The Trojan Issue 5 April 2016

THE

TROJAN Girl’s Best friend Buzz of a new furry Trojan walking the halls interested teachers and students alike. While a new student and her trusty service dog were only at PHHS for a short time, they brought a warm hearted feeling to the entire school.

21 years of age Kansas City has recently raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. Several students and faculty members are torn on how to feel about the sudden change.

Assassin The spring game takes full swing with a few new rules as students plot against their friends in the ultimate water fight.

TROJAN

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2 CONTENTS

About the Cover:

Issue Five

April 2016

Photo By: Kyleigh Conkling

Senior Connor Degginger bats for the PHHS Varsity Baseball team. They lost to the PHS Panthers at the Jamboree on March 14.

About the back Cover:

Photo By: Park Hill Trobots Team 5013

The PHHS Robotics team takes 15th place at the Stronghold Robotics Competion. The team will carry on with this program to honor the recent passing of their captain and PHHS junior, Daniel Bennett.

1- Photo by: Ali Ball 2-Photo by: Ali Ball 3- Photo by: Keeley Myszka 4-photo by: Mia Tyler 5-Photo by: Keeley Myszka 6-Photo by: Abby Hostick

1

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Readers, My previous letters have graced me with the nickname of “Drake from Newspaper” because I tend to pour out a lot of emotion into them.

My sister even refused to read any of my columns because she claims that she doesn’t want to have to read my diary entries. So, I’ve decided to follow my 14 year old sister’s advice to take a break from the deep end and use this time to give my gratitude to some very important people and things that have inspired me to be the person that I am today. So, without further ado, here is my very own addition of Thank You Notes.

Thank you, Stress Relieving Coloring Books, for reverting me back to early childhood. Not only do you entertain my still childlike brain, but you have gotten me through what would otherwise be uninteresting days.

Thank you, acquaintances, for your concern about whether or not I eat enough judging from my physical appearance. We should go to dinner sometime.

Thank you, PHHS student, for reminding me ever so graciously that there is some sort of error in the magazine. I am more than aware of your concern, and have probably spent an hour or two crying about it. I wish I were kidding.

Thank you, Timehop, for being a daily reminder of how annoying I was as a new member of Facebook in my awkward pre-teen years.

There is nothing I love more than getting a notification from my ten year old self that has an inspiring Hannah Montana quote...Except for maybe waking up to the sight of an old profile picture with my bobbed haircut and crooked teeth.

Thank you, Keeley Myszka, for putting in as much work into this newsmagazine as me, if not more. And for bringing me Dr. Pepper for work nights. You truly are the real MVP. Thank you, Orthodontist, for asking for my color preference while having my mouth stretched wide with far too many fingers and tools shoved inside it. I’m glad you couldn’t understand me, because pink and green brackets would have clashed with every shirt I wore for the next month anyway. It was all worth it though, because my straight teeth are now my best feature.

Thank you, Leslie Knope, for being the fictional representation of myself. If you could deal with the most difficult people throughout seven seasons of Parks and Recreation and still be obnoxiously happy, I believe I can run this newsmagazine for another school year. Thank you for instilling hope into the future of America.

And finally, I would like to thank my sister Kaeden for being my biggest critic, and secretly my biggest fan.

15-16 Staff: Editor-in-Chief: Delaney Noland Design Editor: Keeley Myszka Copy Editor: Andrea Tenney Story Editor: Pierce Klempnauer Reporters: Ali Ball - Lucas Bruce - Kyleigh Conkling Abby Hostick- Chelsee Tirmai- Mia Tyler - Alec Wormington

The Trojan, published monthly during the regular school year, is the official publication of Park Hill High School, and is printed by Antioch Printers in Kansas City, MO. All unsigned editorials represent the opinion of The Trojan staff. Editorials do not necessarily represent the opinion of the faculty or administration including the adviser. 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 Road, Kansas City, Mo 64153, or call 816-359-6238.

