The Northwest Passage — Issue 2

vol. 43 | issue 2 | oct. 07, 2011

northwest

photo illustration by bailey kopp

CHANGE OF PLANS

High school four year schedules often change because of bad grades or unexpected circumstances early on. on page 13

makeup essentials

12

With Homecoming approaching quickly, students may want to try out these products.

holding the line

19

The role of offensive linemen is often overlooked, despite their importance to every play.

Come visit our new store featuring Intertribal American Indian arts and crafts

AND INDIANS October Exclusive Crafts & Sterling Silver Show We carry sterling & turquoise jewelry, books, T-shirts, and many crafts 12206 Johnson Drive (Next to CharHouse) Shawnee, KS 66216 913-967-9243

Great up-do’s for homecoming!

25% OFF any item

Expires: 11/7/2011 Not valid toward trade show items

northwest

PASSAGE | CONTENTS

issue 2 | vol. 43 | oct. 07, 2011 Shawnee Mission Northwest 12701 West 67th St., Shawnee, Kan., 66216

NEWS in brief

Updates about happenings at Northwest

currently

Pop culture and news from around the world

05

reviews

13

change of plans

12

makeup essentials

06

22 FALL SPORTS

ENTERTAINMENT Gears of War 3, Criminal Minds season 7, Speak Now tour, Laura Marling’s A Creature I Don’t Know

FEATURES

photo by mikala compton

10

IN PHOTOS

OPINIONS how to pay for college

Money for college can come from something as simple as studying for the PSAT.

07

The education of boys should be changed to fit their needs.

let boys be boys

07

the problem with bold ambitions

08

19

22

12 MAKEUP

Choosing a future career shouldn’t be based on how much money it can offer.

the future of the newspaper is in danger

The Passage staff has had to face significant financial difficulty in the past few years.

08

photo by daniel magwire

ESSENTIALS

23

The four-year schedules students make in eighth grade often change in high school because of the bad grades in even just one class.

With Homecoming approaching quickly, students may want to try these products at home to find the easiest (and cheapest) way to get ready.

SPORTS holding the line

Offensive linemen are often overlooked, despite their effort and importance to every single play.

fall sports in photos

A few of the fall season’s best sports photos.

sick of conference changes

The constant rearrangement of college athletic conferences could potentially hurt the sports.

northwest

[ staff ]

Co-editors-in-chief | Maria Davison + David Freyermuth

Copy Editor | Brianna Leyden Design Editor | Bailey Kopp Assistant Designer | Brooke Golladay Web Managing Editor | Daniel Magwire Ads Editor | Claire Marley Photo Editors | Mikala Compton + David Freyermuth

Graphic Artist | Mitch Feyerherm News Editor | Hayley Battenberg Opinions Editors | Maria Davison + David Freyermuth

Entertainment Editor | Ashlee Crane

EDITOR’S NOTE: I wasn’t the best student during my freshman year. In fact, I’m still not the straight ‘A’, honors student my parents would like me to be.

When I received my first grade card freshman year, I knew my parents were going to be disappointed. The lack of ‘A’s’ and the disruption of ‘C’s’ brought down my motivation. I began to slack more in the classes I didn’t care about, and continued to slide by in others.

My grades sophomore year weren’t much better. I didn’t take any honors classes, and I continued to slack off in the classes I thought I didn’t need. I began to live “in the moment” and not worry about my future. My friends labeled me as a slacker, and I pretended not to care when they joked about my laziness.

But at the beginning of my senior year, as I began looking into colleges and scholarships that I wanted to apply for, I regretted the decisions I made freshman and sophomore year. I’m finding that my GPA isn’t high enough to be eligible for some scholarships, and I can’t get in-state tuition at the University of Missouri, the school I want to go to the most.

That is mostly a fault of my own, but for students like junior Dani Golladay (page 19), getting sick at the end of her freshman year was completely out of her control. She had to work hard to make up for missing out on most of fourth quarter of her freshman year.

Although Golladay’s situation was completely different from mine, I’ve also spent time working to turn my high school career around. I took easier classes — but I also tried more in them. I probably won’t be able to go to the college I want to, but I’m still going to college and doing everything I can to make it work.

Like counselor Angelo Giacalone said (page 21), a GPA needs a solid base.

Mine didn’t, and it hurt me later.

Underclassman, take this as a lesson from someone who’s been there: don’t slack off now. You will regret it later. And upperclassmen like me, there’s still a way to make it work. It just might not be exactly the way you planned.

David Freyermuth Co-Editor-in-Chief

Sports Editors | Logan Coffman + Brady Klein Staff Writers | Jeffery Allen, Sam Bellmyer, Michael Catt, Rachel Ferencz, Baili Mcpheeters, Evan Shinn, Connor Thompson, Paige Waltman, Zoe Weber, + Eric Zoellner

Contributors | Edelawit Hussien Adviser | Susan Massy

04

Oct. 07, 2011

The purpose of the Northwest Passage is to relay important and interesting information to the community, administration and students of the Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. As a newsmagazine, the Northwest Passage will cater to the interests and concerns of the student body. Outside concerns and activities will only be covered if they somehow affect the school or students. the Northwest Passage is a 24-page newsmagazine. The paper will be distributed every three weeks during fifth hour. Subscriptions will be available to the community for $25. the Northwest Passage firmly supports the First Amendment and opposes censorship. The content of the newspaper will be determined and created by the entire staff.

When questions concerning word choice, legal problems or ethics arise the editorial board and adviser will discuss the problem to find a solution. In these cases, the co-editors-in-chief will the have final say in all decisions. Letters to the editor will be accepted and encouraged, but will only be published if signed.

The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length and good taste. Letters may attack policy but not people. In no way will ideas or viewpoints be changed. The co-editors-in-chief reserves the right to refuse any letter.

IN BRIEF Homecoming to channel ancient Greece

YMCA uses NW Pool

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City is hosting the Learn To Swim program at the NW pool.

Over the course of eight weeks, the program teaches second graders to swim. For this particular lesson, the YMCA chose second graders from Shawnoe Elementary “They do this at the Nashville YMCA, and the CEO who was there, is now here,” YMCA aquatics director Debroah Thomas said. “He said we need to teach every second grader in the Shawnee Mission School District how to swim. So, we talked to the superintendent here, Dr. Johnson, and he said that would be awesome.”

The YMCA received a $10,000 donation from Samsung for the swimming lesson. Many of Shawanoe’s second graders have never enrolled in a swimming lessons, due to economic reasons. Acording to Thomas, for some of these students, it’s the first time they’ve ever been in the pool.

“Half of the [children we’re teaching] don’t know how to swim at all,” Thomas said. “And [they] are six to seven percent subsidized for school lunches; half of them don’t even pay for school [fees].”

The goal for the Learn to Swim program is for each child be able to jump into the water, swim a half length of the pool, turn around and swim back without any trouble. The program started Sept. 16 and will finish on Nov. 11.

The cafeteria will be transformed into the Parthenon for this year’s Homecoming dance, at 8 p.m. on Oct. 15.

“We chose ‘Greek Gold’ [for our theme]. It should turn out pretty and interesting.

It’s something that we haven’t done before,” Homecoming coordinator Reagan Wilks said.

But this Homecoming won’t be a toga party: formal attire is required, which includes shirt and tie for boys and dresses for girls (shoes must be worn at all times).

