The View Issue 5 by Park Hill South View

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december 18, 2009 october 29, 2009 issue5,3,volume volume12 12 issue

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the

View

from Park Hill South

may your days be merry and bright special eight-page section featuring 2009’s holiday happenings

>>pg 16

LITCHFIELD’S LEGACY

[5]

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX

[6]

FROSH V-BALL

[9]

what’s december 18, 2009

issue 5, volume 12

>>Store what’s Up

GETTING BOTH SIDES [4] investigating Bus behavior A LASTING IMPRESSION [5] athletes Experience mixed emotions in final game

what’s Hot

i fulfilled my

dream

lifelong of being

classclown by winning

Big Cat

--Brady Lohnes, senior

THE WORD [15] disenchanting Tanning ROID RAGE [15] bowls Need some insight THE DEATH OF FAMILY DINNERS [11] families No longer sit down to eat every night

what’s The Big Idea LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX [6] abstinence-Based education explained

what’s What

LET IT SNOW [3] put Student safety ahead of summer wishes

letter

“ 2

Do you remember when you were little and someone would ask you what you want to be when you grow up? Most kids answered, “firefighter” or “vet” or maybe even “a Ninja Turtle.” And even though a Ninja Turtle might have been out of that five years old’s reach, his or her parents still told their child they “could be anything they wanted be.” Now when I grow up, obviously, I would like the pursue journalism. It is a fast-paced career that is chaotic and unorganized. Perfect. Though the pay is terrible and I may starve to death, it is my dream. Most people talk about how print journalism is going down the drain, and to some extent I agree. But the world could not function without journalism as a whole. We journalists inform the world of important events and give all the facts. And even though I may live a hectic life and not eat very much, I would love to be that person who informs the world of things they want to know. So to the journalists of the world, write on. And to anyone that has ever been told they can’t, you totally can. —LAUREN MOORE *Special thanks to Alexandria Fisher and Tyler Joseph McGrath for their contributions to the cover of this issue.

“

Editor The From

Let it Snow >> hroughout the winter months, every student in the Kansas City Metro Area from kindergarten to twelfth grade sits in front of their TVs, looking for the possibility of a snow day. However, the problem lies in the fact that they don’t get to choose when a snow day happens, and just because it snowed outside, that doesn’t mean there’s going to be a snow day the following day. So these famous battle lines are drawn: the snow day hungry kids on one side, the school district on the other. It’s hard to be sure what the standard is for a snow day. Most just know that the roads have to be “bad” or the temperature Antarcticaesque. We definitely know that snow days are usually called when school is either not feasible or unsafe. The problem in recent years has become that the process of choosing snow days has become muddled by requirements for extra funding and the need for as many days as possible with students at

desks. With these added outside factors has come the stress surrounding our current snow day system. One of the main problems seems to be added requirements. Anymore, the requirements are that another nearby school district has a snow day or that we haven’t had too many snow days thus far. Obviously, this obstructs the reason we truly have snow days: safety. It’s hard to justify a snow day when the surrounding districts are in school, although we live in a totally different area, and it’s hard to justify a snow day when we’ve already had one this year, but it doesn’t matter how many we have if they are necessary. The requirement needs to be the safety of our students on that day, no more and no less. Currently, the decision making has seemed to step out of safety entirely into an ideology where we consider if a snow day is logistically possible, but logistics have nothing to do if whether it is safe to drive or

not. It is too likely that the safety of the student body will be chanced for another day here and there. Nevermind the fact that buses can’t get around in snow, how about the nearly 1,000 inexperienced drivers that are converging on the two high schools whenever school is in session? Obviously we are neglecting the safety of many people for just a few more days of summer. Over the course of this winter, we’re going to come across a lot of days that are questionable for snow days, and nobody knows what percentage of days we will go, but one thing is for sure. Our snow days need to be picked on the grounds of what is best for the students on this day. If we start adding conditionals to our snow day policy, then we are minimizing the most important condition: the safety of the students. —THE VIEW STAFF EDITORIAL

what’s What

Students being at school should not be more important than their overall safety

Past Year Snow Days ’07-’08 School Year

’09-’10 School Year

1...so far ’08-’09 School Year

Getting

both sides

>>Allegations of inappropriate bus behavior generate discussion

uses are something that parents trust to transport their students safely to school. But recently the safety of South’s VoTech bus has been questioned by the students who ride it. Female votech students have been offended by what they describe as harassing statements made by fellow bus riders. “Ever since VoTech started, there has been harassment on the bus,” said Rachelle Reames, junior. Reames alleges that some students talk about girls in pg derogatory ways and make racial comments to trigger their own humor.

“They think it’s nothing,” said Reames. The offended students said they have gone to seek discipline action to make things right and help with this problem. The student hand book says that any form of harassment will land the alleged harasser OSS or an Office referral. “The administration has come on the bus a few times and threatened to kick kids out of VoTech,” said Adam Cork, junior. But according to Erin Wier, junior, even the presence of an administrator on the bus has not had the effect she hoped it would. The VoTech bus driver, Terra Tertan, said she cannot take any action on this behavior if no one tells her about it. As of Dec. 4, she had all the girls on the bus sit in the front away from the boys so there will not be any further problems. Cork said that he does not

believe the problem is as bad as others are saying it is. “We are messing around. It’s not a big deal,” said Cork. While some see it as just ''messing around,” for others like Reames and Weir, it is a big issue. Still others say there is not a problem with bus behavior at all. “Not much goes on on the bus,” said Spencer Steenrod, senior, who said he sits in the back with his iPod on during the 20-minute ride to the Northland Career Center each day. According to Weir, this battle of the sexes has been going on for awhile. So whether the alleged harassment is a problem that needs to be addressed further, or if it is just an over-reaction as others say, it is affecting South's VoTech bus riders in one way or another. —LAUREN MOORE

maybe leaving South but The Legacy Of LITCHFIELD >>Litchfield will be remembered

The Last Game:

For many athletes, their dream is playing under the Friday night lights and winning in a glorious fashion in the most important game of the season. Yet, for some athletes that is not the outcome; they have to experience the bitter taste of defeat in a season-ending loss, especially bitter if against a major rival. The Park Hill games are some of the biggest events at South. Pep rallies are held and students are at their wildest. “I think that the Park Hill game is more important. It is our rival school and we played Chrisman our senior night which is not much of a challenge,” said Charlie Main, senior soccer player. The boys’ Varsity soccer team’s record against Park Hill this year was 1-2. Park Hill was the district champs and made it to state but lost. “Our last game of the season was

what’s Up

decide to hire, I’d like to see them improve it on the field After eight memorable seasons, South says goodbye to and in the classroom,” said Litchfield. another great coach in Ron Litchfield. The heir of the Greg With a career record of 54 wins and 29 losses, Jones era, Litchfield came from 11 years of coaching Litchfield has more than enough memories. While the at Blue Springs, Lee's Summit, Fort Osage and Liberty one game that he said he will always remember may be before coming to South and his first head coaching job. obvious, it is not for the obvious reasons. ''The first season kind of stands out a “My third year here when we played bit; your first year as a head coach you Park Hill, we needed to win by 10 points always remember,'' said Litchfield. for a chance at the playoffs. We went Litchfield started his first season with and played North Kansas City the week a record of 9-1, but a loss to Park Hill before and got beat, which we shouldn’t stalled the Panthers’ season. Litchfield have. But we won the game by more than and his team came back two years 10 and made the playoffs. [The scenario] later in 2004, making it all the way into was a lot like this year’s going into the the quarterfinals of the state playoffs Oak Park game. The great part about it, before losing to Chase Coffman and the though, was that we didn’t have the most Panthers of Ray-Pec. It was not until this athletic guys, but just a good team,” said year that Litchfield marched his team into Litchfield. the playoffs once again, following a 38 After eight years, Litchfield has 12 pounding of Oak Park. engraved himself not only into people's Despite many victories, it was not memories, but in their hearts as well, such winning that Litchfield loved the most; it as assistant coach Russell McDaniels, was quite simply the coaching aspect communication arts. of football. Litchfield said he loves turning Litchfield coaches varsity football from the “Coach Litchfield has been involved in my life since I was a freshman in mere boys into men and seeing them sideline. Photo by Fontana Franks high school. He is the person I talk have success on the gridiron. He with the most, the person I bounce plans to do the same in the Quad ideas off of and a true friend not just a head coach. He Cities, Iowa, where he and his family are moving for tells you the truth, he tells you what you need to hear, personal reasons. sometimes even if it is not what you want to hear. He is “I’m sending resumes and applications right now. I probably won’t be involved next semester, but I definitely as loyal as they come,” said McDaniels. Whether it be through coaching young men or plan on trying to coach somewhere,” said Litchfield. While finding a new job is a lot of Litchfield’s concern, through a long-standing friendship, Litchfield is more than just an image in South student and staff's minds, he still is, and always will be, a Panther. but an influence within their hearts.— MATT SWIHART “I’d like to see the program get better [at South]. It’s not anywhere near where it should be. Whoever they

