Northwest Passage Volume 41 Issue 12

northwest

passage Volume 41

Issue 12

April 2, 2010

it’s the climb

Two sophomore girls use rock climbing as a way to exercise and relax. 16

breaking away Some of the best spring break photos submitted to The Passage 12

spring sports preview

All seven spring sports begin working toward the postseason. 20

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Shawnee Mission Northwest 12701 West 67th St., Shawnee, Kan., 66216 KEvin buie

_________________________________ 04 / news briefs

news

See what’s going on around the school and in the community.

06 / schmix page

Get informed with quick news, numbers, facts and more.

______________________________ 08 / treat your ladies well

opinions

Changing times should not influence bad manners around ladies.

09 / pick your college for the right reason A staff member goes through his college decision to go outside the country.

Parents need to let the students work out some problems at school by themselves.

10 / goodbye, rocketmen NASA’s funds are depleting quickly leading to cuts in man missions in space.

scene

11 / reviews Eating the Dinosaur, Four Year Strong and now playing.

14 / scene static Apps of the Issue, Live Noise, Sudoku and the Student Shuffle.

____________________________

12 / breaking away

features

Spring Break photos submitted by you.

14 / it’s the climb

Two sophomore girls face an uphill battle.

sports

19 / spring sports preview Covering all seven sports and their expectations for the season.

23 / the boss Best sports picture and athlete questionnaire.

19 of Birkmeyer and Coppage HANNahcourtesy WILLIAMS

09 / pushy parenting happens everywhere

14

20

top: Crystal Osei jumps over a hurdle during the track meet on March 26.

bottom: Sophomore Baylee Birkmeyer scales a rock climbing

wall at Emerald City.

staff

co-editors in-chief / david catt, ryan mccarthy copy editor / ed spaunhorst design editors / ashley lane, stephanie spicer

/ Courtesy of Baylee Birkmeyer and Katie Coppage backpage photo /Bailey Kopp

cover photo

photo editors / david freyermuth, hannah williams graphics editor / tyler absher news editor /lauren komer opinions editors / david catt, ryan mccarthy features editor / maria davison

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 co-editors-in-chief will the have final say in all decisions. Letters to the editor will be accepted and encouraged, but will only be published if signed. The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length and good taste.

Letters may attack policy but not people. In no way will ideas or viewpoints be changed. The co-editors-in-chief reserves the right to refuse any letter.

scene editor / evan shinn sports editor / clay coffman ads editors /ashley calvert web technical / andrew keith web managing editor / mary salazar web master / stephanie rupp staff writers / nick alexander, jeremy allen, rachel alvey, wyatt anderson, nick feighner, rachel ferencz, kelsey gasser, claire gordon, tyler gilliam, andrew keith, brady klein, brianna leyden, maddie niemackl, cj reliford, madi watts

northwest passage/smnw.com

ad network provides budget relief As a way to ease budget cuts, the Shawnee Mission School District has joined Shout Marketing’s high school ad network.

“We are confident that this partnership with Shout Marketing will bring some much needed relief and allow our schools to avoid at least some of the cuts,” Rusty Newman, director of student services and athletics for the SMSD, said in a recent press conference.

The High School Ad Network will allow the district to accept payment for advertisement online, along with around 500 banners and signage in schools, especially in sports facilities.

The district will receive a fixed percentage of profit produced from the advertisement.

“The school will never be in the position of having to write a check,” director of Account Development David Hermann said. “The only fee is to the advertiser.”

SMSD is the first district in the state to join this program but is soon to be followed by others. The ad network was launched this year in Wichita in order to create extra revenue for schools.

“Being based [in Wichita], we saw the success they were having and decided to try to duplicate their success in the Kansas City area,” Hermann said.

The ad network will not only benefit the district monetarily but will help generate scholarships for district students as well. With the extra money from the ads, schools will not need to cut as much funding for activities like sports and other extracurriculars.

“The schools receive 50 percent of the proceeds, and then another 10 percent goes to scholarships and grants for supplies and technology,” Hermann said.

Although the ads will help make up for the budget shortfall, there is the fear that the program will impair school groups that rely on advertising for revenue.

“We don’t believe we will be impeding the school publication’s ability to continue on as you have in the past,” Hermann said.

Shout Marketing is a full service firm that has branched out to help advertisers reach the teenage population through advertising, along with gaining more success in augmenting district budgets.

“Initial expansion plans focus on the KC area and the Kansas side of the border,” Hermann said. “We believe the addition of additional districts is critical to growth.”

committee prepares for upcoming dance

Rachel Alvey

Prom will be held on April 24th at the Shawnee Civic Center from 8:30-11:30 p.m. and will be followed by After Prom from 11:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the NW gym.

The dance is for all juniors and seniors. Any outside guests must be registered in the office by filling out a form.

Tickets for Prom will be around $25 for 1 ticket and $48 for 2 tickets.

The theme for this year’s prom is “Electric Avenue,” and the After Prom theme is “Under the Big Top.” The idea for After Prom began when parent Bonnie Perkins began organizing all-night after-prom parties at her daughters’ high school after her friend’s 18-year-old son was killed while driving drunk.

The prom committee spends all year getting ready for this event, starting in September. There are about 40 people involved to help make the event a success.

“It pulls out the creative side that I don’t get to see teaching AP Government,” prom committee advisor Sara Schaufler said.

Schaufler helps pick out themes and colors as well as making sure the decorators set up everything and take everything down the night of prom.

“It’s like being an event planner,” Schaufler said. “I’m just lacking the head-set.”

