fun facts - Luverne Public Schools

Volume 88 Issue 6
March 2010
Luverne High School
By Brooke Walgrave
Luverne, Minnesota
FUN FACTS
Anatidaephobia is the fear that somewhere in the world, there is a duck watching
you
The sound of E.T. walking was made by someone squishing their hands in Jello
The average garden variety caterpillar has 248 muscles in its head.
Dart-boards are made out of horsehair
Newborn kangaroos are so small they can fit on a teaspoon
Alaska has the highest percentage of people who walk to work
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
Odds are, any memory you believe you have before the age of 4 is NOT real
Approximately 80% of all paper money in the US contains traces of cocaine
Humans have 46 chromosomes. Most potatoes have 48 chromosomes
Coca-Cola would be green if coloring weren’t added to it.
Many hotels and hospitals in China don’t label the fourth floor. Why? The pronunciation of “four” sounds like “death
The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.
Shakespeare was the first to use insults about people’s mothers
An octopus can squeeze through a hole the size of a ten cent coin
By Brooke Walgrave
*Horoscopes*
Aries: Plants may be out to get you now, so look to buying some kind of weed-killer.
Taurus: Don’t bother saving your money, Inflation will see to it that this money will be worthless
whenever it’s most needed
Gemini: A Turkish man or woman may delight you today in some manner.
Cancer: Life is short. Sing in the car and the shower today.
Leo: Don’t be afraid of midgets doing wall sits on Main Street, its normal.
Virgo: Stop taking life so seriously, watch an old favorite movie, put in a frozen pizza, and drink
some red juice.
Libra: Chocolate desserts are your friend today
Scorpio: Your new found love will be lasagna. Eat lots of it.
Sagittarius: A so called friend may make public your closet love of country music.
Capricorn : Change is in your future soon. Look under cushions.
Aquarius: Take some time to think about what is reality, and what isn’t, sometimes things are all in
your head.
Pisces: Don’t worry about the future; the future doesn’t give a hoot about you, so why care?
Features
Page 2
My Life is Average
www.mylifeisaverage.com
Page 2
A Little Princess
By Sydney Boelman & Savanna Bremer
By Alyssa Stegenga
Today, I realized that one year I wrote to Satan for Christmas
instead of Santa. I guess he was feeling pretty generous that year
because I did get my scooter and Barbie Doll house. MLIA
The Green Earth Players cast and crew have been working
hard for the last few months on their production of “A Little Princess.” The play was March 12-14 and 19-21 at the Palace Theatre.
Directors of the play were Lynette Hoiland and Brenda Winter,
musical director was Sue Sandbulte. Twenty-three individuals
took part in the play and each one became an important character in the play. Ten of the characters were played by girls from
Luverne’s Middle School and Elementary School.
Ashley Siebenahler saw the play and thought it was very
good. “I thought the girls sang their songs really well. It was very
cute.” A lot of other people that have seen the play also agree the
actors and actresses did very well, and the singing was great.
Today, I was at a friends and I really wanted to go home. I called
my mom and as soon as I asked “What time should I be home,” My
mom whispered really ninja-ish, “Cough once if you want to come
home now.” I’m glad we are on the same page mom. MLIA
The other day I was showering at my grandma’s house. She had
this special shampoo because she has a water purifier throughout
the house. I was bored so I was reading it. First ingredient, freshly
squeezed water. I wonder what they squeeze it from... MLIA
Today, my family and I went to my grandma’s house. We played
a trivia game and the question was “You do this when you are on
fire.” My grandma then proceeded to yell “BURN!” at the top of her
lungs. The answer was stop, drop, and roll. MLIA
Today, I realized that if you watch Jaws backwards, it’s the story of
a shark that throws up so many people they have to open a beach.
MLIA
Today, while in the shower, I was washing my face with Neutrogena
face scrub. I then decided to splash my face like they do in the commercials. I did not end up smiling and refreshed, I ended up with a
nose full of water and had difficulty breathing for 3 minutes. MLIA
Today, I was driving to work when I panicked about leaving my
keys at home. I turned around, drove home, and it wasn’t until I
went to turn off the car that I remembered where my keys were.
MLIA
Today, my roommate thought she had lost her wallet, and was tearing the room apart looking for it. My other roommate and I both
offered to call it to see if it would ring. It took us a few seconds to
realize our mistake. MLIA
Ides of March
By Spencer Dammann
The Ides of March is the first day of the Roman New Year. It also
marks the first day of spring in the Roman calendar. On this day in history, Julius Caesar was warned by soothsayers to “beware of the Ides of
March”. Apparently, he did not heed the warning strongly enough as he
was stabbed by Marcus Brutus on the Ides of March in 44 BC. According to Plutarch, Caesar was warned by a seer to be on his guard against a
great peril on the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey
(where he would be assassinated), Caesar saw the seer and joked “Well, the
Ides of March have come,” to which the seer replied “Ay, they have come,
but they are not gone.” This meeting is famously dramatized in William
Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned to “beware the
Ides of March”. The Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god
Mars and a military parade was usually held.
