Trojan Magazine Issue 1

the

Trojan Issue 1 October 2011

Athletes with the ultimate passion

Park Hill High turns 55 Strange phobias...explained

Cover Shot Senior Hope Corwin’s photo of a vibrant butterfly illustrates the importance of being free and strong.

Corwin said her wish for all students is to be themselves and to be educated about things around them. Check out a documentary at www.youtube. com/watch?v=hp6cYM3Z40&sns=fb and spread the awareness of childhood Cancer. It isn’t just for September.

What’s online? www.myparkhill.com - Park Hill Has Talent If you have a talent that you would like to showcase, check out the PHHT Facebook page for details.

-Homecoming coverage Where should you be this weekend?

-Links to club events See where your club is meeting as well as important links the club shares.

Some of Corwin’s favorite photos....

the

Trojan Park Hill High School 7701 Barry Rd., Kansas City, Mo 64153

editor-in-chief

graceprose

design editor

heatherkennard

copy editor

camillesmith

photo editor

nickbuchberg

web editor

jessicaswete

web copy editor

zachhahn

business manager

alyssavasquez

reporter

coopergardner

reporter

madeleinehemphill

reporter

kaylinlake

reporter

chloelane

reporter

lauraprice

reporter

katlyneryan

reporter

mackenziethomas

reporter

ninawussow

adviser

sallyberan

The Trojan, published monthly during the regular school year, is the official publication of Park Hill High School, and is printed by Osage Graphics in Olathe, Kan. All unsigned editorials represent the opinion of The Trojan staff. Editorials do not necessarily represent the opinion of the faculty or administration including the advisor.

The student body receives this paper free of charge to encourage readership, promote awareness of school and community events, and issues, and to showcase student journalistic work.

The Trojan welcomes letters to the editors. All letters must be signed to be published, but may be anonymous if the author chooses. Letters may be no more than 350 words and must be delivered to room 350 ten days prior to publication. The Trojan staff welcomes comments, questions and opinions. Send comments to berans@parkhill.k12. mo.us 7701 Barry Rd., Kansas City, Mo 64153, or call 816-359-6238.

Dear readers, Arthur C. Clarke once said, “The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” One of my biggest fears in life is giving my all to something, and not succeeding. It’s scary to think that I can try my best and still fail; however, I don’t think this is a reason not to try. Although we may be scared to reach it, we all have endless potential. It may take longer than we’d like to reach difficult goals, but at least we know we aren’t settling for something beneath ourselves. Being a first year reporter my junior year, I never expected that I would someday get to call this magazine my baby. The journey to get where we are now was filled with many ups and downs. There were triumphs and disappointments, but the highs made the lows completely worth it. As a magazine, we have decided to never limit ourselves, to always strive to be better. For this reason, we have decided to expand beyond these 24 wonderful pages. Our next great venture is one into the unknown. We now have a fabulous website dedicated to Park Hill journalism.

No longer will we have to limit the size or number of the articles we write, and now we will be able to cover events all month long, and we will be able to reach everyone on the web. So take some time away from your Facebook creeping and check us out at www. myparkhill.com.

Grace Prose

the trojan 2

Contents Campus

7

How well do you know the history of Park Hill?

Ever wonder what these halls were like before you got here?

Time to find out.

Sports

13

Breaking expectations Although there are mixed feelings about how successful the football team will be this year, the players are dedicated to proving skeptics wrong.

Community

15

Mayor cracks down on curfew With the new curfew laws set in place, students and staff have differing opinions its effectiveness.

Life

19

Juggling a busy schedule It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one running around with a million things to do, but you aren’t.

22

Dress with dignity How has Halloween changed from cute costumes to floozy fashion? Check out Heather’s Hints for answers.

Feature

5 9

Location, location, location It can be hard to find a great place to study, but here are some options.

Your Facebook; Your future Students find out the hard way that Facebook isn’t as private as you may think.

11 17

Phreaky phobias Spiders, snakes, and... spoons?

See students’ strange fears.

The world today It’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on around the world. Check out our current events map to help you keep up.

photo by: camilesmith photo by: maddiehemphill

photo by: coopergardner

13

photo by: nickbuchberg

15

5

LOCATION LOCATION location Students find places for effective studying

Hardworking students have tests and quizzes all the time, and they need to study for them. Finding a great place to study can be difficult; however, some students have found good study habits and great places to apply these habits. Places in one’s own home can be perfect spaces for keeping up grades and doing homework. Junior Jessica Hanson, for one, likes to study in her kitchen.

“The table always has enough room for me to spread out my books and get down to business,” Hanson said. “It’s great for long study sessions, because I can make a snack if I need to!”

Other people, such as freshman Catherine Wong, have also found great places to study in their own homes.

“I like to study in my bedroom. It’s comfortable, and keeps me in the zone,” Wong said. “I love to listen to music when I study, but it’s on low volume so I’m not too distracted.”

Many students take advantage of extra time they have during the school day. Sophomore Rebecca Scharhag is a regular in the school library.

“It’s quiet, and there are teachers available to help you,” said Scharhag, referring to her preference for studying in the library during homeroom.

