By Sarah Pogue

It was a big day for junior Anthony Galavotti—his varsity baseball team was play-ing one of their biggest games at home, and he was starting in the outfield. He walked through the halls of Highland High School in Colorado with his teammates, but all he could think about was the fight his parents had gotten into the night before.

Throughout the day, Galavotti’s teammates encouraged him to be excited about the game instead of worrying about his parents, but he couldn’t seem to shake the hurt and anger he felt toward them.

When it was time to warm up for the game, Galavotti looked over toward his house and saw a U-Haul in his driveway. He knew his parents were splitting up and his dad would be moving out, but he had no idea it would be that day.

Galavotti was up to bat in the first inning, and he decided to channel all of his anger to-ward his parents into the game. He hit a triple and eventually scored a run. With a smile on his face, he headed back into the outfield when the inning was over.

Galavotti looked toward the bleachers where he anticipated his father being, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him call out his name.

“Anthony!” Galavotti turned around to see his father by his truck in the parking lot, wav-ing goodbye to him. Galavotti waved back, not knowing that he wouldn’t see his father for another three months.

“I was devastated,” Galavotti said. “I wasn’t sure what to think. I thought maybe he was just going to drop off some stuff and come back, but he never came back.”

Divorce is difficult for any teenager to handle. Many times, teenagers feel grief and anger for years after their parents’ separation.

“The kids are usually angry with one parent or both,” guidance counselor Becky O’Malley said. “It’s a hard transition for them [the kids] when everyone’s not all to-gether all the time anymore. They spend some time at mom’s then some at dad’s, and there can be a lot of issues with that.”

If a divorce or separation happens when the children are young, the effects are usually more mild. Senior Amber Kunkel’s parents have been separated since she was two or three years old.

“I don’t remember them splitting up,” Kunkel said. “It’s just always been this way, so I don’t really think about it.”

Even though Kunkel is used to her parents being separated, she said it is still hard to accept the fact that her family will “never really be whole again.”

Athletic director Andy Timm had concerns for his children when he and his ex-wife decided to get a divorce in December of 2011. At first, Timm said he was “scared and lonely”, but over time he got used to being single and his relationship with his kids and his ex-wife has only become stronger.

“My ex-wife and I actually communicate a lot better than we did in the last few years of marriage,” Timm said. “We’re really good friends now, and we’re there for our kids. I think we put a positive spin on a negative situ-ation.”

Social studies teacher Lyle Mead also said that he and his ex-wife get along well and cooperate when it comes to raising their son, Hudson.

“We’re both there for things like birthdays and school stuff,” Mead said. “If he has a sporting event or something, we’re both there together supporting him.”

Although these two situations had happy endings for both the parents and the children, neither one started out being a walk in the park.

“I was so unsure of the future when it [the divorce] happened,” Timm said. “I was questioning if what I did was right for myself and my kids. It was the toughest part for sure.”

The more time passed, the more Timm got used to his new life. “It’s a major adjustment for both parents and children,” O’Malley said. “Time

usually heals all wounds, so the kids just have to be patient and understand that it’s for the best and the parents still love them no matter what.”

By Maddie egr

One of the hardest things to do is say goodbye to a loved one. The grief and heart-ache one can feel is overwhelming.

Senior Colin Embree has felt a great amount of grief recently and throughout his life. Embree’s grandfather passed away on Oct. 18 from pneumonia. He had battled lung cancer for years.

Embree said that he saw his grandfather every holiday, and that it hasn’t completely hit him yet because today is “just another day”. When Thanksgiving and Christmas come around this winter, he said it’ll be extremely hard for him to grasp and deal with.

“My grandpa and I talked on the phone all the time,” Embree said, “and he was doing completely fine last time I had talked to him.”

But Embree received a call on the morn-ing of Oct. 17 saying that his grandfather wasn’t doing well. Embree had plans to drive to Des Moines, Iowa, after school Friday to go see him. By the time Embree had completed the school day on Friday, however, his grandfather had died.

“You always have that one family mem-ber that’s always cracking jokes,” Embree said. “My grandpa was that guy. Holidays won’t be as fun without him.”

When Embree attended the funeral on Oct. 22, it was difficult for him.

“I don’t like to show my emotions. I stuck it out at the funeral, but I’m not going to lie, I cried when I was alone afterwards,” Embree said. “I had to be strong. My little sister and mom were there. I had to try and take some of the grief off of them, so I

couldn’t let them see me cry.”Aside from losing his grandfather, Em-

bree lost his father to suicide when he was four years old.

“I just try to remember the happy memo-ries with them [his father and grandfather], rather than their last few days,” Embree said.

Freshmen Tyler Henkel and Allan Cramblitt have also faced a grandparent recently dying.

Henkel’s great grandmother died in August.

“I just didn’t want to talk about it,” Henkel said. “Whenever my parents started talking about it, I would just walk away.”

Henkel used to spend a week with his great grandmother every summer. They would look through old antiques and she would tell him old family stories.

Cramblitt’s grandmother passed this summer.

“It was a long time coming,” Cramblitt said. “She had been diagnosed with cancer about a year before she passed. We were surprised she lived as long as she did.”