Despite vast advances in knowledge and technology over the last
2,000 years, it turns out people today are not so different from the ancients when it comes to superstition and the way it affects decision-making
and the economy, according to new research. Researchers estimate that
U.S. businesses lose between $800 and $900 million every Friday the 13th
- bad luck on that day is one of the most prevalent superstitions among
Americans - due to factors including absenteeism and reluctance to travel
or make decisions. It is estimated that as many as 9 percent of Americans
are paraskevidekatriaphobics that is, fearful of Friday the 13th.
State BPA
By Meghann Stanley
Three weeks ago, eight students went to the cities for state
BPA. The individuals that qualified this year were, Jackie Broomfield, Brooke Walgrave, Shannon DeBoer, Rachel Saum, Stephanie
Schultz, Lexy Kindt, Paige Olson, and Meghann Stanley. Although
everyone went up there and worked hard on their tests, only a few
left with medals or trophies. Shannon DeBoer, competing in Advanced Spreadsheet and Database, received first in the Advanced
Spreadsheet and fifth in Database qualifying for Nationals in Anaheim, CA. Also, in first place was the Spelling Bee team consisting
of Stephanie Schultz, Rachel Saum, and Lexy Kindt. The Economic
Research Team, Paige Olson, Lexy Kindt, Steph Schultz, and Rachel Saum, also did a good job receiving medals for the work they
did. By the end of the long weekend, everyone did their best and
came home satisfied.
Page 3
Toodle-Doodles
A t h l e t e s of the
M o n th
Page 3
Sppeeeeeeed Date
By Bobbie Cowell
By Ashley Siebenahler
Britton Dyer - Track
Age: 18
Height: 5’4’’
Position: Sprinter
How long have you participated in this
sport? 6 years
What is the best thing about it? Awesome
teammates and super great coaches!
Austin Maxwell – Boy’s Golf
Age: 15
Height: 5’10’’
Position: Golfer
How long have you participated in this
sport? 3 years
What is the best thing about it? Going
out and practicing with my friends.
Nick Meyer – Baseball
Age: 18
Height: 6’1’’
Position: Short Stop & Pitcher
How long have you participated in this
sport? 10 years
What is the best thing about it? Working
as a team to win games, and we have amazing coach.
Stephanie Shultz – Softball
Age: 17
Height: 5’6’’
Position: 2nd base
How long have you participated in this
sport? Since 4th grade
What is the best thing about it? The
girls are fun and I love the sport!
Krista VanDyke – Girls Golf
Age: 18
Height: 5’6’’
Position: Golfer
How long have you participated in this
sport? 6 years
What is the best thing about it? Hanging out with Lexy Kindt!
SENIOR
COUNTDOWN
By Meghann Stanley & Shannon DeBoer
The spring play this year was entitled “Speed Date.”
This basically explains the main story behind the play. There
were many single men and women that made their way to a
speed-dating clinic. Shannon DeBoer played the moderator
and also was trying to find love herself. The introduction was
hilarious as Shannon’s character read a monologue introducing
the clinic and replaced normal words for funny one’s such as
instead of “lovers” she used “losers”. Matt Engesser was the
other lead character who had to go through a lot of different
dates and seemed to change personalities for each one!
Some of the memorable characters included Landon
King playing a guy who was really into movies. What was even
funnier was when two guys got together and stereotypically
started quoting movies together. Kelsey Vogt played a recently divorced crazy woman. The climax of her performance was
when she howled at the audience, I personally was laughing
for a couple minutes after that.
Jonathan Krueger’s character was a man who had dated
what seemed like a hundred different girls. Whenever he
tried talking he would make references back to them, which
of course a woman sure wouldn’t like during a date! Ryan Oye
made a terrific bad date when he played a man who popped
the question during the first date at the table. He offered to
have children too! Jackie Broomfield was the typical “bridesmaid never the bride.” Rona Vaselaar played an amazing cat
lady who had a photo album full of cats!
Haley Boltjes showed ink blots to her date and assumed that if they saw the same thing they were meant for
each other, and then she got too close to him! Rachel Saum
was the woman who was all business and was very rude while
texting during dinner. Emily Vander Brink’s character was
just mad the whole time! Hannah Kanninen played Shannon’s
mother and wore a clown costume so she wouldn’t recognize
her, and the costume was great. Her mother was a crazy
though!
