Trojan Magazine

Issue 6 March 2012 Should schools provide birth control?

Wrestling’s rising stars

Chat with the new superintendent

Cover Shot Saturday, February 25 the Park Hill Dance Team participated in the State Competition hosted at Lee’s Summit West High School.

Competing in the 5A division, the girls brought home 1st place for their mix dance, and 4th for their hip-hop dance. The dance team worked tirelessly throughout the season to achieve what they have, “We had practices throughout the month of February before school and after school that averaged around two hours a practice, and our coach Danice Brown helped a lot with our technique and making our dances cleaner in general. At state we definitely performed our best, and left everything on the floor. We don’t have any regrets from our performance.

We’re all just really proud of ourselves.” Sophomore Skylar Suppes said. After wrapping up a very successful season, the dance team will be holding clinics March 5-8 with tryouts on March 9. photo donated by: nadialee

www.myparkhill.com compatable with QR code reader app.

What’s online? *Brand New Look!* - Sports Updates - How-to’s - Top 10 Books a Student Should Read Social Studies teacher Troy Snelling gives his opinion on the top books for students - Naka-Kon 2012 In Overland Park, the NakaKon anime convention was held. Check out the description and pictures from the event.

- Stray Pets Tips on how to keep from losing your pet and what to do if you find a stray.

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

reporter

maddiehemphill

reporter

kaylinlake

reporter

chloelane

reporter

lauraprice

reporter

kateryan

reporter

mackenziethomas

reporter

ninawussow

Issue 6 March 2012

Dear Readers,

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.

On February 28, I went to see a presentation by Annie Griffiths, one of the first female photographers for National Geographic. I thought it would be interesting to see her different pictures from around the world, but I never expected I would learn so much. She grew up in a small town in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota as a journalism major with hopes of being a writer. When her then boyfriend went to Japan, she asked him to buy her a camera. Enrolling in a photography class, she expected nothing more than to learn how to use her new gadget, but instead she found her true passion. Upon graduating, she held jobs in a few newspapers until she got her break with National Geographic. That’s when her true adventure began. Traveling to every continent, she’s seen every corner of the world and captured its beauty. She took us on a tour through these wonderful places with her photos, but the most moving pictures were of the people there. One of the biggest things she learned is that people are people no matter where they’re from or what language they speak. The part that touched me most was how much kindness there is in the world.

We tend to focus on the dictators and the wars, but we don’t stop to relate to the people who actually live there-people with real feelings and beliefs and customs and families, people that go through struggles and still seem to find happiness. Sometimes as teenagers, we get too caught up in trying to decide what school to go to and what to major in; we forget to find our passions. Seeing her pictures, I remembered to just slow down and see the beauty in the world and in the people around me.

Grace Prose

Contents Campus

7

Get Involved learn more about some of the many organizations we have here based on your interests.

Sports

14

The DiBlasi brothers

Community

11

The truth about birth control

Life

19

Play

15

Feature

17

St. Patrick’s Day

10

Five month journey

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For these two students, wrestling is a family tradition. Find out what they love about the sport and how it will play into their future.

With birth control has become more common, has it become too avalible to teens?

It’s not just you Many people have been put in a bad mood due to friendship drama, but did you ever think that it might be affecting your health?

SB 590 This controversial law threatens the future of more students here than you many realilze, get the facts!

It wasn’t always a day of leprechauns and drunken revelry. This holiday’s Catholic roots have grown to include a diverse set of traditions for different families.

Needy friends--we all have them.

The question is, how do we handle them at their worst?

Hints from Heather Fashion divas of Park Hill, start raiding your closets, because spring trends are almost here.

Check out junior Lindsay Grace’s interview about her experience in the Kansas City fashion week

photo by: heatherkennard

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photo by: nickbuchberg

photo by: nickbuchberg

photo by: morgandekeyser

photo by: nadialee

photo by: nickbuchberg

22 photo by: kaylinlake

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#phbullies

sticks and stones may break my bones, but how can pixels hurt me?

5 myparkhill.com march 2012

by heatherkennard The death of Jamey Rodemeyer sent shivers across America. The 14-year-old boy took his own life last year after enduring many years of being bullied because he was gay.

His suicide occurred days after Rodemeyer posted a video online in which he told other bullying victims, “I promise you, it will get better.”

This video has been viewed by millions of people. It serves as a chilling reminder of the devastating effects bullying has on teenagers.

Several students are having a hard time dealing with the drama that has happened on Twitter lately. Students are being cruel to one another through this new social network, and they watch each other go through the emotions in 140 characters over and over again, which can really get to students. Some of these people tend to seek out drama, but there are others who tend to get bullied, without due cause.

“There was one specific account on Twitter that was never on my favorites list because of the name calling of me and my friends. Everything has been taken way too far,” junior Aubrey Bowser said, “These accounts makes people feel like they can’t say certain things, or they’ll be judged.”

According to stopcyberbullying.com, the term cyber bullying means “a preteen or a child is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, teen, preteen using the Internet.” Although many sites like stopcyberbullying.com are trying to prevent bullying online, there is still little being done by the public to put an end to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is becoming a criminal act, taking the lives of many throughout the world.

“I think the cyber bullying going on is horrible. Bullying someone in person is bad enough, and it’s even worse over the web, because of dehumanization,” senior Nikki Moss said.

Statistics have shown that on average two million people are being bullied everyday online. Out of those two million, eight percent commit suicide and the remaining 92 percent either move to another school, tell their parents,file legal charges, or the sad truth of it all; do nothing about it.

“Bullying at PHHS has become intolerable during school so kids have taken the mask of the Internet. Speaking one’s opinion is one thing, but pointing fingers at people for their beliefs, customs, and/or personality and making fun of them for it is ridiculously immature. And making fun of them for it using an Internet name is ridiculously immature,” sophomore Kaleb Harvey said.

