The View Issue 2 Vol 21 by Park Hill South View

he tview

Park Hill South High School Riverside, Mo.

Midterms meet mischief this Halloween season page 12 & 13

OCTOBER 30, 2018 VOLUME 21 ISSUE 2

NEWS

FEATURES

OPINIONS

SPORTS

S TA F F

Editors in Chief: Noelle Alviz-Gransee Garrett Osbourn Art Directors: Annie Buckles Alex Benton Features Editor: Claire Hoy Sports Editor: Ethan Farrow Opinion Editor: Gabbie McDowell News Editor: Grace Dielman Managing Editor: Annie Woodson

Dream

Spotlight

Redemption II

A Fading

Tumbling into the

06 10 Letter from the Editors: Musical Mayhem

Holyween

As this year’s Midterm elections approach, in one of the murkiest political environments our generation has ever seen the importance of getting out, and using your voice has never been greater. The essence of our founding as a nation was put in the hands of the people. A nation founded on popular sovereignty, and a nation that governs only with the consent of the governed. Young voter turnout has begun to dwindle in elections, I urge you to do the opposite. We are a nation that led by example, led the world to new frontiers simply by being different, and by putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations to create the change we so desperately sought. The right to vote, seemingly so normal to us now was one of the greatest privileges possessed by Americans in the 19th century, and it shouldn’t be looked at any differently today. Walking the halls of Park Hill South in my final

toc

Red Dead

Scary Cinema

Lamel’s Legacy

Signing @ South

semester as a student, I look around fearful of our future as a generation. It seems as if most just don’t care anymore. But, we need to care with all of our hearts. We are blessed to live in a country where the people’s voice has the greatest weight on it’s politics, yet when you decide not to vote you throw this privilege away. Growing up in this era has forced me to see hundreds of people I interact with daily take things for granted that were so alien to generations prior to us. Please, let’s not take this privilege for granted. Noelle and I hope this issue shows clearly why you need to get out, and use your voice in these upcoming election.

Noelle Alviz-Gransee Garrett Osbourn co-editors-in-chief

Resporters: Maria Allred Garrett Anderson Kiana Fernandes Avery Glover Jessie Hagen Payton Havermann Sadie Hudson Lyon Jones Payton Keedy Zane Leiker Nicco Leluga Duke Maddox Kate Maness Jake Powers Ty Rouse John Sterrett Nicole Wilson Amy Graham Adviser: Megan Palmer The View is published six times during the regular school year as the student news publication of Park Hill South High School in Riverside, Mo. Opinions expressed here are that of the student journalists and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Park Hill School District. To access the editorial policies or to submit a letter to the editor, visit our website at phsouthnews.com. The View is a member of National Scholastic Press Association and the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association and is printed by Osage Graphics in Olathe, KS.

R E WAR D R BO After having the same high school boundaries since South opened in 1998, PHSD prepares to balance out the population by Grace Dieleman

As new schools are built, old lines are being redrawn. The current district lines have been in place since 1996, shortly before South opened. “[Population distribution] stayed dead even for about 10 years and then suddenly just shifted. South stayed flat, but Park Hill continued to grow,” said Dr. Dale Longenecker, principal. With only 1600 students at South and over 2000 at Park Hill, it’s inevitably time to create a balance between the two high schools. “The idea is to move kids, but not more than you have to,” said Longenecker. With this philosophy, the Board of Education is also trying to incorporate less school transitions using more distinct paths. “We’re building Hopewell Elementary and Walden Middle School to open in the Fall of 2018… having four middle schools will be able to give students clear feeder patterns from elementary to middle to high school,” said Dr. Jeanette Cowherd, superintendent. Rumors of a third high school have been circulating for a while, but for now, the LEAD Innovation Studio is taking its place. “We don’t have enough students for another high school. That won’t come until there are over 4200 high school students. For now, we hope LEAD will take some weight off of the population,” said Cowherd. The redistricting committee is being very diligent and considerate in this process to make the best decision for the students. “We’re able to look at the overall map of the district and geocode each student to see where the population lies,” said Cowherd.

The students in the district are centered around I-29, and the geographical placement of South means that most of the students live North or West of the school. “Because of the locations [of the high schools] Park Hill has closer, neighboring students while South students are always going to have to drive farther,” said Longenecker. Despite the fact that many South students live closer to their rival school, there is a small chance that any Panthers will be moved. “The board’s top priority in redistricting is to achieve enrollment balance. Currently, Park Hill has about 300 more students than Park Hill South, so we need to shift students from Park Hill to PHS and not vice versa,” said Kyla Yamada, Board member. South students don’t need to be concerned about a physical transition and can look at possible district scenarios through the district website or scan the QR codes on the page. Additionally, there is a School Board policy in place for “grandfathering” that ensures rising seniors can stay at their respective school as long as they provide their own transportation. “We’re obviously going to get new students next year and we need to make them feel welcome...We purposely decided not to play football against Park Hill this year to discourage that rivalry,” said Longenecker. That transition may prove the biggest challenge for South and its current population. Yamada added, “At the end of the day, I hope we can all come together and be #ParkHillProud, because ultimately, we are one district with lots of great schools.”

Scenario A

Scenario B

September

October

November

December 3

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On Aug. 28, in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. A dream so powerful, it changed the face of American law as they knew it then. A dream that united millions of people on the same day. A dream that seems to have faded if you listen to everything you hear on the news. With time things change, in all aspects of our lives this rings true, and racism is no different. With old school politicians on both sides, and old school news executives reporting we’re sure to see old solutions to old problems. But what would change if these decision makers saw what the future is truly dealing with in our present day? “Racism is more so a problem of subconscious bias, and biased environments that we grow up with. Biased environments create these people through repetitive behavior which creates those bad habits,” said Lisa Brooks-Hammond, teacher, and sponsor of the Black Student Union. We, as the younger generation, are on deck to solve a slew of social issues we deem important to us, and as it stands now, large groups of people can’t have uncomfortable conversations without getting offended, and turning what could be an educated conversation into a worthless argument that leads to no change. Issues regarding racism and discussing horrible things that were done to millions of human beings is an uncomfortable conversation to have. Some don’t even bother to talk about it, or it gets plain swept under the rug, however how can we be the generation with a solution, and the generation that doesn’t talk about it at the same time? “We all have these fears of talking about it, however it has to be talked about to create the real change we’re looking for,” said Adrian Washington, senior. Think back to your first time doing certain things. Going to school on the first day, driving, getting your first job, all these new things that we as high schoolers go through, and somehow it seems so normal to us after the habit has been built. Uncomfortable situations are what lead to change, and change is what creates new habits. Racism in today’s age isn’t as severe, or blatant as it was decades ago; however this doesn’t mean it isn’t present at all, even right in our own halls here at South. “It changes as students become more mature; however, I noticed a lot freshman and sophomore year that the

Does Racism continue to affect you? 70% Said No

% 30 Yes

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A ing d a m F rea D

real problem is insensitivity to different people’s backgrounds, and the subtle jokes, and comments you hear every day aren’t uncommon,” said Nathan Maltbia, senior, and member of the Black Student Union. This specifically refers back to the subconscious bias mentioned before. When you grow up in an by environment you can’t control, you inevitably create habits, that seem normal to you; however, those same habits are completely alien to others with a different background. Does this mean because you’re white, or because you grew up in a nicer area, that you’re racist? “No, it’s about people trying to understand different situations, and getting a new perspective,” said Maltbia. A common misconception people make when African Americans make this argument is that they assume they are saying they’re racist, but this isn’t the point at all. Referring specifically to white privilege. “Yes[white privilege] exists, however it can’t be helped. What it’s about is being aware of it, and how you use it,” said Maltbia. We as a generation standing up, and coming together, can make the affirmative progress, that the current generations are failing to do. By simply talking to one another, and having an open mind, lives can change in the blink of an eye. Be willing to put yourselves in uncomfortable situations. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This isn’t easy, and yes it can get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream. A dream that could change the face of American society as we see it. A dream that could unite millions of divided Americans.

