The Epic - Issue 4

the epic

A Syrian student tells his story on pg. 19 Photo illustration by Grace Armenta

8800 W. 85th St. Overland Park, KS December 10, 2015 Vol. 54- Issue 4

Vol. 54, Dec. 10, 2015

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A new Harry Potter Club has started up at West

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Enviro-club has started a composting program

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The Robotics Club is doing big things

The basketball team has had to overcome difficulties in the preseason

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Editors-in-chief Brock Burnett Max Meyer

assistant editor

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Several students at West compete in outdoor winter sports

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Enviro-club has begun composting food items Photo by Grace Armenta

writers

Colette Balas Isabelle Frankel Caroline Fullerton Lexi Hart Christian Hooper Sami Jansen Spence Lassalle Adam Rellihan Eric Sedlacek Brevin Turner Nick Vance Caleb Walker Jared Walker

Merani Rivarola Nina Williams Rian Stallbaumer

managing editor Drake Mattis

news editor Sylvia Bryan

feature editor Kathleen Gartner

sports editor Drake Mattis

photographers

Grace Armenta Annissa Clark Kelsea Lilla Maddy Shackelford Kenna Swihart Jenna Wilson Kamryn Marshall

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Movie critics review two movies that have recently been released

a&e editor Logan Peterson

Kristin Wells

photo editors

Two male West students competitively compete in gymnastics

cartoonists Alex Ralston Jack Warner

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Logan Peterson reviews Adele’s most recent album

adviser

Amy Morgan

Photos and photo illustrations by (counter-clockwise): Merani Rivarola, Grace Armenta, Emma Arnold, Bryan Ralphs, Brock Burnett, Drake Mattis, Jenna Wilson, and Maddie Milazzo “The Epic” is the newsmagazine of Shawnee Mission West, 8000 W. 85th St., Overland Park, KS 66215. It is produced by a staff of high school journalists dedicated to the principles of journalism: to present facts and occurences truthfully and without bias. Articles of opinion or analysis are labeled and do necessarily reflect the views of the staff and/or the publication. In accordance with Kansas law, “The Epic” staff is entitiled to freedom of the press. Neither the West administration nor the SMSD are responsible for any article, advertisement, photograph, illustration or opinion piece in “The Epic.” “The Epic” encourages letters to the editor, but they must be signed and submitted to room 11. “The Epic” is published monthly. It is printed by the Sedalia Democrat and is distributed free of charge to students. For advertising information call (913) 993-7911.

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An opinion of the staff

At any point in time, one should be prepared to experience, endure, and accept change. Sometimes change comes in more complex, difficult forms, and it can be confusing. Conversely, though, change can come in simple, easily manageable ways that are largely beneficial. We on staff at “The Epic” believe that everyone should critically examine changes, looking at their pros and cons while identifying areas for improvement. However, it’s important to be educated on the matter at hand when making these judgments, because these judgments are influential and can either advance a change or hinder it.

One recent change in the Shawnee Mission West environment is the introduction of compost bins. Upon examination, we at “The Epic” have decided that West’s new composting initiative serves our school’s interests and should be viewed as a service instead of a impediment.

The first thing that should be said about composting is that it’s one of the easiest ways to significantly contribute to the community at large. That is, by simply putting food into the compost bins, you’ve already completed the first step in a longer process. There is nothing more for a student to do beyond that.

The compost from our school not only goes to farmers around the region, but it also comes back to our school for the garden that the Environmental Club maintains. That means we can grow and provide produce for our own school cafeteria using what we’ve thrown into the compost bins.

Additionally, it is much more environmentally friendly to compost than to simply throw everything into the trash. That’s because by composting, we can divert a large amount of our school’s waste to compost piles, where the waste easily decomposes instead of polluting the environment or taking up space. Furthermore, the compost that farmers use is a natural fertilizer, which means farmers don’t have to pump their land full of harmful chemicals that eventually end up in our waterways.

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Shawnee Mission West can also draw plenty of good attention from the district for its composting efforts. If the students keep the composting initiative running successfully, it can boost the image of our school and cause other schools to join the cause. That’s right: just by composting well, other schools around the area may begin composting programs of their own.

All of these benefits take place because of the initial step of a student putting their food waste into our school’s compost bins. While this is easy enough, some students have worried about whether they’re sorting their waste correctly, and some have complained that it takes too much time to throw every item into its respective bin.

However, these two concerns can be tackled very easily. Firstly, in this issue, we at “The Epic” have included another list of compostable items. There are also posters by all the bins that state what may or may not be put into the compost bins. As for the time that it takes to sort your tray’s contents, “The Epic” staff recommends that you separate your food waste at your table. That way, you can quickly and easily drop your food waste into the different bins at the cafeteria and bridge’s waste stations.

We at “The Epic” know that changes can sometimes be confusing, but we also know that as long as people understand them, the changes become simpler and much more natural. We especially recognize that new concepts can be hard to accept. However, composting is much easier than most people think, and it comes with quite a few perks that can come back to benefit Shawnee Mission West and our local community in numerous ways. To those who have been cooperating and trying their best to compost, thank you. To those who have been unaware or unsure on the issue, we have faith that you can figure it out quickly. With everyone’s help, we can make sure composting at West goes smoothly and easily.

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Stay up-to-date with West’s online publication, The Voyager.

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issue 4

lip sync On November 11, eight groups of students took the stage and showed o their moves.

Photos by Rian Stallbaumer and Kenna Swihart

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are Standardized Finals the Future?

The way final exams have been administered in the past is changing.

By Caroline Fullerton and Christian Hooper

Standardized tests have been a part of American education since the 1800s, and their use has skyrocketed within the last ten years. SMSD is on track to incorporate this strategy of common assessment into the way finals are administered within the same grade level and subject. The reason for this change is to ensure that similar material and objectives are being met despite which teacher a student has for that particular course.

In the past, final exams have been made by individual teachers who have the ability to include and exclude material that they have or have not taught. This ensures that no new information would be on the exam that students may not know.

However, this way of assessing is soon to be a thing of the past, because final exams are being developed right now by district PLC’s (Professional Learning Communities). In other words, teachers who teach the same subject and level are meeting to discuss the standard curriculum students should know for the semester and how their knowledge should be assessed.

This change in testing method would ensure that course content is equivalent for all students across the district. Standardized finals also hope to measure whether or not students are learning all of the essential core concepts for that class. It means that despite whether a student has “Mrs. X” or “Mr. Y” for English, their final exam will be the same.

The district is enforcing these changes in these departments: English, Social Studies,

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Math, Science, beginning levels of World Languages, PE and Health.

“For example, all our English 9 teachers meet to discuss the standards and skills taught for semester one and how students should be assessed on those standards/skills in a comprehensive manner,” Principal Steve Loe said.

“... we’ll all have the same base of learning, but at the same time lots of teachers teach in different ways and focus on certain things that others may not focus on, which could lead to some discrepancy” -Riley Kaiser Because common final exams are still in the developmental stages, the goal is for each course area to create a final exam with 75 percent of its content standardized rather than have carbon copy finals for each content area.

Junior Riley Kaiser has mixed feelings on how this will affect her.

“I feel like it’s good and bad because we’ll all have the same base of learning, but at the same time lots of teachers teach in different ways and focus on certain things that others may not focus on, which could

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lead to some discrepancy,” Kaiser said.

English teacher Mimi Rainen believes standardized finals may create a “false sense of security” for students. Students would be able to ask their friends for the material on the test, which might cause them to be unprepared. She thinks this creates an unfair advantage for students who take the final on a later date.

“I believe that the finals may measure intelligence rather than performance, the student could not participate in class or complete homework but be very bright, and do extremely well on the exam,” Rainen said.

English teacher Marla Dercher is “for common finals, if the curriculum is in sync like it should be, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

She believes that it would ensure the same material is taught and core concepts are learned. Dercher’s only concern is cheating, since all of the students enrolled in the same course would be receiving essentially the same final.

Next semester a West representative will meet with other district high school representatives and administrators to create a district-wide common final exam for each content area. According to Loe, most teachers in the building do agree that standardizing finals is the way to go--as long as these exams do in fact measure course standards.

Loe said to “remember that this is a work in progress.”

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Slytherin to West’s Newest Club Though the final movie came out in 2011, the story of Harry Potter never ends for true fans.

By Caroline Fullerton and Sami Jansen Senior Sinclaire Miramontez and junior Adam Leligdon took their love for Harry Potter a step further when they gave students an opportunity to immerse themselves into the fandom.