A Lasting Impression

tough. We played Park Hill and lost,” said Main. Losing the last game burns an image into an athlete's eyes of the final score. But they are always taught to move on and forget, to have a short term memory. “It was intense. I played my best our last game. I was sad it was over for the seniors,” said Valerie Pollan, senior softball player. Sometimes the last game of the season and the Park Hill games go hand and hand. Seniors like Pollan want to leave it all on the field when it is the last game of the season and possibly their career in that sport. “I gave it 100 percent because it was my last game and it was against Park Hill. We lost the game in districts and we had beat them twice before in the season,” said Pollan. According to some of the athletes at South, playing Park Hill

is more important than Senior Night. These types of rivalries transfer into college. “I don’t plan on playing in college but i joined a co-ed slow pitch league, so I’m pumped for that,” said Pollan. In the past, South has had softball, basketball, football and other sports players go to schools like Missouri, Georgia Tech, Michigan and others. However, the majority do not as only five percent of high school athletes play in the NCAA, according to collegesportsscholarships.com. The last game of an athlete’s senior season is something that is both cherished and feared, fun to look back on the pg memories but sad that it is over.— CODY MEADE

Let’s talk about SEX

Personal Wellness has been a required class since 1990. South itself teaches an abstinence-based education. But some feel that basing a class on abstinence and saying no sex is the only way may make students less aware of contraception. A change in curriculum could result in fewer teens with STD’s and a lower number of unwanted pregnancies, but the debate continues to draw controversy.

box of general Trojan Condoms: 15 dollars. General prescription to a Birth control (with insurance): 50 dollars a month. One hundred percent effectiveness of preventing unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases by not having sex: priceless. As stated in statistics from Soundvision.com, one in four sexually active teenagers are infected with an Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). Four in ten women will become pregnant at least once before they turn 20. People tend to blame these stats on the lack of sexual education in schools. South teaches abstinencebased education which, in part, has to do with the community. ‘‘A few members of the community were concerned [with the content of the curriculum],’’ said Claudia Stehly, personal wellness. Personal Wellness as a class has been required since 1990. Stehly said she has had parents call prior to their children taking the class with concerns but has never had any calls or complaints after the fact, which she said lets her know that parents do not have a problem with her curriculum. Even though, in a soundvision.com poll, pg 80 percent of parents said they would like more taught in their child’s personal

wellness class. ‘‘Missouri is a very conservative state,'' said Dr. Dale Longenecker, principal. Since that is the case, the Park Hill School District “jumped on the bandwagon,” according to Longencker, when it came to teaching abstinence-based education. Abstinence-based is very different than abstinence-only education. Abstinence- based education consists of “acknowledging” that contraception exists, talking about pricing and how to use it, not showing how to use it, but reinforcing that not having sex at all is the best way. For instance, Longenecker said South teachers do not put “condoms on bananas” to demonstrate how to use one. Yet, even without demonstrating contraception, it does not prevent students from knowing how to use it, according to sophomore Chloe Jones. “I feel like everyone knows about condoms. But not using a condom is just because people feel like [unwanted pregnancy or getting an STD] won’t happen to them,” said Jones. Jones also thinks it is weird when curriculums “teach” abstinence because she said it is a personal choice, not a lesson. Other students, like senior Colton Luttrell, said he feels like abstinencebased education is good, and agrees it should be only for people who choose to be abstinent.

Longenecker also agrees that it is a personal choice and it is not the school’s “business” whether students are sexually active or not. He also feels even if there was not just abstinence-based education, and South had demonstrated it, contraception as a whole still might not get through to students. “It is like how we provide all this education and demonstration for students to wear their seat belts, and still, some kids don’t,” said Longenecker. Longenecker also said that there are a number of schools who have abstinence-only education, which means, to those schools, no sex is good sex. Contraception is something that is “touched on” at South, but students like Jones feel they need more. It can be a controversial social issue when it comes to teenagers and high school. Some parents say students need to learn more about it in school, because they are not learning about it at home. “We have to be cautious not to ‘fix’ society in high school,” said Longenecker. The social agenda, he said, is pushing away all of the business aspect of school. For instance, people are more worried about their kids learning about drugs, drinking and sex rather than math and science. Schools are being blamed for students’ “bad choices” in social situations, yet others feel that school is where most students learn social skills and social knowledge. All in all, the question at hand is does abstinence-based education affect how students view contraception and their choices to have sex? According to a study by familyfirstaid.org, 75 percent of teens have had sex by the time they turn twenty. Due to facts like these, the debate continues of whether schools should teach students more about being safe, whether students embrace it or not, if being sexually active is inevitable. —LAUREN MOORE

T H E FA C T S PREGNANCY

Baby Boom Nationally, nearly one million young women under age 20 become pregnant each year. That means close to 2800 teens get pregnant each day.

Abstinence-only education programs were started in the 1980s, teaching that abstaining from sex until marriage is the only effective road to HIV and pregnancy prevention and that waiting until marriage for sex is the expected standard for human sexual behavior. And although many studies have proven these programs ineffective, they are still pervasive in school systems.

75% of teens have had sexual intercourse by the time they turn twenty

90 3 mil

whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Big Idea

no sex is good sex

(Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996).

BY THE NUMBERS

Sources: guttmacher.org, Center For Disease Control, USATODAY and republicoft.com percent chance a sexually active teen who does not use contraceptives has of becoming pregnant within a year

teens, aged 14 to 19, were infected with a sexually transmitted disease in 2008

KEEPIN’ IT COUNTRY

t is not always easy to stay true to country roots when like a get-away from city life. living in a suburban place like Parkville or Riverside, “It’s a vacation for men, and that’s why I like it,” said especially when those roots are to the wilderness and Latteman. rural life. But there is one way that four South students After numerous hunting trips, there are bound to be found to give them a resort to their origins: hunting. some memories that stand out more than another. Juniors Ethan Sickman and Troy Cummins are very “Once recently, I accidentally trespassed onto similar hunters. They both hunt someone’s land, and I hopped mostly deer and turkey, and have up onto a bale of hay. I then been doing so for about 12 years. texted Ben saying ‘Look, I’m Yet, they differ in what they find as on a bale of hay!’ Right then, the thrill of hunting. the land owner drove up in his “The part I like most is knowing truck, so I took off across a that I’m shooting something and creek,” said Hamilton. killing it,” said Cummins. Latteman’s fondest memory As malicious as that may also occurred recently, and sound, there is one delicious use again with his friend Hamilton. for the deer. “We were done hunting “Eating the deer meat in the for the morning, and we were end is the best,” said Sickman. unloading our guns. Chris was Seniors Ben Latteman and Chris Hamilton While Sickman and Cummins unloading his rifle on the other pose with their shotguns before hunting for squirrel in Platte City. Photo by Matt Swihart are two more serious hunters, seniors side of his truck, and he accidentally Ben Latteman and Christopher Hamilton shot his gun into the ground at point said they like to hunt for the fun and blank, exploding dirt all over the inside memories that they make. of his truck and hitting me in the face,” said Latteman. Latteman and Hamilton have both been hunting since “My first thought was that Chris shot a hole in his truck or they were six years old, and both caught on to this longshot his foot, but I didn’t hear a scream. So I continued standing tradition from their fathers. However, they said unloading my gun with my ears ringing, because I didn’t they have fun in making the experience more of their own. know what else to do.” “My favorite part about hunting is carrying a gun and Whether hunting is a lifestyle, or just something fun to telling dirty jokes,” said Hamilton. do on the weekends, these four students are a part of the Although Hamilton and Latteman typically keep their small group of students that find comfort outside of the city hunting trips within the state of Missouri, it can always feel lines. —MATT SWIHART

More Than Motivation: Economic times have taken a turn for the worse, but people still reach out to help those in greater need than themselves. Early in November, South participated in the Harvester’s Food Drive to do this: help others, give food to people that really need it and have a free pizza food day in tutorial. If people really help others just out of the kindness of their heart, then why do they need an incentive to get started? Why do they need the promise of free donuts or a free pizza food day to bring one measly can of food to school? “I think if incentive is what it takes people to get started, it’s necessary,” said Deanna Koelliker, Key Club sponsor. “If it gets people to realize the joy of giving, okay.” According to Koelliker, many teenagers need an pg incentive to help them get into helping others and realize the benefits of it.

