Issue 3

RELIGION IN-DEPTH Westside takes a look at how faith affects students at our school on pages 9-12.

8701 Pacific St. Omaha, NE 68114 Volume 60 Issue 3

November 20, 2015

THE AFTERMATH

Robbery at smoothie shop affects employees, business

LI BBY S E L I N E

MANAGING EDITOR Sophomore Kaylee Navarrette couldn’t sleep.

She tried watching Netflix and listening to music to calm herself, but thoughts of the incident kept her awake.

She and junior Erin Kruger had been working Tuesday, Oct. 20 when a man with a gun walked into Smoothie King and demanded they give him the business’ money. Throughout the night, Navarrette thought of this man.

She remembered his blue sweatshirt.

His gray hair.

And the sunglasses that covered his eyes.

“The whole moment of him pulling the gun on me really close to my body...it was just that replaying [in my mind,]” Navarrette said.

Her coworker Kruger also was affected by the attack. The two days following the incident, she questioned her safety.

“The day after, I was paranoid,” Kruger said.

“I don’t even know why, because it was just a random [robbery] and he wasn’t even out to get me and Kaylee, but it was just affecting me psychologically…[I was thinking,] ‘What if an intruder comes to the house?’ [I was having] random thoughts like that.”

Navarrette and Kruger handled the situation

well, but were initially shocked by the events that took place. Since the robbery, both Kruger and Navarrette quit their jobs at Smoothie King.

“I was just freaked out like I don’t even want to [work there],” Navarrette said. “I worked there for five days [after the incident] and every single day I worked there, I worked until close…The first night [after the robbery,] I was obviously really freaked out…I would just always think about it.”

Navarrette says she has been more relaxed since the days after the incident. Neither of them have spoken to a therapist about the experience, but have found ways to cope on their own. However, some effects remain.

“I will always be really aware of my surroundings,” Navarrette said. “[The experience taught] me to be more aware of what’s going on.”

Kruger has found a way to laugh about the robbery. She will joke about it with friends occasionally and question why the robber decided to attack a smoothie shop. However, Kruger does feel she has been changed as a leader because of the incident. Kruger was leading the shift that night and was the one who opened the register and gave the man the money.

“I realized how much capacity I had for being brave and for being calm under high stress situations,” Kruger said. “I was calm when it was happening. I didn’t say anything or cry. I tried to be as

calm as possible, and I think that helped us [deal with the robbery]...[Because of that experience,] I’m probably more willing now to take charge of certain things.”

Smoothie King has been working with the police to discover who robbed the shop, but the police have yet to find any new information about the robber. The business has decided to make some changes because of the attack. For one, the management decided to close the lobby of the shop at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. and take cash out of the cash register more frequently during the day. They’ve also decided to have all employees undergo training with the police in case another robbery happens again.

“I think that [these changes are] essential for any business [and] especially one with younger kids working,” general manager Alyssa Trautman said.

Despite the incident, Trautman believes the environment at Smoothie King is still the same as it used to be.

Overall, Smoothie King and its former employees have recovered and readjusted since the robbery.

“I was brave,” Navarrette said. “The situation could’ve gone a lot worse, but me and Erin handled it really well. [It’s] not good that it happened, [but] good [that] we handled it and we’re okay.”

Staff members Claire Nelson and Ava Bowman await the next crowd of customers at the Smoothie King on 90th and Center, Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Photo by Madigan Brodsky

2

NEWS

BUDGET BUSTER

Superintendent to resolve issues of budget process E LI SE T U C K E R NEWS EDITOR

The Westside Community Schools, like some other area districts, has had some problems balancing its budgets over the past several years. But Superintendent Blane McCann has been working to address them in a new budget plan for the 20162017 school year.

Parents and others in the community are concerned about where trims might be made, given roughly 80 percent of the budSUPERINTENDENT get is comprised of staff salaries and benefits.

“I know everyone will have anxiety a b o u t the budget until they know exactly what it all means,” McCann said. “We want to be able to make some of these decisions based on attrition.”

If staff members move or retire, administrators would have the option of not filling open positions or moving staff to cover those that have to be staffed.

“Our hope is not to lay anybody off,” McCann said. “That’s not something we want to do, but we have to look at all aspects of the district. We will look at the non-salary items first.”

Indeed, the District already has trimmed $4.2 million in non-salary items. The school board has told McCann they want him to balance the budget because the district has a budget shortfall of about $5 million last year and is predicted to have another shortfall of $3.5 million this year.

“This isn’t really a spending problem, it’s more of a revenue problem,” McCann said. “Our revenue has been flat for three or four years because of the

BL A N E M C C A N N

way the state funding formula works and because of flat property values.”

At the same time, McCann and the school board have been trying to become more competitive in regard to teacher and staff salaries by reallocating savings in other areas of the budget.

“We are behind our competitors and we want to stay with competitors (other school districts), but that increases our expenses,” McCann said. “I’m happy to do that; I want to do that, but then I have to be able to balance the budget.”

McCann said the District needs to review spending and find ways to use its dollars most efficiently, but it also needs to look for ways to increase revenue.

“Healthcare has been an increasing expense over the years and it has made a big impact on the budget,” McCann said. “We changed our health insurance provider and maintained our current benefits while saving $550,000.”

One problem Westside and other districts face is that the state funding formula doesn’t provide school districts a lot of flexibility in their budgets.

“We need to talk to our state senators and I think that’s really important,” McCann said.

“The legislature has changed some of the revenue allowances that school districts once received.”

This coupled with relatively flat property values has led to less revenue.

Right now, the budget-building process is just in the early stages. McCann’s plan is to allow for some growth. No additional cuts have yet been made.

McCann will come forward and lead a budget discussion with the Board of Education in February of 2016. He also hopes to have a public forum about the new plan in the coming months.

“Our hope is not to lay anybody off. We don’t want to do that.”

Graphic by Bella Radler

the

OPINION

3

Lance

The Lance is a school-sponsored publication of Westside High School, Westside Community Schools, 8701 Pacific St., Omaha, NE 68144. The Lance office is located in room 251.

Phone: (402) 343-2650. The Lance is an in-house publication.

The paper is distributed every month to all students, except in vacation periods. Subscription rates to others are $25 prepaid.

The Lance is printed by White Wolf Web, in Sheldon, IA. Advertising rates are available upon request. The Lance editorial staff reserves the right to edit all ads for clarity and grammatical errors. The editorial staff reserves the right not to publish any ads that are libelous or that contain non-factual information.

The Lance editorial staff also reserves the right to nullify contracts at any time without prior notification. The Lance also refuses ads that promote activities illegal to a majority of the student readership.

Reader response is welcomed in the form of letters to the editor. Letters should be less than 300 words, signed by the author and sent to room 251. Names may be withheld upon special request.

Lance editors will decide whether to honor such requests.

The Lance editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and grammatical errors.

The editorial staff also reserves the right to not publish any letters that are libelous or that contain non-factual information.

The Lance is a member of the Nebraska High School Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Quill & Scroll Society.

The Lance staff recognizes that the administration of Westside Community Schools controls the curriculum and, thus, sets the parameters of the production process of school publications.

The Lance staff also recognizes its own responsibilities to inform, enlighten and entertain its readers in a way that reflects high standards of journalism, morals and ethics.

Editors-in-Chief Nata Ward, Jace Wieseler; Managing Editors Jack Cohen, Libby Seline, Celena Shepherd; Copy Editor Sarah Hermann; Design Editor Casey Arritt; News Editor Elise Tucker; Opinion Editor Alexander Bergin; Feature Editor Bella Radler; Sports Editor Connor Castleman; Arts & Entertainment Editor Kayla Kyle; Cartoonist Nick Gross; Staff Writers Benjamin Brodkey, Rob Gabel, Cole Hopkins, Emma Korengel, Nicole Petersen, Jim Schueneman, Steven Simon, Nolan Tracy, April Van Unen; Photo Editors Madigan Brodsky, Mitch Francis; Adviser Jerred Zegelis.

Comic by Jack Cohen

Editorial

Offering self-defense class benefits students Last month two high-school-aged girls from Westside were victims of a violent crime. An armed assailant robbed them at their workplace, Smoothie King off of 90th and Center. No formal training was offered to Smoothie King’s employees prior to the incident about how to handle such a crisis. This is unacceptable, but common.

Not only should employees be prepared about how to handle violent situations, like robberies, but high school students should also know how to defend themselves in violent situations through self-defense classes.

Westside’s own students were in a potentially fatal situation, and while we do not advise attacking an armed man, we do believe everyone should have the ability and knowledge to defend themselves if necessary. Even high school students should have an equal opportunity to take their lives into their own hands. Offering a self-defense class at Westside would enable students to acquire this essential life skill too.

A multitude of violent crimes occur everyday. It may be difficult to prevent violent crimes, but preparing students for these situations, by educating them on how to handle them, will increase the likelihood that they escape a possibly violent situation unscathed.

A self-defense class does not tell students to react with force to every dangerous situation. The point of a self-defense class is to give students an option, and they can decide for themselves the best course of action. While many people will go through life and not encounter danger, there is a certain peace of mind knowing you have been educated on how to handle attacks.

Aggravated assault accounts for 63.6 percent of violent crimes reported to

law enforcement according to the FBI. A course would focus strictly on self-defense tactics and ways to increase safety. It would educate students on how to handle violent situations and incorporate a classroom setting to learn concepts, as well as teach the physical hands-on environment. Jujitsu is a form of self-defense that focuses on manipulating the opponents force instead of using force. The goal is to neutralize an opponent, not to harm them.

Offering this as a physical education class at Westside would give students vital information that one of us is bound to need in our lifetimes.

Westside is lacking in the amount of physical education classes they offer. Not all students are interested in sports or plan to use athletics in their future. However, self-defense is universal. It would apply to everyone.

Some would argue that this class would simply “teach bullies how to fight.” But, in all likelihood, attackers already know how to fight. This class would give potential victims a safe place to be able to protect themselves because victims have the most to gain.

