the
Trojan
Issue 2 November 2011
Fall sports come to a close...with success Media craze or culinary crave...the scoop Feel safe in your community...our rights
Cover Shot Varsity soccer ended their reguilar season with a record of 12-11 They went on to play in districts on Monday (W) and Thursday. photo by: averygardner
What’s online? www.myparkhill.com -Weekly Event Coverage Check out what your favorite Trojan sports team and clubs are up to every week. -From the outside in The story of students who come here from different parts of the world. -How can high school affect your future? Students who invest their time in high school will succeed in their future
October in photos...
photos by killianfane, kellenhammons and kaylynmagee
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
web photo editor
coopergardner Dear Readers,
business manager
alyssavasquez
reporter
maddiehemphill
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.
Thanksgiving has sadly turned into a day of eating instead of celebrating all of the things we have to be grateful for (which may, indeed, include eating). Besides just on the third Thursday of November, I don’t think people say thank you nearly enough throughout the year. If someone holds a door for you, say thank you. If someone gives you a compliment, say thank you. If someone explains an assignment to you, say thank you. These are all little actions we do and have done for us daily, but we have come to expect them. Instead of giving a little thanks or even a wave, we keep moving in our crazy lives. Change this. Take two seconds to say thank you to the person who goes out of their way to do nice things for you. Thank you to my fantastic staff, which this magazine would be nothing without. Thank you to Mrs. Beran for always reassuring me when I need it. Thank you to my amazing family for putting up with me when I get stressed out. Thank you to my wonderful friends who I couldn’t survive without. Thank you’s take a second to say, but you might just make someone’s day for acknowledging their kind action or telling them how much they mean to you. Two words can go a long way; remember that while we enter this holiday season.
Grace Prose the trojan
2
Contents Campus
Spirit Weak
8
School spirit has been at a low throughout this school year, but we forget that we have a lot to cheer about.
Sports
14
We don’t stop at state
Community
15
From holiday to gourmet
Life
19
It’s not just you
Play
22
How to wear this season’s “warmest” accessory
Feature
5 9
Girls tennis team has done an amazing job this season and some girls are aiming to continue playing long after high school.
Cupcakes are a trend sweeping the nation. Instead of getting them for birthdays or other celebrations, they’re becoming an everyday treat.
Some people may be embarrassed about seeing a therapist, but they don’t have to be. Many students seek professional help.
With the weather getting colder, the fashions are changing. Check out five different ways to wear a scarf.
Class Rings Class Rings can symbolize much more than just what school you graduate from.
Conformity Followers do things without thinking, don’t give in so easily.
11
High school Bucket List
17
Free speech or racism?
Students have very different goals to accomplish before they graduate.
Where does the line cross and when is it too much?
photo by: abbypeoples
14
photo by: nickbuchberg
5
photo by: zachhahn
9
CLASS RINGS
g i b e h t s ’ t a h w
DEAL?
Who would have thought that a military tradition would spread to nearly every high school in the United States? In the mid-nineteenth century, several members of the graduating class at West Point (the most highly regarded military academy in the U.S.) purchased rings to commemorate their time spent at the academy. The trend caught on, and eventually it spread from New York State to the rest of the country. Now class rings are considered a staple of American high school life. The West Point graduates weren’t the first people to think of class rings, however. Class rings are derived from signet rings, an invention of the Ancient Egyptians, which had the “signature” of the owner engraved into the top. The owner would dip the top of the ring in hot wax or ink and press it against the papyrus to “sign” legal documents. In contemporary times, signet rings often bear a family crest, or coat of arms. Park Hill uses Jostens to craft rings for the student body. Jostens has also created Super Bowl rings in the past, and is a world-renowned jeweler. After the class ring assembly, where Jostens presented a slideshow of rings and ring styles to the sophomores, Facebook lit up with screenshots of rings that students designed on the Jostens online ring designer. Many sophomores recieved their rings Monday October 31, and are wearing them proudly. Class rings are seen by graduates as a portal to memories of high school. Past generations often didn’t receive their rings until their senior year. Earlier generations of class rings used the same design for everyone in the class. This is in sharp contrast to today where the students receive their rings sophomore year, and class rings are extremely diverse. Junior Becky Gauthier is the proud owner of a class ring. While she admits her ring seems very standard and common (and expensive), Gauthier is happy she bought it. “I bought a standard ring, with the Trojan head and academic symbol on the side. I chose my ring through the booklet Jostens provides, because it seemed the easiest to use,” Gauthier said. However, many students choose not to purchase a class ring due to financial concerns, or because of the possibility of one’s alma mater or graduation year changing. Senior Alec Ryan chose not to buy a class ring his sophomore year, which was very fortunate: he moved his senior year from Illinois to Park Hill. “I found it was just too expensive, and that it was pointless to waste the money on one if I was not going to stay at my school in Illinois for all four years,” Ryan said.
nick buchberg
Junior Jessica Hanson loves her class ring, and shows it off to anyone who is willing to look at it. It features gold and silver sides, with red and black stones to show her Trojan pride.
