand hear their stories. It’s super cool to see ning Golf Team and 2000 State old teams back together and how obviousChampionship-winly close they still are after years apart. I ning Swimming and hope to play college softball. I definitely Diving Team are see the stories of past athlete as incredalso invited. As for ibly inspirational. It makes me want to the coaching staff, push myself harder and truly go after my strength trainer Mr. goals,” Bentley said.

Ed Dudley will be The banquet will be held on May 24. commended for his At the ceremony, short athlete biographies 17 years as a soccer will be read by President Ms. Mary Higcoach. gins and interview clips will be watched.

The Athletic “It’s super fun to be in attendance.

Hall of Fame Some coaches and athletes haven’t seen has inducted 33 each other in years. The stories fly around. members in the There is so much happiness surrounding past 10 years. Each it,” Dean of Student Affairs and Track and year the committee Field Coach Ms. Ronda Motykowski said. holds a ceremony in May. Along with the five inductees, current MVPs, Coach: Ed Dudley student-scholar Patron: Maureen Neary Miller ‘70 athletes, three-sport Athletes: Karen Criss Brown ‘06 athletes and current state championship Ashley Carter ‘03 winning teams will Lindsey Slocum Robertson ‘06 be invited to the dinner and program at Marian.

Teams: 1985 Golf, 2000 Swimming & Diving

2018 Inductees

May 24, 2018 RSVP by May 18

As seasons end, spring sports bring excitement to Marian athletic community katherinemartin

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Varsity Tennis Recap

team,” senior Anna Cook arsity Tennis has had said. a building season.

Younger players say The team consists of four that Cook has been a role sophomores, three juniors model to all her teammates and one senior. this past The year. sopho“I have mores on really the team, enjoyed Addison playing Dunbar, tennis Emma with all of McClellan, the girls Mishca and Anna Mountjoy is such a and Lucy responO’Brien sible and have Meet in the middle Anna Cook ’18 and Lucy caring brought a O’Brien ’20 high five after a point. They played No. 2 doubles against Burke. Photo senior to youthful courtesy of Mrs. O’Brien. the rest atmosphere of us,” to the squad Mountjoy said. this year.

Varsity tennis is 6-6 in “The three juniors, their season. Metros were Berkley Beene, Julia King May 9-10 and State begins and Morgan Mayer are May 17-18. a big help in leading the

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Varsity Soccer Recap

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Track & Field Recap

meets. he Marian Varsity Districts on Friday, May 4 arian High School “I really like the coachTrack Team has been against Millard South.

Girls Varsity Soccer ing staff and the best thing successful this year in The girls are headed to had a great season. The about them is that they are their spring season.

The State as the number one team consists of 22 girls. always very excited for us, team has competed at “I truly don’t think there seed. The first game of especially seven track State is is another Coach Golmeets.

May 9 and team in ka. When he Their the fan the state cheers for meets theme is as close me it makes included USA. as we are me want to ones at If the this year,” jump better Nebraska team wins Senior Deland it is so Wesleyan, their first aney Gunn encouragDoane game they said. “In ing to hear University, will play the first few him cheer Kearney, on May weeks of me on.

Omaha 11 with a the season The team Central, Hawaiian we hung Run, dribble, run Patty Kliver ’18 Jumping for the sky Grace Hahler ’18 gets super Papillion out every dribbles the soccer ball. Marian played theme. If jumps over the hurdle. Hahler competed La-Vista, the team day and this Omaha Burke on April 19. at the Bellevue East track meet on April 4.pumped up Photo courtesy of Patty Kliver.

Photo by Anna Kilzer. when our Omaha makes team has the coaches North and it to the most tradiencourage us,” sophomore Bellevue East.

The team tions or inside jokes of any championship, the student Olivia Matthews said. placed first at the Bellevue section will wear a blue team in my four years,” State Track will be at East meet. shirt over a white shirt, she said.

Burke Stadium on May 18 The team placed in the taking the blue shirt off at The team is 16-2. The and 19. top four in six of the seven halftime. team won the Division A1

Spring sports DO’s & DON’Ts: the official fan guide Do...

