Northwest Passage — Issue 4

vol. 44 • issue 4 Nov. 9, 2012 photo illustration by Mikala Compton

/ pg. 9

COLLEGE BOUND

The college admissions process can be overwhelming, but proper preparation may be the key to success when applying to universities.

Sending Hope

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Apparel students are sewing dresses to send to young children in Africa.

Deduction at its Finest

/ pg. 16

Recent revivals of the Sherlock Holmes series have proved that Sherlock is king.

join the

crowd.i

More Johnson County first-time college freshmen choose JCCC over Kansas four-year universities.

www.jccc.edu

Issue 4 • Vol. 44 • Nov. 9, 2012

PHOTO BY CARLEIGH WHITMAN

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STAFF:

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / Ashlee Crane CONVERGENCE DIRECTOR / Aaron Messick DESIGN EDITOR / Bailey Kopp ASSISTANT DESIGNERS / Grace Amundson + 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 EDITOR / Atalie Black SPORTS EDITOR / Gabby Lorino STAFF WRITERS / Sarah Egger, Nina Gramajo, Haena Lee, Baili McPheeters, Alaura Moore + Randy Prosser CONTRIBUTOR / Grace Freeman

NEWS /

Anberlin’s Vital

04 • Northwest News 16 • Deduction at its Updates about happenings at finest Northwest.

After closely analyzing the BBC program and American 05 • A Thoroughly films based on Sir Arthur Modern Production Conan Doyle’s Sherlock The theater department Holmes masterpieces, no clear performed their fall musical, consensus can be made as to Thoroughly Modern Millie. which modern revival is better.

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

17 • A Balancing Act Although senior Scottie Shelby will not continue cheering in FEATURES/ the winter season, she learned 07 • Sending Hope many important lessons by In an effort to clothe needy participating in two varsity children in Africa, apparel sports in the same season. students sewed dresses to donate to the organization 18 • Fall Sport Wrap-ups Little Dresses for Africa.

With fall sports coming to a close and tryouts for winter 09 • College Bound sports beginning next week, The thoughts of what to do take a look back at how our for post secondary education sports teams performed this can be daunting for many season. teenagers, so here are some tips to help you prepare for life 19 • An Athlete’s beyond high school.

Decision After playing a sport throughout elementary and ENTERTAINMENT / high school, the transition 14 • Reviews to college athletics is Paranormal Activity 4, challenging for most athletes.

Broadmoor Bistro, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ I’m With You tour +

Stepping Into Politics Sophomores, juniors and seniors who have signed up for Youth in Government will travel to Topeka from Nov. 18 to Nov. 19 to petition an original bill to the Kansas State House of Representatives and the Senate in Topeka.

The requirements for participation included attending three of the meetings, each lasting about two hours long.

Participants must also write their own bill that they will petition for.

“My bill [is] about every family [who] receives child support has to meet with someone every two years to see that things are still the same,” junior Skyler Jackson said,” so that way families who do not need it are not getting it and to make for sure the kid is actually in the house.”

The fee for participating is $75, which covers the cost of hotel, the banquet on Sunday, the bus and program costs. The program included going to Topeka for the convention where students will be able to debate and try to pass their bills.

/ NINA GRAMAJO

8 STEPS TO PASSING A BILL INTO A LAW 1) Introducing the bill to the House of Representative and the Senate.

2) Hearings and markups. The chairmen of the committee decide whether the bill will proceed on or be forgotten.

3) Committee report. The Chairman’s Staff writes a report of the bill and describes the bill’s intentions.

4) Floor debate. The floor debate is where the full body debates each aspect of the bill, and then they vote on the bill proceeding.

5) Referral to Other Chambers. The Chairman send the bill to the other chambers for their opinions.

6) Conference on a bill. Minor necessary changes are made.

7) Action by the President. After the edits have been made, the bill is sent to the President for approval.

8) Presiden’ts approval. After the President’s approval, the bill is then passed into a law.

“First of all, every year people say while they are walking out that it was the best dance ever. I mean, what other day do you get to plan a date with your parents and friends?” Dent said. “And this year, our door prize for the juniors and seniors class competition, who can bring more donations, is a coupon for a free appetizer at Chili’s.”

The admission fee will be $5 per person and cash, cans of food and unused personal items will be accepted for donations to go towards the Canned Food Drive, which will be held Nov. 12-16. Proceeds will go towards the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. For more information about the bureau, go to www.jccb.org.

During the holiday season the Johnson County Christmas Bureau helps 3,600 families and 700 nursing homes. To assist them, Student Council will host their annual Canned Food Drive on Nov. 12 through Nov. 16.

“It’s an awesome opportunity for us to be able to show our community that we care,” StuCo sponsor Sarah Dent said. “One out of four [students] from the SM School District are direct recipients of [the] Johnson County Christmas Bureau services, so it’s like we are raising canned food and cash to benefit [students] that are actually here at our school.”

Last year Northwest donated over ten thousand cans, surpassing the goal of six thousand cans.

The fifth hour class, in the large class category, that collected the most cans was Beth Janstch’s AP European History class. Matt Wolfe’s IB History of the Americas class won in the medium class category and the office won in the small class category.

Although the canned food goal was met, monetary donations of $3,770.33 fell short of the $6000 goal.

“Money is just as important as the cans because the Johnson County Christmas Bureau spends that money on food and meat that they are [lacking],” Dent said To urge students to donate, StuCo thought of creative ways to get students to donate, such as a spirit week. Two can day, American Day and Kansas Day are only a few of the ideas they have thought of.

“I hope this year’s canned food drive goes really well,” junior StuCo representative Grace Freeman said. “I’m a first year member, but I know last year it was a huge fund raiser and I hope that we can do even better this year.”

/ BROOKE COURTNEY

/ HAENA LEE

Dancing the Decades Away Student Council will be hosting the Mother Son Father Daughter Dance tomorrow night for juniors and seniors.

“I am probably most excited to see the more futuristic outfits this year,” freshman Hallie Ingraham said.

All of the attendees are encouraged to dress in an outfit that corresponds to a specific era, such as bright neon clothes for the 80s. Come out and dance the night away with your parents from 8 to 10 p.m.

“The most common [outfits] I’ve seen for the 50s are the greasers,” StuCo sponsor Sarah Dent said. “I’ve also seen the hippies for the 70s and a few from the Roman time era, such as togas. And more of the creative ones were some from the Elizabethan era.”

