volume 13, issue 4
DESCRIPTION
Volume 13, Issue 4 of the Mill Valley JagWireTRANSCRIPT
JAGWIREMILL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 4 | DEC.14, 2012 | MVNEWS.ORG
NEWS4-5
THE FUTURE OF FINALS AND FINALS TIPS
FEATURE8
LIFE OF A MILITARY FAMILY
SPORTS14-15
WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
A & E18
A LOOK AT NINTENDO’S NEW WII U
MONOPOLY10-11 Everything you should
know about money
GAME OFMONEY’S NO
2 BRIEFS
NEWSINBRIEF
INSIDEWHAT’S
DOWNWHAT’S
News3 District plan to conserve energy4-5 Finals
Feature7 Students in winter guard8 Military family10-11 Money
Opinion12-13 Half-day finals proposal, racial prejudices, lies parents tell their kids, be thankful for a safe school, teen depression
Sports14-15 Winter sports
A&E16 The Flipside 18 New Nintendo Wii U19 Crafts done cooler
Photo Essay20 Baby Think It Over project
Cover illustration by Kristina Milewski
UPWHAT’S
ROYAL BABYWill and Kate announced
they’re expecting
an addition to the royal
family
TEXTING’S B-DAYEveryone’s
favorite method of
communication turned 20 years old on Monday,
Dec. 3
ROYAL PRANKNurse at hospital
where Kate stayed
commits suicide after
prank call
NOMOPHOBIANew studies
prove this anxiety of
being away from mobile technologyto be a real
illness
CLASS CUP
POINTS*
*As of Monday, Dec. 10
SENIORS
36JUNIORS
21
46FRESHMEN
31
SOPHOMORES
LEFT: The Hostess store on Shawnee Mission Parkway stands empty on Sunday, Dec. 2. Many students including se-nior Joe Jerome are upset over the closing of Hostess. “I don’t really mind the Host-ess store going out of business, but I will miss the Twinkies,” Jerome said.Photo by Stephanie Hudelston
why the bankruptcy is a big deal to her. “I’m upset at the fact that something
that’s been here for so long is now gone,” Vita said.
Because of the bankruptcy, 18,500 workers will lose their jobs. It is estimat-ed that 94 percent of the employees will be laid off over the next four months.
Included in the terms of the bank-ruptcy was the agreement that Hostess will be able to sell its popular brands and recipes. The company plans on sell-ing them to the highest bidder after the bankruptcy court has approved its re-quest.
However, sophomore Jack Earlen-baugh believes that it’s not just a recipe that makes up Hostess snacks.
“Someone will buy the recipes, but it won’t be the same,” Earlenbaugh said. “Not without the Hostess label on it.”
After 87 years of producing favorites such as Twinkies, Ho Hos and Wonder Bread, Hostess has filed for bankruptcy. The request was placed on Friday, Nov. 16, and the company officially closed for business on Wednesday, Nov. 21.
The bankruptcy was based mostly on troubles with union worker strikes, but the company had also been suffering from consumers’ increased interest in healthier snack alternatives. Before filing for bankruptcy, Hostess was $860 million in debt.
Some have been more affected by the company’s troubles than others, includ-ing those who grew up with the iconic snacks.
Sophomore Angelica Vita explains
HOSTESS GOES BANKRUPTBY KATE [email protected]
for this competition since August. Fresh-man Sara Hempleman thought the work paid off.
“[Our routine], turned out good,” Hempleman said. “It was solid, and we had our routine down.”
Senior Jenna Middaugh thought the most difficult part of the competition was raising enough energy and spirit with her teammates.
“Since a few of the girls were sick and not feeling well, motivating the girls was rough,” Middaugh said. “I’m a bit dis-appointed with a rating of two but I’m happy we pulled through.”
The cheer team competed at the Best of the Midwest cheer competition on Sat-urday, Dec. 1. In the competition, teams were given either an outstanding, superi-or or excellent rating. The team received superior on the fight song, and outstand-ing on dance and chant.
The team competed at Olathe North-west High School. Instead of the usual one-time performance, the team per-formed three separate times.
The cheer team has been practicing
CHEERLEADERS COMPETEBY AMBER NGUYENjagwire.ambernguyen@gmail.
hof said. The requirements for the finalists
were to understand the game, respect their players and fellow coaches and be involved in their community.
When talking to Vomhof, he ex-plained his passion for the game.
“My favorite part about coaching is being around the athletes and seeing them be successful, not only in soccer but in life.” Vomhof said, “You make very good friendships that last a while.”
The winner will be announced on Sunday, Jan. 20, at a convention in India-napolis, Indiana.
On Tuesday, Nov. 20, head soccer coach Arlan Vomhof was nominated as a finalist for the NSCAA National Coach of the Year.
Vomhof was previously named Kan-sas Coach of the Year and Regional Coach of the Year in the small school division. All finalists from the regional nominations were put in for nationals.
“I was surprised with the state Coach of the Year award, let alone being a na-tional finalist. It’s still pretty cool,” Vom-
BY CALLEE [email protected]
SOCCER COACH NOMINATED
Photos from Apple and MCTCampus
NEWS 3
COUNTINGTHE
COSTSA look at the statistics behind
the district’s energy plans
2million dollars spent on
utilities last year
16district buildings to monitor at all times
30percent of expected en-ergy costs to be saved
4.4million dollars to be
saved in next 10 years
Stoppel’s job is to monitor the energy usage of each district building, analyze monthly utility bills, promote energy sav-ing habits to district staff and prevent energy wasting by the district.
“Conserving energy requires a change in usage habits of every energy con-sumer,” Stoppel said. “Habits are hard to change without continuous support. Other programs that leave the change solely up to the participants do not usu-ally succeed. The individual support pro-vided by the energy supervisor makes the program successful.”
Stoppel reports to district director of facilities Steve Deghand, whose goal is to save money that could be applied more to education than energy.
“We have a limited amount of money from the state of Kansas and we want to maximize that money for the classroom, as opposed to gas usage and electricity usage,” Deghand said.
According to Deghand, the district pays Stoppel from the energy savings. If the district does not save enough money, Cenergistic will pay the difference, pre-venting the district from losing money by hiring an energy specialist. Addition-ally, the entire program is paid for by the generated savings.
“That’s how confident they are with a full-time energy specialist that we will have savings well above [the goal],” De-ghand said.
Deghand said one of the objectives of this program is changing the way people
In order to improve energy conserva-tion as well as save money, the district has entered into an agreement with the energy-saving company Cenergistic. Part of the agreement requires the district to hire an energy specialist who will super-vise and report on district energy usage, and former administrator Dwight Stop-pel was hired for the position after the agreement was approved on Monday, July 9.
Cenergistic is a company that works to conserve energy for various organiza-tions, school districts, ministries, health-care institutions and universities. Accord-ing to Stoppel, the district hired him for this position in order for the energy spe-cialist to be someone who maintains the success of the program. Last year, the dis-trict spent $2 million on utilities. With the aid of Stoppel and Cenergistic, the district hopes to save $4.4 million over the next 10 years in energy consumption.
Previously, Stoppel has been a substi-tute teacher, assistant football coach and a para-educator in the De Soto school district and as an administrator for the Osage City Public Schools and the Scott City Public Schools.
Energy specialist employed to save energy and money
BY RYAN [email protected]
ABOVE: Checking the various temperatures throughout the school, energy specialist Dwight Stoppel makes sure the building is free of abnormalities on Tuesday, Dec. 4. “Monitoring is what I do,” Stoppel said. “[I try] to change people’s energy habits.” Photo by Kelsey Floyd
BY REGAN [email protected]
EFFICIENCYENERGYA look at the top five ways to save energy at school
use energy.“This system is a behavioral system,”
Deghand said. “It’s changing behavior and that’s hard to do. We’re getting peo-ple to look differently at energy usage.”
