December 2016

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Maize High School | December 2016

Loving reviews “Fantastic Beasts”

​“You just have to hope and pray that they’ll be OK.”

-Alicen Grindstaff

Page 18

Wunch juggles fatherhood and being captain

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freshman

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Ju th nio an e re r C Ph d h spo aleb ot an ns W o b dl ib u y R ing ility nsc ya a t of h w n eam be re Jo ne . ing stles s af ath er

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Students and family experience what it is like to have a loved one serving in the military for our country. Photo by Lizzie Bell

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Junior Jackson Williams dives into a new season of swimming with hopes of winning. Photo by Ryan Jones

What’s inside? Who’s inside?

5 7 11

12-15

17 18 19 20,21 22 23 24 25 26,27 30,31

News

School board officially passes recommended boundary placement policy.

News

An update on construction around Maize.

Features

SADD observes unsafe driving habits.

Now Playing

Students commend their loved ones who are serving in the Unites States military.

Editorial

Increase in benefits would arise when moving En-Cor to the end of the day.

Review

“Fantastic Beasts” magically starts a new chapter in Harry Potter franchise.

Technology

Students share how much time they really spend on their favorite apps.

Lifestyle

Maize students share some of their favorite family traditions and memories for the holiday season.

Entertainment

Play gives suggestions on what to do over Winter Break.

Spotlight

Play presses pause with Brayden Worden to talk about his music and drama hobbies.

Column

McCoy’s column about her grandpa, a veteran, and his experiences of keeping the hopes alive.

Lifestyle

Play looks into the life of students making the transition from homeschool to public school.

Sports

Junior Caleb Wunsch juggles being a captain of the wrestling team and being a father.

Photo Focus

Maize vocal department hosts its annual Christmas concert.

Kendra Cunningham Editor-in-chief Savie Hughes Online editor Emily Brecht Design editor Lyndsey Piska Photo editor Lizzie Bell News editor Lily McClaren Engagements editor Bailey Birkholz Features editor Andrea Fuhrman Advertisement editor Sadie Ast Allie Choyce Alaina Cunningham Logan Dillon Kiara Ehrmann Ryan Jones Casey Loving Abby McCoy Lauryn McIntyre Maddie Neigenfind Lauryn Ogden Ryann Redinger Braeden Thompson Stormi Williams Paige Young Dan Loving Adviser Cover by Lizzie Bell Play is the official newsmagazine for and

by Maize High School students. Play is published six times throughout the year.

Play is a student publication and a forum for public opinion. Letters to the editor should be signed and around 300 words.

The editorials and columns are the sole opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USD 266 Board of Education, the administration, the faculty or the adviser.

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KAY Club’s “Deck the Halls” food drive was this week. KAY Club will donate the food to Kansas Food Bank and Maslow’s. Photo by Logan Dillon.

‘Deck the Halls’ benefits those in need

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KAY Club gathers food to make donations for the Kansas Food Bank and Maslow’s Closet

he Kansas Food Bank reports that 215,300 people in its service area turn to food pantries and meal service programs for help. That number includes 69,800 children.

It’s with those numbers in mind that KAY Club conducted its second annual Deck the Halls food drive this week.

KAY Club collected food each morning, which lines the halls. The food will be distributed to Maslow’s Closet and the Kansas Food Bank next week.

“One out of seven Kansans are hungry, so it could be your neighbor down the street,” said Brian Walker, the president and CEO of the Kansas Food Bank.

Nicole Dowell, KAY Club secretary, said Maize students donated more than 8,000 pounds of food last year. The goal was to beat that total this year. “[Our goal was to] get a bunch of students involved and make a lot of donations for

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“One out of seven Kansans are hungry, so it could be your neighbor down the street.”

—Brian Walker, president

and CEO of the Kansas Food Bank

charity,” junior Ellie Hahn said.

All of last year’s food was donated to the food bank. Since then, Maslow’s was established to serve Maize students in need.

Maslow’s was running low on supplies after

Thanksgiving, so KAY Club decided to make it a beneficiary this year.

Kansas Food Bank serves about 22,000 families every week, and they give an average of 1.2 pounds of food to each family.

The typical family in need will visit the food bank on an average of seven times a year.

“Some folks don’t like to donate money, so they donate food,” Walker said. “We’re going to do the same thing with it; we’re going to turn around and get it in the hands of people who need food on their tables.”

However, those who don’t have time to go shopping for food to donate are always welcome to give money.

Food and money can be donated to the Kansas Food Bank at 1919 E. Douglas or online at www.kansasfoodbank.org. If you would like to donate supplies to Maslow’s, see teachers Elisabeth Graber and Sherry Pfeifer. n —Logan Dillon

Boundary policy esablished

Geography will determine where students go to middle, high school

S

ince Maize has had multiple middle schools and high schools, students had to decide whether they wanted to attend Maize or Maize South.

But the preference system, as it has been known, is on its way out.

The Board of Education on Nov. 14 passed a boundary policy that will place incoming students in schools based on geographic boundaries. The policy was primarily created by the Student Placement Policy Team, which consisted of parents, board members, staff and students. The boundaries were created by superintendent Chad Higgins and other administrative staff with the help of software purchased by the district.

After his first semester as superintendent, Higgins suggested something needed to be done about the placement of students in schools.

“It was obvious there was real underlying, deep-seeded issues beyond what some perceive as some kids just not getting what they wanted,” Higgins said. “But it was a lot deeper than that.”

Higgins said he could sense an almost extreme rivalry between students, parents and staff at the schools. To him, the competition between the schools created a lot of animosity in the district.

“That’s not the kind of environment you want at a public school,” Higgins said. “You want people to work on the same page.”

After talking to the board, Higgins put a team together to fix the problem. The team started meeting in January to evaluate data and to add perspective to create a policy that would be the most efficient solution.

According to usd266.com, the District officials used a software program to help create boundaries for the Maize school district. policy was chosen for it’s efficiency and long-term certainty. Current through fifth grade will attend their boundBoundaries will not negatively affect any high schoolers and middle schoolers will ary school when they reach the secondary of the bus routes. Buses for each school stay at their original schools, Maize or Maize level, but they will have an opportunity to will pick up students only from the school’s South. Incoming freshmen for the 2017-18 request for a legacy exemption. Students boundary. school year will still have their preferred who want to attend the same schools as their Higgins said boundaries will help relieve school considered for placement. Students older siblings need to apply for a sibling anxiety between elementary and middle who are new to Maize will be assigned to transfer request by Jan. 1. A committee will schoolers who used to have to pick a pretheir boundary-assigned school with no be formed to determine the amount of the ferred school but now will not have to worry exception. requests will be accepted according to the about making the tough decision. n Students currently in kindergarten amount of space and staffing in the schools.

— Lily McClaren and Ryann Redinger

News / 5

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Hutton finalizes construction for the athletic entrance. In addition, Hutton also constructed a new FEMA shelter. Photo by Ryan Jones.

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District moves on to next phase of construction

fter months of construction, the athletic entrance finished development just in time for winter sports and the new storm shelter is ready to protect our peers in case of an emergency.

