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SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL • DECEMBER 2012 • VOLUME 47 •ISSUE 04

PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERG

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STAFFthe

DECEMBER ISSUE

NEWS

OPINIONS

FEATURES

The Patriot is a newsmagazine that aims to objectively present the facts concerning Shawnee Mission South High School, as well as connect with readers on issues affecting the student body. Staff members reserve the right to express their views in the Opinions section. These pieces are labeled and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff, except the Lead Editorial, which represents the views of editors. Under the First Amendment and Kansas Law, The Patriot staff is entitled to freedom of the press and neither the school nor district is responsible for any content or coverage. The staff encourages letters to the editor, but they will only be published if signed. The editor-in-chief reserves the right to refuse or edit any letters for reasons of grammar, length, and good taste.

A&E

SPORTS

SPOTLIGHT

ALMA VELAZQUEZ

Editor-in-ChiefDesign

CASEY LEEManaging editor

Sports

OLIVIA FEATHERS

News

CALVIN FREEMANOpinions

HANNAH STRADERFeatures

RACHEL ROSENSTOCK

A&E

DEREK FUHRMANN

Copy

JULIA LARBERGPhotography

HUNTER YOUNG

Web

SHELBY JOHNSON

Ads

WritersLUKE HOLLAND

HAYLEIGH CHUDIK

NATHAN THIMMESCH

MIGUEL PALOMINO

GARRETT MOULD

GRIFFIN ZELLER

TRIVETTE KNOWLES

AMBER FELKINS

ADAM MATEOS

PhotographersETHAN STONE

BRIANNA HYDORN

SUSAN NGUYEN

DEZARAE DUFFEY

HANNAH HOLLANDER

JULIE FALESAdviser

MISSION

WANT MORE? VISIT WWW.SMSPATRIOT.ORGfor polls, staff columns, and pictures

03TOC

19

Editorial board advises students on balancing emotions in daily life

Staff members debate the existence of a war on Christmas

Senior celebrates her father’s homecomingover the holidays

060708

New club is formed to raise environmental awareness

Read some notes on how to survive finals week

0405

09 With the end of the Mayan calendar approaching, ‘bucket lists’ are rapidly increasing. From skydiving to dancing a solo, the predicted apocalypse lends the question, what would you do on your last day?

An analysis of apocalypse predictions and their effects on the media

Staff writer breaks down the impossibility of Santa Claus

Read about the latest music, movies and other bits of pop culture

121314

A suggestion of sites and activities for those who stay home over break15

Local ski slope, Snow Creek, set to open tomorrow

News editor sits down with swim captain Kenny Bergman

Leaders of the basketball student section amp up crowd for new season

17181920

*

* cover story

PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERG

Seniors Gabe Guild, Jon Prueter, Andrew Siefken, Jordan Tripp, Tim George, and Jeramie Fischer get the crowd riled up at the boys’ basketball game Nov. 30. Known as ‘Crowd Control,’ they start chants and keep the student section cheering for the Raiders.

04 NEWS

CALENDARmark your

MUSIC GROUPS HOLD HOLIDAY SHOWS

GREEN CLUB DEVELOPS AT SOUTH

BY NATHAN THIMMESCH

BY GRIFFIN ZELLER

While many students recycle at home or at school, junior

Chase Allison wanted to take awareness a step further by creating a new organization at South, the Green Club. The Green Club is an organization founded by junior Chase Allison. Allison was inspired to create this organization by a similar project he did to become an Eagle Scout.

“I thought it would be cool to get student involvement that would actually be beneficial to a cause. And that’s what I wanted to do, create school spirit, provide a service, have education and a fun aspect as well,” Allison said.

The Green Club goal hopes not just to make an impact on the environment, but also to become a significant club.

“My goal by the end of the year is to make the Green Club a recognizable club, make it well known throughout the student body, and have it be respected by all students,” Allison said.

Club vice president, senior Neil Johnson, believes that the students have overlooked the environment in their daily lives.

“I wanted to raise awareness about our school and the community about the fact that this is a problem—that we need to be more environmentally sound,” Johnson said.

As a first year club, Green Club will initiate new activities.

“The first main project would be to establish a recycling project back into South. So we could start recycling the different types of paper and plastic we use throughout the school; especially in the lunchroom,” Allison said.

Environmental education P.J. Born is currently hosting the meetings for the Green Club. They are currently looking for a teacher to lead the group.

“I currently don’t have time to lead the Green Club, so what they’re looking for is a teacher for full leadership responsibilities. They can’t be a

school club unless they have an adult leading them,” Born said.

To organize a new club first talk to a teacher and if they like your idea the steps are simple from there.

“It always helps to have a background interest in something you’re passionate about. When you have a general sphere of what you’re working with that’s when you want to approach a teacher about it. That’s when you talk to the administration to see if they find another sponsor or agree to the one you’re meeting with then that is when you establish that teacher as a sponsor. Then you start to develop the first meeting make advertisements make emails to those people so they can get involved,” Allison said.

The Green Club has a lofty goal for the year.

“[We want to] spread our message and awareness of our cause,” Johnson said.

Every year, the winter season is alive with music from all of South’s musical

performing arts classes. South’s band, choir and orchestra all prepare a winter concert that they put on for family, friends, and classmates. This year, the band concert was held Dec. 6, choir performed Dec. 11, and orchestra Dec. 13.

Unlike the rest of the concert, where freshman band, symphonic band, and concert band perform separately, “Sleigh Ride” is a collaborative song with all of the bands performing as one.

“We all learn [“Sleigh Ride”]; in symphonic band, [band director Steve Adams] hands it out and we play it once and we have it down; but in freshman band, we’re taking it super slow,” senior Erin Bonifield said.

Not only did the band perform “Sleigh Ride,” as is tradition, but this year’s orchestra performed

the tune, as well as modern pieces in their concert.

“For our winter concert we always do the Pops Concert, where the orchestra breaks away from the more traditional music. We do movie music and other Broadway show music and it’s just really fun,” junior Hannah Ward said.

Not only did orchestra members collaborate with the band, but they also collaborate with the choir for a song.

“Some members of the orchestra [accompanied] the choir on the Hallelujah Chorus [of the Messiah],” Ward said.

With their new director, Elise Peterson, choir experienced some changes from what they had known in past years.

“This year, since we’re under a new director, it [was] a little different. It [was] still a whole lot of fun, it [was] cool to see how different it [was],” junior James Marx said.

1819

2021

[1ST HOUR FINAL]

[2ND&3RD HOURS]

[4TH&5TH HOURS]

[6TH&7TH HOURS]

finals week:12/18-12/21

WINTER

Br eak[12/22-1/2]

Keeping rhythm, Band director Steve Adams conducts the Green Band at the Winter Concert. All four bands performed, including the Freshman band, the Green band, and the Gold band.