Tickets cost $10 per ticket or $18 for two and can be purchased in the mall from Student Council representatives during the week before Homecoming. The proceeds from ticket sales will pay for decorations and after-hours cleanup.

Student Council members have been preparing for the dance for weeks.

“There’s a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into the dance,” Wilks said. “DJs, sound equipment and locations all have to be booked.”

Students who are bringing dates from other schools must complete an Outside Date Form. The form, which can be picked up in the office, must be signed by an administrator from date’s school and the administrator must fax it to Eddie LyDay (913.993.7499). The fax must be received in the office by Oct. 12.

The Homecoming parade will be held Oct. 8, starting at 10 a.m. from Reform Presbyterian Church of Shawnee on Pflumm south of 67th Street. Clubs and organizations are constructing floats and the Homecoming Court will be presented.

The Homecoming Queen and her court will be crowned during the halftime of the football game on Oct. 14, and the King will be named at 9:30 p.m. at the dance.

by evan shinn

by eric zoellner

Coalition walk raises awareness

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on p issi

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pflumm rd.

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67th st.

(above) Senior Caleb Amundson talks about the purpose of the walk to the students gathered at the former Price Chopper on Sept. 29. (right) Senior Katrina Nelson holds a sign to raise awarness in passing drivers on 67th street. photos by david freyermuth

One-hundred-thirty students showed their support for Save Darfur, Invisible Children, Love 146 and Water Harvest International early Sept. 29.

The Coalition held their annual Walk at 6 a.m. that morning, meeting in front of the former Price Chopper building on Shawnee Mission Parkway to walk approximately 1.5 miles to Northwest.

“In the past, The Walk has been about the night commuters in Africa who, because of the war, were forced to walk for miles to find a place to sleep,” Coalition leader Rebecca Rice said.

The Walk coordinators usually ask participants to wear plain black shirts and tape large, red X’s on their chests to represent the night commuters. This year, however, the club decided to use different colored duct tape for separate organizations: green for Save Darfur, blue for Water Harvest International, white for Invisible Children and red for Love 146.

“This year the night commuters don’t have to walk, so now The Walk is for a bunch of organizations, and you can choose which one you want to walk for,” Rice said.

Although The Walk doesn’t raise money for the Coalition or any of the charities they aid, they continue the tradition every year.

“It’s more about awareness than the physical act of walking,” Rice said.

Coalition’s next event will be the Scavenger Hunt in October. For more information, Coalition meetings are held Thursdays after school in room 155.

by hayley battenburg

in brief

05

Pop culture and news from around the world.

Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann, in a recent Tea Party/Republican debate, stated her opinion that HPV vaccines lead to mental disabilities. Vaccines such as Gardasil and Cervarix have been approved by the FDA, and no permanent side effects have been proven in any women who received HPV vaccines. Information from cnn.com

1 T R IL LI O N — the number of Web pages on the internet.

october is the

25th

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

month

The first nationa Red Ribbon Week was helld in

1988

1990

The Kansas City, Missouri, school district faces tough times, after the state Board of Education decided on Sept. 20 to remove the district’s accreditation. Over 17,000 students attend the schools, and this decision means that they have two years to gain high enough test scores, or face state takeover. Information from kmbc.com

3.5

million students take the PSAT/ NMSQT test each year

said President Obama of his $3 trillion debt cut plan.

Oct. 07, 2011

donation was given to the Shawnee Mission Schools from BlueCross BlueShield

Kansas started celebrating Red Ribbon week in

IF WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SPENDING CUTS — MANY OF WHICH WE WOULDN’T MAKE IF WE WEREN’T FACING SUCH LARGE BUDGET DEFICITS — THEN IT’S ONLY RIGHT THAT WE ASK EVERYONE TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE,” 06

$5,000

12

year old

NETFLIX

is renaming the company Qwikster and offering video games in their services.

HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE Taking the PSAT isn’t a waste of Wednesday morning that you could sleep in; it actually offers the opportunity to receive thousands of dollars of scholarships.

217.

This was the number that was going to make or break the rest of my life.

I took the PSAT Oct. 17, 2010.

217? That was my score.

I have known since at least first grade that the PSAT was a big deal. By taking the test, students can qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program, a fact that I’m pretty sure most people don’t know. Let’s break down the numbers: 1.5 million — the number of people who participate in the program every year.

34,000 — the number of students who become National Merit Commended.

16,000 — the number of students who move on to the National Merit Semifinalist level.

15,000 — the number of students who qualify to be a National Merit Finalist.

My sister, 10 years ago, was one of those 15,000, meaning that she was in the top one-half of 1 percent of high school seniors. With that title, she won a full ride scholarship to the University of Kansas. I’m hoping to do the same.

For those of you who have been paying attention to the current economic climate at all, college

by michael catt

is not cheap. In fact, CNBC recently referred to the whole situation as the “college debt crisis.”

Currently, the student loan debt is increasing at a rate of $2,853.88 per second, and by 2012, it will be more than $1 trillion. The price of a college education is growing at a faster rate than inflation.

For every individual student, that means the median price for one year of college (and this includes two-year, four-year, private and public institutions) is $17,633, according to the National Center of Education Statistics.

For me personally, that means I would spend more than $140,000 on a mediocre education, with four years of undergraduate school and four years at medical school. With some of the higherranked universities I have been looking at, tuition can run upward of $50,000 a year, meaning I would eventually spend in excess of $400,000 on that alone. This price doesn’t even include room and board, books and other expenses.

Realistically, I knew I would have to get every single scholarship out there to avoid drowning in debt after college. When the time came to take the PSAT in the fall of my junior year, and the SAT in the spring, I knew I couldn’t slack off.

by brianna leyden

At the beginning of the school year, I signed up for SAT prep questions of the day, which were sent directly to my email, and all I had to do was glance at them for two minutes a day. In the two weeks before the test, I read through study books to brush up on my weakest areas, such as math.

And most miraculous of all, a week before the test, I actually started getting to sleep at a decent time and not running my brain ragged.

These few simple things enabled me to score well on both tests, and in doing so, ease my mind about the stress of college loans and fees.

Now, everyone is busy. There are tests, homework, clubs, sports, various extracurriculars, community service and life in general. Why waste a few minutes of every day reading up on questions like, “If y=(x + 3)2, then what does (-2x - 6)2 equal?” Because for every time I worked out the answer, it is a year less I don’t have to worry about being in debt during and after college.

So don’t blow it off. Study a bit, sleep a bit and succeed a lot.

And, the answer is “4y.”

LET BOYS BE BOYS

Serious cracks have developed in the education of American boys.

Boys in the United States are struggling terribly in our schools’ education system. Behavior and grades compared to females are on a downward climb.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, for every 100 girls suspended from school, 250 boys are suspended from school. For every 100 girls expelled from school, 297 boys are expelled from school. For every 100 girls diagnosed with a learning disability, 217 boys are are diagnosed with a learning disability.

And it’s not just high school and middle school students who experience difficulty. Sixty percent of college degrees belong to females.

It’s obvious that boys in the United States have a problem. According to TIME Magazine, the SAT is taken by more boys than girls. Fewer boys than girls apply to college. Fewer boys than girls, in annual surveys of college freshmen, express a passion for learning.

We can no longer tolerate poor performance in school no matter the situation.

