Northwest Passage Vol. 42 Issue 3

passage NORTHWEST VOL. 42

ISSUE 3

OCT. 14, 2010

E U S S I N O

I T A C U D E

the field guide to life after high school /14 AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT OPTIONS AFTER GRADUATION

lack of focus /12

STUDENTS STRUGGLE WITH ADHD

major decisions /16 / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID FREYERMUTH

A GUIDE TO CHOOSING A CAREER

[

]

forgot your camera? we didn’t. check out:

Cosmetic & General Dentistry 7070 Renner • Suite 202 Shawnee, KS 66217 Tel: (913) 268-0888

contents

NORTHWEST PASSAGE / VOL. 42 / ISSUE 02 SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST 12701 W. 67TH STREET SHAWNEE, KS 66216

12

 PASSAGE STAFF Co-editors-in-chief

Features Editors

Copy Editor

Entertainment Editor

Design Editor

Sports Editors

Assistant Copy Editors

Ads Editor

MARIA DAVISON + STEPHANIE SPICER LAUREN KOMER STEPHANIE SPICER + BAILEY KOPP

WYATT ANDERSON + BRIANNA LEYDEN

Photo Editors

DAVID FREYERMUTH + HANNA MEIGS

Graphics Editor TYLER ABSHER

News Editor

RACHEL FERENCZ

Opinions Editors MARIA DAVISON + STEPHANIE SPICER

MORGAN JONES + BRIANNA LEYDEN

WYATT ANDERSON

MARIA DAVISON + STEPHANIE SPICER KELSEY GASSER

Staff Writers

HAYLEY BATTENBERG, ASHLEE CRANE, RACHAEL DEMJANIK, BRADY KLEIN, DANIEL MAGWIRE, TESSA MILLER



12 / lack of focus

For students struggling with ADHD, it is difficult to pay attention during class.

SMNW.COM

Co-editors-in-chief LAUREN MINICK + STEPHANIE SPICER

 NEWS 04 news briefs

Updates on happenings at Northwest.

06 news schmix

20

14 the field guide to life after high school

08 recognizing all options

18 major decisions

tips for planning your secondary education

College now is overlooked in a push to take AP tests.

We all need money

There are reasons why race is important for scholarships.

Hawaii 5-0: A wacky police crew chases bad guys.

Song covers: Remakes of old songs can be better or worse than the original.

(ABOVE) Senior Katie Hansen practices before the

regional tennis tournament.

/ PHOTO BY CALEB AMUNDSON (BELOW) Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan star in a new

television series on CBS.

/ PHOTO COURTESY OF HITFIX.COM

For students struggling with ADHD, it is difficult to pay attention during class.

 OPINIONS 07 finding the right high school classes

 ENTERTAINMENT 09 reviews

09

 FEATURES 12 lack of focus

10 reviews: student resources

GetSmartPrep: Test prep classes are expensive but helpful.

SparkNotes: Seven things SparkNotes can be used for.

ideas for options after graduation choosing a career can be difficult

 SPORTS 19 boss

The best sports photo and Q&A with Senior Jon Sestak.

20 their final match

Two tennis players had a successful season, even with inhibiting injuries.

22 upcoming games 23 chief reason for improvement Fan support is crucial to the Chief’s success this season.

The purpose of the Northwest Passage is to relay important and interesting information to the community, administration and students of 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 fourth hour. Subscriptions will be available to the community for $35. The Northwest Passage firmly supports the First Amendment and opposes censorship. The content of the newspaper will be determined and created by the entire staff.

When questions concerning word choice, legal problems or ethics arise the editorial board and adviser will discuss the problem to find a solution.

In these cases, the co-editors-in-chief will the have final say in all decisions. Letters to the editor will be accepted and encouraged, but will only be published if signed. The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length and good taste. Letters may attack policy but not people.

In no way will ideas or viewpoints be changed. The co-editors-in-chief reserve the right to refuse any letter.

NEWS BRIEFS

Students to participate in mock legislature Students participating in the Youth in Government program will travel to Topeka Nov. 20-21 to present bills they’ve written for a mock legislature.

They will be joined by students from around the state.

Youth in Government, open to juniors and seniors, has been in the SM school district for several years, but Northwest hasn’t participated because there hasn’t been anyone willing to sponsor it. Social studies teacher Christin LaMourie took the sponsorship this year.

“I think it’s a really awesome opportunity for students to get to do it first hand. We learn in class how a bill becomes a law. We talk about current events and things that the government is passing,” LaMourie said. “But this a chance for kids to actually see the process through and get to experience something that only our state legislature gets to experience.”

Prior to their trip to Topeka, each student will write a bill to “better the life of Kansans.” The students begin by writing their own bills. Later in the drafting process, they team up with other students with similar ideas to create one bill. The bills that are passed at the mock legislature will then be sent to the Kansas senators and representatives to review.

“Not only do they get to have a mock congress, they get to go sit in the real, live place and meet some of the real, live legislators,” LaMourie said.

To get ideas for writing their bills, the students will look at laws in other states or bills that have previously vetoed and find ways to apply them to Kansas.

“The important thing is it has to be a Kansas state law,” LaMourie said. “There’s something we can do in Kansas that we have control over, not a federal government thing, not a local government thing, a Kansas thing.” / MARIA DAVISON

StuCo, clubs host Halloween carnival The seventh annual Halloween Carnival, hosted by Student Council, will be held Oct. 23.

StuCo invited 200 Head Start students, six local elementary school students (K-3) and NW staff children and grandchildren. Head Start provides early childhood educational experiences and services to low-income children and families in Johnson County, according to the Head Start of Shawnee Mission website.

At the carnival, various booths and games will be set up around the mall, including a station where the children can decorate cookies.

All clubs must provide their own decorations for their doorways, which they will be manning on the first floor to pass out candy, as well as the candy itself.

Junior David Fancher and sophomore Caitlin Chen are co-chairing the event.

“Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love Halloween, and the fall carnival puts me in the Halloween mood because it feels good knowing we’re giving these kids a safe environment to trick-or-treat and have fun,” Fancher said.

Student Library Advisory Board, Key Club, Future Teachers of America (FTA) and varsity girls’ soccer are also helping with the carnival by decorating doorways and passing out candy to the students. FTA is going to have a Disney princess theme for their doorway.

“We are trying to stay involved with kids in our community, and this is a fun way to get involved and see all the kids,” said senior Madeline Orlt, FTA vicepresident.

The Halloween Carnival will be from 6 to 8 p.m., / RACHAEL DEMJANIK Saturday.

KUGR revamps seminar show KUGR’s first monthly seminar show since language arts teacher Lindsay Kincaid took over the program aired on Thursday. Kincaid replaced longtime radio-TV teacher Sandy Kay, who retired last spring.

Kincaid was in radio and TV program when she was in high school and dreamed of teaching the class here.

“I came into it hoping to start fresh with the program,” Kincaid said. “My main goal is to produce a product for our school that our students would enjoy.”

With new leadership came many changes. Instead of a video announcement show once a week, the class created a 20-minute show that airs throughout the building during seminar once a month. This show not only reports on community news, but also showcases what students have created in radio/TV class.

“We worked hard crafting the first show, knowing it was going to be a new impression. We wanted to be

After watching the seminar broadcast, sophomore Davis Millard and senior Jake Keegan discuss how to improve the next show. / PHOTO BY BAILEY KOPP

professional and entertaining, first and foremost delivering school news,” Kincaid said.

The show featured stories on the marching band, football, gymnastics, fashion and more. Overall, student reactions were positive.

“The new show this year was really spectacular. It felt a lot more like a professional production,” senior Eric Fillmore said. “I found it very entertaining and informative about what’s going on in the school. I especially liked the Jake Keegan deal, as did everyone else.”

Keegan, a senior, has been working on KUGR all four years of his high school career.

“I really wish we had this new program the first three years. I feel like I have been more successful this year already.”

Keegan was one of the anchorman and will produce a monthly feature, Jake Invasion. / DANIEL MAGWIRE

SAT scores higher than other SM school with 1,890 average; highest marks in writing The average Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score of this year’s seniors exceeded other Shawnee Mission high schools, scoring 47 points higher than the next highest Shawnee MIssion high school.

The senior’s average was 381 points higher than the national average according to district sources.

The SAT is a test designed to assess academic readiness for college in a way that is fair to all students, according to Collegeboard.com. Usually the SAT is taken between the junior and senior years of high school. Last year, 23 NW students took the SAT,. This number fluctuates depending on where students were applying to college.

The majority of students in the Midwest choose to take the American College Testing (ACT) exam.

According to English department director Kay Kassen, the ACT is a more popular college entrance exam in the Midwest, and the number of students who take the SAT is much lower. Those who do take the SAT generally apply to schools on either coast, where the test used to be more preferred; however, currently all colleges accept scores from either test.