-listen during the pep rally to hear the themes for the State Tournament -dress in the themes that the team has chosen for State and build unity within the student section, or at least wear a Marian shirt -cheer loud enough so that the people watching at home can hear you through their television -go all out on face paint (make sure it is actual body paint, regular acrylic paint will sting)

Don’t...

-disrespect our team, the other team, any fans or the officials who are in charge of calling the game -push to be at the front, it is not nice to just push your fellow classmates around -forget to carpool, it may be hard to find parking so try to find a group of girls to carpool with, or even better, ask your mom to drive (your friend’s mom can pick up) -sit the whole game, instead, get up, cheer, support our Marian athletes and have fun

(14) ENT ERTAINMENT

Summer bucket list

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

gracesall

Visit Dairy Chef in Elkhorn and watch the sunset Explore Hollywood Candy downtown Experiment with gardening Go camping with your friends Try kayaking or paddleboarding at Lake Zorinsky Go hiking at Mahoney or horseback riding Start a journal Read a book (maybe your summer read book) Make DIY popsicles Check out the Joslyn Art Museum Create a summer mood board

Best of Marian’s own meme account

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ixty-five tweets. Three hundred and twenty-four followers. Three friends. Roll it all together and you get one of Marian’s most popular parody Twitter accounts.

The idea to start a social media account featuring memes about daily life at Marian came to senior Isabel Romero in the summer of 2016. She wanted to provide relatable and hilarious content to Marian students, by Marian students. Romero then reserved the username @marianmemes and contacted me and explained the situation. Romero asked me if I would like to help her run the account, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

With the start of school only a few days away, we both set to work on getting the account ready. Our first tweet, posted on Aug. 15, 2016, received two retweets and five likes, all but one of which came from our friends. Unconcerned about popularity, we plowed ahead, happily sharing jokes about Marian life with whoever followed us. Just as our follower count slowly grew, so did the team itself.

Friend and classmate, Maddie Robertson, heard about the account from us and asked if she could join; she was warmly welcomed and soon began to contribute as well.

Over a year and a half later, the account has brought together not only Marian students but also the friends that run it. All the members—Robertson, Romero and I—are thankful for the impact and opportunity that the tongue-incheek tweets have brought us. We hope to pass on the account after we graduate this year; any and all applications would be appreciated. The only requirements are that you are an underclasswoman and have a passion for making people laugh. The account is not officially from Marian, but it does serve as an unofficial public relations tool by interacting with the students online. It is our hope that it will continue with underground leadership, even though we are graduating, for as long as possible.

Firsthand experiences from a wisdom tooth survivor

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ho knew four teeth could cause such a dilemma? I sure didn’t. My mom and I didn’t anticipate such a painful recovery. And my mouth was sure not up for what I had just gone through.

If you are unaware, your wisdom teeth are in the way back of your mouth. Most people have four, and if you are lucky, you get to live with them. On the other hand, some people have to get them removed. Some have to remove one or two, but it is not uncommon for your dentist to tell you that all four need to come out.

For some people, getting wisdom teeth out is a piece of cake. The pain lasts for a few days and then, they’re back, and it’s like nothing ever happened. But for some people, the pain is intense, the medicine doesn’t help and everything is miserable. Absolutely miserable.

For me, I had my wisdom teeth out the first day of Easter break. It was a Thursday, and my mom and I thought I would be back and doing great within a few days. Everyone we had talked with said, “Oh it’s not too bad, you’ll have pain for a few days, but then you should be alright,” Well, that was not the case for me.

If you tell someone you are getting your wisdom teeth out, almost 98 percent of the time they say, “Oh my gosh, have someone take a video and send it to me please.” The next few hours are quite hysterical as you come off the anesthesia. That part is all fun and games. For me, those videos were sure a laugh, especially me singing “The Greatest Show” from “The Greatest Showman”. The notso-fun part comes when you get home as the numbness starts to wear off and the throbbing pain begins.

I had absolute throbbing pain for a little more than a week after I got my wisdom teeth removed. The medication they had given me upset my stomach, so I was left with Advil and Tylenol. I spent almost a week in bed, binge-watching the television show “Friends” with ice packs and then heat packs on my face.

