Northwest Passage Issue 9, 2013

vol. 44 • issue 9 April 5, 2013 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NATE COMPTON

pg. 11

GREEN SLATE

The environmental education program teaches students all about how to take care of Earth and how to reduce the size of their carbon footprint.

Super Intentions

pg. 10

Dr. Jim Hinson is announced as the new superintendent of the district.

Leaving Home

pg. 16

Teacher Britt Haney leaves after 13 years to become an associate principal at SM East.

Issue 9 • Vol. 44 • April 5, 2013

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NEWS / 05 • Northwest News Updates about happenings Northwest.

at

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

OPINIONS / PHOTO BY DANIEL MAGWIRE

07 • Cinderella for a Night Prom is a girls’ dream, and it’s an even that every high school student should attend.

PHOTO BY BRITTANY BONSIGNORE

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07 • Prom and Prejudice Even though prom has always been glorified as the most important event of one’s high school career, it can be quite overrated.

07 • Reality Check No matter your resolution, chances are, you haven’t kept it. But how do you get back on track?

FEATURES/ 10 • Super Intentions Dr. Jim Hinson was recently named the SMSD superintendent after Dr. Gene Johnson retired from the position.

11 • Green Slate Being aware of humans’ effects on the environment is key to saving the planet from harm.

15 • Prime Objective The Cougar Robotics team placed in the top 20 at the F.I.R.S.T. competition on March 14.

16 • Leaving Home Math teacher, bowling coach and marching band sponsor Britt Haney will be leaving Northwest after 13 years to pursue his dream of becoming a principal.

ENTERTAINMENT / 17 • Reviews Oz the Great and Powerful, The Science of Rock ‘n Roll exhibit, G.I. Joe + The Call 18 • Panels to Remember In addition to the graphic editor’s issue comic, check out drawn work from three other student artists.

19 • Living Decisions With seniors going off to college is less than six months, figuring out a living situation for college is key.

SPORTS/ 21 • A Meaningless Debate Focus on cheering for your team instead of bashing other teams.

22 • Spring Sport Previews Get updates on the beginning of each sport’s spring season.

EDITOR’S NOTE: “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself.”

Strong words from former president Theodore Roosevelt.

Personally, I couldn’t say it better myself.

A major concern that many people push to the back of their minds is the environment. We take for granted the things that Mother Earth graciously provides us on a daily basis. Resources seem endless, and the space where we throw our trash: well, that’s obviously unlimited. These thoughts seem happy and light-hearted, but they are far from the truth.

According to justlivegreener.com, from 1979-1995, the number of landfills dropped 84 percent because of overfilling. In addition to this, the amount of trash generate increased by 80 percent. This drastic change, which occurred in a very short 16 years, should be regarded as a red flag to every human.

Deffenbaugh, Johnson County’s major waste management service, has just recently had the expected date of closure for their landfill pushed back to 2043. This may seem like forever away, but the reality is, our major landfill will be completely full and closed down in our lifetime.

This generation needs to focus more on waste reduction. Simple things such as recycling and composting can make a huge impact on the amount of trash that we throw away every day. According to the EPA, about 31 out of the 32 million tons of food waste generated in America in 2008 was put into landfills or incinerators instead of composted. This extra trash that is added to landfills is unnecessary and can easily be avoided.

Even Deffenbaugh’s landfill has taken initiative by creating a 27 acre area for composting.

In order for the world to become a cleaner and healthier place, everyone must take baby steps to clean up Mother Earth. Do your part.

Sincerely,

Ashlee Crane Editor-in-chief

For more ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint, see page 12 and 13.

STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / Ashlee Crane DESIGN EDITOR / Bailey Kopp COPY EDITOR / Mac Cook PHOTO EDITORS / Mikala Compton + Nate Compton ASSISTANT DESIGNERS / Grace Amundson + Maddy Grimes GRAPHICS EDITOR / Mitch Feyerherm NEWS EDITOR / Brooke Courtney FEATURES EDITOR / Atalie Black OPINIONS EDITORS / Ashlee Crane + Aaron Messick ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR / Sam Bellmyer SPORTS EDITOR / Gabby Lorino ADS EDITOR / Paige Waltman STAFF WRITERS / Sarah Egger, Haena Lee, Davis Millard + Alaura Moore WEB MANAGING EDITOR / Edelawit Hussien CONVERGENCE DIRECTOR / Aaron Messick MULTIMEDIA STAFF / Hope Kang + Crystal Osei ADVISER / Susan Massy

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.

STUCO TO HOST SLEEP-IN-A-BOX Student Council (StuCo) will be organizing the charity event Sleep-InA-Box on April 22 through April 23 .

The event starts at 8 p.m. where the students check in and will go until 7 a.m. the next morning.

All the proceeds will be donated to Shalom House, a homeless shelter for men. According to www.onecpd. info, in 2012, approximately 99,900

people were chronically homeless, meaning that they have been homeless more than a year. That represents approximately 16 percent of the homeless population.

“Homelessness is a real [problem],” Sleep-In-A-Box chairwoman Caitlin Chen said. “You don’t have to live in a box to be homeless. It is all around us. Johnson County is full of people

who are homeless. Just to experience it to see that it is real and to just dip your toes in the water. It spreads awareness.”

Students will sleep in a box outside on the track, rain or shine, giving them a chance to experience one night of homelessness.. The event will be held in the gyms in the event of lightning or other severe weather.

Last year, senior Jeff Brann participated in the event and plans on participating this year as well.

“You should do [Sleep-In-A-Box] because it’s for a great cause, and it’s another tradition that is really fun to be apart of,” Brann said. “I’m doing it [again] because of the fun experiences I have had in the past with it.”

/ HAENA LEE

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PREPARES FOR ANNUAL PLANT SALE The Environmental Education annual plant sale will begin on April 26 for NW staff and parents of Environmental Education students. For all others, the plant sale will open on April 27 and continue on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the greenhouse through May 12.

“The students do every aspect of the plant sale,” Environmental Education teacher Stacy Robins said. “It is completely studentrun. People who come to the plant sale often think we are getting our plants from a local nursery and ask when our next shipment of plants is coming. They do not realize that the students have grown all the plants.”

The plant sale helps pay for next year’s plant sale, food and care for the animals in the Environmental Education room in addition to any field trips.

Because the sale raised more money than expected last year, all of the animals were able to get new cages. The sale raises

anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000 dollars annually.

The class starts preparing for the sale in late November and early December when they propagate plants so the roots will grow by the time of the sale. They use these plants to make hanging baskets. Starting in January, they plant tomatoes and peppers, and in February and March they plant plugs, small plants grown in individual trays.

Students grow vegetables including tomatoes and peppers, annuals including petunias, mint, butterfly bushes, roses, and many other plants.

“I like being outside in the greenhouse,” Robins said. “It’s just a different environment and I get to play in the dirt. I get to plant. You see the progress; you see it as dirty, nasty, left over from last year, dusty, and then you can slowly see the itty bitty plants grow. It’s a nice way to see the beginning and the end of the product.”

/ SARAH EGGER

ABOVE: Seniors Trent Moyer and Laura Crosley work on planting four packs in the greenhouse during Environmental Education II on Feb. 1. Students were in charge of planting all of the plants for the annual plant sale in late March.

PHOTO BY AARON MESSICK RIGHT: Senior Samantha Male fills pots with soil while senior Kaitlyn Delamore counts seeds to plant during Environmental Education class on Feb. 1.