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With tensions high among minorities in America. why is it we can’t seem to find a solution?

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Freshman year: a year of constant change and new things, that at times are overwhelming. They visited South under very high expectations, were given one tour, and thrown into the halls to begin the four year trek called high school. So how is the first year going so far with the Class of 2022? Take a moment to reflect your own freshman year, the first day specifically. The first time you roamed the halls independently as a new student, room letters and numbers thrown at you like darts, and you don’t even know where to start. “I’ve gotten lost a few times which is not too fun,” said Audrey Shade, freshman. Getting lost is normal. Every South student has roamed the school at times, trying to find where our classroom is, searching through each pod, asking older people where it could be. Even sophomores, juniors and seniors get mixed up every once in awhile. Getting lost is one thing, let alone a full transition from a school like Lakeview to South. At Lakeview, the halls aren’t nearly as packed together, nor are there as many students. At Lakeview, there were teams and they were all concentrated together in little sections, but at South, classes are scattered around the school. “The transition was definitely different going from eight classes to four, but at Lakeview you could have easily had eight things of homework in one night,” said Jack Bjorn, freshman. It’s crazy to even imagine when we had double the amount of teachers and class work, but that was compensated in high school with having to deal with kids that are older and taller walking all over them because they so say they run the school. So did we come down to four classes a day because they are harder classes? At Lakeview there are eight classes a day, but to be in advanced classes in seventh or eighth grade you had to test into the class to see if you were smart enough to be in that class. Here at South you have any option and can take whatever class you would like depending on your grade level. “As of right now I’m failing biology,” said Ella Wilkins, freshman. And what about the sports? At Lakeview there was only basketball and cross country. South has over 15 sports and what seems like a million clubs to choose from. “I’m playing soccer this year and after that I’m not sure what my plans are,” said Jack Franklin, freshman. South sports teams are always improving and each year having new talent brought in by the underclassmen. Freshman year brings constant change in many forms... but don’t worry. Only seven months left and you’ll finally be a sophomore.

“But for the athletes, it just depends how bad they want to play sports.”

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Ding, ding, ding. “Pardon the interruption, could you send John Doe to Dr. Esco’s office for a moment?” This is the call no one wants to hear in the middle of class, especially for South athletes. With the rumor of random drug testing circulating, athletes around the school are scurrying for safety, but some athletes are not worried about this. “The school has to have a reason to drug test you, you can’t get drug tested randomly,” said Andre Anderson, senior football player. Some students think you need a reason but others think that you shouldn’t do it at all because you need to respect the students privacy “Whatever the justification, I personally don’t think that it’s right to do it because people deserve their privacy,” said Andrew Horton, junior. Despite student’s opinions, the law upholds the rumors. The 1995 court case Vernonia SD v Acton disputed over a boy who refused to take a drug test that the school required for student athletes. The violation of the reasonable search and seizure of the fourth and 14th amendment was in question for this “random” We asked student drug testing of athletes. athletes if they’ve This went all the way to the Supreme Court but was found in favor of ever consumed the school based on the balancing the intrusion on the individual’s fourth drugs while their amendment interests against the promotion of legitimate governmental interests. sports were in “Drug testing is not happening currently but could be implemented in the season. future,” said John Carr, athletic director. “But for the athletes it just depends how bad they want to play sports. Drugs are pretty prevalent and peer pressure is horrible.” This being said, student athletes can relax about the rumors being spread, but they need to make sure they’re making good decisions, as it could impact their athletic career at South and their future. Students at South need to make good decisions and making sure that they do not affect their career at South and possibly the future. Otherwise those announcement calls heard each day may be coming more often and with greater consequences.

31% yes

69% no

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Stages and spotlights aren’t how most students imagine spending every day after school. Still, a particular group of students gather in the auditorium instead of rushing to their cars at the bell, in hopes of putting together something magical. The annual fall musical is approaching and the theatre department is working hard to make it the best yet. This year’s production is called “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat,” and it’s a reimagining of a biblical story. As the new school year commences, theatre students have expressed excitement towards getting back into their work, especially seniors, the most experienced of the bunch. “It’s been a really positive experience… I get to watch everyone have fun in the ensemble,” said senior Carrick O’Bleness. “It’s very collaborative.” Something seems to attract kids of all different skill sets to theatre, whether they’re actors, artists, tech or backstage. Students hold a variety of different jobs in the musical. Eliana Eccles, sophomore, is in a unique position: she holds a lead position as scenic designer. “It’s really cool, being an underclassmen and being in charge of things,” said Eccles. While veterans of the department are excited to jump back in, the first production of the year brings a flock of new students. Freshmen have also been working hard, having just learned the ropes. “It’s been an all-around great experience,” says freshman Jack Blackburn. “I’ve always loved music… I learned that the people in theatre were really nice, and they were people I wanted to hang out with.” The department is most often described as one of the most welcoming places in school. “It’s a place that I feel like I fit in,” said Eccles. “We would love to have anyone join, everyone’s welcome.” Theatre is always looking for new members. They encourage those interested to talk to Kyle Lackey, drama. “Just go for it,” says senior and president of the department, Faith Nagel. “Everyone has a story to be told, and we’d love to have you.” “Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat” will be performed Nov. 8-10. Stop by for the production, and witness the theatre department in their shining moment.

mayhem

JOSEPH and the TECHNICOLOR

by Amy Graham

l e a d CARRICK O’ BLENESS

GRACE ATCHISON& BETHANY DANNER

narrators

see the musical

NOVEMBER

8-10

6 news

$9 per ticket

MUSICAL

DREAMCOAT

“It’s a place that I feel like I fit in.”

Photo by Alli Majors

eilin Sullivan, junior, launches her body through the air with intensity and focus. After a moment of weightlessness, her hands grip the upper uneven bar. The momentum she has built carries her into a series of complicated maneuvers that she has spent years of training to learn and master. Gymnasts have to start early. According to the guidelines laid out by the Junior Olympic Program, the minimum age to be a Level 1 gymnast is four years. Sullivan began her journey a little bit later than typical, at age 8. “I did it when I was really little but then I quit for a while because I couldn’t pay attention. I started it again because Aubrey Koren asked me to go to open gym with her and I liked it so I just joined a little rec team and started there,” said Sullivan. Since then, Sullivan has dedicated herself to gymnastics, but it hasn’t always been easy. The risk of injury is always there in any sport, and Sullivan has experienced that firsthand. “When I was in a lower level I kept breaking my ankle. I broke it three times. Being out that much, it made me start thinking about ‘do I even want to do this’ because gymnastics is such a pounding sport and it was just hurting my body. It’s just a mental thing, like, I want to do this and I want to be good, this is what it’s gonna take and you just have to tell yourself [the pain] is not that bad,” said Sullivan. Her hard work and perseverance is paying off, though. Last year, she was offered a full ride scholarship to the University of Nebraska because of her gymnastics. When on a visit to the college for a gymnastics clinic, she was pulled aside and given the opportunity to become a Husker. “I remember my dad started crying and he never cries; I was in shock. I knew going into it that it was a possibility that they were going to offer me and that was definitely the place that I wanted to go because it’s close and has really good gymnastics and academics,” said Sullivan. Along with gymnastics, school is a big focus for Sullivan. While she only has three blocks a semester because of her commitment to her sport, she works hard to maintain good grades and makes up the classes she can’t take over the summer. She also tries to help her sister do well in school, too. “She’s always really patient with Gymnastics me and if I have questions for school was officially or anything she always answers,” said Maya Sullivan, sophomore. established as a Trying to balance more challenging courses with sport in 1862 ones that she needs to take leaves little room in Meilin’s schedule for electives. “I really like art classes but I’m not taking any right now, I’ve only taken two. Other than art classes, I like math a lot. I especially like classes like Spanish where you can clearly see how you’re getting better at stuff,” said Meilin. Despite not taking art classes, Meilin still manages to work her creative muscles. This August, she started her own small business called Parkville Mei’d after being recommended to by multiple friends. In her online store