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46 days

Many PHHS students and faculty practice the tradition of Lent around Easter time. While individual families may practice it differently, Lent is an important piece in the lives of many PHHS Trojans.

and field

While Track and Field is one of the more popular spring sports at PHHS, most of the field events are overlooked by spectators and other athletes.

legal age rising

Kansas City has recently raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 years old. Several students and faculty members are torn on how to feel about the sudden change.

Introverts vs. extroverts

For generations people have been taught an incorrect definition that defines personality and has placed an unnecessary stigma associated with being either an Introvert or Extrovert.

Service Dog story

Buzz of a new furry Trojan walking the halls interested the entire school.

While a new student and her trusty service dog were only at PHHS for a short time, they brought a warm hearted feeling to all who had class with them, or even caught a glimpse of the dog in the hallway.

4 CAMPUS

girl’s best friend By: Mia Tyler

Maykala Hefflinger and her small service dog, Brooklyn, have been a topic of great interest around the halls of PHHS. However, Maykala recently moved to Nebraska, causing much of PHHS to miss both her and her furry friend.

“I got Brooklyn when she was a year old during my fifth grade year. I started bringing Brooklyn to school in ninth grade when I was at Grandview. I feel pretty good about bringing Brooklyn to school. Sometimes it gets a little bit nerve racking because she doesn’t like being surrounded by all the kids in the hallways, but she’s calm and very alert,” said sophomore Maykala Hefflinger.

The role of a service dog is to help manage the physical and emotional difficulties that come with having a disability.

The dogs are highly trained and have the intelligence, motivation, and skills to help people manage these disabilities.

In general, service dogs are allowed in any public place humans are allowed. Although, there are some differences when it comes to permitting service dogs in schools. The American with Disabilities Act states that school facilities must allow service dogs appropriate access to school grounds, but are not responsible for the dogs. As long as the child is capable of being fully responsible for the dog without an adult figure, giving the dog full access to the school shouldn’t be a problem.

“When Maykala and Brooklyn first joined our class, all my students were so excited to have a dog in the class with us. They wanted to pet her, but know they aren’t allowed to because Brooklyn is working. After the initial excitement wore off, it finally hit them that Brooklyn is in class with us for a very important and serious reason, so they had lots of questions about what behavior to look for in Brooklyn that would signal to us that Maykala might have a seizure,” said EELA teacher Megan Smith.

Brooklyn is a very well-trained dog. She has been trained to be on high alert and help warn Maykala whenever she might have a seizure. She sits through classes causing the least bit of distraction. Maykala knows she can count on Brooklyn whenever she needs help.

“Brooklyn is in my ELA 2 class. You don’t really notice her,

except for the snoring, because she is so small and calm,” said sophomore Lexi Reneau.

Maykala and Brooklyn recently joined Smith’s ELA 2 class.

Brooklyn usually spends class on Maykala’s lap napping.

“Brooklyn is nice to have in class because there is just something about a cute dog that can brighten a person’s day.

It’s impossible to look at her without cracking a smile,” said Smith.

One of the things that Brooklyn has been specially trained to do is alert Maykala to possible seizures. Being able to alert their owners to an impending seizure is an innate ability in some dogs. If dogs are determined to have this special talent, they will be specifically trained on what behaviors can help alert humans to upcoming seizures.

“From what I understand, Maykala can sometimes tell if she is going to have a seizure. However, Brooklyn can usually sense it before Maykala knows. Brooklyn will bark and pull on Maykala’s clothing to alert her. Brooklyn will also get very animated,” said Smith.

Although service dogs are normally bigger dogs, Brooklyn still went through all the training and has become a great service dog. She is a Boston Terrier so she is a small dog, but she is the right size for Maykala.

“She went through training with the ADA for two years and then she had to go through basic training for another year.

They said that even though she’s small, she can still be a service dog,” said Hefflinger.

Maykala can rest assured that Brooklyn will let her know if she’s about to have a seizure so she won’t have to constantly worry about it. Brooklyn gives Maykala a sense of freedom that she wouldn’t have if Brooklyn wasn’t by her side.

