April 2016 - Olathe Schools

April, 2016
Volume 21, Issue 7
Spring is in the Air!
April showers brings May
flowers apparently, but we are
bringing this new issue to you.
Our best issue yet, this is sure to
knock your socks off. With articles ranging from new district
laws, current political news, and
even one about Kobe Bryant,
there is an article for just about
everyone in here.
Youth is easily deceived because it is quick
to hope.
-Aristotle
In This Issue...

Sports

Super Bomber

Snack Line

School Policies

Dress Code

Walking Dead

iPads

Politics

The Shallot
New Things Starting Next School Year
By Lauren Fenton
Sam-
I was fortunate enough to learn about some of the new school rules/things that will be
enforced next year. I suggest you are sitting down when you read these. Some are good,
some are bad. Some might even make you sad.
1. Students will be required to take a shower after every gym class.
2. Students will be required to wear district issued uniforms.
3. The iPads will have restrictions so you can’t play or download any games on them.
4. Clues hint at a possibility that two Olathe schools will be combining.
5. Budget cuts shorten school year.
6. Snack line banned!
7. New boys dance/cheerleading teams.
8. All paper cut out completely.
9. Library going digital.
10. Due to budget cuts, orchestra and band classes combining.
11.
It is possible that the bulldog mascot will change to a sheep.
Read more to get additional information on these important topics.
2
California Trail Middle School
School Hours
By Wade Boohar and Caden McNeal
Recently, the Olathe Board of Education decided that the current school hours were too tiring on kids.
They decided that in order for kids to do their best, they needed more sleep. An idea has been brought up to
bring this change about. They would change the school hours from 7:50—3:10 to 9:50—5:10. This change
would have multiple positive effects and some negative effects.
The new time schedule would allow for more sleep and thus, higher scores and learning. It should
also decrease the stress levels of students and teachers by increasing dopamine levels. The new hours would
also be more helpful for parents. Parents would get to sleep more and might be able to pick their kids up
from school rather than other options such as riding the bus and carpooling.
Some downsides include activities after school having their time schedules being completely off.
Things such as Science Olympiad, Track, Robotics, Basketball, and Math Counts would get over between 6-7
which may be too late for some of the students or sponsors who might miss dinner or spending time with
their families and friends. This may cause sadness and severe depression.
As you can see, this decision will have effects across the board, some good and some bad. Kevin Harvey said, “I think that in the long term, it will be a beneficial change for students and staff alike. I think this
will improve test scores of students.” This will be debated before it will be vetoed or put into action. We will
see in the coming months whether this will get passed or not. No matter what side you are on however, you
can see how tired kids already are.
3
California Trail Middle School
B-3C Super Bomber
By: Kevin Harvey
The B-2A Stealth Spirit Bomber was first produced in 1987 and one has not been built since 2000. It
has been almost fifteen years since then and only minor upgrades have been made to the B-2. These mostly
consist of small computer upgrades and weapons payload changes. I got to stand twenty feet from a B-2 recently, and although awesome, the information I received about the specs was a little disappointing. There
are currently 19 in operation and that is just not enough for me.
The government has been rumored to have been working on a new super bomber since 2014. The
project is nearing completion and manufacturing will start sometime in 2016 and be fully released on Easter
weekend, 2017. And, depending on how the next election goes, we might need them in a war very soon. The
plan is to have one in every state on the coast along with its very own base and anti-air, anti-ground forces at
all times. One will also be in Alaska and Hawaii. The rest of them will be located in Kansas, spread out across
multiple bases. This is due to the fact that Boeing Headquarters is located in Wichita, KS and will be producing the bombers. Construction on the first prototype begins in a couple of months and the delivery of the final products and tests are expected for Easter weekend of 2017. One of the biggest features is the ability to
drop high power computers and antenna equipment allowing for a weapon to be deployed right over the
border of North Korea and eventually hack its way into the cellular network and into Kim Jong-un’s secret
movie stash.