There are several differences between the ACT and the SAT. The highest score achievable on the ACT is a 36, The score of each section is averaged to create the composite score. The highest score on the SAT is a 2,400. Each section has a possible 800

points. These scores are added together for the total score. Although both tests are used to determine success in college, the tests are significantly different. Among the differences: 1) The SAT includes a vocabulary section; 2) The SAT assesses a guessing penalty (minus 1/4 point for each wrong answer); 3) It is not entirely multiple choice; while the ACT: 1) includes a scientific reasoning testing portion, 2) tests English grammar section; and 3) inclues trigonometry on the math portion. The SAT stops at geometry.

The national average on the SAT was 1,509, nearly 400 below the Northwest average. NW students did the best on the writing section of the test, with an average of 616 versus the national average of 492.

Although NW students fared comparatively well on the SAT last year, their ACT scores were only 24.3, falling short of composite scores earned by South and East, (South averaged a 24.6, and East a 25.3).

Northwest still exceeded the national ACT average score of 21.

“I think it really speaks highly of our teachers,” associate principal Lisa Gruman said, ”and the work that they do.”

TOTAL AVERAGE SAT SCORES National average

1509

more nw news SEPT. 23 THE WALK/ The Coalition held it’s annual Walk on Sept.

23rd, “You could tell this year that the kids were really enthusiastic and determined to show the world that we can make a change,” Coalition executive board member Jordan Dillon said “One big difference is that we had some middle schoolers from Trailridge there too, and they were just as eager as the older kids.”

OCT. 7 : NOODLES & COMPANY FUNDRAISER/ Noodles & Company benefit was held on Thursday October 7th to help the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation.

HOMECOMING KING AND QUEEN RESULTS/

King: A. J. Spencer, Queen: Gwen Devonshire 1st Runner-Ups: Elodia Terrazas and Drew Goodger 2nd Runner-Ups: Hailey Esch and Adam Chase

OCTOBER 14

7 p.m. /

15

NO SCHOOL /

16

???? a.m. at NW /

THURSDAY Jazz Band Concert

SM North

1776

FRIDAY end of quarter 1

SM East

1839

SATURDAY ACT Workshop

SM South

1856

SM West

1862

SM Northwest

1890

7:40 a.m. at Broadmoor/ PSATTest

23

8 a.m. at NW /

FRIDAY ACT Test

6-8 p.m. at NW / Headstart Halloween Carnival

MONTERREY, MEXICO - 14 people were injured after a grenade blast in the city, no fatalities were reported.

SWEDEN - Sweden raised its threat level one step, from low to elevated, in response to reports that the country might be a target for terrorists

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested the continuance of peace talks to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after Palestinian leaders called them off.

PHILIPPINES – A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck the northern Philippines, about 78 miles south of Basco in the Batan Islands.

PARAGUAY – President Fernando Lugo was hospitalized for cancer treatment. Lugo was diagnosed in August with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer that affects the immune system.

[by the numbers] Waiting for “Superman” Documentary 67% of 1,000 U.S. adults polled believe American public schools are in a “crisis”.

2009 - 69% of eight graders scored below proficient in reading, 68% below proficient in math.

U.S. ranked 21st out of 30 developed nations in science literacy, even though we are ranked 5th in education spending.

Credit to: Manitou Messenger of St. Olaf College

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PASSAGE?

WRITE US A LETTER We would love to hear your opinion about anything we published or other things going on around Northwest or in the outside community. Letters can be sent to passageletters@smnw.com or be brought to Room 151.

06

/ OCT. 1, 2010

LAGOS, NIGERIA – Aliko Dangota became one of Africa’s richest men, as well as Nigeria’s first billionaire, after founding the Dangote Group, a trading company, that he founded in 1977.

stumbles EDUCATION www.how-to-study.com

this website is filled with everything from studying for the ACT to writing a college essay, all the way down to basic grammar rules.

www.flashcardexchange.com

use this web-based program enables students to create flashcards to study from online or to print off.

www.booksshouldbefree.com get free audiobooks for iTunes.

www.cramster.com

online homework help gives step-by-step instructions for problems as well as help from experts in any subject.

GOOD TIME TO BE:

APPLE. Apple is currently on its way to taking over Exxon

Mobil Corp.’s spot as the largest company by market capitalization. LEE WESTWOOD. Westwood took Tiger Woods’ title as the world’s best golfer. OREGON. The University of Oregon football team recently took the number three spot in the polls, that previously belonged to Boise State. A NASCAR FAN. The Sprint Cup recently announced it will be holding two races at the Kansas City Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.

BAD TIME TO BE:

VERIZON WIRELESS. Verizon could be paying customers

up to $90 million in refunds due to improperly charged bills for Web access and/or data usage over the last several years. PONTIAC, MERCURY, SATURN, AND HUMMER. These four American car companies recently departed from the car market due to the economic downfall. A GRAY WOLF. Lawmakers are suggesting Congress lift the protections of the wolves due to the overwhelming population in the West. A PURSE IN HIDING. The latest trend on Facebook involves post where one keeps their purse in an attempt to raise awareness for breast cancer.

FINDING THE RIGHT

HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES

LAUREN KOMER

Keeping a few simple ideas in mind will help when enrollment comes around.

If you’re like me, every time the counselor passes out the forms for next year enrollment, your heart sinks a little. The list of classes seems endless, and trying to figure out which classes will be interesting to take, which will fulfill high school requirements and which will help you get into the college of your choice is completely overwhelming. Over the years I’ve learned some things that help me choose. Here’s what to keep in mind: 1. Take a class purely because it sounds like fun.

Sometimes school can seem unbearable because you don’t care about any of your classes. Maybe you’re looking at a career path that doesn’t involve any of your classes. After all, how much does a professional singer use the quadratic equation? Or maybe on the other end of the spectrum, you’re taking all honors classes, hoping to maintain a 5.0 average and graduate number one in your class.

Whichever is more like you, there will still be classes you dislike. No matter how high you want your grade point average to be, or how much you don’t care about school, it’s important to find at least one class that you love.

The whole point of electives is to branch out and try new things. Maybe you have a hidden talent for photography or a deep interest in psychology.

Finding the class you’re passionate about can help you figure out what you’re interested in as a possible career as well. After being in journalism for three years, it’s helped me realize that I want to be a writer when I grow up, when originally I was considering engineering. Hobbies and interests can crop up in the most unlikely places.

2. Don’t freak out about the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

The prerequisites for the IB program can be very confusing. I spent both my freshman and sophomore year worrying that I would take the wrong class and end up with two years of some subject I hated. To avoid any mistakes, check out the IB website www. shawneemissionib.com or contact coordinator Bill Sanderson. He was very helpful and understanding when I was considering enrolling in the IB program, and can answer any questions you may have.

If you are considering enrolling in the IB program, it’s important not to overlook the advantages of AP classes. Sanderson does a great job of explaining the pros of the IB program, but like everything, it also comes with a set of cons. For instance: IB diplomas are not accepted at every university.

The IB program also only allows one elective

space during the junior year. I personally chose to not enroll in the IB program because of its stringent class schedule. I am a band geek as well as a journalist nerd, which calls for two elective spaces.

I ultimately decided that band and journalism were more important to me than an IB diploma.

Another thing to keep in mind is the IB certificates that are available. Many of my friends have decided to take IB classes outside of the program. I would have done so if the classes had fit into my schedule.

Ultimately, it’s a decision that must be made individually with the help of parents and teachers.

3. It’s not too late to raise your grade.

So freshman year didn’t go very well academically.

That doesn’t mean you should give up on trying to do well. If you keep working for the next three years, you can make up for the not so great grades from before.

If you’re strong in a particular area, work diligently at that subject. A few points there can help you with classes with which you aren’t as good.

Don’t forget grades in honors classes are weighted and A is worth five points rather than four, which can help bump up the GPA. Tutoring can also help. In addition to professional tutoring companies, many students tutor other students. Some of your friends might even be able to help you. My friend Marcus Paccapaniccia is always patient in helping me with my math homework. In return, I help him study for tests and check over his English essays. Swapping skills can really help with understanding concepts (and is a great excuse to hang out with your friends).

The most important thing you can do to help your grade is to pay attention and ask questions in class.

I’ve gotten straight A’s in math every year, but I also ask my math teacher questions about the unit every single day. Your teacher wants you to succeed. If you put in the effort, they’ll help you get your grade to where it needs to be.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. If you put in the time and effort, you can get back on track.

4. Make sure you fulfill the high school requirements.

This is particularly helpful if you plan on graduating.

Don’t forget about those little requirements that sometimes fall through the cracks, like health, physical education and computer applications.