Cyber bullying in now considered a crime in the state of Missouri, and depending on the severity on the crime could be as large as prison time. Cybercrimes are considered a Class C felony, and the punishments can range from a maximum of seven years in prison, a fine of up to $5000, a term of one year in the county jail, or any combination of fine and imprisonment.

Not only does bullying affect the student, but it also defames Park Hill’s name. From @ParkHillProbs, @PHDouchebags, @ParkHillPros and @PHCreep12, it all gives a bad name to PHHS, which in turn can give others a negative view on the school.

“I find it frustrating, because most of the cyber bullying that takes place, takes place outside of my control. As a consequence quite often I will feel empathy for the person, against whom the bullying is taking place, and I will know the person being rude, mean and hateful, but because it’s taking place outside of school, it’s outside of my jurisdiction,” Principal Dr. Kincheloe said.

Although the school may have nothing to do with the disciplinary action, the police feel differently. Taking photos of people and publishing them on the Internet without permission is also illegal, as well as the cyber bullying that goes on.

There is a challenge for all schools (including PHHS) to identify the victims of bullying, whether it’s traditional or cyber, and keep them from becoming the next Jamey Rodemeyer. At the same time, schools also need to reach out to the bullies. Bullies need to understand the pain that victims experience and the reasons why they perform this type of behavior. They must also understand that getting caught bullying someone can have serious consequences.

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Campus

Get Involved! by: zachhahn

If y you like music...

For students who possess a musical talent, there are many different types of bands, from jazz band to symphonic orchestra.

One in particular is Symphonic Orchestra, an advanced band for string instruments.

“A great group of committed students makes the musical process and product amazing. I love music and am so fortunate to be able to share this with the students at Park Hill. It is my goal to see every student that starts the string program in seventh grade and works hard, to make it to this top level during high school, which takes devotion. Devotion is a huge part of any team success, and orchestra is no different. photo by: kaylinlake Students who put others first, commit to making the orchestra sound great, and contribute to our successful experiences are what makes our subject so important and meaningful,” symphonic orchestra director Stephanie Phalp said.

Junior Sun Ah Pak also understands that this devotion to a group will benefit her.

“I play the violin because it carries a soft, sweet, soothing sound and it fits my size.

Being a part of a team means that you play your part to the fullest, but be considerate to your teammates,” said Pak. While it offers an opportunity for students to further their musical talents, the band also teaches life lessons.

“Symphonic orchestra has taught me precision and articulation. It allowed me to improve my body posture. Plus, it adds to my list of talents,” said Pak. Agreeing completely is Phalp, who relates personal experience with students and orchestra.

“Orchestra is an experience that stays with a student well past high school and into adulthood. I have had numerous students contact me long after graduation to tell me how much they enjoy supporting, participating in, or listening to music now that they are out of school. They also recall their times in orchestra as some of the best memories from high school and that the study of music has helped with all their chosen career fields, from organic chemistry to education to medicine,” said Phalp.

If y you like volunteering... g There are a couple of programs that give students an edge for college and focus on acedemics and community service.

One specifically is the A+ program, that will grant students two years free at Maple Woods Community College.

“It’s a state-funded program that provides financial assistance to students who complete the A+ requirements by the state: 2.5 GPA, 95 percent attendance, and 50 hours of tutoring and mentoring. There are over 800 students enrolled in in the program. There are many four year colleges that give scholarships for A+ completion,” A+ coordinator Stephanie Dorward said.

Another program, where a student must complete a project or a certain amount of volunteer hours in community service, is Student Endorsement. One student considering this program is senior Sergio Flores.

“I think that Student Endorsement will give me something extra for when I photo by: alliemehr apply for college than other people,” said Flores.

7 myparkhill.com march 2012

If y you like writing... g Writing has been an outlet since its formation at the dawn of time. For students who want to further themselves as writers, The school offers many clubs and groups that allows students to further their skills: debate, journalism and the Trojan Literature Club.

The Trojan Literature club, specifically, offers an environment where students can nurture their photo by: kaylinlake creative writing powers.

“For kids who love reading and writing, this is the club for them.

We have a lot of kids who’ve entered programs and they use those awards for college resumes.

Plus, club membership is always good. Colleges want students who are involved in extracurricular activities,” club sponsor Jennifer Gross said.

The group meets every Wednesday in room 423, where they talk about story ideas and write their own stories. Club members, juniors Carolin Tran and Katy Kneib, agree on the club’s meaning in their points of view.

“We focus on literature. It’s kind of fun because we focus on having no boundaries. We are open to one another. We aren’t in the boundaries of a regular writing class. We’re open to many ideas,” said Tran.

“The club is a safe place to write and be among your peers. We allow them to come out and talk about things in their stories. I think it’s definitely good for young writers,” said Kneib.

To any striving writers, the club is still offering membership.

“We’re always looking for new members,” said Gross.

A chat with the new superintendent,

Dr. Springston A huge change is happening for Park Hill School District—and there is all kinds of controversy coming along with it. Dr. Dennis Fisher, our superintendent since July 1, 2005, is retiring and many parents are interested in and critical of the selection process of the new superintendent, Dr. Scott Springston, who is to start the summer of 2012. When I heard of this topic I decided that the first thing I wanted to do was get the facts, and find out what Dr. Springston’s plans for Park Hill School District are and what he has to say that might ease the minds of concerned parents district wide.

by: alyssavasquez

Q: What attracted you to Park Hill School District?

A: It was timing really. I was looking for a career opportunity and the spot for Park Hill School District opened up. I appreciated the student achievement, quality staff, and the parental support of the district.

Q: Why did you decide to leave Valley Center School District?

A: It was a tough decision because Valley Center is a great school district, and I have children in the district. I was just at a point in my career where I was looking for advancement. Park Hill School District not only offered career benefits but also benefits for my family. If I didn’t believe that the move to Park Hill School District would be beneficial for my family, who are always my first concern, I wouldn’t leave.

