Volume39issue2

THE

T-BIRD TIMES

Volume 39, Issue 2

Skyline High School October 30, 2014

tbirdtimes.com

Catching the ball, senior Levi Johnston attempts to score a touchdown. The boys won 62-44 against South Central. photo by Lexi Maloney

State bound

by Mason Brack Reporter

The fall sports season has been a good time to be a T-Bird, with the cross country and volleyball team going to State and football is headed to the playoffs.

There will be a pep assembly today at 2:45 p.m. to show school spirit.

After a slow start to the volleyball season, the team pulled together and won their Sub-State to advance to State in Hays. The volleyball girls head to Hays tonight and play tomorrow at around 3:30 p.m. If they advance from pool play they will play on Saturday.

The cross country team has faced some challenges this season, but still managed to send both of the teams to State in Wamego.

The boys run at 11 a.m. and girls run at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

With nine seniors leading the team, the football boys have their first playoff game at home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The team will play the winner of the Little River and Solomon game.

This is the first time football has been to the playoffs since 1999.

Football tackles playoffs

by Madison Golden Reporter

It has been 15 years since the football team has made it to playoffs.

The boys have only lost one game to Attica/Argonia, but they are still undefeated in District and in League.

The top two teams from the eight districts advance to the playoffs. Skyline won their game against Kinsley Friday, clenching first place in the district, which means

they get a home playoff game on Tuesday.

“I am very excited to be in the playoffs,” senior Levi Johnston said. “It has been 15 years since, so it will be exciting. I think that we have a lot of talent and quite a few athletes and we are a good strong team.”

Playoffs are single game elimination. The teams that win the second round qualify for Sub-State.

“I just want to see how

deep we can get into the playoffs and do our best,” sophomore Andrew Withers said.

To prepare for the playoffs they all work hard in practice and watch film to see how they can improve.

The boys are proud of their win against South Central.

“We are doing really good and work well together,” junior Brady McComb said.

The boys play tonight at St. John at 7 p.m.

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October 30, 2014

Opinion

Please quit freaking out about Ebola The fear of Ebola is spreading 100 times faster than the actual disease.

To date, there are fewer than 10 confirmed cases of the disease in the U.S. Compare that to the flu, which hospitalizes more than 200,000 Americans every year, killing up to 50,000.

Americans need to get over their fear of Ebola before it starts causing more problems.

The problems that the fear of Ebola is causing are bigger than the problems the actual disease is causing. For example, someone vomited in a government parking lot. A regular response would have included a janitor cleaning it up. That is not what happened. A

hazardous materials team responded, Marines were quarantined, and the woman was put in isolation. The woman didn’t have Ebola.

This is just one example that the ridiculous fear of Ebola is causing.

So why shouldn’t we fear Ebola? It’s almost impossible to get. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus can only spread by an infected person’s body fluids coming into contact with someone’s eyes, nose, mouth or open wound. Also, a person infected with Ebola can not transmit the disease unless they are showing symptoms. Better yet, Ebola doesn’t spread through the air or water. That is why so

few people actually have Ebola.

The CDC says that fewer than 10,000 people have contracted the disease worldwide. While that may seem like a large number, it really isn’t. That is roughly the amount of people that live in Independence, Kan. The three majors countries dealing with the Ebola outbreak are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to the World Bank, the combined population of those countries is about 22.136 million. That is .00042 percent of the population.

The people who are overreacting to the situation suggest a travel ban. There are a few problems with this idea. Stopping commercial

travel would limit the ability to get workers and supplies into those countries. Also, it will likely drive travel underground, making it harder to track Ebola.

“What works most effectively for quelling disease outbreaks like Ebola is not quarantining huge populations,” director of the CDC Dr. Tom Frieden said on the CDC’s blog.

I agree with Dr. Frieden.

Isolating over 99.99 percent of a population will not help combat the disease, but contribute to the unnecessary fear of Ebola. The government is taking the necessary steps to stop Ebola in West Africa, and prevent it from spreading through the United States.

Pretty iPhone or reliable Android

by Jenessa Corbet Reporter

Picture getting your first iPhone, getting to hold that little glass beauty. You treat it like it’s your baby. When you drop it for the first time, your heart drops with it. I don’t think Android users have that same feeling. iPhones are by far one of the finest smartphones on the market. You can’t beat the group messaging, the endless apps, iTunes, and once an iPhone is bought, there’s all these little gadgets that come with it.