PHOTO BY AARON MESSICK

April 05, 2013 05

COMPILED BY ATALIE BLACK GRAPHICS BY BAILEY KOPP

COMMUTING BY BIKE FOR FOUR MILES, FOUR DAYS A WEEK SAVES 54 GALLONS OF GAS ANNUALLY.

The NW plant sales raise on average between $2,000 and $4,000 annually.

06 Currently

of American children are overweight or obese.

On Mar. 15, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that the U.S. will deploy 14 additional ground-based missile interceptors on the West Coast. The announcement came on the heels of increasing threats from North Korea. A total of 44 missile interceptors will be on the West Coast by 2017 as a part of a $1 billion package to strengthen U.S. security against an attack by North Korea. l werfu o P d n a t e rea in t h G 3 5 4 , 0 1 e . ,1 eek Th $79 w t s : r i f s t Oz sed e in i c os gr Offi x Bo

ONLY 8 PERCENT OF PEOPLE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN KEEPING THEIR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.

BEING ACROSS THE STATE LINE HAS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH WHAT GOES ON IN THE SM SCHOOL DISTRICT. YOU ALL HAVE A TRADITION OF HAVING SUCH A RICH HERITAGE. I CAN SAY ‘YOU’ FOR JUST A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, THEN IT WILL BECOME ‘WE’ AND ‘US’ AS WE BECOME ONE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING A TEAM AND REALLY WORKING FOR THE BENEFIT OF KIDS," —Dr. Jim Hinson, superintendent of the Independence School District, in a speech to the Board of Education after he was announced the successor to Dr. Gene Johnson as superintendent of the SM School District

PROM AND PREJUDICE

CINDERELLA FOR A NIGHT

by Brooke Courtney

Dancing the night away with your closest friends is a night not to be missed.

E

very girl dreams of going to the big dance with her prince for the night. I’m no exception.

I have been dying to go to prom since I was in middle school, if not earlier. It’s a chance to dress up like a princess and get your hair, makeup and nails done. You get to go out to dinner, the dance, “after prom,” and then to a friend’s house to crash and reminisce about the night’s events.

I know that the fairy tale versions in the movies and on TV aren’t really true, but there is still something special about it. Upperclassmen are busy with school, work, homework and sports all of the time. This is one night where you can celebrate without a worry. Is that not a fairy tale in itself? Plus, there is the added bonus of being with your closest friends or your special someone for the evening.

Prom is a dance primarily for seniors and juniors. For juniors, prom is the halfway mark in his or her high school career. It is a way to congratulate yourself for making it this far. In addition, this is the one social event of the year open only to upperclassmen.

For seniors, it is the last high school dance you will attend. Prom is the last chance to get asked or ask that special someone is a unique and creative way. The dance may seem lame now, but 10 to 20 years from now, prom may be your favorite memory from high school. You only go to high school once, so take advantage of the dance and enjoy it.

Prom is also one of, if not the, biggest social event of the year.

It is the dance most girls have wanted to attend since they first saw Cinderella dance with the prince at the ball. I remember watching that movie and that dance. It was magical.

This is my junior year, my first chance to attend prom. I’ve got my dress picked out, I’m looking at hairstyles that could potentially fit into the Great Gatsby theme, and I already have my date. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

by Sam Bellmyer

P

rom is something everyone has been telling me I’ve been waiting for all my life. It’s the subject of so many movies, and exponentially more books; it’s the big pressure on people in their senior year. It’s supposed to be the time where everyone is happy and anyone can find out how much they’re loved their peers.

Unfortunately, I’ve also seen the movie Carrie, so I was never particularly convinced of the sanctity of prom. My sophomore homecoming was spent in a pretty good series of Counterstrike rounds, and my junior WPA was replaced by a Quentin Tarantino marathon at a friend’s house. I suppose I’ve always denied rather than attended.

But I did happen to attend a sophomore WPA dance, asked by a girl who I thought was reasonably fun to be around. I rented a tuxedo and put together the money for a night out. She talked to her friends, and I spent the entire night trying to bug the DJ to change the music to the soundtrack from Robocop. Maybe dances just weren’t meant for guys like me.

I’ve come to think that perhaps there really is a restless type of person, like me, and prom just isn’t our place. I

REALITY CHECK

by Aaron Messick

H

ave you started to earn better grades this year? What about going to the gym more? Maybe you’ve even started looking for that special someone? Nearly four months ago, all of these promises and many others were made on New Year’s Eve. You may not have said it out loud, but you know that somewhere in the back of your mind you were thinking, “This

Prom is not a rite of passage, it’s just another event.

year will be different: I’ll make sure to keep my resolutions.”

Well, have you? I know I haven’t.

Around this time of the year, almost everyone hits a wall of some sort. It could be anything: not seeing progress at the gym, still donating several dollars to the swear jar each week or only being able to play one chord on the guitar. But how do you get past your wall? That all depends on how hard you want to work toward your end goal.

Before you start to make a difference, you need ask why you hit that wall. Was it lack of progress? Did

find dances boring, a gamble on whether something memorable will happen.

Parties and dances are like cages: I have to act social, I have to worry about how I look to others and I have to be active.

When I’m at home, if I’m in the middle of an episode of My Name Is Earl and suddenly decide that I want to eat Cheezits for dinner and watch Princess Bride, I can make that happen. I can’t stop in the middle of prom in favor of learning about the dangers of iocane powder.

Prom is something I can’t walk into with the hope that they won’t play “All I Do Is Win.” The fun tends to begin and end at the restaurant beforehand. It gets hard to talk to anyone since it’s all so loud and annoying, making it impossible to get to know someone better.

There is definitely a group of people that enjoy events like prom. I do not deny that it can be fun and maybe even be a defining moment for some. But to tell me I need to go because it’s my senior prom is like telling me I absolutely have to go watch Love Actually. I’m sure some people love it, but I don’t really want a part in it. It’s as simple as letting me do what I want.

Four months after New Year’s Eve, not many resolutions remain unbroken.

it get too difficult? Or did you just lose sight of why you made that resolution in the first place? I know that I have quit because of those same reasons.

After you know why you quit, the next step is just a little bit more difficult.

Consider why you made your resolutions in the first place. Why did you set these goals? Have you set yourself up for failure by setting your goals too high to start out with? Maybe you need change your goals to make sure you can reach them. But don’t change your resolutions just to make it easier. Change them only if they are impossible.

This next step is the most difficult: getting over your wall. There is no concrete way of doing this because everybody’s situation is different. It takes a lot of willpower to decide that you’re going to get off your couch and run a mile each day or shutting off the computer and cracking open your precalc book. But think back New Years Eve and remember why you made those resolutions. A longer, healthier life and better grades with more scholarships all outweigh the discomfort of getting up and restarting them.

April 05, 2013 07

STAFF EDITORIAL

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed a plan that would limit the amount of sugar, fat and calories that would be sold in schools around the country. Here are the pros and cons of the proposed plans, and how they may affect public schools nationwide.

G

roans filled the air in room 132 as Student Council members learned that in as little as two years, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies could be completely removed from the lunch menu. Shawnee Mission food services manager Nancy Coughenour had come to the fifth hour class to explain proposed regulations that could substantially limit the amount of sugar, fat and calories that are served in the cafeteria on a daily basis.

“I look at it as, if I choose to eat a cookie, that’s my choice, I’m an adult, you’re an adult, you choose to make those conscious health decisions.

It’s up to you,” Coughenour said. “Is it right for the government to tell us not to serve a cookie? I don’t know.”

