the eyrie

Olathe South High School • 1640 E. 151st St. Olathe, Kan. 66062 • www.eyrieonline.net
news
Mock Trial team finishes fifth for best season
pg. 2• March 13, 2015
photo by Torrie Cross
Mackenzie Baker, junior, Max Kepka, senior, and Troy Curfman, junior, are preparing for their upcoming
Mock Trial court case. The students competed and managed to get fifth place. Amanda Doane, business
teacher, sponsored the team during the competition and hopes the team will compete next year.
Mitchell Liermann
The Mock Trial team recently competed in the 2014-2015
season court case on Feb 28. The
team placed fifth overall, just
falling short of entering the state
round.
“This has been our best year
in recent memory,” Amanda Doane, Mock Trial sponsor, said.
“A lot of judges said we did really well. They said we made it
hard for them to find anything
wrong.”
For the past few years, the
team has only been participat-
ing in the novice division, with
this year being the first varsity
competition for them in a while.
“To get fifth and know
you’re up there is a good feeling,” Troy Curfman, junior, said.
Curfman has been participating on the team for two
years. During this last competition, he won the award for best
cross and direct examination.
According to Doane, this basically means he won the award
for best attorney.
“I like it because I get to
argue with people,” Curfman
said. Curfman also enjoys the
experience he gains from being
on the team as he aspires to be a
lawyer in the future.
The team received its court
case last December and spent
“
This has been our best
year in recent memory. A
lot of judges said we did
really well. They said we
made it hard for them to
find anything wrong.”
—Amanda Doane,
Mock Trial sponsor
the next couple of months preparing their case. The cases alternate each year between civil
and criminal cases, with this
year’s being a civil case.
“This case was a product liability case. Someone lost their
hearing and claimed it was from
a defective earphone,” Doane
said.
Mock Trial cases are played
out like a real court case with
the team having to prepare for
both the plaintiff and defense.
They are then split up with three
members being lawyers and
three more being witnesses.
The teams begin the trial
by running through their pretrial motions and opening statements. Each team then gives
both sides of the case, all the
while examining witnesses
and evidence. A panel of actual
judges and law professionals
then judges each team’s performance.
According to Doane, Mock
Trial allows students to practice real world speaking and
performing skills in a more authentic way than other performing activities like forensics or
drama.
To Doane, the best thing
about Mock Trial is “to see them
work so hard and come up
with ideas I never would have
thought of.”
Though the competition for
this year has come and gone, the
team will compete again next
year. Any students interested in
joining the Mock Trial team can
contact Doane for information.
the eyrie
snap
shots
National Merit finalists—
The National Merit Finalists for Olathe
South this year are Isaiah Hastings and Callie Van Winkle. To qualify for the National
Merit Scholar competition, students needed
to take the PSAT their junior year and score
high enough.
Out of the 1.4 million students who take
the PSAT, 34,000 are given the Commended
status, 16,000 qualify as Semifinalists and
15,000 are named Finalists. In March, the
National Merit Scholarship winners will be
announced. Winners are chosen based on
their abilities, skills and accomplishments.
WPA Court—
Students attended “A Night in the
Clouds” and danced the night away at the
WPA dance, Saturday, Feb. 21.
The nominees for queen were Alice
Chen, Danielle Palamino, and Lauren Eide,
seniors. The nominees for king were Matt
Horn, Damian Vu and Keith Thomas, seniors.
The seniors who were crowned were
Eide and Horn. There was food, a balloon
drop and plenty of dancing to entertain students throughout the night.
Barbershop Quartets—
At the Harmony Explosion Barbershop
competition, groups from Olathe South
won three gold, one silver, and one bronze
medal at Olathe East on Saturday, Feb. 21.
To earn a gold rating is to be exceptional
and be awarded the highest rating possible
in the catagories they were judged on.
In addition each group was given a
place rating within it’s division.
The groups competing that won gold
were “Four Guys in Ties,” “Like a Bass”
and “The Quadruple Effect.”
The competition lasted a total of five
hours.
Contestants were given one hour to
practice in the halls and then the competition began.
DECA competition—
Nine DECA students recently competed
in a tournament on Feb. 14 at Lansing
Mackenzie Baker and Taylor Allen, juniors, placed second in the hospitality and
tourism category. Gretchen Reed, senior,
placed second in automotive services. Three students qualified for nationals in
the marketing competition, Johnson Poon,
sophomore; Levi Burkett, sophomore; and
Ben Powell, senior.
The state competition was held in Overland Park on March 8-10.
the eyrie
Music for the ‘Heights’—
news
March 13, 2015 • pg. 3
Students pull off challenging show
Alyssa Hoedl
Thespians put on “In the
Heights” last week, a hiphoprap musical by Lin-Manuel
Miranda about a neighborhood in
Washington Heights, New York.
“In the Heights” has more
of a modern feel to it than most
musicals. Miranda is known for
making shows like this, having
also written the stage version of
“Bring It On.”
“This show has music more
teens and non-musical people
will connect to,” Veronica Wood,
junior, said. “The situations are
more relatable as well.”
All
shows
come
with
challenges, especially this one.
“The biggest challenge for
me was finding a connect to the
character and finding a way to
make the whole show believable,”
Ethan Potter, senior, said. “If the
audience doesn’t believe what
I’m telling them, they are going
to be lost the entire show.”
Another challenge that was
prominent in rehearsals with “In
the Heights” is the language.
There is a lot of Spanish
throughout the show.
“We had some challenges
with the language, but we
listened to the Broadway sound
track a lot, and one of our cast
members is fluent in Spanish so
he helped us all out as well,” Jan
Holthus, vocal director, said.
Jenny Delaney, senior, had the
role of assistant director. This job
was especially challenging for her
because she had never assistant
directed before and this was the
first musical she’d ever worked
on.
“It’s hard as an assistant
director to know when to voice
your opinion. Working with
the actors, however, has been a
beautiful challenge and I’ve really
enjoyed it,” Delaney said.
Wood has been seen on the
school’s stage many times before,
most recently as Captain Hook in
“Peter Pan.” This role was much
different than any of her past
ones.
“Abuela Claudia is older and
wiser than other characters,”
Wood said. “She’s a caretaker, yet
she still needs to be taken care
of. She’s the least selfish person I
know.”
Potter played the role of
Usnavi, the leading male in “In
the Heights.” Usnavi is based
on Lin-Manuel Miranda himself,
and more characters and the plot
are loosely based on Miranda’s
life as well.
“This character is unlike
anything I’ve played before,”
Potter said.” “It’s weird; on the
photo by Cross
The cast of “In the Heights,“ which included (from left to right) Anissa Presley, junior; Ben Hix, Ethan Potter, and Chris Chavez, seniors;
and Veronica Wood, junior, sing one of the many songs the musical
has to offer. The theatre crew got to put all their hard work on stage.
outside he’s completely different
than I am: he’s Dominican and he
speaks Spanish; but on the inside
is where I connected.”