When asked about the play, Bobbie Cowell said that,
“Nick Den Herder really has the moves! I thought the play
was funny!” I think that Bobbie covered the reaction that
most of us had. All of the people sitting around me were
laughing quite a bit.
The audience was really receptive to the comedic parts
to the play. It was especially funny when silly characters
turned down Shannon’s character, including Nick Den Herder
who really was showing a different side of himself in this play!
There were crazy dates, dances, bears, and the bell! It’s great
that the whole high school could come out to support it this
time.
-47 lunches
-329 hours
-19,740 minutes
-1,184,400 seconds
- 74 scheduled sport activities
-10 weeks
-2 days off
Page 4
Boys’ Tennis
Sports
By Ryan Oye
The 2010 boys’ tennis started their practices on
Monday, March 29th. According to Coach Antoine,
practices will probably run until 6 p.m. the first two
weeks due to the longer school days. They will also be
doing challenge matches to see who is going to play varsity and junior varsity.
“We are quite young as a team,” stated Coach
Antoine. “We only lost one senior this year and we have
9 to 10 others returning from the section lineup.” With
these 9 to 10 from the section lineup and hopefully the
return of those who lettered or played last year there will
be a lot of competition for spots on the varsity team this
year. Coach Antoine also stated that, “We need to get
better as a team, not just individually, but that takes work
from every player on the team. Now, with the combination of all of these factors, we’re going to have a great
team this year and hopefully for years to come “
The first home match will be Tuesday April 6th vs.
Vermillion S.D. at 4 p.m. So come on out and cheer the
team on at their first home match!
Page 4
EAT! SLEEP! GOLF!
By Alyssa Stegenga
Well it’s almost spring and that means one thing for a group
of Luverne High School students. It’s time to start playing a little
golf. With the sun shining, the girls and boys golf teams will make
their way out to the course everyday for practice. Team goals are
to make it to sections as a team for both the boys and girls. Many
varsity players graduated last year so it will be tough for the team
to fill their spots. Very experienced players are a strength of the
team. Mr. Nowatzki is the head coach for the girls team and Mr.
Sichmeller is head coach for the boys. Senior Krista Van Dyk says
“It’s nice being one of the oldest but it puts more pressure on me
because I know it’s my last year and I want to do good.” Good luck
to her and the rest of the teams this golf season!
Off To a Fast Start
By Alyssa Stegenga
The 2010 track season has started! Everyone is excited,
especially coach J who busted into practice on the first day
shouting “TRACK SEASON 2010!” Both girls and boys team
are looking strong. The weak areas this year are triple jump,
boys’ long distance, and high jump. There are five coaches
this season that help in different areas. The senior girls
consist of Britton Dyer, Liberty Robinson, Alyssa Stegenga,
Stephanie Van Whye, and Callie Sawtelle. Senior boys are
Derek Petersen, Greg Muller, Davontae Maine, Shane Kramer, and Erick Phommaracksa.
The girls’ team lost Kayla Raddle and the boys’ team
lost Matt Christensen, Sam Dooyema, Devin Nelson, Dakota Steensma, Mark VanAartsen, and Eric Woodley. The
big goal for both teams is to make it to the True Team State
meet in Stillwater. The first track meet was in Vermillion
at the dome on Saturday March 27th and then the team was
back there on Monday March 29th. The team had some
strong performances at their first meet and looks to build on
these performances during the rest of their season.
Softball Beginning
By Bobbie Cowell
Practice began on March 15th for the softball players. They
were unable to practice on the fields because they were too wet,
but they made the most of their practices inside. The team has
five seniors and three juniors. When asking Senior Kate DeBoer
how she thinks the season will go she said, “It will be an interesting
season, we have a lot of young players on the team.”
The Cardinals are off to a good start after their first game
of the season which took place on Tuesday, March 30th. The team
went to Ellsworth to play Adrian Area and came home with a 16-2
victory.
Good luck to the softball team this season!
Page 5
Activities
Luverne - Adrian FFA
Recap of The Year
Page 5
Baseball: Hitting for a Slammin’ Season
By Ryan Oye
By Alyssa Reese
This year there were 53 students in FFA and
507,000 across the U.S. “There are so many opportunities
for young people in high school when they are in FFA.”
Mr. Moritz says, “They can build leadership skills, develop
personal skills and career success.”
Students in FFA participated in many activities this
year; some of those included the Corn Drive, National
FFA Week and the Food For America presentation. The
Corn Drive occurred in November and all the proceeds
were donated to Camp Courage, a camp specifically for
physically handicapped children and young adults.
For National FFA week, which occurred from February 21st to February 27th, students completed a presentation to the 3rd graders about the importance of knowing
where your food comes from. Many of these students also
were involved in the Farm Safety demonstration for the
fourth graders. This presentation showed what accidents
can occur and how to prevent them.