Rachel Ferencz

04/april 2

meseke receives

new heart Former basketball coach and math teacher Ben Meseke was the recipient of a heart transplant on March 13 and is at home recovering from the surgery.

Meseke took a leave of absence on Nov. 6 because of a recurring heart problem. He was placed on a waiting list at St. Luke’s Hospital for four months until a heart that fit his needs became available.

“Doctors had told me that my blood type was A positive,” Meseke wrote, “But when they got inside, they found it to be striped—Blue/White (Hayden) and Orange/Black (NW).”

A journal on Meseke’s progress can be found at http://www.caringbridge.org/ visit/benmeseke. Family members provide updates on Meseke’s progress, and website visitors can leave notes in the guest book.

“I want to thank all of you for the thoughts and prayers,” Meseke wrote.

“They all warmed my new heart back to room temperature.”

Lauren Komer

health care reform becomes law After a close five-vote margin in the House of Representatives, President Barack Obama signed the Health Care Reform bill into law on March 23. The bill aims to lower exorbitant health insurance prices and reduce the national deficit.

Health Care Reform goes into effect in two major stages: the first part becomes effective September 23, 2010, the second part four years later, on January 1, 2014.

Going into effect in the first stage, insurers will be required to allow dependent children to remain on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26, an eight year increase from the current drop-off age of 18. A new provision also prohibits insurers from dropping customers after they get sick. Also in the first stage, a new 10 percent tax will be applied to all indoor tanning services.

In the second stage, effective nearly four years later on January 1, 2014, insurance providers will no longer be allowed

to deny customers insurance based upon pre-existing conditions. Another provision will fine those who refuse to purchase insurance; a fine of 1 percent of the total income of each citizen per year is established, after 2016, the fine increases to 2.5 percent of each citizens yearly income. 17,000 new IRS agents will also be hired to enforce the new fine.

The support of the American public has yet to be won: a March 29 poll from Rasmussen Reports found 54 percent of the nation’s voters favor a full repeal of Health care Reform, with 60 percent of Americans under the belief that it will increase the national deficit. As of March 23, the attorney generals of 13 states have declared the law unconstitutional; a lawsuit against the federal government is currently underway.

“America has unfortunately been taken down the wrong path by President Obama,” Andrew Keith

proposed budget cuts announced The Shawnee Mission School District announced the proposed budget cuts for the 2010-2011 school year on March 8. The cuts, along with revenue increases, amount to over $10 million.

Among the items on the cutting block are 26 high school teaching positions and a counselor position as well as the reduction of the athletic director from full to halftime.

According to principal Bill Harrington, Northwest is better off than some of the other schools in the district.

“We were lucky, if there’s a way to use that word in this situation, in that we didn’t have to lose as many classroom positions as some of the other schools did. We have always kept our staffing very tight and very much within the guidelines. When you come into these tough times and you have to re-

duce, it minimizes the reduction,” Harrington said.

Another reason the cuts are less severe at Northwest is because enrollment will increase for next year, unlike the other four SM high schools.

Losing a counselor will mean other counselors have to pitch in to manage extra duties, according to Harrington. And having the athletic director for only half of the day means coaches will have to pick up some of the duties of current athletic director Richard Grinage. That could include tasks like sorting paperwork and scheduling practice times.

“To lose a member of our counseling staff is very difficult. We have only seven of them to begin with.

That just means the people who are left are going to have to pick up the duties that are missing,” Harrington said. “The athletic direc-

tor’s position is almost impossible to do when it’s full-time. Making it half-time is going to be extremely difficult. People across the athletic picture are going to have to do more to make sure everything gets done.”

If the district were to announce a Reduction in Force (RIF), it could have a huge impact on Northwest.

Unlike reassigning employees, like the district has done in the past, a RIF would entirely strip staff members of their jobs.

“The decision has not been made if there’s going to be a RIF. If that happens, you just throw everything up in the air and see where the pieces land. We don’t know what the impact’s going to be because this district has never done this before,” Harrington said.

According to Harrington, the situation is dire. Next year, fewer people are going to have to do the

same amount of work done in the past. If the financial situation of the district does not improve in the near future, they may have a real problem on their hands.

“It’s kind of like you’re out walking in the desert, and you see the oasis, and your canteen is less than half-full. You’re walking and you’re getting closer, but you’re drinking water at the same time.

You just hope you get to the oasis before your canteen runs out. I don’t know how much longer we can go before our canteen runs out,” Harrington said. “This is very much unknown, and it’s very serious and scary. We’re going to wait and see. We have alarmed Topeka; we have alarmed our legislators; we have tried to inform our community and our patrons. Here’s the question: Did anybody listen?”

Maria Davison

Breaking down the budget cuts performing arts uniforms, assistant coaches, Arabic and Chinese at CIS, supplies to biotechnology biomedical and legal

>1% each athletic directors councelors

supplies and services to Broadmoor

4%

7%

2%

assistant bookkeepers

17% teaching jobs

67% S Shhaw awn neee eM Miis sssion ion Hi Higghh Sc Schhooo olls s

news\05

medicaid

noun. State-federal partnership

providing health coverage to certain vulnerable populations.

Earth hour is a great example of how a single idea can grow and inspire people everywhere to take uncomplicated action that can make a difference.