If Westside offered self-defense classes every student would benefit. The class is not about promoting violence, but expanding the range of options available to students in times of need. The last thing you want to do is limit a person in danger.

Sadly, in our modern world, it has become more and more necessary for people to be knowledgeable about how to defend themselves, especially for women. Allowing students an elective opportunity to learn life skills before being on their own is a step that we highly recommend Westside takes.

“Even high school students

should have an equal opportunity to take their lives into their own hands.”

WARRIOR VOICE Should Westside offer self defense classes? Why or why not?

FRESHMAN

M I C H AE L A G U R N E T T

SOPHOMORE

K E LSIE W A T S O N

JUNIOR

JAY N A N C E

OFFICER

TODD CRNKOVICH

“Yes. [They] would know “It’s better to know safety “Yeah, there are people out “Any kind of physical here who don’t know how activity that improves your in advance. It allows us how to defend themto protect themselves.” to be prepared.” health and safety is good.” selves the right way.”

4

OPINION

Twitter accounts target nonbinary students

In our ever-changing society, we are progressing as a people. As a society, we have created a very welcoming community to the people in our world. However, there are others that can’t manage to be accepting of others living among us.

People are being rude to others. Acting this way is completely unacceptable.

To put it simply, all people should be considered equal.

People have now come to an alltime low, as they are hiding behind screens and taking to social media outlets to speak their minds. There are numerous so-called BENJAMIN B R O D K E Y “parody” accounts STAFF WRITER on Twitter, such as @WHS_Meninist and @WHS_feministz, that support an anti-feminist movement, advocating for the rights of men and going out of their way to anger women. The popularity of these accounts did not start at Westside, however students have caught on to the trend and started their own accounts. To make matters worse, these account owners are targeting transgender and non-binary individuals, by creating accounts like @WHSArbys.

A non-binary person is a person who does not conform to the roles of a specific gender. The description of this account states, “We are WHS students that don’t identify as male, female but identity as Arby’s foods.” This is an attack on non-binary people because they don’t identify as male or female, and are just trying to live their day to day lives. The people running this Twitter account have gone out of their way to “poke fun” at gender re-assignment, tweeting about their “surgeries” and “transformations.” Making fun of people who are going through depression and those in need of gender re-assignment is sad.

These people who run the Arby’s account are ignoring basic humanity and not treating people decently. However, the part that scares me the most about this account is Twitter notified me that the owners were contacts in my phone. I know the people running this account! I consider myself friends with these people? Why would I do such a thing?

According to an anonymous source who helps run these accounts, the same group of people runs the Feminist and Meninist accounts. They are the same, sad group of people who cannot manage to live a day without being rude to their fellow people. Why are people getting pleasure from being mean to other people?

I can’t say I know the answer to this question.

I think it may be the fact that the bully is hidden behind a screen. Their identity is unknown and this is why they are becoming happier while making other people sadder. At least, this logic of hiding behind the screen makes bullies happy is the logic that schools we’ve attended have been teaching for years.

As a society, we need to be better, more accepting people. It is unfortunate that we are unable to recognize that all people are equal. A black nonbinary person, a transgender woman, a white man; they are all equal, however many members of society will never realize this. Women still get paid less than men, people of other ethnicities get paid less than white people, no matter if they have the same skillset or not.

Now people are sitting back and making fun of non-binary individuals because this is what they find “fun,” and they aren’t scared of any consequences because they’re behind a screen. Dear people that make these accounts: consider your environment. Be nice to the people around you.

Come out from behind the screen. Be respectful to others. Is this too difficult a job?

BABY BUSINESS Teen moms need more support from school It’s no secret that being a high school student is beyond difficult. We attend school for seven long hours, five days a week and after participating in our extracurriculars, we come home every night to never-ending piles of homework, while also trying to fit jobs and social lives into our busy schedules.

If you think that’s the hardest it gets, try being a teen mom on top of all of that.

Now I, luckily, don’t have any firsthand experience with raising a child at the age of seventeen, but I have seen enough episodes of MTV’s “Teen Mom” to know that balancing your high school education and a baby cannot be an easy task to take on.

In a study from the National SARAH HERMANN COPY EDITOR Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and America’s Promise Alliance, they found that only 40 percent of teen mothers graduate from high school. Teen mothers need a stable job to support their child, which won’t be easy to find if they don’t have a high school degree. Teen mothers not having enough money to support a child not only negatively affects the mother, but also effects the child’s life as well.

In order to do this, more schools should add prenatal classes specifically for teen mothers in high school. Prenatal classes are classes that people attend before or during their pregnancy to gain knowledge on parenting. I don’t find it fair at all that teen mothers should be academically punished for a mistake that they made in their personal lives.

Sure, we have a child development class that educates students about the behavior and parenting of children, but the majority of the students who take this class are nowhere near close to being a new parent, nor are they planning on being a parent anytime soon.

It’s also not guaranteed that these students will remember the information they learned in the child development class when it will be useful to them in the future. It would be beneficial if Westside offered a class to a mother who needs to be educated on how to raise her soon-to-be child, without having to leave her school to do so.

Adding prenatal classes is a smart thing to consider doing, since it would greatly lower the stress levels of the new parent and would give them more of a chance to actually graduate high school.

Whether we choose to accept it or not, we have to acknowledge the fact that many teen pregnancies occur. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 273, 105 babies were born to women aged 15-19 years in the year 2013, with the number slowly increasing every year.

Teen mothers are an often overlooked demographic that aren’t given the proper attention, which isn’t appropriate since 34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn twenty. Many teens that become pregnant during their high school years are sent to an alternative school to get the education they need.

Rather than caving in to the “taboo” nature of teen pregnancies, we should help these people at the most confusing point of their lives. It’s hard enough to adapt to a new school with new people; adding a newborn baby on top of all that only creates a more stressful environment.

PowerGrade A

To the thought of Thanksgiving Break getting us through the week. Hot mashed potatoes, soft stuffing, warm fires, tart cranberries and, of course, turkey. Nothing’s better than a few days off and plenty of food with family.

C

To the morning dance-offs. Any large competitive event in the landing is bound to bring people together, and this was no exception. It was even a less violent option.

But things get old. They were entertaining for a bit, but it’s starting to become lackluster.

F

To the attacks in Paris and elsewhere. It’s a tragedy that could never have been foreseen, but was horrible regardless. Our hearts go out to the victims and all affected by this string of acts of terror.

OPINION

5

Myths and Truths

Misconceptions of Native cultures debunked A LE XA N DE R B E R G I N OPINION EDITOR

Native Americans have been one of the most looked over minorities in this country. We have had civil rights movements for African Americans, homosexuals, transgender people and even immigrants. Natives have not had this movement. Their histories and cultures

were swept under the rug in American history, which led a majority of people to believe in the stereotypes and misconceptions that they see around them. It is time to debunk the myths and realize the facts about the people who have lived here for centuries. Professor Tom Gannon* of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln agreed to talk about the truth behind some of these myths.

Myth

Natives all follow similar beliefs and have similar traditions and cultures.

Many people believe that Natives all fit into one box or under one term. This belief is upheld because of our society’s success in misinforming its populous, or not informing them at all.

Most Natives live on government handout, don’t pay taxes, and live on reservations.

We see people who believe that Natives are getting special treatment. Some believe they are being prioritized, over other citizens.

It is an honor to Natives when we put them as our mascot for schools or sports teams.

It is an honor to Natives when we put them as our mascots for schools or sports teams. Some believe that if it isn’t meant in malice that it should not be taken in any negative light.

*Professor Tom Gannon works at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Gannon specializes in Native American literature, critical theory, British romantic literature, Ecocritisism and “Animal-Rights” theory, as well as avian and animal representation in literature. He teaches Introduction to Native American Literature, Topic in Native American Literature and Literary and Critical Theory.

Graphics by Casey Arritt

TRUTH

“There were [and] still are hundreds of Native cultures, as different in many ways as different European cultures. Think how different a Plains, buffalo-based tribe like the Lakota was [and] is from a sedentary [and] agricultural, corn-based tribe like the Diné (Navajo). It’s at least as different as, for instance, the Spanish and German peoples [and] cultures.”

Native Americans are all different. Put in terms of today: someone from Washington state will probably live a completely different life than someone from Mississippi. Different states, and in the case of Native Americans, different tribes live different lives.

“Recent stats show that well over 50 percent of Native Americans live off the reservation, most of them in urban/city settings. In fact, the U.S. Federal Relocation Program that begin in the early 1950’s was expressly designed to destroy Native cultures and communities by tempting Indians to the big city. Sure, there’s a lot of welfare [and] ‘handouts’—because Natives are mostly poor people, after 500 years of colonial rapine.”

In all reality, Native people need more assistance because their ways of life were taken away. In the past, Natives have been the victims of senseless crimes and have had their rights violated on multiple occasions. So no, Natives are not getting prioritized or special benefits, they are receiving help so that they can be on an even playing field as everyone else.

ARD ISATW

RAC

“Hell, no. It’s racist, and those who think it isn’t are unconsciously kidding themselves with rationalizations about ‘honoring your people,’ etc. For one thing, it’s dehumanizing to treat a human ethnic group on the same level as Lions, Tigers and Falcons, etc. Secondly, Philip Deloria has written that such mascot activities are really white settler-colonial America patting itself on the back for having conquered another group of humans, and also, in some ways, reliving the ‘glory’ of the Wild West and Indian Wars by having the ‘conquered’ toss spears from horses during football halftimes.”

It does not make sense for a society that claims liberty and justice for all to make fun of the very cultures it destroyed. We do not make other minorities into mascots to be paraded around in front of families to entertain. We would never have a sports team or school that was named after slurs for other minorities, so why should we be okay with it being done with Native Americans?

There is “Indian Royalty” within Native tribes.

Companies like Disney pushing the image of the “Indian Princess” back this myth.

Native Americans prefer the term “Native American.”

Most believe that since this is the most common term and because this is the most used term among scholars that it is the preferred term.

“...Native Americans.”