The development of those two additions went well, said Hutton Construction manager Josh Thibault, although the excess of rain in the spring slowed down the project.

“It’s been a really successful project,” Thibault said. “We get a lot of comments about how well it looks with people walking by.”

The construction produced a more prominent entrance for the gyms, including a ticket booth.

The concession stand and athletic director’s office were expanded. The storm shelter is an auxiliary room that can be used for practices and other activities.

“We are trying to make everything new and nice.”

–Superintendent Chad Higgins The Flygirls, for instance, have previously practiced in the hall in front of the gym.

“We have 14 girls on the team this year, which is super fun but it also means things can get a little crowded in small spaces” Junior Holly Broberg said. “It’s really nice to have all that extra space to practice in.”

With the athletic entrance and storm shelter finished, the next addition to the

school is the Career and Professional Center. Construction is scheduled to start in January. It will also include a shelter.

“We are in the process of getting that bid out in the next couple of weeks and final drawings by the end of this week,” Thibault said.

The two storm shelters, one by the gym and one in the Career and Professional Center, will cost a total of $1.98 million.

The new wing will cost $9 million..

“We are trying to make everything new and nice,” Superintendent Chad Higgins said. “We are excited about it.”

The district hired both SJCF architecture and Hutton Construction to do all of the projects on Maize schools.

“I think it will be almost done with everything in almost a year so,” Higgins said. “I think that says a lot about our construction company and our architects.” n –Ryan Jones

News / 7

Phone down, go for the crown

Miss Kansas to come Maize to talk about the dangers of texting and driving

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n Jan. 24 Miss Kansas, Kendall Schoenekase, will come to Maize to speak about distracted texting while driving. This is something that Students Against Destructive Decisions board is committed to promoting in efforts to inform and educate the student body.

The platform of Schoenekase’s campaign is “Stay Alive: Don’t text and drive.” Her three-step plan of action is: educate, engage and legislate. She has events and appearances scheduled all over the United States. The points she emphasizes are the statistics of texting and driving and how many lives can be impacted from the consequences.

Ten percent of all driving teens were in severe crashes showing it affects more than it might seem.

“As a victim in a texting and driving car crash, I had to learn the hard way how dangerous distracted driving can be,” Schoenekase said. “I saw my life flash before my eyes. It can happen to anyone, at any moment. So I have made it my mission to educate others about the consequences of distracted driving, hoping to save lives and get you to think twice before picking up your phone while behind the wheel.”

While at Maize, Schoenekase plans

“I saw my life flash before my eyes. It can happen to anyone at any moment.”

— Kendall Schoenekase, Miss Kansas

Miss Kansas, Kendall Schoenakase before competing in the Miss America pageant. Photo submitted by Kendall Schoenekase

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to talk to the student body about distracted driving, showing real life examples, research studies and statistics as evidence as well as her personal story.

“There was a family from Maize that was affected by a teenager who was distracted around prom time last April,” SADD sponsor Dana Desjardins said. “The parents were on Kellogg when they were caught in a wreck while riding a motorcycle. The parents survived but they had to go through multiple surgeries and just had their last surgery about a month ago. If you just think about how that would affect the siblings and the other people who are going through all that. It’s like a ripple effect that’s really the actions of this one teenage girl.”

Schoenekase won the Miss Kansas pageant on June 11. She will make over 400 appearances throughout the year. She received the Miss America Academic Scholarship for her achievements in education.

Schoenekase was in the top 10

percent of her class in college earning her bachelor’s degree in Nursing.

Schoenekase was also recognized as a finalist for the STEM scholarship in the Miss America Pageant, and was the runner-up for the Jean Bartel Quality of Life Scholarship.

Schoenekase received $14,000 in scholarships from the Miss Kansas Organization to pursue her education in nursing.

The road to Miss Kansas included winning her local pageant, Miss Johnson County.

From there, as a first time Miss Kansas pageant contestant, she competed in a number of competitions ultimately claiming the title.

“Each local titleholder competes against each other for the title of Miss Kansas,” Schoenekase said. “Each pageant has numerous phases of competition, including evening gown competition, swimsuit competition, on-stage question, talent competition and a 10 minute interview with the judges. In addition to preparing for each of these phases of competition, each contestant must develop a personal platform and fundraise for our national platform, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.” n —Braeden Thompson

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Visit the Nut Shack at the Towne West Mall by the food court

Junior Nathan Jones finishes seventh in the Nike Heartland Regional cross country meet. He ran against 916 other contestants.

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Junior Nathan Jones places seventh at regional cross country meet

unior Nathan Jones took seventh in the Nike Heartland Regional cross country meet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The meet took place on Nov. 13 at Yankton Trail Park.

Jones ran against 916 runners in the boy’s race. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a meet consists of a five kilometers (3.1 miles) around an all terrain path.

“I just felt like my whole season paid off,” Jones said. “I’ve been working really hard to

Maize cheer wins $1,000 in video contest

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he Maize co-ed cheer squad won $1,000 in a radio contest on Oct. 31.

The Cheerleader Challenge was sponsored by Channel 96.3, KAKE news, VYPE magazine and Urban Air trampoline park. Cheer teams had to enter a video of less than two minutes showcasing the team. The Maize Co-Ed team’s video was chosen as the best one.

“This year we tried to mix it up a bit and show people who we are, not what we can do as far as skill,” cheer sponsor Lori Clinton said. “The video was just a glimpse into what we do. Maize High Cheer is not normal.

We don’t fit into the mold of a school cheer

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get there … It just kind of felt good to have feedback on what I did over the season.”

Jones said the best part about running on the team is how close they are. The team often spends time together, watching movies.

They even going hiking in Colorado over the summer.

“They [the team] were going crazy,” Jones said. “They were all really happy and proud of me and what I did.”

Jones said he enjoys running because it keeps him in shape. But the hardest part for him is staying consistent with the workouts and showing up to practice every day.

“There’s a lot of pain in it [running cross country],”Jones said. “But once you get past all the pain and you just push yourself to endurance, it just feels really good after you finish.” n —Allie Choyce

Cheer squad wins $1,000 in channel 96.3’s cheerleading challenge. The money will go to Kansas Honor Flights and Project Shine.

team.”

With their prize money, the cheer team

“We don’t fit into the mold of a school cheer team.”

—Lori Clinton, cheer coach

will be raising money to send a veteran to the war memorials in Washington D.C. They also bought flags and a banner for the Veterans Day Parade with Kansas Honor Flights.

The cheer team will also use the money for a Christmas celebration with their Project Shine members. Project Shine members are the special athletes who practice weekly and

cheer at some of the home games with the cheer team.

“They bring so much joy to our team,” Clinton said.

The whole cheer team was ecstatic when they learned that they had won the money.

They have already planned to use the money on their current philanthropies, and might use leftover money for a spring getaway for the cheerleaders if there is any left.

“We are always looking to see who we can cheer on or lift up,” Clinton said. “It’s never just about us.”n —Ryann Redinger

“I lost control and we [Brock Arnold and I] were swerving all over the bridge and right when we passed the bridge, we rolled down the top [of the Jeep] came off and we flew out.”