The truth behind inspiration

“I would also say that donating time to people in need is self-serving. It makes you feel good [when you help other people],” said Brian Van Batavia, science. Van Batavia said that he donates his time to charity year-round because he believes he is called to help others and has a duty to do so. “For STUCO, we have to do twelve hours [of volunteer work] but I try to do more if I can,” said Lauren Short, sophomore. “I think it’s good [to help others]. I feel better when I do it.” Despite this, Koelliker said she has seen fewer and fewer people at meetings for Key Club, a volunteer group that helps others. “I have seen a lack of participation in charity organizations like Key Club,” said Koelliker. “Part of the problem is kids don’t see their parents doing it. I think it’s sad. People have gotten apathetic and lazy. When I do charity work, my kids are right there with me.”

Short said that she feels as though people helped more in the past and now care more about taking care of themselves. Reasoning for this could be attributed to the hard economics times affecting everyone. But according to Van Batavia, despite the economic times, people are still donating their time or resources to helping others. “They know that even though they don’t have as much as they need to, there are more people that have nothing [at all],” said Van Batavia. Without an actual statistic, it is hard to say for sure if fewer people are inclined to help others without an incentive or if more people want to help others because they know how hard it is to survive. “I think motivation helps,” said Short. “But people shouldn’t help for just physical prizes. They should help for the self-esteem [from helping others].” —JENNIFER COLOMA

Take One For The Team Season Freshman Volleyball team helps rivals deal with death of teammate

reshman volleyball has gotten recognition for an undefeated season this year, but they also made another remarkable gesture that was barely acknowleged: helping an opposing team following the sudden death of one of their players. The South volleyball team tried to get into the Blue Springs Freshman Center Volleyball tournament, held at the Blue Springs freshman center, at the end of September but signed up too late. According to Coach Karen McConnell, they had signed up late after dropping out of the Blue Springs tournament the weekend before. “Blue Springs called to ask if we could fill in for Platte City after they cancelled,” said McConnell. “Because they knew that we wanted into the tournament.” Platte City dropped out of the tournament because one of their volleyball players was in a car accident earlier that week. Kelsey Morris, freshman, died on Oct. 12, just one day after the wreck occurred. The accident happened while she was on her way to Sunday services with the church youth minister, according to KMBC 9 News reports. Several other kids were injured in the collision, but Morris was the only fatality. McConnell said the school district and the team decided to cancel

all activities the following week. “Kelsey died so the school cancelled all activities out of respect,” said freshman Hanna Franklin. “We had to fill in for Platte City in the tournament.” The volleyball team played the entire tournament for Platte City and when they beat Liberty in the championship game, the girls had a plan for the trophy. “We decided to give the trophy to the Platte City volleyball team in memory of Kelsey,” said Lauren Thetford, freshman. McConnell said the whole team jumped on the idea of giving the trophy away when it was mentioned. “All of the girls thought that the trophy ultimately should be given to Platte City,” said McConnell. “And the parents agreed with them.” According to Franklin, the South coaches drove the trophy to Platte City to give it to the team. “The girls on Platte City’s [volleyball] team appreciated the trophy a lot,” said Franklin. “They sent us a thank you note.” — AMY WILLSEY

25-7, 25-10

Winnetonka

25-21, 26-24

Wm. Chrisman 25-22, 25-12

Park Hill

25-18, 25-23

Liberty-South Valley 25-15. 25-23

North Kansas City 25-15. 15-25, 25-7

Oak Park

25-22, 25-18

St. Joe Central 25-13, 25-14

Winnetonka

25-14, 25-17

Wm. Chrisman Park Hill

25-22, 24-26, 25-15

Ruskin

25-8, 25-12

Raytown

25-8, 25-22

Oak Park

25-20, 25-17

The Freshmen Volleyball Team poses for a photo. Photo provided by Coach Karen McConnell

According to Coach McConnell, the Freshmen Volleyball Team was undefeated in regular season play, beat Liberty Jr. High up in the finals and won first place in the Blue Springs Tournament.

what’s Hot

Lauren Thetford, freshman.

St. Joe Central

25-8, 25-19

“We decided

to give the trophy to the Platte City volleyball team in memory of Kelsey,” said

Scores

From the kitchen of the View... Gingerbread Cookies

1. Ingredients

-1 1/2 cups dark molasses -1 cup packed brown sugar -2/3 cup cold water -1/3 cup shortening -7 cups all-purpose flour -2 teaspoons baking soda -1 teaspoon salt -1 teaspoon ground allspice -2 teaspoons ground ginger -1 teaspoon ground cloves -1 teaspoon ground cinnamon -1 (16 ounce) package chocolate frosting

2. Prepare

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet.

3. Mix

Mix all ingredients together, sifting in the flour.

4. Make patterns

Refrigerate for 2 hours, then roll out and cut your cookies into desired pattern.

5. Bake

Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool before decorating.

The Death of FamilyDinners >>The former hub of American families takes a back seat

For decades, family dinners have been

the norm. It was been the stereotype that the mother makes the homecooked meal, timed perfectly to have the food coming out of the oven right when her husband arrives home from work. This sterotype is hardly the case anymore, according to junior Jordan Locke. “The hierarchy has changed,” said Locke. “Oftentimes the woman doesn’t have time to make a homemade meal because she has a job of her own.” Locke does not have family meals because she said everybody in her family is going in “different directions.” “We don’t have time for family dinners. But it’s okay because my family is so close, we don’t need the extra time to bond,” said Locke. On the other hand, freshman Alejandra Ortiz said she thinks

that family dinners are a necessity for families to keep in touch with one another. “[Dinner] is a time for family members to get stuff out and share with one another,” said Ortiz. “It makes a family close.”

and four and knows that as they get older, family dinners will become more rare. “I’m trying to enjoy it all now because as kids get older, they get involved with different activities,” said Reuscher. “We’ll lose time for the family meals.” Although Ortiz and Reuscher both eat family dinners nearly every night, they said that they understand why a lot of people do not. “More parents are working and it breaks up the family dynamic,” said Reuscher. Ortiz said that the country has just gotten busy while Locke thinks that everything has been modernized. “We’ve become more modern as a country,” said Locke, “We don’t need family pg dinners like we used to.” —AMY WILLSEY

Thehierarchy

“haschanged.” According to Ortiz, she has a family dinner every night. Likewise, Chris Reuscher, communication arts, has a family dinner “pretty much every night.” He agreed that family meals are important. “It’s our meeting ground to talk about our day and to enjoy each other,” said Reuscher. Reuscher has children aged six

Lady Panther

P nk

First pink ribbons, then pink gloves and now pink T-shirts represent support for Breat Cancer Awareness at South. But the Pink T-shirts, “a combined brain child of John Sedler and the Lady Panthers Basketball Booster Club,” according to Ann Hansbrough, Booster Club member, have a two-fold purpose: raising both awareness for breast cancer and money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and inspiring school spirit to get students to come to the girls' basketball games. “This year we’re trying to generate excitement about the girls’ basketball program and increase attendance at home games,” said Jenny Orlowski, girls’ basketball coach. Accompaning the Pink T-shirts was plans for a Dance Competition during half time of the basketball home games. “The dance competition is actually a separate event from the Pink Panther Game and Pink Panther T-Shirts,” said Hansbrough. “We somewhat “borrowed” a technique from the Royals Baseball Team and minor league hockey. The more fun the activities are at a game, the more attendance you will receive. Continuing that with the

2 pg

>>The Three Best Christmas Comedies

A Christmas Story Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) tells the story of a particular Christmas season in Hammond Indiana in the 1940s. Ralphie, then a nineyear-old, tries to convince everybody that the perfect gift for him would be a Red Ryder carbine action 200 shotrange model air rifle BB Gun.