Parking at Park Hill

It’s not a secret that at Park Hill there are problems with the parking system. A mix of seniors, juniors, and sophomores share a parking lot of around 500 spaces. One of the main issues however, is the availability of these parking spaces. Considering the amount of students now, and the amount that will be driving in the coming years, it has been voiced that something should be done to improve the system.

Driving to school can be a nice privilege. One can have their own method of transportation, be able to avoid riding the buses, and have moderate ease getting home after a long day of classes, or even after extracurricular activities. But with people driving, there comes the issue of where to park the cars. Around seven in the morning, a fairly open parking lot can be seen. It’s easy to get in and get a spot. But if a driver were to arrive around 7:15, they’d find themselves running out of available space, leading some to make their own place to park. This only leads to tickets from the office, which can add up if the incident keeps occuring, so long as someone’s out there checking on cars.

The improvised parking isn’t the only issue, however. Those who get to school later than others often find themselves driving around aimlessly, looking for a spot to park in, often times finding one at the baseball field lot a quarter of a mile away from the actual building. Between being counted tardy and the eventual truancy, there seems to always be stress regarding the situation of the parking spaces. Maybe an expansion of the lots is in order.

Or an extension of time for those who drive to get in the school

By: Lucas Bruce

before officially being counted tardy? Whatever the response, it’s clear that something needs to change regarding parking at PHHS. Another issue to think about is the ability of certain students to find a spot to park in later on in the school day. Whether it be the case that they’re late to school, or simply have an online class first block and aren’t required to be at school until afterwards, the issue of finding a spot is arguably worse for them when they get there. When already showing up later than the majority of drivers, it has the capacity to cause frustration, as Junior Christina Brown conveyed.

“It makes me really angry when I have nowhere to park, and teachers continue to give tickets and tell me to move when there’s nowhere else to go,” said Brown.

It can seem like people are stuck between a rock and hard place, especially when the decision has to be made to take the parking ticket or add a tardy onto one’s school record.

That being said, it’s not as if administrators aren’t aware of the problem beyond dealing with the increasing number of tardies and tickets.

Mr. Erneste spoke of his possible plan for parking in the coming years. “I want to make the parking lot areas divided by color.

White would be for students, yellow for teachers, and blue for those at District Office. That way there’s not as much confusion where people are able to park.” Maybe if more spots can be created alongside this color coding plan, a significant improvement can be made to parking at Park Hill.

6 FEATURE

These 20 items have been found to accurately capture these major aspects of the introversion-extraversion domain of personality. Rate each item from 1 (doesn’t apply to me at all) to 5 (really applies to me): 1. Make friends easily. __ 2. Am hard to get to know. __ 3. Keep others at a distance. __ 4. Reveal little about myself. __ 5. Warm up quickly to others. __ 6. Rarely get caught up in the excitement. __ 7. Am not a very enthusiastic person. __ 8. Show my feelings when I’m happy. __ 9. Have a lot of fun. __ 10. Laugh a lot. __ 11. Take charge. __ 12. Have a strong personality. __ 13. Lack the talent for influencing people. __ 14. Know how to captivate people. __ 15. Wait for others to lead the way. __ 16. See myself as a good leader. __ 17. Can talk others into doing things. __ 18. Hold back my opinions. __ 19. Am the first to act. __ 20. Do not have an assertive personality. __ Now reverse code items #2, #3, #4, #6, #7, #13, #15, #18, and #20 (replace 5=1, 4=2, 3=3, 2=4, and 1=5).

Now take the average of all the items.

If you averaged 3.0 or less, you are probably an introvert.

If you averaged between 3.1-3.8, you’re probably an ambivert.

If you averaged 3.9 or higher, you’re probably an extravert.

THe Ins and Outs of Introverts and Extroverts The human race has repeatedly been told that extroversion is the personality type exemplifying loud outgoing traits, the person who is the life of the party and standing in the middle of the “popular” crowd. Then it’s preached that the introverts are on the opposite end of the spectrum; constantly quite, keeping to themselves, never going out. The fact of the matter is that these definitions are just stigmas. The true meaning behind these words are where a person’s energy comes from, does the person feed off the acknowledgment of others or are they alright with just standing in the crowd listening and taking it all in. The two terms are based off intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, meaning are you motivated people or internal personal feeling and emotions.