“[It happened] right out here outside of Maize High. We were leaving and it was over the little hill and it was a quick stop. I was going a little too fast. Maybe not making the smartest decisions and hit my friend Kyle Rolands’ [car].”

—Eric Schartz, senior

—Brayden Payne, junior

CRASH COURSE After SADD observed driving habits, we asked some students to tell us their crash stories

“It was the day after I got my car, and I was going a little faster than I should have and I went for my break and I hit my gas pedal. So I started spinning out [of control] and I fishtailed into the light pole out in the front of the school. There was salsa in my car at the time that busted open and it got everywhere and the officer thought that it was blood all over him [Nathan Jones].”

—Garrison Norris, junior

“It was just a surprise because I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t even see her coming and then it [the car] just got t-boned. I was on the side that it hit. It was pretty crazy. It didn’t hurt anyone, so that was good. It just left a couple bruises.”

—Laney Rogers, sopohmore

Maize SADD conducted a driving survey this fall over the course of two days. A total of six people helped administer the survey: SADD sponsor and nurse, Dana Desjardins, two police officers and four SADD members. They were split into groups of two at three entrances to the school. There, they looked to see if drivers and passengers were wearing their seatbelts and if the drivers were distracted. They observed that out of 694 cars 599 drivers were belted, while 95 drivers were not. They also saw that out of 244 passengers, 192 were belted while 52 were not. They concluded that 40 drivers were distracted while 612 drivers were not.

—Kiara Ehrmann and Alaina Cunningham

A soldier’s sacrifice S

Students open up about their loved ones who are deployed in the military

enior Haleigh Avila and her boyfriend, 2016 graduate Ethan Hughey, have been together for 291 days.

Yet they’ve been apart for the past six months.

Hughey, a private in the Army Reserves, has been away from Avila since Aug. after they met in Feb. while working at Shoe Carnival.

“I’m lucky enough to have my whole family supporting my decision in joining the military, but I appreciate Haleigh’s more than anybody,” Hughey said. “She barely even knew me when I brought up that I was leaving for six months, and she still wanted something to do with me.”

They met when Avila started working at Shoe Carnival where Hughey had been employed for a year already.

“I friendzoned him for a while, and I didn’t realize it until after we started dating,” Avila said. “He won me over.”

Hughey left for basic training on June 6 and graduated on Aug. 19. He was granted a family day prior to his graduation where he was allowed to leave his post and spend the day with his friends and family that attended the graduation in Oklahoma.

Hughey flew to San Antonio, Texas, the next day to continue his training as a combat medic. He has already been certified as an EMT and will be pursuing his medical training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas until Dec 16.

“Whenever we have family gatherings, I wish he could be there so my family could get to know him more and he can meet my family that he hasn’t met,” Avila said. “But I’m really proud of him, because I know it’s really hard on him not being around his family and his dogs.”

Avila said she has been eagerly awaiting Hughey’s return. He will return home and remain until his spring semester at Emporia State begins. Hughey had to push school back six months in order to finish his training. He is committed to the reserves for six years with monthly training throughout the year.

“I’ve gotten so used to him being gone for the past six months that now a week doesn’t seem so bad,” Avila said. “I’m

12 / Now Playing

so excited for him to come home.”

Hughey said that his basic training experience was exhausting. He lost 20 pounds over the two months he spent training.

“It was a load of bologna,” Hughey said.

Hughey said he was required to wake up at 5 a.m. and exercised until 6. His days wouldn’t end until 5 p.m.

“We just did what people told us to do,” he said.

Hughey’s training includes repeating combat casualty assessments every day, which prepares him on what they will have to do when they find a patient in the field with an injury that they cannot take care of by themselves.

“We have to assess all of their wounds, treat them and get them out of the combat zone.” Hughey said. “That’s the most important part of my job.”

Homesickness has caught up with Hughey after nearly six months of being away from his friends and family.

“I think about being on that airplane every single day,” Hughey said. “Being away from everybody has been an interesting experience, and I look forward to seeing every single person back home.”

Hughey is grateful for his support and said that the loyalty he has had from back home has had a drastic impact on his experience.

The only advice Hughey has for others in his situation is to see it through until the end and stay hopeful.

“Look at the end point,” Hughey said.

“Everybody has that moment they’re gonna want to look forward to the day they get to go back to the place called home.”

Avila said she has remained close with Hughey’s family by trying to maintain lunch dates with his mom and sister.

“They [his family] miss him a lot, but I know they are really proud of him,” Avila said. “I think they’ve gotten used to the fact that he’s gone, but they’re really looking forward to him coming home.”

Finding friends and becoming involved with extra activities, in and outside of school, has made the journey bearable for Avila, and she encourages others who have loved ones away from them to do the same

thing.

“My friends have really distracted me from getting sad or missing him a lot,” Avila said. “Just stay busy and stay involved, especially in school, because it makes it so much easier and it makes the days and weeks and months go by faster.”

“I think about being on that airplane every single day.”

-Pvt Ethan Hughey

Hughey will return Dec.16th to start his spring semester at Emporia State.

United States Marines Corps

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Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the ole oak tree It’s been three long years Do ya still want me If I don’t see a ribbon ‘round the ole oak tree I’ll stay on the bus Forget about us Put the blame on me If I don’t see a yellow ribbon ‘round the ole oak tree - Tie a yellow ribbon by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown.

nited States Marine Trebor Rekoske has been away since Aug. 1 and is stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. Rekoske, also a 2016 grad, finished boot camp and is continuing his training until December when he will be relocated to South Carolina.

Freshman Rayne Rekoske, his sister, said all her family had received from him were letters describing his difficult experience while he was at boot camp.

“He just told us that it was really rough and they did a bunch of rifle training,” Rekoske said. “It’s hard not having him here.”

Rayne Rekoske said that being separated from her brother has taken an emotional toll on her and her parents. “[The hardest part is] not being able to see him every day when I get home from school and talk to him,” Rekoske said. “They [her parents] miss them a lot. There are some nights where my mom will be crying because he’s gone.”

The Marines has always been considered to be one of the toughest branches of the military to join.

Boot camp is 13 weeks, followed by three weeks of infantry school or combat training. A typical training day for recruits begins with reveille, or bugle call, at 5 a.m. continues with drill, physical training, and several classes in weapons and conduct, and ends with the playing of Taps at 9 p.m.

Rekoske said that one of her brother’s biggest achievements was finishing the crucible, a test every recruit must go through to become a Marine.

“He had to do 40 miles hiking up a mountain,” Rekoske said. “He only got three MRE’s (meals ready to eat) to eat throughout the whole period, so he had to weigh out his food. It was really hard for him.”

Rekoske said a speaker from her brother’s senior year inspired him to become a Marine. He also had a friend who had finished boot camp and told him how amazing it felt to be a Marine.

“He hadn’t had his life figured out yet, and he thought that this would complete what he wanted to do with his life,” Rekoske said. “I would’ve never thought that he would have actually went through with this. I’m very proud of him.”