Why is this trend of sub par performance from

boys taking over American schools? According to Harvard psychologist William Pollack, the answers lie in the beginning of boyhood. Right now, conventional school curriculum involves sitting in a chair and taking tests with math, reading and writing exercises thrown in. Girls excel at this form of learning. Boys come to class, become bored and start acting out. At the beginning of elementary school, the only thing boys are taught is to hate school, instead of being given an explanation of the importance of education to their future. Even more important, boys need to understand how learning and education can be fun.

Boys need to be active in elementary school, but recess is used only as free time and, as such, must be limited. Our schools need to implement new ways to engage boys in learning by making school fun and competitive. Exercise is a key to doing this. Changes like this could help reduce the rebellious behavior in today’s classrooms, but changes in society need to happen as well for more boys to succeed more in the classroom.

Family income has an effect on a child’s

education. According to the Teaching Boys Who Struggle website, 76 percent of students in middle to higher income areas graduate from high school, while only 56 percent of students who live in lower income areas do so. And this statistic isn’t surprising. Many lower income families depend on their children to help support their costs by working or taking care of younger siblings instead of studying. This will always be a problem as long as poverty and long work hours exist for parents.

Schools need to accommodate to these issues by offering more after school care and meals for families in these situations.

Our schools need to play on boys’ proficiencies and teach them using techniques that encourage them to use their competitiveness and energy to tackle today’s intensive curriculum. More support needs to be offered to lower income families. Our nation and our government is struggling to find solutions for our educational woes. We need to place a priority on finding solutions to these issues before another generation of students works its way through our school system.

opinions

07

THE PROBLEM THE FUTURE OF THE WITH BOLD NEWSPAPER IS IN DANGER AMBITIONS

STAFF EDITORIAL

by evan shinn

Students should stop thinking about their financial future and live through their passions.

Ever since the career topic came about, I’ve been hearing the same things. Doctor. Businessman. Lawyer. Engineer.

Psychologist. In my mind, they’re all the same — vague positions that make loads of money.

Not to sound condescending, but what ever happened to pursuing dreams? What ever happened to being different?

What ever happened to believing in who you are? Aren’t these the ideas we were taught as children?

I have a friend. Let’s call him Sam. Ever since he could remember, his mind has been set on one thing: becoming a rock star. Never has he wanted anything more. Lying in bed at night, he envisions his name in flashing lights in front of an audience of thousands. He’s practiced his Grammy Awardwinning speech dozens of times. He’s even thought up his own record label. But what’s most important to note about Sam is his passion to showcase art and creativity in the most innovative way he can.

Sam’s got some bold ambitions. But there’s a problem.

He’s like the majority of high school students. He wants to take the financially safe route in life. He wants the security of a college education and a diploma to show for it. And, like his peers, he’s terrified of what happens after the graduation ceremony.

That’s why Sam, a starving artist, has a backup plan. Good idea? Maybe, but it compromises everything he’s ever wanted.

And here’s why.

Sam is going to study international business and foreign language in college. It’s a great interest of his, next to music, and it’s something that he’s good at. But drilling Spanish and French flash cards every night doesn’t compare to the high Sam gets when sitting behind a computer, writing, recording and mixing a new song — much like Kanye West, his favorite artist.

So you see, Sam is conflicted, but has made up his mind.

He’ll try the whole music thing in college, as a hobby of course, and maybe with a bit of luck, he’ll end up somewhere doing just what he wanted. But why would anyone drive his or her focus elsewhere when all he’s ever wanted could be within his reach with a little more work?

If becoming a doctor, lawyer or business executive is really what you want to do with your life, more power to you; I don’t mean put your chosen profession in bad light. But the fact is simple: Don’t compromise yourself for a security blanket.

I haven’t lived long enough to rightfully profess this idea, but I’m hopeful that I’ll find happiness in my passion rather than a salary. Because, truth be told, I am Sam. I don’t want to think of what could have been. Like most people, I want to know that every action I take will be well worth it in the end. So in the words of hip-hop genius Kanye West, I’ll leave you with, “If you want it / you can get it for the rest of your life.”

08

Oct. 07, 2011

The Passage is in serious financial trouble. Without donataions or increased advertising sales, it’s possible the paper won’t be printed for the rest of the year.

Like many of its professional counterparts, the Northwest Passage has fallen on tough economic times. Between increasing printing costs and decreasing advertising sales, we’re no longer making enough money to support the paper.

Years ago, the SM district mandated that all the high schools papers were to be printed at the district print shop which would do the job for the cost of paper and ink.

The cost to print an issue was around $400. Between advertising sales and a $1,000 stipend from the district, we were able to print as many as 19 issues a year without a problem. Even when the stipend was cut by half, advertising revenues were adequate to fund both the marketing program (which sells the advertising for the Passage as a lab experience for its students) and the newspaper.

Toward the end of the 2009–2010 school year, the district increased their printing cost by about 20 percent. Although our only notification of that increase came when the bill arrived, we were able to handle that increase and could have done so indefinitely, but that was not the last of the price increases.

The 2010-2011 school year began with an unannounced increase which took the cost of the Passage from about $600 to over $2,000 per issue in a move to make the print shop support itself. Although we certainly understand the district’s financial straits and their need for the print shop to pay its own way, we were neither prepared for this increase nor were we able to find the means (read “advertising income”) to be able to afford this increase.

When the first issue of the year should have come out, we were still scrambling to find somewhere cheaper to print. The next best option — printing on the Kansas City Star’s press — was still almost twice as expensive, per issue, as the district print shop had been the previous year.

Because of all this, our first issue of the year was published exclusively on our website.

Although the district still provides a small stipend to help with printing costs, that stipend is only $500 annually. But each issue costs more than $1,100. This year, we plan to print 11 issues — a decrease from the 17 issues we printed last THE MAJORITY OPINION OF the year — because we knew we wouldn’t northwest passage EDITORIAL STAFF be able to afford it.

The paper is — and has always been — supported by advertising sales. Last year, between decreased enrollment in marketing and a bad economy, they were only able to sell about half the advertising needed to cover our printing costs.

And that brings us to right now. Thanks to an incredibly generous donation to the journalism program, we were able to pay for everything not covered by advertising sales for the this issue and the previous issue.

But this isn’t a long term solution. Looking to next semester, we may not have enough money to print. We need to sell enough advertising to support ourselves, a task much more difficult than it sounds on paper. The economy is down and our prices are up.

We’ll take whatever we can get. Donations can be made through the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation and earmarked for the Northwest Passage. For more information, contact Susan Massy at nwmassy@smsd.org. Advertising can be purchased through the marketing department. For more information, contact Bob Jensen at nwjensen@ smsd.org.

The future of the Passage is still very much in danger. Whether the paper is printed for the rest of the year relies completely on whether we can come up with enough money.

10 agree

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disagree

KLIPSCH HEADPHONES

Spending hundreds of dollars of headphones is ridiculous, but listening to music through cheap headphones can be painful. Klipsch has a compromise. With superb sound quality for a reasonable price, Klipsch headphones are a great substitute for Beats or Bose. Also, they don’t break after the first week of use.