Senior Alexis Daley has had all four years of high school to perfect her habits and find good places for homework. “[Where I study] tends to depend on what I’m studying. I enjoy studying in my room or at the public library. Usually, I need a secluded, quiet place so I can concentrate. Although, if I’m writing a paper and need to get the creative juices flowing, I like to put on some classical music,” Daley said.

After school, PHHS students can work on their homework in the library. Many students have come here to get their work done. photos by: nickbuchberg

nick buchberg

Study Tips:

1. Re-read the chapter the test is over.

2. Keep distractions to a bare minimum.

3. Look over the unit review (if one is available).

4. Try to spread out the studying over the week.

5. Remember that everyone is different, find out what’s best for you!

feature

6

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW the history of

PARK HILL?

Students think they know everything there is to their school.

They come to school every day looking at it in the same way, but there is a lot more to Park Hill that students don’t know about – not just when the school was built, but the background that led Park Hill to be what it is today.

Most students park in the East parking lot. Before it was a parking lot, it used to be tennis courts and a discus field. The freshman football team would practice on this field.

In 1981 there were only two restaurants near Park Hill, a Dairy Queen and Andy’s Malt Shop.

There was only one fast food restaurant, which was Hardees. Barry Road was just a field to drive by every day.

Nothing was there but fields of land- no Starbucks of McDonals, which many students depend on today to hang out or study.

“It [having no restaurants on Barry] wouldn’t upset me because I don’t eat out very much,” sophomore Rachel Bruce said.

“I would be upset because I would have nowhere to hang out with my friends, but it would be good because Dairy Queen’s heat,” sophomore Jake Nuttal said.

Many additions have been made to the school in recent years. For instance, past the auditorium were stairs that led outside the school to leave. The new gym was added in 1998-1999.

Park Hill used to be two buildings; they were joined

together with what’s now known as Congress Middle School.

Before the school was split, it was connected by a walkway.

Many students have probably seen it; it’s right behind the baseball fields and in the middle of Congress and the high school. The walkway was used to connect the two schools to make one big high school. It was cut off in the 1998-1999 school year, when kids were vandalizing it. Although there was security, it was too long of a hallway and there was not enough security to keep kids from misbehaving. Cutting off the walkway started a reaction of opening more schools. In the same year, a new high school was opened, now known as Park Hill South. Lakeview Middle School opened soon after, and Congress also became its own middle school.

“The walkway is an artifact of political compromise,” Principal Brad Kincheloe said.

“The installation of the walkway, while a good idea, proved to be too hard to supervise and regulate,” retired teacher and current substitute Don Crabtree said.

Dr. Kincheloe stated that the school has only changed physically; the kids are still the same as they were 50 years ago. He said that the only thing that’s changed is the students’ technology. Today students have iPods and cell phones to sneak around in class, while 50 years ago they had transistor radios and tape players.

“Student population has become more diverse,” health teacher Mark.Gourley said. kaylin lake

PHHS celebrates

55

7 campus

years

photo by: nickbuchberg

Many stud Many student e s are fam ent famili i ar with the tun tunnel nel su surro rrounding the baseba bas eballll field. Howev Howev weve er, few stud udent entss have have ev ever er see een the e ins nside ide of itt. Use Use e of of the t tunnel ende nded d duri du ng the 19 1 98-1999 sch chool oo ye year, a du ar, due to students abus busing ing their eir prrivileges. pho p hoto by:: ka kayli yl nlak yli lake

Your

Facebook; Your Future Students using social networks might think, “If there is something inappropriate on my page, I can just delete it.”

But, that’s not the case. Just hitting the “delete” button does not completely erase it. Once it is on the internet, it stays on the internet forever. Now coaches, teachers, bosses and even colleges are starting to turn to social networks to see if kids are being appropriate in what they put on their pages.

According to a survey taken by Kaplan Education Company, 10 percent of top 500 colleges said they use social networks to access their students. 38 percent (of the 10 percent) said they found things that negatively affected how they perceive their students.

“I can’t cuss or be inappropriate because they (future college or bosses) will think I am unprofessional and irresponsible. I don’t think it is fair that they can do this.

Our teachers aren’t allowed to look at our personal lives and they shouldn’t want to,” sophomore Bianca Noria said.

Noria said if she was in the teacher’s position, she would not look at her students pages because she wouldn’t care about their personal lives.

“I think if they have a reason to think there’s something bad on it [Facebook], like bullying or something, then yes, it is okay if they look at our pages.

But otherwise, no,” junior Morgan Wishard said.

9 feature

Not only does Wishard have to watch out for schools looking at her page, but she also has her cheerleading coach checking up on her. She is a varsity cheerleader and has said that her coach has full access to her page since they are friends on Facebook. According to Wishard, her coach will ask her to take something down if she feels it is inappropriate.

Just being told to take something down is generous.

People have lost their jobs, not been accepted to colleges, and kicked off sports team for having inappropriate things on the internet. According to an article in The Huffington Post, Karl Knauz was fired for trashing his workplace’s lunch on the internet.

“My parents have always warned me about stuff like that,” said Quenton Noble, 2011 graduate.

When preparing to apply to college last year, Noble always had in mind how Facebook could affect him if a certain person saw the wrong thing. When posting new statuses or new pictures, he was always thinking about how it could affect his future.