Stoppel works to do this by visiting schools and monitoring the energy us-age by trying to visit each school at least twice a week.
“[My short term goal] is to be in the buildings daily making observations and adjustments to save energy, and talking with students, staff and administration 80 percent of my working day,” Stop-pel said. “[My long term goal] is to cut energy cost across the district saving tax-payer dollars to save jobs and dollars for education.”
Sophomore Caitlin Alley thinks that an energy specialist will be beneficial.
“It’s a certain necessity we need,” Al-ley said. “It may not be the world’s most important job, but it may be something we need.”
Stoppel says that he is pleased to be a part of saving money for the school.
“This program is intended to help all of us: it should mean students and staff are more comfortable during class and scheduled activities, it saves valuable dollars for education, and it saves natural resources for our future,” Stoppel said. “I’m glad to be part of this effort.”
Keep doors and windows shut to prevent air flow exchange from messing up the thermostats
Turn the lights out in the classrooms when they aren’t being used
Make sure computers and monitors are off when they aren’t being used, especially overnight
Students and especially staff can do their best to make sure appliances not in use are unplugged
The blinds are good insulators and should be kept shut if rooms are not in use.
DISTRICTHIRES ENERGY
SPECIALIST
4 NEWS
“Students aren’t given the opportunity
to use time as best as they can.”
TEACHER JEFF WIELAND
FOR
“I’d be more confi-dent going into finals if we have the class before to prepare.”
JUNIOR ALEX ROUNDS
AGAINST
“[Half-day finals would] be very good
for ... teachers to develop more mean-
ingful finals.”
TEACHER LAURIE DEUSCHLE
AGAINST
“I don’t think the kids gain something that is worth more than
the plan time.”
ELEMENTARY TEACHER
ABOVE: Social studies teacher Jeff Wieland teaches his AP U.S. History class material that will be included on their final. Wieland be-lieves half day finals would give more remediation time to students who need it. Photo by Baylee Owen
1TEACH SOMEONE ELSETeaching forces you to remem-ber what you’re supposed to be studying. Simplify study material to teach younger siblings.
it up to the teacher’s association because it was a problem that needed to be fixed.”
Though Wieland presented the idea to the De Soto Teacher’s Association, there was confusion as to how the idea should be brought up for approval.
“We didn’t know if it needed to start with the principal and work its way up through the district or if we needed to bring it up with the calendar committee,” Wieland said. “It took teacher initiative to get it brought up through administra-tion.”
Wieland decided to join the calendar committee and was able to start a half-day finals research committee this year. The research committee distributed sur-veys to staff members and student rep-resentatives and was met with resistance from some elementary school teachers.
An anonymous elementary teacher opposes the idea of half-day finals be-cause she feels it would give high school teachers the unfair advantage of extra plan time.
“I think it’s really great for students. They deserve a break because there is a lot of pressure at the end of the semester, but I don’t think it’s fair,” she said.
Wieland does not believe that insti-
The future of the school’s finals schedule is now in the hands of the Board of Education. The district calen-dar committee presented a written report on Monday, Dec. 10 regarding the 2013-2014 calendar, which included an option for half-day finals. The committee asked the Board to take action on the calendar by its Monday, Jan. 14 meeting.
The district is the only one in John-son County that does not have a half-day finals schedule. When social studies teacher Jeff Wieland joined the district, he was surprised there wasn’t a half-day finals policy in place. The current sched-ule includes four full days of finals, alter-nating between study periods and finals periods.
“I used to teach in Virginia, and we had half-day finals there,” Wieland said. “I had [half-day finals] in high school, too. Coming from the outside, I brought
Plan for half-day finals goes to the Board of Education
BY MACKENZIE [email protected]
DEBATEFINALSWhat do you think about having half-day finals?
“I think it is a good idea since finals week is a lot of stress
for students.”
“Great idea, it would give students time to relax after
finals.”SOPHOMORE BAILEY WEEKS
“I want them, it will be ben-eficial to students to spend
more time outside of school.” studying.”
JUNIOR HALEY HAMILTON
“I think highly of the idea. It would give students time to
study at home.”SENIOR ALEC DONN
TIPS FOR
FINALSTips to get prepared 2 REMOVE DISTRACTIONS
Websites like Getcoldturkey.com allow you to block access to certain URLs for a set amount of time so you can study.
BY CONNOR [email protected]
FRESHMAN NATALIE GOLDMEN
THEFUTURE
FOR
OPINIONSMOREPerspective from other stakeholders of the proposed plan for half-day finals
NEWS 5
OF
Scan with your QR code app on your smartphone to see more on the future of
finals and finals tips on mvnews.org
tuting a half-day finals schedule would give high school teachers more plan time than normal.
“[Half-day finals are] actually about improving finals and student learning,” Wieland said. “They allow students flex-ibility in preparing for their tests, and with Common Core standards rising, tests are going to require more writing, reading, etc. Teachers aren’t designing finals with Common Core standards in mind when they have to turn around and grade them so quickly.”
Calendar committee representative and math teacher Laurie Deuschle agrees.
“Students care a lot about their grades and grades sometimes ride on finals,” Deuschle said. “[Students] feel stressed and are under a lot of pressure to do well. Ideally, we would have three or four half-day finals, and I could use part of the afternoons to schedule appointments to work with students individually. The other part of the afternoon I would use to schedule study groups and review cer-tain topics. I would use the last day for grading.”
Senior Kate Burton said half-day fi-nals would be more beneficial than the current schedule.
3MAKE FLASHCARDSFor those of you tech savvy stud-iers, try www.quizlet.com. Type in terms and quiz yourself or play different study games. 4REWARD YOURSELF
Make sure you have motivation to study. If you look forward to something while you’re working, odds are you’ll study harder.
“I think the study periods are a waste of time,” Burton said. “Nobody really uses them. I would study more and be more prepared [if we had half-day finals] because I wouldn’t just put off [studying] until the hour and a half ‘study period’ we get each day [of finals].”
Conversely, junior Alex Rounds thinks the hour-and-a-half study periods before each final are beneficial and it op-posed to half-day finals.
“[Study periods] help me any time I have questions,” Rounds said. “I can review and it makes me feel more con-fident going into the final. [With half-day finals] you’re going straight from one final into the next. I know there’s a 30-minute break [between them] but that’s not enough [time] to take your mind off the last final.”
Deuschle thinks it will only be a mat-ter of time before half-day finals are ap-proved.
“I don’t know if the board will make a decision the first time the idea is pre-sented or if they will need time to think about it and discuss it, but I think they will approve it,” Deuschle said. “They will hear that it is what’s best for students and they will act upon it.”
FINALS
How do you study for finals?
Finals? What are those? (19%)
I start studying months in advance (2%)
I study a bit at a time a couple of weeks in advance (39%)
I cram before the exam (40%)
How do you think the finals schedule affects how well students do?
Not at all (0%)
Other (24%
A lot (41%)
Only a little (35%)
Do you want half-day finals?
No (0%)
Yes (100%)
Survey of 17 teachers
Do you like the idea of having half-day finals?
A lot (77%)
Only a little (18%)
Not at all (5%)
Survey of 262 students
Survey of 188 students
Survey of 17 teachers
DISTRICT COMPARISONBLUE VALLEYUses a three half-day scheduleDay 1: Two 80-minute finals peri-ods; students released at 10:30 a.m.Day 2: Three finals periods; stu-dents released at 11:30 a.m.Day 3: Two 80-minute finals peri-ods; students released at 10:30 a.m.
OLATHEUses a two half-day scheduleDay 1: Full day with Hour 2, semi-nar, Hour 4 and Hour 6 (three finals)Day 2: Half day with Hour 1, semi-nar, Hour 5; students dismissed at 1:20 p.m.Day 3: Half day with seminar, Hour 3, Hour 7; students dismissed at 1:20 p.m.Days ending at 1:20 p.m. count as full student contact days.