“I’m an Apple kind of guy,” band director Bob Lee said. “There’s backups on the iPhone, so if anything happens you can return your phone to how it was.”

There are those who simply prefer iPhones for

the technology part of it and there are some who just like it for the look of it. Some girls tend to like the iPhone because it’s pretty.

“It’s easy to use,” junior Kasey Gilpin said. “My favorite thing is Apple’s App Store and the all the games it has.” iPhones are fancier, but Androids seem to be more reliable. People want something sturdy and have it last a long time, so they get an Android.

“Androids last longer than iPhones,” senior Tiffany Timm said. “I like the setup of it, plus there’s an app to download free music.”

If you run out of storage on the iPhone, you’re out of luck. With the androids, just pop in a new SD card and there’s plenty of storage.

There are only two settings

on the iPhone, but Androids have multiple choices.

If it weren’t for the look of iPhones and all the Apple products, I don’t think a lot of people would use them.

“Androids can customize the settings to where it fits you,” junior Lexie Maloney said.

The newest addition to Android is the Android TV that can be navigated with voice. Android Auto is located at the dashboard. It connects your phone to access all of your music, contacts, and messages.

Apple has iPad mini 3 coming out with touch ID and the iPad Air 2, both in gold, silver and black.

Both have their own little quirks. So if you want something pretty like an iPhone or sturdy like an Android, it’s a win-win.

Staff Reporters ......Mason Brack Jenessa Corbet Madison Golden Justin Hampel Justin Holtz Layton Kenworthy Landon Lee Colin Little Caden Patterson Editor ................. Austin Gilpin Photographers........Lucas Cason Lexie Maloney Sheldon Miller Logan Reece Rance Tucker Adviser................ Judy Hampel

News

Ebola causes global fear

by Layton Kenworthy Reporter

Ebola Report

Experts say Ebola is not a large threat to the U.S. for many reasons.

First, the U.S. has better health care than West Africa.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention help defend against health threats. Plus, there are plenty of supplies such as beds, gloves and rooms to handle an outbreak.

“I believe our CDC is an effective defense against any type of infection,” science teacher Charles Young said.

Ebola is a virus that has been covered over all media networks since this summer.

It is important to know about the virus and what it can do if a major breakout does happen in the U.S.

Page 3

October 30, 2014

The Ebola virus was originally discovered in 1976. In March 2014, a new outbreak appeared resulting in more deaths than all others outbreaks combined.

Ebola is haemorrhagic fever that is first introduced through the contact of the virus with an open wound by entering the body. Blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals, such as fruit bats in Africa, are some ways it can spread. Then, after infecting the first person, it spreads through contact by skin or blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people. Surfaces and materials that have infected fluids, such as clothing, can also be a source of Ebola. It takes two to 21 days of being infected to have symptoms and become contagious.

According to the World

Health Organization, Ebola causes kidney and liver failure, and low white blood cell and platelet counts. The first symptoms are fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.

Those symptoms are soon followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash and in some cases internal and external bleeding occur.

The CDC understands that any case of Ebola diagnosed in the U.S. raises concerns, and any death is too many. Public health professionals across the country have been preparing to respond to the possibility of additional cases.

Some people are not worried about the Ebola crisis going on and think that this will just all blow over soon.

“There is always an epidemic going on at some time,” history teacher Summer Younie said.

Students, staff have mixed thoughts about new schedule

by Justin Holtz Reporter

Early dismissal has been changed from a 1:30 p.m. dismissal the first Wednesday of the every month to a 2:30 p.m. dismissal every Monday.

The early dismissal is for the teachers and administration to participate in Teacher Professional Development.

The meetings give teachers a chance to help make a more professional workplace.

Principal Herb McPherson said the decision to change the dismissal schedule was a unanimous decision among all the staff.

The dismissal also replaced the in-service days that gave students a day off school when staff had meetings throughout the day.

“I’m getting used to the early dismissal now and like it more than last year’s (schedule),” McPherson said.

Along with the staff, students are becoming more fond of the new schedule change instead of waiting for one every month.

“I love the early dismissal,” senior Joaquin Corona said.

