Log
The Northmen’s Preseason winter sports, Page 2
Oak Park High School
Friday, November 19, 2010
Issue 4, Volume 46
Consequences of fighting on school property
Cartoon by: Kaylan Ballard, artist By: Courtney Kelley Editor In Chief According to the NKCSD policy under student discipline: assault, bullying, fighting, harassment and hazing are all offenses. These incidents have been through the halls of every high school for years. Unaware of the consequences, students insist on showing their emotions through yelling and physical fighting. “Fighting has always been in high schools and has always happened. But fighting does not solve anything it just makes matters worse, nothing positive ever comes out of fighting,” school resource deputy Scott Archer said. After speaking with Principal Fred Skretta, the process of punishing students after an incident revolves around the same cycle. First, administration finds out what exactly happened, who was in-
volved and as much detail as possible. Then, the administration has each participant fill out an incident report which allows each student to explain their side of the story or witness the incident. Last, they take in account if this is a first time offense, or if they have already been confronted about previous incidents. Punishments depend, Skretta says, on how big of an incident the situation was and the number of times the students have participated in a fight or conflict previousl. However, the end result usually is suspension. At the school level, the building principal can suspend up to 10 days, and ask for a hearing with the superintendent, if needed, for more suspension days. In the policy, it explains how each of the following: assault, bullying, fighting, harassment and hazing, all have the same consequences.
According to the policy, “Either for first time offense or repeated all may be accountable for parent contact, student/ staff conference, detention, in school suspension, 1-180 days out of school suspension or expulsion.” Each of the following definitions, are quoted directly from the discipline policy:
Assault
“Hitting, striking and/or attempting to cause injury to another person; placing a person in reasonable apprehension of imminent physical injury; physically injuring another person.”
Bullying
“Repeated and systematic intimidation, harassment and attacks on a student or multiple students; perpetuated by individuals or groups. Bullying includes, but is not limited to: physical violence, verbal taunts, name-calling and put-
downs, threats, extortion, theft, damaging property, and exclusion from a peer group.”
any group, class, organization, club or athletic team including, but not limited to, grade level, student organization or Fighting school-sponsored activity. “Mutual combat in Hazing occurs even when which both parties have students involved are willcontributed to the conflict ing participants.” either verbally or by physical action.” Fighting deemed
Harassment
“Ridicule or insult that is sufficiently severe or pervasive enough that it alters the educational environment.”
Hazing
“Any activity, on or off school grounds, that a reasonable person believes would negatively impact the mental or physical health or safety of a student or put the student in a ridiculous, humiliating, stressful or disconcerting position for the purposes of initiation, affiliation, admission, membership or maintenance of membership in
unacceptable
“Fighting is unacceptable and I think it is not necessary. There are multiple things that can solve the issue peacefully,” hall monitor Joe Nichols said. Fighting about girlfriends or boyfriends, breakups and friends are the main reasons students feel the need to break out and fight or belittle someone. But what every incident has in common is that Facebook somehow is involved, Skretta says. “I am concerned because what we are seeing is that communication is a primary median, and Facebook is still sort of new, but has become stu-
dent’s way of expressing emotions,” Skretta said. “And the number of conflicts that have happened have included incidents on Facebook.” Peer Helpers are being trained to become peer mediators. The training will be done before Christmas break. Marilee Frailey, the coordinator of the Peer Helpers, thinks this will help lower conflicts and allows students to work through problems. Students helping other students rather than getting the administrative involved. Frailey says the program has open doors to any student who seeks help in a problem and needs fresh eyes to look at the situation. “Responsible citizens do not get in trouble, responsible citizens want others to be responsible and receive help,” Skretta said.
FACS classes provide life skills for students By: Tatyana Pekarsky Entertainment Editor While there are students who believe that classes taught in school are pointless, there’s a hallway that specializes in teaching kids practical life skills. The FACS hallway is full of classes like child development, marriage and family, clothing and fashion and foods. “I think they’re good,” senior Charles Lindsay said. “[FACS classes] provide options for students.” One of the most popular
classes would be child development, taught by FACS teachers Erin Kester and Jane Pfeffer. This class specializes in learning how to teach and work with small children. Students in the class participate in labs, which includes providing learning activities for the preschoolers. “I enjoy working with little kids and could possibly go into a teaching career,” junior Caitlyn Gerdes said. Students who will work with children are encouraged to take this course by their counselors.
Junior Gabrielle Young assists one of the childern from the afternoon preschool program. “I decided to take child development because I thought it would prepare for my future.” Young plans to go into elementary teaching. Photo by: Kim Green, Photo Editor
“My counselor told me that since I wanna be a police officer, working with little kids is a good attribute,” Lindsay said. However, not many students realize child development also accounts towards A+ hours, which is something students wish their counselors had told them. “I think that that’s really helpful,” Gerdes said. “It’s definitely something worth mentioning.” Another class that students lean towards is the foods
classes, taught by FACS teacher Virginia Stone. Here, students spend time working in small kitchens, cooking, learning techniques, safety, nutritional facts and meal-planning. “We try to do things that are economical,” Stone said. While students may take these classes because they’re considered easy classes, students learn many practical skills that they can use later in life.
Goodbye block scheduling, hello new schedule By: Jessica Nichols Sports and Feature Editor Last year students began hearing the rumors of a schedule change. Would the 2010-2011 school year be spent in seven periods a day, or continue with the eight-block schedule already in place? The question was answered, but the schedule for next year now hangs in the balance, affecting all but the senior class. “The schedule is going to affect us all, whether we like it or not,” said sophomore Aggie Rieger, member of the Principal’s Advisory Council. “It is a huge issue. It’s going to change the classes we can take and the activities we can be involved in.” When the issue of next year’s schedule came up, Principal Fred Skretta was asked by Superintendent Todd White to be the chairman of a group that took on the scheduling issue, collaborating with other district employees in order to solve the problems that had been presented.