“I think about how it could affect my future jobs or maybe a school I wanted to go to for college,” said Noble, “I think it’s an invasion of privacy though. It’s your business, not theirs.”

chloe lane

Facebook User I hate my job. This place is a joke.

Facebook User I’m gonna kill my boss. AHHHH! Facebook User added the note “My Hate List”

Tip for life: people suck. Jobs suck.

Bosses suck. College sucks.

I’m done.

1.

2.

3.

4.

...

My job.

My parents.

My coach.

Annoying People.

Facebook User is now friends with 12 new people.

Facebook User went from “in a relationship” to “single”.

Facebook User added “I Hate My Job” as the workplace.

Single April 22, 1994

Kansas City

Facebook User Look at my boss! Comment if you agree she’s crazy!

Facebook User I swear if he says one more thing to me im gonna punch him in the face!

A NFL cheerleader for the New England Patriots was fired over photos she posted on Facebook.

A nurse in Johnson county was kicked out of her community college for posting a picture of herself with someone else’s placenta.

Virgin Atlantic Airlines fired 13 employees for criticizing the airline’s safety policies and making fun of customers.

PHREAKY PHOBIAS

Fear. According to dictionary.com, fear is “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined.” Fear is also defined as “the feeling or condition is of being afraid.” For most, the impending danger is something like darkness, death, spiders, or heights. However, some fears differ from the normal standard; strange because they aren’t very common among most people, and not widely considered to be frightful. In fact, some fears are familiar occurrences in everyday life.

kate ryan

FILE Phobia

POGONOPHOBIAthe fear of beards

PUPAPHOBIA-

the fear of puppets

SIDEROPHOBIAthe fear of stars

Tristadecaphobia Many people are fine with the occassional pickle on their burger, but senior Savannah Lamunyon is not. She is afraid of pickles.

“I am terrified of pickles. The taste, the smell, the touch, the look; all of it scares me,” Lamunyon said.

Although this fear was not triggered by any particular event, Lamunyon said that it has gotten worse over the years.

“A few weeks ago, my dad wanted to test my fear, so he put pickle juice in my drink. I thought my mom just had the smell on her hands, but after I took a drink I realized where the smell was coming from. I began crying, hyperventilating, and physically getting sick. I was shaking for a good hour after that,” Lamunyon said. photo by: nickbuchberg

OMBROPHOBIAthe fear of rain

HEMAPHOBIAthe fear of blood

HYELOPHOBIA-

the fear of broken glass

MYTHOPHOBIAthe fear of fake things

LOGOPHOBIAthe fear of words

MYRMECOPHOBIAthe fear of ants

Ephebiphobiathe fear of teenagers

11feature

Pnigerophobia

The sight of mozzarella sticks at lunch on Wednesday brings about much stronger emotions than those felt by the average student for junior Luke Dreiling.

“In general, I feel three things: nauseous, anxious, and nervous,” said Dreiling.

“Around the age of 10, I started to eat a mozzarella stick and I must have not chewed it, because I could feel the cheese stuck in my throat. I couldn’t breathe or stop gagging until I pulled out the cheese. I haven’t and will never eat another mozzarella stick again.” photo by: kateryan

Koutaliphobia

Spoons are used every day by the average person- but not by senior Martha Smith.* “I consider them an instrument of torture,” Smith said.

Her fear of spoons runs so deep, she prefers to use forks.

“It’s like I always have to watch my back, basically paranoid,” Smith said.

This fear first began when Smith was about twelve years old, and began to think about the harmful things that people could use spoons to do to their bodies. Her thoughts of spoons being used as weapons against herself and others is deeply troubling to Smith. photo by: kateryan *name was changed for privacy purposes

Catoptrophobia

Senior Austin Oehrke’s fear stems from a seemingly harmless Halloween prank his mother decided to play on him when he was younger.

“She decided to get a haunted mirror. So when I went into the bathroom, I was instead surprised by a look in the mirror and having a banshee scream at me. I am not a fan of mirrors anymore,” Oehrke said.

Even now, Oehrke can barely stand to look in a mirror.

“My heart starts to race and it makes me uneasy,” Oehrke said. photo by: kateryan

1

Breaking Expectations Despite mixed expectations from players and fans, team leaders hold their head high every time they step on the field. So far this year has been a roller coaster ride with the big win against Liberty and the disappointing result of the game against our rival.

“Of course I hear the people talk, and if it does anything it motivates us to work harder to prove them we are good,” said senior football player Mitch McMahon.

The team feels the same way as Mitch, but the students might need a little encouragement to get behind and support the football team “I don’t think we will be very good because all of our best players left last year,” junior Morgan DeKyser said.

With the first win over Liberty that might be the encouragement that the students need.

Despite not having many of the “star” players we did last year. Even without these standout players, the current team believes they will do better than last year’s team.

“Last year’s team was good but I feel that we can be better if we play the way I know we can,” said Tyler White.

8/26 Park Hill @ Liberty W 9/02 Park Hill vs. Ruskin W 9/09 Park Hill @ Park Hill South L 9/16 Park Hill vs. Truman 9/23 Park Hill vs. Jefferson City

13 sports

3

All of the players are going to have to step up and work as a team if they want to be as good as they say they will be. One player that is going to have to step up more than others is quarterback Tyler White. Students think he is going to have a hard time “filling Nate’s shoes.”