In the proposed plan, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) is pushing to limit the amount of nutrients that schools are allowed to sell during school hours, which constitutes as 12 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. every weekday. These regulations would include a restriction on sugar, total fat, trans fat, saturated fat and calories per serving.

These proposals would take away many enjoyable snacks and entrees from the pizza line, snack line and a la carte, including cookies, Smoothie King smoothies, pizza and frozen yogurt.

While the health benefits may seem apparent, there are many holes in the suggested plan.

Hunger and those students who sometimes receive the school meals as the only food for that day is a major concern.

“There was a lot of uproar nationwide this year on kids in high school saying, ‘I’m not getting enough to eat. I’m hungry,’” Principal Bill Harrington said.

“That’s a concern, because when kids in high school are saying that, the USDA said, ‘well, you can go buy the extra stuff that schools are selling,’” Coughenour said. “That’s not going to happen because I’m not going to be able to sell a lot for you guys, especially those who are hungry all the time. So this is a concern: is there going to be enough food to get you guys full?”

Since entree portions are only allowed to be 350 calories or less and snack items, 200 calories or less, there has been a lot of questions regarding whether or not these meals will be enough to properly nourish high school students.The average teenager needs anywhere between 1800 and 3200 calories per day based on their exercise habits, so an entree that only provides 350 calories, even for the most sedentary teen, is unrealistic.

“You can’t live off of 350 calories twice a day,” junior Carolina Mach said.

The changes would also involve a lot of extra work for those in charge of food services.

“All of us responsible for record keeping will

08 Opinions

have to keep records on all those items in the vending machines, all the meals I serve in the a la carte line, all the nutrients,” Coughenour said.

“The state agency will come out and monitor us.

They will check to see if we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. That’s a big deal.”

Another major trouble that could arise from these changes is limits on fundraisers that occur during school hours. The regulations could limit the amount of fundraisers involving the sale of food held during the year, and if the items that are sold don’t meet the health requirements, they will not be allowed. This could mean that fundraisers such as the Krispie Kreme donut competition against SM North and Cappuccino Days could be a thing of the past.

“The state government doesn’t have money, so they are shifting that to you guys to raise it yourself in your clubs,” Coughenour said, “and you can’t raise it if you can’t do what you want to do in your organizations.”

In addition to logistical flaws, the plan deeply affects the ability for students to eat freely while at school. Dr. Harrington has noticed the changes that have occurred in past years and sees these changes as another drastic step in taking away students’ rights as to what they are allowed to eat. “[School lunches] are no where like they used to be,” Dr. Harrington said. “Even if this rule goes into effect, and it doesn’t touch this item, this item or this item, it’s still another step in that longgoing direction that they’ll all eventually be gone.

That’s the thing you have to realize. Little by little, you’re losing a lot of the benefits that kids used to have.”

While Coughenour does not agree with the proposed plan, she has already begun discussions with vendors in order to work out a solution to make some foods that students currently enjoy more healthy so that they will meet the requirements.

“The good news is I’ve already had conversations with Frito Lay company, and they are already in the process of making their chips that we currently sell whole-grain, and you’re going to see that naturally, it’s just going to happen,” Coughenour said. “So companies are behind us, but we just have to get everybody going in the same direction to get this accomplished.”

The best way to fight this restricting legislation, according to Coughenour, is to visit www. regulation.gov and enter the code FNS-2011-00190001 to navigate to the proposal. Here, anyone can make comments in regards to the proposed legislation. Students especially are encouraged to let their voice known. April 9 is the last day to comment, so Coughenour is urging students to act immediately.

According to the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School as Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, key provisions of the proposal include the following requirements: All food sold in schools must: Be either a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy product, a protein food, a “whole-grain rich” grain product (50 percent or more whole grains by weight or have whole grains as the first ingredient) or a combination food that contains at least half cup of fruit or vegetable: OR Contain 10 percent of the daily value of a nutrient cited as a public health concern in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (calcium, potassium, vitamin D or fiber)

All food must meet the following provisions: ­Total fat must be less than 35 percent of calories; Saturated fat must be less than 10 percent of calories Trans fat must be 0g as stated on the label.

Snack items should contain less than 200 milligrams of sodium For total sugar levels the proposal included two alternatives: one is less than 35 percent of calories and the other is less than percent of weight.

Exemptions are provided for fruits and vegetable packed in juice or extra light syrup and for certain yogurts.

Snack items have a limit on calorie of less than 200 calories per portion. Non-NSLP/SBP entree items have a calorie limit of less than 350 calories.

THE MAJORITY OPINION OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE EDITORIAL BOARD

17 AGREE

2 DISAGREE

SUPER INTENTIONS “[Independence has] a succession plan for leadership, the culture is exactly how we want it, so I think it’s a perfect time for Independence to have new leadership.”

— Dr. Hinson

“One of our eminent need is in relation to school finance and appropriately funding our schools and compensating our employees for all the great work they do on a daily basis.”

— Dr. Hinson

“People in the SM School District and the kids here are very blessed, and for us to have an opportunity to be a part of what’s going on here is very exciting.”

— Dr. Hinson

GRAPHICS BY MITCH FEYRHERM

10 Features

After a lengthy search, Dr. Jim Hinson has been selected as the new superintendent of the SM School District. / ATALIE BLACK A nationwide search spanning 38 states and headed by board of education of SM, ended March 11 when Independence School Superintendent Jim Hinson was announced as Dr. Gene Johnson’s successor.

“Mr. Hinson definitely brings a new vision to this district and during our interview we took to heart what our community, and what our staff and patrons, all said in what would comprise our next superintendent,” said board member Cindy Neighbor. “The most interesting aspect of this is that what we found on the surveys matched what we had put as our desires [for the new superintendent].”

The board received over 800 responses from a public survey to get a view of what the community wanted to see in the new leader of the SM School District. Over 200 applicants inquired about the position, 50 of which went on to submit an application. The search was then narrowed down to semi-finalists from six different states.

Hinson thinks the Independence School District is in great standing for new leadership as he resigns from his position as superintendent. “[Independence has] a succession plan for leadership, the culture is exactly how we want it, so I think it’s a perfect time for Independence to have new leadership,” Hinson said during a press conference after the board meeting.

“I have the highest regard for the community that we’re leaving, but I’m really looking forward to moving here to the SM School District.”

On Mar. 13, after two days of negotiations, Hinson received his bachelor’s degree in in elementary education from Missouri Southern State College, his master’s in in elementary administration from Southwest Missouri State University and his doctorate degree in educational administration from St. Louis University.

In almost 30 years of teaching, Hinson has received many awards including: The

Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the University Council for Educational Administration, Inc., Greater Kansas City Superintendent of the Year in 2007 from the Missouri Association of School Administrators, George Matteson Leadership Award from the Independence Economic Development Council, as well as being recognized as an “Icon of Education” in Ingram’s Magazine.

Hinson started his educational career as a teacher and principal for the Carthage School District, and has spent 17 years of his career as superintendent for school districts such as East Newton, Greenfield and Independence.

Hinson is co-author of a book about the community’s activism in the annexation of seven Kansas City, Mo. schools into the Independence School District from 2007-2008 entitled “Inspiring Greatness: A Community’s Commitment to a Better Future.”

As the soon-to-be superintendent of the SM School District, Dr. Hinson believes the district’s budget and financial situation may prove to be challenging.

“School finance is really difficult.

