this edition - Waunakee Community School

The
Purple Sage
Waunakee Community High School
“
Opinion
In just a few
weeks, the prophecy will
be fulfilled, and we can
bask in the glow of deep
fried bliss.
”
—Chris Pedersen
For more on the new
restaraunt plans, see page 5.
Features
Over 25 percent of
adolescents have been
bullied repeatedly
through their cell phones
or the internet.
For more, see cyberbullying,
page 8.
Entertainment
Nick Frey on the set of “Glee.”
Read more on page 10.
Sports
Jason Ford in hockey
game against DeForest
on November 29.
For more see page 14.
Sage Page
Meet Hanoulia
Salame, WHS’s
newest foreign
exchange student
from Belgium.
Q
Turn to page 16.
“
uotable
UOTE
Volume 9, Issue 3
Presented by
The Wednesday Society
December 22, 2010
Waunakee, WI
Graduation honors undergo
changes for 2011 ceremony
Olivia Knier
Editor in Chief
The decision to no longer
report class rank this year
sparked discussion to make
other changes in recognition at
the 2011 graduation ceremony.
A committee made up
of school board members
met in early December to
look at putting in place a
new system of recognition,
the laude system, instead of
valedictorian and salutatorian.
“We need to have something
in place that will augment that
traditional valedictorian and
salutatorian,” said Principal
Brian Kersten.
“The one thing that will
remain constant is that we
will still have gold honor cords
for any student that has a 3.6
GPA over the course of seven
semesters,” said Kersten.
According to Kersten, this
laude system is not set in
stone as of right now, but it
will become final after the
school board and policies
committee approve it. This
decision could be made as
soon as late January.
The new system is made up
of three achievable levels of
recognition. The highest level
being summa cum laude,
which will be a purple cord at
graduation. The next level is
magna cum laude, which will
be a silver cord and finally cum
laude, which will be a white
cord at graduation.
To be considered for any
laude recognition, a student
must have earned a cumulative
GPA of at least 3.0 at the end
of seven semesters. It is very
possible that students could
be awarded with both laude
cords and the classic gold
honor cord.
The committee expects that
about the same percentage of
the class that was recognized
with previous academic
honors at graduation would
be recognized with this system.
The calculation of what type of
recognition a student receives
is based on the rigor of his or
her coursework and his or her
cumulative GPA as previously
mentioned.
Classes
that are
considered for
calculation in laude
placement are made
up of what Kersten called
the “capstone courses” of
the high school and include
several classes which can be
seen in the table below.
Few students are aware
of this potential change, but
responses have proven to be
mixed. Senior Dan Statz said, “I
think it’s better if we [continue
to] have a valedictorian.”
On the contrary, junior Katie
Greiber said, “It’s good for the
kids who have the grades to
be valedictorian but can’t be
because there’s only one.”
English Instructor Rachel
Guralski, who teaches
two courses on the list of
advanced courses for
Advanced Courses:
• Advanced English 10
• British Literature
• AP Literature
• Expository Writing
• PreCalculus
• AP Calculus
• AP Statistics
• AP Computer Science AB
• Human Anatomy
• Biotechnology
• AP Biology
• Chemistry II
Laude consideration, British
Literature and AP Literature,
said, “It’s rewarding kids that
accept the
challenge
of taking
more rigorous
classes.”
A student’s
score is
determined
by multiplying
his or her
cumulative GPA
by the number
of semesters
of advanced
c o u r s e s
completed in
all four years
of high
school. For
instance, a
student with
a cumulative
G PA o f 3 . 0
and eight
completed
semesters
of advanced
coursework
would have
a score of
24 and be
recognized
for Cum
Laude. A
score between
24-39.99 will
receive Cum
• Physics II
• AP Psychology
• AP Economics
• AP US History
• French V
• Spanish V
• Advanced Art Workshop
• 4 years of band + A solo
• 4 years of choir + A solo
Laude. Scores of 40-55.99 will
receive Magna Cum Laude,
and scores of 56 and above will
receive Summa Cum Laude.
“Many other schools
in our area are switching
to systems similar to the
proposed laude system
and eliminating class rank
to better foster students’
willingness to take more
rigorous courses,” said
Kersten.
At this point, the system
could be tweaked for
future years or even for
this year’s graduating
class.
“I think people feel
comfortable with the
direction of trying to
bestow appropriate
recognition on
students for the
great job they do
in the classroom.
There’s a benefit
to tr ying to
motivate or
encourage
our students
t o t a ke t h e
most rigorous
coursework
that we have to
offer because
that’s going
to hopefully
prepare them
best for moving
on to their post
secondar y
education,” said Kersten.
• 4 years of orchestra + A
solo
• Advanced Accounting
• Marketing II
• Principles of Engineering
• Engineering Design and
Development
• Other unique situations,
such as AP online courses
Buddy
the Elf,
KFC/Taco Bell about to open its doors
what’s your
favorite
color?
”
— Buddy the Elf,
from Elf
Caroline Patz
Reporter
Three years ago, Waunakee
n a t i v e R o g e r E n d r e s J r. ,
more commonly known as
Mojo, pulled up to a fast food
restaurant in Madison around
11 p.m. Upon his arrival, he
noticed about five Waunakee
football players sitting inside.
Endres thought to himself,
“ Why should high school
students have to go all the way
into Madison simply to get the KFC/Taco Bell construction during the end of November. (Photo by Candice Bertram)
food they want?”
Though he already owns
Mojo’s Pub, Town and Country
Builders and Endres Investment
Group, Endres was looking to
start another business in the
Waunakee area. Thus, Endres’
idea for a combined KFC and
Taco Bell was born.
This building, located at 600
West Main Street, is scheduled
to open during the first part of
January, which will coincide
with high school’s exam week.
 see KFC page 3
NEWS
Lily Vanderbloemen, News Editor
Waunakee Neighborhood Connection spreads holiday cheer
Jenna McGowan
Reporter
Charitable holiday activities
have always been a major part
of Waunakee Neighborhood
Connection, Waunakee’s
most prominent social service
organization.
With the holidays already
underway, these programs
have infected the Waunakee
community with holiday cheer.
Holiday programs put on by
Waunakee Neighborhood
WNC founder, Genna Eaton, with
Christmas basket goodies.
(Photo by Lydia Dorn)
Connection include Adopt-aFamily, the Christmas meal
program, and the annual kids’
shopping event.
Adopt-a-Family is a needbased program in which
families ask anonymously
for various necessities,
such as hats, winter coats,
and t-shirts. Classrooms,
businesses, individual families,
or other donors step forward to
purchase these items by family.
Purchasing the requested
items can be a large time and
financial commitment but
Waunakee Neighborhood
Connection founder, Genna
Eaton, said, “I’m not sure who
has more fun on this one; the
families opening their gifts at
Christmas, or the donors who
adopt the families!”
The Christmas Meal
Program put on by Waunakee
Neighborhood Connection is
the largest project during the
holiday season. Just this year,
220 families in the Waunakee
area will receive a bag full of
goods this holiday season.
These “goody bags” are filled
to the brim with ham, lots of
fresh fruit and vegetables,
an apple pie, a handmade
Christmas card, a Christmas
ornament, two boxes of Girl
Scout cookies, and a new
stuffed animal. This project
requires many community
Christmas goodies for a typical
basket. (Photo by Lydia Dorn)
volunteers and a lot of time to
unload the truck full of goods,
assemble the food, and finally
deliver it.
The annual kids’ shopping
event is another holiday
program put on by Waunakee
Neighborhood Connection.
Businesses and individuals
donate hundreds of new
items, and the Waunakee
Neighborhood Connection
store opens its doors to
approximately 100 kids. Each
child is allowed to pick out
two free items to give to their
parents during the holiday
season.
The impact of these
three holiday programs is
monumental in Waunakee.
A s E a t o n s a i d , “ I t t a ke s
hundreds of volunteers and
hundreds of hours of work
to make these [programs] all
Volunteers help package WNC Christmas baskets at the Village Center
on Saturday, December 18. The store was packed as volunteers sorted,
packed and organized baskets for local families. (Photo by Lydia Dorn)
successful.” These programs
offer a helping hand to the
sometimes-overlooked needy
right here in Waunakee and
make a difference during the
holiday season. “It also gives
our community a purpose.
It provides opportunities for
Salvation Army marches on
Chris Pedersen
Web Page Manager
608-849-3110
124 W. Main Street
Waunakee, WI
Hours:
Monday:
11 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday:
11 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Thursday & Friday:
11 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Saturday
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Page 2
volunteers and donors–helping
our neighbors in need,” said
Eaton.
For ways to volunteer and
get involved with Waunakee
Neighborhood Connection,
visit waunakeeneighborhood
connection.com.
December marks the beginning
of the Salvation Army’s Christmas
fundraising season. Though the
Salvation Army receives donations
in several ways such as airline mile
donations, government funding
and used car donations, the yearly
“red kettle” fundraiser is its biggest
fundraiser.
The red kettle fundraiser began in
1891, when Captain Joseph McFee
placed a large pot where the Oakland
ferry landed in the San Francisco,
California area with a sign reading,
“Keep the pot boiling.” The money
raised helped feed 1000 poor people
on Christmas day. Over the years
the idea spread across the country
and is now used throughout the
United States and the world. People
volunteer to ring bells with red
kettles around the country in front of
numerous retailers. In Waunakee, red
kettles are located within the doors
at Walgreens and outside of Piggly
Wiggly.
This year, according to the Detroit
Free Press, the Salvation Army aims
to raise 7.8 million dollars nationwide.
In addition, the Salvation Army has
set up an online kettle and hopes to
raise three million dollars through
onlineredkettle.org.
The donations provided during the
The Purple Sage
“red kettle” fundraiser go to various
people in need during the holiday
season. It provides the homeless,
elderly, and needy families with
Christmas dinners, clothes, and toys
to children. Even after the season of
giving, families are still being helped
thanks to the massive donation red
kettles raise every year.
The Red Kettle Campaign runs
through December 24, and you can
volunteer by visiting ringbells.org,
where you can choose the preferred
location and time to volunteer.
Volunteer Kenneth Spielman ringing bells at
PIggly Wiggly. (Photo by Jeremiah Kirch)
December 22, 2010
NEWS
KFC

place and go
out together,
even if they
from Page 1
do not want
The building’s lobby
the same
and dining area are on
type
of
the north side of the
food. The
building, facing Main
restaurant
Street, and the dining
should also
room can seat up to
help boost
62 people. The kitchen
other local
and the coolers are on
businesses.
the south side of the
Now that
building with the drivethere will be
through on the east Construction on KFC/Taco Bell has made signifcant progress. t w o m o r e
side. The KFC and Taco Picture taken in late December. (Photo by Candice Bertram) o p t i o n s f o r
Bell are integrated into
entry level, earning minimum
quick meals
one space, using the same wage. However, they can also in Waunakee, people
cashiers, soda dispensers and work their way up to become may be less likely to drive
dining area. The building as a a manager.
all the way into Madison
whole cost approximately 2.8
“I feel this will be a success for a meal. This will
million dollars.
because it’s a combination of hopefully help people stay
C o n s t r u c t i o n o n t h e two fast food places, both of in Waunakee for other
building has given many which we don’t yet have in things too, such as for the
contractors work, helping Waunakee,” Endres said. The hardware or drug store.
boost Waunakee’s economy. addition of this new restaurant
Endres hopes to break
There is already a workforce gives locals another dining the record for the largest
of 72 hired people, and most option in Waunakee and will grand opening of a Yum
of them are from Waunakee. hopefully keep people eating Brand’s store in corporate
Many positions have been locally.
histor y by having the
filled, but there is room for
A huge advantage of the l a r g e s t a m o u n t o f
more employees. People can new restaurant is that it allows customers at the opening.
start in the business at an people to eat at the same
Tutoring changes at WHS
Anna Evansen
Reporter
Fo r t h e f i r s t t i m e i n
Waunakee High School history,
the National Honor Society is
teaming up with the school
tutoring program.