The biggest misconceptions of introverts consist of them being shy, poor public speakers and those people who just want to be left alone. These generalizations aren’t accurate.

“Shy and introversion are not the same thing! I, an introvert, love public speaking, if me teaching didn’t give that away enough. The term is all based off where you get your fuel from and my fuel is from me, I don’t need others to be with me all the time I can be happy just being with me” said Psychology teacher Marc Harman.

The text book definition of introversion is the act of directing one’s attention toward or getting gratification from one’s own interests, thoughts, and feelings… not once was shy mentioned. The problem at hand here is that stigmas, of any term, aren’t easy to get rid of. We are creatures of habit so when people hear something over and over again, trying to change what was thought to be true is difficult.

The same issue is at hand with extroversion; people who exemplify this personality trait are often pointed at as attention seekers but in all reality these people want to make others happy because it makes them happy. There actions are going to speak in terms of helping others rather than pleasing themselves an example would be, cracking a joke in front of a big group of people just to get a laugh out of everyone and brighten their day.

“I am without question an extrovert. I love to make others happy and when they’re happy I’m happy. Being in big groups is good and easy for me too, being surrounded by others is fun,

more people to talk to the better,” said senior Abby Kloeppel. “its just my personality I enjoy helping others, nothing more too it.”

These categories all carry over into everyday life. The classrooms we sit in, for instance, are full of these stereotypes, the people sitting in the front of the room are assumed to be the introverted, non-talkers and the crew towards the back are the extroverts. The roles are being played out all around our school not only in class rooms but also when picking where to stand in the hallway, where and who to sit with inside the lunchroom, and they even extend to who makes plans with who for the weekend.

But the reality of it is that people love putting themselves into categories, we want to fit in. If we can be identified with a label, we can rally behind that label. As a result, countless personality quizzes exist to peg us as introverts or extroverts. There is one flaw with all of these logistics and that is that the majority of people fall somewhere in the middle of the pack, displaying charecteristics of both sides. The middle crowd is commonly reffered to as ambiverts: they show in some times a more open extraverted side and in others a more intrinsicly based feel. They are the equilibrium of personality and, as mentioed, the majority.

The chances are people don’t fall predominately left or right of the group.

“I never really got the whole introversion, extraversion thing, I always felt like I fell in the middle of things and so did a lot of the people I surrounded myself with. I thought of it more as a situation thing, if I know and enjoy what I’m talking about I tend to be more open and hopeful to be around people wanting to listen, but in other cases I like residing to myself and own thoughts,” said Senior Heather Wojahn.

So whether an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in-between a better understanding for all of these terms would eliminate some social disconnects around the school.

By: Ali Ball and Kyleigh Conkling

8 COMMUNITY

21 years of age

By: Keeley Myszka

Kansas City, Missouri took another step toward helping teens live a healthier life by changing the legal age to purchase tobacco products. To buy a tobacco product or an e-cigarette, citizens of the city have to be 21 years old. While some are very pleased with this new law, others find this to be infringing teenagers’ freedom.

Registered Nurse Susan Cole disagrees with the new law, but also disagrees with teens smoking.

“I don’t think changing the law to 21 years old will have a significant impact on keeping students away from getting tobacco if they want to get tobacco. The research shows that many teens will try cigarettes if parents are smoking in the home. If we could keep these products away from teens, that would be great. And, an 18 year old can go to war, so to me, an 18 year old can smoke a cigarette,” said Cole. “Do I think it is good for them or wise for them to start smoking, no.”

Over 100 cities across the US, such as New York and Cleveland, have raised the legal age of buying tobacco products. The entire state of Hawaii banned cigarettes for anyone 20 or younger, while Colorado and New Jersey, have tried to pass the law for 2 years but failed each time.

“I know the intent is good. I just do not know if it will really work,” said Cole. “Cigarette smoking among teens is on the decrease. Marijuana smoking in teens is increasing. Why would the state go to great lengths to get the age of tobacco smoking to 21 and yet, the legislature is trying to get Marijuana legalized. Makes no sense to me!”