Rekoske has been sending her brother letters to help motivate him so he can get through every obstacle his training throws his way. She encourages others to be a strong support system for their loved ones as well.

“Talk to them as much as you can,” Rekoske said.

“It really inspires them to help them do better and it just makes their day to see someone there for them.”

Now Playing / 13

F

United States Air Force

reshman Alicen Grindstaff was born into a military family with both of her parents being enlisted in the same military. From a young age, Grindstaff has gotten used to being away from her father while he travels to fight for our country.

Master Sgt. John Grindstaff has been enlisted in the Air Force for 26 years.

“My dad loves what he does,” Grindstaff said. “He loves being in the military. He’s not gonna retire until they make him.”

After joining when he was 17 years old, Grindstaff ’s father worked his way up to eventually become a master sergeant, which ranks high up on the military titles of enlisted personnel in the Air Force.

Grindstaff said that there have always been times in her life that her dad will miss important moments, but said she knows that what he’s doing is making a difference.

“There’s always been a time period where he’ll either miss my birthday or he’ll be gone for two months over the summer,” Grindstaff said. “I don’t ever get to talk to him when he’s over there, because he’s always busy and in a completely different time zone. All I can do is Skype with him due to his limited Wi-Fi.” Grindstaff said she is very proud of her dad and knows that while it can be hard to be separated, it’s important to stay positive and keep a good perspective for them and their safety.

“You have to hope and pray that they’ll be OK,” she said. n —Sadie Ast

Dear Dad, Thank you for everything you do for our family. I am so proud to be able to be able to call you my dad.

I am very happy I get to spend the holiday season with you.

Love, Alicen Grindstaff

Dear Trebor, Merry Christmas! I miss you so much and I’m so proud of you.

I can’t wait to see you when you come back home. I love you so much and hopefully see you soon!

Love, Rayne

Dear Ethan, Only seventeen more days until you’re home for good — and in perfect time for Christmas! I can’t wait until you’re home, so we can spend winter break shopping for gifts, looking at Christmas lights, playing ping pong and eating McDonald’s. Our families are also excited to welcome you back and hear about your six months. I’ve missed you more than you know, but I’m extremely proud of you. Thank you for To the right are letters from Haleigh, Rayne and Alicen to their loved ones who are away in the Military. They express their love and appreciation for what they do and how excited they are to see them.

dedicating your time to learning how to serve our country and being prepared to fight whenever you’re needed.

Although I haven’t always appreciated the fact that you’re gone, others will because of your bravery.

Love, Haleigh

14 / Now Playing

Freshman Rayne Rekoske keeps her brother’s dog tags close to heart while he is deployed overseas.

Now Playing / 15

Upcoming events December and January Monday

12 Board of Education meeting at ESC @ 7:00

All times are in p.m. and at Maize High School unless otherwise noted Tuesday Thursday Wednesday

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13 Club pictures all day

15 Wrestling dual @ 6:00

Friday

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Senior farewell during En-Cor Basketball @ 7:30

Winter Break Dec. 19 - Jan. 2

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Board of Education meeting at ESC @ 7:00

Basketball @ 7:30

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Bowling @ 2:00 at West Acres Bowl

Last day to register for the February ACT

Newman Advanced Standing @ 10:45 a.m

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5 12

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No school

Yearbook pictures

19 Bowling @ 1:00 at West Acres Bowl ACT prep class @ 6:30

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26 Wrestling dual @ 6:00 ACT Prep class @ 6:30

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“As You Like It” drama production @ 7:30

“As You Like It” drama production @ 7:30

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Shifting study hall

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Changing to an end-of-the-day En-Cor would increase academic benefits for students

he bell rings signaling the end of second block and you start to make your way to your En-Cor class. As you quietly saunter through the crowded hallways, you have a internal debate over what you could do for the next 30 minutes: sleep, homework, chat with your friends.

We believe En-Cor is misplaced in the middle of the day and should be moved after fourth block to give students a better chance to prioritize homework and effectively make the most out of their school day.

“If it is at the end of our day, there are obvious benefits for our students leaving early for sports or other activities,” counselor Betsy Manning said. “It’s also kind of a nice chance for students to think about what all their homework was for the day and organize what they need to do that evening.”

When students are dismissed early from class, teachers can get annoyed because that causes the student to miss out on important notes for the day or they could fall behind on assignments. If En-Cor were moved to the end of the day, that would allow time for students to leave for their sporting events on time or to schedule outside appointments that wouldn’t interrupt class.

“The key [to staying caught up] is just to make sure that the student communicates ahead of time with their teachers and that they are proactive instead of reactive,” Manning said.

“I want get rid of En-Cor because for most of these kids, I think it’s a waste of time.”

—David Walker, English teacher

One teacher went so far as to say En-Cor should be completely removed from the schedule.

“I want get rid of En-Cor because for most of these kids, I think it’s a waste of time,” David Walker said. “It’s supposed to be a part of our curriculum day, it’s when you get enrichment, you go get help when you need it. It’s when you work on those things like homework to get them done. That’s what it is supposed to be, but we’re not using it that way. I’d like to see some change academically.”

Students who feel like En-Cor shouldn’t be moved to the end of our day enjoy the nice brain break it gives them between second and third blocks. Even though En-

Cor is designed to be a designated time for students to complete homework and go see teachers for help on assignments, some have reasonable explanations for wanting to keep our En-Cor as is.

“I am glad we have something built in the schedule to allow for some non-academic time and also to provide time for students to get additional help from teachers,” principal Chris Botts said. “When I did my student shadowing thing last year, I know that I was ready for a break after two blocks.”

But instead of balancing homework and work after school, an end-of-the-day En-Cor would eliminate that by giving the opportunity for homework to be completed and a longer break at home. It also would provide a time for student-athletes to finish their homework before practices as well as give those who travel to Maize South for classes time to get back to campus before their sports.

“Club meetings could extend longer than 30 minutes if needed,” Botts said. “Students who are involved in extracurricular activities would potentially miss less academic class time when they are released early.”

We believe moving to an end-of-the-day En-Cor would allow kids to benefit themselves academically as well as help them prioritize. n —Maddie Neigenfind

Below is an example of what a student schedule would look like if En-Cor was moved.

Jack Brown’s Schedule Block One

Block Two

Block Three

Block Four

En-Cor

Mr. English Algebra II Biology Ceramics Green Mrs. Smith Mr. Norden Ms. King Mrs. Davis 7:40 - 9:07 9:13 - 10:37 10:51 - 12:15 12:51 - 2:09 2:15 - 2:45 A Lunch: 10:51 - 11:21

B Lunch: 11:33 - 12:03

C Lunch: 12: 15 - 12:45 Opinion / 17

The franchise that lived

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is able to recapture the magic of the “Harry Potter” franchise

“F

antastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the ninth movie in the “Harry Potter” franchise and the first to stray from the titular character. After a five-year break, I was worried that “Fantastic Beasts” wouldn’t be able to recapture the magic of the original books and movies, especially without the boy who lived. Although it is nowhere near the best movie in the franchise, “Fantastic Beasts,” is also nowhere near the worst.