—Gordon

Taco Bell took out an ad in the New York Times announcing that they were purchasing the Liberty Bell and renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell on April Fool’s Day, 1996. Thousands of people called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the Liberty Bell is housed to angrily protest the selling of the bell. Taco Bell kept a straight face until noon, at which point it revealed that the earlier press releases were jokes. Soon afterwards Mike McCurry, the White House spokesperson, responded to the jest by declaring that the federal government would also be "selling the Lincoln Memorial to Ford Motor Company and renaming it the Lincoln-Mercury Memorial." The hoax paid off for Taco Bell.

Their sales during the first week of April shot up by over half a million dollars. See more at www.museumofhoaxes.com/

taco liberty bell 6 1

99

Campbell,

British Columbia Premier said in a press release regarding Earth Day

h e a lt h ca r e

march tues

26

9:40 Late start 7pm District Orchestra Concert

8

7pm Pre-Festival Music Concert

14 15 16

Plant Sale begins State Large Ensemble Contest

wed -fri

thurs

7pm Big River Musical

mon

-sat

thurs

9 10 12

06/april 2

239 billion l 18.3 million l

Of the uninsured are under age 34, according to the Census Bureau.

Pages in the health care bill. It can be read by searching “H. R. ll “ at www.budget.house.gov

Percentage of the population that should have health insurance by 2015, according to the Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009.

2309 97%

april

Poetry Slam

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that implementing the Health Choices Act will add $239 billion to the federal deficit by 2019.

http://www.neave.com Neave.com is an interactive web-playground of complex and entertaining flash applications built by web designer Paul Neave.Visually stunning and intuitively built, Neave.com contains a host of interactive web-apps and classic arcade games.

121

countries go dark during Earth Hour on March 28, 2009.

Treat your ladies well

Although the times change, how men treat women should always stay the same. the secret. Whether I have you’re a pubescent high school student or a 60-year-old man spending free time naked on Chatroulette, you need to listen. I have finally figured out how to pick up women.

I won’t lie; you may find the answer unsettling, and some of you will need to change your entire lifestyle when it comes to women (or enroll in Tool Academy). I finally have accepted and embraced it.

The answer comes in three words: reason, attention and respect.

I understand that a majority of the men reading this are thinking, “What’s respect?” Don’t think too hard; you’re not smart enough, and I understand you’ve never been taught the concept of respect before. I’ll explain it to you.

The first thing men must figure out is why they are getting into a

relationship in the first place. If it is for the physical gratification (sadly, many cases are), you need to seriously rethink your priorities. It’s pathetic and in no way should be a factor in any healthy relationship. Women don’t want a guy who constantly believes he is going to create his own porno scene. There’s a reason Ron Jeremy isn’t married.

You need to take some time to consider why you want to be in a relationship even before you take that step with your special lady.

When you’re in a relationship, one of the most important things to learn is how to put somebody else before yourself. After being in a relationship myself for six-and-a-half months, I have learned that if you are selfish in a relationship, you aren’t going anywhere. You need to put her first.

Sadly, the next point is one of the most commonly forgotten

relationship necessities: attention.

It’s the essence of any relationship.

Giving a girl your full attention and expressing interest in her feelings is a guaranteed way for any girl to like you. Yes, tools, that means you are actually going to have stop talking about you and your “bros” and listen for once. Lending a girl some of your time shows that you actually care.

Trust me, that goes a long way.

The last tip is the most important. I believe Aretha Franklin said (or wailed) it the best: respect.

I understand it’s hard to grasp the concept, but girls don’t particularly like to be treated the way they are portrayed in rap videos. Showing a girl respect from the beginning of even a friendship will show your maturity. You’ll be amazed at how girls would rather talk to you than the guy who’s trying too hard by throwing out lame innuendos at her.

nJEREMY ALLEN And, I’m sorry, but this means no more cheesy pickup lines, guys.

That’s it. When I learned these ideals and applied them, it did wonders for me.

I found soon that when I gave girls attention and respect they deserved, they gave it back. I didn’t even realize it would lead me into the relationship I’m in right now. I put my girlfriend first and found reason for my relationship.

My message to all men: Treat all women with respect, regardless of if you’re in a relationship with them or not. What you give is what you’ll get back. That’s what being in a relationship is all about ­— mutual respect and affection.

Pick your college for the right reasons With the cuts the district made this year, and the amount of money they will need to cut next year, any number of important programs.

T

oward the end of my junior year, it finally hit me: I’m almost done. Only one more year of high school, only one more year of Cougar Coasters and chicken parmesan, one more year of tardy tables and seminar passes.

I also came to another stunning realization: I had no idea what I was going to do for the next four years of my life.

So began the ever-complex process of choosing a college. When I first began my search, I had no idea where I wanted to go. Of course, KU was on the list (Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the Phog?). I also made a list of other schools that I thought I might like (and that might accept me). Then I buried my head in the review books. After about a month of researching, not one of the schools that were originally on my list remained. One month later, my list completely changed again.

So many factors go into the college selection process (cost,

08/april 2

location, student body size, athletics, class size, available majors, political leaning, Greek community, job potential, etc.) that I think some people don’t take enough time to actually figure out what they really want in a school—not what their parents want or what their friends say they want, but what they, as individuals, want.

Figuring out what that is isn’t easy. If it were easy—if everyone knew exactly what they really wanted to do all the time, people would not change their majors three or four times because they would know exactly what they wanted to do freshman year. I was subject to this dilemma when I first started looking for a school, and it took me almost a year to finally make a decision that I felt was right. I made lists of things I liked to do and a list of things I don’t care for at all. Then I just started Googling everything that was on the list of what I liked. After I found some places that had activities

I liked, and climates that I would find bearable, I started looking for schools in those areas. I figured out which of those schools had the best academics, the fewest things I disliked and narrowed the list down to two or three schools.