Potter was told to just play
himself and tell it like he would
normally.
Both “Peter Pan” and “In the
Heights” had the same running
themes of being at “home”
wherever family is. This is a
theme that many shows don’t
focus on, and this one had this
theme as its main focus.
opinion
pg. 4 • March 13, 2015
Academic clubs
provide options
Write to us!!!
Letters! We want letters! Write to the paper
to express your opinion--a gripe, a solution, a
complaint, a compliment or an observation.
We ask that letters be signed. Submit letters to any staff member, take to Rm. 503, place
in Ms. Kohl's office mailbox or send an e-mail to
[email protected]. We cannot publish
any material that is defamatory or slanderous.
The newspaper also reserves the right to edit
letters. Letters due April 3.
By Lexi Nelson
When students think of school competition, their first thought is usually sports.
What many do not know is that there are
dozens of other organizations that participate in competitions.
A common misconception about being
in a club that competes is that you have
to have previous experience. This is a
rumor. Most clubs, such as Robotics, will
allow students who have never even
participated in a technology class to join.
The staff says that being involved with
clubs will not only look good on college
applications, but it also allows students to
expand their learning.
Many of the newspaper staff is
involved in multiple clubs, not just the
best one, newspaper.. Our staff enjoys
History Club, Forensics, and even Debate.
The school wants students to broaden
their horizons. The school facilitates
students of all types; there is a club for
everyone.
A few lesser known clubs that
students like to participate in are
Science Olympiad, the foreign language
organizations and even Art Club. These
clubs participate in different competitions
each year.
While it may be fun to be involved in
a club, people also wants recognition for
their achievements. The staff says that
if someone is involved in an academic
competition it is important that the school
recognizes their achievements through
video or audio announcements and also
during the pep assemblies.
the eyrie
Brian Williams brings mistrust to news reports
News reports come on at different
times every day. It happens 24/7, but
the question always remains whether
what is being said is trustworthy. News
writers can’t keep up and fact check everything before presenting information
to the public, which makes me believe
that news cannot always be trusted.
commentary
Laiken Yerby
The most recent display of false reports
comes from Brian Williams, anchor of
“Nightly News” on NBC. Williams was
the one who inspired me to become a
news junkie and to see him become a
victim of delivering false stories to the
public makes me extremely disappointed.
Williams’ biggest mistake was
changing his story about traveling in
a helicopter in Iraq in 2003 when the
helicopter that was in flight beside his
was hit and forced down. He and his
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Olathe South High School
1640 E. 151st St.
Olathe, KS 66062
www.eyrieonline.net
(913) 780-7160 / FAX (913) 780-7170
Member of KSPA, NSPA, JEA, CSPA
CSPA Gold Medalist
NSPA All American & First Class Award
Quill & Scroll First
Co-Editors
Cat Cavazos
Laiken Yerby
Feature Editor
Alyssa Hoedl
Sports Editors
Jake Anderson
Max Stoneking
Entertainment Editor
Sharidan Kraljic
news team were safe at all times. Later
in 2013, he changed his story and told
David Letterman, late night television
host, that his helicopter was the one hit.
However, all of this is false. It turns
out that Williams was an hour or so behind the helicopter that was shot down,
and his helicopter safety landed in the
vicinity of said helicopter.
What irks me is that he blatantly
stated that he “misremembered” what
happened. To me, it seems like his fictional story makes what soldiers do less
important even if he didn’t mean for it
to come across that way.
This falsehood had sparked controversy whether Williams can be trusted
on what he delivers to the public. According to the website Daily News,
Williams was ranked 23rd for the most
trusted person, but now he is ranked
835th.
As stated on the web site ThinkProgress, William Hirst, specialist in
memory, said that people can easily confuse things that are imagined.
Thoughts go through the brain, and
as those thoughts stay consistent, the
brain begins to think it actually happened. Williams stated on “Nightly
Opinion Editor
Laiken Yerby
Business Managers
Sharidan Kraljic
Jacob McKay
Laiken Yerby
Reporters
Kylie Aloi
Jake Anderson
Kinser Bestgen
Cat Cavazos
Emma Collins
Christian Cortes
Reagan Devinney
Kennedee Estes
Delaney Garrelts
Alyssa Hoedl
Emily Johnson
Grace King
Sharidan Kraljic
Jordan Lewis
Mitchell Liermann
Alex Marra
Jacob McKay
Lexi Nelson
Teegan Odom
Brandon Oldberg
Rachel Pierson
Kali Ray
Emma Sanders
Kayla Staley
Max Stoneking
Laiken Yerby
News” that he would not have chosen
to make this mistake, but something
screwed up his mind that caused him to
confuse one aircraft with another.
I believe that someone would blatantly remember shots being fired when
suspended in a helicopter and his life is
in danger. Williams has created a bad
name for himself and the trustworthiness of news reports, yet he isn’t the
first.
Punditfact, a site that is known for
checking networks on honesty as much
as possible, found that only 22 percent
of what is broadcasted on FOX is rated
true or mostly true; 50 percent is rated
mostly false or completely false. CNN,
however, was found 60 percent honest
at all times; however, why not 100 percent?
False news reports should concern
all. If people can’t trust what should
always be true, then how can we make
knowledgeable decisions and form appropriate opinions of things.
There have always been conspiracies about news shows faking events
for ratings, and sadly it could be true to
a certain extent.
Photojournalists
Paige Crocker
Torrie Cross
Jenny Delaney
Travis Kuhn
Connor Letts
Justin Maxwell
Sierra Muellner
Tristin Robertson
Dana Samaniego
the eyrie is the official student-run newspaper of Olathe South High
School, published 9-10
times a year. It is printed
by the Sedalia Democrat.
Views expressed in the
eyrie do not necessarily
represent those of the
adviser, the administration or school district.
opinion
Gov. Brownack backhands LGBT+ community
the eyrie
­ Gov. Sam Brownback, first
elected governor in November
2010, is fairly infamous for striking controversy with his radical
political views and executive
decisions for the state of Kansas. Just recently, Brownback
repealed protected state-employment status for members of the
commentary
Lexi Nelson
LGBT+ community. This action,
as many past decisions made by
Brownback, is ignorant, uneducated and out-right unethical.
It’s not a surprise Brownback would unload this blow
on LGBT+ people considering
his inconceivably archaic viewpoints on any controversial social issue. To call this governor a
social conservative would almost
be an understatement.
While serving as Kansas’s
U.S. senator, Brownback cast a
number of questionable votes,
such as amending the Constitution to define “traditional marriage” in 2008 or voting “no” on
a bill that aimed to put money toward reducing teen pregnancy in
2005. He also asked Congress in
2007 to “ban gay marriage” because he believed it was a “vast
social experiment.”
Now, I have to hand it to the
governor. His justification for revoking the rights of these state
workers is almost believable. He
stated the executive order, previously signed by former Gov.