Many classes can also be taken online, like American government and health.

I found it helpful to write out a four-year plan.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS Subject

Units

English

4.0

Social Studies World Geography Elective United States History American Government

3.0 1.0 0.5 1.0 0.5

Math

3.0

Science

Physical Science* Biology Science Elective

3.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Physical Education

1.0

Health

0.5

Fine Arts

1.0

Electives

7.5

TOTAL

23 *Physical Science, Chemistry or Physics

Even if you deviate from the plan, it can help you figure out how to fit in all the required classes.

The best thing to do if you’re unsure about anything is to set up a meeting with your counselor.

He or she is going to be swamped during enrollment, so if you can set it up earlier it will be easier for them to help you and you’ll have a better chance of getting the classes you want to take.

5. The classes you choose do not necessarily determine your future career.

Bottom line: high school is about exploring your options. With so many classes to choose from, it’s easy to think you need to settle in on one area and stick with it. It’s much easier (and cheaper) to switch classes now than to switch majors in college. Branch out and explore. Try new things. Don’t settle on something until you know it’s what you love.

OPINIONS

/ 07

TESSA MILLER

RECOGNIZING ALL OPTIONS

Teachers place emphasis on AP exams while College Now gets overlooked.

HAYLEY BATTENBERG

WE ALL

NEED

MONEY

Minorities are afforded extra scholarships to college, but why is race important?

08

/ OCT. 14, 2010

Last May, I took two Advanced Placement (AP) exams.

That may not seem like a lot, but after eight hours, $172, roughly 200 multiple choice questions, six essays and countless hours of studying, I was worn out.

In each of my current AP courses, teachers say that we should take the AP exams, for which you can gain a college credit through the College Board, and not worry about the College Now program, which enables students to earn college credit through Johnson County Community College (JCCC). Taking AP tests at Northwest is optional because, according to counselor Jim Mowry, our honors/AP courses are combined classes. At other schools, separate courses exist for each.

After taking three AP exams, I can tell you that I will not be paying the College Board another $86 (per exam) to sit in the library for four hours of testing, only to be told that only select colleges will accept my scores of threes and fours.

And I will not be paying them $86 just to have “AP” written next to the course titles on my transcript.

Although there are negatives to the AP exams, there are also some positives. AP credit is more widely accepted nationwide compared to College Now. About 90 percent of

colleges will accept AP credit, whereas College Now credit has been rejected at more than 40 colleges in the nation.

The exams are designed to prepare students for collegelevel tests, as well as to prepare them for the curriculum of a post-secondary school.

Even if you don’t plan to go to JCCC after you graduate, you can still get credit for your core college classes, such as Composition I and II (AP/H English 11 and 12 at Northwest), College Biology and College Biology Lab (AP Biology 2), and Economics (AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics).

If your post-graduation plans consist of attending an in-state school such as the University of Kansas or Kansas State University, your College Now credits will transfer. Some outof-state schools will accept the credits, whereas others will not, which is where the AP scores become useful. However, credit varies from school to school. Some schools will accept threes for some exams, whereas others will only accept fours and fives. Other schools won’t accept AP scores at all.

So what’s the big push for these exams when we can get credit through JCCC? The College Now exams require no extra work, no extra studying and no painful four-hour exam two weeks before finals.

College students of every race and ethnicity could use a little extra cash right now. Tuition, housing, meal plans and class fees all add up fast, but if you work extremely hard in high school, scholarships can help pay those bills.

Whether it’s academic, athletic, artistic or altruistic, scholarships of every size and shape are available for teenagers who excel at anything –– the quirkier, the better.

Except, there are requirements for each and every one of those scholarships. For academic scholarships, you need amazing grades; for athletic grants you better be fantastic at your sport; and altruistic scholarships mean you should spend the majority of your free time volunteering. However, some requirements are impossible to meet.

I will never be eligible for the American Indian College Fund. I am white, and by no means will I ever be allowed to apply for a race-based scholarship.

Now, I was pretty angry that all of my hard work wouldn’t pay off the way a minority student’s could; if everyone is equal, why are there biased grants? I thought race shouldn’t matter, and I was annoyed that I couldn’t get the same opportunities as the rest of my high school.

After some research (and some well-meant chastising), I found out that there’s a very good cause behind the seemingly unjust financial aid.

In 2007, white students made up 64.4 percent of the population at post-secondary institutions (mainly colleges), while minority students accounted for only 32.2 percent.

Broken down, that’s 13.1 percent African American, 11.4 percent Hispanic, 6.7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 1 percent American Indian/Inuit and 3.4 percent nonresident alien. That’s a ridiculous statistic.

Similarly, while white citizens make up the majority in many parts of the United States, the population of our nation is quickly diversifying.

If our country continues down its current path, white

citizens will become one of many minorities in America.

That means that in the future, if this trend continues, the majority of the U.S.’s population will have only a high school diploma, or less. That spells disaster for the United States.

We need an educated society, and if that means extending a few extra race-based scholarships, so be it. If some of the most brilliant minds in America aren’t going to college, a huge problem looms in our near future.

Namely, we will have an elitist government.

If mostly white students go on to higher learning, then mostly white college graduates receive most of the important leadership positions in the United States. All of this adds up to a country ruled by a fraction of the gigantic whole, which always causes trouble. French Revolution?

The Holocaust? Those awful times in history? Those were because of minority rule.

Obviously, it shouldn’t matter what race you are: If you work hard, you deserve everything you earn. However, what if you have the ability, put in the time and effort, but just don’t have the money?

Only three years ago, the poverty rate was 24.5 percent for African Americans, 21.5 percent for Hispanics, 10.2 percent for Asians and 8.2 percent for whites. Which means that it’s more difficult for the current minority students to find enough cash to get themselves through college. That’s just one of the many reasons why it’s essential that racebased scholarships exist. We can hope that someday they won’t be necessary.

I’m not saying that it’s not important for white high school students to be eligible for scholarships, because not all white people are exactly rich either. It’s just that, where the statistics are concerned, the Anglo majority has the upper-hand.

No matter what, though, it’s imperative that everyone who needs help receives it — skin color aside.

REVIEWS

song covers TOXIC / BRITNEY SPEARS

What’s a song writer to do when he can’t find a way to express his feelings? The writer takes a great song that some other writer spent months pouring their emotions into, and steals it for themselves. Sometimes the artist makes a great grab, while others come out / DANIEL MAGWIRE with nothing but a worthless recording that no one will listen to.

GOD MUST HAVE SPENT A LITTLE MORE TIME ON YOU

3/5

COVERED BY THE CHAPLIN SISTERS

/JOHNNY CASH

“Toxic” peaked at No. 9 on the charts when it was released. The ear-piercing violin and catchy bass line left me covering my ears in fear of getting a headache.

The Chapin Sisters’ acoustic cover is far better for my audio health. The sisters’ amazing vocal harmonies are the main aspect of the song, with only an acoustic guitar and simple bass line backing them up. This indie version of Britney’s song is clever, as it takes an all out pop song and turns it into a stripped-down folk tune, that seems more appropriate for a county fair than a radio station.

COVERED BY N-SYNC AND ALABAMA

The thought of N-Sync and Alabama getting together to record a song sounds terrible. The actual song is even worse. N-Sync’s late ‘90s boy band sound does not mesh with Alabama’s Southern, twanging country music. The two groups joined to cover a Johnny Cash song, “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time On You.” The Cash version is played out in his typical style, slow and melodic. The cover is like a strange mashup of boy band beats and country vocals. Every now and then a banjo strums, and the boys from N-Sync chime in.

The only enjoyable part of this song is that it leaves you laughing at how ridiculous it is.

SUMMER OF 69/BRYAN ADAMS COVERED BY MXPX

0.5/5

Bryan Adams captured the sound of summer and teenage hopes in “Summer of ‘69”. MxPx’s version of the song, however, only captured the sound of terrible vocals and lack of musical skill in general. MxPx sounds like some teenage band ripping off Blink 182, which isn’t even a band worth ripping off. The lead singer’s whiney voice makes me cringe when I listen to the song. As far as the instrumental support goes, there is none, just a four chord progression. The iconic guitar riff from the original song is not even recognizable in the overdrive sound of punk guitar. I prefer Adams’ version, mainly because he can actually sing and play guitar.

hawaii five-0

“Hawaii Five-0” is the latest in the long line of television and film remakes that have dominated pop culture for the last decade. At first glance it looks like a cheap, generic action show. Upon closer inspection, well, it turns out Hawaii Five-0 is a hackneyed, selfconscious waste of an hour. But at least it’s not boring.

The premise is basically the same as the original.

This wacky mismatched police crew are given all the freedoms a cop could ever want in order to hunt down the really bad guys and are apparently told to do it in the most stylish way possible.

