SCHS
QUINTESSENCE
Cityscape Volume 0 Issue 1
Table of Contents 04: 06: 09: 12: 14: 16: 18: 19: 22:
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Cupcakes in the City Fierce Mon Goodwill Hunting Soundtrack to the City Urban Art The Great Escape From Skutt Catholic to College Town The Office Space of Sports Forgotten Sports at Skutt Catholic
a note from the editor... This note is the end of a chapter. It’s the end of my career on the journalism staff here at Skutt Catholic High School. I joined the staff two years ago because I was considering majoring in journalism and wanted to see what it might be like. I went in knowing nothing about high school newspaper. I have watched this program blossom from an average newsprint paper into a full-blown professional staff that takes pride in everything they do. We have gone from a run-of-the-mill newspaper to our own website, state-championship department, and now a literary magazine. I’m so proud of everything this department has done in the two short years that I have been on staff. I also want to use this letter to say thank you to all my fellow staff members, especially Mr. Elliott, for making these past two years some of the best of my life. Thank you for opening my eyes to the world of journalism and showing the feats I could accomplish. I could not ask for a better staff. Goodbye and Thanks ~Rachel Podraza
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Cupcakes in the City
A collection of the sweetest shops in Omaha By Gabby Giesler Mockingbird Cupcakes, founded by twin sisters Sarah Aslup and Rachael Henderson, is a from-scratch cupcake shop in Lakeside Plaza. This sweet stop has the most comforting, home-like atmosphere of all the shops. Upon entering, there’s a full kitchen on display and the aroma is heavenly. The cupcakes are available in standard size or mini, and with ten different flavors every day of the week, there’s something scrumptious for everyone. They are the cheapest of all the retailers. Still, don’t let the lower price tag fool you - these cupcakes are the best in Omaha. This shop also bakes custom cakes, cinnamon rolls, and award winning pies. Owner Rachael Henderson says, “We bake our cupcakes fresh every morning. Everything we bake is from scratch. No mixes, real butter, no shortcuts. They are imperfectly perfect.” Without a doubt, these
MockingbirdCupcake Cupcakess Mockingbird
cupcakes triumph over all the others, and are perfect year-round.
Jones Bros is owned and operated by Bill Jones, his parents, and brother Brad of Omaha. Starting out as informal family dinner banter, the dream of Jones Bros. Cupcakes was made a reality back in 2010 at their first location in Aksarben Village. Fast forwarding to present day at their location off of 180th and Center, their cupcakes have gained monstrous popularity. Running $3.50 a piece, their cupcakes don’t overdo the frosting, and have an airy texture to them. They also offer more than just cupcakes-think Panera style with salads and panini sandwiches. The manager working said, “We use no preservatives. We’re Jones Bros.! We have won Cupcake Wars 3 times, we have won best in Omaha 3 years straight, the list goes on. We are the best.”
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Jones Bros
Gigi’s Cupcakes is a chain located south of Village Point. Owned by Suzanne Rogers, this store is notorious for its frosting. If frosting is your vice, this is the place to go to. “They are very unique - We have our own signature swirl which sets us apart,” says an employee. “We bake our cupcakes with heart and plenty of effort. We do the best possible, and we love doing so.” The store is very chic with shades of green, pink, and brown. There is merchandise including hats, aprons, and even Christmas ornaments available for purchase. There’s pictures of Gigi herself portrayed on the wall. They even have a commerical that repeats itself over and over again on the store’s radio. The cupcakes are scrumptious, especially the “Pink Princess”. They are decorated to a T and look very designer. Their cream cheese icing is good enough to be piled on, and the consistancy is a dream. These cupcakes are surely the most decorated of all the cupcakes in Omaha, and would look great served at a birthday party or a wedding.
Cupcake Island
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Gigi’s
Cupcake Island, the first designated cupcake shop in Omaha, definitely has its mark set in stone. Located on 119th & Pacific, this shop has stuck around for good reason. Founded in 2006 by Ed LeFebvre and Shirley Neary, their motto is “Our Cake Stands Alone.” Their goal is to create cakes and cupcakes that are beautiful to see, delicous to taste, and a perfect edition to celebratory events. The cupcake to icing ratio is on point. The cupcakes sit in a chilled case, which makes them refreshing. The red velvet and pink champagne are hits. The “Just say ‘I Do’” cupcake, which is an almond cake with a vanilla buttercream, is decadent. The shop is famous for their everyday specials as well as their seasonal flavors. Their cupcakes range in size from jumbo to mini, and they are available everyday. Cupcake Island is the best next to Mockingbird Cupcakes. Considering how they were the first cupcake shop in Omaha, Cupcake Island has excelled in maintaing a name for themselves as well as serving all star products.
FIERCE MON
Monica Hruby is someone special in the halls of Skutt Catholic. Her fashion is fierce and cannot be dupilcated.