THINGS

with web managing editor daniel magwire

CHAR HOUSE BBQ

You can’t live in Kansas City and not love BBQ. The Char House, located in Shawnee, is a relatively new establishment. They have already made a name for themselves by serving old school dishes, like cornbread, fried chicken, and BBQ sandwiches are just a few things they have to offer. My person favorite is the Porkilicious: a halfpound burger topped with bacon, ham and pulled pork.

HANK WILLIAMS III

Hank Williams III, commonly known as Hank 3, is a unique musician. Grandson of the famous country singer Hank Williams, Hank 3 has been playing the strangest music since 1996. His combination of country, folk, punk and hardrock has both challenged the music industry and his ties to country fame. He’s put out 4 albums this year, three of which came out in September.

Go to the entertainment section in popular magazines and you are bound to find nothing but mindless stories about Hollywood’s trash.

I don’t care if Britney Spears shaved her head again. Rolling Stone Magazine is the cure to the paparazzi fever. They’ve been publishing stories on music, movies and politics since 1967. It’s an intelligent resource for people who want more out of entertainment.

WOODIE GUTHRIE

Good TV is hard to come by these days.

FX doesn’t just have one good show, they have five. The channel is most known for its comedies. Wilfred, Louie and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia are the funniest shows on TV. FX also has a darker, more rugged side.

Sons of Anarchy and Justified are as great as the comedies, and make FX a well-rounded channel.

Next year marks the one hundredth birthday of Woody. Guthrie has been an influence to musicians, most importantly Bob Dylan. His folk songs are recognized world wide. In celebration of his birthday musicians Jay Farrar, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Will Johnson and Anders Parker have recorded unpublished Guthrie songs set to music. The album, New Multitudes, is set to come out January.

KEURIG COFFEE MAKER

I love coffee but I hate making it. When I wake up at 5:50 in the morning, I don’t have the energy to struggle with a coffee maker. And, unless you like gritty java, instant coffee is a joke. Keurig fixed that problem by making the “single cup brewing system”. You just pop in a K-cup and hit a button. With over 200 varieties of tea and coffee the K-cup system is genius.

7 things

9

SPEAK NOW TOUR Taylor Swift

More than 40,000 anxious in sparkly dresses and cowgirl boots packed into Arrowhead Stadium, waiting for the big moment: the opening number of Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” Tour.

Long lines of fans snaked through the crowd eager to purchase one of the colorful array of T-shirts that were available, along with other merchandise.

Huge Covergirl endorsement posters of Swift plastered the walls, and employees were handing out free mascara and lipstick. Booths were set up for fans to receive a Taylor Swift-style makeover.

With three opening acts, I felt as if I waited forever for the star to appear.

But when she did, it was well worth the wait. Swift emerged in a cloud of smoke from under the stage, fireworks exploded above the stadium, the crowd roared with excitement and Swift belted out the first notes to “Sparks Fly.” The atmosphere picked up as thousands of voices sang along.

Swift’s show reminded me of a Broadway musical; she acted out the words to almost everything she sang.

In “Speak Now,” the scene was set as a wedding. Near the end of the song, the groom-to-be leaves the bride for Swift, who played a heartbroken girl hoping to get him back. The theatrics were a nice touch; it helped me connect more to the actual stories behind the songs.

A few mash-ups were thrown into

5/ 5

the mix of songs performed. One of them was a ukelele-filled combination of “Fearless,” “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train. She did an excellent job transitioning between songs bringing her music talents to light.

The mash-up was peppy and upbeat, in contrast to the following number, “Last Kiss.” I could sense the mood in the crowd switch from cheerfulness to heartbreak as Swift poured out her heart on stage.

The entire night was filled with extravagant sets, including a bridge decorated with blue Christmas lights, an orchestra and aerial acrobats swinging from gigantic bells. This might have been over-the-top at times, but it was a crowdpleaser.

Swift’s facial expressions and attitude changed depending on the mood of each song. And, of course, no Taylor Swift concert is complete without her signature hair flips. However, as dramatic as the performance was, none of the stagecraft took away from her inherent talent. I didn’t hear any slip-ups with her vocals the entire night. It’s obvious she has grown as a performer since the first time I saw her live.

In this tour, Swift exceeded my expectations and really proved herself as an all-around skilled artist. The concert was worth the money and if Swift returns to Kansas City, I will no doubt be in the audience again.

by mikala compton

A CREATURE I DON’T KNOW

Laura Marling

3 1/2 / 5

Laura Marling won’t stop. Now only 21 years old, she has successfully released her third album, A Creature I Don’t Know. With all the positive ratings she’s received, her works could intimidate any young musician out of pursuing his or her dreams. They’re that good.

With her latest album, Marling impresses listeners again, exploring a different realm of self-examination. The style is foreign to the folk-pop singer, and because of this, there’s something missing. Lyrically, it’s much darker than the coming-of-age album I Speak Because I Can, but this self-reflection is difficult to understand. She questions her woes, but only alludes to the answers. She speaks of maturity, but with little knowledge of what she’s talking about. At times, it’s as if her heart has been broken but just doesn’t care. That’s what makes this album interesting.

If you’ve kept up with the personal lives of folk-rock band Mumford and Sons, you’d know that lead singer Marcus Mumford and Marling ended their relationship in Dec. 2010.

Is it possible that these songs are directed towards Mumford?

Most likely, considering he’s now engaged to actress Carrie Mulligan after only five months of dating.

But while listening to the album, the listener can’t help but wonder why this 21-year-old would be battling an unknown creature. It’s obvious that Marling uses folklore when writing her lyrics, but in this album, those references show up too frequently, creating a far too distant time period for anyone to relate to. Maybe it’s the personal connection with the listener that the album lacks, but that doesn’t take away from the album sonically.

Although she doesn’t shy too far from her own style, Marling’s versatility shines through on the album. The album itself flows very well from song to song, but at times you forget you’re listening to anything at all. Certain songs will have you singing along, thinking you’ve been a fan of folk your whole life, but after an abrupt ending to the album, you’re amazed at how short it is. You want more. Maybe that’s what’s missing; more songs.

by evan shinn

10

Oct. 07, 2011

GEARS OF WAR 3 4/ 5

Gears of War 3 doesn’t know what it wants to be. Does it want to be a gritty, character-driven shooter? Or does it want to be a quirky, humorous chainsaw filled game version of Blazing Saddles?

Everything about it had 30 different ideas poured into it, all of them immediately lifted from every other game Epic Studios has ever made.

It was the exact same game as Unreal Tournament 3, just with more third person and less nuclear devices. The character design is exactly the same, just gray instead of red, and I’m pretty sure they recycled almost all of the voice actors. Even the villain is the same character.

Look up Akasha from Unreal Tournament, and Myrrah from Gears of War, and note that they’re just a palate swap.

However, by no measure is this a bad game.

Real, powerful game design comes out of this. The simple truth is that yes, it’s fun to shred a monster with a shotgun from behind cover. Yes, it’s fun to stroll down a hallway, throwing flames using an aptly named device at anything that moves.

This game really shines in its co-op mode. I gathered together three friends through Xbox

Live, and we played through the first few missions of the campaign. I found myself actually calling out orders to my friends without laughing afterwards.

But I don’t think Epic Studios got the memo that we have more than 8-bit colors, because they chose to use brown, gray and dark brown.

I was never really sure if I was about to shoot a gun-wielding enemy or a wall, and the confusion isn’t cleared until it’s dead, dirt is in your face or you’ve been chainsawed in half.

