February 2014 Edition - Riley County USD 378, KS

THE
TALON
RILEY COUNTY STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Winter Royalty
Katelyn
Gibson
You may know that King candidate and “Student
of the Year” Bibson Eyestone’s favorite Disney
Princess is, well, non-existent. However, he does
enjoy Woody from Toy Story.
You may know that one of Queen candidate Katelyn Thomson’s many strange childhood habits
was to chop off her hair so she looked like a boy.
After she did that, she would become upset. The
only satisfactory solution that she could find was
to take tights and put them on her head so the two
pant legs looked like long, flowing hair.
BUT DID YOU KNOW: Bibson strongly believes
that in a fight between Woody and Buzz, the winner depends on the setting of the fight; Woody if
in a saloon, Buzz if in outer space.
Madison
Willbrant
You may know that Queen candidate Madison
Vargo’s most traumatic childhood experience was
at the Leonardville ball diamond, during one of her
brother’s baseball games. She was going to play
on the big bear that swings back and forth when
tragedy struck! The bear swung all the way back
and hit Madison in the nose, giving her the worst
bloody nose of her life.
You may know that King candidate Jason Willbrant’s favorite childhood toy was Legos. Also, if
you ask him what he liked to do with Legos, Jason
will crisply reply, “I don’t know. What are you supposed to do with them? Eat them?”
Kristy
Gavin
BUT DID YOU KNOW: Jason’s favorite flavor of
Lego is blue.
You may know that Queen candidate Kristy Nixon’s favorite childhood teacher was Mrs. Knorp
because she always was animated during class,
she loved that Mrs. Knorp put on a hat when she
was having problems with the computer, and
because she loved chocolate and always handed
it out during class.
You may know that King candidate Gavin Grater’s
favorite 90’s cartoon is Spongebob Squarepants
because he loves Krabby Patties and Sandy,
‘cause she’s from Texas.
BUT DID YOU KNOW: Gavin likes Sandy because of her tail, rather than her furry demeanor.
BUT DID YOU KNOW: Girls actually do give
longer answers than boys.
By: Sheridan VanSickle and Ian Eastes
>> CONTENTS | February 2014
2
Crossfire
3
Club Feature
Fashion
4
Tips
Entertainment
5
Lone Wolf
Calendar
6
The Perfect
Date
7
Morgan’s Minute
Find the Falcon
Odd Jobs
Poll
8
Spotlight
Riley County Student Newspaper Pg 2
Crossfire: Duck Dynasty
For
By: Chelsey Schartz
Dynasty or just Nasty?
When I hear somebody say “Duck Dynasty”,
I think of much more than just a reality TV
show. I picture a down-to-earth family that
cherishes the Lord and manages a hardworking duck call company (Duck Commander), all while making a hit reality TV show.
“Duck Dynasty’s season premiere broke
cable records with 11.8 million viewers and is
poised to be the No. 1 show on all of television broadcast or cable,” according to Nellie
Andeeva on Deadline.com. Duck Dynasty is
by far one of the cleanest, funniest and family approved reality television shows of today.
We all know what “Here Comes Honey Boo
Boo” is, and I’m not even going to attempt
to compare the two shows. The Robertson
family is very widespread and yet still holds
a very strong relationship with each other. A
few things that I enjoy about “Duck Dynasty”
are the sensible humor that each individual
has and the fact that at the end of every episode they show a vast majority of the family
sitting down to a family dinner and all bowing
to pray. Now what would you rather watch?
That, or a show about a dreadful behaved
child that makes “Jersey Shore” look good?!
The Robertson family understands the important things in life like spending time with
family and nature, rather than using electronics 24/7 and not connecting with the real
word. They also understand the importance
of second chances. You would assume that
the Robertson family has always been very
religious by the way they are portrayed, but
that’s not exactly the story. Phil and a couple
of his sons all struggled in their younger
years, but managed to recover by making
radical changes in their life and devoting
themselves to their faith. The show is comical, even if selected parts of the show may be
scripted. They’re still hilarious, either way! No
matter what their views are on certain things,
they have the freedom of speech, just like you
have the freedom to watch (or not watch) the
show. I know that I’m still going to continue
to watch it. “Duck Dynasty” makes me happy,
happy, happy!