Starting in November, a new after-school club dedicated to the Harry Potter fandom is available to students. Every other Wednesday the Harry Potter club will meet to have in-depth discussions, compete in trivia, and participate in Harry Potter themed activities.

The idea for a Harry Potter club was initially a joke, but it quickly evolved into something serious with Miramontez and Leligdon, who convinced senior English teacher Marla Dercher to sponsor their new club.

“In Dercher’s class we were doing an assignment about your earliest memory of reading, and I said the Harry Potter novels. I was jokingly talking about South’s Harry Potter club, and someone was like ‘Sinclaire you should make a Harry Potter club!’ and I was like ‘Okay!’” Miramontez said.

“Sinclaire was talking about it in first hour kind of jokingly, and that night I went home and wrote a mission statement,” Leligdon said.

Sixteen students gathered on November 18 for the first meeting.

The meeting was kicked off with trivia and then club members were invited to take a quiz that sorted them into one of the four

18% Slytherin

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houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. These will be the groups that club members are in when competing in future activities.

The first meeting was a success for club attendees and sponsors.

Junior Kamille Greenwood was one of the 16 that attended the club.

“I was sorted into Hufflepuff and it relates to me because hufflepuffs are known to be hardworking, emotional and smart,” Greenwood said.

“It’s nice to talk with people about your interests, and you don’t always know, there’s people who like Harry Potter that you obviously don’t talk to during the day. I thought it would be interesting to talk to people who have a lot of different insights on the book,” Leligdon said.

Lelingdon and Miramontez plan to create a Quidditch team that will compete with other schools. SM East and SM South already have functioning teams.

Future plans discussed for the club include movie nights, themed potlucks and T-shirts.

“It’ll be really cool because at this point we are all just reliving the Harry Potter series, but I think it’d be cool for all of us Harry Potter fans to discover something new,” Leligdon said.

Where do you belong?

Each new club member was sorted into a Hogwarts house based on their personality, and here’s a breakdown of where they ended up.

Hufflepuff

23% Ravenclaw

41% Gryffindor

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Club cofounder Sinclaire Miramontez high fives sophomore Zach Wilhoit.

Photo by Merani Rivarola

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Caught

Green handed Two years after environmental club was created, Alex Ralston, along with other members of the club, decided to take on a project to decrease the amount of the school’s trash entering a landfill. The club made a decision to put in place a compost system.

In the first year of the club, they did a couple stream clean ups and and the next year they performed an invasive plant removal and built a garden. The garden is located in the Antioch courtyard. As of now, the club is still deciding what to do with the produce from the garden.

“Should it be for people in the area who want to get food from it, do we want to give it to the cafeteria, give it to harvesters? But just building the garden is a big step and allows you to explore the possibilities,” Ralston said.

As the club was deciding what they should do next, science teacher Matt Baker introduced the idea of composting after

The environmental club brings composting stations to the lunchroom.

By Colette Balas and Lexi Hart

popping into the club to hear some of the discussion. After the meeting, some students like senior Bryan Ralphs expressed interest in assisting Ralston with the project.

“My involvement in composting was researching what would be needed and contacting and meeting with people, with tons of help from Alex, Moles, and the rest of the club,” Ralphs said.

Ralston, along with the rest of the club, wants students to understand that composting is important but not difficult to participate in.

“We wanted to make sure we had a project that showed the ease with which you could compost. It is a very impactful thing that requires very little effort,” Ralston said.

Missouri Organics is the company that works with the composting. They analyze the compost and decide how much waste was not put into a landfill. They will then give the club a statistic of how much of the waste went into a compost versus a landfill.

Did you know?

The average American household generates 650 pounds of compostable materials each year.

Wasted food in landfills accounts for up to 20 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

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“They’re the only people in the area that do anything composting-wise; they do it for big businesses. They have a giant compost pile that they take all of our waste to and they compost it for five to 10 weeks and then they put it up for sale. They sell it to farmers in the area or anyone who needs it,” Ralston said.

The rules of composting are simple: food and paper are compostable. Other items that cannot be composted can either be recycled or thrown away. If an item still contains liquid, there is a bucket available to pour the excess in.

“I think composting is a good idea. It’s mostly the same process as before, but instead of trash it all goes into compost,” Ralphs said.

It’s like a cycle: you get your food and you compost what you don’t eat and take it back to where you grow food,” Ralston said.

60% of what we put in our landfills is compostable. issue 4

First, can it be composted?

If not, can it be recylced?

Still no? In the trash!

what can i compost?

Food scraps including - meat - dairy products - fruits and vegetables - breads Products such as - paper towels - paper plates - paper boats - napkins - cardboard Photo by Grace Armenta

December 10

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everything isis

An Opinion By Drake Mattis The U.S. must destroy ISIS. National security threats are at their highest level in a decade, and war must be declared on this terrorist group made up of radical Islamic militants.

And yes, I said it. These Islamic extremists interpret their religion in an extreme way where they believe that they are being told by Allah that they are to commit acts of violence. Now read that closely, I’m talking about Islamic extremists, not every Muslim or every person who practices Islam. The Islamic religion is typically rather peaceful. The vast majority of Muslims are not violent, and I call on all of you to not discriminate or be afraid of anyone you see who is wearing a hijab, veil, or any other common Islamic garment.

Islamophobia is something that has risen dramatically in the past decade, but most people who claim to have so called “Islamophobia” are racist bigots who don’t have a significant reason behind their fear.

Instead of discriminating Muslims, the only thing that I have to say is that people need to be aware of their surroundings, regardless of race or religion, and I say this because national security should legitimately be on high alert.

Aside from that tirade, and besides the political correctness debate, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a legitimate threat to the United States and its allies. This has already been proven through the attacks on Paris in November that claimed the lives of over a hundred

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and injured hundreds more and through the suicide bombing attacks in Beirut, Lebanon that claimed the lives of dozens more.

Another event that has put Western countries on edge was the downing of the Russian commercial airliner which was later claimed by ISIS. Now, I am certainly not a conspiracy theorist, and I do not believe in conspiracy theories. I am simply a realist, and I realize that an attack on American soil is quite possible.

Like I said before, war must be declared on ISIS in order to eradicate them. As for how to combat the terrorist group, I do not think that ground troops are necessary at this point. In my opinion, continued airstrikes are probably the best option for the U.S. If we were sent into another lengthy and costly war similar to the one in Iraq, it would be a mistake that would cost the U.S. billions of dollars and likely many lives.

The only reason why I would see that ground troops would be needed in the region that ISIS has occupied is if there was a large attack that was successfully carried out by ISIS on U.S. soil. In this case only would I see the U.S. send over hundreds if not thousands of troops to give their full effort to destroy the group and gain control of ISIS-occupied areas to eventually give back to the Iraqi and Syrian governments (even though the Syrian government is led by virtually a dictator in Bashar al Assad).

There are several options when it comes to deciding on what to do to combat ISIS. One option that would make the combat zone easier to focus on and target would be negotiating a ceasefire between the Syrian government and Syrian rebel groups. This mediating would likely have to be led by the U.S. or Russia, who currently have their own issues with each other.

Secretary of State John Kerry would be the lead U.S. negotiator, and I have little faith in his diplomatic and negotiating

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skills. As seen in the Iran nuclear weapon crisis negotiations (which took far too long and ended up not accomplishing much), I do not think that he would do well when speaking to leaders of the countries that ISIS is in, those being Syria and Iraq, or Vladimir Putin and other Russian leaders.

Another plan that could potentially prove to be successful in fighting ISIS is the creation of a coalition of militaries from the Middle East. This military “collaboration” would have to be made up of U.S. allies in the region such as Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, who is currently fighting its own battle against Palestine in the West Bank.

It is still fairly early to speculate on what the U.S. will do, but I think the waiting period is waning, and further action is necessary to wipe these no good, brainwashed murderers off the face of the earth.

God Bless America.

Photo courtesy of (CC) Cliff

Secretary of State John Kerry is a key U.S. negotiator in the fight against ISIS

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the dreamers

An Opinion By Kristin Wells Here’s to my fellow dreamers. The ones that could get lost inside their own heads and emerge with new visions every time.

Those of us that were inspired as children and never lost that sense of wonder and awe. If you’re anything like me, a lot of that inspiration came from Disney.

I grew up on Disney. Songs from the “Lion King” and “Tarzan” filled my head and visions of defeating Titans like Hercules stuck in my head. Ask anyone close to me and they will know my love for Disney.

Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but my Disney Pinterest board contains over 500 pins. As a child, these movies were just fun and imaginative. I never pondered the

messages from each movie until I grew up a little, and grew into understanding them a little bit better.

Peter Pan dazzled me with his crazy adventures and his ability to always get out of every sticky situation. Straightforward and simple, Peter Pan is a determined dreamer. He has no desire to grow up and so he finds a place where he can stay a child. He believes he can fly, and with a little pixie dust, does so. I don’t know about you, but I would love to have that drive to follow my dreams. Even his address, “second star to the right and straight on until morning!” depicts dreaming.

My third grade Halloween costume was Mary Poppins. I would spend countless hours in backyards with my umbrella, running and jumping to catch the wind and fly like Mary Poppins. But it wasn’t just the mind-boggling magic and fun adventures Mary Poppins had either, it was her firm belief in the reality of dreams. Do you think Mary Poppins could have done any of the magical things she had done if she didn’t believe that she could? In the

musical version of Mary Poppins, there’s a song that says “anything can happen if you let it.” I love that line because it epitomizes one of the things that Mary Poppins helps teach the Banks family.

In my opinion, one of the most underrated Disney movies is “Hercules.” The music gives me chills every time I watch it and I just love Greek mythology, even if the movie is not exactly accurate. The thing that sticks out to me about Hercules is its message of go and chase what it is you want. If you have a dream, don’t let any naysayers get in your way. Even Hercules’ trainer, Phil, is reluctant to help him. But Hercules never loses his fire to get what he wants. He is resolute in his dreams, even when faced with death.

Even as my age increases, I will always be a child at heart, a dreamer. Like Mary Poppins says, “If you reach for the stars, all you get are the stars. If you reach for the heavens, you get the stars thrown in.” So here’s to the dreamers.

financially illiterate

An Opinion By Max Meyer In school, there’s no doubt that we all gain an immense amount of knowledge.

We learn about Orbital Notations, but why don’t we learn about how to handle our finances?

We are expected to enter the real world after we graduate and know exactly what to do with our money. We aren’t even

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taught the most basic things such as filing taxes.

Yes, there is already a financial literacy class, but it isn’t required for everyone.

Because of this, most students choose not to take it. I believe that it should become a required class for every student.

I have an easy way to implement this class into every student’s schedule. Currently, students are required to take computer applications. This class may have been useful a decade or even five years ago, but now it is pointless. Students in our district use computers beginning in elementary school, so by the time they reach high school,they have been using com-

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puters for five years or more. Additionally, we are all given laptops, so we have learned on our own how to work them. In computer applications we learn how to use the Microsoft Office applications (Word, Powerpoint, Excel), and we don’t have any of these on our laptops. Instead, we use Google for almost everything. The change I propose is just switch a financial literacy class in place of computer apps.

Making this change would benefit all students in two main ways. Students would no longer have to use an entire class taking a course that we already have sizeable knowledge about. Also, students would learn valuable lessons about how to handle

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their finances.

There would be a number of lessons that students would learn. First of all, students would learn how to save money.

A large amount of students spend money as soon as they get it because they are supported by their parents. However, once students enter college they may have to support themselves. Second, students will learn how to apply for loans. It is common for students to take out loans for college,

so they need to be informed on how to do that. Third, students would learn how to file taxes because it is something that they will need to do for the rest of their lives.

These are just a few of things that the curriculum could include.

Having a form of financial literacy as a required class may not be too far in the future. Recently, the district has been holding “Super Chats” with parents from around the district. At the last meeting, a

few parents suggested the idea of a finance class similar to my idea. My hope is that with parent and student support for a class like this that it will soon become a required class.

Financial Literacy is a lifelong skill that everyone needs. It is only logical that a class this beneficial be required for everyone, so it should be made a class.

quit trying to live two lives

An Opinion By Nick Vance The super majority of people today have at least one social media account.

Having said account comes with a lot of responsibilities in today’s world. You have to update your status, tweet, Instagram or snap everything interesting that happens in your life so other people can see. Why? I don’t know.

Since the beginning of time, people have loved the feeling of being connected with one another. Today, people crave those retweets, likes, comments and favorites. It makes them feel important.

It’s like a game of “whoever gets the most notifications on one single post wins.” We are connected with our phones now more than ever, and sometimes the life we put out for social media to see isn’t the life we are destined to live. Everyone is so focused on their next tweet or funny caption idea that they miss out on real life. When will it stop?

Remember the 90s? Of course you do: #90skidsforver #ima90sbabywithnobaby.

Teens today crave the 90s lifestyle. Why?

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Maybe because they relish their childhood.

But maybe it’s about the lack of social media. You were in the moment 24/7.

Hangin’ with the guys or gals and having a great time. No one worried about creating a status update or tweet so the whole world knew you were having a fun time.

Everything was right in front of you and you didn’t need to show people how much fun you were having, or what you were cooking for dinner, or who your #mancrushmonday was or even how amazing that concert sounded (By the way I don’t give a hoot about any of that).

Now here we go again. Nick hates something else. No, I strongly believe there are many positive things about social media. But there comes a time where enough is enough. Once people become less infatuated with social media, social media will be used for good (not evil).

The social media world is also a dangerous place. How many times in your life have you received spam from someone you know? “Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks by doing nothing. Check it out!” “Win a new car!” “Mail order wives come in the mail in just two weeks! Click on the link.”

These are just a few examples of the terrible viruses that can steal your password information. clicking on these links can hack your account and create an embarrassing story to clear up. Maybe it’s a good idea to change your password to something complicated. DON’T have your password be “soccergurl4lyfe” or “kumquats.”

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It’s a disappointing place as well. I cannot wait for the premiere of the new “Star Wars” movie on December 18th, but I guarantee you someone will tweet out about how the African American man portrayed in the trailer dies horrifically or something crazy like that. I just want to see the movie without inconsiderate bigots commenting all over social media about the juicy inner workings of the movie.

There are some good things to come out of social media as well. Like the random “best friend day” that happens like 3 times a year. Everyone loves posting really sappy pictures and I just think that’s so cute. Almost “bae goals.” While these bae goals are occurring, the instagram surges with more bae goals when school dance season comes and goes. Social media reveals a lot about people, like in 2012 when everyone thought the world was ending so everyone decided to share deep, dank, and dark secrets. Social media can create bonds between humans and, after all, isn’t that what life is really about? An old wise man once told me that life is a playground and we are all just looking for someone to play with. I think everyone should take heed to that advice. But in order to find your playmate, you have to actually go out and play.

Quit tweeting so much and live your life. Quit putting your whole life on your Snapchat story and go live it. As T.I. And Rhianna would say “just live your life, ay ay ay.”

issue 4

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operation 121 Club 121 decided to work with an organization to give gifts to kids and provide a nice holiday.

By Lexi Hart Club 121 is a club that focuses on community service. Their big project that has caught some attention is how they have packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

“I organize it and often I’ll be the one speaking and giving some kind of encouragement,” senior Alicia Valverde said.

The club overall is student led and special education teacher, Aubrey Gilhaus, is the sponsor to help Valverde bounce ideas off of.

“I wanted to sponsor this club because it’s a group of kids that want to celebrate their beliefs and their faith by worship, prayer, and by acts of kindness,” Gilhaus said.

Valverde thought Operation Christmas Child was a fun option for the club to give to kids who don’t have a lot.

“It’s something my family has done for years, and so it’s really close to my heart because I grew up doing it. It’s just a way to get involved and do some kind of service, and for me especially, kids are really my passion, and so anything working with kids, I really enjoy, so I thought others would enjoy it too,” Valverde sad.

The project was a big hit, as the rest of the club really enjoyed packing the boxes, as well as going out and buying toys to put in the boxes.

“I had heard of this opportunity before, but I had never been involved with it, and I think this would be a really neat thing to continue doing here with 121 and anybody at West who like to get involved,” Gilhaus said.

The club packed in between 15 and 20 boxes and there were even teachers who contributed.

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“The whole club was great, they all brought in little items and packed boxes one morning, and we had extra boxes, and decided to email the staff to see if anybody would like to be involved.

As for future projects, ideas are still up in the air. The club hopes to grow and help more people by giving back.

“I was really proud of Alicia, and the other kids who were there that morning to pack the boxes and just had a great giving spirit and attitude about it, spent their own money and I love that these are going to go half way across the world and bless other kids that don’t have the simple things that we all take for granted,” Gilhaus said.

