Trojan Magazine Issue 4

the

Trojan

Issue 4 January 2012

Children look to toy for more than play 25 ways to get kicked out of a store Student looks beyond PH to follow dreams

Cover Shot With the start of the New Year, students and staff look ahead to what 2012 will bring. Some students said goodbye in December and moved on to the next level (college, career, etc).

Others are counting down the months to warmer weather and later alarm clocks. The towering clock in downtown Kansas City represents Union Station and the timeless history of the city. photo by: makanawelsh

What’s online?

www.myparkhill.com -Weekly Event Coverage Check out what your favorite Trojan sports team and clubs are up to every week.

-Self Image Having a positive self image can affect both your happiness and success in school and the work place.

Find out how!

-Should students be able to have their cellphones out during lunch?

Other schools in the area, including Park Hill South, allow students to use cellphones during lunch, so why don’t we?

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 photo editor

coopergardner

business manager

alyssavasquez

reporter

zachhahn

Dear Readers,

reporter

maddiehemphill

reporter

kaylinlake

reporter

chloelane

reporter

lauraprice

reporter

kateryan

reporter

mackenziethomas

reporter

ninawussow

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.

A great friend of mine once said, “Carpe Diem is a stupid saying, Carpe Omnia is a much better one. Why just seize the day when you can seize it all?” On December 9, 2011, the world lost an amazing human being. My friend took his own life. I’ve known him as long as I can remember. He was always the silly one, willing to do anything just to see you smile. I can remember countless movie nights, random dance parties, and bear hugs so tight it was hard to breathe, but mostly I remember the laughter-the laughter that makes your eyes water and your abs ache. Whether he was dressing up in shark costumes or quoting Mean Girls, you were always laughing when you were with him. When people hear that I lost a good friend, they say, “I’m sorry for your loss,” when actually, I’m sorry for theirs. Yes, I lost one of the greatest people I have ever known, but at least I’m able to say he was my friend. I’m sorry for the loss of everyone who didn’t have the chance to know him, to see him smile, to hear him laugh. They are the ones who are truly at a loss, not those who were fortunate enough to have him touch our lives— we’re the lucky ones. He would do anything to help anyone, and so many people would have gladly helped him if they had only known how much he was hurting, but they had no way of knowing. There were no warning signs with him, no red flags. I don’t want the world to lose another person like him. Always be there for each other, help each other through hard times, and most importantly, if you think someone may be suicidal, call 1-800-448-300. There are always people there to help, never forget that. For you Tom, I will seize it all this new year.

Grace Prose

Contents Campus

Life

5

Did you just hear that?

Ever hear those random parts of conversations in the hallway?

Here’s a collection of funny things overheard in the halls.

9

It’s not just you Not everyone celebrated Christmas this past month. Here are the stories of a few students who didn’t participate in the Christmas holiday.

Play

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Ideal reality Barbies: more than just a toy. The physical appearnace of the popular doll can have harmful effects on the way we view our bodies.

Feature

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25 ways to get kicked out of a department store Looking for something fun to do on a snow day? Try these 25 things to do in department stores-but try not to get in too much trouble.

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photo by: laurapri

7

Faith in Fashion Faith Arendt, a junior, began sewing clothes when she was only eight years old and her fashion career has come a long way since then.

photo by: lauraprice

photo by: mackenziethomas

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photo by: heatherkennard

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photo by: camillesmith

6

ce

photo by: zachhahn

6 donated by: faitharendt

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Campus

Beyond the Classroom

Park Hill’s Talented Teachers

Teacher Liz Henderson performs in the Kansas City Symphony Chorus. Henderson has been singing professtionally for years. photo donated by: lizhenderson

by: maddiehemphill Imagine yourself in twenty years. What are you doing? You probably have your own house, perhaps a family, and hopefully a job you enjoy. But are you also a black belt taekwondo master? Are you singing in a professional symphony, or writing your own music? You may not know it, but our teachers possess these and many more hidden talents.

Band director Ky Hascall is one of the talented staff members. Hascall has been writing and arranging music since he was just eight years old.