“I am not here to fill Nate’s shoes…he is a size 14, I am Tyler White and I am here to be me. Nate took me under his wing and taught me so I didn’t feel overwhelmed when I got my chance to play,” said White. White feels that Wilson doing that helped him get prepared, and now White does that with JV quarterback, sophomore Clay Ford.

“Tyler has taught me how to be a vocal leader, on and off of the field, relax while I’m in the pocket, take lead in the huddle, always positive attitude, winning or losing, never throw someone under the bus, how to change the play when something’s not right, and how to read a defense. Everything that Tyler has taught me I will use to teach the freshman and JV quarterback next year,” said Ford.

13-7 23-0 7-13

2

cooper gardner

9/30 Park Hill @ NKC 10/07 Park Hill vs. Lee’s Summit West 10/14 Park Hill @ Staley 10/21 Park Hill @ Oak Park 10/28 Park Hill vs. St. Joe Central

1. Players break through the banner before the game against Ruskin High School. Park Hill won the game 23-0.

2. Anthony Arens catches a ball during practice. The team was preparing for the Ruskin game the next day.

3. Tyler White rolls out of the pocket against Ruskin. White threw for a first down on the play. photos by: coopergardner

Passion, Drive, Commitment Ashley Moss’s life as a full time gymnast At Park Hill, we make an effort to recognize our athletes. Assemblies, letterman jackets and announcements are a few ways we show support for students who play PH sports.

Sophomore Ashley Moss is one of many students who doesn’t play a school sport, but is incredible at what she does.

Moss said she isn’t bothered by the fact that the school doesn’t show support for gymnastics, because she doesn’t like to brag about herself in the first place.

“It doesn’t matter to me that much, I don’t like to gloat,” said Moss.

She just has a passion and drive for gymnastics that makes all her effort worth it.

“I know she loves this sport because of how hard she works at it, how hard she pushes herself, and because of the sacrifices and choices she makes to have gymnastics a priority in her life,” said Moss’ mother Mary Moss.

Moss has been doing gymnastics for 13 years, and has been competing for nine. Over the years, it’s become one of the biggest parts of her life.

“At first, when I was little, I fell in love with the sport because it was so much fun. But once I started setting goals, and looking at colleges, it became an addiction,” said Moss.

Her parents said she has drive and determination that is unsurpassed.

Because Moss practices five days a week for over 20 hours total, she misses out on time with her friends and school events, however she said it is all completely worth it. She was recently able to work out a schedule with her coach that allows her to have Friday nights off to go to football games and have “girls’ nights” with her best friends. Moss’ parents are incredibly supportive of her, both

financially and emotionally.

“This is a very expensive sport… tuition, booster club fees, expensive leotards, warm-ups, wrist supports, travel expenses, etc, “said Moss’ parents Dave and Mary Moss.

They also sacrifice much of their time commuting to and from practices and meets. Although Moss has been able to visit places such as San Diego, Florida and Washington DC, those gymnastics trips take the place of family vacations.

“However, we are glad we are able to make these sacrifices so Ashley can pursue her goals and dreams,” Moss’ parents said.

Moss’ true love for the sport shows in all aspects of her life, and she knows how much it will benefit her. Her sister, senior Nikki Moss, says that gymnastics is all she talks about. She even quit soccer and softball just to pursue gymnastics even further.

“She spends all her time in the gym, literally,” said N. Moss.

Not only is Moss dedicated to her sport, but she also works very hard at school, despite her lack of free time. She gives up a lot of sleep because she is up so late doing her homework. Moss has high goals for herself, including competing at the highest level she can, and earning a gymnastics scholarship to a division one school in Florida.

“She knows how to work hard, stay focused, and get the job done,” said N. Moss.

Moss says it’s these skills that will help her so much in life. Her parents say they truly believe her drive and dedication will help her so much in college and her career. The best thing for Ashley is that she truly loves what she is doing. laura price

Moss practices on at KC Gym where she spends almost 20 hours a week. She has been participating in gymnastics for 13 years now. photos by: lauraprice

Mayor Cracks Down On

Curfew

“

I feel that a 9 p.m. curfew is ridiculous.

Just because some teens decided to act dumb does not mean that all teenagers will.”

Junior Jasmine Lim

When Whe n the h clo occkk strriike ikes 9 p.m. p.m. p. m. at at Zon Zo onaa Rosa on o , os the he neew curf urfew is is in n ful ful ullll fforc orc o or rce. rc e. IIn n the t pa th past, ast, stt, th the currfew w wa was 11 p.m. .m m. m. photo pho to by: to byy: ma by m d ddi dd diehem hemphi ph phill phi hill hi ll

Know any teens that enjoy the nightlife of KC? All of that could have changed on August 18, when final drafts of the latest curfew law affecting five entertainment districts in Kansas City were passed by mayor Sly James and the city council.

Kansas City has always been part of state wide curfews that require minors to be home by 11 p.m.; however, after a shooting on the Plaza on the night of August 13 wounded three teens, pressure was put on the mayor by the city council to enforce earlier curfews.