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StuCo hosts canned food drive

PHOTO BY KATE JACOBSEN

a

THOROUGHLY MODERN production

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fter tryouts and callbacks are completed rehearsals begin. For weeks the theater department rehearsed for the 2012-2013 fall musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Each day the performers would come early and get into costume and character while the technicians can microphone and light checks. Each day of dress rehearsals brought a new problem or solution to the attention of theatre director Kelly Rodgers.

Each day the cast would continue to perfect their performance until the last night of play rehearsal and the start of the show.

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Photo by Carleigh Whitman

PHOTO BY KATE JACOBSEN

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1. Juniors Elizabeth Brooks and Kristoph Geis pose with the ensemble as a song ends. Brooks and Geis were leads in the fall musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. "Being the lead is demanding but I love every second of it. You constantly have to be thinking and living in the actual moment," Brooks said. 2. Freshman Megan Dunn dances to the song "Forget About the Boy" during the theater’s Oct. 29 production, in the Greg Parker Auditorium. "My favorite part was how many new people I met and became friends with and how at some points we didn’t think that we’d be able to pull off the show, but in the end we did it," Dunn said. 3. Junior Michael Nyhart sings to Brooks during dress rehearsal. Nyhart’s character, Jimmy Smith, sang the song "I Turned the Corner" to Brooks’s character, Millie Dillmount, in an attempt to win back her affection. 4. Seniors Mitch Nolan and Matthew Styers hug junior Bridget Lynch during dress rehearsal. In the play, Lynch portrayed the mother of Ching Ho (Nolan) and Bun Foo (Styers). This was the moment of the family’s reunion, as Lynch’s character had just arrived in the United States from Hong Kong. 5. Playing the role of Ethel Peas, sophomore Kate Brundett cries when she find out that her uncle has died in a "freak threshing accident." Brundett’s character was later shipped to Hong Kong as part of a white slavery ring. 6. Geis leans into Brooks as his character asks her to write a letter. Geis played the part of Trevor Graydon. "I love seeing all the different aspects coming together. When everyone is focused on the big picture, we forget about ourselves and become part of something much more meaningful," Geis said. 7. Senior Brooke Golladay sings "Only in New York" as the character Muzzy Van Hossmere, a famous singer. "I really liked playing this part because it was a sophisticated. The last role I played was not so sophisticated and it let me grow my experience," Golladay said.

News 05

COMPILED BY ASHLEE CRANE GRAPHICS BY MITCH FEYERHERM

“Honestly, I want to inspire the next generation. I would love if there was a young guy sitting next to me asking what my advice is, wanting to break my record.” — Felix Baumgartner said of

Only 0.4% of undergraduates attend Ivy League schools

ON NOV. 2, THE AMERICAN RED CROSS AND NBC UNIVERSAL HOSTED A TELETHON TO his free fall from 24 miles above the earth.

BENEFIT THE VICTIMS Baumgartner fell from a capsule attached to a OF HURRICANE SANDY, 55-story balloon and reached a speed of 833 mph, RAISING NEARLY or Mach 1.24, breaking the speed of sound. His fall lasted 4 minutes and 20 seconds.

THE BBC ONE HIT DRAMA SHERLOCK WILL RETURN NEXT YEAR FOR ITS

THIRD SEASON.

The non-profit Christian organization "Little Dresses for Africa" has distributed over

$23 MILLION.

THE BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MAYER, WAS PERFORMED

DRESSES dresses in

903 TIMES. According to Time Magazine survey of 1,000 US adults, 80% of respondents said that at many colleges, the education students receive is not worth what they pay for it.

COUNTRIES in Africa

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 BROUGHT IN $30.2 MILLION IN THE FIRST THREE DAYS: THE SEQUEL EARNED $22.4 MILLION LESS THAN ITS MOST RECENT PREDECESSOR, AND $10.5 MILLION LESS THAN PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 EARNED.

Apparel students are sewing clothes for underprivileged children in Africa. by Sarah Egger

“L

utz! We have a problem” “What now?” apparel teacher Connie Lutz said.

She walked over to a sewing table covered with patterns and fabric scraps. Brushing a spool of thread aside, she helped junior Gwen Cody fix the jammed sewing machine so she could continue working on her pillowcase dress.

“It’s intricate and takes a lot of patience sometimes,” Cody said. “It’s particular; you have to do it right.”

Cody had worked on three dresses in class and frequently took materials home to sew more dresses. Each dress took about three hours to complete.

The dresses would later be sent to underprivileged countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, the Philippines, Cambodia, Mexico, Haiti and 42 countries in Africa.

“It’s neat that my students understand that they can impact the world,” Lutz said.

Lutz had watched a TV show about a non-profit organization called Little Dresses for Africa (LDFA) and thought they could make dresses for the program. The next day, one of her students who was going on a mission trip explained to her that they could make dresses for girls in Nicaragua.

“I try to listen to everything the universe is trying to tell me and if I saw the show, and [my students] were going, it just seemed to me that we needed to do that,” Lutz said. “I also mentioned it to [CCC teacher Ron] Poplau, who has bought me thousands of sheets and pillowcases [for the dresses].”

LDFA sends thousands of dresses to Third World countries every year.

“We’re not just sending dresses,

we’re sending hope,” the LDFA website said.

The previous year, the classes donated around 30 dresses to the program. They found out about the project later in the year and only sewed during the second semester. Because they started earlier this year, they are expecting to make more dresses.

“Who knows what we will end up with,” Lutz said. “Whatever it is, it will help somebody. Plus, we are kind of hooked on it now. They are having a good time, they know how to do it and we know the places to send them.”

Aside from the dresses, they are also making shorts out of old t-shirts for boys with a program called Britches for Boys and quilts for the homeless with the Ugly Quilt Project. The quilts are deliberately “ugly” to keep the homeless from fighting over them and are made out of donated pieces of denim. Each quilt took about a week in class to complete.

“If you think about it, [the quilts] are really durable, they are heavy, warm and [the homeless] can drag them with them wherever,” Lutz said. “At the end of the winter, the [homeless] discard their stuff; they don’t have a closet to put their winter clothes in. The quilts were cheap, so it didn’t matter, and believe me, they were ugly.”

No matter the looks; the dresses, quilts and shorts make a difference.

“I think, not just in our school, but all people need to understand that we are part of a bigger world and part of a bigger community,” Lutz said.

“It teaches them to be better people.

I think that’s important; we are here to take care of each other, that’s what we do.”