g n i l b m uT

31% of she sells custom gymnastics t-shirts along with some earrings, injuries bracelets and even occur in the a customizable glass ankle/foot sign.

“Everything is really not expensive at all but it’s also cute. I bought a shirt from there and a little The bracelet and they are both average so cute. She’s a great artist and just has such an eye medal-winning for detail and everything gymnast is 5 she creates is beautiful,” said Sydney Boutz, junior. feet tall After getting the details of an order, Meilin puts all of the information in a spreadsheet to maintain organization. She splits up the money she will earn into purchasing supplies, what she will keep for herself, and what she will give to charity. “[Charity] is a lot of why I started it. I donate to the Epilepsy Foundation because my cousin is a big part of it. The foundation is trying to make certain medications legal and just getting more research on it,” said Meilin. Although Meilin is the creator and designer for the store, she does have some help. “She’ll have me do stuff for it and I’ll contribute my thoughts or opinions. I helped build the website and it’s just really fun. She asks my opinions a lot and I really like giving those because I think she actually takes them into consideration. I’m not really artsy so just supporting her and watching it all happen is cool,” said Maya. Despite all that she does, Meilin manages to stay a kind and unfrazzled person. “I love that Meilin is always kind to everyone, she’s very driven. She’s still very humble,” said Boutz. Her sister also agrees. “She was always a really good sister, always a role model for me. She is always really great with people. She’s just always there for everybody if they need her, very supportive but also by herself very independent and strong willed,” said Maya. With one final spin, Meilin dismounts from the uneven bars, sticking the landing. The smile on her face and pride in her eyes speak volumes. Balancing all that she does may be difficult, but the joy of the final product makes everything worth it.

by Kiana Fernandes

Into the Spotlight

When Meilin Sullivan puts her mind to something, be it school, gymnastics or a budding business, she goes all out

features

Pumpkin Spice Taste Test:

Yay or Nay? M&M’s 7 Yay

3 Nay

Twinkies

First up, students and staff tried Pumpkin Spice M&M’s. These were mostly a hit, but the students and staff that didn’t like them, had to spit them out they hated them so much. “They literally taste like Pumpkin Pie,” said both Michael Verhoeven, Junior, and Taryn Brown, Junior. Verhoeven enjoyed the pumpkin taste along with six others, but Brown and two others, did not. Next up were Pumpkin Spice Twinkies. Most students were not fans of this pumpkin spice flavored treat. “I hate regular twinkies and pumpkin spice flavored foods,” said Karla Gomez, Sophomore, who was hesitant to try the Twinkies. Lauren Caldwell (Social Worker) tried the Twinkies alongside OJ Simpson (Campus Supervisor). Simpson did not enjoy the Twinkies, but Caldwell liked them so much she finished off Simpson’s for him. Caldwell was in the minority for students and staff members who enjoyed the Twinkies.

3 Yay

7 Nay

Caramel Corn 9 Yay 1 Nay

Pretzels 5 Yay 5 Nay

After the Twinkies, Pumpkin Spice Caramel Corn with Pumpkin Seeds were next up on the plate. This was the biggest hit, with only one student out of 10 not liking it, mostly because of the pumpkin seeds. “I really don’t like the pumpkin seeds,” said Verhoeven, the only student who didn’t like it. “It just tastes like normal caramel corn,” said Annie Saunders, Senior.

Last up, students and staff tried Pumpkin Spice Covered Pretezels. It came out to an even split, and the people who enjoyed them were begging for more. “Its the perfect hint of pumpkin, and the perfect hint of pretzel,” said Ty Ecton, Sophomore. One thing about this treat that threw off some students was the smell. Carson Lindsey, Senior, said it smelled like an evergreen tree, and Gomez said it smelled like a fall candle.

Pumpkin Spicande..Everything.

...

Scan & WATCH

Scan on Snapchat and check out our video to see South’s students trying out these weird foods!

8 features

Nice? By Maria Allred

Fall is here, which means along comes everything pumpkin spice. Every year, weirder and weirder pumpkin spice flavored foods come about, and this year, South’s students and staff are all about trying them.

feet running down the halls. In Odd Fellows, you’ll hear it all. A single place, full of eerie surprise, with well known history. Back in 1819, Thomas Wilde found Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Baltimore, Maryland. Liberty, Mo. is where it stands as a winery and an inn. Hearing the history of the home, some people are only willing to look around, but not stay. “God no! I wouldn’t book a room, I don’t want to die,” said Jenna Hudson, senior. At one point it was an old folks home, old hospital, old school and an orphanage. Rumor is, there was also an insane asylum, but no further detail was provided. Whoever was there was an Odd Fellow. If you think about it, with the cemetery, that’s on Odd Fellow property, there still is. Owning that property now for the past 25 years, has been Jesse Leimkuehler’s family. “We quickly became part of the history. Having that the Odd Fellows owned it 100 years; the history continues within the property, and now my family is working on all the renovations, to create a place for people to come to,” said Leimkuehler. Everyone believed the Odd Fellows, was somehow a cult. A previous Odd Fellow told the story of how it was not, and it was a a nonpolitical and non-sectarian international fraternal order of IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows). An Odd Fellow is an advocate of friendship and never looks at people with prejudiced eyes or bases his judgment on outward appearances.

All photos by Sadie Hudson

An ever decreasing circle of dwindling calls for the name of an Odd Fellow

Welcome to

IOOF

by Sadie Hudson

Whispers, giggles, and the beating of small

An Odd Fellow is an enactor of love in a way that he feels jointly responsible for his fellow men. He knows the application of sympathy, sincerity, unselfishness, and generosity, An Odd Fellow is a pursuer of truth and adheres to equality, justice and righteousness. Designed over a period of 23 years, the Administration Building, the Old Folks Building and the Old Hospital, are the three remaining historic buildings standing. In an attempt to unthaw frozen pipes, the first structure, that was used as the home, was burned down, in February of 1900. A surprise to many, the “insane asylum” never actually existed. It was only an old hospital. However, many still disbelieve, because there still are experiences of paranormal activity. “Activity that is present, has never been harmful. It’s more playful. All supernatural. There is three apparitions that happen the most; voices, footsteps, and kids running down the halls. We have also had a case of pianos playing on their own. Anything is most common on the first floor,” said Leimkuehler. “I would visit it again, but I thought it was creepy. I felt uneasy and I was low key scared. I don’t like anything jump scare related,” said Hudson. On the northern end of Odd Fellows sit the cemetery. Outside the gate sits a memorial dedicated by the Liberty IOOF lodge to honor members who were killed in World War II. Inside the gate lays anyone who was an Odd Fellow and orphans. Many tombs are marked with the three chain link, which symbolizes friendship, love and truth.