Kathleen Sebelius to prevent discrimination based on an employee’s sexual orientation, created
“additional protected classes,”
completely disregarding the fact
that the original goal of the order
was to do just that.
In order for there to be equal
opportunity for all when it comes
to employment, there need to
be laws set in place that abolish
firing someone based on their
sexuality, just like there are laws
abolishing discrimination based
on race or gender. Without these
laws, the only protected class in
existence would be that of ablebodied, straight white men. The
executive order to repeal this bill
is not only outrageous, but has
made a mockery of the entire
state of Kansas.
Brownback has been scrutinized on multiple national television shows for his actions as
governor. He’s been criticized
extensively on shows like “Real
Time with Bill Maher” and
on “The Daily Show with Jon
Stewart,” where a report by Jessica Williams addressed all the
extreme economic failures of
Brownback’s tenure.
Because of this man’s radi-
cal choices, Kansas has become a
laughing stock to the rest of the
United States.
My advice to our governor
would be simply to step out of
the dark ages and into the modern world.
Homosexuals,
bisexuals,
pansexuals, transgender people
and the rest of the LGBT+ spectrum are far from a “protected
class.”
With literally thousands of
years of hate and discrimination
directed toward them, it might
just be the least we can do to allow them to work for the government without fear of being
turned away solely for the people they are attracted to.
Unless Gov. Brownback
suddenly wakes up one morning with the need to become an
open-minded and accepting person, Kansas will be doomed to go
on being viewed as a bigoted and
socially-backward.
March 13, 2015 • pg. 5
speak
out
Is ISIS a threat to
American safety?
“Yes, because of their
constant threats and what
they’ve been doing around
the world.”
Kyle Frank
senior
ISIS wants Americans killed, but ‘not a threat’
Imagine the horror of having
all the freedoms that Americans
cherish suppressed by Islamic
radicals: neighbors, friends, even
family members all fighting for
their radical ideals of a perfect,
Islamic world.
For some, those horrors are
real.
commentary
Sharidan Kraljic
It’s always on the news: who the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or
ISIS, is beheading today or who
they burned alive this morning.
ISIS is a very serious issue.
As a new terrorist organization, it is as if ISIS is trying to
prove itself to other organizations such as al-Qeada or the
Taliban. This genocide of Christians and Muslims alike has only
proved that ISIS is too insane for
them.
What gets me is that we have
leaders, leaders of the free world,
who will not name ISIS for what
it is.
ISIS is an Islamic terrorist organization. Not all Muslims are
radicals like ISIS, but a high majority of ISIS is Muslim.
Now, that would not bother
me so much if ISIS was not as
threatening as it is.
First, ISIS has killed hundreds
of Christians for the sake of their
being Christians. All dressed in
orange jumpsuits, people have
been beheaded and burned alive
by these cowards.
Second, they have threatened
Rome, the Catholic capitol of
the world, saying that they were
“coming for [it] next.” ISIS has
been murdering Christians left
and right; now they are destroy-
ing ancient artifacts. Imagine
what they would do to Rome!
If ISIS can take Europe, it’s
game over. Hopefully, the United Nations will finally eradicate
ISIS, but that would be after the
deaths of hundreds of thousands
of Christians, the destruction of
hundreds of thousands of artifacts, and the slap of reality that
most Americans would feel.
The thing that bothers me
the most is that people still think
that ISIS is not a threat. They
are knocking on Rome’s door,
sending Italy to seek NATO intervention. They are recruiting
people from the United States,
asking them to join or attack on
the home front.
Children! ISIS is training
children to become militants.
How many more people
burned alive will it take for our
leaders and our people to understand?
Just because they are not on
our borders does not mean that
they are not a threat. It seems
like it is going to take another
major attack for some people to
care that the free world is being
threatened.
It has been recently confirmed that there are ISIS-linked
groups in all 50 states.
Not only are they now within
our borders, they are wanting
malls, cops and soldiers killed.
If America waits too long to
take action it might be too late.
Over the summer, it would have
been easy to push them back into
Syria and contain them there, but
now that the group and ideas
have spread all over the world,
it will be nearly impossible to do
anything to contain them.
Sending soldiers to fight will
be the only way to stop ISIS without killing innocent citizens.
I suppose most people think
“climate change” is more important.
“No, I feel like they don’t care
what goes on in our country,
and more just about controlling their own area.”
Molly Neyens
junior
“No, they’ve only threatened
us, and they haven’t even
attacked Israel, which is one
of our allies.”
Kyle Bullis
junior
feature
pg. 6 • March 13, 2015
focus . . . on senior standouts
What makes Madeline Ahern crazy for Falcon Strength?
ACTIVITIES:
Falcon Strength,
Choir, Choir
Leadership team,
Thespians
WHAT is your favorite
breakfast food?
Cereal because
there’s so many different
options and it’s fast.
Madeline Ahern, senior,
loves Falcon Strength. “This is
my third year lifting, and I’ve
basically fallen in love with it,”
Ahern said.
She
started
in
her
sophomore year due to an
injury to her knee.
“I had to quit cross country
because I got really bad
tendonitis in my knee [so]
my coach told me to join to
strengthen it and I [got] stuck
to it,” Ahern added.
She is very passionate
though about Falcon Strength,
and that passion has placed
her more than once at state
competitions.
“I won state twice and got
second place the third time,”
Ahern said. The most she has
lifted is a 92-pound clean and
jerk.
She said the meets are
actually her favorite part of
Falcon Strength.
“You get to watch people
who love the same thing you
do, and you get to compete
not only with other people,
but with yourself and your
personal records,” Ahern said.
Traveling to meets though
she says is kind of funny.
“[We’re] shoved in a
Suburban that has more food
than people in it,” Ahern said
with a laugh.
“Everyone [should join
Falcon
Strength}
because
anyone has the ability to do it,”
Ahern said.
Ahern also is involved in
Choir, Choir Leadership Team
and Thespians.
Why does Conor Duffy enjoy working with robots & AI?
2.6 W X 3.36 H
ACTIVITIES:
Pit Orchestra, Band,
Robotics Club,
Scholars’ Bowl, History Club
WHAT is the strangest group that you are
involved in?
I am a proud member of the Alice Chen
Club.
Conor Duffy, senior, is
involved with many activities,
one of which is the Robotics
Club.
This is Duffy’s first year in
the club, which is only in the
second year of its existence.
The goal of Robotics Club
is to design and create a robot
that will complete a certain
task.
“I got involved in the
Robotics Club because I liked
the idea that I could think of
something and then bring it
to life. The idea of creating
artificial
intelligence
was
exciting,” Duffy said.
There are several benefits
that Duffy has experienced
from being involved in the
club.
“Robotics has taught me
how to cooperate with other
people to achieve a common
goal because you have to
coordinate with the finance
team, the programmers, and
the people who build the robot
to make everything work
right,” Duffy said.
He also thinks that the club
has allowed him to make new
friends and build memories.