(DOMINANT) Senior Amy Hein works tentatively as puts her finishing touches on her dress on Oct. 25. The apparel class is making dresses to support women in Africa.

(RIGHT) Sophomore Izzy Williams sews patches for her dress on Oct. 25 in room 227.

(LEFT) Freshmen Skyler Hansen and Lauren Kruckenberg help each other to complete their dresses. Hansen and Kruckenberg will donate the handmade dresses to the organization Little Dresses for Africa.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NATE COMPTON

by atalie black, brooke courtney, nina gramajo, + edelawit hussien

ilmore Girls character Rory Gilmore once said, “Good grades aren’t enough. I need to do things.

I need to volunteer. I need to work for charity, I need to help the blind, the orphans, I don’t know. I just need to do something.” That indeed is correct. Now more than ever, we are not only Kansans but global citizens with various opportunities and experiences that we can expand on right out of high school. Although students often limit their college prospects to familiar institutions,

there are certainly more options that merit attention. Exploring a variety of colleges and universities, however, can mean dealing with the rigorous college admissions process.

The college admission process has become more complex every year. Today’s student has more to accomplish than just a satisfactory grade point average and test scores and should begin planning for college as early as the freshman year. The senior year is too late to make any significant difference. Whether you’re applying to Stanford, Georgetown, the University of Kansas, Johnson

FRESHMEN fall

• Take as many honors classes as you’re comfortable with • If sports interest you, try out for Cross Country, Volleyball, Boys Soccer , Girls Tennis, • Try out for the fall theater production • Run for Student Council, write for Newspaper, or join debate • Meet with your counselor to make sure you are on the right track. Figure out where you want to be in four years • Join a club or organization in subjects that

County Community College, or any other type of post secondary school, it does not hurt to make oneself a highly qualified applicant. With the way college tuition is rising, the higher your academic rank in a college’s applicant pool, the more merit-based scholarships are available to you.

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors can do several things to prepare for the college admissions process. In addition to grades and test scores, sports, clubs, work experience, volunteer work, admission hooks (things that makes

you have a passion for. If you love animals, join Animal Alliance. If you love your foreign language class, join French or Spanish Club • Go to the SM East College Fair to learn more about local schools and nationwide schools

winter

• If winter sports interest you, make sure to try for basketball, boys swim, bowling and wrestling • Use winter break to regroup and plan for next semester • If your grades were bad last semester, try again next semester • Register for Honors courses

SOPHOMORES

JUNIORS

fall

fall

• Tryout for a fall sport or start a volunteering project for the whole semester • Meet with your counselor to make sure you are achieving your goals • Go to the SM East College Fair with a list of schools to contact • Take the PSAT/PLAN Test

winter

• Use winter break to regroup and plan for next semester • Apply for a job or an internship for the summer • Register for IB/AP courses for junior year • Consider the IB Diploma Program

spring/summer

• Go on a language class trip (ex. French students trip to France) • Keep track of all of this year’s activities (clubs, sports, volunteering,etc) • Run for leadership positions such as president or vice-president • Consistent volunteer work (ex. 3 hours every week at the same nursing home) • Go on an out of state college visit

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an applicant stand out), productive summers, honors and awards and teacher recommendations are all taken into consideration.

These lists aren’t meant to be intimidating. They’re a way to know what colleges are looking for.

In the college admission process, quality over quantity trumps. For example, a leadership position for two or three clubs reveals more to an admissions counselor than a laundry list of club memberships. As senior year approaches, students can relieve unneeded stress by preparing beforehand.

spring/summer

• Keep record of all activities (clubs, sports, volunteering, etc.)

• Start small with positions in clubs such as publicist or events coordinator • Consistent volunteer work (ex. 3 hours every week at the same nursing home) • Visit local colleges or universities (see college road trip map)

• Take AP/IB/College Now classes; as many as you’re comfortable with • Further expand on the subject you explored through your extracurricular activities • Meet with your counselor to make sure you meet all the graduation requirement • Continue to excel in sports • If nominated for National Honor Society, be sure to join. Same for French NHS, the • National Art Honor Society, Spanish NHS and Quill and Scroll.

• Go to the SM East College Fair with a simplified list of colleges you’re interested in • Take the SAT/ACT as early as possible

winter

• Use winter break to regroup and plan for next semester • Apply for a job or an internship for the summer • Register for IB/AP courses for sophomore year • Retake SAT/ACT

spring/summer

• Seek out a summer job or internship • Keep track of all activities for this year. (clubs, sports, volunteering,etc) • Continue with consistent volunteer work (ex. 3 hours every week at the same nursing home) • Go on more out of state college visits

AVERAGE NUMBER OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ENROLLING PER YEAR:

2,350,000

AVERAGE NUMBER OF COLLEGE GRADUATES PER YEAR:

1,750,000

Average college student’s debt after college:

$432/mo

$51,250/yr

$49,000/yr

$47,000/yr

$37,000/yr

$89,000/yr

$23,700

Average college student’s debt payment per year:

midwest college roadtrip Visiting colleges indicates a more serious interest in a particular school and also allows you to get a feel for what campus life is like. When you visit a college, you’ll find that you either love it or hate it. If you hate it, there is no reason to apply because you won’t want to be there for four years. It would be very beneficial to sit in on a class or go to sorority/fraternity gatherings, and get a better feel for what the campus is really like. You could stop by the cafeteria and take a look at what kind of food you should expect. This map is meant to be a starting point for exploring midwest colleges and universities.

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1. Baker University (43 min from NW) 2. University of Kansas (28 min from Baker) 3. Kansas State University (1 hr and 33 min from KU) 4. University of Missouri Kansas City (2 hr 11 min from Kansas State) 5. University of Missouri Columbia (2 hr 19 min from UMKC) 6. Saint Louis University (2 hr 12 min from MU) 7. Washington University of St. Louis (11 min from SLU) 8. Loyola University Chicago ( 5 hr 29 min from WashU) 9. Northwestern University (15 min from Loyola) 10. University of Chicago ( 32 minutes from Northwestern) 11. University of Iowa (3 hr 48 min from UChicago) 12. Drake University ( 1 hr 58 min from IU) 13. Grinnell College (1 hr 6 min from Drake) 14. University of Nebraska Lincoln ( 4 hr 7 min from Grinnell)

Average income of two college graduate families

Average income of tPh. D. Degree graduate

Average income of tMaster’s degree graduate

Average income of tBachelor’s degree graduate

Average income of Associate’s degree graduate

VOCATIONAL

SCHOOL is where students learn the skills to excel in one particular job which are government support schools. Everest College, a vocational college with 100 campuses across the country including one in Kansas City, Mo., trains students to become Dental Assistants, Medical Administrative Assistants, Medical Assistants, Medical General, Medical Insurance Billing and Coding or a Pharmacy Technician. Everest College has a 72 percent acceptance rate.