At the end of my college search adventure, I found myself 2,000 miles away in another country.

The school I chose was the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. There were a lot of reasons I liked it—it’s a large school, it has strong academics and it’s in a world-class city.

That is where so many seniors go wrong when they try to choose a school. They just take what they are told for granted and don’t actually do any research themselves. They end up thinking five years later, “Wow, I had a great time, but wouldn’t it have been cool to go there, or try that one time?” You only get one shot at college.

We all should get out, experience

n CLAY COFFMAN amazing things and meet a few incredible people.

Most of us are going to college to learn so we can get a job that will challenge us, make us feel useful and pay us well. It’s important to make sure that you are most concerned with the more vital parts of a college when making the choice, such as the alumni network and the teachers at your school, instead of worrying about how many treadmills there are in the student union or how many times a day you can eat with your meal pass.

I made the mistake that so many other people make when I began searching for schools: I thought I knew what I wanted. It took me almost a year and some serious selfanalysis to open my eyes and find out what I really wanted.

Pushy Parenting happens everywhere So where is the line betwwen protective parenting? Where’s the line between sending a few concerned e-mails to a child’s teacher and texting day for grade updates I admit—I’ve failed tests. I’ve turned in late assignments. I’ve made mistakes. But what I haven’t done is have my parents rush to my teachers as soon as they receive the weekly grade update. They let me fix those mistakes myself, if possible, and only get involved as a last resort.

On the other hand, I have friends whose parents monitor their every academic move. They have daily chats with teachers over drops in grades, whether they be slight or major. There are also parents who strive to win the imaginary “Parent of the Millennium” award by pushing their children to greater heights. They force their children into advanced courses they have no interest in, all so they have that extra edge on everyone else.

I

At this point, it becomes less about the pursuit of knowledge and more about being No. 1.

Of course, academics is most definitely NOT the only place where over-parenting is prevalent.

I was recently at a dance competition where a “junior” pageant was being held for those 10 and younger. Their moves on the stage were better suited to people 20 years older, and yet no one saw a problem with this. As if that wasn’t shocking enough, what happened afterward horrified me. The first runner-up went up to the winner (remember, these are 10-year-olds) and ripped the crown off her head, following up with remarks on how she shouldn’t have won because she’s fat and [the other girl] was better.

Who is to blame for this? I’d blame it on the mom standing idly by, smirking proudly at her “darling” daughter’s outburst. What is she possibly teaching this little girl?

Clearly, it’s not good sportsmanship and common courtesy. Is she telling her that the only point of dance is to win and be pretty, instead of just receiving pure enjoyment? Or is she just like all other stereotypical stage moms- hoping to live vicariously through their children?

Helicopter parenting, as it can be called, is characterized by parents hovering and constantly micromanaging their children’s lives. Although rebellious teenagers everywhere may say this is the case with their parents, the new age of over-parenting is something far

nBRIANNA LEYDEN worse than a nosey mom or overly concerned dad. Children are literally being put on a leash by parents to protect them. (Have you seen the toddler leashes available at Target?

Just strap ‘em in, and you’re ready to go. Also available in monkey, giraffe, and poodle shapes, all for under $15!)

Sadly, many of my friends say that they talk, as in actually have a true conversation, with their parents less than five minutes a week. Parents can’t then make up that lost time by jumping in at the slightest problem.

It may sound cliche, but some parents need to pop that Bubble Wrap they’ve placed around their kids and let them live a little.

Goodbye, rocketmen Funding for the space program has been drastically reduced, leading to the end of manned spaceflight in the United States.

I

remember when scientists discovered water on Mars, and when Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet. I’ve always followed space news rather closely.

So when I found out that President Barack Obama was cutting funding to the space program, I was appalled. No more men on the moon? We’re paying Russia to take our astronauts to the space station?

But when you look more closely, the issue becomes even more convoluted. The entire space program is not being cut. The main cut affects Constellation, a project to put astronauts back on the moon by 2020.

According to The Washington Post, “Obama’s 2011 budget request would nix Constellation’s rocket and crew capsule, funnel billions of dollars to new spaceflight technologies and

n LAUREN KOMER outsource to commercial firms the task of ferrying astronauts to lowEarth orbit.”

What is also of concern here is the loss of jobs and long-term revenue related to this budget cut.

According to The Washington Times, the cut will result in the loss of 7,000 high-tech, high-paying jobs in Florida as well as $2.5 billion, not including any money already used to fund the program.

During economic hard times, numerically it makes sense to reduce funding to the space program.

Rocket launches are expensive (it costs about $200 million to fire a rocket into space), but I still find it hard to believe that we have given up on what was once considered “the final frontier.” At one time, the nation proudly sent men to the moon. Now, we’ll rely on our former rivals in the space race to take us there.

I have to wonder... where has all the passion gone? The countries that have large space programs have protested loudly, but that’s more economics than anything else. When Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet, it seemed as if everyone was talking about it. When I bring up the issue with the space program right now, most students don’t even know what I’m talking about. I’ll admit that I read news about space exploration extensively, but the impact of this on our space program is huge, and no one even knows what’s going on.

Maybe it’s not economically practical to send people up into space. But does that mean we need to discontinue the space program completely? Depending on Russia to provide transportion for our astronauts seems to go against the American values of doing things ourselves. We’re paying them to

launch us out; how do we know they won’t raise their prices? We’re setting them up for a monopoly on space travel.