The cancer made Cramblitt’s grand-mother very skinny and she slept all the time. Cramblitt said that “she just wasn’t herself”. He didn’t want to see her suffer much longer.

“I was relieved and happy more than anything,” Cramblitt said.

People handle grief differently. Some shut it completely out and have a hard time working through it, while others let it com-pletely stop their lives.

“I think that when people my age are dealing with grief,” Cramblitt said, “it can affect their school work and focus.”

Families are affected by divorce

Students grieve over losing loved onesFamily dynamics are changed by death

By Bailey JoSoff

Dealing with grief can be difficult for everyone, but for some it’s harder than oth-ers. A number of things can cause grief - one being the tough times a student encounters throughout his or her competitive career.

Athletes face many hardships on their way to success. But how do these athletes deal with these hardships?

Junior Brooke Kelly was faced with a time of grief after losing to Mead and Free-man in the East Central Nebraska Confer-ence tournament.

“Our goal was (winning) ECNC since we got second last year, but we ended up getting fourth,” Kelly said. “It was a disap-pointment for all of us.”

Kelly realized that next year her team would have more experience since there are no seniors to leave the team; this was her way of coping with the loss.

Junior Cassie Wade dealt with grief dur-ing her last cross country meet of the year.

“I was pretty confident in myself going into districts,” Wade said.

Wade had qualified for state last year, but this year she ended up not making it

to state. “I was pretty upset about it,” Wade said.

“But I am looking forward to making it to state next year. That’s my goal.”

Not only do athletes struggle with this type of grief, but other students involved in extra-curricular activities have similar scenarios that also cause them grief.

Junior Skyler Limbach was an all-state qualifier for band last year, but this year she did not qualify.

“It was a disappointment for me,” Limbach said. “But I understand that they only let in a few students for the baritone saxophones.”

Limbach had her family by her side to help her through this time.

“I appreciate them being there for me, and I know that they will help me achieve my goal of making it next year,” Limbach said.

Many athletes deal with grief by look-ing forward to achieve their goals the next year. But how does a senior, not having another year to look forward to, deal with this grief?

Senior Lilly Kult faced hardships with her senior year in softball. This year, the Yu-

tan softball team did not qualify for state.“It was depressing. I felt like I let my

team down by not leading them to state,” Kult said.

But Kult had her own way of dealing with the loss. The night of her last game she slept in her uniform, dirt and all. Her father

and coach, Gary Kult, also played a big role in helping her deal with the grief.

“My dad tried cheering me up by tell-ing me I still have college softball to look forward to,” Kult said. “He also told me that I can’t change the past so I might as well get over it.”

Hardships cause students disappointmentTeens fall short of their goals

Organizations raise money for breast cancerStudents, facultydeal with the affectsof breast cancerBy Bailey JoSoff

The month of October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness. This month is used as an opportunity to spread the word about important steps women can take to stay healthy. It’s also used to honor those who have or are fighting this disease.

O n e o u t of every eight women are di-agnosed with this disease in their lifetime. One in 36 dies from it.

Breast can-cer is the most common cancer in the United States other than skin cancer. It is the leading cause of death for women between the ages of 40 and 55. There are more than 2.5 mil-lion survivors in the United States.

But women aren’t the only ones affected; more than 2,000 men are also diagnosed each year.

Many people organize fundraisers to help raise money and donate it to breast cancer awareness. Fundraisers can range from marathons to selling t-shirts. The Yutan NHS (National Honor Society) helped raise money by selling bracelets during school and at the Friday night football game.

“I really like raising money for breast cancer and being able to help donate for the cure,” said junior Brooke Kelly, an NHS member.

Even without donations, some still try to show their support by wearing the color pink

or wearing pink ribbons. People wear the color pink because it’s the color that symbolizes breast cancer. Pink ribbon also expresses moral

support for women with the disease.People are diagnosed with this disease

every day. Staff member Michelle Dooley’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2008 at the age of 60. Dooley was at work when she received the call from her father telling her the results for her mother.

“I was scared, since I have had a his-tory of cancer in my family.” Dooley said. “Some relatives have even passed away from it.”

Dooley’s mother went through treat-ments like chemotherapy and radiation to help defeat the cancer.

“I helped my mother a lot through this time, and it helped that my sister moved back home from college to help also,” Dooley said.

Seventh grader Paige Timperley’s mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2005 at the age of 39. Timperley was at home with her father when she received the call from her mom

stating the news.“I was three at the time so I don’t re-

member most of it, but I do know that I am glad she survived it,” Timperley said.

Timperley’s mother also went through treatments to get rid of the cancer.

“I am thankful for these treatments; they saved my mom’s life,” Timperley said.

Dooley’s and Timperley’s mothers are both survivors of breast cancer and are cancer-free.

Although no cure currently exists for breast cancer, money continues to be raised in hope of finding one.

“I hope they find a cure soon,” Dooley said.

“I was scared since I have a history of cancer

in my family.”Michelle Dooley

Facts about Breast Cancer in the United States

*One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.*Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. *Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women. *Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. *An estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer; approximately 410 will die each year.

Sarah Pogue, Maddie Egr, Lilly Kult, Bailey Josoff

Yutan High School