The new curfew was set for five of the most popular entertainment districts in Kansas City – the Country Club Plaza, Westport, Downtown, the Power & Light District, and Zona Rosa.

Violators and their guardians face a fine up to $500, but that fine will be rarely used. Most teens found on the streets after nine will be taken to Brush Creek Community Center, a building functioning as a detention center that will hold teens until their guardians can pick them up. This law, which will be in effect in the future from Memorial Day weekend to the last Sunday in September, has only been in existence for a matter of weeks, but it is already caused quite a stir.

Junior Jasmine Lim, a worker at Bolings in Zona Rosa, said, “I feel that a 9 p.m. curfew is stupid. Just because some teens decided to act dumb doesn’t mean that we all are.”

Lim said that she hasn’t seen any change in the appearance of Zona Rosa after 9 p.m.

“I don’t think it’s changing anything. A police officer’s main priority isn’t picking up a teenager at Zona Rosa because they’re there at 10:30, or at least it shouldn’t be. They have more important things to worry about,” said Lim. Junior Joanna Grauberger agrees that the law isn’t very effective.

“This new law won’t last, at least not here in Zona Rosa. I don’t feel unsafe here. I think this law will eventually just fade into the background like other curfew laws, and police will stop enforcing it altogether,” said Grauberger.

While most students seem to be opposed to the curfew, some teachers have taken a different approach.

For instance, psychology teacher Daniel Motta said, “I do agree with the law to a certain degree.”

However, he too has some issues with the new law.

“I don’t like that it only punishes the teenagers,” said Motta.

“I think the guardians of the teens must be held accountable for anything to really change. I would extend the curfew time; nine o’clock is a bit early. I would also add more consequences that affect the parents/guardians of the teens found breaking the law.”

Other adults in the area have found the curfew law to be quite a relief. Language Arts teacher Ms. Malone posted a Facebook status that said, “This nine o’clock curfew at Zona is splendid. I am walking around having a blast with other grown folks and no youngins.”

Clearly, the new curfew benefits adults around KC who are looking to have a good time without the presence of teenagers.

Because this law is so new and different from any other curfew law Kansas City has seen yet, it will take some time to perfect and have it be widely accepted. For those who are particularly wary of the new curfew, there are exceptions in place that protect teens in certain situations. The latest draft states that a teen may stay out after 9 p.m. in these areas if they are on their way home from a job, participating in school or church activities, accompanied by a parent or guardian, or in an emergency situation.

The 9 p.m. curfew will end after the last weekend in September.

Curfew times will return to being 11 p.m. for minors after Labor Day weekend. According to the city council, plans are to continue reinforcing the summer curfew every year. Whether you like the curfew law or not, it seems that the 9 p.m. summer curfew is here to stay. maddie hemphill

$ tarbucks:

The Coffee Monopoly 10 Things You Didn’t Know:

This Starbucks is located in Barnes and Nobel at Zona Rosa.

Customers gathered on a crisp fall day to grab a warm drink. photo by: zachhanh

What company is vast in location, elegant in style, and expensive in product? Starbucks.

Since its founding in 1971, this multimillion dollar company can be found in every state by the dozens and offers every type of coffee, from original black to French crème to hazelnut macchiato. Starbucks offers a wide variety of goods for their customers and it is that dedication to the consumer that ingrains Starbucks in the routines of the customers.

“I love the atmosphere. It’s a classy joint. The servers invest time in you and the coffee is soothing. The experience to watch them is unwinding and they play this music that helps you relax. Now, I don’t go every day, but sometimes I wake up ten minutes early to go. It’s totally worth it. The first sip of coffee makes you feel so good and you know its Starbucks,” senior Maxx Tittone said.

Starbucks, as good as it is, is costly, and the expense of their product might affect their consumers in the long run. To some, Starbucks is only a luxury reserved for special days.

“Starbucks is excellent. I go about twice a week and get my favorite drink: Chai Latte. I really don’t like coffee so that’s the only drink I get. I’ve tried other coffee shops like the Roasterie that have chai, but they are just too overdone. You have to get the right amount of flavor to get it just right. Starbucks is the only coffee shop that I can find that doesn’t over do the chai. I also like the cool ambiance of the establishment and the history of the company,” said English teacher Victor Abundis.

Being an economic drain on consumers isn’t the only threat that the coffee enterprise poses. Small business coffee shops, such as the Parkville Coffee House, find the company rather difficult to contest with when it comes to the coffee competition.

“It is always a struggle when you start out in a new business. People are familiar with the Starbucks brand so it’s natural that people think of them first when heading out for coffee. Our challenge is to always let people know why they should give us a try. Once people arrive, we need to try harder to please them then our competitors,” said Parkville Coffeehouse owner Josh Brock.

While Starbucks remains the most influential coffee shop chain in America, many cannot afford the expense of their product every day.

Some coffee cravers have learned to cut back, like Tittone.

1. The lady on the logo with long hair, wearing a crown, is supposed to resemble a siren (a sea goddess).

2. There’s a smaller “kids’” sized cup that they don’t put on the menu.

3. Starbucks has a “ten-minute rule.” In other words, they’re supposed to open ten minutes earlier than the posted opening time, and close ten minutes after the posted closing time.