It’s difficult here in the state of Kansas, that’s an issue that’s going to have to be addressed,” said Dr. Hinson. “One of our eminent need is in relation to school finance and appropriately funding our schools and compensating our employees for all the great work they do on a daily basis.”

One of Hinson’s accomplishments as the superintendent of Independence School District the was leading the district to fiscal stability. Hinson looks forward to being superintendent of the SM School District in years to come.

“The tradition, the heritage that’s here is so deep and rich, and I think a lot of times when you live in an area, sometimes you don’t understand how blessed you really are,” said Dr. Hinson.

“People in the SM School District and the kids here are very blessed, and for us to have an opportunity to be a part of what’s going on here is very exciting.

SLATE Environmental Education is teaching the next generation about the importance of reducing the carbon footprint that humans leave on the Earth.

by Ashlee Crane and Aaron Messick

April 05, 2013 11

how to compost ourth graders flood into room 232 full of anticipation for the day’s lesson. Stations are set up around the room, and smiling high school students stand at every table, waiting to begin their lessons. One group in particular is going to be talking to the younger students about pollution, and how children can change the size of their carbon footprint.

“I didn’t know anything about pollution before today so it was all really cool to learn about,” fourth grader Kelsea Brown said.

The Environmental Education program teaches high school students about the devastating effect humans have on the environment, and in turn the students teach fourth graders about what their impact on the environment is as well.

Science teacher Michael Pisani thinks that teaching these young students about the dangers of littering and pollution is a huge step in the right direction.

“I think kids need to learn [about recycling and composting] because I don’t think anybody will teach them,” Pisani said, “and it’s kinda interesting that they will make their parents do some of the changing. They say, ‘let’s reuse our bags or start a compost pile.’ This is something they haven’t been shown before. It kinda helps give them a starting point.”

Pisani also believes that it is imperative to teach students early on about how significant pollution is and ways to change bad habits.

“It’s easier for them to realize it at a younger age. That’s when they will make the change,” Pisani said. “Young kids can also change their parents behavior; they are the ones who nag them to change. Once you get set in your ways it’s hard to go back. It’s easier to teach them when they’re younger and don’t have that pattern.”

Science teacher Stacy Robins focuses a unit on the effects of waste and pollution in the year-long course. Students learn about how much waste they produce and ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

“In Environmental Ed, we try to make the kids realize worldwide how things have changed, and how much energy we use and how much water we

12 Features

use,” Robins said. “We just kind of try to bring it into terms that they can realize.”

A few of the major sources of waste that are covered are plastic, paper, water usage and overall garbage production. Lessons that involve calculating daily lunch waste and creating compost piles help students realize just how much they can affect what ends up going to waste in a landfill.

“I think we give easy suggestions; it’s all about the baby steps,” Pisani said. “It starts as not using plastic bags, reusing stuff, making kids realize where everything goes.”

In the class, Robins stresses the importance of recycling and doing your part in order to better the environment.

“In Environmental Ed, if there’s one thing that we want them to learn, it’s that they need to recycle,” Robins said. “We want them to feel guilty about throwing paper in the trash instead of the recycle.

If that’s the one thing that they get out of this class, it’s that they need to recycle.”

In the years since graduating high school, Robins and Pisani have noticed drastic changes in America’s attitude towards recycling. According to Deffenbaugh, the 1,000-acre Johnson County landfill, is filling so quickly that closure is expected by the year 2043.

“There has been so much technology in the last twenty years, the teenagers of today haven’t really needed to recycle,” Robins said. “And now we’re at that turning point when we talk a lot about Deffenbaugh closing in their lifetime, and this is why, and what they need to do to change how they are currently living.”

Since the 1960s, municipal waste generation in America has nearly tripled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Pisani has noticed this increase within Northwest’s walls during recent years, especially during lunch. Many changes like these have taken their toll on the Earth.

Simple steps can be taken (see sidebar) in order to reduce the footprint humans leave on the planet.

Robins stresses taking small strides in this direction and being educated about recycling and other ways to reduce waste.

“It not only is how teenagers can change,” Robins said, “but it’s also, when they have kids, what they’re going to teach their kids.”

What you will need:

• Space outside to keep your compost • An even mixture of “green” and “brown” items • Green items include grass clippings, coffee grounds, tea leaves, tea bags, fruit/vegetable scraps, and any plant scraps • Brown items include any dead leaves and plants, sawdust, cardboard, straw/hay and even dried newspaper • Water • You need to keep the compost pile damp; i should feel like a wrung out sponge

1. Use a laptop when it is available.

According to National Geographic, laptops use about 50 percent less energy than a desktop computer.

2. Donate used clothes and toys to causes such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters or the Salvation Army instead of throwing them in the trash.

3. Get your car serviced regularly.

An engine that has not been serviced properly wastes 20 percent more energy than one that has had regular maintenance.

4. Use cloth towels and napkins to replace their paper counterparts to decrease waste.

5. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. According to the Huffington

Post, small of wat 6. If a of pap U.S. u plates trees c 7. R washin tupper 8. Fil possib 9. Av stops or bra gas mi 10. Pu

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What to Avoid:

Meat or bones, anything synthetic, any human waste, coal or ashes. These items don’t break down, or pose a health risk for the rest of the compost.

How to assemble the pile:

• Find an area to put the compost pile: an area that is fenced off helps keep animals and pets out of it • First layer lightweight browns at the bottom to help air flow under the pile • Then start to layer the greens and brown make sure to avoid any large clumps of one material • Water each layer before you start the next layer

To join in the celebration on Earth Day on April 22, try some of these 22 ways to conserve energy and reduce your carbon footprint.

/ASHLEE CRANE

running the water during this task can waste up to 4 gallons ter. at all possible, use dishes instead per plates. If every family in the used one less package of paper s a year, almost half a million could be saved.

Reuse plastic containers by ing them out and using them as erware. ll the dishwasher as much as ble before running it. void sudden starts and abrupt when driving. Punching the gas ake pedals significantly decreases mileage. urchase items in bulk as much as

What to do next:

• Once a week make sure to turn the compost. This helps to aerate all of the items in the pile and stop bacteria from growing • Make sure to water the compost enough to keep it damp • After several weeks of turning and watering the compost should smell earthy and be a dark brown color. This is a sign that the compost is done. Now it is ready to mix with soil in planters or spread over the soil in the garden.

Tips:

use approximately

68

million tons of paper, an

amount equal to the pulp of a 100-foot Douglas fir tree being cut down to provide paper for every

• Coffee shops such as Starbucks and Blackdog will often give away free coffee grounds for composting • If the pile smells rotten or sour it means that it has not been turned enough

possible: the less packaging, the better.

11. Use compact fluorescent bulbs for all lights in the house.

12. Make sure all windows and doors are sealed properly when closed, especially in the winter, to reduce the amount of wasted energy when heating the house.

13. Avoid water and energy waste by filling the washer and dryer before running them. This will also reduce the amount of loads that you will have to do during the week.

14. Use paper instead of plastic. This includes when purchasing groceries, as well as using paper plates instead of plastic. Paper breaks down more easily in the environment.

15. Grow vegetables in a plot in the backyard. This will help you save on the amount of money you have to spend on produce.

16. Instead of stalling your car, turn it off and then restart when you are ready to get going again. Restarting the car does not waste excess gas.

17. Avoid using a snowblower in the winter. Pick up a shovel instead.

18. Compost everything that you can.

Every year, Americans

• To help the process add several scoops of soil from your yard • You can also add earthworms to the mix to help it break down faster

This significantly reduces the amount of waste that is sent to the dump, as well as provides quality fertilizer for a vegetable garden or flowers.

