Northwest Passage Issue 2 2012

vol. 44 • issue 2 Sept. 28, 2012 graphic by bailey kopp

/ pg. 12

UNBLOCKING EDUCATION Integrating social media into education could have a positive outcome.

Some Peace of Mind

/ pg. 14

Science teacher Debra Brewer returned to school Sept. 17 after fighting a brain tumor.

American Royalty

/ pg. 20

Senior Elizabeth Jackson earned awards at the American Royal Quarter Horse Show.

IT’S NOT JUST DOING HOMEWORK.

IT’S DOING WORK THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE, TRANSFORMING AMBITION INTO ACHIEVEMENT.

umkc.edu/choose

Issue 2 • Vol. 44 • Sept. 28, 2012

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBRA BREWER

14

SPORTS/

20 PHOTO BY REAGAN KEY

14 • Some Peace of Mind 05 • Northwest News Science teacher Debra Brewer Updates about happenings at returned to school Sept. 17 Northwest. after having a tumor removed from her ear canal.

06 • Currently Pop culture and news from ENTERTAINMENT / around the world.

16 • Reviews Buzz Under the Stars, Tempest, OPINIONS / The Voice vs. The X Factor, The 07 • Family Feuds xx’s Coexist, House at the End Fights with family affect not of the Street, Battle Born only the students, but their parents as well.

19 • For Your Viewing Pleasure 08 • For the good of the Learn how 3D works and people compare the two most common Favoring First Amendment producers of 3D technology. rights might be one of the downfalls of Twitter.

NEWS /

20 • American Royalty Senior Elizabeth Jackson 09 • ER Rush competed in the challenging After being injured early in the American Royal Quarter Horse season, two senior athletes Show. handle the possibility of being out for the season.

22 • Fantasy football isn’t a fantasy 10 • Amok in Muck While football might be better See photos from Muckfest, enjoyed outside with a ball, hosted by Young Life. fantasy football is just as real to some NW students.

12 • Unblocking Education Social networking may not be as dangerous as it seems.

FEATURES/

EDITOR’S NOTE: When we step into the world of social media, we are invincible.

Nobody can stop us when it comes to posting our thoughts online.

Once it hits cyberspace, as long as it doesn’t have our name on it, it doesn’t affect us.

The reality is the words we set loose in cyberspace have power and high school students sometimes use that to hurt others.

While the power of social media can be used in a positive manner including in the classroom as piece of the educational message (page 12), it has proven fatally harmful for the 7 percent of teens who have attempted suicide after being bullied online, according to the Center for Disease Control.* Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, with about 4,400 self-inflicted deaths each year, and, according to studies by Yale University, victims of bullies are between two to nine times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims.* The problem with cyber bullying is that, since it’s such a new concept, not a lot of people take it seriously. Not everyone thinks that the rumors spread in a tweet or on Facebook truly affect the person they are defaming.

Now, turn the spotlight on yourself: if someone approached you asking if the atrocious rumors they saw online were true, how would you react? How would you feel if a 140-character blurbs made everyone turn a judging eye on you? I know I surely wouldn’t want that label following me around.

Before you send that tweet, realize the repercussions of your actions: what you say may determine how strangers judge someone, as well as how that person sees himself or herself. The world wide web may feel intimate and personal, but the words you publish can take on a life of their own. What you choose to share with the world may affect, or even end, a life.

Sincerely,

Ashlee Crane Editor-in-chief

*Information courtesy of bullyingstatistics.org.

STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / Ashlee Crane CONVERGENCE DIRECTOR / Aaron Messick DESIGN EDITOR / Bailey Kopp ASSISTANT DESIGNER / Maddy Grimes COPY EDITOR / Mac Cook WEB MANAGING EDITOR / Edelawit Hussien PHOTO EDITORS / Mikala Compton + Nate Compton GRAPHICS EDITOR / Mitch Feyerherm ADS EDITOR / Paige Waltman NEWS EDITOR / Brooke Courtney OPINIONS EDITORS / Ashlee Crane + Aaron Messick ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR / Sam Bellmyer FEATURES EDITORS / Atalie Black + Gabby Lorino SPORTS EDITOR / Grace Freeman STAFF WRITERS / Nina Gramajo, Sarah Egger, Haena Lee, Daniel Magwire, Baili McPheeters, Alaura Moore + Randy Prosser CONTRIBUTOR / Ashlyn Alexander

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 two weeks during third 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 editor-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 editor-in-chief reserves the right to refuse any letter.

COSTUME DRIVE TO BENEFIT SYNERGY SERVICES

Cadette Girl Scout troop 165 is collecting Halloween costumes, wrapped candies and trinkets now through Oct. 10 in an effort to work on their Silver Award service project.

The Silver Award is an optional award that encourages troops to have “diversified and quality program,” as well as helping them become involved in their community through community service. Troop 165 has offered to throw holiday parties for children living in Synergy Services safe houses.

Key Club members work 50 or more community service hours each year, and chose this costume drive as one of their community service projects.

“We provide the kids with a variety of opportunities to get community service hours, librarian Carolyn LaFever said. “They chose the costume drive as one of their community service activities.”

Synergy Services, based in Kansas City, “provides a full continuum of care to assist individuals and families with immediate respite from violence, and services which empower clients to find and choose good options for future safety and success,” according to its website.

“Because the children have come out of domestic violence situations, they often don’t have much freedom to attend holiday outings due to being in a protected living situation,” Trailridge librarian Susan Schank said. “Our girls thought it would be fun to bring the parties to them.”

The wrapped candies and trinkets will be used in a “trick-or-treat” village, a booth-type activity where the children can “trick-or-treat.” NW students are asked to donate new or gently used costumes of all sizes and the candy and trinkets to Carolyn LaFever in the library or to Trailridge Middle School.

CHEER FLOAT WINS IN HOMECOMING PARADE

“Everybody ready? We’re starting!” the voice of the police escort boomed through the speaker as he signaled the beginning of the homecoming parade on Sept. 22 at 11 a.m.

The parade started at the Reformed Presbyterian Baptist church on Pflumm and ended in the NW parking lot.

ROTC began the parade, followed by the marching band, which played “Cougar Fight,” with the sound of the drumline echoing through the end of the parade.

“I [wasn’t] nervous this year like I was last year,” sophomore clarinet player Claudia Becker said. “We already participated in the Old Shawnee Days parade, and we practiced marching a lot.”

Drill team followed on foot, carrying black and orange flags, lining the way for all six floats and 24 homecoming candidates.

The pontoon-themed freshmen float boasted a “Reeling in the Ravens” sign to preview tomorrow’s game against Olathe Northwest.

“Student Council thought of the idea together,” freshman class president Katy Terry said. “[It took] one day [to make the float], but [two days] to put the stuff on the float. I think it turned out great.”

/ ATALIE BLACK

The sophomore float followed, themed after the song “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles.

The junior float had a band called “Beating the Blues.” Gymnastics followed on foot, and did their routine of repeated back handsprings.

The last class float was the “Cougar Idol” themed senior float, which had all the senior Student Council representatives performing song requests from random people in the crowd.

Next came the cheer float, a pink and black guitar pulled by a truck with “Get the Party Started” written on the side.

“We handed out candy to the kids and did a dance in front of the judges,” freshman cheer captain Cami Payne said. “It’s kind of nervewracking to perform in front of the whole school.”