Q: What are your goals for Park Hill School District?

A: My first priority is visiting with the staff, parent groups, and students. I want the opportunity to meet with everyone. My major concern is to get students prepared for college and set them up for career readiness, which Park Hill School District is already doing a good job of. I want everyone to know that I’m not coming in to change things. It would be an insult to Park Hill School District if I tried to come in and say “This is how we ran things at Valley Center…” or “This is how we ran things at Blue Valley…” because this isn’t Blue Valley School District or Valley Center School District. It’s Park Hill School District and I want to work with everyone in the district to help the district improve, not to change it.

In school I’m taught that it takes teamwork, understanding, and hard work to achieve our goals. I hold my parents and the entire school district to the same standard. The entire district should be practicing these easier-said-than-done actions. While we all have our differences, and many are concerned about what the process of picking the new superintendent was like, we cannot forget that we are all part of Park Hill School District, and we are proud of that fact.

The major goal of the district should be teaching students ideas that they can apply to their schoolwork and to their lives. Our goals from now on should be to maintain the level of achievement we have up until this point, and then work harder to achieve those goals that will make our district one of the best in the United States.

For more information, and a meet and greet with the new superintendent. It will be held March 15 from 3-6:30 p.m at district office. Everyone is invited. page designed by: graceprose

Q: How are you getting past the negative comments on Facebook and Twitter or other social media?

A: Well, first I’m impressed with the parents’ passion and concern for the district and their students. I’m really looking at it as a starting point between the people of the district and I. This is where we start our collaborative effort to move the district forward and find a common denominator. I really believe that there are more similarities than differences in the goals of the people that make up the district and my goals for the district.

Q: If you could tell the students of Park Hill School District one thing, what would it be?

A: Don’t take lightly the great opportunities and advantages you have at Park Hill School District. Maximize and utilize them.

Q: There are rumors that you are an advocate for year-round school. Is that true?

A: Valley Center School District was researching our options for maximizing our time. We were just researching.

I never put in a recommendation for year-round school.

The reason the district stopped focusing on that idea was because at that time, their time was better spent finding a new superintendent than focusing on year-round school. march 2012 myparkhill.com

8

Five Month Journey

Junior Malik Colding’s journey from being unknown to utterly feared.

by: former editor codygoodwin Back in October – the 15, to be exact – Staley High School hosted the annual Blue Chip Fall Brawl wrestling tournament. It’s a preseason tournament, pitting some of the best high school and junior high wrestlers in the Midwest against each other.

Among the elite grapplers were some of the finest in the state of Missouri. Darick Lapaglia and Daniel Lewis entered the tournament, both of whom were returning Class 4 state champions for Blue Springs High School.

Park Hill’s very own John Erneste was in attendance, and placed 3rd in the 113-pound weight class.

But Erneste, a sophomore, wasn’t the only Trojan to compete at this year’s Fall Brawl. Nor was he the only one to bring home a medal from the early scheduled contest.

Junior Malik Colding was there. He would be wrestling in the 160-pound weight class.

But nobody knew why.

The journey begins Malik Colding’s journey began at Staley High School on that October day. It began at the Fall Brawl.

The first day of practice Malik Colding began wrestling just three years prior to this wrestling season. He had a history of competing in many forms of jiujitsu – or so he says. Tag that along with his athletic prowess, and Colding could be categorized as a natural in any combat sport. photo donated by: morgandekeyser He walked into the wrestling room on his first day, recalling that he wanted to do some “wraastlin.’” Head coach Bill Erneste paired him up with someone similar to his weight class – about 158 pounds at the time. He, as did At this year’s Fall Brawl, Colding began his Saturday with an everybody else, watched to see what Colding could do.

8-0 major decision over an unknown opponent from Colorado.

The head coach watched carefully. Colding’s disoriented Following a second-period pin in his next match to get into the technique could use some work, and he could use a few tweaks quarterfinals, he would wrestle Dustin McClintock from Ozark when it came to his mentality. Overall, however, Erneste was High School. McClintock claimed a sixth-place finish at the impressed.

Missouri Class 4 State Tournament the previous year.

So was the rest of the crowd.

Nobody told Malik Colding that.

Near the end of the 2009-2010 wrestling season, Colding After a hard-fought grind of a wrestling match, Colding came found himself a spot in the varsity wrestling practice room. He out on top, 5-4. It took two overtime periods to get the job done. was competing with some of the best wrestlers in the state, and The junior was into the semifinals of the Fall Brawl. would continue to do so through the summer, and even into the Colding would lose his semifinals match to Michael Pixely, next two. a standout sophomore from Blue Springs High School. A 10-0 He loved the sport. He loved the competitive nature of pounding only got Colding more pumped for his next match – wrestling. He also loved throwing his opponents on their heads. which he won, positioning him in the third-place match. He would It’s as if he was practically made for the sport. lose to Trevor Engle of Staley, a returning state finalist from last Colding knew that wrestling would take hard work, dedication, season. and perseverance. And that was all right with him. He wanted to This meant Colding would take home fourth place from the win. He wanted to get to the top.

2011 Fall Brawl, a place that many spectators of high school Putting in the hard work would only yield rewarding results, he wrestling saw as unlikely, or even improbable. But what they thought. But little did he know how rewarding the results would truly didn’t know was that this tournament would only be a be. springboard into an extremely eventful season for Colding.

So eventful, that not even he knew how it would end up.

myparkhill.com march 2012 99myparkhill.com february 2012

photo donated by: morgandekeyser

Struggling early The season started rough for the entire wrestling team. They stumbled at the start, failing to win their own dual tournament for the second year in a row after having won it the previous seven seasons. To make matters worse, PH lost to crosstown rival Park Hill South for the first time, ever. Amid injuries, of course, but a loss was a loss, nonetheless.