Recently over thirty members traveled to SDSU in
Brookings and participated in the Little I competition on
March 19th. “Lucas Nath and Shelby Springman placed
5th and 7th individually at the Little I General Live Stock
Judging Contest, the highest anyone from our chapter has
every placed in this category”, stated Mr. Moritz.
Overall, the students have had a very great year and
are looking forward to the State Convention, which will
go from April 25th to April 27th. This years’ FFA Banquet was held at the Elementary School Commons, many
awards were given out such as: Star Awards, Proficiency
Awards, Leadership and Scholarship Awards and Greenhand and Chapter Degrees.
It’s going…it’s going...it’s OUTTA HERE!! This year’s
baseball season has just begun and the boys are ready to get going. I had the chance to talk to Mr. Wenninger, who is the head
coach. I asked him how the season is expected to go and how
well the team will cooperate. He said, “I am optimistic about
this year’s group. We have some great student athletes. We do
have spots to fill and I believe we have the right guys to do so.”
He also said that the guys have a great chemistry during practice
and during games. “They really help each other out there,” said
Wenninger. I also got a chance to talk to Landon Gacke about
how long he has been in baseball and his favorite thing about it.
“My favorite thing about baseball is getting to be with friends and
teammates and going out and having fun,” Gacke said. He also
said, “I have been playing baseball ever since I can remember, and
I get along with everyone on the field. Then when we aren’t on
the field, we don’t get along as well.” Wenninger said, “We are
looking forward to a great season!” Good Luck, Baseball Team!
By Spencer Dammann
Gorillaz: Plastic Beach Music Review
It’s been awhile since the Gorillaz have released anything. Their last album “Demon Days” was released in 2005 with such hits as “Feel Good
Inc” and “DARE”. However, they’ve recently released a new album (March 3, 2010) titled “Plastic Beach”, and it’s got a lot in store for you.
“Gorillaz now to us is not like four animated characters anymore-- it’s more like an organization of people doing new projects.” Hewlett (the
animator) told The Observer last July. In other words, the Gorillaz aren’t cartoons anymore. Along with being real their music took on a new tone.
Aside from the regular cast of the Gorillaz (which is really just Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett) they recruited a multitude of artists to collaborate with them to produce Plastic Beach. A few of the artists you know, like Mos Def and Snoop Dogg, but to give credit where it’s due here’s
the complete list: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kano, Bashy, Bobby Womack, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, Mick
Jones (former lead guitarist for The Clash), Paul Simonon (bassist for The Clash), sinfonia ViVA and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental
Arabic Music.
I believe Plastic Beach is an album both the readers of this article and I will finally find some common ground on. Everyone’s heard of the
Gorillaz, and most of you enjoyed the band’s music. However, this album is a bit more eclectic and deviates away from their former work. Plastic
Beach is still considered “pop” music, but in the most warped, distorted, and obscure sense. Over the course of making Plastic Beach (which as almost going to be called Carousel) Damon Albarn “discovered” himself and what he wants to do. Albarn dips into Krautrock, funk, and dubstep, and
the droning melodic music he’s been perfecting. The album is also filled with jazz, psychedlic-pop, electronica (like MGMT), hip-hop, rap. You name
it it’s in here somewhere (They even had an orchestra play an Arabic backtrack).
All in all, this album is like an episode of Robot Chicken. It sounds random and incoherent, but it’s still entertaining. Upon the first couple
of listens it doesn’t sound like much, but it grows on you, and soon enough it’ll be stuck in your head all day. Whether it’s the goofy backtrack from
“Pirate Jet” or the hydraulic robot sound from “Glitter Freeze” you’ll enjoy this album one awesome song after the next awesome song.
You can download the deluxe version of Plastic Beach for $12.99 at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/plastic-beach-deluxe-version/
id358065309.
Free streaming of Plastic Beach in its entirety can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/mar/01/gorillaz-plasticbeach
Lastly, if you want purchase the CD you can order the standard or deluxe version (deluxe version comes with a making of the album DVD) at
www.insound.com
Reviews
Page 6
TV Review: My Life as Liz
Page 6
Greatest Movie Ever!
By Sydney Boelman
By Alyssa Reese
My Life as Liz is a television series taking place in Burleson,
Texas, that debuted on MTV in the middle of January of this year.
It has the feel of a reality show but it’s scripted. The show is about a
girl, Liz Lee, who doesn’t quite fit into her school. She is surrounded
by the “typical” cliques you see in movies and most high schools.