Next was the Spirit Club float, which was country-themed with a white picket fence and hay bales.

The last to march on foot in the parade was the soccer team holding a sign reading “SMNW Soccer.”

After the parade, each float was judged, and the $25 entry fees were divided among the first and second place floats.

/ ATALIE BLACK

STUCO HOSTS KRISPY KREME FUNDRAISER photo by savannah kelly

KRISPY KREME 8805 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Mission KS

Last year NW students and staff defeated SM North in the first Krispy Kreme donut competition and earned the title of “Donut Champion”.

This year Student Council will host a second annual donut competition against North from Sept. 17 through Oct. 7. The school that buys the most donuts is declared winner.

“We would love to defend our [Krispy Kreme ‘Donut Champion’] title,” StuCo sponsor Sarah Dent said.

To help Northwest earn money, there will be representatives selling donuts for $1 each at a table in the mall on Friday mornings.

“We are selling donuts in the mall to up our totals in the competition,” junior Sam Gross said.

To support Northwest, students can buy chocolate frosted donuts with orange and black sprinkles at the Shawnee Mission Pkwy. Krispy Kreme. The school that buys the most donuts will earn $750 to keep the ticket prices for the after graduation party at Powerplay cheaper.

“We want that event to be accessible for seniors to go and enjoy the last [activity] that they’ll get to do as a class,” Dent said. / HAENA LEE

Briefs 05

CO MP A TO RED

COMPILED BY AARON MESSICK GRAHPICS BY MITCH FEYERHERM

3D movies were released in 2006,

of people diagnosed with a Glomus Jugulare tumor are cured with radiation and surgery.

set to be released in 2012 wikipedia.org

According to a study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, cyberbullying victims are

1.9 TIMES

more likely to attempt suicide than those who have not been cyberbullied.

Northwest bought

more doughnuts than North during last year’s Northwest vs.

North Krispy Kreme doughnut competition.

SEASON 2 OF THE X FACTOR PREMIERED ON SEPT. 12 WITH 7.5 MILLION VIEWERS, WHILE THE VOICE THAT HAD PREMIERED TWO DAYS EARLIER SCORED 10.7 MILLION VIEWERS DURING THE SAME TIME SLOT. protesters were arrested in lower Manhattan during the Occupy Wall Street oneyear anniversary protest on Sept. 17. Many were arrested for disorderly conduct and disrupting traffic.

usnews.nbcnews.com

[M]Y JOB IS IS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE. I'LL NEVER CONVINCE THEM THEY SHOULD TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CARE FOR THEIR LIVES," — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said during a fundraiser banquet for his presidential campaign; he was referring to the 47 percent of people he says don’t care about his message of low taxes because the government provides for them so they don’t have to pay an income tax.

06 Sept. 28, 2012

FAMILY FEUDS Why do we fight with the ones we love?

A

dmit it, we have all fought with our parents. We don’t want to fight, but sometimes discussions end up as arguments. Most of the time, we want to do our own thing, have a little more freedom and make our own decisions. “[Family fights] are the number one issue that kids come in with,” personal issues counselor Susan Hartman said.

Twenty-six percent of children argue with their parents every week, according to kidshealth.org. “[I fight with them] almost all the time, it seems like,” sophomore Hannah Hashbarger said. “Well, with my mom, anyway,”.

Why do we fight with the people that raised us, put a roof over our

heads and fed us?

“I don’t like to [fight with my parents],” Hannah said. “It makes me feel small, figuratively speaking.”

When parents fight with their children, they usually redeem themselves after saying harsh words.

“I don’t enjoy when we fight, but when we do, we are always able to make up easily,” Hannah’s father, Michael Hashbarger, said.

But fights between parents and their children can be prevented. According to head counselor Marybeth Green, one way is to take turns talking with parents. This allows each party to express what they feel.

Another way to prevent fights is to use “I statements,” according to Hartman.

“Basically, instead of saying, ‘you’re too strict, I never get to go anywhere,’ just say ‘I feel frustrated because my friends are allowed to do things that I’m not, and I really would like to know what I could do to get that privilege,” Hartman said.

In fights, we never like to say, “I was wrong, and I hope you can forgive me.” We like to think we are always right, even when we are clearly wrong. “[After fights] we don’t talk for a while when one of us is mad,” Hannah said.

Sometimes, because of family arguments, a student’s performance at school is affected.

“It can be very upsetting, distracting them from academics, learning,

by Haena Lee listening in class. Sometivmes they end up at the counselor’s office to work through frustrations [the students] had with their parents,’’ Green said. “It takes a lot to get them to calm down and function in class.”

Teenagers may not know it, but even their parents are affected by the arguments.

“Most [parents] don’t enjoy having a fight with their kids,” Green said. “They probably go to work feeling upset and even get distracted.”

Disagreements between teens and their parents are inevitable, but using these techniques may make them more productive and bearable.

Columns 07

STAFF EDITORIAL

FOR THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE While Twitter supports the first amendment right to free speech, the website may not do enough to protect its users from harmful and possibly damaging content.

08 Sept. 28, 2012

“It’s more than just words on a web page. It actually hurts,” Alexander said. “Some people can just turn off the computer; but it’s not [always] like that.”

According to Hartman, each student handles this kind of problem in a different way.

“Some of them can shrug it off,” Hartman said, “but a lot of people, their feelings are seriously hurt.”

Hartman’s greatest bit of advice to the victims of this harassment is to think deeply about who is saying these things, and whether or not their opinions should affect how you see yourself.

“Consider the source,” Hartman said, “and think, ‘How would you feel if you read something about someone else on there, would you think that it was true?’ Most likely not.”

She also suggests avoiding the harmful content as much as possible.

“Don’t look at it,” Hartman said.

“Tell your friends, ‘I know that stuff’s on there, but I really don’t want to deal with it.’ And then, that might get back to the person [responsible.]”

While Twitter chooses not to monitor the content posted on its site, Hartman and Coenen both think that policy should be rethought.

“I hope that Twitter will look at that policy and, if they get enough complaints about something, will send a notice to whoever holds the account,” Hartman said.

Although Twitter has a “report an abusive user” feature, it takes some digging to find. Coenen thinks it should be much easier to report a specific tweet as soon as it happens.

“Maybe [not] if it was [only] one comment, but if you have comment after comment, I think there ought to be a way for them to shut that down,” Coenen said.

After Alexander submitted her report, she received a reply stating that “everyone has different levels of sensitivity towards content,” but Twitter is a communication platform and “users may use our service to discuss controversial subject matter.”

Although Twitter won’t take legal action against the users who post harmful content, that policy needs to be reconsidered. Laws currently

Information courtesy of the I-SAFE Foundation, the Harford County Examiner and the Cyberbullying Research Center: cyber bullying incidents are reported to law enforcement

lawsuit. In a 2010 Computer Law and Security Review article about the dangers of social networking, Sylvia Kierkegaard reveals that tweets are a legal minefield. Information posted by students on social networking sites could lead to civil suits dealing with libel.

According to legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary.com, for a statement to be classified as libel, the published information is “an untruth about another which will do harm to that person or his/her reputation; it brings the target into ridicule, hatred or contempt of others; or it is a statement that claims to be fact and is not clearly identified as opinion.