19. Avoid using the air conditioning in the car. On a hot day, roll the windows down instead.

20. Donate nonperishable foods that neighbors and family do not end up using to local homeless shelters.

21. Swap suits and dresses with your friends and family to not only reduce consumption and waste, but also save quite a bit of money when dances come around.

22. Avoid aerosol cleaners as much as possible. These chemicals are highly damaging to the environment.

23. Use a newer push mower to reduce the amount of energy burned when mowing the lawn.

FOR 22 MORE WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY, SCAN HERE OR VISIT SMNW.COM

person each year.

Less than 3% of food waste is composted every year, according to the EPA

The Clean Air Council has estimated that less than 1% of the plastic bags that are consumed every year are recycled.

About 20 million tons of yard trimmings were composted in 2009, about 5 times more than was composted in 1990.

According to the EPA, recycling one million desktop computers keeps enough greenhouse gas emissions out of the air as taking 16,000 cars off the road each year. nationalgeographic.com

April 05, 2013

13

After science teacher Deborah Mayer retired halfway through the year, the recycling program, which was run by the club that she sponsored, HELPER club, was left unattended. Recently, Student Council and National Honors Society have set up a system where each organization alternates doing the job of recycling.

“Basically at one of the meetings [President] Johnny [Terry] said, ‘okay, so StuCo is going to do recycling, does anyone want to head that?’” StuCo representative Grace Freeman said. “I just raised my hand, and that’s how it happened.”

Every two weeks, the organizations take turns going around the school and emptying the recycling bins from each room.

StuCo also sent a petition to Deffenbaugh Industries, the company who handles the school’s recycling, and in response, the company sent 100 new recycling bins to help students separate paper from plastic when gathering the recycled items.

“At first I was doing it because I wanted to be in charge of something,” Freeman said, “but as I learned more about it, I understood how important recycling it.”

EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN TERM OF ECOFRIENDLY. I GUESS THE EASIEST IS REALIZING WHAT YOU’RE USING AND CONSUMING IN YOUR REALM IN YOUR WORLD.” — Science teacher Michael Pisani

14 Features

8 6 4 biocapacity

2 0

ecological footprint

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

The graph above shows the average Ecological Footprint of Americans per capita and how it has changed since the 1960s. With the biocapacity so much lower than the amount that Americans are producing, there are obvious problems with the high consumption rates of citizens nationwide.

Info from footprintnetwork.org

MSW GENERATION RATES, 1960-2010 300 250

10 per capita generation

9

total msw generation

8 7

200

6 150

5 4

100

3 2

50

1 0

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

0

PER CAPITA GENERATION (POUNDS/PERSON/DAY)

/ASHLEE CRANE

GLOBAL HECTARES PER CAPITA

Student Council and NHS took over the duties of the recycling program after teacher Deborah Mayer’s retirement.

TOTAL MSW GENERATION (MILLION TONS)

Stepping Up

10

AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT OF AMERICANS PER CAPITA

The graph above shows the ever increasing levels of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) that are produced on a daily basis in the United States. In the last 50 years, production rates have drastically increased, and each person produces more and more waste each year.

PRIME DIRECTIVE

The robotics team placed 13th in the regional competition on March 14. / SARAH EGGER The Robotics team had their annual regional competition March 14-16 at Hale Arena from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The team placed 13th out of the 55 teams competing from around Kansas. The robot was required to shoot disks at three different targets. The higher the target was, the more points it was worth.

The robot also climbed a pyramid. Each level the robot climbed was worth 30 additional points. The robot was named D’ Brickashaw Mc’Kringleberry after a football player and a Youtube video. Traditionally, the member of the robotics team that got injured during the season would get to name it, however, no one was injured this season.

DOMINANT: Mouse in hand, junior Tyler Bienhoff looks at the computer before the competition on March 16 at Hale Arena. Bienhoff helped create the codes that ran the robot during the competition.

TOP: Senior Charlie Schmidt, junior Philip Ruo, and sophomore Denzel Richmond watch as they drive the robot during the competition on March 16.

This was Richmond’s second year being a part of the drive team.

LEFT: Junior Kristy Gentry cheers with her teammates as the Cougar Robotics team is announced before the competition. The Cougars made it to the quarterfinals of the F.I.R.S.T. robotics competition.

RIGHT: Shooting frisbees, the Cougar robot, named D’Brickashaw Mc’Kringleberry, participates in the F.I.R.S.T. robotics competition. The completion involved scoring goals using frisbees, BOTTOM: Junior David Pullen looks over the wiring of the Robotics Team’s robot during a break in the competition. The robot was designed to throw frisbees into goals in order to score points.

PHOTO BY CLARA DAVISON

PHOTO BY CARLEIGH WHITMAN

PHOTO BY CLARA DAVISON

PHOTO BY CARLEIGH WHITMAN

PHOTO BY CARLEIGH WHITMAN

April 05, 2013 15

PHOTO BY MONICA CASTELLON

- Britt Haney

LEAVING HOME

“The rumor mill said that I was moving over to [SM] East just to be a teacher, and that is not the case,” statistics teacher Britton Haney said.

“I wouldn’t make a lateral move over to a rival type of school [for a teaching job]. I am over there to take a promotion, and I am looking forward to the new challenge.”

Haney has been offered an administrative position at SM East and will become an associate principal at East next fall He has taught at Northwest for 13 years. He interviewed for the job February 15 and was offered the job on February 21.

“Having the opportunity to be running my own building some day is the new challenge I see in front of me and this would be the first step toward doing that.” Haney said.

One of the challenges Haney will face a longer commute. Northwest is only 10 minutes away from his house in western Shawnee, while SM East is 42 minutes away. The increased time on the road, Haney says, may take away from time that could be spent with family. He will oversee

16 Features

the Math Department and Fine Arts.

He will also be in charge of StuCo and Spirit Club as well as a third of the student population in terms of student management. He will be at more sports events which will take up less time than drumline and bowling practices.

“It will be a transition in the Haney family,” Haney said. “It is a long commute there and a long commute back, and that will be time away from the family that I am going to miss. But it is the price I am willing to pay to reach that goal [of running my own building someday].”

His family was supportive of the job, except for his oldest daughter.

“She is not very happy with me,” Haney said. “She has a brand new orange sweatshirt that she bought at a football game. She likes to wear it, and she likes to show off to all of her elementary kids that her dad is at Northwest. She was very angry with me for a couple of days. My littlest one doesn’t [mind]. As long as they have nachos at the football games, she will be happy.”

He says he will miss being a part

After being at Northwest for 13 years, math teacher Britt Haney looks to move on.

of the drumline and coaching the bowling team. After the bowling team had won the regional competition, he decided he would tell them about his new job. He was reluctant to tell them because he wanted to make sure everyone would stay positive and focused for the upcoming state meet.

“Rumors had started coming out at the meet, so I took them all out for ice cream, gave them all their Blizzards and then threw the grenade out there to try and ease the pain a little,” Haney said.

Although the administrative job comes with many benefits, he will not be able to be involved with either the drumline or bowling.

“Instead I am going to oversee all of these types of activities,” Haney said. “It’s going to be a really hard transition in my life. I have been drumming since fourth grade, everyday, almost. I have a feeling that maybe I can gain [the students’] respect a little if in the middle of a pep assembly, I can grab a pair of sticks and get behind a drum and start playing along with the kids.”