Christmas Vacation

Four out of four christmas trees. Without a doubt, the greatest Christmas movie ever.

Clark Griswold hosts many members of his dysfunctional family at his house for the Christmas holiday. Everything that can seems to be going wrong for Clark, but he is able to justify all of his bad luck because he can rely on getting that Christmas bonus.

popularity of “Dancing with The Stars,” we thought it would be fun to have a contest that involved the entire student body and [offered] significant prizes for the winner.” The prize for the dance competition was a Prom or Courtwarming Package: basically a free paid trip to either dance. “I wish that people would just do [the dance] for the fun of it and support [our] games,” said Stephanie Griffith, junior and Varsity girls basketball player. “But the fact of the matter is people need to be motived.” But according to Hansbrough, even with the paid Prom/ Courtwarming Package, few people had entered the dance competition. “Even with the significant prize package, the number of entries is disappointing,” said Hansbrough. “Additionally, we thought the contest might bring fans of the dancers to the games to cheer on their favorites.'' Due to lack of entries, the dance competition for Courtwarming was cancelled. Now, the Prom Package is being raffled off. The ultimate goal of the contest and T-shirts is to get more people to come to each home game and motivated to come to the Pink Panther game on Jan. 14. According to Hansbrough, the entire admission receipts for that day will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Hansbrough said, “It is our hope that these events will rally the students to have enthusiasm for the team.” — JENNIFER COLOMA

Elf

—EVAN WHITE

Buddy is a human that thinks he is an elf, but finds out that his real dad is in New York. Buddy goes on an adventure to New York to find his family and finds that it is a much different place than he expects.

This gets three trees primarily because of humor. Maybe the funniest Christmas movie, especially for those who like the eighties movies’ sense of humor.

Two and a half trees because Will Ferrell makes every movie funny, but this movie is not up to the high standards he has set.

Thrifting Chris Barth, 12

Shirt $3 Pants $5

>>South students recycle clothes by shopping at thrift stores.

Kara Miller, 12

Shirt $3 Skirt $3 Shoes $2

Cecilia Pfaff, 11

Flannel $2 Pants $4

Alec Russel, 11

Necklace $4 Tank Top $3 Jeans $25

—JULIA SUMPTER

Athletes Slide By: Alleged special treatment debated

he debate that athletes get special treatment has been going on for years, not only at the professional and college level, but at the high school level as well. The most obvious place that is noticed is in professional sports. For example, in 1998 St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little hit and killed a man with his car after leaving a birthday party. Little’s blood alcohol level was measured at 0.19. The legal limit is .08. Little was well over the legal limit but was charged with involuntary manslaughter and served only 60 days in jail and 1000 community service hours. Little was also the Rams third round pick and had his job waiting for him when he got out. Then, six years later, Little got another D.U.I and is still playing on Sundays. Many people in the job force would lose their jobs over something like this. There are several examples in society and professional sports but what about the high school level? “I think it depends on the teacher, if it is like a coach, they understand if practice runs late and you can’t turn in your homework,” said Mallory Ross, junior. There have been reports from across the country in recent years about coaches changing or buying grades for their athletes. The one that sticks out is head football coach Rush Propst of Hoover High School being fired after changing grades for athletes so they would be eligible to play college football. Hoover High School is a very football-

oriented school, even having their own show on MTV called “Two-A-Days.” “I personally think we do a lot for the school for it to be known for sports. If you do anything, you should be rewarded,” said Ross. The opinions vary at South, as it is a controversial issue. Many students do not believe that it is fair for the athletes to get extra time to get to do homework when they do not. “I think that football players get more leniency when they don’t do their homework,” said Taylor Osbern, sophomore. Equality is preached all throughout school, but is it actually put into affect? “I don’t think it’s fair. All students are equal,” said Osbern. Many argue that athletes are put on a pedestal and held higher in society than everyone else. Professional athletes like Randy Moss, Pacman Jones and Terrell Owens know this and take advantage of their social status, but does it all start in high school? “I don’t have any of my players in class but they have the same responsibilities as the other students,” said John Campbell, social studies teacher and boys' tennis coach. An athlete's career will not last forever,and if an athlete's career is cut short, they need to have pg another way to bring in money. Off the field is when academics are put into play. — CODY MEADE

think it’s fair. “AllI don’t students are equal.”

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>>ROID RAGE: Bowls Need Some Insight

n Sunday, Dec. 6, the BCS and other argument here though; it’s the fact that two bad teams are college football bowl games came playing each other in a good bowl. out with their matchups for the 2009 Navy, even with their record, has little to no credentials season. Not surprisingly, only four Big 12 teams were left out for the Texas Bowl. Although Navy did record a win against of the festivities. Even with this success, one team is feeling a ranked Notre Dame this season, their status as an very bitter about their bowl invitation. independent team doesn’t give opponents much fear. With Missouri (8-4) was invited to play in the Texas Bowl 4223 yards of total offense and an average of 28.3 points per against Navy (8-4) on New Year’s Eve in Houston, Texas game, Navy seems to fare relatively well with Missouri’s 5006 at Reliant Stadium. Meanwhile, yards of total offense and average of Iowa State (6-6) was invited to play 30.3 points per game. against the Big Ten’s Minnesota Especially since the game is (6-6) in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, being televised on ESPN, I would Arizona, also on New Year’s Eve. assume that many Missouri fans that Most would say this is fair enough; otherwise would be willing to travel both teams are playing a team with will be tuning in to channel 33 on the same record, and both on Dec. New Year’s Eve to watch their Tigers 31. But there is more to see than pick apart a weak records and dates when it comes to Navy team. bowl games, and a major factor is If Missouri were to be playing in Senior linebacker Sean Weathermoney. the Insight Bowl, I would suspect that spoon. Photo from huskerxtra.com The last time Iowa State played more fans would be willing to spend in the Insight Bowl, they brought over 20,000 some money and make the trip for several fans. Iowa State ended up winning 37-29, while the total game reasons. First, the game is being televised on NFL network, attendance was 41,813. This seemed to be one of the major a channel that most people cannot view without paying some reasons that the Insight Bowl invited Iowa State back, their fan extra cash. Secondly, Missouri would be playing a Big Ten support. This brings great business to the Tempe area, and a team, something that does not usually happen within the lot of ticket sales. regular season. And lastly, Missouri would be playing a game Since 2000, ticket sales have had a gradual increase, that they would have an even better chance of winning. going from 41,813 to almost 50,000 fans in attendance. Also Personally, I would be much more willing to travel to a game in the past 10 years, the scores of the game have gone up. that I am more confident that my team will win. There isn’t From 1989-1999, the average final score of the game was 35a better scenario for Missouri and the Insight Bowl: warm 18. But from 2000 to the present, the average final score was weather, a different team across the ball, and a good chance a whopping 41-28. Most football fans know that offenses puts of getting the W. fans in the stands; and that’s exactly what both Iowa State and The Insight Bowl committee was only after the money, but Minnesota lack. they apparently seem to be ripping themselves off along with Iowa State is averaging only a mere 21.1 points per game. Missouri. Looks like Missouri fans will be having flashbacks Minnesota isn’t much better with an average of 21.6 points per from two years ago while watching their Tigers sink the game. Overall, the Minnesota and Iowa State matchup seems Shipmen of Navy.—MATT SWIHART to make sense. Two bad teams playing each other is not the

The Word

Disenchanting

Now that everyone’s summer tans have retired, I can think of no more opportune a moment to plant this little seed of insight into our student body’s minds. Tanning salons are called tanneries. Tanneries outside of suburbia are places where people convert decaying animal hides to leather. LEATHER. What do you get when you come out of a tanning salon? Skin like the inside of an old catcher’s mitt. Coincidence? I think not. Some disgruntled marketing employee had a lot of fun coming up with that company title there. I don’t understand the appeal of tanning. Sure, you eventually get darker, but instead of being a shade of brownish, you can come

