The Vision - Windsor C

The Vision
Windsor High School
March 2009
WHS dancers place at state
Volume 12, Issue 4
Juniors participate
in poetry contest;
Umfleet takes top
by Jessica Plumart
Staff Writer
photo courtesy of Alyssa Howe
photo courtesy of Sam Lagermann
Hard work pays off for the Windsor dance team. The dancers took home top honors from the state dance competition
on Saturday, Feb. 28 at St. Louis University. They received 1st place in the Kick category and 3rd in the Pom
category--the highest they’ve ever earned. Sophomore dancer Lexi Politte attributes a great deal of the team’s
success to the group’s cohesiveness this year. “This year the girls are a lot closer, so we worked harder and had
more practices,” said Politte.
Economic hard times leave some students
struggling to find part-time employement
Calendar
of events
March 16 -20
Spring Break
March 26
Parent-Teacher
Conferences
by Stephanie Schuhwerk
E
Windsor’s second annual “Poetry
Out Loud” contest was held on Jan. 23.
Students from the junior class worked
hard memorizing a poem. Students
recited the poems in their English III
classes for practice. The winners from
each class then moved on to compete
with the other class winners in the
auditorium in front of the entire junior
class. There was a panel of judges present to determine the winner. Mr. Leech,
English teacher, was the host.
Leech said, “It was a lot of fun. It
was really nice to see that the kids
had learned and taken ownership of a
poem.”
Though there were several students
competing, only one could be left standing at the end. That student was Blake
Umfleet.
“I was happy, excited, proud, and
surprised all at once,” said Umfleet. “I
proved to myself that I can do something
if I try hard and hope for the best, and
that resulted in winning.”
Umfleet then went on to represent
Windsor in the regional “Poetry Out
Loud” competition at Farmington.
Staff Writer
xtra cash harder to find today? Some teenagers are having a year to make extra money to pay for college and accessories for
a difficult time finding jobs. With the current economy, it my car.”
may not be as easy to find employment.
Everyone has their reasons for having
Businesses are not hiring as many staff
a job, but what about the ones who want a
members, but are actually receiving
job but can’t find one?
two or three times the amount of applications
Junior Shawn Durbin has been lookIt’s just way too hard ing
than last year.
trying to find a job for five months now
Six Flags human resources officials saw a 50
and has yet to find one.
to find a job right
percent increase in applications over this time
“I need money to buy a car, but it’s
last year. They also said they were receiving
just way too hard to find a job right now,”
now. There are too
more from an older mix, which is an indication
said Durbin. “There are too many people
many people looking looking for them and not enough out there.”
of the slow job market this year.
At Fazoli’s in Arnold, Co-Manager Crystal
Employees are getting laid off, busifor them and not
Gault said they have been receiving more applinesses are closing down and people can’t
cations every day from all different age groups.
find work.
enough out there.
“There are less part time jobs out there
Head Manager Cathy Wise also added they
have been forced to cut employees’ hours.
–Junior Shawn Durbin for students today due to some adults losing
“I hope the new president can turn our
their full time jobs. Consequently, they have
economy around,” said Wise. “I know it will
to take part time jobs to make ends meet,”
take some time.”
said Wayne Montgomery, Marketing/COE
Senior Ross McKinstry has worked at Walgreen’s teacher. Montgomery also speculates that the decline in job
for six months. “It’s a decent job that fits my schedule, but hours openings are because businesses are not making enough money
have been cut since I started,” said McKinstry. “They haven’t to stay open, pay employees, and many stores are closing down.
been hiring new employees either. I have had two jobs for over To find current jobs in your area, check out snagajob.com.
“
”
April 10
No School - Good Friday
April 22
Early Dismissal
May 22
Seniors Last Day
May 29
Final Exams - early dismissal
June 1
Final Exams - early dismissal
Last Day of School
*including 6 make-up days (as of 3/9)
Inside
Our Voice
What if we went to school
year round?
– page 3-4
[email protected]
HighLights
New restaurant in town:
See how Cowboy Pizza
measures up.
– page 5
play hard
After-hours
Baseball moves to a
bigger, badder division.
Jimmy Fallon takes over
for Conan O’Brien
– page 6
– page 7
Please recycle
InDepth
March 2009
[email protected]
The Vision-Issue 4
An “unbearable” event helps raise
money for the Special Olympics
by Jessica Plumart
Staff Writer
Changing lives can be as
easy as plunging into a freezing lake. On Saturday, Feb.
28 seven Windsor students
did just that. The “Polar Bear
Plunge” raises money to benefit Special Olympics.
The plungers obtain sponsors, raising a minimum of $50,
to support their jumping. Polar
Bears were also sold at lunch to
raise money for Special Olympics training and competitions.
Awards are given to those who
raise the most money and to
those who have the most spirit
while jumping.
Windsor’s spirit theme
this year was superheroes.
Those that participated dressed
in capes as Superman, Batman,
and even Captain Underpants.
They all jumped into the lake
together screaming, “Windsor,
Away!”
Senior Alyssa Howe said,
“It was beyond freezing, but
lots of fun!” This is Windsor’s second
year of participating in this
photo courtesy of Alyssa Howe
These superheroes of Windsor High School jump into a freezing cold lake in February to
raise money for a good cause. Money raised went to the Special Olympics.
memorable event.
“Compared to last year it
was a lot colder, but I had so
much fun, and I wish I could
do it again next year,” said
Senior Ben Dixon.
Polar Bear Plunge Missouri was started 14 years
ago and has raised over $1.8
million. Proceeds benefit more
than 15,000 children and adults
with mental disablities who
participate in Special Olympics
in Missouri.