“I don’t have any ideas at the time, but I think it would be cool to do something with City Union Mission in the spring,” Valverde said.

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Senior Alicia Valverde marks a verse with her hand to keep her place as she gives a morning devotional at a meeting of Club 121. Valverde was in charge of Club 121’s work for Operation Christmas Child.

Photo by Jenna Wilson

issue 4

Volunteer at an animal shelter

There are a few shelters in the area that allow volunteers such as, Wayside Waifs or Great Plains SPCA. You can look at their websites to see the list of ways to volunteer and help out your furry friends.

If you go to church or are involved in your church, check out the different opportunities they are offering because I am sure they have some in place, you just have to research it.

Local Soup Kitchens

h a rv e s t e r s

Habitat for Humanity

For example, you can volunteer at City Union Mission which is a Christian ministry that helps the poor and homeless. Donating is also available if you aren’t able to give your time.

Harvesters is a community food network that provides food for people that need it. Volunteers can help sort food or assisting with special events. Donating food is also another way to get involved.

Harvesters Food Bank

Habitat for Humanity is a housing organization with the goal of providing everyone with a comfortable house to live in. Lend a hand in helping build a house or project. You can volunteer at a local Habitat, go on a volunteering trip, and even help with special programs

Find a local retirement home and research the ways you can get involved and bring a smile to a senior citizen’s face.

december 10

Church Related Work

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Retirement Homes feature

15

Battle of the

BOTS W

hen most people think of cutting edge technology, they think of incredibly advanced pieces of equipment that can do almost anything. However, mention cutting edge technology to the Robotics team, and they will most likely have a different idea in mind.

The Robotics team is entering into the battle bots competition for the first time ever. Previously, the Robotics team participated in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) robotics competition. The FIRST competitions provide a team of students with a task that must be completed by a robot. The task could be anything from launching frisbees to lifting objects.

The team of students then must design, build, program and test their robots to meet the season’s engineering challenge.

“This is a totally new thing we are doing. Our other one being FIRST robotics,” Robotics president, Gunnar Sanders, said.

The battle bots competition is hosted by Olathe Northwest and is held under National Robotics League rules.

These competitions are a far cry from the FIRST competitions. The Robotics club is able to participate in this competition due to the assistance of a representative from the National Tooling and Machining Association.

“A representative from the National Tooling and Machining Association reached out to our Robotics sponsor and asked if we would like to participate in Battle Bots with all fees paid. This representative was offering to give us $1000-$2000 just this year alone to go compete in the local Olathe Northwest competition. If we did well, they would also pay for any expenses to go to the national one,” said Sanders.

While this is similar to the battle bot competitions that were previously broadcast on television, the NRL rules have placed some restrictions on the bots in order to reduce the risk of danger.

“This battle bots is NRL division, which is a 15 pound or under robot. The ones you see on TV from that old show, Robot Wars, those robots are like 100-120 pounds.

These battlebots are a lower weight specification,” said Sanders.

The excitement from the thought of battling robots has done wonders for the Robotics team’s participation. The

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Robotics embarks on a new kind of competition.

By Brock Burnett

amount of members of the Robotics team has jumped up dramatically with the introduction of this new prospect.

“Robotics has always been a unique experience that has been about a small team competing with very large goals. Just with the introduction of Battle Bots, we have, just from last year, quadrupled our numbers. Last year, we had five people that went to the world championship. Now we have about 20-30 people. Other teams hold auditions just to get into Robotics, and we have (previously) struggled to get any (members),” said Sanders. “People like machines smacking into each other, especially when there’s spinning involved or saw blades.”

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All Wired Up Building a robot requires a lot of patience and trial and error. Photographer Emma Arnold snapped pictures of the multitude of wires used to connect the robot’s electrical components.

issue 4

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- Gun n Robo ar Sander tics P s resid , ent

“So on a battle bots team, you have your builders. You have your electronics people.

You’re going to have some drivers. You’re going to have your design people. Then you’re going to have people that take notes and make documentation for everything,” said Sanders.

Many members are excited to be able to experience the battle bots competition.

“I’m very excited. Seeing robots battle it out is going to be a lot of fun. I remember watching the show as a kid, so in a way, I am kind of living out a childhood dream,” Robotics club member Brandon Hattaway said.

Sanders believes that the battle bots experience will benefit Robotics members long after the competition.

“It will be good to give this experience to more people, allowing for more people to get more skills, more scholarships, more

“I am kind of living out a Childhood Dream.”

of the Robotics club. Many members are enthralled with the idea of a challenging new prospect.

“It was a bit concerning at first. We had to learn a lot about the regulations each bot must follow. There was a lot of reading involved,” said Hattaway.

While the battle bots competition is a new endeavor, the Robotics club seems excited to tackle it and compete. With an increased number of members, Robotics has found a new source of energy in the battle bots competition. They will put their battle bots to the test sometime in the spring.

Brandon Hattaway opportunities for jobs in the future,” said Sanders.

While this battle bots experience is new, it is certainly not daunting for the members

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it b Ro December 10

the epic.

PWM Gauge Wire

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17

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issue 4

WE ARE NOT TERROR ISTS A sophomore explains what it really means to be Syrian.

By Sylvia Bryan

A

ll races and ethnicities deal with prejudice, but Middle Easterners face harsher stereotypes than most groups.

Terrorist attacks have damaged Western countries over the past two decades, and many of the perpetrators were Islamic extremists or of Middle Eastern descent. This has caused a strong anti-Middle Eastern sentiment and sometimes Islamophobia throughout the United States.

Sophomore Mouhamd Issawi immigrated from Syria to the United States three years ago, when he was 14 years old.

“My uncle lived here so he got the application for us. My father and sisters came here first, then my mother and I came last,”

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Issawi said.

Middle East is a broad term that describes nearly 20 countries as well as a large variety of ethnic groups, religions and languages. The average Syrian will have a much different day-to-day life than the average Israeli, who will also have a much different life than the average Egyptian.

“There are numerous political units, ethnicities, religions, languages, that make up the Middle East. These blanket comments are dangerous and only lead to more misunderstanding. I wouldn’t appreciate it if someone made a blanket comment about the US. We are not all the same people, so what one person might do in Kentucky doesn’t at all represent who I am here in

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Kansas,” Arabic teacher Annie Hasan said.

News stories about violence the Middle East can seem endless, from the conflict between Israel and Palestine to the murder of journalists like James Foley. Although this doesn’t represent everyday citizens, such as Issawi’s family, it does affect their lives. When Issawi was at school in Syria, members of ISIS came into the classroom and shot at the students.

“What I can say is that they don’t even look Syrian. Their hair and clothes, they look 100 percent different. They’re from all over, they come from Libya and Iran. But they just want to kill,” Issawi said.

Actions committed by extremists are not representative of an entire religion or

issue 4

ethnicity. The same way that the Planned Parenthood shooting does not represent the actions of all white males, the Paris attacks do not represent the actions of all Middle Eastern people.

“Although I think our community is a very accepting one, I can speak through experience that we probably all have relatives and or friends who have made blanket comments about all Middle Easterners as if they all believe in the same things and behave in the same way,” Hasan said.

Hasan does believe that most students are conscious of the differences between extremists and everyday people.

“I think that in general students tend to see the person for who they are. I also think that most students make that separation between the radicals, who get way too much media attention, and the rest of the population who are dedicated citizens who are wanting nothing more than a secure life for themselves and their families,” Hasan said.

Despite that, Issawi has experienced insults and ignorance from his peers.

“I had someone ask me ‘Do you have a bomb?’ and of course I don’t, it’s school,” Issawi said.

However, Issawi is secure in his own identity.

“I know who I am,” Issawi said.

Another incident Issawi dealt with happened during class.

“The teacher said to pass back papers, so I hand it to the guy behind me and he snatches it out of my hands really fast, like I was going to hurt him,” Issawi said.

Discrimination towards Middle Easterners and Muslims isn’t something that only happens on a small scale. The FBI’s 2014 hate crime

“People need to read and learn more about societies that are not familiar, otherwise, we will never fully understand the world. When you meet people from other places and eat in their homes and become part of their family, you will then taste and feel their incredible hospitality. The world is a classroom. Explore it.”

-Annie Hasan statistics indicated that 16.1 percent of religiously motivated hate crimes targeted Muslims. In a 2012 incident, a white supremacist shot six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin,

but believed he was killing Muslims, according to Al Jazeera. The Southern Poverty Law Center also reported that 30 anti-Muslim hate groups have developed in the US since the September 11 attacks.