Because he will not be a part of the

/ SARAH EGGER + DAVIS MILLARD drumline or the bowling team, he has been interviewing others who might want to take his place. He is confident that the students will adjust to the new sponsor.

“We have a couple of people who think they might be interested,” Haney said. “When that decision is made, I will be doing everything in my power to help both the new percussion instructor and bowling coach slide right into the position.

I would love to see both programs continue their success.”

Leaving a place that he’s called home for 13 years will not be easy, but knowing he has left a legacy behind will help ease the transition.

“I am really going to miss being a NW Cougar,” Haney said. “I have been doing this longer than you guys have been in school. There have just been years and years of great students that I have gotten a chance to know and work with and see be successful and grow, and I am really going to miss those opportunities.”

PANELS TO REMEMBER

ARBOR HORROR WITH JORDAN ABSHER

EDITOR’S PICK / SAM BELMYER

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

WORDS AND INK WITH MITCH FEYERHERM

LRSKY COMICS WITH SKYLR HECK

SPIRIT OF NORTHWEST WITH ISAAC COLEMAN

THE CALL

The Call, featuring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin, takes the audience through a whirlwind of emotions. Jordan Turner, played

by Berry, is a 911 operator. After a previous failure, Turner has trouble continuing her job as an operator.

The movie skips forward six months and shows Turner as an instructor

/ BROOKE COURTNEY

for the new 911 operators. Turner is showing her students around the “hive” where all of the operators are, and has to help a former student with a phone call. That phone call takes Turner back to the last call she took six months ago.

Berry and Breslin are able to capture every emotion — fear,

I think that I can accurately sum up G.I. Joe: Retaliation with a scene from the first few minutes. A young man and woman are conversing after an assault on a terrorist cell and the woman says, “There’s a helicopter coming in for extraction.” The man replies, without sarcasm or irony, “Extraction? What are we, teeth?” The joke was so awful that it actually took me a minute to understand what the man was saying. It made no sense in context and had no reason for even being there to begin with, which makes it a fantastic analogy for this film.

The film revolves around Roadblock, played by Dwayne Johnson. Who is trying to redeem the Joes, an American military unit famous for its incredible work against terrorism after being framed for the murder of the Pakistani president. The plot is flimsy at best, and serves as a way to move from a fight scene to a shot of explosions. The only remotely interesting part is the ninja drama unfolding in the background, but it gets shoved aside for because there isn’t enough America.

The music was actually rather good for the action scenes , but it would have made more sense for the characters if they’d just looped “God Bless The USA.” Every member of the Joes is so in love with America that it would bring a tear to my eye if I was Toby Keith. Bruce Willis’ password to the big gun rack in his house is 1776 and the movie was just trying to get me to salute at that point.

Willis is one of the few good parts of the film, along with Lee Byung-hun, who plays Storm Shadow, a ninja. Willis seems to be the only member of the cast who’s clued into the fact that the entire script is absolutely insane, and Byung-hun is one of very few men that believably cut bullets in half. They are the high points of the film, everything else is just so much dialogue and flag saluting.

The fight scenes are actually well-choreographed, or at least I assume they are, it would be more obvious if the camera wasn’t put in a paint mixer during the fight scenes. There were some interesting cinematographic choices in the film, however, like a distinct lack of slow motion, which was actually welcome. It made the film feel less like it was shouting at me about how awesome their characters were and just letting them fight.

Overall, G.I. Joe: Retaliation isn’t a film you need to see.

It’s floating in that Clancy-esque, teary-eyed, America-obsessed genre of military films that already has a low point, Battleship.

While this film isn’t quite at the Battleship depths of cinema, it’s still boring and downright strange at times, it’s exactly what you’d expect from the sequel to Rise of Cobra. happiness, hope — perfectly.

Berry plays the weak but brave 911 operator superbly, and Breslin portrays the scared and hopeful teenage girl with equal skill. When Turner steps up to help her coworker with a phone call in front of an orientation group, the audience sense how anxious she is and how much she does not want to mess this call up.

The Call could not have had two better lead actresses. Both Berry and

Breslin execute their roles well and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The audience applauded for them every time something good happened and gasped when something bad happened.

Considering what a superb piece of cinema the rest of the movie was, the ending was haphazard and unsatisfying. Despite the disappointing ending, the movie is something I definitely recommend to others.

April 05, 2013

17

sudoku video games:

Dead Island: Riptide — PS3, XBOX 360, PC — APRIL 23 Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhow’s Revenge — PS3, PS Vita — APRIL 30 Star Trek: The Video Game — PS3, XBOX 360, PC — APRIL 23

albums:

Ghost on Ghost by Iron and Wine — APRIL 16 Ready to Die by Iggy & the Stooges — APRIL 30 Reincarnated by Snoop Lion — APRIL 23

movies:

42 — APRIL 12 jOBS — APRIL 19 The Lords of Salem — APRIL 19

Oz the Great and Powerful

books:

Carried in Our Hearts: The Gift of Adoption: Inspiring Stories of Families Created Across Continents by Jane Aronson — APRIL 18 Paris: The Novel by Edward Butherfurd — APRIL 23 Inferno by Dan Brown — MAY 14

DIFFICULTY: easy

8 9 3 5 6 8 2 1 6 8 2 3 8 9 7 4 9 5 5 9 7 2 1 6 7 4 1 6 5 7 8 2 7

/ SARAH EGGER

Union Station revealed its new 3D Extreme Screen Theater on March 6 at an e arly screening of Oz The Great and Powerful.

The Station was draped in green to resemble Emerald City, and a yellow brick road lead the way to the new five-story screen.

However, the movie itself was less impressive.

Oz The Great and Powerful tells the story of Oscar Diggs, played by James Franco, a circus magician who finds himself caught in a tornado and transported to the land of Oz. Diggs is greeted by Theadora ( played by Mila Kunis, best for her performance in “That ‘70s Show”), a witch who assumes Oscar, known as Oz, is the great wizard that everyone has been expecting. Oz finds himself caught in a battle between witches and must find a way to save the Land of Oz from danger. It is very different from the broadway musical Wicked. The musical focuses more on the background of the witches instead of the wizard’s.

Instead of remaking the 1939 classic, Oz is a prequel to the original film. The creator incorporated pieces of other Disney movies including some of the scenery from Alice in Wonderland and bits of the storyline from Snow White. Because it is a prequel, the movie is predictable with nothing new brought to the table. It is the overused tale of a fraud who learns that honesty is best policy. The entire story was told in the beginning of the movie. Oz says he wants to be a great man instead of a good one, and meets characters that tell him becoming a great man will not make him happy. The entire plot is a regurgitation of that idea.

The script was poorly written, especially for Theadora, Kunis’ character. In the first half of the movie, Theadora looks ridiculous as she fawns over Oz .

The visual effects on the new 3D screen would have been much more impressive if they had been toned down. Director Sam Raimi tried to mimic the original constuming and makeup from the original Wizard of Oz. Most of his Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) budget was used on effects; however, everything was too bright and vivid making the setting less realistic than the original Land of Oz. The movie was geared toward a younger audience, as expected, but I was prepared for it to completely fail to appeal to anyone over the age of 11. If forced to see this movie, take a younger brother or sister. He or she will be more fond of it than you will be.

18 Entertainment

THE SCIENCE OF ROCK N’ ROLL: Exhibit at Union Station

“The Science of Rock n’ Roll” exhibit debuted at Union Station on March 24.