Payload: 2 high power nuclear GPS guided bombs | 2 high power cruise missiles | 2 deployable computers| 64 mini missiles
Specifications: Manufactured by GE | $3.7B per unit | Powered by Thorium Fusion Reactors | Two
person control | Mostly automated | 75,000 ft max height | Radar and lidar absorbing paint | Paint is Quantum mechanically altered to be unseen | Full radar, lidar, and infrared detection and scanning | Enemy detection from fifty miles | 5 tb/s satellite link | EMP weapon | 2283 mph top speed
Some of the designs are quite strange, but one thing is for sure, the newest plane in the American
fleet will be the beginning and the end of wars to come. Below are some rumors of the new design for the
new B-3C Super Stealth Spirit Bomber.
4
Dress Code Revisions
By: Mia Iandolo
When the district board met last Tuesday, they talked about a number of topics
including the dress code. The number of students that were violating the dress code had
gone up over the past three years. The district felt that it was time to take action. So
they decided to initiate a new dress code. This dress code isn’t like our old dress code.
This one involves uniforms.
The uniforms will be district issued and will be distributed next year. The entire
school district will be receiving these uniforms. All students will receive two white polo
shirts, one long sleeved the other short sleeved, and one navy shirt short sleeved. All
students will also receive two ties stripped with their school’s colors, three pairs of plaid
socks, and two navy jackets.
The female students will receive two plaid skirts and two khaki skirts. They
will also receive a pair of black flats. In edition to their polo shirts, ladies will receive
a white blouse, and a pair of black tights. The male students will receive two pairs of
khaki slacks, and two pairs of khaki shorts. They will also receive a pair of black
dress shoes. In edition to their polo shirts, they will receive a black sweater vest.
When she was told about the new uniforms, Lauren Fenton said “Gross. Can I
move? Why?? Make it go away! Oh please, Make it go away!” When Emily Kite was
told, she said “I don’t like uniforms and I don’t wear them.” Both girls asked about
gym uniforms. I found out that the gym uniforms next year, will stay the same, with
middle and high school having them, and elementary not.
The district is affording the uniforms by making other budget cuts, such as no
more field trips. If any of this sounds horrible to you, now is the time to convince
your parents to move! If you don’t move, then welcome to a uniform California Trail
Bulldogs!
5
Democratic Duel
By Wade Boohar
A recent legislation has been found hidden in the deep dark depths of the government archives. Drafted by
George Washington and passed by the senate, it states that if the results of a primary or caucus are within a half percent
margin, the losing candidate can challenge the other to a duel for all of the delegates received. Once the news was released to the public, Bernie Sanders was quick to take with this idea. He is challenging Hillary Clinton over the results
of the Iowa caucuses. The duel is to be on April 31st at 12:00 PM in Washington DC.
When asked about her plan of action, Hillary Clinton said that she has
commissioned a sword from the FBI that combines all of their latest technology. Clinton later said in an interview, “It will be powered by a deuterium fuel
cell and a thorium breeder reactor. It will also be made out of ultra sharp nanotubes lined with botulinum toxin and plutonium. Finally, it will be extremely
radioactive from being forged in the fires of Mount Doom and cooled in the
tears of Bernie Sanders supporters. I will destroy him utterly! But, he really is
a great guy.” One of our sources has confirmed that she is currently taking
karate, jujitsu, and krav maga lessons.
One of our reporters asked Bernie Sanders what his plan was. His campaign
Head Coach
manager responded that he is currently undertaking
a quest of great proportions to
the land of Camelot where he would learn how to wield Excalibur. Sanders later
A. Ruiz
said, “In seven days time, my most loyal campaign team members and I will be
traveling through the Emerald Valleys, the Hidden Rainforest, and Seattle to the
land of King Arthur where we have scheduled an appointment with Merlin and
King Arthur himself. After a lot of convincing, they have agreed to teach me their
ways to defeat Hillary Clinton.” Sources in the area reported seeing him working
out in the local gym every day for upwards of 8 hours a day.
Defensive Coordinator
R. Henke
Other republican nominees are also preparing for potential wars. They however, have been hoarding the biggest guns they can find instead of fighting with swords. Donald Trump responded, “I
have the greatest gun of all. It is so terrific you are going to love it when you see it.” Whoever you support, you can
agree that this new law will greatly change how politics work.