Malik Colding’s season was no different. Coming into the late December USA/Dollamur Kansas City Classic down at Hale Arena, Colding was just a dismal 8-9, a record he knew he could improve upon.

See rest of the story on page 13 photo donated by: morgandekeyser march 2012 pages designed by: heatherkennard

photos donated by: morgandekeyser

february 2012

10 myparkhill.com10

myparkhill.com

truth about the about birth control is the pill really

the answer?

11 myparkhill.com march 2012

by: maddiehemphill & kateryan Since the fifth grade, facts about puberty and birth control have been drilled into our heads by pamphlets, videos, and guest speakers.

Their general message is this – don’t have sex, but if you do, use protection. We’ve all had lessons on how to use a condom during personal wellness, and most girls have also learned about the birth control pill and other methods of contraception. More and more public schools are providing birth control to their students, but Park Hill isn’t one of them. Are we behind the times?

In today’s society it is not at all uncommon to discover that a high school classmate is on the birth control pill; in fact, in 2010, 86 percent of high school girls who were sexually active reported using a steady method of oral contraception.

Most teens must have a prescription to be on the pill, but that is changing as some school districts are approving access to birth control pills for their students. Even preteens have access to birth control in some middle schools – a school district in Portland, OR, approved access to birth control pills for girls as young as age 11. This school district would be responsible for supplying their female students with prescriptions to the birth control pill.

page designed by: nickbuchberg

The movement passed 7-2, demonstrating the belief that access to birth control should be made easier, even to young girls or through schools.

Park Hill, on the other hand, offers no kind of birth control to students.

School nurse Susan Cole said, “Our school district has a conservative policy on medication of any kind.

We can’t even give students Tylenol if someone has a headache. Students must have parental consent before the school can provide any kind of drugs or medicine.”

Hormonal drugs might be one thing, but even nonprescription contraceptives like condoms are unavailable from the school.

“The school won’t provide any method of birth control here when there are Planned Parenthoods and health clinics so close by,” Personal Wellness teacher Kim Clay said.

Cole agrees. “I won’t say that we haven’t referred a student to Planned Parenthood or the Platte County Health Department if a concern is there,” said Cole.

“But here at Park Hill, we can’t provide anything without parental consent.”

Junior Sara Johnson believes that this stance should change.

“I think that birth control should be an option here,” said Johnson. “I don’t think that it should be openly

offered or handed out like candy, but I do think that it should be there for kids. I think it’s better to be safe and protected than to pretend that the issue of sex doesn’t exist here at all.”

However, history teacher Robert Brosseau disagrees.

“I believe schools should be primarily and secondarily interested in education only.

I’m old school. I think schools should be teaching academics and families should be teaching social values.”

Statistics show that condoms being available in schools provoke controversy, but not sexual behavior.

According to a study in a Los Angeles county public high school, when condoms began to be available in the health room to students, there was no significant increase in sexual intercourse (less than 1 percent), but the amount of protected sex increased dramatically (from 65 percent to 80 percent).

Regardless of personal beliefs or moral convictions, birth control is an important factor in many teens’ lives.

If the trend being seen throughout public schools continues, eventually the debate will come to Park Hill as to whether or not our school should provide birth control to students. Where do you stand?

•By 19, seven in 10 female and male teens have had intercourse.

•A sexually active teen who does not use a contraceptive has a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within a year.

•In 2006–2010, some 96 percent of sexually experienced female teens had used a condom at least once, 57 percent had ever used withdrawal and 56 percent had used the pill. Smaller proportions had used other methods.

•The majority of sexually experienced teens (78 percent of females and 85 percent of males) used contraceptives the first time they had sex.

•The condom is the most common contraceptive method used at first intercourse; 68 percent of females and 80 percent of males use it the first time they have sex.

•In 2006, only 5 percent of American high schools made condoms available to students.

•In 2006–2010, some 86 percent of female teens and 93 percent of male teens reported using contraceptives at last sex.

These proportions represent a marked improvement since 1995, when only 71 percent of female teens and 82 percent of male teens had reported

march 2012

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Sports

Five Month Journey: Continued

But Hale Arena wouldn’t play nice to the junior. He would only win two matches out of four in pool play, dropping him to the consolation bracket of the tournament.

Colding would drop two more matches, making it only possible for him to place 9th on the consolation side. He did so, but was still unhappy with his performance.

Not long after came the Winnetonka Wrestling Invitational in the middle of January.

This has consistently been held as the toughest wrestling tournament in the state of Missouri, minus the state tournament itself.

By this point in the season, Colding knew exactly what kind of mindset he needed, what kind of wrestling he would need to succeed, and how to apply both on the mat–at the same time.

Winnetonka was the perfect time to do just that.

Colding would only lose one match in pool play to the eventual state runner-up Drew Daniels from Rockhurst. Colding kept it close, but dropped the match in the end, 3-1.

His 2-1 record was good enough to place Colding in the winner’s bracket of the Winnetonka Invite. If he won enough matches, he would take home a medal. He knew this, and knew it well.

But it didn’t start off in his favor, as he dropped a match to John Oss from Ozark, 6-2. Colding followed that loss with an electric 11-6 win over Liberty’s Eric Zoz. Another 9-4 win over Winnetonka’s Casey Bryan gave Colding the right to earn a medal. He would be wrestling for third place at, arguably, the toughest tournament in the state.

He was only a third year wrestler. In comparison, Bryan, who Colding had just

13 myparkhill.com march 2012

beaten, has been wrestling since second grade.

As fate should have it, though, Colding ran into a familiar face in his third place match. He would be wrestling Oss again. The match was eerily similar to the first one, with Oss claiming the win, 6-3.

Colding placed fourth, but he wasn’t phased.

He would remember the loss to Oss. He would remember them both.