All the elements of a decent show are there, but they’re never pulled off even close to correctly. The characters communicate entirely in pseudo-witty banter, which wouldn’t be so distracting if the wannabeTarantino producers didn’t shove a chat scene down our throats at every possible opportunity. No one realized that these actors don’t have the skills to make that kind of talk feel natural.

There’s a gunfight, a CSI-lite detective scene and a chance for the actors to emote between each set of beach scene-bookended commercials, and it ruins the flow. Each episode feels like a series of loosely connected gunfights and awkward macho bromance moments. The protagonists always have all the answers and know exactly what to do in any situation,

0/5

FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE/ THE CURE

4/5

COVERED BY DEAN AND BRITTA

The original talks of love and living in the moment. Dean and Britta take the Cure’s New Wave, poppy sounds to a whole new level. The loud guitar and crashing drums of the Cure are replaced by an orchestral score and a soft acoustic guitar lead. Then Dean’s low, quiet voice comes on almost, lulling the listener to sleep. The next verse Britta starts singing with her sweet and innocent high voice. It’s this relaxed and smooth sound that makes Dean and Britta’s cover better than the Cure’s.

2/5 so there’s zero suspense.

Now this doesn’t mean the show is without hope. All of the action scenes are well-done — it would kill the show if they weren’t. “Hawaii” miraculously avoids the “Quantum of Solace” shaky-cam style that’s become the standard in fight scene filmography and boasts some surprisingly exciting action. There are explosions left and right, unnecessary combat rolls, a small nation’s GDP worth of lead exchanged — everything you could ever want in a campy action series. The sheer overthe-top craziness of these scenes would make the show worth watching if all of the action wasn’t taken so seriously. Each of these tropes has been done better by someone else, but they’re used here without a trace of irony. “Hawaii Five-0” just needs to learn to love its inherent cheesiness.

The CW’s “Supernatural” started out similarly obsessed with its own coolness, but managed to see the error of its ways and evolve into a well-written powerhouse over the course of a few seasons. There’s certainly potential here for an entertaining -- if not particularly deep -- hour of television. Unfortunately, due to low ratings and CBS’s high turnover rate, the network likely isn’t willing to give “Hawaii Five-0” the chance it needs to prove itself. Whether it really even deserves that chance is another question entirely / WYATT ANDERSON

 UPCOMING CONCERTS Carrie Underwood (rock and pop) Sprint Center, Sat. Oct. 16, 7 p.m.

Sufjan Stevens (folk) Uptown Theater, Sun. Oct. 17, 8 p.m.

Straight No Chaser (a capella) Midland Theater, Tue. Oct. 19, 8 p.m.

The AP Tour: Bring Me The Horizon, August Burns Red, Emarosa, Polar Bear Club, This Is Hell (metal) Beaumont Club, Wed. Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m.

Freaker’s Ball: Sevendust, Five Finger Death Punch, Drowning Pool (metal) Midland Theater, Sat. Oct. 23, 6:15 p.m.

Peter Noone (rock and pop) Folly Theater, Sat. Oct. 23, 7 p.m.

ENTERTAINMENT

/ 09

REVIEWS

GetSmarterPrep

sparknotes.com beyond the chapter summaries / MARIA DAVISON

4/5

The ACT and SAT are vital to every high school student’s acceptance to college, as well as another way to get scholarships. Taking the test itself gets expensive, especially when you have to take it more than once, and so I was terrified that I wasn’t going to get a good score.

In order to get an idea of how much I needed to study for the ACT, I took a free practice test at a place called GetSmarterPrep, located off of 93rd and Metcalf, which offers PSAT, ACT, and SAT prep classes. These classes are pricey, and I had no intention of taking any of them. However, when I got my score back, I hadn’t gotten near the score I had expected to get. I was devastated. The expensive ACT class promised that it could raise my score, and by this point I was desperate enough to take a leap of faith and sign up to go in for two hours once a week for 10 weeks.

The class was enjoyable, thanks to my instructor. He was in his early 20s and made the material as entertaining as he could. Anytime I missed a class or needed extra help, he was available to meet with me at my own convenience.

With only 10 students in the class, everyone got plenty of individual attention, and he tried to help each one of us reach our individual goal score.

There was no lengthy busy work, just a simple set of 30 or so questions each week to do for homework.

Five weeks into the class, I took another practice ACT. I had already raised my score by three points. My instructor was able to locate which kinds of questions I was having trouble with and pinpoint what I needed to study. We went over different concepts and ways to approach the ACT so often that I felt familiar and very comfortable with the test. By the end of the program, I had increased my score by five points.

Although the class is expensive, I’m confident that it will all be worth it when it comes time to take the real test, for both me and anyone else.

Other places that offer similar services: Kaplan, Sylvan. / KELSEY GASSER

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/ OCT. 14, 2010

The original SparkNotes, TheSpark.com was created by four Harvard students in 1999. Soon after launching the site, six “SparkNotes”, study guides for books, were posted to increase the popularity of the site, which was intended for high school and college students. In 2001, Barnes and Noble bought SparkNotes. From there, other features of the website were launched. Contrary to popular belief, SparkNotes is good for a lot more than cheating on English tests.

Here are seven things to check out:

*Literature SparkNotes:

English teachers have forever sworn off SparkNotes because so many students don’t read the books they assign and just read the chapter summaries. And while nothing compares to actually reading To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby or Lord of the Flies, it’s not a bad idea to scan SparkNotes the night before the test (after you finish reading the book, of course). Fairly extensive chapter summaries are available along with explanations of themes, motifs and symbols.

The most helpful areas tend to be character lists, analysis of characters and quote explanations. While character lists explain who each character is and their importance to the story, character analysis discuss the main characters in even more detail. The quote explanations analyze a few of the most important quotations from each section, which is especially helpful for quote tests.

*Video SparkNotes:

For a quick, but fairly indepth review of a book, check out Video SparkNotes.

Video SparkNotes are seven or eight minute animated summaries of books. The videos are thorough and spend some time analyzing the meaning of the books instead of just summarizing them. For example, the video about To Kill A Mockingbird discusses the symbolism of the mockingbird as well as why Scout develops to be the person she is. Video SparkNotes can be really helpful for some last minute review, but they could never compare to actually reading the book.

*Subject

SparkNotes: Turns out there are SparkNotes for subjects other than literature as well.

There are notes for everything from biographies of famous people to notes and explanations of mathematical concepts all the way from Pre-algebra through Calculus BC to the Philosophy of Plato and John Locke. These notes have their uses. For example, The historical notes break down a certain time period into two or three years to discuss at a time. This is followed by study questions and a quiz over the material. But some of them are not worth it. The math notes are much more confusing than just listening to your teacher.

*No Fear Shakespeare:

No Fear Shakespeare has to be one of the single greatest things ever invented for students. The text of the original play is placed right next to a modern day translated version. So when you have absolutely no idea what Romeo is trying to tell Juliet, you can put them side by side and understand that Romeo just thinks Juliet is hot. Again, read the actual play. But for when you get stuck, No Fear Shakespeare is the place to go.

*

SparkCharts: SparkCharts are 6 page charts of everything you could ever want to know about any subject from nursing to the Bible to the SAT. For $4.95, you can buy a downloadable, printable version of the chart, or you can explore the chart on the website for free. The charts break down information into short, bulleted lists of information. SparkCharts are great for studying for finals because they hit on all the information about a topic. For example, the SparkChart for Spanish grammar covers everything from simple nouns and articles to more complex sentence construction. These charts are a great summary of any subject when it’s crunch time.

*SparkLife:

While trying to decode Shakespeare or studying last minute for an English test, it’s easy to get distracted by SparkLife. Granted, if you don’t know much about Harry Potter or the Hunger Games trilogy, most of it might be lost on you. “Sparkitors” blog about everything from first kisses to cross country skiing to biking to school. There are also book discussions about popular books like Mockingjay. Most of the blogs are cute, but if you’re looking for intellectual reading, skip it.

*

Test Prep: Along with information and practice tests for the SAT and ACT, SparkNotes’ test prep section has AP prep materials. For the AP prep section, you take a shortened multiple choice test, similar to the multiple choice section of an AP test. Then SparkNotes gives you a score, and shows what areas need to be improved upon. Then directs you to the areas of their test prep that will be most effective for you.

smnw com {dot}

“I want your money� and then I want you to visit SMNW.com for a movie review on the upcoming documentary of the countries ever-growing national debt.

Cross Country finishes third in one of the top five largest meets in the country. For feature story and photos visit SMNW.com.

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Radio and TV captures the attention of the student body with the new standards of KUGR, broadcasted during seminar. If you missed out, visit SMNW.com for full footage.

EVIL

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Stuck? Solution can be found at smnw.com.