Before even entering the actual exhibit, visitors are greeted by glass cases displaying memorabilia and no. 1 hits from each decade, starting with the 1950s and going through the ‘90s. The walls are decorated with music history and what was happening in Kansas City at the time. Canvas posters over five feet tall featuring legends like Jimi Hendrix, Rush, The Beatles and The Beastie Boys line the walkway into the museum.

The exhibit covers everything from the history and science behind the music, as well as what it takes to make it as a musician, costume designer, lighting engineer or makeup artist.

What really makes the exhibit unique are the interactive elements. Everyone is given a “backstage pass” with a QR code as a souvenir. Stations throughout allow guests to play the drums, guitar and sing.

The QR code syncs up with an email and allows visitors to record and send videos

/ PAIGE WALTMAN PHOTO BY DANIEL MAGWIRE

of themselves playing the instruments. A visitor can also pick up a phone and listen to interviews of Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Ryan Adams and many others. A few feet away, a display explains the

HOURS:

Tuesday-Thursday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM Friday-Saturday: 9:30 AM – 7:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM anatomy of a speaker and what it means to be a “roadie” for a band.

Despite a few electronic malfunctions (the hi hat on the interactive drum kit and the right-handed electric guitar were not working at the time), this is a must see for music fans of any genre.

The exhibit is in Kansas City until May 9 and is open Tuesday through Sunday. Student tickets are $13 and can be bought at the Union Station box office or online at scienceofrock.com.

living decisions

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLACE TO LIVE IS A DIFFICULT DECISION FOR NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS.

College is full of new experiences for incoming students. No two students will have the same experiences due to a person’s individual needs.

Most high school students live with their parents, but very few college students do this. The biggest change and challenge for a college freshman is living without parents. However, with a wide variety of living options, students can find something that makes them comfortable.

Most universities offer three main choices for students when it comes to housing.

Most incoming freshmen live in dorms. With

DORMS

Dorms offer the classic college experience.

Shared rooms packed to the brim with all of the necessities, loud hallways and crowded bathrooms offer most college students an enjoyable experience. The most difficult part of dorms is living in a small confined space with another individual. There are a couple options you have when selecting a roommate: you can choose to go potluck (which means you are paired up with a random person) or you can room with somebody that you already know. Another option, offered by most universities, is a singleoccupancy dorm room, meaning you have your own room.

“I would strongly encourage incoming freshmen

dorms there are typically four choices: a single room (by yourself), a standard room (with one roommate), a three-person suite (with two roommates), and a four-person suite (with three roommates).

Greek housing includes fraternities and sororities. Guys can live in fraternities from the start of their freshman year, but most girls have to wait until at least second semester to begin living in a sorority house. Living in these houses typically means you have one or two roommates.

Some students decide to get their own non-

dormitory apartment, either by themselves or with roommates.

Different personalities fit different living styles.

If you are very outgoing, social, and like a lot of friends, greek housing would suit you. If you are more independent but still like people, then the dorms would be a good place for you. Finally, if you are very introverted and like being on your own, then a private apartment would be your best option.

to live on campus,” University of Kansas RA and former NW student Bailey Reimer said.

$1,000 or more to your college cost, but allows you access to warm meals without mom or dad there to cook for you.

PROS

• CENTRAL LOCATION: Dorms are usually within walking distance of class, great for people who often oversleep. Campus staff is always nearby if you need help with anything, and Resident Advisors are available 24/7 to solve all of your problems.

• HOUSEKEEPING: One of the positives of a communal bathroom is that you don’t have to clean it.

• FOOD: Most universities require dorm residents to purchase a meal plan, which adds another

/ DAVIS MILLARD

CONS

• THE MASSES: Dorms aren’t for everyone. Long lines to get laundry done, communal bathrooms and the overall cramped feeling of a dorm can drive a person crazy.

• CONFINEMENT: Most universities require freshmen to live on campus. That can feel like a major restriction.

• ROOMMATES: Living in a small space with another person, there is bound to be disagreements.

GREEK HOUSING

PROS

Planning to pledge? Greek housing is not an experience for all students, but if you are thinking it’s right for you then here are some things to consider. Reimer thinks Greek housing is an easy way to meet people quickly. “A really easy way to get support in your transition is to live in [Greek] housing,” she said.

• CENTRAL LOCATION: Greek housing is also often located on or near campus, and sometimes parking is provided for residents of the house.

• HOUSEKEEPING: A weekday cleaning and meal service is provided in most Greek housing. This allows for you to kick back and attend school and social events during the week and not worry about cooking or cleaning until the weekend.

• INVOLVEMENT: You’ll get to know your fraternity brothers or sorority sisters in a way that would not be possible without sharing a house.

• DISTRACTIONS: Some Greek houses have reputations as wild party places. If your grade point average drops too much, you could be kicked out of the house and/or university.

• EXPENSES: Greek life is expensive, and that does not include normal college fees like tuition that you will also have to pay.

• RULES: Greek organizations are registered as student organizations with the college, and they have to follow rules set by the university.

OFF-CAMPUS APARTMENTS

PROS

shopping. If there is even a small amount of damage to the apartment, you can expect to have to pay to have it repaired. The dorm tends to be a little more forgiving.

• RENT: If you have a roommate, there is nothing stopping them from telling you they don’t have the rent a day before it’s due, leaving you with a big problem.

• COMMUTE: If you are away from campus, you’ll have to deal with traffic on the way there and have to leave for class earlier. Living off campus may force you to drive to classes, which means spending money on a parking pass.

Moving off campus is something upperclassmen do, but some universities allow freshmen to live off campus. This living decision comes with a lot of exciting freedoms but a whole lot more responsibility. Reimer firmly believes that living off campus restricts your social experience. “If you live in an apartment, chances are you’re living with somebody you already know, and you also don’t get to know your neighbors very well,” Reimer said.

• PRIVACY: There’s not a housing staff that will come and inspect your room. The only time you’ll hear a knock at your door is when your buddies have arrived or the pizza is here.

• OPTIONS: You get to choose your own apartment based on price and space related to you.

• PEACE: You aren’t in the middle of campus anymore, and it is actually quiet for a change.

You can relax in tranquility.

CONS

• STRESS: You will have to pay utility bills, security deposits and worry about going grocery

CONS

April 05, 2013

19

2200 Kentucky Avenue P.O. Box 1525 Platte City, Missouri 64079 816.858.3791 Mobile: 816.718.3229 Fax: 816.858.3753 10115 Cherry Lane Lenexa, Kansas 66220 913.829.7680

BY DAVIS MILLARD

A MEANINGLESS DEBATE Bashing another team doesn’t make you a better fan.

Whether it’s the NCAA basketball tournament or BCS bowl games, I’m tired of listening to KU and K-State fans degrade each other in person and on social media. I try to avoid social media whenever there is an event involving KU or K-State simply due to the amount of derogatory statements made about each school.

Fans from both sides say more than the trademark “wait until basketball season” or “wait until football season”; the debate has gotten out of hand.

The classic K-State comeback mentions something about football and the classic KU comeback mentions something about basketball. Is it really that big of a deal? Talking trash on another team just makes whatever team you

are “defending” and yourself look unintelligent. I’m all for school pride, but things have been taken too far.

Both sides are to blame. I am an open supporter of K-State but do not support K-State fans being hostile toward other teams. It makes all K-State fans look bad and makes the school look bad as well.

I’m a fan of trash talking in sports, I think it adds excitement and builds tension between the teams playing, but only from the athletes participating. Last time I checked, fans don’t actually play in the game, therefore their trash talk is completely unnecessary. It is also immature, to say the least.