Building confidence Malik Colding entered the Missouri Class 4 District 4 tournament as the second-seeded 160-pound wrestler. Because of his 27-17 record, Colding positioned himself to qualify for the Missouri Class 4 State Wrestling tournament–only the top four place-winners from the district tournament earn a spot at the state tournament.

The junior knew he could do it. He had all the confidence in the world. Colding had previously beaten everybody in his bracket at least once throughout the season. Because of this, he would begin the tournament with a first-round bye, meaning he would start his district tournament in the quarterfinals.

This only helped him mettle throughout his tournament experience.

In his first actual match, Colding pinned Nick Howerton of Lee’s Summit North, which advanced him to district semifinals the next day. Here, he would lose to Liberty’s Zoz, 4-1.

This loss hurt for Colding. But that didn’t stop him from the task at hand. A shortmemory was needed, for he was still only one

win away from clinching a spot at the state tournament – something he wanted more than anything.

To earn his way, though, Colding would have to defeat Aaron Wiggins, a senior from Ruskin High School. He was looking to go to state, and this was his last shot.

For Colding, it would be his first chance.

And he took full advantage of it.

The junior ended Wiggins’ wrestling career with a 6-3 decision, and in the process, qualified for his first ever state tournament.

An injury default to Drew Daniels of Rockhurst–who would eventually become the state runner-up at 160-pounds–gave Colding a third-place finish, a position he liked as he looked ahead to Columbia.

Generally, his confidence was sky high.

Even he didn’t think that a mere two years of hard work and dedication would lead him to the state wrestling tournament.

But he was far from finished.

Shocking the state Malik Colding entered the state tournament as a “non-factor”–in terms of the team race.

He was a third-year wrestler, a third-seed from District 4, and he wasn’t supposed to make a splash.

Nobody knew who he was.

And that was all right with him.

On the opening night of the Missouri State Tournament–Thursday, February 16–Colding began his state debut with a 9-1 major decision over a two-seed, David Horvath of Fort Zumwalt West High School. A win on Thursday kept him alive in the tournament,

Spotlight

the DiBlasi brothers and he would live to wrestle another day.

Friday came. Colding made weight. He warmed up and practiced with his team–all but one member was still wrestling by this day for the Trojans. His first match would be against the returning state champion Michael Slyman of Lindbergh High School.

A win would guarantee Colding a state medal. A loss would bump him to the backside of the bracket, on the brink of elimination.

Colding would drop the hard-fought match 4-0, the second closest match Slyman would have en route to his second consecutive state championship. Colding would drop to the backside.

He was in a position he knew all too well. Win, and you continue fighting. Lose, and you go home.

Colding didn’t make it easy on himself, either. Facing off with another senior, whose state tournament was also at stake, Colding came through in a double-overtime effort, defeating Northwest Cedar Hill’s Zach King, 2-1.

He would continue to fight.

Friday afternoon would soon pass, and the evening arrived before he knew it. Friday night was the night every high school wrestler dreamed of. On this night, you would either be wrestling for a spot in the state finals, or you would be wrestling for your season.

A win on Friday night at Mizzou Arena for Missouri High School wrestlers meant you would wrestle.

Malik Colding had done the unthinkable.

Saturday morning came, and his first match would be against a familiar foe: Ozark’s John Oss. Colding recalled the previous two times they had met. Oss had won both matches, 6-2 and 6-3.

The third time was the charm for Park Hill’s junior. He closed out a tough match, 5-4, and placed himself in the third place match of the state tournament.

In a three-year span, Malik Colding had gone from beginning wrestler, to varsity material, to top-four in the state.

He would finish in fourth, losing to Blue Springs’ Michael Pixely 8-1 in the bronze medal match, but Malik Colding would finish with a bronze medal of his own. On the back, the following was spelled out for him so that he would never forget: “WRESTLING,” “CLASS 4,” “160 LB,” “4TH PLACE,” “2012” He smiled when he received his medal. That same cheesy smile he had when he first set foot in the wrestling room three years ago.

That’s one thing that’s never changed about Colding.

He’s put on some muscle. He’s gained some wrestling experience and knowledge. He’s even become one of the most feared wrestlers in the state.

But that cheesy smile has always remained. Win, or lose; pin, or was pinned; down to weight, or running to drop three pounds; the smile never leaves.

Fortunately, neither will Malik. He’s still got one more year before he leaves this school.

Within that year, he has plans to win a state title. Only this time–no matter the successes–it won’t be as shocking.

by: camillesmith For the DiBlasi’s, wrestling is a family tradition. Paxton and Colston DiBlasi, junior and freshman at Park Hill, have both been wrestling since they were in elementary school.

“My dad wrestled for a while, and our grandpa was an alternate on the 52nd Olympic team,” Paxton said. “(Not wrestling) was not really an option in our house.”

Recently, Paxton and Colston were among the wrestlers to travel to Columbia for the state wrestling tournament, with Colston competing.

This was his first time traveling to state as a high school student, and despite his success—placing fifth overall, and second as a team—he’s still aiming higher.

“Colston just went to state. As a freshman he placed fifth, but everyone has to understand—he’s a freshman and he had to go through the ordeal of cutting weight. I couldn’t be more proud of him,” wrestling coach William Erneste said.

Paxton also traveled to state in both his freshman and sophomore years.

He was a state qualifier both times, and he hopes to make it again his senior year.

“We’re going to win it next year, hopefully,” said Paxton. “The goal’s always to win it.”

Wrestling is a sport that takes a ton of both dedication and time, and the emphasis that their family places on wrestling has made it a big part of Paxton and Colston’s lives. Both of them get up every morning at 5:45 to practice before school, lifting weights with either their father or coach Erneste. After school, the wrestlers have study hall until practice starts, at about 4:00. Practice usually lasts until 6:00. After practice, the brothers will sometimes help out with the kids’ club, Greater Heights, where they started their wrestling careers. Their two younger brothers, ages nine and twelve, currently wrestle for Greater Heights.