“There are teachers from every high school, core and elective, and parents from every high school, administrators, the deputy director of secondary education, and at least one elementary and middle school teacher,” Skretta said. “The members wear more than one hat. There are collaborative teacher team negotiations. Teacher and administrator groups for the district discuss pay, teacher plan times, etc.” The council Skretta helped form began meeting regularly to discuss the different options for next year’s schedule. As the discussions progressed, two prominent ideas began to form. “One is sort of modifying a sevenperiod day with mix blocked scheduling, almost mirroring a collegiate schedule,” Skretta said. “The other, much more significant change is a trimester schedule. What we’ve been looking at are 12-week periods where you have five periods a day.” The committee worked together to form a survey which asked students, parents and district employees their
opinion on the importance of certain aspects of a school day. The committee felt the survey answers provided information which helped them develop scheduling options. “What we got back, particularly all of the comments, 200 plus, sort of gave a ranking to all of the categories,” Skretta said. The council wanted to reach out to the students, bringing their voices and opinions into the discussion about a schedule that would end up affecting them, as well. Skretta began talking to students in P.A.C. and other principals in the districts did the same in the programs they had set up at their high schools. Then, they opened up the meetings to students in order to hear what they had to say. “There have been a couple of students, particularly from Tonka, that are there every day,” Skretta said. “At the end of the school year last year, we thought the group was large, but we wanted student input. We wanted to get more students there so we opened it up.
[Sophomores] Devin Whitehead and Aggie Rieger attended regularly since then. Staley had one or two kids. It was a challenge getting students to come with the meetings after school.” Using the Olathe East High School bell schedule, information from The Principal’s Partnership on trimester schedules, opinions of the council participants and the survey, the committee is putting together a proposal for the school board. The trimester schedule and the modified seven period schedules will be proposed to the board Monday, Nov. 22 at Northgate Middle School. “Absolutely, positively, of course I plan to attend the board meeting,” Rieger said. “Why would I not? Students need to be there. I don’t like what’s going on, I’m not going to just let whatever happen and not care. This is big. To some it might sound boring, but this is so important. I’m going to attend, and they’re going to hear my voice; whether they like it or not.”
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Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
page sports
Brief: Volleyball round up
Unpredictable season excites football fans
By: James Coleman Writer “I think the girls played well in districts, but it definitely wasn’t the best they’d played this season,” said Candace McCall the volleyball coach. The team ended its season 18-121 and ranking fourth in districts. The girls actually went undefeated their first 13 matches, taking a downfall towards the end of the season. In the district tournament the first round game was against fifth seed Park Hill. They beat them in three games, scores were 25-19, 2325, 25-17. In the next round, they faced off against the No. 1 seeded team, Kearney. The girls played hard but lost to Kearney in two games, 14-25, 1925. They didn’t let up; they fought hard to the end. Kearney went on to win the District Tournament, beating Liberty in the finals. “We could have served more aggressively and against Kearney our team hitting efficiency needed to be a lot better” McCall said. “It’s always difficult to not play your best at the
By: Caleb Eissler Writer
Junior Katie Harris moves to the ball to help her teammate senior Melissa Youngberg. Photo by: Molly Mendenhall, Cambia editor-in-
end, but Kearney was very tough this season and we just didn’t do everything we needed to do to win.”
Preseason baseball workout in winter
By: Caleb Eissler Writer
The smell of freshly cut grass, the salty taste of sunflower seeds and the distinct ring of the bat when it strikes the ball. That’s what players love about baseball. But long before a player’s senses can be satisfied with all of this, they’ve got to take in a very different set of tastes and aromas. The musty smell of perspiration, the salty taste of sweat and the exhausted sound of players conditioning. These are what preseason workouts are all about. Preseason is currently the reality for this year’s team. The group has been doing a lot to prep. “We’ve been hitting a lot at Millhouse.
Eissler’s Insight
And then after we hit we do some speed and strength training,” said junior Jacob Stump. Junior Rowdy Andrews also weighed in. “Starting the first day of school, we had conditioning Monday through Thursday for the fall. Those were run by either Coach [Clifton] Glidewell or a trustworthy senior. Now that winter has started, players are hitting every day as much as they can along with agility workouts as well,” Andrews said. Millhouse has been a second home for many of the players in the off season. Millhouse is a gym and practice facility meant to help baseball players of all ages. The squad has taken advantage of the establishment year round. Players aren’t con-
tent with just conditioning at Millhouse. Many of the guys work out outside of school and that extra work is paying off. “I think the team is gonna be really good this year. We’re starting eight months early and taking this season very seriously. Outside of school, I run and go to the gym and work out to prep for the season. I also go to the batting cages,” said junior Clay Bricker. The team said it believes all this hard work translates to one thing for fans: lots of exciting baseball. Players are looking forward to those special tastes and aromas in the spring. This year they hope there will be one more to add to their list. The sweet taste of victory.
Anyone watching college football this season will know what I mean when I say that this year has been one of the more unpredictable years in a while. The No. 1 team in the country was taken down three weeks in a row and several major powerhouses aren’t even putting up a fight. 2007 was the closest year to this craziness and that ended with Missouri and Kansas playing for the top spot in the country in front of the biggest television audience of the season. I promise no one in their right mind predicted that at the beginning of the season. The 2010 season has reminded the college football world why so many love the sport. You never know what’s going to happening. College football is truly one of the most exciting sports in the world. Things are always changing. It takes so much to get to the top and so little to fall. BCS busters are on the prowl every week. You’ve got to bring you’re A game every Saturday. This season’s unpredictability can be seen when you take a gander at the Big 12 this season. In the league’s final year with all 12 teams everything has been shaken up. The traditional powerhouses of the south aren’t pushing everyone around. For the first time possibly ever, Oklahoma State looks to control the Big 12 south. If the Cowboys can get past Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 27 at home, they’ll be making the trip to Arlington to probably play Nebraska. Another sign of the insanity going on this season is easily the fact that Texas, yes that’s right Texas, is in last place in the south. The once-worshipped Garret Gilbert has failed to come close to meeting the expectations set by many of America’s sportswriters. To add yet another sign, whenever Baylor is at the top of its division you know it’s a crazy season. The Big 12 north has also had its fair share of unexpected moments. For Missouri fans, these moments might have been the Tigers taking down the Sooners and rocking College Gameday in front of the entire country or the two weeks of football where Missouri seemingly didn’t want to play a down of football, basically ruining the team’s shot at the Big 12 championship game. But Missouri fans have grown to expect ridiculous things from their team amidst
success with its current coaching staff. Nebraska has clearly shown it’s the top team in the North and quite possibly the conference. With Roy Helu, Taylor Martinez and the blackshirts leading the way, the Cornhuskers are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the championship game and maybe a BCS game if they close out the season well. Pelini’s genius 4-2-5 man coverage defensive formation has shut down many of its opponents this year with the team’s talented secondary. The “N” on the Husker’s helmet may stand for knowledge, but the “M” on Missouri’s helmet stands for misery after getting absolutely rocked by Big Red in Lincoln. Other north news consists of Iowa State scaring teams in Ames, the Buffalos playing terrible as usual with Dan Hawkins behind the helm, and Kansas State playing far better than expected this year with Daniel Thomas powering through many defenses. And then there’s those poor Jayhawks. The ‘hawks have had one of the most miserable seasons in the school’s history. But then again who cares? It’s basketball season for Kansas fans anyways. I mean it’s hard to win a game when you only play for 40 minutes. With all the story lines, exciting games and so much more, it’s hard not to be entertained by college football this season and we haven’t even hit rivalry week yet. Saturdays in the fall are what millions of people look forward to each year and those millions of people have to love this season. This season shows what makes college football so fun; the craziness that goes on every week with the thousands of young men battling it out on gridirons all across the country. The best part about this season is that all of this craziness started with a loss. The Kansas Jayhawks got taken down by the North Dakota State Bison in a 6-3 “shoot out.” Hmm…bison. And I thought Kansas fans had suffered enough at the hands of various bison (see various first round losses in the NCAA tourney in the only sport Jayhawks care about). Looks like I was wrong. But I’m ok with that. If you’re a fan of reliability and consistency, someone who doesn’t appreciate the unpredictability of college football, watch the Kansas Jayhawks. If you can handle it that is. Kansas is known for consistently failing at football every year. But don’t bother making fun of Jayhawk fans for football cause to them, it’s basketball season.