GARDNER-EDGERTONUses a three half-day schedule Day 1: Finals for blocks 5, 7, 9 with 85-minute blocks and five-minute passing periods. Students are re-leased at 12:25 p.m. and NO lunch is served. Day 2: Same as Day 1 with finals for blocks 6, 8,10.Day 3: Finals for blocks 1 and 2 only; dismiss at 10:55 a.m.
DE SOTOUses a four full-day scheduleDays 1-2 : Finals for two blocks, regular class periods for two blocksDays 3-4: Finals for two blocks, study periods for two blocks
Here’s how some area districts conduct finals
6 ADS
FEATURE 7
PROPSPORTRAYINGRIFLES SABERS
FAR ABOVE: Senior Brenna Iskra masters her flag routine on Sunday, Dec. 9. “Every section (flags, rifle, dance and saber) has a feature that stars them for a specific moment,” Iskra said. Photo by Baylee Owen ABOVE: On Saturday, Dec. 8 senior Jordan May practices her flag feature. “[A flag feature] is a part of the song where everybody gets a flag and we all do a synchronized routine,” May said. Photo by Baylee Owen
FLAGS-Used to bring color to the show
-Designed to match the theme or type of music in the show
-Come in many different shapes and sizes
-Needs to be small enough to handle, but large enough to make an impact
-Used to show agility
-Spinning and tossing requires high control and precision
-Has four major parts: nose, belly, neck and butt
-Originates from the military history of color guard
-Used to bring a more classic look to the show
-Instead of having sharpened tips, they are rounded off at the end
-Has two major parts: the hilt, by which it is held, and the blade
-Used in mellow parts of a show
For more coverage:http://www.mvnews.org
ON GUARDTwo senior girls chosen to be part of winter guard team
really is. We brought flags home and tried to practice some of the more chal-lenging moves.
Why do you enjoy winter guard?
BI: The challenge is fun and seeing ... all of the hard work you did come together. I was even moved by the audition pieces. And the people are awesome.JM: I like to speak through music and since winter guard has no right or wrong [action], I can just be overcome by the music. I can be part of some-thing greater than just me. I can express myself in a way that words can’t.
What does a typical winter guard show look like?
JM: It goes with music and it is what-ever you want to do using the three props and dance as long as it takes seven minutes total. It’s the creator’s choice. Normally one section takes the floor and is the main part. You can also have every section doing the same thing.
What is your favorite part about winter guard?
BI: Performing [the show]. I really like learning all of the bits and pieces and putting them all together.JM: This year I really liked going back and seeing all of the people from last year. Everyone makes the show work, so you know that you are important.
What are your practices like?
JM: We practice every Sunday for three and a half hours. In a normal practice we start out with cardio work, then we do intense stretching, then we break off into our four main groups and work on the part of the song that’s our feature, then everyone practices it together.BI: We practice at home also. If we aren’t able to go to one of the practices
What is winter guard?
Brenna Iskra: It’s basically a team compiled of girls and sometimes guys that do a variety of things such as flag twirling, rifle and saber tossing. Jordan May: Our coaches choose a song or composition that they think best suites us as a team and we interpret it through dance, flags, etc.
What did you do to qualify for your winter guard team?
BI: [We went through] A three hour audition. We all had to learn a dance routine, and then we had the choice to either learn a rifle or flag routine. We got the emails that said we made it [Thursday, Nov. 29].
Why did you join winter guard?
JM: I did it because I loved color guard, but it was a completely different experi-ence. In color guard you complement the music, in winter guard you are a part of it.BI: I loved color guard so much I wanted to continue on. Learning that I could continue, I really wanted to do it. I also heard that it was really fun and also a challenge and I am always up for a challenge.
What did you do to prepare for winter guard?
BI: During the summer Jordan taught me the more difficult throws. She prepared me for auditions which are dif-ferent from the auditions for the color guard.JM: Brenna and I watched a lot of videos to understand what winter guard
it’s mandatory for us to practice at home and get what we missed down by the next practice.
What are competitions like?
JM: We had seven of them last year, all on Saturdays, and I went to at least half of them. Usually we get there early so that we can watch some of the other groups. About an hour before we perform we sit next to each other, listen to our show music, closer our eyes and envision our performance. And then we go and perform. It gets really intense because you only have seven minutes to prepare the floor, perform our piece, and get out.
What does it take to be in winter guard?
JM: Dedication. You have to have a love for what you are doing. You have to be passionate, because if you don’t get into it then it won’t be good, and it will show.
BI: Determination. You have to have the willingness to keep on trying until you get it right. And be passionate. You can do the moves but it won’t look right if you don’t care.
What kind of music goes with a winter guard show?
JM: It can be any kind of music. We did symphony music last year because our coaches thought that it was the best choice for our team. It was a symphonic version of “Yellow” by Coldplay. It could also be dance or pop though, like last year another team did “Mr. Know It All” by P!nk.
BY KATHERINE [email protected]
8 FEATURE
ABOVE: Spending time with their father and step family, juniors Jack and Jordan Townsend take family photos with freshman Grace Boyle and junior Riley Boyle. “[My father] is coming home in about a month,” Jack said. “I’m looking forward to being with him. We’re going to the Dominican Republic for a week in Janu-ary.” Photo by Abby Norland, Norland Studios Photography
BY HANNA [email protected]
Military family appreciates father’s long-term service
PROGRESSIONTROOP
WITHDEALING THE D STANCE
United States troops in Afghanistan in 2003, 2012 and 2014, according to CNN
2003 2012 2014
at the things he does and the counter-in-telligence stuff because he thinks ahead. He uses statistics and facts and figures to find out where the Taliban may strike next. He’s stopped many things from happening.” The opportunities the military affords and the lives John feels he has impacted are what make being a part of the Army worthwhile for John. “[The Army] was the best decision for me as I love to travel, love adventure, love meeting different people and expe-riencing other cultures,” John said. “I think I made a positive change for many people on most of my deployments. I am very proud of my family’s support while being great Americans themselves.” Because it has been a constant throughout his entire life, Jack has got-ten used to missing his father each time he leaves for a new deployment. “I don’t show that I miss him as much as [my sisters] do,” Jack said. “They make it seem like he’s never com-ing back. That’s not true; he’s good at what he does. And it’s not like it used to be where we’d have to wait a couple weeks for a phone call and get to talk to him for a few minutes. Now I get to talk to him every day.” None of the Townsends think that John’s deployments are easy. But after going through so many goodbyes, John has learned how to deal with it. “Once I was married and had kids, the traveling and deployments became very difficult,” John said. “But then again, [my family] makes coming home that much better. Serving in the military is like being with a family … another fam-ily. Everyone depends on each other just like a biological family. So [leaving is] hard ... but then [in some ways it’s not].” In the future, John hopes to be able to see his family travel to the Middle East, the place he has spent the majority of his last 12 years. “I would love to see the Middle East be a place where I can travel safely with my family some day and show them the wonders of this part of the world,” John said. “Both Iraq and Afghanistan have so much to offer the world if they can con-quer their current … unrest.” When looking back, Jack sees how his father’s career has impacted the lives of each person in his family. “Now I’ve kind of been the man of the house, so I’m expected to do more,” Jack said. “But it definitely made us stronger, more independent and more responsible. If I think about it, [Jordan and I] kind of raised each other.” Although Jordan has had to experi-
Many teenagers will go through a phase of wanting to spend as much time away from their family as possible. Ju-niors Jack and Jordan Townsend, how-ever, know not to take time with their family for granted. John Townsend, Jack and Jordan’s fa-ther, retired from 25 years of active mili-tary duty five years ago. He now works for the Combined Joint Task Force, a counter-intelligence program in Bagram, Afghanistan. John’s father was in the military as well, but when John decided to volunteer for the Army, eventually be-coming a member of the Army Special Operations Forces, he didn’t expect to make it his career. “At the time I joined the Army, I planned to do three years and then go back to college,” John said. “I just want-ed to try something different and see the world. My parents were totally sur-prised.” Because his father has served two-year deployments for the past 25 years, Jack has first-hand experience with many of the difficulties that come with being a part of a military family. Despite this, Jack is intent on following in his father’s footsteps and joining the military, but he wants to wait until after he graduates col-lege. “I’m getting my pilot’s license and I want to fly helicopters in the Army,” Jack said. “I plan on going to college and get-ting a bachelor’s degree and then going into [the Army] as an officer. I wanted to do what [my father] did in Special Forces but he gave me the idea of avia-tion because he has a few friends that fly helicopters who got me interested.” When Jack first told his father he wanted to become a pilot in the Army, John was not expecting it. “Jack has been ruminating about the military for years,” John said. “[But] up until the last year I have never considered it a possibility for him. I would hope that he takes his recent desire to fly with him, completes college and enters the military as an Aviation Officer. Regardless, I will support him and be very proud of him.” Part of the reason Jack wants to join the military is because he is proud of his father’s important role in the Army and thinks that it largely defines the person his father has become. “I don’t know what my dad would be without it,” Jack said. “He’s so good
ence how hard it is to live without her father for years at a time, she knows how important the Army is to her family and wouldn’t change her father’s profession if she could. “When he comes back I always bawl my eyes out because I’m so happy,” Jor-dan said. “When he leaves I cry too. But then I realize that I’ll be fine. It’s never easy, honestly, but we don’t really know any different.” Surprisingly, Jordan realizes that even though she misses her father when he is gone, she would be OK with her future husband also being in the military. “I’ve always thought my ideal guy would be in the military,” Jordan said. “I think it’s just because I’m used to it. If anything, I’d want my husband to be in the military. That way, my dad and I could both relate to him.” While Jordan agrees that she and Jack became much stronger because their fa-ther was gone so often, she is still emo-tional about the time they spend apart. “There were moments … that I wished he was here because [sometimes] we were just on our own,” Jordan said. “We probably miss him now more than ever because we are more mature and aware of [his absence]. I’ve always missed him though. But our lives would be so differ-ent if he wasn’t in the military. We’d be different people. And despite him being gone for a lot of our lives, he’s our clos-est family member. We adore him.”