“
O Originally, I had cross country and my graduation year on my class ring, m but when I started doing Debate and Forensics, I decided to change a side. So I sent my ring to Jostens to get it changed to a Debate side. My ring doesn’t even have a graduation year on it anymore.” Senior Sarah Stark This ring belonged to Fred Blanton, who graduated from a naval academy in 1942, at the beginning of World War II. He wore this ring throughout the war in the Pacific.
CLASS RINGS
STAPLE
are considered a of
AMERICAN
high school
LIFE Above is Becky Gauthier’s ring. She refers to it as simple, but refined.
all photos by nickbuchberg
feature6
BEHIND
THE SCENES:
superstitions
Before a big game, a defining moment in the spotlight on stage, or even before giving that speech that took three hours to write, there are always people who have interesting rituals which help them get in the zone before they can rock their event. Whether it’s eating that special sandwich, wearing the same lucky socks, or even listening to that one mood song over and over again, these rituals get people into a mindset where they know they are going to put forth their best effort to succeed. Varsity wrestler Russ Coleman said he gets grumpy before each match to get himself fired up. “Before every softball game, I listen to pump-up music and dance around. Before every basketball game, I eat a firehouse sub,” senior Beth Sullinger said. Someone else who also listens to uplifting music before they compete is
junior Bailey Warlen. “I try to think positively,” Warlen said. It seems to work out very well for her, too. Warlen made it to State this season in golf and placed 64th out of 90 competitors. Both the varsity soccer and volleyball teams pray before each game. Along with praying, sophomore soccer player Shane Belew also says to himself right before he heads out onto the field, ‘you never know who is watching.’ “It just reminds me to play for the team, not myself,” Belew said. Senior swimmer Brynn Guardado gives herself some words of encouragement as well before she takes a dive into the deep end of the aquatic center at the beginning of every race. Reciting in her head, “Let’s rock this,” gives her the push she needs to do an outstanding job.
Guardado first heard this on the famous movie ‘Mean Girls,’ and she decided to say it before her big races as a way to get in a good mood. The ritual has become a tradition, which she says to herself every time she gets up in the blocks. Athletes are not the only people who perform these rituals before a big moment. Junior Tia Hernandez is an active member of the fine arts department. Along with being in Concert Choral, Hernandez has taken part in the school’s musicals since she was a freshman, and these departments have their own set of pre-performance rituals. “We have a friendship circle, and if people need it, we have motivational conversations. Personally, I drink a lot of juice and water. I eat cough drops, and I listen to music,” Hernandez said. chloe lane
Rituals of the Rich & Famous • LeBron James chews on his fingernails before he hits the basketball court. • Canadian hockey goalie Patrick Roy talks to the goal before his games. • Serena Williams takes a $5000 Evian water bath. • Professional basketball player Caron Butler used to chew on handfuls of straw before he was banned from doing so due to safety hazards. • Simon Cowell, previous American Idol judge and current X Factor judge, finds it important to climb at least one tree everyday. • To help him concentrate while playing poker, actor Mel Gibson uses a cow brain ointment. • Before putting on a concert, Lady Gaga requests for her room to be filled with Red Bull, Vitamin Water, a whole roasted chicken, and a platter of “non-sweaty, non-smelly” cheeses. • Britney Spears had a five page list of necessities for her tour in 2000, including Pop Tarts, Fruit Loops, and two boxes of Kentucky Fried Chicken. • Mariah Carey’s dressing room has to be 75 degrees. Due to vibrant colors and prints annoying Carey, the room has to be furnished in cream, pink, black, or dark gray.