The film takes place in the 1920s, 70 years before the start of the traditional “Harry Potter” franchise. It follows Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) on his quest to protect and educate others on the importance of magical creatures. In New York, he meets Magical Congress worker Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and her psychic sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) after no-maj, otherwise known as an American muggle, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) releases several creatures from Scamander’s magical briefcase.

While on the hunt for the creatures, the group runs into conflict involving anti-magic radicalists, anti-muggle radicalists and general anti-Scamander radicalists.

“Fantastic Beasts” leaves the accustomed trio for an all-new, all-original cast of characters: the main protagonist, a wizard in a foreign environment trying to live up to his family’s legacy; a far more capable, know-itall female sidekick; a dopey-but-lovable best friend who is there for little else but moral support; and the sister of one of the other heroes and ultimate love interest for another. Of course, I am referring to Scamander, Tina, Kowalski, and Queenie. What other “Harry Potter” characters could I be talking about?

Even though I give the characters grief for not being original on paper, they were by far my favorite part of the movie. The chemistry between the main cast is off the charts, with what might be a worthy replacement for Harry, Ron and Hermione. One of my biggest fears walking into the movie was that Kowalski would just be a useless, annoying comic relief character. However, he ended up being my favorite part of the film, balancing hilarious comedic moments with an emotional character arc. Even though Scamander might be a clichéd character on the surface, I was impressed with how casually Redmayne was able to craft a unique and nuanced role that fits right into the universe.

I’m shocked to say that if I don’t get to see these four interact in future installments, I will be disappointed.

To me, “Fantastic Beasts” felt like two movies smashed together. One of the movies was what I felt was being marketed, a fun adventure in the “Harry Potter” universe about magical creatures and trying to recover them. In this aspect, I feel like the movie exceeded expectations. Everything about it was fun, wondrous and entirely enjoyable.

18 / Review

I don’t often see movies in IMAX, but the visually joyful tone of the scenes inside of Scamander’s magic-creature-containing suitcase was worth the extra price alone.

The creatures were creative, and the scenes with them left me with the biggest smile on my face. In many ways, it perfectly recaptured what I loved about the original “Harry Potter” movies, and if that were the entire movie, it could put up a good fight for my favorite of the franchise.

Sadly, following “Batman V Superman,” and “Suicide Squad,” “Fantastic Beasts” is the third movie by Warner Bros this year to have the issue of worrying more about setting up sequels than making a good movie. While I loved parts of this movie involving the actual beasts, there was a decent chunk that was a dark, grim look at the wizarding world, serving no purpose than to set up future movies. These scenes weren’t necessarily bad, but they would always detract from the movie right when I was getting back into it. Even though this section of the film did make me excited for future installments, I can’t help but think I would’ve enjoyed the movie more if it was cut out.

Perhaps my biggest fear for this movie walking in was the ending. All of the trailers seemed to show the same thing: the world is at in danger because of some giant, faceless monster. I have seen this type of finale so many times this year that it really doesn’t hold any weight anymore. However, “Fantastic Beasts” seemed to take a different approach with the ending, throwing in many things that I did not see coming and leaving the final battle much more contained and personal than I thought.

In a year of blockbusters full of meaningless city destruction, it was nice to see a movie steer away and get more intimate with the ending, taking the hard way out in many places I really didn’t expect.

Even though I am a big fan of the “Harry Potter” franchise, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was never something I was very excited for. When I sat down in the theater, I didn’t really know what to expect, but from the movie’s first scene I knew I was in for a fun time. “Fantastic Beasts” probably provided one of my favorite theater experiences this year. The characters’ chemistry, fun story and fantastic IMAX visuals may be a worthy replacement the original cast and story we came to love. Sadly, it disappoints me that fantastic movies like this can stopped in their tracks for the purpose of setting up future installments. n –Casey Loving

3.5/5 Play buttons

Swiping through life Most popular apps on teen phones in a period of 24 hours

Snapchat

Twitter

43% 40% This information was collected in a survey and Twitter poll of 134 people.

The percentage is how many people used a specific app the most.

To see your top apps, go into your Settings, Battery, last 24 hours and click on the clock.

Other

Netflix

10% 7% —Kiara Ehrmann and Alaina Cunningham

WRAPPING :THE GOOD IT UP S

ince we were little kids, we woke up on Christmas morning hoping to find the perfect present under the tree. Sometimes it was there; sometimes it wasn’t. We asked a few students to tell us the best and worst of what Santa has brought them.

Austyn Ferrin Best: Bass guitar Worst: A magic kit “I learned that magic isn’t real.”

THE BAD AND THE

UGLY

Christian Vilmain Best: $700 computer Worst: Boxes full of boxes “I’ve never really had anything like that [a computer]. So it was more of the thought that counted. My mom worked really hard to buy it for me.”

Colton Crockett

Best: A trip to Disney World Worst: “Star Wars” toys “I really do not even like Star Wars. I don’t think my aunt knew that when she gave that to me.”

Photos by Abby McCoy

20 / Features

Untraditional traditions Unique ways of celebrating holidays at Maize

Foreign exchange student, Valiente, is spending her first holiday season in the U.S. She celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time with her host family this year. Photo by Abby McCoy

T

he holiday season rolls around and families are once again gathered together to partake in festivities.

While a holiday might be observed by many, each family puts their own spin on how they celebrate the season.

Sara Valiente As the table was set for Thanksgiving, the gifts spread around the tree, and the ball drops on New Year’s Day, senior Sara Valiente is experiencing her first holiday season in the United States.

Valiente, a foreign exchange student from Spain, said there is a distinction between how the United States and Spain celebrate Christmas. While Santa Claus is a part of the holiday season, Spaniards also celebrate the Festival of the Three Magic Kings on Jan. 6. Even though the holidays are different, Valiente said her family celebrated Christmas in Spain very similarly to how it might be celebrated here.

“We usually get together, the whole family,” Valiente said. “We have dinner, and open … presents, then play games, watch TV, listen to music or something.”

Valiente said she enjoyed spending her first Thanksgiving with her host family and their extended family. She said that even though she really enjoyed the holiday, Thanksgiving wasn’t quite what she expected it to be.

“I don’t know what I expected,” Valiente said. “Maybe I expected something like an event where we get together and say ‘OK, I am thankful for something.’”

While they didn’t participate in some of the traditions she was expecting, Valiente said she liked some of Thanksgiving staples

Starting five years ago, Noble’s family made a tradition of getting rid of their Christmas trees. Every year, Noble’s uncle will burn down his tree from the year before. Photo by Lizzie Bell

we may be used to.

“We watched football,” she said. “All the food was good, [especially] the pumpkin rolls. I have just decided that I am going to learn the recipe and do it in Spain.”

Valiente said that her favorite part of the holiday probably had to be the familial aspect of the celebration.

“My favorite part probably was that it was an event where everyone got together to celebrate everything together,” Valiente said.

Gavin White Junior Gavin White’s Christmas tradition starts with a bang. The White family’s tradition of shooting clay pigeons on Christmas has spanned several generations.