6
California Trail Middle School
Boys Dance & Cheer
Teams
By: Molly Hofer and Emily Macfarland
Next year, California Trail will be adding boys dance team and boys
cheer team! The Olathe School District had a meeting on March 13th and discussed about possibly adding dance and cheer teams for boys. They came to
an agreement that it wasn’t fair to boys that girls got to be on dance/cheer
teams as well as other sports teams. As of the first day of school next year,
boys will be allowed to try out for a new all-boys dance or cheer team. There
will even be separate competitions for boys dance and cheer teams. The boys
teams will also perform at girls sports events while the girls perform at boys
sports events.
The new boys dance team coach will be Mr. White and the new boys
cheer team coach will be Mr. Goad. They are both very excited to be teaching
dance and cheer teams. They are also excited that boys finally get the same
opportunities as girls.
Mr. Goad says, “I was voted best dancer
in high school and most likely to enter a
dance competition at CT. I’m excited to
teach these boys so they can have the
same success that I had in my dance career and show that the boys dance team
can be just as competitive as the girls.”
Mr. White says, “I’m super excited to
use my choreographing skills for the
first times since I was on Broadway
performing ‘Beauty and the Beast’.
Of course, I played the Beauty.”
7
SNACK LINE WILL CHANGE!
California Trail Middle School
BY Savannah and Libbie (we’re super excited)
Michelle Obama strikes again! To help end child obesity Obama is making a country
wide rule to band all middle and high school snack lines. Students all over the country are
furious. Starting April 11th the snack line will be replaced with the “health line.” Chips will be
replaced by veggie straws and apple chips! No more Izzies and Nakeds only water!! Ice
cream will be replaced will non sugar Greek yogurt. Instead of yummy chocolate chip cookies
we will have healthy oatmeal bites. Instead of packages of donuts we will have packages of
carrots. CT will have free kale Friday on the first Friday of every month! Smoothie King will
now only bring asparagus and broccoli smoothies. #letsmove
Not only will the snack line change but so will the menu. One new item will be veggie
wraps! A combinations of fresh veggies wrapped in a nine grain tortilla. Chicken nuggets will
be replaced by grilled chicken chunks and broccoli. Quinoa, green olives, and black beans will
replace taco salads. Every Tuesday we will still have breakfast but we will be eating oatmeal,
blueberries, and protein shakes. Michelle Obama will get rid of cinnamon rolls but add something else on chili day. She is adding whole wheat rolls with pistachios baked inside. These
are just a few of the new lunch improvements. “Our classrooms should be healthy places
where kids aren’t bombarded with ads for junk food!” - Michelle Obama
School’s New Soup!!
Here’s a recipe that will be
added to the lunch menu!!
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cupsof healthy butter
A small pinch of Kosher salt
2 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp of orange and lemon
zest
2 1/2 of organic turkey
8 cups turkey or chicken stock
6 cups baby spinach
2 cups of kale
5 big carrots or 37 baby carrots
5 oz of tomato paste
New Cookies!!
3cups of whole wheat flour
4 cups of chopped nuts
dried fruits
1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
8
title
Budget
Cuts Cause
Fewer
Days
Semester
is Ending
Early
By Hannah Lewis
This month the Olathe School District is short of the money
needed to fund the schools. The school board has met, and has created a solution. They have decided to end the semester eight school
days early.
This idea was inspired by school districts in rural areas. In previous years they haven’t had the funds to complete the semester, so
they changed the end date of their school schedule.
The school board believes that this will be an effective way to
save money. They won’t have to pay for utilities for those eight
days. They also won’t have to pay staff.
One downside of this conclusion is that the staff won’t get paid.
The school board hopes to find a way to make up for the lost salaries in the next semester.
They also believe that the students will like this budget cut. It will
make the students have to learn the material slightly faster, but they
will have a longer summer vacation.
The school district has high hopes that this solution will be a one
-time occasion. They
have predicted that in
the following years the
schools will receive the
funding they need.
9
California Trail Middle School
Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles was born June 20, 1983.
Darren Sproles is only 5’6 and 190 lbs. He now
plays for the Philadelphia Eagles who still suck.
He has also played with the New Orleans
Saints. Darren is a 2 time pro bowler and plays
running back and return specialist. I interviewed some people to ask them their
thoughts because Darren Sproles went to
Olathe East.
As you may know that Darren Sproles was born in Kansas and went to OT. He then decided to switch schools and go to Olathe east instead of Olathe south. Darren Sproles was
very small but he made it up with his agility .