The idea for National Honor
Society (NHS) to partner with
the school’s tutoring program
was founded last year, but
this is the first year of NHS
involvement in the peer
tutoring program at WHS.
Students involved in the NHS
program are required to do at
least ten hours of community
service; the tutoring counts as
five of those hours.
Students who feel the
need for a tutor can contact
a counselor or advisor and
are then matched up with a
peer tutor involved in the NHS
program.
Tutors and tutees meet
through the guidance office,
and tutoring is then scheduled
according to the schedule of
both the tutor and tutee. Senior
Maggie Holm said, “It’s hard to
find time because I have a very
busy schedule, but they work
around it.”
Prior to this year, students
would come for ward and
ask to help with the tutoring
program. Barb Fassbender,
one of the school’s guidance
counselors, said, “Initially
it was a shock. It’s a
big change. There was
concern about how [the
NHS students] were going
to have enough time
because ever ybody ’s
schedule is very tight…like
anything else that’s new,
it’s going to take some
getting used to.”
The program is still in
its first few months, but so
far it has been successful.
Fassbender said, “I think
teachers like the idea.”
NHS member Emily
Luttrell said, “[Tutoring]
makes me proud to be
academically recognized.”
NEWS
briefs

LONDON, England - WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange,
willingly handed himself over to British police on Wednesday,
December 8. He was released from jail December 17 and is
being confined to a mansion in London. He must report to
police daily, wear an electronic tag and put up 240,000 pounds
in bail. The next hearing will be January 11.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota - Pounding snow from the blizzard
on Sunday, December 12 caused many states to be under
alert. At the 64,000 seat Metrodome, home of the NFL team
the Minnesota Vikings, the snow was too much to handle.
The Teflon roof ripped and collapsed, spilling snow onto the
field and onto the inside of the building. The Vikings were
supposed to play the New York Giants in the Metrodome on
December 12, but the game was rescheduled to be played
on Monday, December 13 in Detroit.

YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea - Tuesday, November
23 was the beginning of the breaking of the 57 year old
armistice between North and South Korea. Days after, South
Korea threatened retaliation, and on December 8, the U.S.
pressured China to act on North Korea after they threatened
to declare war.
MARINETTE, Wisconsin - On Monday, November 29, Marinette
High School was the scene of a hostage situation. One teacher
and about two dozen students were held hostage for six hours
by another fifteen year old student. The student, sophomore
Samuel Hengle, shot himself and died by gunshot wound
later that evening.


MADISON, Wisconsin - Since the beginning of his campaign,
and later his election, Scott Walker has been aiming to
abolish the high speed rail plan for Wisconsin. On Thursday,
December 9, it was made clear that the project was dead,and
that the $810 million allotted to Wisconsin will be given to
other states.

RALEIGH, North Carolina - 61 year old Elizabeth Edwards died
on Tuesday, December 7 after battling cancer for six years.
She was a famous attorney, best-selling author, advocate of
gay marriage, and health care activist.
Melanie Guitzkow, Reporter
Sources: CNN, Fox News, NBC
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
The Purple Sage wishes you happy holidays
During this holiday season and every day of the year,
we wish you all the best.
Tammy A Reefe, AAMS®
Financial Advisor
.
314 E Main Street
Waunakee, WI 53597
608-850-6267
Shelley M Moffatt,
AAMS®
www.edwardjones.com
Member SIPC
Financial Advisor
.
221 S Century Avenue
Waunakee, WI 53597
608-849-6649
December 22, 2010
The Purple Sage
Page 3
OPINION
Jamie Warner, Opinion Editor
Waunakee’s winter wonderland
at our parking lots, a good
amount of our vehicles are
small cars. What happens
Picture this: You wake
when you have small cars and
up on a weekday morning
snow? You get an accident just
and out your window is
waiting to happen. Without
a blanket of white fluff
four wheel drive or frontcovering everything
wheel drive, a ride
and everywhere you
in the snow is full
look.
of sliding through
What happens when
There are at least
stop signs and
ten feet of snow, and
swerving around
you have small cars and
icicles are hanging
corners. This is an
snow? You get an accident
off your roof. The first
issue because it
thing that pops into
can cause crashes. just waiting to happen.
your head is, “Do I
Accidents on the
– Angela Gilbertson
have school today?”
road can also
You rush downstairs
create traffic
to check the news,
problems, which
and to your displeasure, on time? As we all know, the leads to students being late for
almost ever y school is chance of getting a snow day class and is a safety hazard in
closed but yours. Since you is always slim.
itself.
are probably a resident of For the majority of students The roads on school mornings
Waunakee reading this in high school, the ideal are busy with students driving,
newspaper, you know I transportation to school is parents dropping off their kids,
am talking about a typical driving. When you look around and bus drivers taking students
to where they need to be.
Streets and intersections are
cluttered as people rush to be
on time. All of this traffic plus
ten feet of snow can not lead to
anything good. It is dangerous
for everyone to be put in these
situations. Once again, picture this:
You rush to your window on a
weekday morning, and there
is a blanket of white fluff at
least ten feet thick covering
everywhere you look. Icicles
dangle from the end of your
roof. The first thing that pops
into your head is, “Do I have
school today?” and so you rush
downstairs to check the news.
To your pleasure, almost every
school is closed, including
yours. This, I know, is what we
all want to see happen when
these days occur.
Angela Gilbertson
Production Assistant
Thumbs up!
Thumbs down...
As the
storefronts
have prophesized it for
the last few
months, winter break has
finally come.
Secret
Santa: not
so secret
anymore. Also,
the person who
signs up but
does not
deliver.
The student
council fundraiser, Canes
for Canes. If
the name of
the project did
not endear
you, then the
goal, aiding
the elderly,
will.
The new
KFC/Taco
Bell. Twice
the fast food
goodness!
Flashing LED
Christmas
lights. “The
more, the
merrier” is the
wrong
philosophy
here.
School on
Christmas
Eve’s eve.
Obligatory
small gifts
for coworkers or
distant
relatives.
snowy day in Waunakee. Does
our superintendent ignore
how much of a hassle it is to
transport ourselves to school?
Along with that, does he not
think of all the conditions we
have to face to make our arrival
“
”
Inaction a worse decision than building a roundabout
Jamie Warner
Opinion Editor
After a meeting with the
Department of Transportation,
a proposed roundabout to
clear traffic at the intersection
of Highway 19 and Highway
Q has sparked controversy
amongst the community of
Waunakee. As tension and
debate rises over the planned
roundabout, it is important to
keep the project in perspective.
Many complaints have been
raised about the proposal:
it is confusing to navigate, it
would hurt local businesses,
it would be unsightly, etc.
However, what needs to
be remembered is that the
roundabout is a solution to an
existing problem, the backed
up traffic on Highway 19. What
Page 4
eventually needs to happen
as a proper long-term solution
would involve rerouting the
highway around our village,
but doing so cannot happen
anytime soon (even if there
were funding).
As a result, we are stuck
with a choice between shortterm solutions, of which there
are several. The Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
first proposed that Highway 19
be expanded into four lanes,
removing street parking space.
However, this was deemed
unacceptable because it would
heavily damage businesses
and pedestrian traffic. The
roundabout was chosen as the
lesser of evils.
After all, something needs
to be done about the traffic on
Highway 19. The jam restricts
passage from the stores nearby
to the street, meaning that
would-be customers often
simply bypass the Waunakee
businesses to avoid the hassle.
The problem will only get worse
over time. If the condition
on the street deteriorates too
far, then traffic could become
unstable, leading to serious
traffic jams in addition to
the constant overflow. Doing
nothing is hardly a viable
solution.
If we assume that something
needs to be done about the
problem, then what happens
if we look at the beast of the
roundabout in the eye? Well,
the space it needs will certainly
damage the sur rounding
businesses – but not as much
as the total damage traffic
would cause. The damage
The Purple Sage
could be reduced by shifting
the roundabout to the Village
Hall lot and thereby not
interfere with the surrounding
businesses.
To ease our financial woes,
the cost of the roundabout
would be greatly reduced by
federal funding. Although the
cost of the roundabout might
be as much as $10 million,
Waunakee would only have to
pay about $600,000.
Despite complaints of
confused drivers causing
crashes, roundabouts usually
improve safety. A study done
by the National Highway
Cooperative Research Program
showed that roundabouts
reduce crashes by about 35
percent. In addition, crashes
that do occur are at lower
speeds and in the same
direction.
As for complaints of the
roundabouts being confusing
themselves, I hope that such
confusion goes away after
the resourceful citizens of
Waunakee get used to the
traffic device. A roundabout
would hit businesses in the
short term and be confusing for
a while, sure, but Waunakee
has little else to try.
Yes, it is clear that the
roundabout is unpopular and
has its share of flaws. However,
the current traffic is even less
accepted – and will become
more so as time goes on. We
have little other choice but to
accept the roundabout. If we
do, then maybe it will not be
so bad.
December 22, 2010
THE
OPINION
speaks
WEDNESDAY SOCIETY
Con-text of communication
Daredevil multitaskers across Wisconsin have a new law
to dread while free on the road: a restriction on texting while
driving. Yes, it is true: the number of people who can drive
down the highway while looking down in their lap – and often
driving around 100 yards without looking at the road – has
increased to a point where legislators have been forced to
make a law against it.
The violation is a primary offense, so people can be pulled
over solely because they were texting. Of course, violators
will probably first be identified by their wild swerves and
delayed adjustments before officers dare to get close enough
to peer through the window. Because of how obvious offenders
are, enforcement of the law will be relatively easy.
It is astounding, however, just how common the criminal
case is. No doubt many of our readers are sheepishly thinking
back on a day they themselves laughed at a text or two while
on the road.
One instance in 2008 comes to mind particularly to show
how widespread the problem has become. On an autumn
evening, a Metrolink train set off from downtown Los Angeles
to a nearby suburban city. All was normal until the crew
spotted another train barreling toward them on the tracks.
One of the conductors pulled their emergency brake, but
it was too late; the two collided head-on. Both locomotives
and a passenger car fell over, and 25 people were killed.
Afterwards, an investigation found the cause of the crash;
the engineer was sending a text message and ran through
a red signal.
The story repeats itself throughout the public; according to
the Department of Transportation, there were 5,475 deaths
and almost half a million injuries in car accidents which
involved distracted driving in 2009.
The restriction on texting while driving may seem
laughable, but it is a widespread issue. A person might feel
safe and snug driving down a road while enjoying a text
conversation, and in many cases, they can get away with
it, but in truth, they are driving worse than they would
be if they were driving while intoxicated. On the road, the
people who make mistakes and cause problems never seem
to realize it, and unfortunately, because of the innocence of
texting while driving, it is likely a problem that will stick
with us for a while.
Q
“
uotable
UOTE
Once we
begin to
see, we are
doomed and
challenged
to seek the
strength to
see more,
not less.
”
– Arthur Miller
Should we have opened our gates to KFC/Taco Bell?
About four years ago, people began to whisper of the coming of a new restaurant in Waunakee: the KFC/Taco Bell combination. In just a few weeks, the prophecy
will be fulfilled, and we can bask in the glow of deep fried bliss. At first, the smart town upbringing in me opposed the new restaurant, but the city boy (born in
Milwaukee, raised in Janesville and later Madison) was excited. Now, in the interest of fairness, we will see both directions the new restaurant could take us.
Waunakee does NOT need
KFC/Taco Bell
Waunakee has long prided
itself in being a “bedroom
community,” meaning we are
a small, primarily residential
community with a limited,
local economy. If people want
amenities they go to Madison.