7campus
Spirit Weak Last year alone in Kansas City, 29 schools were closed down due to finances and whatever school spirit they had was erased in an instant. Our stadium has gone from being packed, like a can of sardines, to having entire sections empty. The high school section has become a place where you can always find a spot in. With the economy, budget cuts, and bad attitudes world wide, school spirit might be the only thing that’s free to bring back. Senior Colby Beuhler is greatly puzzled by this downfall of spirit. He is co-president of Tarkus, which works hard to pump up the spirit of the weary crowds by throwing hot dogs, dressing up, tailgating, and just trying to be as ridiculous as possible. “You just have to be more spirited to make up for those who aren’t,” Buehler said. Lately, however, even Tarkus’s best efforts have yielded little enthusiasm. Beuhler partly contributes the downfall to the lack of creativity in spirit week and the ever-growing list of restrictions—no painting chests, no black t-shirts, as well students having to sit in certain sections at games. “It’s not fun to put forth the effort to try to have spirit when they [administration and teachers] are just going to tell you no,” said Buehler. A highly emotional issue with the student body is the elimination of black t-shirts. The reasoning behind it is that red and white are supposed to belong to Park Hill, while black and
photo by brooklynsummerville
Despite efforts by the spirit squads, student participation fades
purple supposedly belong to Park Hill South. “We aren’t supposed to wear black, and it’s irritating. It’s pointless to because I’ve seen South shirts in purple, black, and white,” said freshman Allison Foster. Student Council has always been known for running, hosting, and supporting spirited events at Park Hill. Sophomore Chloe Nelson is now in her second year of STUCO. She has recognized the obvious downfall in school spirit, but finds joy in being a part of STUCO working to bring it back up. They make signs, put on events like Mr. Park Hill, help in the community, and honor teachers. Nelson said she thinks that kids need to get more involved in the school and events in order to pick back up the spirit. “We can have a lot of school spirit, but only when we want to,” said Nelson. The outlook on our school spirit is about as bleak for Foster. As a student on freshman cheer, it is her job to get the crowd pumped. According to Foster, it is hard to do that when you’re being booed. Foster gets irritated by the lack of pride in our school. Agreeing with Buehler, Foster believes part of the problem is in the lack of participation in spirit week. Along with that, she believes that the school and clubs need to do a better job of advertising for school events. “We don’t really have school spirit. People don’t go to anything and it’s really frustrating,” said Foster. Alumni John Morelli remembers a time when students were all about Trojan pride, and it wasn’t that long ago. As senior class president and Mr. Park Hill of 2007, Morelli often joked that he still had more Trojan pride than William Jewel Cardinals pride going into college. “As a Young Life leader at Park Hill, I have been able to attend a lot of Park Hill games and matches since I’ve graduated, and I have to say that school spirit sure has dissipated. It’s disheartening, especially after knowing how strong it was before I left,” said Morelli Morelli contributes the loss to how easy it is to just not take ownership of school spirit or participate when it really takes everyone to contribute. It is his personal belief that school spirit contributes to the overall general livelihood of the school. He believes that it’s more exciting if you go to a school that’s excited about their identity. “You would be surprised how quick a movement can catch on with a bit of impetus and will power. All it will take is a dedicated group of students to step up and speak out to relight the flame,” said Morelli. The new question has risen of how to get students back to being involved and interested in their school. It could take strong commitments both from the faculty and the students. As to why it has suddenly disappeared, kids are stumped and growing tired of fighting against all the negative energy, but still resilient. “Believe it or not, you have a lot of reasons to take pride in your school. As cool as it is to rag on Park Hill when the opportunity arises, Park Hill truly does have some of the best students and educators in Kansas City. I know I am extremely lucky to have graduated from such a great place. If Park Hill begins to re-own this, school spirit will naturally follow,” said Morelli. mackenzie thomas
When an individual is unaware of a situation or lacks knowledge, they turn to the group for guidance. This is known as informative conformity. This can also occur when someone is unclear of a situation and they copy the group’s behavior. For example, when a student isn’t paying attention in class and they miss the instructions to an assignment, they either ask someone in the class what is going on or they copy the class’s behavior. To test informational conformity, half of Chad Fette’s CLA 11 students were asked to turn their desks around after lunch to see if returning students would either ask the group what was happening, just copy the behavior, or ask Fette what to do. “I didn’t expect people to conform, but instead to ask questions and be confused. You could see that people wanted answers and that they were confused as to how to get them,” said Fette. After lunch, the first half of the students were asked to turn their desks backwards, while some continued to face the front. Late returning students, such as juniors Bryan Davis and Tyler Logan, were confused by the switch around. “I was like, whoa! ‘What is this? Why are we like this? Are we doing group work or something?’ I didn’t know if people were just doing this on their own or if Mr. Fette wanted us to do group work. I just sat down because I thought it was what Fette wanted,” said Davis. Even though all returning students had a curious reaction to the change, not one copied the behavior. However, all students turned to the group for explanation. This shows that how, when a difference is noticed in a group, an individual will question their own behavior to meet the standards of the overall group. Information received from http://www. simplypsychology.org/conformity.html zach hahn
nina wussow
Testing the theories about the choices we make In 1955, a Gestalt psychologist by the name of Solomon Asch conducted an experiment to test group influence on someone’s behavior and decision making. Asch believed that social pressure from a group would sway people to purposely choose incorrect answers to satisfy the expectations of the group. The result of the test showed that 30 percent of the subjects answered incorrectly. Social psychologists have pondered why this happened; they believe it to be the result of conformity, the urge to be accepted by a group of individuals or to ‘fit in’. Conformity boils down to many different branches, two being compliance and informative conformity. The interesting thing is, these behaviors can be found within the school; it just takes a little practice to spot them. To demonstrate how these types of conformity are found and what they are, two simple experiments were performed. Publicly changing behavior to fit in with the group, while privately disagreeing, is known as compliance. This behavior is seen in wearing IDs. Normally, most students wouldn’t sport a plastic ID card on a lanyard with their everyday outfit. However, we comply with wearing them because everyone in the school has to wear one. To test compliance in the classroom setting, the Solomon Asch experiment was recreated in Tara Bell’s human anatomy classroom. In the original experiment, Asch got a test subject in a group to look at a set of lines to determine which lines matched. The twist is that the rest of the test group was in on the experiment. The group purposely chose the wrong answer just to see if the one test subject would agree with them, or go with his own feelings. In this recreation, the class of 30 was split into six groups, five members each. They were to answer review questions in a makeshift competition; however, one group wasn’t concerned with winning. Senior Leann Williams, senior Amanda Hall, and senior Ashlie Schuster were all confederates to this experiment; the test subject was senior Ian Hennessy. During the review, the confederates answered questions correctly, however they purposely answered wrong in consensus on a few extremely easy questions. On every falsely answered question, Hennessy answered correctly and defended that answer. But when the group reinstated their opinion, Hennessy gave into the group’s answers. “I was like ‘Listen to me’ throughout the whole thing. I knew I was right, I just wanted to say I told you,” said Hennessy. This is a classic example on how group conformity can sway someone’s actions. “It felt kind of empowering, knowing that I could make someone do something just by being in a group that shared my ideas,” said Williams.