Against
By: Sabrina Charania
When I think of “Duck Dynasty”, I think of a
bunch of guys in camouflage who hunt animals. The show is pointless. They shouldn’t
even have a show on TV. It’s not a real reality
show. It’s scripted; the family members have
admitted it themselves. Willie has even said
the directors tell them where to go during
the day so they can get the shots and record
what they want. Phil has told magazines and
news sources that when the show airs on live
television, the directors put in a beep sound
making it seem like the family is using profanity, when they really are not. The family takes
their fame for granted as, they have been
known for skipping out on several autograph
signings and fan meet ups. And who could
forget about Phil’s famous interview bashing
homosexuals. I believe that people shouldn’t
be ridiculed for who they are. For him to
bash people on a live interview is rude. In
another interview earlier, Phil stated, “College is Crap.” Phil was working on his college
degree, but later gave it up so he could hunt.
Just because he made that choice doesn’t
mean everybody else should follow his view
on receiving a higher education. Not to mention Si and his drug and alcohol problem in
the past. Si has admitted to almost shooting
and killing a mother and her child for no reason. Phil also has a bad background. He was
in a bar fight and beat two people so bad they
had to have hospital attention and surgery.
After the fight, he fled the state while police
were looking for him. People like that should
NOT have a TV show, making millions of dollars. The family has poor hygiene. They don’t
shower, comb their beards, or use deodorant.
Willie, the middle brother, has told reporters
“I would rather have fame than family,”.Duck
Dynasty is just a fake reality show.Theres no
other reality show that even compares to how
dumb and pointless duck dynasty is.
Riley County Student Newspaper Pg 3
FFA: Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders
By: Lexy Witcher
Riley County High School has about 220 students. Impressively, 78 of them are in FFA. FFA no longer stands for Future Farmers of America; FFA currently stands for National FFA Organization. Mr. Whearty, the FFA advisor, says his role is to “keep everyone in line and give guidance in FFA leadership activities.” When asked about the important events FFA is apart of, fruit sales were thought of first. Members sell fruit
as a fundraiser for FFA. This year, the total gross sale was $18,000! President Lane Howe states that fruit sales are his favorite part of FFA,
“except when the orders get messed up by Tyler Hageman and Zach Bohnenblust.” Vice President Zach Bohnenblust decides that his favorite part of FFA is “hanging out with friends on field trips as well as going to career development events.” Other officers include Secretary Tyler
Hageman, Treasurer Kaitlyn Bledsoe, Reporter Cassandra Anderson, and Sentinel Wyatt Arnsdorf. Now that fruit sales are over, the next item
on the agenda is National FFA Week. From February 15-22, FFA groups around America celebrate by dressing up, serving a faculty breakfast, and hosting an auction and banquet. The auction and banquet are collectively part of the FFA showcase. At the showcase they build and
sell things, and the alumni is helping with a consignment auction.
An interesting fact about FFA is that it is considered intercurricular, as oposed to extracurricular. This means that the students are prepared
for FFA competitions in class rather than outside of
class. In this way, FFA is comparable to Choir and
Band. FFA classes aren’t just about animals and building things. For example, One of Mr. Whearty’s classes,
AgriBusiness, takes care of the milk vending machine
by the lunchroom. The students handle it like a business by stocking the machine and completing management reports. Last year the profits from that vending
machine were given as a scholarship to a graduating
senior in FFA, and they plan to give out this scholarship
every year. FFA is a practical organization that promotes business, leadership, and school spirit.
If you have a date this Valentine’s
Day, do it in style. Whether you’re
going out with your boyfriend or
girlfriend for the first time or the millionth, it is always important to look
your best for the apple of your eye.
Since it is still chilly outside girls
can wear the dress of their choice
with tights and a peacoat. Dress it
up or down depending on where the
date is. For a more casual look wear
a long charm necklace and flats.
If your date is taking you to somewhere more ritzy, do pumps and a
statement necklace.
Boys can go with a simple button
down and khakis to impress their
lady. Wear nice shoes like sperrys or
dress boots with a watch that matches the rest of your outfit. Don’t forget
cologne! It’s the most important part.