But, the game was immersive, and it remains like that throughout, except for a few minor breaks. There are some small collision detection problems with the melee attacks, and there’s a weird half-second delay between kicking a door and it actually opening, but those sections are few and far between.

You will smile playing every part of the story, and that’s what you’ll remember. It doesn’t get old, and with the multiplayer, you’ll always have new content to play. This is exactly the kind of game you’ll be hard-pressed to find in a used bin.

by sam bellmyer

Editor’s Pick

CRIMINAL MINDS D

oes tracking down serial killers sound like fun? Because that’s what the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of Quantico, Va., does every day.

Criminal Minds is back with its seventh season, and it’s as awesome as ever. The only problem may be that it’s not more awesome than past seasons.

I say this only because not much has changed.

I started watching the first episode of the season, and I was shocked right off the bat. I hadn’t watched all of the episodes in the last season, so when I found out the unit’s liason, Jennifer “J.J.” Jareau (AJ Cook), came back to the team after accepting a job with at the Pentagon, I was confused, but excited, about her return. It’s safe to say that it’s hard to pick up on if you don’t have prior knowledge of the show.

After the departures of Agent Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) in season two and the apparent death of Agent Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) last

4/5

season, it seemed as if the team would never be reunited. But when one of the two shockingly returns, the team seems nearly complete again. It makes the show so much better knowing that the original team is still standing strong, since the characters are so lovable and easy to connect with.

The season premiere was not my favorite. It had a courtroom setting, and I’m more of an investigation, crime scene type of person. The second episode was way more enthralling. It started off the way most Criminal Minds episodes do: some gruesome, realistic corpses and the lead up to the first killing, in which it’s painfully obvious that the mentally unstable guy is the serial murderer. As a general rule, that’s the main setup of the show; however some of the better shows are the ones that are a little less obvious and harder to figure out.

Seeing as the viewer is usually given the identity of the “unsub,” or unknown subject, at the beginning of the episode, the rest of the hour is spent bouncing back and forth from the team investigating the case to the killer committing more and more horrendous crimes. This irony in which the viewer knows what the team doesn’t is the main focus of the show, and it’s what keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

The only thing that has always astounded me to the point of skepticism is the BAU’s insane talent of narrowing down the characteristics of the unsub.

Of course, their job is to analyze the behavior of the criminal from the evidence at the crime scene, but they seem so perfect at what they do that it’s not very believable. They never get it wrong. But maybe that’s because they don’t have time in the hour that the show airs to head too far down the wrong path.

Overall, I was pleased with the new season of Criminal Minds. The gang is back together, and the show is as captivating, shocking and fascinating as always.

by ashlee crane reviews 11

MAKEUP ESSENTIALS

Makeup is a $10 billion industry. According to First Research studies, 13,000 stores are dedicated to the sale of cosmetics in the United States alone.

With Homecoming rapidly approaching, this industry is about to see much more revenue.

“I always do my own makeup for dances. I like more of a natural look, and when I get my makeup done [professionally], I feel like it looks fake,” Homecoming queen candidate Kylie Lambeth said.

Students who apply their own makeup for dances may find it difficult to determine the right regimen. In order to help make those choices, here’s a list of basic beauty items.

All of these are award-winning products, gentle and simple enough for dances or everyday use. by hayley battenberg

7 Benefit The POREfessional

1 Pond’s Clarant B3 Moisturizer

Primers create a smooth base for all makeup, which means picking a quality brand is important. Benefit’s POREfessional blends to every skin color, leaving skin feeling like satin and ready for cosmetics. $29 sephora. com

Pond’s has had more than 150 years to perfect their products. The Clarant moisturizer not only works to correct dark spots and aging, but also evens out skin texture, reduces dry patches and mattifies oily areas. $8.99 target.com

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2 Covergirl Lashblast Volume Blasting Mascara — The most

expensive product isn’t always the best.

Lashblast Mascara’s rubber brush does an amazing job of separating and lengthening eyelashes. It may only say “volumizing,” but it really is an all-in-one mascara every woman should own. $6.94 target.com

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3 Clinique Even Better Foundation

4 Urban Decay All Nighter LongLasting Makeup Setting Spray To Go

If you plan on breaking a sweat, a few spritzes of Urban Decay Setting Spray will hold makeup in place for hours on end, although it’s a bit drying for everyday use. $11 sephora.com

6 UP & UP Apricot Blemish Scrub

This is the best facial cleanser on the market. It exfoliates, deep cleans, fights blemishes and brightens your skin. $2.14 target.com

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Concealer is phenomenal for all skin types and comes in a myriad of shades. It doesn’t settle into wrinkles or fade over time, which is ideal for Homecoming. $29.50 sephora.com

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10 Rosebud Salve in a Tube

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— Rosebud Salve moisturizes and conditions, softening lips while giving them a subtle shine. An added bonus: It calms irritations and burns, fixes cuticles and heals cuts. $6 sephora.com

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11 Sephora Colorful Mono

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5 Smashbox Limitless Eyeliner

Eyeliner is extremely easy to mess up: Raccoon eyes or asymmetrical lines are only two possible dangers. Limitless makes it much simpler to apply, because the creamy texture glides on smoothly.

Plus, it’s waterproof and long wearing, which never hurts. $19 sephora.com

The Boscia Black Mask helps to clear pores of all impurities, and leaves the face feeling smooth, clean and flawless.

Although the sticky black goop looks menacing at first, it peels off to reveal soft and glowing skin. $34 sephora.com

9 Lancome Maquicomplet Concealer — Lancome Maquicomplet

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Even Better works wonders, hiding any unwanted discoloration without looking too thick. The foundation goes on with a natural matte finish, leaving skin looking fresh and flawless. $24.50 sephora.com (or take the quiz at clinique.com to find your best foundation)

8 Boscia Luminizing Black Mask

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Eyeshadow — Sephora Mono eye

shadows offer nearly 100 different shades, all of them fun and pretty.

Just don’t go overboard; too much eyeshadow is almost as unattractive as too much eyeliner. $12 sephora.com

12 L’Oreal True Match Super

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Blendable Blush — Blush should

always be the finishing touch — without it, girls can look pallid under fluorescent lighting. L’Oreal True Match has colors for every skin tone, and doesn’t get powdery or cakey on cheeks. $8.99 target.com

CHANGE of PLANS

The re percu ssions class e of fail arly on ing ev can le the fo en on ad to a ur-yea e r plan major of a st shift i udent n .

by brianna

leyden

S

itting in class, it can be easy to slack off a bitt: miss an assignment here or there, maybe doze off once or twice or spend one too many classes chatting with your friends. It’s just as easy then fall into a spiral that can lead to an extremely bad, or even failing, grade.

Although some people don’t realize it right then, just one class, even in freshman year, can hurt your chances of getting into a college four years later — a lesson many have learned the hard way.

“The direct consequence is, yeah, it’s definitely going to affect your grade point average; there’s no doubt about it. The long-term consequence that people don’t think about is there is no easy road or shortcut to success in life,” counselor Angelo Giacalone said. “You’re going to have to work hard, and by slacking off in one class, that’s a situation that is a shortcut, and that’s not going to do you any good in the end.”

But changes in plans don’t just occur in the lives of students. Changes have been happening for years as the national standards in education

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Oct. 07, 2011

have shifted to more pressure and homework for students.