represents 5,000 troops
**
*Actual
* *
**Expected
ADS 9
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11 FEATURE
MONOPOLYMONOPOLYMONEY: NOT JUST A GAME OF
Spending cash, saving cash and losing cash: everything you should know about the green
BY SYDNEY [email protected]
BY CALLEE [email protected]
BY CONNOR [email protected]
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NAME:Sophomore Sophie Jones
MY BEST BARGAIN MAKE QUICK CASH
BUY THIS FOR LESS BUY THIS FOR LESS BUY THIS FOR LESS
WH
AT IS
CR
EDIT?
WH
AT IS
DEB
IT?
HOW IT WORKS
TRIVIA
ONE AMERICAN DOLLAR
=
Converting between American money and foreign equivalences
-It costs around 6.4 cents to produce one
U.S. bill
-The face value of the 26 million US currency bills printed per day by
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is approximately $907
million
Amazon
COZY SWEATERS
This thrift store sells just about everything, and you can buy a nice sweater at
right around $7
13233 Shawnee Mission Parkway
Savers
ELECTRONICS
Vintage Stock sells an array of electronics, used and
new, ranging from movies to CDs to video games
12280 Shawnee Mission Parkway
Vintage Stock
Credit is
borrowing m
oney w
hich must
be paid back later. If you pay it back
on time, you can avoid
paying steep interest costs, help build credit
and receive awards
Debit is linked to your ow
n bank account, m
aking you less likely to overspend. You aren’t
required to pay interest because you aren’t paying anyone.
SAVE MONEY BY...
Avoiding impulsive buying. Follow the time rule: wait any length of time from 30 minutes
to a month to see if you still want an item later. Also, don’t shop when you’re upset or
with bad shopping influences
.7653 EUROS
12.9262 MEXICAN
PESOS
4360.0000PARAGUAYAN =
Information from
The New
York Times
Student shares how saving money has affected her future
The last time senior Kaitlyn Gibson spent her money was a couple weeks ago, when she purchased a water bottle, at work, for $2. This purchase fits perfectly within Gib-son’s motto, which revolves around not spending money on items other than the essentials.
“Don’t spend [money] if you can live without whatever you are buying,” Gibson said. “If it is not food, water, or shelter, don’t buy it.” Gibson said that she had saves some-where over $1,000 Gibson, who is a cashier at SkyZone, has been able to go up to three months without buying anything. Thinking about how long she has gone without buying anything, Gib-son jokingly refers to herself as a “money hoarder.” While not entirely sure on what exactly she is saving her money for, Gibson knows that it is going toward her future. “[I’m saving for] a life, car, college, even-tually a house, the whole works,” Gibson said. One reason Gibson doesn’t buy much is that she feels, for the time being, she has everything she could ask for. “It’s ridiculous to buy more crap,” Gib-son said. “I’m content with what I have.”
Information from The New York Times
FEATURE 12
MONOPOLYMONOPOLYMONEY: NOT JUST A GAME OF
Spending cash, saving cash and losing cash: everything you should know about the green
BY SYDNEY [email protected]
BY CONNOR [email protected]
TIP
TIP
MY BEST BARGAIN MAKE QUICK CASH MAKE QUICK CASH MAKE QUICK CASH
AV
OID
IDEN
TITY
TH
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TRIV
IA
HOW IT WORKS
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$220The estimated amount you
could get if you sell your iPhone 4S in good
condition to Best Buy
What are your spending habits like?
Tip your waiter 10-20 percent of the bill before taxes depending on the quality of your service.
Download a tip calculator app on your smart phone such as Tip Calculator Free
SAVE MONEY BY...
Looking for bargains; buy in bulk, shop
during sales and buy things when they’re off
season.
SAVE MONEY BY...
Keeping a change jar or piggy bank. After a while, take all your coins to a Coinstar
machine at your local Price Chopper. Every little penny counts.
Shr
ed a
ny d
ocum
ents
or
mai
l you
rece
ive
that
ha
ve p
erso
nal
info
rmat
ion
on th
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Student shares experiences with difficulty saving money
Junior Alexis Crispin has always spent more money than she has saved. Crispin finds that more often then not, she buys either makeup, clothes or shoes. While she doesn’t buy a lot at one store, she spreads her costs over multiple locations. “It is not usually large shopping sprees [I go on], but a lot of small ones,” Crispin
said. “So [the cost] adds up.” Crispin primarily funds her shopping with the money she gets from working at Schlitterbahn water park during the sum-mer and her birthday and Christmas gifts. Crispin feels that a negative side affect of her spending habits is that she is hardly ever able to purchase expensive items. “I don’t normally have the patience to save up for bigger things,” Crispin said. However, Crispin manages to put some of her money in a savings account. “I do have a savings account; it’s not that I’m entirely unable to save,” Crispin said. “But if I have it in my wallet I’m go-ing to spend it.” A trick Crispin uses to stop from spend-ing her money, is to put it into her savings account as soon she can. “If I have a check, and I put it in my savings account, I won’t spend it,” Crisp-in said. “But if I take the money out, it’s gone.”
How much hard cash do you typically keep in your
wallet?
What do you spend the most money on?
Are your purchases mostly wants or needs?
Survey of 168 students
Spend money when I get it (32%)
Save money and spend it on something I want (68%)
$1-$10 (24%)
$10-$20 (25%)
$20-$30 (23%)
$30-$40 (9%)
$40 or more (19%)
40%You could get up to this
percent of your cash back by selling your clothes to Ditto, based on the brand
and condition
$40The estimated amount of money you get from
Cash4Gold by selling them a pair of diamond earrings
usually costing $180
Clothes (27%)
Food (25%)
Gas (12%)
Electronics (12%)
Other (24%)
Wants (76%)
Needs (21%
Both (3%)
Info
rmat
ion
from
The
New
Yor
k Ti
mes
12 OPINION
OUTSPEAKHow do you spend your time during finals study periods?