The Boys Next Door

dec. 14&

15 winter play

pancake breakfasthosted byrobotics

1/5

PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERG

05NEWS

To teach cursive or not to teach cursive; that has been the question among teachers and school boards across

the nation for some time now. Teaching elementary school students how to write in cursive is starting to seem like a waste of time according to some teachers. They argue that few people actually use cursive nowadays.

“Usually only about a third of my students [write in cursive],” English teacher Tim Williams said.

After learning cursive in grade school, the handwriting is rarely used.

“I almost never [write in cursive] because I kind of forgot how to, and I think that printing is just easier and cursive takes longer,” sophomore Sierra Lyons said.

There is a possibility that keyboard skills will take the place of cursive instruction according to The Kansas City Star. Most teachers would rather students type their assignments rather than printing or writing in cursive. Cursive can be messy and hard to read depending on the student’s handwriting.

“Whenever possible I prefer that assignments are typed,” Williams said.

Teaching cursive to third graders consists of going through the many strokes of each letter and working through countless workbooks and worksheets. Plus, teaching cursive means taking around 30 minutes out of the school day to practice the handwriting.

If future students do not learn how to write in cursive, teachers believe learning to sign their name will be complicated. Signatures are used on so many things that are needed everyday- drivers licenses, credit cards, checks, and more.

The inability to write in cursive may lead to the inability to read it as well. Not being able to read cursive would hinder students when learning about things like The Declaration of Independence. Important documents and letters throughout history are written in cursive.

It is traditional for invitations, thank you notes, and other handwritten papers to be written in cursive, but this will no longer be an option if school’s take cursive out of the curriculum.

The on-going debate remains whether cursive is a necessity or if it is an expendable subject. The decision to abandon the handwriting will be left up to The Kansas Board of Education and then the individual districts. For now, it looks like teaching cursive will continue to be deliberated.

CURSIVE COMES INTO QUESTIONBY HAYLEIGH CHUDIK

your

guideto finals

HOW TO EAT:stay hydrated

drink unsweetened teaonly drink coffee in moderation

don’t let food be a distractionkeep a drink rather than snack near you while studying

HOW TO SLEEP:8-hour rule

shoot for 8 hours of sleep sleep depravation is proven to disrupt memory recall

HOW TO STUDY:an hour at a time

take a short break each hour

be nice to your brainit can only take so much at a timetry not to over-study

reward yourselfinclude some free time in your study schedule

FACTS GATHERED BY MIGUEL PALOMINO

PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERG

STAFF EDITORIAL:

How should you spend your last day?It has long been said to live every day like

your last. But what does that really mean? With the prediction of the end of the world

on Dec. 21, we need to ask ourselves: if it really does happen, how should we spend Dec. 20? We have all, at one point or another, felt the need to let our emotions get the best of us and speak our minds when angry, but fear of negative repercussions have stopped us in our tracks. Once this fear has been eliminated, we must ask ourselves: is this the way to spend a last day on earth? Or should a last day be a time to clear the water?

Fighting fire with fire may provide a temporary feeling of satisfaction and contentment. Keyword: temporary. There are those who would utilize their last day to unleash anger that had been accumulated and stored inside, and we’ll admit, the prospect of lashing-out at those who have caused us pain is tempting. However, in the mature world for which we are headed, being the bigger person is the best way to achieve long-term satisfaction. Faced with the duty of living each day as our last, this is the way to do it. If you choose to have a confrontation with someone with whom you are at odds, be constructive and forgiving rather than harsh or bitingly critical. If that person chooses to ignore or rebuke your requests, move on. After all, are they really worth your last day?

We should strive to be on good terms with as many people as possible each day. Leaving issues unresolved, at tedious points after words of anger have been exchanged, is not likely to fix any issues. Dec. 20, or any day for that matter, should not be a day to make this mistake, just for the reason that there is a chance that the issue will never have the opportunity to be resolved. We strongly

encourage our readers to own up to mistakes, and to be ready and willing to accept those who have made their own mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, that is well known. Work to achieve the humility that it takes to live this life as a respectful (and thus, well-respected) individual.

We have all had it drilled into our heads by parents or teachers to think before we act. It’s time to put this into play. Consider consequences of actions before making a move, consider what you are about to say before you open your mouth. This

skill is a key part of growing up, as is recognizing the fragility of life. In light of recent losses experienced by our community, this idea of life’s delicacy, and its unpredictable nature, is more prominent than ever.

So how should we spend Dec. 20? With kindness, with respect, asking for forgiveness and accepting apologies, with an open mind and understanding outlook? We should own up to mistakes and accept others’. With humility. This is the way to spend our last day on earth.

WE VALUE YOUR VIEWS.if you wish to respond to this editorial, please submit it in the form of a letter to the editor. These may be submitted in person to Room 195 or e-mailed to almaighty@gmail.com. Responses may or may not be printed in the next issue.

THE VOTE IS IN:06:10 SIX OUT OF TEN EDITORS AGREE WITH THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS EDITORIAL.

06 OPINIONS

WORDON THE STREET:

The term “War on Christmas” that has been circulating in the media is a poor name

for the crisis America finds itself in this holiday season. A more apt name would be the “War on Christmas Values.” Nobody’s attacking the most popular holiday of the year. But there’s no denying the way Christmas used to be celebrated is conforming to an evolving (or devolving) society.

This year, after a long-standing tradition beginning in 1953, Palisades Park in Santa Monica, CA, will see the first complete lack of nativity scenes in over half a century. The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee failed to win a court case concerning various atheist individuals that intended to rid the city of the traditional nativity scenes.

“It amounts to an erosion of First Amendment liberty for religious speech in this country,”

said William Becker, attorney for the committee, when interviewed by Fox News.

An even more evident factor in the separation from the foundations of Christmas is the separation from Christ. To put it bluntly, it’s more of a war on Christ. Yes, “Christ” is in “Christmas.” These days, many refrain from saying “Christ” at all, replacing the formal holiday name with “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings.” Why don’t we use these phrases when Halloween or Easter roll around? Do non-Christians really detest the thought of Christ that much?

Sidenote: it’s doubtful that Jesus Christ was actually born in December. It’s far more plausible that the birth of Christ occurred in the spring. Christmas became a holiday in December due to a Christian effort to retaliate against popular pagan celebrations of the

time revolving around cult deities. The two are not the same holiday. Christmas was purposefully timed to be celebrated at the same time as the other commemoration.