“I began writing music shortly after beginning piano lessons at age eight,” said Hascall.

Hascall then went on to take music composition in high school and college, and got his master’s degree in music theory and composition. Hascall’s music has been performed by the Park Hill Trojan Bands and several honor bands in Missouri and Nebraska.

“I learn a little every time I write a new piece,” Hascall said. “I get a lot of satisfaction from hearing a group perform a piece of music that no one has ever heard before. The gift of music is one that must be shared to truly enjoy.”

Ever met anyone who can break a block of concrete with their bare hands? Psychology teacher Daniel Motta can. In fact, Motta is a second degree black belt in Taekwondo.

“I have been studying martial arts for nine years,” said Motta.

Though he is still learning more about martial arts, it took Motta four and a half years to achieve his first degree black belt status.

“Martial arts is a personal thing for me,” said Motta. “I do it for the fitness, flexibility, self-defense, and most importantly the mental health that it provides.”

Choir accompanist Liz Henderson also has a hidden talent. She is an alto in the Kansas City Symphony Chorus. The Symphony Chorus is composed of 170 singers that sing for events in the Midwest and have even done world tours.

“I’ve been singing with the symphony chorus for nine years,” Henderson said. “Singing at Carnegie Hall and singing at the opening of the Kauffman Center have been some of the most memorable moments I’ve had with the symphony.”

The Symphony Chorus is a big part of Henderson’s life.

“Singing in the chorus is my release,” said Henderson. “Before the Kauffman Center opened we rehearsed rigorously all week long, but it was worth it. The people I’ve met and the amazing music we get to perform makes it all worth it.”

Who knew that our staff included such talented individuals? Ask your teachers what they like do – they might just have a secret talent of their own.

5 myparkhill.com january 2012

Food for Thought

photo by: lauraprice by: lauraprice We’ve all heard people complain about the “greasy pizza,” “lack of choices,” or the expense of school lunches. However, the lunch ladies spend all day getting our food ready for us at the time we need, every day of the week. Let’s take a second to stop the complaints and listen to what the lunch ladies have to say about our food. Ronda McCullick, Director of Food Service Operations and Registered Dietician, responds after hearing the criticisms and critiques of Park Hill students.

Students Opinion

What Rhonda Says

“They don’t provide enough food for a growing boy!” said junior Mitch Tittone.

“I could get the same thing at McDonalds for only two dollars, not 2.95 + tax,” said junior Tia Hernandez.

“What many people don’t know is the 2.95 meal includes sides of fruit, veggies, an entrée, milk, and sometimes a dessert.”

“The pizza is too greasy and lacks basic nutrition,” said junior Kyle Branton.

“The oils come from the natural cheese, and pepperoni by nature just has oils in it. The crust is whole wheat.”

“By eighth lunch, the fries are soggy and cold, and they’ve run out of lots of the food,” said junior Quinton Emerson.

“Fries are being cooked during the entire lunch, and are constantly being served.

If you don’t see the type of fries you want, ask the ladies and they can probably make the kind you’d like. And as for the rest of the food, they try to refrain from making too much, because if there are leftovers, they won’t be fresh the next day.”

DID YOU KNOW?

-The Park Hill cafeteria does not contain a fryer; even the fries themselves are baked.

All the bread for buns, sandwiches, and bosco sticks is white whole grain wheat.

-The mozzarella sticks are made out of skim mozzarella cheese.

-The chips sold in the snack bar are all baked and contain no trans fat -The bread this year has reduced sodium

And there’s good news for those who believe the school lunch is much more unhealthy than it is. Many aren’t aware of the changes brought about in recent years to make our lunches healthier and more balanced for us. The cafeteria staff is constantly trying to fix the things we don’t like, and still improve the things we do. They want us to like what we eat, and they do care about our opinions.

pages designed by: maddiehemphill & kaylinlake

january 2012 myparkhill.com

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h t i Fa

in Fashion

7 myparkhill.com january 2012

by: kaylinlake Have you ever wanted to be a fashion designer? Now you can get an inside view from Faith Arendt, who is a junior at Park Hill and designs her own clothes.