We keep out the big box stores
because they do not go with
our small town America image,
so why should we let KFC/Taco
Bell change that?
Not only is the new KFC/
Taco Bell an affront to the
atmosphere of the community,
it is unnecessary. We already
have McDonald’s, Burger King,
Subway, Milio’s, and multiple
pizza restaurants.
Speaking of pizza, remember
Cimino’s? Cimino’s was a local
mom and pop business that
unfortunately folded earlier
this year. It is national fast food
chains like Pizza Hut that drove
this delicious Waunakee-born
and run business into the
ground. KFC/Taco Bell stands
to do the same thing to our
other local restaurants.
Supporting the local
economy is important.
L ocal businesses employ
many community members,
especially teenagers. When
a business like
K F C o r Ta c o
Bell pushes
other local
businesses
out, the local
economy here
is damaged
because money
goes to big
corporations
elsewhere.
THE PURPLE SAGEEditorial Staff
Contact us by e-mail: [email protected]
Waunakee DOES need KFC/Taco Bell
As my alter identity pointed out,
Waunakee has already embraced other
fast food chains, and the addition of
another fast food restaurant will not
affect our status as a bedroom
community, if you think that
is important. The building is
fairly small, and the
exterior is as classy
as the interior of
McDonald’s; it is
not high class,
but has a
refined feel.
KELLY MARTIN
Sports Editor
EMILY DREWRY
Copy Editor
LILY VANDERBLOEMEN
News Editor
JOSH LERDAHL
AIDAN SCHLITTLER
Sage Page Editors
AARON SCHMIDT
Advertising Manager
JAMIE WARNER
Opinion Editor
SARA VINCENT
Features Editor
SIERRA GILLESPIE
Entertainment Editor
December 22, 2010
LYDIA DORN
Photography Editor
ANGELA GILBERTSON
Production Assistants
EDITORIAL
POLICIES
The Purple Sage
Waunakee Community High School
301 Community Drive
Waunakee, WI 53597
OLIVIA KNIER
Editor in Chief
CHRIS PEDERSEN
Web Page Manager
Furthermore, while it is
unfortunate that Cimino’s
closed, if it was really as great
as my alter-ego and I think
it was, people should have
supported it. After all, their
prices were fairly competitive.
They simply did not make the
cut.
Finally, while it is true that
franchises pay a franchising
fee to the corporation that
owns the brand, franchises
still employ local citizens and
the income they and the owner
earn also stimulate the local
economy. The name may be
national, but a franchise is a
locally run business, even if it
does not have a local flair.
Ultimately, KFC/Taco Bell
merely provides another lunch
or dinner option, and time will
tell if Waunakee is a good fit for
the business.
The Purple Sage is written and produced entirely by
Waunakee Community High School students. Opinions
in The Purple Sage are the opinions of the author and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the newspaper
staff or the school district. Students, staff, and members
of the community are welcome to submit Letters to the
Editor. Letters should be 250 words or less and must be
signed. Letters may be delivered to room 1502, or sent
to our mailing or email address.
The Purple Sage is published monthly and is printed
by South Central Publishing. The Purple Sage is a
member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association,
the National Scholastic Press Association and the Kettle
Moraine Press Association. Subscriptions to The Purple
Sage are available for $20 per year. Mail subscription
requests or other requests to our mailing address or
e-mail address.
Chris Pedersen
Webpage Manager
TAMMY RADEMACHER
Adviser
The Purple Sage
OSRIC
Gnome
Page 5
OPINION
Attention all Waunakee drivers: it is now winter
Glenn Will
Columnist
I was supposed to be writing
about my opinions on the new
ban of texting while driving,
but after seeing how cars
were driving in the parking
lot after the first snowfall, I
felt obligated to tell people
they cannot drive like idiots,
especially since there is ice on
the ground.
The problem is not only with
students, but also how parents
are driving: ignoring stop sign
rules, tailgating and going way
over the speed limit in the
parking lot. I usually like to
cruise on through as well, but
seriously? There are like five
inches of fresh snow; you are
going to slide, so slow down.
Without a doubt, the worst
offenders are the male
students who insist on driving
unsafely at all times of the
year. I understand your future
lies in watching cars do the
same, but do not put me at
risk for your stupidity. If you
insist on doing this, please do it
somewhere else, where there
are not one hundred and fifty
tightly packed cars and people
roaming around. Go down to
some other parking lot, with
less people, or head out the
country somewhere. It does
not matter to me, just do not
force me to back my car up
to avoid being t-boned at an
intersection (something that
has happened twice already).
Then there are the giggling
girls who constantly make
mistakes and do not care.
They need to stop laughing
like it is going to help anything
and learn from their mistakes.
Seriously, grow up and realize
you are not the only person on
the road.
According to the Wisconsin
Department of
Transportation,
the time of day
with the most
accidents that
caused injur y
was between three
and four p.m., which is right
when we get out of school,
coincidentally. We have to
get it out of our head
that needing to
be somewhere
does not give
us the luxur y
of driving like
maniacs.
I am not saying I want
Officer Lybeck to come around
issuing citations to everyone
who has not “winterized”
their driving plans,
but I do want
to be
able
t o
get
out
of here
without
feeling like I just barely
beat death.
There are myriad perspectives, but all have claim to truth
Eric Momou
Columnist
In the modern day, people
have an adamant resolve to
seek out truth. Yet away from
the everyday American’s world
of present day suburbia is the
unknown world of battles and
bloodshed over the concept
of belief. No where has belief
been more prevalent than in
religion. In the Middle East, the fight
between the Shiites and Sunni
sects of Islam have caused
such a stir for ages that perhaps
the basis of the conflict might
never be uncovered. In Sudan,
it has been estimated that over
17,000 children are forced into
armed militias over cultural
feud. The ghosts of Belgium
rule in Congo still haunt the
country.
As an eyewitness to tragedy, a
person will wonder: Is religion
the answer to man’s woes? Is it
the balm to our troubles?
Respectfully, it seems like
the issue of religion is merely
an irritation – a festering callus
Suppose you are situated
At the same time, from an
that does not heal, doing more in the passenger seat of a adjacent bus stop that you have
harm than good.
car, cruising to any desired passed, another individual
What then is truth? Belief destination. You tune out to sits. In the miniature, flimsy
is defined as that which one the drone of the car engine and and plastic fortification, the
ardently trusts in, hopes in radio and listen to the steady person witnesses the rain.
and perceives as truth. Truth rain outside the window. From In the tedious wait, he looks
then, is a subjective reality in your present speed of 45 miles at his watch and grimaces.
which the realm of
The hands read 7:40. He
perceptions a person
is late for work again.
chooses to believe
the business man it
Truth, then, is a subjective To
might well differ
seems as if no time has
reality in which the realm of elapsed. As this person
from fact.
I began to get
stationary, the deluge
perceptions a person chooses is
curious after reading
falls straight down,
to believe in might well differ contrary to the viewpoint
a brochure on the
subject entitled “Is
from the car.
from fact.
Religion Losing
In the atmospheric
– Eric Momou
its Influence?” It
gales above, a passenger
is a respectable
of a commercial airplane
p u b l i c a t i o n
experiences little of what
distributed by Jehovah’s per hour, the rain appears the prior two have undergone
Witnesses, the enthusiasts to slant. In truth, you are on earth. In her sense of the
who go door to door.
experiencing a kind of optical relative world above the
After much metacognition, illusion, a phenomenon based nimbus clouds, there is no
I believe that truth may be on a relative sense of motion rain. Situated comfortably, she
understood through the use of in respect to your current is oblivious as the rest of the
a physical analogy.
situation. Your sense of time world remains in melancholy
As always, I implore the is jilted because you think of from the downpour. She views
reader to imagine another’s life as it passes by you at your civilization as a speck. All she
vantage point.
current speed.
hears is the faint reverberations
“Yes. We go a long
time in the winter
without any breaks,
so snow days help
to refresh.”
Kayla Hanson
Grade 10
“Yes, it’s nicer out
in the summer, so
people can get to
school easier if we
push back the year.”
Eric Anderson
Grade 11
“
”
“No. That’s why
we’re state
champions at so
many things; we’re
tough.”
“Yes, roads are bad,
so people can’t get
to school, especially
if they live far away.”
Ashley Statz
Grade 9
“We don’t care how
many snow days we
have; we’re seniors!”
of thunder. She sees the distant
flashes of lightning below in
her peripheral vision. What is the point of these
illustrations? Each individual
in this parable can attest to
the truth as his or her sense
of the world is based on the
person’s individual reality or
viewpoint. All individuals,
based in different locations,
had a differing sense of time
and place, perceiving his or
her set of reality in the only
way they could. All witnessed
the weather differently. Inside
the car, the world seemed
to slant; outside the bus stop
everything appeared normal
and mundane; and outside the
plane there was nothing.
Likewise, the looking glass
of culture may act in the same
manner while witnessing truth.
Truth may seem distorted
through another’s eyes, but it
may also be what a person can
judge based on circumstance.
Rick Braun
English
Instructor
“ more snow days?
”
Robert Kinzler, Kyle
DesRochers, Jameson
Coopman, Josh Paulson,
David Marshall
Grade 12
Should Waunakee have
Photo poll by Lydia Dorn and Jamie Warner
Page 6
The Purple Sage
December 22, 2010
FEATURES
Sara Vincent, Features Editor
Science Club “raises the dead” in Kansas
allotted for travel on both ends
of the trip.
In order to get to the dig
Members of the Science Club site, the Science Club took
traveled to “the land before three vans down to Kansas,
time” in search of fossilized spending 14 hours in the
remains of prehistoric beasts. vehicle each way. “The car ride
T h e y w e r e u t m o s t l y was super long,” said junior
s u c c e s s f u l a n d f o u n d Hailey Bussan.“But we found
numerous fossils ranging from ways to entertain ourselves
small vertebrae and teeth [such as] read alouds, Mario
to the whole front end of a Kart, and for the most part,
Xophactinus aduax.
sleeping.”
L a s t s u m m e r, S c i e n c e K a n s a s u s e d t o b e
Instructors Steve Bower and submerged in a body of water
Deb Kellerman took nine called the Western Interior
members of the Science Seaway. During the Cretaceous
Club down to Kansas for a period, this seaway stretched
paleontological adventure of from the Arctic Ocean to the
a lifetime. These students had Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, all
five days of digging in Russel the fossils dug up and brought
Springs, Kansas with two days back were marine creatures.
Kelsey Mayer
Reporter
Science Club recovered bones from:
Xiphactinus audax Leidy - largest bony fish of the
Late Cretaceous Seas
Clidastes and Platecarpus - Monasaur marine lizards
Plesiosaur - Long necked carnivorous lizard
Pteranodons and Nyctosaurus - Flying birds
characteristically toothless and tailless
Hesperornis - Toothed marine bird
Cretoxyrhina mantelli and Squalicorax - Large
sharks
Saurocephalus, Saurodon and Prosaurodons Sword-eels
Enchodus petrosus and Enchodus gladiolus Sabre-toothed fish
All were found at the Kansas site
When a student found a
fossil, they had to excavate it.
To do this, they chiseled away
the rock all the way around
the fossil and about eighteen
inches underneath it. “The excavating process
is a lot of work and a lot of
digging. It must have taken two
days just to dig [a fossil] out,
and sometimes it ended up
breaking. But hey, I got to use
a pick axe for the first time,”
said Bussan.
After digging the fossil out
of the ground, they applied
glue to it and covered it in
aluminum foil. Then they
would dip long strips of burlap
into plaster and cover the foil
as a protective jacket for the
ride home.