FASHION
By: Josey Thomspon
Riley County Student Newspaper Pg 4
Look no further!
By: Emma Glessner
Qualities employers look for:
1. Attendance
2. Punctuality
3. Enthusiasm
4. Cooperation
5. Maturity
6. Accuracy
7. Leadership
8. Problem-solving Skills
9. Organizational Skills
10. Interpersonal Skills
To find a job you must:
-Set your own responsibilities
-Wake up early at a set time to start
looking for work
-Be your own boss to make sure you
carry-out your job search responsibilities
-Keep a positive outlook
-Find job options related to what you
enjoy doing
-Bring a resume and always offer to
come back in or call to answer any questions
they may have
Job hunting mistakes:
- Wondering what they can do for you
- Looking online is NOT the answer
- Don’t forget to pick up the phone and
call the employer after sending in your resume
- Writing in the wrong content on your
resume
- Make your font on your resume easy
to read, nothing fancy
- Make sure your resume is only one
page
- Don’t describe your job, describe your
performance
- Have good grammar
Good luck and don’t give up!
By: Emma Glessner
New Releases
Albums
Movies
Endless Love
Winter’s Tale
February 14th
December 14th
PG-13
PG-13
Romance
Romance
Alex Pettyfer and Ga- Russell Crowe and
briella Wilde
Jessica Brown Findlay
It’s story of a privileged
girl and a charismatic Peter Lake is a thief
boy whose instant
who falls in love with
desire sparks a love
affair made only more Beverly Penn, a dyreckless by parents ing girl who occupies
trying to keep them one of the houses he
apart.
breaks into.
Love Songs
Tina Turner
February 3rd
1. The Best
2. I Don’t Wanna Lose
You
3. Lets Stay Together
4. What’s Love Got To
Do With It
5. Missing You
Eric Paslay
Eric Paslay
February 4th
1. Keep On Fallin’
2. Friday Night
3.Less Than Whole
4. Country Side of
Heaven
5. Never Really
Wanted
TV Series
The Bachelor - Monday nights at 7 p.m.
With his Spanish accent, good looks, salsa moves, and undying
devotion to his daughter, Juan Pablo, 32, is a fan favorite!
The Bachelor opened his eyes to the possibility of finding a real,
everlasting love. He can’t give up on love and on giving his daughter, Camila, what she wants more than anything else in the world - a
brother and a sister to complete their family.
Name That Quote
1. P1- “I’m sorry she never got her miracle.” P2- “She did, it was you.” -???
2. “How do you explain something that you can’t even understand yourself?.”
-???
3. “It’s not about keeping your promises, and it’s not about following your
heart. It’s about security.” -???
4. “How do you look at the woman you love, and tell yourself that it’s time to
walk away?” -???
5. “Nobody finds their soul mate when they’re ten. I mean, where’s the fun in
that, right?” -???
6. P1- “I Love you.” P2- [Throws up in the sink.] P2- “ Not the answer I was
looking for.“ -???
ANSWERS 1. A Walk To Remember 2. The Lucky One 3. The Notebook 4. The Vow 5. Sweet Home Alabama 6. The
Backup Plan Wondering How to Get a Job?
Entertainment
Riley County Student Newspaper Pg 5
The Lone Wolf
By: Ian Eastes
Wahh wahh wahh, wahhh, wahh. If you can imagine the voice of the adults from
Peanuts, except three octaves higher, that is what you would here for the majority of time in Newspaper class. It is a class of all girls besides one lucky guy, me.
I have listened to talking points ranging from fashion disasters (ones that do not
make any sense to me), to changing babies in public. Topics have been debated;
the perfect first date, the perfect body shape, PROM dresses, boyfriends, and
the correct way to walk have all been meticulously and exhaustedly examined.
On each of these topics I am always asked my opinion. As if I would really know
anything about these? Most of the time, I tune things out. All I will hear is, “Wahh,
wahh wahh,” but then they’ll throw something in like, “Wahh, wahh breast feeding
in public wahh, wahh,” that breaks through my defenses, and I have to sink further
into my self-induced talking coma. No stone has been left unturned. Many stones
have been completely blocked out of my memory, and some would not be appropriate to print for man’s eyes. And it’s only February. Needless to say, I am being
completely educated in Newspaper. I am a man writing in a woman’s world; I am
the lone wolf. Please send help.