Tanning

out looking like a carrot. And that’s not even the worst of it. According to the Miami Herald, tanning beds have been bumped up the list of top cancer risks in today’s society alongside mustard gas and arsenic, which are both equally as pretty as melanoma. Another thing I don’t quite get is why people are so keen to pay for this. For around 50 dollars a month you have the privilege to pay for something that if you just walk outside (which you will have to do to actually get to the tanning salon), you can get for free. So for the low, low price of 600 bucks per year, the young men and women of the world can start their transformations into the ranch animal of their choice every time they tan. This is a prime example of how people will literally die to be beautiful

all across the globe. Today the trends are tanning, anorexia and bulimia, skin bleaching and DIY plastic surgery. Sadly, This whole idea to sacrifice anything to be “gorgeous” isn’t a revolutionary new idea. In the early 1900’s people would ingest tapeworms to help lose weight. As early as 1820, both men and women would wear corsets to help reduce their waist size. Sure, you won’t actually drop dead walking out of a tanning salon, but is your perceived beauty really worth the risk? At least you know you’ll have a narrow waist and tan skin when you’re being viewed in your pg casket. After all, aren’t appearances everything? —JULIA SUMPTER

holiday happenings

Give Me A Break W

hen it comes to winter break this year, no more vacations, no more lazy days and no more going to visit someone in general. But due to the shortened schedule, should it even acknowledged as a break anymore? Members of the district's calendar commitee say yes. “As a graduate of Park Hill and teaching here for 20 years, the Winter Break has always been pretty much the same depending on what day Christmas falls on,” said Mike Hoffman, math. For the last couple of years, Winter Break has started around Dec 19. It now starts on Dec 24, the day before Christmas Eve. “I don’t like this change at all. It’s just ridiculous if you ask me, it’s so close to Christmas day itself,” said sophomore Brandi Weymuth. According to Dr. Dale Longenecker, principal, the overall break depends on the day on which Christmas falls. Last year it just so happened that the day

A special 8-page section on all things Holiday related. Written and designed by the fall 2009 Journalism 1 class

Christmas fell on allowed a two week break. “Last year you guys just got lucky. Don’t worry, it will happen again in six years,” said Longenecker. After having a two week break last year, students were excited and used to the change. They expected to have it the following year, which may be why there is so much controversy about it. “Now I can't go to San Diego to see my pops because I normally leave on Dec 19,” said sophomore Jamir Brown. Due to the fact that students have not been told the reason why break is shortened, many are angry, but might feel better if they understood it is shorter because Christmas falls on a Friday this year. So the answer to the question, “Is it really a break?” is yes, it is a break. You’ll just have to enjoy it a little quicker this year. —ASHLEY BROWN

Remember When... >> South students reminisce about childhood holiday memories

the snow with shovels. Once Kolasa made it inside, he told his parents he had just been outside sleeping in his fort. His parents were relieved Kolasa was okay, but ended up destroying his snow fort.

“

Leaving your bedroom early in the morning, you tip-toe into the family room and your eyes light up. Under a glowing tree are piles of presents. Many people remember things from their childhood that stay with them even to high school, and some of these memories were made in some of the country’s many educational establishments. “We used to have candy cane eating contests [in school],” said Gavin Kolasa, senior, “and I ended up losing because I stabbed myself in the mouth.” Kolasa also had another favorite childhood memory. “I fell asleep in a snow fort in my yard. I made in a forest-type area,” Kolasa said. “When I woke up the police were at my house.” Kolasa said his parents were frantic because they could not find their 12year-old son. As Kolasa pg exited his fort, he noticed police were swarmed around his house, picking through

I have to go see Santa Clause until I’m 18.

Junior Emma Lettera may not have a memory as extreme as Kolasa’s, but she does remember making Christmas ornaments in school. “I have tons of them,” Lettera said. “My mom hangs them on the kitty tree.” Lettera’s ‘kitty tree’ is just a miniature Christmas tree that is decorated with all of her hand-made ornaments throughout the years. Although candy cane eating contests and making ornaments are things that Kolasa and Lettera remember from their

childhood, one of the more memorable things that the majority actually participated in at school was the yearly Christmas party in elementary school. “Yeah, we probably did [have Christmas parties], I just didn’t enjoy them. The helping moms were kind of jerks,” Emma Schlagenhauff, sophomore, said. Schlagenhauff’s more memorable moment from when she was little was when she wrote her letter to Santa. “I think in second grade we wrote letters to Santa. I asked for a pony and actually got one,” she said. Regardless of whether it was winter parties or candy cane eating contests, or even made ornaments in school, everyone has at least one holiday memory, and some just cannot grow out of them. In fact, freshman Jake Little said his mom always wants his memory captured in a photo. “I have to go see Santa Clause until I’m 18,” he said. — ELIZABETH WILLIAMS

semester STRESS As the semester comes to an end, Winter Break looms in the distance, but before you can enjoy anything you have to close the chapter of your semester grades. Students do this by taking finals, which not only determine grades but also test over all the things learned over the last five months. Junior Katie Bredeson explained how stressed she gets before finals. “I don’t have finals in my AP world and AP Language classes because they’re all year long, but in Chem 2, I do have one, and I’m very nervous for it,” said Bredeson. One way Bredeson studies for her tests is the week before, she starts to review her notes and books from the last two quarters. She studies for about 30 minutes every day. Another way is to get a few of her friends together; they quiz each other and eats snacks. They like to call it a “study party.” “I get very stressed for my finals because I feel like I don’t always know all the material as well as I should, and trying to juggle school with my other activities makes it even harder,” said Bredeson. Blake Foster, freshman, did not have much to say about finals other then he was just ready to take them. “I’m not nervous for them or anything. I’m just going to study and hope I pass,” said Foster.

Foster said he has good grades in all of his classes but he is worried for his Algebra final because that is the hardest class for him. According to The Associated Content, many students do worse on their tests because of staying up late trying to study, and that just makes them more tired when they have to test. They recommend a few tips on how to make acing your test easier, such as not studying for more then two hours. Studying for that long gives you a headache and then leads to forgetting much of what was just learned. The best way to study is to go through notes and study for about two hours, then take a 15 minute break and drink something. Give yourself a break, then study more. But always, always get a good night sleep. Unlike some students that still have more school ahead of them, Lindsay Saunders, senior, has already gotten acceptance letters to colleges so she said she is not too worried about her finals. “I guess I probably would have been nervious for finals but now that I know I have options for college, I’m not worried at all,” Saunders said. Whether finals are stressful or just a hassle, student have one thing to look forward to when they are complete: winter break. —BLAKE RESER

>>seniors say

goodbye

or most students, Winter Break money to go to Northwest is a realization that the year Missouri State University. She said is halfway over. But for some she chose this option because she seniors, Dec. 23 symbolizes their last had all her credits, and did not want day ever of high school. to go to school any longer. Early graduation is something McHenry said, “I’m not upset to be seniors can choose to do if they have leaving. I'm actually excited.” all of their 28 credits and have had 7 Matt McKeon, senior, has different semesters of schooling. Graduating plans. He chose to enroll in the Navy, gives them an opportunity to start and attend college after his years in college early, work or even go into the the service. service. “I worked hard in school, probably “Its a pretty neat option for stayed awake a whole ten minutes in students,” said Dr. each class, and I’m happy to Dale Longenecker, grad requirements be done,” said McKeon. principal. Madisyn Swoboda, Natalie McHenry, senior, was the only one to senior, is one of the say she would miss high early graduates. school and her friends. She plans on “I’m excited to sleep in and working and saving I still get to go to prom and

28 credits 7 semesters

graduation, but it’s kind of sad because I’ll miss some friends,” said Swoboda. Swoboda is enrolled at Maple Woods for the spring semester, and after that will transfer to Missouri Western. Out of around 400 seniors at south, around 50 will graduate early, according to Longnecker. So even if you are returning after Jan. 5, look forward to less crowded hallways and being that much closer pg to summer vacation. —MALANA BRADFORD