Junior Alaina Ficken is a non-smoker but also agrees with Cole in that this law is taking away teenagers freedom.

“I think it’s ridiculous. If you can register to be drafted into war, register to vote, and legally get a tattoo, you should be able to buy cigarettes. If cigarettes are such a problem, they should just raise the price,” said Ficken.

“If anything people are just going to get cigarettes illegally.”

There are still some people that agree with the law, like senior Derek Reynolds.

“It’s a good law because it’s helping children not get lung cancer and it gives them less access so they have a less chance of smoking,” said Reynolds.

The aspects of this law are split down the middle between good and bad. In Kansas City, this law became official on November 21, 2015.

“Hopefully since the age is increased at least there won’t be quite as much smoking at a younger age because tobacco products are harder to get a hold of,” said Licensed Practical Nurse Danielle Walters.

The debate on this new law and deciding whether it is effective or not, will take a few years to collect and gather data.

“I really don’t think this will help. Peer pressure not to smoke, parents staying on top of the situation, education, parents not smoking in the home: all of these can play a part in a teen not starting to smoke. Yes, the law may have a small impact, but not greatly in my opinion,” said Cole.

The movement towards equality By: Abby Hostick Equality: the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. There are many different types of equality movements. There’s racial equality, economic equality, gender equality, and even political equality. Inequality issues that happen in the world today have to do with a person or group feeling like they aren’t getting the same equal rights or opportunities as another person or group. For example, in many workplaces men get paid more than women just based on their gender. This causes huge upset to the women who do just as much work, but get lower pay. The world is striving for an equal environment, where people will not be treated based on their ethnicity, gender, physical abilities, or work ethic.

“I for one, think that equality is very important based on the fact that the Declaration of Independence clearly states that, “All men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” That says that no matter what, all men and women, no matter what race, are created in the same way and we are no different from one another. It’s as simple as that,” said junior Joseph Walker.

The topic that causes the most upset is racial inequality. The events that occurred in St. Louis and at The University of Missouri occurred as a cause of racial inequality. Lately, as it gets worse, people cause “Race Riots”, which is a form of protest. These events have all turned into huge problems, some even still going on to this day. St. Louis is now a town full of conflict, mainly between races. Recently, some big-time celebrities were protesting The Oscars award show due to the fact that every acting nominee was white. The situation blew up as many celebrities added their input to the situation. Racial discrimination is a touchy topic that no one wants to talk about, but as long as one race feels as if they aren’t getting treated as fairly as another, there will always be conflict, and the world may never be able to move forward to end inequality.

“I certainly think the “black lives matter” campaign is going to help as long as people STOP seeing it as a movement that’s against all the other races and think its saying that only black people matter because that’s not what it’s saying at all,” said sophomore Chandeh Doe. Another huge problem causer in our society is gender equality. Feminism has really blown up, occurring from the spread of the idea through the Internet. Many come together to try to encourage the idea of feminism, but many don’t understand what it means.

“It’s really annoying when everyone perceives femininity as this scary pro-women cult when it’s not.

Gender equality should just be a thing, it just should, there’s no question to it”, said Doe. Equality is a concept that is expected in order for everyday life to go accordingly. All men and women want to be treated equal, as though they all have the same skin color and speak the same language.

“No matter what, all men and women, no matter what race, are created in the same way and we are no different from one another. It’s as simple as that,” said junior Joseph Walker.

And

Photos By: Emily Koelliker

Field

By:A

ndre

a Te

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Whether a runner, an athlete with hops, or one who can throw a weighted discuss further than most, not many sports can compensate for all three of those components, except track and field. Track and Field is a mix of both sprinting events, distance events, and field events. While there are multiple events make up a track and field, many tend to forget about the “and field” portion of it, putting the runners in the spotlight and the jumpers and throwers in the dust.

At a meet, the crowd is a mix of competing athletes as well as spectating parents who come out to support the team and their own athlete, all sitting along the 100 meter and 300 meter straightaways on the track. The crowd is set up perfectly to view all of the running races, while the field events fade into the background of the meet.