Hasan teaches Arabic, which was Issawi’s first language, to students from SM West and SM South. Until this year, West’s enrollment was high enough that the class was taught in the building. However, this year only three SM West students are in the program, therefore Hasan teaches at SM South full time.

“I think a lot of people are intimidated by learning a language that uses different letters.

Plus, I think by living in the US people have a greater understanding of Europe and South America because many more Americans have visited there or know someone who has. I think some people are just more comfortable with the familiar,” Hasan said.

But sometimes breaking away from the comfortable, familiar things is the only way to combat prejudice.

“People need to read and learn more about societies that are not familiar, otherwise, we will never fully understand the world. When you meet people from other places and eat in their homes and become part of their family, you will then taste and feel their incredible hospitality.

The world is a classroom. Explore it,” Hasan said.

Photo illustrations by Grace Armenta

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21

BRIEFS Back to the

The news you want - fast. By Brock Burnett

Venn Diagram

JACK

Chewbacca Grizzly Bear

On December 2, Adult Swim announced that they will be bringing back the popular 2000’s cartoon “Samurai Jack” in 2016. The show will be produced with the original producer Gennedy Tartakovsky, on board as the executive producer.

Probably Furry wouldn’t co-pilot of want to make the Millenium either of Falcon. them angry.

Speaks in loud roars.

Not #not, not #hot, but

1. Sleet, when it should snow 2. Frozen shut car doors 3. Navigating through traffic 4. Wanting cheese pizza, but there’s only pepperoni, so you have to peel the pepperoni off your pizza in an attempt to salvage what cheese you can.

Zuckerbaby

#MEH

On December 1, Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan welcomed their daughter Max into the world. With the birth of their daughter, Zuckerberg and his wife plan to donate 99% of their shares of Facebook to their charity foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The shares, worth about 45 billion dollars, will be donated through out their lifetimes.

Dangerous mammals that can crush a bowling ball with their bite.

Soiled It!

Scientists have found that in the past 40 years, the world has lost one-third of its land capable of supporting crops. The University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures looked at various pieces of research published in the past decade in order to reach this conclusion.

“You think of the dust bowl of the 1930s in North America and then you realise we are moving towards that situation if we don’t do something,” said Duncan Cameron, professor of plant and soil biology at the University of Sheffield.

I don’t think anyone could replace Harrison as Indy. It’s certainly not my intention to have another actor step into his shoes in the way there Now, have been many actors that New York have played Spider-Man or City will Batman. There is only going to require any be one actor playing Indiana restaurant Jones and that’s Harrison with more Ford. than 15 locations nationwide to label which food items Steven they serve that contain more Spielberg, than a teaspoon of sodium.

On Replacing Harrison Ford The items will be indicated as Indiana Jones with the symbol above.

Salty?

ELI-OH MY GOSH! With two seats, three wheels and a gas milage at an upwards of 80 miles per gallon, the Elio is bringing down the unneccessary excess in the car world.

The Elio is equipped with three airbags, anti-lock

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breaks and a reinforced rollcage frame. It comes with a three cylinder engine and tops out over 100 mph. The icing on the cake is the Elio’s low price of about $6,800.

It has a tenative release date set in late 2016.

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Games

Across Tic-Tac-Toe 2. A peppermint flavored candy stick commonly associated with Christmastide 8. Animals who are the main power for Santa’s sleigh 9. How many days Hanukkah is celebrated 12. Something gifted to someone for the holidays 14. A four sided spinning top used for a game in Jewish culture 15. A long sock traditionally hung by children for Santa Claus to fill with goodies 16. A decoration used to festoon a Christmas tree 17. A Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple 18. An annual Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ held on December 25th 19. A festival celebrated by African Americans from December 26th to January 1st to recongize their cultural heritage Down 1. A candelabrum used during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah 3. Month in which Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are all celebrated 4. Carries Santa and all of his presents on Christmas Eve 5. If you stand under this with someone else you must be kissed 6. Commonly left out by children on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus 7. An arrangement of leaves or flowers fastened in a ring used as a Christmas decoration 10. A sweet food product flavored with ginger and molasses eaten around Christmastime 11. A fictional holiday as introduced on the TV show Seinfeld which includes traditions including an “Airing of Grievances” and “Feats of Strength” 13. A plump man who brings presents to all of the good children on Christmas Eve according to legend 17. A Christmas decoration usually made from evergreen leaves and red berries

december 10

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23

College Pigskin Picks

Max’s Pick: OKLAHOMA I

24

believe

that

Oklahoma

adam’s Pick: OKLAHOMA I’m hopping on the Sooner

win the National Here’s Why: will Championship. Since losing

and picking Here’s Why: Schooner Oklahoma to fight through the

to Texas in early October, Oklahoma has rolled through the Big 12. They appear to be playing their best football right now. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has strung together a Heisman caliber season and has great weapons around him. Running back Semaje Perine has nearly 1,300 yards in his sophomore year and wideout Sterling Shepard had 12 touchdown receptions in the regular season.

Coach Bob Stoops has experience in big games, so he will know how to prepare his team. Overall, Oklahoma has all the makings of a championship team and they are playing at the top of their game.

College Football Playoff and win the 2016 National Championship. The Sooners are riding the back of their cocky quarterback, Baker Mayfield and he is not disappointing. The Texas Tech transfer has slung his way into Heisman contention, throwing seemingly touchdown after touchdown. Running back Semaje Perine is a great mix of finesse, power and speed in the backfield. After shutting down the high powered offense of Oklahoma State in the “Big 12 Championship,” I’m convinced that the Oklahoma defense is poised to stop anyone in the country. Bob Stoops has as much postseason experience as any coach in the country and will be ready to outwit whoever his counterpart is. When the end of the season rolls around, it’s all about momentum and the Sooners have it right now.

They’re the hottest team in the country, and I expect that to continue until they have the trophy in hand.

Sports

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issue 4

Four “Epic” staff members choose which college team they think will win the National Championship and explain why they chose their team.

Input from Max Meyer, Adam Rellihan, Drake Mattis and Eric Sedlacek.

Drake’s Pick: Clemson

eric’s Pick: Alabama

Behind star quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Clemson Tigers will win the 2016 College Football Playoff Championship. In the regular season alone, Watson threw for 3,223 yards and 27 touchdowns as he led Clemson to an undefeated regular season and made his mark as a clear Heisman Trophy contender. This will be Clemson’s first national title since 1981 when they won their first championship in program history.

If my prediction is correct, Clemson will finish the season at 15-0 under head coach Dabo Swinney’s eighth season. Look out for the Tigers again next year as well. They will be loaded with returning players, including Deshaun Watson, who will be a junior.

Alabama will win this year’s National Championship.

Since Ole Miss beat Alabama by a score of 43-37 in week 3, Alabama’s defense hasn’t allowed more than 23 points in any game.

With Alabama’s defense stepping up, the offense hasn’t had to score a bunch of points. However, Alabama’s junior running back, Derrick Henry, is a legit Heisman contender. Henry has nearly 1,800 rushing yards and 20 plus touchdowns. After Alabama’s slow start to the season, they got back to the normal Alabama football by playing a strong defense and smash mouth football. Therefore this is Alabama’s championship to lose. Also would be Nick Saban’s fourth National Championship as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide and fifth overall.

Here’s Why:

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Here’s Why:

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Sports

25

There’s

Snow

Place Like Home

Several students take to the snow and ice to get active.

By Colette Balas and Sami Jansen

School sports are a fundamental part of many students lives, but when the weather gets cold some students pursue less traditional sports.

Freshman Drew Nicholson ice skates competitively. Nicholson started ice skating in third grade and has continued skating off and on since then. Her mom passed on her love for ice skating to Nicholson.

“I started to compete like my mom used to,” Nicholson said.

She takes private lessons and enjoys mastering new skills. ”My favorite thing is learning new jumps and spins and getting to know my coaches,” Nicholson said.

“Ice skating is unique because not everyone does it; that’s why I love it. It’s not like volleyball or soccer, it’s not a very popular sport for most people,” Nicholson said.

Junior Adam Leligdon plays hockey for the KC Stars year around.

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“I started playing hockey on a team in about 4th grade, but I played a lot with my dad before then,” Leligdon said.

“Ice skating is unique because not everyone does it; that’s why I love it. It’s not like volleyball or soccer, it’s not a very popular sport for most people” -Drew Nicholson Leligdon grew up watching his favorite team, the Chicago Blackhawks. His family inspired him to play.

