Issue3volume38

The Skyline High School

T-BIRD

Times

Volume 38 • Issue 3 • January 31, 2014

tbirdtimes.com

Senior Brandon Abbott gets ready to shoot a free throw during the boys’ game against Cunningham in the 54 Classic. The T-Birds lost 40-41. photo by l. cason

Get ready, get set, FLAP!

Student gamers obsess over latest free app

by Alyssa Allphin

reporter

A new game, Flappy Bird, has taken over as the number one free app, leaving Hay Day forgotten.

Requiring some skill and a lot of patience, a Flappy Bird player can gradually add points to their score by flapping through pipes, trying to make it to the next one. Most would say it’s quite frustrating, but very fun.

Having over 150 thousand downloads already on the app store, Flappy Birds outscores Hay Day by over 120 thousand downloads. According to International Business Times, Flappy Bird is one of the toughest games in the top apps.

“It’s entertaining and frustrating at the same time,” junior Landon Lee said.

He had been playing for one day and was excited to have a high score of 29.

In a T-Bird Times survey one student gamer said the game “Flappy Bird is stupid, but it is addicting.”

Editor .................... Ascha Lee Adviser.............. Judy Hampel Staff Reporters ........................

Alyssa Allphin Abby Giles Austin Gilpin Madison Golden Colin Little Kaitlyn Stark Photographers..........................

Alyssa Allphin Lucas Cason Taryn Lange Lexie Maloney Brady McComb Caden Patterson Keigan Riggs

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News | Friday | January 31, 2014

Skyline students level of Flappy Bird addiction.

30 students surveyed

Another student gamer said “It’s kind of dumb, but the more I lose the more I want to get a better score.”

No one really knows why the game is so addicting, but it’s so easy to get addicted to, another student said. It might be the sense of accomplishment when you set a new score. It’s just such a simple game that you think it would be easy but it’s not. It just pulls you in.

Although some students find the game addicting, others disagree.

“It’s not that addicting, it just keeps you wanting to keep trying and trying,” sophomore Payje Orler said.

Maybe it is the retro look or the simplicity that is drawing people in.

“It’s so stupid, but so fun,” one student commented on the survey. “The pixels are retro, which is coming back in style. Plus, with how simple it is, it makes it so irritating when you lose.”

Nobody knows how long this latest trend will last, as most Skyline gamers have only been flapping birds for a couple of days.

‘True Blue’ receives All-Kansas award

Two major awards accepted after hard work was put into 2013 yearbook

by Kaitlyn Stark

reporter

The Kansas Scholastic Press Association recently announced the names of Kansas schools that received All-Kansas yearbook ratings for the 2013 yearbooks that were submitted for judging. The 46th edition of the Thunderbird, Skyline Schools yearbook, was among the books receiving the highest ranking of All-Kansas.

The book was judged for KSPA by Sheila Jones. She said the staff did a very good job of showcasing Skyline Schools in a positive way, and highlighted all of the elements that make the school what it is.

The staff members included former students Harley Weaver, Morgan Flowers, Billi Jo

Rhone, Colten Ebert, Ashley Koirth, Tony Marquez, Patty Ibarra and Allison Sanders.

Current students Colin Little, Taryn Lange, Alyssa Swonger and Kaitlyn Stark were also on the staff. Harley Weaver was the editor of the book and also the photo editor. The adviser for the group was Judy Hampel.

“Sometimes it’s the small design details that really distinguish a yearbook,” Jones said. “This book has numerous flourishes that set it above other books.”

The staff chose “True Blue” as the theme for the 2013 book.

The black cover with Shine Fx applied to the type, lines and squares were chosen specifically by the staff to give the book the “True Blue” look.

“Design and photography are the two strengths of this yearbook, and both consistently support your theme and concept,” Jones said.

Four of the five areas of the book received the highest All-Kansas rating. Those areas included Concepts, Coverage, Design and Photography.

Students from the Photojournalism class submitted many of the photos for the book.

Members of the photo class included Mycha Owens, Harley Weaver, Taryn Lange, Alyssa Swonger, Patty Ibarra, Alexa Hoss, Allison Sanders, Mariha Wrich, Brooke Fisher and Benaja Schlingensiepen.

The All-Kansas rating means that the quality of the yearbook was high enough to compete at

any level. The staff demonstrated a solid understanding of the yearbook and its purpose. The staff went above and beyond the typical to produce a book that set the tone of the school year for readers and did so with a unique and appealing approach.