Holidays in a

>> A guide to holiday coffee drinks

s the holiday season approaches, the days get longer and the weather gets drearier, staying inside a warm coffeehouse drinking a steamy cup of holiday joe probably sounds pretty good to most of us. I visited Kansas City’s most prominent coffee joints and sampled a few of their drinks to give you an idea of what you might want to order next time you’re in the mood for something caffeinated. I began my taste test with the wellknown coffeehouse Starbucks. This season, Starbucks’ lineup includes a trio of specialty flavors that its website promises will “brighten your holiday spirits,” the Gingerbread Latte, Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog Latte. For anyone who likes the flavor of candy canes, I’d definitely recommend the Peppermint Mocha. It was by far the best out of the three I tried. It had the

right amount of coffee, balanced with a minty undertone. Expresso, steamed milk, peppermint flavoring and chocolate are all combined to make this drink a real hit. A medium has 470 calories, according to Starbucks’ website. “This marks the tenth year of the Gingerbread Latte at Starbucks,” according to Tara Hinkle’s blog. Hinkle is the product manager on the espresso team leading the Starbucks holiday beverage promotion this year. This drink is available as a latte, or without coffee, as a Crème. Starbucks’ website says this drink is 430 calories for a medium. I tried the latte, and wasn’t impressed. For anyone who likes their coffee strong, this drink disappoints. It’s very watered down, bland, and the individual flavors didn’t mix quite right. If I hadn’t already

New Year, New You

As the New Year rolls in, South students make their 2010 resolutions Every January, people make changes to their daily life called New Year’s resolutions. South students, like others, are making their yearly resolutions. “I want to do something that scares me everyday,” said Lauren Rittman, sophomore. ''The fun's in seeing how long you last.'' Student resolutions are ambitious, as many talked about losing weight, eating better or improving grades for the new semester. However, not everyone can keep their resolutions. “I’m going to work really hard on [my resolution] this year,” said Hannah Woodson, sophomore, whose resolution is to stop publicly picking her nose. “I never seem to make it.” Every year something happens that keeps people from fulfilling their resolutions. Tim Albright, sophomore, said he had a resolution to run daily that lasted for three months. It ended because of distractions like video games and friends. pg According to a study by John C. Norcross, psychology professor at the

University of Scranton, after one month, 36 percent of people have broken their New Year’s Resolution. There are simple ways to help improve your chances of keeping your resolution. Don’t make impossible resolutions. It is good to be ambitious, but keep it realistic. It also helps to have only one or two resolutions a year. It is hard to accomplish multiple resolutions.

Last, make sure you tell friends and family about your resolution; they are there to help you and can help you realize your resolutions. “[A resolution] gives you goals that you work hard to do. And it’s entertaining and fun, plus the new year doesn’t feel official without one,” said Rittman. —HARRISON WHITE

U P C

known, I wouldn’t guess it was supposed to be gingerbread flavored. Instead of Starbuck’s Gingerbread Latte, I recommend Panera Bread’s version, which looks and tastes much more appealing served in a warm mug with whipped cream and caramel on top. It easily has twice the flavor and only comes in at 350 calories. Starbucks has been serving an Eggnog Latte for 24 years, according to Hinkle’s blog. It has a very sweet taste, but I obviously wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who doesn’t like eggnog. Caribou Coffee, with its nearest location a few miles from South, was my next stop. It had a much wider selection of holiday drinks, most of which came in either hot or cold versions. Almost everything had a holiday feel to it, but maybe that was just the atmosphere of the place. A few plush chairs seated around the fire, you really feel like you’re sitting at a ski lodge. Unfortunately, Caribou racks up the most in calorie count. According to the website, the Hoho Mint Mocha in white chocolate is 550 for a medium, and it’s 620 calories for a medium Fa La La Latte. Everything else about these drinks was very nice. I loved the cold version of the Hoho Mint Mocha, which was syrupy, sweet and the flavors were very well blended. Like most of Caribou’s drinks, this reminded me more of candy or ice cream than coffee. The hot version of the Hoho Mint mocha seemed a little bland comparatively, so I’d definitely recommend getting it cold. Whether you choose Starbucks or Caribou, now you’ll know what to buy to keep you awake to study the night before finals. —RACHEL NOLL

Ahh, the holidays

he time for hot chocolate, Christmas lights and family traditions is finally here. At South, many students celebrate different customs they do every year during the anticipated season. Whether it is sitting by the fire, hitting the hills for sledding or decorating the tree, the holidays keep everyone busy. When most people think of traditions, they normally think of spending time with family, decorating the house or baking Christmas cookies. But some students, like Justin Dixon, junior, celebrate in a more unique way. “We go hunting for a turkey and we cut off its head and put it on the table for our feast,” Dixon said, “We’ve been doing it since I came out of the womb.” On the other hand, Erica Welch, sophomore, likes to keep things extra traditional. She enjoys baking in the kitchen with her mom and grandma, even though the cookies do not turn out well. “I just love the smell of cookies baking, you know?” Welch

Tasty

s e fl f u r T

gar utter 1/2 c. b cked brown su a 3/4 c. p nilla extract a 1 tsp. v purpose flour ll a etened 2 c. can swe .) z o 4 1 1( chips sed milk conden weet chocolate ans emis 1/2 c. s chopped pec ly e n k fi r ba 1 c. hocolate 1.5 lb. c ndy coating ca

said, “We’ve baked them forever.” Many families like baking, because it brings them together as a family. Mathias Kuhl, freshman, said that his mom makes fudge every Christmas, while Briana Luevano, junior, makes tamales with her grandma. Even Kansas City has its own traditions. The Plaza continues to put lights up every year around all the buildings, which a lot of people enjoy going down there to see and shop around. “We always go down to the Plaza every year to shop, and my family goes out for brunch.That’s when we get each other our gifts,” said Taylor Crawford, sophomore. People can make almost anything a tradition by doing something new with friends or family. Crawford said that he would like to go to Mexico or another tropical place to skip Christmas, because he does not like the cold Kansas City weather. It is never too late to start a tradition of your own. —SAVANNAH ELLER

>>Make delightfully yummy treats with the snap of your finger Who doesn’t love quick and tasty desserts? Whether it is cookies or candy, there are a variety of sweet treats to choose from. It’s a wonder we all aren’t continuously stuffing ourselves with delectable goodies. Some of my favorites are definitely the more simple desserts, the ones that don’t take a lot of time and turn out great. To find reciipes for other yummy treats, look at foodnetwork.com. They have lots of good looking recipes worth trying. But, for just a few suggestions, I have always liked making (and obviously eating) fruit pizza, or using melted chocolate bark and add your favorite chex cereal, pretzels or nuts. For this holiday season, I tried a new recipe: Cookie Dough Truffles. Here is a step by step guide to help you prepare these goodies for your family this season. —KENZIE MORAN In a mixer, mix together the butter and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy. Softening the butter just a little will help a lot. When creamy, add the vanilla, and then the flour a little at a time and continue mixing.

Once the flour is added, stop mixing and stir in the sweetened milk, along with the chocolate chips and pecans. Stir well!

Place wax paper onto a cookie sheet. Roll dough into small balls and set on wax paper. The dough will be a little sticky, so roll your hands in a bit of flour to keep it from sticking to your fingers. Refrigerate for two hours.

After the two hours, melt the chocolate bark candy coating in a double boiler. If you don't have one, microwave the candy coating. Directions on how to melt are on the package and it works just the same.

Dip the cookie dough balls into the melted coating, covering them completely. Once they are covered, carefully pull them out one by one. Use a spoon or tongs, and grab them lightly so as not to scrape the coating off.

Place the cookie dough balls, now covered in chocolate, back onto wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Then remove from the wax paper and enjoy!

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell,

STOP!

ver notice how certain things during the Holidays irritate you like crazy? The holidays are supposed to be a time of happiness for all people and a time for relaxation. Nowadays, the holidays are hectic, stressful and not relaxing at all. When it comes to the holidays, I took a survey of what people find most irritating about the holidays, and most people’s number one irritation was the overplayed Christmas music. This is also my number one irritation. Christmas music starts playing in the beginning of November. By the time it is actually Christmas, you get so annoyed that you don’t even want to hear it. For instance, Jingle Bells is that number one song that just ticks me off. It is overplayed and really isn’t a good song. There goes that Holiday spirit. I think if they start playing the music starting around Dec. 20 then it could be enjoyed more. Another irritation when it comes to the Holidays is not the snow days, but making them up. When you think of it, they are not really worth it because that makes the school year longer. This isn’t a big issue, but most students would like to get out before June.