“My dad and grandpa played hockey so that was what got me started on playing,”

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Leligdon said.

According to Business Insider, hockey is the most dangerous high school sport to play. It can be a difficult sport to play because the player has to be fast and coordinated on the ice and also aggressive. It can also be very violent, so the players have to wear shoulder and arm pads, pants with built in pads, a helmet, gloves, and shin guards to protect themselves.

Because of the lack of teams in the area, Leligdon constantly travels for games.

“A lot of my memories involve waking up early and having to drive sometimes more than an hour to games, which, although can sometimes be an inconvenience, I think it shows the dedication of all of the hockey players in the Kansas City area,” Leligdon said, “While the hockey fans in the area might not be numerous, they really do love the sport and will do a lot just to get on the ice.”

issue 4

Senior Brian Ralphs spends the winter skiing and snowboarding.

Ralphs started skiing in third grade and has, along with the rest of his family, built a love for both of the winter sports.

“I first wanted to snowboard after watching Shaun White in the Olympics, but when my family first went to a ski mountain in Colorado my Dad made me ski to learn the basics,” Ralphs said.

Skiing and snowboarding can be appealing to people of all ages. ”What makes skiing and snowboarding really unique, is the age range. You’ll see a little three year old skiing right next to a 90 years old, all over the mountain, having fun,” Ralphs said.

Although it is difficult to find a mountain in Kansas perfect for skiing, Ralphs has been able to keep his love for the winter sport alive.

“Over the winter I will go up to Snow Creek, which is a manmade snow hill, a few times. This however, doesn’t compete with the real mountains, which I get to go to with my family about every other year,” Ralphs said.

Ralphs appreciates just being on the mountain and loves being able to see out for miles.

Competing in sports outside of school allows students to not only meet people outside of their school, but also brings families together through the love of a sport that can be participated in together.

Bryan Ralphs Grade: Senior Sport: Skiing & Snowboarding Age started: 8 Tallest mountain skied: 13434 ft

Drew Nicholson Grade: Freshman Sport: Ice skating Age started: 8 Weekly practice: 2-4 hours

Adam Leligdon Grade: Junior Sport: Hockey Age started: 9 Position: Goalie

Photos (from top): courtesy of Bryan Ralphs, by Faith Duensing, and courtesy of Adam Leligdon

december 10

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27

overc

me

The boys basketball team may be short on seniority, but they’re not short on spirit.

VARSITY/JV by the numbers

By Caleb Walker, Brevin Turner and Jared Walker

02 Seniors

12 Juniors 05 Sophomores At practice, Junior Jack McMahon goes up for a lay-up as Junior Zach Witters looks on.

Junior Ethan Loveland defends Junior Josh Clipston as Clipston takes a glance at the basket.

Photos by Maddie Milazzo

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T

he boys basketball team faces adversity this season in hopes of finding success. Derek Benson and Tyler Brewer find themselves to be the only seniors returning to the program and Brewer recently broke his foot, sidelining him for four to six months. This marks the fewest amount of seniors Coach Ryan Darst has ever seen.

Despite the fact of standing alone, the two seniors remain optimistic about the season ahead.

“I think we have a lot of team chemistry and I think we will make up for it in that,” Benson said.

“It will be interesting. We will definitely have to stick together and rely on each other to make sure things go well,” Brewer said.

Although lacking seniors, there is no shortage of varsity experience on this year’s roster. Juniors Zach Witters, Isreal Watson and Darrell Stewart all saw ample varsity playing time last season. They, too, feel confident in dealing with the lack of senior presence.

“It really hurt us when Brewer got hurt but we have Derek Benson, and he’s a hustler. [We will] spread the floor out more since we don’t have any bigs and run the fast break a lot which should be fun,” Watson explained.

The returning players expect team chemistry to make up for the lack of experience.

“I think we will be better than last year with a year under our belt and hopefully it will show,” Witters said in reference to the returning letter winners. “I think it will force us all to play together

december 10

more and hopefully we’ll play well as a team,” Watson described the chemistry of the team as “pretty good.”

“We played a few tournaments during the summer and did pretty good against Olathe Northwest, Olathe North, and other sunflower league schools. I’m pretty confident because we all know how to play basketball and we all enjoy doing it. We have people like Mike Hood, Jason Potter, and Jack McMahon and everyone else who can contribute too, so it should be fun.”

West students will see a new face on the court this year. Mike Hood, junior transfer from Grandview High School, hopes to assist in bringing home wins for the Vikings.

“He [Hood] definitely brings something special to the table,” Brewer said.

The season started with the second annual “Candy Cane Scrimmage”. This event is a public display of the team’s progress as the regular season draws nearer. Both JV and varsity players are mixed and split into two teams and scrimmage the duration of an actual game. The top ten players in the program took the court as the ball was tossed for the tip-off. Witters, guard, scored 24 points and racked up four and-one opportunities. Hood also put up 22 points in his debut as a Viking.

The players’ outlook for the season remains realistic given the circumstances.

When asked about how the season will go, Witters said, “hopefully good.” “[We hope to be] above .500 and do well in sub state and make it to the tournament.”

“I think we make a run to the tournament and compete with other teams and hopefully make it to state,” Watson said.

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29

Chalk-full of talent Two sophomores spend almost every day training as level ten gymnasts.

By Isabelle Frankel Lane Siegle and Logan Krabbe, sophomores, spend most of their free time flipping head over heels. They have both been participating in competitive gymnastics for the majority of their lives.

Men’s Gymnastics has five different events.

“There’s floor, pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, and high bar. My favorite is probably floor because I just like to tumble,” Krabbe said.

“I like high bar. I just feel like I’m flying when I’m spinning around. It feels like I’m free,” Siegle said.

Both Krabbe and Siegle dislike pommel horse the most. In the event, gymnasts perform tricks on a mounted rectangular “horse” that has two handle bars called pommels. They hold themselves up with their arm strength and swing their legs and body around the horse.

“It’s really easy to get hurt on it. It’s

30 Sports

really hard to get any skills. Last year I had a stress fracture in my wrist,” Krabbe said.

Siegle has also experienced injuries from pommel horse.

“It’s really hard and it makes you really tired quickly. I broke my wrist one time on pommel horse.”

“

I like high bar. I just feel like I’m flying when I’m spinning around. It feels like I’m free,

”

- Lane Siegle Despite the injuries, they still have a love for the sport.

“It gives me time to relax and be free and do what I want. I make a lot of friends,” Siegle said.

Krabbe started gymnastics when he was

five, following in the footsteps of his older brother and Siegle started just a few years earlier.

“I’ve been doing it since I was three. My mom did gymnastics when she was younger and I was always climbing all over stuff so she decided to put me in it,” Siegle said.

After years of hard work, Siegle and Krabbe have climbed all the way to being level ten gymnasts. Level ten is the top level for male gymnasts, and it requires an immense commitment.

“I practice six days a week, every day except Sunday, for four hours a day,” Krabbe said.

Siegle practices at Emerald City Gymnastics, a gym in Overland Park. Meanwhile, Krabbe makes the drive to Fusion Gymnastics in Kearney, Missouri.

When they’re not spending time at the gym practicing, Siegle and Krabbe both travel around the country to compete.

Photo courtesy of Logan Krabbe

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“We go everywhere, Colorado was a good one, we’re going there this year too. We go to Oklahoma a lot. I like that, it’s really cool.

They have really nice meets there,” Siegle said.

“I’m traveling to a lot of places this year especially but I’ve been to alot of East Coast and in Texas a lot. This year I’m going to the West Coast for the first time,” Krabbe said, “My favorite place is probably New Orleans or Daytona Beach.”

Unlike other sports, gymnastics is year round.

“Our season is from November to May. We compete like every other weekend or every two weekends. During the off season we’re usually just training,” Krabbe said.

Being so committed to their sport makes balancing school difficult.

“Sometimes if I have a lot of homework I’ll have to skip practice because I’d be up too late,” Siegle said. Krabbe also faces similar issues.

“School gets a little tricky at some points, especially with Algebra right now, but I’m getting better at balancing it. I used to be really bad at it,” Krabbe said.

They both share a love for the sport despite the challenges it brings.

“I just like it a lot. One time I was gone for a week and all I could think about was doing gymnastics. It’s just like a daily thing like I have to do it. Sometimes on Sundays I even go on my trampoline and practice because it doesn’t feel right not doing it.” Siegle said, “I hope to go to college and do gymnastics, maybe in Michigan, Oklahoma or Ohio.”