Girls, boys get into Athletes relieved, shape for the season paid to play By: Caleb Eissler Writer
The air is getting cooler and crisp. The trees are beginning to become bare. Snow will soon cover the ground. For sports fans this can only mean one thing: basketball season. The distinctive screech of shoes against the hardwood, the swoosh sound when the ball glides through the net, the sound of a dribbled ball and roar of the crowd. All sounds of basketball season. There are more sounds basketball fans will appreciate. The sound of players talking about the season that’s just right around the corner. Both teams expect success this season. This is particularly true with the boys team. “I mean I don’t wanna be one to brag, but I think we’re gonna be pretty solid. We have a good mix of players who each play crucial roles on the team. It’s like baking a cake. When you add all of the ingredients together in a good way you usually have a yummy outcome,” said senior Nick Deason. The girls team also has high hopes for their season. “I think we have the potential to be really good. We just have to focus and get things done. We will be playing fast and harder this year,” said junior Abbey Stockard. The squads have been working hard to get prepped for the season. “We conditioned a lot. We ran out on the track and then talked about life,” said senior Matt O’Brien.
Students earn scholarships to college By: James Coleman Writer
Junior Valeria Espadas shuffles her feet at preseason basketball practice in the auxilliary gym Monday, Nov. 15. Photo by: Dylan Kinder, photographer
The guy’s female counterparts have been pushing it pretty hard as well. “We have worked on lay ups, free throws and getting in shape,” Stockard said. Besides the level of the conditioning, Stockard has also been impressed with how the older girls are helping out the younger players. “It’s great to see all the girls putting forth the effort to help the underclassmen,” Stockard said. The teams are ready to hit the hardwood for what should be a very exciting season.
Thousands of dollars saved, no worries about college loans, and getting paid to play what you love, just couldn’t get better than that for our two athletes seniors Cody Brewer and Amber Dreher. Colleges require scouts to go out to tournaments, state meets, districts and summer games to recruit the best athletes to represent their university. Two athletes here discovered and signed with a scholarship, now their heart, strength and will were finally rewarded. Brewer finds himself on his way to represent Oklahoma University. Brewer, who’s attended and won three consecutive state championships, earned a full ride scholarship for wrestling. Oklahoma signed him this year before wrestling season even started; this shows the confidence they have in him and high expectations required.
Oklahoma contacted Brewer his junior year, letting him know they wanted him next year and to just do his best in school and so he did. “Not many in state that has done what Cody has done,” said athletic director Keith Ross, after explaining Brewers’ consecutive state championships. Dreher, the other star athlete awarded for her softball skills, receives a scholarship and is on her way to represent and play for Missouri State University. Her scholarship wasn’t a full ride like Brewer’s, but Dreher says it’s good enough. Although with Dreher Missouri State began scouting her since freshman year from summer games. Dreher recommends participating in your favorite sport during the summer because that’s when scouts are everywhere. “It’s kind of a relief, all my friends are worrying about where they’re going to go and how to
pay for college, but I don’t have to.” Both of these stars feel a lot of weight off of their shoulders after knowing they certainly created a future for themselves by going out playing their best every game in the sport they love. No one’s really prepared for a scholarship but always ready for one. When seniors are in their senior year they are constantly communicating with colleges, visiting their campus, and so much more to try and get accepted to a college. But with the effort these two athletes put in, they basically have nothing to worry about the rest of their senior year. Parents, the college, even the high school coaches are happy for such an incredible opportunity for their athletes. “It’s relieving, not much pressure this year with wrestling, I’m already signed,” Brewer said, showing the weight pulled off his shoulders. “Now college is paid off; I can wrestle for fun.”
page 3 opinion
Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
Oakie Opinions
“I’m thankful for my family, I’m thankful for all my friends, and I’m thankful for my love of softball.” - freshman Krista Hutchinson
“I’m thankful for the people I’m surrounded by, I think I’m blessed to have the family and friends I do.” -sophomore Brad Perkins
“ I’m thankful for all the people I have in my life and, all my friends, and people who care about me.” - junior Abbey Robinson
“I’m thankful for my family, my church, my friends and everything that is provided for me.” -senior Shane Dowell
What are you thankful for? Black Friday jingle By: Lauren Grace Lifestyles Editor Black Friday, Black Friday A day to spend some cash Driving here and driving there I hope I don’t crash Black Friday, Black Friday Is a greedy mess Meant to buy all your gifts But Victoria Secret would have gone braless Hundred years ago A man named Roosevelt Thought he ate a lot of turkey And needed to buy a new belt So he talked to Congress To switch the dates around That year they had two Thanksgivings And their wives did extra spendings Black Friday, Black Friday Boys wake up that day Pay full price but they didn’t know Call of Duty is on Ebay Black Friday, Black Friday A day to spend some cash Driving here and driving there I hope I don’t crash Black Friday Black Friday Doesn’t have to be this bad Instead of buying silly bands Go and buy someone a pair of pants Black Friday Black Friday
Teamwork falls through too often By: Aggie Rieger Editorial Editor I can be selfish. I can be selfish and rude and totally out of line; we all can. Saying so is not being pessimistic, it is being honest. Since we were all little kids we were told things such as, “Treat others how you want to be treated,” and, “Sharing is caring.” So why does teamwork fall through? Sometime, somewhere along the line as we grew up, we forgot what the Saturday morning cartoons taught us. Counselors and teachers tell us leadership experience is key to a good college application. Well of course it is; individuality and taking charge of a team is a big deal. But being a member of the team is equally important.