Segments even appeared on the seminar show portraying the debate between schools, how far are we

10FT 9IN Height of senior Amy Hein’s first place pole vault jump.

4

going to take this?

Both sides are guilty and need to take a step back and remember what most of us were told as kids, “win with class, lose with class.”

I’m not sure when that was first told to me but it was probably when I played baseball starting in kindergarten. I think this quote can be applied to fans as well as players. It’s really quite simple: if your team wins, celebrate with positive comments towards your team. If your team loses, applaud the winning team, or don’t say anything.

There is no point in bragging about something that you had no part in.

Fans are a big part of the games in attendance, but sitting at home watching on your television doesn’t make you a part of a team’s victory.

When K-State was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the first round, fans handled the loss well. They had a good season but a bad game, and fans accepted that.

There isn’t much more that a fan can do but congratulate their team on a good season and look forward to the next.

This issue will probably never be resolved, but think twice next time you’re about to send a tweet bashing another team. Take a step back and think about how it makes you look as a person. Support your team when they win, and support them when they lose, but forget about rambling on about how bad another team is. It doesn’t change a thing.

2:03.75

number of runs scored by the varsity softball team in their 6A State qualifying time set season opener.

2 HOURS:

How long it took doctors to surgically repair Louisville’s Kevin Wade’s right leg after suffering a gruesome injury on March 31 in the NCAA Midwest Regional Final game.

by the 200-yard medley relay team of sophomores Claire Williams and Jessica Kirchner and juniors Grace Freeman and Anna Thomsen.

April 05, 2013 21

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS BASEBALL After postponing its first two games due to snow, the boys baseball team played its first game against Lawrence High School on April 1. After Lawrence pitcher Mitchell Slinks pitched six scoreless innings, the Cougar baseball team lost their first game 0-7.

“The snow did slow us down at the start,” sophomore Brandon Gomer said.

“We never really got outside to get into the feel of real live baseball again.”

After losing their first game the varsity players are looking to improve with the upcoming games against SM West and East.

“We are going to have a really great season this year,” senior Matt Peterson said. “We would love to see people to come out and see us.”

/AARON MESSICK

BOYS’ TENNIS This year the boys varsity tennis team will start with two new players and eight returning players. The varsity team lost their match against the number one team in the state, BV North, by 1-11 on March 29.

“We have two new freshmen, Reagan Walsh and Tyler Garland, both of whom play exceptionally well at such a young age,” senior cocaptain Vivek Patel said. “We lost four of our top six players this year, but everyone improved over the year and our level of play is considerably higher.”

The team will host a match against SM East on April 8 at home at 3:30 p.m. “[SM] East is the defending state champions and out toughest competition all year,” Patel said. “I think we will stand a good chance against them this year, especially with our stronger varsity [team].”

Last season the team had only one doubles team qualify for State. They placed fifth overall. This year Patel believes the team will be able to qualify two doubles teams.

“We have a new coach, Rick

22 Sports

Walsh, and he’s been doing well helping [head coach] Ken Clow have us progressing as a team,” Patel said. “ All in all I would say the outlook is great for the rest of the season.”

/HAENA LEE

GIRLS’ SOCCER The varsity girls’ soccer team will compete in their third game of the season against SM South at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Shawnee Mission Soccer Complex.

“Last year against SM South we didn’t play up to our potential,” senior Meghan Haun said. “We know this year we have to go out strong and focused to get the job done.”

The varsity girls’ soccer team is led by senior co-captains Haun and Chloe Weishaar. With 15 returning players, the team has high hopes for the season.

“I think we will have a good season,” Weishaar said. “We have a lot of young players, but many of them have had the experience of playing on varsity already. All of our girls are extremely talented, and the team chemistry is fantastic.”

The girls ended the 2012 season after a loss to BV West in the finals of the regional competition. This year they hope to make it to State.

“We always want to go out and win all 16 games,” head coach Todd Boren said. “We have to go out on practice days, we have to work hard.

Every day is a day to improve. We always strive to become better.”

/HAENA LEE

GIRLS’ SWIM This year, girls’ swim and dive is lead by co-captains Senior Ashley Sanders and junior Grace Freeman.

The team has seen an increase in swimmers this season from more freshmen making the team. This season, they hope to have girls qualify in every event for state.

“I’m really looking forward to

swimming at State, and I’m really excited to just grow closer with the team,” Freeman said.

The team has already qualified for State in the medley relay. They will compete at an invitational meet on at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Lawrence Free State.

/EDELAWIT HUSSIEN

TRACK AND FIELD Hopes are high for the track team after competing against nine other teams at the SM South Invitational. The girls’ team brought home third place in pole vault, four second places, and finally two first place finishes from seniors Amy Hein and Crystal Osei for pole vault and high hurdles, respectively.

The boys’ secured one third place and two second place finishes. The boys also won a first place award for the team of junior Connor McDonald, seniors Jackson Barbour, Kirk Bado and Clayton Henderson. In the 4x1600 meter relay, the team of Barbour, seniors Alan Baur, Tim Dormady and freshman Ian McCabe brought home another third place.

“We lost 7 of the 10 people that went to state last year,” senior Tim Dormady said.

“Alan Baur and Ian McCabe really stepped up.”

/SAM BELLMYER

SOFTBALL With eight returning players and two new players, the varsity softball team looked strong in its first two games of the season. Coaches Mark Balderston and Anthony Kinney went into their first game looking to get the season of to a strong start. On April 28 the girls won both their games in a doubleheader against Lawrence.

“I think we did amazing,” senior Emily Utech said. “The first game we had a slow start but by the second game it didn’t take very long to figure things out. We played very solid.”

Despite different individual goals, every player has the same

unifying goal: to win the state title.

The team’s next game is April 9 against the Olathe North Eagles at the SM Softball Complex. On April 11, the girls will play the Lawrence Free State Firebirds.

“I really like seeing all the people in the stands cheering us on,” senior Bailey Letts said. “It gives us some more motivation, so I would really love for people to come out and watch our team.”

/AARON MESSICK

BOYS’ GOLF The boys golf team had a slow start to the season due to winter storms. The boys had their first golf game April 1 against SM South at the Meadowbrook Country Club. The team placed third.

“It was a great start to the season with a team medal,” senior Collin Weems said. “Of course, we could have all done better, but regardless it was good for our first tournament.”

This year’s team features five returning players and one new player.

“[Our team’s strength] this year is our consistency,” Weems said.

“With that we should be able to figure out problems and fix them fairly easily. We’re also all pretty close to each other. Three of us are brothers and the other three are good friends.”

The team hopes this chemistry can lead them to State.

“With [the team’s] combination we should be able to make it to State and even do pretty well,” Weems said. “With it being my last year I want to not only place at state as a team, but also as an individual.”

/AARON MESSICK

WHAT’S NEW ON

Gallery:

SPRING SPORTS See photos from the first games and practices of all this season’s sports.

PHOTO BY CLARA DAVISON

END OF THE READING RAINBOW We shouldn’t hate the novels and plays that we read in English, just the way that we learn them.

by Sam Bellmyer

REVIEW: OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN A disjointed and confusing tone and little character development make this action thriller less than impressive.

by Aaron Messick

“What I love most about [my character] Louise is her transformation throughout the musical.

She begins shy and lonely, and progressively she grows to be happy and confident,” — JUNIOR RACHAEL BIRT PHOTO BY BEATRICE TUNISI