features

Halloween is a large part of American Culture, but it means something different for many different South students Haunted houses, jack-o-lanterns, costumes and candy are all embodied in the annual celebration of Halloween. This popular holiday originated thousands of years ago as a simple celebration to ward demons and ghosts off. Now known as the holiday for candy, most have forgotten its deeper meaning. Christine Gurrola, senior, has been celebrating Halloween for years. “I love spooky season. Especially for Americans, it is all about the scare of it. It is about who has the best haunted houses or best parties,” said Gurrola. Along with Halloween, Gurrola celebrates Day of the Dead with her family on November 1. “It is a big day in the Hispanic culture to celebrate your loved ones that have passed. More or less, the culture in America is to mourn your loved ones who have passed, and while we do that, we also celebrate their life and bring them back,” said Gurrola. Along with different cultures and their different celebrations, different religions have certain guidelines to follow when celebrating Halloween. Samuel Andersen, junior, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. “We celebrate Halloween; it’s not really a religious holiday to us, it is more just a part of American culture. However, in general we prefer to wear more modest clothing, so that affects your costume choices,” said Andersen. When it comes to a deeper meaning in Halloween, Andersen doesn’t believe it has any connection to his religion.

“We believe in devils and such, but we don’t believe that they have the power to manifest physically to harm us, whether it is Halloween or not. That being said, it is kind of a suspension of disbelief that just kind of goes with the holiday,” said Andersen. While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Catholics are both forms of Christianity, they have different opinions on the meaning of Halloween. “Catholic school has very strict rules and guidelines to follow. For instance, Halloween, last year my school voted to wear costumes to school on Halloween. Once the administration found out, they were very angry because they didn’t want us celebrating ‘Satan’s Day’,” said Jordan Johns, junior, who previously attended Bishop Miege Catholic High School. Not all Catholics have the same view on Halloween, and still celebrate the holiday as a part of American culture. “I honestly love Halloween. I don’t let religion stop me when it comes to celebrating,” said Johns. While some religions celebrate Halloween, other prevalent religions, such as Islam, don’t celebrate it at all. “It is in a way celebrating the devil, I guess. Scary things and stuff like that we just don’t celebrate. We still give out candy, we let other people celebrate and just continue on with our day like normal,” said Faisa Hassan, junior. Halloween may seem like a day for costume and candy, but it means something different to everyone, even people close to home.

Does your religion affect whether or not you celebrate Halloween?

Do you ay celebraDteeaDd? of the 87% said yneos 13% said

features

94% said yes 6% said no

By Claire Hoy

With fall being full in swing, we all have certain desserts we prefer. Most think pumpkin pie but what about apple pie? I visited three places around our area to get an idea of where to go when you’re craving that perfect slice of apple pie. by Nicole Wilson

McDonalds

$0.99

When I ordered an apple pie at McDonald’s it was just preheated and ready to serve. The scent of cinnamon is very strong, so for those that don’t like cinnamon, you might not appreciate this. When I took a bite though? There was absolutely no flavor, the lack of true cinnamon you’d expect to be there, or apple flavor made the dough overbearing and ruined the pie.

Perkins

$3.59

The visit to Perkins had me leaving with a 3/ 5 rating for them. They ask if you would like your warmed up, but the filling tasted slightly old, like the pie wasn’t fresh. You could tell that the apples didn’t have a crisp to them. The crust was very soggy, making me think that they don’t bake fresh pies every day. No crunchiness to this bite.

Corner Cafe

$3.79

After eating a slice of warm apple pie from Corner Cafe I would give them a 4/ 5 rating. When I ordered, they also asked if I would like it warmed up. While presentation was not the best, the filling was fresh and the apples still had a crisp to them. The crust was flaky, but not soggy, with the perfect amount of cinnamon to bring out the apple flavoring, you want more with every bite.

A Crispy Bite So which pie is really worth its price?

While Corner Cafe is the most expensive, it’s definitely worth it. I rated the experience a 4/ 5 and that’s not being generous! If you’re going for homestyle pies, this is the place to go! With the crisp of every apple and the sweet sensation of cinnamon filling your mouth with 11 the crust as a subtle middle man, you can’t go wrong with the way this pie tastes. opinion

Spooky

Suffrage You should not be afraid to vote

Voting Mayhem by Annie Woodson

hen most students picture a voter for upcoming elections, they usually envision adults casting votes on taxes, laws and preparing for who they will choose to lead their country. But have you ever considered that South students are preparing for upcoming elections as well? As midterm elections are just days away and Panthers are turning 18, South students make the big decision on what to vote, who to vote, and if they are even going to vote. It has been discussed extensively for years that as soon as you turn 18, you are finally able to give your input and cast your vote in elections. But most 18-year-olds who are able to vote this year won’t actually vote. In fact, Vox News claims that only 28 percent of 18-year-olds will vote in the 2018 midterm elections. “I think it’s important to vote but I’m not voting this year because I just really don’t know what’s going on with politics at all,” said Annie Saunders, senior. But why is this the case? Why is this generation so unaware of what is going on with politics? Saunders believes students are not aware of what is going on with nation’s politics because majority of teenagers simply aren’t update to date on the candidates or what is going on in the election. “I find out most of my information on politics on social media and I think most people my age can say the same,” said Saunders, “and who knows how much of

that information is actually true?” Tyler Unrath, junior, is unable to vote in this upcoming midterm, but thinks it is important for those who can at South to do so. “It’s important to vote because it gives you the chance to participate in the process,” said Unrath. “Our elected leaders affect taxes, health care, infrastructure, immigration and national security. Voting is a a way to voice your support not just for a person, but for a set of ideas.” Unrath encourages students who are 18 to vote, even if they aren’t aware of what is exactly going on in politics or don’t know very much on the candidates. “Research the candidates. Research their positions on the issues. Study the issues. Talk with friends and family. I guarantee after doing those things, you will have well thought out opinions and will see voting not as a chore and instead as a way of advancing your political beliefs,” said Unrath. Mark Allred, senior, will be voting for the first time this year during the midterm election and will be researching the candidates to prepare. Allred believes it is important for him to go and vote along with his fellow classmates. “I think it’s important for people to go out and vote because if they don’t, then they shouldn’t complain about who is elected,” said Allred. Although South students have many different views on voting, they can all agree that it’s important to get in the ballot box and vote; for every vote matters.

Why Youngins Should Vote

“It’s important to vote because it gives you the chance to participate in the process.”

Youth voting decreased

The recent voting pop now almost

Those aged

45-65

equals

are more likely to vote.

millenials and baby boomers.

since 2008.

35%

of people identified as independant in 2016

Obama won

67%

of the youth vote in 2012. by Noelle Alviz-Gransee

Partisan Pop-Quiz by Annie Buckles

I believe in larger government contributions in our day to day lives.

yes!

nope!

The government needs to do all it can to help the environment.

I consider myself to be a feminist.

nope!

LEGALIZING MEDICAL MARIJUANA

I believe that the government should provide health care.

yes!

nope!

We should lower taxes.

I believe that we need to build stronger borders when it comes to immigration.

Proposition B yes!

yes!

democrat

nope!