Group projects often frustrate me. This year, however, it hit me. My peers are saving my butt in my classes. I learn so much from others that I could never have grasped on my own and upperclassmen give the best advice. At rehearsals for “Hairspray,” crews led the way. In synphonic band we make gorgeous music with a sound I could never hope to create on my own. At forensics, my peers critique me on my performance and earn us all trophies; I never could have even daydreamed about placing without them. And just look at this paper, I finally understand the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” It was not built by a single person, either. “The path to greatness is along with others,” said seventeenth century writer Baltas-
Freshmen too fresh for minis By: James Coleman Writer
HP Mini laptops were brought to North Kansas City school district last year providing us with plenty of simpler resources. But if they thought they could grant a freshman, fresh out of middle school, still in their childish mind state and expect them to use laptops for what their meant for, they thought wrong. I didn’t get my mini until sophomore year, first getting it I wasn’t downloading games, I might have listened to some music, but having a year in high school already, I was mature enough to use the mini for what their meant for. Mini’s are meant to search your grades, communicate with teachers and counselors, save paper by storing notes, view text books so we don’t have to carry them around, maybe online classes and many more purely educational reasons. But playing games and listing to music is what seems to revolve
around freshmen’s minds because that’s what they value them for. Freshmen admit to having more than 10 games downloaded, some even said they had more than 20 games but a couple had to delete them due to virus the downloading caused. There are still some childish upperclassmen but not near as many as freshmen. I would much rather get an education than win in some childish game that can cause viruses to my mini. According to our tech teachers, freshmen have had the toughest time knowing what to save their documents in, if they even remember to save them at all. Supposedly they are saving documents in wrong files and causing confusion with teachers and frustrating themselves in losing their work. This is another reason why freshman should wait to recieve the minis so they can know how to use all the shared drives and how to save files. Math teachers are also having some issues
with their freshmen and how they use their minis. Math teacher Julie Coffey, for instance, finds it irritating that most of her classes which is only Algebra 1 mainly freshmen when she wants and warns her students to bring minis next class for an activity most forget or don’t have it charged. Phillip Gegen, another math teacher, says it is a huge distraction and that he is really close on just taking minis away like they are cell phones. With the majority of freshmen admitting to playing games during classes especially in flex and advisory, they said they know how to view grades, get on eCampus and email, but rarely do. An interesting thing that I found out was none of them were even warned about getting their own laptop. A couple knew just because of older siblings, but the rest did not. At least give them six months to see and learn how they are used, and maybe all the issues we have now could be solved.
ar Gracion. And with a name like Baltasar, you have to have something going for you. Gracion, hundreds of years ago, was right. Teamwork is huge. Without even realizing it we use it everyday. We are in constant contact with others, whether we get along or not. And whether or not we want to admit it, we are all connected and we all effect each other. Attempting to work together in harmony helps to ensure that these effects at least have the potential to be positive. Working together with others has not only become a big part of my life, but critical to success for all of us. I realize now that individually we are students. Plain and simple. Together we are a school. Blue on blue, through and through.
Counselors take control By: Tatyana Pekarsky Entertainment Editor Every year, students meet with counselors to decide their upcoming classes. They are given the freedom of choosing from more than a hundred classes. And yet, if the counselors push students to choose a career right then and there, is that truly freedom? Counselors constantly talk about how students should have an idea of what they want do to with their life as soon as possible, but high school is designed for students to determine what interests them. After all, students don’t have to pay for these classes, like they would in college. In college, it is said students will change their degree or area of study more than twice. However, maybe allowing students more freedom and choices without being pushed in high school can help them to spend less
money finding a career or major they desire. Counselors are here to help students, especially when students do know what they want exactly. If you know exactly what you do want to do, then go for it. Ask the counselors for help if you need it, and prepare yourself as well as you can for your future. Of course, it’s okay not to know what to do yet. Students, even when they graduate, aren’t ready maturely to make such important decisions. High school is supposed to be the golden years, so students should have fun and try everything. Young adults shouldn’t have to stress and have breakdowns when they’re only going to be a freshman again. As long as there is a plan ‘B’ and a vague idea, college can be fun. Don’t ruin it by freaking out and rushing. Live life to the fullest, and live somewhat in the present.
From the news room: Cut out cutting already Have you ever stood in the lunch lines on your favorite food day of the week and suddenly there’s someone trying to push in front of you in line? Chances are most of us have. One wonders whether or not they should address the person, pushing in front of them or letting a friend join them in the front of the line. If they do a roll of the eyes and rude attitude is sure to come. Understanding that the lines seem outrageously long, it still isn’t right for a person to cut in front of someone in the line. When a person gets down to lunch in a decent amount of time and stands patiently, waiting to get up to the food counter only to be cut off by another student, tempers are bound to rise. Not only is cutting in line wrong, but saving a spot in line for someone adds an unnecessary amount of aggravation as well. Instead of saving a spot for a friend, wait for them before getting in line. One will have more time to talk to friends as well as decrease the stress level of other students who have lost their rightful place in line because
of another person’s somewhat selfishness. With that said, the number of lunches also poses a problem to the length of the lunch lines. Students have less time to eat, spending most of their time standing in line waiting to purchase food. However, the waiting time shouldn’t affect the way students act in line. It does not make cutting okay. Making the lunches longer and getting rid of the six-minute passing periods between the lunches would help. This extra time would give students back a few minutes of time they could spend eating, instead of rushing to eat after standing in the long lines. Students shouldn’t be afraid to take a stand. Those who put up with cutting in line should speak out, reminding others that what they are doing is inappropriate and uncalled for. Students can take their complaints to teachers and administration in order to bring new ideas to the way lunch is run. Don’t let someone jump the line. It’s not tolerated at Worlds of Fun. It shouldn’t be tolerated at school either.
Log’s View
By: Kaylan Ballard Cartoonist
The Northmen’s Log Staff &Policies “The Northmen’s Log” is published 10 times during the school year. “The Log” is a student forum for expression; it is produced by students for students. “The Log” accepts letters to the editor in rooms E133 or E134 or cgeabhar@nkcsd.k12.mo.us. Letters cannot exceed a length of 350 words. We will not run letters that are libelous, obscene, or that may cause a verifiable disruption of the education process of
Oak Park. Letters must be signed. Advertisers may contact the business manager at 413-5352, or 825 N.E. 79th Terrace, Kansas City, MO, 64118. Opinions expressed in “The Log” do not reflect staff endorsements of that product or service. “The Log” is a member of NSPA, MIPA and Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists. “The Log” is affiliated with JEA and JEMKC.