4. The 31 ounce “trenta” cup is larger than a human stomach at rest.

5. Starbuck’s cinnamon chip scone has 70 more calories than a McDonalds quarter pounder.

6. The name Starbucks comes from the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

7. The tables are made for parties of one meaning they’re round and usually small. The roundness gives the impression that there are no empty spots and makes things look less lonely.

8. Starbucks was the first company to have 10 million fans on Facebook.

9. One third of Starbuck’s locations are outside of the United States.

10. Starbucks has 137,000 employees. That’s more than the whole population of St. Louis, Missouri.

“I go on a regular basis, so it’s not too much of an economical drain. I usually spend about $5 a week so, over a year I spend a lot, but it’s not bad at the time. I’m just trying to help the economy,” said Tittone.

Tittone’s method may work for some, but others can’t go a day without their cup o’ Joe. Some inexpensive Starbucks substitutes can consist of buying a 33.9 oz. tub of Folgers coffee grounds for $10 a Wal-Mart and making coffee from home for weeks. A Keurig coffee maker, capable of regular coffee, cappuccinos, and many more, is available for around $100 and it can pay for itself in 30 Starbucks coffees. There is always the option of going to a small business coffee shop where prices are a bit cheaper and specials are offered daily.

“We offer our customers various opportunities to earn rewards and savings. One of these is the Park Hill School District students and staff discount of 10 percent. That discount is available for everything in the shop,” said Brock.

Even though it is an expensive commodity, Starbucks’ coffee is a perfect treat on those special, long days.

“Even though I know it’s expensive, I still can’t help but go. The Chai Lattes are too good, man. It gets expensive, but it is definitely worth the price,” said Abundis. zach hahn

community6

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Today In The

The Chilean Confederation of Students has entered its third month of protests, including marches, fake suicides, and hunger strikes, against the Chilean education system. The profit-driven system, one of the most expensive in the world, has widened class differences in Chilean society by making it nearly impossible for poorer students to receive a good education. Although workers have recently joined the protests, they are almost entirely student-led.

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Following in the footsteps of France and Belgium, the Netherlands has proposed to ban the burka.

Italy is also considering such legislation. The ban would not apply to those in transit through international airports, or while inside religious buildings, but if broken in public it will result in a fine of 330 Euros.

USA

Palestinian nationals in the Middle East intend to bring a proposal to the United Nations, demanding recognition as a sovereign state.

The proposed state would include Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem- all lands that were owned

by Palestine before being taken by Israel in 1967. The United States, however, has promised to veto the measure if it comes before the UN Security Council, saying that the only way towards peace in the region is through negotiation. Most other nations in the UN support Palestinian statehood.

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A devastating famine in Somalia has put millions of lives in danger as food production slows, prices soar, and the militant Shabab group and dysfunctional government structure block humanitarian aid. Up to 750,000 Somalis are in immediate danger of death. Aid is desperately needed- donate through UNICEF or the Red Cross.

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Chile

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An estimated 2,500 people have been killed by security forces and hundreds more protesters have been reported missing or are being illegally detained. Syrian activists are pressuring the United Nations to take action or at least publicly denounce Bashar al-Assad’s reign, which it still has not done thanks to the vetoing power of Russia. Russia’s refusal to pass sanctions against Syria is allegedly motivated by their closeness to the ruling Baath party and their fear of losing influence and access to lucrative business deals.

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September 11 was the six month anniversary of the earthquake which left over 20,000 dead or missing. About 70,000 people remain jobless in the worst-hit areas, and rebuilding of costal cities is progressing slowly. In addition, the nuclear crisis resulting from the earthquake has caused Japan to abandon plans to build further nuclear reactors.

They are looking instead at other, less unstable, energy resources such as solar, biomass, and wind.

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United States News

The formal end of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which has been in the process of repeal for months, was official on September 20.

Poverty rates in the US are the highest they’ve been since 1983, at 15.1 percent. Poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanics are significantly higher than those of the general population (27.4 and 26.6 percent, respectively) and additionally, 49.9 million are now without health insurance.

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Netherlands 5

Syria 6

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Japan

Somalia

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camille smith Rick Perry’s characterization of Social Security as a “criminal enterprise” and “Ponzi scheme” caused him to clash with other members of his party, especially Mitt Romney, at a Republican presidential candidate debate.

Changes proposed to the program include raising the retirement age and privatizing the system. Perry has jumped ahead in the polls, while Bachman is falling behind.

The first part of Park51, the controversial Islamic cultural center located two blocks from Ground Zero, opened on September 21. It will be years before the entire project, which developers hope will include a mosque, health club, and theater, will be completed.

President Obama has agreed to cut Medicare spending in the face of enormous debt.

However, he has also promised not to cut any more spending for health care unless the cuts come with new taxes for the wealthy.

It’s not just you

The Trojan features students with varied lifestyles to show that you are not alone.

Juggling a Busy Schedule

From overstressed athletes, to AP buffs on the verge of a meltdown, to kids desperately trying to find a sense of identity, to teens with a home they don’t look forward to going to at night; we are not alone.

Being a student means having moments of being smothered by schedules, drowned by schoolwork, or pounded by pressure.