ART SCHOOLS are meant for

those who want a career based on art (ex. art teacher). One of the most popular art colleges is the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois which offers undergraduate degrees in: Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies; Bachelor of Interior Architecture; Bachelor of Fine Arts; Bachelor of

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Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Art Education; Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Art History, Theory, and Criticism; and Bachelor of Fine Arts with Emphasis in Writing. A popular local art school is the Kansas City Art Institute with majors that include Graphic Design, Creative Writing, Digital Media, Digital Filmmaking, Painting, Sculpture, and Animation.

COMMUNITY

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COLLEGES

are non-residential junior colleges offering courses to people living in a particular area. Most people who attend community colleges get their associate’s degree and then continue at a four-year university to complete their Bachelor’s degree. There are 1,655 community colleges in the United States. Of these, 1,047 are public institutions and 415 are private. The most popular local community college

among NW students is Johnson County Community College. The higher costs of traditional colleges may also be a factor in the decision to attend a community college.

Joining the WORKFORCE rather than attending college is another choice for those in high school.

According to the New York Times, 73 percent of high school students think they need more education to find a successful career, but only half of those say they will definitely enroll in the next few years. As a result of the recession, going directly into the workforce after high school has become more difficult. Only 16 percent of the graduating classes of 2009-11 had full-time jobs, and only 22 percent of those students with full-time jobs actually wanted a full-time job.

Features 11

E XTRACURRICULAR

ACTIVITIES

— When it comes to extracurricular activities, it helps to show what you’re passionate about. Leadership roles are more important than just being involved.

F IRST GENERATION —

First generation is a concept which means that you will be the first relative to attend college in your family. First generation is one of the most helpful college admission hooks. College admission hooks are small parts of the admissions process that can make a significant difference such as first generation.

G RADES — Grades are the largest

OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS A DMISSIONS ESSAY — The

essay is the one aspect of the college application where you can show exactly who you are. This is your opportunity to show your uniqueness, to emphasize your honors and awards or to show your creativity. This essay allows you to tell the story that the numbers on your transcript can not.

B OOKS — Books are a great, if

not the easiest way to improve your scores on the reading (ACT) and critical reading (SAT) sections. The more you expose yourself to various vocabulary, writing styles, and genres, the more prepared you will become.

C OURSE SELECTION — Colleges

put a ton of weight on the rigor of your secondary school record.

The more honors, AP or IB classes you take, the more impressive your college application becomes.

However, a C in an honors, AP or IB class is still a C. Good grades trump honors courses.

D EADLINES — It is important to keep track of college deadlines. The application deadline, scholarship deadline and financial aid deadline are all crucial aspects.

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factor for admission decision.

Although having excellent grades help, an improvement in grade scores throughout the four years makes the same impact. For example, if you didn’t try your hardest your freshman year, make up for it by trying your hardest the following years.

H OLIDAY

BREAKS — After a busy semester of school, most students choose to relax over break, but the holiday breaks are some of the best times to plan out a course of action for the next semester.

Students can plan important events and major project due dates, as well as reorganize for the next semester.

I NTERVIEW —

Some schools require interviews and some fine arts majors require auditions for applicants. Just as the admission essay lets colleges know you on a more personal level, an interview makes you a person as opposed to an application.

are content with the weather of the school.

M ONEY — Money (or the lack of

it) should not discourage students from applying to schools. Numerous scholarships and grants are available.

Websites such as fastweb.com and zinch.com are great resources for seeking out scholarships.

Counselor Angelo Giacalone also sends a monthly newsletter listing scholarships to all seniors.

N UMBERS — Ranks such as

the U.S. News and World Report’s National University Rankings have increasingly become a factor in which colleges students apply to.

Students, however, should not judge a university solely based on its rank.

O UT-OF-STATE — The difference

between out-of state colleges and instate ones is something to consider for college applicants. Other than private colleges, applying to outof-state public university means a higher tuition, which is something to consider during the application process.

P ERSONAL

QUALITIES — Personal qualities include but are not limited to your integrity, honesty, work ethic and your overall personality. These can highlighted through the teacher recommendations and application supplements. Don’t be afraid to ask those who are writing recommendations for you if they would highlight specific strengths that they would have reason to be familiar with.

Q UITTING — Commitment is

year is arguably one of the most stressful times of the year. The only way to stay sane is to just breathe and break down big jobs into smaller ones.

something colleges look for in your application. Colleges need to see you have invested time and years in clubs, sports, and work experience.

Instead of being in a new club every year, commit to one club for four years.

K NOWLEDGE — This one’s a given

R ANK — Your grades and class

J UST BREATHE — Fall of senior

when applying to colleges. Colleges expect you to be able to use what you learned in highschool, so senior year is not the time to slack off.

L OCATION — When choosing a

college, location is something to consider. Students have to decide if they want to stay close to their families, live by the coast, and/or

rank go hand-in-hand. Of course, the higher the better but by senior year, it’s difficult to make significant changes. While applying for college, you will be at an advantage with a higher rank and GPA but if you are not content with rank/GPA by the time you are applying, you can highlight the better aspects of your application.

S UPPLEMENTS — In addition to

your admissions essay, the application supplements are places to highlight your creativity, personality, and writing skills. Several hours should be invested in the college admission writings.

T EACHERS — Students should use

their four years in high school to get to know their teachers on a personal level. These people will write your recommendations and also give you advice whenever a problem arises.

U NIVERSITY — The decision to

choose a university or liberal arts college is also something to consider.

Liberal arts colleges are perfect places for those students who love small class sizes, more focus, and better preparation for graduate school.

V OLUNTEER WORK — Colleges

want to see that you are involved not only in school, but within your community as well.

W ORK EXPERIENCE — One

thing that will stand out on your college application is taking on a job, internship, or fellowship during the summer. This not only teaches you hands-on skills but also shows colleges that you are willing to seek out opportunities and learn from them.

X YLOPHONE — People who are

wanting to major in music should make sure that they are involved in organizations involving music, such as orchestra, band, the musical pit crew, or having private practices.