“I am very proud of the staff,” Hampel said. “They worked hard to produce a book that would be recognized by judges as an award winning book.”

The All-Kansas honor wasn’t the first major award that the 2013 book received. This past November it was submitted at the National High School Journalism Convention for judging in the Best of Show Award category for yearbooks with 224 or fewer pages. It received tenth place nationally.

Crocheting becomes new hobby throughout high school T-Birds use their free time to craft

by Madison Golden reporter

Junior Katherine Ghumm crochets a mint colored hat for herself. This is her 11th project since she learned how to crochet in November from senior Taryn Lange. photo by a. allphin

There has been a huge fascination with the craft of crocheting at school.

If you look into a classroom you will probably see someone crocheting.

“I learned how to crochet in December,” Summer Younie said. “Taryn (Lange) taught me how to chain and single crochet, then I watched some videos on YouTube.”

Crocheting is the process of creating fabric from yarn, thread or other materials using a hook. It consists of pulling loops through other loops, but also incorporates wrapping the material around the hook one or more times.

Crocheting and knitting aren’t the same thing, as crocheting involves using one crochet hook and knitting involves two knitting needles.

There are many different patterns to learn once you have mastered the single crochet and chain.

“The first thing I made was a basket weave scarf and that was the hardest,” junior Khaleb Cason said. “I learned how to crochet two weeks ago from YouTube. I spend all my free time crocheting, which is three to four hours a day.”

Younie spends four to five hours a week crocheting, compared to the three to four hours a day some of her students spend.

“I spend at least two to three hours a day crocheting,” junior Katherine Ghumm said. “It is relaxing and fun to be able to make presents for yourself and other people.”

Ghumm crocheted scarves and ear-warming headbands for her grandma, aunts and her mom.

Her hardest challenge was making a tank-top for herself.

Friday | January 31, 2014 | Feature

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Legalization efforts fire up in Kansas

by Ascha Lee

editor

Colorado has legalized recreational marijuana.

At 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, marijuana dispensaries opened up to the public in Colorado for all citizens. Colorado residents 21 and older can buy up to one ounce of weed at a time, and non-residents can purchase up to a quarter of an ounce at a time.

For Kansas, this means nothing. All marijuana is illegal in Kansas, and possession of any amount can land offenders in jail for a year with an additional $1000 fine. The only way Colorado’s law is affecting Kansas is that more marijuana is traveling across the border.

Twenty states and Washington D.C. have legalized medical marijuana so far. Kansas is not one of those states. People suffering from depression, anxiety, cancer, AIDS, alcoholism, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, and many other ailments qualify for a medical marijuana prescription. It is used to stimulate

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News | Friday | January 31, 2014

appetites, alleviate pain, and calm nerves. The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is controversial because it’s not considered necessary. Dr. Wakon Fowler of Pratt Regional Medical Center said he would not prescribe marijuana if medical use were legal.

“I have other alternatives,” Fowler said. “We have plenty of other medicines that we already use for pain, anxiety, and appetite. We don’t need medical marijuana.”

The difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana is vast. Only Washington and Colorado have legalized recreational marijuana use, which means anyone over 21 can buy or use it, much like alcohol.

Many other states have organizations pushing for the same rights, including Kansas.

“Fire It Up Kansas” is an organization for the legalization of marijuana not only in Kansas, but all over the world. Their slogan reads “Firing up the cause

Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Montana are expected to loosen their marijuana laws soon. photo courtesy of MCT Campus

in the land of Oz,” and their website gives arguments about the benefits of the miracle plant.

Many Kansans doubt the safety of marijuana and believe that the legalization would not be beneficial to our state or country.

“The problem in my opinion is that it is a threshold drug,” Fowler said. “It bridges kids into using increasingly harder drugs.”

Many states, however, are loosening their laws on the plant. Whether it is medical or recreational use, there are people pushing for it. Senate Bill 9 is a bill that hopes to enact medical marijuana use in Kansas, and it has been presented to Kansas legislation for consideration multiple times only to be shot down. Proponent’s hopes are high for 2014, but there is a lot of doubt surrounding the idea. “‘Medical marijuana’ appears to be a strategy to lend credibility to smoking pot and desensitize people to a total end to the prohibition,” Republican Kansas state senator Mitch Holmes told the Pratt Tribune.