Liz used to be best friends with the most popular girl in
school, Cori Cooper, but after they had a major falling out, nothing has ever been the same. Now enemies, Cori finds amusement
in causing drama in Liz’s life. Luckily Liz has her best friend, Colin
‘Sully’ Sullivan, to help her through all the drama of high school. But
one thing Sully can’t help Liz with is her crush on her other friend,
Bryson Gilreath. For that she has her newest friend, Taylor Terry.
Taylor was once part of Cori’s Clique but bowed out after Cori tried
to make a fool of Liz at her party.
Throughout the season Liz had her ups and downs but once
graduation rolled around she had to make a major decision. Should
she leave Burleson to go to New York, her dream, or stay at home
where her friends are? The season finale aired on March 8th and Liz
had to make her big decision. To find out what happened and to
watch past episodes and behind the scenes you can go to www.mtv.
com.
Our furry friends are back in their all new sequel…sorry…
SQUEAKQUEL!!!!! Alvin and the boys are causing more grief for
Dave now that they are rock stars. When Dave gets injured at a
concert, he sends the boys to live with their Aunt Jackie. When
she gets injured, the boys don’t tell Dave about it. Then, Toby,
Jackie’s son, says that he will take care of the boys. The boys are
totally cool with this until they hear that they have to go to…God
Forbid…SCHOOL!!!!
The first day of school, the guys make a very good first
impression on the ladies. Alvin, being the loud-mouth ego-maniac,
starts causing trouble amongst the jocks. Theodore, being the social butterfly, thinks that Alvin will come to his senses. Simon, on
the other hand, thinks that Alvin is doomed to be a jock forever. A
fight breaks out between our stars.
Meanwhile, at the record company that was dropped by the
boys, they have picked up on some new talent. They call themselves the Chipettes. The female versions of the Chipmunks, the
girls are Brittney, Jeanette, and Eleanor. The evil Ian Hawke uses
the girls to get back at Alvin and the Chipmunks for ruining his career in the music industry. He starts out by sweet-talking the girls,
and then he just focuses on Brittney. The girls don’t notice until
they go to school to enter in the school talent show. Brittney sees
that the things that happened to the Chipmunks, are happening to
them.
The ending is just phenomenal. You have to see it to really
get into it. It is rated PG for some crude humor. It’s a good movie
though. I really recommend seeing it. It is the funniest movie
I have seen in a long time. Justin Long is Alvin, Matthew Gray
Gubler is Simon, and Jesse McCartney is Theodore. The Chipettes
are Christina Applegate as Brittney, Anna Faris as Jeanette, and
Amy Poehler as Eleanor.
Today: YouTube; Tomorrow:
My World
By Jonathan Kruger
I’m like Baby, baby, baby ohh I thought you’d always be
mine...If you have heard this song, then you have heard the biggest name in music right now. Justin Bieber, the 16 year old singer
is out with his second album, “My World 2.0”. The CD contains
10 brand new songs, including Baby. His new CD has some other
singers accompanying him like Ludacris and Sean Kingston. Bieber
made his career on YouTube, by posting a video of him singing at
competitions for his family and friends to see. Justin not only sings
but he also taught himself how to play guitar, piano, percussion,
and trumpet.
His last album, “My World,” which included One Time and
‘First Dance’ (featuring Usher), hit #6 on Billboard Top 200.
My World 2.0 came out March 23rd and it was edgier and more
mature. It was more R&B rather than his first album which was
more pop style. I overall like Justin’s music style, so I really liked
his new CD. I recommend everyone to at least listen to JB (Justin
Bieber) and if you like what you hear, I strongly encourage everyone to buy his new CD and support him.
Page 7
Senior Spotlight
Landon Gacke
Birthday: July 26, 1991
Activities: baseball, basketball, FCA
Favorite Class
-Physics (you get to make stuff)
If there was a new class taught at LHS
what would it be & who would teach
it?
-How to not get senioritis by Landon
Gacke
Future Plans
-Go to SMSU, play some baseball, do
some studying and get a degree. Make
Bank. Marry someone special, have
some kids, and live the dream.
Zack Staeffler
Birthday: December 13,
1991
Activities: football, basketball, peer helping
Favorite Class
-lifetime fitness
Future Plans
-Go to NDSU for zoology,
get married, have kids and
live a long happy life.
Page 7
Michael Graff
Michael Luethje
Birthday: February 12, 1992
Activities: Show Ski
Favorite Class
-Graphic Arts
Future Plans
-Attend Minnesota West to
get generals, then DSU for a
Bachelor in computer science then make bank.
Justin Krueger
Alyssa Reese
Kayla Kruger
Cody Vander Ziel
Birthday: July 8, 1991
Activities: FFA, peer helping,
traveling& camping
Favorite Class
-College Anatomy
If there was a new class taught
at LHS what would it be & who
would teach it?