“One of the things that Colston and Paxton have to do—they really get no break. When they’re at school, I’m coaching them, and at home their dad’s a former wrestling coach,” Erneste said. “It’s like they have to find a balance so it’s not just wrestling, wrestling, wrestling, and they do a good job at that.”

Despite the hard work and dedication that wrestling requires, both brothers plan to keep competing through college, and they still enjoy the competition.

“Wrestling isn’t a sport. You don’t walk into it one day and decide ‘hey, I want to be good at this.’ Wrestling is a lifestyle choice,” Paxton said. “You go march 2012

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Community

Immigration and Education

In the eyes of the government, several students at Park Hill do not exist. by camillesmith They don’t have drivers’ licenses or social security numbers, and although they may have grown up in America, there are those who don’t want them here. The unique situation of undocumented students is one that has attracted widespread controversy—but some people might not know the facts.

“We can’t require the social security numbers of enrolling students, so there’s no way for us to determine at this point if students are documented residents of the US,” Park Hill administrator Deborah Miller said.

However, that might be about to change.

A bill being considered by the Missouri Senate, widely known as SB 590, would (among other things) require schools to ask for the birth certificates of enrolling students. At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. But Lynda Callon, a member of MIRA (Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy) and administrator of the Westside Community Action Network, says that the impact of this legislation would be large and negative for all concerned.

“Essentially, a lot of parents would pull their kids out of school,” said Callon. “You’ve got school districts that are already on financially shaky ground, and now if those students don’t go to school they don’t get that federal funding per student. They (advocates of SB 590) say there is no fiscal note to the bill, which means it’s not going to cost anything to enforce—but there is fiscal consequence to the bill.”

There would be social, as well as economic, impacts if SB 590 was passed. If enrolling in school required disclosure of one’s immigration status, many undocumented families would have to choose—educate your child, or risk deportation.

“Going to school is giving you a chance to better yourself,” ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher Caitlin Fudge said. “If you say, ‘oh, you can’t go to school,’ you’re just keeping a population who’s already here, down.”

SB 590 is lengthy—almost five pages—and goes on to list several more changes to Missouri policy. If passed, it would require schools to compile annual reports containing the number of “aliens believed to be unlawfully present,” that also state “the effects upon the standard of education provided to students who are citizens” caused by students who are undocumented.

The bill also states that, upon any “lawful stop” (this could be anything from an arrest to a traffic ticket) the law enforcement officer in question should be required to “determine the citizenship status of the person” where “reasonable suspicion” exists that the person could be undocumented.

Opponents argue that if you fit the stereotype of an undocumented immigrant (e.g., if you’re Hispanic), officers will be more likely to have a “reasonable suspicion” about your documentation status. This could lead to racial profiling.

“The operative word is ‘reasonable suspicion,’” Callon said. “If you can’t prove that you’re lawfully present, they can arrest you for not being able to prove you’re lawfully present, which according to this bill would now be a Class C Misdemeanor.”

Whether you’re for or against SB 590, students have ample opportunity to get involved in their state’s politics. Come to Amnesty International in room 111, during Wednesday late start, for more information, or call or write your Senators to make your voice heard. Democracy is a spectator sport, and students have just as much right as any to participate.

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Quiet Diet Around one percent of Americans have celiac disease

Between 30 and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant

It’s becoming more common to have a restricted diet by: mackenziethomas A huge part of every culture is food. From growing it, to shipping it, to eating it—food is often an overlooked part of every culture. Not only is food an essential part of the economy, but of survival as well. So what happens when restrictions are put on the kinds of nutrition one can consume? Does one adapt, or simply cope?

Sophomore Courtney Stuhlman started out her childhood as any other kid, drinking milk to grow strong bones. But when her little sister, Delaney, came along, her diet would be changed to fit the limitations of her lactose intolerant sibling. Lactose is simply a fancy word for milk, while intolerance is not being able to tolerate something. So altogether, lactose intolerance is the inability of one’s body to break down the enzymes found in cow’s milk.

This term has become more and more common in this day and age as many find out the truth about what’s coming out of cows.

“Your body doesn’t necessarily even need milk after the age of one or two,” said Stuhlman.

After discovering Delaney’s intolerance, the entire Stuhlman family stopped buying milk and started their lactose-free diet consisting of a lot of soy milk, and even with soy ice creams for special treats.

This plant-made version of milk comes with more nutrients than regular milk and a sweeter taste to boot.

“Milk tastes gross to me now, and on top of that, I don’t even like regular yogurt anymore because it leaves a bad aftertaste,” said Stuhlman.

A common concern with lactose-free products is the taste and cost. While different, the taste of most soy products tends to have a sweeter, less bitter flavor. And while the cost of desserts like ice cream might rise when made lactose-free, the rise in cost for yogurts and soy milk is miniscule and might equal out to be a dollar or two in an overall grocery bill.

The Stuhlman family is your average lactose intolerant family.

While there are people who suffer more extreme cases of lactose intolerance, it is not natural for any human body to digest cow’s milk. It is simply an adaption.

“Now, when my family and I have regular cow’s milk, our stomachs tend to become very upset and ache because we are not used to it,” said Stuhlman.

Junior Aubrey Bowser also has a restriction on her diet. Bowser is intolerant to a protein in wheat, called gluten. Gluten is found in any wheat or flour products, such as pastas, breads, pizza, and the majority of desserts. She has known since she was eight that gluten does not agree with her body.

“I would say the worst part is that when I go out to eat somewhere, my choices are so limited,” said Bowser.

Bowser has found that at restaurants, the choices almost all contain wheat, whether it’s noodles, gravies or sauces, or desserts. The good thing about restaurants, though, is that one can avoid them if need be. But, what is a student intolerant to gluten and eats at school?

“I eat school salads, I just have to pick off a lot of the toppings,” said Bowser.

Little to most students’ knowledge, though, the school cooks especially for one gluten-free student.