Amendment 2 vs. Amendment 3 vs. Proposition C

INCREASING MINIMUM WAGE

nope!

Do you love rallies, change and progress? Then you might just be a democrat. Your eye for equality and your tendency to vote blue means that you might just be changing the world someday.

Key Ballot Issues in Missouri This Eleection That Will Affect YOU

nope!

We need more gun control.

yes!

Blue, red or somewhere in between? Take this quiz to get a rough estimate of how you may be voting this midterm.

INCREASING GASOLINE TAX Proposition D

republican

moderate Being firmly in the middle isn’t so bad! You don’t let political parties determine your beliefs. When it comes to your party aﬃliations, you tend to understand both sides.

Freedom is your middle name! When it comes to politics, you value the Constitution and liberty. When it comes to solving the world’s problems, you take a DIY attitude and leave the government out of it.

Malicious Midterms

by Payton Havermann

throughout Obama’s term and was backed by him in all of her elections while he was in office. “This election definitely pits Obama’s candidate against Trump’s candidate and may be a big representation on which direction the rest of the country will go,” said Justin Ford, broadcast. While many have taken notice to the importance of the election, almost These are just a few of the many campaign ads in what has been a highly everyone has taken notice to an important aspect of each contested and close race for a very critical senate race. “It’s important on the campaign: advertisements. Every election season a large Claire McCaskill was elected in 2006 over Republican Jim Talent and has been in the senate ever since. national stage because it’s one amount of advertisements occupy Missourians T.V. screens with such an important race this year, the ads have only Now, Republican Josh Hawley, endorsed by of the critical senate seats for the and increased. President Trump, looks to finally unseat McCaskill in a senate race important not just for Missourians, but for balance between Republicans and “The amount of ads I’ve seen still a month away from the election have been unbelievable. I honestly hope in the future the national stage, as well. Democrats in the senate.” we see less of them but I doubt that happens,” said Mary “It’s important on the national stage because it’s Garrett, junior. one of the critical senate seats for the balance between However, even though these ads can be overwhelming to Republicans and Democrats in the senate,” said Hayden Wells, senior. “It’s also some, they’re designed to inform and persuade people and are important here in Missouri because if Josh Hawley wins, then Missouri goes to a vital for such a close election and will continue now and until Republican majority.” election day on Nov. 6. McCaskill was elected during a democratic wave in the mid-2000s that also saw Obama win the Presidential election. McCaskill was able to hold office all “Why? Why did Josh Hawley spend taxpayer money…” “What has Claire McCaskill done for US? She voted for Obamacare…” “It sounds like if Josh Hawley wins, people like me will lose…” “Claire McCaskill has gone Washington…”

In today’s hypersensitive world, sometimes the pursuit of justice causes

Justice for the Justice

people to overlook the facts, preferring a mob mentality to due process. Oftentimes an accusation can do just as much damage as a conviction. In America you are supposedly innocent until proven guilty, yet Judge Kavanaugh was nearly denied from the Supreme Court without ever being charged, let alone convicted of a crime. Regardless of your opinion as to the guilt of Kavanaugh, the polarizing accusations have sparked heated debate as the investigation that went on; both in the unorthodox approach of the FBI’s investigation, and the legitimacy of the accusation that took almost 40 years to surface. As high school students, these accusations of an incident that took place when Kavanaugh was in high school by Johnny are concerning. Legitimate or not, one accusation with little to no evidence has forever corrupted the integrity of an otherwise untainted record. Many have criticized Dr. Ford, Kavanaugh’s accuser, for waiting so long to bring these allegations to light, believing that the almost 40 year gap between the alleged incident and the time of the accusation makes her testimony less credible: leaving the public to wonder, why now? Kavanaugh and prominent figures of the Republican party have tried to portray this as a mudslinging political stunt, designed ultimately to reflect poorly both upon the president and the party. Whether by design or not, this debauchery has been a political nightmare for the Republican party. The country speculated the fate of Kavanaugh, judging him as grown man, but we forget the events of 36 years ago took place when, like us, he was just a teenager. Of course being “just a teenager” is not a pardon for a crime as heinous as sexual assault, but it raises concerns for young men and women alike. Most people know someone affected by sexual assault and it is disturbing to be reminded that high schoolers are just as vulnerable to these unspeakable acts. But the alleged assault isn’t the only thing from Kavanaugh’s teenage years being used to discredit him. Of all the things that could indicate some truth to the case, it was teenage Kavanaugh’s own words in his high school yearbook that hurt him the most. Often times people don’t think twice about what they write, especially if it seems insignificant at the time. Not many people will attempt to argue that there was nothing wrong with Judge Kavanaugh’s yearbook page; there’s a reason it’s been paraded around the media since its discovery and it’s not because it makes him look innocent. While certainly offensive, his actions make more sense when you put into consideration the audience he thought his words would reach. Judge Kavanaugh attended an all boys private school. His peers were all, like him, teenage boys. He wasn’t worried about how he portrayed himself to his classmates, the same way students today don’t give a second thought to what they post on social media for their peers. What kind of person does your online presence portray? If all of your tweets, posts, and comments were examined under a microscope by the nation would you be happy with the way you’ve represented yourself? That’s certainly food for thought for students planning on going to college, or hoping to be employed one day after high school. You opinion may one day have to answer for something you once said online, even if you didn’t intend it to reach anyone other than your close

Sterrett

friends. There was such a lack of evidence in this investigation that it is unlikely it would have gained as much traction without the page. It was the only thing that could corroborate a narrative in which Kavanaugh may have been an unsavory individual given his judicial record. That being said, in today’s “Me Too” era, a new precedent has been set for future generations regarding the proceedings for these allegations. At the beginning of this scandal, it was easy for many people to empathise with Kavanaugh’s position. It has become routine for some of these high-profile cases to seem like little more than cash grabs with more and more victims being tagged on to the list every day. And guilty or not, these scenarios scare men all over America when they see how quickly someone can lose their career and reputation over a he-said-she-said scenario. It was easy to dismiss the perspective of Dr. Ford, even in some cases to vilify her. But the collective opinion of the nation has become even more conflicted as a result of the hearing. Dr. Ford’s extremely emotional testimony has gained her sympathy, and alleviated the doubt of many skeptics as to the legitimacy her attack. And yet, she cannot remember the date, address, or time of the attack: the very grounds for probable cause for investigation. Despite the feeling of the public, believable testimony from Dr. Ford and Kavanaugh’s guilt are not mutually exclusive. I have no doubt in my mind that Dr. Ford was, at some time, assaulted based on her reaction to testifying; but she is as much of a victim in this sham as Judge Kavanaugh. For every woman or child that bravely comes forward with the truth of their suffering, there are many more that take their story to the grave. No one should be silent in their suffering, which it is why it is so imperative to report these atrocities as soon

as you possibly can. Dr. Ford wished to remain anonymous, and her wish was not respected by the people attempting to weaponize her testimony. She has been forced into the public eye with accusations of an event she herself does not recall in full detail. The use of this investigation is more than likely a distasteful attempt to delay Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation for as long as possible until the democrats can sway the vote. Ultimately, this attempt failed when Judge Kavanaugh was confirmed by the senate 50-48, but that doesn’t mean that concerns were not raised by this ordeal. Judge Kavanaugh’s behavior during the hearing, specifically the deflection of questions and rude behavior towards the mediators brought into question another important characteristic of a Supreme Court justice: temperament. It’s hard to imagine that someone with so much legal experience could conduct themselves so poorly in a court of law. That being said, the committee pursued what was frankly a predatory line of questioning during Kavanaugh’s interview, and he later apologized for his statements. It’s hard to fault him for a defensive reaction under such duress, being that his integrity was being attacked and the committee was requesting he postponed the vote for investigation. At the end of the day, this whole fiasco accomplished nothing.The Republicans had the majority in the senate since the beginning, and there was very little that could have been done to change the outcome. Everyone knew he was going to be confirmed, and he was. This event was the cause for needless suffering. Despite being confirmed to the Supreme Court, the allegations will follow Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and their families for the rest of their lives.