Photos by Jenna Wilson

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st

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all around in state last year

4th in Floor Exercise 1st in Pommel Horse 1st in Still Rings 2nd in Vault 1st in Parallel Bars 1st in High Bars

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rd

all around in state last year

2nd in Floor Exercise 3rd in Pommel Horse 2nd in Still Rings 3rd in Vault 3rd in Parallel Bars 4th in High Bars

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It’s All

fun and games Students join recreational soccer leagues for fun in the wintertime.

By Eric Sedlacek and Jared Walker

N

ot everyone who plays indoor soccer is on a club team.

There are recreational leagues for all ages including adults. Right now there are three west area teams that are playing in indoor soccer leagues at All American Indoor Sports. Those three teams are Scheme FC (made up of junior guys), Tres Leces (made up of senior guys) and also West FC (made up of sophomore guys.) All three got placed in the same league so they will play each other.

“The major difference in indoor and outdoor soccer is that outdoor soccer is a larger playing field, no offsides, and six on six instead of eleven on eleven,” junior Brayden Knobel of Scheme FC said. “One really nice thing about indoor is you can sub whenever you want so you don’t have to wait for the ball to go out of bounds or anything like that.”

Indoor games consist of two 25 minute halves. The pregame warmup time is taken off of the first half time and that is about three minutes. Also the halftime is about three minutes and it is time taken off of the second half. So there are essentially two 20 minute halves played.

“There are blue cards, it is like a hockey penalty where you are a man down for a certain period of time usually two minutes, but if you get a red or two blue cards you

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get ejected from the game. However, there is no suspension if you get ejected,” junior Adam Wellman of Scheme FC said.

Like hockey, you cannot kick the ball more than three zones without being touched. If this occurs the ball is placed on the opposing team’s red line and they take possession of the ball. Also, like hockey, you cannot shoot from behind the red line

“The major difference in indoor and outdoor soccer is that outdoor soccer is a larger playing field, no offsides, and six on six instead of eleven on eleven,” -Brayden Knobel

on the opposing team’s side.

“There are eight games in a season, but seven regular season games. Every team has one playoff game and you play a team based on your league ranking. The top two teams then play for the league champion-

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ship, third and fourth play for third, and so on,” Knobel said.

Since there are only eight games in a season not every team plays every other team. This angers some teams because it impacts their ranking.

The games for this league are played on Friday nights. Starting times for games in this league start around 6:00 pm and start as late as 12:00 am. For some players these times conflict with game times for their other teams. Even though these conflicts the players still manage to enjoy the games and the competition that comes along.

“I’m really excited to play the sophomore (West FC) because we both go to the same school and we know each other. Plus it should be a good game,” Knobel said.

The players from both West FC and Scheme FC both agree their most anticipated game is against one another. They both play each other Friday November 27.

Tres Leces and West FC played on November 20 and West FC won 2-1. Then West FC and Scheme FC played with West FC winning 6-2. Scheme FC plays Tres Leces December 11.

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Movies to see this holiday season Caroline Fullerton: “Mockingjay- Part 2” Review The much anticipated conclusion to the Hunger Games series “Mockingjay- Part 2” hit theaters on November 20, and brought in a $101 million box office debut.

The film picks up right with Katniss recovering from her injuries inflicted in the previous film, and trying to recover her relationship with Peeta. Katniss believes that the only logical step to take in the revolt is to kill President Snow (Donald Sutherland), but President Coin (Julianne Moore), insists that Katniss cannot be on the frontlines fighting, but must stay back and continue to be the face of the rebellion. Katniss finds herself in a squadron of people used solely for propaganda purposes, remaining a few days behind the front lines of the army marching on the capital.

The most nail-biting setting of this film is undoubtedly when Katniss arrives in the capital, with only a long-hooded coat to disguise herself. What follows is a series of high intensity plot twists and betrayal that will leave you feeling sadder than ever. The ending will leave you satisfied but still craving more, which balances to make a very effective conclusion.

Mockingjay brought in a franchise low $101 million box office debut, compared to Catching Fire’s $160 million. Even though this film did not do as well as was expected, it did manage to snag the 5th biggest debut of the year.

Lionsgate saw success when they split the last installment of “Twilight”, and was undoubtedly trying to recreate that success.

The reason that the film did not meet expectations is partially, if not completely, because of the lack of novelty. They are all so similar in plot and in CGI effects that they can all be easily confused with one another. Other films similar to “Hunger Games” will see the same decrease in numbers due to a lack of originality.

Lawrence’s performance was fantastic in this film. She did justice for the film that gave her the fame she is basking in, portraying everything from mental breakdowns to triumphant battle scenes beautifully. There is no question that this franchise would not be what it is without Lawrence.

This film will not fail to keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, and has definite potential to bring you to tears.

Although it has its downsides and might lack some originality by default, it concluded the series well and is a reminder of how this film has revived an interest in science fiction in pop culture. It will leave you with a perfect balance of closure and questions, which is exactly how a saga like this should end.

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Spencer Lassalle: “creed” review When I first heard about a Rocky Balboa reboot I was excited but skeptical at the same time. I’m a big fan of classic and retro movies so even though reboots usually aren’t very good I’m excited to see them anyway. The storyline for this movie has a really neat tie in to the original Rocky film series. Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) is the son of Apollo Creed from the original Rocky films.

Apollo died in the ring in Rocky IV and his son wants to be a fighter like him. He travels to Philadelphia and goes to ask none other than Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him. Once Rocky finds out he is the son of Apollo he agrees to give him some pointers. Adonis meets a girl who lives in the same complex as him and I like how her character wasn’t in the film that much but she was only it when her character actually needed to be.

The scenes with Rocky are hands down the best parts of the movie, it’s nice to see the character again. The two actors act really well together which is important. At times the movie is a little predictable but that is my only flaw with this movie.

The fight scenes in this movie are filmed perfectly. The first fight is Creed against the son of Rocky’s friend which is shot in one take.

The shot has no cuts and it ends up making a really nice shot. The fight at the end of the movie is much longer and isn’t a one shot take but the camera work is still great and the angles they get are perfect. During the fight scenes the injuries are so gruesome looking that they look so real, which is really good work by the makeup department.

As for references to the original Rocky films besides the referring to Apollo, they only make a few. Which is good because I can’t stand when reboots rely on referring to the source material just to make you enjoy the movie. The references they make are all necessary and they fit in perfectly with the film.

Overall this was a really good film and I found it to be even better than some of the original Rocky sequels. I think they should totally make this a new film series and Rocky would only have to cameo in them instead of being a main character. I honestly think fans would be fine with that.

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A Christmas Story T

he undisputed “must-watch” film every Christmas season; “Christmas Story” is hard not to love, with the iconic character of Ralphie and his quest to get a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. The 1940s aesthetic is a subtle aspect of the film, but a strength none-theless. Christmas wouldn’t be what it is without watching this film over and over again during its 24-hour cycle on TBS.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

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his is the funniest Christmas film ever made, hands down. The easily quotable moments and colorful characters are endless. From the well intentioned buffoon, Clark Griswold, to the foolhardy redneck, Cousin Eddie, there are no weak characters, and no matter how many times you’ve seen it, it’s always hilarious.

ELF E

ven if you’re not a fan of comedic actor Will Ferrell, you can’t help but smile every time “Elf” comes on. It is the most recent film to be deemed a Christmas classic, and Ferrell’s character, Buddy the Elf is a huge reason for that. Buddy provides many quotable moments throughout the movie and is an all around likeable character.

Home Alone W

hile it is safe to say that “Home Alone” is played far too often throughout a calendar year, there’s no doubting it’s charm and sentimentality. “Home Alone” is a seminal Christmas film that kickstarted the brief superstardom of actor, Macaulay Culkin.

Die Hard I

t’s hard to imagine that this is a Christmas film, but the holiday references are sprinkled throughout this action classic. Bruce Willis gives the best performance of his storied career as John McClane, the smart mouthed Superman of a cop, who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. “Die Hard” is a non-stop thrill ride with just enough holiday cheer in the background.

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Staff members Caleb Walker and Nick Vance look at the newest “Star Wars” game.

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nyone who is a fan of the Star Wars series or just loves playing thrilling video games should buy the all new “Battlefront.”