Editor-in-Chief Courtney Kelley Photo Editor Kim Green Editorial Editor Aggie Rieger Entertainment Editor Tatyana Pekarsky
Sports Editor & Feature Editor, Business Manager Jessica Nichols Lifestyles Editor Lauren Grace Cartoonist Kaylan Ballard
Writers James Coleman Caleb Eissler Photographers Lilla Foldi Kim Green Dylan Kinder Adviser Christina Geabhart
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Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
page features
The cast of “Hairspray” performs “Welcome to the 60s“ on Wednesday, Nov. 10, during the matinee for middle school students in the main auditorium. Tracy Turnblad, played by senior Brooklyn Bowman, has been involved in theater since she was three months old. “I just love her character,” Bowman said. Photo By: Kim Green, Photo Editor
“Hairspray” hits the right beat By: Caleb Eissler Writer Picture hundreds of screaming people, plenty of upbeat and exciting songs, and just a good time. Picturing that would give you a hint of what it’s like to see the musical “Hairspray.” The show is an absolute blast. Strong performances from junior Jacob Sullivan, senior Rachel Perkins, junior Brooklyn Bowman and many others are the glue that held this musical together. The cast does an incredible job. This musical might just be the best one in a few years. It was truly impressive. It’s hard not to rant and rave about this one. This production might bring back memories for some from the 1988 “Hairspray” movie. Younger viewers might remember the 2007 “Hairspray” film and its star studded cast. Either way, this rendition of the classic musical is filled with a talented cast of its own. Watching Tracy Turnblad, Link Larkin, Amber and the gang singing and dancing away has got to put a smile on your face. There were plenty of laughs and cheers for junior Alex Stompoly as he poses as the plus-size Edna Turnblad in an absolutely hysterical role. Stompoly adds lots of humor and pizzazz to the production. The musical tackles some heavy topics such as weight issues and racial integration in a humorous but uplifting fashion. Despite opposition coming from many, Tracy is able to rise above the social norm and bring together white and black and prove that size of the body doesn’t matter; only the size of the heart. Hearts in audience were definitely warmed after seeing Tracy come out on top. People were practically dancing right out of the auditorium after seeing “Hairspray.” And you couldn’t blame them. The musical was pretty great. Five out of five hairspray bottles for this one. “Hairspray” had me singing “Good Morning Baltimore” all the way home.
Singing, “Baltimore Crabs,” debate and forensics teacher Arianne Fortune is wheeled off stage. Playing the part of Link Larkin, junior Jacob Sullivan, sings “It Takes Two“ during the Wednesday, Nov. 10 matinée. The male members of the Nicest Kids in Town council and the Dynamites, sing and dance to “It Takes Two.“ Photos By: Kim Green, photo editor
Robbins leaves stage By: Lauren Grace Lifestyles Editor
When word spread out that the theater would perform “Hairspray” this fall, students lined up in the choir room. For many, it is their first time on stage, but for senior Sterling Robbins, it was his last time singing to an audience beyond the luminescent lights in the old blue auditorium. For a guy that appears laid back in sweat pants and a t-shirt and likes to keep to himself, one may not expect to see him transform into smooth talking Corny Collins, a DJ host for Baltimore’s teenage dance show. Collin’s helps Tracy Turnblad get on the show and fight segregation. Monday, Oct. 25, Robbins headed to the stage after school like he had since September. First he reviewed his lines and then hung out with friends. It would be a big day for the cast since they would go through the entire show in chronological order. “[It’s] not actually rehearsing, but getting to know people. [People I wouldn’t] normally hang out with,” Robbins said. “As soon as school got over I took a nap. Then I went to rehearsal and just did homework if I had any at home. I usually stay up till 12 every night anyway.” Robbins has done musicals for three years; his first show he performed in was “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” he played one of Muzzie’s boys. With limited act-
ing experience, he just sings in A Cappella and Oak Street. He can release charming characters. In last year’s play, “Cinderella,” he played the Prince. “Since [theater teacher Jeff] Baldwin got here we have got more done, he pushes us a lot more,” Robbins said. “It’s a great group to get along with.” Skating at the choir party, Robbins showed off his mad jam skating skills. This brought a vision to director Chris Droegemueller and asked Robbins to skate in the show during the song “It’s Hairspray.” “They didn’t give me choreography, Mr. D just told to jive with the music,” Robbins said. He has skated since he was 11 and just started jam skating three years ago. He likes to play video games, hang out with friends and he likes to go to the movies and what he likes to say “teenage stuff.” Robbins explained that he will keep on doing the things he loves it once he goes to college. He wants to join the military and then afterward join the police force. “They don’t need help. People always have problems if they want them to happen or not. I’m not saying there is a need at all. I’m saying helping people gives you the feeling you’ve done a good thing and the more that builds up the more you feel you’ve done something with your life. Everyone needs help at one point or another,” Robbins said.
page 5 features Costume crew helps musical go back in time Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
By: Lilla Foldi Writer
Sophomore Darrien Loew rats sophomore Emma Kitelinger’s hair before one of the musical performances. The cast and makeup crew worked together to prepare the 60 cast members for the show. Applying make-up, senior Schyler Tate helps sophomore Roxy Whittaker get ready for the musical. Photos By: Johnna Hensley, Photographer
What else could remind us more of the rock’n’roll era than perfectly bouffant hair, a pretty dress or colorful makeup. “The makeup is really important, because without it the play is not finished,” said senior Jennifer Englehardt. “That is
why I choose the makeup crew.” The musical “Hairspray” is a perfect musical concerning history and atmosphere. But this piece made for success would be hard to pull off without make-up and proper costumes. Hairspray imposed a great deal of work on designers. But what belongs to scenery? Apart from
the setting it also includes the appropriate costume and the perfect make up and hair. In order to make a musical successful, the actors’ performances are not enough, the students’ working in the background are just as important, and sometimes they work even harder than the actors themselves. And all this is for making the piece even more enjoyable for the audience, who also requires the visual elements. And this contributes to make the musical even more successful. “The costumes were delivered from New York,” Englehardt said. “I think Penny’s costume and makeup is the best because it looks so real.” Planning and preparing the appropriate make up takes more than a
couple of minutes, not to mention the hair. A great deal of work is required to transform the actors into real rock’n’roll stars, or even elderly people, whatever the musical demands. “I’m sure the audience will love it, because every costumes, makeup and hair looks perfect and so much fun to watch,” Englhardt said. “Hopefully it will be a great show. It was a great experience to work with them. It’s always so much fun there.” A part from hard work, they also have a lot of fun. “It was a lot of fun and really interesting to see how a costume and make up can change to look of person,” said senior Lara Kuhnt.