3 1

top holiday stressors lack of money Seventy-one percent of Americans put this at the top of their holiday stress list

3 pg

pressures of gift giving

lack of time *Source: American Psychological Association (APA) 2009 “Stress In America” Survey

The last irritation is how much money is spent during the holidays. This is mostly irritating to parents, though. There is a lot of money spent for gifts and vacations for family. Every time during the holidays I’m broke for all the gifts I buy for my friends and family, which then I have nothing to spend for me after the holidays. The stress that comes along with all of that doesn’t seem worth it, but I still do it anyway. “I hate how much money I spend during the Holidays, but when I see the looks on my kids’ faces, that makes me forget about how much money I spent,” said Nicole Termini, mother of five. Now, as you can tell, I have a lot of irritations during the Holidays as well, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy this time of year. The best part of the Holidays is being with your family and friends, and that is what needs to be brought back instead of the stress, irritating music and empty wallets. At the end of the day, it is a time for happiness and relaxation, so I say we enjoy it in ever way possible. Happy Holidays! —CHANDLER TERMINI

All Corners of the World >>Students travel to exotic holiday destinations

Is all of the stress leading up to break really worth it? Many students at South say yes, because they have already planned out their winter vacations. Even though break is shortened this year due to Christmas being on a Friday, students said that they are going to make the best of it. Many families are taking vacations to interesting places as a way of relieving some holiday stress. Emily Dillman, junior, is lucky enough to go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico this December. However, she is not just going with family. Dillman’s mother is allowing her to bring a friend, junior Alyssa O’Connor, along as well. Dillman said that she is excited to get away from everything and everybody for a while. “School is stressful. I’m looking forward to break because I get to hang out with my family and best friend in a beautiful city. I just wish break was longer,” said Dillman. Another South student, Yohan Vasquez, junior, is going to Cuba over break. Vasquez is going to visit his family he has not seen in a while. “I’m packing my dogs up and we’re going to go back to Cuba. I’m so

excited to get out of school and go somewhere with great weather. We’re lucky we got our tickets a long time ago so that we’ll be there on Christmas,” Vasquez said. There are many other students at South who are going different places this Christmas as well. Whether just for fun, to visit family, to get away from all of the school and work stress or just to hang out with family, vacations are one rewarding way to end the year or even ring in a new one. Vacations can be expensive, though. Not everyone is lucky enough to go on vacations all the time. With the struggling economy, prices for flights go up and down every day. Once you count hotels, transportation and entertainment, it all starts to add up. If you can’t get away this holiday break, consider just going to a new place or trying an activity you’ve never done before. You can have just as much fun in the snow as on a beach. Even if you just stay at home and relax, go out with friends a lot. Make the most of your break. —HALLE PONICK

working hard for

THE MONEY

he semester is almost over and many South students are looking forward to the Holiday Break as a time to relax and not think of anything relating to school. However, some students will be very busy. While many students will be planning their break around the new ‘Call of Duty’ game, other students will be hard at work at their jobs. Sophomore Christina Lueth is one of those people. Lueth works at Granite City as a hostess and said she works for the “moo-la.” “It can be stressful, but they pay me”, said Lueth. She said she will be working her usually shifts over the holiday, about 20 hours a week, but will not be working on Christmas or New Year's Eve. As a student who has had a job since 15, Mackenzie Booth, senior, knows what it is like working during the holidays. As a hostess at Nick and Jake’s, Booth said she is usually assigned more shifts over the holidays to help with the larger crowds of people, and she even had to work last Christmas Eve. Along with more shifts, there is also the stress from other co-workers. “A lot of hosts make it hard,” said Booth. Although working during the holidays may not seem fun, some business are looking for ways to keep their employees happy. Sophomore Mitchell McDonald will spend his break changing oil, rotating tires and cleaning

cars at Watson’s Express Lube. To keep the employees happy, Watson’s Express Lube is holding a Christmas Party to make the job seem more fun. At Nick and Jake's, Booth likes it when the fireplace is on because it changes the atmosphere of the restaurant. While not everyone at South has a job, many students see the holidays as a good reason for needing one. Sophomore Colby Hughes is one of those people and recently applied for a job at McDonald’s. Although Hughes described life without a job as being boring, he has also found himself ''in the hole'' and said he needs money for holiday shopping. Although they have to work over the break, some students don’t seem to mind it too much. “It keeps me on a schedule,” said Booth, “I like to be on schedule.” For McDonald, working over the holidays rewards him with his favorite part of the job: getting paid cash. —MAX RODGERS

Ho Ho Ho-liday Prices >>Dealing with the economy this holiday season

With Christmas right around the corner and the way the economy is, with the people getting paid less or laid off, it could cause problems with the holiday pricing. As the prices rise, students find it harder to compensate. In many stores, the prices rise around the holiday season. However, this year many people do not have the money to spend because of the state of the economy. Even though there were numerous sales on Black Friday, prices are

still higher than they were last year. Amanda Danneau-Rever, sophomore, worked at GoLogo in the Tuleries Plaza. She said they have buy-one-get-one-half-off sales, which many stores are featuring to get more people in to shop. Students like Deb Zapata, sophomore, shop sales and clearance because it is cheaper. “Depending on the importance of the person, depends on how much I spend on them. Like for my Mom and sisters, I just make them things,” said Zapata. LaBrone Williams, senior, shops like Zapata. He said he ''goes for the cheap stuff.'' If he wants something that is $100, and he can get something similar that is $50, he will go for the cheaper one. However, some students go to the other extreme and spend more

than they can afford. “Honestly, I spend a lot of money and I’m really bad at saving,” said Nick Carleton, junior. According to the Associated Press-GfK poll, 93 percent of people said they would spend about the same if not less than they did last year because of the higher prices. Next year, prices will most likely be higher, causing even more cut backs on holiday spending. “I feel it damages both people’s wallets and business’ sales,” said Danneau-Rever, “So I don’t like it.” Even if the prices are high, there are many ways to save money, whether it is shopping sales or just refraining form impulse buying. —Cydney Conner

March Madness in December

s the new year approaches, nonconference games will wrap up and conference play will begin to unfold. With only three months left until the long awaited 65 team bracket known as March Madness, teams will finally get to conference rivalries and the crazed students showing up to support their schools. The Kansas Jayhawks are ranked number one and are favorites to win the tournament with preseason AllAmericans Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. However, students at South have their own teams to cheer for and all have different opinions on who will make it in the tournament and who will win the “Big Dance.” Cody Miller, junior, has been a Syracuse fan all his life and said that they will win the championship because of the talent on the team and the long tradition in the school’s history. “Syracuse and Kentucky will be in the championship,” said Miller. According to Loren Taylor, senior, Kansas will win the championship,

mostly in part because they have two All-Americans on the team. Taylor said that Kansas and Kentucky will be in the championship this year with the Jayhawks winning the game. If Kansas and Kentucky played in the championship, it would be a repeat of coaches from the 2008 championship when Bill Self coached against John Calipari. But if Kirk Henry, social studies, has something to say about it, the outcome would be very different. Henry has been a Duke fan since 1985 because “they started playing well and I decided that I’ll root for them.” According to Henry, the best thing about college basketball is the uniforms and he just “roots for whoever has the coolest.” Henry also said the North Carolina Tar Heels won’t repeat this year, not because of all the talent they lost last year in the NBA draft, but because they are simply “Duke wannabes.” Kansas could possibly run the table all the way to the National Championship

BCS breakdown On Dec. 6, 34 bowls were decided. Here is a quick preview of the five BCS match-ups.