St. Patrick’s Day is about more
than corned beef and cabbage
by Ethan Swan
Staff Writer
Saint Patrick’s Day, a day to wear green
and a day that you don’t want to forget because if you do, you will get an unfriendly
pinch from a friend. However, there is much
more to this holiday than parades, leprechauns, pots of gold and wearing green shamrocks. Did you know the holiday is actually
rooted in Christian beliefs? Saint Patrick was
the patron saint of Ireland, whose holiday
commemorates both fact
and legend. Patrick was
a Celt from Britain who
did not share his father
and grandfather ’s
faith. That changed
when he was kidnapped by raiding pirates when
he was 16. Patrick
was taken to Ireland and forced to
work as a slave tending sheep.
This time in slavery had Patrick
reflect upon his Christian upbringing and caused him
t o
pray day and night.
After escaping and
returning home, Patrick had
a dream
that he needed to return to
Ireland as a missionary to
convert
the pagans to Christianity.
Patrick’s life is known and celebrated for
converting Ireland to Christianity, building
churches, monasteries and schools. His
holiday is celebrated around the world on
March 17 to commemorate the day of his
death in 461 AD.
Senior Josh Kelly has a rich Irish background. His family used to be royalty in
Ireland and has a family crest with a coat of
arms. The family celebrates the holiday by
going to Saint James Church, attending the
Dogtown Saint Patrick’s Parade and going
to the St. James Café to eat corned beef and
cabbage. On the way to visit his grandparents, Josh’s family listens to Irish music. They
also buy loave s of green bread that look like
snakes. After dinner, Josh’s family watches
a film about an Irish boxer called The Quiet
Man which stars John Wayne.
Kelly said,” I have never been to school
in my whole life on Saint Patrick’s Day.”
Mrs. Kari Farrell, English teacher, is
another person with Irish roots, or at least
who married into them. Her husband’s
family spends the entire day enjoying
the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, complete
with family crest t-shirts.
“It’s actually bigger than
Christmas for the Farrells,” said Farrell. “It’s the
only time of
the year we
see the entire
family.”
So where do
the traditional
Irish customs
come from?
Corned beef
and cabbage
is a food
Irish Americans eat as part
of their traditions. Although cabbage has always been an Irish food,
corned
beef was eaten because New
York Irish immigrants began substituting
corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish
bacon as a way to save money.
Wearing green on Saint Patrick’s Day
represents Ireland and the Irish People. In
Chicago, the day is celebrated by dumping
forty pounds of vegetable dye in the Chicago
River to make it green for several hours.
Leprechauns and pots of gold really have
nothing to do with Saint Patrick’s Day and
are part of an American tradition begun by
Walt Disney and his film, “Darby O’Gill and
the Little People.” Snake bread represents the
legend that Saint Patrick drove the snakes
out of Ireland.
The symbol of Saint Patrick’s Day, the
shamrock, was used by Patrick as a picture
to explain the concept of the trinity to the
pagans. One petal stood for God the Father,
another, God the Son and the third God the
Holy Spirit.
Pinching on Saint Patrick’s Day may have
been introduced by Irish immigrants who
tried to get their children to behave by telling them that fairies would come and pinch
them. Other reasons could be that if you
are pinched and get bruised you will have
some green on and last but not least you get
pinched because you are a non conformist
and did not join in the fun.
It seems everyone wants to join the fun,
wear green and be Irish on Saint Patrick’s
Day.
Some famous Irish Americans include
car maker Henry Ford, singer Bing Crosby,
boxer Jack Dempsy, author F. Scott Fitzgerald,
President John F. Kennedy, Supreme Court
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and William
Randolph Hearst, editor and publisher of
the largest newspaper chain in America.
2
Students caught
violating curfew may
face consequences
by Kaitlin Cilufo
Staff Writer
What is so important in the middle of
the night that cannot be done earlier on
in the day? This is one of the major arguments for curfew. Most kids seem to think
that having a curfew is pointless. It can
be seen as both good or bad depending on
who you ask. Some kids want to stay out
later to just hang out with their friends and
have a good time while maybe causing a
bit of mischief along the way. On the other
hand, there are some teens who are just
on there way back from work or on their
way home. If the last scenario happens to
be the case, then police officers will most
likely just let you off the hook with a fair
warning or maybe even a small lecture.
Senior Julie Balota said, “I got pulled
over at 11:03 p.m. on a weekday during the
summer and the cop just lectured me about
being out after curfew, then followed me to
make sure I was actually going home.”
Unless teens are out speeding, roaming
the streets, or causing any mischief then
it is not very likely they will be pulled
over. It is not any type of major crime to
be caught out past curfew. If one is out
causing trouble, most likely an officer will
call your parents and detain you until your
parents come and get you.
Safety is another huge factor that plays
into the curfew debate. Parents have a right
to worry about their kids and know where
they are, especially late at night. Drunk
driving is always an issue, as is falling
asleep at the wheel. Staying out late can
be fun, but it may not be worth all of the
risks involved. The clash between parental and state
curfews can also be a problem at times. A
lot of kid’s parents allow them to be out
later than the law actually does and some
do not even know what the legal curfew is. For the state of Missouri, on weeknights
it is 11 p.m. while on weekends it is 12
a.m. These curfews last until 5 a.m. the
following morning. Anyone caught out
between those times will have to face the
consequences. Even though the state has
a set curfew, cities and counties can alter
this as long as it doesn’t contradict. For
example, the city of Arnold imposes a
curfew at 11 p.m. on weeknights andis 1
a.m. on weekends. This applies to those
sixteen and under. Arnold police officer Dan Maddock
said, “As long as you are seventeen or
older you can stay out all night long if
your parents lets you.”