First I interviewed Jesse Brumley about his thoughts on going to the same school as
Darren Sproles. He said, “That is pretty cool to go to the same school as him.” He also said
that it makes him want to follow in his footsteps.
Next I interviewed Thade Pricien about his thoughts and he said, “It’s pretty cool to
know that an NFL player was at my school.” He also said that some teachers might know him
and so he can ask questions like how he acted in class.
By Zach Willoughby
10
California Trail Middle School
Kobe Bryant
I have just discovered some very exciting news!!! Kobe
Bryant is going to stay for another five years and be in
the Lakers starting lineup. He will be switching his
number to 39 . He will get a raise and go from 25 million to 45 million for all of his hard work. The Lakers
organization is thinking about playing Kobe more
minutes per game and running the team through him.
He says, “ I’m feeling younger than ever and ready to
take on this task.” The Lakers organization is expecting
a lot from Kobe the next five years and is excited for
the future. The Lakers owner Justin Bieber says, “ I
think we will win championships the next couple of
years.”
“If you're afraid to fail, then
you're probably going to fail.”
-Kobe Bryant
The Lakers organization has been thinking
about this for a long time, they just didn't
let the public know. Kobe apparently
agreed to this Friday, March 4th. Lakers
and Kobe had a meeting about this to make
sure he is healthy enough and really wants
to do this for another five years. His family
and friends supported this decision and
told him to go for it. His fellow teammates
have full confidence in his ability to go another five years. When he returns they will
give him an award for one of the most recognizable players in the NBA. Shaq will be
giving him the award personally. Michael
Jordan will even come to the game and walk
onto the court with Kobe and Shaq. They
will being doing this in front of the Lakers
fans because they both played with each
other.
By Ryan Schwartzkopf
and Quinten Mason
12
Ferrari Builds New Tractor
By: Ryan Hovey
You might know Lamborghini started as a lowly tractor company, or that they built the Lamborghini Nitro (What an ironic name) in 2013. Ferruccio Lamborghini converted his tractor company
to supercars when Enzo Ferrari didn’t listen to his complaints about his Ferrari. In 2013, Lamborghini
revealed it’s first tractor in decades. Now, Ferrari made a surprise statement on March 6 that they
will make a tractor to compete with Lamborghini’s Nitro. They released a few concept drawings, but
no name has been released. The tractor is supercharged and is expected to make about 100 horsepower. (Tractors don’t have a high horsepower usually) Ferrari is also expected to make a higherperformance tractor to compete with Lamborghini’s Nitro R. Ferrari has always made supercars, and
now they are going out of their comfort zone to compete with Lamborghini. Many are questioning
the decision, wondering if it will be a waste of money, or real threat to Lamborghini’s sales. Who
knows? Only time will tell.
California Trail Middle School
The Shallot Returns
Why Are People Questioning the Shallot’s Legitimacy ?
Our HQ at the dumpster behind the school- Recently reports have been dumping in of people who
question whether the shallot is a quality news source. Without a doubt our team here says, “Sure the
shallot is okay, I guess” - random guy we paid five bucks. We strive for the upmost quality here at The
Shallot, for example, we print with premium materials, our paper, the finest toilet paper from the
school bathrooms, and our ink the exquisite sludge that settles at the bottom of the trash cans after
lunch. We have a great system of figuring out the news, sometimes we listen to the gossip at lunch
while hiding in the trash can (this is also great for getting our ink) this is great for getting school related
news stories. In our HQ, we also have a half-broken radio from 1962 that has 3 stations. We also host
quality interviews we are sure to call the house of the student/teacher at 3:17 am exactly every night
until they pick up and we make sure to record everything we hear out of our “professional grade” 1987
cell phone. Evan tho weee resently lost ar editer we wil goe awn. Note: After this paper The Shallot will
close, we have gone over our budget of $3.47 a couple bus tokens and a shoelace.
Due to Recent Events , The School Year Will End Early!
Recently, the school has been making misinformed decisions regarding the budget causing the schools
to close 2 weeks early. One of these poor decisions was during the 8th grade dance. The school decided to buy a gold encrusted punch bowl which an estimated value of twenty-three thousand dollars.