(Middle) Seniors Ashlie Schuster, Leann Williams, and Amanda Hall deceive senior Ian Hennessy. He eventually conforms to the group consensus. (Top right) Junior Tyler Logan is a bit confused by the switch up. He takes his seat after questioning the group’s actions. photos by: zachhahn
10feature
High School Bucket List What do you want to do before you graduate? What do you want to do before you die? Movies such as “The Bucket List” and TV shows like MTV’s “The Buried Life” have caused the question “what do you want to accomplish in your life” to become a hot one in recent years. In high school, the potential of our lives seems limitless, and it is true that over the span of a lifetime many of our dreams will be realized. But what about just high school – are 4 short years enough time to accomplish anything worthwhile? “What do you want to do before you die” is an almost cliché mantra of our time, but what about something a little more applicable to high school – what do you want to do before you graduate? Senior Kyleesha Weston has had her eyes on an accomplishment that most people wouldn’t dream of achieving in high school. “I want to reach the 1000 point mark in basketball before I graduate,” said Weston. Weston is only about 300 points away after being on varsity basketball the past 3 years. “I’ve wanted this since last year, when I found out I was close enough to do it,” Weston said. Junior Kim Blakes also has u nique goals to accomplish before graduating. “I want to save a life,” said Blakes, “either literally or metaphorically.” Blakes went on to explain that she wants to graduate knowing that she has had a major impact in someone’s life. “If I were in the right place at the right time then I would save someone’s life,” said Blakes. “But to be an important enough person to someone else that it changes them for the better would be enough.” Freshmen Cade Kellam and Will Hemphill have dreams for high school that are set in a unique location – the kitchen. “We want to publish a cookbook sometime in high school,” said Hemphill. “We’re going to fill it with original recipes and stuff we’ve made up.”
On the left: Junior Kim Blake wants to have a special impact on someone’s life before she graduates. On the right: Senior Kyleesha Weston wants to break the 1,000 point mark in basketball this year.
11 feature
And while Dr. Brad Kincheloe’s days of having a high school bucket list are over, he too has a goal for the students graduating in 2012. As many of us have heard, the class of 2012 is attempting to be the first graduating class to have all of its students be accepted to a place of secondary education. “It is my hope and my expectation that the senior class will get behind this movement and encourage each other to apply to an institution for secondary learning,” said Kincheloe. Even though some students may not be interested in attending college, it is the goal to have every graduating senior simply be accepted. “I want any student who graduates from Park Hill to have the opportunity to attend a place of secondary learning. Be that a four year university, a community college like Maple Woods, or a trade school, we want our students to be able to continue their learning if they so choose,” Kincheloe said. Park Hill would be the first school in the KC metropolitan area to accomplish such a challenge, and since being accepted to college is an item at the top of a lot of seniors’ bucket lists, it would be an amazing achievement for everyone at Park Hill to have this goal realized. Senior T’Ahvalo Patterson is one of those students. Patterson has his goals set for being accepted into a fou year university after high school. “Being accepted into college means a lot to me. I would be the first person in my family to go to college,” Patterson said. Patterson is applying to several universities, but Missouri State University and the University of Central Missouri are at the top of his list. “College seems so fun. I can’t wait to be on my own and experience something new. I just want to be successful someday and I know that college is the way to do that,” said Patterson. Four years pass in the blink of an eye. Before any of us know it, these halls that we call our home will be a faded memory as we move on, grow up, and have our own lives outside of high school. Every student here has a unique goal that they hope to accomplish before their time here is up. What will you do before you graduate? The legacy you leave during your time here is up to you. maddie hemphill
On the left: Freshmen Will Hemphill and Cade Kellam want to write and publish a cookbook filled with their own recipes before they graduate. On the right: Senior T’Ahvalo Patterson is working hard to be accepted to college before graduation.
photos by: maddiehemphill
Going for the Gold
nina wussow
Starting track his freshman year, Junior Steven Clopine has reached great heights and is continuing to go the distance in track and field. After a lot of training and determination, Clopine has made it to the National Junior Olympics Track and Field Championship, where only the few who qualify get to compete.