“Change of Plans” is the first installment of a three-part series dedicated to the adaptations in educational policy, ending with what a studentdesigned curriculum would like. Look for the rest of the series in the coming months on smnw.com.

WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

When junior Dani Golladay was enrolling for high school in eighth grade, her four-year plan was full of honors classes, tougher electives and visions of a higher achievement.

“All those honors classes that I could try and take, I took them,” Golladay said. “[In high school,] you had a lot more homework to do, you had more friends, more space, more people, so it was harder to get from place to place. It was just

very different from what you expected.”

“I think freshman level is the one, since I’ve been here, that’s been the most difficult for kids,” Giacalone said. “The workload, the structure, more of the responsibility, plus everything else you can do outside of school, between clubs, activities, the interscholastic athletics, the friend groups, the peer groups you can make — that whole combination lends to a situation where kids have to be able to manage their time and do it in a more quality fashion than probably what they’re used to before.”

Despite the rough transition from middle school, Golladay successfully survived her heavy schedule through March. This all changed fourth quarter.

“Freshman year, fourth quarter, I got really sick. I eventually got into the hospital for a couple of months, and was diagnosed with Crohn’s

disease,” Golladay said. “It is a chronic disease in your [gastrointestinal] tract, which goes from your mouth to your rectum, and it can affect anywhere: your stomach, your throat, your intestines.”

Crohn’s is an illness that affects 1.4 million people generally between the ages of 15 and 35 and is on the rise in America, according to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.

“What happens is when you eat something, your body can’t handle it will get inflamed, and you get really sick. It makes you have to rethink your diet,” Golladay said.

Not only did she have to deal with a drastic lifestyle change, but she still was trying to stay on track in school.

“Once I started being gone for two weeks I was like, ‘I don’t think there’s any way I can catch up to this class,’ because that was the amount of time

WHEN HIGH SCHOOL ISN’T WORKING

“I definitely planned on finishing high school,” former NW student Michelle Stuessi said. “That was about it.”

As of a month ago, these plans changed when Stuessi dropped out of high school at the beginning of her junior year. Formerly a member of the class of 2013, she is now a member of a growing group of 1.2 million people who drop out every year, according to the Broad Education Foundation, a group that works to change urban education to give all children an equal opportunity for success.

“The first day of [junior year] I was really pumped, like, ‘Yeah, all right, high school! Gotta finish this! Woo!’ And then by the end of the day, I was just like, ‘Man, I really don’t want to do this every day for the next part of this year, and then

formally decided to withdraw from high school.

“I don’t think there is anything anybody could have told me because so many people tried to talk me out of it. I weighed all the options,” Stuessi said. ““I knew what I wanted to do, and I was 16, so I was allowed to just leave if I felt like it. My parents were actually really on board with it.”

A huge part of her decision to leave high school was the way grades are weighted.

“It took me like five minutes to think, ‘Two more years in high school where I’m struggling to keep up with everything, and I’m scoring really high on the tests, but failing the class because I neglect to do homework, like fill-in-the-blanks?’ It just frustrated me. People would do the worksheets or write out two to three sentence responses, and just have no idea what the concept was, so they’d fail the tests, but they’d get A’s and B’s because

I like to tell kids that the grade point average is kind of like the stock market.

If you have a solid base, and you have a hiccup here, or a hiccup there, it’s a whole lot easier to recover.” — Counselor Angelo Giacalone where if we didn’t call in and say where we were in the hospital, then you would be totally out and failing everything,” Golladay said. “We had finally called in to say that I was in the hospital on that last point of when you can be absent, and that’s when I knew I was failing all of my classes.”

Because of how long she was out of school, she was able to withdraw from her French elective, and she just passed her arts classes. However, in her core curriculum classes, she either failed or passed with C’s and D’s.

“At first they gave me work to where if I came back I’d be kind of caught up, but then people thought that I wasn’t going to come back for the rest of the year, so I got homework that would pass me, but with really low grades,” Golladay said.

“I was rushing to get it done … and that’s why I didn’t pass.”

Trying to recover from missing so much school was difficult, especially when she was in classes sophomore year that she had enrolled in before her illness.

“I think it was second semester sophomore year that I started getting back on track with everything,” Golladay said. “Now it’s really good.”

the year after that,’” Stuessi said. “I was sitting in my [psychology] class, which is my last hour of the day, just praying for it to end.”

Stuessi’s feelings of frustration started back in freshman year, even though she had started out signed up for multiple honors classes and extracurriculars.

“I wanted to do all honors English, which didn’t work, and then for a while I was in an advanced math class, like the accelerated one where you’re a year up, and that didn’t really work either. But I took my languages and stuff — I planned for graduating in the four-year time span, but I just didn’t. I decided kind of rapidly that I really didn’t want to do that,” Stuessi said.

One day while talking to a friend, she discovered that as a 16-year-old, she could legally drop out of high school and start college early.

“I was reading information on it and it said as long as you weren’t degree-oriented, like, just taking classes for credit, like some core classes like Composition, you don’t have to have your GED to enroll,” Stuessi said.

After much self-reflection, as well as discussions with peers, teachers and her parents, Stuessi

they did their homework,” Stuessi said. “I didn’t like that format, and college isn’t like that.”

Currently, Stuessi is enrolled in Composition 1, psychology, sociology and environmental law at Johnson County Community College.

“The classes are really long, but it doesn’t seem that much longer because the professors are really in to what they’re teaching,” Stuessi said. “They’re just talking the whole time, and they’re pumped up, and they have so much to say to you. It’s easier for me to pay attention.”

However, she would not recommend her own withdrawal plan to everyone else.

“The only reason I knew that’s what I was going to do was because I could afford it. I wouldn’t drop out and not have a better plan. Friends of mine were dropping out....[they don’t] have a college plan to back it up with.”

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DESK

Giacalone has seen it before — students come into his office overwhelmed, stressed or just about to fail out of a class.

“If you’re a student who has poor academics,

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FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN SUMMER/NIGHT/VIRTUAL SCHOOL TO MAKE UP CLASSES:

NIGHT SCHOOL - $160 per ½ credit taken - Only offered for students classified as seniorst - Classes are Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m. or 6 p.m.– 8:15 p.m.

- Courses offered: • Language Arts -Next registration dates: Jan. 11 and 12

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SUMMER SCHOOL (based on previous sessions) - $160 for one session of summer school for in-district students $205 for out-of-district students - 3 weeks is one session - 5 hours a day - Registration starts in February/March online or at the summer school office at the Broadmoor Technical Center at 6701 W. 83rd St. There is also a registration night at one of the area high schools.

- Classes offered in: • Health • Physical Education • Language Arts • Mathematics (Algebra/ Geometry classes) • Social Studies (World • Geography–American Government) • Science (Physical Science–Chemistry) • Art ($35 more per session) • Computer Applications

eSCHOOL - Enrollment Deadline for spring of 2012: Dec. 16, 2011 - $160 for indistrict students - Jan. 3, 2012–May 1, 2012: length of the semester - Classes offered in: • American Government • Health

especially your first couple of years, and all of a sudden the maturity light, the self-discipline light, the self-motivation light — if all of that goes on, and you start to work, then you may find yourself going to a junior college, working your way through a junior college and then eventually to some four-year educational school,” Giacalone said. “There’s more than one way to get there; you just may be taking the longer route around.”