As if I wasn’t struggling enough, the heat pack began to give me a rash on my face. I decided that I needed to give up the heat pack as my pain went down a little. It took me about a week and a half longer than usual to get back to my normal schedule.

My advice for anyone awaiting their wisdom teeth

audreyyost surgery date is to block out a week after your surgery.

Give yourself no responsibilities, time to rest and time to recover. Once it’s over with you can say you conquered the worst experience of your life, or the easiest experience for some.

Following the oral surgeon’s suggestions is imperative. My cousin got his wisdom teeth removed and did not follow the surgeons orders and had to get a root canal a few weeks after his surgery. You are not allowed to drive home after the surgery, so choosing a trustworthy person to be with you is a good idea. If they give you any instructions on cleaning out your sockets, clean them out.

It might kill for a few seconds but after a while it will start to feel better.

Finding an oral surgeon shouldn’t be too difficult, your dentist should know some good ones around the area.

Different surgeons have different rules to follow and you should take account of that.

If you’re anticipating wisdom teeth removal, you’ll live through it, but definitely take in to account that it could be really painful or it could be a breeze.

‘Rise’ sheds light on genuine, relatable issues A

s much as we wish our lives would flow perfectly from one scene to another, life doesn’t cooperate.

The world’s camera doesn’t pan out when something gets awkward, intense or agonizingly difficult. Instead the world zooms in; so does “Rise.”

“Rise” is a 10-episode NBC drama that premiered at 9 p.m. on March 13. Director Jason Katims’ goal for “Rise” was to capture the purest form of storytelling. Along with Jeffrey Seller, producer of “Hamilton,” Katims slowly unfolds the jaw-dropping vocal talent and riveting plot that begins in the dark, dilapidated hallways of Stanton High. The series begins by introducing Lou Mazzuchelli, an unfulfilled English teacher, who decides to step into the role of theater director. Lou throws every inch of his being into the struggling theater program though he can’t even distinguish stage right from stage left.

Lou proposes “Spring Awakening” as the new production; only a handful of students show their face at auditions. Set in 19th century Germany, “Spring Awakening” shamelessly displays issues that teenagers still face today—themes such as suicide, sexual identity and teenage pregnancy.

Though the student cast members of “Spring Awakening” live in a small town, they know less about each other than initially expected. Even in the

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first episode, the personal life of each student is exposed for what it truly is beyond the curtain. One student has a mother in the hospital, another, a cheating father, another is homeless and hungry, another whose parents refuse to accept him.

Immediately their lives intertwine through “Spring Awakening,” but also through the painful burdens they carry Poster source IMDB

mariadeterman

beyond the stage. The small, motley cast becomes family—something the majority of them grapple with at home. They band together to support Lou, support the show but most of all - support each other.

Needless to say administration bans the show, takes away the already paper thin budget and threatens to fire Lou—yet the cast stands behind him. Together they combat fiery hatred and hostility with every rehearsal, scene and song.

Instead of focusing on the main characters, Katims and Seller allow the story to be told in every student’s point of view. This unique way of storytelling allows “Rise” to be brutally honest and open, no matter how painful each point of view is.

“Rise” is modern, though the town is in shambles and the theater program is stuck in the past. It is inspiring, a series based off of the true stories of students. It is relatable for teenagers, but yes, you can watch it with your mom. Each Tuesday as I watch these characters rise above their circumstances, I sink deeper and deeper into my couch.

No other show I’ve watched has made me feel as if I am part of their world. “Rise” not only immerses me in the richness of their lives, but it lets me see and feel their weaknesses. I can see their pain, feel their joy and relate effortlessly to this journey they are on called life.

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

ENT ERTAINMENT (15)

A senior’s advice to underclasswomen

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ecome Troy Bolton: That is, do it all if it’s something you’re passionate about. Don’t shy away from trying out for the school musical even if you’ve never seen sheet music in your life. There’s nobody stopping you from being a chemistry guru by day and a basketballer by night. Marian provides opportunities as numerous as the rhinestones on Ryan Evans’ berets. As long as you’ve got your head in the game, it doesn’t matter if you choose to spend your time participating in multiple sports, fine arts, academic clubs or playing the cello.