Upon return to Waunakee,
the students involved in the
“Dino Dig” needed to prep
the fossils they found. This
is a long process that is going
on in Bower’s room and will
continue on throughout the
rest of the school year. It is
approximated for each hour
spent out in the field finding
fossils, it takes 20 hours in the
lab prepping them.
The fossil preparation
process done by the students
is actually very similar to the
process used by professionals.
The tools and machines owned
by the Waunakee Science
Department are the same
The “Dino-Dig” group at their worksite in Kansas. The group discovered
many fossils from the Cretaceous period. (Photo submitted)
as those machines used in
museums. The first step of preparing a
fossil is to get rid of as much
excess rock as possible using
a Micro-Jack tool. This is
similar to a pencil and uses air
pressure to chip away at the
excess rock. The only risk with
the Micro-Jack is that without
care, it could start chipping
away at the fossils as well as
the rock.
After getting rid of as much
rock as possible, students
move onto the Micro Blaster.
“The prep work is kind of scary
at first, but using the Micro
Blaster is pretty cool,” said
Bussan.
This is set up in a closed
off booth with a vacuum to
remove all the dust. The Micro
Blaster then cleans the fossils
by shooting out baking soda at
600 miles per hour.
After this process is finished,
they mount the fossils and put
them out for show.
The Science Club takes
this trip roughly every other
year, and any student who is
interested in uncovering fossils
is welcome to go. Overall, the
group had immense success
and was able to return with
many fossils. Students can stop by the
library and check out some of
the finished fossils.
Student Council embraces season of giving
Maggie Frawley
Reporter
Finding new ways to
volunteer and bring new light
to people’s lives can be hard
to accomplish. The Student
Council is always looking for
new ways to fundraise for
different causes.
This month, they ran three
major events. They organized
“Canes for Canes,” “Call an
Elf,” and they sponsored a
“Cancer Sucks Out” basketball
game. Each of these events
were very sucessful and each
benefitted a different group of
people.
“Canes for Canes” was a
fundraiser to raise money for
the geriatrics branch of the
UW hospital. Geriatrics is a
medical branch that deals
with diseases and disorders
of elderly patients. The money
made in this fundraiser buys
coloring books, large print
books, stuffed animals and
card games to entertain the
elderly patients who are often
lonely. Of the objects that were
donated last year, junior Megan
December 22, 2010
Fitzpatrick said, “They loved
it.” The total amount raised
from selling canes was $250.
The corporation MERI will
match the total profits of the
fundraiser up to $500.
The candy canes were
delivered to recipients around
the school on December 21
by “Santa’s Elves.” Each mint
candy cane was sold for $1
individually and five candy
the high school office phones
(849-2100), and “elves” from
Santa’s Workshop will talk
to the children and ask them
what they want for Christmas. “Call an Elf” is not a fundraising
event but instead benefits the
children of the community.
The “Cancer Sucks Out”
basketball game was held
December 10 at the boys
basketball game against Mt.
Horeb.
Prior to the game, Student
Council sold “Cancer Sucks”
t-shirts, with all profits going
towards the American Cancer
Society. The shirts were sold
from November 8-17 in a
variety of different colors and
tie-dye designs. The student
section was a colorful array of
canes for $4. Donations were Cancer Sucks t-shirts. At the
collected at both lunches and game, “Coins for Cure” were
during the delivery process. collected at half time to benefit
“It makes people happy, and cancer research. There were
since it’s the giving season you also ribbons sold that were tied
feel so good about donating,” to a large chicken wire ribbon
said Fitzpatrick.
in many different colors. Each
“Call an Elf ” is an event for of the small different colored
the children of the community. ribbons symbolized a different
The event will be held tonight, type of cancer. At half time,
from 4-6 p.m. Children can call the large ribbon filled with the
Student Council
raised a total of
$2,889
for the American
Cancer Society
The Purple Sage
smaller ribbons was shown
with its rainbow of different
colors. All of the money raised
and one dollar from each ticket
sold was donated to the
American Cancer Society.
The total amount raised from
the shirts and the game came
to $2,889, which was presented
to a representative from the
American Cancer Society at
half time.
Juniors Kelsey Cherf and Nicole Anderson
sell candy canes at lunch for “Canes for
Canes.” (Photo by Jeremiah Kirch)
$2,246 was raised from
selling “Cancer Sucks”
t-shirts.
Students at the “Cancer Sucks Out” basketball game sported many
multicolored “Cancer Sucks” t-shirts. (Photo by Kelsey Mayer)
Page 7
[IM with AlysonSchaefer from PurpleSage13]
What to do if
you are being
cyberbullied:
PurpleSage13: Why are you passionate about cyberbullying?
AlysonSchaefer: Kids hide behind screens to express discontent
with students instead of being mature and saying it to their face.
Cyberbullying is as bad as sexual abuse. Also, it’s a decimation of one’s
character.
PurpleSage13: Have you ever gotten involved in a student’s
cyberbullying issues?
AlysonSchaefer: The involvement I’ve had was supporting a student
who got cyberbullied and dropped out of school.
PurpleSage13: Do you think the school should get involved with
cyberbullying?
AlysonSchaefer: It depends on the situation. The school should get
involved if there are threats and if it concerns the student’s mental and
physical health.
PurpleSage13: What are the causes of cyberbullying?
AlysonSchaefer: Just like regular bullying, the person who is doing
the bullying feels powerful and in control. Peer pressure also causes
cyberbullying.
PurpleSage13: If a student sees another student online that is being
cyberbullied, what do you think they should do?
AlysonSchaefer: Decide if you’re going to act immediately and assess
the safety risk. Ask yourself if the student’s physical and mental safety
need to be addressed, and determine if the situation requires adult
assistance.
PurpleSage13: If a teacher sees cyberbullying on a site such as
Facebook, are they required to report it?
AlysonSchaefer: They’re not required to report it. It is up to the
individual teacher whether or not they will report cyberbullying.
PurpleSage13: What can you tell us about the committee you are
starting?
AlysonSchaefer: It’s called the Anti Bully Committee, which will
empower kids to stand up to bullying. Look for upcoming info on it!
1)Do not share anything
through text or instant
messaging on your cell
phone or the Internet
that you would not want
to be made public.
Remember, things posted
electronically may not be
secure and are forever on
the internet.
2)Keep cyber bullying
messages as proof that the
cyberbullying is occurring.
3)Try blocking the person
sending the messages. It
may be necessary to get
a new phone number
or e-mail address and
to be more cautious
about giving out the new
number or address.
4)If the messages are
threatening, tell your
parents or contact your
guidance counselor.
Also, your parents may
want to contact your cell
phone provider, and/or
the police if the messages
are abusive or sexual in
nature.
CYBERBULLYING
THE EVOLUTION OF THE EVERYDAY BULLY
Long gone are the days
of the playground bully.
Today, a student may
not only be harassed by
a peer in the hallway,
but also may be abused
through online channels.
A new generation of bullies is emerging with the
introduction of social
networking sites such as
Facebook and an increase
in the use of instant messaging and e-mail among
youths.
This phenomenon is
called cyberbullying, de-
did to cause the cyber attacks. Also, since some
cyberbullying attacks are
posted publicly, for example on a victim’s Facebook
wall, the victim develops
the perception that absolutely everyone knows.
More and more students
are utilizing cyberspace as
a bullying venue because
the harassment can be
done from a physically
distant location, and the
bully does not have to see
the immediate response.
In fact, some teens sim-
ply might not recognize
the serious harm they are
causing because they are
sheltered from the victim’s response.
Students should be conscious about what they
post online and what they
decide to send to peers.
Messages may be hurting
someone unintentionally.
People should take a moment to think before they
type. One never knows
how someone is going to
react on the other side of
the screen.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE EVERYDAY BULLY
WOMAN
LOSES
200 POUNDS WITH
EVOLUTION OF THE
EVERYDAY
BULLY
ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT DIET
CYBERBULLYING
• Girls are more likely than boys to be the
target of cyberbullying.
•
There is a direct correlation to the amount
of time students spend online, and the
likelihood that they will be bullied.
WHAT TO DO IF
• 10% of kids who were cyberbullied told
YOU ARE
their parents about the
incident.
BEINGBULLY
CLICK HERE AND
ALL YOUR WILDEST
DREAMS WILL COME
TRUE!!
•
53% of kids admit to having
said something mean or
hurtful to another person
online.
•
42% of kids have been
bullied while online. 1 in 4
have had it happen more than once.
CYBERBULLIED
Sources: Cyberbullyalert.com, The National Crime Prevention Center, i-SAFE foundation, Bullyingstatitics.org
Page 8
fined as: “willful and repeated harm inflicted
through the use of computers, cell phones, and
other electronic devices,”
by the Cyberbullying Research Center.
The cyberbully can
conceal his or her identity behind a computer or
cell phone using anonymous e-mail addresses or
screen names. Because of
this, victims not only feel
hurt and offended by the
cyberbully’s remarks, but
confused as to what they
Spread by Sara Vincent, Laura Meeker, Anna Evansen, and Lana Scholtz
The Purple Sage
Page 9
ENTERTAINMENT
Sierra Gillespie, Entertainment Editor
Getting stuck becomes entertaining
Brandyn Liebe
Columnist
A few weeks ago I was
unfortunate enough to get
stuck in the huge snowstorm
stranding me in DeForest for
the night.
On the way home the next
morning, I pulled over
to the side of the road.
When I tried to pull back
out, I found that I had
pulled over a little too
far and that I was slowly
drifting into the ditch.
Fortunately, I stopped
the car before it got too
far down and with some
help I got out of the ditch with
no harm done. However, while
I was on the side of the road it
got me thinking of how many
other people out driving will
end up on the shoulder like
I did.
No matter if you find yourself
in this situation because of a
stupid mistake, or if you lose
control and shoot off the road,
here are the top five things all
teenagers need to have when
stuck in the ditch in the winter.
5. D e n t a l F l o s s Always,
always, always remember the
importance of good dental
hygiene. Getting out of the ditch
is worthless if you get tooth
decay. Constant flossing is very
crucial to a healthy smile. Once
a day minimum. I mean, hey,
good for cutting off blocks
for making an igloo. You
may think your car is safest,
however, unless you have a
white car with some chrome
rims, you will stand out like
a sore thumb. Nonetheless,
your car will eventually run
out of gas, forcing you to find a
your time is not going to be
too occupied if you are stuck
in the wilderness anyway.
4. Portable Microwave Oven
Make sure you have some sort
of microwavable product. What
is the point of having a portable
microwave oven without that?
3. Snow Saw Great for
amputations and fending off
caribou. You should probably
carry at least a 40 inch blade,
just to be safe. This is also
more permanent settlement.
2. Bear Grylls Who better
to get you through these
tough times than the man
of adventure himself? I
recommend putting him in
the center console if possible.
Plenty of space for him to move
around, and if you poke some
air holes in the side he will be
sound as a pound. Once he
gets his adrenaline pumping
he can do almost anything.
1. Polar Bear Urine Whether
you are on the side of the
road for five minutes or five
hours, the first thing you
want to do is establish a safe
perimeter. If you take a jar
Concert pleasing to the ears
Meghan Caulfield
Columnist
The lights
began to dim
and smoke
began to appear
the crowd went
wild. Adoring fans began to
scream for Christofer Drew,
the frontman of Never Shout
Never. His name sounds
amongst high pitched squeals
of utter excitement. As Drew
himself walked onto the
stage alone, without his band
“The Shout,” the screams
only grew louder and the
crowd became more and
more eager for the music
to begin. As soon as the
first chords of Never Shout
Never’s “Harmony” began to
play, a calm and seemingly
confident Drew captured the
attention of the crowd. Right
as “Harmony” was coming to
a close, “The Shout” rushed
on stage to join Drew and
began to play “Love is Our
Weapon,” the opening track
to their first album, What is
Love? Confetti soared into
the crowd as everyone sang
along.