Riley County HS Events
Feb. 7 BB @ Rock Creek 4:45pm
Feb. 7 King & Queen of Courts
Feb. 8 BB @ RCHS JV Tourn 10am
Feb. 10, 13, 15 Boys Freshman Tourn @ Wamego
Feb. 11 BB@ Concordia 5:45pm
Feb. 14 BB @ Wabaunsee 4:45pm
Feb. 14 BB MEL 3:00 pm
Feb. 17 No School
Feb. 18 BB @ Council Grove 4:45pm
Feb. 19 League Music @ RCHS
Feb. 19 No School for HS Students
Feb. 21 BB @ Rossville 4:45pm
Feb. 21, 22 W Regionals TBA
Feb. 27 BB @ St.Marys 4:45pm
Feb. 27, 28 W STATE TBD
February
February Birthdays
Brent Kilbourn Feb 2nd
Colton Hazlett Feb 3rd
Curtis Minick Feb 3rd
Cheyenne Stedman Feb 5th
Bryan Swartz Feb 6th
Samantha Lowe Feb 7th
Sam Covello Feb 8th
Chloe Schnee Feb 9th
Abigail Wahl Feb 13th
Makayla Tegtmeier Feb 14th
Matthew Bruckerhoff Feb 15th
Madison Rogers Feb 16th
Josiah Satzler 17th
Alyssa Sias Feb 25th
Madison Vargo Feb 28th
Makayla Vargo Feb 28th
Riley County Student Newspaper Pg 6
The Perfect Date
After intense research on both the male and female species, we have compiled a list of
activities for the perfect Valentine’s Day date.
By: Josey Thompson and Kate Bowen
Boys
7am: Girlfriend arrives at house and prepares a
breakfast fit for a king (AKA you!).
10am: She presents you with Taco Bell during
seminar, and remembers the sauce that you like
#girlfriendpoints.
Noon: Your lovely lady totes a large paper bag
filled with nothing other than a delicious, yet nutritious Chipotle burrito and a “Gotta Have It” sized
Cold Stone ice cream for dessert.
6pm: Your Honey Buns picks you up and
chauffers you to a massive steak dinner at your
favorite sports bar.
8pm: Your Baby Boo Boo bought you tickets to
the big game tonight! She is decked out in your
team’s colors, from head-to-toe.
10pm: The night concludes with your Sweet Angel driving you home as you nap and dream about
the next day which you plan to fill with “Guy Time”.
Girls
7am: You wake up to an extensive text telling
you how absolutely drop dead gorgeous you are
and how appreciative your boyfriend is to have
you in his life.
10am: The office calls you to your seminar asking you to report to the office. You arrive to see a
massive bouquet of your favorite flowers waiting
for you.
Noon: Your Stud Muffin surprises you with a
gift. This can be as simple as a note or as impressive as jewelry.
6pm: Your Sshnookums shows up at your
doorstep, ready to take you on the date of your
dreams. It is well planned out and thoughtful.
8pm: After the activity (ice skating, movies, etc)
your Sweetheart takes you to your most favorite
restaurant.
10pm: Stargazing and cuddling... Dawh.
Riley County Student Newspaper Pg 7
Morgan’s Minute:
One minute. Go!
SNEAK PEEK
Here’s a preview of our
2014 December issue...
Just kidding! We completely forgot to update
this section in the rush
of deadline day! Enjoy!
Q: How do you feel about ugly Christmas sweaters?
A: I love them!
Q: When did you find out the truth about
Santa?
A: When I was 10 years old.
Q:Who told you?
A: I figured it out on my own. I caught
my parents!
Q: What’s your favorite thing about
Chrismas?
A: How nice everyone suddenly gets this
time of year.
Q: Who’s better, the elves or reindeer?
A:Reindeer.
Q: Have you ever made a Snowman
Family?
A: No.
Q: Hot cocoa or hot cider?
A: Cocoa.
Q:Do you like egg nog?
A:Yes!
Q:White Christmas or Warm Christmas?