Now, Christmas is just a time for gifts. Don’t get me wrong. I want “stuff.” We all love getting “stuff.” We are raised to enjoy the acquisition of material possessions, and to appreciate the satisfaction that comes when we give gifts to others. But have we really deteriorated to the point of needing a holiday to get more “stuff?”

In a nation so controlled by wealth and material gain, it is so much easier to absorb the concept of yet another reason for acquiring more possessions than to take a moment to remember, or at least respect, what used to be a Christian holiday and what is now slowly slipping into a blur of greed and self-obsession.

The “War on Christmas” doesn’t exist. Only conservatives believe that

there is a battle taking place. Most church members, politicians, and the general population don’t feel their values are being threatened.

In the United States, there are an outstanding amount of different cultures roaming our streets. With different cultures there comes a level of acceptance or understanding that each individual has to show. It’s as easy as saying Happy Holidays instead of saying Merry Christmas, when we all are aware that not everyone celebrates a certain holiday.

As to the increased materialism, Christmas has been a tradition of giving. Having wants doesn’t make someone immoral. Every person in the world has wanted something before, and Christmas has become the one day we expect our wants to be met. Apart from

one’s birthday, we don’t really receive gifts in a large amount. It’s not commercialization of the holiday, it’s just the part of every human coming out when all year we pretend to be polite and hide those cravings on the inside.

To top it off, according to amazingfacts.org, it was proven that Jesus wasn’t even born on Dec. 25. Actually, he wasn’t even born in the winter time. In fact, Christmas comes from a pagan holiday celebrating the birth of the sun god, Mithra. The reason for giving presents on this day was to celebrate the Pagans’ other god, Saturn. Even with all this knowledge we possess, the “War on Christmas Values” is fighting what Christmas has become today and how it has changed for the worse, even though Christmas has never been a holiday about giving.

But the fact of the matter is,

there is nothing to fight. Winter holidays have not changed nearly as much as other holidays, such as Halloween. With Halloween the theme has changed from giving children candy and people displaying their imagination with crazy costumes, to girls dressing up slutty and handing out tricks instead of treats.

In the Bible it says to treat others they way you would like to be treated. Muslims do not tell everyone Happy Ramadan. Because if they did, it probably wouldn’t be accepted among most people. I understand that Christians are taught to share their beliefs and preach the good word, but saying Merry Christmas isn’t displaying Jesus’s everlasting love. It simply is an issue of common courtesy and obviously a lot of people have a problem with it.

PRO

CON

“I think Christmas should be more

about spending time with family and

not about presents and [more about]

celebrating the birth of Jesus.”

“[People] are just thinking about what they’re going to get and what they’re going to get someone else. It’s all about the shopping.”

—SOPHOMORE CARLY RODGERS

—FRESHMAN BRAGAN KELLY

—SENIOR MAKAYLA CHAPMAN

BY LUKE HOLLAND

BY TRIVETTE KNOWLES

DEBATEthe

07OPINIONS

IS THERE REALLY A WAR ON CHRISTMAS?

“I feel that Christmas has become such a big ‘to-do’ that we lose the

meaning of the holiday.”

senior talks about her father returning home for Christmas

Late nights barbecuing, banging the drums or watching Friday the 13th were some of the few

things that I use to do often with my father. It’s been almost a year and half since I’ve seen the man I used to call my best friend. Recently, he has been spending time in a county prison in Arkansas for mistakes he’s managed to clean up on his own. My father is a recovering heroin addict. I’ve never expected sympathy in return for my father’s addiction, just the chance to talk to him for more than 15 minutes on the phone or a quick email he had hardly any time to send.

“Don’t ever feel sorry for yourself; it’ll get you nowhere in life,” is one of the many things he taught to me. It still stands true to this day. I’ve stuck by this because I knew getting other people’s sympathy would only keep me standing in the same place.

I’ve managed to gather my life together piece by piece, by getting my license, getting a job and such, but honestly, it did take some time to motivate myself to grow up; I didn’t really want to. It was difficult for me to fathom the idea of becoming a woman without my father by my side to cheer me on. I was 15 when I moved in with my aunt

Through an email my father has told me that he’s proud of me, but it still means the same. All I’ve ever

wanted is to become somebody that’ll make him proud, and now I know I’ve managed to accomplish that much. I know that I have become that person. He has pointed out to me the things that most people in my situation wouldn’t have even thought of doing. In, fact I will be the first person going to college in my family with big intentions of doing something with my life.

It’s made me feel as though I can do anything I set my mind to, and in time, and with a lot of work, it’ll come

to me eventually. Things aren’t just handed to you, no matter who you are, or what your situation is. For a long time, I used to think I deserved everything I wanted, but having a job and buying everything for myself has shown me I’d rather earn the things that I want than just receive them as a hand out. It has shown me the things I really want versus the things I think I want because they catch my eye.

I am also proud of my father. I cannot wait for him to read this

article and see that I don’t blame him anymore for the position we were put in. He has cleaned himself up, and done everything he could to come home to his kids. Luckily, in time for Christmas.

This Christmas will be the first Christmas in three years I will be able to spend with him. Even though it’s only been a year and a half without seeing him, we haven’t spent a holiday together since I was 15. I’m not complaining and I’m aware that there are so many people with problems much worse than mine. I am just grateful that Nov. 28, he came back home to me and my two little brothers. There was nothing better in the world than to hug my dad. I am also grateful for the fact that I’ve made such good friends that have been here with me every step of the way, and I could feel the love and warmth they felt for me when they found out my dad was home.

I don’t want anything for Christmas. I don’t need a big meal. My one and only wish has come true. It’s what I’ve hoped for every night before I go to sleep and now it’s finally here and it’s all finally over. My only advice to you is to be grateful and appreciate the people you have in your life because they aren’t always going to be here and you’ll regret the day you took advantage of that.

10OPINIONS

SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT THE WORLD ENDING?find out

@ SMSPATRIOT.ORG

NATHANthimmesch

08 OPINIONS

BY AMBER FELKINS

“IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO FATHOM THE IDEA OF BECOMING A WOMAN WITHOUT MY FATHER BY MY SIDE

home at last

PHOTOS BY JULIA LARBERG

With all the commotion surrounding the supposed apocalypse Dec. 21,

“bucket lists” are becoming more and more common. The idea behind a

bucket list is to brainstorm things you’d like to do before the end of your

lifetime. The items on this list can be simple, such as completing senior year

with straight A’s, starting a band or trying a new sport. Some people are

more daring with composing their lists, adding items to it like skydiving,

rock climbing, or traveling to a new country. These experiences, though

challenging, can prove to be a huge accomplishment and self-esteem builder.

Through difficult tasks like these, lives can be changed, perspectives can

transform, and new philosophies are created.