On November 26, Never
Shout Never headlined a
show alongside The Maine,
I Can Make a Mess like
Nobody ’s Business, and
Carter Hulsey at The Rave
in Milwaukee. This was
one of the last stops in the
“Harmony” tour to promote
Page 10
Never Shout Never’s second
album entitled, Harmony.
Harmony is an 11 track album
of short songs, which sounds
similar to Drew ’s former,
primarily acoustic songs.
Drew started off promoting
his songs on myspace in Joplin,
Missouri, and has since been
taking on the world with his
love for music.
On his new album, Drew
targets new subject matter.
While he still writes about
how he sees the world and his
relationships, he also targeted
how he as well as others view
him. Tracks such as “Sellout”
and “This S**t Getz Old” are
examples of this. “Piggy Bank”
has a strong folk-rock sound,
which sets it apart from the
other songs. Some stand out
tracks on the album are “Sweet
Perfection” and “Harmony.”
Never Shout Never played
Harmony almost in its entirety,
as well as multiple songs off of
What is Love?. Carter Hulsey, I
Can Make a Mess like Nobody’s
Business, and The Maine were
the perfect openers, making
the show overall a success
just like Never Shout Never’s
newest release.
When Drew alongside The
Shout ran offstage, the
entire venue began to chant.
Drew came out to play one
last song, “The Past.” The
crowd took this as their last
opportunity to sing along and
take in the final moments of
such a memorable show.
or flask of polar bear urine
and draw out a perimeter,
its odor should protect you
from most threats out there.
I recommend 50 yards on all
sides of your vehicle. You do
not want to travel too far from
your car because that would
put you in more danger than
just staying in your
car. As mentioned
p r e v i o u s l y, t h e
mere scent of the
polar bear urine
will drive off most
prey. Unfortunately,
it may not drive
off any other polar
bears. Polar bears,
u n like the N o r th
American Brown Bear, are
not territorial. However, polar
bears, if given the option, will
avoid confrontation. So, there
is a large chance that if a polar
bear gets near enough to you it
will walk away. The only time
when a polar bear would attack
you would be during mating
season, if it thinks you are a
rival candidate. Fortunately,
the polar bear mating season
is usually between March
and June, with April being the
most sought after month, so
the snow will be gone by then
anyways.
WHS Gleek
WHS alumnus Nick
Frey was featured
in two episodes of
“Glee.”
Five months after walking the halls of WHS, Nick
Frey appeared on FOX’s
hit TV show, “Glee.”
Frey was first shown on
the November 9 episode,
“Never Been Kissed,” and
featured in the “Teenage
Dream” sequence of that
episode. Frey also made
an appearance on the November 16 episode “The
Subsitute.”
“It was very cool to work
on [“Glee”]. I felt lucky
to be working on a show
that I love and everyone
watches,” Frey said.
Frey is currently pursuing his acting and modeling career in Los Angeles.
Frey during “Teenage Dream.”
(Photo Submitted)
‘Raising Hope’ proves itself on FOX
Tommy Wiesler
Columnist
Though “Glee” is a difficult
act to follow, this year’s new TV
show, “Raising Hope” proves
worthy of the timeslot.
“Raising Hope” is this year’s
best new comedy. It can be
extremely bizarre at times, but
it is extremely hilarious.
It debuted on Tuesday,
September 21 this year, and
since its pilot episode was
released, it has gained a large
fan base.
The show stars relative
newcomer, Lucas Neff, who
previously worked on A&E’s
“The Beast” and in the 2010
movie “Amigo.” Neff stars as
Jimmy Chance, a 23 year-old
single father left to raise his
infant daughter, Hope.
Hope was conceived by a one
night stand, and after Hope’s
mother is given the death
sentence, Jimmy is given the
custody of his daughter, thus
beginning the conflict of the
show. Though the baby is not
much of the problem, raising
her in Jimmy’s dysfunctional
household is an issue.
Jimmy receives little help
from his mother, played
by veteran actress Martha
Plimpton, and his father, played
The Purple Sage
by Garret Dillahunt, who were
not the best parents throughout
his own childhood.
The main premise of the
show is Jimmy ’s struggle
to raise Hope in his current
situation. He lives in a
house that is not
baby-proofed,
his job as a pool
skimmer does
not get him
any health
insurance,
which he
n e e d s
for when
Hope is sick,
and his paycheck will not
support daycare.
With his parents being little
help raising Hope, Jimmy is left
in a difficult situation. Luckily
he meets Sabrina, played by
Shannon Woodward, who
gives him some relief. Sabrina
gets Jimmy in at her sister’s
insane daycare for babies,
seniors, and dogs. She also
gets him a job at her grocery
store, so he can get insurance.
Sabrina and Jimmy become
good friends, but Jimmy wants
more. However, Sabrina has a
boyfriend, who gets in Jimmy’s
way. Jimmy needs to spend
more time with Sabrina to get
a chance, but that means he
needs to leave Hope in the
care of his incapable parents,
who are busy taking care of
Jimmy ’s dementia-stricken
grandma Maw Maw, played
by Cloris Leachman. While
Maw Maw is usually insane and
crazy for most of the show, her
occasional lapses of reality and
can be quite helpful.
The show is funny and cute,
and is definitely worth a watch.
Though it has only been on
television for three months,
it has a promising storyline
that will hopefully continue.
Following the hit show,
“Glee,” “Raising Hope”
proves its place in the lineup.
“Raising Hope” was most likely
placed after “Glee” in hopes
that viewers would stay tuned
for the latter show, and the
network has seemingly made
the right choice. Though not
quite cemented as TV royalty,
“Raising Hope” will hopefully
stick around long enough
for Jimmy to raise Hope into
adolescence.
Tune in on Tuesdays, 8 p.m.
on FOX, to follow the always
entertaining, and generally
humorous childhood of
Hope. If its past success is
any indication of the future,
“Raising Hope” will be
around for quite some time.
December 22, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT
The classic Christmas film ‘A Christmas Carol’
Sierra Gillespie
Entertainment Editor
“Strange, isn’t
it? Each man’s life
touches so many
other lives. When
he isn’t around he
leaves an awful hole, doesn’t
he?” Says Clarence, George
Bailey ’s guardian angel,
toward the conclusion of “It’s
a Wonderful Life.” It echoes,
in its entirety, the principle
idea the movie emphasizes.
Released in 1946, “It’s a
Wonderful Life” is still shown
64 years later, and although
many things have changed
since its release, the profound
meaning has remained, leading
to the belief that this film will
withstand the test of time.
In 2010, movies seldom
have heartwarming aspects
that were so commonly found
decades earlier. Critically
acclaimed films of present
day have intense portrayals
that, though realistic, are
not always comforting or
enjoyable to think about.
Take, for example, last year’s
“Precious: Based on the Novel
‘Push’ By Sapphire.” The film
swept all the award shows,
but did not capture the hearts
of the audience, rather their
uneasy stomachs. When “It’s
a Wonderful Life” premiered,
films were not as harsh as
they are these days, but still
were not as light-hearted as
we may make them to be.
At the time “It’s a Wonderful
Life” had both comic relief and
heart wrenching aspects. While
most films of the black and
white era live on only through
Turner Classic Movies, “It’s a
Wonderful Life” is beloved by
many of the digital era, and has
become a Christmas classic.
The concept of the film
is simple: a man is out of
luck and is thinking seriously
about committing suicide.
An angel grants him the wish
that he was never born, and
he realizes how important his
life is, and that every man’s
life touches so many others.
The main character, George
Bailey, has lived in Bedford
Falls, a small New York town,
his whole life. All he ever
dreamed of was getting out
and seeing
the world,
but ever y
chance
George has
to leave, he
selflessly
sacrifices
for the
greater
good, and
remains in
his small
community.
S h o w n
every year during the holiday
season, “It’s a Wonderful
Life” is a Christmas favorite,
and gets that credit from the
second half of the film, which
takes place on Christmas Eve.
With a slight mix-up, George
has misplaced $8,000 and will
be sent to jail without it. Fearing
that there is no other alternative,
George plans to kill himself, for
with his life insurance, he is
worth more dead than alive.
Realizing the importance
of George’s life, the angel,
Clarence, saves George,
and shows him how awful
B e d f o r d Fa l l s w o u l d b e
without his influence. After
viewing a horrific alternate
universe, George realizes
the title of the film is true,
that it is a wonderful life.
Frank Capra directed the
six-time Academy Award
nominated film, though at the
time of its release, the movie
was considered somewhat of
a flop because it did not garner
the revenue it was expected to.
However, over the years it has
cemented its status as one of
the great Hollywood classics,
and is sure to live on forever.
Headed by James Stewart
as the relatable and loveable
George Bailey, and Donna
Reed as his levelheaded and
witty wife, Mary, the film has
a plethora of flawless actors
from the golden age of film.
Stewart was formerly known
for comedic and simple roles
(he starred in “The
Shop Around the
Corner” before “It’s
a Wonderful Life,”
which went on to be
re-made into 1998’s
“You’ve Got Mail”),
but after he showed
his range as an actor
in this film, his roles
changed drastically.
( Fo r ex a m p l e h e
starred in “Rear
W i n d o w, ” w h i c h
went on to inspire
2007’s “Disturbia.”) Stewart
plays George Bailey perfectly,
making him both loveable and
pitiful, depending on the scene.
Lionel Barrymore played the
villain, Mr. Potter, long before his
great-niece, Drew Barrymore
went on to star in 1982’s
“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” or
last September ’s mediocre
success, “Going the Distance.”
Barrymore shows an evil side
to the character, making him
the perfect fit for the part.
Decades after its initial
release, “It’s a Wonderful Life”
is still shown every Christmas,
and for good reason. The
theme of the film appeals to
the general audience around
the world, who sometimes
question the meaning of their
lives. “It’s a Wonderful Life” puts
into perspective that every life
matters, and shows everyone
can attain a wonderful life.
Being that Christmas is just
around the corner, it is the
perfect time to watch the
classic film. However, the
meaning of the movie remains
throughout the year: “it’s a
wonderful life.”
Kelly Martin
Sports Editor
In the windy city of Chicago,
the streets are buzzing
with Christmas cheer. As
the temperature drops, the
merriment of the holidays
rises with each moment.
Downtown is the Goodman
Theater, which houses a
Christmas favorite year after
year.
The building has been a
part of Chicago for more then
80 years, and has housed “A
Christmas Carol” for many.
The play is a Christmas
favorite ever y year, and
although the sets are reused,
the play changes annually to
keep audiences returning
year after year. “A Christmas
Carol” runs until December
30.
“A C h r i s t m a s C a r o l , ”
written by Charles Dickens,
has been told for generations.
Dickens used his own life
ex p e r i e n c e s t o i n s p i r e
events of the story. The main
character, Ebenezer Scrooge,
fails to see the joy and givingspirit of Christmas. The ghost
of his dead business partner,
Jacob Marley, along with the
ghosts of Christmas past,
present and future, guide
him to see the error of his
ways and ultimately save
his soul.
In having the honor of
attending this play ten years
in a row, I have had plenty
of time to focus more on the
actors and acting then on the
story line.
This year’s play is much
more emotional then in
previous productions. There
were a few tear-jerking
moments that audiences
have not experienced in prior
years.
The show featured more
music as well, including
a new opener. This year,
the darker scenes of the
show are expected to make
the audience jump, but the
horror is not intolerable.
Fo r t h e b e s t s e a t i n g
selection, it is recommended
that you buy your tickets
online in early July, but tickets
can also be purchased at the
theater.
For the third season in a
row, I have sat in the first
row nearly dead center.
The first row audience sees
the spit from the actors’
articulation, and receives a
face full of fog during dreamy
scenes. Sitting in the front
row makes the play is much
more intimate, and you can
see everything that happens
on stage.