“Well, not a lot of people are aware [pole vault] even exists, so they watch the races because it’s right in front of them,” said senior Chris Nilsen.

Chris Nilsen has participated in Park Hill Track and Field since his freshman year, competing in many events including sprints, hurdles, and high jump, but his most successful event has been pole vault, where he has not only broken the Park Hill High School pole vaulting record, but also in his most recent season has claimed the title of being state champ and broke the state record at 17’. Nilsen claims that having support from the stadium in a way gave him a reason to keep going and gives you a boost of adrenaline.

“There were at least 500+ people watching me specifically, and I was right in front of them so it made it easier. With every jump they got more excited and supportive, so every jump I got more energy. Without my family and friends and the crowd there, I might not have made 17’,” said Nilsen, recalling his state experience and how the audience really impacted his performance.

Nilsen isn’t the only one who as a field event athlete, gets the raw end of the deal. At a track meet, you’re first sight is the quite large 400 meter track where the majority of the events happen on or in close proximity to. One of the things that tends to not be so close is the throwers field, where both shotput and discuss are held, and at some schools javelin as well. Throwing happens away from the running and jumping events, but this leaves the throwers in a largely cast shadow, making it not very popular events watched at the meets.

“I would say shotput, because it is further away from the track and people kind of stay closer to the track,” said junior Jackson Foutch, when asked what he feels is the least popularly watched sport in track and field.

“I think that a lot more people do the running events just because that’s what it started out with running first and then throwing and jumping came later on,” said Foutch.

There are some athletes that get the best of both worlds, being both a runner and a field event athlete, get to see the difference in attention given to the field event athletes. Jumpers have either the high jump pit, the long jump pit, or the triple jump pit right off to the side of the track, but still, unless a race is going on or your parent is right there on the side watch your event, it usually is just you and either the bar or the sandpit, with the sounds in the background of the crowd roaring once that gun goes off for the race. Anamarie Enriquez is a high jumper for the Park Hill team, and while she runs as well, when she goes to jump, there usually isn’t much of a crowd watching her clear the increasing bar heights. Sometimes, with the lack of audience, the performance of the athlete can slightly suffer.

“The lack of noise can help the athlete focus more, but also with less audience, the motivation factor will be less, making the athlete’s maybe not try as hard,” said Enriquez The popularity of field events tends to be a lesser amount than those in running events, and while track and field is one large sport, it seems as though it is the track athletes who get to shine and the “and field” ones are left in the stadium lights shadow.

y

10 SPORTS

Nothin’ But net By: Pierce Klemonauer The boys in blue finished 2015 by claiming their first world series since 1985. The Royals set a new attendance record with 2.7 million fans flocking to Kauffman Stadium. Organizations around Major League Baseball have taken time during the offseason to develop new ways to optimize the experience of every fan that enters the ballpark. The Royals in particular have many amenities to optimize fan experience ranging from t-shirt Tuesdays to Buck Night. This offseason, the Royals are implementing a new amenity that may be seen in every ballpark by the beginning of the 2016 season.

MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, issued a statement on December 9 that recommended every MLB organization implement extended netting to protect fans sitting in field-level seats from broken bats and linedrive foul balls. Proposed netting would stretch to the ends of both dugouts, and or within 70 feet of home plate, depending on the dimensions at the stadium. The proposal was brought upon by an internal review conducted by MLB starting at the beginning of the 2015 season, and was highlighted by many injuries to fans caused by broken bats and foul balls rocketing into the stands.

The incident that received the most attention was in Boston, when a fan was struck by a broken bat that flew into the stands and was hospitalized with life threatening conditions. A similar incident happened at Kauffman Stadium when a foul ball struck a six-year-old and fractured his cheek.

PHHS baseball player, Senior Lucas Youtsey, reminisces on a experience he had while attending a baseball game.

“I remember going to a game a few years ago, a broken bat flew into the stands and ended up empailing a woman. I guess the nets are a good thing in regards to safety, but if you are paying attention to the game then it should not have an impact.”