Though the 2012 apocalypse could prove to be false, it has helped to stress

the importance behind achieving those goals in life you’ve always dreamed

about reaching but have never found the motivation to strive for. The threat

of the world coming to an end has inspired some to cross a few of the items

off their list, or at least realize how important achieving these goals should

be.

A few students at South have come across unique opportunities to cross

some things off their own bucket lists. From mountain climbing to traveling

abroad, these interesting stories may inspire others to make bucket lists

of their own. With Dec. 21 fast approaching, there has never been a more

relevant time for bucket lists.

BUCKET LIST

MADDIE BELL

NATE ANDREW

09FEATURES

MAKING ABY HANNAH STRADER

PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERGPHOTOS COURTESY OF NATE ANDREW AND MADDIE BELL

A MEMBER OF BELL'S HOST FAMILY HELPS HER CONQUER

HER AVERSION TO CHICKENS10 FEATURES BELL POSES WITH CHILDREN

FROM THE SCHOOL WHERE

SHE TAUGHTMADD

IE BELL IS

CAUGHT IN A

CANDID PH

OTO IN PAN

AMA

Senior Maddie Bell has always loved Spanish class. When the opportunity arose for her to visit Panama and

help others along the way, she took it. Enrolling in the Amigos Program in August of 2011, Bell prepared herself for an interview in both Spanish and English. From there, she began training every two weeks for three hours until her trip in the summer of 2012 to the town of Coclé in the gulf of Panama.

The first obstacle for any student would be convincing a parent to support the trip. For Bell this was also a problem.

“My mom was kind of hesitant, but the program was really good about [reassuring her], plus she [knew] that there would be a phone that I would have. I wouldn’t have a phone, but there would be a way to get a hold of me in case of an emergency; I wasn’t completely stranded,” Bell said.

Another aspect of the trip that helped relieve Bell’s mom of her worries was the emergency plan. Although Bell couldn’t leave Panama for anything besides rule breaking or a certified emergency, a plan was still necessary. In such a situation, she would use her host mom’s sister’s cell phone to contact her trip supervisor who would in turn send someone to help her.

Luckily, no such emergency ever occurred, but Bell did have a few culture shocks to deal with.

“There are chickens running around everywhere, and [Panamanians] eat chicken with every single meal: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would have to take the chicken and physically kill it. I had to do that once. They would just kill their chicken, they would cook it, then they

would eat it and that kind of freaked me out,” Bell explained.

The dinner table wasn’t the only place Bell had to battle it out with a chicken.

“I was teaching in a school, I taught in a school for two hours every day, and a chicken would just kind of run across in through the front door, then out through the back door. That was kind of weird,” Bell said.

Bell taught in this school for two hours a day while in Panama, switching back and forth between kindergarten and first grade classes. Throughout the duration of her stay, Bell says she felt welcomed by the kids, though the teaching was a bit of a challenge.

“The Spanish, first of all, was really hard. They would laugh at me anytime I got something wrong, which was a lot. Just teaching in the first place is difficult, to be a 16-year-old and have to plan [so much]. If something goes wrong, you have to plan if it goes wrong. You’re not teaching them English. You’re teaching about the environment, water conservation, tree planting and all that stuff,” Bell said.

Other cultural differences Bell encountered included a lack of cars, choices in brands of certain products, as well as the friendliness of the people there.

“They start having amorous conduct at age 11. That’s when you start having boyfriends and girlfriends, and they get married at 15 or 16,” Bell said.

This extreme cultural difference caught Bell off guard, as well as the Panamanians who were not used to a girl waiting so long for marriage.

“I was asked on a daily basis if I was

married or engaged or something. They suggested that I get married as soon as possible, because that’s what a sixteen year old should be doing is getting married.”

While getting married is probably on Bell’s bucket list for the future, other items include skydiving, eating her body weight in bacon, learning more languages, and traveling to other Spanish speaking countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Costa Rica.

“It’s really interesting to be a foreigner. That should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s very different to be the minority, and it’s awesome,” Bell said. “I definitely think that traveling to a different country is important. It’s kind of boring if you just know what America’s like.”

Leaving was difficult for Bell, who enjoyed her stay with her host family in addition to the children she taught every day.

“They just loved me the day I walked in there. They all cried when I left,” Bell said.

Since Bell’s trip, her perspective on life has changed. She has learned many lessons while living in Panama and feels like it is easier for her to face new challenges and obstacles in her life now.

“I tell myself if I [could] handle that, I can handle anything. If there’s a difficult test, I think ‘I can live in Panama by myself for six and a half weeks. I can handle a test.’ I can handle a lot because of it. I didn’t have anyone to go to for help, so I had to figure it out by myself. It’s a good skill,” Bell said.

BEFORE YOU KICK ITTRAVEL TO A FOREIGN COUNTRYX

A MEMBER OF BELL'S HOST FAMILY HELPS HER CONQUER

HER AVERSION TO CHICKENS 11FEATURES

ANDREW POSES FOR A PHOTO WITH THE MOUNTAIN HE

PREPARES TO CLIMB ANDREW'S CLIMBING GROUP

PAUSES FOR A PHOTO WITH

MT KILIMANJARO

On the East African plains, Mt. Kilimanjaro stands at an elevation of 19,336 feet, the tallest free-standing

mountain in the world and the largest mountain in Africa. Just imagining it can be daunting, but senior Nate Andrew has seen it for himself. Even more impressive, he can say he climbed it.

“At first it was all jungle. It was all misty, it was raining a little bit and it was very green. [There were] a lot of colorful flowers. There was a lot of foliage. We got up to the first hut and it was in the forest. It was still jungle-y, but it was starting to get less dense and more dry,” Andrew said. “We stayed the night there, then we went up to the second base camp called Kibo hut. That was where it started getting difficult. We had gone through the jungle and we hit the bush of Africa, think safari animals. Then it turned into desert where Kibo hut was. You could see how far you had to walk and it was not pretty. It was one of those things where you saw how far you had to walk and you were like ‘Oh my God, I have to walk there by the end of today’.”

Through an opportunity provided by his school in South Africa, Andrew decided to seize this once-in-a-lifetime experience despite its $4,000 price tag, which included a flight from Johannesburg to Tanzania, and all climbing equipment. The climb also required conditioning after school, as well as plenty of determination. The preparations, however, were the easy part. Once the climb actually began, the

difficult task at hand set in. The group couldn’t even climb up during the day due to the intense heat of the sun and the danger of dehydration. Instead, the team members slept during the day and woke up to eat at 10 p.m., eating a big plate of spaghetti before beginning their final ascent.

“It was just [dizzying]. You puke so many times and you couldn’t drink any water or else you would have to do it again. You had no liquid in your mouth whatsoever,” Andrew said.