Duffy thinks that people
should join the Robotics
Club because “it is extremely
fulfilling to think of an idea and
have it come to life. Anyone
who wants to learn about
engineering and programming
should definitely join.”
He
hopes
that
his
experiences in the club will
help prepare him for a career
in automotive engineering.
the eyrie
5
on
five
The five questions:
❶ If you could bring a person back to life, who would it be and
why?
❷ Is the Shamrock Shake all that??
❸ What is your perfect pizza?
❹ Would you rather live ugly for your whole life or attractive
for a year and die?
❺ Do you believe the groundhog’s spring tradition?
Alex Warn, science teacher
Question 1: George Washington—I would like
to show him the world we have made from
what he started.
Question 2: I am not really sold on it; mint is
tasty, but not in the artificial quantities that
they put in them.
Question 3: Pepperoni and whole tomato. Chicago style.
Question 4: Ugly me up. Beauty is only skin deep. Plus, I got
paper bags and masks. I’ll be fine
Question 5: No, rodents have no meteorological training.
Lauren Gawlak, junior
Question 1: Robin Williams; because I hate being sad while watching “Jumanji.”
Question 2: No, it tastes like a weird mixture
between lime and mint.
Question 3: Basil and mozzarella on thin crust.
Question 4: Live ugly my whole life because I
hope to see the day people travel in bubbles.
Question 5: Not really beause it depends on the angle you’re
facing.
Tianyi Shang, senior
Question 1: Bruce Lee because he changed
history.
Question 2: Yes, I’ll take any shake.
Question 3: Supreme; I like that sausage.
Question 5: No.
Question 4: I am already attractive; my life is
already fulfilled.
Simone Baldeh, sophomore
Question 1: My Grandma Dottie.
Question 2 No, I don’t think it is.
Question 3: Really cheesy, with pepperoni
Question 4: Live ugly my whole life because
looks aren’t everything in a person.
Question 5: Yes.
Max Flower, freshman
Question 1: Jackie Robinson.
Question 2: I doubt it, but I don’t really know.
Question 3: Put every meat that you can think
of on the pizza
Question 4: I would live ugly my whole life
because I would rather not die.
Question 5: No, not really.
the eyrie
ABLE Act
feature
March 13, 2015 • pg. 7
Mast and family advocate for bill
that will secure financial future
Kayla Staley
Rachel Mast, freshman, stood
in front of a court room to testify
on behalf of The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act in
January of 2015.
“I was so honored to be in
court. It was awesome! I wasn’t
nervous; I was so excited,” she
said.
Rachel Mast had different
methods of preparing for the big
moment.
“I practiced at home and
there,” she said.
Then the time came to present her hard work. “It [the courthouse] was very big” and there
were “a lot of people,” but she
just had to “shake it off.”
“I talked and they asked questions,” she added.
It was certainly an enjoyable
experience for both her and the
attendees.
Her favorite part was “getting
to talk to everyone.”
Rachel Mast along with her
family has been campaigning for
eight years to make the ABLE Act
a federal law.
The bill was first introduced
in 2007, but it did not initially
pass through Congress. The Mast
family, however, did not give
up. They continued to gain support of the senators, congressmen
and their staffs through visits to
Washington, D.C., and through
social media. The bill was reintroduced every two years until it
was signed into law by President
Barack Obama on Dec. 19, 2014.
According to Rachel Mast’s
Highlights of
House Bill 2100:
» Savings accounts are available for
individuals with disabilities under the
ABLE Act.
» Savings can be used for expenses
much as medical care, education,
housing, transportation, etc.
» Savings will not be taken into
account when determining eligibility
for federal benefits programs.
photo by Sierra Muellner
Rachel Mast, freshman, and her mom Jawanda Mast work together to do whatever they can to help get the
ABLE Act passed. They got the word out via social media and visits to places like Washington D.C.
mother, Jawanda Mast, “the bill
aims to ease financial strains
faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover
qualified expenses… for individuals, including medical and dental care, education, communitybased supports, employment
training, assistive technology,
housing and transportation.”
Rachel Mast plans to take full
advantage of these benefits.
“I really, really want a husband! I want to get married and
live in a pink house in New York
City,” she said.
These savings accounts will
allow individuals with disabilities to save money for their future without being penalized for
exceeding the eligibility limit for
federal benefits programs such as
Supplemental Security Income,
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Medicaid.
In other words, the savings
in an individual’s ABLE account
will not be taken into consideration when applying for federal
benefits programs.
The accounts have the same
types of flexible savings tools that
all other Americans have through
college savings accounts, health
savings accounts and individual
retirement accounts. The ABLE Act is administered at the state level, so it is still
in the process of passing state legislation. Its targeted start date is
in July of 2016. Rachel Mast would like to
thank her great teachers, school,
friends, and other people who
helped, but most importantly her
mom.
“I want everyone to know
that the ABLE Act can help,” she
said.
Jawanda Mast feels “relief,
joy, and a proud moment for the
future of those with Down syndrome and other disabilities.”
photos courtesy of Jawanda Mast
Above: Rachel Mast, freshman, testifies in front of the court on behalf
of the ABLE Act. Below: Kevin Yoder, Kansas representative, tweets his
excitement about the passing of the ABLE Act.
pg. 8
feature
the eyrie
May 9, 2015 • pg. 9
Big hair and big music: from then until now
Now
Memories, stories relived as
school celebrates 34 years
Delaney Garrelts and Cat Cavazos
Back to the future? Not quite.
Olathe South, which opened
their doors in 1981, celebrates 34
years of being open, and the old
saying is quite true, “The more
things change, the more they stay
the same.”
Quite a few former students
remained in Olathe long after their
high school years ended, as well as
their teachers, and they are ready
and willing to share their stories
and reminisce about the decade.
Everything was different in the
1980’s: Hair, clothes, and even how
people talked and acted in general.
The school even had an area for
teachers and sometimes students
to just stand around and smoke
outside.
School activities such as the
dance team and theatre have also
altered the way that they operate,
with new ideas and a more modern
style.
Chad Coughlin and Gail
Holder, former students and now
current directors of the Falcon
Regiment, both participated in
their respective activities when
they themselves were in high
school.
Holder remembers that every
one of her drill team performances
included cowboy boots and lots of
fringe.
“We didn’t have different
costumes like we do now. We
wore the same uniform to every
performance,” Holder said.
Current band uniforms are
similar to what Coughlin wore
then, and though things are mostly
the same, “the way marching
shows are designed is a little
different,” he said.
Sports uniforms, in general
,have changed as well. Basketball
shorts are longer and baggier while
cheerleading uniforms are shorter
sleeved and more athletic looking.
Regular clothes have also
experienced a major shift since
the era. Instead of the present day
leggings and hoodies, tight rolled
jeans, big hair, and bright, loud
and baggy sweaters were all things
seen in the ‘80s.