Some parents do let their kids stay out
all night while some have strict curfews,
making their children come home early. The choice is up to the parent whether
or not they wish to enforce it upon his or
her child. It goes without saying, if you
do plan to be out late, use your head and don’t do anything that could get you into
trouble.
Little Caesars
Pizza
1851 Jeffco Blvd
Arnold, MO 63010
(636) 296-3355
GO OWLS!
OurVoice
March 2009
[email protected]
The Vision - Issue 4
3
Should our school use the year-round system?
Windsor should start using the
year-round school system.
by Chelsea Rodriguez
Staff Writer
We are not farmers. The majority of Windsor students and the rest
of the U.S. are not out harvesting
crops between the months of June
and August. We are, however,
falling very behind in education
rankings; putting us 18th out of
32 other countries examined. The
schooling system we have now
was designed for children to help
their families harvest crops during
the summer.
We are not farmers anymore.
The current system was designed
for convenience, not to benefit
students. We are supposed to be
one of (if not the) most influential
nations in the world, and it is an
embarrassment to think that we
still have such a backwards system.
`Many people shy away from
the idea of having school year
round because they don’t understand it what it means (Mr. Angelo
Tuano). Students would still have
breaks, but they would be more
spread out. And there would still
be a summer break to transition
between school years. It would
just be shorter.
There would still be the traditional 180 days of school and three
months break; the break would
Yes
just be broken up and spread out.
Teachers would have to spend less
time reviewing course work they
already covered. It would be easier
to come back and adjust from a
two-week break than to come back
from a three-month break.
Forty-three states, including
Texas, California, and Minnesota,
have implemented year-round
schooling and reported higher
test results and better academic
performance.
Since 1999, two million students
have attended an all-year school,
and the feedback was very positive. Teacher burnout rates went
down in those schools, since the
teachers got breaks along with the
students. The calendar utilized by
most year-round schools consists
of 45 learning days and 15 days
off.
All of Europe, Japan, and Russia have year-round schooling,
and they are ranking higher in
education on the global scale than
America. We cannot keep up in the
technology race if our generation
and future generations are not getting the same education as their
competitors. Windsor should stick to the
traditional 9-month calendar.
no
“We are not farmers anymore. The
current system was
designed for convenience, not to benefit students.”
-Chelsea Rodriguez
“Students who want
a summer vacation,
summer jobs, summer school, summer
sports and anything
“summer” would be
let down by yearround schooling.”
-Andy Tuano
by Andy Tuano
Staff Writer
Playing in the sun, going on
vacation and hanging out with
friends is what summer is really
for, not school.
Year-round schooling is unnecessary for students to learn. It has
been proven that math and reading
test scores improve at the same
rate for students in a year-round
learning system as students in a
nine-month calendar. The reason is
that students in year-round school
may learn more during the summer, when others are on vacation,
but learn less the rest of the year.
Some claim that long summer
breaks would make students forget
everything that they have learned.
However, many year round
schools implement a 45-15 day
plan; this means that students go
to school for 45 days and then get
15 off. Many students cannot retain
information after being off for three
weeks. This means that teachers
would have to do a “beginning of
the year review” four times a year
instead of just once.
With year-round school, the
students with failing grades will
not have a chance to take summer
school in order to pass. So academically that could really hurt some
students. Summer programs such
as youth camps, band, or other
extra curricular activities would
be harmed by year round schooling.
Students’ summer employment
would be impossible. Students
seeking jobs during the summer
will not be able to make any money.
So all of those students needing
money will have to find a side job
during school, which are harder to
maintain with the stress that school
puts on students.
Summer is for students to relax.
Over the summer break students
will begin to miss school and want
to go back, instead of having short
breaks throughout the year, which
would not give students a long
enough break. Year-round schools
are non-stop and many kids prefer
a long break to hang out and there
is no better time to be on break than
in the summer.
Students who want a summer
vacation, summer jobs, summer school, summer sports and
anything “summer” would be let
down by year round schooling,
and everyone who is in school
during the summer would have to
watch all the other schools enjoy
their vacation. Why would anyone
want to go to school all year when
they could be enjoying some fun in
the sun during the summer? When
there is no point to implementing
a year round schedule, then why
do it?
What’s your opinion...year-round school?
Scott Cilufo
Senior
“I don’t like it. Kids
need a break to have fun
in the summer since its
nice out, and riding the
bus home in 100 degree
weather would stink. It
gives you time to go on
vacation and visit family
in other parts of the
world, and it gives you
time to get a tan and
work on your nice bod.”
Victoria Casey
Junior
“No. I don’t like it. I
like my summer break.
There is no point in going to school all summer
long. it would mess up
the sports schedule. It
just seems a little unethical.”
Tess Barnes
Sophomore
“I think I’d forget everything that I learned
throughout the three
months that you were in
school if you take three
weeks off. It’s always
been this way, so I’m
just used to it. Summer
is fun, you get to go on
vacations.”
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Mandy Vandiver
Mike Ziegler
News Editor
Jake Tanner
Opinions Editor
TJ Lindner
Features Editor
Kayla Kabbaz
Sports Editor
TJ Gibbar
Entertainment Editor
PJ Gordon
Business Manager
Danny Joachimstaler
Steven Tanner
Freshman
“I used to think that
it would be good, but
I wouldn’t want to do
it becuase it’s your big
break from school and
you get to hang out
with your friends. Year
round wouldn’t be as
much fun becuase your
neighbors that go to
different school would
be in school while you’re
home.”
Mrs. Ward
Art Teacher
“I dont want it. I like
my summers. I don’t see
anything wrong with
giving kids a break to
play sports and go on
vacation and I want
to be able to do the
same. You should be
able to go to summer
camps and go camping
and then come back to
school fresh.”