“[I plan to] study, obviously.”
“I study my notes and I look over my old tests.”SOPHOMORE BO FISHER
“I usually draw and doodle on my notes. I think they are
pointless.”JUNIOR ALEX LAUDERDALE
“Usually, I socialize. I don’t study. I prepare for winter break.”
SENIOR HUGH EBB
FRESHMAN COURTNEY KING
EDITORIALHALF DAYS CREATE PRODUCTIVITY
Cartoon by Riley McDonald
RACE SHOULD NOT BE A BARRIER
STAFFVOTE AGREE 21 DISAGREE 2 ABSENT 1
Race of individuals should not determine social interaction
“spick,” which occurred to me while I was on a family vacation in Florida this past summer. Now, I can’t say that I didn’t see it coming, as I look pretty Latino. But at the same time, it astounded me that someone would be so quick to stereotype me based on my race. Before the Florida incident, I had never really given a thought to racial stereotyping or the effect it had on me. But we attend a predominantly white school, and although there is nothing wrong with this, it has cer-tainly led to racial divides between the stu-dents at our school. Think about it: what race are the people you hang out with in the morning? What about the people with whom you eat lunch? Although this is not always the case, they’re likely the same race as you, aren’t you? Now
I’m not saying we’re strictly segregated, for lack of a better word. I’m simply saying that we, as a society, have a tendency to associate with people who are the same race as us. Yet this is where the issue originates. My question is simple: why? Why are we so will-ing to “segregate” ourselves when we were raised knowing it was wrong? What do we accomplish by doing so? What is the point of creating these unnecessary, and oftentimes unintentional racial divides? There is nothing wrong with associating with people of a different race. We don’t live in the Deep South in the 1950s. But while you may think racial divides don’t exist any-more, they do. Although natural barriers still occur in our society today, it’s important to make a conscious effort to expand our social groups.
BY ALEC [email protected]
I always knew that my race would have a profound effect on how other people saw me. However, I never thought it would be justification for someone to call me a
By implementing half-day finals, students can tailor learning to their own strengths or needs with a more flexible schedule. Students can prepare for finals as they see fit, such as studying in a comfortable environment or arrange one-on-one time with teachers.
In addition, finals are supposed to pre-pare students for a college setting, but being forced to attend study sessions twice a day is not how best to prepare students. The whole idea of finals would truly be honored if stu-dents were required to study on their own time, which would better prepare them for a college setting in the near future.
Many elementary teachers oppose half-
As finals week quickly approaches, stu-dents and teachers are questioning the structure of the finals schedule. The current structure includes two “study times” per day where the conditions to study are not ideal. Recently, various teachers have proposed half-day finals to the calendar committee in attempt to improve finals atmosphere. The JagWire believes that the best finals schedule for students would be half-day finals.
day finals because they believe it’s unfair to give high school teachers more plan time. We hope those opponents can respect the needs of their high school colleagues, which includes grading 100+ final exams and ensur-ing their students are properly prepared for exams. Upcoming Common Core standards will also require teachers to make finals more rigorous, taking more time to grade.
Students who want half-day finals should let School Board members know before the Jan. 14 meeting. The JagWire thinks half-day finals should be implemented, giving teach-ers and students the best chance for success on these important exams.
Implementing half-day finals week would benefit studentsBY JAGWIRE [email protected]
OPINION 13
JAGWIRE OFFICE5900 Monticello RoadShawnee, KS 66226Phone: (913) 422-4351Fax: (913) [email protected]: Kathy [email protected], a monthly publication of Mill Valley High School, is printed by the Sedalia Democrat.
MEMBERS OFKansas Scholastic Press AssociationNational Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association
The 2012 JagWire was named an All-American newspaper by the NSPA and earned an All-Kansas rating from KSPA. The Mill Valley News website was named a Pacemaker finalist by the NSPA in 2012.
CENSORSHIP POLICYKansas Senate Bill 62 guarantees the same rights for student journalists as are guaranteed for professional journalists. These rights include, but are not limited to, all First Amendment rights, including the rights of freedom of speech and the press, insofar as published items may not con-tain libelous, slanderous or obscene state-ments, may not incite or promote illegal conduct and may not cause a substantial disruption to normal school activity.
EDITORIAL POLICYWe value your opinions. If you wish to submit a column or letter to the editor for the JagWire, you can do so by handing it in to a member of the staff or the print journalism room (C101). Additionally, you may email any member of the staff with opinions, as well as tweet us at @millval-leynews. Anonymous content will not be accepted. Please understand that we have the right to edit all copy that runs in this publication.
SOCIAL MEDIATwitter: @millvalleynewsFacebook: Mill Valley News
JAGWIRE STAFF
Editors-in-chiefAustin GillespieKristina MilewskiHanna Torline
Photo editorKelsey Floyd
Copy editorSydney Wilson
News editorRyan Fullerton
Feature editorRegan Jones
Opinion editorJack Lopez
Sports editorAlana Flinn
A&E/Social media managerMackenzie Eckman
Briefs editorKatherine White
Web editorsAlec SantaulariaMiranda Snyder
Ads managerAustin Gude
ArtistRiley McDonald
StaffAnnie CrouchDevynn HarrisStephanie HudlestonAshley KitchenCallee LintonAmber NguyenConnor OswaldBaylee OwenKate Schau
JAGWIREINFORMATIONSCHOOL APPRECIATION NEEDED
Other school experiences help us appreciate our ownBY DEVYNN [email protected]
in the hallway, the people with the worst attitudes about our school seem to be the ones heard the most.
Believe it or not, the majority of our peers don’t think our school is the prison it’s made out to be. If you are one of the people who look down on our school, you need to understand that, even in the Kansas City area, there are a lot worse places to be.
After taking a closer look at many of the other schools around us, particularly in the urban areas, we should feel privi-leged to be given what our school has to offer. Because we live in the “Johnson County bubble,” it’s hard to grasp the idea that many students in other areas are afraid to go to school every day. In many of their schools, the theft rate is
How many times a day do you hear complaints or nasty comments about our school? Whether they’re in the form of comments written on the bathroom stalls, tweets or simply remarks you hear
high, poverty is a prevalent issue and violence often disrupts class time. The most pressing issues at our school, on the other hand, seem to deal with waking up too early, the dance policy and the few students who get caught smoking in the bathroom.
Overall, I find it ridiculous that there are people who can complain about our school, while almost everyone here is try-ing to help them reach their potential. If you honestly hate our school it’s not because of the rules, teachers or admin-istrators, it’s because you choose to take our school for granted. Take a step back and have a greater outlook on everything else that is going on outside of your life. Appreciate what you are given and take pride in this school.
WHERE PARENTS WENT WRONG
Rise in teen depression and suicide not to be taken lightly
caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain and it is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
If you are suffering from depression, the first thing you should know is that you are never alone. According to a sur-vey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of young people admit to considering ending their own lives and eight percent report that they have tried. You are not the only one fighting a hard battle, nor are you fight-ing it without the support of the people who love you. There are people who are more than willing to help - all you have to do is ask for it.
The second thing for you to know is that only you know if you need help. You are not weak, you are not crazy, and you are most definitely not worthless. You are a human life with worth, and if what you need is professional help, you need to
Today, more than ever, depression and even the idea of suicide is given far too much negative attention. Victims are often blamed for a health problem that they have no control over, leading them to hide it until it is too late. Depression is not simply “being sad,” it is a disease
get it. Typically, men are more reserved about talking to others about depression and seeking help. The CDC reports that a whopping 81 percent of depression-related fatalities between the ages of 10 and 24 are young men while 19 percent are female. Guys, you will not be con-sidered “unmanly” for talking about how you are feeling. The first step on the road to recovery is admitting that you are in a dark, dangerous place. Later, you will look back and thank yourself that you did.