Before examining the third installment of “Battlefront,” we have to review the previous two. “Battlefront I” has three modes that can be played: Campaign, Galactic Conquest, and Instant Action. These gameplay modes are the same in “Battlefront II” with a few exceptions. The campaign in “Battlefront II” is more developed and thought out, instead of the same game type over and over. Galactic Conquest in the second game is more strategized with more planets and more possibilities to dominate the galaxy. “Battlefront II” also introduces the use of Jedis, which is one of the best parts of the game. Space battles were yet another improvement to the gameplay. As these games were very fun to play, one important component was missing - online multiplayer.

The all new and reinvented “Battlefront” released November 17, 2015. This game contains many pieces to the original two that we know and love, like sought after hero and villian power ups and aerial combat. What’s different? Well, to start there is no campaign. This comes with some disappointment, but the beautiful and competitive online gameplay makes up for it. The multiplayer contains 12 primary weapons to choose from, with different secondary weapons and explosives in your arsenal. You can choose two weapons other than your primary during a game.

These can be switched between games to offer versatility. Power-ups are sprinkled randomly throughout the maps to give an advantage to players, ranging from a Thermal Imploder grenade to a vehicle embark to a hero or villain upgrade. Different weapons and powerups give the player a chance to have an advantage over other players. Another aspect of customization is the appearance of your character. Different hairstyles, faces, gender, race and type of uniform offer a myriad of possibilities to

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make the shooter your own.

The visual and sound effects while playing this game are unmatched. While on the ground as a rebel trooper, you look up and see an X-Wing whoosh past you.

On Walker Assault you embark in the menacing AT-AT and fire at the tiny enemies in the distance. The gunshots seem real, it’s as if they are coming through the screen.

Nothing parallels the Jedi visual and sound effects. The lightsaber sounds are so perfectly vivid and undeniable. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader duel just like in the movie series. Even the cheesy one liners all the heroes and villains say are spot on.

One of the most advanced characteristic of the new edition of “Battlefront” is the revampment of aerial combat, also referred to as dog fighting. Being a part of most game modes and even having its own independent game mode, dog fighting could possibly be considered the highlight of this video game. Players are given the ability to take charge of the cockpit of rebel X-Wings and Y-Wings, along with empire Tie Fighters and Tie Interceptors.

The hero/villain aspect is implemented as gamers may pilot Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon or Boba Fett’s Slave I. This characteristic of the video game is one that has been passed on through the installments. What sets the aerial combat in this game apart from the aerial combat in its predecessors is this game’s attention to detail. Even the slightest of sounds such as blasters firing behind you or zooming past AT-ST’s on the ground can be heard by players. There is just something about flying around in a galaxy far, far away….

The gametypes in the multiplayer differ greatly. Supremacy and Walker Assault involve huge maps with land and air vehicles that can be accessed through power ups. Heroes and villains are accessed in the same fashion, but these power ups are more sparse. These game modes involve a lot of strategy, as there are multiple objectives. Other game modes do not offer

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vehicles or hero/villain upgrades, and are closely related to “Team Deathmatch” in Call of Duty or other first-person shooter games.

The hero and villian power-ups are a great enhancement to the game, but it comes with disappointment that there are not more options to be different lightsaber based characters. It makes sense you can only be Skywalker or Vader, but playing with a Jedi would be so much more exciting than playing as Han Solo or Princess Leia. However, villains may have an upper hand with better characters. Boba Fett has a lot more options to his arsenal, like the wrist rocket and flame thrower, that make it more fun to play as him. Emperor Palpatine has powerful lightning, but it “overheats” making it much less powerful to use constantly. Palpatine and Leia both can have two “bodyguards” that are able to spawn on them. These bodyguards can be controlled by other players in the game.

The two lightsaber wielding characters are pretty evenly matched, with Skywalker being more mobile and Vader having better fighting moves. Skywalker has a powerful force push attack while Vader has a force choke. Vader has a saber throw while Skywalker has a saber rush that can be used to kill an enemy at a semi-far distance. All heroes and villains have an abundance of deadly attacks, but they are not too overpowered. If used incorrectly, these characters can quickly be destroyed by a normal trooper.

If you love Star Wars or just want a fun game to play on a Saturday night, “Battlefront” is the one for you.

Unlike “Call of Duty” or “Battlefield”, this game is easy to pick up and play with your friends. You don’t have to play for 15+ hours to gain an advantage in the game, which makes it appealing to the casual gamer. The sheer beauty of the game’s environment deserves anyone’s attention.

May the force be with you.

issue 4

You had me at “hello” A Review of Adele’s “25”

By Logan Peterson

Adele’s return to the world of mainstream music was more than just painstaking and torturous anticipation; it was a journey of musical experimentation and wading through the seemingly insurmountable expectations.

Adele’s previous album, “21,” was iconic and ultimately groundbreaking. The album blended pop, jazz, and orchestral sounds so effortlessly. Her unbelievable vocal talent and meticulous work ethic during recording sessions culminated what was and still is one of the greatest pop albums of all time.

As one could expect, having to follow an album of that magnitude would prove to be a difficult, if not impossible task. But, using her ingenuity and soul-crushingly powerful vocals, Adele gave us a further exploration of her talent with “25.”

“25” is an album that once again focuses on Adele’s past relationships, although there’s something different here; rather than grieving over her ex-lovers and casting their names into fire, she is willing to make amends. Adele takes a quick look at the people she has wronged, and who have wronged her, and shrugs it off, only looking forward.

The album’s’ opening song, “Hello,” is one of Adele’s greatest triumphs. A haunting tale of regret and loss, Adele took the world by storm with the song. Released as the first single of the album, “Hello” was a cultural phenomenon that stopped the nation in it’s tracks and became a marvel of modern music that nobody will ever forget.

Adele took a step forward creatively, collaborating with several “hit-making” producers such as Ryan Tedder, Max Martin and Paul Epworth. Martin produced the song, “Send My Love (To Your New Lover), one of the weakest songs on the album. The song sounds more like a forgettable Taylor Swift diddy, and has Adele in wannabe-mode from the start. While it is irritatingly catchy, “Send My Love” doesn’t resonate on many levels, not to mention the quality is low grade.

“I Miss You” is an epic tale of sexual desire; a tantalizing avant-garde pop masterpiece. Brimming with a multitude of new, explorative sounds, Adele gives subtle ode to artists like The Beach Boys with the impressive use of overdubbing and drums. It is a personal favorite of mine.

While her music has matured with impressive pop sounds, Adele still stays true to her jazz club roots with songs “Million Years Ago” and “All I Ask”; these songs little more than a piano and her unbelievable voice. “Million Years Ago” is a song about painful memories, and “All I Ask” is a song that begs for forgiveness and closure. Both of these songs stay true to Adele’s jazz sensibilities.

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Unfortunately, Adele’s song writing ability has taken a hit.

While musically and stylistically, the album is top notch, the lyrics fail to rise above mediocrity, especially with songs “River Lea” and “Sweetest Devotion.” I hate to sound nitpicky, but simply rhyming ‘devotion’ and ‘explosion,’ and repeating it over and over does not make for a memorable song. Especially if the song is supposed to be an ode to her son.

These, of course, are small issues when you’re dealing with the greatness of Adele. She is arguably the greatest artist of her generation; her ambition and work ethic have made for a worthy follow-up to “21.”

“25” can be considered the next, and possibly final step in Adele’s creative metamorphosis. In 2011, Adele suffered both a vocal cord hemorrhage and laryngitis, which prompted her to cancel her US tour.

Having to suffer through physical and emotional turmoil through the years has inspired many passionate and melancholy songs, but this album may be her last. If indeed “25” is her swan song, Adele has certainly crafted a visceral and inspiring album that represents growth and dediaction.

Grade: A

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1. Senior Brevin Turner rears back to throw a dodgeball. (Kenna Swihart) 2. Junior Will Dvorsky rests at the first Boys’ Swim meet. (Grace Armenta) 3. Senior Rian Stallbaumer performs at The Feast.

(Maddy Shackelford) 4.West debaters gather together before a tourney.

(Annissa Clark) 5. Freshman Joe Compton holds up a lock of his brother, senior Josh Compton’s hair.

(Rian Stallbaumer) 6.A representative from the Kansas City Zoo displays a snake for students. (Jenna Wilson) 7. Principal Steve Loe delivers a speech at the NHS Induction ceremony. (Mikaela Kelly-Price) 8. Senior Nick Vance galavants on stage at Lip Sync.

(Grace Armenta) 9.Sophomore Dara Williams races up a hill at State Cross Country. (Nina Williamsv)

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BackPAge

By Alex Ralston

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