Like our page: www.facebook.com/smnwdotcom Follow our tweets: www.twitter.com/smnwdotcom

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/ OCT. 1, 2010

Have you been hearing rumors about a new, delicious frozen yogurt place called Peachwave? See SMNW.com for an informative soundslide on the popular new face of dessert.

FOR STUDENTS WITH ADHD, THE HARDEST PART IS… CONSTANTLY SWITCHING ACTIVITIES INABILITY TO FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS

CONSTANTLY MOVING DIFFICULTY WITH QUIET ACTIVITIES

LACK OF

GETTING DISTRACTED EASILY

/ OCT. 14, 2010

FREQUENT BOREDOM

IMPATIENCE

INTERRUPTING OTHERS

12

LOSING OR FORGETTING THINGS OFTEN TROUBLE LISTENING, ORGANIZING, LEARNING NEW THINGS

RESTLESSNESS

It’s the end of seventh hour. The minute hand on the clock can’t go any slower. I feel myself getting jittery as my medicine starts to wear off. My eyes dart around the room. I feel myself talking incessantly. I can’t stop. I’ve forgotten to write down any of my assignments.

Later tonight, I’ll have trouble getting a paper MISDIAGNOSIS OF ADHD written. Too many Recent studies show that things will distract me. approximately 1 million children, Welcome to the life or 20 percent of all children who of a child diagnosed are currently recognized as having with attention deficit ADHD, are misdiagnosed. Many hyperactivity disorder children are misdiagnosed simply (ADHD). because they are more hyper or From ages 10 to 14, I inattentive than the rest of their had to face this disorder class, but usually that’s only because every day and cope that’s their personality or they are with the symptoms. younger or less mature than the I took Ritalin, and as rest of their class. Other common symptoms worsened, causes of hyperactive behavior that my prescription are typically diagnosed as ADHD changed to Adderall, are bipolar disorder, restless leg both of which are syndrome, emotional problems used to treat ADHD at home and school, child abuse, symptoms as well as learning disabilities, depression narcolepsy, a sleep and anxiety. There is no definitive disorder. test for diagnosing ADHD, so the My experience isn’t decision to medicate is at the as uncommon as people discretion of a doctor and the may think. According child’s parents. to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.2 million children ages 5 to 9 were diagnosed with ADHD from 2006 to 2008 in the United States, in addition to about 3.3 million ages 10 to 17.

ADHD usually becomes evident in preschool or early elementary years. This is true for junior Sol Starling, who was diagnosed at 5.

“Psychologists and therapy haven’t really

TALKING NONSTOP

worked,” Starling said, “at least not that I can tell. I’ve gone through a few psychologists, and when I was really little, my mom would take me once every month to a psychologist that was geared toward trying to cope with my ADHD.” Students often complain about difficulties concentrating in class, but for Starling, it can be especially challenging. His inability to focus is one of the defining symptoms of the disorder.

Another major symptom is interrupting conversations and trouble keeping quiet.

Starling experiences these whenever he doesn’t take his medication.

“It’s a challenge for me to concentrate on things for extended periods of time. Sometimes classes can get really dull and I’ll get sidetracked on posters in the room, or things [teachers] have on their handwriting, like not dotting their ‘i’s.’ I notice things more than others do, even if they seem kind of inconsequential.”

“If I don’t take [my medication], I have to consciously try to listen to the teacher instead of just trying to stay awake in the class,” he said. “It makes conversation with my partner or the person next to me nonlinear. They’ll ask me a question, and I won’t answer it because I’m trying to pay attention.”

“I’ll disrupt class a lot more often, especially English class. I’ll socialize with my friends more often than I should. I think it also changes the environment for the other students. Not for better, but for worse,” Starling said. “It seems to be less serious and less about learning than usual. It’s like [my fellow students] capitalize on my excuse for my behavior when I’m not on my medicine. The whole class becomes sort of like a carnival.”

For Starling, homework is not more difficult because of his ADHD. He does, however, have trouble understanding some concepts of the homework. If he doesn’t pay attention

one day, it can completely affect how well he comprehends the rest of the unit.

Also, Starling frequently has difficulty remembering to do homework.

“You get excited about things, and you forget that you even have [homework],” Starling said. “I have trouble with organizational skills, writing things down in my planner. I don’t have the discipline to take the time to write it down.”

In addition to struggling to complete homework, Starling occasionally has trouble with teachers. When he forgets his medication, sometimes they don’t understand that he has an actual reason for his behavior.

“I feel like some of them don’t really know how to take care of the situation,” he said.

“Like, in the seventh grade, I couldn’t stop laughing one class period, and so I got sent to the nurse’s office for some reason, instead of just being sent outside the classroom. Other than that it seems like they realize that I’ve got a problem, and if I seem off that day, they’ll ask me if I have a problem or if I’m going to be OK.” Before I was able to overcome my symptoms and take myself off of medication during the summer before my freshman year, I would have given anything for my disorder to just go away.

Now that I’ve outgrown my ADHD (between 14 and 35 percent of children do before adulthood), I feel like I have been relieved of a major source of stress. I don’t have to worry about forgetting to take my medicine every morning, and when I did forget, not being able to focus at all that day.

If given the same choice, Starling said he wouldn’t want to be relieved completely of his symptoms.

“I would rather just be able to gauge it,” he said. “Keep my hyperactivity down when I need to. Sometimes I find it necessary to have the most fun in a situation, just to let loose.” / ASHLEE CRANE

Junior Sol Starling is distracted during Honors Physics.

Starling has ADHD which makes it difficult for him to concentrate in class. / PHOTO BY DAVID FREYERMUTH

ADDERALL

RITALIN

VYVANSE

SHORT TERM EFFECTS

LONG TERM EFFECTS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

loss of appetite, weight loss, insomnia, headache, dizziness, irritability, nausea, restlessness

severe weight loss, malnutrition, serious heart and blood pressure problems, addiction

Has been shown to be slightly more effective than Ritalin

nervousness and insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, headaches, increased heart rate and blood pressure, abdominal pain, weight loss, addiction and depression upon withdrawal

malnutrition, tremors, frequent fever, irregular heartbeat and breathing, anxiety, convulsions, hallucinations, delusions, and tics

Most commonly prescribed medication because it was introduced in the 1950s, much earlier than most other medications

constipation, loss of appetite, dizziness, dry mouth, headaches, sweating, irritability, nervousness or restlessness, nausea, insomnia, unpleasant taste, upper stomach pain, vomiting, severe weight loss

slow growth in children, severe weight loss, malnutrition, serious heart and blood pressure problems, addiction

Is used as a part of a complete treatment plan, including psychological and social treatment

FEATURES

/ 13

the field guide to life after high school

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/ OCT. 14, 2010

COLLEGE—IT’S COMING CLOSER. The never-ending list of questions, deadlines and applications are overwhelming, and everyone within a five mile radius seems to have something to say about where to go, what to do and who to be. For those who don’t know where to start, the Passage staff has found out for you. Read on to find information on anything from financial aid and scholarships to former NW graduates’ college search experiences.

GET INVOLVED

The first step to a life after high school is to get involved while you’re still in it. Classes and activities are virtually free and give you lots of opportunities to get an idea of what you enjoy. Take interesting classes (and don’t slack off), join clubs and participate in any of the many departments available like athletics, music, theatre, journalism, etc. Whatever it is, do what you enjoy. Whether you realize it or not, what you do your freshmen year will make an impact on your future. For more information, read Lauren Komer’s article, “Finding the right high school classes,” on pg. 7.

TESTING

ACT vs. SAT: What’s the difference?

To the confusion of former students, the two college admission examinations used to be accepted at different schools, causing many to have to take both depending on where they were applying.

“Every college in the United States at this point will take either the SAT or the ACT. Harvey Mudd was the last hold-out, and they’ve capitulated,” counselor Jim Mowry said.

“Some schools will require more testing; if you get to the select schools, they’ll want you to not only take the SAT and the ACT, but also what’s called an SAT II test.”

The SAT II tests on individual subjects, like chemistry, biology, English, math, etc. This allows the more selective schools to evaluate a student based on how many tests they’ve taken. All the tests not only affect admission, but also the placement of a student in their classes.

“They look at your English scores and decide whether you’re ready for Comp 1, then look at your math scores and decide what math class you’re ready to enter. And if you have low scores, they’ll make you take remedial classes,” Mowry said.

Another common question is whether to take the ACT writing portion. It depends on the individual school. For example, most colleges in the Midwest do not require it, but Big 10 schools do. Check the university’s website to see what they want. The ACT also offers another section of science reasoning that the SAT does not have, which is a deciding factor for many students on how proficient they are in that extra subject.

Lastly, another major difference between the ACT and the SAT is how each one scores.