Arendt got into designing when she was only five. Her mom placed her in an art class, where she then started painting, drawing, and doing different things with graphite.

She learned she had a natural gift for designing. At age eight, Arendt had a family friend who taught her to sew. She mainly sewed pajama pants, skirts, and pillowcases. Once she started sewing, she ended up tying the two together and began to design clothes.

Her love for sewing grew and she continued to further her sewing skills by designing formal dresses. Her favorite dress she’s created is a white dress she made two years ago, that is like a Cinderella ball gown.

Arendt is trying to take her fashion career to the next level. She’s been in fashion competitions and has won money for her dresses.

“I’ve Interviewed with University of Missouri, and Textile Apparel Management,” Arendt said.

She’s also applied for scholarships and has been in fashion shows, where she models her own dresses. As for internships, she’s going to apply for one with Vogue this summer, because she can’t enter until she’s 17.

When asked if she designs dresses for other people Arendt said she hasn’t yet, but she’s seriously thinking about it. The only thing that’s holding her back is how time-consuming it is. She’s busy a lot so she makes her dresses on her own time. Arendt ends up making one dress every summer, and she’s working on one right now. She wears her dresses to school dances, and any formal events that she can. Look for her dresses at the next dance!

Question& Answer old were you when you Q: How started designing clothes? was eight when I started A: “Isewing pajama pants, skirts, and pillowcases for my parents.”

clothing do you typically design?

Q: What “I typically designs dresses, like A: formal dresses.”

Faith has been participating in 4H since she was eight.

She is the council president for clay county, works with the University of Extention, and has competed in the following contests: photography, art, shooting, speech, and she has gone to state in modeling, sewing, and demonstration. She’s currently being interviewed to be the regional representative.

your favorite piece of clothing Q: What’s you’ve designed? Is there a reason

A:

why it’s your favorite?

“A white dress I made two years ago. I used a bridal lace, it was completely my own. It was like a Cinderella dress. In all it took about 15 hours. The total cost was over $200 dollars in material, since it was made out of Shantung, which is like a silk.

you prefer designing or making Q: Do the clothes? them is the stressful part, A: “Making because I get lost in my thoughts in designing.” She loves looking at the final piece, along with turning them into the County Fair.

you participated in any fashion Q: Have competitions? quite a few.” She won the A: “Yes, Cotton Award for best use in Cotton, and she received money from the Cotton growers.

page designed by: graceprose

Faith, along with showing off her designs, also models.

She was given the task to spend only $50.00 and buy a dress to compliment her. photo donated by: faitharendt

january 2012 myparkhill.com

8

Life

It’s Just Not You I don’t celebrate Christmas

by: camillesmith When senior Amanda Panich comes back from her holiday break, she doesn’t have the same stories to tell as her classmates do about how the holiday was and what she got for Christmas. Panich is a Serbian Catholic, and when she gets back from break, her holiday hasn’t happened yet.

“Our religion goes by the Julian calendar, which most European countries do. You guys go by the Gregorian calendar, which just says that Jesus Christ was born earlier, on the 25,” Panich said.

The Serbian Catholic denomination celebrates Christmas on January 7, after winter break has ended.

The fact that her holiday falls on a school day means

Only 50 percent of Americans say they consider the holiday “strongly religious”

9 myparkhill.com january 2012

that Panich usually has to miss a day of school to celebrate, open presents, and spend time with her family. But Panich isn’t the only student at Park Hill who has a different sort of holiday tradition. In fact, many students will probably be surprised at just how many of their classmates don’t celebrate Christmas.

Senior Paige Buckmaster, a Jehovah’s Witness, doesn’t celebrate any holiday over the Christmas season at all. In fact, the Jehovah’s Witness religion doesn’t celebrate any holidays except for wedding anniversaries and the anniversary of Jesus’ death.

Although she was raised a Witness, Buckmaster says that she also practices the religion as a personal choice.

2 percent of Kansas City is Muslims...

1.4 percent is Mormon...