By: Michaela Farley
Monica Hruby is someone who is unmissible in the halls of Skutt Catholic. Tall, red hair, wool socks, slip-on Birkenstock’s and those game day short day, high waisted grandma khaki shorts. You could say that Monica has a weird sense of style but what she calls it is “The Monica touch of fashion”. It may not be for all of us, but it works for Mon. I recently spent the afternoon with Monica and fellow fashionista Amanda Sloup at a local favorite and hidden treasure, Anthropology. “Anthro’s clothes are straight art, so I love picking over the place” Monica says as we are walking into the store and believe her when she said picking over the place; we hadn’t spent five minutes in the store and both Amanda and Monica had arm loads of clothing to try on, Monica even getting an employee to start her a fitting room. “I never used to have style I was everywhere. I thought I was really hipster Tumblr for the longest time and those were the dark years,” says Monica. After nearly spending an hour in the store, we finally headed to fitting a room, where Monica and Amanda had nearly ten outfits to try on. Amanda’s first outfit choice, long denim jeans, a white top and a fur sweater and Monica’s first choice, maroon velvet leggings and a tan turtle neck.
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Amanda’s style compared to Monica’s style is on total different spectrums. Amanda’s style being more 80’s while Monica’s is earthier and more laid back. “Amanda’s style is like a throwback to the 80’s of rust colors and funky patterns and I love it!” Monica says. “For me, I like clothes that are basically art. Lacy things to minimal print items with jewel and earthy tones, really t’s basically whatever I feel like wearing” Hruby explains. After what seemed like an eternity, Monica and Amanda had exhausted the day, with only two purchases made by Monica, who decided on a black dress and a bottle of perfume.
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Goodwill Hunting For Your Summer Style Try Thrift Shopping
By: Rachel Podraza Ever since Macklemore rapped about some thrift shop “fur fox skins”, many people have had their eyes opened to the vast world of thrift store fashion. Whether it is 80’s leg warmers with black tights, or men’s oversized dress shirts and a sweater; there are so many unique and stylish options you can find. All you have to do is open your mind to the possibilities. There are 5 things you need to look for when thrift shopping.
1) Look for neutral
colors like gray, black, and brown.
2) Your size and
gender are not your friends. If you are a female and wear size small, you should take a peek in the larges or men’s clothing. Thrift store fashion isn’t really the ‘tight’ shirt style.
3)
Something doesn’t always have to be worn for it’s intended use. You can wear a silk scarf as a headband or mom pants as shorts.
4) Thrift stores have the best jewelry. Remember: the more vintage the better!
5) Do it yourself!
Turn an old shirt into an adorable shirt by turning it into a crop top, a night gown into a spring dress by bringing it in on the waist, or an ugly sweater into a unique vest by removing the sleeves. Pinterest is key for this. For further ideas and styles, look at the pictures on the following pages. They are from 5 different thrift stores around Omaha including Goodwill, Thrift
World, and Plato’s Closet.
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1)
Amanda Pohlman rocks an old sweater ($8) and extremely large jeans ($4)
2) Rachel Ober-
foell brings back a 90’s look with old overalls ($9) and a simple bandana ($1)
3) Courtney
Schnitzler and Hannah Friedt twin with matching shirts (each $5) and scarves (each $2)
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4) Abby Hoffman
has on a sweet crop top ($4) and fun polka dot shorts ($4)
5) Sammy Lierz
has on a perfect summer hat ($2) and oldies maxi skirt ($3)
6) Melanie Olson
going for a buisness causual look with a shirt ($4) and black maxi skirt ($3)
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Soundtrack to the City Playlists for daytime explorations to nighttime adventures
By: Hannah Klemme Never Let You Go // Third Eye Blind Heart Out // The 1975 Shut Up and Dance // Walk The Moon Sunset Driver // Michael Jackson Rearview // Bad Suns
Feel Good
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Drive
The Wind // Zac Brown Band Red and Gold // Young Rising Sons House of Gold // Twenty One Pilots Sidekick // Walk The Moon Right On Track // The Griswolds
Late Night
American Zero // Neon Trees The Mechanism // Disclosure Girls Freak Me Out // The Summer Set Shark Attack // Grouplove Out on the Town // fun.
Urban
The Town // Macklemore Pacifier // Catfish and the Bottleman The City // Ed Sheeran Smoke // PVRIS Black Magic Woman // Fleetwood Mac
Chill
Adventure
Silver Lining // Rilo Kiley Two Fingers // Jake Bugg Blood // The Middle East 83 // John Mayer The Run and Go // Twenty One Pilots
Bridge Burn // Little Comets Buzzcut Season // Lorde Classy Girls // The Lumineers Mad Sounds // Arctic Monkeys Look and Sea // The Lonely Biscuits
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Urban Art
By: Kayley Anderson
Student Artists takes home 87 Scholastic Art Awards
Imagine every moment in history before the invention of cameras. You’re probably picturing someone slaving away at a massive canvas or carving a brilliant statue. This makes sense because for a long time, art meant recording history. Today, art is not only used to record events, but also to express creativity. Here at Skutt Catholic students produce art that is state and nationally ranked. Each year students from our art classes submit their work to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Everything from paintings to photographs was submitted to a state wide competition designed to recognize artists throughout the country.