On top of the constant threat of dehydration and the altitude sickness, the team also began hallucinating after a certain point.

“We saw penguins. The guides didn’t tell us we were hallucinating until we got back down,” Andrew said.

Out of the 22 people on Andrew’s hiking team, all members made it to the top, but not without struggle. In fact, 21 of the team members vomited at least once on the way to the top from altitude sickness. Andrew had to find means of motivation to reach the top.

“I did stop. One of the guides who has done it 40 or 50 times told me it was always just around the corner. It wasn’t, but it got me there,” Andrew said.

Even though the ascent was difficult, Andrew felt the climb was worth it for one simple reason: it wasn’t easy. Even at the peak of the mountain, he explains that the altitude sickness and physical strain were enough to take away from the moment,

but looking back he reflects on it as one of his biggest accomplishments.

“We basically walked around the entire crater just to get to the highest point. It was still steep, but it wasn’t bad,” Andrew said.

To top it off, the mountain itself wasn’t exactly as Andrew expected.

“I thought it was just a peak you had to get to, but it was actually a dome. There’s a crater at the very top, and we were on one side of the crater and there’s a glacier that had been there. I didn’t expect there to be glaciers or craters, I expected it to be a mountain like you see in the movies,” Andrew said.

Finally reaching the highest point in Africa definitely felt like an accomplishment to Andrew, but his favorite part was getting back down.

“The most exciting part was the climb down. We have these things called gators and you put them around your feet and they’re made so you can step in water without your feet getting wet. Well, the gravel going up was like dirt, gravel, very slick, and since it was so steep, you could basically put the gators on and ski down the mountain, but with your shoes on. It was epic. That was how we got down,” Andrew said.

Andrew believes that climbing Kilimanjaro should be on everyone’s bucket list as a once-in-a-lifetime experience to look back on. If the opportunity arises, he encourages others to pursue this adventure as well.

CLIMB A MOUNTAINX

NATE ANDREW AND H

IS

CLIMBING GROUP ON

TOP OF

MT KILIMANJ

ARO

BEFORE YOU KICK IT

THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT

In just one week, students will be finishing finals and heading off for a much deserved winter break, or will they? The Mayan’s have made

a bold prediction, saying that the world will end on Dec. 21. Today the world is becoming more intrigued with the idea of a zombie apocalypse and Armageddon than ever before. With the Mayan’s prediction for the end of days approaching, people have their own opinion on how the world will end. The media has picked up on all the hype, with apocalypse movies and TV shows dominating the nations entertainment. “The Walking Dead” is just one of the many fictional shows that has caught the attention of millions of viewers. “Doomsday Preppers,” a Discovery Channel show, follows the lives of people obsessed with stocking up on food, weapons, and medical supplies to survive the end of the world.

The big question is, are these seemingly insane worries realistic? If the world truly does end, would it even be possible to survive? A more important question is, would you want to live through the Armageddon, and be the only human in a nuclear wasteland?

“I would rather just die, it wouldn’t be fun living all by yourself in a post-apocalyptic world,” sophomore Bruce Hollis said.

I Am Legend, a post-apocalyptic movie where Robert Neville, played by Will Smith, is the last human alive in a disease ridden New York City. Neville’s only companion is his Golden Retriever, which eventually dies, leaving him in isolation and misery. He spends the remainder of his life

trying to find a cure for the rampant virus, which has already killed off 90 percent of the world’s population. The idea of the world ending has even come popular with well-known TV shows including “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons,” and the music industry. Well-Known bands such as the Smashing Pumpkins, U2, and Muse have written songs about the apocalypse as well. Many of these shows and songs are targeted towards teenagers like us, and students at South are intrigued.

“I’ve seen Zombieland, and 2012. They were both great movies,” junior Emilio Miles said.

Skeptics of the apocalypse, which vastly outnumber the believers, have more concrete scientific reasoning behind their views. Many anthropologists who specialize in Mayan folklore believe the end of a Mayan cycle merely marks the completion of that cycle, and the beginning of another. According to MSNBC’s website, anthropologists have also found predictions made by the Mayans that would occur farther into the future, long past the completion of the thirteenth b’ak’tun, or Mayan Cycle. Other experts say that they are doubtful of how legitimate these predictions are because of how far into the future they are supposed to occur.

This is not the first time that people have obsessed over seemingly absurd predictions like this. Before the turn of the century, people were terrified with the idea of Y2K. They feared computers would cycle back to the year 1900, instead of making the jump into the new millennium. Despite avoiding most major problems, hundreds of slot machines

in Delaware quit working, and Japan’s major cell phone operators had multiple issues regarding the date on their phones. Although the outcome might not seem catastrophic, it would have had enormous effects on both medical records and the economy as a whole, and possibly could have led to the collapse of government in smaller, less developed countries.

Anyone following the news lately has surely heard about the Fiscal Crisis. Republicans and Democrats haven’t yet agreed whether or not to increase taxes and spending cuts. The decisions Congress and President Obama make could send us into another recession and land us in the same situation as Europe. Many people interpret the Mayan’s prediction as a less literal “end of the world.” These people think that Dec. 21 marks the collapse of the United States government, and basically all order. It happened to the Mayan’s, the Roman’s, and is an inevitable part of every society.

The media is not the only outlet giving attention to the end of the world hype. The United States Center for Disease Control has dedicated a page towards preparing for a zombie attack. It provides an intriguing graphic novel which demonstrates the importance of being prepared for such an unusual situation. It also enables readers to buy their own zombie apocalypse protection kit to fend off the flesh eating monsters. If the government has devoted an entire page towards informing us about a possible zombie attack, is it really that outlandish to prepare for it yourself?

BY GARRETT MOULD

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ETHAN STONE12A&E

is the apocalypse near?

The tale of a jolly old man from the North Pole delivering presents to the good children of the world in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer is a sweet story and a device used by parents worldwide as incentive for good behavior from children. However, if every child were a math buff and physics major, the need for a more realistic Christmas myth would be inevitable. Though the Santa Claus story is a key element in every American Christmas, it is far from realistic for several (hopefully) obvious reason.

Over 2 billion children (individuals under 18) reside on planet Earth. But, since Santa does not seem to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist children, the workload is reduced to 15 percent of the total, which leaves 378 million children according to the Population Reference Bureau. With the average census rate of 3.5 children per household, we’re looking at roughly 91.8 million homes to deal with, assuming there’s a good kid in each house.