“Most of my family is Jehovah’s Witness. Both my parents are Witnesses and raised me in the religion, but I accepted it as my own and made the personal choice to be baptized in it,” Buckmaster said.

Seniors Sam Ojeida and Zahara Jawad, too, have very different traditions over winter break. Jawad’s family moved to American four years ago from Iraq. Because she is Muslim, Jawad doesn’t celebrate any holiday over winter break.

“It’s just for fun and family coming together, not for religion,” Jawad said.

Ojeida’s family is also unique, in that it includes members of two very different religions. His mother is Christian and his father is Jewish, so their family’s holiday usually includes elements of both religions—for example, they always have a tree. This year, Ojeida’s family plans on celebrating Hanukkah.

Being different from your peers can be challenging, and Panich admits that having a different religion was difficult when she was younger.

“It was hard as a child. When we were growing up, everybody would come back and ask what we got for Christmas. We’d always ask our parents if we could open just one, and they never let us,” said Panich.

Ojeida, however, says that he didn’t struggle with being different from his peers.

“I had my Jewish faith but I also had my Christian faith,” Ojeida said. “It’s really special when you light the Menorah.

Your family has been doing it for hundreds of generations.

There’s something about lighting the last candle of the Menorah—it gives you a sense of illumination.”

Buckmaster also does not regret not celebrating Christmas.

“It’s hard to miss something you’ve never done. I see my friends and people not in my religion had such a great time over break but I never felt like I missed out because I was still able to enjoy myself in different ways,” Buckmaster said. “Really we’re just another religion. One problem I have is people’s misconceptions. I’d prefer people to ask questions, and I’d be happy to answer them.”

New Years Facts by: chloelane New Years is said to be the off aallll the oldest oldest o the holidays celebrated and and iss honored honored differently in various regionss o off tthe world. he w orld.

- In Haiti, celebrators wearr n new clothes and exchange gifts in hopes of the upcoming year being great.

- In Spain, the people eat twelve grapes, one at every toll of midnight, in hopes of good fortune for the next twelve months.

- At the stroke of midnight in Wales, the back door is opened and closed to let the past year leave the house. Then, on the twelfth and final stroke, the front door is opened, letting the New Year roll in.

New Years Statistics

30 3 0 percent percent is Catholic...

C atholic...

95 percent percent of Americans 95 ce elebrate Christmas celebrate

page designed by: mackenziethomas

• One in four people (twenty-four (twenty-four percent) never succeed in in achieving achieving their resolution.

• Only a small eight percent of p peoeople come out successful in ac chie eving achieving their resolution.

• Nineteen percent achieve itt every every other oth her year and forty-nine per percent rcent have h ave infrequent success.

january 2012

myparkhill.com

10

25

ways to get

KICKED OUT OF

DEPARTMENT STORES 11 myparkhill.com january 2012

2

by: zachhahn 1. Ask the employees to push your cart, pick up your groceries and put them in your car for you 2. Have a jousting match with light sabers and shopping carts 3. Bring in foldable chairs and watch the display movies 4. Pick a random person and follow them throughout the store until they leave 5. Fight with the stuffed animals

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6. Hold Barbie for ransom 7. Scream that you hear voices when the intercom comes on 8. Hide in a cabinet or closet, come out and ask people if you’re in Narnia 9. Ask employees where you can get a better deal

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10. Hide in a clothes rack and throw random objects at people 11. Say “BEEP!” loudly every time you hear the checkout beep 12. Go to the underwear section and ask people if they think your selected garment will fit 13. Have a tricycle race 14. Have a loud conversation with yourself in multiple personalities

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15. Braid the ties 16. Pretend you’re a greeter and say “Hi” to everyone 17. Go to Customer Service and complain that the valet parking stole your car 18. Ride the mechanical rides without putting money in them 19. Ask people what they’re buying

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20. Stare at the ceiling and see how many people will join you 21. Act out your favorite movies in front of the security cameras 22. Get a bunch of people and throw a party on aisle three 23. Wear a navy shirt and ask customres if they need assistance 24. Hide in a clothes rack with a gold ring and when someone approaches say, “You wants it! You can’t haves it! My precious! My precious!”