Top Left: Bethany Cary (10), Top Middle: Anne Watts (11), Top Right: Hannah Winther, Michaela Farley, Lucy Garro, Cassidy Roy, Eilis Jopp (12) Bottom: Bianca Lowe
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This year Skutt Catholic won a school record 87 Gold and Silver keys, as well as multiple honorable mentions. All these winning pieces are being displayed at the Omaha Public School district’s Teacher Administrative Center, alongside other winning works from both high school and middle school levels. Those students who won Gold Keys also had their work entered in a national competition. Brittany Margritz, a senior, won a silver medal at the national level for a batik she did earlier this year. “I never really expected to win but I think it’s cool that we have the opportunity to show our work to such a wide audience even at this age.” She will be recognized in Carnegie Hall later this year.
Top left: Ben Zach (9), Top Middle: Claire Pape (9), Top Right: Sara Zaleski (11), Middle Left: Emily Koster (10), Middle Center: Andrea Sims (9), Middle Right: Max Korensky (9), Bottom Left: Brittany Margritz (12), Bottom Middle: Hannah Winther (11), Bottom Right: Jenn Hoody (11).
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The Great Escape
Where students go to relax & be with friends
By Tom Hermanek
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see enlarged map
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A. Freshman Brianna Harrison Village Pointe Shopping Center 168th & W. Dodge Rd., Omaha
D. Junior Nick Wagner Sonic Drive-In 186th & W. Center Rd., Omaha
“My friends and I usually go to Sonic. I like the chicken and the tater-tots.”
“I like Village Pointe because I like watching movies and being with my friends.”
E. Junior Meghan O’Grady Starbucks Coffee Company 175th & West Center Rd., Omaha
“I love Starbucks--I like the plain, black coffee.”
B. Senior Cassidy O’Malley Cahoy’s Gymnastic Training Center 84th & Madison St., Ralston
“I like to hang out at Cahoy’s Gymnastics Training Center. I have done gymnastics since I was three and now practice 22 hours a week.”
F. Sophomore Kirayle Jones SCHS Weight Room 156th & W. Center Rd., Omaha
“I like the weight room. It teaches hard work and helps me look good for the girls.”
C. Freshman Stevie Yaghmour Chalco Hills Recreation Area 156th & Giles Rd., Omaha
“My favorite place to hang out is Chalco Hills. I love to bike on the trail for fun or if I need to relax.”
G. Sophomore Carmen Miller Village Inn 144th & Oak View Dr., Omaha
“My favorite place to hang is Village Inn because the food is wonderful and the chairs are comfy.”
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From Skutt Catholic to College Town By Paige Ourada
As the school year dwindles to a close, the seniors are on the edge of their seats, anxious to move on to bigger and better things. The days of applications, art projects, and all-nighters are almost over, and the class of 2015 could not be more ready to take the lessons they learned at Skutt Catholic on to college. In the spirit of moving on, a few seniors decided to show some future school pride by sporting gear of their soon-to-be homes. Senior Grace Smith will be attending Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois next year. She chose her school based on a gut feeling. “I’m looking forward to being on their speech team; they’re number one in the nation, so that’s pretty cool. It just kinda made sense because they also have a great communications program, which is what I’m looking to major in.” Jack Camenzind, along with multiple other seniors, is moving to Maryville, Missouri in the fall to begin school at Northwest Missouri State University. “All of my sisters have gone there and it’s the perfect size for me. I just figured that I belonged there too.” Melissa Edloff will beocme a Wildcat in the Fall when she enrolls at Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas. “I’ve been a K-State fan forever, so I can’t wait to go to school there next year,” she says. Ian Fullinfaw will join the Briar Cliff University community next year in Sioux City, Iowa. “I was offered a scholarship to Briar Cliff. I’m very excited to start my college career there,” says Ian. The class of 2015 has left their legacy, and it is one that will never be forgotten.
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The Office Space of Sports Skutt Catholic
Sports cost money, a lot of money. This money can go to jerseys, equipment, or facilities. Facilities, some people say, can make or break the success of a program. The complications of facilities come when you have to balance funds to try and make everything as equal as possible. High school facilities can go from college quality all the way down to not even having a home field.