Steven Clopine wears his medals from previous meets and the Junior Olympics
Stats: Meet: Heartland Youth Track Club 2011 Junior Olympics Division: Intermediate Decathlon: 21st Distance: 4488w High Jump: 27th Height: 5’-77” Personal Record: 5’11”3/4 ft. Goal this year: 6’4” ft.
When did you decide to compete in the Junior Olympics, and why? I decided this summer because my coach [Gilbert Castillo] told me I had potential.
compete in those events? I had some experience with the some of the events that were in the decathlon and it sounded fun. And I also wanted to try javelin.
What process do you have to go through to qualify for the Junior Olympics? First you have to be a USATF [USA Track and Field] member, and then usually you have to compete in an association meet and regional meet, but I didn’t have to compete in the association meet because we were hosting. I only had to compete in the regional meet, which was held at Wichita State University.
Why didn’t you compete in the pole vault? Well I didn’t have pads to practice in over the summer and also because it would have interfered with what the other events I had going and pole vault is in the decathlon.
How did you decide to commit fully to track? I didn’t really like the choice I had to make, but I sat down with my parents and coaches to see what the best choice for me was and we decided that track was the way to go. Hopefully everything will work out for the better. How do you prep for a meet? I don’t listen to music before a meet. I usually think about what I need to do, how I need to perform, and how I will improve from the past. What events are in a decathlon? There are ten events. In order, first are the 100m dash, then long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m dash, 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and the 1500m run.
Place in the nation: 21st What events did you compete in and how did you do? I competed in high jump. It was not my best. I could have done a lot better. Why did you decided to
Overall, how do you feel you did at the Junior Olympics? I felt good about my ranking, but was nowhere near satisfied with my performance; I felt that
I could do much better. That’s why I’m taking this time off to work and train. How are you training for the upcoming track season? I do a lot of plyo[metric], core work, which help with strength training and pole vault, which I plan on doing again this year. What do you like most and least about track? What I like the most is the atmosphere and the people. Its fun and you get to challenge and push yourself to your limit. What I like least is distance running because I can’t run for a long time by myself. I couldn’t do it unless I’m in completion mode.
We Don’t Stop At State Tennis isn’t as easy as it looks. It takes dedication, time, and Senior Suzanne Barth competes at State. Barth would go on to place fifth. photo by: abbypeoples physical capability, and many of the players on the girls’ tennis team agree that their sport doesn’t get the respect it deserves. “I think a lot of people don’t see it as a sport. Those people who haven’t played it, they don’t realize how demanding it is- physically and emotionally, it’s very challenging,” senior and varsity tennis player Suzanne Barth said. “We ran like nine miles the first week of practice,” sophomore varsity member Brooke Barnard said. Barnard and her partner, Kaylin Lake, recently took seventh place in the doubles portion of the statewide girls’ tennis competition. Barth also placed, finishing fifth, and the team took fourth place overall. This marks the third time in four years that Park Hill has sent girls to the state competition. For many of the varsity players, tennis is more than just a sport. Barth and Barnard have both been playing since long before they came to high school—Barth has been playing for about seven years, and Barnard first started playing tennis when she was only four. For Barnard, it was her family who first encouraged her love for tennis. Her father and twin brother, Blake Barnard, both play tennis also. It was her father who first started her in tennis lessons, and she says that her brother helped her to succeed at the sport. “My twin Blake plays tennis too. He was the one who pushed me every day and taught me to hit better, harder shots,” said Barnard. “My goal is to go to college to play tennis, and to go to state all “When it’s one on one, just you and no four years of high school.” “I think a lot of people don’t see it as one can help- it teaches you life lessons and Barth says that she, too, a sport. Those people who haven’t self-sufficiency. It’s a challenging sport, and plans to play tennis in the played it, they don’t realize how deit takes a lot out of you,” Barth said. future. She plays because manding it is- physically and emotionBarth and fellow senior Anna Karasiewicz she enjoys the challenge it ally, it’s very challenging,” are the only players who will be graduating presents- both as an individual Senior Suzanne Barth at the end of this year. Practice for the next and as a team. season will start in the first week of August. This year, tennis didn’t have to cut any players, but that didn’t change the overall Junior Brook Barnard competes in singles at a skill level of the team. tournament. Barnard later made it all the way to “At the level our varsity plays tennis-lots of people nationals. photo by: morganpehlman are unaware of how good they are,” said Reyes. camille smith
“
sports 14
, s e k pca
Cu
Topflavors
Cupcakes, es.