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5 Seniors Ashlee Peterson, Kayla Smallwood, Haley Hackworth and Nina Wussow

25. Hold a Dora doll and yell “Swiper no Swiping! Swiper no Swiping!” at anyone who comes close

page designed by: camillesmith & nickbuchberg

demonstrate a few of these activities. The group had fun demonstrating these events.

january 2012

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myparkhill.com0

Did you just hear that?

Play

by: mackenziethomas Ever take time to actually listen in the halls? One might just hear some pretty crazy things.

Passing time is filled with conversations covering an entire spectrum of topics. Most walk through the halls completely oblivious to what’s going on around them, but see what happens when the ears of Park Hill are opened…

“Is gornge a word? I can’t think of anything that rhymes with orange!” –freshman hallway

“I got a ton of sparkles in my pants!” –new gym

“You can’t stop this rolling train of yummy.” –freshman hallway

“Did you hear that the colors of our school are red and white? That’s stupid, they’re not. They’re black and red, and they should just be black.” –bathroom

“You can’t eat me! That would be cannibalism!” –

“And I was all like, ‘Ahhh!’ and dove down the stairs!” – cafeteria line

“Is chicken supposed to be in the shape of a ring?” –senior hallway

“Shut up! I’m insecure like a little puppy.” – senior hallway

“I get big like a piranha!” –outside front office

“What if you slept through the end of the world?” –outside library

“Oh man, I love myself and myself loves me.” – foreign language pod

“Shoot marbles, not drugs!” –junior hallway

13myparkhill.com january 2012

. . . r e h t a e H m o r f s t n Hi

Ideal Reality

Her head would be 3 times the size of a normal human head

Her bust would be 39” (42D)

She would have a 18” waist

She would have 33” hips

If Barbie was real, she would grow to be 6 feet tall and weigh in at 110 pounds, with a BMI of 16

by: heatherkennard When I was a little girl, I played with my Barbie in her playhouse, sending her and Ken on dates that always ended with a goodnight kiss. I had great times with my Barbie, and I admired her perfect blonde locks and thin figure. Barbie represented beauty, perfection and the ideal image for young children around the world. At least, as an eight-year-old, that is what she was to me.

Barbie opened a door for me that I never knew existed, and this door was all about what a woman could actually look like. This just doesn’t stop with Barbie though, it also happens with action figures for boys. Barbie and Ken have been idolized and envied for centuries by the young and old, but when these dolls were put to the test, their perfect proportion were found to be mutilated and unnatural for any boy or girl.

No matter what way you look at it, Barbie and Ken’s body are not average or attainable.

Barbie and Ken have conquered us all. The thinness, the muscles, the height, and the face have had a negative impact on how we develop our body image. It is speculated that if Barbie were human, she would be so thin that she would not be able to menstruate.

With this image imbedded into our heads of how we should look, teens began to take more and more drastic steps to have the ideal body. From starving themselves, and diet pills, to surgeries and steroids--these drastic measures all have harmful consequences on the body.

In a fast-paced world of glitz and glamor, society is changing our views on beauty.

Barbie, Ken, and beauty magazines all affect us.

They put an “ideal” in front of us that is impossible to match. I believe it is better to just make the most of the body type you’ve been given. Eat right, exercise and then love the way you are! That will communicate more “real beauty” to others than all the things we can do to change ourselves. High school students make sacrifices every day, but you-r body should never be sacrificed.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from any type of eating disorder please contact the National Eating Disorder Association at 800-931-2237.

He would have a 24” neck, which would be 7” more than an average man

HIs chest would be so large that he would have to wear a 3XL shirt.

If Ken was a real man he would measure out at 7’8” tall

Source: http://www.johnriviello.com/bodyimage/dolls.html She would wear a size 3 shoe and she would need to walk on all fours to support her weight

photos by: heatherkennard pages designed by: heatherkennard & graceprose

january 2012

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Got ads?

WE HAVE SPACE! *Contact newspaper advisor Sally Beran at berans@parkhill.k12.mo.us or call 816-359-6238.

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