Both Kim Wahaus, social
science teacher, and Coughlin
laugh as they told stories of their
parachute pants and sky-high hair.
Some things, like flannels, have
been making a big comeback, but
the big hair and parachute pants
haven’t really followed into this
generation.
Former students and teachers
also noted that the school is much
bigger then in the school’s younger
years.
Heather
Crocker,
who
graduated in 1984, remembers
that the student population and
the building in general were
much smaller. The school store
didn’t exist, and the Falcons Nest
is where the office used to be. The
front hallway used to be a parking
lot. Since 1981, there have been
many remodels and additions to
the school.
The staff has altered too, and
only four of the original teachers
remain.
The four original teachers who
I remember there
“
were a few rowdy
senior men riding
mopeds through the
commons and having
White Castle eating
contests during lunch.”
—Heather Crocker,
graduate of 1984
are still at the school, including
Vicki Kohl; English teacher, Roger
Ramseyer, technology coach and
original theater director. RuthAnne
Falls, business teacher, and Robin
Weems, computer teacher. Thus
have memories of what the school
was like during the building’s
younger years.
Ramseyer told about some
of the struggles the school faced
during those early times.
“The first year the school was
open, a tornado took the gym roof
off in the first year and ruined the
floor,” Ramseyer said.
The school had to go through
major renovations, starting with
repairs. In all, the school has
had six renovations, including
adding the band hallway, exercise
rooms, and the Publication
Lab. However, despite all of the
additions and moving around that
have happened in the building
throughout the years, the walls still
contain all of the memories and
anecdotes of three decades of high
school students.
Crocker still smiles about
some fun moments. “I remember
there were a few rowdy senior
men riding mopeds through the
commons and having White Castle
eating contests during lunch,” she
said.
Stephanie Ray, graduate of
1985, remembers many of the same
kinds of rebellious memories.
“[My friends and I] used to use
payphones and would call [our]
selves out, pretending to be our
parents,” she said.
Calling themselves out of
school was much easier at the time
because they would use payphones
outside of the school, which are
harder to track.
Ray also has other sweet
memories of high school as she
met her first husband when he
went to Olathe North, and she
met her current husband after she
graduated from South when he
was currently enrolled there.
One thing that has remained
the same about the school is
the tradition of quality theatre.
Both teachers and students alike
have many memories associated
with different productions. Falls
remembers being impressed by
the 1984 student production of
“Grease.” Coughlin specifically
remembers one funny instance
when “senior Eric Steinle fell
through two levels of a triple-bunk
bed. […] Luckily it was the senior
matinee, so […] a number of them
were asleep or had eyesight poor
enough that they didn’t even know
what had happened.”
One main difference, however,
was that in 1981, the area around
the school wasn’t nearly as
developed as it is now.
“When I signed my contract,
151st St. was just a dirt road,”
Ramseyer said.
Coughlin remembers that more
students from rural areas were
attending.
“They came in pickup trucks
with their boots, cowboy hats and
big belt buckles each day,” he said.
“And it wasn’t just a style that they
chose to adopt.”
Just as the student body
has changed, so has the staff.
Teachers have come and gone and
even switched positions. Crocker
remembers that Phil Clark, the
current principal, was her sign
language teacher in the 1980s
instead of on the administration
staff like he is now. The “originals,”
however, have stayed true to the
community that they helped build.
Catherine
Smith,
English
teacher who started working
here in 1982, said that “what
people don’t realize is that [the]
people who chose to stay here
were building the Olathe South
community, and we’re very proud
of that community.”
Now
Then
Heather
Crocker,
graduate of
1984, smiles
for her senior
picture in
clothes that
were often
worn. Today,
girls wear
more yoga
pants and leggings, rather
than pleated
jeans and
big baggy
sweater
Now
Then
Then
Above: Graduates
of 1984 with their
diplomas, while the
graduates of 2014
wait patiently for
theirs. Hair was longer
back in the 1980’s,
spilling out of their
graduation caps.
To the right: Sports
uniforms have
changed over the
years. Basketball now
includes longer and
baggier shorts and
a more updated and
flashy logo.
Now
Then
Chad Coughlin, current band director, with some band members
during a national competition in Florida. Coughlin poses with his
then girlfriend and current wife, Jennifer Coughlin, and two other
friends. Coughlin was a drum major during his time in high school,
and Jennifer Coughlin was captian of the color guard.
entertainment
pg. 10 • March 13, 2015
Anime or ‘animazing’?
releases although he has only
been enjoying the art since last
year.
“I’ll watch anything my
friends suggest,” Kolton Lehman,
junior, said. “I also can’t watch
bad animation and the story has
to make sense, it has to have a
definite ending.”
Lehman watches “Full Metal
Alchemist” and “Death Note.”
He has been watching anime
since the summer before his
freshman year.
“
Before, the bodies
Teens share common passion for anime
Emily Johnson
Since
the
release
of
“Astro Boy” in 1964, anime,
Japanese cartoons, has grown
tremendously in popularity, style,
marketing and cultural value.
However,
in
America,
anime has always carried a soft
popularity just below everyone’s
pop culture radar, but for some
people, anime is a respected art
form and part of daily life.
Aadric Dowdy, sophomore,
has been watching anime since he
was a little kid.
“Right now I’m watching
‘One Piece,’ ‘Death Note’ and
‘Attack on Titan,’” Dowdy said.
Those titles typically fall into
the action/adventure genre, but
there are dozens of other genres
of anime to explore.
Anime can be about anything
from little girls battling in tanks
competitively to the typical highschool love triangle. There’s
comedy, demons, drama, fantasy,
harem, historical, horror, kids,
romance and many more.
Besides big eyes and magical
themes, anime watchers are
drawn to the art by complex
characters and plots, along
with the stellar improvement in
animation since the late 1990s.
“It’s much cleaner, and
there’s a more general use of
color. Before, the bodies were unproportional and exaggerated,
but now everything looks better
for the most part,” Niles Davis,
senior, said.
Davis watches just about
every kind of anime and spends
a lot of time checking out new
were unporportional
and exaggerated,
but now everything
looks better for the
most part.”
—Niles Davis,
senior
Merchandise is arguably an
integral part of anime culture.
Kaeli Whitener, sophomore, owns
items such as shirts, wristbands,
plush animals and key-chains that
are designed with the characters
and logos of her favorite anime
and has been enjoying the art for
three years.
the eyrie
“If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve
spent around $300 on merch,”
Whitener said.
Whitener enjoys “Full Metal
Alchemist,” “Death Note” and
“Attack on Titan.” She typically
spends at least an hour a day
watching anime.
Another
hot
topic
of
discussion is whether to watch
dubbed or subbed anime.
Dubbed anime is anime with
the original audio recorded over
with English-speaking voice
actors while subbed anime is the
original audio and animation
with subtitles at the bottom,
translating from Japanese to
English.
Dowdy, Whitener and Davis
all prefer subbed anime, but
Noah Harvey, sophomore, prefers
dubbed anime.