In these hard times, the amount of money being wasted and jobs being lost does not seem economically savvy. Obama promised to create jobs during his campaign. How is he compensating for the 7,000 jobs lost?

The country banded together when the first man walked on the moon in 1969. Nowadays, no one realizes we’re not sending astronauts up anymore. With the current economic state, I understand why we wouldn’t be researching moon colonies, but what Obama is failing to answer is how cutting this program atones for lost jobs, money and the sense of American pride.

opinions\9

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EATING THE DINOSAUR Anyone who has ever read the work of pop culture writer Chuck Klosterman knows that he has a knack for having brilliant insights on unlikely subject matter. That is exactly what he does in his latest book, Eating The Dinosaur, released in 2009.

Dinosaur is in the vein of his 2004 book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, a collection of essays that covered topics like The Sims, Pamela Anderson, The Real World, the Celtics/Lakers rivalry and much more.

Similarly, his new book features Klosterman’s unique opinion on many aspects of media. In the first chapter, Klosterman, who grew up a journalist, expresses his confusion about the fact that in the past five years, he has given more interviews than he has conducted.

Dinosaur goes on to discuss the likes of Kurt Kobain, Garth Brooks, ABBA, Ralph Nader and Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo. Klosterman claims that the NFL is Marxist; he criticizes laugh tracks in sitcoms; he discusses the advertising strategies of PepsiCo; and he provides a lot of

laughs along the way.

Klosterman’s writing has matured a bit since Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, but he has done so without sacrificing the humor that brought him his fan base.

The only flaw in Klosterman’s writing is that he tends to wind up writing more about himself than the topic he is discussing. Although his self-reflection normally works for him, it can sometimes seem repetitive.

Without reading it, you may pass Dinosaur off as scattered and unorganized, but Klosterman sculpts his thoughts in a way that will leave you thinking his essay about the “best responses” to controversial questions was more beautiful than anything that Shakespeare guy ever wrote, and certainly more humorous.

Dinosaur, or any Klosterman book for that matter, is perfect for anyone looking for a balance between humor and intelligence.

Yes, it will make you laugh; but, it will also help you to think outside of the box — to think like Chuck Klosterman. Ed Spaunhorst

Four Year Strong

now playing

Enemy of the World, released March 9, is one of Four Year Strong’s best albums yet.

In today’s culture, pop-punk music is looked down on because it promotes individualism with mainstream, catchy beats.

Four Year Strong challenges that stereotype by creating well-crafted, feelgood music. The band proves their ability to write catchy choruses and memorable introductions in songs such as “Enemy

how to train your dragon

of the World,” but they’re still able to distance themselves from the cliche poppunk genre.

Four Year Strong uses gang vocals, which is when several members of the band sing in harmony. This technique gives the music a strength and intensity that the candy-coated genre lacks. “Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)” uses gang vocals and, in doing so, draws the listener in and really showcases the band’s passion. Maddie Niemackl

In a mythical world of Vikings and dragons, a teenage boy doesn’t quite fit in with his dragon-slaying tribe. His world is turned upside down when he meets a dragon who inspires him to see the world in a new way.

courtesy of rottentomatoes.com

clash of the titans

courtesy of rottentomatoes.com

Clash of the Titans hits the big screen in both 3D and 2D. The movie is an adaptation of the myth of Perseus (Sam Worthington), the mortal son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), and his quest to save Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) and stop the underworld from spreading to Earth and heaven.

Tyler Perry’s why did i get married too?

courtesy of rottentomatoes.com

Tyler Perry’s new movie is a continuance of his hit comedy “Why Did I Get Married?”, featuring the same cast and crew.

Eight college students struggle through the challenges that come with marriage.

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Senior Michael Tarne took this picture of the surrounding street and buildings reflecting off a giant, metallic object called Cloud Gate at Millenium Park in Chicago. “I really like big cities, but Kansas City really isn’t that great. I like how you can walk to everything in Chicago because it’s close together. There’s always something going on.

2 Senior Michaela Goins took this picture of two friends horseback riding at an Arizona ranch.

3 A leapord sits in its habitat at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Photo courtesy of Michael Tarne.

4 City officials dyed the Chicago River green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Senior Michael Tarne took this picture of the river flowing through the skyscrapers of downtown Chicago.

5 Juniors Kaiemi Teel and Paige Stevens pose with their dinner waiters aboard Royal Carribbean’s Monarch of the Seas en route to the Bahamas. Photo by Susan Stevens.

12/April 2

breaking away Over Spring Break, students traveled across the country, searching for fun and excitement with their friends and family. From California to Chicago to the Bahamas, here are some of the best pictures submitted to the Passage.

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6 A valley lies between the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, AZ. Photo courtesy of Michaela Goins.

7 Senior Alec Britt buries junior Emily Chambers up to her neck in the sand dunes of Alamogordo, NM. Photo courtesy of Alec Britt.

8 Seniors Alex Geis, Lisa Imgrund, Loryn Goebel, Laura Konecny, Sierra Trussel and Trisha Brensing traveled to Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Colorado. The girls donned ski clothes in this photo, but Geis braved the mountain chill in his boxers. “It wasn’t even cold because I had the warmth of friends all around me,” Geis said. Photo courtesy of Alex Geis.

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9 Senior Hannah Amundson took this picture of two dolphins frolicking in the water while on a dolphin excursion in Cancun, Mexico.

1 0 While on a Caribbean cruise, juniors Kelle Carver, Paige Stevens and Kaiemi Teel jump for a pose on the beach. Photo by Susan Stevens..