Coach Althage
Science Teacher
“Im torn. I could see
it being helpful becuase you get periodic
breaks instead of a long
extended break. As a
teacher we love to get
our summers off, and I
don’t know if I’m ready
to give those up just
yet.”
Staff Writers
The Vision is produced 6 times per school year by
the newspaper class of Windsor High School, 6208
Hwy. 61-67, Imperial, MO 63052. The Vision strives
to inform and entertain students, staff, and community members and to uphold professional standards
of accuracy and fairness. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Vision editors, not
necessarily the school or district. Signed editorials
represent the writer's opinion.
Adviser
The Vision welcomes and encourages letters to the
editors. Signed letters of 250 words or fewer should
be brought to Room 118 or emailed to thevision@
windsor.k12.mo.us. The Vision reserves the right to
edit as long as the intent remains unchanged.
Kaitlin Cilufo
Megan Franklin
Nick Marty
Jessica Plumart
Chelsea Rodriguez
Stephanie Schuhwerk
Ethan Swan
Andy Tuano
Timmy Waltenberger
Christy Hueter
4
OurVoice
March 2009
[email protected]
The Vision - Issue 4
Editorial
Admissions Office
Illustration by P.J. Gordon
Trust me... everybody has bad days
by: Nick Marty
Opinions Writer
Ever had just the
absolute worst day of your life?
Where everything seems to go
wrong and just nothing is going your way, or you’re down
on your luck, and you’re in one
of those “Nothing good ever happens to me” kind of
moods?
Well trust me, I can safely say you’re not the only
one who has felt like that, whether it’s your fault or
not, one thing is absolutely for certain “today is just
not my day,” sound familiar? It may be something
you say on a regular basis or it may not, but those bad
days can really make for some interesting stories, these
stories--ranging from strangely grotesque to oddly hilarious--can turn your mood around. The irony is, you
laughing at someone’s bad day, just made your bad
day a little bit better. An example of one of these stories would be of
this girl who posted her story on a website It goes like
this “Today my boyfriend dumped me, I cried and told
him I loved him, he flipped me a quarter and said,
‘Give it to someone who cares’ I threw the quarter
back at him and ran on to the city bus crying, I was
paying the bus fare when I realized I was one quarter
short of the fee, I walked home in the rain.” Although
it’s a pretty much multiple terrible things to happen
to someone in one day, I can’t help but laugh at something that bad happening to someone, it’s more than a
coincidence right?
Some of us might have stories that can seem
much better (or worse) than the one I just told you,
but eventually after you stop feeling down, some of
those stories can turn out pretty funny, and might be
worth telling to a bunch of people, (or posting them on
the internet). What better way to make someone’s day
than to give them a laugh when they read about your
embarrassing bad days or you could just get a laugh
yourself reading about someone else’s.
Sometimes even I have bad days. Like one particiular day when I racked up three detentions for
being tardy and missing homework. To top it all off,
my mom took my phone. So what we can learn from
this is, pretty much overall, we all have bad days. But
sometimes days can end up good or bad, but the bad
can be much funnier.
Students are under too
much pressure to pick a
college, a careeer, a future
High school students receive plenty of stress and pressure from every aspect of their lives. Between school, work,
friends, family, and maybe, just maybe, a hobby or sport,
it’s enough to make anyone crazy. But another thing being
added to the plates of students everywhere--at an increasingly young age, I might add--is…college! College comes
after high school. One would think that this would mean
you finish high school and then worry about college, right? Wrong. Preparation for post-secondary schooling begins
almost as early as high school itself nowadays.
Colleges begin bombarding potential applicants with
mail as early as their freshmen year. (Maybe they are hoping
to subliminally become a top choice for students.) Universities visit high schools, send guest speakers, and set up tables
at lunch from August to May. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great
to have all of that information at your fingertips, and it’s nice
to know schools are interested in you, but sometimes it can
feel like you’re being suffocated.
Everyone knows about the ACT. The American College
Test. The big daddy of college entrance exams. The majority
of students will take it once in their junior year, and, maybe,
once their senior year. Sophomores will remember the ACT
PLAN (pre-ACT) test they took earlier this year. A pre-test
to something as colossal as the ACT sounds reasonable,
but what about a pre-pre-test? ACT now offers the ACT
EXPLORE, a pre-assessment for eighth-grade students. Eighth-grade students! It hardly seems fair for ACT to start
stressing students out as early as their eighth grade year. So after you’ve taken your fair share of the ACT/
PLAN/EXPLORE, what’s next? It’s time to start applying. But…where? How is one supposed to know what
school would be a good fit for them? Maybe that stack
of letters from colleges you’ve been shoving in a drawer
for three years is a good place to start…yeah, that sounds
good. Students everywhere are applying to more and more
schools. Experts suggest applying from anywhere between
5 and 15 schools. This seems not only unnecessary, but also,
expensive. Most schools charge an application fee. Some
applications include pre-applications, recommendation letters, essays, and writing samples. This sounds like a lot of
paperwork, and a lot of headaches.
After the applications are sent, all that’s left to do is
wait. Finally, some down time in this stressful process. But
don’t worry, it doesn’t last long. Soon the mail starts coming
again. Letters filled with “Congratulations” or “I regret to
inform you” begin arriving. Once all of the results are in, it’s
time to make a choice. The big decision: which one?
At this point in time, the student’s brain explodes with
questions. Which school is the best fit for me? Do I want to
live there? Are any of my friends going? What am I going to
study? How am I going to pay for this? This is the time for
pro-con lists, long talks with parents, and tough decisions.