“It’s easier for me to
understand what’s going on in
English. I don’t have to read
subtitles and try to watch what’s
going on at the same time,”
Harvey said.
Noah
watches
“Death
Note,” “Full Metal Alchemist:
Brotherhood,”
“Cowboy
Bebop,”and “Blue Exorcist.”
Anime has grown from
humble beginnings to a cultural
phenomenon.
Catch ‘Catch Me If You Can’ at The Barn Players
Laiken Yerby
“Catch Me If You Can”
is a crime drama following a
teenager, Frank, who becomes
skilled in conning people into
thinking he is a pilot, doctor and
lawyer. In the midst of all the
lies, he even falls in love. He gets
away with millions of dollars
before an FBI agent, Carl, catches
him.
This 2002 movie was turned
into a theatrical play that is being
performed at The Barn Players.
I attended “Catch Me If You
Can” without knowing what
I was getting myself into, not
knowing that it was a musical
and not knowing what The Barn
was.
The Barn Players is a little
known local theater that is
located in Mission, Kan. after
relocating several times around
Kansas since 1955. Volunteers
run it, and these volunteers
do everything from building
sets, ticket sales and even the
performing which makes the
show even more impressive.
Despite the fact that this
was likely a low budget play, it
definitely does not show in the
acting.
I am not a theater junkie, let
alone a fan of musicals; however,
the acting and portrayal of the
characters were pretty much
spot on. The main actors kept
my attention and really stole the
show.
I usually cringe during the
singing in musicals, but I was
shocked at how good the sound
of their voices was. I left thinking
that they could really sing.
This would most likely not be
a show that would be enjoyable
for those that don’t like musicals
because there are a lot of songs in
comparison to acting.
Even though this wasn’t a
comedy, it had many comedic
factors.
I caught myself laughing
multiple times during the
play because of the actors’
expressions, the fake gunshots,
and at some of the humorous
lines.
I was especially impressed
with how there were minimal
props used on the stage. There
were not extravagant stage
settings; this really allowed
for the audience to use their
imagination and truly focus on
the performance.
The Barn Players is a little
local gem that unfortunately
many people don’t know about.
It might not be everyone’s cup
of tea, but it deserves a chance.
And the only chance left for this
show is this weekend; shows are
at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Catch Me If You Can
Ticket price: $12 for student, $18
for adult
Location: The Barn Players
Genre: drama
Likely audience: young adults and
up.
entertainment
the eyrie
March 13, 2015 • pg. 11
Pinterest Illustration
W 7.96” x H 1.57”
Pinterest provides creative outlet through pins and boards
Reagan Devinney
Pinterest is a free app and
website that allows its users to
share and add images. All one
has to do to start their own page
is to sign up through email or
Facebook.
Some of the most popular
boards are hair, fashion, food,
sports and humor. It has about
70 million users throughout the
world. About 80 percent are
female, but there are males that
enjoy the site as well.
“I like Pinterest because I like
to find new things that I have
Cracks
by tapTronic
1
never thought of before,” Hannah
Eddings, junior, said.
Pinterest allows its users to
follow boards as well as other
people’s accounts. Users can
see what they are pinning, and
usually it is easier to find things
that they like through their pins
and boards.
If the user doesn’t want to pin
something, she can add it to her
likes by clicking the heart button.
“Pinterest is a great way to
gain ideas and you can get really
creative when looking at future
home ideas, crafts and gifts for
friends,” Molly Neyens, junior,
said.
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s
Day, YouTube has compiled
a group of videos that are
related to the holiday. TapTronic is a group of two men,
Zach Klingenberg and Ciaron
Plummer, who perform a fusion of Irish dancing to the
beat of electric music. The two
dance to the song “Cracks”
by Flux Pavilion. A warning
at the beginning of the video
states not to try what they do
at home because of the risk of breaking one’s ankle. These performers have deservedly won several gold medals for their
talent.
1.35” W X
1.65”H
2
Luck of the Irish
Who could forget this classic
Disney film? The zany story about
a teen boy who is trying to keep his
family being controlled by an evil
leprechaun, while turning into one
himself, will bring back a wave of
childhood nostalgia, and a longing
to go back to 2001, the year it came
out.
The site not only provides a
great pastime, but it also is useful.
Users can find gift ideas, learn
how to do DIY projects, and even
get fashion inspiration for the
upcoming seasons and trends.
Most pinners range from
having 10 boards to hundreds of
boards. The user has the capability
of creating boards, naming them,
and editing them whenever she
pleases.
“I have 15 boards, and I only
joined Pinterest one month ago,”
Eddings said.
If the user doesn’t know
whom to follow or doesn’t find
what one is looking for right
away, he/she can search key
words in the search bar and all the
options that relate will pop up.
Even if one is looking for specific
boards or pinners, they can still
search them.
“I like to look at quotes
and humor; the pins give me
something to think about,” Moira
Frakes, junior, said.
Humor is one of the most
viewed boards. People of all ages
have been pinning pins to their
humor boards.
The great thing about Pinterest
is that it is customized to the user.
The person with the account has
the capability to only look at what
it’s a
5 things we think should definitely be on your list
3
Duolingo Learn Irish
1.65” W X 2.15
Saint Patrick’s Day is
getting closer and closer,
and this is your chance not
only to dress as an Irish
person but also to speak like
an Irish person.
With the free app
Duolingo you can learn
Irish and other languages
easy and free.
Duolingo offers over 10
different languages to learn including Spanish, French,
German, Portuguese, Italian and more.
Learn basic words, phrases, expressions with this userfriendly app.
4
she likes, pin what she wants,
and name her boards with unique
names that fit her personality.
“I have over 1,600 pins, and
I am following 217 people,”
Neyens said.
Pinners can follow thousands
of people and when following
them, the user usually gets
followed back. It’s a great way to
build up the account.
Pinterest is a site that provides
not only a pastime for users, but
it’s a great way to get new ideas
and inspirations for one’s life.
Rizzoli and Isles
Season six started
on Tuesday, Feb. 24,
on TNT. The TV series follows the lives of
detective Jane Rizzoli
and medical examiner,
Maura Isles as they
solve crimes throughout
Boston. If you like cop
shows with Irish flair,
this show is for you.
5
KC’s St. Patrick’s Parade
The 43rd annual St. Patrick’s
Day Parade will
be happening on March 17.
People flock to this parade
because of the Irish culture.
Themes for the parade are
selected and this year’s is
Irish music and myth.
It’s great fun because of the floats, masses of
green, Irish dancers, and, of course, bag pipes.
feature
Students find older music inspirational
Kylie Aloi
If someone wishes they had
Jesse’s girl, then they just might
be an ‘80s fan. Today, people born
over a decade after the ‘80s are
listening to the music of that time.
A common misconception
about students who listen to
‘80s music is that they don’t
understand how powerful the
music of the ‘80s was. Kyle
Mitchell, junior, said that [‘80s
music] is timeless and has a fresh
feel every time he listens to it.