The last - and most important - thing to remember is that you are loved, un-conditionally, by someone. Regardless of your situation and what you are going through, the people who love you will be by your side through it all.
We are not made to live in constant darkness. You do not have to walk this road alone; get the help you need.
TEEN DEPRESSION: A BATTLE NOT FOUGHT ALONE
Being aware of lies parents tell you will make you wiser
ity of my parent’s advice with a grain of salt. It’s about time to explore the myths our parents have fed us over the years.
Myth 1: “Everything you do revolves around getting into college.” No, mom and dad, just because I received ISS once in middle school does not mean a uni-versity will not accept me. Nor will my Facebook status with a cuss word prevent me from college acceptance.
Myth 2: “Good people do well in life and bad people do badly.” If you follow any current events, then you should be well aware that the cutthroat business-men on Wall Street have much better liv-ing conditions than those living in pov-erty who kept their morals intact. You have to play to win, kids.
Myth 3: “I am doing this for your
own good.” Let’s be honest, if you were doing it for my own good, I wouldn’t be upset about your decision. Parents should definitely work on the whole ‘col-laborative decision’ and include every-body in the ‘for your own good’ venture.
Myth 4: If you tell me the truth, you won’t get in trouble. You are being set up for failure if you assume your parents will let you get away underage drinking if you “just tell them.” The sooner you admit to your foul, the sooner your life is over.
I’m not encouraging you to not go to college or to purposely be a horrible per-son, but just consider that your parents might not always know what’s best. Do not set yourself up for failure by believ-ing the biggest lies they tell you.
As I grow older, I crave more inde-pendence. While my parents have major influence over my current curfew, what I eat for dinner, and the location I reside in, I think I should begin to take a major-
BY JACK [email protected]
BY ALANA [email protected]
For more information on teen depression: 1. www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention 2. www.nmha.org 3. teenmentalhealth.org/for-families-and-teens
For help with depression and suicide: 1. National Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE 2. Kansas City Teen Connection: 913-281-2299 3. American Youth Hotline: 1-877-YOUTHLINE
14 SPORTS
SEASON D E For seven years, sophomore Nick Cain has had a passion for bowling. Nick’s mother, Jennifer Cain, signed him up for a bowling league in third grade. He has been practicing and improving in the sport ever since. “Nick enjoyed bowling as a family ac-tivity,” Jennifer said. “[The] league was a way for him to participate more regularly.” Playing for the school, Nick hopes to continue improving his skills and have a higher average than previous seasons. “My goal is to bowl consistently and have a 190 average,” Nick said. Jennifer also has high hopes for Nick for the upcoming season. “I would like to see Nick enjoy the up-coming bowling season with his coaches and teammates,” Jennifer said. “And a 300 game wouldn’t hurt either.”
BOYS BOWLINGBY ANNIE [email protected]
Junior Kali Gracy is a unique athlete. Out of approximately 50 members on the wrestling team, Gracy is the only female wrestler.
Gracy began wrestling at the age of five with the goal of following in her brother’s footsteps and eventually surpassing him.
“I’ve just kept it up because I like beating up guys,” said Gracy.
Being a female in a male-dominant sport like wrestling can potentially create compro-mising situations. Although the boys she wrestles against “sometimes grab in awkward places,” Gracy said she wasn’t uncomfortable wrestling anyone.
“I’ve had a guy cry because they didn’t want to wrestle me,” Gracy said. “But it doesn’t bother me [to wrestle guys] because we’re both the same weight and the same ability.”
WRESTLINGBY JACK [email protected]
For junior point guard Wyatt Voorhes, basketball has defined almost every aspect of his life. “My entire life has revolved around playing basketball,” Wyatt said. “The game makes me happy and that’s why I dedicate so much time to it.” Wyatt began traveling with a competitive basketball team in seventh grade and then chose to be home-schooled in the eighth grade to focus more time on basketball. Wyatt’s competitive team traveled to Ar-kansas for the Real Deal on the Rock tour-nament in both his eighth grade and fresh-man year, where they won first place both times among 100 teams. In the ninth and tenth grade, he entered the private school system and played varsity for Bishop Miege High School. Wyatt said he chose to transfer to Mill Valley his junior year for the basketball ex-posure. However, due to transfer regulations,
BOYS BASKETBALLBY ALANA [email protected]
he will not be eligible to play varsity until the second semester. Currently, Wyatt plays junior varsity. “At Miege, basketball wasn’t the main sport for most of the players,” Wyatt said. “I heard there was a really good program [at Mill Valley] and the players were more de-voted, so it seemed like the best choice.” Wyatt’s mother, Kathy Voorhes, said that basketball has been Wyatt’s main focus in life. “I don’t know [Wyatt] any other way than playing basketball,” Kathy said. “It’s just been his whole life and it’d be hard to see him doing anything but basketball now or in the future.” While Wyatt acknowledges that he has made several sacrifices for basketball, such as not having free time during the summer due to traveling with competitive teams, he said that he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Traveling and meeting all of the people is much more fulfilling to me than just sit-ting in Kansas and not playing,” Wyatt said. “I wouldn’t exchange any of the unique ex-periences I’ve had for the world.”
SPORTS 15
As captain of the girls basketball team, senior forward Stephanie Lichtenauer values her teammates’ drive to win. “There isn’t a better feeling in the world than winning a tough game and knowing that all of your hard work paid off,” Lich-tenauer said. Last season, Lichtenauer was named first team all-league and honorable mention all-state. But beyond her personal achievements, she has set goals for the team as a whole. “Some goals for this season are to make it to state and to win the Kaw Valley League title,” Lichtenauer said. Lichtenauer has had an ongoing passion for basketball since the second grade. “I play basketball because I love the game,” Lichtenauer said. “I love being with my teammates ... We are all in sync with each other and we make some great plays.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL
STATSSPORTS
BOYS BASKETBALL
BIGGEST SHOE SIZE ON THE TEAM:
16, as worn by sopho-more Patrick Muldoon
GIRLS BASKETBALL
AVERAGE TEAM HEIGHT:5 feet, 6 inches
WRESTLING
MOST NOSE BLEEDS:47 last season by
sophomore Bryan Burnett
BOYS BOWLING
MONEY SPENT ON LANE RENTALS IN A YEAR:
$300 by sophomore Nick Cain out of league bowl
GIRLS BOWLING
AVERAGE SCORE OF TEAM LAST SEASON:
1,918.14
BOYS SWIMMING
CALORIE INTAKE:4,410 per day by senior
Aaron Akin
TB UBY ANNIE [email protected]
For senior Aaron Akin, this winter sports season marks the end of a nearly four-year period of waiting to represent his school through his sport, swimming. Akin had been swimming on club teams for eight years and wanted to contribute to his school through something that’s impor-tant to him. “I’ve been waiting for a swim team the entire time I’ve been here,” Akin said. With three school records under his belt so far, Akin has nothing but enthusiasm for the rest of the season.
“I’m excited,” Akin said. “I finally get to represent my school my senior year.”
Although dedicated to his team, Akin admits that he isn’t extreme in his methods.
“I’m pretty dedicated,” Akin said. “But I don’t go all out and be like ‘let’s shave our legs’ before a swim meet.”
BOYS SWIMMINGBY KATE [email protected]
Sophomore Maridee Weber began her bowling career in third grade when her mother signed up her and her brother, 2012 graduate Robbie Weber, to join a sum-mer bowling league. Last year the two both joined the school’s bowling team. Robbie enjoyed the unique bonding ex-perience with Maridee. “I really enjoyed bowling with my sister,” Robbie said. “It was a cool experience be-cause not many siblings can compete in a sport together.” Maridee has set goals and hopes for an-other successful season. Last year, she bowled varsity every game and made it to regionals. “This season, I hope to make it to region-als and letter again,” Maridee said. Robbie also has high hopes for Maridee this season. “[This season] she’ll be better and more dominant on girls varsity,” Robbie said. “I can’t wait to see her rock the lanes.”