Once the decision has been made, the enrollment fee
mailed, and the housing application filled out, it’s time to
relax. At least for a little while. The stresses of college have
been put off until next August. Now all that’s left to worry
about is your senior prom, finals, and graduation. Ah, the
life of a high school student…
In today’s society, we are constantly thinking about the
future, and what is coming up next. High school students
should be able to enjoy their high school experience completely. Most seniors are so focused on their next year away
at college they forget that they are still in school and have
responsibilities there. We need to remember that college is
the next step in our lives and shouldn’t let it overwhelm
and distract us from what is currently at hand.
Celebrity look-a-likes spotted around Windsor
Eric Wichmann
starring as
Seth Myers
Brett Davis
starring as
Barack Obama
Mr. Garcia
starring as
Linguine
HighLights
Cowboy
Pizza
The Vision - Issue 4
Recipe for
I Baci di Cioccolato
or “Chocomole”
March 2009
[email protected]
5
Speak
OUT
What is your favorite
place to go for pizza?
Ingredients:
2 Ripe (soft) Avocados
20 yummy dates (or raisins)
Some Coconut Oil, Agave Nectar, Vanilla Extract, and Raw
Cacao
Strawberries or Blueberries\
Jon Todd
Senior
“The best pizza
I’ve ever had was
in Italy.”
Instructions:
1. Halve the two Avocados
and mash the green goodness
in a bowl. (Be sure to save the
skins of the avocados because
they will be used as serving
cups later)
2. Chop up the dates, about
8-10 for each avocado. Make
sure they are finely choped.
Add this to your mixture.
3. Drizzle in some avage
nectar. A few tablespoons to
start with, then if it’s not sweet
enough later, you can add
more.
4. Squeeze in just a drop of
vanilla and a big spoonful of
coconut oil.
5. Put in one spoonful of cacao
per avocado.
6. Stir it up until it’s a smooth
mixture. You can use either
a knife and fork, or a kitchen
mixture.
7. Scoop the mixture back into
the avocado skins, they should
fit back in perfectly.
8. Add your favorite garnish
to the top, I prefer strawberries
and blueberries.
9. Put into the refrigerator, so
the mixture congeals together
and serve the next day.
Celebrity March
Birthdays
2nd - Dr. Suess
- Jon Bon Jovi
5th - Eva Mendez
10th - Chuck Norris
14th - Albert Einstein
18th - Adam Levine
20th - Mr. Rogers
25th - Sarah Jessica Parker
- Elton John
26th - Keira Knightley
27th - Fergie
28th -V ince Vaughn
Upon opening last month in February, Cowboy Pizza proves to be a crowd pleaser. Pictured
above, Cowboy Pizza is located off Main St. in Imperial, MO.
by Stephanie Schuwerk
Staff Writer
You don’t have to travel too far
anymore to get a feel for the wild West.
The newly opened Cowboy Pizza, at the
former Taylor’s location on Main Street,
is a slightly upscale pizza restaurant with
a casual, family atmosphere. One can
order such themed pizzas as The Rio
Grande, The Magnificent Seven or The
Lonesome Dove.
Cowboy Pizza is billed as a family restaurant and offers something for everyone. Kids will enjoy the arcade games
and the themed, kid-size pizza, The Lone
Ranger, complete with mask. The 12-by5-foot screen playing old cowboy movies
will appeal to dad. And mom will appreciate the higher quality pizza—instead of
the typical delivery pizza. The workers
Fun
Ways
to
Spend
your
Spring
Break
are friendly and instead of tablecloths,
diners can draw on the paper coverings
while waiting for their food.
“It’s a great family restaurant,”
agrees Sophomore Karly Cook, who
works as a waitress at Cowboy Pizza.
“There are lots of kids running around.”
Business seems to be booming,
and one can expect to wait about an hour
on weekend evenings. Cook suggests
coming early Saturday evening or on a
Sunday afternoon. Cowboy Pizza also operates a similar
restaurant in Ste. Genevieve, which has a
more rustic feel.
Cowboy Pizza is open Tuesday
through Thursday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m.
to 10 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Pizzas range from $9 to $17. Carry out is
available also. 636-467-9300
Scott Allsbery
Junior
“Imo’s! Because it’s
the square beyond
compare.”
Lauren Honz
Sophomore
“Papa John’s,
because it has
the best pizza!”
Just because you’re not traveling to
someplace tropical, there’s lots to do
around home.
1. Have a picnic under the Arch
2. Spend some quality time with your family
3. Visit the St. Louis Art Museum and check
out the special exhibit on the Ming Dynasty
4. Volunteer time to help someone
5. Go to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Tyler DePauli
Freshman
“Mickey’s Pies
because it tastes
really good!”
playhard
The Vision - Issue 4
Are professional
athletes good
role models?
March 2009
[email protected]
6
Boys basketball wraps up an impressive season
by TJ Gibbar
Sports Editor
This year in Windsor basketball was a
leap from last year. The Windsor Boy’s Varsity Basketball team has shown major improvement in their game.
“We took step one now we move on to
step two,” said Coach Andy Althage.
“This season we played more as at team
and it wasn’t a one-man show,” said Junior
Kyle Cotter. Of course this year they had
seniors there to be the leaders. “The seniors
showed a lot of leadership on the court and
off the court”, said Cotter. This season’s success will raise the expectations for next sea-
son.
This year has been the best record the
seniors have seen since their freshman year.
Their final record for the season was 11-15,
with a win in districts. So not only did they
pick up 11 wins, one of them was a district
win.
The Windsor Owls are looking to top
this season next year.
“I think with that the guys we will have
will not let us move back wards”, said Coach
Althage.
The Owls Want to have a .500 record
with about 14-15 wins, and will have to work
hard to get there. They are going to be losing
their leading scorer, Senior Mike Alvarado,
who averaged 12 points this season.
“They have a lot of juniors that are coming back next year and that will help a lot”,
said Alvarado.
Juniors Aaron Asher and Kyle Cotter
Will be a big part of the team Next season.