Now for the big issue: time. If Santa travels east to west, he has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, when the rotation of the earth and time zones are taken into account. With that amount of time, it averages out to 822.6 gift drops per second. So, for each household with good kids, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park and exit the sleigh, hop down the chimney, fill stockings, distribute presents, consume snacks, climb the chimney, get back in the sleigh and arrive at the next house. Were each of the 91.8 million homes evenly distributed across the planet, there would be a distance of .78 miles between each house, equalling a total trip of 75.5 miles, not counting stops for eating and other bodily functions that overcome a person at least once in 31 hours. With the above information, it can be calculated that the sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second. This is 3,000 times the speed of sound. The Ulysses space probe, the fastest man-made vehicle ever made, moves at 27.4 miles per second. And the average reindeer can run at 15 miles per hour, tops.

The traditional story states that Santa’s sled is pulled by a team of flying reindeer. It is a fact there are currently no known species of super-reindeer that have the ability of flight. However, over 300,000 species of living organisms have yet to be classified, so the concept of flying reindeer is not entirely ruled out.

The matter (pun-intended) of the sled weight is also concerning. If every child were to get nothing more than an average 2 pound Lego set, the sleigh would be carrying 321,000 tons. Then add the weight of Santa, who is traditionally portrayed as a rather overweight man. The conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even if the super-species of flying reindeer could pull ten times that amount, the job would not be possible with a mere nine reindeer. It would require 214,430 reindeer. The added weight of the reindeer would account for a grand total of 353,430 tons, four times the weight of Queen Elizabeth...the ship.

13A&E

THE SCIENCE BEHIND SANTAis claus plausible?

A HOUSE DIVIDED

REINDEER ON ‘ROIDS

A MASS(IVE) PROBLEM

COAST TO COAST

ROUND BELLY

FLUFFY WHITE BEARD

SACK FULL OF PRESENTS

BY LUKE HOLLAND

ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA FEATHERS

the anatomy of santa claus

SPECIAL THANKS TO RICK HOLLAND

CAN’T HOLD BACKWere 353,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second, there would

be an unbearably huge force of air resistance, which would heat the reindeer up in a manner similar to spacecrafts re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. The leading pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quintillion joules of energy per second. The reindeer would burst into flame and create multiple sonic booms, and the whole team would be incinerated within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Meanwhile, a 250 pound Santa (undoubtedly on the slim side) would be pinned at the back of his sled under 4,315,015 pounds of pressure. So...Is Santa Claus real? You decide.

MIXrereviews of the latest in pop culture

MUSIC:

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

O.N.I.F.C., Wiz Khalifa’s second album for Atlantic Records, hit stores Dec. 4. The release was highly anticipated by fans expecting the same display of greatness witnessed in Khalifa’s last album, Rolling Papers. O.N.I.F.C. is a nice album that die hard Wiz fans will accept with open arms, but any person experiencing Khalifa for the first time will find the album wanting. Solely because it’s Wiz Khalifa, will this album flourish and become so popular.

O.N.I.F.C. is probably the most disappointing CD to be released this year. The problem for Khalifa is that all he has to talk about is that Mary Jane. In fact he has a song called “Mary, Mary, Mary” where he states “All I need is Mary, Mary, Mary. I’m not F****** with no other drugs.” When a rapper becomes engaged and is expecting a child to be born, he really can’t brag about how many chicks he’s getting with. It’s not necessarily Khalifa’s fault that he found his true love and decided to marry her, but it does take away a large portion of what he can rap about. Khalifa is also experiencing a similar problem Drake faced; way too much singing for no reason whatsoever.

O.N.I.F.C. has many songs that are soothing and create a chill atmosphere. Not once in the album does it seem that Khalifa has any rage or anger ready for deployment. The singles that Khalifa let the general public get a quick preview of, could arguably be considered the best songs on the CD. The repetitive chorus where Khalifa says the same word over and over can, and does, get annoying after a couple of songs. But it does become catchy in “It’s Nothin” featuring 2 Chainz and “Work Hard, Play Hard.”

Another issue with the album has to be the lack of stars joining Khalifa. The most famous celebrity is 2 Chainz and other rappers who are trying to make a name for themselves. There isn’t one song you can take away from O.N.I.F.C. and put on repeat for a whole day like Khalifa’s old songs “Young, Wild & Free” or “No Sleep.” Hopefully this is not something we will have to expect from Khalifa, but just a one time sudden drop in performance.

WIZ KHALIFA

14A&E

TRIVETTE KNOWLES

MOVIE:

Deadfall is a suspenseful rated R thriller, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky.Well, where to begin....I really thought this movie was going to be a lot better than it was. So thank God

my television provider has this movie On Demand before it was released, so I wouldn’t have to go to the movie theater to see it.

The movie stars Eric Bana as Addison and Olivia Wilde as Liza, brother and sister con-artists who recently robbed a casino. After getting into a car accident, Addison shoots the police officer that arrived to check the scene. They then decide to separate and try to find a way to the Canadian border, which turned out not to be the best idea because they soon find themselves in a whiteout blizzard. Luckily, Liza gets picked up by Jay(Charlie Hunnam) an ex-con recently released from prison. Because of the snow storm, Jay and Liza spend the night at a motel. There the two share a connection with each other and develop feelings. Liza starts to think about what her life would be like if she were to stay with Jay, and begins questioning the loyalty she has for her brother. Meanwhile, Addison has been doing his fair share of killing to get away from the police and eventually comes across Jay’s parents’, June (Sissy Spacek) and Chet’s (Kris Kristofferson), house.

Some parts in the movie were random and didn’t make much sense. For instance, where Addison kills a crazy old Native American guy before getting his finger chopped off. The scenes toward the end though are worth the watch. I will sa,y all the scenes with Wilde are probably the best part of the whole movie. She gives a really good performance. In fact, most of the cast does, but that still couldn’t save this movie from being as mediocre as it was.

BY MIGUEL PALOMINO

I had no clue what to expect from this movie. All trailers lured me in with the cast, but I didn’t really know what the movie was about. Ten minutes into the movie, I still had no idea what was going on. I couldn’t understand the main characters accent at first either, but it gets better slowly. It gradually becomes more interesting and you can’t look away.

The basic gist of the film is two guys, Frankie(Scoot McNairy) and Russell(Ben Mendelsohn), rob a bunch of well connected people’s card game. They do it because they know that someone named Markie (Ray Liotta) will be blamed due to the fact that he’s robbed them before. The rich guys hire someone to ‘take care’ of the two who robbed the game. It’s the story of one man’s quest to kill and another’s quest for survival. The movie is filled with allusions, for example, there are maybe two songs in the whole movie but every scene you would normally be hearing music, President Obama’s speeches from his 2008 election are playing. But more specifically, the speeches when he is talking about the economy, or change. To me, this symbolizes how different the civilized and monitered money trade is from the underground life that people live all around the country.