“It’s something that’s been in our family since my great-grandma and my great-grandpa got together,” White said.

“They started enjoying guns, and then it just passed through the ages. Instead of a little doll, my aunt got a gun for her birthday, and it just kind of moved that way.”

Even though he has never received a gun himself, White still participates in all of the shooting events with the rest of his family.

“We have competitions,” White said. “Just a family tournament. We have a loser and winner bracket and the winner of the winner bracket goes against the loser [winner] of the loser bracket.”

White, who was 7 when he first shot a gun, said he was afraid of them initially. “[My dad] told me to put more of my shoulder into it, so I put it in my shoulder and it kicked back,” he said.

While this interaction scared White, it wasn’t long until he joined in on the contest.

“It scared me so much that I didn’t

White has a clay pigeon shooting tournament with his family every Christmas.

White’s tradition has been in his family for several generations. Photo by Abby McCoy

touch a gun for about four years,” he said.

“After that I just started shooting again.

[One time] I made it to second place in the winner bracket and then my aunt took me out because she was able to shoot one pigeon I wasn’t able to.”

Caroline Noble One icon of the Christmas season has to be the Christmas tree. Whether it’s real or artificial, this seasonal shrub has always been an essential for the holiday. Junior Caroline Noble’s uncle discovered a fun tradition involving getting rid of their Christmas tree.

“At my uncle’s house we will burn his Christmas tree from the year before,” Noble said. “Just kind of as something fun.”

Noble said that the tradition started five years ago, and she doesn’t know exactly how it came about.

“I think he read it somewhere, or one of his friends did it, and he just decided ‘What the heck, let’s go for it,’ ” she said.

While lighting the Christmas tree on fire might be fun, Noble said her favorite memory of the tradition was one year when it didn’t go as planned.

“He couldn’t get it to light on fire because it was too wet and so he was getting mad,” Noble said. “He was trying to light it, and it was just really funny to see him try.”n ­— Casey Loving

Features / 21

6 holiday happenings Holiday activities through December and during winter break

1 2 3 4 5

Free holiday horse-drawn carriage rides 6-10 p.m., Dec. 16-17 and Dec. 23. Enjoy miles of Christmas lights displayed around Bradley Fair.

Friends University Nutcracker performance, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 9, 10, 16, 17; 2 p.m., Dec. 11 and 17. Adults: $25; students and seniors: $20.

Warren Old Town Theatre $5 movie Wednesdays. Check www.warrenoldtown.com for show times.

Blow your own glass ornament at Karg Glass, 111 N. Oliver in Kechi. Open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday-Friday until Dec. 31.

Ornaments cost $30.

Illuminations at Botanica, 5:30-8:30 p.m., now until Dec. 31 (closed Dec. 24-25). Adults $8; Children $6; free for children 3 and under.

22 / Entertainment

6

Look at Christmas lights.

-Arc lights on Douglas and St. Paul St. Now - Dec. 28. Opens nightly at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights are $10 a car load.

Sunday-Thursday nights are admission by donation.

- Heartspring Holiday Lights at Waterwalk is a free light tour open nightly now until Christmas day.

-Candy Cane Lane neighborhood; lights are located at 119th St. and Central. Open now until after Christmas day.

-9th Street lights, 3821 W. 9th St. Light shows now though Christmas Day, 6-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6-11 p.m.

Friday and Saturday.

Press pause a moment with

Why I started singing:

Where do I spend most of my time:

Why I started acting:

Do I play any instruments:

What I do in my free time:

Where do I plan to go to college:

Where do I see myself in ten years:

The teacher that has impacted me the most:

The biggest difference between middle school and high school choir for me was:

Freshman Brayden Worden is involved in choir and Christian Youth Theatre.

Worden has performed in many plays such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Mary Poppins.”

Spotlight Spotlight / 23 / 23

A soldier’s expression of hope

H

The story of a soldier and his ‘Christmas of hope’

e longed to be home. Loneliness was caving in, his heart ached. It was Christmas Eve. The tent was filled with cold air and Christmas carols. Everyone he knew in the states seemed a world away, including the love of his life. Empty shell casings strung the one foot pine tree that was intertwined with shoelaces. The tiny makeshift Christmas tree sat at a tent camp at the base of Mount Fuji, Japan. This puny, unlit tree was a small reminder to keep the hope alive.

As Christmas carols blasted through the tent camp, everything echoed peace and hope.

This told him he was in the right place, at the right time.

He felt that what he was training for was not war, but peace. This was the exact reason he trained. This is why he went on 20 mile forced marches, why he qualified on the M1/M16 rifle, and why he was there at that exact time and place.

This man is my grandpa. One of the dear people he was missing in the states was the

love of his life, my grandma. He was stationed in Okinawa from 1961-1962 as a U.S. Marine. He went on floating battalion and had field exercises in South Korea and the Philippines. From the Philippines, he was called into Thailand to repel the Viet Cong, who had overrun Laos and were advancing into Northern Thailand. He then was in the Northern Thailand jungle where they set up a tent camp and ran patrols into the Mekong Delta. This was the start of the Vietnam War. After talking with my grandpa about his experiences as a Marine, I realized that hope truly is such a powerful thing. The story about his Christmas in Mount Fuji was included in a letter he sent to a man that was also stationed in Okinawa, in 2009. This was the same place my grandpa was stationed at, 48 years ago. My grandpa wanted the Marine to know that he is part of the Christmas “peace” message to the entire world. Also, that his service is being remembered and appreciated, and that even when this Marine

thinks he is alone, he is in the thoughts and prayers of the people back home.

After reading the letter, my heart was touched and my eyes were filled with tears that streamed down my face. I can’t begin to imagine the happiness it brought to the man who received it.

My grandpa called his Christmas in Japan, a Christmas of hope. He explained that he always has, and always will, remember that specific Christmas because of the tremendous impact it had on him.

The hope that my grandpa sent to a man in the same situation that he was in, is the kind of hope that I want to have in my life. My grandpa holds a special place in my heart, and I strive to be the kind of person he is.

Everyone can think of that one person that they look up to, that gives them hope, and my grandpa is that person. I desire to be like him. To have hope not only within myself, but to spread hope to others.n ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­— Abby McCoy­­­­­

Photo submitted by Abby McCoy

24 / Column

Back to (public) school Former homeschooled students talk about their transition to public school

A 5.7 million Americans have been homeschooled

3.4 million

U.S. adults have been homeschooled for at least one year of their K-12 years Taxpayers spend more than

$11,000

per student on average in public school

1.7 million students were homeschooled in 2012

—National Home Education Research Institute Website and the U.S. Department of Education

s the floors were polished, the lockers assigned and the school doors opened on Aug. 10, freshman Keegan Smith stepped foot into the crowded halls of Maize for his first day of public high school. Smith, who had been homeschooled since fifth grade, decided to give public school a shot again.

According to most recent statistics available from the United States Department of Education, more than 1.7 million students are homeschooled. Like Smith, some of these students decide to leave homeschool to attend public school.