Libel is a civil wrong, so the person who is making the statements can be sued for damages by a person who can prove that a published statement about him was untrue.

Although neither Coenen nor Hartman were able to speak to the owner of the Twitter account, it was taken down and the problem, according to Hartman, seemed to die down for a while. A similar Twitter feed, @ndubdirt, appeared shortly after the beginning of the school year, spreading gossip and trash talk and causing just as much concern as before.

Unlike harassment stemming from Facebook and text messages, posts and comments on Twitter are anonymous. As a result, it is significantly harder to pinpoint the person behind the cell phone or laptop screen.

“When I was a kid, if you wanted to say something bad about somebody, you had to say it to their face or you said it to someone else,” Coenen said.

“Now you can kind of hide at your house and put an anonymous name in there and say things, so it’s very hard for us. There’s really no way to track stuff like that down.”

Whether you believe them or not, whether you find them entertaining, these malicious tweets hurt people.

“It’s funny and entertaining when it’s not about you,” Hartman said.

Sophomore Ashlyn Alexander has experienced online harassment before, so she understands how much of an effect it can have on a person.

FEWER THAN 1 IN 5

he problem first showed up last year, according to counselor Susan Hartman.

After a tragedy involving some harmful content that was posted on Facebook, students and teachers began reporting hateful comments being posted on Twitter. Hartman took the initiative to contact the student resource officers about the problem to see what they could do about it.

When Hartman and student resource officer Mark Coenen attempted to contact the website, they had difficulty reaching a solution.

“I actually called up Twitter before I even knew how it worked, and explained what was going on,” Coenen said. “They were actually pretty rude to me and not very helpful, and basically told me ‘Well, there’s nothing we’re going to do about this.’.”

“The police were able to get in contact with the website, and [the respondent] said they couldn’t take it down because it didn’t violate their policy,” Hartman said.

Twitter’s policy and guidelines mention that they cannot be responsible the content of the Twitter feed and will not hinder a user’s ability to speak his mind even when a complaint is filed about harassing tweets.

“We respect the ownership of the content that users share, and each user is responsible for the content he or she provides,” the website’s policy states. “Because of these principles, we do not actively monitor user’s content and will not censor user content, except in limited circumstances described below.”

These special circumstances include impersonation, privacy issues, trademarks and copyrights, but nothing involving libel or harassment. The only way Twitter will control this type of harassment would be in the case of “direct, specific threats of violence against others.”

Although there is not an actual law against this sort of harassment, the false claims made about the victims can be constitute cause for a civil

T

1 in 10 TEENS

HAVE HAD EMBARRASSING OR DAMAGING PICTURES TAKEN OF THEMSELVES WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION, OFTEN USING CELL PHONE CAMERAS

About half of young people have experienced some form of cyber bullying, and 10 TO 20 PERCENT experience it regularly According to the Huffington Post,

ABOUT 15,000 bullying-related tweets are posted every day.

exist restricting hate speech without abridging individual rights to freedom of speech. When individual rights clash, as in this case, those who feel wronged need to ask the courts to decide whose rights are the most important... the rights of an individual to speak his mind and spread rumors or the rights of an individual to maintain his good name. The mental and physical wellbeing of some may well hang in the balance.

Hartman wants the victims of cyberbullying to look at the situation in a positive light: it will all get better, and not believing everything you read will help fight cyberbullying.

“Just because someone says something about you doesn’t make it true, no matter how many times they say it,” Hartman said.

As of the evening of September 24, @ndubdirt had been taken down, presumably by those who owned the account.

Senior Alex Allen is examined after injuring his knee at SM North Stadium on Sept. 7 during a game against Lawrence high school. “I was scared,” Allen said. “Playing at a Division 1 college has been my dream and getting injured was the one thing I didn’t want to happen, knowing it would make that path to my dream even harder.” photo by savannah kelly

E.R.RUSH L

Senior Alex Allen gets consoled by his father during the football game on Sept. 7. Allen tore his ACL and meniscus, which prevents him from playing the rest of this season. Sophomore Jonathan Killeen will take his place as varsity kicker. photo by Brittany Bonsignore

Seniors Alex Allen and Cody Sliva experience the possibility of being out for the rest of the season after the second game.

aying on the field at the second game of the boys’ soccer season, varsity team captain Cody Sliva waited for the trainer to rush over and take a look at his injury, after he was kicked in the leg by a player from the opposing team.

“I couldn’t feel my foot, and I thought the worst,” Sliva said, “I thought my foot was broken.”

Senior Alex Allen played in the second game of the football season when his injury occurred.

“The instant I heard and felt my knee pop, I dropped to the ground in the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” Allen said. “Right away, I knew it was a torn ACL and possibly worse. It was scary.”

Allen and Sliva were both rushed to the hospital and were among the estimated 8,000 children in hospital emergency rooms that day because of school sports-related injuries, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Journal of Athletic Training noted that only 38 percent of school sports injuries occurred during a game.

The impact of these injuries affect more than just their high school careers.

Allen said all that was going through his mind was, “my future and how this would affect me getting to where I want to be at the college level for football.”

Sliva said that he had been talking to colleges about soccer. In the back of his mind, he was wondering how the injury would affect him.

“Would I lose scholarships? Would

[recruiters] would stop looking at me?”

Allen is currently out for the season and hates his new position on the sidelines.

“It kills me inside, but I know my team still needs me for support,” Allen said. “I’ll be at every practice, game and meeting until the end of the season.”

He still strives to be a senior leader on the team, and says that he is there for his team “110 percent always, no matter what. And I would do anything for any one of my teammates without hesitation.”

As for Sliva, he ended up with a contusion (a bruise on the bone) to his shin. He is already back on the field. If his foot had been broken, he would have been out for the season.

“That would have been the scariest part: leaving my senior year in the second game.”

Both Sliva and Allen say they have learned something valuable as a result of the injury.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” Sliva said. If that was my last game, it wouldn’t have been a good game to end on.”

Allen said that, post-injury, he has learned to make the best of everything he does. “[I] enjoy every minute of being healthy,” Allen said, “and [I] take advantage of the fact that I’m even able to play again after surgery.”

Like Sliva, Allen said that he doesn’t “take anything for granted, and [I will] work my butt off to get better and stronger than before.”

/ BROOKE COURTNEY + AARON MESSICK

Features 09

(DOMINANT) The fire department is called every year to use the fire hose to rinse off the muck. Students enjoy playing and sliding in the mud while the hose is being sprayed towards them. photo by Sarah Dean 1. Junior Alex Springer and freshman Savannah Kelly attack each other with shaving cream during Muckfest. Muckfest, held at SM Park on Sept.