GIRLS BOWLINGBY ANNIE [email protected]
16 A&E
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likel
y ob
liter
ate
ever
ythi
ng, m
ak-
ing
the
Ear
th u
ninh
abitab
le. S
ome
peop
le f
ear
that
, due
to
risi
ng t
en-
sion
s ar
ound
the
wor
ld, a
war
of
this
ty
pe w
ill b
e ha
ppen
ing
soon
. W
hile
wid
e-sc
ale
war
is
a le
-gi
tim
ate
conc
ern,
it
is u
nlik
ely
that
nu
clea
r w
eapo
ns w
ill b
e us
ed t
o figh
t it. T
hese
wea
pons
are
des
igne
d si
m-
ply
for
dest
ruct
ion
and
aren
’t re
ally
pr
actica
l in
any
sort
of
exte
nded
war
-fa
re. A
lso,
the
re h
ave
been
str
ict
bans
on
the
pro
duct
ion
and
stoc
kpili
ng
of n
ucle
ar w
eapo
nry
sinc
e 19
63. T
he
coun
trie
s th
at h
ave
been
mos
t vo
cal
abou
t th
reat
enin
g nu
clea
r w
arfa
re
are
also
the
cou
ntri
es w
ith
the
leas
t am
ount
of
nucl
ear
wea
pons
, so
thei
r th
reat
s ar
en’t
too
seri
ous.
FRES
HMAN
T-Y
ING
LIN
TWEE
TSTR
AGIC
@1
capp
lega
te
Chris
tina
Appl
egat
eS
o yo
u th
ink
the
dude
w
ho s
aid
toda
y w
as
the
end
got
unfr
iend
-ed
a t
on o
n fa
cebo
ok?
May
21
@br
itn
eysp
ears
Br
itney
Spe
ars
You
guy
s da
ncin
g til
l th
e w
orld
end
s?
–Brit
ney
May
21
REVI
EWRA
PTUR
E
PLAN
PART
Y
How
did
this
par
ty c
ome
to b
e?
[Sen
ior]
Ken
dall
Shor
t an
d I
mad
e a
Face
book
eve
nt in
8th
grad
e an
d in
vite
d al
l our
fri
ends
. It’s
pre
tty
wei
rd n
ow, b
ecau
se w
e do
n’t
have
a
plan
or
a pl
ace
for
it. W
e ta
lked
to
a bu
nch
of p
eopl
e an
d th
ey’d
be
[mad
] if w
e di
dn’t
have
it.
Ken
dall
and
I ar
e sc
roun
ging
for
a p
lace
for
it.
Why
did
you
dec
ide
to h
ave
this
pa
rty?
It’s
real
ly ju
st a
n ex
cuse
to
have
a
big
part
y. W
e do
n’t
real
ly h
ave
to
wor
ry a
bout
the
con
sequ
ence
s th
e ne
xt d
ay s
ince
the
wor
ld is
goin
g to
en
d. [A
lso,
] it w
ould
be
nice
to
have
ev
eryo
ne t
oget
her
one
last
tim
e.
Wha
t are
you
goi
ng to
do
if yo
u do
n’t fi
nd a
pla
ce?
Ther
e pr
obab
ly ju
st w
on’t
be a
par
ty.
Wel
l, th
ere
will
pro
babl
y be
a lo
t of
sm
alle
r pa
rtie
s, ju
st n
ot f
or m
e an
d K
enda
ll.
Man
y fo
rese
e th
e w
orld
end
ing
soon
, con
trove
rsy
lies
in h
ow e
vent
will
take
pla
ceCe
lebs
twee
t abo
ut ra
ptur
e sc
are
earli
er th
is y
ear
The
next
ice
age
com
es
early
in th
is c
hilli
ng m
ovie
Phot
o fr
om im
db.c
om
Illus
trat
ions
by
Rile
y M
cDon
ald
BY K
ATHE
RINE
WHI
TEja
gwire
.kat
herin
ewhi
te@
gmai
l.com
BY S
YDNE
Y W
ILSO
Nja
gwire
.syd
neyw
ilson
@gm
ail.c
om
arra
y of
apo
caly
pse
mov
ies.
The
best
m
ovie
s m
ade
to u
nset
tle
you
abou
t th
e po
ssib
le d
estr
uction
of
Ear
th a
re
base
d on
act
ual t
heor
ies.
For
this
rea
-so
n, “
The
Day
Aft
er T
omor
row
,” d
i-re
cted
by
Rol
and
Em
mer
ich,
wou
ld
be y
our be
st c
hoic
e. T
his m
ovie
find
s its
orig
in i
n th
e hy
poth
esis
bro
ught
ab
out
by
Art
Bel
l an
d W
hitley
St
rieb
er’s
book
“Th
e C
omin
g G
loba
l Su
pers
torm
.”
The
idea
pre
sent
ed i
n “T
he D
ay
Aft
er
Tom
orro
w”
is
that
gl
obal
w
arm
ing
will
bac
kfire
and
end
up
caus
ing
the
next
ice
age
. It
follo
ws
a fa
mily
who
wor
ks t
o su
rviv
e th
e di
-sa
ster
. Th
e fa
ther
of
the
fam
ily t
rav-
W
hen
you
deci
de w
hich
mov
ie t
o w
atch
bef
ore
the
wor
ld e
nds
on F
ri-
day,
Dec
. 21
, le
t’s n
ot f
orge
t th
e va
st
els
acro
ss a
fro
zen
Am
eric
a to
rea
ch
his
son
stra
nded
in
New
Yor
k C
ity
whi
le s
torm
s ap
pear
acr
oss
the
wor
ld.
Eve
n th
ough
the
mov
ie w
as m
ade
in 2
004,
its
spe
cial
eff
ects
are
mor
e th
an b
elie
vabl
e. F
or th
ose
of y
ou a
vid
abou
t su
rviv
ing,
the
mov
ie i
nclu
des
man
y he
lpfu
l tips
, lik
e ho
w t
o fe
nd
off
hypo
ther
mia
. Th
e ac
ting
is
also
am
azin
g,
feat
urin
g Ja
ke
Gyl
lenh
aal
and
Em
my
Ros
sum
. In
my
opin
ion,
th
e on
ly b
ad t
hing
abo
ut t
his
mov
ie
is t
hat
it m
akes
you
fee
l re
ally
col
d.
This
mov
ie m
akes
a g
reat
add
itio
n to
any
end
-of-t
he-w
orld
sur
viva
l ki
t, so
mak
e su
re t
o pi
ck u
p a
copy
(an
d m
aybe
a b
lank
et, t
oo).
Seni
or S
kyle
r Win
dmill
er to
ho
st e
nd o
f the
wor
ld p
arty
THE
MAY
AN C
ALEN
DAR
A N
UCLE
AR W
AREL
ECTR
OMAG
NETI
C SH
IFT
ADS 17
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18 A&E
Wii U SHOWS POTENTIAL
said. “[The Wii U’s] games ... look really nice.”
Freshman Patrick Gambill agrees that the Wii U is a step forward for expanding the gaming community.
“I think it’s great Nintendo released another console,” Gambill said. “I hope that it appeals to a lot of different audi-ences.”
On the other hand, senior Alex Reeves has doubts about the Wii U’s long term success.
“[The Wii U] has potential but Nin-tendo’s lack of third party support will make the potential go to waste,” Reeves said. “[The Wii U] relies a lot on local multiplayer [playing with someone in the same room], and I think that online multiplayer [playing with someone else over the Internet] is better.”
Sophomore Emily Koeckeritz is curi-ous about the future of the Wii U.