“It gives me a chance to work more after school.”

Some teachers are not pleased with the shorter class periods throughout the day that cause them to have to rush their classes.

“The short days are a hassle,” FACS teacher Pat Brant said. “I’m not used to classes getting out early and I have to rush my assignments.”

Getting out of school an hour early gives students a chance to go to work longer, have extra time for homework or just go home and relax.

“I like that you can get out early and have more time to do stuff after school,” junior Alex Lutz said.

October 30, 2014

Page 4

Cross country gets ready for State

by Justin Hampel Reporter

This past Saturday the cross country team ran 1A Regionals at Meade and both the boys’ and girls’ teams advanced to State.

The boys finished second behind Macksville while the girls finished third behind Macksville and Dighton.

“I think they all did extremely well,” head coach Lynette Freeman said.

Junior Colin Kumberg ran the fastest time for the boys with a time of 20:33.72. He finished ninth overall. Other runners who finished in the top 20 were sophomore Jared Shriver, senior Khaleb Cason and junior Bryce McKennon. The other runners who ran at Meade were sophomores Kendall Davidson and Jarod DeWeese.

Kumberg and Shriver also advanced individually.

The best time for the girls was ran by freshman Madison Tyler, who finished seventh with a time of 19:35.41. Sophomores Madalyn Owens and Mackenzie Cason and junior Miranda Ghumm also finished in the top 20. Junior Brianna Neifert also ran. Tyler and Owens moved on as individuals.

“I expect at least four of them to medal individually,” Freeman said about the state meet.

The runners are excited and have high expectations themselves.

“I am excited to spend time with my team and seeing how we do,” Shriver said.

State will be held at the Wamego Country Club on Nov. 1.

The boys will run at 11:30 a.m. and the girls will run at 12:30 p.m.

photo by Lucas Cason

At the Stafford meet on Sept. 18, junior Colin Kumberg runs during the varsity race. The boys’ team finished second at the meet.

Lady T-Birds look forward to State

by Colin Little Reporter

I think that League helped us prepare us for Sub-State, because we were going to play most of the same teams that we saw at League.

Sports

The Lady T-Birds had a bye for the first round of the volleyball Sub-State tournament since they were the number one seed.

The girls played Minneola in the second round and swept them in just two sets.

They played Pretty Prairie for the championship and won in two sets. The girls only played two matches and won the tournament.

“I thought it went better than I thought it would,” senior Alyssa Swonger said.

“I am excited that we get to go to State. This will be my third year to make it to State throughout my high school career.”

The girls are the seventh seed in the state tournament at Hays. They play Friday at 3:30 p.m. against Centralia, at 6:30 p.m. against Hoxie and against Lacrosse at 7:30 p.m. If the T-Birds make it out of pool play then they will play on Saturday at 2 p.m.

“I think that we have a good chance of making it out of pool play if we played like we did last Saturday,” Swonger said.

With a lack of experience and little depth, the Lady T-Birds have still had success this season.

“I think that it has gone well, and we have gotten closer as a family,” senior Katherine Ghumm said.

“Our record may not show it, but we have gotten better as the season has gone on.”

The T-Birds played in the league tournament on Oct. 18, and finished by playing in the championship match for the third year in a row.

They came up short in three sets, losing to Attica.

“I thought we played well and our attitudes were good throughout the day,” junior Betsy Giles said. “I thought we could have won it but we just ran out of gas towards the end.”

After League, the girls had two more regular season matches at Macksville on Oct. 21. They beat both Macksville and Life Prep in two sets each.

Sports

Page 5

October 30, 2014

Coach improves off season players; looks forward to winning seasons

by Landon Lee Reporter

There are several teachers that are new to the high school staff.

Kenny Eddy is one of the many new teachers. Eddy teaches middle school and high school social studies, and also coaches.

Eddy is an assistant coach in middle school football and

high school boys’ basketball.

Eddy played basketball in high school and in college.

He has previous coaching experience at Osage City, where he coached middle school basketball while student teaching.

Eddy works with a group of guys after school to help train them for the upcoming basketball season. He also coaches a few high school basketball girls on Wednesday mornings.

“I think we will have a really good year,” Eddy said.

“I think we have progressed a lot since summer basketball.”

Last season the boys finished with a 3-18 record.