The presence of gluten and lactose-free students used to be unknown in the school lunchroom. Just in the past month, the cafeteria staff has familiarized themselves with some gluten-free meals for one student. These lunches are provided because of a doctor’s order, which is a required form that needs to be approved by one’s doctor and Park Hill’s food service office. The staff tries their best to keep these meals as close to the regular menu as possible, even going as far as providing gluten-free cookies when they are an option for all the other students. As for lactose intolerance, there are no students with doctor’s orders to be on a completely lactose-free diet, but the cafeteria does offer soy milk for those who either like or need it.

“We have to just go to the grocery store to buy special gluten-free items for her [gluten-free student] because they are not in high demand,” cafeteria staff manager, Shelda Conrad, said.

Gluten and lactose intolerance are becoming more common and recognized by the culinary community. Restaurants now may provide menus or options to fit these needs. The question will be when the medical community will bring out their own solution. At the moment there is no cure to either gluten or lactose intolerance, but hopefully someday in the future, research will provide a solution for all the hurting tummies of the world.

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Éire go Brách Ireland Forever

True origin and purpose revealed by: zachhahn “Wear green, go to parades and bars, drink Guinness, get snot-hanging drunk, act like an idiot, blame March 17.” This, according to Urban Dictionary, is the definition of St. Patrick’s Day. While Urban Dictionary isn’t an all too reliable source, it seems to have accurately defined this holiday in the way most people see it. The St. Patrick’s Day that is celebrated in America is a commercial holiday aimed at raising alcohol consumption and green merchandise and is a clever excuse to have parades. But how many know the true origin and purpose that this holiday holds?

St. Patrick’s Day is a commemoration to the St. Patrick, a man born in Wales, who later became a bishop in the Catholic Church. He died on March 17 and the religious holiday of St. Patrick’s Day was founded. The holiday is meant to be a day of worshiping, feasting and drinking during Lent. It was from St. Patrick’s teachings that the shamrock and color green became symbols of the holiday; the shamrock represents the Holy Trinity and the color green represents rebirth and eternal life.

“He converted Ireland to Christianity through his teachings. At the time, the rest of Europe is conquered by the Romans. Ireland is the exception. The Irish Christian Church was developed uniquely. Ireland was the major preserver of classical writings. All these sacred texts would have been lost to the Viking invasion had it not been for the Irish monks,” world history teacher Damon Smith said.

While originally meant to be celebrated among Irish communities, the holiday has spread across the globe, now popular in non-Irish countries such as Canada, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. In an almost ironic sense, in the very countries where Irish immigration was frowned upon, St. Patrick’s Day has become revered as a national event that contends with holidays like Valentine’s Day and Halloween.

“Irish immigrants came over in majority in the 1800’s during the Potato Famine and they primarily settled in the Northeast Coast: New York and Boston. They obviously weren’t received well. They were discriminated because of their religion and their cheap labor because people don’t like having their jobs taken. When anti-immigration started, Irish immigrants were mainly discriminated, keeping them from getting jobs. I think

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its extremely ironic that people will celebrate this holiday and wear shirts that say ‘Kiss me, I’m Irish’ when, no 100 years ago, it was a very bad time to be Irish,” student teacher Brittany Trentman said.

Amongst all the commercialism that America offers for the holiday, there are those of the Catholic faith and of Irish decent who celebrate this holiday for its intended purpose. Junior Lizzie Rider and her family annually celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the traditional Irish manner.

“My family is really Irish. My grandpa came from Ireland and we’re from Chicago. Chicago is really big on St. Patrick’s Day; they dye the river green and everything.

My mom makes all this Irish food, like corned beef and Irish soda bread, and we decorate our house like people decorate for Easter. I get excited about St. Patrick’s Day because it puts me in a good mood. It’s kind of like Christmas,” Rider said.

Other students who are neither Irish nor Catholic, like junior Sadie Derry, have St. Patrick’s Day traditions, even if they aren’t traditional Irish customs.

“I go to the St. Patrick’s Day parade and then I go to my mom’s friend’s house in Mission Hills. We eat nachos and other foods,” said Derry.

While St. Patrick’s Day is still traditionally celebrated in Irish communities, the idea of the holiday has been metaphorically mutated by media. What is associated with St. Patrick’s Day or Valentine’s Day or Halloween? Drinking, love and dressing up. However, none of these associations are relevant to the actual meaning of the holidays.

St. Patrick’s Day and St. Valentine’s Day are religious feast days to commemorate past saints and Halloween is a day to remember the dead. Commercialism has altered the true meanings of these holidays to the point that very few people actually understand them.

“It straddles three things. One, on holidays like this, we (Americans) are embracing an ethnic community so the holiday becomes like the Fourth of July. The holidays then begin to become more about celebrating than the religious component. The second thing is that the community celebrates its holiday differently from the rest of us. We as Americans aren’t Irish so we don’t celebrate it like the Irish. All that’s left for us is the celebration. Third, we live in a consumer society that prays on holidays. It’s not just a drinking holiday, it’s also a holiday to purchase things,” sociology teacher Paul Bellman said.

Shamrock According to legend, the shamrock was a sacred plant to the Druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad, and three was a mystical number in the Celtic religion. St. Patrick used the shamrock in the fifth century to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as he introduced Christianity to Ireland.

In the ninteenth century it became a symbol of rebellion, and anyone wearing it risked death by hanging. Today, the shamrock is the most recognized symbol of the Irish, especially on St. Patrick’s Day, when all over the world, everyone is Irish for a day!

Leprechaun The Leprechaun is an Irish fairy. He looks like a small, old man (about two feet tall), often dressed like a shoemaker, with a cocked hat and a leather apron. According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly, live alone, and pass the time making shoes. They also possess a hidden pot of gold. Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of his shoemaker's hammer.