12, consists of students throwing shaving cream, flour, mud and water balloons at each other. photo by Nate Compton 2. Junior Carlo Palazzo carries freshman Savannah Kelly on his back. After the competitions were over, the students were hosed down. photo by Kate Jacobsen

1

2

10 Sept. 28, 2012

AMOK IN MUCK

3. Junior Kate Atkinson wipes shaving cream on junior Morgan McNeace. photo by Nate Compton 4. Junior Jane Peterson prepares to throws a water Balloon at Muckfest on Sept. 12. All five SM schools participated in this event. photo by Kate Jacobsen 5. Juniors Kelci Scott and Megan Johnson throw flour at other SM students. Muckfest is an annual event at the beginning of the year put together by Young Life, a youth group for high school students. photo by Nate Compton 6. Junior Brady Skeens hugs Jane Peterson after they slid in the mud. photo by Kate Jacobsen 7. Senior Halie Snider tackles senior Kailee Evatt in attempt to smear more shaving cream on Evatt’s face. photo by Sarah Dean 3

5

4 6

7

Features 11

In a survey conducted by TIME Magazine, in cooperation with Qualcomm, 5,000 respondents from eight countries were asked various technology-related questions.

the average age thought appropriate for a child to own a mobile phone

76 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SAID THAT BEING CONNECTED TO TECHNOLOGY IS HELPFUL; 13 PERCENT REFERRED TO IT AS A BURDEN; THE REMAINING 11 PERCENT WERE UNSURE. NEARLY 75 PERCENT OF US RESPONDENTS BELIEVE IT IS GOOD FOR CHILDREN TO BE LEARNING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY EARLY ON IN LIFE; SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 25 PERCENT THINK THAT TECHNOLOGY IS A DISTRACTION FROM STUDIES.

SEVEN SEVEN WAYS WAYS NORTHWEST NORTHWEST USES USES SOCIAL SOCIAL MEDIA MEDIA

/ ASHLEE CRANE + BAILI MCPHETERS nstead of reaching for a Calculus book or checking web backpack, many students find themselves sitting down after school and browsing their news feed and the latest tweets from the celebrities and friends they are following. While social networking may simply seem like a distraction, for some students, it can mean a leg up when it comes to their communication and technological skills.

As with anything, technology and the Internet pose dangers: children viewing inappropriate content, cyberbullying and child exploitation.

Although students using mobile devices and social networking sites during school hours is frowned upon, it is becoming more apparent that this technology, when used appropriately, can have positive effects on students’ education.

Many organizations within the school have already started using social networking in some classrooms, but these sites remain extremely restricted on school property in accordance with the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Students still use these media outlets to practice communication within the school community, even though most of the usage has to occur off school grounds.

Many students and teachers believe that social media may not be as dangerous as it is often perceived.

“Social networking can definitely benefit a school community if it’s used in a way that doesn’t step too far into students personal lives,” junior Olivia Broome said. “It’s all about blending essential information with visual aspects in a setting already familiar to students.”

KUGR sponsor Lindsay Kincaid thinks that the recent implementation of social networking to the Video Production program has really been able to stir up talk about the students’ projects.

“I think it’s a way to communicate with the student body and get feedback from them about what they want from our shows,” Kincaid said.

The following information was gathered to show the positive and negative possibilities when it comes to using available and popular technology to enhance the education of students.

12 Sept. 28, 2012

1. Clubs use Facebook to communicate information about meetings and events to club members through Facebook Groups. These groups allow members to see posts and give more consideration to attending events and meetings after seeing who else is attending, according to Girl Effect president Olivia Broome. It also offers instant and direct contact with the people planning the events. “We try to get people excited about our events and keep everyone as up to date on information as possible,” Broome said, “and there is really no way to do that that’s more effective than social media.”

2. Journalism and KUGR use their Twitter accounts to get feedback from the students about their most recent projects and publications.

KUGR uses Twitter to “solicit photos and some responses” from students, sponsor Lindsay Kincaid said, to help put together the morning announcements and the Seminar Show.

3. Spirit Club and Student Council, as well as many other clubs, use Twitter to inform students about

upcoming events, like spirit week, elections and club meetings.

4. English classes use Moodle to upload student’s papers to a forum. After the upload, peers can comment on the stories and give their opinions on how the student could improve their writing or leave words of encouragement about a well-written piece.

5. KUGR post videos on Youtube to allow students access to the Seminar Show and other video projects after they have already been aired.

6. Journalism uses Google Drive to write stories; it provides an easy way to share articles and for writers to receive edits to the writing.

7. Recently, Ben Pabst’s IB English 12 classes used Google Drive to create spreadsheets for students to use when defining SAT vocabulary words for an assignment. Each student was assigned about nine words, which they would define on the shared spreadsheet. This allowed students to have access to nearly 250 words with definitions without having to write them down during a presentation or look them up.

SMSD Internet Use Policy

“In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), the school district will implement filtering and or blocking software to restrict access to Internet sites containing child pornography, obscene depictions, or other materials harmful to minors. The school district, however, cannot and does not guarantee the effectiveness of filtering software.”

CIPA was signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000, stating that schools can lose federal funding if they don’t adequately monitor the online activities of minors. (Time Magazine)

mscanbenefitfromsocialmedia o o r s s a l c w o H

Using the technology that’s already there //

Schools from Meriden, Conn., Allen, Texas, and Hanover, Pa., have been developing policies of BYOT — bring your own technology. These districts not only allow students to bring their mobile devices to school but also provide access to school networks. According to the Time Magazine article “Gadgets go to class,” the cost of putting a laptop at each desk in a school is enormous, so allowing students to bring their own devices into the classroom is a “nobrainer.” Companies have been feverishly developing in-class apps for mobile devices, similar to the Beyond Question system Northwest uses. Using Beyond Question, a teacher can make sure each student responds to questions and is comprehending the lesson before moving on.

well as give friendly reminders to students which they will receive while checking news feeds at home. A teacher can use a community blog on Facebook to tell the class is learning, as well as publish exemplary research or English papers (with the student’s permission).

TWITTER can transfer helpful information about club meetings and events happening throughout the school day. Teachers can also tweet lesson plans and links to information that can help students finish their assignments. Having only 140 characters to work with can also teach students to write succinctly while still getting the point across.

WHAT SOCIAL NETWORKING CAN TEACH

The possibilities of using social media in the classroom are seemingly endless.

Here are a few options for using Skype, Facebook and Twitter to educate students and help them communicate with their peers.

SKYPE can be used to bring the field trip into the classroom when it is difficult or impossible for students to go to the source. Skype can also be used to to give students access to native speakers of foreign languages.

FACEBOOK can help students search for native language speakers through groups. Teachers can post lesson plans and homework assignments on a class Facebook page to provide easy access, as

In a study performed by researchers at the University of Minnesota, it was found that;

94% 82% 77%

to the students observed used the Internet

go online at home

had a profile on a social networking site

The students listed TECHNOLOGY SKILLS as the top lesson that they learn from social networking, followed by CREATIVITY, BEING OPEN to new or diverse views and COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

THE PROBLEM WITH INTERNET SAFETY According to research by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University: ·Bullying by peers is the most frequent threat that minors face, both online and offline. ·Although Internet-related child exploitation began before the rise of social networks, predatory actions by adults online against minors remain a concern. These incidents, however, are understudied and underreported to law enforcement. ·The Internet increases the availability of harmful, problematic and illegal content,

but does not necessarily increase exposure to minors. People who are most likely to be exposed to violent or pornographic content are those attempting to seek it out. ·Social media sites are frequently used in peer-to-peer harassment because they are widely used by minors and are used to reinforce pre-existing relationships. ·Minors who often engage in risky behaviors and have problems in their daily lives are more at risk online. Psychosocial qualities, family dynamics and the surroundings of a minor are more likely to predict the risks they face on the Internet.