If one guesses on the SAT, he or she is penalized if the answer is wrong. On the other hand, the ACT does not take any points off for wrong answers. It is to a student’s benefit if they run out of time on the ACT or don’t know an answer to just guess. The maximum score on the ACT is 36 points, while a student can have a score of up to 800 points on each of the sections of the SAT; critical reading, mathematics and writing. “[The tests] are important, and normally what we’d like to think is if you go through the curriculum, if you take good, strong courses, then you should do pretty decently on the SAT or ACT,” Mowry said. “If you really want to try to plug it up, then we’ve got a class now called Test Prep. There are businesses out there that do test preparation and you can get review materials on the ACT/SAT website. But it basically comes down to whether you’ve taken a good, strong curriculum and whether you’ve worked hard in school.”

For a review on GetSmarterPrep by Kelsey Gasser, go to pg. 10.

LEADERSHIP AND RESUME Now that you’ve got a good hold on the activities you’re involved in, it’s time to step up. Colleges are becoming more and more selective, and leadership roles and involvement in activities can be the deciding factors in whether or not you are accepted.

Another deciding factor is how well of a resume you have constructed. As Mr. Giacalone put it, “The resume is a snapshot of you.” Here are some tips from the counselors on how to make your resume the best.

Keep track of your activities—Start your resume freshmen year then update it every semester so you don’t forget anything that you have done.

Focus on academics—Colleges like to see that you are well rounded in what classes you have taken. When picking classes, try to choose ones that will benefit you in the future. Four years of a foreign language, mathematics, English, social studies, and a science are a safe route to stem from.

Earn those awards/honors—Keep track of all the awards you have received. This includes any and all awards you or a group you have participated in have won. (EX: sports, academics, journalism, community service, Boy Scouts, etc.)

Get involved in extracurricular activities—What have you been involved in? This gives the college a good idea of what your interests are and if you are the type of person who is involved or just sits around all day.

Take on a leadership role—Leadership is a huge thing for colleges. They like to see that not only were you involved in multiple activities but you stepped up and took charge in them.

Know your plan—Believe it or not, they want to hear what your plans are for your future. In your resume you don’t need to include a life story but a brief sentence or two describing your aspirations will be important.

Participate in lots of volunteer work/community service— Colleges love this. They want to know that the person they are accepting not only cares about their own well being but also the well being of others. They like to see that an applicant has stepped out of their own box and has helped out other people and/or the community.

DECISION TIME Now that you’ve prepared, it’s start looking at the different options available after high school.

There’s the military, trade schools, junior colleges, universities–the possibilities are endless. By now, you should have a firm idea of where you want to go.

Turn the page to continue.

FEATURES

/ 15

DECIDED? MILITARY

If you plan on being in the military, there are various forms of starting out after high school. You can join one of the various military academies, like West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy. You can also just enlist, or be in ROTC (if it is offered) at the regular university.

ENLIST

ENROLL

Here’s an experience of one of NW’s former graduates, who chose to apply to a military academy. Many regular colleges also offer ROTC. Wake up at 6 a.m. (or 0600 in military time, as everyone else says it).

Attend three classes after a quick breakfast.

Run to lunch before noon training begins.

Go to your last two afternoon classes.

Work out during the required sports period from 1600-1800 (4 p.m.—6 p.m.)

Eat at the evening meal before the study period from 2000 (8 p.m.) until lights out at 2300 (11 p.m.).

That’s just one day in the life of 2010 NW graduate Greg Wynn II. Wynn attends the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. “I chose the military because I always wanted a job that allowed me to make a difference in the world,” Wynn said.

Wynn actually began preparing for his career in the military in high school by taking AP courses and joining the JROTC program.

He then looked at several schools around the country.

“I was looking for an exceptional military school that offered a good engineering program,” Wynn said. “This training is laying the foundation of being an officer in the military. A lot of the morals and values instilled here translate to the civilian world also.”

In fact, many of the classes he takes can translate to the civilian world. Currently,

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/ OCT. 14, 2010

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. This is a good option whether or not you plan on making the military a career one day. After service time, the government will pay for up to 100 percent of the cost of obtaining a college education.

he is enrolled in Calculus II, Rhetoric and Intro to Literature I, American Naval History, Seamanship, Physical Education and Chemistry I. Of course, there are differences between life on a military campus and life in a normal four-year school.

“I would say the worst thing about being here is the liberty policy,” Wynn said. “As a freshman, I am only allowed to leave campus on Saturdays.”

This cuts down on the amount of socializing students can do with new friends, or catching up with old friends far away back home.

“Being around my friends back home is one of the biggest things I miss here. I deal with that by staying in contact with them. Joining extracurricular activities such as religious clubs also allows me to meet new friends,” Wynn said.

The military also offers a lot more financial aid and benefits. Some schools pay for everything, including tuition, housing and miscellaneous necessities like the uniforms, books, etc. Wynn even receives a monthly payment of $100. Then after graduation, the student enters one of the various military services, like the Navy, Marines, Air Force, etc.

“The best thing [about this school] is the unlimited amount of military training opportunities we can take advantage of,” Wynn said. “I am hoping to become an aviator in the United States Marine Corps; I haven’t really put too much thought into life after that.”

SCHOOL JUNIOR COLLEGE In Junior Colleges, you can receive a variety of degrees like criminal justice, nursing, computer training, art, culinary, fashion, film, photography, and more. Typically, junior colleges run two-year programs and credits can be transferred to a University if you decide to go there (This depends on the school you choose). A junior college might also be a good idea if you want to get your associates degree before going on to a university. Since junior colleges run thousands of dollars cheaper than universities, some students find this a more likely option for college.

2010 NW GRADUATE KALEB WINTERS (JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE): “I chose JCCC because I don’t know exactly what career path I want to take. I also do not have the money to go to a state college and take basic courses until I figure out what I want to do. JCCC is cheap and I can get my general education out of the way.”

On what he would have done differently: “I would have not signed up to go to school full time since I also work full time. I’m actually thinking about withdrawing from two classes right now.”

TRADE SCHOOL For student who are going into an apprenticeship, a technical/trade school may be a good option. You generally attend a program at school while training with a business. At the end of the chosen program, you are given a certificate (license) to prove that you are now qualified in that study. Hairdressing, cosmetology, auto mechanics, electricians, flying, and culinary skills are among some skills that can be acquired with a trade school. (www.trade-school.org)

UNIVERSITY

FINANCIAL AID

This is the option that most people consider. If you haven’t already started thinking about which university to attend, now is the time. So what should you be thinking about? Below are some things to take into consideration.

To start off, Giacalone uses this guide: School 1—The school you would attend if there were no conditions. That means forget about anything that would keep you from going).

School 2/3—Your second/third favorite school that you want to attend. (Or your first/second favorite, reasonable school.) These are “safe” colleges, colleges that you are pretty confident will work for you.

School 4—A school that you aren’t that fond of, but if you had to go, you could handle it. Try to make this school the one that fits you best financially and academically.

Once you have four schools picked out (or are even in the process of choosing these schools) consider the factors below: How far from home? How big/small is the school? How big/small is the town? What kind of extracurricular activities does the school offer? How much will the college cost you? You can find this on the college’s website. Does the school offer courses to fit what you want to study in? If you don’t know what you want to study in, does the college offer a variety of options in courses? How safe is the college? What honors programs does it have? (If you are looking for honors programs) What are its sorority/fraternities like? (If you are looking for a sorority/fraternity)

IN STATE VS. OUT OF STATE Another option to consider is whether or not you want to go in or out of state. A common misconception is that in-state colleges are cheaper. The reality is, some in-state schools are actually more expensive. We talked to two former Northwest graduates to find out why they chose the schools they did.

2010 NW GRADUATE KATIE GALLAGHER (UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS): “I had heard how generous they were about granting in-state tuition to students from nearby states who met their GPA requirement. I knew I wanted a big school. I'm the kind of person who wants to take as many opportunities as I possibly can and have unlimited options. The idea of attending a Big Twelve or Southeastern Conference school seemed to fit the bill. I wanted something far enough away that didn't feel too much like high school but close enough to where I could easily make the trip back if I wanted to.”

On what she would have done differently: “The only thing I would have done differently was make myself decide sooner. I really did apply late and I sort of wished I had tried out for the Razorbacks dance team.”

2010 NW GRADUATE JUSTIN LOEFFLER (UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI KANSAS CITY) “A friend of mine told me about it and I took a look and liked the program they had for my major. I wanted something close to home so I could save some money on rent by living at home.”

On what he would have done differently: “I wouldn’t choose a different college but I would’ve started as a physics major instead of wasting a semester as an art major.”