“The enjoyment of this
music is in my genes,” Mitchell
said. Even though high school
students may still be young, older
music can be a part of who they
are.
“I grew up with it. My
grandparents and siblings love
older music, so the only place I’ve
been exposed to modern music is
school and at the grocery store,”
Rebekah Rogers, senior, said.
Parents of many of the
students who enjoy older music
also enjoy this genre.
“I was still a fetus when I
first heard this music,” Mitchell
said. Mitchell was only 3 years
old when he realized he liked this
style of music.
The influence of his father
the eyrie
taught Drew Stolz, senior, to
enjoy older music.
“Only very recently have
I been exposed to music more
modern than 1989,” Stolz said.
Today, the most popular style
of music is pop, from artists like
Katy Perry and Kanye West.
This type of music can be found
on the radio and iTunes Top 100
charts. Some students don’t enjoy
the vulgar lyrics and extreme
emphasis on female body parts.
“The lyrics then were about
life problems, nature’s beauty
and psychedelic experiences.
They weren’t obsessed with the
booty,” Michelle Palacios, senior
said.
Some favorite songs of
students with a passion for ‘80s
music include “Red Barchetta” by
Rush and “You May be Right” by
Billy Joel. Students like Palacios
believe that there are too many
beautiful songs to just choose
one. Popular ‘80s artists include
John Denver, Queen and Bon
Jovi.
“I love checking out the
records at Half Price Books; they
have some interesting stuff,”
Rogers said. Students have found
musical inspiration from many
places like band tours, YouTube,
and even TV.
So what is so groovy about
‘80s music? Palacios said the
music is unbeatable. Music
produced in the ‘80s was very
original and the first of its kind.
“Real music is created, not
manufactured; today’s music is
manufactured,” Rogers said.
Bands like the Rush were
the very first of their type to be
different from all of the regular
mainstream artists.
“The lyrics of older music are
simply more wholesome. You
end up feeling good, if not better,
after listening to it,” Stolz said.
Though music of the ‘70s and
‘80s may not be as popular today
as it used to be, students still find
that it makes them start dancing
with themselves. They may not
be listening to the most popular
music, but the ‘80s definitely has
left its mark on the teens of today.
Facial recognition?
Can you match the teachers to their old yearbook photos?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Answers: A. Phil Clark, B. Tami Elsey, C. Ruth Ann Falls, D. Steve Ingram, E.Roger Ramseyer, F.Robin Weems
pg. 12 • March 13, 2015
the eyrie
horizons
March 13 , 2015 • pg. 13
feature
pg. 14 • March 13, 2015
Student athletes
win competitive
sport scholarships
Left to Right: Bre
Downing, senior,
Teresa Dolan,
Zack Fields, Mat
Baldeh, Keaton
Suellentrop, and
Austin Lanier,
juniors. All students pictured
play a sport for
the school and
for a club organization. Playing club sports
brings a new
level of exposure
to athletes who
are trying to play
at the college
level.
Jacob McKay
Nobody plays sports forever. Whether due to age or injury,
a day comes when a person’s
body will render him unable to
play the game he loves. Of those
who play at the high school level,
only a very small number are
talented enough to move on to
play at the college level.
Isaiah
Campbell,
senior,
has a college scholarship to
play baseball at the University
of Arkansas. Colleges started
pursuing
Campbell
as
a
sophomore.
“My goals coming into
high school were to win state
championships and get a college
scholarship,” Campbell said.
Kylee Kopatich, senior, has
a scholarship to play basketball
at the University of Kansas.
Colleges began pursuing her
during her freshman season.
“Coming into freshman year,
I wanted to hopefully make
varsity and help them win in any
way I could,” Kopatich said.
With
colleges
pursuing
prospective
recruits
more
fervently than ever, these student
athletes have to be careful.
“I’m more careful with what
I put on social media,” Campbell
said.
Colleges have been known
to rescind scholarship offers to
players who make questionable
decisions on social media or in
real life. “I’m more careful with certain
things I do and people I hang out
with,” Kopatich said.
Athletic scholarships are
most likely worth holding onto
for Kopatich and Campbell as
they are very hard to come by.
According
to
ScholarshipStats.com, only 6.4
percent of women’s basketball
players go on to compete in
college and 11.5 percent of
baseball players make the jump.
the eyrie
Club, school sports both push athletes
Jake Anderson
Roaring home crowds, booing
away crowds and playing for
school pride. These are just a few
things that high school athletes
play for during the school sport
season.
Club sports may not have the
roaring crowds that school sports
do, but a different pride goes
along with it.
Playing for the individual
and the camaraderie of the team.
“I like playing club baseball
because it’s more laid back than
school ball,” Keaton Suellentrop,
junior, said, “But I also like
playing school ball because I get
to play for my school pride.”
Despite the laid back nature,
club sports can be a lot more
intense.
The raised intensity can be
seen on the field or court, but off
the court as well in the stands.
Club sports bring college
exposure to a whole new level. Coaches don’t have to go to the
teams; teams can practically go to
the coaches.
When a team travels for
tournaments, they are going to
together every day, but to see
states where coaches only have teammates in the halls or even in
to take a 30-minute drive to see classes.
30 or more teams play, all in one
In club sports this can still
place. happen, but not with every single
This is present in every single
player on the team. Players can
sport.
still go to the same school, but
“ T h e
usually
is
traveling is fun It’s not too hard
around
two
to do,” Teresa
or three other
to get used to a new
Dolan,
junior,
players max.
said. “I get to be coaching system.
“It’s not that
with teammates
hard to play
longer and get to Summer ball is much
with
new
know them over faster paced. There is
people every
the years.”
year,” Austin
Tournaments much more exposure
Lanier, junior
can be played to college coaches. “
said.
“The
a l m o s t
transition from
—Zack Fields, club to school
anywhere
in
the country and
back to
junior and
teams from all
club really isn’t
over the country
that hard.”
can go.
Playing with
In the national softball
new people may not be hard to
tournament in Colorado over some, but a transition that might
Fourth of July, teams as far as not be as smooth is the pace of the
Alaska come to compete.
game.
One of the advantages to “It’s not too hard to get used
playing school sports is that
to a new coaching system,” Zack
teammates are very close due to Fields, junior, said. “Summer ball
being able to not only practice
is much faster paced. We try to
“
put up as many points possible
without worrying so much about
set plays. There is much more
exposure to college coaches and
the more points we put up, the
better.”
School sports compared to
club sports show few differences.
In school sports, there are
practices every day and even on
the weekend.
In club sports, athletes
practice almost every day, but do
not play games during the week.
All games are played in
tournaments over weekends. In
the summer, tournaments can be
as long as a week.
“The traveling is very fun
especially with my friends on my
team,” Lanier said.
Club sports and school sports
may be set up differently, but
the final goal is similar, win and
elevate the athletes game to the
next level.