When you lose your money, your social status, your job, your phone, maybe even family or friends, what is left? A majority of people would say nothing. But, it is everything that no one notices. There will be bad days. There will be bad weeks. There will even be bad months. Everything will come crashing down and you’ll question what you have. But take a breath and look around. When you notice everything great you are surrounded by, it is hard to understand why we live in a world with people who are so sad and hurt. Life gets hard. You are hit with trials that seem impossible to get through. When you try to stand up, you may get knocked down time and time again. When times get harder than ever before, stop and smell the roses. Listen to the song that puts you in a great mood and dance around your room by yourself. Go outside and watch the sunset. Dress up to go to school, not for others but for yourself. There are too many awesome things in this world for people to go through life without noticing them. Sometimes losing everything is exactly what it takes to notice all the things that have been right in front of you. When you are holding the whole world in your hands, you don’t notice the flower in the grass or the cloud shaped as a bird in the sky. Going through life with this mindset can turn some of the worst days into some of the best ones. In a world where being busy is trending and everyone is constantly moving, we are not taught to appreciate the little things. We are taught to stress over everything and put importance in things you can’t rely on. However, the person that ultimately has to pick you up off the ground is you. The phrase ‘me, myself, and I’ tends to have a negative connotation. But, some days it will be all you have. Those are the days when you have to learn to appreciate everything that used to seem so insignificant. When you learn to find the beauty in the smallest of things, life becomes simpler. You walk outside and feel a drop of water fall on your head. You smell the rain in the air around you. And this time, rather than getting an umbrella, you find a way to run through the rain. So, what is left? My answer to you is everything. Everything you never knew this life had to offer. Everything you never knew you needed.

L I F E

10 Things You

Should Appreciate More

1 3

The Rain

S’mores

City Skylines

Good Music

5 7

Fuzzy Blankets

6 Sunsets

Dogs

Hammocks

8 10

Big sweatshirts Long walks

iFs T

WHAT

L E

by Avery Glover

opinion

RED DEAD

REDEMPTION

II Students are excited for big game release by Ethan Farrow

The time is now. The real game of the year is here. What even is Fortnite? “Red Dead Redemption 2” is the most anticipated game of 2018. People couldn’t be more excited and here’s why. It has been since May 2010, back when Xbox One wasn’t even a thought. Eight years ago, the first Read Dead Redemption came out. At the time, it was the most expensive video game ever made, costing a mind blowing $80-100 million. Rockstar games came up with the idea of Red Dead Redemption (RDR) in 2005. Over the course of the next five years, they worked on RDR and it paid off. Rockstar Games knew this game would make a lot but it blew up in terms of being a brand new game. Since February 2017, RDR has sold 15 million copies which comes out to at least 900 million, not accounting for their sequel, Undead Nightmare. Surely, RDR2 will make more than this. They have been promoting this game since they first announced it last summer. From John Marston to Arthur Morgan. From New Austin to New Hanover, RDR2 will be different in many ways. First off, the map is totally different, as expected. “I’m most excited for the new map, a map really makes or breaks most games,” said Dawson Owen, senior. Unlike RDR1, the new game will feature big lakes and snowy mountains, as well as vast forests, sweeping deserts and foggy swamplands. Next, the main character, Arthur Morgan, is a part of the Van Der Linde gang. As Arthur, you run in the gang and complete missions with others in the gang. Gamespot.com described the game as “an attempt to capture this privitol moment when the age of outlaws was ending and the modern world was born.”

You can run side missions with members in the gang. RDR2 is more interactive than just the base missions; for example, you can fight people are bars and talk to people as they go by on horseback. You can make your character have a good or bad legacy based on certain actions throughout the game, not just with the base storyline. Most of these new interactive features are available because this game is specifically made for Xbox One and Playstation 4. It will be more interactive than Grand Theft Auto 5, GTA 5 was originally made for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 which means they had limited options. These new platforms create an opportunity for games to really blow people’s minds. People around the world are hyped up for the release date. “RDR2 will be one of the best games of 2018, no doubt,” said Braeden Denney, senior. This game has the potential to become one of the highest selling games of all time. I don’t think it will reach the GTA 5 height of copies sold but it will definitely be up there. “Red Dead Redemption 2” was available for pre-order now on the Xbox Store and various stores but the game officially dropped on Oct. 26, 2018.

“RDR2 will be the best game of 2018, no doubt.”

I II vs.

# OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON THE GAME 800+ 1000+ 30

# OF WEAPONS 50+

# OF SPECIES 200

# OF VOICE ACTORS 100 700

16 opinion

7.3GB

FILE SIZE

87.8GB

PRODUCTION TIME 5 YRS 7-8YRS

Tricks s c are you For Kids?

CINEMA TO

by Kate Maness

Casper

The choice is teens’: to party or trick or treat

You are trying to sleep on Halloween because you have no life with nothing else to do and all you can hear is the kids next door throwing a party. Instead of enjoying your quiet night alone you get to dwell on the fact that you are not at that party, or anywhere else for that matter. Halloween is a day that many people celebrate differently. Some go out with family and trick or treat and others may be out partying. Logically, harmless trick or treating would be the better choice, but for some odd reason some people seem to think that teenagers should not trick or treat that they are “too old.” I scoff at people who say this because first of all, you are NEVER to old for candy, and second, would you rather those kids be drinking and maybe doing some illegal “candy” instead? I at least would think this is a no brainer question, but it still seems to be a debate. There have been many debates on whether or not crime rates go up on Halloween; it has yet to be proven either way. Nevertheless, cops are still on the lookout for underage drinking and illegal

by Gabby McDowell

KitKat 69% Snickers 22% Skittles 9% *Out of 45 voters

partying on Halloween night. Given this many parents would rather their teenagers do the responsible thing and have some harmless fun with trick or treating. Another variable to take into account is that this year Halloween is on a Wednesday, this can limit options of what to do. Believe it or not, some teenagers party but try to do it half way responsible and keep the late nights and craziness to weekends. This means those kids have to find something to do, not many people want to just sit in there house and do nothing when there is free candy on the table for taking. These things being said, I can understand how people get upset when teenagers are being disrespectful and obnoxious and just taking handfuls upon handfuls of candy. For those kids, tsk tsk tsk... shame on you for intentionally taking fun away from others. There is a good balance in all things and ways for things to be bad or good depending on the extinct that you take it. Whatever your plans are this Halloween, just remember to be safe and have fun.

I love this movie because it ties four different stories together in such an interesting way. It is full of scary surprises, but not too scary. This is a movie truly about Halloween which makes it a classic to watch.

HalloweenTown This is not my favorite Disney movie ever, but it’s definitely a movie you can watch around Halloween time to get you smiling.

Halloween I found out this movie was supposed to be a sequel to the original Halloween movies. However, it is still easy to watch and understand without having seen the original movies. It definetley kept me on the edge of my seat.