Chances are, if you are going to obtain any form of a college education, you will need financial aid. Here are three ways to get money: SCHOLARSHIPS Although there are a huge number of them out there, it often seems like an impossible task to those applying to get just one.

“I think one thing that students need to understand is that trying to obtain scholarships is like having a full-time job,” counselor Angelo Giacalone said. “There are a lot of scholarships and a lot of things that you can do.”

Scholarships are offered by many different sources with many different application processes. Three ways they are offered are through external sources, like business or private foundations, or internal sources, like the college you attend.

While scholarships are merit-based, there are other ways to obtain money for college that are based on financial need:  GRANT: A grant is like a scholarship, but instead of being merit-based, it’s need-based. Grants often come with stipulations, like you must be involved in certain activities or maintain a certain GPA.  LOAN: A loan is money given to students on a needbase, to attend school, but it must be paid off later, with varying interest rates.  WORK-STUDY: Students are given money to attend school, while working a job on campus to earn the money One way to go about getting this aid is through FAFSA. If you plan on applying for any federal or state student grants, work-study, or loans, this application needs to be filled out. FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) is available January 1 of every graduating year. Upon filling out the form, you will be informed of what financial aid you are able to received. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to complete the application process.

For more information on financial aid, talk to the financial aid office of the school you want to attend, visit your school counselor and/or attend the financial aid meeting being held at Northwest on November 17.

+ Information on the different types of scholarships available. + Why loans aren’t really that bad of thing and

how to know what you’re getting yourself into with them. + Resources to use on anything from the ACT, SAT, AP tests, college stuff, etc. + Q&A with the counselors.

FEATURES

/ 17

major decisions / HAYLEY BATTENBERG

IT’S HARD TO THINK OF LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, LET ALONE LIFE AFTER COLLEGE, SO HERE’S A GUIDE TO EASE YOUR COLLEGE CHOICES.

Junior Andre Silva is trying not to think about college. It’s not working so well for him.

“I know I’m going to college; I’m just trying not to deal with it because it would imply that high school’s almost over,” Silva said.

Silva is part of the 69 percent of high school students predicted to go on to college. He’s also part of the large number of students who don’t quite have their post-secondary futures figured out yet.

“Trying to find a college or earn a scholarship or receive a grant can cause pressure to build unbearably [on high school seniors],” Advocatepress. com said.

biological science BIOCHEMISTRY Aquaculturist: Aquaculturists breed and grow shellfish, crustaceans or fin-fish for profit. They may work in ocean pens or on inland farms, and they cultivate marine life to sell at markets or to companies.

For a lot of high school students, not just seniors, the pressure is on to have every aspect of the next few years planned out. Parents and teachers expect students to have ideas about what college they want to go to, what major they plan on earning and what job they plan to get after graduation. That’s a lot to think about.

“My mom keeps trying to sit me down to talk about [college and careers], but I usually just walk off and say, ‘Maybe later,’” Silva said.

Some students even go so far as to avoid what they are passionate about for a safer, more stable route.

math

MATHEMATICS Meteorologist (the weatherman): They study air pressure, temperature, humidity and wind velocity, and apply math and physics to make weather forecasts.

STATISTICS

Molecular biologist: Molecular biologists study cellular molecules and organelles to understand cell function and organization. They look at living organisms at the smallest possible level to see how the cells within a living plant or animal behave.

Government statician: Some government statisticians develop surveys that measure population growth, consumer prices or unemployment.

Other statisticians work for scientific, environmental and agricultural agencies and may help figure out levels of chemicals in drinking water, the number of animals living in a certain area or the number of people afflicted with a certain disease.

english

humanities

BIOLOGY

CREATIVE WRITING Fact Checker: Fact checkers read through nonfiction writings (usually meant for periodicals or publications) to determine their validity, which requires quite a bit of research.

ENGLISH Editor: Editors read, review, rewrite and edit other writers work. Depending on the publication and whom the writer works for, the job description varies.

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HISTORY

Anthropologist: Anthropologists study the origin, development and behavior of humans.

They examine the ways of life, languages, archaeological remains, physical characteristics, customs, values and social patterns of different cultures and people.

PHILOSOPHY/ RELIGIOUS Diplomat: Diplomats are appointed by a state to oversee diplomacy with another state or international organization. Diplomats represent and protect the interests and nationals of the sending state and promote friendly relations between the two states.

“What I really want to do is music, but that’s a bad idea. That seems to be my recurring dilemma; I’m interested in majors that have no careers,” Silva said.

If you’re one of those students feeling the pressure to pick a college and a “sensible” major: Try to calm down. The Passage staff has compiled a (very) short list of possible degrees and jobs that may be available after college, even for majors that “have no careers.”

business

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGMENT

Employee Welfare Manager: Welfare managers are responsible for programs that enhance employee safety and wellness, and improve work-life balance. Some of these duties might include: occupational safety/health standards and practices, physical fitness, medical examinations and minor health treatment, flexible work schedules, food service and recreation activities, carpooling and transportation programs, employee suggestion systems, child care, elder care and counseling services.

FINANCE Economist: Economists conduct research, collect and analyze data, monitor economic trends and develop forecasts on issues including energy costs, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, business cycles, taxes and employment levels. They study how society distributes resources.

FOR MORE CAREER IDEAS, VISIT

SPORTS

boss/BEST OF SPORTS SHOT // by brady klein

QUESTION + ANSWER WITH JON SESTAK SENIOR, VARSITY SOCCER

Q: How is the season going currently for the team?

A: Pretty good besides a few rough spots; we have outplayed all the teams we have lost to. We just can’t seem to put the ball in the back of the net.

We are just not scoring enough. Our opportunities are there and we are just not capitalizing.

/ PHOTO BY ANDY WICKOREN

This issue’s BOSS was chosen for its great timing as sophmore Amy Hein performs a stradle cast on Oct. 8 at Lawrence Free State.

Q: Has the team improved from last year? Have you improved?

A: Together as a unit we are playing better. We aren’t getting down on each other or pointing out mistakes like last year. We have bonded as a team.

My leadership ability has stepped up, and I have taken on the roles that a senior needs to take. I’m just trying to liven up the mood when everybody is real tense. If everyone is getting on each other, I try to get it to go more smoothly.

Q: What did you expect entering the season?

A: I expected us to do pretty well. I knew we wouldn’t have the bonding issues we had last year. I figured we would score pretty well and I had positive expectations.

Q: Do you plan to play soccer after high school?

A: I plan to run track after high school, soccer is not my thing I wish pursuing.

Q: What do you like about soccer? Why did you start playing?

A: I like how it’s a team sport. I like how you work as a unit. I started when I was three playing on like an all girl’s soccer team. It was a rough start, but I started when I was young and I like it because everybody thrives off each other’s successes.

Q: What has been your favorite part of the season this year?

A: The first stretch of the Sunflower league when we got out to a 4-0 start. It was a lively boost that told us that we can do this and beat these other teams.

Q: Who do you play next?

A: We play Olathe South for senior night. We played them in the Quarter finals last year, so it should be a pretty good game.

SPORTS

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(TOP) After winning a point, seniors Amy Miller and

Katie Hansen high-five and congratulate each other Sept. 13. / PHOTO BY SHEA DRUMMOND (MIDDLE) Hansen lunges to take a backhand shot during a match with SM East Sept. 27. / PHOTO BY CALEB AMUNDSON (BOTTOM) Seniors tennis players were recognized on Senior Day Sept. 27 for their contributions to the team. / PHOTO BY CALEB AMUNDSON (RIGHT) Preparing for their match with SM East, Miller and Hansen discuss strategies. / PHOTO BY CALEB AMUNDSON

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their final match SENIORS AMY MILLER AND KATIE HANSEN END THEIR LAST TENNIS SEASON WITH A SECOND-PLACE WIN AT REGIONALS.

From a distance, seniors Amy Miller and Katie Hansen look very similar. Blonde hair tied up in ponytails swishes in the breeze as the two girls hit a tennis ball back and forth, warming up for their match against SM East. Their white pleated skirts sway as the girls scurry to smack the ball back to each other.

Miller and Hansen were the No. 1 varsity girls tennis doubles team. The varsity team was undefeated in the regular season and took second place at the league, regionals and district competition, losing to SM East each time.

According to the girls, the entire tennis team was more united this year.

“We hang out all the time,” Hansen said, “like go and watch House after our matches and hang out on the weekends.”

“Sometimes we only take our top six to certain [tournaments], like when we went to Lawrence,” Miller said.”It’s a really fun group, and we all get [along].”

“We go shopping, kind of. We attempt to go shopping.”

“We went to Sports Authority and walked around.

We went to dinner [at Mongolian Barbeque].”

“Then we just chilled at Amy’s house.”

“We really don’t have to be doing much to be having fun. We just kind of chill.”