This year Scrooge is played
by John Judd, who makes his
“A Christmas Carol” debut
this winter.
Judd has acted in dozens
of plays in addition to film
and television appearances.
The play started with a bit of
rough acting on his part, but
it quickly improved as the
play went on.
He cemented his talent
with incredible passion for
acting, which was shown
as the show continued.
He provides a believable
character that previous
actors did not.
John Lister, who plays Mr.
Fezziwig, returns for his sixth
season along with 15 other
returning members to the “A
Christmas Carol” production.
These 15 are accompanied
by 11 new actors making “A
Christmas Carol” their debut
show.
Anish Jethlamani, the
Ghost of Jacob Marley, who
returns to the Goodman
for this sixth season of “A
Christmas Carol,” and Ron
Rains, who returns for his
fourth year as Bob Cratchit,
performed flawlessly
throughout the show.
Jingle all the way to the theater this Christmas season
Brittney Hauke
Columnist
With our first blizzard of the
season, Christmas (and the
break) looms on everyone’s
minds. Ever y family does
something different for
the holidays, whether it is
spending the day with family
and friends, traveling or
going to see a movie. The
latter has been growing in
popularity as a Christmas day
activity, and here is some
low-down on the matter.
Not only is going to see a
movie on Christmas a great
December 22, 2010
way to spend time with family,
it is also a good time to release
big block-buster hits. One of
the highest-grossing movie
weekends was December 25
through 27 of last year. “Avatar,”
“Sherlock Holmes” and “Alvin
and the Chipmunks: The
Squeakquel” were released
that weekend, and earned
$75.63 million, $62.39 million
and $48.88 million, respectively.
Altogether, that is over $259
billion of movie revenue, just
during the Christmas weekend!
Christmas movie releases
have a history of bringing in the
big bucks. Some of the top box-
office movies released on this
day are “Catch Me If You Can,”
released in 2002, and “Cheaper
by the Dozen” in 2003. The 2008
Christmas weekend was big for
releases as well, with “Bedtime
Stories,” “The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button” and “Marley
and Me” at the top of the pack.
This year, only one movie
will be released on Christmas
day: “The Illusionist.” The film
is about a French illusionist
who is loses his job to the
more popular forms of
entertainment of the day. One
day, he meets a young girl
named Alice who inspires him
The Purple Sage
to start performing at a lesser
known theater. The illusionist
begins giving her extravagant
gifts, and she starts believing
that his amazing illusions are
real. Not wanting to tell her the
truth, the illusionist continues
to give until he has nothing left.
The movie is rated PG and
around 90 minutes long. I am
particularly attracted to this
film because it is completely
animated, which is becoming
increasingly rare in the film
industry. So far, the average
rating is 7.8 out of 10 stars,
according to IMDB. “ The
Illusionist” has been nominated
for the British Independent film
award, the Satellite Award,
and the Spotlight award from
the USA National Board of
Review. This looks like a nice
holiday film, to be enjoyed by
every member of the family.
My own family has never
gone to the movies on
Christmas. We are normally
spending the day with family
in Milwaukee, however, moviegoing may be a nice change
of routine. Who knows; it
may become a tradition in my
family, like it has with so many
others on Christmas day.
Page 11
ENTERTAINMENT
‘The Game’ provides dating insight
Eric Momou
Columnist
I am a simple
adolescent. My
bedroom walls
are a bare white;
expressionless
per se, if not for
the dismal nature painting on
my right wall. I own a Smith
Corona typewriter that may
be considered aesthetically
pleasing to a senile antiquary.
The average passersby can
attest to it being none more
than a grim abode.
Bland, my world is either
black or white. There are little
to no grey, ornate areas.
With a healthy amount of
skepticism, I began to read
“The Game” and thus became
aware of a profound revelation:
it matters not the origin from
wisdom protrudes, rather it
is the wisdom itself and its
practicality to human life,
even if the informant is a selfproclaimed balding magician,
who professes to understand
the law of attraction in women.
Since reading “The Game,”
by best seller Neil Strauss, a
comedic yet revolutionar y
spin to the ideology of dating
has shed light on what some
may coin with near religious
importance. I have begun to
see the world about me in a
new light, much like a Biblical
epiphany, except I do not
hinder to call it Neil’s Word.
And I do not hesitate to testify
that it is a benefit to the AFC
(book jargon for the Average
Frustrated Chum). One may
begin to view social interaction
as an opportunity—a so called
enlightenment in the social
realm.
Of the numerous constituents
of sociology, it is easy to
decipher that interactions are
multi-faceted. There is the
human psyche behind the
ever-unyielding guard of the
individual façade. The trick
then, is to seep through
an imperfection,
blunt confrontation.
This then creates
tension—it creates imbalance
which disrupts the norm of
equilibrium for safe passage
into a conversation. Genius.
I have begun to leech
off the anecdotes of the
book, paralleling extended
metaphors for my life. Geeky?
I suppose.
The book begins with Neil
Strauss, credible writer for
Esquire and New York Times.
Attempting to come up with
a new idea for his work,
he decides to infiltrate the
‘underground’ society of pickup
artists with such prominent
namesakes as Mystery, David
DeAngelo, Tom Cruise and
Ross Jeffries. Taken under
the wing of Mystery—a gothic
“peacock,”he dons the
alias Style.
Little by little,
Strauss reveals
his encounters
picking up
women through
the online
absolute favorite game of all
time, which earned itself many
Game of the Year awards and
full ratings from reviewers.
Alter your character’s race,
facial structure and skills.
The game holds a massive
world that would take hours to
walk (fast travel allows instant
transport to found places and
main cities), many side quests,
and an epic storyline. It has
a unique system of leveling
skills, so that using
them increases
their value. Try to find the
Game of the
Year edition, as
it comes with
the two main
Downloadable
C o n t e n t s .
You can download them
(and others) on Xbox or
PlayStation’s marketplace
or Steam. (360, PS3, PC)
“Bioshock” ($17.99)
Bioshock remains an
atmospheric and chilling
First Person Shooter/horror
game that sinks you to the
depths of a dilapidated city
full of deformed people and
giant metal guys. It is one of a
select few games with a truly
interesting and original story.
Plasmids never get old, as
anyone who has set security
systems upon their enemies
can attest. This can come in a
combo with Oblivion for a much
cheaper price than buying
each separate. (360, PS3, PC)
“Burnout Revenge” ($19.99) Some people find racing
around a track at top speed
with grace exhilarating. For
everyone else, there is Burnout
Revenge. The concept is
simple: You get a car, other
people get a car, and you
must destroy those cars. With
events that have you wrecking
intersections for maximum
carnage, taking hostile cars
off of the road, and normal
races with an explosive twist,
you will find yourself enjoying
this much more than Nascar.
It lacks Paradise’s open-world,
but that is hardly a problem.
The 360 version is prettier and
comes with some new features
and events. (Xbox, 360, PS2)
“Batman: Arkham Asylum”
($19.99) Play as the Dark Knight
in the first good Batman game.
It is extensive, inventive, and
nothing is more satisfying than
clearing a room of enemies
without alerting a single one
to your presence. The Game
of the Year edition comes with
a couple more challenges
and optional 3D graphics.
“Poker Night at the Inventory”
($4.99) This game is a bit of a
deviation in genre, but every bit
as fun. At the low price of five
dollars you can play a poker
game with the loquaciously
underground
community. Interestingly, he
relates how he was able to
woo Britney Spears and other
attractive women. The book
then is a collaboration of his
experiences and that of certain
associates’ experiences, code
named Extramask and Juggler.
However, Style’s sole focus
becomes women. At his wit’s
end with his obsession he is
consumed by the community
at the expense of friends
and family. Thus begins his
endeavor to find himself by
meeting quality women.
Investing in a Hollywood
mansion with fellow artists,
Style compromises his sanity,
and helps Myster y from
psychopathic demise. The
community then is soon
brought to naught.
It levels the playing
ground, so to speak.
Illustratively speaking
it is playing ground not
intended for the faint of
heart.
Most guys will find this
a beneficial read—not
for the mere fact of
understanding
one night
stands, but in
comprehending themselves
as others see them.
On a less comical note,
the book warrants a sense
of opportunity for both men
and women alike. Reinforcing
confidence, “The Game” is an
incentive boost for any aspiring
pick up artist.
TV Specials
Christmas traditions
vary, but the majority include some sort
of Christmas special.
BRAND NEW
• “30 Rock” Christmas Attack Zone
• “Brothers & Sisters”
Cold Turkey
• “Community” Abed’s
Uncontrollable Christmas
• “Family Guy” Road to
the North Pole
• “Glee” A Very Glee
Christmas
• “The Office” Classy
Christmas Part 1 and 2
• “Pysch” The Polarizin
Express
CLASSIC MOVIES
• “Dr. Suess’ How the
Grinch Stole Christmas”
• “Frosty Returns”
• “Frosty the Snowman”
• “Jack Frost”
• “Little Drummer Boy”
• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer”
• “Rudolph’s Shiny New
Year”
• “Santa Claus Is Comin’
To Town”
• “A Charlie Brown
Christmas”
Games that will blow your mind, but not your allowance
Ryan Minor
Columnist
While everyone
wants to buy the
next big thing, this
practice tends to
leave our pockets
drained. While you
wait for “New Vegas,” “Black
Ops” and “Fable 3” to drop in
price, perhaps you could try
playing an older game. There are plenty of
good games that
are old enough
that you can
buy many for
the price of
a single new
game, so
here is a list
of my favorites:
“Chromehounds” ($4.99) This is a game that received
very little attention, but is great
nonetheless. It allows you to
customize a giant robot and
drive, glide and stomp around
destroying things. This is an entertaining game
with hours of reply from its
great customizability and is
cheaper than a sandwich. Its
online servers were closed,
which is unfortunate. The game
averages about a 7/10 from most
reviewers, but this was with its
multiplayer. (360 exclusive)
“The Elder Scrolls IV:
Oblivion” ($14.99) This is my
Page 12
The Purple Sage
insulting Tycho, the concise,
gun-toting Heavy (of “Team
Fortress 2”) and the slightly
insane Max (of “Sam & Max”).
The dialogue itself is enough to
buy the game, but there is even
more cause if you are a “Team
Fortress 2” ($19.99) owner; you
get several bonuses with the
game, including a spy watch.
If you do have Steam, the
online game shop, you can
take advantage of the deals on
older games, including “The
Orange Box,” ($29.99) which
contains “Half-Life 2,” “Portal,”
and “Team Fortress 2.”
Contributions made by
Laura Meeker.
Comic by Robert Kueffer
December 22, 2010
SPORTS
Austin Maly reflects on final season at WHS
Austin Maly
Guest Columnist
2010 Waunakee Football
Team,
This football season has
been the most fun I have ever
had on any football team. This
team had the best chemistry
that I have ever seen in my
life. Everyone got along and
everyone brought something
special into the relationship we
had with one another. A couple
of guys and I were talking about
this team, and Zak Hougland
said, “We are just a bunch of
goofballs who love playing
football, and are damn good at
it.” We all had to agree because
there was no doubt about that.
We did amazing things that
everyone thought we wouldn’t
be able to do, like beating
Monona Grove and their
“unstoppable” defense, going
14-0, and becoming back to
back state champions. We won
those games because of the
Hogs: John Oyer, Jay Mazanet,
Zach Statz, Eric Alfson, and
Jacob Ohnesorge. They are the
most important players on the
offense, but they don’t get their
name in the press like it should
be. Also, we won those games
because of our fast defense
which held Franklin (the fastest
offense on turf) to only seven
points. We played with heart,
and we played for each other.