SAFETY EFFORTS OF POPULAR

SOCIAL MEDIA SITES The Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University evaluated several social networking website to determine how much effort they have put towards making their sites a safe environment. Here are the findings of Facebook, Myspace and Bebo.

REPORT ABUSE ACCESS TO AGEAPPROPRIATE CONTENT PARENTAL CONTROL SOFTWARE REVIEW FOR INAPPOROPRIATE AND ILLEGAL CONTENT PEER IDENTIFICATION RESTRICTIONS ON CHANGING AGE INFORMATION AFTER REGISTERING RESTRICTION ON SEARCHING FOR MINORS REMOVAL OF REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS OFFER EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Features 13

photo by aaron messick

14 Sept. 28, 2012

SOME PEACE Last August, Debra Brewer could hear her heartbeat pulsing in her ear and felt something odd. She thought it was just an ear infection, until her doctor said it was more than that.

Anxious students bombarded Biology teacher Debra Brewer on Sept. 17 with questions. It was her first day of school this year.

Brewer had spent the first five weeks of the school year recovering from surgery that left her with a scar extending from her ear to neck — a scar that is still healing.

Brewer’s journey began in early August of 2011, when she thought she had an ear infection.

“I [had] just come back from the ocean, so I thought it was an ear infection,” Brewer said. “I didn’t think too much about it.”

By October, Brewer could hear her heart beating in her ear and could feel something unusual. She thought she was going to need medication for an ear infection. But since she had no pain and no fever, she continued to put off seeing a doctor.

While on vacation during spring break, Brewer took an airplane to her destination. As the plane ascended and descended, the eardrum bulged in response to the changing air pressure. This fluctuation in altitude triggered her pain and caused Brewer to seek medical attention.

While at her daughter Krista’s doctor appointment to check for swimmer’s ear, Brewer asked if the nurse would look into her ear as well.

The nurse practitioner could see a tumor growing up Brewer’s ear canal and pressing against her ear drum. She advised Brewer to see a specialist.

“I just thought it was a bad infection and that I needed a strong antibiotic. Who thinks of [it being a] tumor?,” Brewer said. “So I didn’t go. Then she called [to check], and I knew it was something bigger.”

The first doctors diagnosed her tumor as a Glomus Jugulare tumor, which, according to medscape.com, is slow-growing, rare, often goes unnoticed and luckily is benign. As the school year progressed, the tumor grew in Brewer’s jugular

vein.

“I interviewed a lot of doctors because it is rare, and nobody specializes in this tumor,” Brewer said. “My doctor [Joseph Ursick at the University of Kansas Medical Center] did a lot of research on his own. “He found this technique where, once they get you open[ed up], the incision goes from my temple to all the way around to my neck.”

Brewer’s surgery was done in two parts over two days. The first day was a process called embolization, during which the doctors shut off the blood supply to the tumor for eight hours. On the second day, the doctors scraped out the tumor, leaving Brewer with only one jugular vein. Because the tumor was wrapped around many nerves, her doctor put electrons around the nerves in order to protect them as much as possible.

“Think of the game Operation. When you get too close to the side (or in this case, too close to the electrons), it zaps,” Brewer said.

Brewer was in the Neuro ICU at Saint Luke’s Medical Center near the Plaza.

“You have a little brain surgery and your family thinks they need to visit you,” Brewer said.

“I had a lot of visitors over the summer. It was humbling.”

The tumor and resulting surgery have changed Brewer’s outlook on life.

“I take advantage of every day,” Brewer said. “It used to be that I would push things off to the next day, the next week or the next year. ”

Now back at school after a five week recovery, Brewer is healthy enough to teach all of her classes. Although the surgery drained Brewer, took her sense of taste and gave her extreme headaches, she would not change the situation.

“I am glad it was me,” Brewer said, “and not somebody [that] I love.”

/ NINA GRAMAJO + GABBY LORINO

Features 15

photo by maddy grimes

movies:

Pitch Perfect — SEPT. 28 Taken 2 — OCT. 5 V/H/S — OCT. 5 Wuthering Heights — OCT. 5

albums:

Transit Of Venus — Three Days Grace — OCT. 2 Sticks & Stones — Cher Lloyd — OCT. 2 The Connection — Papa Roach — OCT. 9 Night Train — Jason Aldean — OCT. 16

books:

Anna Dressed in Blood — Kendare Blake — SEPT. 26 Leverage — Joshua C. Cohen — SEPT. 27 Confessions of a Murder Suspect — James Patterson — SEPT. 28 The Diviners — Libba Bray — SEPT. 28

video games:

NBA 2K13 — OCT. 2 Resident Evil 6 — OCT. 2 Fable: The Journey — OCT. 9

sudoku 4 9 5 2

16 Sept. 28, 2012

2 9 6 4

DIFFICULTY: easy

5

3 6 8 9

1 6 1 8

9 3 2 5 3 6 4 1 2 5 8 3 1 2 6

GOTYE + CHAIRLIFT LIVE Grinders is a cramped restaurant in the Crossroads that’s full of atmosphere. Guy Fieri has featured this venue on his show Diners Drive-Ins and Dives and has his poster hanging on the back wall, so clearly the food has to be fantastic. But I wasn’t here to sample the food.

After walking through the contained space of the restaurant to the back of the building and outside, I found a food window and a woodchipped area with a sizable stage and a colossal projector screen.

A slender man with a two-piece headset walked onto the stage. He held an electric guitar in his hands as the rest of his band members gathered on the stage. Looking out into the crowd his astonished face clearly indicated that he didn’t expect more than a few people to be at the venue this early.

He announced his band as Zammuto, and they began with a song about finger skateboarding. As the band played the next song, “Zebra Butt,” the crowd broke out inlaughter. Almost every song that Zammuto played had a humorous video playing on an enormous projector screen, as well as a hefty dose of auto-tune.

Chairlift came on stage and the crowd squeezed together, but not to the point of discomfort. Their performance gave the whole crowd a reason to move. Because Chairlift is a more popular band, a slew of voices joined the band on almost every song.

Lead singer Caroline Polachek’s voice hit high angelic notes that floated back down to mid-range as she swayed, pounding her synthesizer.

“If you know the words, please sing with us…loudly,” Polachek shouted into the microphone.

As the first notes of “Bruises” were played, the crowd roared, then started to belt out “I tried to do handstands for you/I tried to do handstands for you/Every time I fell on you, yeah/Every time I fell.”

Polachek and the rest of the band danced feverishly on the stage until the end of the set, causing an extreme energy boost for the crowd.

The wait for Gotye was excruciatingly long, but the second that front man Wouter “Willy” De Backer stepped on stage, every individual body took three steps forward. Everyone was too close for comfort but didn’t care to notice as De Backer hustled all over the stage, dodging the five other band members while hitting various percussion instruments as cartoon-like animations that correlated with every song played on the projector screen.

Then it was time to play his hit single “Somebody That I Used To Know.” He had asked the crowd to quiet down and only sing during the chorus, but of course, they did not. Polachek soon stepped back on stage to sing the female part of the song, and the crowd sang along powerfully.

Gotye did not end there, playing three encore songs, and then the crowd dispersed, making stops at the t-shirt table and the pizza window at Grinders. The evening was fulfilling, and with a piece of pizza in your belly and a song in your head, how could you not sleep happily? / MADDY GRIMES

Coexist The xx’s new album Coexist does only one thing wrong: it’s boring.