Eddy started coaching the boys this summer during recreational basketball.

The boys saw greater success during summer ball than they did last season.

They enjoyed his ways of coaching and charisma.

“He makes us work harder to gain skills valuable for basketball,” sophomore Matthew Giles said.

Eddy’s basketball boys train in the weight room after school is dismissed.

They do exercises to make them better athletes on the court and to condition them for long and tiring game.

The athletes Eddy helps are very fond of him outside the weight room as well.

They cooperate well with him and enjoy spending time with him.

“He’s very humorous, he’s young and he can relate with high school kids,” Giles said.

Junior Betsy Giles Middle

Senior Levi Johnston FB and OLB

What’s different now that you’re getting ready for State?

For practice, we get out 30 minutes earlier and focus more specifically on things we need to fix.

How well do you think the team will do?

If we try hard enough we’ll go far. We should do pretty good.

Who do you look up to?

Alyssa. She’s been on the team the longest. Also, Coach Younie because she’s always pushing us to do our best and helps us do that.

What do you do to get ready for gameday?

I get enough sleep the night before, and have the right mindset. I make sure everyone else is pumped up.

How is this season different than last season?

We don’t have as many seniors. A lot of us are still learning our positions.

What are your hopes this weekend?

I want us to play as a team and I want us to play to the best of our abilities. Hopefully, we’ll make it to bracket play on Saturday.

What was your favorite game?

South Central. That was going to be one of our hardest games. No one expected us to win.

What pushes you to play your best?

Whenever the whole team is really tired and everyone is going through the same thing, we help each other.

How do you get pumped?

I listen to really loud music and think about beating the other team.

How have practices changed throughout the season?

Now we’re more focused on defense. Defense changes with the opponents. Practices have been more intense.

What’s your favorite pregame tradition?

During home games, we listen to music in the weight room and get pumped up.

Page 6

October 30, 2014

Feature

Who knows mathematician mom better?

by Madison Golden



Bob Lee, band director

 Hawaii 

Celebrity Crush

Blake Shelton

Dream Vacation

Favorite Sport Favorite Drink Favorite Musical Favorite Team Favorite Instrument Favorite Color Favorite Food Favorite Singer



Kim Lee, math teacher

Blake Lee, 12 Carson Lee, 9

Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton

Hawaii

Volleyball

Football

 Wicked 

Iced tea

Iced tea

Fort Hays State

 Blue 

Steak  Blake Shelton

Wicked

Phantom of the Opera

KU Basketball

Fort Hays State

Flute

Flute

Blue



 Hawaii  Football  Iced tea   Blue  Flute

Steak

Spaghetti

Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton



Apple launches new iPhone products

by Kamryn Stark Reporter

According to Apple, the iPhone 6 is not simply bigger, it’s better in every way.

It is dramatically thinner, more powerful and power efficient. Apple states it has created a new generation of iPhone that is better by any measure.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were both big news around Skyline, yet only a few people in the school have one. Secretary Amy Swonger is one of the lucky ones. She got her iPhone 6 because she had an upgrade and her lock button on her iPhone 4s was broken.

“The government plan at the school motivated me

to get the iPhone 6 Plus because I get $100 credit towards the upgrade, so it makes my cost way more reasonable,” math teacher Kim Lee said.

There are many new features on the iPhones, but the most obvious is the screen size is enlarged. The iPhone 6 Plus’s width is 3.06 inches instead of 2.31 inches like the 5s. Band instructor Bob Lee especially likes the new size.

Besides, he says, "I just like having the latest and greatest."

Kim also likes the bigger size as it is halfway between an iPad and her old iPhone 5.

"I'm always carrying around my iPad and iPhone, and now that I have the 6

Plus I don't have to carry both."

The iPhone 6 has a new style of design which is more rounded than the previous iPhones. However, Apple doesn’t usually change a lot in the way it performs.

If you know how to use one, you probably know how to use them all.

“Apple is taking a lot of heat from people because they are taking a lot of features from Android and putting them into an Apple product,” Tony Marquez, Electronics Associate at WalMart said.

Consumers must be happy with the product though, because Apple sold 39.2 million phones in the first nine days of sales.

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Apple released two new iPhones. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7 inch display and the iPhone 6 Plus has a a 5.5 inch display. Both were announced on Sept. 16.