Cotter finished the season averaging 7 points
and Asher With 8.
“We will use all of the progress we made
this season as motivation to become even
better than last season”, said Aaron Asher.
Asher was a lot more aggressive this season
offensively and will be carrying it over to
next season.
“You can hope for the best but you cant
take anything for granted,” said Asher.
by: TJ Gibbar
Sports Editor
You look up on the wall and
you see your favorite athlete. You
could only dream about being in the
same shoes as that guy. They have it
all, the money, the fans, the free stuff,
and then they have the kids that aren’t
only their fans.
These kids look up to them, and
they want to be just like them. That’s
something that not all players realize.
They don’t realize how many kids follow their stats and do everything they
do. They bat like them, stand like
them, dress like them, and they even
do the same handshake or celebration
as the athlete does when they score
a touchdown or hit a home run. All
these kids want to be just like these
players because they are in the pros
and they are the best of the best. An
athlete can’t choose to be a role model,
they just are, no matter what. They
have the best job in the world; they get
paid to play sports. How could you
even think about putting that at risk?
A kid gets home from baseball
practice and starts to watch ESPN.
The scores are running across the bottom of the screen, and his favorite
team lost. Right after that it says his
favorite player, his idol, was caught
using steroids. He doesn’t quite fully
grasp the concept of steroids, so how
does he even know that they are bad?
Later that night he asks his dad why
his favorite player didn’t get to play.
His dad then has to tell his son that his
favorite baseball player cheated and
that steroids are illegal and very bad
for you.
What does the kid do now? He
is clueless on what to do next, because the guy he usually takes after
is a cheater and he doesn’t want to be
a cheater. Is it even safe for your kids
to look up to a professional athlete?
What happened to the time when people just worked harder? Now they just
cheat. That’s what the weight room is
for. You don’t have to cheat to get bigger, you work to get bigger. I just don’t
understand how a professional athlete
can just throw away all the hard work
they put in to get where they are now.
It is very rare to come by a professional athlete, they are the best of the best,
and have done a lot of work day in
and day out. That is the side the kids
don’t see.
The kids don’t see them before
they make it to the pros, when they
spend more than half of their life training, and working hard. They only see
them when they become famous, and
on television all of the time. And some
athletes make poor decisions, and that
is what the kids do see. They see Arod when he took steroids; they don’t
see him when he was in high school
spending half of his time in the gym
and the other half studying. People make mistakes, but
shouldn’t make the mistake of letting
kids believe that cheating is ok. Watch
college sports, that is a prime example
of someone playing because they just
love the sport, not just to make money.
Baseball team takes on challenge: a new division
by Timmy Waltenberger
Staff Writer
“It is a test to see how we compare to the ‘big
dogs’ of class 4,” said Junior Cole Mankunas
about the baseball team moving up to class 4.
Over the off-season the baseball team
got news that they moved up to class 4,
where they will be facing bigger schools.
They will be playing such teams as Fox,
Seckman, Lindbergh, Mehlville, Oakville,
St.Mary’s, and Roosevelt as opposed to
smaller schools such as Lutheran South,
Affton, Bishop DuBourg, Herculaneum,
Bayless, Hancock, and Cleveland NJROTC.
Although the team moved up to class
4 their schedule does not change. The only
part of the schedule that changes is the teams
that they will face in districts and state.
In the past the way the classes were
split up was that 128 teams were in each
class. Class 1 got 128, class 2 got 128, and
class 3 got 128, but they ran out of teams
so class 4 was stuck with the remaining
90 teams. This year they evened up the
classes to make every class have an even “We are the smallest school in class 4,”
said baseball head coach, Jeff Young, “ It
doesn’t effect the team because we have 13 out
of 16 returning players. We expect to be good.”
“It is best for the program for better
exposure.” said Senior John Brockhouse on
how he feels about the move, “The better
teams will show us where we really stand.”
The baseball team will have a
tougher task due to the move because they are the smallest school.
“The best teams come down to
the number of pitchers they have,”
said
Young.
“The
bigger
schools
have more than the smaller schools.”
The team is looking for a twenty-win
season even with the move. Although they
moved up a class, they will not change a thing.
Singled out
Brandon Campbell Linda Henson
Grade: Junior
Sport: Wrestling
Weight: 215
Record: 45-7
Highlights: 2nd
in State Tournament, 2nd in
District 1
Grade: Senior
Sport: Volleyball
Position: Outside Hitter
Stats: 203 serves, 97.54%
serve percentage, 66
kills, 213 serve received,
237 digs
Highlights: 2nd team
All-Region, 2nd team
All-District, All-Conference Honorable Mention
AfterHours
March 2009
[email protected]
The Vision - Issue 4
7
Sometimes skating involves not skating
and EA has outdone itself. You can finally get off
your board and move your objects around to
make anywhere a skatespot.
Benches, ledges, rails, ramps,
and other skate essentials
are spread through out the
game to place where ever you
like. Not only is the enivonment better, but
the trick bag is
better. Boneless
and bean plants
are placed to give
an extra reach on areas and lines. Grabs
h a v e been upgraded
and
more
c o m plex by
grabb i n g
while
Late night shake down
by Kayla Kabbaz
Anyone
who
watches
late
night
Features Editor
TV undoubtedly already has heard of the recent host changes. Some
may be confused, though, about the truth. After
an impressive sixteen-year run on the NBC latenight slot, Conan O’Brien will now be taking over
for The Tonight Show. He will be Jay Leno’s new
replacement. At first, Leno announced that he was going to retire, but now,
he is moving to the 10
o’clock time slot with
his own show. He
will keep his studio
and stay with the
network. O’Brien
has to move from his
home in New York to
Burbank, California
to continue The Tonight Show. Max Weinberg and his band will
also be tagging along,
however, announcer, Joel
Goddard will not be coming
with the group. For Conan’s last two weeks on
Late Night, he brought back some memorable moments. His staff and fans wrote in to pick some
of their favorite moments over the past sixteen
years. His last show was packed with clips, celeb
cameos, and a performance by his favorite band,
the White Stripes. O’Brien has to fill some pretty
big shoes by taking on a job that was once occupied
by Jack Parr and Johnny Carson. Conan is said to
start hosting The Tonight Show on June 1.