Cupcak
From holiday to gourmet. The cupcake craze is taking over. Instead of cakes for birthdays and even weddings, cupcake lovers are choosing to make creative masterpieces out of the little treats. “We make at least 100 cupcakes a day, sometimes more depending on orders we get for birthdays and other events,” Hy-Vee bakery worker, senior Caitlin Edwards said. “I love cupcakes,” junior Jenna Bishop said. “They’re the perfect combination of cake and icing and you can really be creative with it. You can make any kind you want and it’s really fun.” A new cupcake shop, Glass of Milk Cake Company, just opened near AMC Movie Theater. They have many flavors, including their most popular flavors “Peanut Butter Cup,” “Oreo,” and their newest, “Pumpkin Pie.” “I go to Glass of Milk pretty often,” said Bishop. “They have fun cupcakes that look and taste great.” Amanda Phillips, Glass of Milk Cake Company owner, believes that the new cupcake popularity has increased tremendously. “We sell roughly 200 cupcakes a day and about 500 on Friday and Saturday,” said Phillips. Although there is no denying the
increase in demand, Phillips believes that this is just a phase. “I think cupcakes are just a fad. While the idea of the cupcake is nothing new, this surge of enthusiasm over the cupcake is,” said Phillips. “I believe, as with most of our other trends, the cupcake trend will wax and wane with the times.” Cupcakes, although they make up for 70 percent of the revenue at Glass of Milk Cake Company, are not the only delicious treat available there. They also create specialty cakes. “I do not feel that cakes are just a fad,” said Phillips. “Cake is fundamental in our society and at the center of our celebrations.” Popular shows such as DC Cupcakes and Cupcake Wars feature cupcakes as their stars, increasing the demand for cupcakes from special occasions to an everyday treat. They highlight creative masterpieces made out of the bite-size treats such as a massacred mask and even replica cities made from mini cupcakes. DC Cupcakes also feature inventive flavors such as white chocolate raspberry, apple cinnamon, and gingerbread. While cupcakes themselves are little, the possibilities are endless.
Peanut Butter Cup
Cookies and Cream
grace prose photos by: graceprose
Supervisor by day...
Super baker by night. Roy Williams is one of the friendly faces in our hallways keeping us safe. However, not only does Roy keep us safe and make sure our lanyards are on, he is also a baker, who’s delicious treats can be found at YJ’s Snack Bar. “Cooking, especially baking, is a hobby for me,” campus supervisor, Roy Williams said. Williams wasn’t an immediate fan of cooking, especially not baking. However, starting in his college days when he had to cook for himself and didn’t know how, he needed a solution to his dilemma of not having a mom around to cook for him. He sought after the biggest and cheapest cookbook he could find to guide in his adventure, cooking for himself. After such a cookbook was found, it became apparent Williams didn’t understand the avid cooking persons’ lingo in his French recipes cookbook. So he had to buy other little cookbooks to understand the big one and eventually Williams ended up with a vast amount of recipes. Years went by and Williams started to cook many different things. After a while he really started to bake, which became his passion, but there was one thing that was a challenge for him; yeast baking. “I’m a technical cook. I want to understand the science behind it,” said Williams. At first, Williams was not interesting in yeast bread and wasn’t very good at it. Every so often, Williams would attempt the task of making bread with yeast, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Although his other baking, like cookies, kept improving, Williams’s attempts at making bread with the yeast were always unsuccessful. Then one day, about fifteen to eighteen years ago, yeast baking started to work for him. “I saw that there was something special about yeast bread. It is almost spiritual. It’s alive. With bread there is just such a transformation,” said Williams. One thing he began to bake special are Italian cookies called Biscotti. It’s a very dry cookie, they are baked twice. At a friend’s suggestion, he began selling biscotti at a swanky little place called YJ’s Snack Bar in the Crossroads Art District, owned by artist Brad Ford. With its hipster ambiance and friendly and “interesting people,” said Williams, if he was going to sell his stuff, he wanted to sell it there. Although he started off only selling biscotti, after the shop’s baker fell ill, Williams also began to lend a helping hand by baking pies and cookies for his friend’s shop. Now, a few years later, Williams still bakes for the snack bar. He makes cookies, pies, the occasional French tart, and of course, the biscotti. nina wussow
photo by: ninawussow
community16
FREE SPEECH OR RACISM? IMMIGRATION OR INVASION? This is the headline of a controversial handout the Council of Conservative Citizens distributed Sunday October 22 in the Platte Ridge neighborhood, located half a mile from Park Hill. The group has been linked to racially motivated hate crimes since its conception in 1988. Many members of the CCC have histories of racial intolerance, and many were advocates of keeping segregation alive around the country in the 1950’s through as late as the 1980’s. The organization included a copy of their newspaper, The Citizens Informer, in the handout they distributed throughout the neighborhood. Featuring many stories depicting minorities in a bad light, the paper also features stories which praise discrimination based on race and ethnicity. One story claims that a school board in Omaha spent $130,000 for books which defame whites. A line from the story actually goes as far as to say the books will “...instruct teachers on how to demonize whites in an attempt to make white people feel guilty for the failures of minorities.” Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul is a contributing columnist for the Informer, and an apparent active member in the group. Pat Buchanan, senior adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan, is also associated with the group, and writes frequently in the newspaper. The group openly condemns mixed-race marriage, separation of church and state, homosexuality, immigration of people of non-
European descent, and minorities. The group is an extreme example of radical conservatism. Human nature dictates that we blame someone or something for every negative event in existence. The US currently is facing a bad economy, suffering from cheaper labor in China, and a national debt with thirteen zeroes on the end. Unfortunately, the finger of blame often gets pointed at minorities, most notably blacks and Hispanics. “It’s easy to point fingers and say that one person or cause is to blame,” said a resident of the neighborhood affected, who would rather stay anonymous, “I hear it every day on the phone, I can see what’s driving this. There are a lot of bad things right now, but hate is a wicked evil.” The CCC tries to portray minorities as welfare-using, jobstealing criminals. Statistics show that people of non-white descent are more likely to go to prison, however, one cannot assume that every person in that ethnic group are criminals. “There are law-abiding people, and there are those who aren’t law-abiding, in every single race. That’s human nature; it has nothing to do with ethnic background,” said the same resident “As long as they are willing to obey our laws, it shouldn’t matter. They’re not all bad, you can’t categorize based on someone’s background, or their race. Not everyone fits into the cookie cutter image.” nick buchberg
This example of free speech proves offensive of Park Hill community members. Some might say this literature could lead to violence in our neighborhoods.