If caught, he can be forced (with the threat of bodily violence) to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes leave the leprechaun (and he often tricks them into looking away), he vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost. Today, many young kids make a game out of catching leprechauns on St. Patrick’s day. They leave out “traps” and the leprechauns leave candy for them, which is very different from the original legend.

page designed by: camillesmith & ninawussow

march 2012 myparkhill.com

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Life

It’s not just you I have negative friends by: chloelane Everyone knows that if you associate yourself with negative people, they are bound to bring you down as well. If one of your friends say, “Wow, I am SO fat!,” you are more likely to look at yourself and say “Oh my gosh, I am fat too.” Your friends have a big effect on how you act and who you choose to be.

Did it ever occur to you that not only can they influence your personality, but they can also cause bad energy and serious illnesses? The University of California, Los Angeles has conducted a recent study showing that there are links between negative social interaction and increasing inflammation.

“Chronic inflammation is tied to an increased risk in developing all kinds of health issues: hypertension,

“I do have a friend who’s pretty emotionally highmaintenance. A lot of the time, she just wants someone to listen to her so she can get her feelings out. Most of the time she’s not looking for an opinion, she just wants someone with whom to talk.”

“Positive friendships positively affect your emotions, and can lead you to do better in school and sports, and likewise negative friendships can weigh you down.”

-Sophomore Jace Galang

-Senior Sebastian Vohn

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Where do you stand

atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease depression, diabetes, and even cancer,” wrote Melissa Dahl, a reporter for TODAY Health.

According to The Healthy Advocate, negative thoughts, emotions and words can negatively affect your immune system, making it easier for you to get an illness or disease. Not only can these things deteriorate the immune system, but they can also cause high stress and anger levels.

You attract what is in you. By that, I mean, if you are a complainer, you will attract people to you that are also complainers. This is why, when choosing friends, you should go by the famous saying, “Opposites attract.” If you are hanging out with people that are just like you, not only will it bring you down, but it will also just get boring.

I know from personal experience that pessimistic people do indeed give you more stress. I have slowly come to realize that someone you think is your best friend, can actually turn out to be your worst enemy.

The more time you spend with someone, the more their true colors seem to come out. Unfortunately, in my case, that is exactly what happened and it did not have a positive effect on our relationship. Over time, my friend seemed to become more controlling and more negative towards me. Instead of being nice to each other, our everyday conversation consisted of calling each other names and just being plain rude to each other. All of a sudden, everything started to revolve around her and her problems; talking about things that were bothering me didn’t seem important to her at all and she just brushed them off like it was nothing. We started getting in stupid, pointless fights. The outcome: I was always wrong and she was always right. Soon, I started getting stressed when I hung out with her, in fear that I would do something wrong and make her mad at me. I don’t know about you, but that is not the way friendships are supposed to be. Instead of friends being there to make you a better person, my friend was there making me a more

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“I think negative friends can effect your mood, not your health.”

“If you have stress or negative influence in your life, it causes distractions from things in life you like to do.”

-Junior Morgan Wishard

-Senior Eddie McDonald

The Friend Code negative and nasty person because my selfesteem was going down.

“As teenagers, we often accept negative people into our lives because we are insecure and afraid of becoming the object of their wrath.

We feel safer if we have them on our team.

These people, while not affirmatively attacking you, are quietly chipping away at your mood and self-esteem,” Evan Bailyn said.

The question many people ask is, “Why don’t the people stuck in bad friendships just get out.” It seems like common sense that these broken people would know to drop these toxic friends, but it’s not as simple as is seems.

“The reason it’s hard to dump a toxic friend is the same reason people stay in all kinds of dysfunctional relationships. There’s something in it that you find compelling or familiar. Depending on the nature of what’s going on in the relationship, you may feel guilty [about breaking things off]. Or it could be that the person has implied you need them in some way — that you would be a bad person to walk away,” said Dr. Gail Saltz, associate professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital and a TODAY show contributor. If you find yourself in a situation like this, there are two things you could consider.

1. Have a courageous conversation with this person about the things that are bothering you.

Give them time to try and change their behavior before you end the friendship. If this doesn’t work or you don’t feel like talking to them would change anything, try the second option.

2. Start being independent and finding new friends. Stop making the negative person so involved in your life and do things without them.

Over time, you will find yourself with new and better friends, with the old one out of your life.

page designed by: nickbuchberg

•Remember the golden rule- Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.

•If something is between you and one person that is where it should stay.

•If someone has a problem, be helpful and understanding- not ignorant and rude.

•Honesty is the best policy.

•Don’t set them up with an ugly blind date.

•Be loyal.

•Don’t pressure your friends into doing something they don’t want to do.

•Pretend to listen, even if you don’t want to.

•A cheerful heart is a happy heart.

•Be open with each other when there are problems.

•Keep an open mind about how others feel.

•Always be encouraging.

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1. Communication Arts teacher Jessica Malone 2 Spanish teacher Calla Raclea 3. Math teacher Lisa Hipp 4. Family and Consumer Science teacher Nora Whitney 5. Communication Arts teacher Victor Abundis 6. Principal Dr. Brad Kincheloe

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Answers:

5

6 4 3

1

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2

Can you guess what teacher this is?

Play

WHO DAT?

Hints from Heather...

Spring 2012 Fashion Trends g n i k c o l B Color

by: heatherkennard The upcoming fashion trends are not limited to a certain style or gender this year.

They are very diverse and reflect a state of modern fashion.

Shoes G alore

“I like trying new things that no one else at the school has done before,” senior Brooke Geisinger said.

Bright Colors

“I like wearing things that are different and exciting, especially sparkles,” senior Jordan Rowlett said.

Male Fashion Trends I wear these fashion trends because I want to look clean,” junior Keaton Anchors said.

“Other colors are more boring, and wearing bright colors like orange and yellow make me look tan,” said senior Teagan Anderson.

pages designed by: heatherkennard

march h 2012

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