Monster House This movie, made for kids, is actually quite creepy and horrendous. Everything that happens in this movie is creepy, especially in the last 30 minutes when it takes a dark turn.

The Nightmare Before Christmas This Tim Burton animated movie is great for everyone. I personally like the things Tim Burton makes because of the music and creativity. This movie is Christmas meets Halloween when they capture Santa.

Trick R Treat

Fútbol to Football ET’s surprising discovery of talent on the defensive line by Jessie Hagen Just think... this three star recruit wasn’t even playing football four years ago. Etinosa Reuben (ET) started football his sophomore year of high school after playing soccer his Freshman year. For someone who is very late to starting the sport, he has accomplished some unbelievable things. ET is a 6-foot, 4-inch, 275 pound strong-side defensive end. As offers to play football in college started flying in over the past year, ET knew he had to make some life changing decisions. He received offers from schools like Notre Dame, Alabama and Georgia. “I was surprised. I thought I’d get offers from smaller schools, not any of the big schools that ended up coming after me,” said ET. After many college visits around the country, he verbally committed to Clemson this past July. “I felt like they presented the best opportunities academically and athletically for me to succeed,” said ET. The family environment Clemson has to offer was ultimately the decision maker for ET. He said his experience playing football at South has shown him how you need his brothers to be there for you, and you need to be there for them on and off the field to produce wins. His coaches made it clear that he had more big time offers than any football player to ever come to South. Coach Mike Sharp, Coach Alan Wilmes and Coach Kent Cramer have helped out ET the most when it comes to recruitment, and the type of player and person he has become. “Really, ET is a loving person and more humble than anyone I’ve ever worked with,” said Cramer. After just his second year ever

18 sports

playing football he ended the season with 55 tackles, five sacks, and seven tackles for loss at South. He hopes these type of stats will carry over to Clemson. “I’m most excited for battling for a starting spot and showing them what I can do,” said ET. ET plans on graduating at semester, and heading straight to Clemson to start his prerequisites and workouts. He’s leaving in January and is training throughout the spring to compete for a spot on the roster.

One of the top cross country and distance track runners Now with after three years of running for the PHS team, he runners, but also avid Spanish speaker. These words describe is looking at State for his next obstacle. Coach AJ Roth has been junior Quentin Worley on the surface the most, but there shifting his workouts for Sectionals, to help get the team to State, is a lot more to a person than their best skills and foreign and agrees Worley is a valuable, and maybe a bit too talkative, language study. member of the team. Even though he is not a captain this year, Worley holds With the normal season ending and post season beginning, an unofficial leadership role for the team, and has high Worley had some closing words for his team: “This team is a great expectations for them. group of guys. They all come out with great positive attitudes. “This year’s season was a good one. We had a lot Everyone on the team are friends with each other.” of guys step up when they needed to and I think it’s definitely our most eye opening year because three Worley’s PRs over the years: seniors left last year and we really had to put together a whole new team and hopefully everything will go well when Pre-Freshman year (7th grade): 19:40 we hit championship season,” said Worley. Worley has been running since before his time at South, and Sohpmore year: 17:37 has gotten quite good at it. He is well respected by his team Junior year (So far): 16:39 mates and has high expectations for the team. “The future of South XC looks bright,” said Worley. Worley is also a member of the track team, where he runs many distance events and runs relay races with a team of other cross country team members. He is also a active member of the PHS foodies and JA.

Worley’s World

All you need to know about the long-time Cross Country star

Lamel’s

ne of the best, if not the best, guard to ever come through South is about to play his final season for the school. Lamel Robinson, senior, is a four star recruit who recently committed to the University of Nebraska Omaha to continue his basketball and educational career. “The environment, the coaching staff and the players welcomed me with open arms and I felt like it was a good place I could expand my basketball game,” said Robinson. In his junior season, Lamel averaged 23 points per game. But his main goal of winning the State championship fell short when South played Rockhurst in the first round of Districts. “My goal this year is to lead our team to a State championship, becoming the role model for the younger guys that want to go Division One or pursue any dream with basketball,” said Robinson. People might think Robinson committed early instead of playing out his senior season, but he said he knew right when he visited Omaha that it was the college he wanted to pursue. “I didn’t feel like I needed to wait. I already had 6-7 schools looking at me, and playing division one basketball has been my dream, and Omaha felt like home when I visited,” said Robinson. Robinson has many people that have helped

legacy

him and his basketball career: coaches, friends and players. But to Robinson, his Mom and Dad have influenced him the most. “My mom and dad helped me the most with basketball. They paved the way for me, they showed me what hard work gets you, and now it’s paying off. They invested a lot of time in me, and I was determined to make them proud,” said Robinson. South’s head basketball coach, Dan Parra, is looking forward to seeing what Robinson can provide for the team in his last year at South. Parra has coached him freshman through senior year and has noticed positive changed with Robinson throughout high school. “Lamel has become more mature, and much more humble as he’s gotten older. He came into this school cocky,” said Parra. Parra said he has thoroughly enjoyed being Robinson’s high school coach. “He is a very coachable kid. He tries to do everything you tell him. He’s a fun kid to watch play ball,” said Parra. South Basketball is set to begin in a few days. This is Robinson’s final, and most important season, as he and the Panthers make their run to the State championship.

by Duke Maddox

Senior basketball player looks forward to his final season as a Panther by Garrett Anderson

“My goal this year is to lead our team to a state championship.”

sports

photo by Kendra Kernel

JAMBOREE NOV. 15 @ SMITHVILLE FIRST HOME GAME: DEC. 11 VS. BLUE SPRINGS SOUTH ith fall sports season coming to an end, winter sports are preparing for a great season. In particular, the boys basketball team at South is anxious for this season. South has been preparing for this upcoming season for a long time with the summer league that they were a part of, and also a few camps that they had over the summer. They also started something new this season with joining a fall basketball league. South basketball has nine seniors on this years team, so they are hoping for a great season. Dawson Owen, senior, is really looking forward to the season to start; however, he’s upset that the football season is coming to an end. Owen is expecting a lot for this team in his last year. “This year I want to be undefeated in conference and get a District title, nothing less,” said Owen. Owen has been on the varsity basketball team ever since sophomore year and just recently joined the football team for his senior year. Since he decided to play football he didn’t get to play as much basketball in the offseason as he would like. “Since I’m playing football this year, I’ve been locked in and focused on that. But, through football I have become a more physical player,” said Owen. Owen didn’t get to play in the fall league but however he played a lot with the team over summer and was very happy with how it turned out. “Summer league was very successful, we went 16-1 and won the KU tournament. The team has really come together from our talented senior class and we look to have a very successful senior year,” said Owen. Desi Williams, senior, also has big goals for this season. “This year is just about making the game easier not only for myself but for all my teammates while leading and maintaining a winning culture that we’ve done so well the last 3 years. State is the only way out, worked to hard not to get there

“Overall we just want to get better every day.”

through the years,” said Williams. “This year is just about making the game easier not only for myself but for all my teammates while leading and maintaining a winning culture that we’ve done so well the last three years. State is the only way out, worked to hard not to get there through the years,” said Williams. Williams has also been very happy with how the team has done so far. “We are looking solid right now, a little out of shape but we’ll fix all of that before the season starts to get us properly prepared. The summer and fall leagues are just games we play to keep us connected and on one accord before the season starts. Chemistry is key and building good habits before the season will help us a lot. We are winning but that’s not the main goal. Overall, we just want to get better every day,” said Williams. Another varsity player, Dylan Brougham, junior, has been waiting for this season for a while. Last year, Brougham didn’t play as much as he would like but still had a lot of playing time on JV. This year he has started in the summer league and fall league games and is hoping to do the same in the regular season. Being 6’7”, Brougham is a pretty big target but has not yet received any interested colleges besides a few Division 3 schools. “I have no interest in going to a D3 school but I am looking to play basketball in college just with better competition than D3,” said Brougham. The head coach on the team has helped his players a lot with their basketball careers. For owen, Coach Dan Parra has been a great influence on his game. “Coach Parra has made a huge impact on my basketball career. He cares as much about winning games as he does building character. Parra is a coach you can go to at any time for help on or off the court,” said Owen. Williams has really enjoyed his time with Coach Parra, as well. “I’ve known Parra for such a long time and it’s just great to be able to play while he is coaching” he said. “With Parra being the coach off the court and me being the coach on the court it allows us to be able to talk and build a good relationship to help the team win a lot of games.”