Y EARS — Four years is the average

amount of time that students will spend in college. For most, college is the last step before entering the “real world.” Make sure to spend as much time as possible immersed in your education to make sure you have the knowledge you need to start your career.

Z ZZZZ (SLEEP) — No matter how stressed you become, make sure you get enough sleep. Without sufficient hours of sleep, you will not be able to concentrate or excel. Studies have shown that students who sleep less than the suggested number of hours for their age feel more stressed than those who get an adequate amount.

WHAT’S NEW ON

The Gallery:

LIGHT SHOW

The Marching Cougar Pride performed their 14th annual Light Show at the SM North stadium on Oct. 26. See photos of the performance.

by Nate Compton

PHOTO BY AARON MESSICK

School of Rock Senior Summer Foth performs yearround as the lead singer of the Kansas City School of Rock’s House Band.

by Sarah Egger

How to Save a Life See full coverage of the annual Fall Blood Drive through the eyes of senior Amy Hein, a student who is giving the ultimate gift.

by Haena Lee

Skyfall — NOV. 9 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 — NOV. 16 Rise of the Guardians — NOV. 21 Red Dawn — NOV. 21

books:

How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed — Ray Kurzweil — NOV. 13 I Was Saddam’s Son — Latif Yahia — NOV. 13 My Crazy Beautiful Life — Ke$ha — NOV. 20 A Letter to my Dog: Notes to Our Best Friends — Robin Layton & Kimi Culp — NOV. 21

video games:

Call of Duty: Black Ops II — Xbox 360, PS3, PC & Wii U — NOV.13 Assassin’s Creed III — Xbox 360, PS3, PC & Wii U — NOV. 18 Wipeout 3 — Wii U — NOV. 18 Rise of the Guardians — 3DS, DS, iPhone/iPad, Wii U & Xbox 360 — NOV. 20

albums:

Street King Immortal — 50 Cent — NOV. 13 Take Me Home — One Direction — NOV. 13 King Animal — Soundgarden — NOV. 13 Global Warming — Pitbull — NOV. 20

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Paranormal Activity 4 RATING: R RUNNING TIME: 88 MIN On Oct. 9, 2006, baby Hunter (William Juan Prieto) was kidnapped by his aunt Katie (Katie Feahterson) from his home in a Los Angeles suburb after she kills his mother, Kristi (Sprague Grayden), and his father, Daniel (Brian Boland) in Paranormal Activity 2. Their whereabouts are said to still be unknown, until now. The Paranormal Activity series continues with the release of its fourth installment three weeks ago by Paramount Pictures.

Although Paranormal Activity 4 had some audiences screaming on the edge of their seats, as seen in the ridiculous commercials for the movie, the fourth installment was more suspenseful than scary.

After watching the first three installments of the Paranormal Activity series, every movie has the same plot; they start out slow and end with all-out chaos in the last 10 minutes.

The first Paranormal Activity, directed by first time director Oren Peli, accomplished with only a $15,000 budget what the directors of Paranormal Activity 4, Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, didn’t even come close to with a $5 million budget; believability. No one knew what to expect with the first installment of the horror franchise, which made it so popular in its gross of $194 million. Now, after four movies,It seems almost as if the cliché followed religiously as the series continued was “don’t mess

photo courtesy of donaldschwartz/paramountpictures

movies:

with success.”

I expected at least some sort of change in the horror strategie used in each successive Paranormal Activity movie, and was disappointed by the repeated use of shadowy figures, unexpected pop-ups, and it’s-right-behindyou scare tactics recycled from all the previous movies in the series.

In other words, I knew what to expect when a scene became eerily quiet, or when there came a scene taking place at night.

Admittedly, I was also hoping for more of an explanation as to why the demon, given the name “Toby” in Paranormal Activity 3, was haunting the family.

Since the beginning of the series l have been confused, and after Paranormal Activity 3, which was was set in the 1980’s to explain both Katie and Kristi’s childhood involvement with the demon, I still had questions waiting to be answered. Rather than answering any questions, I had to reference the first three installments for the additional questions l had walking out of the theater.

Paranormal Activity is a good movie if you are a fan of the series and want to stay caught up on the next family to be haunted by this demonic entity.There are just enough twists and turns in the storyline to keep you interested, and a dramatic ending which leaves room for a fifth follow-up film.

/ ATALIE BLACK

ANBERLIN The band Anberlin is the best in their genre, because there isn’t anybody else in their genre.

They never had a particularly conventional sound, combining Alternative Metal styles with an influence from 80’s New Wave bands like New Order. There isn’t exactly anything like Anberlin, which is why their fans were so rabid when the new album dropped.

Vital is a fantastic representation of the band, showing off their Alt Metal sound with songs like “Little Tyrants” and jumping right into their New Wave infatuation with “Other Side,” the very next track. Anberlin, however, always shines when they bring the two genres into harmony, and that’s what makes two of their songs so fantastic.

“Self-Starter” and “Someone Anyone” are possibly two of my favorite songs at this time.

They both pulse with energy and depth. They don’t particularly remind me of anything.

There’s no comparison to songs like them. “SelfStarter” has a refrain that makes me want to

EDITOR’S PICK

have a synthesizer following me everywhere. ”Someone Anyone” has me wishing I could be a part of a huge fight as an excuse to shout this chorus in a wish for peace.

Vital is the same sound as any other Anberlin album, but there’s no replacement for them, and so the same thing is just what we want.

They evolve enough to stay fresh, but not so far as to completely abandon what made fans fall in love with them. Getting fed songs like “Intentions” and “Desires” is exactly what their fanbase wanted after listening to “Feel Good Drag” from Never Take Friendships Personal or “Glass to the Arson” from Blueprints For The Black Market hundreds of times.

This is an album that fans can love and new listeners can jump in on, because it, is the same Anberlin that is so well-loved. It’s a great taste of the band for the new, and a fantastic new release for their die-hard fans. It’s everything that was wished for.

/ SAM BELLMYER

BROADMOOR BISTRO A four-course, gourmet meal for $30 is hard to find, but you can get just that almost every Wednesday night at the Broadmoor Bistro.

The Bistro is run by students enrolled in the culinary arts and commercial baking classes who create both the menu and prepare the food.

Located inside Broadmoor Technical Center in Overland Park, the outside of the building looks just like any other high school, and the majority of the inside is no exception. But upon entering the Bistro, you forget where you are.