How to public speak by George
W. Bush
Future Plans
-Go to UMD, finish schooling by
going to optometry school
Birthday: September 25, 1991
Activities: football, baseball, tennis,
choir, student council, youth group
Favorite Class
-Physics
If there was a new class taught at LHS
what would it be & who would teach it?
-How to get by without doing your
math homework by Nick S & Josh B
Future Plans
-go to college, become a mechanical
engineer, get married, have kids and live
a good life
Birthday: May 20, 1992
Activities: Choir, 4-H, Annual/Echo, Fall
& Spring Play, AWANA, Chaos Group,
Lutheran Youth Organization, Church
Choirs
Favorite Class
-Choir
If there was a new class taught at LHS
what would it be & who would teach it?
-Show Choir by Mr. Eastman, Mr. Miller
and Mrs. Goheen
Future Plans
-Attend Minnesota West for massage
therapy then go to a 4-year college, start
my own business, find Mr. Right and get
married, have kids, and live on an acreage.
Birthday: June 3, 1991
Activities: camping, boating, fishing,
hanging out with friends, working at
Palace Video
Favorite Class
- Gym
Future Plans
-Next year I am going to finish earning my generals at Minnesota West
in Worthington. Then go on to a
different college to major in psych
and work my way up to having my
own practice. Then marry the love of
my life, have a farm house with dogs,
love, and money.
Birthday: July 9, 1992
Activities: MMA, facebook, bossin
Favorite Class
-Advanced Woods
Future Plans
-Boss hard all summer, join the army
after summer 2010 and do work in Afghanistan, come home and maybe find
a girl, maybe get married and have a
family, just live and see what happens.
Bits & Pieces
Page 8
Page 8
Funny Jokes
LUVERNE AREA CHAMBER
Your source for information on Luverne!
An Explore Minnesota Travel Information Site
Now at the Rock County Courthouse Square
312 East Luverne Street
Mon-Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Sat 10 am – 5 pm
283-4061
[email protected]
Check out our website: www.luvernechamber.com
By Jacob Thompson
The following is a short list of things Chuck Norris
cannot do:
Chuck Norris can hit you so hard that he can actually alter your DNA. Decades from now your descendants will occasionally clutch their heads and
yell “What The Heck was That?”
Chuck Norris doesn’t bowl strikes, he just knocks
down one pin and the other nine faint.
It takes Chuck Norris 20 minutes to watch 60
Minutes.
Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because Chuck Norris only recognizes the element of
surprise.
Chuck Norris doesn’t believe in Germany.
When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris
doesn’t get wet. The water gets Chuck Norrised.
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?
By Nick Den Herder
“Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” is a television game show based on asking grade-school level questions to adults, hosted by
Jeff Foxworthy. The show first aired on Fox in the United States on February 27, 2007. The show has since been replicated in several countries; some under the same title, and some under modified titles. The first season of the show ranked 28th in the Nielsen ratings, with an
average of 12.7 million viewers per episode.
Each game is played by a single contestant who earns money incrementally based on a payout ladder by answering simple trivia
questions, with the game themed as a school quiz. The game relies on the premise that an adult would not know the information generally
taught in elementary grade school, because it is rarely used in adult life by the type of person chosen to be a contestant; therefore, the show
is essentially a test to see how much an adult has retained since graduating elementary school. The show also derives its humor by occasionally displaying the contestant’s educational attainment, implying that in spite of that, they struggle to answer some questions.
The contestant is presented and chooses from a set of ten subjects and grade level question topics. The question is then revealed.
Some questions are multiple choice or true/false; others require the contestant to answer without any options.
Each correct answer moves the contestant up a payout ladder, with a final bonus fifth grade question moving the contestant up one
more step to the top prize of $1,000,000. At any point up to the final question, the contestant may quit the game after seeing the question, and keep all money earned up to that point. For the final question, the contestant must decide whether to continue or quit (and keep
earned money) after seeing only the subject; if he or she chooses to see the question, he or she must then answer it and risk losing the
money earned. The contestant is not guaranteed any winnings until after the fifth question is answered correctly, at which point $25,000 is
guaranteed.
There are five “classmates” in the game of approximately fifth-grade age who also answer each question in secret by writing their answers. These answers are sometimes used to create tension when the classmates’ answers do not correlate with the contestant’s. Additionally, the contestant selects one of the classmates at the beginning of the game to help them during the game. Each classmate can only help
for two questions, and then a new classmate must be selected.