“I’m interested in seeing where Nin-
Nintendo’s new game console, the Wii U, sold out in retail during its first week out on the market. The main fea-ture of the new console is the GamePad, a large controller that includes features like a screen and motion control. It also allows you to play games without the use of the TV.
Best Buy employee Andrew Buckley believes that the Wii U deserves its popularity.
“It’s ... a very powerful gaming system,” Buckley said. “It [has] a faster processor than the PS3 or the Xbox 360. It’s able to do a lot more than the old Wii. Plus it has all the hot titles like ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Assassin’s Creed.’”
Electronics store Vintage Stock employee Andres Sanchez also thinks that the games are going to be a positive addition to the Wii U.
“The [old] Wii is really great, but the games are more for little kids,” Sanchez
tendo is going and whether this will be a failure or a success with the new features,” Koeckeritz said.
The Wii U is similar to the old Wii, but there are several new features. The GamePad controller is new, but old Wiimotes from the original Wii can still be used with the Wii U. In addition to the GamePad’s motion control, it also has a front-facing camera, a microphone, a stylus and stereo speakers.
The graphics are also a great addi-tion to the Wii U.
“It [has] graphics that are as good as the Xbox 360 and the PS3,” Buck-ley said. “And it will blow the Wii out of the water graphic-wise.”
The Wii U is available as a basic set, which is white and has eight gigabytes for $299.99, or a deluxe set, which is black and has 32 gigabytes for $349.99.
SMARTSHOPCOMPARISONCONSOLE
OLD WII: WII U:
CONTROLS: The Wii uses handheld motion-sensing remotes that have various attachments for different games.
GAMES: The Wii’s games were meant to be fun for the whole fam-ily, but it didn’t have much for the hard core gamers.
PERFORMANCE: Though they were decent when it first came out, the Wii’s graphics and processing power quickly became outdated.
CONTROLS: The Wii U has added the GamePad, a touchscreen controller, as well as the Pro Controller, a stan-
dard gaming controller.
GAMES: The Wii U appeals to different types of gamers by introducing games like “Call of Duty” while continuing the classic Wii games.
PERFORMANCE: The Wii U has some of the best graphics on the market, a faster processer than other consoles and lots of room to store data.
Comparing the original Nintendo Wii with the new gaming system Decide whether or not you should buy these games full price or used
ASSASSIN’S CREED III: BUY NOW
FAR CRY 3: WAIT TO BUY
Photos from gamestop.com
This game is about an assassin during the Revolutionary War and it has something in it for everyone, whether you’re a history buff or simply just like to kill bad guys. If you’re new to the series, this is a great place to jump in. If you’re a fan of the series, then you’ll definitely want it as well, thanks to the new features like naval warfare and online multiplayer.
For PC, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3
For PC, Xbox 360, PS3The premise of this game is that you are going to an island to party but you are captured by the crazy natives who plan on selling you into slavery. The objective is to take over the island, save your friends and escape in one piece. The gameplay is great but this game is not for you if you have a weak stomach. “Far Cry 3” has great graphics, which come at the expense of some very descriptive scenes of violence.
Wii U is an improved version of Nintendo’s original interactive gaming system BY SYDNEY [email protected]
BY KATHERINE [email protected]
A&E 19
BY CALLEE [email protected]
BY AMBER [email protected]
Don’t limit yourself to boring do-it- yourself projects. Take a stab at some
CRAFTSDONE
COOLER{ {MATERIALS
1. Draw a simple and easy to draw design on the piece of computer paper.
2. Place your design inside the baggie. Trace the outline of your design on the out-side of the baggie using the fabric paint. 3. Sprinkle with glitter while the paint is still wet.
4. Shake excess glitter in the trash can and set aside to dry. 5. Once the paint is dry, carefully peel the final product off the baggie.
The fabric paint gives a small sticky back, making it a great window cling.
WINDOW CLINGS
-Ziplock Baggie-Computer Paint-Fabric Paint-Glitter
PROCEDURE
EASY
1. Start at the plug-in end of your headphones
2. Begin knotting the thread around the headphones. Knot these like you would a friendship bracelet. After awhile you will see a natural spiral form from the knots.
3. Pick a point that you choose to end a color and knot tightly.
4. Continue knotting with another color of thread.
5. When you reach the part where your head-phones split in into separate parts to your earbuds, tie off the knot and continue down each one separately until you reach the end.
6. Continue doing this until you reach the earbud part of your headphones. You now have a cool new pair of headphones.
EARBUD WRAP
MATERIALS-A pair of earbuds-Different colored string-Scissors
PROCEDURE
MEDIUM
MATERIALS
1. Carefully lay out and design what pattern or design the crayons will be glued into.
2. Use the hot glue gun and glue the crayons in the order and design you had already placed out carefully.
3. Allow the glue to dry completely before melting the crayons. 4. Take the blow dryer and melt the crayons downwards until they start to melt and drip down.
5. When finished melting, allow time to dry until wax is cooled and hardened.
Optional: Hang your canvas up as a new piece of wall art decoration.
CRAYOLA ART
- Canvas - Hot glue gun and glue sticks- Crayons- Blow dryer
PROCEDURE
MEDIUM
MATERIALS
1. Start with two feathers.
2. Puncture a small hole in the top of the feather stem with a needle.
3. Take a jump ring and slide it through the hole of the feather.
4. Connect the other jump ring onto the first one to allow space between feather and earring hook.
5. Close the jump rings around the earring hook.
6. Tighten the jump hooks around the ear-ring hook.
7. Shake out the earrings to make sure they are secure.
EARRINGS
-Feathers-Wire-Wire cutters-Earring hooks-Jump rings
PROCEDURE
MATERIALS
1. Paint the coffee filters in tie dye design and then let them dry.
2. Glue them to the background piece of your frame.
3. Allow the glued down coffee filters to dry.
3. Get your broken glass and assemble glass pieces to spell out something or design what you want them to look like. Break glass as necessary.
4. Hot glue them on top of the coffee filters.
5. Bunch up extra colored coffee filters and use them as flowers.
6. Let the piece dry over night.
GLASS ART
-Broken mirror pieces-Frame from broken mirror-Water colors-Hot glue gun
PROCEDURE
*CRAFTING QUICK TIPS:
Use a heat gun or a blow dryer on a hot setting to melt away messy hot glue strings
* Clean as you go; it is less of a hassle to clean up later
* Cover your workspace with newspaper so you can wrap up your trash in it and throw it away when you clean up
MEDIUM
HARD
20 PHOTO ESSAY
Scan with a QR app on your smartphone to see more photos online at
mvnews.org
ABOVE: Stopping to feed the Baby Think It Over as it cried, junior Stepha-nie LeBlanc experienced the difficulties of being a teen mom. RIGHT: Ignoring the stares from other shoppers on Sunday, Dec. 9, LeBlanc felt judged, even though the baby was not real. “I tried to make it apparent it was fake, especially at church,” LeBlanc said. Photos by Devynn Harris
ABOVE: Taking her Baby Think It Over to Price Chopper on Sunday, Dec. 9, junior Stephanie LeBlanc gets a feel for what it’s like to care for an infant. “I learned that babies are a lot more hard work than I thought they would be,” LeBlanc said. Photo by Devynn Harris BELOW MIDDLE: Sophomore Rebecca Dennis takes care of her baby on Sunday, Dec. 2. Students receive points for correctly taking care of the baby. Photo by Riley McDonald
ABOVE: Swaddling the Baby Think It Over, junior Holly Peter-man practices the skills she learned in her Human Growth and Development class on Saturday, Dec. 8. “I learned that being a parent isn’t what it seem’s,” Peterman said. Photo by Kelsey Floyd
THINKINGIT
OVERStudents take care of lifelike baby dolls in order
to learn the responsibilities of being parents
ABOVE: Sitting with the Baby Think It Over, junior Holly Peterman realizes the aggravating part of having a baby. “The most frustrating part was when it would cry just to cry,” Peterman said. Photo by Kelsey Floyd