The interior is painted a warm olive green, booths line the walls, part of the full-scale professional kitchen is visible right when you walk in and the display case is filled to the brim with seasonal fresh pastries and pies.

It’s a good idea to scope out the menu online before dinner. But in the event that you arrive unprepared, artisan bread with pesto-infused butter is served while you contemplate.

Throughout the month of September, diners could choose between hot smoked salmon and lobster fried rice for the appetizer. If you haven’t been a fan of seafood in the past, this is likely to change that. The salmon was fresh and tasted like savory candy. The hint of lime in the lobster was perfectly balanced with the jasmine rice.

The taste and presentation only got better as the meal went on. Of the five entreés offered,

I chose pan-roasted chicken breast which was tender and flavorful. The roasted Casablanca squash was the perfect complement. The steak in the Korean Skirt Steak was prepared to perfection, but the side of coconut udon noodles with the wood-roasted vanilla spice pineapple was the best part. Diners could also choose from prawns and prosciutto flavored with autumn garlic, crispy fish with lemongrass or “pastrami” pork tenderloin served with apple marmalade.

All of the dishes looked equally delicious, and if there’s one thing to complain about it’s that you don’t get to try everything on the menu.

No matter how much you’ve eaten, there’s always room for dessert. With delicacies like caramelized apple with white chocolate panna cotta, milk chocolate hazelnut parfait and roasted pear semi-freddo, this meal was no exception. The cappuccino served with dessert seemed to enhance the rich chocolate flavor in the hazelnut parfait. Another option was dessert du jour. This allowed customers to pick any treat on display, which in this case included a sweet lemon custard in a graham cracker pie crust topped with fresh blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

The Broadmoor Bistro’s menu changes on a monthly basis. Reservations are required and can be made at broadmoorbistro.org.

/ PAIGE WALTMAN

Red Hot Chili Peppers: LIVE On one of their last stops on the year-long tour of their tenth album, I’m With You, the Red Hot Chili Peppers brought a taste of funk rock to the Sprint Center. Although both founding band members recently turned 50, they haven’t lost an ounce of energy since the days they were playing only in tube socks.

The album got positive reviews despite losing one of their prominent band members John Frusciante, the guitarist that had brought the creativity and fame to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.The tour started in March of 2011, with fans skeptical of if they could pull off another tour considering the high standards of their fans but once they entered on stage the crowd knew this show would not be a let down. Flea, ranked No. 2 on The Rolling Stone’s list of “Best Bassist of All Time,” started the show off with “Monarchy of Roses” from their new album, all the way slumped over with his head almost between his legs, once he popped up and started to jam you could feel the whole stadium rumble with the crazed fans moving to the music. Cheers got even louder when lead singer Anthony Kiedis came on stage whizzing around, flaunting his Tux with one leg cut to the knee showing his blue tube sock. Even before finishing the first song the band had already created an atmosphere that was unforgettable , wrapping our arms around the people around us you could feel the love and passion the fans truly had for the band.

New guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, proved himself a worthy successor even with a broken leg to Frusciante. However the lack of Frusciante’s vocals was a little noticeable during some songs.As the guitar riff that starts “Snow (Hey Oh)” came flooding from the speakers, the crowd became a sea of lighter flames and sang along with every word of this hit.

They finished off their regular set by playing “By the way” an upbeat song from their album of the same hit.

Going to a show like theirs is really an experience of a lifetime considering they have fans that range from 40 year olds reliving their punk rock youth to fans like me learning about the Chili Peppers off MTVs music video of the week “Dani California” premiere in 2006. Throughout the show they kept their wide range of fans entertained by playing an equal number of their old and new songs making the crowd question what they’ll play next. Over the past 30 years The Red Hot Chili Peppers have hit about every rock n’ roll fan base their is to this day covering a range of songs from funk rock to alternative. Flea ending the show by encouraging the audience to support live music “It doesn’t matter how small or big. Peace and Love Thank you”

/ BAILI MCPHEETERS

Entertainment 15

at it’s finest

Sherlock Holmes has seen a recent revival in popular television and cinema, so which version is better? Between the two most popular interpretations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic character, Sherlock Holmes the films starring Jude Law and Robert Downy Jr. and Sherlock the BBC anachronistic Holmes played by Benedict Cumberbatch, there’s really no right answer. / SAM BELLMYER + AARON MESSICK

SHERLOCK:

SHERLOCK HOLMES: Robert Downey Jr. plays a Sherlock Holmes without a filter. In the short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes was a tall, dapper genius who never makes a mistake. However, Downey plays an obsessive-compulsive, socially inept savant with no shame, empathy or social compass. Much of the film’s comedy stems from this, but it also presents a character grounded in logic, which lets the two movies play with both his grounding in reality and his confidence in his own deductive skills.

We can watch Holmes be broken down when his logic breaks down in front of him, and be built back up again.

As the sidekick to Downey’s Holmes, Jude Law plays a Watson entirely unlike the portly war veteran that is the classic Dr. John Watson. He is a doctor in every sense of the word, able to diagnose conditions and disorders instantly, but is more of a leader than a wacky partner.

He is Holmes’ shield against the world, playing the nonexistent social side of Holmes and acting almost as a therapist to the man. The two complete each other, and the dynamic shows in their dependance on one another.

In the first movie, Holmes’ mind is twisted by the deceptive Lord Blackwood, and, in the second, he has every fiber of his intelligence tested by Professor Moriarty’s intense intellect. The films use characters that force Holmes’ brain far beyond its limits, away from his normal method of operation and into a new one. They are the perfect adversaries to a man who thinks hundreds of steps ahead.

This is where the films fall flat: the portrayal of a Holmesian case is not particularly strong in conforming to the writing of Doyle. Sherlock Holmes takes a far more movie-blockbuster approach. That reflects rather poorly on the films writers, they are a poor recreation of the writing style they try to emulate. It does not match the subtle clues that a Holmesian case is supposed to have.

16 Nov. 9, 2012

Sherlock Holmes’ Character: A new interpretation of the clas� sic, socially apt and supremely deductive Sherlock Holmes.

John Watson’s Character A well crafted dynamic between the Holmes and Watson, one of the most famous duos in history.

Antagonists: The aptitude and believability of the villains against Holmes.

Holmesian Case: The subtlety and intelligence of Holmes’ mystery, matching Doyle’s deep writing style.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the high functioning sociopath Sherlock Holmes perfectly. Holmes seems to be a larger-than-life man; able to deduce where where a character spent last weekend just by the dirt under their fingernails and he’s nearly always right. Cumberbatch portrays Holmes as a seemingly emotionless sketch of a human being. Holmes pushes every human being away John Watson. Holmes is a brilliant man and he makes sure that everyone around him knows

John Watson, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, is a normal man. On a bus, you would pay him no mind and forget him as soon as he steps off the bus. Watson’s seemingly banal personality is perfectly foiled in Holmes’ erratic and abrasive personality. The show’s creators formed Watson as an everyman to help make sense of Holmes’ intellectual ramblings. Watson connects with Holmes in a very real way and is a canvas for the viewer; nearly everyone will be able to relate to having a narcissistic, condescending friend that every social group has.

Sherlock Holmes has no shortage of enemies, and nearly all of them are connected to Sherlock’s archenemy, James Moriarty. Each villain outdoes the last in either scale, target or motive. Each has a carefully laid-out plan, whether it’s for money, protection or even just entertainment. In each episode, we are gradually introduced to the villain and slowly learn their plans and motives. Even as the villains are being introduced, Sherlock is already picking their plans apart piece by piece.

In the world of Sherlock Holmes, straightforward chases are few and far inbetween. The creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatniss place small hidden clues that are almost unnoticeable until the fourth or fifth play through. Several of these clues are present in each episode and each clue builds on each other until the climactic final scene where Holmes pieces everything together and dismantles the villain’s plan.

BALANCIN

act

While most students participate in one after-school activity, senior Scottie Shelby did more than the ordinary student this past fall season: she participated in two varsity sports.

/ BY BAILI MCPHEETERS As 4 p.m. approaches, senior Scottie Shelby finishes gymnastics practice early to hurry downstairs to change into practice clothes for cheerleading. Shelby did what most students couldn’t: she participated in two varsity sports at one time.

“It’s sometimes frustrating doing two sports at the same time, but I love them both so it’s worth it,” Shelby said. “I have a set schedule I follow everyday, so it all works out.”

After doing gymnastics on and off since she was 11, Shelby wanted to try something different at the end of her sophomore year.

She tried out for varsity cheerleading.

Although she was one of the only girls trying out who had not been on the squad before, Shelby felt confident.

“Learning everything wasn’t really that difficult, although I am a bad dancer,” Shelby said.

Shelby just started cheering last year and received a full-ride cheerleading scholarship to Barton Community College (BCC) after the BCC cheer coach watched a practice.

“Although I received the scholarship there, I don’t know if I’ll go since I want to study medicine,” Shelby said. “The medical field is really competitive, and [Barton isn’t] well-known for medicine.”

Balancing two sports, school and a boyfriend would be difficult for some, but Shelby hasn’t found it all that hard so far.

In gymnastics, Shelby only competes on the uneven bars. It’s her favorite and best event.

“I love my gymnastics teammates,” Shelby said. “They supported my decision to do two sports [during] my junior year.

Practice is always fun with them.”

Even though she cuts both practices short, she gives it her all.

“Both of my coaches support and inspire me to keep going,” Shelby said. “They are behind me in my decisions.”

Shelby has grown close to each team.

“I love my stunt partner [senior] Patrick Boisvert,” Shelby said. “He is so funny and happy all of the time; he always keeps my day going even when I am tired.”

When performing in the Homecoming assembly with Boisvert, the two successfully completed all of their stunts.

Right after the performance, Shelby had to race into the bathroom to change into her homecoming dress. She was nominated by the gymnastics team for Homecoming Queen.

“It feels so good being recognized by people in school for the activities I do,” Shelby said. “I really do try my best.”

As the fall season comes to a close, Shelby knows it will be her last time competing with her gymnastics team and cheering for the football team.

“But it’s all worth it in the end,” Shelby said. “I decided not to cheer [in] basketball season because I wanted to finish out high school with as less stress as possible. I did cheer for something fun and new to try but right now I just need to focus on the future.”

(dominant) At the state competition, senior Scottie Shelby does her uneven bars routine for the state competition at Lawrence High School on Oct. 20. She received a score of 7.85 for her routine. photo

by Sarah Dean (left) Shelby prepares to do a stunt with junior Megan Beam on Sept.

14. photo by Alexa Styers (right) Semior Patrick Boisert does an expansion while senoir Scottie Shelby stunts. Shelby has been working gymnastics and cheerleading into her busy schedule. photo by Kate Jacobsen

Sports 17

photo by Savannah Kelly

photo by Carleigh Whitman

their way to state beating Wyandotte 7-0 on Oct. 23 and Olathe East 2-0 on Oct. 25. They fell from glory on Oct. 30 in the quarterfinals, losing 1-0 against Blue Valley Northwest.

“This has been one of the most team-oriented teams I have ever coached,” coach Todd Boren said.

“We win together as a group and rely on each other heavily.”

The boys worked together as a team to earn the wins in regionals.

“I’m proud that we made it that far. It obviously is very disappointing to lose in that fashion, but I’m proud of how we did,” senior Andy Alvey said. “If you asked me at the beginning or middle of the season I wouldn’t have predicted we would have made it that far.”

The team finally finished with a season record of 6-2-5.

“You’re never really satisfied,” Alvey said, “but I’m proud of how we did.” / GABBY LORINO

(left) Senior Kirk Bado runs during the state Cross Country meet on Oct. 27 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence. Bado received 7th individually and the boys’ team as a whole received first overall. (right) Junior Hayley Nugent runs the last stretch at the state meet at Rimrock Farms in Lawrence. Nugent placed 47th out of 103, and the girls’ XC team placed 7 overall.

CROSS COUNTRY The boys’ Cross Country team competed at the state competition on Oct. 28 at Rim Rock Farm. The Boys finished first in the 6A meet.

18 Nov. 9, 2012

/ SARAH EGGER

At SM North District Stadium at the last football game of the season, junior Jake Horner runs the ball and avoids a tackle from an SM West player. The Cougars lost their last game of the season 42−0.

FOOTBALL The boys’ varsity football

team ended their season with a loss to SM West 9-42 on Oct. 26 bringing their season to 2-0-7. The game played out similarly to each of the previous games. This year the football team would always come out strong, but by halftime the cougars would lose their drive and start to fall behind.