For this price, you could also buy a car or a virtual knife. Another purchase was a ten story bouncy
house from the new fall festival. Students who are interested in purchasing this item can participate in
an auction. One of other reasons the school is closing early is because Donald Trump has gave the
school a small loan of a million dollars. Knowing the school’s gambling problems, they spent it all in
thirteen minutes. Donald Trump was very disappointed in their decision and declared that a wall
would be built around the school. The school rejected the wall, so Donald said, “ I will have your school
wiped off the face of the earth.” After that, the school decided to open 100 Cobblestone cases in
CS:GO. In the end, they got one battle scared P2000 Chainmail and 99 SCAR-20 Storm field tested rifles. In the end, the school lost all of its money resulting in the nuclear reactor exploding somewhere
out in the world. Have fun enjoying your extra two weeks off of school.
By Chase and Caden
14
Walking Dead Discontinued
Devin Rex and Gabe
When Michonne died in the series The Walking Dead, the fans were
upset with the producers of the show. But on last night’s extra episode when Daryl Dixon died fans were furious. No one thought the
fans could get any more mad. That is until the show was discontinued because of bankruptcy. They will finish season 6 of course, but it
has been confirmed that there will be no season 7. But here is what
people thought of the show when it was still on:
Did you watch The
Walking Dead?
Who was your favorite Are you surprised it
character?
was cancelled?
No
Idk
Idk
Garrison Dupree Ya
Glenn
Ya
Aabiyas Wakes
Yes
Carl
Wait it was cancelled?!?!
Jace Blake
Yes
Daryl
Yes
Jack Gabrielson
15
CT and PT
Combining?
By: Adilae Hollister and Emily Kite
This title may have shocked you, but what if we told you it could be true? Last Thursday I went to my math class early in the morning to grade late work. While there, I overheard
two teachers talking about two middle schools combining. I was surprised to hear this, so I
listened for more details. The conversation was detailed, so I have a lot to tell you about the
topic. Emily heard it a few weeks ago at barbershop practice. She heard a lot of different
things then I did, so we decided to combine information.
Is this really going to happen? The truth is that, Two middle schools that are combining
are not for sure. They are deciding between California Trail and Pioneer Trail, and Indian trail
and Chisholm Trail. The schools are going to be moving to the Olathe District building, and
the district workers will be splitting between the two schools, along with the equipment. The
name of the school will be Independence Trail. The district building will start renovations on
Jun 3rd 2016 and will end around July 29th 2016.
Not believing it? The mascot will be a Sheep. The reason for the schools combining is
budget cuts. The school will be open to the public by August 1st. The school will have the
money of one school, not two. I can imagine that a lot of people will not like this news. I defiantly don’t want this to happen. The school will be pretty big, but there will be a whole lot of
people in each class.
True? Sadly yes. “I do not really want to combine with PT. But I guess it wouldn't be
too bad.” Summer Darpinian says. Emily and I, both coming from schools with people from
PT, that it would be nice to see them again. So, what do you think? Do you want to combine
with PT? Or do you see an upside to it? Well, whatever it is, we will have to deal with it. Maybe next year will say you go to Independence Trail… who knows? WORD MIC DROP EMILY
AND ADILAE OUT
16
R.I.P. Autotune?
By: Summer Darpinian
Autotune hasn't been around for long, but when it was invented, it took the whole music industry by storm. In 1996, an oil engineer that goes by the name of Dr. Andy Hildebrand invented Autotune, an invention that uses electronics to tweak someone's voice so that if they were singing off
key, it would sound like they were perfectly hitting the notes. The first ever recorded song that used
it was Cher’s, “Believe.” Since then, almost all mainstream artists have used Autotune to make radioperfect songs. Until now.
About a month before this article was written, everyone at the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) thought it was time to let real talent take over the music industry. They had
requested a bill that bans all Autotune from being in use for artists that use it on more than 5 of their
recorded songs. That means that big-name artists like Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez et
cetera et cetera, are by law not allowed to use Autotune. The bill just got passed on March 29, and
the news reporters are apparently too shocked to say anything about it.
You may be thinking, "Summer, how would you know this if there isn’t any news stories about
it?” I know this from being a superfan of the a Cappella group Pentatonix. They have been all over it
since the day that CASA even suggested writing the bill. They have been really anxious to see if the
bill got passed, and since it has, they are beyond ecstatic.