The English indie pop band’s second album isn’t bad, but it’s not good, either. Each track seems to flow into the next without much difference. There is no catchy electronic beat to hook you and no standout lines to sing along to while driving or hanging out with friends. Having to check which song you’re listening to is an often and annoying occurrence.

The singers Romy Croft and Oliver Sim are both very talented, but they also have a very limited range in this album. Each song seems to be taken from the same vein of lost love that most pop songs are focused on right now.

The signature track of the album is “Tides:” instead of the vocals and musical tracks competing for attention, the vocals are the main focus while the two main tracks are a several note electronic loop and simple drum beat. This album could easily be used as an album to help you study or do chores because there’s nothing outstandingly catchy or distracting it helps to drowns out any other noise that might stop you from writing that english paper that’s due next week. The xx’s Coexist is a decent album. The vocal and instrumental talent is present, but they are missing the diversity and hooks that other indie pop bands such as The Shins, Passion Pit, or Gotye have.

The xx and Internet Explorer teamed together to send a single random person a link to stream Coexist starting on Sept. 3. Internet Explorer then tracked the shares and listens that the link got over the next eight days. coexist.thexx.info

/ AARON MESSICK

TEMPEST It’s been 50 years and 34 albums since Bob Dylan released his self-titled debut. To mark this golden anniversary, Dylan released Tempest on Sept. 11.

Throughout his career Dylan has released over 700 songs (more than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined).

If you’re not a fan by now, this album will not change your mind. Tempest radiates classic Dylan: smoky voice, guitar and eccentric lyrics. It would be naive of anyone to expect anything but that — Dylan released a Christmas album back in 2009, so it might be safe to say that making controversial and innovative music is a thing of the past for him.

Not to say that Tempest will be a disappointment for fans; it is far from that. Dylan may still be making music, but he is in no way a modern artist. Like he says in the song “Narrow Way,” “If I can’t work up to you, you’ll surely have to work down to me someday.”

Dylan’s stubbornness and nonconformist attitude consistently reflect in his music. With so many bands “selling out” after “making it big,” it’s almost a wonder how Dylan has managed to stay loyal to his original style for so long.

The first single off the album was “Duquesne Whistle.”

It’s a sweet sounding, innocent ballad reminiscent of 1930’s swing music. The track is almost misleading, considering how dark the rest of the album is.

The sinister tone becomes even more evident with the title track. And although it may seem odd to croon about a famous sinking ship the lyricism and imagery is a high point for the album, which is bested only by “Tin Angel.”

Dylan has long been accused of plagiarizing parts of his songs, and this album doesn’t change that. “Early Roman Kings” strings along much of the same qualities as Muddy Waters’ 1955 song “Mannish Boy.” Dylan also uses the phrases “I heard the news today, oh boy” and “come together right now” on the song “Roll On John.” But the name of the track, the lyrics quoted and the song as a whole make it quite obvious that it is an ode to Dylan’s late friend, the one and only John Lennon. Despite the fact that it’s been over 31 years since Lennon’s assassination, the song doesn’t seem out of place and is a fitting way to end the album.

/ PAIGE WALTMAN

House at the End of the Street Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) starts fresh after her mom (Elisabeth Shue) files for divorce and moves from the city of Chicago to a new small town. Then Elissa finds her mysterious neighbor Ryan (Max Thieriot) living alone in the house next door. The urban legend of the town is that Ryan’s sister Carrie Anne (Eva Link) murdered their parents and then drowned in a river, but the body was never recovered.

Watching the movie was fun, but it just didn’t meet my expectations. All the actors suited their characters well, it kept you at the edge of the seat and the big twist in the end just completely caught me off guard.

Who doesn’t like Jennifer Lawrence? She was the “girl on fire” in The Hunger Games. She’s a great actress, and her performance made the movie feel real.

I remember watching The Pacifier when I was younger, and when I saw Thieriot I was shocked about how much he has grown up and matured. He is always great at playing the mysterious character in any movie.

Perhaps the directors don’t know that birds don’t tweet at night; during the whole movie, day or night, you would always hear little annoying birds chirping.

In the intense scenes with two actors talking, you would constantly hear chirping in the background which ruined the seriousness of many scenes.

photo courtesy of joblo.com

This movie was certainly a thriller.

While watching, I was crawled up in a ball with my hands next to my ears, anticipating the next scare. It would surprise me each time. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, but for someone who likes more suspense than scare, this movie would be great. It might also make you think twice about what your neighbor is really up to.

A lot of times during the movie it would remind me of Twilight. The movie it was

RATING: PG-13 RUNNING TIME: 101 MIN about a girl moving to a new town where it was cloudy and surrounded by woods.

Also the thing that stood out the most to me was that the new girl falls for the guy with a shady reputation. Sounds like the first half of Twilight right?

One would think that the girl who stabbed her parents to death and is secretly being cared for in a basement would be the bad guy. The movie completely made my jaw hit the floor when the secret was revealed.

Overall, the movie was okay. It wasn’t the best, but I would definitely watch it again. I would also tell my friends if you’re interested in the movie, go for it.

/ HAENA LEE

Entertainment 17

THE VOICE vs.

THE X FACTOR / BROOKE COURTNEY The contestant sings to the backs of chairs, hoping to make just one coach turn his or her chair around with the saying, “I want you,” lit up with LED lights.

That is how the blind auditions for NBC’s hit TV show The Voice start off every season. Contestants get to choose between the coaches that turn their chairs around before the end of their 90-second audition.

Each week, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green vie for a chance to coach the best singers and build their 16-person team. The singers are competing for a recording contract, and each coach is hoping that the winner is on his or her team.

Now, contestants are competing for a chance win The X Factor. The contestants sing to the four celebrity judges, Simon Cowell, Britney Spears, Demi Levato, and L.A. Reid, but also the “fifth judge,” the audience, hoping that not only their voice

catches the judges attention, but also their appearance. This is what kicks off the first few episodes of Fox’s TV show The X Factor. Once all the contestants are chosen for the show, they are split up into four different groups: “The Boys,” “The Girls,” “Over 30,” and “The Groups.” Each team will get one judge to be their mentor to help them get to the finale.

The winner of the show will receive a $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music.

Although both shows are contests for the best musical voice, they are completely different. The Voice judges contestants purely off of their voice because they are turned around and can not judge them off of anything else, while The X Factor can not help but judge the contestants on their voice and appearance out of human tendency.

Once contestants are picked for The Voice, they are trained by their coach, and an adviser (an assistant

to the coach). Contestants train all week to go up against people on their team, and then they have a chance of getting voted off by their coach.

On The X Factor contestants are trained by their coach, and then they are judged among everyone and one person gets kicked off each week.

The Voice is a more fair competition since Green, Aguilera, Levine and Shelton select the The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8/7 central on NBC and The X Factor airs Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8/7 central on FOX. contestants based only on their voices. If a judge decides that he or she wants the contestant on his or her team, he or she can turn their chair around and see who he or she chose.

The Voice is probably one of the best competitions for aspiring singers because they are chosen based on their voices and nothing else. Also,

more real talent is showcased on The Voice, which makes it seem that the contestants are pre-screened before they get to try out in front of the judges.