With Conan out of the late night spotlight, he
too needed a replacement. NBC found such a host
in Jimmy Fallon. Fallon took over for
Video of the month
Conan on March 2, but what
some people may not know
is that Fallon has been preparing for this role for quite
some time now. For the past
few months, he set up a website
and has been putting up daily video logs. It’s
like a practice late night show. He interviews random fans via webcam and answers questions that
his fans write in. He is said to be the most connected technologically with his audience. In his video
logs, he updates viewers on everything, his band,
the writers, coming up with skits, and the construction of the set. Fallon
had a computer installed in
his desk on the set to talk
to people during shows. Also on his set, he
even had bleachers
built on the stage
so fans of the bands
that play can be on
stage with them. All you have to do
is request tickets. The
set is studio 6B, where
Johnny Carson hosted
when he was in New
York back in the late 60s. Fallon has experience from
being on Saturday Night Live
and some movies, but will that
talent transfer? Math teacher, Mr. Shininger says,
“I’m going to go in thinking that he will do a great
job replacing Conan. Although I don’t want my expectations too high and then be disappointed later. But I’d really like to see him do well.” Either way, Jimmy Fallon is the new face of late night.
This That ?
or
ro
VS.
David Braun
Black
Keys
Attack & Release
Albums ofLostthe
Released on April 1, 2008
Attack & Release debuted on
at #14 on the Billboard 200.
Produced by the legendary
DangerMouse, who has been
in previous Albums of the
Lost Ark, Attack & Release is
The Black Keys Strongest album to date. Similar in sound
to The White Stripes, the band uses their two members to
their advantage and pull one of the most successful BluesRock albums to date. The song “I Got Mine” became one of
the best songs of 2008 reported by The Rolling Stone.
AR K
This edition of You Tube Video of the
month is a very special one. Instead of providing
you with one video, we have taken the liberty of
providing you with multiple videos from none
other than the Lonely Island. But what exactly is
The Lonely Island? They are a group of writers on
Saturday Night Live who produce skteches, songs,
and short videos in a very destinctive sense of humor. Recently the group produced a CD entitled,
Incredibad, of their songs with artist just as T.Pain,
Norah Jones and Justin Timberlake.
The Lonely Island will leave you with
plenty of inside jokes and everyday references
that will make you laugh. There is so much to
check out with these guys that you’ll be busy for
a while laughing and just finding their older stuff.
Check out The Lonely Island on Saturday Night
Live and on their Youtube channel. Meanwhile
there is plenty to check out on Hulu.
grinding throwing down hand plants and the introduction of fingerflips. All these elements combine
make for one intense game.
The challenges have been increased, with a bigger bag of tricks it only makes sense to put effort into it.
The game is not long at all, but that’s only the story mode
to fully complete Skate 2 you need to beat all the challenges. Most of them are not easy wheather it be the environment that gets in the way, the pedestrians or the skate
line you have to pull off in a combo. All in all the game is
great and as close as you possibly can get to skateboarding without actually skateboarding.
The cast of Skate 2 is another part that makes the
game one of a kind from Reda your camera man to Mr.
SOTY himself, Marc Johnson. Each skater has his personality dead on to how they act in real life. Eric Koston
and Mike Carrol lead the Girl team, Braydon Szerfanski
and Terry “TK” Kennedy rep Baker, and Jason Dill and
Rob Dyrdek show the calmer side of Alien Workshop.
Most sponsers are represented, few are left out.
Marc Johnson, SOTY
Off the streets
and on to
the
couch.
Skate 2 is the
much anticapted sequel
by Patrick “Cashwell” Gordon
to EA’s Skate, but how
Entertainment Editor
realistic is the game?
Could this be the game that ends Tony Hawk’s legendary
game serries?
When Skate was released in 2007 it revolutionized the idea of a skateboarding video game. Instead of
using buttons to do flip tricks, grinds, and grabs, you use the right thumb stick in a flicking motion to do tricks.
For example pull down fast and push up and you’ll do
an ollie or flick it to the right or left and you’ll incorperate flick tricks into your bag. Grinding is very close to the
real thing, you have to ollie on to the rail or ledge and
the proper angle unless you have a need to eat concreate. While Skate was an amazing game it did have some
flaws, you couldn’t get off your board and you were missing some tricks that really make a skate line good.
Fast forward to January 2009, Skate 2 is released
Animal
Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Merriweather is not only possibly the
best Animal Collective but also on the
verge of becoming the best album of
2009. Released on January 6, 2009 Merriweather is their longest album since
their debut with a complete 55 minutes.
This is Animal Collective’s easiest album to get into while they still stay true
to their style. The single “My Girls” is slowly
climbing the charts and dazzling minds. The
video for the single is one of the most visually stunning music videos produced in the
past couple of years. I can’t reccomend this
album highly enough.
Jessica Janos
Comedies or Horror?
Horror
Horror
Steven Colbert or John Stewart?
Stewart
Colbert
Reality TV or Sitcom?
Sitcom
Sitcom
Rent a Movie or Go See a Movie?
Rent
Rent
Myspace or Facebook?
Facebook
Facebook
Jimmy Fallon or Conan O’Brien?
Fallon
Fallon
John Lennon or Paul McCartney?