“I prefer the term ‘Natives.’”

“‘Royalty’ is a completely Euro-concept.”

Though most tribes did have their own hierarchy in place, royalty is not something that existed in Native cultures. Sorry, Disney, but I think we need a new label for your “princess.”

“Mostly only Natives in academia like me use it. We used to use ‘American Indian’ back in the 1970’s and 1980’s…Most ‘common-folk’ Indians call themselves just ‘Indians’—or ‘Ind’ins,’ as they pronounce it in South Dakota. Among younger Indians, the single-word ‘Native’ is becoming quite common. Just as commonly, and ultimately preferably, the tribal name is used—e.g., Lakota, Diné, etc. This is preferable, in my mind, since ‘Indian’ itself is an invented Western concept.”

So yes, it is safe to use the term Native American, but we also need to be aware of the better alternatives we can use. Using the word “Native” may be a better alternative, or if you get close enough to the person, then using the name of the tribe they belong to will show honor and respect.

6

OPINION

Too big of a workload leads to poor health, adds stress Late last year, I decided to sign up for more AP and honors courses. Part of this was because I wanted to push myself, however the main reason was that I wanted to prove that I was smart to other people. It’s not the most logical reason but it’s what I was feeling at the time.

So I signed up for three AP, two honors, and a few other extracurricular classes. I didn’t think it would be too much pressure and I didn’t really understand just how much my workload would be changing. Little did I know, the classes would be incredibly challenging. By the first month of school, I was already struggling to keep my grades up and to keep myself from breaking down.

A lot of pressure is put on each student to keep KAYLA K YL E your GPA high and A&E EDITOR to consistently get perfect grades. While motivation can be good and it’s healthy to have a little push, feeling too much pressure to take classes they aren’t ready for can be detrimental to their health.

Many students lose sleep in order to finish their assignments and spend all their free time doing different projects or studying for upcoming tests.

Students in high school are told over and over what they need to do to be successful in school.

Take several classes, keep a perfect GPA, sign up for sports and clubs, have a part time job, etc. The list never seems to end when it comes to expectations for students. It takes up so much time that kids are often left feeling overwhelmed, anxious and exhausted.

While there have been calls to action to this before, there’s been no change from them. Students are still feeling pressure to please everyone and this is all leading to an unstable mental health.

This all can lead to sleep deprivation or falling behind in your classes. No matter how you work it, it’s still going to be unhealthy for you and your academics. You need at least seven hours of sleep in order to function successfully in society.

However, this is hard to attain when you don’t get home until late at night and have hours of homework to do afterwards. You end up staying up later, getting less rest, and being worn out and exhausted for the rest of the day. This cycle will only repeat.

If we are going to place so much importance on schoolwork then we need to stop pressuring kids into signing up for extracurriculars and working part time jobs if it’s not necessary. Students need extra time to succeed in their classes.

It just won’t be possible if they aren’t getting home until nine or ten at night.

This has been a never-ending conversation but nothing different ever happens. Students remain stressed out, sleep deprived, and dreading school each day.

While there will always be pressure on people just as a result of life, it can always be decreased to a point where it’s manageable. Making teenagers take AP classes, several after school extracurriculars, and have a part time job isn’t how you do it.

Graphic by Jim Schueneman

SCHOOL DOESN’T RULE

Enforcement falls short of expectations “You need to get inside the closest IMC. Now.” Almost everyone has heard these instructions sometime as a Westside High School student. One of the numerous duties staff members have here at Westside is enforcing rules. Rule enforcement isn’t a problem at Westside, or at least not until you watch a group of students get special treatment.

The group walks past bouncers, breaking the same rules you and every other student haveto follow. While watching, you notice the group pass a staff member.

As the group goes by the staff member, the adult does nothing.

It seems like their infractions are nonexistent, they get a free pass OWEN MORROW to do as they wish.

GUEST WRITER Many students, myself included, have witnessed a scenario like this: students not getting ushered into an IMC while other students are. I began to wonder, “Am I paranoid or is there a problem with rule enforcement? Can any student with a personal connection to a faculty member get away with breaking the rules?” To answer my questions, I created a survey to get the student body’s view.

I conducted a survey of students and staff, including students of different grades, ethnicities, and backgrounds along with various staff members. The survey was nine questions

long, and offered a free response question for specific views from students and staff.

The survey responses showed trends in data; more than 50% of students and staff, (about 72% to be specific) believed rule enforcement is an issue at Westside. The most selected survey answer was, “rule enforcement is an issue and something should be done.” Of the students surveyed, a sizable group answered, “This problem is critical and administrative involvement is demanded.”

The free response section also resulted in a massive amount of negative opinions and feedback about rule enforcement.

One response from a student about the food/hallway rule in specific was, “At times (it can) be somewhat extreme. But, with some teachers, it can be nonexistent. The “no food anywhere but the cafeteria rule” was implemented to prevent excess mess anywhere in the school, and while not a bad idea, I don’t think I should be accosted for eating carrots somewhere not in the cafeteria. Most of the time I end up just throwing away whatever food I have if I’m caught.”

Out of the people I personally surveyed, only 28% believed that rule enforcement at Westside isn’t a problem. These statistics seem too obvious to avoid, yet I see no effort from any of the administrators to attempt to increase rule enforcement fairness.

The school has spoken; it’s increasingly obvious that rule enforcement is a serious issue at Westside. It’s up to both students and staff to take the steps necessary to fixing unequal rule enforcement. It’s time to fight for our equality.

Graphic by Eva Wetzel

FEATURE

7

Time of DEspair

Student teacher retells events of Millard South shooting JACE W I ES E L E R

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Student teacher Bryce Trout was within 50 yards of the school shooter at Millard South Jan. 5, 2011, he just didn’t know it.

Most days, the then-senior would go into his mother, athletic director’s administrative assistant Christy Trout’s, office in the administrative office during lunchtime and talk. Whether it was about their day or what was for dinner, Bryce enjoyed the time with his mom.

“It was convenient [having my mom work at the school],” Bryce said.

“Teachers knew me better. If I ever needed anything, I’d just go to my mom.”

On this particular day, it was Christy’s birthday. She had balloons throughout her office, celebrating the day, talking to other co-workers about her plans for the night.

After chatting with his mom, Bryce left the office and headed to lunch. He was stopped on the way there to talk to his girlfriend and friends in the school store, right across the hall from the office.

In the midst of the conversation, an announcement came on the intercom, declaring a “Code Red”. A lock-in.

“We didn’t have any teacher or supervisor [in the school store],” Bryce said. “We didn’t know if we were doing the right ‘Code Red’ procedure so we were kind BRYCE’S MOTHER of freaking out about that at first, but we had no idea what was happening.”

They were unable to hear or see anything, but all the while Bryce’s mother in the administrative office was in the middle of the action.

Christy was talking to a secretary by the principal, Curtis Case’s, front desk about her plans for her birthday, when they heard a loud scream followed by a loud banging noise.

Her first thought was that it was the balloons in her office being popped. It wasn’t until Case came running out of his office, after being shot once already and fell to the ground next to Christy that she put two and two together. It was a gunshot.

Case was begging the student, Robert Butler, Jr., to not shoot again.

Christy fell to the ground next to Case, curled in a ball, hoping the shooter wouldn’t see her.

“I remember when [Dr. Case] was shot, the smell of burning flesh,” Christy said. “I feel like it stayed in my nose for months and months. And I remember laying by him in a huddled position thinking, ‘Either this is going to hurt bad in a few seconds or I’m not going to feel anything and I’m done’.”

Butler didn’t see Christy and ran out the front doors, shooting down the hallway on his way out.

Christy quickly got to her feet and ran to call 911. She and a couple other coworkers then went to help out Case, and apply pressure to his wounds while waiting for the ambulance.

Once the EMT’s arrived, they decided to take roll to see if everyone in the office was accounted for.

Assistant principal, Vicki Kaspar, wasn’t there. They found her in her office, lying on the ground, in a pool of blood from a gunshot, with her chair flipped over.

CH RI S T Y T R O U T

“You could real lightly hear her saying, ‘Help, help,’” Christy said.

The EMT’s quickly began working on her, but unfortunately, Kaspar died the following Wednesday evening due to her wounds.

“When people say that things happen so fast, [it’s true] you just can’t believe the actual situation is taking place like, ‘This is not happening. This is not happening,’” Christy said.

While the events of the morning were playing out, Bryce and the students locked in the store didn’t know the facts of what was actually going on. “[I] started getting texts from other people saying, ‘There’s a shooter in your building,’” Bryce said. “An hour goes by and we see social media blowing up… we hear rumors like, ‘There’s 12 kids shot’ [and] ‘The principal died.’ Then we had no idea what was going on. I started panicking because I knew my mom was in the office.”

Bryce eventually saw his mom leaving the office with two police officers.

He was relieved she was okay, but he was still locked in the store. Four hours later they were let out by knocking on the glass since no one realized there were students locked in the store.

Hundreds of students, parents and faculty went over to the church parking lot across the street. A variety of emotions swept through the crowd: fear while frantically looking for loved ones, sadness for the events that had taken place, joy for finding out their loved ones were okay.

“It was crazy to witness and see all of these emotions going on in the crowd and to see the community come together as one,” Bryce said. “Everybody was giving their condolences to each other and making sure that everybody was okay.”

The Millard South students got one day off of school and were to return on Wednesday. “[When we got back], the whole atmosphere was crazy different,” Bryce said. “Everyone was super quiet. Every single class we went to, that’s what we talked about. We didn’t really lecture. No one was in the right state of mind.”

The semester went on a little differently than normal. There were tributes for Kaspar’s passing and moments of silence during school and basketball games.

As for if Bryce and Christy believe that there will be more school shootings, they both wanted to be optimistic and say no, but have inclined to say yes.

“Unfortunately, it’s scary it seems like there’s so many of these situations happening in the world now,” Christy said. “I hate to be half empty and say there’s a possibility [of another school shooting], but unfortunately, there’s a possibility.”