Democratic Kansas senator David Haley said in an interview with KAKE that he plans to present SB 9, or the “Cannabis Compassion and Care Act” this year. The bill calls for the “legal use of cannabis for certain debilitating medical conditions.”

I believe that pot does not need to be legalized because it is the gateway drug and will cause more Americans to use more dangerous drugs.

Colin Kumberg, 10

People should be able to make their own choicLucas Cason, 10 es.

It’s good if they need it for medical reasons.

Matthew Giles, 9

They will legalize it everywhere and we won’t be able to stop it.

Shandis Myers, 11

gr as s Th e

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Colorado and Washington have become the first states to encourage the use of pot for fun.

On Election Day in November 2012, voters in those two states voted to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. There are probably several reasons for that, but it was a bad decision for both of those states. It only encourages people to use an extremely damaging drug that can and has ruined many people’s lives.

Marijuana has been shown to have many negative side effects, which in my opinion, outweigh the advantages of legalizing it for any reason. It has been shown to lower your IQ, cause traffic accidents, and has been linked to cancer. Not only is it damaging to your health, it leads to higher dropout rates, and hurts your social life.

“I’ve watched students who partook in drug use and have seen their relationships and grades sink,” social science teacher Summer Younie said.

I think that a big part of the reason that so many students and teenagers do marijuana is that they look at it as a soft drug. They don’t see its danger, and look at it as a cool thing to do. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, teens who smoke marijuana heavily can lose as many as eight IQ points, and also have a 17% dependency rate. The NIDA also reports that driving high more than doubles your risk of a fatal accident.

Dr. Stephen Grillot, an emergency room doctor in Garden City told me in an interview, “The younger you use it, the longer term the impairment there is.”

Even though it’s still not legal for anyone under 21 to smoke marijuana, it will inevitably be easier for teenagers to get their hands on it. Grillot added that education is key to prevent teens, and anyone else, from abusing the drug. He pointed out that many people don’t understand the dangers. A Huffington Post survey verified that claim, showing that only 39.5% of high school seniors thought regular marijuana use was dangerous.

While many claim marijuana isn’t addictive, there is some evidence it is. Marijuana is the second most abused substance in the United States. A 2008 study stated that 4.2 million people are dependent on marijuana. That is more than any other drug in the United States. If marijuana isn’t addictive, people sure do have a hard time quitting it. A study of detoxing patients found that many reported insomnia, digestive problems, nausea, loss of appetite, and a number of other physical and mental symptoms. Many of those are also reported by people quitting smoking.

Many proponents of the legalization of marijuana cite the financial advantages. According to CNBC, taxes collected on alcohol totaled $14.5 billion dollars. However, alcohol related costs totaled $185 billion dollars. That means alcohol cost society 12 times more than what it made us. Similarly, tobacco cost us eight times what it made us. It is expected that marijuana will have the same impact.

I think that voters in Colorado and Washington made a huge mistake when they voted to legalize marijuana. It is a very dangerous drug that has many negative side effects and ruins lives. It’s extremely addictive for young people, and slows down mental development significantly. I don’t see their pot experiment ending well.

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In my mind, the benefits of marijuana outweigh the risks.

Let’s talk about the economy. Colorado made $1 million on the first day of recreational sales, and with a 25 percent tax, that means that roughly $250 thousand was made in taxes by the government that day. According to colorado.gov, 42.3 percent of that tax money will go to schools. That’s over $105 thousand for K-12 schools in just one day.

Here’s some food for thought from the Huffington Post.

•$1 million- amount Colorado made on the first day of marijuana sales (Jan 1) •$6 billion- amount that could be made annually if marijuana were taxed similar to alcohol and tobacco •$7.7 billion- amount the federal government spends on enforcing the prohibitions on marijuana annually •$13.7 billion- total amount that would be saved by the government annually if marijuana were legalized.

Those are some big numbers. But I understand that that doesn’t change the safety of marijuana. Is weed safe? Multiple studies show that it is safer than alcohol.

For example, ten times the amount of alcohol it takes to get a “buzz” can kill you. The lethal dose for marijuana is estimated to be about one-third a person’s body weight. This means a 150 pound person would have to consume 50 pounds of weed at once in order to overdose, which is physically impossible.