It is no secret that the most expensive seats are the seats closest to the field. Fans that pay for the most expensive seat are paying not only for the best view of the game but also the overall experience of being close to the action, with a chance of interacting with their favorite player.

“I think if you are paying for those seats you do not want a net blocking your view. Catching a foul ball at a baseball game is a favorite memory for a lot of people,” said Junior Adam Sievert.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are fans that are not completely interested in the action on the field. Fans that sit the at aforementioned seats may be more occupied with the social aspect of the game, rather than watching the game. Fans may also be occupied with their child in some way which derives their attention from the field.

Senior Erin Drees feels that the safety of every fan should be considered, no matter their interest in the game.

“The nets are definitely a good addition. The safety of everyone at the game should be considered even if they are more interested in the social aspect and not the game itself,” said Drees.

12 LIFE By: Chelsee Tirmai Lent is commonly known by Catholics and other Christians throughout the world. It is seen as a season to those who observe it, and occurs from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Lent is the time for prayer and fasting, and each family may observe and celebrate it differently.

The typical length for Lent is around six weeks (approximately 46 days in total). Traditionally during the week of Ash Wednesday, anyone who participates will go to mass and receive ashes on their forehead. The ashes can be left on all day or washed off. On the same day, a Catholic member or any Christian who participates, will avoid eating any type/ relation of meats and continue every following Friday until Good Friday. It is common to give up something or various things for the six weeks, and to have “Fat Tuesday”, which is the day before Ash Wednesday in which people will enjoy whatever it is they are giving up, or will decide whether they will adopt any new concepts or ideas for their betterment.

“My wife and I come from a bit different backgrounds, but we try to observe the Church’s teaching by abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday,” says social studies teacher, Robert Brosseau.

There is a vast majority of religion that flows through PHHS, and it’s not a secret. Teaching the history of a religion is common in history courses, and everybody has a vague understanding. Throughout the years, PHHS as a whole has become more accepting of the various religions they see throughout the halls. Sometimes, taking a look around PHHS, it’s hard to tell what religion people are a part of.

“Well, practice is a good word as I am still working on it. The older I get, the more I realize how much farther I have to go to put my faith into practice. Lent is a good opportunity to examine where I stand on getting better.

We are all called to be holy and I have a long way to go. Lent is a good opportunity for me to find help in that journey – both sustenance in dealing with current burdens and assistance in assuming new ones. Lent really helps put Easter in perspective,” said Brosseau.

Most people don’t openly share the fact that they are involved in Lent, and in return, they are not even aware it’s a thing if they, themselves, don’t practice it. Students may be surprised to see someone walking around the halls with black ash marked across their forehead. At first sight

to someone who is unaware of Lent, instincts kick in and there’s an urge to wipe it off. The reaction given can involve a flash of unsurity, or confusion. Most people will tell you not to wipe them off. Although students may not know much about Lent, they are still accepting to those who practice.

“I just know that Lent is giving up something for a while, and Easter is the day Jesus came back and was raised from the dead after being hung on the cross on Good Friday,” said junior Ashley Candler.

46 days

OF AN ILL hUM RK H

PA By: Chelsee Tirmai

Students are involved everyday at PHHS. Trojans know just how to come together as a family and it shows, through every team game, club meet, or in-school event. For one student in particular, whether she is slipping on heels or tying laces, Junior Andie Powell is a name students may have heard around the school. She has done many things to be a true Trojan.

Powell is involved in the events that happen in and around PHHS. She’s been a member on the girls’ basketball team and is currently on the girls’ soccer team as a defense. She has admitted as well that soccer is the sport she prefers. She has also been crowned Miss Spirit for this year’s courtwarming spirit week.

“It was really nice because I really like supporting the school,” said Andie Powell.

She has gone back and forth from the PHSD to St. Therese School just down the road. St. Therese is a Catholic school, located directly next to St. Therese Parish, no more than 10 minutes away from PHHS. The move between the two schools hasn’t been as hard for her as it may seem.

“It was really easy because at St. Therese they give us lockers in 5th and 6th grade; I had already made friends in elementary school and we reconnected,” said Powell.