My favorite thing about this movie is the cinematography. It is directed by Andrew Dominik who does a great job, using unique scenes to say something without a character having to. For instance, there is a scene where one of the robbers is all geeked out on smack and instead of just showing him passing out, it shows it from his point of view. The vision blurring, words slurring, and sounds distorting. It makes someone who’s never passed out from shooting up too much meth, which is most of us, get some sort of feeling of what it’s like. This movie is definitely not for the weak willed. It makes killing seem like nothing; intimate even. Every murder scene in the movie has some sort of human aspect to it to contrast the barbaric actions. The mood is set up to make murder look like a lovely symphony, with slow-motion and peaceful music. But when you think about it, you’re watching someone being killed, and they don’t shy away from gore. This movie is not for everybody. To really enjoy the film you have to look for the deeper meaning in everything because it’s truly a revolutionary movie, there has never been a movie quite like Killing them Softly.

DEADFALLMOVIE:

BY ADAM MATEOS

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

02

01BY HAYLEIGH CHUDIK

Spare time is a great opportunity to help the less fortunate. Over break, students have plenty of time to give back to our community over the holiday. There is a place for everyone to enjoy volunteering, there are many different charities or organizations to find, such as the Salvation Army to ring bells. Check out ringkc.com for more information on bell ringing. Other opportunities include volunteering at local soup kitchens in the Kansas City Area and foodbanks such as Harvesters, and donating to clothing stores like Goodwill. During this time of year, homeless animals are especially in need of a home off the cold streets, check out Wayside Waifs or No More Homeless Pets KC. Do something charitable this winter break and help someone less fortunate than you have a brighter holiday.

15A&E

Looking at the most decorated houses in Kansas City is a guaranteed good time every holiday sea-son. With houses like Candy Cane Lane on Outlook right off of 79th Street in Prairie Village, Belinder Christmas Light Path on 105th Street, a block west of Quivira in Overland Park, and more right in the Overland Park and Prairie Village area there is no reason not to go. Along with the house lights, there is also Vince and Associates on 103rd and Metcalf. Make sure to turn your radio to 96.9 FM because the lights are synched with the music.

PHOTOS BY HANNAH HOLLANDER

Looking for something different to do? The Kansas City Zoo has a sleepover in the Polar Bear Passage Viewing Building. The overnighter goes from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. and costs $30. If the weather permits, guests can walk around the zoo and see the animals after hours. Snacks and breakfast are provided.

If Christmas displays are a favorite, then this holiday break Longview Lake is the place to be. 175 animated figures and over 300,000 lights fill the campground. The drive through the park can be slow and takes a few hours. The event is free, but donations at the end of the drive are encouraged. Christmas in the Park opens at 5:30 p.m. and on weekends closes at 11 p.m..

Ice Skating is a classic way to pass time in the winter season. Nearby, there is the Ice at Park Place and the Crown Center Ice Terrace. Admission for The Ice at Park Place is $7 with $3 skate rental as well and is open until Feb. 18. At the Crown Center Ice Terrace, admission is $6 and skate rental is $3 and is open through March 15.

03

05

04PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KANSAS CITY ZOO

Driver Educationat Johnson County Community College

Drive Safe, Drive Smart• Kansas Board of Education certi�ed instructors

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• 6 hours of driving

• 6 hours of observation

• 30 hours of classroom instruction

• Optional at-home pick-up/drop-off service for driving portion of training

• Automobile �eet includes a Toyota Prius hybrid car, which lessens the program's carbon footprintwhile promoting sustainability

Course fee: $349. Register today for classes thatbegin in January and March!

For class dates and times visit www.jccc.edu/driver-training or call 913-469-4446

Johnson County Community College12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210

Living in Kansas can be tough sometimes for people who just love to shred down a mountain. How are these individuals supposed to quench their thirst for skiing, tubing or snowboarding? Luckily Snow Creek is only an hour away. Snow Creek is a ski resort in Weston, MO. It has 13 different trails and a terrain park, offering something for everyone.

Junior Parker Ling, who started skiing at age 6, appreciates the resort despite its size.

“My favorite place to ski is Taos, New Mexico. It’s always really nice. I could ski there forever. But, I like Snow Creek because, although it’s not very big, it helps me hone down on my skills,” Ling said.

Currently Snow Creek looks like nothing but a green hill, but Dec 15 these luscious green hills will be transformed into a winter wonderland. The resort has over 60 snowmaking machines with a capacity for generating 12 inches of snow in a 24 hour period. The Snow Creek website updates

their site daily to show the temperatures, current conditions and trail access.

Snow Creek is considerably smaller than most ski resorts. It has only 13 trails, while a big resort like Breckenridge has four different peaks. Snow Creek is so small because it isn’t even a mountain. It is actually just a hill, but in the middle of flat Kansas, it’s better than nothing. The Snow Creek slopes focus on intermediate hills, but there are also lessons available for beginners.

For serious snowboarders, like junior Andrew Barton, having ski slopes close by is great because he can ski a lot more instead of driving to Colorado, or Utah. When Barton snowboards at Winter Park, where the X-Games compete, he snowboards on the terrain parks which have a high level of difficulty. Barton likes the smallness of Snow Creek because of the group camaraderie. Snow Creek currently only has one “Most Difficult” slope.

“You usually meet all the people there, the

instructors are always out skiing, so every time I go it’s really fun,” Barton said.

Junior Lily Johnson, who has spent most of her time skiing at Breckenridge, says Snow Creek is very different from most places.

“At a place like Snow Creek you have a lot of beginners and it is really packed. But, at Breckenridge there are more runs and I really like the scenery,” Johnson said.

Besides skiing, Snow Creek offers tubing, night skiing and private lessons. So, if you lack balance and the talent to stand up on a snowboard or skis, Snow Creek offers many tubing slopes. The drive is a good hour or so away, but they have lodging on the hill, so it’s easy to get away for a weekend. Pricing, private lessons, and more information can be found on Snow Creek’s website.

If you can’t make the trek to Colorado, remember that you have the slopes of Snow Creek in your backyard.

BY GRIFFIN ZELLER

exploring a local winter sports venue

17SPORTS

15/DECEMBERopens:

STATS300 ft. vertical drop. 30% beginner, 60% intermediate, 5% advanced, 5% terrain park, 2 Triple chairlifts, 1 Double chairlift, 3 rope tows.

700 feet long, 5 tube lanes, 460 ft. conveyor carpet lift, 320 tubes, picnic/viewing area, vending, bonfire pit, weekend barbecues.