Although there has been one school shooting every week in the U.S. since 2013, according to everytownresearch.org, Bryce thinks some good come out of the Millard South shooting. “[This experience] made me value life more,” Bryce said. “Don’t take the little things for granted. Definitely don’t take school for granted, you never know when it could be taken away. I could’ve lost my mom that day.”

“And I remember laying by him in a huddled position thinking, ‘Either this is going to hurt bad in a few seconds or I’m not going to feel anything and I’m done.’”

Upper Left: Student teacher Bryce Trout poses with his mother, Christy Trout, and brother. Photo courtesy of Bryce Trout Upper Right: Photo by Madigan Brodsky

8

FEATURE

CHIPPING AWAY AT THE MIND

Student’s father diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at young age

N A TA W A R D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF You can’t tell just by looking at him that Chips Tilgner has Alzheimer’s. There’s nothing in the medium build, balding hair and friendly smile that gives it away. A few years ago, you wouldn’t have been able to tell at all. His family, including his son, freshman Drew Tilgner, had thought it was just normal conditions of aging.

The warning signs weren’t obvious. The loss of words, the stuttered speech, it came on slowly.

Quietly. Chips thought he was “losing it.”

He was losing things. Little things at first, like his keys. Then other things, bigger things, concepts. He stopped asking what books his sons got from the library at school, stopped reminding them that their homework was due. He was slower with his words.

Chips was 55, while the average patient with Alzheimer’s was 65 or older. He worked in the Finance department of Union Pacific. He graduated from the Ivy Leagues. And now he couldn’t hold a complete conversation.

“There’s something wrong with me,” Chips told them.

The first doctor’s appointment came back with a minor cognitive deficiency diagnosis. The boys were in elementary school. Two years later, at a later doctor’s appointment, they compared the tests. Chips was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. One day, after lunch on a weekend, Chips asked his sons to stay.

“I have something important to say.”

They are sitting there, watching him, thenseventh-grader Drew Tilgner and 10-year-old Matthew Tilgner. His dad is talking, but Drew is thinking about the end, when his father can’t remember his name, when he can’t remember Drew.

What does this mean for the family? What does this mean for his father?

Alzheimer’s.

Drew googled it. “A progressive disease of the mind.” It made his heart drop. He wanted to know the time frame, how long he would have his dad.

The average Alzheimer’s patient lives 8 to 10 years after diagnosis.

And then came the day when Chips had to retire from Union Pacific. Drew’s mother, Dina Tilgner, remembers walking out of the building and Chips was saying, “I’m leaving too young. I’m leaving before I want to leave.”

Chips was losing basic critical thinking skills

and his ability to analyze things. The biggest change was his vocabulary. He couldn’t think of the right words, and that’s where now-freshman Drew stepped in.

At baseball games and after school activities, Chips would say, “Your son is zoom.”

MOTHER Drew would add in smoothly. “Fast, Dad, that might be the word you’re looking for.”

It was other words too. “Appetite” instead of “appetizers.” Sound effects instead of adjectives. Yesterday instead of tomorrow. It was even harder as he lost his ability to work with numbers.

“He was very bright regarding math,” Dina said. “And [there came a point where] he couldn’t help the boys with fifth-grade level math as the disease progressed. I mean, he went to Princeton.

He was gifted in math. It was a strength. [And now,] he can barely write a check.”

Chips stayed at home then, as Dina went off to work and the boys to school. He watched TV, ate lunch, read the paper. He helped take and drop off the boys to activities, and then, last June, he decided he no longer trusted himself to drive.

Drew was supposed to go to a friend’s. Chips was supposed to take him. Chips approached Drew calmly, and said quietly, “I can’t drive you today, I’m going to try to lay off more of the rides.”

“He [told me,] ‘I don’t want to drive anymore,’” Drew said. “‘I don’t want to get to the point where I am a danger to other people on the road’…He couldn’t [confidently] remember or navigate the roads back from [the destination.] His zone got smaller and smaller [each day.]”

Neither Drew nor his brother were old enough to drive, so they had to rely on a family friend to take them to school from then on. Drew wasn’t able to go everywhere he wanted. He couldn’t just decide to go to a friend’s during the summer when their mom was at work. But honestly, Drew wasn’t that bothered.

“It’s [okay,]” Drew said. “I don’t need to go anywhere.”

Drew has taken on more responsibilities than the average kid his age, according to his mother.

He has more chores, he helps his father with basic

D I NA T I L G N E R

tasks. Once, when Drew came home from school, Chips was sitting at the table with his phone and a Post-It note in front of him.

“Drew, I can’t remember my phone password.”

So it was Drew who carefully looked through his scribbles and told his Dad that no, none of the ones he had written down were right. Drew unlocked his dad’s phone and then took the password requirement off completely, so Chips wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting it again.

In the mornings, Dina wakes up the kids and then wakes up her husband. She reminds Chips to take his meds. In the morning routine, like most everyday routines, Chips is left out of them for the most part. He’s on his own schedule, somewhat of an outsider, because routines either don’t apply to him, or get too complicated if he was involved.

The diagnosis has become normal life for the Tilgner’s. Chips’ progression was described to the family as symmetry. He was once young, and then he became an adult, and now he is becoming young again. He is losing his independence.

The family does their best to remain patient when Chips can’t control his emotions or perform everyday tasks. They take care of him because they love him, but it has been hard.

“My first reaction was ‘Okay, we are going to deal with this,’” Dina said. “And then I was sad for him. This [was] like telling someone they have cancer, only…there are no survivors. [Alzheimer’s is] a very long process and you lose the person along the way.”

Dina asks that people stop romanticizing the disease. She says it is so much more than not being able to find your way home, or not being able to tell directions. It’s in every conversation and interaction, at times it’s embarrassing, and sometimes it’s complicated to explain.

It isn’t gentle. It isn’t noble.

Persistent, yes. Stressful, yes. Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. And the scary part is knowing that one day, when they wake up, their own husband, their own father, will not remember who they are.

“He was very bright regarding math, and [there came a point where] he couldn’t help the boys with fifth grade level math.”

Chips (top left), Dina (top right), Matthew (bottom left) and freshman Drew Tilgner (bottom right) pose for a photo on Sunday, Nov. 15. Drew’s father, Chips, suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, which affects memory. Photo by Mitch Francis

IN-DEPTH

9

RELIgion at Westside

Lance takes an in-depth look at the way religions, faiths and belief systems affect the population at Westside.

Graphic by Nata Ward

Religion at a glance

An overview of major religions at Westside

BELIEFS: A Buddhist does not necessarily believe in a deity or central power, but finds power through inner peace. They work towards a common goal of purity and eternal happiness.

The name Buddhist comes from the founder and original teacher of this lifestyle, Buddha.

PRACTICES: Rose Kent, a Westside staff member, who associates herself with some aspects of Buddhism said, “I practice by striving for peace and happiness in life and living a lifestyle of calmness.” The most important practice of most people who follow Buddhism is meditation which is used to promote being calm and at peace.

STAFF MEMBER

ROSE K E N T

Buddhism

MISCONCEPTIONS: Kent recognizes many misconceptions surrounding Buddhism. Kent said, “Many people think of Buddhism as a religion, but [to me,] it’s really a lifestyle.” The reason Buddhism is not technically a religion is because Buddha, the founder of the religion, said people should not follow out of faith but rather examine themselves to see if his teachings are true for them.

Story by Jim Schueneman and Steven Simon. photos by madigan brodsky BELIEFS: Hinduism is the oldest religion on the planet. One major belief of people who practice Hinduism is the belief that every being has a soul that is part of a Supreme Soul. Hindus also believe in reincarnation or that the soul travels to the body of another being after physical death. The final distinct belief of Hindus is Karma. Karma is the belief that the sum of a person’s actions in their current life decides their future fate.

BELIEFS: Christians believe in one all-knowing God whose only Son, Jesus Christ, sacrificed himself, was crucified and was then resurrected in order to save all people from sin.

Christians believe in the Old and New Testaments and follow God’s Ten Commandments.

PRACTICES: Sophomore Fischer Davis, a Catholic, practices his religion by attending a church service once a week, observing religious holidays such Christmas and Easter, and practicing the Seven Sacraments. Davis’ practices are very similar to the majority of Christians.

SOPHOMORE

F I S CHE R D A V I S

Christianity

MISCONCEPTIONS: Regarding misconceptions about Christianity, Davis said, “Many people think that wrongdoings of Christians in the past reflect our beliefs or morals and that isn’t a good representation.” Some of these events that could be seen as wrongdoings of Christian people in the past include the ownership of slaves or other happenings such as the crusades. Christianity is a very prominent religion so it is generally understood. Even with this general understanding, a large portion of people do not understand that Christianity has thousands of different denominations, all with slightly different doctrines.

FRESHMAN

SARUP K U N W O R

Hinduism

BELIEFS: Muslims believe in an all powerful God, along with angels to carry out God’s messages. They may follow several writings, such as the Qur’an, the Torah, the Scrolls, the Psalms and the Gospel. God is revealed by messengers, called prophets, of which 25 are known in the Qur’an. Notable prophets include, Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jesus and, most notably, Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

FRESHMAN

YO U S R A A B D U L R A Z I G

Islam

PRACTICES: Freshman Yousra Abdulrazig practices by visiting the mosque to pray, studying the Qur’an, and doing the Islamic prayer ritual five times a day. Most Muslims do the five prayers each day along with observing religious holidays by fasting or giving to charity. Also, at least once in their lives it is mandatory that every Muslim take part in the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy site of Islam.

MISCONCEPTIONS: A common misconception is that those who practice Islam are terrorists and are determined to cause chaos. With ISIS in the news, and memories of September 11 and the attacks on Paris, Americans sometimes associate Islam with terrorism, but really it is one of the largest religions in the world. In addition many people are under the misconception that Muslims believe strictly in the Qur’an when in actuality they believe the Torah as well.

PRACTICES: Freshman Sarup Kunwor observes his faith by taking part in the five basic practices of Hindus. These practices include daily worship, following dharma or religious ethics, observing rights-of-passage, celebrating holy days, and finally many of the Hindus that live in India make pilgrimages to holy sites. Some Hindus practice in different ways such as yoga, meditation or fasting.

MISCONCEPTIONS: The first misconception about Hinduism is that it is only practiced in India. Hinduism is centered in India, but has spread to various regions around the world, including the United States and Nepal, the place where Kunwor was born. The most common misunderstanding about Hinduism is that it is a polytheistic religion or a religion that worships more than one God. In reality it is a pluralistic religion, meaning Hindus believe there is an unlimited number of ways to connect to God.

BELIEFS: People who practice the Jewish faith believe themselves to be descendants of Abraham and the Israelites. Jews believe that each person has a personal relationship with a single God. Those who practice Judaism live by the laws in a Holy book, the Torah.

JUNIOR

SETH N O R T O N

Judaism

PRACTICES: Junior Seth Norton practices his religion by teaching beliefs to younger Jewish kids at religious school on Sundays and Wednesdays, as well as attending services at his temple. He also observes religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Due to the multiple variations of Judaism there are many different practices, some of these include keeping kosher or wearing a kippa. A kippa is a skullcap sometimes worn by Jewish men.

MISCONCEPTIONS: Norton notices many misconceptions and generalizations about people that practice Judaism. “Lots of people think that all Jewish people wear a kippa* or keep kosher but that’s not really true.” Another major misunderstanding regarding Judaism is that Jewish people worship a unique God, but in reality Christians and those who practice Judaism have beliefs in a common God.

10

IN-DEPTH

THE FACTS AT WESTSIDE *Based on survey of approximately 250 students

Infographic by Madigan Brodsky

IN-DEPTH

11

FRESH OUT OF FAITH

Senior loses touch with religion, reconnects through church ABBY L A N G

MANAGING EDITOR FOR SHIELD

SENIOR

LE V I D E V R I ES

Photo by Madigan Brodsky

By the time high school came around, senior Levi DeVries was done being the “good Christian” kid.

He hated the way that people suddenly tried to act like they had their life together when they were around him. It became exhausting to keep putting on a show when he went to church. After a life of trying to follow all of the rules to be a “good Christian,” he began to wonder what a life without religion and rules would be like. For once in his life, he wanted to see what it was like to live for himself, doing whatever felt good.

During this time, his grades slipped and his relationship with God was only a distant memory.

With every weekend and party that had passed, all he was left with was an empty void in his life that no night, girl or bottle seemed to fill.

“I finally came to a point where I felt really empty and my life was without purpose, like ‘Why am I going out every weekend?’ ” DeVries said. “ ‘Am I going to spend the rest of my life just looking for another party to hit?’ There was this really big sense of emptiness and lack of purpose in my life.”

After DeVries hit rock bottom, it sickened him to realize how far he strayed away from the morals and beliefs that his parents instilled in him as a child. After being pushed by some of his church friends, he decided to attend his church’s annual youth retreat, “Unplugged”.

At Unplugged, all attendees left their phones at home and spent a weekend deepening their relationship with God. Going into the retreat, he had no idea that one worship service would change his life from that moment forward.

“In that moment [during the service], I knew

that God was real and all those doubts and questions I had as a kid and as a middle-schooler and during freshman and sophomore year, like, ‘Is this faith even real? Is God legit or is this just something my parents made up?’ It all went away,” SENIOR DeVries said, “Then I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life seeking after and living a life for God.” At the end of the retreat, DeVries knew that his life would never be the same again.

His partying, going out with girls, and sneaking out under his parents’ radar was over. In fact, once he got home from the retreat he walked straight towards his room and threw away his bottle of vodka he had been hiding in his closet and told his dad everything he had done.

“After the retreat I felt like a million bucks,” DeVries said. “I felt like when you get a new iPhone and the possibilities are endless. I felt really good because my life had a sense of purpose and my purpose was to live a life for God.” Recommitting his life to God allowed DeVries to realize that God isn’t some far away idea or tyrant that wants to make his life difficult. Instead, he realized that God is here to help him through his struggles. His faith put fears like where he was

L EV I D E V R I ES

going to college, how much money he had and what his friends thought of him to rest. He began to trust that God would take care of his needs and everything would fall into place.

“When I was away from my faith I felt a lack of reason to why I even existed,” DeVries said. “[I asked myself,] ‘Is life really just about having a good time, going to the best college, getting married or making a lot of money?’ There is so much more to our existence and once I realized that and embraced it, I didn’t feel empty like I did before.”

After rededicating his life to God, DeVries began seeking after God daily and praying for his classmates. He took on the role of president of Campus Connect, a club for Christians at Westside, and became actively involved in his church.

By doing this he has been able to find peace within himself and deepen his spiritual life.

“I’m not perfect and I still mess up,” DeVries said, “But I strive everyday to live a life for God. Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I don’t struggle like anyone else. God meets me in my imperfection and loves me anyway.”

“When I was away from my faith, I felt a lack of reason to why I...existed. [I asked myself,] ‘Is life really just about...making a lot of money?’...

Once I realized that [there was more] and embraced it, I didn’t feel empty like I did before.”

TEENAGER, NOT TERRORIST

Student speaks out about misconceptions towards her religion

God’s name.”

Senior Hadiah Kedwaii is also worried in the wake of recent attacks by ISIS that stereotypes will After 9/11, they asked her if she was Osama bin increase. Recently, two FBI agents came to her mosque to hold informative sessions about hate Laden’s daughter. crimes and internet terrorism.

Junior Aya Abdulrazig ignored them.

“I get that we should be informed about hate In middle school, the boys made fun of her hijab. They wore their own “hijabs” made of toilet crime laws so people know what to report,” Kedwaii said. “But why are they telling specifically our paper and claimed they were “just like Aya.” Abdulrazig held her tongue. She wouldn’t let masjid [mosque]? Muslims are the ones who most commonly are the victims of hate crimes. So it althem see it bothered her.

In the high school cafeteria, they asked her if most feels like a kid takes away your toys and you get talked to because the other kid did that.” she was a part of ISIS. To Kedwaii, the situation could have been You see, Abdulrazig doesn’t get it, but she wasn’t going to start a fight. She just offered a handled better. To her knowledge, no other recalm smile and walked away. That’s the only an- ligious communities have been chosen to have the presentation, and swer she could offer. it makes her feel like “You can’t swoop A YA A B D U L R A Z I G Muslims are being sindown to their level,” JUNIOR gled out.

Abdulrazig said. “…

“I don’t assume evSo I just…walked away. And yes, it “Nothing says in the holy book ery Christian or Jew or anyone else who does hurt, but you to kill another person and walks in the room is have to think, for us, violent so I only ask our Prophet went [nothing] say it’s okay if you for the same courtethrough so much do it under God’s name.” sy,” Kedwaii said. “… just to get us to this Just because Muslims point of life.”

To Abdulrazig, the comments are offensive. To look different and think a little differently doesn’t be associated with such a violent group because mean that we’re to be feared.”

Recently, her mosque was targeted by nonof the way she looks is something that makes her heart hurt. She can’t even correct them, because Muslims who threw rocks at the windows and based on past experience, she believes it would broke the glass doors. Annually, there are 100-150 hate crimes carried out against Muslims, making have no affect.

“People never really take me serious [when I hate crimes against Muslims the second largest try],” Abdulrazig said. “Even if I did try to explain percentage making up hate crimes against relito them, they would believe the media over one gions according to data released this year, Monday, Nov. 16 by the FBI. person who told them something else.”

“I believe [for] any religion…there are different Particularly since 9/11, the media has portrayed Muslims in a negative light, portraying ISIS for interpretations,” Kedwaii said. “You can choose to the most part as representative of the entire reli- look at the good or you can choose to twist it into gion. But in reality, the relationship between ISIS bad. But I think there are way more people who take Islam as a peaceful religion than not.” and Islam is similar to the KKK and Christianity.

Both Abdulrazig and Kedwaii ask for people to “A lot of people [argue,] ‘Oh, [but] Osama bin Laden was Muslim,’” Abdulrazig said. “But noth- keep in mind that ISIS is an extremist group, and ing says in the holy book to kill another person, not representative of Islam itself. For Abdulrazig, and [nothing] says it’s okay if you do it under Islam is a source of peace and has allowed her to

N A TA WA R D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

get through many hardships. It promotes good will and charity. “[Islam says that if] you see someone getting bullied, and you know it’s not right…you go ahead and step in or you go report it,” Abdulrazig said.

“If you see a homeless, try to help them out...Be respectful with all people, no matter if they’re black, white, Christian, Jewish.”

She practices all traditional values for Islam, including wearing a hijab and praying five times a day. Abdulrazig used to pray in a classroom before school started, but she has been unable to this year.

“I used to [pray at school] when they allowed, when one of the teachers allowed us to pray in her room,” Abdulrazig said. “Since that teacher moved on to another school, no other teacher was willing to open up their doors.”

However, Abdulrazig is not deterred. Although not many people at school can relate to the problems associated with people’s view of her religion, Abdulrazig has a support system at home and at her mosque. Her mosque offers a youth group for girls, and this is where Abdulrazig feels at home.

“The girls there understand, and they know what [Muslims] go through on a daily basis,” Abdulrazig said. “Because usually, [people] single us out. And when we’re there, everyone is the same…

When I walk into a classroom, it’s majority white people…and then I walk in and there’s just the one person who is wearing a scarf. You look at their faces and you wonder, you know, what are they actually thinking? They may be smiling, but they might be saying something in their head. So that’s always been [on my] conscious, but I try not to let it affect me. Because I’m [wearing the hijab] for me, and I’m not doing it for other people.”

Abdulrazig would just like people to correct their negative views of the religion that has offered her so many good things.

“If I didn’t believe so much in the religion…and if I didn’t leave everything to God’s hand, I know I wouldn’t [be as strong],” Abdulrazig said. “I would probably take off the scarf [after high school] and be a completely different person, [but I’m not going to]…[Society] puts Islam under a bad name and not under the peaceful religion that it is.”

JUNIOR

A YA A B D U L R A Z I G

Photo by Madigan Brodsky

12

IN-DEPTH

Lack of religion

Graphic by Mitch Francis

Breaking the stigma behind atheism and agnosticism

Protestant Down

5%

Catholic Down

Agnostic Up

1%

1.2%

AtheistUp

0.8%

*Trends in religious affiliation in America from 2007-2011.

A P R I L VA N U NE N

AL EXANDER B ERGIN

STAFF WRITER

OPINON EDITOR

During the holiday season, most people have a religion they honor with a holiday like Hanukkah or Christmas. Yet there are some of us that don’t celebrate a religion or honor their gods. We may celebrate our family or friends, or we may not celebrate at all. We are atheists, and not much is known about us. It’s time for that to change.

In this predominantly Christian society, being openly atheist is not the easiest thing. We aren’t represented very well in society, so many of us grow up believing what our parents taught us to believe. Families depicted on TV or on billboards, especially around this time of year, celebrate holidays, experience “miracles” from their god in holiday episodes, or find warmth in their family through the power of belief. Then when we grow up and investigate religions for ourselves, we find that none of them are for us.

There are different types of Atheists as well. Although the term Atheist refers to a person with a lack of belief in a God or gods, this does not mean that different atheists act in different ways. Some Atheists continue to celebrate their native holidays in a different way.

Instead of making Christmas about Jesus Christ, they may focus more on appreciating their family or how lucky they are to have their friends. Others simply exist in a “none” state, meaning that they do not celebrate holidays or participate in anything regarding religion.

They are not against people that are religious; they just simply prefer not to participate.

There are also Atheists that are against religion all together. They outwardly attack religion and some of the morals that different religions focus on.

Atheism has been on the rise in recent years, especially among young people. According to Barna, 34 percent of skeptic people are young people under the age of 30. It is becoming more accepting in young society to believe how you want to and branch off from the religions your parents have taught you.

For some it is not so easy to be open about religion. In most religious families, it is encouraged that you believe the same as your family before you. Sometimes in these families you could be punished for believing differently, or sometimes worse, not believing at all. In my home I had to do everything but tie myself to a door to not be forced to go to church. This can cause a riff in the family unit.

The world does not know a lot about those of us that don’t identify with a religion, but our population is growing. In a world where acceptance is to be expected, informing people about this way of life sets our society up to be a more open and meaningful place.

There are roughly 4,200 religions throughout the world. For those who are searching, finding the right one to follow can be hard. This is especially hard when it comes to religions we don’t hear about in our everyday lives like the lesser-known belief system of agnosticism, which is often confused with atheism.

Biologist and author of 8 published books on spirituality, Thomas Henry Huxley coined the word agnostic in 1869. He describes agnostics as “someone who believes based on our best scientific understanding of the universe.” This means that until there is no yes or no answer to the question of “is there a god” then there is no way to claim you are right.

“It [agnosticism] is a less dogmatic form of atheism, holding that one can neither prove nor disprove god,” said Henry M. Morris, from the Institute of Creation Research.

Growing up agnostic is hard because for a long time I didn’t know there was even a word for what I believed. I always described my beliefs to people as, “I believe in a god, but I don’t know which one or if I’m even right.”

With the creationism vs. evolutionism argument growing, agnostics will sway to whichever side has more scientific evidence behind it. With the rise of science disproving religion, the numbers for these types of religious groups are growing. Atheism and agnosticism are categorized under “unaffiliated” although agnosticism still believes in the possibility of a god.

Reasons like this are why my parents weren’t too sure about letting me call myself agnostic. Their Christian friends viewed it the same as atheism and tried to say I had lost touch with God. I’ve spent time studying several of the larger religions in an attempt to find one that suits me best, but all I found were several new religions I didn’t completely agree with.

Finally, when I was 10 years old, I heard about agnosticism.

Agnosticism first became prevalent in ancient Greece known as a more common word— skepticism. It was thought to be very philosophical to be an agnostic. Huxley studied the possibility of a god in depth and sums up agnosticism in one journal entry: “I neither affirm nor deny the immortality of man. I see no reason for believing it, but on the other hand, I have no means of disproving it.”

A not-so-merry christmas

The holiday season revealed from a Jewish junior’s point of view BEL L A R A D L E R

Graphic by Bella Radler

FEATURE EDITOR

When I was in sixth grade, my mother’s side of the family decided it was about time they invited my Jewish immediate family to their annual Christmas party. I had gotten my hopes up, expecting the kind of gathering that you see in the movies, with lights and laughter and well… awesome presents. I was sorely disappointed when I sat around a Christmas tree with all of my cousins, pretending to be happy for them as they each received a present “from Santa.” As the presents under the tree grew fewer and fewer and the present stacks besides my cousins increased, so did my sadness. I had felt that my own family was punishing me for my religious views.

To my dismay, I did end up getting one present. I was so excited when my aunt picked up a box under the Christmas tree, and with all eyes on me, I unwrapped the gift. With ripped wrapper all over the ground, and a Jewish book in my hand, a fake smile appeared on my face. I knew that you’re supposed to thank your gift-giver immensely when you expose what’s under all of the wrapping paper, but all I could come up with at the time was, “I already own this book.”

Of course this is not the entirety of my annual Christmas experiences. Most of my Dec. 25s are spent in the comfort of my own bedroom, watching a movie (no, not a Christmas movie) and shoving vegetable fried rice down my throat.

I usually avoid social media, since the posts of what people received for Christmas

make me feel left out.

Hanukah is a holiday that is often perceived as the Jewish version of Christmas, due to the time of year and the gift-giving traditions. Originally Hanukah never included giving a gift every night. According to my Rabbi, the tradition began in imitation of Christmas as Jewish children were feeling left out from all of the presents Christian children were receiving. Hanukah is still a lot different than what I imagine Christmas to be. Our eight nights of presents include, as comedian Jon Stewart says, “one nice one, then a week of trash.” The quantity of presents we receive is only in attempt to make Jewish American children feel less inferior during the time of Christmas.

Another confusing aspect of Hanukah is how to spell it. Channukah? Two Ns? One N? We don’t even know. When I was young, my mom would make bags of treats for all our friends with Hanukah written in big puffy-paint letters on the front, and I’m not messing with you when I say that she spelled it differently every year with no questions raised.

Being Jewish during Christmas time was the hardest when I was a young girl.

In elementary school I would have to keep my mouth shut as my friends talked for hours about the Santa Claus who — spoiler alert — I knew didn’t exist.

Occasionally, I would burst my preschool friends’ dreams and tell them the truth about this Santa Claus they believed in.

Thank goodness they never believed me when I told them about how the bearded man in the mall was not actually from the North Pole. Looking back on it now I realize I was just a jealous lil’ Jew. They would brag about their wish-list filled with what seemed to be millions of fantastic things. I felt left out. I wanted to wake up Christmas morning with the feeling that I only see portrayed in holiday films; instead, I wake up on that particular day with no feeling new to me from the day before.

Christmas is very different to me now. I am no longer jealous of others who get to experience this; I’m just annoyed for the entire December month. The songs on the radio and the endless commercials will always be obnoxious. As well as the decorations in every store and house reminding me of the majority religion in America.

Luckily, I’ll be able to get away from all of this for a year. I’m spending my 2015 Christmas in Israel, the homeland of the Jews. The experience will be worldly different from what I am used to; I hope to not see a single red light, or Christmas tree for that matter. It will be nice spending the end of the year in a country that’s consumerism isn’t invested solely in a holiday. I will be missing the main event, but at least I will still be here in time to be involved in all of the music, decorations and over played commercials!

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14

FEATURE

Photos provided by Cole Hopkins

SHIFT HAPPENS

Senior involved in dirt biking accident, suffers injuries N A TA W A R D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Senior Amory Carnazzo is supposed to be halfway down the street, following senior Cole Hopkins on his dirt bike.

It’s Saturday. Halloween. Carnazzo is supposed to be getting gas for the bikes and then practicing riding in the bean field out by Concordia High School. It’s his first time dirtbiking. Ever.

But Carnazzo is standing in the street, blood streaming down his face, his nose at an angle that can’t be natural.

The dirt bike, he’s not sure where that went, but his sunglasses — shattered — and helmet lay in a pile on the grass.

The good news is he doesn’t feel a thing.

“It’s a lot like the movies portray it,” Carnazzo said. “It goes black. You look [around,] like, ‘What’s happening?’ I looked down at my hand, [and] it’s all bloody. [I thought,] ‘I just hit this tree, I probably have a concussion and a bloody nose.’ I wasn’t freaking out, I was just out of it. It was surreal.”

Carnazzo went dirt-biking after sound check for Cabaret on Saturday, Oct. 31 with Hopkins and Concordia junior Braden Larson.

“We stopped home so I could drop my backpack off,” Carnazzo said. “And my mom walked out and was like, ‘Hey what are you doing?’ And Braden goes, ‘Oh, we are going to teach him how to ride dirt bikes’…And my mom [is unsure] and just goes, ‘Oh, okay. Just be careful, Amory.’”

Larson bikes regularly, and Hopkins sometimes when he’s free. The plan was to go use a field and construction lot behind Larson’s house, that’s where they would teach Carnazzo. He was getting the hang of it after a few dozen falls. It helped he was using a less-powerful bike that they had borrowed from a friend.

“It’s totally different than driving a car, it’s a lot more free,” Carnazzo said. “And it’s easier than I thought. I thought I was going to be going 10 mph the whole time until I figured out once you figure out how to shift gear and stuff, you go as fast as the bike will let you.

Then Hopkins and Carnazzo had to go back to the house to get gas for Braden’s bike. Coming out of the driveway, Carnazzo switched gears too fast, popping the clutch. He used the front wheel break to correct, flinging the bike forward, and himself into a tree. But Hopkins was already down the street and around the corner. Carnazzo was alone.

“And then [it was] just sort of black and this thud,” Carnazzo said. “My head was fuzzy. I just remember standing up, thinking, ‘I just hit the tree.’ I took my helmet off, [and]

Graphic b

knew it wasn’t so good. My gloves were all bloody…It was weird.”

He didn’t look at the bike, not back at the tree; he just trudged into the street in a daze. He went into the house, leaving a small trail of blood that Larsen would have to scrub off later, and looked in the mirror. Something was wrong with his nose.

“I was [thinking,] ‘I’m not going to feel this, all this SENIOR adrenaline and because of the shock I’m in,’” Carnazzo said. “‘I have to get this done before I get to the hospital or else it’s going to hurt.’ So I grabbed [my nose] and clicked it [back into place.]”

Hopkins came back and then was gone again, to go tell Larson they were going to the hospital. Carnazzo asked the neighbor, standing in his front lawn, to sit with him and make sure he didn’t pass out. The neighbor’s 4-year-old daughter was there, and she hid behind her father.

“I don’t mean to scare you,” Carnazzo said.

She just stared. “Is that blood?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” Hopkins took Carnazzo to the hospital, and he was careful not to get any blood on the car. He had time to post on Snapchat a picture of his injuries, within an hour of his first picture of him decked out in gear, going biking for the first time. Carnazzo left a message on both his parents’ phones.

“Hi, this is Amory, I’m okay but I’m going to the hospital. I ran into a tree on the dirt bike.”

His father came to the hospital, along with Carnazzo’s brother; his mother stayed home after she was sure he would be okay. The doctor put stitches in the cuts on his forehead, and put glue on his nose then bandaged it up.

Carnazzo, thankfully, was wearing a helmet, and that took most of the hit. He was lucky, he didn’t have to go into surgery, but he had a concussion.

A M O RY C A R N A Z Z O

“[It] never [hurt,]” Carnazzo said. “…The inside of my lip was cut or bruised or something, so that kind of hurts.

But my face and head, it just feels like there’s pressure on it. Which surprised me. I was kind of worried because they didn’t give me any pain medicine.”

As for the scars, the nurses kept telling him that “chicks dig scars,” but Carnazzo wasn’t sure.

“I’m not looking forward to them,” Carnazzo said. “People are saying, ‘Oh it’s going to be okay, it’s going to heal well.’ But, I liked my face before.” He laughed.

The next day, however, Cabaret. Carnazzo is in the band.

He plays bass guitar.

He made Hopkins call choir director Doran Johnson, telling him he might not be able to come the next day.

But he wanted to. Carnazzo didn’t want to let anyone down.

“I asked my doctor and he said, ‘Oh, as long as you aren’t doing any vigorous activity, keeping your blood pressure down, you can do it,’” Carnazzo said. “And I thought it wasn’t going to be too big, because this is my first year of doing anything with Cabaret, but it was a lot more than I thought.”

So he did go. It only worried him between shows, when his head was swimming and he didn’t feel too good. People had seen his Snapchat story, but Saturday, when he crashed, it was Halloween. They had thought it was fake.

After some explaining, everyone expressed their sympathies. Carnazzo’s advice to anyone who would ask about motorcycle accidents: “Always get help,” Carnazzo said. “…I knew it was going to be okay, [but] I didn’t want to leave anything to chance…

Also, always make sure you’re with someone.”

Carnazzo is lucky to be alive and not more seriously injured, but he doesn’t plan to let this crash hold him back.

To if he would dirt bike again, Carnazzo said: “I hope so. After the concussion is gone and my face is healed, I’ll definitely do it again.”

y Nata Wa

“I was [thinking,] ‘I’m not going to feel this...I have to get this done before I get to the hospital...’ So I grabbed [my nose] and clicked it [back in place.]”

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SPORTS

15

Cousin Court Connection

Senior basketball players bring unique chemistry to hardwood

JA CK C O H E N

MANAGING EDITOR Throughout basketball history, “the duo” has been a constant force. Names like Stockton and Malone, Jordan and Pippen, Nash and Stoudemire conjure images of spectacular assists and fantastic dunks. Senior varsity basketball players, AJ and Trae Meeks both feature athleticism and teamwork much like these NBA stars. The cousin’s basketball journey began long before they were crossing up helpless defenders on the way to the rim for a massive dunk.

“I didn’t really like basketball all that much,[in the beginning]” AJ said. “I always played it just because we grew up together and we’re like brothers, so obviously I’m [going to] play with him.”

The years of playing together formed chemistry on the court.

“We know each other better than anybody else,” AJ said. “He knows where I am at all times which I think is pretty cool, you know. There are 10 guys on the court, how can you know where someone is at all times?”

The connection between AJ and Trae is notice-

able. Head basketball coach Brian Nemecek describes the value the Meek’s relationship brings to the team.

“They bring experience,” Nemecek said.

“They’ve been in the program for four years. They bring a sense of leadership and they bring an elite athleticism which we will certainly enjoy this year.”

Both AJ and Trae were a part of the team that made a run all the way to the state finals when they were sophomores. Nemecek believes that AJ and Trae gained valuable lessons.

“When you’re in a lot of big games and big situations, those things develop leadership,” Nemecek said. “When you’re the best players you have to take on those roles and that’s something we stress to those two.”

After not making it back to the state tournament last year, Trae understands what changes need to be made.

“I know we’ll definitely take it more serious,” Trae said. “Last year, we were serious but not necessarily focused. We jacked around a lot but a whole another year to mature will make this year a lot different.

AJ shares the same mindset of his cousin.

“Now that we’re seniors, we have one goal and one mission,” AJ said. “Last year we didn’t take it serious and we were doing our own things and that’s not okay if you want to get to Pinnacle [Bank Arena].”

AJ and Trae’s chemistry benefits not only themselves, but also the entire team. Junior Anthony Bratton has benefited from playing with the two.

“It makes me better and them better because they push me to work hard,” Bratton said. “If they see somebody in practice not doing their job, they’ll talk to you about it, which has helped me because I’ve never really had teammates like that.”

AJ and Trae have lost in a state final. AJ intends to change that this basketball season.

“What drives me is I know we can do it,” AJ said. “We have the people who can do it and since football ended, I really want to get a state ring before I graduate.”

As exciting as AJ’s dunks and Trae’s speed are, none of that will matter if the cousins aren’t celebrating in Lincoln at the end of the season. To them, nothing else matters.

Senior Trae Meeks tosses an alley-oop to his cousin, senior AJ Meeks on Thursday, Nov. 12 before basketball conditioning. The cousins have been playing basketball together since they were little. Photo by Mitch Francis

Fish out of water

Sophomore swimmer forced out of the pool by injury N OLA N T R A C Y

STAFF WRITER

For sophomore Evan Thorell swimming has been second nature ever since he was a small child. But now, at the age of fifteen, Thorell has to overcome another issue if he wants to swim competitively anytime soon. In May of 2015 Thorell dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum. This is when the socket of the shoulder joint is extremely shallow, and very unstable.

“I was playing a pick up game of water polo and the ball hit my arm pretty hard, and my arm hit the side of the pool. I tried to carry on and after trying to throw the ball I realized I couldn’t move my arm,” Thorell said.

Thorell called his mother and the two of them rushed to the emergency room, where they popped the shoulder back into place. About a month after the incident, Thorell was required to undergo a surgery, which took out cartilage and fixed the labrum by stitching it back, because of the tear. The surgery was successful and Thorell was forced to wear a sling on the injured arm for six weeks.

Doctors told Thorell there was a small chance he would never be able to have a full range of motion in his left shoulder. If Thorell was able to stay

healthy and get the movement back in the shoulder, it will still be hard to get back to the athletic state that he was once in.

“Over the course of the rehab and recovery I have lost a lot of the muscle in my left arm because I am not able to do a lot of things. Doctors said it’ll take twice the time to get the muscle back that I had before surgery,” said Thorell.

Thorell said the recovery process was long and dreadful. It consisted of lots of resting, with absolutely no physical contact, which meant no swimming for at least six months. Also Thorell is going to physical therapy twice a week for fourteen weeks and then once a week until he has regained all of his strength and endurance. Recently though, Thorell has begun to start swimming again.

“I have started to get in the pool again but taking it very slow to prevent another and more serious injury. So far I have only been able to do breaststroke and freestyle, at most for 500 yards,” said Thorell.

Thorell will begin swimming competitively at the earliest in January, but it’s likely it won’t be until the middle of March. With Westside’s swim team starting in November, Thorell has made the decision to not swim for the team.

“I want to take my recovery slowly and not rush back into things. It’s disappointing I will not be able to swim competitively to represent our school, but I need to stay healthy. With a few other injuries to the swim team this winter, there will need to be people to step up,” Thorell said.

As a varsity swimmer his freshman year, the swim team will have some gaps to fill as they approach the upcoming season.

Sophomore Evan Thorell dives in the water at Elkhorn All-Stars Swim Meet Friday, Jan. 9. Photo courtesy of Evan Thorell

16

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17

HOUSE ON THE HILL

Rowdy students disturb local homeowners, neighbors sue than I had expected.”

The stories don’t stop there.

“We’ve had several instances of extremely loud music, kids fighting on our street and lots and lots of pot smoking,” Basham said. “They just don’t care. There was one of the neighbor’s pumpkins smashed in the street. And the worst part is that they leave their trash everywhere.”

Between Westside and Countryside Village, Basham told us little has been done to help control the crowds. In fact the neighbors gave the kids permission to be on their lawn after school years ago.

Westside’s a d m i n i s t ration is aware of this issue according to Assistant Principal Jeff Wagner.

“We can do some things, we can’t do some things ,” Wagner said. “It’s not school property, and I wish I had a better answer.”

Even though it isn’t Westside’s property that hasn’t stopped their efforts to help manage the students.

“We have sent our school’s resource officer to make a presence,” Wagner said “We’ve called 911 on some other occasions, and that’s what we encourage the community members to do as well.

But at the end of the day kids are always going to congregate. It happens at every school.”

COLE H O P K I N S STAFF WRITER

87th avenue, the street most commonly referred to as “the hill” by Westside students. The street is located on the west side of Countryside Village and has become a notorious hangout for some of Westside’s students. Ask almost anyone at Westside about “the hill” and most will have their own personal experience or opinion about this hangout spot. The hill is also home to several families of one of Westside’s surrounding neighborhoods.

Mark and Jenny Basham, a newly HOMEOWNER wedded couple recently moved into one of the houses on the hill last April. Just a few short months into the school year, they started to notice some strange antics from the students hanging out on their street. Most commonly the behaviors take place directly after school.

“I was told prior to moving in that lots of kids hang out on the street after school,” Jenny said. “I didn’t think much of the kids until one afternoon when I came home from work to find several couples in our front lawn laying on top of each other in full-fledge make out sessions. It was then that I realized this might be a bigger is-

JEN N Y B A S H A M

“...I came home from work to find several couples in our front lawn laying on top of each other.”

Photo courtesy of anonymous source

The Basham’s understand that teens need to have a place to go and that kids will be kids, but according to them the kids have gone too far and have overstayed their welcome. As for now an answer to the issue is not in the near future.

The Basham’s hope that the students on the hill don’t think they are cranky people, but they would be much more content if the kids would show more consideration to them and the residents nearby. “[If] they would pick up their trash, and maybe keep the noise and make out sessions to a minimum [we would appreciate it,]” Jenny said.

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A&E Horoscopes by April Van Unen, Design by Casey Arritt

HOROSCOPES Aries 21 mar – 19 apr The line between work and social groups may start to blur a bit, but that doesn’t have to complicate things. Make sure you are trying your best to treat everyone equally. Playing favorites will only get you backed into a corner and can get you tagged with a less-thanideal reputation.

Cancer 22 jun – 23 jul Have fun creating today and letting your mind wander. Today is not a day for focus but more for daydreaming, and trying new and creative things. Allow yourself some creative freedom today.

Libra 23 sept – 22 oct Practice empathy today. Let your empathy deter you from trying to force your belief onto others. Even if you think so, you may not know what’s best this time around. Let others around you figure out their own problems today. Focus on your own happiness and success.

Capricorn 22 dec – 20 jan Take your lifestyle in to consideration. Now would be a good time to surround yourself with people who think like you, act like you, and have the same beliefs as you. Conflict with opposing viewpoints is only going to stress you out more than you need right now. Try to avoid any major arguments in the close future to give yourself opportunity to de-stress.

Taurus 20 apr – 20 may Today should be a positive day for you. Spread joy and positivity everywhere you go. It will be a good day for networking and making friends.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself today.

Gemini 21 may – 21 jun You may not see yourself as an intellectual, but others do. Others will admire your thoughtful nature today. Be accepting of those requesting your advice, it could be an opportunity to get to know people better. Trust your instinct when answering, you probably know best.

Leo 24 jul – 23 aug Talking is good today. Talking can help clear up a relationship issue or help you find a different approach to a continuing problem.

Make sure your feelings are getting communicated, don’t get too caught up in your normal script of what to say.

Virgo 24 aug – 22 sept Change is about to occur in your life, although it may not be always welcome. Be cautious, though, because a new job, relationship or item may complicate your life more than originally intended.

Give yourself time to become used to things and don’t overreact to your feelings on this transition.

Scorpio 23 oct – 22 nov Positive vibes will be radiating today so enjoy what is to come. Someone today may surprise you and you should give them your undivided attention. Keep your friends close today and celebrate them being there for you.

Sagittarius 23 nov – 20 dec All your efforts to connect to someone recently are working, maybe too slowly for your taste but they are working. Don’t rush this or push things. The reward for being patient will come from a genuine place. It is a good time to strengthen your current bonds with people as well.

Aquarius 21 jan – 19 feb Today could result in significant emotional growth. Try to expand and work with new people today and ignore conflicts. You will be the type of person to make people see the best in each other because of your will to take care of your friends, which is good. Compassion is a good instinct to cultivate.

Pisces 20 feb – 20 mar Your mental clarity is exceptionally strong today which provides a good opportunity to face that challenge or struggle you’ve been meaning to deal with.

Do not waste your energy on less meaningful tasks and try to keep your energy positive when dealing with upcoming situations.

Warrior theatre Throughout November, students put the project in District 66 ROB G A B E L

STAFF WRITER Group projects can be difficult, but this group project has over fifty people involved. Project 66 consists of four student directed, student performed, one act plays. Building the set, picking the scripts, casting the actors and directing the show; all done by students. It’s a large project, but an accomplishable one.

To begin with, the directors had to choose their scripts. One of them is senior Amy Conaway, who had more difficulty than the others.

“I came in late so most of the other directors had had enough time to look at script,”Conaway said. “I only had about a week to do it.”

Earlier in the year, there had only been three directors; seniors Natalie Day, Zachary Bowen and Madison Hoy. Conaway was brought in late because there had been too many actors, and too few roles. Another benefit, besides having roles for everyone, was the material in Conaway’s script. Whereas the other three had dramatic performances, Conaway had a comedic one. This brought diversity into the collaboration, as well as a higher number of roles. There are now too many roles and not enough actors.

There are exactly 51 actors and actresses involved, which is yet another thing making Project 66 unique. It is part of Theatre 3, an advanced acting class and Project 66 is the main product. All 51

students in the class will be cast in the show.

A normal audition does not cast everybody.

They take only the best. In this case, they required more roles.

“Now all of us are trying to figure out how we can double or how we can cut characters,” Hoy said.

Doubling is when a single actor plays multiple parts, and cutting is when the director removes a character from a script.

Auditions took place on Monday, Nov. 2. The little theatre was filled with chattering students and stressed directors. Over the course of three hours, students were called up to read lines and sit back down.

“It is going to work kind of like an NFL draft” Hoy said. “It will be a lot of give and take and compromise.”

After the auditions, the directors remained at school until 8 p.m. to cast the show. Once the cast was chosen, rehearsals began.

“I think Project 66 is an incredible program,” Conaway said. “I love that we have a show that spotlights all student work.”

Conaway, like all of the directors, is very enthusiastic about the project. The rehearsals will take place over the span of one month. An entirely student created work of theatrical art will be performed Dec. 3, 4 and 5. Project 66 is centered around the students and the directors certainly have their plates full.

Senior Zach Bowen performs *NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye for a cast bonding activity on Monday, Nov 9. Photo by Madigan Brodsky

A&E

19

Anime Nebraska

Anime Nebraska hosts its annual convention at the Ramada Inn A PRI L VA N U N E N STAFF WRITER

Anime Nebraska is a an annual japanese animation and pop culture convention held in the Ramada Inn off of 72nd and Grover. People work year round and can spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to perfect their cosplays.

There are pannels where you can talk to celebrity voice actors such as Amanda C Miller, also known as Sailor Jupiter in the english dub of Sailor Moon, or Cristina Vee who has voiced over 100 characters. There is also a large arcade room where all the games are free for the evening, and there are cash prizes for the best costumes.

Tickets for all 3 days are offered online over the summer for just $35 but once it get closer to the event, the tickets go up in price. They reach a maximum of $30 for one day.

Some of the best costumes can be seen in the displayed photos thanks to help from friend and photographer Mitchell Meier.

Left: Nebcon attendee in the middle of the vendor hallway.

Below: Attendee in full Inuyasha cosplay.

Photo by Mitchell Meier

Woman dressed in full sugar skull regalia.

Photo by Mitchell Meier.

Far Above: Two men show off their hand made full body predator cosplays. Directly Above: Attendee dressed as Sheik from Legend of Zelda. Photo by Mitchell Meier. Right: Adult version of Finn from Adventure Time. Photo by Mitchell Meier.

20

A&E

Thanksgiving

Photos by Mitch Francis

for under

$10 C ONNOR C AST L E MA N

SPORTS EDITOR

Step 1: Go to Hy-Vee I headed over to the Hy-Vee on 90th and center; walked in and headed straight for the cheese aisle. Once there, I picked out the cheapest package of sliced cheese I could find. The Kraft brand worked just fine. After my cheese was picked out, I headed along that same aisle until I ran into the pre-sliced turkey. The Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh smoked turkey breast seemed like it would work great. Once I had my cheese and turkey, I was almost done but I was missing one other important item, the secret ingredient, King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls. These rolls are what put every together.

Step 2: Prepare to cook Once I drove home safely, I took my three ingredients out of my Hy-Vee plastic grocery bag, and placed them on the counter. I took out the secret ingredient, the sweet rolls, and placed them on a cooking sheet. Once the sweet rolls were all placed down, I preheated the oven to a toasty 300 degrees. This temperature allowed the rolls to slowly cook all the way through. While the oven was pre heating, I took out my turkey and cheese, placing them in a precise location so once the rolls were cooked, they would be ready to be assembled.

Step 4: Assemble The nine minutes of cooking seemed to move faster than I expected and before I knew it I was opening the oven and taking the warm rolls out using my hot mittens placing the cooking sheet directly on the stove. Once the rolls were placed there I gave them a couple of minutes to cool off before I picked them up and started filling them up with turkey and cheese. Once I assembled each roll I placed them on a paper plate. Because what’s a ten-dollar Thanksgiving dinner without paper plates?

Step 5: Enjoy your ten dollar meal The items had been bought; oven had cooked the rolls, and the meal had been assembled on my cheap paper plates. Now, it was time to eat. I picked up the roll, filled with Oscar Mayer turkey and Kraft sliced cheese and took a nice big bite of the ten-dollar meal I had created. The turkey and cheese blended great with the warm roll and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment ran through my body knowing I had assembled the best Thanksgiving dinner for less than ten dollars the world has ever seen.

Step 3: Wait I put the sweet rolls in the preheated oven and cooked them for nine long minutes. Since I already had my turkey and cheese assembled as well as the sweet rolls in the oven there was really nothing else to do besides sit and wait for the rolls to cook in the oven.