Smith decided to leave public school when he was in fifth grade because he thought homeschool would be a better fit.

“Me and my sister were better at certain things,” Smith said.“[Homeschooling] let us go at our own pace.”

Smith decided to come to Maize for his freshman year because his mom had complications teaching certain high school subjects at home.

“There’s a lot more people,” he said. “So it’s easier to get help for certain [school subjects].”

Smith said that ultimately public school has helped him become more confident.

“When I was homeschooled, I didn’t like talking in front of people, like doing any sort of speech or just even sharing a powerpoint,” Smith said. “When you’re in public school, you kind of have to do that. It helps.”

Freshman Jacob Breshears decided he wanted to try something new, so he attended Faith Academy in eighth grade after being homeschooled for all his previous school years.

“I had more fears coming into private school than I did public school because [at the time] I had never gone anywhere for school,” Breshears said. “I had never taken classes or anything like that. When I went to private school, I didn’t know what to expect, so I was just really scared.”

Breshears said he didn’t really like the small-school atmosphere, so he transferred to Maize after a semester at Faith and noticed a difference in the social lives of the students.

“The transfer was a little weird going from homeschooling to public schooling,” Breshears said. “When you’re homeschooled, obviously, it’s just your family. At public school there are just so many people with some many different interests and things.”

Breshears said if he were to have kids, he’d have them follow the same educational path he did.

“I know it worked out really well for me,”

Breshears said. “I feel like I shouldn’t force them into a social life super early, because I know how stressful a social life can be, for me at least. Basically, as long as I can remember I’ve worried about what people think of me, the way I look, and that actually got better as I went into high school.”

His older sister, senior Hannah Breshears, started homeschooling when she was 4 years old after she tested at a first grade education level.

“There was definitely less individuality allowed than I was used to, and it was shocking to see everyone so ingrained to stand when they heard a bell or automatically just stand in lines.”

— Hannah Breshears, senior “The kindergarten I was assigned to didn’t have an advanced program,” Hannah said.

“My mom decided to keep me home, so I could stay ahead.”

In eighth grade, Hannah began attending a homeschooling co-op, which is a private, unaccredited school for homeschooled students. She left the co-op and came to Maize her junior year.

“I didn’t want to get out of high school and have regrets about not having the experiences I wanted,” Hannah said.

On her first day at Maize, Hannah decided not to let her fears get the best of her and affect the transition from her regular pace compared to the busy environment at Maize.

“I decided to just be really up front about the fact that it was my first day of school ever,” she said. “I just had this faith that people would be welcoming. As far as feelings, I was just surprised at how uniform everything was. There was definitely less individuality allowed than I was used to, and it was shocking to see everyone so ingrained to stand when they heard a bell or automatically just stand in lines.”

Hannah said that even though she wouldn’t go back to homeschooling if given the opportunity, it affected her life in a positive way.

“It was an important part of who I am, because I was forced to know what I believed ...” Hannah said. “As far as who I am today, I love being at Maize, and it’s a good place for me to grow as a person.” n ­— Lauryn McIntyre

Features / 25

Pinning Parenthood Junior Caleb Wunsch balances wrestling and having a son at 16

Junior Caleb Wunsch has extra motivation for wrestling this season.

Wunsch does not just wrestle for himself; he wrestles for his son Merrick.

Photo by Ryan Jones

26 / Sports

Junior Caleb Wunsch attempts to pin his opponent Dec. 1 at Maize.

Photo By Ryan Jones

A

t the first dual of the season, junior Caleb Wunsch prepared to wrestle.

He took a deep breath and looked into the crowd at his girlfriend and his 2-month-old son.

Wunsch won his match and his first reaction was to run into the crowd to be with his family.

Merrick Lane Wunsch was born Sept. 22 at 8:30 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and was 19 inches long. “[This is] something I realize that I’m going through that pretty much no one else in the state, no one else that’s wrestling, that I’m competing with is going through,” Wunsch said of being a father. ”What I’m going through at such a young age… it’s just really fueled my fire to get back out on the mat and do good.”

that we aren’t together is when only one of us has Merrick, or the other one is at work or school or has to be somewhere and we just can’t be with each other. But we spend a lot of time together, and I love her very much, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl.”

Last year, Maize took 11th at state; Wunsch lost 6-3 in the consolation finals.

This season, he is one of the captains, wrestling in the 195-pound weight class. Wunsch said he went back and forth on whether to

“

I’m going to give it 100 percent for him and he’s a lot of motivation for me this season.

—junior Caleb Wunsch

“

Merrick Wunsch with his parents Caleb Wunsch and Delanie Randolph. They both stepped up and became major roles in their child’s life. Photo by Ryan Jones

Wunsch found out that Delanie Randolph was pregnant in February and decided to keep it a secret. He kept it from his friends, his teammates and even his parents. He finally told his parents after wrestling regionals last year.

“They were surprised, but they were also concerned,” Wunsch said. “They were assuring me that they were there for me. Both of our families met early on when we found out and just made sure that we had a really good support group, which we do.”

Wunsch and Randolph weren’t dating for most of her pregnancy, and he said he missed a lot of the doctor’s appointments in the beginning. He said he realized he needed to step up when Randolph told him if he didn’t start supporting her, the baby wouldn’t take his last name. Wunsch said he started to attend her appointments and committed to be a part of his baby’s life.

“His attitude towards my pregnancy was not the greatest and made me think that this was going to continue all through Merrick’s life,” Randolph said. “When Merrick was born, his whole outlook on everything did a 180 and completely shocked everyone. I couldn’t be any happier.”

Wunsch and Randolph became an official couple about two weeks before Merrick was born. “[Delanie and I] are together,” Wunsch said. “We are not separated. The only time

go out this year, but Randolph convinced him to, and he wants to do well this season for Merrick.

“When wrestling starts, it’s going to be hard,” Wunsch said before the season began.

“I have to be there a lot and put a lot of time into it. It’s definitely something I’ve thought about a lot, but I’m definitely going to wrestle, and I’m going to give it 100 percent for him.” n —Paige Young

Sports / 27

Winter sports preview Current updates on the beginning of winter sports W

ith key wrestlers out with injuries and Alex Hydock and Brett Moon now attending college, the Eagles have a lot of spots to fill in their line.

That said, they picked up a big win on the first day of the season, topping Dodge City.

Jacob Quiggle gave the Eagles their final victory, winning in overtime.

Among the injured players are Cameron Hughbanks, who will miss the season with a Sophomore Jose Ledesma and junior Justin dislocated shoulder, and junior Talon Watkins practice for their first meet. The Fitzmier, who is out for a eagle’s first meet was Dec 1. broken thumb. Fitzmier Photo by Ryan Jones is expected to return before the season is over.

“We did lose two of our seniors who were great team leaders,” coach Mike Schauer said. “I think that the two were irreplaceable, but we do have a lot of returning players who can do good things.

I’m trying to put a lot of seniors in that position to become leaders.

We also have a lot of new freshmen coming in who I think will be pretty good.” n

T

he girls didn’t have any trouble in their opener against Andover, winning 66-33 Dec 2. They outscored the Trojans 25-8 in the second quarter.