What are you wearing?
By: Kaylan Ballard, cartoonist
Light, sound crew takes on new role Crew tackles lights, sound without former leading technician By: Lauren Grace Lifestyles Editor The audience settles down while they sit in the darkness. All of a sudden music plays and the curtains are drawn. Tracy Turnblad starts the show introducing her dreams and friends to the other world beyond the pit. Portraying laughter, sorrow and joy the actors’ sing their hearts out to the audience. As much talent as the thespians contain, the show can only come together by the elements of stage technicality. Lights and sound plays a major part to help the audience understand the bird eye view of a girl that lives in Baltimore, Maryland in the 1960s. Sound enables all to hear the actors who perfectly memorized their lines and lights bring out the emotions of the scene and parts of the story that is not verbally spoken. “They [junior Shelbi Arndt and senior Shawn Moore] are wonderful to work with. It is coming along. Tech elements of production come closer to performance but they are doing really well,” said stage manager sophomore Aggie Rieger.
Sophomore Mason Macey works on the lights on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 6, during Cue to Cue. It was the first day the cast and crew worked with lights, sound, and stage pieces. Photo By: Johnna Hensley, photographer
In the drama hallway, a secret passageway takes the crew upstairs to the lights booth. Steep steps in a yellow confined stairway and quotes from alumni scribbled all over such as, “I was here but now I’m gone. I left my name to turn you on, those who knew me, knew me well (too well) those who don’t [rest cannot be deciphered].” Entering the lights booth dark and quiet, the only light is a dim incandescent light bulb and a luminescence from a computer screen. This year for the first time the theater uses a computer to direct the lights in the catwalk, so people don’t have to encounter the Phantom in the ceiling of
the auditorium. Sitting up there was senior Ross Wuthnow and sophomore Mason Macey directing the spot light. Sophomore Kasey Colvin directs the light cues and directs the computer sitting next to Rieger. Everyone wears a Clear Com headset were everyone from sound to stage crew can communicate to make sure the show runs smoothly. Also new this year, 2010 alumnus Kylor Greene no longer puts his insight in the tech part of shows. Master electrician for all the shows he designed all the lights and was honored for it having the specialty. “He did everything under the sun and now
I am called the new Kylor Green, which I don’t like,” Arndt said. Throughout rehearsal actors tape mics to their cheeks and practice the art of sound check. Sound manager Moore runs back and forth from sound booth to stage making the sound just perfect for each voice and changing the batteries. “First learn each sound thing each person uses. Once you memorize whose who and act of scene,” Moore said. “[The problem] is when people’s voices are not the same.” Moore explains that once the pit came he had issues bringing balance to the mics. “Orchestra and band got here [they are] so loud in pitch, you can’t hear the actors. I turn up the volume till [a] light turn’s red, which can blow the speakers,” Moore said. First, Moore had to learn each sound cue for each microphone the person had, once he memorizes who is on the stage he can turn them on and off. Then handling batteries in the mics, especially with the worry that actors standing under the lights sweat and perspiration seeps into the microphone. “No one else signed up for it and needed to be done,” Moore said. A few times they had issues with the sound during the show but it did not defeat the cast or crew.
Crew runs “Hairspray” By: James Coleman Writer There’s more to a concert or act performed by a band or group on stage. It’s the stage crew who sets up and runs the performance, without having the lights, props set up correctly and after each scene with them coming in and setting up for the next act the play would not of happened. “For every two actor/actress’s there are a handful of techs,” said theatre teacher Jeff Baldwin, meaning that the play would not have happened without a stage crew. Stage crew included seven members this year: sophomores Alex Carrel and Kelsey Breault, junior Kayla Smith, senior Rosa Borrero, foreign exchange student Lara Kuhnt, junior Laura Boomgarden and senior Seth Bernal. They also had a stage production stage manager, PSM, sophomore Aggie Rieger and two assistant stage managers’, ASM, juniors Morgan Tinsley and Johnna Hensley who during the show had Clear Com microphones constructing the show. Rieger would give the ASM standbys and gos for the next scene. “The crew did absolutely fantastic all the way, very appreciated,” Rieger said, addressing they not only did great job in practices but also in the play. These members and managers for the past 10 weeks have helped construct and design certain aspects of the show. Also, Baldwin gave them the chance to come up with their
own ideas to put in the show. After the first few weeks, they turnrf from building everything to running the show. Practicing Monday, Wednesday and even Saturday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ,and then towards the end the stage crew was the last to leave practice sometimes staying until 10:30 p.m. “I wanted to be involved since I can’t dance or sing,” Kuhnt said, in why she is a part of the stage crew. “It was just long, but I really liked it.” With their dedicated work put in, they also have the chance to experience what it’s like to be a part of the play, and also they’re behind the scenes while the play is in act. On the other hand with all their work they put in, some can feel like they did not earn enough credit or appreciation. Rieger said that Baldwin showed his appreciation and the actors/ actresses weren’t aware of what the crew was doing and sort of gave them a hard time in the beginning but later on were very grateful for having them. “Mr. Baldwin showed his appreciation everyday thanking us, but most actors and actresses blaming us when something went wrong,” Kuhnt said. The crew cooperated just well in constructing the play, not being nervous because of all the practices to make it perfect. “For all my stage tech’s you have helped and create and made this show what it is, you all have done a wonderful job, thank you,” Baldwin said.
6 lifestyles
Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
page
Orchestra plays way into new season By: Jessica Nichols Feature and Sport Editor
Pancakes. Some students would love to eat pancakes for breakfast before school, if only they had the time. But what about for dinner? The orchestra held a pancake dinner fundraiser on Tuesday, Nov. 2 before its first concert. “We did the spaghetti dinner last year,” said senior Cara Donnici. “We wanted to make it a tradition, but pancakes sounded more popular.” The fundraiser had a decent turn-out. “It was really good” Donnici said. “ T h e r e were a lot more people there than I thought and we’re happy with the support.” The fundraiser helped the orchestra raise money towards the rest of the year.
“We are using the monies that was raised to help purchase new uniforms for the orchestra,” said orchestra teacher Stephen Pelkey. “We are also using the funds to plan ahead for a possible orchestra trip.” After the pancake dinner, the musicians took to the stage to perform pop numbers with their classical instruments. They played an ensemble of music from the Beatles, Kansas, Jimmi Hendrix, Sting and Journey. “I liked the music the best because they were songs we know,” said sophomore Maryssa Loehr. The music provided a challenge to the orchestra as they took on some tricky pieces of music. “The hardest piece to play was “Carry on My Wayward Son”,” Loehr said.