The real problem occurs when students don’t take advantages of opportunities to make up their bad grades, whether it is through summer school or night school.

“I had a young man recently.

It was a terrible situation and he was only half a credit of English shy. He was absent too many times so he couldn’t take it in night school, and he could have gotten out at the end of first semester. He had to come back here second semester just to get that one English class, failed it again, and it wasn’t until summer school after his class graduated that that light clicked on and he said, ‘Hey, you know what, I probably better get this done,’” Giacalone said.

In that situation, the young man managed to graduate and move onto junior college.

However, the situation doesn’t only happen to seniors about to leave. In fact, the majority of people Giacalone sees are freshmen who have less-thangreat grades that could hurt them in the long run.

“I like to tell kids that the grade point average is kind of like the stock market. You got to get a solid base, and if you don’t have a solid base, if it’s a real rocky base because you have low grades and stuff.

Then it’s real hard to dig out of that hole and get the grades that you need to be accepted at some of the schools you want to be accepted at,” Giacalone said. “Whereas if you have a solid base, and you have a hiccup here, or a hiccup there, it’s a whole lot easier to recover.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Giacalone and Stuessi are right to worry about what will happen in the long run. Colleges, no matter how selective, are always looking for students who they know will stay in school, thus ensuring they will stay in college as well.

“One thing kids need to understand is that

colleges are not not-for-profit [organizations].

They want to fill their seats, so they’re going to want to take the kid that has the best chance to succeed because if you’re a student, and you’re not prepared, and you drop out, who’s taking that seat? That’s money that they’re losing,” Giacalone said. “That’s why for colleges, they call it their retention rate, and in their case, retention meaning

Stuessi plans to show off her Johnson County Community College transcript to four-year colleges instead of her poor high school one.

“I want to make sure I do really well in all the classes because even four classes, which doesn’t sound like a lot, is a lot of work,” Stuessi said. “I’m hoping to do really well.”

Golladay has also realized how hard it could be

kids come back the next year.” “[Failing early on] puts you in a bad mindset, like, ‘Oh, I can’t do it, so I’m not going to do well for the rest of it,’” University of Kansas admissions officer Elizabeth Hazelwood said. “For our new scholarships, we only look solely at the ACT/SAT scores and GPA, and no extracurriculars.”

When students do badly in or skip classes, it leads to a cycle that can be extremely difficult to get out of — or recover from once it is time to apply to colleges.

“I didn’t skip classes at my all freshman year, but then sophomore year I just started doing that because I just didn’t want to be there ever,” Stuessi said. “Once you start doing that, it’s a really hard habit to break, and you get behind, and you’re just like, ‘I’m behind and I don’t want to go,’ so you don’t.”

in the future even though she didn’t voluntarily miss classes.

“I never got to really finish [the classes] and it was harder to learn by myself, and it made me have bad grades,” Golladay said. “My counselor did tell me that they will be able to explain why, but still, they’re pretty bad.”

For those that have simply made a few mistakes, it’s important to start now to turn their academic career around.

“The one thing that kids need to understand is that high schools have two purposes: one, I want to get you your high school diploma; and two, I want to prepare you for life after high school,” Giacalone said. “By you going ahead and slacking by choosing not to study, you’re not accomplishing either of those things. You’re endangering both of those things.”

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for more nw news, visit smnw.com Homecoming court is (from left to right) girls: Taylor Garies, Lani Finn, Savannah Bell, Isabel Zacharias, Kate Kapellar, Jenny Nelson, Rachel Ferencz, Bailey Sestak, Abby Hoelting and Kylie Lambeth. Boys are: Colton Dirks, Blake Evans, Kenny Jackson, Jake Gipple, Anthony Yates, Juan Castenada, Danny Manning, Sunny Dharod, Caleb Amundson and Jared Shafer.

sudoku 3

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This stop-motion video shows how to do great hair and makeup for homecoming.

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Terra Nova, a new show on FOX is a flawed, but good concept.

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The offensive line has always been overshadowed by the rest of the offense. The NW line has been working hard to earn recognition.

G N I D L O H the line

t adowed by the res ognition s r e v o n e be earn rec always been working hard to s a h e by brady klein has ve lin e NW line i s n ffe e . Th e o offens h T the of

Senior Will Smith gets his arm wrapped on Sept. 1 at the SM North stadium during the first football game against SM East.

photo by bailey kopp ive players stand on the invisible line of scrimmage. Center Grant Pittrich prepares to snap the ball as the offensive and defensive linemen start talking trash to one another, attempting to intimidate their opponents. In less than a second, quarterback Colton Dirks calls for the snap and the play begins.

Once the ball is snapped, each offensive lineman must target their defensive counterpart, and block him from getting to the ball carrier.

The outcome of the play relies entirely on the offensive linemen. But the typical football fan does not necessarily understand the importance of the offensive lineman.

“Everyone watches the skill position players, because they always get the ball,” tight end Eric Pinkelman said.

“They wouldn’t even get the ball or get yards if we did nothing,” Pittrich said.

An offensive line is made up of five players. The five positions are the left tackle ( Will Smith), left guard (Jake Filsinger), center (Grant Pittrich), right guard (Jacob Heindel) and right tackle (Dreu White). Typically a tight end like Pinkelman will line up on the right or left side of the tackles to act as a sixth lineman.

The sole job of a lineman is to block for the ball carrier. Stopping a defender is not an easy task already, and it gets even more complicated because a lineman must know who he is blocking so every defender is covered properly. A lineman must have good footwork, resiliency, strength and speed.

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Sports Feature Sept. 16, 2011

“People always look at us like we’re slow,” White said. “The only thing slow about us is our 40 [yard dash] time.”

The linemen spent their summer mornings in the weight room doing bench presses, squats and hang cleans to prepare their bodies for the physical toll they would endure during the football season. They work hard to be ready for the contact they will face in the game, but there is nothing that can really prepare the line for the game at full speed.

“You don’t get any breaks; you have to be in good shape to go play after play,” Pinkelman said.

Every play the offensive linemen are guaranteed to hit someone.

“You have to be completely OK with hitting somebody,” White said.

More than just making contact, the linemen have to know who they are hitting and how they will go about blocking them.

“You have to come off the ball and know your steps and all your angles,” Heindel said.

All their preparation readies them for the game, however when playing, the linemen still have to be prepared in a different way as every play is a completely new situation than the previous one.

“You have to stay ready during the game,” Smith said.

In the season opener against SM East the entire offense struggled, as the line was unable to make significant blocks against the heavy Lancer pass rush. Northwest

then went on to play SM West, who like East, pushed the line around, keeping the offense to only seven points in the first half.

“The second half of the West game was the turning point for the line,” Pittrich said.

In that second half the line pushed through hard drives that resulted in a touchdown run for running back Danny Manning, and a field goal attempt by kicker Jorn Winkelmolen. In fact, that game was Manning’s best game of the season as he ran for two touchdowns and more than 230 rushing yards.

“The game all starts with [the offensive line]. If they do well the team does well. If I get a good run it’s because of them,” Manning said.

After the games the blockers wake up early to watch film, as soreness takes over their bodies.

“We get about 10 plays off a game,” Pinkelman said. “It is hard to walk in the morning after a game.”