While still warming up, Miller lobs a ball over to Hansen. Hansen runs forward, but instead of gliding over the court, she seems to hesitate on a couple of steps. She doesn’t make it to the ball in time and hits it into the net. Hansen turns and walks calmly to the baseline and prepares for her next shot. A black brace surrounds her knee. Hansen tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee in May. “I was at the club with Amy and my coach Brad, and Amy hit a deep backhand —” Hansen said.

“— and she had to run for it and she landed funny on it —” Miller interjected.

“And it like, popped out of place, tore and popped back in place.” Hansen completed the sentence for the two of them.

It wasn’t Hansen’s first experience with a torn ACL. The first day of school her sophomore year, she tore her other ACL while playing soccer.

For her more recent injury, Hansen used an accelerated physical therapy track.

“I worked really abnormally hard,” Hansen said.

“She’s a super-fast recoverer — crazy fast,” Miller said. “Normally if you tear your ACL, you wouldn’t be able to play until like —” “— the day of stat­e ­­—­” “right, which is the middle of October.” “[But] I did a fast physical therapy, on an accelerated track, which was supposed to [take] three and a half months [before I could] come back, which would have put me the last week of September. But I decided at two

months to start playing again —” “— because she was doing fine.”

“So yeah, I started playing really super early, but that’s because I worked like three times harder than a normal person should after their [injury].”

Hansen said it is the injury that hinders her out on the court, not the brace.

“At the beginning, movement was a huge thing, but now that’s getting a lot better, and now we just have to wait for time. I can’t lunge for balls.”

“I tell her it’s not worth hurting herself if she’s going to miss a shot.”

“I mean, we lose some points, but it’s whatever.”

Miller and Hansen turn to walk off court. Miller’s shoulder, covered by a vibrant patch of pink tape, stands out against the orange and white of her uniform.

“It’s to support my shoulder so the muscle doesn’t have to hold it up,” Miller said. “It’s a progressive thing, not one thing that hurt it. It kind of hindered my play for a little bit, but it’s getting better.”

Miller and Hansen first met in second grade on their children’s soccer team. Although they knew each other for 10 years, they didn’t become close until high school.

Their strong friendship allows them to work better as a doubles team.

“I don’t think we’re really afraid of saying anything to each other now,” Hansen said.

Miller agreed.

“I think it helps a lot because we don’t ever get mad at each other. If one of us misses a shot, we’re just like, ‘Sorry,’ and we move on.”

“Or ‘that’s dumb,’ or ‘that’s silly,’ or ‘don’t do that again.’”

“Usually in our pep talks, sometimes you’ll see the doubles teams coming together between games or points or something, and usually we say, ‘keep doing what you’re doing’ or ‘let’s fix this.’”

After losing a two-hour tie-breaker with SM East at the district tournament, both girls were in pain from their injuries. Worn out from their previous match, Miller and Hansen lost to Lawrence Freestate.

“We were exhausted —” “— so tired —” “— they didn’t give [us] too much time to rest, and we were both injured.”

“Yeah, we didn’t get a very good icing break. Amy’s shoulder was killing her, and my knee and back were killing me.”

Miller and Hansen qualified for state their junior year.

They said they are disappointed, but satisfied with how they played in the regional tournament.

“I was excited that we played so well.”

“Yeah, East has a really good team. And it was even their No. 2 doubles team, so they were really good, but we played awesome.” / LAUREN KOMER

[tennis scoring]* WINNING A MATCH= WIN 2 OUT OF 3 SETS

WINNING A SET =

WIN 6 GAMES BY AT LEAST 2

WINNING A GAME =

SCORE ABOVE 40 BY AT LEAST 2 SCORE OF 0 = LOVE 1ST POINT = 15 2ND POINT = 30 3RD POINT = 40 DEUCE = 40-ALL TEAM MUST SCORE TO GET THE ADVANTAGE, THEN SCORE AGAIN TO WIN. IF THEY DO NOT SCORE AFTER GETTING THE ADVANTAGE, THEN THE SCORE GOES BACK TO DEUCE.

FINAL POINT = GAME

This scoring system is used for the *regional, state as well as part of the league tournament. During the regular season, players play eight games, must win by two, and only play one set.

TENNIS TERMS ALLEY: Extra area in the tennis court used for doubles FOREHAND: A way of swinging the racquet that uses one hand and brings the racquet behind the body BACKHAND: A way of swinging the racquet that uses two hands and brings the racquet across the body FAULT: When the server misses the first serve. He or she has one more serve DOUBLE FAULT: When the server misses two serves, the serving team loses the point LET: When the server hits the top of the net on his or her serve, it does not count as a fault

SPORTS

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We light the night

once a year

Oct. 23

at North District Stadium immediately after the football game.

DON’T MISS

the Marching Cougar Pride’s annual

LIGHT SHOW

It will be a WICKED good time.

UPCOMING VARSITY GAMES

BRADY KLEIN

Football Oct. 15 at SM North 7 p.m.

Oct. 28 vs. Wyandotte 7 p.m.

CHIEF REASON FOR IMPROVEMENT

Girl’s Golf

The Chiefs were the last undefeated team in the NFL, and fan support is a huge contributor to their success.

Oct. 22 at Leavenworth 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 at State 8 a.m.

Gymnastics Oct. 21 at Lawrence Free State 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 at SM East 6 p.m.

Volleyball Oct. 16 at Emporia Tournament 9 a.m.

Oct. 18 at Mill Valley 5 p.m.

Oct. 20 vs. SM North 5 p.m.

Oct. 23 at Sub State (TBA) Girls’ Tennis Oct. 16 at State (TBA) Boys’ Soccer Oct. 19 at Olathe North 7 p.m.

Oct. 25-30 at Regionals (TBA) Cross Country Oct. 16 at Sunflower League 9 a.m.

Oct. 23 at 6A Varsity Regionals (TBA)

 For a calendar of other NW sporting events, visit smnw.com.

Thank you, Jamaal Charles. Thanks to you, I never felt closer to 80,000 people in my life.

It happened just after the Chiefs’ running back ran 60 yards down the field for a touchdown. When Charles crossed the pylon, the crowd went berserk. The drunk guy in front of me jumped up and slammed his feet on the ground as he pumped both of his arms and screamed.

It was pouring down cold rain, and lightning was everywhere. Annoying but entertaining fans cursed and drank all around me. I still had a great time. Every individual wearing red seemed to be best friends with every other person wearing red. People were hugging, high-fiving, swearing at Chargers fans together — and it was awesome. For the first time in five years, I felt proud to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

The Chiefs won purely because of the crowd. The defense and special teams were incredible because of the adrenaline boost the fans gave them. And then the Chargers’ quarterback, Philip Rivers, threw a temper tantrum on the field because of the penalties he kept on receiving. The incredible noise of the crowd likely contributed to for those penalties and Rivers’ frustration.

Week three, the Chiefs were at home again, and they won again, 3-0. At the time they were, the only undefeated team in football. I knew their schedule had been easy so far, but the Chiefs we knew and hated last year would have definitely slipped up against the Chargers and in one of the Browns or 49ers games at least. But not these Chiefs. Apparently, they are actually a contender, and I think the Chiefs’ faithful deserve some credit.

The crowd at the Monday night opener was electric. They were beyond excited, and shut down the entire Chargers’ offense, while giving Kansas City’s defense a huge lift.

On Sep. 26, Kansas City beat the San Francisco 49ers, 31–10. The defense was stronger in this game, so I think that can only mean that the crowd was still a huge factor.

This is why we need to continue to support this team. If the Chiefs get enough support, we might get the opportunity to support them after the regular season — which, even at this early stage last season, nobody believed they had a chance of getting.

The Chiefs pulled off three big wins, but, they were unable to trump the mighty Indianapolis Colts. The final score was 19-9 as the Chiefs gave Peyton Manning and the Colts a run for their money. And that the game was in Indianapolis. If the game had been played at Arrowhead, the Chiefs probably would have won. And, overall, they still played a great game.

In the last three seasons, the Chiefs combined for 10 wins total. 10 teams last season had at least 10 victories, but those teams did what the Chiefs did in three. The only word that comes to my mind is pathetic.

Luckily, we have the chance to forget about the past few depressing years, and get back to Arrowhead to watch the Chiefs stun the NFL world. No one expected the pitiful Chiefs to be such a consistent team.

It’s time that this team gets those old fans back. Those vicious, loud, red fans that just made opponents cringe with fear. And, if we’re lucky, the Chiefs may give back to us, in the form of a playoff bid.

IN focus

“When they called my name, I was shocked. Just being on court was an honor in itself, and winning was not the outcome that I had imagined, but very exciting.”

— senior Gwen Devonshire / PHOTO BY MICHELLE STUESSI