1 1 Cheerleaders Jami Borel, Jessi Howard and Bailie Phelan took their moves to St. Petersburg, FL, where they formed a pyramid on the beach. Photo courtesy of Bailie Phelan.

1 2 The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad, CA, where senior Audrey Millard traveled with her family. Photo courtesy of Audrey Millard.

1 3 Seniors Nick Michalski and Bennett Golubski soak in some rays at the beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Photo courtesy of Scott Lutz.

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northwest passage/smnw.com

STUDENT SHUFFLE difficulty: EVIL

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Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer “All I can say is John Mayer is ridiculously cute.”

Smile by Uncle Kracker “I like the lyrics, and why wouldn’t you want to listen to a song by a guy name Uncle Kracker? Beautiful.”

Afterglow by INXS “My dad got me hooked on this song forever ago.” i-e-a-i-a-i-o by System of a Down “I don’t even know how to explain it. This song is just intense.”

Apps of the ISSUE Tegan and Sara at Uptown Theater 8 p.m April 3

Passion Pit at Beaumont Club 8 p.m. April 5

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AC/DC at Sprint Center 8 p.m. April 11

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climb

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northwest passage/smnw.com

the

S

For sophomores Katie Coppage and Baylee Birkmeyer, rock climbing is a different and challenging way to relieve stress.

ophomore Katie Coppage was halfway up the wall, her hands and feet precariously placed on small colored rocks.

Sophomore Baylee Birkmeyer stood on the mats below, pointing out the foot and hand holds that Coppage couldn’t see and working the ropes that held Coppage in the air. If Birkmeyer were to mess up or drop the ropes, Coppage could fall nearly 50 feet.

For the last six months, Birkmeyer and Coppage have been rock climbing together.

Coppage began climbing when she was 12 years old at gyms in Colorado while on vacation with her family. Birkmeyer wasn’t introduced to rock climbing until last summer, when Coppage gathered a group of her friends to try the sport. She invited Birkmeyer, who didn’t have any interest in climbing at first.

“I was like, ‘I’m going to fail at this. I don’t want to do this. This sounds like a stupid, ridiculous idea,’” Birkmeyer said.

But Birkmeyer’s friends convinced her to go. She found herself enjoying climbing and became interested in going regularly. For her, climbing was something new and exciting.

“It was different. It wasn’t the average game

16/april 2

of pick-up ‘whatever’. It’s a push yourself kind of thing,” Birkmeyer said.

For a while, Coppage had been looking for someone who would be interested in climbing with her on a regular basis. In order to rock climb, the climber has to be hooked into a harness controlled by ropes from the ground. The person holding the ropes with belaying devices is the belayer. Without someone to belay, Coppage couldn’t climb.

“I always wanted someone to go with because I needed somebody to belay, and nobody else wanted to do it,” Coppage said.

“We were joking around like ‘hey, let’s be climbing partners,’ and then we were like, ‘Okay, let’s really buy some gear’,” Birkmeyer said.

Over the fall, while Coppage was busy running cross country, they bought the necessary shoes, harnesses, belaying devices, chalk and chalk bag. They then got memberships to Emerald City, in Overland Park, where they climbed four or five days a week over the winter, while neither was involved in another sport. In the spring, Coppage and Birkmeyer are both involved in track and field. Their memberships to Emerald City have expired, so they only make it

to the gym about once a week. They plan to get memberships again for the summer.

Rock climbing kept the girls in shape over the winter. Climbing is great for upper-body strength and helped Birkmeyer with pole vaulting and Coppage with sprints.

Climbing together has also made the girls better friends. They were friends before they began climbing together, but they were not as close as they are now.

“You can’t not be friends when your life is in someone else’s hands,” Coppage said.

While Coppage and Birkmeyer are good friends and support each other, they have a tendency to be really competitive. That is partly because they are incredibly similar: same height, same shoe size and they argue about everything, including climbing. They always compete against each other, whether the task is completing a harder route or climbing faster than the other. Coppage tends to be better and faster at bouldering and Birkmeyer at routes. Bouldering is when the climber scales a 15-20 foot wall without being hooked into a harness. Routes are when the climber climbs the wall while hooked into a harness following a specific

Sophomore Katie Coppage looks for the next rock to grab as she climbs a wall at Emerald City in Overland Park. “[Climbing] is an incredible thrill,” Coppage said. “There’s nothing like it.”

Photos courtesy of Baylee Birkmeyer, Katie Coppage and Nathan Craft

path marked by tape.

“We recently made a truce to not chew each other out every time somebody does something better than the other,” Birkmeyer said.

According to Coppage, Emerald City is a great place to hang out, and they have met a plethora of interesting people while spending time there. Only a handful of other high school students climb at Emerald City, and most of the people Coppage and Birkmeyer climb with are in their 20s or 30s.

When the girls began going to the gym, they would “jungle gym” up the wall, meaning they didn’t follow routes and used every hand and foot hold to get to the top of the wall. One of the older, more experienced climbers asked them what they were doing and explained climbing technique. They have now become friends with several of the older climbers and describe themselves as the “little sister types.”

These friends have become their mentors, teachers and idols.

Climbing in gyms around the area has prepared Birkmeyer and Coppage for climbing outdoors, and they have plans to travel to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas over the summer to climb real rocks. Neither of them have ever been climbing outdoors, but Birkmeyer thinks that it will be more challenging.

“On a rock wall indoors, there are little designated pieces of tape saying grab this one,” Birkmeyer said.