Rose Bowl

Big Ten Champion Ohio State (10-2) will play Pac10 Champion Oregon (10-2) in Pasadena, Calif. on January 1. Ever since their 19-8 loss against Boise State on Opening Night, the Oregon Ducks have responded strongly. After Boise State held them to eight points and 152 yards of total offense on opening night, they responded by averaging 449.5 yards per game and 40.3 points to finish the season 10-1 including a impressive 47-20 yards over then number five USC. The matchup of the game will be Oregon’s high-powered offense against the Buckeyes' lockdown defense that is only allowing 12.2 points this season.

BCS National Championship Number one Alabama (13-0) and Number two Texas (13-0) square off and put it all on the line in the National Championship on Jan. 7. Texas survived a scare against Nebraska in the Big XII Championship (13-12) while Alabama ran all over number one Florida (32-13). Heisman candidates Mark Ingram and Colt McCoy lead their teams into Pasadena. This will be the first time two undefeated teams have been matched up in for the title since 2006 when Texas defeated USC. The last time Alabama won a title was in 1992 over Miami. Texas is 7-0-1 all-time against Alabama.

Orange Bowl RB Johnathan Dwyer leads ACC champion Georgia Tech (11-2) and their triple-option attack to Miami, Fla. on Jan 5. against Big Ten runner-up Iowa (10-2). Gerogia Tech is second in the nation in rushing with 307.2 yards per game.

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl on Jan 4. will be feature undefeated TCU (12-0) and Boise State (13-0) which leads the nation in scoring offense at 44.2 points per game. Last year, these two teams played in the Poinsettia Bowl. TCU defeated Boise State 17-16, but this year is different. This is TCU’s first BCS bid and Boise’s second. Key matchups in this game include both offenses. TCU has two very good running backs in Joseph Turner and Matthew Tucker who are capable of taking it to the house on any run. Boise State pg quarterback Kellen Moore leads the nation in passer effiency (167.3) and is second in touchdowns passes with 39. This is the first time ever that two non-BCS teams have played each other in a BCS game.

because of all of the returning players that decided to stay. My opinion is that they will be playing the Kentucky Wildcats in the championship. With a big win against the defending National Champion North Carolina Tarheels, they have made a statement why they are ranked in the top five. Kentucky also has key matchups against Florida, Tennessee, Louisville and Connecticut. If they win these games then they should dominate all the way through the tournament and into the National Championship. No matter who your favorite team is, this year will be another great year in college basketball. As March Madness approaches, people will be studying teams, so when it comes time to fill out your tournament bracket they will be ready and confident. This year there will be shootouts, blowouts, upsets and miracles and this is why, year in and year out, thousands of fans show up to support their teams. —DYLAN BERRY

Sugar Bowl

SEC runner-up Florida (12-1) will play surprise undefeated Cincinnati (12-0) in the Sugar Bowl. Tim Tebow and the Gators are out to prove something after a disapointing 32-13 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Cincinatti pulled out a thriller over rival Pittsburgh. This is Cincinatti’s second consecutive BCS appearance, but last year Florida was busy winning their second championship in three years. It will be interesting to see how Florida’s defense responds after allowing Alabama to run all over them.—DREW BERRY

Sout h Takes No Breaks

>>While school is onWinter Break, Panther Basketball is still in session

inter break is approaching and as students are getting ready for some much needed time off, basketball practices continue over break. “We’ve got a tournament coming up after Christmas, so we should be well prepared,” said senior leader Tyler Keesee. “We always seem to play well in the William Jewell tournament.” The Panthers received third place in the Patterson Division of the William Jewell Holiday Classic last year, winning their first round game versus Ray-Pec, then falling to Hickman Mills in the semifinals. South then rebounded and won the third place game against Raytown 69-41. “Practice will help us mentally get ready for the tournament. Not having school gives you a lot more energy when it gets to practice time,” junior Adam Schemenauer said. Schemenauer was not the only player who enjoys practicing without school. “I get a lot more rest. School can really drain me sometimes,” freshman Spenser Braymer added. Although other sports might be practicing over break, the boys basketball team is the only team at South that will be competing in games during the holidays. “Practice over the break should

definitely help the team, and that gives the Panthers an upper hand,” Braymer said. “We should do well in the William Jewell tournament because we’re not taking days off and still practicing. I think we’ll be ready to go.” Although practices over break affect family travel time, both Keesee and Schemenauer still plan on having family over for the holiday season. The tournament will be held from December 26-30 at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. The Panthers look to take home the division championship for the second time in three years at the Holiday Classic. -DANNY KERWIN

Senior Tyler Kessee calls a play in the first home game of the season. Photo by Alex Edwards

Perfect Presents South students share interests--they tend to listen to similar music and do similar things for fun. Stores are overflowing with Christmas shoppers, and most of these shoppers are buying similar products. One product that has caught the eye of many male students at South is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (COD6), which is designed by Infinity Ward. “This game is so amazing,” said Sean Ryan, freshman. “This is the best thing you can possibly get for Christmas.” Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is the sixth Call of Duty in the series. Call of Duty video games allow players to use their skills with virtual weapons in a number of different battlegrounds. These battlegrounds are designed to look like real places across that world. This makes the game more lifelike for all of the players. However, on the other hand, girls have their eyes on new cell phones and clothing. They are interested in new

BRING ‘EM HOME

Students live without family during the holidays

How would you feel if one of your family

members was at war during the Christmas season? Students at South are having to face this issue, as they experience their family members being in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tess Jordan, freshman, has an uncle in the war right now who was deployed in mid-summer. “The worst part about my uncle not being here is that I don’t get to see him for the holidays,” said Jordan. Lauren Martin, sister to freshman Tiffany Martin, agreed that the hardest part about her husband being in Afghanistan is not being able to spend Christmas with him. She hopes to talk to him on Christmas day but said it just depends if he has internet or phone connection wherever he is stationed. Jordan said some years they get to talk to her uncle and other years, they do not. “When we get to talk to him, my whole family passes around the phone,” Jordan said. Even if students do not get to talk to their family member on Christmas, they still send their love in other ways. Martin said she sends her husband a care package when he is gone for the holidays. She chooses between either sending him toiletries, food or clothes. Jordan said that her family sends her uncle letters on the holidays. Others, like sophomore Linnea Horseman, add a more personal touch to their gifts. “We send my cousin two roses and a card and chocolate,” Horseman said. These are just a few of many South students and staff who are affected by their family members being overseas. They can only be hopeful that their loved ones will be home to celebrate next year. —TIFFANY MARTIN

jeans, shorts, tops and jewelry. Several new cell phones have also come out around this time, adding to wish lists. Some of these include the HTC Pure, Samsung Rogue and the Motorola Droid. Some girls would rather get something new and interesting for Christmas thing year, for example, a new pet. “I want a puppy,” said Tori Cross, sophomore. “I’d like to have a Pomeranian. They are so cute.” As many things as students want, there are also things that students do not want. Students do not want things that will get old quickly. Many students agree that the new Nintendo DSI, which is supposed to be an upgraded Nintendo DS, is sort of a younger pg version of gaming. If they want a new game, they want something like a Playstation 3 (PS3) or an Xbox 360. —KEVIN BRIODY

Trans Siberian Orchestra at the Sprint Center 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Happy New Year!!

december

18 1

january

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29 first day of the new semester Owl City at the Beaumont club Pick up the next issue of the View!

important dates:

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Dec. 22 Finals 2/4 Dec. 23 Finals 1/3 (Half Day) Dec. 23-Jan. 4 Winter Break Jan. 18- No School, MLK Day

the View >>

LAUREN MOORE editor-in-chief

SAM PETERSON copy editor

MATT SWIHART

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NICK WORTH

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EVAN WHITE reporter

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>> MEGAN HUGHES adviser

The Park Hill south High School newspaper, the View, is part of the educational curriculum of the Park Hill School District. Although the paper is a classroom activity of newspaper class, material may be submitted for consideration from students who are not enrolled in the course. Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; submission should meet guidlines set forth in the board policy and regulation IGDB, copies of which are available in all buildings and Central Office. Students may also submit letters to the editor which are 500 words or less on timely issues. Editorials must be published with the name of the responsible individual. Bring any submissions to room c200 or e-mail them to the adviser at hughesm@ parkhill.k12.mo.us. All submitted material may be edited for content, length and grammar. The View is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association. The View is printed by Osage Graphics in Olathe, Kan.