Athletes in all sports want
to win tournaments with their
club teams for college exposure
and they want to win the states
championship for the school.
the eyrie
scoreboard
Girls basketball
The girls basketball team is
now beginning the road into the
playoffs. It’s either win, or go
home.
The team faced Olathe North
on March 10 and easily won 4410. This is the fewest points allowed by the team this year.
The Lady Falcons also beat
Blue Valley 56-32 in the substate game. They are heading to
the state tournament and have
earned the three seed. They will
play the six seed Washburn Rural
on March 13.
Boys basketball
The boys basketball team lost
in sub-state competition to Blue
Valley North 57-45 to end their
season. They finished the season
with a 9-11 record. They were 2-7
in conference play.
The teams .222 winning
percentage in conference was
good enough for the second to
last spot in conference standing.
Next year the team will have to
replace senior starters Taylor
Filbert and Jayden Davis as well
as reserves Jordan Well and Cole
Browning.
Wrestling
At the 6A state wrestling
meet on Feb. 28 in Wichita, Nick
Jouret, freshman, placed third
at 152 pounds. The other four
state qualifiers were Jace Koezler,
freshman, Patrick Haase, senior,
Tyler Jouret, senior, and Pierce
Kinzer, senior.
They were able to follow
up on their successful league
wrestling meet in Leavenworth
on Feb. 20 and the regional meet
on Feb. 22.
Boys swim
The boys swim team wrapped
up the season at the state meet in
Topeka on Feb. 20-21.
Max Stoneking, sophomore,
took fourth place in the 500
freestyle with a time of 4:54.60
and eighth place in the 200
individual medley with a time of
2:02.46.
Luke Wardle, junior, took
12th in the 100 breastroke with a
time of 1:03.48.
The team took 14th overall.
Bowling
During regionals at College
Lanes, the girls team got first
place overall with 2368 pins.
Morgan Sheehan, senior, bowled
sports
a 627 for a fifth place individual
finish to lead the team in points.
Gabby Russell, freshman, finished sixth with a 601 and Daley
McLaughlin, freshmen, finished
seventh with a 595.
The boys team was pins away
from qualifying to state. They
were short just 16 pins.
Tory Clayton, senior, led the
boys scores with a sixth place finish by bowling a 661. Kaelan Harmon, senior, finished behind him
in seventh place, bowling a 656.
March 13, 2015 • pg. 15
photo by Connor Letts
Michaela Gooch, sophomore, faces opponent head on while driving
to the basket. The girls team is headed to state today.
sports
pg. 16 • March 13, 2015
March madness:
Kentucky will cut down net in Indy
Max Stoneking
The current college basketball season has been
dominated by one team:
The Kentucky Wildcats.
Kentucky, who has
cruised through the majority of their schedule despite a few close games, is
almost guaranteed a number one seed in the NCAA
tournament.
Duke, Virginia and Villanova should acquire the
other three number one
seeds, making it tough for
any other team to pull of an
early tournament upset.
No matter the seeding,
the tournament is going to
be controlled by Kentucky.
To win the title, any team
will have to go through the
undefeated Wildcats, no
matter if it is in the round
of 64 or the national final.
However, Kentucky is
not completely invulnerable. Gonzaga and Villanova have a chance. They are
both big and quick on both
sides of the floor. Villanova
more so than Gonzaga.
Teams that have mul-
tiple big men and good
shooters have been able to
hang with Kentucky this
season. Additionally, with
a nearly perfectly played
basketball game, Wisconsin
has the size to pull off the
upset. The Badgers have
player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky, who
is a threat in the paint and
beyond the arch.
Sleeper teams are always an exciting part of
the tournament. Maryland
has quietly built a solid resume this season, picking
up wins over Wisconsin
and Iowa State. They could
surprise some by making
a run all of the way to the
Elite Eight.
Louisville, another possible sleeper, has not had
the best season, but Coach
Rick Pitino always has his
teams primed and ready
for the NCAA tournament.
As a four or five seed, they
could potentially spoil the
hopes of some higher seeded teams.
Final Four: Kentucky,
Villanova, Wisconsin and
Duke
Cinderella teams can’t be ruled out
Jake Anderson
There are always upsets in college basketball.
Kentucky needs to be upset
or they will be champions
once again. But who can do
it?
Right now it’s hard to
tell. Kentucky is fortunate
enough to have two starting five squads. The five
in, five out method makes
them stronger than a handful of NBA teams.
They won’t go down
without a fight from all 10
of their players.
Also, nobody can talk
about the NCAA Tournament without mentioning
the Cinderella teams like
Florida Gulf Coast or Mercer or Southern Methodist
University. Teams that are
never expected to rise to
the occasion, but they do.
The field is pretty
strong this year. Kentucky
has a giant target on there
back and soon, 63 other teams will be looking
to take them out at some
point.
Wisconsin is a very
strong team with their
player of the year candidate, Frank Kaminsky.
Also, Duke will be a
strong contender this year.
Despite their loss to Mercer last year, Duke is always prepared for the tournament. That game just
shows that anything can
happen.
Local teams like Kansas
and Wichita State will be
strong contenders this year
as well.
Wichita State seems to
have a streak of doing well
and Kansas is a school with
a history of success in the
post- season.
It’s safe to say that
most people believe that
Kentucky will win it all.
Whether or not they say
it out loud, it is definitely a thought in everyone’s
head.
To beat Kentucky, a
team is going to have to
have all hands on deck,
playing perfect basketball.
Final Four: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Villanova, Wichita
State
the eyrie
Sports staff takes turn
at Final Four prediction
Kentucky has all time great team
Jacob McKay
Kentucky is going to
win it all. This story could
end here, and it would not
make any difference.
None of the other teams
who will be named to this
year’s NCAA tournament
field are even that relevant.
As the only team to go
undefeated this season,
Kentucky has totally dominated every other opponent.
They boast a taller roster than anyone in college
basketball and all but one
NBA team; 90 percent of
their roster will play in the
NBA.
They play a platoon
system, subbing in five
players at a time, and at
least 3 of those players are
NBA lottery picks.
To beat this team,
which could go down as
one of the greatest team of
all time, a team would have
to put together a near perfect game.
Depending on seeding,
only three teams are capa-
ble of beating Kentucky on
their road to a national title.
Villanova plays incredible defense, a great shooting team with great guard
play and enough rebounding to win.
Wisconsin has a chance
because of how massive
that team is with consistent shooting at every position and possible Wooden
Award winner Frank Kaminsky at center.
The third team is an
unknown who takes Kentucky completely by surprise, a team who has nothing to lose and plays with
absolute unrestricted freedom, a team that can make
everything they shoot.
To beat Kentucky, any
team will have to catch
them on their worst day,
and that team will have to
be at their best.
Look for a mid major
team in the early rounds to
give Kentucky a scare.
Final Four Predictions:
Kentucky, Virginia, Duke,
Arizona