Start

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Binge a

TV show

Pick a sweet treat

Lake

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Sw Popsicle

Snow cone

Hiking or shopping

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Chacos

Get you a girl who can do both!

Pick a shoe style

Shopping

Birks

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Camping or glamping

Camping

Maha Music Festival Pick an activity Shakespeare on the Green

Glamping

MEMORIAL CONCERT

et some sleep. It’s not that deep: Listen, nobody is going to give you a gold star for only getting three hours of sleep. They’re probably going to give you a ride to the ER. Sleep is so important, and not getting enough is no badge of honor. While nobody can be blamed for staying up late studying whether or not the hay was cut, if you don’t remember it at midnight, you won’t remember it during the test.

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Pool

Mark your calendar for Friday, June 29th. This year, Starship and Survivor will perform and fireworks will follow when it gets dark.

Pack some folding chairs and picnic food for the day and jam out to “The Eye of the Tiger” to celebrate the Fourth of July a little early.

HENRY DOORLY ZOO

The Omaha zoo is a classic and safe bet to cure any summer boredom blues. Buy some tickets for the Skyfari, play hide and seek in the aquarium or take photos in the Butterfly Pavilion. Take some friends and enjoy the animals for the day.

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Swimming or baseball

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New Girl

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isten, not everyone can be Beyoncé: But that’s not to say that Ellen Degeneres, Michelle Obama and Emma Watson aren’t awesome as well. You might not be the Class President or be the shining star of the wheel in pottery class, but don’t let that devalue your personal accomplishments. Being an active member of Harry Potter club can be just as meaningful as being a Class Officer. So whether you’re in the running for valedictorian or running a bake sale, remember that girls still run the world.

Pool or lake

Pick a movie

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Ocean’s 8

on’t messy bun if it isn’t fun: The earth is round. Ice cream is better eaten with a fork. Every Marian girl wakes up flawless. They’re just facts.

Many Marian girls pride themselves in not owning a hairbrush and wearing their uniform to bed. But there’s no shame in wanting to curl your hair for fun (or even washing it). If you prefer rolling into math class with perfect eyeliner and hairless, smooth legs, power to you, girl. You don’t have to care about your skirt having clay stains on it, but you also don’t have to not care. Either way, you’re still gorgeous inside and out.

B

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Baseball

on’t get lost in the sauce: The pasta sauce, that is. You’ve heard of the Freshman 15 people experience in college, but let me tell you, it can happen your freshman year of high school, too (and sophomore and junior and senior year). I am all about treating yo’ self, but do so in moderation. You shouldn’t be drowning in Crispito cheese more than extracurriculars. While some may consider your ability to eat three breadsticks at once a talent, others see it as a cry for help. Feel free to reward yourself with some dessert after a rough test, but not to the extent where Emergency Response Team has to pull you out of a food coma.

Summer Activity Quiz

MAHONEY STATE PARK

Come spend the day at Mahoney State Park!

Located just off Interstate 80 near Ashland, Neb., the possibilities are endless at this outdoor oasis. Bring a bike, tent, fishing pole or just some comfortable shoes for a hike or adventure with friends.

graphics by shannonmcsweeney

We don’t coast, we coaster Worlds of Fun in Kansas City provides a day’s worth of summer fun for Midwesterners shannonmcsweeney & delaneystekr

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n May 6, two brave journalism girls and a mom drove three hours to reach their destination: Worlds of Fun Amusement Park. This odyssey began as a dream - a dream to ride both an adrenaline high and some roller coasters. Our savior, chauffeur and idol, Mrs. Julie McSweeney joined us as a roller coaster veteran.

The 235-acre park has more than 100 attractions, including seven adrenaline-inducing roller coasters, from the loop-delooping Patriot to the high-speed Prowler. Seasoned daredevils and newbies alike can find something fitting for them at this family-friendly amusement park in Kansas City, Mo. Because of the enormous size of the park, you could spend all day there and still have plenty to do. But if you ever need to stop for some pre-coaster energy, there are worlds of options. From Dippin’

Dots to Panda Express, there are plenty of options for snacks in between rides. We set off on our journey at 7 a.m., with one goal: to get the thrill of our lives.