IT’S NOT JUST YOU I See a Therapist
From movies to books, a long-standing stereotype about therapy has been made—those who go to therapy must be crazy. The truth is that ten million Americans see therapists just for stress every year. Even teens in this school see trained therapists to help them deal with their problems. There are all kinds of reasons to go to therapy: family issues, depression, and stress are just a few. These common issues can affect everyone. Just like getting help from coaches for sports or from tutors for school, Senior Kayla Ball gets help from a therapist for life. After battling anxiety and severe depression her whole life, Ball was finally diagnosed in 2008. She has now been seeing therapists on and off for two years. The therapist she sees now is finally one she trusts and is comfortable opening up to. One might question the confidentiality of a therapy session. Therapists are bound by law to honor their clients’ privacy. The only exceptions vary by state and usually include: if the patient is a danger to him/herself or another person, if there is a child abuse issue, or if there is a state-of-mind issue in a court case. “I feel better because they are legally bound not to say anything. There are just some things that should be kept between me and my therapist,” said Ball. Ball is now writing a book about her depression to help others going through the same thing. “I want to be able to help someone else who’s going through this because I wasn’t able to get that help right away,” said Ball. Another common type of therapy is family therapy. Sophomore Dianna Swete has experienced this firsthand. Her family saw a therapist to work out their fighting between each other. They went for two to three months and would talk about the main problems they saw in their home and the conflicts that caused these problems. With her family, Swete found it was helpful in some aspects to have them lay everything out on the table. “It was pretty much just a huge session for everybody to get out their pent-up anger,” said Swete. What most people don’t realize is how common seeing a therapist is. Sophomore Kelsey Santellan saw a therapist from fourth to eighth grade. After a traumatic experience with a close family member, Santellan saw a therapist to talk through stress and events in her life that she wasn’t sure how to cope with. At first the therapy wasn’t that helpful because she felt forced to go, but in retrospect Santellan realizes that it did help and now wishes she could start going again. “If you don’t want to talk to your mom, dad, family or friends, it’s nice to have a complete stranger who doesn’t know you to talk to,” said Santellan. Not only do these students see a therapist, but so do many others; more than one might think. Therapists are a private and confidential way to vent innermost thoughts, worries and dreams. Everyone has problems, everyone needs help sometimes, everyone struggles; it’s not just you.
19 life
mackenzie thomas
20 percent of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood.
1 in 5 adult Americans live with an alcoholic while growing up.
More people visit doctors for anxiety than for colds. Anxiety, a predisposing factor to major depression and to suicide attempts, is now more common than depression.
10 million Americans see a psychiatrist for stress related issues each year.
About 5 percent of teens are suffering from major depression.
HEALTHY... Or not?
Olive Garden Olive Garden is a popular place to go for good eats. What people don’t know is how many unneccessary calories they are really being served. Olive Garden’s famous Tour of Italy has a variety of lasagna, parmigina, and alfredro, but that’s not all this giant plate comes with. The Tour of Italy also comes with 1,450 Calories, 33 grams of fat, and 3,830 milligrams of sodium. Sides, breadstick, and salad tack on another 500 calories and 2,330 mg worth of sodium. Consuming this whole dish means eating over 2,000 calories and 6,160 mg of salt which is way over the amount one person should consume in a single day. Try consuming smaller platters without such a variety of food from Olive Garden.
C hipotle One of the hottest commodities in the Kansas City area is Chipotle’s restaurant. Most believe if they come here they will get a big helping of food and still keep it moderately healthy. However, this is a huge misconception. Chipotle’s most popular burrito is made with a tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, salsa, and also comes with 970 calories, 95 carbs and 20 grams of fat. This holds as many calories and carbs as eating 3 Subway BLT Classic Subs. Cutting down on the certain ingredients like cheese, sour cream, and salsa end up making the burrito 750 calories.
Häagen Dazs
A girl’s best friend when she is upset is ice cream. What they don’t know is that picking up a half-cup of Haagen-Dazs ice cream puts away a half days intake of fat and a third of your daily cholesterol into your body, and that’s only half the carton. A great alternative to ice cream is frozen yogurt. It’s only 107 calories and still has all flavor.