A: White Christmas.
Q: When do you open your presents?
A: Christmas Eve.
Q: What was your favorite Christmas
present EVER?
A: A surf board.
--WANTED-Clues to find this High Falutin’ Falcon:
There are so many students around me.
Get me down! I’m afraid of heights!
I’m starting to take a trip down memory lane.
Find the Falcon!
Rules for Find The Falcon:
1. Flash will NOT be in a classroom, so don’t look there!
2. You can only look before and after school, so don’t ask
your teachers to leave class!
3. Bring Flash to Mrs. Steiner to claim your prize!
Odd Jobs...
By: Josey Thompson and Kate Bowen
We interviewed a few of the faculty members to find out what kind
of jobs they’ve had before becoming a RCHS teacher. We came
back with some pretty interesting reponses and stories to go with
them!
Mrs. Burnett: A Woman of Many Trades
Some of her odd jobs included a fast food employee, gas
pumper, army secretary, trailer home decorator, art teacher, editor, and worker at an animal clinic... until she found out she was
allergic to cats.
Mr. Steiner: Plumber...
“Just a terrible job... disgusting.”
Mr. Barnard: Painter, and a Bagel Boy
Being a bagel baker is hard work, it includes waking up at 3:30
in the morning! He is also one of the FIVE painters in our school!
Mr. Laurie: And Another Painter...
He also worked at the Hop-N-Skip convenience store!
Mr. Katt: Taco John’s Employee Turned Teacher
One of his memorable moments on the job were meeting Ashton Kutcher’s uncle while working the drive-thru. He paints during
the summer too. Little did we know, not only has he met Aaron
Rodgers on the job but is also featured on Google Earth. Get his
autograph next time you see him.
Mrs. Hartenbower: Best Hostess this Side of the Mississippi
As waitress the country club she had to deal with a few snobby
people, but made sure to still do her job and get those tips.
Ms. Meadows: Edible Art?
She started her art career creating pizza dough skulptures at
the pizza place she worked at! no wonder she is so good at her
job!
FAVORITE VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT?
A. Chocolate
B. Jewlery
C. Flowers
Riley County Student Newspaper Pg 8
Get in the Spotlight at...
Riley County High School
FFA | ART CLUB | FCCLA | WRESTLING | KEY CLUB | FBLA | FORENSICS | BOYS BASKETBALL | FCA | PEP CLUB | STUCO
Students of the Month
Heidi Signs to JCCC
On January 15th, Heidi signed to play softball at
Johnson County Community College.
Employee of the Month:
Vinny
Gunnar Jackson was the
winner of the RCHS HalfTime Shoot Out on Tuesday,
January 14th. Gunnar successfully made a layup, free
throw, and half court shot in
30 seconds. Cheer Captain,
Hannah Thomas presented
a $50.00 certificate to Gunnar. The RCHS Half-Time
Shoot Out is sponsored by
Riley State Bank.
Girls take second at
Hillsboro tournament
The girls basketball team traveled to
Hillsboro for the annual tournament.
The team started out strong on Mondy
playing against Holcolm and winning
by five points. On Thursday the undefeated team played against Hillsboro
and won by ten points. Then on Saturday the girls played Wamego and,
after a competitive game, took second
place.
Hillsboro All-Tournament
Team
This school year, student council is
sponsoring a student of the month
from each grade. Students are nominated by teachers based on their
character, reliablity, and work ethic.
Studnets of the month get lunch line
privileges, a parking spot, and their
photo on the wall. January’s students
of the month were freshman, Brittany
Chavis, sophomore, Gabby Bond,
junior, Justin Cooper, and senior Justine Moore.
LINDELL GIRLS
Kristy Signs
with Benedictine
On November 26th, Kristy Nixon signed to
play volleyball at Benedictine.
Taylor, Madison, and Makayla were
selected as outstanding players at the
Hillsboro tournament
RCHS set to host
Mid-East League Music
Festival on February 19th
Lexy Witcher made the KMEA
All-State Honor Choir
SCHOLARS BOWL | NHS | BAND | SCIENCE CLUB | GIRLS BASKETBALL | CULTURE CLUB | CHEERLEADING | TRI-M