I am now very excited to see where the music industry goes from here. Since I am a fan of a
band that prides themselves in not ever needing to use Autotune, I can’t wait to see them get even
more popular as the famous artists that can’t sing on key (cough cough, JUSTIN BEIBER, cough
cough) call it quits. Not only will Pentatonix get more popular, other artists that aren’t hiding behind
Autotune will rise up and take over the music industry.
Be ready to see a change in what you hear on the radio and what plays out of your earbuds
and speakers. What do you think about this new law? As you have probably realized, I am so happy
that it got passed. Is there any Swifties or Belibers reading this article that are sobbing? Don’t wor-
ry, I’ll cry with you. Tears of joy.
11
MLB Preview Pt. 2
By: Robert Munch
More From this Offseason
To start let’s talk about some moves this offseason. All-Star catcher, Shelby Smith will
look to have another great season as he batted a .420 average with 65 HRs. He decided to
test free agency and signed a 3 year contract with the Monarchs The crafty veteran, George
Jetson is close to retirement and decided to stay one more year with the Black Sox. Other free
agency Emmanuel Gastelum signed with the Aggies, and power hitter Gail Bridges signed with
the Spartans. Ace pitcher Miguel Marquez signed with Colonels while closer Andre Hayes
signed with the Bulldogs.
Interviews
I decided to interview a few students about how they thought some players and
teams will do this offseason. I interviewed students Luke Hagan, Brandon Luce, and Bret
Bowman. The questions were 1. There are rumors about Ichiro’s brother Takuma Suzuki
coming to the MLB. How do you think he would do? 2. Right fielder Ronan Corona is coming off of an torn ACL he got in June. How do you think he will bounce back? 3. The Huskies and the Raptors had great off seasons and are projected to be in the top 5 teams this
year. Who do you think has a better shot at winning the World Series?
Person Interviewed
#1
#2
#3
Luke Hagan
Who wouldn't be as good
as Ichiro since he’s his
brother
Won’t be as good as before.
Huskies
Bret Bowman
Weird to have a 3rd base
contact hitter.
He will be okay.
Huskies
Brandon Luce
Good because Ichiro’s
good
He will be terrible, he’s
trash
Raptors
Carson Smith
He will be trash
.250 average, couple dingers here and there
Raptors because of their
great defense.
One big question coming in to the season is who is better Brian Zimmerman or Steven
Anderson. When I asked Gabe Roberts about the huge question he said, “Brian Zimmerman
because he’s my cousin and he’s really good.” You can decide this on your own but in my opinion it’s definitely Steven. I hope you enjoyed this article.
JAHADI
JOHN
By: Aabiyas
I am here talking about Jihadi John Aka Mohammed Emwazi. He
is a terrorist who is a British Arab who has been beheading journalists. He was born on August 17, 1988. He is andIslamic extremist and he is apart of ISIS.
Questions: How do you feel about Jihadi John in America?
Do you think he is the most dangerous thing in America?
Are you afraid that he is in Kansas?
Response’s:
Luke Hagan: He is a bad person as all terrorist are. I’m mean yes he is a
terrorist all terrorists are a great danger. No I’m really not scared because I’m pretty sure they are nowhere near Kansas.
Kevin Harvey: I’m very frightened, and I feel this poses a bigger threat
then North Korea. Yes, Mohammed poses the most dangerous threat in
America. Yes, I’m am actually very afraid that he is in Kansas.
Ben Marlow: We have to get him out of America or else we will pay the
consequences. Since he is apart of ISIS potentially yes. No because Kansas is not a widely populated state so if he was in Kansas he would just
be traveling through, and nothing would happen.
Scavenger Hunt Winner!!!!
JAMI BREON!!
Congrats!
I. K– State sells purple ice cream
II. The wildcat’s name is Willie
III. The football stadium is named after the beloved coach Bill Snyder
IV. K-state is getting girls soccer with in the next year
V. K-state had a donut shop named Varsity Donuts
VI. The University was founded in 1863
VII. K-state has more women’s basketball championship wins than KU
VIII. There is more than 24,300 from all 50 states and over 100 countries at Kstate this year
IX. There is more than 475 student organizations and 30 club sports
X. Every time K-state and KU play in sports it is called the Sunflower Showdown
Game Page!