Their fingers are jammed, their hands sting from hitting pads all night, and their legs have been worn out from crouching in a three point stance the whole game.

Pittrich, Filsinger and Heindel only play on the offensive line, but Pinkelman, White and Smith all play on the defense as well. This puts them on both lines, which in turn makes them play almost the entire game.

Pinkelman, White and Smith have grown a bond with each other because of playing on the defensive line.

Working together and playing as one unit is incredibly important for the offensive line. They must know their teammates’ tendencies and trust them to pick up their block.

“We have to understand each other. If we’re not all on the same page then things get messed up,” White said.

Being together as one unit has created the force that is the offensive line. Every blocker is a vital contributor to the line, and they all have to step up and play their absolute best.

“You can have one receiver not do his job, and there are three others open,” Pittrich said. “But if one lineman does not do his job, the quarterback is going to get sacked and the whole play is dead.”

Due to the fact that an offensive lineman should never carry the ball, they are overlooked by the fans, even though they are the key contributors to the offense.

“What if we just lied down and did nothing for a play?

How awesome would that play be?” White said. “It would be awesome for the defense,” The team definitely understands how vital linemen are.

“We get a lot of respect from the team,” Smith said. “Dirks respects us a lot.”

In the world of football, linemen are well respected. Their salaries are near the highest of any position in the NFL. Some of the best teams of the decade like the 2009 NCAA National Champions, Alabama University, had a near perfect line which was the reason they won the championship that year.

In short the offensive line, is the glue that holds the entire offense together, and they want to be seen as such. The line wants to be recognized as equally necessary as the rest of the offense.

“It’s simple,” Filsinger said. “We should be looked at like superstars.”

“YOU CAN HAVE ONE RECEIVER NOT DO HIS JOB, AND THERE ARE THREE OTHERS OPEN, BUT IF ONE LINEMAN DOES NOT DO HIS JOB, THE QUARTERBACK IS GOING TO GET SACKED AND THE WHOLE PLAY IS DEAD.” — senior Grant Pittrich

(top) Sophomore Jake Horner tackles an SM South player at the SM South stadium on Sept. 30.

Photo by Nate Compton (bottom) Senior Will Smith attempts to sack SM East’s player on Sept. 1 at SM North. The cougars lost 3-28. Photo by Nate Compton.

Oct. 07, 2011

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(clockwise from left to right) Senior Mary Slattery returns a ball in the tournament at SM East on Sept. 10. photo by alex stoll Senior Jessica Johnson races at the Community America Invitational on Oct. 1 in Baldwin City. photo by david freyermuth Junior Andy Alvey keeps an Olathe South player from gaining possession of the ball on Sept. 13. The game ended in double overtime with a score of 1-2. photo by carleigh whitman

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(dominant) Junior Mallory Wilhite jumps during the high beam event at SM North on Sept. 17. The team got sixth overall. photo by johnny tong (clockwise from left to right) Junior Jackson Barbour rushes the ball down the field after receiving a fake from quarterback Colton Dirks on Sept. 24. photo by sarah dean Senior Ashley Tate prepares to putts the ball on Sept.

29. photo by carleigh whitman Junior Kirk Bado passes a SM North runner at the Greg Wilson classic at JCCC on Sept. 3. photo by alex stoll

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Junior Bridget Killeen saves the ball in the auxillary gym of SM Northwest on Sept. 14th. photo by johnny tong

SICK OF CONFERENCE CHANGES

College conferences like the Big 12 need to stop rearranging their teams and stick with what they’ve got in order to avoid killing age old rivalries and losing fan base.

logan coffman

Over the past two years, the hottest topic regarding college sports has been the realignment of conferences. Fans who have enjoyed the rivalries between teams within their conferences for decades are now facing the reality of possibly losing that forever.

The Big 12 which contains many students’ favorite teams like Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri only has 10 teams as of last year as a result of the departure of Colorado and Nebraska. With rumors of Texas A&M leaving the conference circulating, the Big 12 might as well be called the Big 9 and a half.

Take the 2011 Rose Bowl Champions, the TCU [Texas Christian University] Horned Frogs for example.

They joined the Big East Conference this year. Since when has Texas been in the East? How is this even allowed? According to ESPN.com last November, TCU stated its main motivation for the move was to be in an automatic BCS qualifying league.

An automatic BCS league means that the team will be in a league that will guarantee them a chance to play in the national championship game.

TCU went undefeated last year and still didn’t get a shot at the title — an all-too-familiar scenario in college football.

What a lot of these situations boil down to is the lack of a playoff system in college football. The current system is flawed for the simple reason that some teams who might be great contenders for the National

Championship, like TCU, are left out.

Many have complained about the lack of a playoff system in college football, yet the BCS stands firmly against change.

Quite frankly, the topic of the college football postseason could and has been argued for days on end. Those in favor of the BCS system argue that the bowl games create more winners and give athletes the opportunity to go out on top, as opposed to a system that rewards one team and makes everyone else a loser. Bowl games also draw in a lot of money for both teams competing.

Most schools leaving their longtime conferences have cited the need for a better fit, both athletically and academically, according to many of the schools’ athletic websites. The bottom line in most of those situations is universities want to generate more revenue through games against primetime teams.

I’m trying to envision a world where Missouri breaks from the Big 12 and cedes to the Big 10 and claims it was what was in the best interest of the university. That move would end the almost 120-year KU-MU rivalry.

One thing that the universities need to seriously take into account is the effect that conference change will have on fans, instead of just focusing on the economic gains it will bring the school.

For example a world without MU in the Big 12 would mean no more Border War games. No more wearing school colors the day of big rival game

match ups. No more passionate postgame arguments polluting Facebook.

Quite frankly, it would take away from part of our high school’s culture.

Rivalry is one of the greatest parts of sports. For sports fans, this is a massive part of why they love the game.

Also schools need to take into account the fact that, although their football teams may usurp the other sports in terms of game attendance, the other sports share an equal weight in the conference decision. If K-State were to all of the sudden make the decision to join Conference USA or the Mountain West Conference so that their football team could have a better chance at winning more games, the other sports would suffer. KU and K-States’ basketball teams would never face off in Allen Field House.

These are longshot hypothetical examples but if a rule isn’t put into place or the NCAA does not put some sort of legislation on what conferences can and can not do, the situation could get to this point, especially with the current economic situation.

The NCAA has done a poor job of keeping this growing problem under control. As Big 12’s who are really Big 10’s and Big 10’s who are really Big 12’s continue on their hunt for the money, it’s quite the mess. If schools continue to have the power to go as they please by switching conferences for economic gain, they are going to upset fans and hurt the sport in the long run.

2 2 1 1.25 3,093.60

— average interceptions a game thrown by Kansas City Chief’s Quarterback Matt Cassel. He threw none in the victory against the Vikings.

BY THE NUMBERS

amount of first place team finishes for the Girl’s Cross Country team.

amount of games the varsity football team has won this season.

They are 1-3.

cost in dollars for a ticket to the 2012 London Summer Olympics Open Ceremony

average interceptions a game thrown

by Kansas City Chief’s Quarterback Matt Cassel.

He threw none in the victory against the Vikings.

sports column

IN FOCUS

“The butterflies were in trees most of the time. It was hard to catch them at first, but it got easier as the day went on,” — Senior Morgan Kronawitter photo by mikala compton