They were 15-7 last season, losing to Bishop Carroll in the sub-state finals. But they lost only one senior off last year’s team, and coach Jerrod Handy said the team will be counting on their four seniors to lead the way.

“All four of them are going to Sophomore Keely Hanson shoots for be playing college something,” a free throw during practice. The basketball season started Dec. 2.

Handy said. “Brecken Roe is Photo by Ryan Jones going D1 volleyball already.

Taylor Holmes is going to Pitt State to play basketball. Jacey Handy is wanting to play basketball somewhere, and so is Caitlyn Stewart.”

Holmes said being a future college basketball athlete will affect how she plays this season. She wants to work harder and make it to the state championship..

“Last year was the first year that I’ve never gone to the state championship from middle school through high school, and that felt awful,” Holmes said. “So I hope to get there.”

Holmes said she thinks with many players returning to the team, the chemistry between the team will be tighter than it was before with the players looking out for each other.

“Last year was rough because we didn’t really know each other,” Holmes said. “I’m really hoping that we can click this year and will play very well together.” n

28 / Sports

C

oach David Walker is retiring from coaching bowling after 17 seasons. Since beginning his coaching career at Maize, the bowling team has qualified for regionals every year. For this last season, he said he hopes they will have a contender for the state Junior Adrian Cruz bowled at a title and he has been tournament last year. working the players Photo by Kiara Ehrmann in practice to achieve his goal.

“We don’t go out and bowl games at practice,” Walker said.

“We work on individual shots, because you can bowl strikes and stuff, but the team that picks up their spares is the team that is at the top when the smoke clears.”

In December the bowling team will start their tryouts, taking 12 players for the girls and boys team. When looking on the season senior, Austin Steuber said he believes regionals is going to be a challenge.

“You always have to try,” Stueber said. “But at regionals you’ve got to try that much harder.” n

T

he boys basketball team won their first game of the season 73-64 on Dec. 2 against Andover. Sophomore Caleb Grill scored 17 points, senior Tyson Love 14 and senior Grant Bugbee 13.

Coach Chris Grill said the team will have a different style of play. The Eagles are smaller this year after graduating a number of seniors. There are a lot of shooters on the team, so he is planning to Senior Tyson Love prepares for his have a lot more shooting first basketball game. The Eagles from the three-point line played against Andover on Dec 2. and having a faster-paced Photo by Ryan Jones game.

Grill said he is excited for the mix of returning and new faces, specifically praising Bugbee for being recognized by many different colleges.

“Senior Grant Bugbee is an all-league player,” Grill said. “I imagine he [Bugbee] is going to have a very successful season.”

Bugbee said he hopes the team can go for another league title and can keep the success going another year. He plans on playing basketball in college.

“Right now I have a couple of offers, but I’m still waiting for the offer that I’d really like to see,” Bugbee said. “I’ll just have to wait for it all to play out. I’m trying to go to a [NCAA] Division II school and hopefully it will be somewhere here in Kansas.” n —Braeden Thompson

Splashing Back Boys swim team prepares for upcoming season after a state win

Senior Logan Paterson preparing for his first swim meet. The Eagles swim team’s first meet was Dec 3.

Photo by Ryan Jones

With freshmen coming to test the waters, White said he feels that they will have to step up this year. Ruder also said he feels like the team is still where they were last season.

“We lost a lot of good seniors, but we also gained a lot of good freshmen,” Ruder said.

Since swimming is in the winter, a lot of the swim athletes come from other sports such as football, soccer and cross country. Junior Nick Sprowls, who runs cross country, said training in the offseason is important to improve in any sport. White said football helps him get in shape for the swim season.

Other athletes, such as junior Christian Taylor and senior Logan Paterson, focus on swimming and compete year-round. Taylor said he swims for the Northwest YMCA Neptunes during the offseason and has been swimming for the last nine years.

“It’s tiring,” he said. “It’s a lot different than high school [swim], and it’s definitely

more of a challenge.”

Taylor said with club swim, an athlete could compete in up to five events and as many relays as the coach wants. In high school, a swimmer can swim only two events and two relays.

To make things easier, Paterson said having his teammate’s support at the meets helps him perform better.

“The teamwork helps a lot and it feels like I’m not alone,” Paterson said. “I have a lot of people supporting me on the team. It’s a family to me.”n —Stormi Williams

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So many people think swimming is an individual sport, but it’s like any other sport, the points add up.

—Chris White, senior

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year ago, Maize won the first state swimming championship in school history.

By half a point.

With a .05-second victory in the last swim of the season.

No pressure for this year’s team, right?

“We have a bullet on our back,” senior Chris White said.

The Eagles started the season Saturday, winning the Maize Invitational at the Northwest YMCA. “I’m praying that we can defend our league title and get ready for another great year at state,” junior Jacob Ruder said.

White said he wants to lower his times, lose weight and make it on this year’s state team.

“So many people think swimming is an individual sport, but it’s like any other sport.” White said. “The points add up … it’s about the greater picture.”

Ruder also wants to improve his times and hopefully place higher at state this year. He finished in the top eight in the 200 freestyle last season.

“My goal this year is to place in the top three,” he said.

Sports | 29

‘Let’s look at the show’

Maize choir performs its annual Christmas show

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hoir put on the Christmas production “Ring Those Christmas Bells” Dec. 2-3. They sang classics such as “Hallelujah Chorus,” and “Little Drummer Boy.” The concert also featured new songs such as “Ding-A Ding-A-Ding” and “Heaven Everywhere.”

Choir instructor Doris Prater said she can’t choose one song to be her favorite of the concert.

“I have lots of favorite songs,” Prater said. “I like them for different reasons. I have a favorite song for beauty, I have a favorite song for meaning and I have a favorite song for fun. So there’s lots of favorite songs, and sometimes they even change day to day.”

Prater said that her main hope for the concert was to help get those attending in the Christmas spirit.

“The main thing we want to accomplish is to give our community a sense of peace and joy,” Prater said. “All the things that Christmas brings, the holidays bring, as well as help our community through the donations that we’ll receive.” n —Casey Loving

Senior Jenna Znamenak and Lauren Matson were among the performers singing “Ring Those Christmas Bells.” This was the second song in the show. Photo by Lizzie Bell

Select choir members senior Aurora Crisp and sophomore Jared Murphy perform “Jingle Bells” at the choir concert Dec. 3. Photo by Lily McClaren

30 | Photo Focus

Senior Eddie Cotterell and sophomore Keegan Johnston sing “Born, Born in Bethlehem.” Photo by Lily McClaren

Hannah Breshears sings “The Prayer” in a duet with Brayden Worden. Photo by Lily McClaren

Choir students close out “Ring Those Christmas Bells.” Photo by Lily McClaren

Math teacher Wally Axmann performs with the Aldersgate UMC Bell Choir before the concert. Photo by Dan Loving

Junior Laura Koerner sings the solo for “Jing-a-Ling.” Photo by Lizzie Bell

Photo Focus | 31

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