Over the past six months, Coppage and Birkmeyer have improved as climbers through repetition and watching other people. By watching others, they pick up technique and learn from the mistakes they make.

“Lots of it is just learning technique,” Birkmeyer said. “You can muscle your way up there, but if you don’t know how to put your feet in the right place, you get tired.”

Rock-climbing technique is all about keeping the body close to the wall and using the legs before the arms because a climber’s arms are weaker and tire faster than their legs. Climbers use chalk to keep their hands from getting sweaty, which may cause them to slip and fall.

For Birkmeyer and Coppage, climbing is a great stress reliever, which is one of the reasons they love it. It’s time when they don’t have to worry about anything but where to place their

hands and feet.

“Whenever I’m stressed out, that’s where I want to go,” Coppage said. “You just take all of your energy out.”

They plan to keep climbing for a long time after high school.

“It’s something you can pick up and drop,” Birkmeyer said. “It’s something anybody can do.” nMaria Davision

features\17

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Last year the tennis teams’ biggest problem was figuring out who to put on the varsity roster because they had so many players who were just about good enough. This year those players who were on the verge hope to create a strong varsity team.

Senior Max Wiebrecht has been on the team all four years and competed for the No. 1 spot last year.

This year he will be the No. 1 singles player, followed by junior Hunter Holman.

“Max is our No. 1, but he has missed some time to finish his hockey season,” coach Ken Clow said.

Wiebrecht will be the only senior in the top eight players, which consists of all juniors except for two

sophomores.

“Right now, we’re just trying to figure out who fits where by playing challenge matches. We’ve really just been trying to work on everything a little to get ready for the season,” Clow said.

The Cougars hope to place in the top five at the league tournament this year, where they placed fifth last year.

They also took second at the district tournament last year.

“We have a pretty deep team, which will help us a lot at league.

Last year, we didn’t qualify anyone to State, so I have no idea how we’ll do there,” Clow said. “I do think we can place in the top two again at districts.” nClay Coffman

HANNAH WILLIAMS

Senior Hannah Singhal practices her breast stroke on March 3.

HANNA MEIGS

Junior Hunter Holman rushes to return the ball back to sophomore Boris Huston on March 8.

Coming off of a seventh place finish in the state tournament, the girls’ swim team hopes to finishing strong again. Despite living in the shadow of Brooke Brull, who led the Cougars’ last year, the seniors of this year’s team hope to cast a shadow of their own with impressive times. The team is led by seniors Hannah Singhal and Shelby Connor. Both are hoping to earn spots on the state team for the 500- and 200-yard freestyle stroke and the 100-yard breast stroke.

“It will be hard to recover, but I believe we have a decent team with our girls this year,” coach Scott Virden said. “We’ll try our hardest to make sure we represent Northwest in the best way possible.”

Virden’s goals for the year are to have at least eight state tournament qualifiers in eight different events, to finish in the top five in league and to place in the top 10 at the state tournament.

Other key swimmers for the team this year include seniors Carly Iverson, Liz Biron and Zoe Phelps, junior Hannah Young and sophomore Savannah Slavin. Also, look out for senior diver Mallory Ayers who finished in the top five last year at the state tournament. nJeremy Allen and CJ Reliford

sports\19

northwest passage/smnw.com

BAILEY KOPP

With hopes of reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2003, the Cougars return one of the best hitters in the Sunflower League in Mississippi State-bound senior, Rachael Zdeb. Coaches are looking for her to play a key role in the team’s success.

“We’re expecting big things from Rachael this year after she broke the Northwest single-season-hits record last year,” coach Lindsay Kincaid said.

Along with Zdeb, other key players will return to the team, including seniors Loryn Goebel, Stephanie Rupp and Audrey Millard, junior Logan Roberts and sophomore Sarah Male.

Perhaps the biggest question mark this season will be the starters in the infield.

Of the 24 girls on the squad this year, 14 are freshman. But don’t let that fool you.

There are signs of some very good talent in the youngsters. Four of the nine varsity starters could potentially be freshmen, according to Kincaid.

“We’re definitely looking for the freshmen to make an immediate impact at the varsity level this year,” Kincaid said.

Due to the harsh weather conditions, the girls have rarely been able to make it outdoors to practice. They are still anxious to see how the team will compete in a real game setting.

“We may be young, but we all believe in each other. As long as you have that trust and belief, that’s all a team needs to compete,” Zdeb said.

The softball team began their season this week with games against Olathe East and SM South. They play Olathe Northwest on Tues. at CBAC at 5 p.m. nNick Feighner

Freshmen Katt Cooper throws the ball while playing catch at try-outs on March 20.

BAILEY KOPP

After losing key players and failing to make it to state last year, the girls’ soccer team is looking for players to step up. Coach Todd Boren hopes the seniors with experience at the varsity level will move into leadership positions.

According to Boren, forward Mollie Slechta looks like a promising contender

for leading goal scorer, replacing Taylor Isenhower. As for the two captains who left, Isenhower and Morgan Knight, seniors Sydney Jones and Haylee Allen are showing promise.

“Haylee has been stepping up and being a leader out on the practice field by organizing the girls,” Boren said.

Jones is a fourth year varsity player with experience.

“As a player, I need to control the middle, stay focused on the game and push everybody else to do their best,” Jones said.

Another problem Boren is facing is that the two goal keepers, senior Jenni Pinkelman and freshman Chloe Weishaar, are battling for the starting position.

“It’s not that they’re playing poorly,” Boren said, “It’s just that they’re not really separating themselves from the other one saying, ‘Yeah, I’m the one who’s going to start.’”