We start with our own stomping grounds of Skutt Catholic. We have most of the bare necessities covered, and usually much more than that. For football, all you need is a hundred yards of green and two goal posts. Through donations and fundraising the field turf was brought in side the two grandstands, which hold a couple thousand people. The turf also benefits soccer and lets them get a game in no matter what the weather is. Especially when it comes to Class B, Skutt Catholic is top of the line. Basketball is just what we need as a school, the basic wood floor and bleachers give the gym a certain rustic vibe to it that the new gyms cannot compete with. The baseball field is nothing to shy away from, with a two story press box and batting cages that were recently redone over the left field fence, it has a classic baseball feel to it as it looks over the entire Skutt Catholic campus.
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Northwest High School
Northwestern High School is a Class A school that is in a tough situation. They do not have the option of donations or a guaranteed tuition income like Skutt Catholic. They have to rely on funding from the state and the city to get their sports facilities up to par. Many of the Skutt Catholic students saw the gym during district basketball. It is definitely bigger than Skutt Catholic’s gym. Another point to that is there is only one gym. The Northwest Athletic Director Mr. Andrew Wane said, “We are expecting a grant to come in to pay for another gym that we will add on to the school.� The field turf at Northwest is a nice thing to have, but it is getting old, and will need to be replaced in the next five years, and they also have to share their football stadium with other OPS schools which makes scheduling challenging. The storied baseball program, which won an abundance of state championships in the 80s and 90s, does not have a lot to complain about. With money help from the NCAA College World Series, they have added improvements to their field over the last ten years.
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Papillion-La Vista High School is like a gem of the south. With the addition of a PapillionLa Vista South just over ten years ago though, the school had to learn how to share the sports money that was only meant for one school. The football field no longer resided at the high school. They share a field, which is at Papillion-La Vista South, but they still have turf though. Used for football practice and for soccer games, it still gets plenty of use. Having an old gym and a new gym, they have more space than Northwest does, but with that they find themselves hosting more events which makes it tough to have a consistent schedule. The baseball field is also a different situation. It is located off site at a city field. The field itself is in a perfect setting: it looks out over a park and has a great family vibe to it. The old sunk in dugouts with wooden stairs is a classic look that goes back to old ballparks.
Papillion Lavista High School
Three schools, all from very different parts of the city, show us that the good facilities can come from anywhere. If you go to any of schools in the metro area, the result will be the same. This not only shows how good Omaha athletics are, but it also is a testimony to how good the metropolitan school systems are. When it comes to these nice facilities we have at Skutt Catholic, be thankful, because we have it pretty good here.
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Forgotten Sports at Skutt
Three spring sports that everyone should try out
By Ryan Mendick Skutt Catholic teams are top dogs at all sports, but some sports are not recognized as much as others. Three of those lesser-known sports include trap shooting, golf, and lacrosse. All three are sports we compete well at, but they just don’t receive the right amount of popularity. These sports all take place in the springtime as well. This is unfortunate because that is when some other major sports take place, including track, baseball, and soccer. If you ever want to be a part of an exciting springtime sport, you should consider playing one of these three sports.
Golf
Golf is probably the most well-known sport out of the three chosen, but it could still use a little bit more popularity. Like trap shooting, golf is a lesser known spring sport that is starting to grow. In my opinion, golf is either the most relaxing day ever, or the most frustrating day ever; it just depends on how you’re playing on that day. If you are having a good day then golf can be so much fun. Freshman Will Fletcher stated, “I play golf because it is relaxing, and doesn’t require a ton of stress.” He also said, “Golf is also a good way to unwind after a day of school.” He is completely right, there is no stress involved in playing golf, just make sure you can hit the ball off the tee and you should be good to go. I’m not a great golfer, but I still like to play every once and a while just for fun and to relax a little.
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Lacrosse Lacrosse is probably the least known sport out of the three. As a matter of fact, if you want to play lacrosse, you have to play with Millard North. Even though it’s through a whole different school it is still an interesting sport to get involved in. One Skutt Catholic student who decided to try lacrosse is freshman Anthony Matney. “Lacrosse is fun because it’s different from other sports,” said Matney. “Other people should play it because you get to meet a lot of people from different schools.” Hopefully in the future we can get enough Skutt students to start our own lacrosse team.
Trap Shooting Trap Shooting is one of the lesser known spring sports, sort of hidden by baseball, soccer, and track, but trap shooting is still equally important and competitive. The first step to trap shooting is that you actually need to know how to shoot a shotgun. If you
don’t know how ro do that, then this is probably is not your sport. Trap is a great opportunity to make new friends and have fun doing it. In my opinion it is one of my favorite sports to watch, because the contest lasts all day and there is always something going on. Everyone should join trap for many reasons. Senior Francesca Romano stated, “Others should think about joining trap because it’s a really big deal in Nebraska.” As a matter of fact, The Nebraska State Trap Shooting Championship is the biggest trap competition in the U.S. If that doesn’t make you want to join the trap shooting team, then I don’t know what will.
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