The selected classmate provides the contestant with two “cheats,” each of which may only be used once. The contestant may choose
to “peek” at the classmate’s paper, which allows them to see the classmate’s answer before they give their own (once the peek is used the
contestant must answer the question); the contestant may “copy” the classmate, which automatically locks the classmate’s answer in as their
own. In addition, the contestant has one “save,” which comes into play after the contestant gives their first wrong answer. If the classmate
has written the correct answer, he saves the contestant; otherwise, the game ends and the contestant loses the game and wins nothing, unless he correctly answers five questions, at which point he is guaranteed the fifth level of the payout ladder. The cheats are not available on
the final question; additionally, once all three cheats are used, the chosen classmate returns to the group and no new classmate is selected.
The classmates continue to write answers for the questions, however, to be used for tension.
Page 9
Odds & Ends
Page 9
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
By Nick Den Herder
Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a series of fictional adventure and fantasy books authored by Rick Riordan. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek
mythology. The series consists of five books(The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The
Titans Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian), as well as spin-off titles
such as The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. The Lightning Thief, the first book,
is the basis of a film called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which was
released in the United States and Canada on February 12, 2010.
The protagonist is Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, god of
the sea and earthquakes. He learns that the legendary beings of Greek mythology still exist
and have always existed, including monsters, Cyclopes, empousae, Titans, and the Greek Gods
(Olympians) themselves who dwell in Olympus, which is now situated at the mythical 600th
floor of the Empire State Building. Percy is frequently attacked by monsters because he is a
child of one of the “Big Three”: the lord of the sky, Zeus, the king of the sea, Poseidon, and the
leader of the Underworld, Hades, who made a pact after World War II to not have any more
children because they were too powerful and unpredictable. Percy meets many other young
demigods, both friendly and hostile, who are also in the process of discovering their ancestry
and powers. The only other known demigod children of these “Big Three” in the series are
Thalia Grace (daughter of Zeus), Nico di Angelo (son of Hades), and Bianca di Angelo (daughter of Hades).
The stories follow Percy as he battles monsters and goes on quest, trying to save Olympus from the Evil Titan Lord. The Demigod Luck (son of Hermes, god of messages and theft)
turns from the gods and tries to help the Titans come back to power. The newest book, The
Last Olympian, Percy does everything he can, thinking it is completely up to him to save Olympus, but he doesn’t realize that help will come from an unlikely place, an ally that he considered
an enemy. Will Olympus stand, or will the Titans win and the gods be destroyed?
Echo/Annual Staff
2009-2010
Echo Co-Editors: Sundra Xaphakdy &
Whitney Oehlerts
Annual Co-Editors: Meghann Stanley
& Shannon DeBoer
Photo Editor: Nick Den Herder
Busniness Manager:
Ashley Siebenahler
Art Director: Brooke Walgrave
Other Staff: Jonathan Kruger, Alyssa
Reese, Bobbie Cowell, Lexy Burmeister,
Tressa Oehlerts, Savanna Bremer, Sydney
Boelman, Ryan Oye, Spencer Damann,
Zach Foresberg, and Jacob Thompson
Adviser: John Sichmeller
Page 10
Prom
*Prom Advice*
Page 10
By Shannon DeBoer & Meghann Stanley
As prom rolls around, you may be wondering, ‘What else do I need to make my prom night special?’ Well we’ve asked around to some of
the prom specialists among your classmates to help you make this a night to remember.
“Don’t spend a lot of money on certain things like jewelry or shoes. If you spend either $10 or $100, no one will really know the difference.”
“Make sure you have a date who you can get along with and who you’ll have fun with. Make sure you trust them and know that they won’t
be the reason you have a bad prom night.”
“Wear deodorant. When you’re in a hurry getting ready with everything else, it’s an easy thing to forget!”
“Don’t wear super high heels. They are uncomfortable and if you don’t walk well in heels, they will just make you look very uncoordinated.”
“Don’t chew gum when you’re walking down Grand March, taking pictures, or doing anything else where you are showcasing yourself.
You’ll just make yourself look like a cow.”
“Don’t look down or swing your arms while walking down Grand March. If you hold your dress up while walking down the steps, let go
when you’re off of the steps. Don’t hold it all the way down the walkway.”
“Don’t have too high of expectations. Prom is fun, but if you expect too much out of it, you may end up disappointed. If you go into it
with lower expectations, you’re more likely to not sweat the small stuff as much.”
“Don’t think you have to be by your date’s side the entire night. Let him/her talk and hang out with friends while you do the same. Prom
doesn’t have to be a completely romantic evening.”
What is one thing you are
really looking forward to
during prom??
By Shannon DeBoerr &
Meghann Stanley
1.
Ashley Dohlmann—“Walking down the Grand March”
2.
Lindsey Fodness—“The after party!”
3.
Taylor Krull—“Hanging out with friends”
4.
Dylan Stokes—“Jerkin’”
5.
Danny Muller—“Finding a date to go”
**Checklist**
Girls! Be Sure to
Have:
Guys! Make Sure
You Have:
•
Extra money (You never know if something unexpected will come up!)