Boren is pushing the team to win the games they can and to come together to win the tougher games.

“If we finish under fourth in the league, I’m going to be disappointed,” Boren said, “I’ll see it as an underachievement.”

The girls’ team began the season last night at Shawnee Heights. They play Topeka West and Olathe NW next Monday and Tuesday, respectively, at the SMSD soccer fields across from Oak Park Mall. nTyler Gilliam Seniors Sydney Jones, Mollie Slechta, and Haylee Allen lead the girls’ soccer team on a run during tryouts.

20/april 2

Senior Adam Giacalone delivers a pitch to a SM North batter during the seasonopening game last Friday.

After a 5th place finish at the state tournament last year, the boys’ golf team hopes to contend for the program’s first state title in almost 20 years. With every member of the team returning, including all six members of the state team, turning that hope into a reality is possible.

The boys team is led by the their three top golfers from last year: senior David Catt, twotime state qualifier and defending Sunflower League champion; senior Brett Dowell, threetime state qualifier who finished 12th in the state tournament last year; and sophomore Jackson Foth who won the Washburn Rural

school record. Thornburg placed in the top four in two different events last year at the state championships. Wynn was one of the Cougars’ top sprinters last year but could not compete at the state championships due to a conflict.

“We definitely have plenty of depth. We have 30 more kids this year than last year, and we had a big team last year,” Cooper said. “I would expect our depth to help us at the Sunflower League meet, but, at State, it’s more about quality than quantity.”

Seniors Drew Lorei and Cameron Weekly should also contribute to the team in the field events, with Lorei in the long jump and high jump and Weekly in the pole-vault.

“It’s too early to make any predictions right now, but I think that we have a shot at top three at state,” Cooper said. nClay Coffman Sophomore Duan Johnson sprints during the 100-meter-dash at the SM South track meet on March 26.

sports\21

KEVIN BUIE

Three senior track athletes signed with NCAA Division 1 schools this fall and are now working to end their high school careers on a high note. Senior Lisa Imgrund will attend Missouri State University, Christine Nelson is headed west to the University of Wyoming, and Erica Brand will move east to Duke University.

“Christine, Lisa and Erica are all very talented, and they will be critical at the State meet, but where we place at league and other meets depends on the strength of our depth,” coach Mike Cooper said.

These three athletes, along with senior Kirstie Sanders, look to lead the girls’ team to a top five finish in the state meet.

For the boys, seniors Keaton Jones and Greg Wynn and junior Aaron Thornburg will lead the team. Jones was on the 4x800 relay team that took second at the state championship last year and shattered the

and Shawnee Mission South Invitationals last year with scores of 68 and 77, respectively.

“I hope we win league and regionals, but state is kind of a toss-up because it’s only a one day tournament, and anything can happen,” Foth said.

Sophomore Logan Coffman, senior Ryan McCarthy and junior Tanner Jarman will round out the six-member team for most tournaments. Senior Brett Lightle, junior Dylan Hargrave and freshman Colin Weems all hope to break into the top six golfers by sea- Senior Brett Lightle chips from the rough during practice at Shawnee son’s end. nStephanie Spicer Country Golf and Country Club.

DANIEL MAGWIRE

DANIEL MAGWIRE

Going into this baseball season, the starting lineup is stacked with seven seniors.

Last season, the team was young and lacked leadership, but with 13 returning seniors, this year’s team should be wiser and more experienced. Although the team has experience, they still need to find definite leaders who will steer the team to a steady season.

“We need to stay consistent and be patient. If they do that we should do well this year,” varsity coach Richard Kuzydym said.

Expect to see leadership from seniors Nick Feighner, Adam Giacalone, Jake Thompson and Chris Mansker. Feighner and Giacolone led the team in batting averages last season, each earning spots on the All-Sunflower League teams.

“We can’t look at any tough games ahead. We just need to take one game at a time, and bring what we do in practice to the game.” Kuzydym said.

Last season the team finished in disappointment, missing out on the state tournament. The performance level will need to be at its best for the seven starting senior players, who all plan to play ball in college.

The team had an impressive first game, defeating SM North 7-2 last Friday.

This win serves as a momentum boost for the team, but only time will tell if redemption is on the menu as they will try to head to Topeka for the state tournament this year. nBrady Klein

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BOSS

best of sports shot

This issue’s BOSS photo was chosen because it captures the tennis ball just as it bounces off of Senior Max Wiebrecht racket during tennis tryouts. Photo by Daniel Magwire

If you were good at one sport, what would it be?

How many days a week do you get on Facebook?

What is your favorite iPod application?

Football

Three

Yo Momma

Albert Haynesworth (football)

Gymnastics

At least five

Doodle Jump

Caitlin Lowe (softball)

Jessica Tingle Junior Pole Vaulting

Volleyball

Five to six

Paper Toss

Shawn Johnson (gymnastics)

Mallory Ayers Senior Girls’ Dive

Gymnastics. It looks really cool.

Seven

I don’t have an iPod

Tom Hairabedian.

80-years-old and still diving.

Jake Filsinger Freshman Field

Sarah Male Sophomore Softball

Who is your favorite professional athlete at your sport?

Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Team Jacob

Neither

Undecided

Team Edward. He is gorgeous.

sports\23

IN focus

“ [Lacrosse] is a nice change because I’ve only done cheer, and it’s kind of wimpy sport, so from cheer to lacrosse is pretty cool. ” —freshman Baili McPheeters. Since Northwest does not field a lacrosse team McPheeters plays for SM East.