Nobody has ever died from a marijuana overdose. I couldn’t find a figure for marijuana-related deaths either. Yet, the Center of Disease Control reports that every year, over half a million deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to the use of alcohol and tobacco.

Is it fair that marijuana is illegal and comparable substances are not? Anything can ruin your life if you get hooked on it, and it looks like it’s easier to get hooked on alcohol or tobacco than marijuana.

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science reports that 32 percent of people who try tobacco become dependent, as do 23 percent of those who try heroin, 17 percent who try cocaine, 15 percent who try alcohol and 9 percent who try marijuana.

The argument has been made that legalization will drive dependence rates up, but that might not be the case. The Netherlands decriminalized not only marijuana, but all drugs in 1976. Decriminalization still keeps the drugs illegal, but makes the punishment for possession more like a traffic ticket and less like a death sentence.

According to CBS, only 19.8 percent of adults in the Netherlands reported to having used cannabis in their lifetime. The same study concluded that 42.4 percent of American adults have used cannabis, which is the highest rate in the world. The U.S. also has the highest rate of cocaine use in the world (16 percent), while the Netherlands sits at 1.9 percent.

I’m not condoning the use of marijuana. I understand marijuana has harmful effects, but I question the effectiveness of the drug war that our government seems to be losing. I believe marijuana should stop being seen on the same level as illicit drugs.

Friday | January 31, 2014 | Opinion

5

Ladies take on Coyotes for fifth

by Colin Little

reporter

The girls’ basketball team is showing some success despite only four varsity players returning from last year.

The Lady T-Birds had a slow start, winning two out of the six games that they played for the first half of the season. However, the second half of the season has gone a lot smoother for the girls, winning two out of the four games they have played.

“I think the season is going good,” senior Mycha Owens said. “We are starting to come together as a team and learn what each player’s strategy is.”

The T-Birds started the 10th Annual 54 Classic on Tuesday in Cunningham. They were seeded sixth in the tournament and lost to the Norwich Eagles in the first round, 41-25.

“I think we played pretty good,” sophomore Jessica DeWeese said. “We had a couple of errors that got in our heads, and that caused us not to play as well as we could have.”

The Lady T-Birds will play the seventh seeded Kinsley Coyotes at 5 tonight. If they win, they will play for fifth place at 3:30 p.m tomorrow. If they lose tonight, they will play at 2 p.m. tomorrow for seventh place.

At the free throw line, senior post Kadi Richardson adds a point to the score board in the second half of the Pretty Prairie game.

The game was close all the way to the end but the T-Birds fell short by four. photo by t. lange

Boys’ Basketball Profile

Girls’ Basketball Profile

Q: What do you like most about playing

Q: How long have you been playing

A: I like being able to play with my

A: Five years.

Justin Holtz

Betsy Giles

basketball?

basketball?

classmates and friends and having fun.

Q: What position do you play?

A: Guard and occasionally post.

Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: To win 50 percent of our games and

Q: What is your strength and weakness

make it past the first round of Sub-State.

when you play?

A: Defense is more my strength and

Q: How long have you been playing

shooting is one of my weaknesses.

basketball?

A: Since I was in first grade.

Q: Do you like being on offense or defense better?

A: Defense, since I’m not a big scorer and usually have several turnovers.

Q: What is your strength and weakness when you play?

A: My strength is not to have a bad attitude during the games. My weakness is my ability to pass the ball.

Q: What position do you play?

A: I am usually a sub for whatever guard comes off the court.

Q: Who do you look up to during basketball?

A: Probably Dustin Weber because he is such a good basketball player and he is

usually the one that knows what to do and is one of our best defenders and offensive players on the team.

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Sports | Friday | January 31, 2014

Q: What do you like most about playing basketball?

A: I like that it isn’t just about one person, that you have to work together.

I also like that it has a lot to do with working hard.

Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: To play as a team and never to give up.

Q: Do you like offense or defense better?

A: Defense, because on offense there are a lot more ways you can mess up. On defense it is just about working hard.

Q: Who do you look up to during basketball?

A: I look up to all the seniors. They are all really great leaders and work hard. They also play together with anyone out on the court and help everyone to do their best. I feel like they set a high standard for the entire team. .

McKennon waits 18 weeks for varsity Former Cunningham Wildcat is getting well deserved minutes

by Kaitlyn Stark

reporter

The boys’ basketball team was full of change when the season started. One significant change for the team was accepting a former rival as a teammate.