Others believed “Purple Haze” was more difficult to play. “The song was all over the place,” said senior Alex Viglino. The orchestra also had fun playing pieces like “Eleanor Rigby” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” The change in music time periods provided a new outlook on orchestra and what students can play with their classical instruments. “I think it was good for the people new to orchestra,” said senior Kaitlyn McManus. “We usually play 200-year-old music; and instead we played newer music.” However, some students prefer the older music. “I think if the song is made for a certain instrument by a certain band it should not be played by
classical instruments,” Viglino said. Overall, the concert set a strong tone for the rest of the orchestra season. “We were into the music and had a passion in it,” McManus said. “The audience was into it because [the songs] were songs they could recognize.” Pelkey hopes the students continue to have fun while learning to play music. “I am hoping that the students can learn a lot more technique and musicianship playing their instrument,” Pelkey said. “I am trying to make it fun to learn. They work hard and a great performance can be very rewarding.” Senior Caylee Dobbins has been playing the cello for about 7 years. dobbins favorite part of orchestra is getting new music. Photo by: Kim Green, photo editor
Planeteers make money grow on trees Little known student group; makes an impact at the school and global level By: Aggie Rieger Editorial Editor The gray trash bins rattled down the hallway, pushed by Planeteers adorned with yellow passes that released them from advisory. The trash bins were not collecting trash; instead they were picking up paper, plastic, tin and cardboard objects to be recycled. “They’re helping everybody out by doing it, by recycling,” said US History teacher Mike Thompson. At Northtowne,
” “Honestly, it gets
where Thompson previously taught, there was a similar student group, one much less successful then ours. “You show up every time, at Northtowne they wouldn’t always get around,” Thompson said. The rattling sounds sophomore of the trash bins are not Anissa Forney unfamiliar to students. “On Tuesdays we get all the recycle bins from the upper level and on Wednesday we do the bottom level,” said sophomore Anissa Forney, who Planeteers is a student has been a Planeteer since group that collects recyher freshman year. clable items from around
me out of advisory and saves trees.”
“
the school and into the Paper Retriever bins in the parking lots. “We are saving amounts of trash that goes into landfills. Last spring we saved over 10 cubic yards of landfills,” said advisor and math teacher Suzanne Vawter. With the Planeteers, saving the planet pays offliterally. “It’s minimal, but we are paid $10 a ton, we usually collect over three tons every month,” Vawter said. While Planeteers makes money from recy-
cling, their funds are low. “We have to buy our own trash bags and we try to do fun stuff like reward kids with pizza parties and now we’re trying to save for T-shirts,” Vawter said. Still, membership is high. As Vawter flipped through her binder, finding information on landfill space saved and money earned, a student walked up to her in hopes of helping out with the recycling efforts of the day. “I told you before, you can’t be here. Go to
class, we ran out of passes,” Vawter said and the boy left, hunched over. “Some weeks we have too many people and we have to send them back to class,” Forney said. Vawter still encourages new membership. “We usually pair them with an expert and they hit the hallways,” Vawter said. Want to be a Planeteer? Meet with Vawter for a pass to cut advisory and head out to save the planet, one recycle bin at a time.
page 5 entertainment
Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
Entertainment event calendar Concerts Wednesday, Nov. 24, Misfits at Beaumont Club Saturday, Nov. 27, Usher at Sprint Center Friday, Dec. 3, Shinedown at Midland Theater Monday, Dec. 6, The Night the Buzz Stole Xmas with Jimmy Eat World, The Dirty Heads, Sleigh Bells, and Free Energy at Midland Theater Wednesday, Dec. 8, The Night the Buzz Stole Xmas with My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember, Innerpartysystem and Beautiful Bodies at Midland Theater
Games Nov. 23 Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) Splatterhouse (PS3, Xbox 360) Red Dead Redemption - Undead Nightmare Collection (PS3, xBox 360) Nov. 29 Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS) Nov. 30 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Predator (PSP) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon (Wii) Dec. 7 Tron Evolution - Collector’s Edition (Xbox 360, PS3) Dec. 12 Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition (Wii)
Movies Nov. 19 “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” “The Next Three Days”
‘Unstoppable’ hits theaters By: Jessica Nichols Feature and Sports Editor Imagine a half-mile long, one million-pound freight train barreling towards Stanton, Penn., at 70 mph. Now, imagine that the train doesn’t have a conductor, speeding down the track with no one to control where it goes. To top it off, the train’s cargo includes toxic, explosive chemicals. “Unstoppable,” starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, was inspired by the runaway train incident of 2001. Pine plays Will Colson, new to the train yard. Paired with engineer Frank Barnes, played by Washington, on Locomotive 1206, the day starts off like any other day. Then the radio call comes in. Locomotive 777 is unmanned, heading straight towards 1206 at an unknown speed. Turns out Colson and Barnes’ day won’t be so ordinary after all. After trying to escape the oncoming train, they make the decision to bring it to a stop before it reaches a curve which would derail it and destroy most of Stanton. Even though Locomotive 777 speeds down the train tracks, the movie begins extremely slowly.
Though the movie runs for approximately one hour and 40 minutes, a good portion of the film is filled with information that takes away from the action. The facts the beginning provides the audience with are important for understanding what is going on and how the idea of stopping the train seems impossible. However, the amount of information thrown at the audience distracts from the event taking place. At times one finds it hard to believe that the runaway train is actually moving at high speeds, hurtling down the track. It appears to move at no more than 20 to 25 mph during most of the exciting action and crash scenes, which provides disappointment. The action finally picks up within the last 45 minutes. The choices Barnes and Colson have to make will affect the rest of their lives, as well as the lives of the people of Stanton. Speaking over the radio with yardmaster Connie Hooper, played by Rosario Dawson, the men keep track of how far away the unmanned locomotive is from the curve and how much time they have left. These last few minutes pull at the viewers’ nerves.