Sophomore Abby Peoples participates in Math Club, Sophomore Executive Council, Student Council, Yearbook, Natural Helpers, FCA, soccer, and tennis. On a scale of 1-10, Peoples claims she’s up to an 8 on her busiest days. With all these activities, it’d be hard to not fall behind on schoolwork and projects.

“Yeah, I fall behind. Not really on work, but sleep,” said Peoples.

Senior Logan Chevalier is also always busy. He participates in football, track, Math Club, and is taking AP Calculus, along with working at Italian Gardens To Go. On his busiest days, Chevalier would also rank his stress as building up to a 7 or 8, and sometimes gets as little as four hours of sleep. Chevalier’s schedule also makes it hard to find time for friends.

“Right now, I only have Saturday night. Once football is over, though, I know I’ll have a lot more,” said Chevalier.

Junior Paxton DiBlasi also has a lot packed into his week. He participates in wrestling as an athlete and a coach, Freshman Mentors, Character Council, Junior Executive Council, Friends of Rachel, Broadcast Journalism, and TARKUS. DiBlasi can relate to both Peoples and Chevalier in that his levels of stress can get up to an agonizing 8. But he has great friends that he relies on for comfort and understanding. Like many other high school students, sometimes all his extracurricular activities make him feel like he is falling behind in school. However, DiBlasi sees his situation positively.

“In the end it’s worth it because you know you are making a difference, and it’s all a matter of how you organize your time,” said DiBlasi.

Many teachers will agree that students aren’t the only ones who have to deal with stress. Science teacher Tara (Southwick) Bell currently teaches, works at the district fitness center, runs Student Council, runs Young Life, is working on her second master’s degree, and is training for a 15K marathon.

“Usually, the busier I am, the better I am. But there are times when I get overwhelmed,” said Bell. “A lot of life happens for teachers outside this building. It’s easy to misconceive that when school is over, our job is over.”

The ways students and teachers relax are very different. Peoples tends to simply prioritize her schedule, while Chevalier likes to listen to music, hang out with friends, and just take a break from everything.

Bell simply tries to take one night out of the week for a date night with her husband, exercises often, and relies on her awesome dog to cheer her up. DiBlasi agrees strongly with Peoples in that it’s all about organizing.

“Well, I know that quitting isn’t really an option so I don’t really consider it. Also, my life has never not been hectic, so you just get used to it,” said DiBlasi.

For those out there who feel alone, don’t be afraid to speak out. Find someone close and trustworthy to talk to, because it might become clear; it’s not just you.

mackenzie thomas

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Governor Brownback signed a bill that essentially shut down the businesses in Kansas that provide abortions. Some would say that he is walking into territory that he has no right to be in. Considering that he pays taxes that fund these abortions, I believe he has every right to push the lines of this territory.

Parents should talk to their children about practicing safe sex. Having this conversation opens the door for communication. If a child feels like they can talk to their parent, they are less likely to make a mistake that could cost them time, money, and emotional stress.

Even teenagers who can’t talk to their parents can still talk to other trusted adults such as teachers, counselors, or a friend’s parent, with no strings attached.

Family planning centers are not the only places that you can obtain contraceptives.

Contraceptives are available at any drug store in the country.

If someone cannot obtain contraceptives for any reason at all they are mature enough to practice self-control.

Teenagers who do not practice safe sex should not be having sex because they are not in the position to support a child—financially or emotionally. When teenagers have children, the rest of the community ends up funding the child’s upbringing through programs like WIC and Welfare.

Yes, people pay taxes all the time for things that they don’t agree with. Let me ask you, how many times do they pay those taxes without arguing about them? Paying taxes for things that conflict with people’s moral beliefs is a continual fight and is not something that people remain quiet about.

On a local level, we live in an area where we have the resources to not only practice safe sex, but learn how to practice safe sex. There are people all around us who are willing to help. It’s just a matter of being smart with the decisions you make and learning how to ask for help when

It’s Your Choice Gov. Brownback cuts family planning funding

you need it.

alyssa vasquez

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Recently, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law a proposal designed to restrict women’s access to abortions. Among other things, the law specified that all abortions must be performed in rooms of at least 150 square feet, at temperatures of between 68 and 73 degrees. The protests of the affected clinics in Kansas to these measures fell on deaf ears, and the result is an ongoing and significantly expensive court battle between the clinics and the state of Kansas.

Governor Brownback is set on getting rid of abortion, but these clinics do so much more than that; they provide education, breast cancer screening, and contraceptives to the people who need them the most. People argue that family planning shouldn’t be funded by the government, that it should be the family’s responsibility to educate and provide contraceptives; but if that’s the case, why so many restrictions on accessing them?

In more than half the states in the USA, in order to be prescribed contraceptives, a minor must have parental consent or meet certain other conditions, such as being a high school graduate, married, or already having children.

TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws, like Governor Brownback’s bill, are making it harder and harder for women to get abortions.

Restricting access to birth control won’t do anything to decrease teen pregnancy rates, and removing access to abortion forces teens to shape the rest of their lives around those pregnancies.

Under policies like this, nobody wins- not the taxpayers who will likely end up funding the resulting undereducated single mothers, and certainly not the teenagers who have to give up the rest of their lives to take care of a child they’re not financially or emotionally prepared for.