Sophomore Bryce McKennon transferred to Skyline from Cunningham last fall without moving into the district.

KSHSAA rules stated he could not participate in varsity sports for the first 18 weeks of school because of the transfer.

The former Wildcat finally made his debut and saw some varsity minutes on January 7 against Minneola.

“After I read the rules, I figured I couldn’t play unless we moved,” McKennon said. “I was pretty upset about it, but I don’t have any complaints because it is what it is. Eighteen weeks wasn’t that bad.”

McKennon transferred to Skyline at the beginning of the

year, but wasn’t allowed to run on the varsity cross country team and wasn’t able to suit up for varsity basketball games until after Christmas break.

He was at least able to run and play on JV until his 18 weeks were up.

The KSHSAA handbooks states that “If students change schools without an accompanying move on the part of their parents, they will be ineligible for interschool extracurricular activities for 18 weeks, beginning with the first day of their attendance.”

“It was upsetting because JV seemed too easy and varsity was more of a challenge,” McKennon said.

When the 10th annual 54 Classic tournament rolled around, McKennon wasn’t able to play his former team.

If he would have gone in then he would of had to sit out for a regular season game because

Focusing on adding another point to the board, sophomore Bryce McKennon shoots a free-throw during the game against Minneola. McKennon had five points that night. The boys’ team is currently 1-12. photo by t. lange

of another KSHSAA rule that states “No student may participate in more than 20 games, including those games played in tournaments. Regardless of the tournament format, the maximum number of games played in a season, exclusive

of KSHSAA post-season competition, shall be 20 games.”

“It was tough sitting on the bench when we played Cunningham,” McKennon said.

“I wanted to go out there and show Cunningham how much I’ve improved since I left.”

60 50 Boys’ basketball 40 team sees an increase in points 30 scored from the 20 2013 season.

2013 2014

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Friday | January 31, 2014 | Sports

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Selfie named 2013 word of the year in dictionary

by Abby Giles

reporter

The Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year for 2013 was selfie.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” high school English teacher Marla Stark said. “I’m just sitting in class watching kids taking selfies of themselves.”

Near the end of 2013, many new words were added to both the Oxford English Dictionary and the Oxford Online Dictionary.

“I feel like it (selfie) is overused, and I think it’s a slang word, but I think that it shouldn’t really be in the dictionary,” sophomore Jessica DeWeese said. “When I think of a dictionary, I think of words that everybody knows about because some of the older generations don’t know what selfie means.”

According to Oxford research, the usage of the word selfie has increased by 17,000% over the past year.

However, even though it made the online dictionary, another popular word, twerk, didn’t make the cut for the Oxford English Dictionary.

The two dictionaries are different in that the online version changes more often and the Oxford English Dictionary never removes words once they have been added.

“I think they’re (selfie, twerk) both just phases that after awhile no one will use anymore,” sophomore Lexi Maloney said.

Just so older people would know what it means, Stark thinks twerk should be added, along with some commonly used acronyms and abbrevia-

Selfie is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.” photo by a. giles

tions.

“You have to go back to examples like NASA,” Stark said to justify adding acronyms and abbreviations.

However, Maloney disagrees and thinks that they should not be added to the dictionary.

“I’m kind of tired of words being made up by combined words and stuff,” Maloney said. “We’re just trying to shorten what we’re saying and not getting the message through.”

In the past, the online dictionary has added texting language such as LOL and OMG. Stark thinks that the use of texting language in writing shows the author is uneducated, lazy and disrespectful.

“Our society has changed a lot, and if that’s (selfie) going to be the word of the year, I’m not sure if I should claim this society,” DeWeese said.

New word s in O x ford O nline Diction a ry cake pop, n.: a small round piece of cake coated with icing or chocolate and fixed on the end of a stick so as to resemble a lollipop emoji, n: a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication FOMO, n.: fear of missing out: anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website

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Feature | Friday | January 31, 2014

food baby, n.: a protruding stomach caused by eating a large quantity of food and supposedly resembling that of a woman in the early stages of pregnancy girl crush, n. (informal): an intense and typically non-sexual liking or admiration felt by one woman or girl for another omnishambles, n. (informal): a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations

I think that students need to be aware that their words aren’t just for their friends.

They’re for the world, and they’re never going to go away.

Marla Stark