We reached the park after three hours of amazing tunes with slightly full bladders and completely full hearts. The smell of funnel cakes and the sound of “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel overwhelmed our senses as we set off on our “journ”ey.

(Disclaimer: because of the early hour on a Sunday that we got to the park, the lines were shorter than they normally are.)

The first roller coaster we tried was the Spinning Dragons located near the entrance of the park. The lines here were longer than most because only four people could go at a time, but the wait was well worth it, and the spinning ride was a great

start to the day. Although we were slightly dizzy, we were determined to pack as much fun as possible into our agenda.

Next was the Patriot, Worlds of Fun’s red and blue inverted roller coaster.

“Home of the brave” takes on a new meaning with this ride, but nothing made us feel more American than screaming at the top of our lungs as we flew out of our seats. Thank goodness for seat belts. If upside-down loops at high speeds are your thing, this coaster is the one for you. Plus, the line is super short, so you can go again and again.

Finally, Worlds of Fun’s piece de résisé Mamba, tance, tallest and fastest ride, the is the main draw for roller coaster fanatics everywhere.

As we slowly reached the peak of the ride, we looked at the 205-foot drop below

Bye Bye buddy! buddy!

us and then at each other, regret and fear in our eyes. The 75 mile-per-hour coaster then took us through drops so extreme we were literally out of our seats. As we shakily exited the ride, our only thought was “let’s do that again!”

We could have stayed at the park all day, but we wrapped up at noon high on ice cream and adrenaline. We used a limited time discount on our tickets and got them down to $45 per person, and this offer is available until June 17, so hurry up and make your way down to Missouri.

The drive home was quick and easy, full of post-coaster naps and musical singalongs. If you ever have a free day during the summer, drive down to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City for a day you’ll never forget.

Freshman orientation

RING!

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Oop

Hey long time no see!

465200 hrs

comic by shannonmcsweeney & sofyherrera

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PHOTO ESSAY

Letting loose at the lunch table Sisters Jackie Ryan, Carolyn Foley, Gabriel Lawler and Carol Lorenz gather around one of the dining room tables for lunch. They smiled as they shared laughs, stories, prayers and of course, onion rings. For birthdays or Feast Days, Sisters get to choose the menu—pizza is an all-around favorite.

THE NET WORK (May 2018)

“Confuzzling” puzzles Sisters Suzanne Vandenheede and Justina Tsoku spend the afternoon completing an underwater-themed puzzle. To keep busy, the Sisters play card games, knit, read or use the computer in the library. The Sisters who could not attend Field Day gathered in the library to live stream the event and cheer on each class.

The Servants of Mary Filled with song and spirit Mellody Randolph, Sister Carol Kowalski, Sister Roselma Legault and Marlene Rowe provided worship music for the Saint Peregrine Mass on Saturday, April 21. Their music ministry leaders support the congregation on special occasions to bring the worship to life.

From one heart to another Sister Lisa Sheridan meets with one of her counseling clients. She is one of several Servants of Mary that provide counseling for a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, self-esteem, PTSD and relational issues.

Jesus and coffee Sisters Barbara Bouchard, Ann Marie Petrylka and Gabriel Lawler gather at a small table for their monthly prayer group. Bible studies and book clubs alike allow the Servants of Mary to share their faith lives and get to know each other on a deeper level.

Sisterly bond During the sign of peace, Sisters offer hugs and handshakes much like Marian students do at all-school masses. The Servants of Mary will celebrate 125 years of community on Aug. 4.

Come to the altar Sister Zita Sharrow helps prepare the altar for Eucharistic celebration before the Healing Mass. Peregrine Masses are held on a monthly basis to pray for those battling cancer or any other bodily illnesses.

“I pray for peace in the world” No matter the weather, Sister Lucille Beaulieu tries to walk every day around the Marian grounds.

You may find her speeding around carpool lot, making circles around the Mary statue or zipping up and down the Marian hallways if weather is dicey.

Photos by Maria Determan, Hayley Golden & Lily Watkins