What really bothers me about these laws is that they’re based on assumptions that just aren’t accurate- that teenagers are really going to give up sex just because some politicians tell them to; that parents are really going to talk to their kids about contraception; that every woman in America who seeks an abortion can really afford to be told that, sorry- you don’t get to decide how to live the rest of your life, and actually you’re going to be raising a kid now. Assumptions like these are fundamentally untrue, not to mention unfair.

In a perfect world, every teenager would be able to rely on their family for access to family planning. But not everyone’s home is a safe place. Parental consent for contraceptives might be good for kids who come from functional families. But what about the kids who have no support system, or who don’t trust their parents enough to confide in them? I’ve got to tell you, I can’t think of many teenagers who would opt for a lengthy discussion about their sex life with a trustworthy adult- especially if that adult isn’t their parent.

For those of you who trust your parents enough to talk to them about things like this, or who fully intend to abstain from sex until marriage: this isn’t an issue for you. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an issue for everybody.

The government has control over many sectors of my life, and I’m not contesting that- but reproduction is a deeply personal decision.

It should be mine, and mine alone. camille smith

life

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I Hope No One Saw That Everyone has had those cheek burning; heart racing moments of embarrassment. All eyes are on you. Sometimes the best way to put out the fire is with a chuckle. Be sure to save a laugh for yourself though, not to waste them on others.

“So, in 8th grade our whole class was outside for some picnic thing. At the end of it, I was asked along with two other guys to go dump out the recycling bins in the big recycling dumpster outside. None of us could reach the top of the big bin, so being the only girl there, I had to be lifted to dump them.

With the whole class watching, I was dumping recycling bins into a huge bin. The two guys thought it would be just hilarious to drop me on purpose into the huge recycling bin. Guess who face planted into a very hard bin? Me. To make it better, they closed the lid on me so I couldn't get out!

As you can tell, I have awesome friends. The whole class was hysterically laughing at me.

Lesson learned? Never again will I be the one to get lifted up to dump out recycling bins.”

-Joceyln Weyer, freshman

“I swim for the Coves swim team during the summer. There are always hundreds of people there and one time my friends decided to pin me down and spread Nutella all over my face.

They gave me a unibrow, mustache, goatee, and sideburns.

As I walked to the bathroom with a towel over my head, they thought it would be even funnier to take the towel off and run away with it. Embarrassed more than ever, one loyal friend walked with me on my long trip to the bathroom in front of everyone.”

-Jasmine Jones, sophomore

“One time recently, my mom and I were in Wal-Mart and I went off on my own, and then I ran and gave this lady a HUGE hug and put these things I found in her cart. Then I realized it wasn’t my mom. YIKES!” -Sydney Hultz, junior

chloe lane

Hints from Heather...

Dress up with dignity

When girls were little, they wanted to dress like princesses, fairies and witches for Halloween. Fast forward to high school; teen girls are wearing tall heels, fishnets and outfits that show things that shouldn’t be showing. We have a culture that glorifies the revealing appearance, and this is especially true for girls during the Halloween holiday. Many people are to blame for these costumes: the teens, the parents, the companies that only supply skimpy clothing, and even the social media.

In the movie Mean Girls, Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), said “In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” I’m shocked that Halloween is now not thought of as a holiday to go trick-or-treating or to be scared out of your wits, but rather to release this inner “slut.” I’m not saying the producers of the movie are at fault, because they’re not; its society’s fault as a whole. Our culture has made this trashy appearance popular.

Halloween is a day to dress up as something you’re not. I understand that finding a costume that doesn’t reveal much is actually a hard task. It takes a lot more looking than usual to pick something out that is appropriate for teens in high school to wear.

Sex sells and will probably continue to sell. The “Career Section” at stores for men consists of firefighters, doctors, and pilots, while the section for girls has maids, candy strippers and divas. It’s incredibly sexist of these companies. Halloween breeds sexism and degrades women all around the world.

But don’t try to use the failure of companies to supply appropriate outfits as an excuse, because that’s still not the case. If you can’t find a costume suitable for your age, don’t buy a skimpy outfit instead.

There are a lot of good ways you can dress for Halloween and be modest at the same time. In my opinion, girls should keep to the scary costumes that don’t advertise the trashy and sleazy appeal. Adding a little sexy to the costumes may lure the violent predators who have intentions to stalk and snatch on Halloween night. I think this year I’ll throw a sheet over my head to represent the metaphorical ghost of “real women” when it comes to Halloween costume options.

Have a wonderful Halloween, everyone, because it’s all about self-expression. Whether you want to get laughs, scare the neighbor kids, make a political statement, or display your fondness for the nursing profession: when picking out your costume, respect yourself. heather kennard Although it is hard to find an appropriate Halloween costume, it is easy to alter the costume to make it not so degrading.

See the picture above where leggings were added to the outfit. photo by: graceprose

HAPPY HALLOWEEN play

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Hope Corwin

February 25, 1994 - September 19, 2011

Corwin lost her battle with Cancer on Sept. 19 and will be remembered for her strong will, bright smile, humble spirit, and overall desire for what is good. She will be missed, but what she taught the world will never be forgotten.