N oodles & Co. Noodles and Company is convenient when it comes to quick places to eat. However, there’s a price to pay when eating there. The famous Wisconsin Mac n’Cheese has over 1030 calories, 43 grams of fat and 1050 mg of sodium in a regular sized dish. Customers pay for the inconvenience of half a day’s servings with the convenience of saving half a second in a day. Next time ask for the small serving, it has 800 calories and less sodium.
C ampbell’s
It’s ’ no secret that h soup iis good for you. However, some do more harm than good. For example, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Condensed Soup may not have all that many calories, but it packs quite the punch of sodium. One serving contains over 760 mg of sodium- and that’s assuming you only eat 2 ½ servings and not the whole thing. It’s better to eat soups with reduced sodium and that can eliminate 400 mg.
P opcorn Movie nights could not be completed without popcorn, but contrary to belief, this snack isn’t exactly a good one to have. Orville Redenbacher’s Old Fashioned Buttered Regular Popcorn has 320 calories, 21.8 grams of fat, and 660 mg of sodium. This is only a four tablespoon serving which makes it hard to imagine how much is in an entire bag. Choosing popcorn without all the butter and salt is a better way to stay healthy and still enjoy this favorite snack.
M cDonald’s Since McDonald’s beginnings, it has never been known as a healthy place. And when Super-Size Me came out in 2004, proving how unhealthy it was, McDonald’s combatted with them to prove how healthy they could be. Their new initiative was to supply healthy food alternatives like salads, oatmeal, and apples. These foods only appear to be good for you, but in reality, are not. McDonald’s Classic Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken is over 447 calories, 27 grams of fat, 994 mg of sodium, making this salad more unhealthy then most things on the menu. Looking harder for other salads, like the regular side salad, can be beneficial. With only 50 calories this cuts down quite drastically. kate ryan
Would You Rather... be gossiped about or never talked about at all? “Would you rather....” is a refrain often heard in middle school sleepovers. It’s a fun way to pass the time, but the right questions can produce answers that are thoughtprovoking for all of us. Those who have ever been on the recieving end of a nasty rumor will agree that it’s not a fun situation to be in -- but we’ve all had moments where we felt unnoticed and invisible. If you had to pick between being eternally unnoticed and perpetually whispered about, which would you choose?
“Never talked about. I don’t want people spreading lies. If my friends know about me, then that’s all that matters.” Rachel Bruce, Sophomore
“Never talked about; rumors get so out of hand so quickly and as busy as most highschoolers are, including me, I don’t have time to worry about what others think of me, and I’d hate to have it affect my life and schoolwork.” Jordan Day, Junior
“Never talked about because you don’t have to worry about people talking about you. Also, no one will spread rumors about you.” Kylee Huffman, Sophomore
“Never talked about because you don’t have to worry about people talking about you behind your back and it keeps stress away from you.” Makayla Harris, Sophomore
“I guess it would depend. If I wasn’t talked about then I guess I would know less people, and less people would know me. I wouldn’t want to be gossiped about, though--I don’t need any backstabbers.” Josephine Choi, Freshmen
“Talked about, because I would rather have friends then be a loner, and you can just ignore what people say.” Louis Reinmiller, Freshman
“Gossiped about, because rumors don’t last very long, and my true friends would help tell the truth to others. Also, if I was never talked about then I would never know what people really think of me.” Cody Van Hooser, Sophomore
“Talked about, because if you have friends it doesn’t matter what other people think” Megan Meier, Junior
kaylin lake
??????????????
Hints from Heather... how to wear this season’s “warmest” accessory
You’ve picked out a scarf that’s the perfect color to go with your fall and winter outfits, and just the right weight for the temperature change. What now? Don’t fret while standing in front of the mirror as you attempt to tie it around your neck. Here are some ways to work that scarf. Tuck in for Warmth
Try the Classic Style
It’s starting to get cooler out. Try wrapping the scarf around your neck as many times as you can and tucking the ends underneath. This style looks best with dressy jackets and blazers because the scarf won’t cover fabulous collars.
Go Bohemian!
You can't go wrong with this way of tying when it comes to silky or satin scarves. Wrap the scarf around your neck, leaving one end in the front and the other in the back, for an elegant look.
Sleek & Stylish
Try this by wrapping the scarf around your neck like so: Stretch the fabric in front of your neck and around the back. Let each end hang in the front. This style will look best with patterned scarves
This is perfect for cold days when you still need to look stylish. Bring the ends of your scarf together, folding it in half. Drape the folded scarf around the back of your neck and let each end hang in front. Find the loop of the fold and pull the other end through it. heather kennard
play
22
w w w. Get Yo u r G r i f f O n . c o m
Get your Griff On at Missouri Western State University – small classes, awesome professors, great residence halls and a beautiful campus! Ask about our $1,500 A+ Scholarship! Call us - 800-662-7041 St. Joseph, Mo. The university for you!
Got a smart phone? Check us out!
Western is an equal opportunity institution.