‘Minute to win it’
Nov. 24 “Tangled” “Faster” “Burlesque” “Love and Other Drugs” “Faster”
By: Lauren Grace Lifestyles Editor
Dec. 3 “I Love You Phillip Morris” “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale” “The Warrior’s Way” Dec. 10 “The Tourist” “The Tempest” “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” “The Company Men” “The Fighter”
Books Nov. 22 “Night Whispers (Warriors: Omen of the Stars Series # 3)” by Erin Hunter “The Athena Project” by Brad Thor “Songs of Love and Death” by George R.R. Martin “Garden of Shadow (Dollangager Series #5) by V.C. Andrews Nov. 30 “Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Collection” by Ina Garten Dec. 1 “The Other Side” by J.D. Robb Dec. 6 “Dead or Alive” by Tom Clancy “Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy Series # 6)” by Richelle Mead
The gentleman has a minute to keep a chainsaw in the air in order to win a million dollars, what they do not show on TV is the wife nagging about how poor they are and the mom screaming about bringing home the bacon. When the man wins the next level, the crowd cheers and the people at home scoot closer to their screen with anguish to know if he will reach his goal. During commercial interruptions, “Minute to Win It,” asks that if anyone wants to be on the show they should call in, giving people ideas not only how to be on TV, but also how to spice things up a bit at parties. Students chose to join the games in the library. Monday, Oct. 18, the library opened up for students to come at lunch and play the game “Minute to Win It.” Librarians wanted to celebrate Teen Reading Week with determined li-
brary fans. Last year, they tried Master of the Arts, where people could guess who painted a famous portrait. “It had such a response, we now will do it again one day a month,” said librarian Patricia Stancil. The first game was stacking 36 cups up, then back down in under a minute. People started feeling competitive and when all else failed, they came back the next day to reclaim their reputation. According to Stancil, the toughest game was balancing a roundedged Oreo on their face and tried to get it in their mouth. “Girls were outstanding with the tape measure game,” Stancil said. People who came ranged from all types of people, from boys to girls, and freshmen to seniors. This may become a tradition Oakies will do for years to come. “It was completely word of the mouth that brought people in,” Stancil said.
Overall, “Unstoppable” has an excellent plot and the actors portray their emotions and interact well with the other people in the movie, but it lacks the energy one hopes for. It’s one of those movies that would be okay to rent, but it seems pointless to spend $10 to see it in theaters.
Crepes offers unique tastes By: Caleb Eisler Writer Imagine a mixture of delicious ingredients wrapped in a fluffy, soft, doughy flat bread and smothered in a tasty sauce. All of that is found in a classic little place in downtown Liberty called Crepes. Crepes is a pretty unique establishment and it’s got something for everyone. A crepe itself isn’t really the most common plate, but eating it in an old, two-story brick building gives a calm, classic feel to the whole experience. It’s different, tasty, pretty reasonably priced and just a great idea. Crepes has a variety of types. There’s meats, sweets and much more. Prices of crepes vary from $4 to $6, and the serving size is pretty massive. Don’t be surprised to come out of there full. Crepes doesn’t only serve what its named after. The restaurant also
serves paninis, soups, salads, yogurt parfaits, coffeehouse beverages and fresh baked goods. The food at this establishment is all high quality and worth trying. It’s a great place for a chat with a friend, a family dinner or even a nice, relaxing date. With its great variety, uniqueness, awesome food, reasonable prices, large portions and classic feel, Crepes is the ideal place to eat for nearly any occasion and is not a decision anyone will regret. Crepes definitely gets four out of five logs. Crepes is located on the Liberty Square, at 4 North Main Street, Liberty, Mo. 64068.
Country music awards announce winners By: Tatyana Pekarsky Entertainment Editor On Wednesday, Nov. 10, the 44th annual country music awards were held in Nashville, Tenn., with country artists Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood as hosts for their third consecutive year. Dozens of artists were nominated for the 12 cat-
Keep up on all the news!
egories, though only few won. Paisley was awarded Entertainer of the Year, the largest category in the ceremony. Female Vocalist of the Year went to Miranda Lambert; Blake Shelton won Male Vocalist of the Year. Lambert also won in the categories of Song of the Year as well as Music
Video of the Year for her song, “The House That Built Me,” along with Album of the Year for “Revolution.” “Hillbilly Bone” by Blake Shelton, featuring Trace Adkins, was voted Musical Event of the Year. New Artist of the Year went to Zac Brown Band while Lady Antebellum took home Vocal
Artist. Lady Antebellum was awarded Single of the Year as well for “Need You Now.” The Vocal Duo of the Year was awarded to Sugarland and Musician of the Year went to Mac McAnally. With upcoming artists and albums, the CMAs offer new winners for next year.
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page photo essay
Juniors Amy Nelson and Elie Rodriguez sing and dance at YoungLife on Wednesday, Nov. 10. “[YoungLife is] a great time to get away from things, and just get to be with your friends,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez tries to attend YoungLife as many times as she can. She says her favorite part would “definitely be the singing and dancing.” All Photos By: Kim Green, Photo Editor “I liked putting sparkly make-up all over [sophomore]Jacob Snyder’s face. But I felt bad when I poked his eye,” said sophomore Amber Hemmie. Hemmie has attended YoungLife about seven times. Hemmie says her favorite part of YoungLife is hanging out with friends and having fun.
Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
YoungLife members gather spiritually YoungLife is a place for teens to have a safe and positive environment to have fun in. The group meets every Wednesdays. Students participate in singing, dancing, fun games and more.
Q&A on Young Life with member senior Ali Cubba By: Aggie Rieger Opinion Editor Young Life is a nondenominational, student led Christian group. Although it has no affiliation with the school, many students attend its meetings. Q: How would you describe Young Life? A: It’s a fun, positive place for youth to get together and stay out of trouble. Q: What are some misconceptions about Young Life? A: Not sure. A lot of people don’t really go because they feel they’re not as religious as they should be and I guess that’s intimidating to some. Q: How long have you been going to Young Life? A: Since the beginning of the school year, I heard about it last year through friends at Oak Park. Q: How do you all spread the word about Young Life? A: Word of mouth, we have fliers. I think some people take fliers to their churches and schools. Q: Where and when does Young Life meet? A: We never meet at the same place, it’s at different people’s houses...[the next meeting is] determined at the meeting. Q: What are some negative sides to Young Life? A: Not really sure. If you weren’t Christian and you went not knowing what it was then you could be uncomfortable because what it is isn’t really explained in fliers. Q: How do you recruit people to join Young Life? A: We encourage people. There’s lots of fun things to do when you get there, we don’t just pray. We do games and skits and sing; it’s very interactive. The time before last we had this crazy dance competition; it was a lot of fun.
Sophomore Jen Stock, junior Amy Nelson and junior Elie Rodriguez join in the dancing at YoungLife, Wednesday, Nov. 10. Junior Amy Nelson says her favorite part about YoungLife is how “it let’s me get out my negative energy from the week.” Nelson also enjoys “going crazy, and [watching] the skits. “