• Your date’s flowers or corsage
• Gas in your car
• Breath mints or gum
• A cleanly shaven face
• Dinner Reservations
• Cell Phone
• Camera
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Small bottle of hairspray
Bobby pins
Mini brush
Breath mints or gum
Lipstick/gloss
Mascara & eyeliner
Extra money
Cell Phone
Camera
Page 11
Prom
Page 11
ORDER
YOUR
FLOWERS
NOW!!!
What is your idea for after
prom?
By Sundra Xaphakdy
Collin Rofshus- My date is Chey
Chey and my idea for after prom is to
have a good time.
Landon Gacke- My date is Lauren
Christensen and my idea for after
prom is to celebrate my March Madness winning bracket!!
Eric Kor- My date is Paige Olson
and my idea for after prom is to have
a good time and to go to Giggles Bees.
Authors Idea- My date is a tall
handsome person and my idea for
after prom is to go to the arcade and
play laser tag and eat a lottttttttt of
food!
Special Moments to be Sure to
Catch on Camera:
By Shannon DeBoer &
Meghann Stanley
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Getting Ready
Singles of you!
You and your date
Pinning the corsage and boutonniere
You and your parents
Getting into the car
In the limo/car
Group shots with friends
During dinner
Arriving at Prom
Dancing with your date
Dancing with others
You and your best friends
You and your secret crush
You and your teachers
The decorations
The last dance
Kissing your date
Leaving the prom
After-Prom
The morning after
Page 12
Creative Corner
2010 St. Patrick’s DayShamrock Shortage
By Brooke Walgrave
People all over Ireland had their hopes up to continue the tradition from the 17th century of wearing
shamrocks on St. Patty’s Day this year, but fate had a
different plan. Ireland, like Minnesota, had a very long
and cold winter. So long in fact that it’s still not over yet.
Shamrocks grow in the spring and are usually plentiful by
the time March 17 rolls around, but this year is a different story. The Irish St. Patrick’s Day parade committee
started growing other three leaf clovers to hand out on
the holiday, but the Irish were mad and you don’t want
to know what happens when you make an Irish man mad.
Anyways, these fake “shamrocks” started quite the commotion. Below is a picture of the authentic Shamrocks,
along with a picture of the imposters.
Shamrock
Page 12
Tech: PSP Phone
By Savanna Bremer
Sony is planning to develop a smartphone where users will
be able to play PSP games. The idea originated in Japan and is not
yet official. In addition, Sony would be creating the device with a
netbook, e-reader, and handheld console (like PSP); a combination
of all of them.
These projects are the reaction of Sony to Apple strategies,
particularly regarding the iPad and iPhone. So, this is an interesting competition that, hopefully, will benefit the end users. But, at
the same time, it could be interpreted as an obvious and meaningful evolution of the PSP, a console that has had strong competitors
since it was launched commercially.
The new smartphone won’t include slots to insert game cartridges. Instead, they would be using an online shop called “PlayStation Store” (which is currently available using a PS3 or PSP)
to download games made for PSP smartphone. Sony Ericsson is
working on the PSP phone and, think it will affect people in good
way and have a good outcome. On the other hand, they are not
sure the idea will be supported. The original games will be totally
supported, but games made by other game companys may not be
supported.
3 Leaf Clover
Movie: The American Astronaut
By Jacob Thompson
Facts about St. Patrick
•
Was not born Irish, he was born in Scotland or Roman England
•
Born 390 AD
•
Kidnapped at age 16 by pirates & sold into slavery to
a farmer in Ireland
•
After being released he went into the ministry
•
Used a shamrocks [3 leaves] to represent the holy
trilogy
•
Banished all the snakes from Ireland, snakes represent evil.
•
One of the most referred to religious figures
•
St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated as a religious
event, to celebrate the banishing of evil
This film is cool! I liked it! It was funny! Of course, that’s
what I would say if I was a complete buffoon. But rather, let me spin
you a yarn about this movie The American Astronaut. The movie
takes place in the futuristic past (awesome right?) and is entirely in
black and white, despite it being made in 2001. Although that may
be a turn off for some movie goers, it didn’t bother moi. The movie’s
protagonist, Samuel Curtis (played by Cory McAbee) is a space merchant making deliveries and what not throughout the solar system.
During the film, he makes all sorts of stops and adventures in his
whacky-tacky spacecraft. Worth noting during these adventures is
the unique style of special effects. Rather than CG, stop motion,
or models, the film uses a series of paintings every time there is a
special effects scene. It is a very interesting and amusing style of animation. Also worth complimenting is the movie’s music track. The
music of the film is most good indeed. This film is very unique and I
recommend everyone in the world watches it .