Paul
John
Rob or Big Black?
Rob
Big
In-Focus
March 2009
[email protected]
The Vision-Issue 4
8
Following the road to state...
Districts
State
Hillsboro
DeSoto
SEMO
Pacific
Ste. Genevieve
St. Charles
Principia
Herculaneum
DeSmet
Chaminade
Hancock
Affton
Westminster
SLUH
Windsor
Some snapshots along the way...
Total Time: 3 Months, 21 Days
Total Distance: 12 Duals, 8 Tournaments
1. Start out in the preseason work outs and
in the gym. Caution: Avoid slacking
6. Rely on other teammates to pull you up to
6th place at the St. Charles Tournament
2. Continue in the right direction by beating
SLUH 41 to 39
7. Continue on your winning streak and gain
5th place at the SEMO Conference Tournament
3. Merge with your team to place 6th at the
Westminster Tournament and gain individual
victories
4. Continue straight on your winning streak to
get 3rd place at the Chaminade Tournament
5. Try and keep on the path as you approach
some tough opponents
by Mike Ziegler
8. Before the big turn, win 4th at the DeSoto
Tournament as you work you way towards
districts
9. As you approach your destination, dig deep
to win at districts to continue on to state
10. When you make your final turn, be as
perfect as you can when you execute it to
achieve your goal of winning at state
Co-editor-in-chief
As usual, the Windsor Wrestling team got it done
this year at state. February 19-21 was the state wrestling tournament held in the Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Windsor sent three wrestlers this year including: Senior
Timmy Waltenberger, Junior Brandon Campbell and
Freshman Cody Boehm. Windsor brought back three medals and many new records.
Waltenberger was coming off a perfect season going into his final match. After finishing the tough task of
improving from the previous season where he ended up
placing second in the state for Class 3 at the 189-weight
class, Waltenberger was poised to place big again at the
state meet. “I beat some kids I haven’t beaten before
and lost to previously,” said Waltenberger about
this season. Making an easy task out of the first and
semi-final round matches beating his opponents, Waltenberger had only one more match
left in the season and ultimately, his career. Waltenberger was in almost the same spot he
was just a year ago when he placed second. “I
was focusing on wrestling smart,” said Waltenberger. Wrestling smart, however, wouldn’t pan
out the way he hoped. “I didn’t wrestle my
match,” said Waltenberger.
The final match was an intense match from
start to finish. With only one point awarded to
each wrestler up until the third round, it came
down to the final seconds. “I tried to get something together at the end but nothing came out
of it. I made one mistake and he was able to
capitalize on it and win,” said Waltenberger recalling how the final match ended. A controversial takedown was given to his oponent in the final second of the
third round. It was argued by Windsor’s coaches that time had run
out and both wrestlers were out of bounds before the takedown had occurred, and after deliberation, the call stood
giving his oponent the state title. Winning second two years in a row is nothing short
of record breaking along with other record breaking stats
now held by Waltenberger. “It was awesome and excit-
ing to be in the finals two years in a row. It’s just a shame
though that I couldn’t get the gold, but I had a great career,” said Waltenberger. Another finals medalist, Brandon Campbell also had
a memorable season. “It was a success. I started out well
and finished strong,” said Campbell. “Be more offensive
on my feet and have more take-downs. Also, be in a little
better shape,” said Campbell on what he hopes to improve
on for next year.
Expectations
going into the state meet were
high
for all
wrestlers including Campbell. “I expected to medal in the top
six,”
said
Campbell. Little did
he know how well he
would end up doing.
Campbell won his first and semi-final matches to give
him the chance to wrestle in the finals match for first. His
opponent, Dakota Smith of De Soto was not an unfamiliar
foe. Smith and Campbell had wrestled five times before
the finals match making it six times the two would face
each other. Not unlike Waltenberger’s final match, this one
also went down to the wire. After giving up two penalty
points in the second round, it was an uphill struggle to get
back on top for Campbell. “I gave up two penalty points
early on. If I was more offensive in the first, I could of won
it,” said Campbell. Those two points ended up being too
costly to overcome in the end. Campbell, however, did not sound too disappointed. “It showed the hard work I put in the summer and that I
earned it,” said Campbell. It also gave him this goal for the
next season: “Winning state,” he said.
Windsor’s smallest, fastest, and youngest wrestler
also put up big numbers this season. Cody Boehm, in his
first year of wrestling at the high school level, now holds
some records of his own. “My goal was to make it to state,” said Boehm about
going into the season this year. After achieving that, Boehm
was out for more. Losing his quarter-final match was the
only setback for the 103 pound freshman. “Whenever
I wrestled him I was still nervous about wrestling at
Mizzou,” said Boehm. Boehm ended up placing third at state, giving the
freshman the record of achieving the highest place of
a freshman in Windsor’s history. “It was awesome,”
said Boehm. The joy of winning medals isn’t only felt by
the wrestlers, it is also shared by the
coaches. “It (winning three medals)
was great. We knew we had a big opportunity to do well at state, but we
were impressed at how well the guys
handle
the
pressure and won some close matches,”
said J.V. coach Karl Shiniger, math teacher. Varsity coach
Kevin Stoffey, counselor, also added, “It was a great feeling. Best season we’ve ever had. It couldn’t have gone
better. Three medalists is unbelievable.”
Injuries plagued the season, however, and were the major
low. “The number of injuries that ended the season for
quite a few wrestlers was the biggest disappointment,”
said Shiniger. “A couple of injuries that ended (Kyle) Warren’s and (Ben) Seabaugh season were disappointing. We
expected a stellar season from both of them,” said Stoffey.
After a memorable season, it would be hard, but very
possible to top this year next year. We have a couple of
wrestlers that can step up next year. Three medalists and