Highlights of the season were an early win against Olathe North winning 25-14 and a late-season 42-

photo by Aaron Messick

/ AARON MESSICK

Senior Whitney McMillon pitches the ball at Tomahawk Hills golf course on Sept. 27

them,” Beason said of Amy Hein and Scottie Shelby. Beason looks forward to coaching next year and said “I enjoyed coaching this year a lot because the team kept a positive outlook no matter what”

/ GABBY LORINO

GIRLS’ GOLF Losing three seniors this year did not

slow down the Lady Cougars golf team this year. The girls continued to improve throughout the season. The girls golf team took fifth at regionals.

“We wanted to to do better than we ended up doing,” sophomore Meagan Glen said, “The score was one of the best team scores but it wasn’t good enough to place in the top three teams.”

The only golfer to continue to the state competition was senior Whitney McMillon who she ended the season by shooting a 96, placing 31st out of 96 golfers. / AARON MESSICK

GYMNASTICS The gymnastics team succeeded

in finishing fifth at state this year on Oct. 20 at Lawrence High School.

“I felt we ended the season pretty well. We probably could have done just a little bit better, but we had a few falls at the end of the meet,” coach Cindy Beason said.

Without these falls, the team would have placed fourth. This year’s fifth place finish was a significant step up from last year’s sixth place.

“I think we ended on a positive note,” Beason said. “I know the girls wanted to finish a little bit better than that but they did very well this season and learned a lot of new skills.”

The girls used these skills to overcome a lot of the obstacles that came up over the course of the season.

“With the senior members of the team graduating this year I’m losing a lot of good leadership from

Senior Amy Hein leaps as a part of her beam routine at the state competition in Lawrence on Oct. 20. The team did not place at state.

VOLLEYBALL The varsity volleyball girls ended

the season with a 13-22 record of wins and losses. The team finished seventh in the Sunflower league standings.

After the sub-state game against Blue Valley North ended in a loss of 13-25 and 22-25, the volleyball team’s road to State was cut short.

“I’m really proud of my kids,” varsity coach Diane O’Nele said, “they really improved a lot and kept improving in practice and worked really hard.”

Even though their goal to go to state ended O’Nele felt the most proud of her team at the sub-state game against SM East.

“It was an awesome match,” O’Nele said. “ It was nice to see them play to their full potential and it was just the highlight.”

/ HAENA LEE photo by Alexa Styers

BOYS’ SOCCER The soccer team dominated on

14 win against SM North.

photo by Sarah Dean

Senior Andy Alvey passes the ball to a teammate in the quarterfinals game on Oct. 30.

The team was State Champion for the 21st time.

“We weren’t sure how we were going to do this year. This [year] we were much more serious. When they announced that we won I felt a great sense of accomplishment,” senior Kirk Bado said.

Getting ready for the state meet was nothing out of the ordinary.

“We spend most of our time watching the course so we know it like the back of our hands,” junior Nate Sterns said.

The girls’ team also competed at the state competition and finished seventh overall. Seniors Kenzie Iverson and Katie Nelson placed individually, with Iverson placing twelfth and Nelson placing fifteenth.

It was Iverson’s third time running at state and the first time she had placed in the top 20.

“I was really happy before the race. I was happy with [the season] because getting to know the girls was so much fun. It was a good senior season, I love running and so really anything could have happen during the season and I would be happy with it,” Iverson said.

The teams continue to move up in rank, and hope to continue placing at the state competition in future years. photo by Savannah Kelly

photo by Taylor Adcock

FALL SPORTS WRAP-UP

Junior Maddie Frazier spiking the ball into East’s court at Substate on Oct. 20. Cougars won all 3 matches and moved on in substate but did not proceed to the semi-finals.

ON OCT. 27, FOR THE

21ST TIME THE BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY TEAM PLACED FIRST IN THE STATE MEET HELD AT RIMROCK FARM. THE GIRLS’ TEAM PLACED SEVENTH. the gymnastics team placed

overall at their state competition on Oct. 20.

Approximately

$ 3500: the amount of the

scholarship that senior Scottie Shelby was offered from Barton Community College for cheerleading.

THE ODDS OF THE KC CHIEFS WINNING THE SUPERBOWL ARE

AN ATHLETE’S DECISION

Students play sports from before grade school all the way through high school; however jumping to the collegiate level is a difficult task. or as long as I can remember, I have been swimming. When I was seven, the coaches used me as an armrest, because I was short. The competition was almost nonexistent, and all I did was have fun. That was just the beginning.

From elementary school to middle school, options for playing team sports are offered.

According sciencedaily.com, 80 percent of athletes continue those sports into high school, where the intensity of the sport increases.

I remember walking into the NW pool the first day of practice. I was incredibly nervous and had no idea what to expect. That season turned out to be one of the best seasons of my entire swimming career. I met new people, and discovered a whole new level of competition. It was my decision, as the athlete, to take on that level of competition.

My sophomore year season went even better and I ended up thirteenth at state. The seed was planted in my head: maybe, just maybe, I could compete at the college level.

As the high school seasons pass, the question arises: is this athlete talented enough to play at the college level. According to scholarshipstats. com, the probability of a high school athlete competing at the college level is 7.5 percent.

That is an extremely low number, making it very difficult to get to the next level.

Even more difficult than competing in college is receiving a scholarship. Aside from notions that many students have, scholarships are not easy to come by. According to varsityedge. com an athlete’s chance of getting an athletic

F

college scholarship are 1 in 50. It is quite possible that those who have played sports since a grade school or as a high school student will not continue to the college level. Even fewer will to play professionally.

Students dream about scholarships that will never come. To me, that is slightly depressing.

Some parents push students until their breaking point, trying to get them to play, when, in reality, their chances of earning a scholarship are slim to none. I don’t want to discourage athletes from doing their best to get to that college level because I am right there with them. To me, though, the fact that there is a slim possibility of competing is only motivation. It is what gets me up to go to those morning practices. It is what keeps me going to those three hour practices even though all I want to do after school is eat and sleep.

Sports will always be a part of my life. For goodness sakes, I’m sitting here writing a sports column! For me, and for many other students I know, sports have been a part of our lives from grade school to high school.

College is a whole different level. It’s the athletes’ decision whether to strive for that goal or not, just as it is the athlete’s’ decision to go to that one additional practice or to stay home. All bridges from sport to sport, grade school to high school and so on, are the athletes’ decision.

To those who have made that decision to play in college, good for you. It is going to take hard work and dedication, but you probably already know that.

500 to 1 Sports 19

“Since it was my last Light Show, I had to go all out, with putting on lights and marching in circles and playing super loud,” — senior Tyler Holcom photo by Mikala Compton