The X Factor seems more like a “get your five minutes of fame” opportunity. If the contestant is “adorable” (a term used so often that it seems to be the quality most sought by the judges), he or she can make it on the show. Real talent during the auditions is rare, but a majority of the people who got to go on to the actual season were called “adorable,” and that seemed to be the only reason they made it through.

If I was only allowed to watch one of the shows, I would definitely choose The Voice. The talent on it is much better than The X-Factor, which makes it more enjoyable to watch since I’m watching a singing competition for the voice, not how cute a contestant is.

Battle Born When any Killers album, or song for that matter, is being discussed, the first question that needs to be asked is: “Is it as good as “Read My Mind”?” The unfortunate answer for the Killers 2012 release Battle Born is simply no.

Battle Born is definitely the Killers, and that’s nice to see because it’s been four years since the release of their mediocre Day & Age album.

Every track has that nice Killers style to it, excellent lyricism and haunting background music that would be at the forefront of trance music if Brandon Flowers’ voice didn’t make it pop.

Songs that can actually send chills down spines like “Deadlines and Commitments” and actual anthems

18 Sept. 28, 2012

of war like the album’s namesake “Battle Born” make the high points truly high; but if the tracks jump from “The Way It Was” to “Here With Me,” a person couldn’t be faulted for thinking it was nothing more than a 10-minute song.

When the Killers aim high, they have a tendency to really bring out the big guns. “Carry Me Home” is a definite highlight of the album, with a bouncy, consistent tone that manages to be simultaneously interesting and the kind of song that makes a person want to find an empty highway and race down it at breakneck speed.

The true skill of the Killers isn’t just that the music they make is catchy; it’s that the songs produce a tangible emotional response.

The big failing of Battle Born is that it only reminds you of “When You Were Young” or “Mr. Brightside.”

The album is good on it’s own merits, but it suffers from that unfortunate Killers symptom that experts call “not as good as Sam’s Town.” This leaves the album in an unfortunate state of limbo. Compared to most of the other recent releases, it’s actually far above average, but the Killers already have shown their best qualities, and they’ve already proven that they can do better.

So one has to ask if it should be judged compared to other current releases or to everything else the Killers have released; because compared to Hot Fuss, Battle Born just can’t compete.

This album, though, shouldn’t be sold short; if you compare it to any of its competing releases, we’re seeing a definite quality increase. If anything, this album raises the bar for current pop music. Does it beat The Killers in 2006? No, but that’s like complaining that everything Tom Petty released now is terrible because Last DJ was far better; it’s just not a fair comparison.

Judged on its own merits, Battle Born is a quality buy and absolutely worth anyone’s time. While I don’t see a lot of chart-topping hits rolling out of Battle Born, I do see a lot of Killers fan’s enjoying 15 fantastic songs for a few years to come.

/ SAM BELLMYER

Very recently 3D technology has forced its way into every action film released in the last few years, and companies have been competing vigorously to get a foothold in this newly popular industry.

Now that we’ve left the era of red and blue paper glasses and risen above into the era of home TVs and handheld consoles that don’t require any glasses to produce the second, risen image (see sidebar), the question becomes, in this new day and age, which 3D provider gives us the best look, and looks the best on us?

/ SAM BELLMYER

how the

looks

HOW 3D WORKS

REALD 3D: RealD is the most common 3D in the current Cinema market. If you go to see a 3D

3D works by projecting two different images through the projector, or television, and then, through a viewing apparatus, that converges the two images into your vision, producing an image in front and an image in back, creating the illusion of depth.

While many think of 3D as a common occurrence, the first commercial 3D film, The Power of Love was shown in 1922. 3D only very recently became cheap and popular.

movie you’re almost certainly finding some form of it or another; is this because they look fantastic, or is it simply good salesmanship? Short answer is the latter. that it’s good salesmanship.

There should be awards given to the sales department of RealD because the same effect of putting on RealD glasses could be achieved by having one of the ushers punch you in the face. The 3D is absolutely sharp but it induces vertigo in the same fashion as being thrown from a plane.

The quality is actually quite nice, as long as you can stand having your head cleaved in twain by the splitting headaches, and so if you can stagger usage well enough, then you can actually really enjoy and get absorbed in the action scenes MASTERIMAGE 3D: This is a rather uncommon sight in theaters. It’s usually found only in very expensive places that use large, non-projected screens. More than in theaters, it’’s mostly used for household televisions. The 3D is highly focused and very refined. It doesn’t use glasses, and it’s stunning from almost all angles.

While it is absolutely beautiful, it unfortunately takes far too deep of pockets to experience the superior quality, and the cost simply outweighs the benefits. As gorgeous as it is, it leaves a one’s wallet unfortunately empty. It ends up feeling like you’ve payed extra for something you know doesn’t matter; in this case, not having to wear the glasses because MasterImage, like RealD, produces headaches akin to axe-wounds, but not quite so apocalyptic because there are no glasses.Compared to RealD the extra cost just isn’t worth it, and RealD is easier to find regardless, if you have the choice for free, pick MasterImage, and if cost is factored, RealD trumps it every time.

how the

GLASSES LOOK

Compared to RealD, the extra cost of MasterImage just isn’t worth it, and RealD is easier to find in theatres. If you have the choice and don’t have to consider the cost, pick MasterImage. If cost is a factor though, RealD trumps it every time.

GUNNAR OPTIKS

Previously known for making glasses for gaming, Gunnar Optiks also produces passive 3D glasses for use with any theaters that use RealD and with passive, circular polarized monitors and televisions. They do differ quite a bit in appearance to the default RealD glasses they hand out at theaters. The glasses they offer take on the appearance of glasses you would see people wear in public, so looking like a geek is out of the question with these on.

XPAND

2D GLASSES

Produced by a man named Hank Green who originally developed these for his wife who was sick of receiving headaches from 3D movies. Thus, 2D glasses were born. 2D glasses take on the appearance of the normal passive 3D glasses moviegoers receive before seeing their movie, but there is a difference in the lenses. Normally, passive 3D glasses block frames, resulting in a feeling of depth. 2D glasses block out the same image and each lense gives the same picture, resulting in 2D.

XPAND produces active 3D glasses for a variety of purposes, such as for cinema, gaming, home theatre, and education. Just like the variety of purposes, all of them come in a variety of styles and appearances.

Active glasses are a bit thicker than the normal passive 3D glasses because of the fact the lenses are small LCD screens that dim the left and right lenses to give a sense of depth. They give infrared signals to and from the TV so it knows when to dim each lense. While some of the styles do look like a normal pair of glasses, others still look like the typical passive RealD glasses.

Entertainment 19

Competing in the challenging American Royal horse show is the normal for senior Elizabeth Jackson. / SARAH EGGER + GRACE FREEMAN

COMMONLY USED EQUESTRIAN TERMS

EQUITATION: Done with English attire — a jacket, a button-up longsleeve shirt, breeches and long boots — this jumping class requires that the h o r s e and rider clear 8-12 obstacles in a particular pattern.

HUNTER UNDER SADDLE: A Hunter is a horse well suited for jumping natural obstacles in the process of hunting. It is a style of horse. Not a breed. This particular class judges the ease with which the horse moves and changes gaits. The rider wears English attire.