No matter what the score
was, we did not let our team
down. Yeah, like any team
there were bumps to heal
and mountains to climb, but
as Coach Martin said, “Never
underestimate the heart of a
champion.” This 2010 team
never did underestimate what
we could do. We believed in
each other and in our coaches.
That is how we became state
champions again and how
we went where no other
Waunakee football team has
gone before, 14-0. The perfect
season, with no regrets.
• Thank you so much coaches
for all the work you guys put
in, and never giving up on us.
• Thank you Mom and Dad for
being there for me, I love you.
• Thank you scout team for
helping us prepare every week
and making the starters better.
• L astly, thanks guys for
giving me the thrill of a life
time with you guys out on
that field on Friday nights
with the crowd roaring.
I’ll never forget you guys.
Juniors, I hope you have had
as much fun this season, as I
had with you guys this season.
Keep this great thing you have
rolling. I hope you learned
from us, on how to do things
the Waunakee way and how
to make team chemistry, so no
team can beat you no matter
the circumstances.
I am very excited to play at
the UW with former Waunakee
football player, Jake Irwin. It
is a complicated process that
people don’t know about. You
still need to be accepted to the
school even though you have a
scholarship, so my grades are
still important. I am planning
on studying business at the UW.
Good luck next year!
Sincerely,
Austin Maly #4
State Champions once again: Football takes state second year in a row
Junior Leo Musso stiff arms a Cedarburg player. Above seniors Kendra
Pfiel, Karrie Larson and Stevie Kaufman perform a dance routine at the
Division 2 State Championship game. (Photos by Adam Stroud)
Girls looking forward to Waunakee rink appearance
Kelly Martin
Sports Editor
The Cap City Cougars girls’
co-op team skated into the
season on November 23 where
they played the Stoughton Coop Icebergs in the Stoughton
Mandt Ice Arena.
Senior Josie Johnson started
off the team’s scoring with the
first point on the board in the first
period. Stoughton answered
with two consecutive goals
early in the second period to
take a 2-1 lead. Sophomore
Michaela Johnson tied the
score up with help from her
sister Josie. The girls scored
again with the help of DeForest
freshman Jamie Henderson.
They continued their streak
with two more goals on the
Icebergs. Josie Johnson and
Madison East’s sophomore
Lily Klapper added two more
December 22, 2010
points late in the third period
to advance the Cougars’ score
to 5-2.
Josie Johnson completed
the game with a hat trick for
the sixth and final goal of the
night. Madison East’s senior
Jana Bellke Skoug helped the
Cougars to victory with a total
of 22 saves. “We definitely
needed to work on our special
teams like our power play,”
Michaela Johnson said. “It was
a little bit disorganized but we
are all getting back into it.”
On December 7, the girls
played at their home rink in
Sun Prairie against Baraboo
where they took home another
victor y 3-1. Josie Johnson,
Klapper and Henderson led the
team with goals. Josie Johnson
said, “I think we are slowly
making improvements and
we are starting to learn each
others tendencies.”
Sophomore Megan
McCormick said, “It was a big
game because they beat us and
got conference championship
last year so it was really a nice
game to win.”
A rescheduled University
School of Milwaukee game
from Saturday, December 11
could potentially be moved to
the Waunakee rink. The team
beat the girls in sectionals last
year, so they were not able to
move on to state.
January 8 against Northland
Pines marks the Cap City
Cougars Waunakee/DeForest
first Ice Pond appearance. Last
year, the girls pulled out a close
victor y 2-1 over Northland
Pines. The Cougars return to
Waunakee’s rink on January 29
to face Appleton, who they beat
2-0 last season. McCormick
said, “I want people to come
to our games. It makes it so
The Purple Sage
much more fun.”
On Monday, December 13,
the girls played Metro Lynx
and were down 3-1 going into
the third quarter, but made a
quick recovery taking the 4-3
victory. The following day, the
team played Middleton to take
home a 4-3 win. On Friday,
December 17, the girls played
River Falls and on Saturday,
December 18 they played
Hudson. This week, the team
had two games against Beloit
Memorial on Monday and
Viroqua on Tuesday.
Next Home
Event
7 p.m.
January 6
vs. Reedsburg
Kelly Martin, Sports Editor
Girls’ basketball
faces tough
competition
Willie Freimuth
Sports Reporter
The L ady Warriors look
to dominate their new
Division 2 foes as the season
begins.
The girls played a couple
of non-conference games
against two of the top teams in
Wisconsin, Luxemburg-Casco
on December 3 and 2010
Division 1 state semifinalist
DePere on December 4. The ladies came away empty
handed in both games. The
Warriors held their own in the
first half of the Luxemburg
game, only down by three
points heading to half time. The main reason for their
success was the containment
of Luxemburg’s 6-foot-2-inch
forward Janelle VandenPlas,
holding her to just 6 points. The Spartans broke it open
in the third when VandenPlas
added 13 of her 27 points,
leading to the Warriors’ demise. Sophomore Samantha Murray
said, “We needed to come out
strong in the second half and
finish the game.”
Murray led the game in
scoring for the Warriors with
16 points. Junior Lindsay Jones
added two threes and was
the Warriors’ second leading
scorer. Foul trouble doomed
Waunakee, as they committed
21 in the game. Junior Kelly
Preston fouled out, and the
ladies were without one of
their leading scorers. The DePere game ended
with a similar result. Murray
led the way for the Warriors,
scoring 18 points. The ladies
were tied after the first quarter
when things began to slip
away. They trailed by 8 points
at the break, and things got
worse as the Warriors lost their
second game that weekend. “In both games we struggled
in the second half, especially
the third quarter, to execute
parts of our game plan,” Coach
Brad Lussier said. “As a team
we need to play well for all 32
minutes.”
On Friday, December 17, the
girls faced Reedsburg and won
39-36. The team is scheduled
to play Verona on Tuesday,
December 21.
“ Verona is always good,
having been to state the past
three years and is a well
coached team. We are the
clear cut favorite. We shared
the title with Sauk Prairie last
year, but they lost their top two
players,” said Lussier.
The girls’ next home event
is January 8 against Baraboo.
Page 13
SPORTS
Boys’ swimming starts the season off with top placings
Kelly Martin
Sports Editor
The boys’ swim team started
off the season taking third
place, with 380 points, out of
eight teams in the Sun Prairie
Invitational on Saturday,
November 27. Monona Grove
took first place with 476 points,
followed by Baraboo in second
place with 426 points. The
Waunakee team attended the
meet with only a partial team
as some of the members were
out of town for the holidays.
Junior Ryan Duff y took
third place in the 500-yard
freestyle race with a time
of 5:13.02. Freshman Jake
Defnet also took third in the
100-yard backstroke in 1:03.99.
Sophomore Chris Kottke
swam the 100-yard butterfly
in 1:02.98, while sophomore
Aidan Schlittler swam 55.62
in the 100-yard freestyle and
senior Adam Stroud swam the
50-yard free race in 24.64.
On November 30, the team
headed to Baraboo for the
Badger Relays, coming home
Wrestling looks to advance in conference
Willie Freimuth
Sports Reporter
Last year the Waunakee
Warrior wrestling team took
8th place in conference and
12 out of 13 in the Badger
Conference Tournament. To
start off this season, they took
second out of a five team
tournament in Cambridge on
December 4. Their only loss
was to a skilled Fort Atkinson
team. Senior Randy Clemens,
at 152 pounds, wrestled the
reining Badger Conference
MVP, Kyle Young, losing 9-4. Freshman Jake Paschke lost a
very tightly contested match,
at 112 pounds, 10-9 to Brett
Bowar from Fort Atkinson. Pa s c h k e a n d C l e m e n s
remained undefeated the
rest of the day and went 4-1.
Freshman Bryce Statz and
sophomore Damian Ziegler
also finished the day 4-1. The
Warriors rebounded quickly
and took the next match from
Madison West. Junior Josh Wipperfurth
was a major contributor from
the 189 pound weight class. He finished the West match
11-2 and was 5-0 for the day. As a team, Waunakee had
five pins in a total of 8:40,
beating West 49 to 30. The
Warriors went on to win the
rest of their matches that day. They beat Brodhead-Juda
50-30, Cambridge 51-30, and
Jefferson 52-24. Although the
boys took second place, they
were still hungry for more. On Thursday, December 16,
the team faced Mount Horeb
at home. Ziegler pinned his
opponent first, adding a quick
six to Waunakee’s score.
Junior Brandon Statz held
his own and won 11-3 in his
match, giving the Warriors
another four points. Senior
Kyle Meinholz, at 135 pounds,
pinned Mount Horeb’s Lucas
Skram in 1:47, adding another
six points for Waunakee.
Clemens added three points
to Waunakee’s team score
as Mount Horeb’s gained six.
Mount Horeb added 16 more
points before Wipperfurth
pinned Mount Horeb’s Jacob
Wright to add six more points
for Waunakee. Waunakee
forfeited in the 215 pound
weight class, which was
followed by a pin to give
Mount Horeb 12 more points.
Statz stayed strong and only
gave Mount Horeb three
more points. With Waunakee
down, Paschke knew he had
to win his match in order
to claim a victor y for the
Warriors. He pinned senior
Sean Loupe and sophomore
Kyle Horning sealed the win
with a Mount Horeb forfeit
in the 119 pound weight
class. Waunakee walked
away with a 37-36 win over
Mount Horeb.
Last Saturday, the team
traveled to Richland Center
for the Richland Center Invite.
with a 109-59 win over Oregon.
Oregon’s pool is measured in
meters; whereas a standard
pool is measured in yards. After
the times were converted,
they were similar to the times
recorded at Sun Prairie.
The 200-meter medley
race consisting of Defnet,
junior Brandon Creamer,
senior Gunther Knutson
and Stroud took first with a
time of 2:04.20. The other
Wa u n a ke e m e d l e y t e a m
consisting of Schlittler, junior
Chris Pederson, freshman Josh
Tuschl and freshman Noah
Stamsta followed close behind
at 2:08.97.
The boys took first, second
and third in the 100-meter
butterfly and in the 400-meter
freestyle. Tuschl took first
with 1:08.70 in the 100-meter
butterfly and Duffy with 4:46.46
in the 400-meter freestyle.
Duffy did not stop there. He
took first in the 200-meter
freestyle race, with sophomore
Gabe Sobczak and freshman
Nick Mathwig taking fourth and
fifth place, respectively.
Coach Kayla Proctor said,
“[We need to work on] getting
stronger, but there is a lot of
support on the team.”
The team placed third against
Milton on Friday, December 10.
On Tuesday, December 15, the
team lost to McFarland in a very
close contest. The team swam
in a meet against Elkhorn
on Saturday, December 18.
Results were not available at
press time.
Boys’ hockey successful at Waunakee opening
Kelly Martin
Sports Editor
The boys’ hockey team
skated into their season
looking forward to defending
their Badger North conference
title.
A loss of several important
seniors, including four top
scorers, puts the team into
high gear to match last winter’s
success. Calvin Richardson led
the Warriors last winter with 27
goals and 19 assists. He was
the 2009-10 team MVP, earned
first-team all-conference and
an all-state honorable mention.
Andrew Severson, Mitch
Severson and Jack Carr were
other key seniors Waunakee
lost after the 2009-10 season.
Junior Jason Ford returns
to the ice with last year ’s
second highest number of
goals scored and close behind
Richardson with 18 assists.
Ford received a secondteam all-conference honor
last winter. Juniors Connor
Scheffler and Chase Busch will
be starting defensive players
for the Warriors, along with
freshman Keegan Ford and
senior Mike Krumm. Senior
Derek Straus joins the team for
the first time and junior Mitch
Horras will step into the net
this season. Straus said, “The
team is not just one line strong.
Everyone contributes and has
their part on the team.”