As well as attending St. Therese, Powell’s family carries through with their religious habits. Her family, like others’ at PHHS, practice Lent. “We don’t really have a tradition for Lent. It’s normal, we go to church on Easter Sunday with family, and we go up to Maryville,” said Powell.

ASSASSIN By: Alec Wormington

Stalking, espionage, and guns – well, water guns that is.

The student-organized Assassin game is making its second, and last, appearance at PHHS during the 2015-2016 school year.

Assassin is a tournament-style, one-and-done game with a nearly unlimited player count and it consists of one thing: eliminating a target to advance to the next round. To enter, pay the entry fee of $2 for upperclassmen and $5 for sophomores who qualify. A contestant will receive a target, randomly chosen by the Host, and they must “kill” them in the allotted time. In order to take them out, water must be thrown onto them in some way, the most common being via a water gun. If an assassin is unable to take out their target in the allotted time for the particular round, or if they become the prey and get assassinated themselves, they’re out of the game. The only rules are as follows: no “killing” on grounds deemed out of bounds and the assassination must be filmed and sent to the Host to be official. Rounds continue until a lone survivor is left and receives the prize money.

Last season’s Assassin game took place from October 3 to November 11 and was PHHS’s first; it was also a huge success.

Over 80 participants were involved last season and the total winnings topped $175. For weeks, Twitter was filled with videos of assassinations and the school was full of buzz about who was eliminated last night. Although the game was based on espionage and backstabbing, the whole school came together for the game. Lucky Brockman was the Host last season, assigning targets and creating rules. The game continued for a total of two months before senior Peyton LaFerla was crowned the King Assassin and therefore received the responsibility of Hosting the next season.

“I’m glad to do anything in the name of assassin,” he chuckled. “It was my first time playing and I thought it was a ton of fun,” said LaFerla Controversy over rules clouded the last season, however.

Many people thought the rules were on-the-fly and unprofessional.

“I actually thought the rules were very fair. I used the same rules as PHS but edited some of them once the game began,” commented junior and previous Host Lucky Brockman. “South’s

game lasted nearly twice as long as ours, so I introduced a round system which just caused some confusion. Another problem was Young Life. It wasn’t originally a safe zone, but the attendees and adult hosts of Young Life were becoming angry over the disruptions, so I deemed it a safe zone.” It may be a game, but rules still must be established.

“I felt Assassin last season was not well run. The rules established in the beginning weren’t entirely clear at It seemed like some unfair rules were made randomly,” said senior Heather Wojahn.

Although the game didn’t run as smoothly as it could have, it was Brockman’s first Assassin game he had even been a part of.

“I’ve never actually played Assassin before and it was my first time hosting it as well. I heard of it from a friend at Winnetonka who talked about it being played there around 8 years ago,” said Brockman.

LaFerla is confident this season will run much more smoothly, however. Among the new additions is a three-host system, including junior Khalid Smith and senior Jake Roberts. Another feature new to the game is the introduction of “Purge Day,” in which all remaining contestants may target any other contestant.

“There were a few mistakes last season, considering it was the first time we’ve done it. I definitely think we’ve learned from those mistakes, though, and it will run smoothly,” LaFerla assured.

“I trust the sort of trifecta that Peyton made. If I were able to do it again, I’d also get someone else involved that could help me in the same way Khalid and Jake are helping Peyton,” said Brockman. With the addition of the new features, including the host system, some feel the game has been reinforced.

Drama hindered the beginning of this Assassin season as, by the March 4 deadline, the 50 player minimum signup wasn’t met. A significant contrast compared to last season, in which more than 80 contestants signed up. However LaFerla extended the deadline by a week to March 11 and the minimum was met.

Unfortunately this does mean that anyone wanting to play in the 2016 spring Assassin game can no longer sign up.

The official roster for the spring Assassin game has not and will not be released. The projected winners are based on the predictions of past and previous Hosts.

Projected Finalists

Trevor Guzzo Junior

Aliyah Frye Junior

Meg Feeley Junior

Jake Tumberger Senior

Further Updates can be found on:

@PHHSAssassin

In Memory of Daniel Bennett