WESTERN PLEASURE AND HORSEMANSHIP: In these classes, the rider wears Western attire, usually slacks with a shirt and a cowboy hat. Judging evaluates the manners and suitability of the horse as it moves through the three required gaits: walk, trot and canter as well as the ability of the rider to control the horse. All horses and riders are in the ring and judged at the same time.

SHOWMANSHIP: In this class, the rider is on the ground next to the horse rather than riding. The rider and the horse are judged on appearance as well as mannerisms. This is one of the more difficult classes.

HALTER: Another class where the rider is on the ground. The horse is judged based on conformity to established standards for the breed.

GREEN HORSE: A horse that is young and untrained HIGH POINT AWARD: A general overall ranking of the highest performing horses in a class.

(LEFT) Judges view senior Elizabeth Jackson and her horse Ty at the American Royal on Sept. 22. photo by Taylor Adcock (RIGHT) Jackson rides her horse out of the arena on Sept 22,2012 after winning third place in the event. photo by Reagan Key (DOMINANT) Jackson trots her horse around the gate. photo by Taylor Adcock

20 Sept. 28, 2012

T

wo weekends ago, senior Elizabeth Jackson walked out of the American Royal Quarter Horse Show with an extra belt buckle. These buckles are more than just trophies; they are worn in shows and instill a sense of pride in the rider.

Jackson competed in the Quarter Horse American Royal in Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, Showmanship and Halter from Sept. 6 to Sept. 9.

Showmanship is usually one of the first classes of the day; it involves competing on the ground next to your horse (for more information on showmanship and other classes, see the sidebar).

“My showmanship class, when I went in my pattern, was correct, but it didn’t really stick out,” Jackson said.

Because of this, Jackson did not place as well in this class.

After competing in various shows for 11 years, this was not Jackson’s first buckle.

“It was just another show for me since I’ve been doing it for so long. But there was pressure because some of my good friends that I train with were in the same class as me,” Jackson said.

She does not show for awards or prizes, though.

“I get to be around all the horses,” Jackson said. “I’m in it for the horses.”

Because it is a judged sport, none of the results can be exact.

At shows like the American Royal, where there are four judges, each one may award points slightly differently. One of the most important things for a competitor to remember is confidence.

Looking confident is all in the posture. Stand up straight, and look the judge in the eye. Clothing also matters. The competitor’s outfit shows if he or she is a serious option for first place or someone who just showed up. If the competitor thinks his or her horse is the best horse in the ring, the judges will believe it, too.

“The judges can tell how much confidence you have when you walk out. They can just tell. There is a presence,” Jackson said. “I would want to have more confidence when I go in the ring.”

Outside of competing, Jackson has helped train novice horses.

She has also helped at a summer camp where she gave lessons to children who had never ridden before.

For Jackson, horses are a huge part of her life. She works at the Mill Creek Animal Hospital and aspires to be a veterinarian.

“I’m trying to get a scholarship,” Jackson said. “I sent in a video application for the Kansas State Equestrian team.”

The K-State Equestrian Team is a prestigious program, ranked sixth in the nation.

Jackson knows how much horses mean to her.

“It is worth getting up in the morning at 5 a.m. for,” Jackson said.

ELIZABETH JACKSON’S RESULTS FROM THE AMERICAN ROYAL YOUTH SHOW. CONTESTANT #615 Hunter Under Saddle Jackpot: 1ST PLACE Equitation: 1ST PLACE Versatility: 3RD PLACE Horsemanship Jackpot: 3RD PLACE Horsemanship: 3RD PLACE Adult/Youth Western: 5TH PLACE Showmanship: 6TH PLACE Jackpot Western: 10TH PLACE

Sports 21

BY GRACE FREEMAN

4 INCHES = 1 HAND [THE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT FOR HORSES.]

were scored by Sporting KC in the 2012 season to make them the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference.

FANTASY FOOTBALL ISN’T JUST A FANTASY

Fantasy football is a game that is only growing in popularity. ootball is always played outdoors with two teams, one trying to advance the ball towards an end zone while the other defends, and vice versa, right? The answer to that is “no”. There is a huge activity going on, and it is football. But it’s not played outside, your team isn’t all from one city, and it’s sweeping Northwest and the nation.

Fantasy football is a complicated activity. The season starts out with a draft; which, to me, is the most stressful part of the whole ordeal. There is a roster that the owner of the fantasy team must complete, consisting of all the positions that are on a real football team. However, not all the players are from the same real-life team; the owner can pick and choose from all the teams in the NFL. There is also the issue of the bye-week.

Each player has a bye-week, and the owner of the team has to make sure all of his/her players don’t have that same bye-week. A bye-week means the player won’t play that week.

After the draft, the season begins.

There is a roster that can and should be rearranged frequently to keep players that have been injured or have a bye-week on the bench. Whichever players the owner decides to use earn points in their NFL games which then transfer to the owner’s fantasy team.

Sounds confusing, right? The truth is, I barely scratched the surface of the fantasy football strategies.

According to fantasyindex.com, Wilfred “Bill” Winkenbach, Scotty Stirling, and George Ross created fantasy football

F on the varsity football team this year

HOME GAMES THE NW FOOTBALL TEAM WILL PLAY AT NORTH STADIUM. years senior tennis captain Claire Gordon has made it to State.

22 Sept. 28, 2012

in 1962. Winkenbach died in 1993, while Stirling and Ross simply got too busy to play the game; however we all know it did not end with the abandonment of its creators.

According to adweek.com, more than 27 million people play fantasy football.

At Northwest there are many leagues.

Junior Phil Shamet has been playing fantasy football for five years.

“Of course I play fantasy football. I like it,” Shamet said.

He enjoys playing, even when his team is not doing so well. However, not everyone feels the same.

“It is kind of a waste of time,” junior Sam Arnold said.

From my perspective, Arnold is right; there is a lot of work that goes into playing and not that much actual payoff.

Senior Jared Carson plays fantasy football and is not sure if he even wants to continue because of disappointing results and the stress that comes with it.

“I haven’t won a game yet,” Carson said. “It puts a damper on my day when the person I’m playing that week talks about my team like they’re nothing.”

To me, fantasy football can seem like a waste of time, with everyone sitting inside, glued to their computer screens questioning over and over again who to play; it doesn’t put a good image in my head.

We should all just go outside and play real football. However, I do see the merits to fantasy football: it makes watching those Sunday games even more enjoyable. Plus, my team plays next Sunday, and I can’t wait to see how they do.

WHAT’S NEW ON

Interact club members volunteered in Guatemala for a week this summer to replace water filters and work at a health clinic.

See it for

Yourself

by Sarah Egger

[

[

Two former foreign exchange students and staff members reflect on their journey back to their home countries.

by Anna Moilanen and Julie Kurbjeweit

From Paper to Program

Gangnam Style

Many popular movies have originated from books. Now, for the fall season, TV shows based on books have taken over most networks. See previews from shows like Elementary, Beauty and the Beast and Arrow.

A staff writer explains the phenomenon of the viral video “Gangnam Style.” Plus, StuCo members show off their Korean pop dance moves along with Psy in their version of his highly popular Gangnam-styled dance.

by Sarah Lang

by Haena Lee

photo by carleigh whitman

“People always said to get involved in school. I’m just now getting involved as a junior, [and] being in the parade makes me wish I had gotten involved sooner because it was a lot of fun,” — junior Hayley Nugent