The boys showcased their
skills in a scrimmage late in
November against Edgewood,
Madison Memorial and Kettle
Moraine. Straus said, “ We
played well in the scrimmage
and I’m looking forward to
building on what we have
already started this year.”
The team traveled to
Wa u p a c a t h e f o l l o w i n g
weekend to kick off playing
Waupaca in the first of a threeday tournament where the
boys lost in overtime 7-6. The
team faced Wisconsin Rapids
Lincoln on November 27 where
they crushed them 10-0.
With their home rink
completed, the boys skated
onto the ice at the Waunakee/
DeForest Ice Pond Monday,
November 29 against
Wa u ke s h a N o r t h f o r t h e
final game of the Waupaca
Tournament. The team suited
up for their first game at their
new Ice Pond in hopes of
sealing a 2-1 record from the
tournament. Waukesha pulled
ahead first with a goal early in
the first period. Waunakee was
close behind when senior Luke
Meske and sophomore Blake
Anderson got the puck to senior
Jay Croop, tying the game 1-1.
With the help of the Ford
brothers, Waunakee led 2-1,
and Straus added another goal,
making the game 3-1 in the
first period. Before the period
ended, Waukesha scored to
tighten the gap 3-2. Waunakee
powered through the second
period, adding three quick
goals before letting Waukesha
answer. This brought the score
to 6-3. Waukesha scored twice
in the third period, trailing only
by one goal. Senior Sean Hepp
sealed the 7-5 victory in the final
period. After this experience,
Anderson concluded, “ We
need to play more as a team.”
Waunakee lost to Monona
Grove 3-6 on December 4,
and the team faced DeForest
on December 7, winning 115. With a loss to Baraboo
behind them, the boys played
Sauk Prairie on December 14
and picked up a 5-4 win. On
December 21, they played
McFarland at home. Results
were not available at press
time.
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Senior Sean Hepp skates between two DeForest defensemen on November 29, helping the Warriors to a
11-5 victory over the Norskies. (Photo by Adam Stroud)
Page 14
The Purple Sage
December 22, 2010
SPORTS
Boys’ basketball dominates conference
On Saturday, December
Mandy Rice
1 1 , Wa u n a k e e t r a v e l e d
Sports Reporter
to Oconomowoc where
T h e Wa u n a k e e b o y s ’
they played their first nonbasketball team started their
conference game. Both teams
2010-11 season looking to
faced a challenge, but senior
claim another conference title.
Beau Murray led the team with
Senior Jared Staege said, “We
19 points to contribute to the
were focused on coming in and
58-54 win.
working hard to get another
The boys have some tough
conference championship.”
competition coming up,
To kick off the season,
with the Badger conference
Waunakee faced the Portage
being one of the strongest
Warriors at home. Waunakee
conferences this year. Staege
pulled ahead early with a
s a i d , “ We h a v e a r e a l l y
15-point lead in the first quarter.
challenging schedule this year,
They were able to keep the
coming up we have Milwaukee
lead and sealed the 61-25 win. Bay View and Milwaukee
Waunakee then headed
Washington
to Sauk
which will be
Prairie
It wasn’t meant for me, great tests.”
a n d
the assist from Jared T h e y l o o k
w o n
to continue
by only
Staege made it happen. t h e i r
t w o
–Zac Hougland undefeated
points
record. “We
when
are just
senior
taking it one
Zac Hougland hit a winning
game at a time and doing all
three point buzzer shot in
the little things right,” said
overtime. Waunakee took
Staege.
home another win 58-56.
L ast Saturday, the team
Hougland said, “It wasn’t
faced Baraboo and yesterday
meant for me, the assist from
the team faced Reedsburg
Jared Staege made it happen.”
at home. Results were not
On Friday, December 10,
available at press time.
Waunakee played Mt. Horeb
for the “Cancer Sucks Out”
game at home. The game
raised funds for cancer
research, and at halftime
members of the Student
Council presented a check of
$2,248 to a representative of
the American Cancer Society.
Waunakee was able to pull out
the win, 59-30.
“
”
Next Home
Event
7:30 p.m.
January 14
vs. Milton
Senior Austin Maly jumps for the ball during the toss-up against Mount Horeb on December 10 in the “Cancer
Sucks Out” game. Waunakee was able to take home another victory 59-30. (Photo by Kelsey Meyer)
Gymnastics begins home season hosting Mt. Horeb Ski team looks to defend conference title
Emily Drewry
Copy Editor
Teaming up for the second
year in a row, the WaunaFo
girls’ gymnastics team certainly
has a strong stride. With two
meets past them, they have
already made significant
progress, not only on the mats,
but within the team as well.
Returning varsity members
are sophomore Tanner Regalli,
juniors Alyssa Cynkar, Jess
Meyers and Caroline Patz, and
senior Corinne Spizcenski. New
members are freshman Alexa
Carl and sophomore Emily
Gamm. The total number of
girls out this year has increased
to 25, filling the varsity and JV
level competitions. The girls
were conference champions
and are looking to defend their
title this year.
The first meet of the year
on December 11 split the
team, sending five varsity
representatives to Waterford,
December 22, 2010
and the other girls to the
Baraboo Invite. Cynkar, Patz,
Meyers, Spizenski, and Regali
placed fourth out of eight
teams in Waterford, ahead of
Homestead who beat them
at state last year. The five
girls scored 132 points and
Meyers came home with first
place honors in the all around
competition.
At the Baraboo Invite, JV
held control of their defending
champion title and took first
place again. Varsity scored
third place overall. This meet
was unique because all seniors
got the opportunity to compete
at the varsity level. A notable
performance was by freshman
Hannah Dorn, who took first
place honors in the JV all
around competition.
Next, the girls competed
against Mt. Horeb at home on
December 16. Varsity took the
win, outscoring the Vikings
134-126. Four of the five varsity
beam performances were no-
falls, an impressive record for
the girls, especially this early in
the season. JV stayed behind
Mt. Horeb, but slid behind to
lose the meet with a final score
of 105-109.
The team atmosphere
continues to improve, and
according to Patz, is better than
ever. “I feel like we’re all a lot
closer to each other than we’ve
been in past years,” she said.
Senior Kristina Maly seconds
that opinion, saying, “We have
a good team, and everyone
gets along with one another.”
Continued work in practice
on areas such as routines, new
skills, and honing previously
known skills is strengthening
the team for future competition.
With such strength in the
team in early performances
already, the season ahead of
the gymnastics team looks
promising. Their last meet
was Monday, December 20 in
Sun Prairie. Results were not
available at press time.
The Purple Sage
Olivia Knier
Editor in Chief
As the snow is falling
and everybody has school
cancellations on the brain,
members of the ski team
have only one thing on their
mind: ski season.
Practice began December
9. The team consists of 21
boys and four girls. The large
turnout of boys this season
is a huge increase from last
year. The top three seniors
returning for the season are
Aaron Schmidt, Ben Hutchins
and Charlie Greiber.
“Our team will be a lot
more competitive this season
due to the larger volume of
racers this year. We have
four returing all-confrence
skiers, and many of the
underclassmen racers aspire
to be like them,” Coach Paul
Kuehn said.
The boys’ team finished
fourth in state and first in
conference last season. “We
have some high expectations
for this year’s team. I expect us
to place highly at conference
and hopefully we will return
to state,” Kuehn said.
Losing alumnus Alex Kuehn
opens positions for others to
step forward on the team. The
girls’ co-op (with McFarland
and Stoughton) lost alumna
Carly Lungdren at the end of
last season, making seniors
Cassi Brucker and Alyssa
Gardner the only female
returners. Sophomore Jenna
McGowan, and freshman
Danita Ziegler are new to the
team this year. Brucker said,
“I’m excited for the season
because we now have four
girls on the team. It’s going
to be a fun year because
there are a lot of new people;
hopefully they will like it too.”
The first race will take place
at Tyrol Basin on January 3.
Page 15
SAGE PAGE
Josh Lerdahl and Aidan Schlittler, Sage Page Editors
Hanoulia Salame: Living the
American Dream
Hanoulia Salame, Waunakee’s most recent foreign exchange student from Soignies, Belgium, talks to the Purple Sage’s
reporters about her new life here in Waunakee.
PS: What is everyday life
in Belgium like?
H S : Ever yday life in
Belgium is kind of the
same, we have school
8-4, with 8 classes. I see
my parents when I come
home in Belgium; that’s
different.
PS: What are your
birthday celebrations in
Belgium like?
HS: Having all the family
and friends together in
one place, and eating and
celebrating and playing
games. This year it was
kind of a goodbye party
for me as well.
PS: How does the legal
drinking age of 16 affect
life as a student?
HS: We are drinking all
Hanoulia tests out fire equipment at the fire station. (Photo submitted) the time. Everybody goes
to the bar and drinks right
Hanoulia has been in P S : W h a t k i n d o f after school at the end of
Waunakee since August. traditions do you have for the week.
PS: Do you feel it is a
Purple Sage: What do the holiday season?
you think of Waunakee HS: I think everybody has healthier way to drink?
High School?
traditions. I’m Lebanese, HS: Better than here. It’s
Hanoulia Salame: It’s so I spend the whole day good because you can’t
easier here, really easy. cooking and all the night drive until you’re 18. It’s
good to try when you are
We don’t have the same eating that food.
classes. We don’t have PS: What holidays are younger. You can learn
your limits before starting
arts, sports, music; we celebrated in Belgium?
don’t have how to be a HS: We have the day of to drive.
good parent, nor cooking the crepes, the day of the P S : W h a t a r e s o m e
class. We just have the kings, and Saint Nicholas A m e r i c a n p r a c t i c e s
serious classes like math for the little kids. We don’t that you find strange or
science, English, and celebrate Thanksgiving, different?
French.
nor do we eat the turkey. HS: The way you say
hello is different, you kiss
on the cheek in Belgium.
Here you just say hi, it’s
so cold.
PS: What was your
American stereotype like
before you came here?
HS: It’s fat, but people [in
Belgium] don’t know that
you do a lot of sports; also,
they think it’s dangerous
here because of all the
crime we hear about.
PS: What things do you
miss about Belgium?
HS: Friends, food, cats.
PS: What are your favorite
American things that you
have had or experienced?
HS: I love Culvers’ ice
cream. It’s my favorite
American food. Starbucks
is great. Peppermint hot
chocolate is very good,
and the cheese, it’s not
better than French, but
it’s good.
PS: What kind of music is
popular in Belgium?
HS: Electro, Techno.
Stromae is a popular
band. There are a lot of
Flemish influences in
music.
PS: Who is the most
famous American in
Belgium?
HS: Brad Pitt.
PS: Who is your favorite
U.S. president?
HS:Barack Obama.
People in Belgium love
him! We are really liberal
people in Belgium. We
are not selfish, we share
the money.
PS: What is the biggest
difference between
America and Belgium?
HS: All the snow!
PS: What is different
about how people dress?
HS: I don’t understand
the wearing of pajamas
to school. There is a more
sporty dress type here.
PS: What differences do
you see in sports between
America and Belgium?
HS: We have rugby, but
we don’t have American
football. Also, people
back in Belgium are not
crazy [about football] like
they are here.
PS: What did friends and
family think about you
coming here?
HS: My friends know I’m
the person who likes to
travel and do crazy stuff.
My mom hated the idea,
and I haven’t talked to my
dad about it much.
PS: Why are you in
school if you’ve already
graduated?
HS: It’s not going to be fun
if I just have to stay home
studying. I want to get out
and meet friends.
From left to right: Hanoulia Salame with some of the male members of her second host family, the Buttons, inside their home; Hanoulia takes a boat ride with her first host family, the
Johnsons; Hanoulia feeds the goats at Endres Manufacturing, a Waunakee tradition she enjoyed taking part in. (Photos submitted)
Page 16
The Purple Sage
December 22, 2010