Over 60 snowmaking machines with a capac-ity of up to 3,000 gallons of water per minute... or 12” of machine made snow in a 24 hour period at temperatures of 20 degrees F.

a pretty chill place

start making snow:

09/ DECEMBER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SNOW CREEK

question& FIVE

top

things to eat before a swim meet

02 BANANAS

Bananas are an incredible source of potas-sium. They help by reducing depression, and help with anemia. They help your bones, kidney, eyes, and the list goes on.

01FRUIT

Fruits are filled with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants and many phytonutrients. They are low in calories and fats and are a source of simple sugars, fiber and vitamins. They have many health benefits.

05PEANUT BUTTER

04PASTA

03SALAD

The boys swim team has set a lofty goal for themselves this year: to finish very high at the state meet. From the looks of it, the boys are well on their way. Six individual swimmers and three relay teams had already qualified for the state meet after only the first two meets of the season. At the time of print, results of the Shawnee Mission East Invitational Monday, Dec. 10 had not yet been reported.

Q: What’s your personal record in the 100 freestyle?

A: Right now, it’s 49.93

Q: How does it feel being considered a standout swimmer?

A: It feels pretty cool. Being team captain is certainly an accomplishment. It’s me and Joel Woodward, so we’re in charge of making sure everybody does the practices and overall it’s really rewarding.

Q: How do you motivate the team?

A: Well, before the meet, we have our own mascot who is, kind of contradictory, a snail. Before the meet we basically all give him our praises. I don’t know. We like to put him up on a pedestal. That’s the way we start every meet. It’s a long standing tradition.

Q: What are your goals for yourself this season?

A: Since it’s 5A now, we have a really high potential of doing well at the state meet. It’s one of my top goals. Certainly getting down that 100 free time to hopefully get me ranked in the top 3 at state for that event. That’s my other big goal.

Q: How do you form bonds within the team?

A: Every day you swim at practice, it can either be a group practice or you’re in a lane with people who are on the same team. So motivating each other every day during practice, making sure everybody makes the interval and everybody makes the sets and that everybody ends up doing a great job during practice is one of the main things that keeps us interacting with each other. It basically allows you to meet new people and

18 SPORTS

with Kenny Bergman answer

PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERGBY OLIVIA FEATHERS

more swimming q&a’s@SMSPATRIOT.ORG

BELIEVE

SWOOPE

CLAP

Crowd Control will end the game off with the popular “I BELIEVE... I believe that WE.... I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE WON.” So go crazy.

Whenever sophomore Dainan Swoope drops a three pointer, the fans will chant, “Swoope, there it is. Swoope, there it is. Swoope, there it is.”

If we’re winning we chant, “If you’re winning and you know it clap your hands, (clap clap)...” which we follow up by pointing at the other team and chanting, “If you’re losing and you know it clap your hands.”

in controlIt is the beginning of December, finals are right

around the corner and this can only mean one thing; basketball season has begun. Devout fans pack the bleachers and cheer their team to victory. But imagine the games with no crowd, in an empty gymnasium. It would not be the same.

Shawnee Mission South has prided itself on having one of the loudest, most involved student sections in the state of Kansas. This is due to a group of rowdy seniors that call themselves “Crowd Control.” The “Crowd Control” consists of a handful of seniors occupying the front row of bleachers and leading the student body in cheers and chants.

This begs the question, how is the senior “Crowd Control” chosen? Are they voted in by the student body or are they a secret underground society? According to senior Jordan Tripp, the selection process is actually quite simple.

“We just got together with our friends and decided that we were going all out this year,” Tripp said.

There you have it, an explanation as to how the exuberant, enthusiastic seniors are given the privilege of standing in front. In year’s past, the seniors in front have produced some whimsical memories, perhaps none more memorable than in 2009 when “Crowd Control” (under the leadership of alumnus Danny Lamping), conceived a lewd response to Shawnee Mission East’s “That’s All Right, That’s OK.”

“We were kind of sick of the same old South-East chants. They chanted something about how we were going to work for them someday, and then it got real. It probably shouldn’t have been done, but it was kind of spur of the moment,” Lamping said.

According to Lamping, the crowd was so loud that they received texts from players on opposing teams saying that they were nervous to play at South. This level of spirit and intensity is what the student section must not only live up to this winter, but surpass.

Crowd Control not only excites the fans, players and coaches, they also get their cheerleaders involved.

“I love being right there on the court and chanting along with a great crowd this year,” senior cheerleader Marley Brooks said. “I love it.”

When students look back on these games years from now, the times they have stormed the court and the fierce rebuttal to the opposing crowds’ chants will be

remembered forever. “It’s crazy and amazing! To feel so proud of our school

and scream at the top of our lungs while basically almost breaking the bleachers is the best feeling ever,” senior Monica Funk said.

Chants have been a vital spirit booster to sporting events from the beginning of time. Every school has their own signature chants whose purpose is to provide energy that the team can feed off of.

“It’s amazing. I feel the adrenaline levels could relate to running with the bulls, or going into battle with the Spartans,” senior Jeramie Fischer said.

South is known for the “I Believe” chant, which has currently been moved to the end of the game. This year’s “Crowd Control” has added many different chants to their arsenal. According to head coach Brett McFall, these chants are as important to the game as anything.

“Basketball is a game of momentum and once [the momentum] starts rolling in your favor, the crowd picks up on it and the players feed off of the energy,” McFall said.

Another vital part to a successful Friday night game is the theme. The themes this year will be posted on the official “Crowd Control” Twitter account: @SMSCrowdControl. Popular themes in the past have been “Christmas,” “Redneck” and “‘Merica” while Tuesday nights have been Green and Gold themed. This group looks to bring something new to the table by not only reviving chants from year’s past, but bringing a slew of new chants to the table as well. A couple of the early favorites are the “SMS” chant at the beginning of the game and the “sacred ritual” at halftime.

The student section has always been a selling point for attending boys basketball games but what about the girls? Luckily, this year’s class has shown a tremendous level of support for the girls varsity program. According to head coach Brendan Curran, this support does not go unnoticed.

“It helps out having such a great crowd at home, I know that the girls really appreciate having such a loud group there,” Curran said.

The “Crowd Control” has taken South’s school spirit and cranked it through the roof. Both the boys and girls basketball programs have started out strong, the boys 3-0 and the girls 2-1. The Raiders hope that the power of the crowd will take them all the way to State. 19SPORTS

PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERG

by

STEP

STEPBY DEREK FUHRMANN

leaders of student section leave their mark

sms

Spotlight

[THE PERFORMANCE] WAS A TRIAL AND ERROR; I’VE NEVER JUGGLED.“—freshman Ian Warshaw

Balancing dexterity and skill, freshman Ian Warshaw juggled, and rode his unicycle at the same time. Warshaw’s unique talent stood out among the singers and musicans that participated in the talent show. PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERG