Page 7 October 2004

Lewis Central High School
inside:
Opinion
Issue 2
e
The
Th
October 2004
Wire
True Life:
Up c om i ng
E ve nt s
Nove m b e r
2: Presidential Election. VOTE and
encourage others to VOTE!
12: End of 1st Trimester
12-13: Lewis Central High School
Department of the Performing Arts
Proudly Presents... “Our Town”
14-20: American Education WeekShow support and thanks to your
teachers and administrators.
18: Rascal Flatts Concert @
Omaha Quest Center 7:30 p.m.
24: Grasshopper Takeover Concert
@ The Ranch Bowl. Cost $8 Show
8:30
24-27: Thanksgiving Break! Early
Out on the 24th.
30: FCA Day of Champions
30: Treat Street- Costume/pumpkin contests, candy, inflatable
games and entertainment for the
whole family @ the Mid-America
Center
D e cember
2: Michael W. Smith’s
Christmastime with Point of Grace
and the Katinas concert @ the MidAmerica Center. 7 p.m.
16: Winter vocal concert @ the
auditorium. 7 p.m.
18: Show Choir Opener
“I Was Molested
by my Father”
-page 4
Y
VO T E R S
U
N
G Dani Mescher
Co-Editor-In-Chief
During this election, more
than ever before, the political world
has been trying to get young voters
active and involved in the
government process. There are a
number of reasons behind this push
for new voters, one of which is the
declining number of young voters
showing up at the polls in past
years. Less than half of eligible
young people between the ages of
eighteen and twenty-four voted in
the last presidential election. That
figure is both alarming and
disheartening, but at the same time
it’s understandable.
Because young people
haven’t been voting, campaigns
haven’t felt a need to waste
resources targeting young voters.
This has created a vicious cycle of
teens not voting and campaigns not
recruiting them. The lack of
attention has left many young
people feeling disengaged and
unconnected to the election.
“I haven’t really gotten
into the election this year, and I
don’t know enough about it to
vote,” said senior Molly Misfeldt.
Because of this year’s
deadlock in the race for the White
House, both political parties are
finally realizing that young people
make up a large number of voters
that have the potential to break the
stalemate, and they’re starting to
target them. In the 2000 election
alone, presidential candidate Al
Gore beat George W. Bush by only
a one percent margin in Iowa.
Though that margin was minimal,
Gore sill got all of the state’s
electoral votes.
“With the unit rule that
most states uce, candidates get all
the state’s electoral votes or none
of them,” said instructor John
Drake, “If they only lose by a few
votes they still lose all of the votes
from that state. Because of that,
it’s very important that the
campaigns get as many people
voting as possible.”
In order to persuade these
up and coming American leaders to
vote, many highly publicized media
outlets and celebrities are working
together to promote Election Day.
One of the biggest and most well
known supporters of the movement
Public
Drunken
-page 2
In Sports:
Swimming on to
Districts
-page 3
“I think it’s my responsibility
to voice my thoughts towards the
government and to do something
about them by voting”
to get young people to vote is
MTV, the popular music
entertainment cable television
station. MTV has gone to great
lengths to make sure every
eligible voter that watches it’s
programming has the chance to
register and vote.
“It’s important for
MTV to publicize voting
because a lot of kids watch, and
they might not otherwise be
involved,” said senior Katherine
Tweedt, “When they see their
role-models on TV encouraging
voting it makes them want to get
involved as well.”
One of the main ways
to get young people voting in
the election is to give them
many easy opportunities to
register. During this election,
Iowa was one of six states that
participated in a grassroots
campaign aimed towards young
people. The New Voters Project
was a campaign devoted solely
to registering new voters for the
November 2nd election. In Iowa,
35,000 new voters registered
alongside the 330,000 other
young people who registered
nation wide.
The main goal of the
project was to give teens easy
access to registration forms so
they would be more apt to fill
them out. Seniors here at Lewis
Central registered at numerous
places including at their
churches, in the mail, on the
Internet, at the courthouse, at
the DOT, and with one of LC’s
government teachers.
“I registered with Mr.
Drake,” said senior Kim
McFerrin, “It was so incredibly
easy, and it took two minutes.
It was really convenient doing
it here at school.”
Along with easy
registration, one other way
political campaigns have been
trying to make voting easier for
Iowa teens was to offer them the
option to fill out an absentee
ballot. A representative from
the
Iowa
Democratic
headquarters explained that
absentee voting is much simpler
than actually voting at the
precincts. Since young voters
have many other things to do on
a Tuesday that don’t include
waiting in long lines, absentee
voting gives them a chance to let
their voices be heard without
having to jump through the hoops
at precincts.
“I filled out an
absentee ballot in case I’m busy
working that day,” said senior
Brian Warren, “This way I don’t
have to worry about it and it is
hassle free.”
Though this movement
aimed at rallying young people
has
been
tremendously
successful in offering new voters
a variety of options when it
comes to voting, there are still
those who will choose not to take
advantage of the right they hold
as American citizens. That
nonchalant attitude upsets those
who do take the time to vote and
get their opinions heard.
“If people don’t take
the little effort that’s needed to
formally voice their opinion, they
should keep their mouth shut and
never
complain
about
government decisions,” said
senior Emily Shanks.
Most eighteen year
old, eligible voters here at LC
share the same opinion. They
understand the importance of
voting, and they consider it their
duty to make a difference by
casting their ballot on Election
Day.
“I think it’s my
responsibility to voice my
thoughts towards the government
and to do something about them
by voting,” said senior Jessica
Hargis.
Not only is voting a
responsibility, but many consider
it an amazing opportunity that
shouldn’t be ignored. Because
many young people aren’t able
to vote, those who can should be
honored to get the chance.
“It’s stupid not to vote
because it takes five minutes.
Voting is a privilege, and those
seniors who get the chance to
vote on this election are
lucky,” said senior Daniel
Gulden, “Even if people only
have one opinion and that’s all
they’re voting on, that’s all
that matters. Five minutes to
help decide a significant part
of the country isn’t too much to
ask.”
Flu Vaccine Shortage Concerns Many
Alyssa Ranney
Reporter
Only 55 million flu shots will
be available in the United States
this season. That is only about half
of the vaccines that were originally
going to be made. This leaves
people more vulnerable to the
influenza virus.
“The flu doesn’t bother me. I
never got it last year,” said
sophomore Daniel Jones.
Many people believe, with
modern medicine, that the flu isn’t
a big problem. Without influenza
vaccines for approximately half of
the United States population, this
flu season may be different than
past seasons. Last year, Lewis
Central experienced first-hand the
tragedy brought on by influenza
when with two of its own had fatal
complications from the virus.
Originally, there were about
a million flu-mist (nasal flu
vaccines) going to be made in
preparation for this year ’s
influenza season. Manufacturers
of the flu-mist have stepped up
production as a result of the flu
shot
vaccine
shortage.
Manufacturers of the flu-mist will
have stepped up production in
response to the shot vaccine
shortage, doubling the production
to two million vaccines.
About a decade ago, the
United States had 20 to 25 flu shot
vaccine manufacturers. The
industry proved to be not very
profitable; as a result, the number
of manufacturers has diminished to
two. This year, one of two
manufacturer’s entire supply of flu
vaccines was contaminated.
“I’m not really worried about
the flu because everyone gets it. I
don’t normally get a flu shot,” said
senior Allison Schutte.
The single best way to prevent
influenza is to be vaccinated with
the flu shot. Because of the
shortage, the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
is recommending that certain
people who are at high risk for
influenza complications should
seek and be given priority
vaccination via the flu shot.
These groups of people include:
~All children aged six to
twenty-three months,
~Adults aged 65 years and
older,
~Persons aged two to 64
years with underlying chronic
medical conditions (such as
asthma),
~All women who will be
pregnant during the influenza
season, residents of nursing
homes and long-term care
facilities,
~Children aged six months
to eighteen years on chronic
aspirin therapy,
~ Health-care workers
involved in direct patient care,
~ And
out-of-home
caregivers and household
contacts of children aged less
than six months.
The CDC is asking
people who do not fall into these
categories to forego or postpone
vaccination because of a
shortfall in flu shot production
for the 2004-2005 flu season.
There are three types of
influenza viruses. According
to the CDC, influenza types
A a n d B viruses cause
epidemics almost every winter.
These epidemics can cause
illnesses in ten to twenty
percent of people (11 to 22
million people) and are
associated with 36,000 deaths
and 114,000 hospitalizations in
the United States each year.
Influenza type C virus causes
mild respiratory illnesses and is
not thought to cause epidemics.
The flu shot is an
inactivated vaccine containing
dead flu viruses. The shot
protects against virus A’s two
subtypes and virus B. The flu
shot does not protect against the
influenza type C virus.
For healthy people between
the ages of 5 to 49, who are not
pregnant and fall under the CDC
priority category, there may be an
alternative for approximately one
million people in the U.S., the
nasal-spray flu vaccine. The
nasal-spray flu vaccine (also
known as LAIV for “Live
Attenuated Influenza Vaccine”) is
made with live, weakened flu
viruses that do not cause the flu.
About two weeks postvaccination, antibodies that
provide protection against
influenza virus infection develop
in the body.
Most people who get the flu
will recover in one to two weeks.
However, some people who get
the flu will develop lifethreatening complications (such
as pneumonia). Because lifethreatening complications can
develop, more likely in those who
fall under the CDC priority
categories, are being given
priority for flu vaccination. For
this reason, the CDC has
recommended certain people be
given
priority
for
flu
vaccinations.
Even though people who do
not have vaccination priority will
not receive an influenza vaccine,
they can still practice healthy
habits to prevent the flu. Such
preventative measures are
washing hands before eating,
and avoid touching your eyes,
nose and mouth. In addition,
you can prevent illness by
avoiding close contact with
people who are sick. If you do
get sick you can help prevent
others from getting the flu by
keeping your distance from
others, and if possible, to stay
home. Another way to prevent
others from getting sick is to
cover you mouth and nose when
coughing or sneezing.
Did You Hear
That?
The truth
about the
Vilisca Axe
Murder House
-page 5
Election 2004:
What They Forgot to
Mention
Jennifer Ettinger
Copy Editor
With the presidential debates still clear in our minds and the campaign race at its climax, I can’t help but wonder what it is that isn’t
being discussed. Bush and Kerry both have Iraq, health care, homeland
security, and education covered; if you don’t know their views on those
subjects, I’d be seriously concerned about your involvement with the
outside world. But is there something that has been overlooked, perhaps a problem not mentioned in the close presidential race? Well, I
believe there are three quite serious ones that are worth mentioning.
Drug Abuse
The first issue that hasn’t
been focused on in all the bashing
and shouting of the campaigns is
drug abuse in America. Did you
know that nearly twenty million
Americans over the age of twelve
used illegal drugs regularly in
2003? 8.2% of the population
makes up marijuana users. I find
this a little bit frightening. What
does it say about America?
Someone should be stepping up to
reverse this sad tale.
Now I’m not going to say that
the government hasn’t done
anything to try to stop these
tremendous numbers. $150 million
is being spent on anti-drug ads,
which has had an effect on the
number of kids tempted to try
Population
Growth
Population growth is a major
issue in the world today because
of the increasing numbers of
people putting strains on the
earth’s resources. You may think
that the United States has nothing
to do with the negative effects of
population growth, but the truth is
that we do, and maybe more so
than any other nation.
Although the U.S. doesn’t
seem to be contributing to the issue
of overpopulation, we are the ones
who are using far more than our
share of the resources. Most people
think that overpopulation means
that too many people are being
born, but that’s only part of the
issue. The core of the problem is
that resources are running out.
There may be enough room to hold
all of the people in the world, but
P h o t o o b t a i n e d f ro m Ya h o o
S e a rc h : D r u g s
using. Bush and Kerry have even
vaguely discussed their plans on
how to lower the numbers. But is
it enough?
While the candidates are
rattling on about millions losing
their jobs, more than ¾ of drug and
alcohol users are employed. I
think maybe the focus should be
switched if America is to become
a better place.
Photo obtained from Yahoo
Search:Population.
are there enough resources to
support the thousands being born
everyday?
If we continue this trend and
set an example such as this for
other countries to follow, is there
going to be enough to go around?
And since this obviously is a huge
problem that affects the entire
world, why hasn’t it been
mentioned in the presidential
campaigns?
Sudan Civil War
Although the problems I have
mentioned before are quite
important, I’d like to make it clear
that I find this issue by far the most
devastating. I mean, how many of
us even know that there is a war
occurring somewhere else besides
Iraq? How many know that people
are being killed to the point of
genocide in Darfur, a region in
Sudan?
Before expressing my disgust
because of the lack of action by
the U.S., I will explain the
situation. Sudan is divided
between Arabs and Africans. This
is the second civil war that has
occurred because of the ethnic
tensions between the two groups.
This civil war started with black
Africans rebelling against the
government because they thought
that inequalities were evident in
the past decades between Arabs
and black Africans.
The black Africans have
formed a group called the Sudan
Liberation Army (SLA). The
Arabs, in turn, fight with the
country’s army and a group called
Janjaweed, meaning ‘armed
horsemen.’ The army denies
financing the Janjaweed, but the
members of the Janjaweed have
been seen using military
equipment and vehicles. The
fighting has been going on for
some time now, even through
ceasefires that were called.
This war is far different than
any wars that have occurred from
some time now. Violence is
commonplace for anyone who has
anything to do with the region of
Darfur. Families are torn apart,
people’s lives ruined. Janjaweed
will ride into a village, destroy the
Photo obtained from Yahoo
Search: Sudan Civil War.
homes of the villagers, kill the
men, and rape the women, which
has been claimed to be a plan for
ethnic cleansing. Thousands of
refugees flee the country, never
wanting to return to the horror that
is taking place.
The worst part is no on is
doing anything about it. The U.S.
has promised to try and stop
genocide, the killing of a
tremendous amount of people
belonging to a certain ethnic group
or religion, from occurring. With
troops stretched thin in Iraq and
Afghanistan, how is this going to
happen? And when are Bush and
Kerry going to mention their views
on this horrifying issue to the
American people?
So, there you have it.
Although it seems as if thousands
of issues have been covered in the
race for president, a few major
ones have been overlooked. So,
before you say you’re all for Bush
or definitely behind Kerry, maybe
you should consider that neither
one has covered all the important
issues that threaten our world
today. Sometimes I wish it wasn’t
this hard to decide who should lead
the most powerful country on
earth.
*Some information used in this article obtained from:
http://www.telegraph.com.uk/news/
main.jhtml?xml=/
news/2004/07/27/
usudanfact.xml&sS…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/09/
health/
webmd/main642431.shtml
http://www.2think.org/tpe.shtml containing the
article “The Population Explosion” by
Paul and Anne Ehrlich
Page 2
October 2004
Opinion
Wait, I’m Still
Not Until Marriage Not Ready!
Why waiting is worth it...
Dan Hall
Reporter
Slowly over time premarital sex
has slipped into an acceptable part
of our American society.
Everywhere you look there’s
someone or something promoting
sex. It’s on movies, TV, the Internet,
magazines, and billboards all across
the country, and it has gotten way
out of control. Things that were
unheard of 50 years ago are now a
normal and everyday part of life. It’s
now ok to go out and have a one
night fling, or its natural to hear that
high school kids are having sexual
relationships. Whatever happened to
abstinence? Sex is a gift shared
between two people, saved until after
marriage. This kind of behavior is
tearing our country apart. These lack
of morals show no respect for
women or men and are certainly not
setting an example for younger
generations to follow. Nobody
knows when enough is enough
anymore. There are no more
boundaries to cross. People don’t
see the consequences before they act.
Premarital sex does not come
without consequences. There can be
unwanted pregnancy, STDs, and
most of all our society is teaching
kids that this behavior is acceptable.
Most often when a man and a
woman have premarital sex the two
are not trying to conceive a child.
The couple might try using
contraceptives, the “rhythm
method,” or a variety of other
methods to try to prevent pregnancy.
Although some of these methods can
prove to be highly effective none of
them are one 100% effective, and the
two can still end up with an
unwanted child. What happens when
the couple gets that unexpected
surprise?
Lets start with the first
consequence for the unborn child:
death. It is ridiculous to think that
abortion is anything murder. Women
say it’s their body; it’s their choice.
This is true. They made the choice
the moment they stepped into bed.
No birth control method is 100%
effective. Not only does this death
affect the child but the mother as
well. Abortion can leave feelings of
emptiness and can lead to deep
depression, regret, and sorrow.
Another issue is that the parents
decide to have the baby. A child can
be a strain on young parents,
especially parents that are still in
high school. Often, adolescent
doesn’t give much opportunity to the
child considering once he or she is
old enough they will need to get a
job to help pay the bills. Getting a
job to keep up with the bills has the
potential to knock the kid’s grades
down and possibly repeat this cycle.
Even if the father doesn’t leave
the result won’t be much different.
By having a kid at a young age you
are doing disservice the child, to
your partner, and yourself. Abortion
photo by Andrea Larison
In this fast paced world, teens now are feeling the pressures of growing
far to soon.
fathers do not want any claim to the
child, leaving the mother to raise the
baby on her own. This can cause
great strain on the mom especially
if she has no financial support from
her guardian(s). Having no money
means she has to get a job, allowing
little or no time for school. This
leads to falling grades and
potentially dropping out of high
school. The mother doesn’t have a
chance at higher education, and she
can’t get a better paying job that
requires a college education. This
is not the way out, so the best way
to avoid this kind of ordeal is not to
put yourself in this position in the
first place. Abstinence is the key.
There is no more effective method.
Another risk of having
premarital is sex is the fact that you
can acquire a sexually transmitted
disease from your “partner.” There
are a wide variety of STDs and most
of them are dangerous, or even life
threatening. Is it really worth it
when you don’t know what the other
person is carrying, or if they are
going to be there when you wake up
the next morning?
Another reason why all of this
happens is because society says
premarital sex is ok or a good thing.
It’s often said that sex sells. Many
companies try to use sex to sell their
product. Whether its clothes,
cigarettes, cosmetics, or alcohol
good-looking scantly clad women
are put in commercials and ads so
that people will buy their products.
You also see and hear it in movies,
TV, and music. I’m not one for
going back to the 50’s, but there has
to be a set limit at which advertisers,
artists, and actors must control how
much sexual content they use and
how they use it. For example I can
understand a good looking woman
advertising a product, but having to
have women that are almost naked
to sell a product shows that people
aren’t buying products for their level
of quality but for what it is
promoting. Pop culture extremely
influences kids and teenagers, so
they need to set higher standards to
follow. I know everyone isn’t
perfect (especially myself) but
people have to make an effort.
Worst of all parents and schools
are a big problem in promoting
premarital sex. Parents and schools
tell kids just make sure they’re safe.
Wear a condom. They say it is ok as
long as you don’t get pregnant or get
a STD while having casual sex. It
isn’t. Many religions and cultures
condemn casual and premarital sex.
Our schools need to too. They need
to teach the curriculum in the same
manner like teaching about drugs.
Inform about it, but emphasize on the
negative aspects.
All in all, in the end premarital
sex is just not worth the hassle.
There are so many things that can
go wrong and screw up your life.
Premarital sex doesn’t happen
without consequences. Couples can
still be romantic without having sex.
You can still be in love without sex.
It’s not impossible. Remember that
there are always consequences that
come with premarital sex.
Dr u n k I n P ubl ic
Jennifer Ettinger
Reporter
Football games are one of the
highlights of high school life. You
get to hang out with friends, cheer
on your team, stuff yourself with
delicious cookies and pop, and
scream your head off without anyone
asking you if you forgot to take your
medicine. In fact, is there anything
about football games that isn’t
enjoyable? Oh yeah, the few people
who ruin it for everyone by getting
drunk.
I don’t know about you people,
but I’m tired of it. You go to a
football game and all you see is
people drunk left and right. I mean,
really, this is a high school football
game! There should be excited
cheers for the running back streaking
toward the end-zone, not drunken
cheers for the hottest cheerleader or
the cutest player in tight pants. There
should be questions like, “Who’s
winning?” not “Where’s the beer?”
Get over it, people. Go get drunk
somewhere else. We’ve got enough
school spirit here; we don’t need
your kind of “spirits.”
Speaking of school spirit,
there’s quite a reason for it this
season. Has anyone else noticed that
our football team is so much better
this year? Last year was a downer,
but now people don’t even have an
excuse to get drunk. “If I have a
couple beers, I won’t realize we’re
losing,” doesn’t cut it anymore. You
know why? We’re not losing! So
stop with the alcohol!
It scares me that it’s come to this.
Teenagers going to football games, or
anywhere at that, to get drunk was
unheard of a few years ago, and now
it’s far from shocking. What’s
happened to our society that makes it
acceptable for underage drinking to
occur? And even if the rest of the
world says it’s okay, I thought more
of our school and our attending
students than to think they’d all be
sloshed at a school activity.
If I only paid attention to the
few groups of plastered students at
games, I’d be downright ashamed to
go to Lewis Central. I go to the
Homecoming game to cheer on our
team and all I can smell is beer. Not
temporary hair coloring spray from all
the fans decking out with blue, not
popcorn and cookies from the
refreshments stand, not sweaty football
players…beer! It’s ridiculous. I
shouldn’t have to plug my nose when
someone screams a particularly
obnoxious cheer.
Not only is drinking
undesirable, it’s not safe, for anyone.
When students are drunk at games,
they’ll be drunk on the way home,
too. I don’t want to have to worry
about being hit by a drunk driver on
the way out of the middle school
parking lot. The streets outside of
the school are pretty crazy anyway
after a particularly exciting game;
adding a group of intoxicated drivers
to the mix is a recipe for disaster.
I’m sure you’re tired of hearing
me preach by now, because you’ve
heard all this a million times before.
Sorry to say, but it’s not going to stop
anytime soon. It seems some people
just don’t get the message. Maybe
it will all make sense when you
imagine this: You’re hanging out
with friends at a Friday night game,
having a grand old time, until some
loser spills his “soda” all over you.
It makes me want to puke. Oh wait,
they’ve already done that. Does
anyone else see this as a problem?
Okay, so we’ve established
that drinking is a disgusting habit,
but what a lot of people don’t realize
is that it’s also unfair to the players.
Our football team is working their
butts off to make us proud, and
instead of students coming to the
game to root them on, they’re
coming to the game to get smashed.
It’s disrespectful, not to mention
incredibly selfish. It may be their
idea of a good time, but I think
the Titans have other ideas of fun.
Lastly and most importantly,
underage drinking is illegal. I
know that may not mean a thing
to some of the drinkers out there,
but it might mean something
when you’re behind bars along
with your buddies. So don’t
continue or get pressured into one
of the most dangerous habits out
there.
I’ve stated the problem, many
times in fact, but I don’t want to
be the person that just complains
and never does anything or
suggests anything to fix the
problem. I suggest that perhaps
some teachers or administrators
stand at the entrance to the
football field or check the stands
every so often for drunk students.
It’s pretty easy to tell who’s under
the influence and who’s not; you
can tell by their breath if nothing
else. I’ve even s e e n p e o p l e
with beer in the stands, so I
think we really need to crack
d o w n o n s o m e t h i n g t h a t ’s
bound to get everyone in
trouble.
I’m sure I’m not the only
one who feels this way, so all
you drinkers out there, get your
act together and show some
respect for the football team and
the students around you. You
represent our school wherever you
go, so don’t let anyone think we’re
a bunch of teens who have had too
much to drink. It’s for the good of
everyone to show some good oldfashioned school spirit now and then.
Corrections
Editors-In-Chief...Dani Mescher and Megan Longmeyer
Assistant Editor.....................................Amber Johnson
Design Editor.................................................. Molly Lich
Photography Editor.................................Andrea Larison
Ads Editor.................................................Ashley Richter
Copy Editors......Becca Sheppard and Jennifer Ettinger
Design......................................................Maggie Fields,
Reporters.................................................Heidi Behrens,
Lindsey Behrens, Vicki Burnett,
Kellie Doffin, Dan Hall, Kehly Hansen,
Joe Krzemien, Bridgette Mucha, Alyssa Ranney,
Thomas Webering
We are sorry that we overlooked these mistakes in the September
2004 issue:
-Page 3- The volleyball photo was mistakenly labeled as Sara Gundlach.
This photo was actually of Jessica Hansen and Mallory Husz
-Page 3- The NBA phot was mistakenly labeled as Tracy McGrady, it
was actually Tim Duncan.
Vote2004!
Working hard to make the grade, senior Josh Trosen
studies for college
Megan Longmeyer
Editor-in-cheif
The concept of high school is
coming to learn and grow into the
person that you’re one day going to
be. Moving to harder areas of study,
more
homework,
more
responsibilities… it’s all part of this
life we’re now engrossed in. But
while high school might be a step up
from our elementary days, it lacks
in some areas for the extreme
educational jump of college. These
days are meant to prepare us for the
next four, gruesome years to come,
but, dare I say, how “well-prepared”
are we? Like I said, it’s an extreme
jump, and unfortunately, many high
schools just aren’t making the
distance.
There are a lot more demands
on students in college, such as
homework. High school students
consistently don’t do their work but
still get decent grades. Seem a little
unfair? I think so. However, once
you’re in college, you don’t have the
option of slacking. If you don’t do
the work, you don’t get the grade,
and a late assignment is a zero. Tests
are also mandatory; you can’t make
them up later at your convenience.
All of these procedures are taken to
make sure that students are willing
to work. A student’s freshmen year
is usually the hardest because
colleges are weeding out students
who are lacking a work ethic. This
might seem harsh, but success means
work, period. That is why allowance
of late work is not helping us. We’re
not trying as hard, and in turn aren’t
adequately preparing ourselves for
what lies ahead.
At almost any college, there’s
going to be a large staff and an even
larger student capacity. This equates
to less one-on-one time with your
professors. During high school, we
have large discussions and we can
come in after or before school for
help, things like that. We’re
constantly interacting with our
teachers, but once you hit college,
you’re basically on your own. Sure,
you might get a few questions in
during a class, but with bigger class
sizes and more students, you’re
expected to learn the curriculum on
your own. There’s no special
treatment, no after-hours teacher
time… if you need help you get a
tutor or you start studying. We’re not
constantly being helped as we are in
high school, and in this way we’re
being crippled by our high school
programs. We need to start relying
on ourselves to find our own
answers, because once we hit
college, that’s all we’re going to
have to help us out.
Even as academically involved
as I am, I’m sometimes shocked at
the lack of homework, even with
three college credit classes and as
co-editor of the newspaper. As a
result, this might be a big problem
for me once I start college. The
amount of work some college
students do astounds me; my sister,
a freshmen at UNO, studies for
about four hours a night!?! That
seems a little much, but she insists
that that’s what it takes. If so,
shouldn’t the high school be curbing
these types of practices right now?
I certainly don’t feel like I’ve
learned how to study, and I’m
dreading it. Also, college is full
of essays. Unless you’ve enrolled
in English Composition, I have
the feeling that your writing is
going to be squished in college. We’ve
written essays before, but those were
relatively short and not necessarily wellwritten; how can we raise the bar on
ourselves if we haven’t even met it in
high school? I don’t know for sure, but
we have a lot of work to do for college,
and it’s pretty evident that we need to
get to it.
I hate to down our school about
lacking educationally, but the fact of the
matter is that some of our practices
really aren’t helping anyone. We need
to be consistently working hard, and
learning how to learn on our own.
Some of us have already developed
these skills, but I think that the school
still needs to give a little more effort in
order to help the less motivated
students. We’re working hard, but more
demands need to be made, because
once we’re out on our own, we won’t
know what to do with everything that’s
going to be put on our shoulders. It’s
a tough world out there, and unless
we’re ready, we’re going to fall
short, so lets raise the bar. It’s our
future we’re talking about here…
lets make sure that we can handle it.
Congratulations
to everyone that made
All-State Choir and Band
Good Luck
to Hilla ry Sad ler at the
State Cross Country
Meet
Editorial Policy
Where We Stand
The Wire is the official Lewis Central student newspaper and is distributed
free of cost to students. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those
of the student writers and not Lewis Central administration, faculty, or its advisor.
The Wire is published seven times throughout the school year by the Suburban Times
in Papillion, Nebraska.
The purpose of The Wire is to:
* inform students of current and relevant events
* interpret and analyze complex events and issues that affect students
*serve as a forum for discussion of controversial issues
Letters to the Editor:
The Wire staff strongly encourages responses to articles appearing in the
newspaper. Letters may be submitted to room 401 or e-mailed to
[email protected]. The letters must be signed, legible, and concise. The staff
reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar, and punctuation. These letters
should also be free of profanity, vulgarity, or words with undesirable meanings.
Advertising:
Advertising will be sold at $25 for a 2 x 2.5 space or $50 for 4.5 x 4 space.
Information can be obtained by calling 366-8220. Ask for Mary Langille. Or
by e-mail: [email protected]
Page 3
Lauren
Sports
Splashing To Victory
LC Girls Swimmers Go for the Gold
Lindsey Behrens
Reporter
Photo By Andrea Larison
Thomas
Name: Lauren Thomas
Year: Senior
Sport: Swimming
Level: Varsity
How Long Have You Been Doing
This? : On and off since I was 10.
Why Do You Do It? : Because it’s a
team sport but there are individual
events.
Main Goal: To get under one minute
in the hundred-meter freestyle at
districts.
What separates this season from all
the others? : Our team is a lot better
this year. Its more competitive to get
into good relays.
Most Memorable Moment: Districts
last year.
Photo By Megan Longmeyer
Looking defiantly ahead of her,
senior Lauren Thomas gets ready
for a big splash.
A
T
H of
L the
E issue
T
E
S
Brad
Photo By Andrea Larison
Stageman
Name: Brad Stageman
Year: Senior
Sport: Football
Level: Varsity
Position: middle linebacker
How Long Have You Been Doing
This? : Since I was nine.
Why Do You Do It? : It’s always
been my favorite sport. I’ve always
wanted to be good at it.
Major Accomplishment: Either
preseason all state or captain.
What separates this season from all
the others? : We have a different feel
to us this season. This year we go
into games expecting to win instead
of hoping to win.
Most Memorable Moment:
Returning an interception for a
touchdown against Glenwood this
year during homecoming.
Photo By John Petri
Working hard on defense, senior
Brad Stageman holds his own as
the Titans play St. Albert.
October 2004
The goal for every high school
swimmer is to be able to participate
in the state meet at the end of the
year. After months of practice and
hard work, competing with the
state’s fastest swimmers is the
ultimate reward. Lewis Central
sends girls to the state swim meet
almost every year. However, this
year the Titans’ chances are looking
better than ever.
The Lewis Central girls swim
team includes twenty-six girls, and
almost all of them have had previous
experience swimming on club teams
in the winter and summer. With
swimmers specializing in every
event, the Titans have tremendous
depth. The depth of the team really
showed earlier this season when
Lewis Central, who is ranked eighth
in the state of Iowa, won the Vally
Invitational. Des Moines Valley,
who is ranked first in the state, had
not lost that meet in over twenty
years.
“I was confident we had a
chance to win the Valley Invitational,
but I just wanted the girls to have a
good meet,” said coach Bruce
Schomburg. “When we won, I was
so excited I tried not to jump up and
down. This meet really showed how
competitive the team could be.”
The Titan swimmers also
showed they could be competitive at
the Cedar Falls Invitational. All
twelve teams invited to the swim
meet were in the top twenty-five in
the state, and Lewis Central finished
second to Cedar Falls, who won state
last year.
Because some smaller schools
don’t have swim teams, the Lewis
Central pool is filled with students
from all over southwest Iowa. Girls
from Glenwood, Malvern, Hamburg,
and Red Oak travel to Council Bluffs
every day to practice and compete as
a part of the Lewis Central swim team.
“Most of us have been
swimming together for a long time,
so we’re all good friends,” said
Samantha Stivers, a freshman from
Glenwood High School. “It is kind
of weird cheering for Lewis Central,
but I don’t mind it. I’m just happy I
get to swim.”
In order to achieve the goal of
making it to state, these athletes
practice hard six days a week, swim
meet or not.
“We swim at least five thousand
yards a day,” said sophomore Kelsey
Schomburg. “Practice is hard, but I
guess it has to be if we want to get
better.”
By putting in hours at the pool,
the Lewis Central girls swim team
can again achieve the goal of sending
girls to state. However, getting to
state is only the first step. After that,
the Titans must prove themselves
against the fastest swimmers in the
state of Iowa.
“Since there isn’t really a
dominant team this year, several
teams have a chance of winning
state,” said coach Schomburg. “Last
year, we finished twelfth. This year,
I think we can be one of the top six
teams in the state.”
Because relays are worth more
points than individual events, they
are a crucial part of winning a swim
meet. Luckily for Lewis Central, the
team has a very good chance of
placing high in all three relays at
state. The school record-holding
200 yd. medley relay of Tessa
Edwards, Lindsey Behrens, Hannah
Sebek, and Shanna Delfs has broken
the pool records at both Kirn and
Lewis Central this year. The 200 yd.
freestyle relay, swam by Abbey
Evans, Samantha Stivers, Delfs, and
Sebek, is only two seconds away
from being third in the state. The
400 yd. freestyle relay of Kelsey
Schomburg, Stivers, Sebek, and
Behrens broke the pool record at
Kirn, and has a chance of medaling
at state.
Most of the girls in these relays
should also qualify for state in
individual events, and there are even
girls outside of the relays expected
to qualify as well. However, the one
event Lewis Central won’t be
participating in is diving.
“We are currently about 100
points behind the first ranked team
in the state,” said coach Schomburg.
“If we had good divers, we could
make up those 100 points easily and
be right up there.”
Even though the Titans don’t
have divers, coach Schomburg still
has high expectations for the team
at state.
“I think we can get more girls
into state this year and finish higher
than we ever have before.”
Photo By Megan Longmeyer
Taking a break to fix their goggles and swim caps, the girls swim team
consistantly works hard during each practice.
A Hard-Hitting Open
Thomas Webering
Reporter
Another year, another US Open
takes place, and another champion
is crowned. This year was no
different than any other year. The
hard-hitting tennis players exploded
during this tournament showing each
other who is really the best. Top seed
Roger Federer captured the first US
open title of his career, defeating
2001 champion and No. 4 seed
Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 7-6, 6-0, to
become the first man to win three
Grand Slam titles in one year since
Mats Wilander in 1988.
“ To win three grand slam titles
is almost unheard of. It was
awesome to watch him accomplish
that,” said junior Austin Strohbehn
who was #4 on the varsity team last
year.
In a genius performance that
puts him amongst the all-time greats
of Pete Sampras, Patrick Rafter, and
Michael
Chang.
Federer
overwhelmed Hewitt from every
angle of the court, crushing his
forehand, volleying beautifully and
out-fighting the once toughest man
in tennis, in fast physical rallies.
Since Federer is now 4-0 in Grand
Slam finals, he joins Andre Agassi
as the only active players to win three
different majors at any point in their
careers. Not only were there huge
matches in the men’s bracket, the
women’s bracket proved much of the
same.
No. 9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
followed Anastasia Myskina and
Maria Sharapova, champions at the
French Open and Wimbledon,
respectively, to become the third
consecutive Russian woman to break
though and win her first major, as
she defeated another Russian, No.
6 seed Elena Dementieva, 6-3, 7-5,
to capture the 2004 US Open
Women’s Singles Championship.
Many students chose to take part in
these tennis festivities.
“ Watching the finals,
definitely gets me pumped up for
next season,” said senior Kim
McFerrin
This year proved to be an
exciting tournament for all ages of
tennis lovers. Even for people who
don’t watch very much tennis, it’s
easy to get into the US Open
because, like every other, the US
players are always in the top
standings among the best in the
world. This year the Americans
failed to make it into any of the
finals and only managed two semifinalists before being eliminated.
LC Cross Country
It’s more than just running your mouth
Alyssa Ranney
Reporter
It may be a tough gig, but for
these athletes, running isn’t just
fun; it’s competition.
A majority of cross country
runners have run their personal best
(personal record) this season. Girls
varsity runners such as Hilary
Saddler, Jenny Hall, Shelby
Ellison, Alyssa Ranney, and
Rosalie Warner have achieved
running their personal best. Boys
Photo By John Petri
Running his heart out, senior Dan
DeVoss (left) pushes his way
toward the finish line.
varsity runners Dan Hall, Heath
Epperson, Brad Bogardus, Cory
Jasek, Craig Hendrix, and Ben
Mescher also broke old personal
bests and set new personal records.
“It seems like we have worked
harder each year,” commented
senior Eric Evans, who has been out
for cross country since he was a
freshman. “We have younger
runners. Before we heavily relied
on seniors. We have a lot of
sophomores and freshmen, it’s good
because when we’ll build up and
then those guys are seniors, we will
have a really strong team.
Among these young runners is
freshman Hillary Saddler. Hillary
broke the fifteen-year record for
girls cross country by almost a
minute. At the district meet in
Carroll, Iowa, Hillary placed third.
Runners who place in the top ten at
districts are guaranteed a chance to
run at the state meet, regardless of
how their team does. As a result,
Hillary will be competing at the
state meet on October 30th in Fort
Dodge, Iowa.
“I thought we had a really,
really good season. It’s been a while
since we had that good of a season
for both the boys and girls teams at
the same time,” said cross country
coach, Joe Ankenbauer.
At districts, the boy’s varsity
team placed fifth. The girl’s varsity
Time
Out!!!
Sports Talk with
Joe Krzemien
“The Curse of the Bambino”
is Almost Over!!!
Joe Krzemien
Reporter
Millions of people across the
country and beyond have waited
almost a decade for what finally took
place at 12:07 AM Eastern time on
Thursday, October 21, 2004. No,
NASA did not land on Mars, and no,
we did not declare world peace. What
happened, however, will go down in
history. It is what seems like the end
of the greatest dynasty in sports
history, the conquering of the mighty
New York Yankees by the Boston Red
Sox. The win is the Red Sox’s ticket
Photo from http://www.chronc.com
Gazing at the American flag,
Babe Ruth stands for the
National Athem
to the World Series, where they will
face the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Red Sox/Yankees rivalry is
considered the greatest in sports and
is by far the longest standing. Since
baseball became a professional sport
in the early 1900’s, the Red Sox and
Yankees have been intensely
competing with one another for the
championship. The Red Sox won the
World Series in 1918, the year that
George Herman Ruth (Babe Ruth)
led the league in shutouts pitched
and despite having batted only 95 atbats; he led the league in home runs.
The next year, Babe Ruth was traded
to the Yankees in what is widely
known as the worst trade in baseball
history. The Yankees, on the other
hand, have won 26 championships.
The trade of Babe Ruth is often
credited with the Red Sox’s failure,
in what is called, “The curse of the
Bambino.”
Sure the Sox have looked like a
potential championship team in the
past, but something has always gone
horribly wrong, whether it was Bucky
Dent hitting a walk-off homerun for
the Yankees in the 1978 American
League Championship Series
(ALCS), or in 1948, being one pitch
away from clinching the World Series
against the Mets, four times. The play
still fresh in every baseball fan’s
mind, though, is that of the 2003
ALCS, when Pedro Martinez left the
mound with a three-run lead in the
seventh. The score was the same in
the eighth, but New York fought back
to tie the game. It was the bottom of
the eleventh inning when Boston fans
were devastated by a walk-off home
run by Aaron Boone.
This year, millions of baseball
fans are hoping, for the Red Sox’s
sake, that they win the series. It does
not take a Bostonian to love the Red
Sox. People all over the world want
to see them win, just because of their
past misfortunes. A Red Sox win in
the World Series could be the best
thing to happen to Major League
Baseball since Mickey Mantle and
Roger Maris raced to break the
single season home run record of 60,
set by none other than Babe Ruth.
Dozens of signs appear in the
bleachers of ballparks, saying,
“Reverse the curse,” or inquiring,
“Why not us?” There is no answer
to that question, which is why this is
looking more and more like the year
of the Sox.
Of course, there is the outside
chance that history will repeat itself
and the Red Sox will lose a
heartbreaking game seven and once
again leave the field, heads hung
low. However, the Red Sox will be
going into this World Series with the
highest regular season batting
average in the majors, incredible
momentum, having just won four
straight games against New York,
and the greatest comradery of any
team.
The Red Sox played the
Yankees 20 times this year and
won 11 of those games, and each
was as exhilarating as the one
before. There was the game in
June when Yankee third baseman
Alex Rodriguez fought with Sox
catcher Jason Varitek. Also, in
early summer, Yankee shortstop,
Derek Jeter, dove into the stands
to catch a fly ball for the third out
of the inning. So, with all of the
anticipation of this ALCS, what
would make this series any
different? The Yankees swept
games 1-3 and appeared to be
clearly dominating the Sox, but
Boston never gave up faith. Game
four lasted over four hours and
ended with a 12 th inning home run
by David Ortiz. In game five,
Ortiz was the hero again. In a
game that lasted over five hours
and 14 innings, Ortiz hit a single
that knocked in the game-winning
run. Game six was a pitcher ’s
dual; Curt Schilling pitched one
of the most impressive games of
h i s c a r e e r. A t 3 8 y e a r s o l d ,
Schilling pitched seven innings
giving up only four hits and
allowing no runs. There was,
however, an unlikely hero in Sox
second baseman Mark Bellhorn.
Bellhorn hit a three-run blast to
put the Sox ahead 4-0. Game
seven was a blowout. The Red
Sox won 10-3 with a surprisingly
impressive pitching performance
by Derek Lowe, who has been
unreliable all year for the Sox.
Johnny Damon, who had been
batting .083 in the series, also
surprised Sox fans by crushing a
grand slam to give the Red Sox the
lead that would win the game.
Photo from www.msnbc.com
Booting a routine slow roller,
Billy Buckner lost game six of the
1986 World Series agains theNew
York Mets.
The Red Sox winning the World
Series would be the most significant
event in sports history. This can be
proven by the recently aired
MasterCard commercial, in which
Bostonians are asked what they would
give for tickets to see the Red Sox in a
World Series. Responses include a
girlfriend, $1000, and “Anything.”
However, many people consider the
curse already broken. The ALCS was
thrilling, but it is not over yet. The
Sox still have to beat the Cardinals.
Want to catch up on
the latest school events?
Photo By John Petri
Bringing a Titan flag, members
of the El Si Locos come out to
support the cross country team.
team placed sixth at districts.
Although the cross country teams
did not score high enough to make
it to state, Hillary Saddler will be
running at state as an individual
runner.
“I think we’ll be good next
year,” predicts cross country coach,
Joe Ankenbauer. “We’re losing two
boys off our varsity and one girl,
but everybody else will be back.
I’m already looking forward to next
year and we have barely finished
this year’s [season].”
Want to see pictures
from the latest activites?
WWW.LC.SPORTSFAN.COM
Is the place to go!!
Page 4
October 2004
Feature
True Life: I Was Molested by my Father
Disclaimer: This True Life may not be suitable for all audiences due to the graphic nature of the story. Story contains sexual content and may provoke an emotional response from some readers.
If you have an emotional reaction please read the box following the story entitled “What to do…”
True Life Stories are stories meant to tell about realistic events in many teenagers’ lives, and provide help on such issues. These articles are a part of a series, but may be another person’s story
and not my own, although written as told to me. Note: The following events described in this piece did not take place at Lewis Central. If you would like to be featured in True Life, submit a short
description of your story and contact to [email protected]
Amber Johnson
Assistant Editor
Someone once told me that
trying to take something back is like
trying to squeeze toothpaste back
into the tube. Nearly impossible.
And though you can try, the sinks
already a mess and the tube’s already
empty…hollowed…bent.
M y
first memory of being molested by
him came back to me a few years
ago. It came to me in a flashback,
and I was transported back into a
time long ago. I was six at the time.
I was in the kitchen and he came up
behind me and grabbed me, pulling
me towards him. Daddy liked to
play games. I thought he was
playing. But this game was
different. This game involved a lot
of touching.
I was scared.
I didn’t
understand this game. Afterward, he
told me that it was our little secret.
He said that if I told I might get in
trouble, and he didn’t want that to
happen…because he loved me. He
must have loved me lots because we
played lots of games that year.
Next, I remember being seven.
That was when I tried to drown
myself. My mother thinks I just fell
in the pool, but the truth is… I
jumped in. I remember standing
there by the pool thinking that I
wanted to die. That need was so
strong and the water was calling my
name, so I jumped in headfirst. The
water was cold but I didn’t care. I
just wanted it to be over with. I don’t
know how long the cold rushed
around me before my grandmother
pulled me
out. Mother just yelled at me, telling
me how stupid I had been for falling
in.
I remember being eight. That
was the first time Daddy taught me
a new game. He took me into the
closet. I remember it being dark
in there. Real dark. Then, he
forced me onto my knees. I was
scared and said I didn’t want to
play that game. That’s when he hit
me and grabbed my hair, jerking
my head backward. I thought he
was going to break my neck. He
said that I had to play the game to
win.
He said not to tell, because
other people wouldn’t understand
the special relationship that we
had. Other people wouldn’t
understand his love for me and my
love for him. He always left the
threat that I might get in trouble,
hanging in the air. He let me go
and I darted for the bathroom
vomiting. I brushed my teeth and
washed my mouth out more then I
can remember. That’s when I saw a
bottle of rubbing alcohol on the shelf
and reached for it, not really aware
of what I was doing. I opened it and
took a big swallow. It blistered my
mouth, took off all the skin, and
made me vomit again. At least the
taste was gone. I then felt something
wet on my face. Tears. I realized
that I had been crying the entire time,
only I wasn’t making a sound.
When I turned ten, Daddy
started coming into my room late at
night. At this time we lived in
California. It was hot… but I used
to sleep under a ton of blankets even
in the summertime. I used to press
my back against the wall, pretending
to be asleep, hoping… wishing…
that he would leave me alone. I
remember lying there, praying to
God to kill him… or kill me. It
didn’t matter which one, I just
wanted the games to be over.
Most nights I slept with the
light on, but he would just come in
and turn it off. Sometimes he would
just stand there in the dark watching
me… waiting. Other times he would
get into bed with me. It was like the
light turned off and the world went
gray.
I begged him not to touch me,
but he only got angry. When he got
angry, he liked to hit. So I learned
to let him do what he wanted… that
way it would be over sooner. It was
after that, that I finally told my
mother. She didn’t say a word. She
just looked at me for a few minutes
and then told me to go to my room.
It was never mentioned again. I
always guessed Daddy was right
about me getting in trouble.
I’ll never forget thirteen.
Thirteen was the day he raped me. I
was sitting on my bed and he came
into my room. He said that he had a
special surprise game for me, and I
knew from the look in his eyes what
he meant. I began to back away from
him, begging him not to do it. I told
him that I would play any game. Just
not that one. Please not that one.
I tried to fight him… but he
only got angry and started hitting me.
I knew it was over. I gave up. I
always gave up.
I remember thinking of a field
of pretty flowers… to try to take
away the pain. I remember wishing
I were dead as I screamed and passed
out. And then… it was over.
When I finally woke up, I
remembered feeling numb, like I was
standing outside of myself. I got into
the shower and turned the water on as
hot as I could stand it. I felt dirty…
guilty… ashamed. I tried to wash the
feelings away but the more I tried, the
more they sank into my skin, deeper
and deeper.
I remember going to the
medicine cabinet and taking pills at
random. I went back to my room
and I couldn’t bear getting back into
that bed, so I got a blanket and lay on
the floor. I awoke a few hours later. I
couldn’t breathe. My heart felt like it
was going to explode and I gagged on
myself. I couldn’t move because my
body felt frozen. I passed out, only to
awake again in my own pool of vomit.
My mother cleaned me up, but never
asked what was wrong. She knew the
answer. She just couldn’t face it.
I continued to live in that house
until I turned 17. Then, I moved out.
Strangely, Daddy never touched me
again after that day. He and mom
had too many problems; I figured
that had kept him busy. But
memories, pictures of that day, still
haunt me.
I tried to forget what had
happened to me. I put that little girl,
the one that had been hurt so badly,
inside a dark box inside myself. I
let the box lie helpless on my bed as
Daddy took my sexuality, my youth,
and my happiness at the tender age
of thirteen. I let the box hide under
the blankets during the hottest day
of the summer, pretending to be
asleep, age ten. I let the box go back
to the closet where Daddy taught me
all sorts of games, just like the game
in the kitchen that we played when I
was six, games that I could never win.
And I let the box drown in that pool of
water… that pool of shame. The box
was where I lived my life.
I guess in ways I did drown in that
pool when I was seven, because in that
pool I was deprived… washed…
stripped of everything I thought a father
should be, and drenched in misery, pain,
and a tube of emptiness that can never
be filled and never taken back.
Someone once told me that trying
to take something back is like trying to
squeeze toothpaste back into the tube.
Nearly impossible. For my past is
already a mess, and my spirit
remains empty…
hollowed…
bent.
What to do…
Tell a teacher, parent, other family members, your clergy, the police, a friend, or the local family and children’s division Rape and Abuse hotline (1-800-CHILDREN).
DOCUMENT! Keep track of events that happen. The more facts/info you have, the easier it will be to prove your case when it comes time.
Go to the hospital or doctors office! Get the doctors and professionals on your side by having a rape testing done. This documentation cannot be disputed in court and gives medical proof.
PREVENT! Put your safety first. Make all possible attempts to not be alone with someone you feel uncomfortable around. Don’t be afraid to say “no”. Believe it or not, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
REMEMBER! Your abuser is the criminal, your silence makes your abusers stronger, abuse is not the normal way of life, and YOU are not a bad person.
A Westside Story New Expansions in
“That way if a student is more
irresponsible than another they
won’t be punishing the responsible
In an attempt to include laptops
one.”
into the student learning process,
The Westside school board
Westside High School in Omaha, NE
approved a plan last June to spend
handed out 1,930 Apple iBook
$3.3 million on the program over the
computers on Wednesday, Sept. 15,
next four years. They are receiving
2004. Every student has been
a no-interest loan from Apple in
entrusted with this piece of
order to accomplish this. After fours
equipment that cost roughly
years they will re-evaluate and
$1,000.
decide whether or not to continue with
Westside High School is the
the program. Will this program be
first public school in Nebraska to
successful and should other public
provide wireless laptop computers
schools in both Omaha and Council
to every one of its students.
Bluffs adopt this idea?
Schools in such states as Maine,
“I don’t feel that our school has
Kansas, Virginia, and Illinois
the funding mechanism right
provide laptops to their students for
now, due to past years of making
schoolwork. T h e r e a r e n o
cuts in our school,” said Lewis
current public schools in Iowa
Central High School principal,
that provide laptops for their
Dr. Doug Radtke, “I feel that it is
students.
not right to buy laptops instead
“ We a l l w e n t i n f o r a
of teachers.”
meeting where they discussed
Day after day, we hear that
the laptops and our homeroom
“GroupWise” is down, which to
teachers set up a time for us to
many students means nothing, but
pick up our laptops.” said Alex
to the faculty this is a definite
Dworak a sophomore at
downfall. It sets back the entire
Westside High School.
system and stalls the learning
Private schools across the
process by not allowing teachers
country have been doing this type
to accomplish common daily
of thing for some time. Such
functions that benefit the
schools in Omaha include
students.
Brownell-Talbot,
Duchesne
“I am not worried about
Academy, and Gross Catholic High
laptops, I think that we need to
School who require students to buy
work on our current computer
laptops. It is believed that students
problems and fix them before
will excel in their
worrying about new
schoolwork if they
things.”
said
have access to their
Gottsch.
own computer.
This year with
“ We d o g e t
additions to our
offered laptops at
technological staff,
Gross but there are
we expect our
guidelines
you
computer systems to
must reach first, for
improve. Students
instance, you must
and teachers will,
have a GPA of 3.8 or
hopefully, not have
higher and you must
to deal with as many
also be willing to pay
computer problems
a small fee added
as they did before.
onto you tuition,”
This will allow both
said Gross Catholic
to be farther ahead
High
School
than they every have
sophomore Justina
been
before.
photo by Andrea Larison
Shaffer.
Laptops, a portable
W e s t s i d e Wanting to download programs, juniors Rachel Terry and Eric version of all this
provides
these Burmeister patiently wait for LC’s technology to catch up to this technology could be
laptops to each century.
a wonderful addition
student at no cost. Parents of the at the end of the year by all of the that would allow Lewis Central
Westside students insurance costs students. The student will have the students to go wireless.
$25 per school year, which covers same laptop returned to them each
“I would love to see laptops
70% of the cost of replacing the year after its’ memory is erased. If in our students hands if money
$1000 computer if it is damaged the computer has any damage at the were not an issue,” said Radtke,
or stolen.
end of the year, the student will be “ I love to see things like this
“I bought the insurance for found responsible for paying for the benefit students.”
my son because I realize that damage. They can avoid having to
The 2004 to 2005 school year
accidents happen and we must pay a large amount by purchasing is one-third of the way done and
take precautions.” said Westside the laptop insurance.
Lewis Central is waiting for the
parent Carol Dworak
“I think that it is smart that technology to improve. Can
Use logs track where students they return the same laptop to laptops improve a schools grades
go online to ensure safety. The only students every year,” said Lewis and unity, and will Lewis Central
websites that students are restricted Central sophomore Alyssa Chafe, High School ever get them?
the Health Industry
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
○ ○ ○ ○ ○
to access are pornography sites.
Students are also prohibited from
downloading their own software on
to the laptops to avoid problems that
would damage the computers. In
order to ensure computers can be
tracked every student has been
assigned a laptop that has his or her
name, grade level, and photo
attached to it.
“We all have stickers with a
copy of our student id’s, our
homeroom number and teacher on
them,” said Dworak, “These
stickers are attached to our
c h a rg e r s , l a p t o p , a n d l a p t o p
protective cases, and so if we lose
anything it all goes back to our
homerooms.”
Each student will have access
to programs for creating his or her
own movies, composing and
recording music, editing photos,
listening to music, and wireless
surfing on the internet. Other
features of the Apple iBook are
word-processing, spreadsheet, and
presentation software.
“I feel the only way that
Westside will b e a b o v e u s
academically is if they had a
better curriculum than us, which
I feel they do not have,” said
Mrs. Gottsch, a teacher at Lewis
Central. “I don’t feel that the
laptops will give them an edge
over us.”
The laptops will be returned
○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Bridgette Mucha
Reporter
R.N.- Registered Nurse, BSRT- Bachelors of Science in Radiation Technology, (N.R.)- Nuclear Medicine
Radiography, CNMT- Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist, M.D.- Medical Doctorate- professional degree,
Ph.D Neuroscience- Philosophy Doctorate in Neurosciences- academic degree
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
any side effects from the testing.
There are usually no prerequisites
for becoming a medical research
coordinator, but if you have a
nursing degree—it’s a plus.
“Being in the medical field,
you must have a passion for what
you do,” said Fullmer, “and I like
what I do. That’s what makes it
really important.”
One of the many popular
fields of medicine seems to be
radiology.
“Radiology is a general term
speaking of the study of the body using
radiation technology,” said Troy
is always a way to use your talents
for something you enjoy in the
medical field,” said senior Tara
Are you someone who likes to
Schimmel. “Technology is advancing
be in a fas t - p a c e d w o r k i n g
so fast, it’s just so interesting!”
environment? Are you a hard
The field of radiology has
worker who strives to be better
become so big that hospitals
at what you do? Do you adapt
now
offer
classes
for
well to change? Is talking to
Radiologists. Some hospitals
different people something you
will even pay for you to take the
like to do? Or are you the type
class if the demand is high. The
of person who is really
students, who then pass the
interested in technology? If
class, generally are guaranteed
you answered yes to one or
a spot in the hiring process from
more of the previous questions,
the hospital.
a vocation in health
Another up and
careers could be for
coming career in the
you.
medical
world
is
“The
health
n e u r o s c i e n c e .
career industry is
Neuroscience is the study
definitely a great
of the brain and the
place for a job,
central nervous system.
t h e r e ’s
always
“I am a pain
something to find out
specialist that specializes
and do,” said Nancy
in spinal injections,
Fullmer, R.N.*, and
which is a form of
head
research
neuroscience,” said Pat
coordinator
at
Chudomelka, M.D.,
Nebraska
Spine
Ph.D Neurosciences***.
Center
Omaha.
In order to be
“There is such a wide
successful
in
the
variety of different
medical field, there
fields of medicine
must be certain goals in
available, it’s almost
mind. Some examples
overwhelming.”
of goals can be certain
Some of the
skill levels needed or
varieties of the medical
certain desires.
field include: radiology,
“You must have the
a n e s t h e s i o l o g y,
desire to help mankind,
neurology, histology,
that must be the most
and other associated
important driving force.
photo by Andrea Larison O t h e r s k i l l s n e e d e d
areas. The people who
go into these fields can Good at what he does Troy Stockman is highly respected w o u l d
include
have jobs ranging from by those in and out of his field
i n t e l l i g e n c e ,
doctors of medicine to medical Stockman, BSRT (N.R.), CNMT** o r g a n i z a t i o n , a n d d i l i g e n c e ,
researchers and scientists. The Operations Director of the Diagnostic w h i c h i s s e c o n d a r y, ” s a i d
medical industry is so extensive Center at Alegent Health, Mercy C h u d o l m e l k a , M . D . , P h . D
and vast, that there’s bound to be H o s p i t a l i n C o u n c i l B l u ff s . Neuroscience.
The health fields are
a n i n t e r e s t f o r e v e r y o n e “Radiology is a wBay doctors can
o ff e r i n g
somewhere in the field. Take see inside a person for diagnosis c o n t i n u o u s l y
opportunities for career choices,
N a n c y ’s j o b f o r i n s t a n c e , a using imaging.”
medical research coordinator.
Radiology is a rapidly because they are always
A
medical
r e s e a r c h increasing field of medicine to get changing. Wit h a l l t h e n e w
coordinator basically does the into for many reasons: 1.) There a d v a n c e m e n t s i n t e c h n o l o g y,
research for a new type of surgical is less schooling involved, 2.) t r e a t m e n t s , p r o c e d u r e s , a n d
the
health
p r o c e d u r e , o r a n e w t y p e o f The demand for radiologists is s o c i a l i z a t i o n
treatment. Periodically, they even high, 3.) The new technology industry will always change.
“ You never have to worry
do background research for past a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e c a r e e r i s
treatment or therapy for disorders advancing quickly, and 4.) The about the career getting boring
because it’s always changing,” said
a n d h e a l t h r e lated problems. salary is agreeable.
Medical researchers also conduct
“I want to be a Radiologist, Fullmer, R.N. “One important
patient
follow-ups
from b e c a u s e t h e r e a r e s o m a n y thing about change, however, is that
experiments, to see how the patient different opportunities just in that you must be willing to change along
is doing and to see if there have been field that I could go into—there with it.”
Kellie Doffin
Reporter
Page 5
October 2004
Feature
“Did You Hear That?”: The Villisca Story
community encountered an awful
awakening on the morning of
June 10, 1912. What was once
known as a community where
everyone knew and trusted their
neighbors changed that morning.
The small community of
Villisca, Iowa awoke to find that
eight of their own had been
Kehly Hansen
Reporter
Are you feeling the need to
test out your fears this
Halloween season? Sure, Omaha
is a great place to go for haunted
houses this year, but what about
a
re a l
h a u n t e d
house?
A
h a u n t e d
house that
y o u ’ l l
actually
remember?
T h e
Villisca Axe
M u r d e r
House
in
Villisca,
Iowa
has
been known
as one of the
most haunted
Photo from Yahoo Keyword: Villisca.
places in the
This
house
in
Villisca,
Iowa is where the Moore family
U n i t e d
was
brutally
murdered.
States. For
the Halloween season, Villisca is brutally murdered with an axe
once again offering lamplight during the middle of the night. It
tours and overnight stays in the is believed that the murders took
vacant house.
place sometime between 12:00
S o , w h y i s t h e h o u s e a.m. and 2:00 a.m. while the
haunted?
The
Vi l l i s c a family and two visiting children
On the Campaign
Trail
Heidi Behrens
Reporter
So much has been written
about this election, it’s to the
point were I’m thinking of
petitioning our government into
letting the vote be early so I don’t
have to sit through another
“Swift Boat Veterans for Truth”
ad. One aspect of the election I’m
g o i n g t o m i s s , h o w e v e r, i s
working on a political campaign.
I started volunteering
for a campaign because I thought
it would be a requirement for
government class, but it turned
out just to be a way to get extra
credit. My friends and I went to
volunteer. We thought we knew
where we were going, but we
did not. According to John
K e r r y ’s
website,
the
headquarters were located at
300 West Broadway, which is
t h e o l d d o w n t o w n m a l l . We
walked around the old mall
trying to find the headquarters
to no avail. Finally, we saw a
woman walking around the mall.
So we asked her if she knew
where the Kerry campaign
headquarters was. She told us she
thought it was on Pearl Street
which it is not (President Bush’s
re-election headquarters is on
Pearl Street). Anyway, when we
finally got there, we were only
an hour late.
One of the jobs I had to
do frequently for the campaign
was making phone calls. I’ve
noticed that people tend to get
incredible agitated when
Democrats call them on the
phone, but you get a lot of funny
responses. Another perk of
working on a campaign is you get
to attend special events.
When John Edwards
came to Council Bluffs, people
who volunteered for the
Democratic Party received
special seats close to the stage.
Some even received tickets to
sit on the stage. My friend
Brenda Barrett and I were
content with getting seats in
the third row. Edwards was
scheduled to arrive at 3:00
PM. Unfortunately, he
did not arrive until
about 3:45. The topic
for the event was healthcare.
After an introduction from state
Senator Mike Gronstal, Edwards
came on stage and was ready to
speak. He said almost verbatim
what John Kerry said in the
Presidential debates in regards to
healthcare. Edwards then talked
about the Kerry/Edwards plan to
make sure that every American
has health insurance.
I was sitting in an aisle
seat, and at one point a Secret
Service agent came up and knelt
down next to me. He told me not
to move. I sat as a still as a
statue. He fit almost every
stereotype of a Secret Service
agent. Needless to say, I was a
bit frightened. However, all he
did was talk into a microphone
and tell me thank you for not
moving.
Af t e r g i v i n g h i s s p e e c h ,
Edwards took questions from
the audience. Before I attended
this event, I had at least one
hundred questions; now that I
had an opportunity to ask them,
my mind was a blank. As a result,
I had to listen to other people ask
their questions.
After the question-andanswer segment, Edwards went
around shaking hands and
talking to the common man.
Brenda and I rushed the stage
in an attempted to shake
Edward’s hand. We succeeded.
However, we had to push our
way to the front of a crowd. A
crowd that was full of very
pushy people. Brenda and I saw
Edward’s water bottle sitting on
the floor and we contemplated
stealing it, but someone beat us
to it.
Vo l u n t e e r i n g
on
a
Presidential campaign was one
of most fun things I have ever
done. I strongly encourage
everyone to volunteer.
Lewis Central
Fellowship of
Christian Athletes
Supports
Birthright
slept in their beds. Joe B. Moore,
his wife Sarah, their four
children, Herman, Katherine,
Boyd, and Paul, and two guests,
Lena and Ina Stillinger, were
found in those early morning
hours of June 10.
Within minutes of finding
the bodies of the Moore family
and the Stillinger girls, rumors
ran throughout the small
c o m m u n i t y o f Vi l l i s c a . T h e
rumors spread to many larger
cities through the area and within
days became the headlines of
major newspapers throughout the
nation.
The bloody effects of the
murders had covered the duration
of the house, and the victims lay
covered with blankets and
clothing. A long, black-handled
axe was left against the wall in
the sewing room where Lena and
Ina lay silent. The particular
killing of Lena and Ina had
been so severe that they had to
be identified by their Bibles
lying on the dresser in their
room. A bloody pan of water was
found in the kitchen and
kerosene lamps had been
carefully placed at the foot of
each bed. The chimneys of the
lamps had been discarded and the
wicks turned back.
Neighbors
and
law
enforcement began to investigate
the murders and soon created a
l i s t o f s u s p e c t s . Tw o p r i m e
suspects were Frank Jones and
Reverend Lyn George Jacklin
Kelly. Joe Moore was said to
have worked for Frank Jones at
the Jones store for several years
until he opened his own company
in 1908. According to Villisca
residents, Jones was extremely
upset that Moore had stopped
working for him and started his
o w n c o m p a n y. A l s o , r u m o r
spread that Moore had had an
affair with Jones’ daughter-inl a w,
which
upset
him
tremendously.
A s a t r a v e l i n g p r e a c h e r,
Reverend Lyn George Jacklin
Kelly seems like the least likely
person to have caused these
murders. However, his presence
in Villisca on the night of the
murders and his following
departure in the early morning
hours of June 10 made him a
prime suspect in the case. There
d i d n ’t s e e m t o b e a n y p a s t
disagreements or arguments
between the Moore family and
Reverend George
Kelly. However,
the case still
remains unsolved
as there is no
proof on the
identity of the
murderer.
B r a v e
explorers have
gone and stayed
at the Villisca
house, reporting
all
of
the
Photo from Yahoo Keyword: Villisca axe murders
paranormal
activity
they The murder of the Moore family members marked
e n c o u n t e r e d . Villisca as one of the most haunted places in the
S
o
m
e U.S. to this day.
paranormal activity that has been notice the windows and doors are
recently reported includes orb tightly closed and covered, and
activity, dark shadows, mists, a weather-beaten sign leaning
and unexplained lights in photos. against the front porch warns
The house also contains cold rather than welcomes visitors.
spots, strange odors, laughter, However, people continue to stay
doors slamming, the sound of in the Villisca house to discover
footsteps going up and down the t h e f e a r s of those who have
stairs, and an all-around uneasy previously stayed. So, still feel
like testing out your real fears
feeling throughout the house.
I t i s s a i d t h a t o n a d a r k instead of those found in those
evening in Villisca, the absence f a k e h a u n t e d h o u s e s ? B o o k
of lights and sounds are the first yourself a night at the Villisca Axe
indication to visitors that this Murder House this Halloween at
house is different from the other www.villiscaiowa.com; you’re in
for a rough night!
houses that surround it. You’ll
The Race for Dominance
Has the control in a parent and teen relationship flipped?
Bridgette Mucha
Reporter
“I think just about every
teenager in America wants control
over their parents. I would
absolutely love to have that
control,” said sophomore Brianna
Delph.
Teens’ controlling their
parents is a serious issue and can
eventually lead to parental abuse.
Parent abuse is any act of a child
that is intended to cause physical,
psychological, or financial damage
to gain power and control over a
parent.
There are many
characteristics of an abusive teen.
If a teen is physically
abusive they tend to carry out the
acts of hitting, punching, shoving,
breaking things, punching holes in
walls, throwing things, and
spitting. These teens are very
dangerous to not only themselves
but their parents and siblings also.
“My mom is a midget, so
I can use my strength against her
to get my way, but my dad is
different, he is bigger than me and I
can’t scare him,” said freshman
Lewis Woodward.
If teens are out to abuse
their parents in a more psychological
way they attempt to intimidate the
parent. They also make unrealistic
demands on the parents and guilt
trip them into doing them. Lying,
running away from home, staying
away all night, and making threats
are all ways a teen may attempt to
control their parents.
but he never does,” said
junior Bethany Riso.
Children that
witness violence in the
home are at a greater risk
of being abusive in their
teen years. Some of these
teens or preteens may
have been a victim of
physical, emotional, or
sexual abuse, which may
have caused them to grow
up with the understanding
Photo By Andrea Larison that it is okay to do these
In America today, teenagers are trying to take things. Many of the
adolescents that grow up
control of their parents.
with
this
power
over their parents
“My sister would lie to
become
involved
in crimes such as,
my mom and scream and yell at her.
She used to make her feel really bad, shoplifting, prostitution, or breaking
then she moved out,” said and entering.
“I think that it is true that
sophomore Amanda Schieffer.
most
teens
get involved in such
Some teens have power
activity,
because
they see their
over their parents’ finances.
Stealing money or parent’s parents as always being right they
belongings is one thing they can do. want to be like them, so they do
Selling possessions—theirs or their things like them,” says sophomore
parents, destroying the home or David Ebke.
Some of the reasons for
parents’ belongings, and making
debts the parents must cover are teens controlling their parents can
other things the can do. Also, they be any of the following. First,
can demand parents to purchase parents can be so afraid that their
things they don’t feel that they teen will not love them that they
can afford. Saying things like, “I give them no structure to ensure that
need this new computer for school their teen will always need them for
work otherwise I will fail all of my some trouble they get into. Next,
classes,” or “If I don’t get this t- some teens have a hard time with the
shirt for Newspaper like everyone rules that the parent lays down, and
when the rules are enforced they
else, I will be a social outcast.”
“My boyfriend’s little become more abusive.
Changes in the family structure
brother, who’s in eighth grade, steals
may
cause a teen to act out. If
his mother’s money that she saves,
parents
are separated or divorced, the
and she thinks he will pay her back,
teen will take out their anger on the
parent they live with. If a new
person comes in to one of the
parents’ lives this can cause pain to
the teen and cause even more anger.
If a teen feels separated from their
parents they may act out abusively
to receive attention.
“Children learn how to
manipulate their parents when they
are a product of a broken home.
Parents with shared custody find
their children manipulating
situations to pit one parent against
another to get the outcome they are
seeking,” said Rita Million, mother
of four.
There are some things that
a parent can do to stop this
unacceptable behavior. The first
thing that needs to be done is silence
needs to be broken. Parents of
abusive teens need to make their
voices be heard. Talking about the
abuse is a good way to get a grasp
on the feelings that go with it.
Counseling and therapy are a must
for a parent who is being abused by
their teen.
For years to come, we can
expect teens to take an unbelievable
advantage of this power they have
gained. Will this issue of power and
violence get so out of hand parents
will finally break? Or will parents
take back what is rightfully theirs,
power over their teens?
***All of the information
provided in this article came from a
study by Barbara Cottrell for the
Family Violence Prevention Unit of
Health in Canada.
Now Students Give the Grade
Amber Johnson
Assistant Editor
Americans love feedback.
They love to rate movies, music,
restaurants, football teams, and even
looks. But the newest fad has
brought so much controversy to
America’s high schools, that the
website has been banned from
hundreds of schools across the
nation. American teens have now
moved to grading… their graders.
Since August 2001, a
website called RateMyTeachers.com
has been encouraging students to
voice opinions about the quality of
their
instructors.
RateMyTeachers.com lets students
evaluate instructors on a scale from
1 to 5, 5 being the highest, in terms
of helpfulness, clarity, and easiness.
Because “easiness” isn’t a factor that
determines how well a teacher
teaches material, the site then
averages the helpfulness and clarity
score into an overall quality score.
Students can also indicate the
“coolness” of a teacher, but like the
easiness score, it is not averaged into
the overall quality.
The
purpose
of
RateMyTeachers.com is to help form
positive change on the way parents,
students, and teachers look at the
education system, to help give
students and parents a place to have
their opinions validated, and to
resource teachers who are open
enough to face opinions of their
customers, and benefit from the
comments made. While the website
may seem to have all good
intentions, many feel that the
websites message is inaccurate and
ineffective.
“Sure I think that banning
the website is going a little too far,” Hussey. “I thought that high school methods. Some students, however,
said Dave Bergman, “but it’s not that and middle school teachers would feel that the site can be used as a
resource.
offensive because teachers merely benefit from students’ opinions.”
While teachers and
“I think that it should be
consider the source. If a kid doesn’t
like a teacher and is just posting students can benefit from the site, the allowed because it could tell other
negative comments on the site, site is flawed in the fact that many people what you think about a
teachers viewing the site aren’t going of its ratings are based on evaluations teacher and how to get on their good
to care because they know that it’s posted by handfuls of students rather side or bad side,” said sophomore
just from a student that doesn’t then a broad sampling of the student Aaron Pedersen.
body. Because of this, student’s
Sophomore Tedi Swanson,
personally like them.”
While this opinion seems opinions posted may not represent a student who has never been on
legitimate, the makers of the website the overall opinion/view towards a RateMyTeachers.com, thinks
differently.
see it as more than just a place to teacher.
“Some teacher’s pet might
“I think it’s okay that they
take out harsh feelings.
“They think that it’s a post 25 good comments and ¾, or (banned the site). Forcing the staff
forum for students to bash their the majority of the class may hate to work in a place where their
teachers, but that’s not the case,” said the teacher,” said senior Kaleb King. students are constantly watching
Michael Hussey, a former
them and rating them would
substitute and Internet
make
the
staff
entrepreneur who came up
uncomfortable.”
with
the
idea
of
Although
the
RateMyTeachers.com. “It’s
schools do reserve the right to
just an outlet for student
censor any Internet sources
opinion.”
that may harm a student or
But is student
teacher, many feel that the site
opinion relevant to a teacher?
should be banned altogether.
Do teachers really care about
But the fact of the matter
their overall popularity
remains,
that
among their students? Or is
RateMyTeachers.com is a
RateMyTeachers.com just a
legitimate and legal exchange
place for students to hold
of information and ideas
Photo from Yahoo keyword: ratemyteachers.com through the Internet. After
grudges or subject teachers to
On the website ratemyteachers.com students can hitting the 6,000,000 (post
random or rude remarks?
The owners of the rate the teachers at their school in terms of
mark), RateMyTeachers.com
operators of this site say… helpfulness, clarity, easiness, and popularity.
has proven its popularity and
Although Lewis Central given students a chance to express
“No.” Interestingly, about 70% of
the ratings on the website are does allow students onto how well they are benefiting from
favorable. Based on the feedback RateMyTeachers.com despite the their educators.
received, it is obvious that students controversy, many students
“In the public discourse on
using the website have a keen elsewhere are blocked from the improving education, we believe the
website. Many schools feel that most important voices are often
interest in their education.
“I remember that I had there is no use for a website that ignored,” said Michael Hussey. “For
valid opinions of my teachers in high instigates anonymous users to the first time in the history of public
school. I remember the evaluations degrade and exploit a teacher. Some schools, the student is being heard.”
at the end of my college semester and schools feel that posting an opinion
Log
on
to
I know the professors used to look online is an immature way to handle RateMyTeachers.com now to voice
at them and found them useful,” said not liking a teacher ’s teaching your opinion.
Page 6
Feature
FCAHasANewWayToPlay
Dani Mescher
Co-Editor-In-Chief
The Fellowship of Christian
Athletes is the largest schoolbased Christian organization in
t h e U S , a n d i t ’s c h a l l e n g i n g
coaches and athletes to use the
influential arena of sports to
impact their world. Lewis
C e n t r a l ’s o w n F C A m e m b e r s
share that same mission, and they
strive to let their faith shine in the
halls of Lewis Central.
“It’s about our young people
choosing to be positive influences
in the school, living their faith and
walking the walk,” said FCA
sponsor Pat Campbell.
FCA students have been
‘walking the walk’ through the
halls of Lewis Central since the
mid-80’s. Mr. Campbell came to
LC in 1984, and he immediately
began
the
process
of
implementing the club into the
school. In 1985, the LC FCA
chapter was officially sanctioned
and they took off strongly with a
healthy number of members.
“It was a really good thing.
The numbers were great and it was
a really nice crowd back then,”
said Campbell.
This year there are around
seventy students in grades 9-12
who are active members of the
FCA. While this is a rather large
number, it is the hope of all
current members that the group
keeps growing. There is always
room for more to join.
“All anyone has to do is show
up at a meeting.” said Campbell.
“We try and have two meetings a
month and we come pretty close
to doing that.”
The
leadership
team
responsible for getting meetings
organized, as well as organizing
some sort of major function each
month is a group of eleven
students who were appointed as
officers by Mr. Campbell.
“ O u r o ff i c e r s s p e a r h e a d
d i ff e r e n t a c t i v i t i e s . C e r t a i n
individuals step up to get things
rolling. We all wobk together, but
t h e o ff i c e r s d o t h e m a i n
organizing.” said Campbell.
There are plenty of activities
and events for every officer to
have his/her turn in the driver’s
seat. Year after year the FCA is
active and living in the school as
well as in the community. They
participate in events ranging from
volunteer work, to the Concert of
Praise to the nationally sponsored
See You At The Pole event.
“I thought See You At The
Pole was great this year. We had
a lot of students there, and it really
was a great turn out.” said
s o p h o m o r e o ff i c e r J a c l y n
E r i c k s o n . “ We c a m e i n t o a
classroom and held hands and all
prayed together.”
Now that SYATP is done, one
of the FCA’s biggest events is the
‘Day of Champions.’ This activity
invites surrounding FCA groups to
come together in one place and
celebrate their faith.
“The Day of Champions is
where people from all different
schools come together and
fellowship and worship together,”
said sophomore Amber Barr. “We
have good food and games, and
I’ll go back this year because it’s
a lot of fun.”
While the FCA likes
spending time enjoying each
other’s company, they also invest
a lot of their time helping their
c o m m u n i t y. F C A m e m b e r s
volunteer many times throughout
the year at Bethany Lutheran
Nursing Home doing various
activities for residents such as
decorating the home for
Christmas, making Christmas cards,
and offebing maf power at a BBQ.
“It’s fun to be able to go and
help the elderly. They’re always so
happy to see us, and it makes their
day when we’re just there talking
to them,” said senior officer Sarah
Kreger.
Not only does the club help
the elderly, but they also go out
of their way to make life a little
sweeter for the underprivileged
kids in Council Bluffs through
their participation with the Angel
Tree Ministries.
“I love being able to get the
little kids gifts for Christmas. Just
imagining the smiles on their
faces because they know that we
care for them, is an awesome
thing,” s a id junior offic e r
McKayla Christiansen.
One other main aspects of the
FCA that benefits many of its
members is its very own ‘Being
an Example’ scholarship fund.
The FCA has given away twentyfive thousand dollars in
scholarships to thirty-nine
different students throughout the
years. The scholarship recipients
were voted on by the club
members and by the staff at Lewis
Central. The money for the
scholarships is raised by a variety
of fundraisers including the
Football Jersey Auction, the band
craft fair, and the Free-Throw-AThon, which is more “hands-on” for
the students.
“We raise money for our
scholarship, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s
a good cause and it’s always fun to
shoot with your friends.” said senior
Justin Toole. “We shoot 1,000 free
throws, and there are always snacks
for us so we can keep going and get
the job done.”
Through all of the social
activities, volunteering, and
fundraising, the FCA exists solely
to give the students at Lewis Central
a platform to come together to
honor God. The members bond as
friends and create a powerful
group throughout the school.
“I think the greatest thing is
the unity among friends. We get
together and have a great time.”
s a i d j u n i o r R a c h e l Te r r y.
“Everyone is together as one in
God, and it’s awesome.”
October 2004
NHS
Tough On Trash
it only takes them about a half hour to
Lindsey Behrens
pick up most of the trash around the
Reporter
school.”
Once a month for almost the
This half hour of hard work is just
entire school year, Lewis Central a small part of the time NHS members
students come together for a common are required to do as volunteer service
goal: picking up trash. These students in the community.
dedicate their time to clean and
“Students in NHS must do at
beautify the school grounds. They are least thirty hours of volunteer work
a part of the National Honor Society, during the school year,” said Jones.
an organization that gives students a “This may include up to ten hours
chance to help out in their community. of the volunteering students did over
“This is the second year the the summer.”
National Honor Society has been
While picking up trash around
doing the trash cleanup around the high the school doesn’t sound like much
school,” said NHS coordinator Kim fun, it can sometimes be interesting.
Jones. “The officers last year came up
“One time I found a really long,
with the idea, and I think it’s a great thick chunk of hair with a big wad
way to improve the appearance of the of gum in it,” said junior Sarah
school.”
Starnes. “It was
There is a specified
really gross.”
trash cleanup day
Picking
up
once a month,
trash is a dirty job,
except for in
but someone has to
some of the
do it. Thanks to the
winter months
National Honor
when it will be
Society, the school
too cold outside.
is a cleaner, more
All National
beautiful place.
Honor Society
“ I t h i n k i t ’s
members are
important to keep
required to pick
the
Photo By Andrea Larison school grounds
up trash around
the school two Sloppy students ignore NHS’ efforts .clean,” said junior
of the five times offered.
Emily Cox. “By keeping
“I split up the school t h e m c l e a n , p e o p l e w i l l s e e
grounds into six zones,” said Jones. t h a t w e c a r e a b o u t o u r
“With two students assigned to a zone, s c h o o l . ”
Sports Unlimited: What’s Holding LC Back?
Thomas Webering
Reporter
When going to school
in different regions of the
nation, the sports are
slightly different. There
are many sports that are
offered to coastal schools
rather than to those in the
Midwest, such
a
s
lacrosse, water
polo,
polo,
field
h o c k e y, a n d
i
c
e
hockey.
S o m e
t h i n k
t h e y
offer
these
sports to costal schools
because of the money
involved; in fact, the
reason is because
these sports are
like
football
and soccer in
the Midwest.
These are
sports that
they
grew
up
with.
“ I
t h i n k
l a c r o s s e
would be
a w e s o m e t o p l a y. I t l o o k s
to be a tough sport, and
I ’ m a t o u g h g u y, s o I t h i n k
I would really like it,” said
senior Scooter Davis.
Not only are there
different sports, the
equipment used in
these sports is
r a d i c a l l y
different.
For
example, in
the sport
of polo
t
h
e
p l ayers
on
the
teams are
all
on
h o r s e s
holding mallets,
trying to move the ball down
opposing
the field into
goals.
This sport not
only
requires a lot
o f
money, but also
at least three
horses because the
horses tend to get hurt
by the ball and the mallets.
“ Playing polo would be
fun, but in the Midwest, it
really isn’t the social thing to
do. It never really gets any
p u b l i c i t y, s o i t s t a y s i n t h e
coastal schools,” says senior
Lauren T h o m a s .
One sport that many
wish would come to the
Midwest is water polo.
This sport is very
exhausting
and
requires
elite
training
to
be
dominant.
Many
people
have tried
treading
water for
f i f t e e n
minutes in
the deep end
of the pool.
We l l ,
water
polo players tread
water for two forty-five
minute halves in six to ten
feet of
water without
a
break.
“ I think
playing water
polo would be
really fun. It
would
take
e x t e n s i v e
conditioning and
would keep you in
top shape,”
said senior
D
a
l
e
Larsen.
E v e n
t h o u g h
L e w i s
C e n t r a l
d o e s n ’ t
have
all t
h
e
activities it wished it
had, there are just
s o m e
things
that
d o n ’ t
c h a n g e .
T
h
e
M i d w e s t
h
a
s
a l w a y s
been
known
for
its
hardhitting
sports,
such as football,
and will continue to be
known
for
t h e s e
s p o r t s
until a
drastic
change
occurs.
‘ Our Town’ Meets Your Town
Kellie Doffin
Reporter
Lewis Central has had a
tradition of excellence in it’s drama
program throughout the years with
shows including Fiddler on The
Roof, Once Upon a Mattress, You’re
a Good Man Charlie Brown,
You Can’t Take it With
You, and the award
winning The Sound
of Music. All these
shows have been
extraordinary
and this year’s
fall play is no
exception.
“I love the
idea of the play
for this fall, it’s
such a great
A m e r i c a n
classic,” said codirector Thomas
Heckman.
The choice for
the fall of 2004 is a
play called ‘Our Town’.
The infamous man from
the theatrical world who
wrote this play is named
Thornton Wilder. The play
was produced in 1937 and is set
in the early 1900s. The setting
of the play is in a town called
“Grover’s
Corners,
New
Hampshire—just across the
Massachusetts line: latitude fortytwo degrees, forty minutes;
longitude seventy degrees, thirtyseven minutes.”
A person who stands out in the
crowd of people from Grover’s
Corners is a character who is
referred to as the Stage Manager
(played by Nick Somers). The
Stage Manager’s job is to lead
everyone through the story of
Grover’s Corners. He helps us
learn more about the characters in
Grover’s Corners and helps us
examine our own lives and put into
perspective of what is really important
in life.
Many of the people in Grover’s
Corners live relatively simple
lives; not a whole lot is going on.
It’s a calm, quiet town where
everyone knows each
other. The main
families that the
play
centers
around are the
Gibbs and the
Webbs.
In the Gibbs
household there is
Frank (played by
Zach Yakel), Julia
(Allison Jacoby),
G e o rg e
(Brian
Henderson), and
Rebecca (Jennifer Ettinger).
L i k e w i s e i n t h e We b b
household there is Charles
(played by Brett Epperson),
Myrtle (Molly Lich), Emily
( S a r a h K r e g e r ) , a n d Wa l l y
(David Ebke).
In ‘Our Town,’ Frank Gibbs
is the town doctor and Charles
Webb is the editor of the town’s
local newspaper. Julia Gibbs and
Myrtle Webb are homemakers that
keep the houses in order; they
both take care of the children, make
meals, and do chores. Rebecca
a n d Wa l l y a r e t h e l i t t l e
brother and sister that
e v e r y o n e h a s , a n d t h e y are
relatively close in age. The two
individuals that the help the play
move along are George and
Emily. Through these two
cha r a c t e r s s h o w u s t h e
changes that everything
experiences in life.
smallest events in our daily
life.’
“I believe that Thornton
Wilder wanted no set, so the
audience will focus more on what
the actors are saying and doing
instead of focusing so much on
props,” said Heckman.
Since the use of props is
very limited, actors have to
mime their stage activi ties.
Some actors find it quite a
change from their normal
routine of having
an object to
interact
with.
actually act without the extra
pieces.”
As it is with every play at Lewis
Central, there is an underlying
message for the audience to take
from the show. In this play the
message is very clear, life is too
precious to take advantage of it.
Throughout the play, there are three
acts that represent t h e t h r e e
major parts of life: Daily
Life, Love and
Marriage, and Act
III. Daily life is
simply the way
we live our
lives from
day to day;
One irregular, perhaps even
strange, perspective of the play is that
there is very little set. It was an idea
of Thornton Wilder to use as few
props and pieces of furniture
possible in an attempt ‘to find a value
above a l l p r i c e f o r t h e
“It feels kind of out of the
ordinary,” said junior Bethany
Riso, who plays Mrs.
Soames. “The stage feels
like it is naked, but at the
same time it’s a neat feeling to
k n o w t h a t w e a c t o r s can
love and marriage is what it says, it’s
abou t l o v e a n d i t s m a n y
wonders. The last act is about
what happens after our lives and
how as humans, we don’t realize
what we have in our life until it’s
gone.
“As humans, we always take
life for granted, but it’s important
to make the best of everyday,” said
senior Sarah Kreger, who plays
Emily.
Besides acting, a lot more goes
on behind the scenes of ‘Our Town.’
During the past month the entire
cast has been working feveriously
every Saturday with tech days
and nigh rehearsals to
prepare themselves for
the show, while
welcoming a new
cast member.
The new
additions’
name
is
Danny Lich,
a
seventh
grader from
Lewis Central
Middle School.
“I think the
play is coming along
great! Everyone is
nice and it’s a lot of
fun,” said seventh
grader Danny Lich.
Figuratively
speaking, ‘Our
Town’ is a play that
is a must see for all
kinds of individuals.
It teaches us the
many different,
important parts of
life and how we don’t
ever take the time to
really look at and
appreciate things for
what they are. Maybe
Thornton Wilder had a bigger plan
for his play than what we realize.
Perhaps by just taking a look at
the most important things in life,
we can take a whole new look at
life and the many things that it has
to offer.
Photo By Kellie Doffin
Page 7
Entertainment
Movies That Make You
Want to Stay Tuned
Heidi Behrens
Reporter
Hello Wire readers. I’m back
with another fantastic list for you.
This time I’m not knocking any
movies. I’m telling you which movies I think are worthy of your time
and money. Before I go into my list,
I would just like to say that I haven’t
seen any of the “Lord of the Rings”
movies, so LOTRs fans, please don’t
go crazy when you don’t see them
on this list.
“The Graduate” Young
Benjamin Braddock is fresh out of
college and has no idea what he’s
going to do with his life. Mrs.
Robinson, the wife of Ben’s father’s
business partner, is a lonely,
depressed, alcoholic housewife. Ben
and Mrs. Robinson start getting to
know each other on a more intimate
level. As the affair is heating up,
Ben’s life starts to spiral out of
control. Then, all heck breaks loose.
Ben is forced by his parents to date
Elaine, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter,
and they fall in love. Unfortunately,
Mrs. Robinson informs Elaine that
she and Ben had been getting rather
close over the past year. Now Ben
will do anything to win Elaine back.
Words cannot describe how
wonderful this movie is, and I’ve
seen it too many times to count. It is
beautifully acted and as is Dustin
Hoffman’s screen debut.
from Hayden Christiansen, Peter
Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevingy, and Steve
Zahn. The film also contains a
brilliant debut from director Billy
Ray.
“Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid” Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance Kid were outlaws in
the late 1800’s. This movie tells their
story with humor and brilliant acting
by Paul Newman and Robert
Redford, as well as excellent writing
from screenwriter William Goldman.
“Forgotten” is Worth Remembering
Megan Longmeyer
Co-Editor-In-Chief
Walking into the movie theater
with my friend Erin, I wasn’t quite
sure what to expect. We arrived
barely on time, but ended up walking
in during the previews because we
couldn’t agree on snacks and we
were, of course, chatting. I guess it
just wasn’t one of those “must be on
time” movies, one because the
previews were so vague and two
because it was a Thursday night. So,
we wandered in, found some seats,
and proceeded to pay attention.
At first I didn’t know what to
think, whether it would be a scary
movie or a movie you really have to
follow or just some crazy sciencefiction show. Like I said, the
previews were not a dead give-away
to a happy ending, or any ending in
particular. They were very
misleading and gave little to no
description, but most importantly
they were captivating and alluring.
If you see someone flying out of a
house for no apparent reason, you’re
going to be interested. As we
continued to watch the movie, I
realized that this story wasn’t that
scary, or that “out there.” None of
those things are what made this
movie watch-able… it was the fact
that there was no grand solution, no
definite ending, and how that left the
audience with the biggest question
of all.
The movie starts off with the
sad story of Telli Paretta (played by
Julianne Moore), who’s still
struggling with the death of her son,
Sam, who died some 14 months ago
when his plane disappeared over an
ocean. Since then, she regularly goes
through his room, looking at old
picture and videos, struggling to
resume her life as best she can. Her
therapist, Dr. Jack Munce (played by
Gary Sinise), continues to help her
“Star Wars” Now when I say
“Star Wars,” I mean the real original
“Star Wars,” not the cruddy special
editions, and especially not the
recent prequels. The original 1977
version of “Star Wars” is pure
genius. It revolutionized the way
movies are made, and without it we
would still have movies with bad
special effects like “Clash of the
Titans.”
“American Beauty” Lester
Burnham has a miserable life. His
wife and daughter hate him for all
extensive purposes, and he hates his
job. Finally, Lester decides that he’s
going to do what he wants with his
life no matter what. Unfortunately,
Lester’s new-found sense of self
worsens his relationships with his
family, and turns their lives upsidedown. “American Beauty” is a very
“Shattered Glass” “Shattered dark comedy that can make you want
Glass” tells the story of disgraced to laugh and then cry two seconds
journalist Stephen Glass. Glass was later. Kevin Spacey won an Oscar for
a reporter for the New Republic his performance, and Annette Bening
Magazine in Washington, D.C. and was nominated.
over the course of his career, he
After reading this list, I hope
fabricated almost all of his stories. your Blockbuster card will be getting
“Shattered Glass” tells his story from a lot of good use. I expect to see a
fame to disgrace beautifully, and jump in their stock in the upcoming
contains wonderful performances days.
All movie posters obtained from Yahoo Search: Keyword The Graduate,
All the Presidents Men, Shattered Glass movie poster, Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid, X-Men movie poster, Star Wars movie poster,
American Beauty.
through this struggle until one day
she is hit by the “truth.” She is told
that she fabricated Sam’s whole
existence herself as a result of a
miscarriage; all of the pictures are
now gone, the videos are blank, and
no one has any memory of Sam or
the crash except Telli. Refusing to
believe this, Telli enlists the help of
Ash Correll (played by Dominic
West), whose daughter, Lauren, was
on the same flight as her son. Telli
helps Ash remember the daughter
he’d also forgotten, and together
they start off on a wild chase to find
the truth about their children, a truth
full of theories, adrenaline, suspense,
and an ending that is going to leave
you a little more than skeptical than
when you entered the theater.
The overall affect of this movie
would not have been possible
without the all-star acting
performances. Julianne Moore never
ceases to amaze me on how well she
forms into her character. In the
beginning scenes where she is
reliving the life of her son through
the pictures and videos, you can
actually capture her intense
connection with this boy and feel
her calling out to him from seeing
such intense emotion. Dominic West
stays consistently rounded in his
character throughout the movie, such
as his macho attitude and heavy
drinking habits. He seems to have a
good ability in showing intense
emotion as he remembers his Lauren
once more, but he lacked the screen
time to effectively develop his
character. Gary Sinise, although
given a small part, holds his own
well, as in any movie that he does,
and gives us his best performance
possible.
The
directing
and
cinematography for this movie was
sufficient. Director Joseph Ruben
picked an excellent set of actors for
this film and kept the movie
Photo obtained from http://www.movie-fever.com/gallery/album11/
TF_014_DF_01198
Telli Paretta (Junianne Moore) searches for memories of her belated son.
suspenseful yet dynamically
believable. The screenplay was wellwritten, keeping people entertained
and informed, but not dragging on
either. There was a lot of chasing all
at once in this movie which is
something I wasn’t too fond of, but
these scenes were well-recorded, so
it was little easier to not get bored.
Two such scenes were at the
beginning when she first escapes
from the federal agents, and later on
when she’s in the warehouse. Both
scenes are small “time fillers,” but
they worked well with the story
through good camera work and
plausible acting. Also, in scenes
were people randomly disappear, it
seems very unrealistic for something
like that to happen, but they make it
more believable than I expected they
could. All-in-all, the making of this
movie was good but doesn’t quite hit
the bar of some of the “sci-fi” movies
preceding it.
The most important thing I’d
like to point out about this movie is
its believability factor. In terms of
the “beyond,” we really don’t know
what’s out there, so how would we
know when the unknown is so close
to us? This movie gives people who
believe in life beyond our world a
valid point for believing these
theories. What if we couldn’t
remember them ever being
around… how would we know they
are here or not? This movie gives
skeptics lots of things to think about,
and this, in my opinion, boosts the
credibility of this movie higher than
any other feature.
Several hours and days after I
saw the movie, the possibilities of it
still weighed on my mind. There
was so much to think about, so
much to ponder, and that‚s the
part that made it worth seeing.
I, at first, had no idea what to
expect, and now, after watching
it, I still scarcely know what to
think. It’s a challenge to sort out
in your mind what a movie is
trying to say and how it makes you
feel, but for movies like The
Forgotten, it’s a separation of what
is real and the possibilities of the
universe and beyond. If this movie
was as intriguing to others as it was
to me, then I’m sure that you’ll be
thinking about this movie for quite
awhile
You Named Your
...She Did it
Baby
What!?!?
Again
“X-Men” The movie “X-Men”
has two factors that make it great a
very powerful message about the
lasting affects of hatred, and its highquality entertainment for the whole
family.
Becca Sheppard
Copy Editor
“All the President’s Men” I
must admit I’m probably partial to
this movie because it’s about two
reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl
Bernstein. Woodward and Bernstein
are two rookie reports working for
the Washington Post who are
assigned to write a story about a
burglary at the Watergate Complex.
Little do they know they’ve just
stumbled upon one of the greatest
political stories of our time, The
Watergate Scandal. I think this
movie is sheer perfection. However,
there are some things people might
not like about it. The movie is 138
minutes long and based off of
history, so if you aren’t into history,
I don’t recommend picking it up.
October 2004
Oops, she did it again! Popprincess Britney Spears is more
famous for her marriages than she
is for her singing career, it seems.
After an “accidental,” 55-hour union
through a Vegas wedding (and dare
I say, that’s a little white trash?) with
childhood friend Jason
Alexander, Spears began a new
drama to occupy the media with
back-up dancer (and perhaps
back-up husband?) Kevin
Federline. On June 27, 2004,
Britney announced her
engagement to the back-up
dancer. Originally, the wedding
was supposedly planned for
sometime in October. The
couple actually got married on
September 18th, most likely to
avoid a public media storm.
Good move. The wedding was
said to be pretty uptown. It is,
after all, Britney Spears. I
mean, she is estimated to be
worth at least $32,000,000.
Impressive? I guess so.
The ceremony was
held in Studio City, California.
Attending the ceremony were
20 immediate family members. The
ring was a 5 karat, $40,000 diamond.
Must be nice. It’s reported that the
people attending wore sweat pants
after the ceremony. Odd maybe?
Who are we to judge, I guess. The
men wore track suits that said
“Pimps” on them. Tacky? That might
be cool for Dave Chapelle, but for
Britney Spears and Calvin Klein/
underwear model-typed Federline?
Not so much.
So Spears says, “I do.” Or
does she? After the wedding was
reportedly held, rumors began to
arise suggesting Spears and
Federline never officially got
married at all. Apparently, Matt
Drudge from The Drudge Report
made claims that Britney and
Federline faked the wedding.
Headlines read “Media Tricked
Again: Brit Faked Wedding.” The
controversy caught a lot of media
attention, which is possibly what
Spears wanted, seeing as her
popularity isn’t what it used to be. I
suppose if enthusiasm from the rest
of the world about her career is
drying up, she has to do something
to get peoples’ attention. So, is
Spears married or not? It all boiled
down to yes, Britney Spears and
Kevin Federline did indeed have the
wedding, but the did not, in fact, file
a marriage license. In this case, the
two were not legally married. When
interrogated by anxious reporters,
Spears admitted that she and
Federline had not yet filed their
marriage license, but they were
Photo obtained from Yahoo Search:
Britney Kevin
Newlyweds Spears and Federline
cherish each other after thier first
moments of marriage.
going to get to it within the next
week.
“I know we’re not
completely legal until we file the
license, which we’ll do next
week,” Spears told People
Magazine. “But in a real sense, a
spiritual sense, we’re married.
We’re just following our lawyer’s
advice.” Legally, she has 10 days
after the actual wedding to file
the license. Better get on that,
Britney.
She claims that the delay
was caused because the couple
moved up the wedding date. Oh, the
drama. After much controversy
and gossip, it turns out that
Britney Spears is officially Mrs.
Britney Federline (she recently
announced that she wants her
name to be legally accepted as
Federline, not Spears), so the
world can sleep in peace.
It’s not easy being famous.
Dani Mescher
Co-Editor-In-Chief
Celeb Name
Baby Name
Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin….Apple
John Travolta & Kelly Preston……Ella Bleu
Reese Witherspoon & Ryan Phillippe…Deacon
Brandy…………………………Sy’Rai
Courteney Cox & David Arquette….Coco
Matt LeBlanc………………………Marina
Andre Agassi………………………Jaz
Helen Hunt……………Makena’ Lei Carnahan
Rob Morrow…………………Tu’ Morrow
Jason Lee……….Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf
Rachel Griffiths…………...Banjo Patrick
Ving Rhames………………………Rainbow
Shannyn Sossamon…………Audio Science
Kate Hudson………………….Ryder
Don Johnson……………….Jasper
Ethan Embry……………Cogeian
Sylvester Stallone…………Sistine
Congratulations!
LC Wire 03-04 Assistant Editor
Samantha Tsuji on being winner of the
Wrigly Fresh Films Competition.
Check out her film at:
Winterfresh.com/films
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
*Breakfast
snacks*
*Pop*
Lewis Central High School
Day of Champions
Saturday October 30, 2004
*Pizza*
*FCA
T-Shirt*
Registration 8:00-8:30 A.M.
*Join fellow LC students and area FCA’ers for a time
of fun, food, and fellowship
*College students from Faith Baptist Bible College in
Ankeny, Iowa will lead the days activites
Cost $15
Page 8
October 2004
Student Life
Trick-Or-Treat
A Cartoon By Becca Sheppard
Beccas Top 8
Halloween
Costume Reviews
By Becca Sheppard
Clever? Probably not,
but worth a good laugh.
Pllllttthhhtttt.
What more can I say, OUCH!
Hahaha. Pretty much genius. I wish I was an Oscar
Meyer Weiner still, though.
Can this even be beat?
Creative, to say the least.
I’d do it.
I’m not impressed. Look
at the chicken jockey
for heaven’s sake.
Bananas, in pajamas, are walking
down the stairs…pajamas…okay.
Who doesn’t want to be a banana?
Well, I must say, the
vicious man-eating shark
was just beat.
Fear: What Scares You?
Vicki Burnett
Reporter
Suddenly, the crazed
murderer flew through the
cellar door, pulled out a
knife, and, as it glittered in
the moonlight, flung it across
the room missing his victim by
a fraction of an inch...
This victim’s initial
emotion is fear. How this
person would act because of
his fear is based on his
background and past
experiences. Humans are not
afraid of immediate danger,
but rather we base our fears
on a nonexistent past or on
an imagined future.
Three main reasons that
people experience fear are
feeling the possibility of not
surviving, being frustrated,
and assuming harm. In the
example
above,
the
possibility of not surviving
was the basic source of the
victim’s fear. Because there
was a threat of potentially
fatal physical danger, the
person’s existence was at
stake.
While Jane is standing
outside the drama room door,
her stomach is in knots,
goosebumps cover her arms,
and her mouth is dry. She
loves acting, but she is
terrified that she will not
make the school play. So she
hurriedly leaves the doorway
and avoids this possiblility of
frustration entirely. This is
frustrating because failing
would be a disappointment
that could stop her from
taking any future risks at all.
Now imagine your heart
racing, palms sweating, and
muscles tensing as you walk
to the entrance of Mystery
Manor. When you get in line
you feel like you are being
watched; you turn around and
you are face to face with a
demonic-looking clown named
Bobo that says, “Hey, how are
you?” You could be afraid
that he might harm you. So you
start wondering if you should
run away or stay and ‘fight’
your fear. In this day and age
people are not afraid of
physical harm because it is not
a daily threat, instead they
are more concerned with the
psychological impact an event
might have on them.
Fear is not the only
emotion that gives people the
impulse to run away. Anxiety,
panic, worry, and shyness
can let your mind play tricks
on you in the same way fear
does.
All of these fears start
with a stimulus. Something
potentially dangerous is
seen, heard or felt (a
stimulus),
and
that
information is sent to a
center of the brain known as
the sensory thalamus. From
there, the rough information
is quickly sent to the
amygdala, the section of the
brain that stores fearful
emotional memories, and an
emotional response is sent to
the heart, lungs, and legs
telling them whether to fight
or flee. At the same time the
information is sent to the
sensory cortex, the region of
the brain that deciphers what
the object is and how much
of a threat is poses, for a
more precise response. Once
Halloween Madness!
Find all of the spooky halloween words, and use the remaining
letters to figure out the mystery message! First 6 to return
completed puzzles to room 401 will receive a prize!
N H A P P Y J T H N A B Y L L O N S P W
E I E N L E A W R I I K R S C R E U U N
T R L A L S C T U I O F E O O D T O M E
N T S B A N K D S O C V F C O O T I P A
F F F R O O O C P M A K Y O M M T R K H
S E W I R G L S O R E D O B C S T E I A
F E F H B C A K G S N C S R A S K T N R
W H N U D O N E C A T T S T T F Q S N K
J O Y O N V T Y C Z O U K L P R M Y N I
E R J K B Q E S L N S I M Z U L E M E U
P R V X J B R Z E R G Q Q E C H B A C Z
W O I H A U N T E D H O U S E L L J T B
G R F P M N I E T S N E K N A R F W E C
F V E O M J M L K K T E A C W V I W C R
N O R D L A C U O S L A K M F T R F S E
G H O S T W V T M E A C B W C E K I G E
B V N O O M G H T M A M S H D R A E F P
P S L U H J S O R T Y V E I J J C N T Y
B V F C W C N Q H Y X S P C P J V F A Y
V H V Q P N L A A T M S B T H C D A N G
the information is clearly
processed and the actual
amount of danger is
evaluated, the appropriate
reaction is realized.
Even though fear seems
like a weakness, it has its
purpose.
Controlled
correctly, fears help us to
avoid possible dangers and
keep us safer in the process.
If fear is not controlled,
decisions are rash and foolish
with destructive actions and
consequences.
One way to solve these
fears is to keep a journal.
Within the journal list
specific fears, how real they
are to you, their affect on
your daily life, and how they
hold you back. After writing
about those topics, think of
behaviors that could help
you overcome those fears.
Being afraid is normal.
Fear has its purposes and
there are many different
fears shared among humans.
No matter what the fear is,
there is a glowing ‘exit’ sign
around every corner.
What Are You Going To
Be For
Ha lloween?
Photos by
Andrea Larison
I’m going to be a scare
crow, with my baby
sister.
-Tyler Lowen, Freshman
An Officer!
- Alyssa Sass, Senior
Catwoman!
- Amanda York, Sophomore
BAT - BLACKCAT - BONES - BROOM - CALDRON - CANDYCORN COF F IN - COST UME - CREEPY - F EAR - F RANKENST EIN - GHOST GOBLIN - GRAVE - HAUNT EDHOUSE - HORROR - JACKO LANT ERN
- MASK - MOON - MUMMY - MYST ERIOUS - PUMPKIN - SKELETON SPIDERWEB - SPOOKY - TOM BSTONE - T RICKORT REAT VAMPIRE - WITCHES
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Bored!
-Mr. Koester
Mr. Spencer.
- Tim Clouser, Junior