Take a look at South’s upcoming basketball season by Jake Powers

HOOPIN 20 sports

SZN

g n i n g i S

@ South

Students who play sports outside of the school argue they should be able to sign with other athletes

by Ty Rouse

illustration by Ty Rouse

he eyes of the whole school are on you, surrounded by friends and family, as you look down at the piece of paper about to make a dream come true. Signing to play college sports is a huge deal to many of the athletes at South. However, athletes such as Jake Fisher, senior, are upset that they will not be able to sign at the school ceremony. Fisher plays Lacrosse, which is a sport not offered by South. Other club athletes in sports such as rugby, club soccer (Sporting Academy), and any other non MSHSAA (Missouri State High School Activities Association) sports have also not been allowed to sign in front of the school in the past. “I think I should be able to sign at South because I put in just as much work as the other athletes going to play in college who do sign here, and I still represent “I think I should be able to sign at Park Hill South South because I put in just as much at the next level. The only work as the other athletes going to difference is play in college who do sign here.” that I didn’t have an option to play lacrosse at South since we don’t have it,” said Fisher, who is signing to Rockhurst University. There are several different signing ceremonies throughout the school year for each season. It is a big deal for many athletes at South such as Georgia Clark, senior, who is going to sign to swim at Iowa University. “Signing at school is important to athletes because they get the recognition they deserve for their hard work over several years. A small number of people get scholarships for athletics and it is motivating to get that support from your high school,” said Clark. Some people at South are very passionate about this and have brought it to the attention of the school a number of times. John Carr, athletic director,

has dealt with the issues. “I would love to let everyone sign at South but we just don’t have enough time and the school sponsored sports to take priority,” said Carr. There are almost 8 million kids that play high school sports. Only about 480,000 of them will sign to play at an NCAA school. This is a huge accomplishment that many believe should be celebrated. It does not seem like any changes will be made this year but as students continue to be passionate in their opinion that club athletes should be allowed to sign with everyone else, perhaps sometime in the future there will be a change.

Big COMMITMENTS Jake Fisher Lacrosse

Rockhurst University

Georgia Clark Swim

Etinosa Reuben Football

Clemson University

Lamel Robinson Basketball

University of Omaha Nebraska

University of Iowa

sports

“Flag on the play, roughing the passer, defense number 52, 15 yard penalty, automatic first down.” These are words that have been uttered by various referees throughout this NFL season. The calls have been more frequent this year, in part due to the new rule changes implemented in the offseason.

drastic action, and enforce these rules. There are many very serious injuries in the NFL each year, as football is an inherently dangerous sport. Cody Campbell, senior, discussed why he thinks the NFL made these rule changes and if a specific incident may have caused them. He said, “I don’t think so the quarterbacks are just freaking babies, I mean it’s football you expect to get hit, I don’t know why they’re doing this, especially if they’re outside of the pocket, that should never be a flag.” The game is not going to be the same again, after the NFL made these changes. Some people think that the game is getting too soft, and is closer to flag football than old-school, hardnose, smashmouth football. Some people wish to see it go back, and wonder if they can try, and revert it back to what it once was, including Alex Rodriguez, senior. Rodriguez said, “I think if they change it back to how it normally was and maybe a little more protection for the QB, then the fans will be happier, but putting your weight on a quarterback, and getting a roughing the passer penalty blows my mind. They need to adopt a rule everyone is happy with.” With more and more studies linking concussions to CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy the NFL is working hard to make the game safer in a big way.

“I think the quarterbacks are being too protected.” Many rules were added over the offseason that all have impacts on both sides of the ball. However, the most game-changing rule is the one concerning roughing the passer. This new rule states that it is now illegal for a defensive player to land with full or partial body weight on the quarterback when he is on the ground. Students had plenty of opinions about this. Kristopher Tinoco, senior, was asked if he thought the NFL had gone too far with rules protecting the quarterback. He said, “The quarterbacks are getting paid like $27-30 million. They should be able to take a hit. I think the quarterbacks are being too protected.” Now, it is unknown one incident or player injury that caused the NFL to take such

“roughing”

the

PASSER By Lucas Bowman

$310,836 Amount of money fined for roughing the passer penalties

15 Average number of roughing the passer penalties per team through week 7

Amount of penalties given out for roughing the passer over the first six weeks

1.66

22 sports

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s many students at South know, the football season has been absolutely riddled with injuries. Everyone knows that injuries are a big part of football, but after a while it just gets to be too much to overcome. It’s not just football where students get injured, either. Injuries are a part of all sports and don’t just affect the team or sport; they affect the everyday life of the injured student athlete. Kellen Danielsen, junior, recently tore both his ACL and meniscus while completing a sack during the loss to Staley. Danielsen was a starting linebacker for the South defense and is now out for the season. He also missed several days of school. “About six days and the rest I came on crutches,” said Danielsen. Danielsen also talked about the mental aspect and how it affects his everyday life off the field. “It’s just the boredom that gets to you. Playing spikeball or football or anything really active. I can’t do with friends anymore,” said Danielsen. Matt Suchanick, junior, was injured on the last play of the first game of the season. Suchanick is the football teams

starting quarterback and is the key to the team’s success. Suchanick missed multiple games and class time due to a partially torn MCL, which teachers were empathetic about. Suchanick said, “All of them were very understanding and gave me an extra day or so to makeup all the work I missed.” Suchanick also said that it was hard to trust his knee when he got back onto the field, but besides that, it didn’t affect him much mentally because he knows that injuries are a part of football. Football is not the only sport that causes injuries, as every sport puts its players at risk of injury. Junior Eva Kresovic won State last year in tennis and is currently trying to Xavier Jackson (junior) is escorted off the field after an injury earlier this season. overcome a back injury this year. photo by Taylor Boyce Kresovic was out for about a week and said, “It is still hard to trust and has caused me to miss some classes.” South teachers and coaches usually do a good job of helping its students and players get through their injuries both on and off the field. It can be forgotten sometimes by people on the outside looking in that injuries are not just something that should be taken lightly, and take time to How injuries in sports affect everyday life heal both the mind and body.

outside the by Zane Leiker

There will be a deadly trick or treater at your door

You will turn into a pig

Your car will take you hostage when the clock hits five

In the morning you will wake up green

7 When the clock hits midnight you will turn into a mouse

Halloween Fun Page

Your pumpkin will come alive and take revenge on you

You will grow a witches nose

8 On this day a bat will be in your closet

Find the tiny Garrett Osbourn, co-editor in chief, somewhere in this issue and bring to C200 for a Halloween candy treat!

4 FIND GARY!