Page 7 March 2004 - Lewis Central Community Schools

Lewis Central High School
inside:
“
In The Meantime...
True Life:
Special Feature
The first cut
is the deepest
Issue 5
March 2004
- Page 4
”
LC Regains Championship
-Page 7
No School
1:
April
P/S/T Conferences 4-8 p.m.
3:
Prom
5:
P/S/T Conferences 4-8 p.m.
6:
Boy’s Tennis @ Home
Boy’s Track @ Glenwood
13:
Boy’s Track @ Harlan
Girl’s Track @ Home
Boy’s Tennis @ Away
Girl’s Tennis @ Harlan
Boy’s Soccer @ Away
15:
Boy’s Tennis @ Home
Girl’s Tennis @ Atlantic
Boy’s Soccer @ Home
Boy’s Golf @ Home
Girl’s Golf @ Away
30:
Opening Night--Sound of Music
The Passion:
Not Another
Pixar Film
-Page 6
High Schoolers Share Words of Seuss
Dani Mescher
Reporter
On March 2nd and 3rd,
twenty five National Honor
Society
members
(NHS)
converged in the classrooms of
Titan Hill Elementary School.
These students spent 30 minutes
each day reading to over 350
children as a part of the National
Education Association’s (NEA)
“Read Across America” day.
The NEA is simply a union
of teachers across the United
States, and in 1998 they started
“Read Across America” as a way
to get children excited about
reading. It centers around Dr.
Seuss’s birthday which is on
March 2nd. This year celebrated
Dr. Seuss’s 100th birthday.
When asked how the NHS
got involved, coordinator Kim
Jones explained that Richard
Bleth, the Lewis Central
Educational
Association
president, approached her and
asked if the members would be
interested in reading with
elementary kids. Jones then asked
the members if they were
interested.
“I took the idea to the
members at the February meeting,
and they said they wanted to
participate,” said Jones.
She then had to coordinate
the event with Titan Hill librarian,
Geanna Massman.
together and just spend some time
getting to know the kids in their
group.
“I wish I could have just sat
there and talked to them,” said
junior Sara Gundlach.
The Titan Hill students also
loved the occasion. They prepared
for the day by talking about why
“Read Across America” was
created and why so much
importance is placed on it.
“We talked about Dr. Seuss,
and the books he wrote. We talked
about how he wanted to make kids
read more,” said fourth grader
Regan Rodenburg.
They read Dr. Seuss books
to prepare for the day. The books
they read included Green Eggs
and Ham, The Cat in the Hat,
and Horton Hatches the Egg.
The elementary students
truly enjoyed the experience.
They loved being read to, and
they liked interacting with the
Photo by Pam Shorey
high schoolers.
Celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday, junior NHS member Ellen Nuss reads to TItan Hill students.
“We had fun laughing,”
The NHS members went talked to them about their day and s a i d f o u r t h g r a d e r N a t a l i e
“Mrs. Jones and I
Burton. “We liked having high
corresponded to come up with t o t h e h i l l a t 3 : 0 0 p m a n d we really got to laughing.”
Many others said the best schoolers up here; we really
when the high schoolers would picked out a favorite Dr. Seuss
be available,” said Massman. book to read to the kids. They part of the experience wasn’t liked laughing.”
The faculty at Titan Hill was
“Luckily, we get out later than spent a half an hour reading necessarily the reading, but
the high school, so everyone was to the kids and talking to them getting to spend time with the very grateful that the high
schoolers took time to come be
about
anything
a n d kids.
able to come up after school.”
“The best thing was the look with the students.
Massman took the list of everything.
“I’m
v e r y,
very
“It was a lot of fun. It was on their faces; they were so
high school students and split
them up amongst the Titan Hill fun to see all the little kids; excited to see a ‘big kid’ reading a p p r e c i a t i v e o f h a v i n g t h e
teachers. The teachers then they were so interested in the to them,” said junior Doug high schoolers come in and
donate their time. I know our
split up their classrooms into b o o k I w a s r e a d i n g , ” s a i d O’Reilly.
Others wished they could kids appreciate it too,” said
small groups that read with the junior Bekki Heideman. “I got
done reading a little early, so I have neglected the reading all Massman.
high schoolers.
Mission To
Hail to the New Chief
Mars
Megan Longmeyer
Reporter
Alyssa Ranney
Reporter
18-19:
Page 3
State Wrestling
G
UPCOMIN
EVENTS:
March
...Outside of LC
Mars is the fourth planet
from the sun, and as all of you
should know, Earth is the third
planet from the sun. The main
objective for the most recent
Mars mission is to try to find
evidence that Mars has or had
water on the surface.
Mars is the only planet, as
far as we know , that has an
atmosphere and relatively
similar temperatures to
Earth.
Mars
orbits
elliptically (oval-shaped
orbit), rather than a circular
pattern like Earth, making Mars’
temperature and distance from
Earth and the Sun v a r y.
C o m p a r a t i v e l y, M a r s i s
relatively larger than Earth.
In fact, Earth’s circumference
(girth) is 24,818.6 miles while
Mars’s circumference (girth) is
13, 251.24 miles.
Before the recent mission
to Mars, photographs taken
from orbiting satellites had to
zoom in to take pictures. The
first mission to Mars, scientists
sent two Viking spacecrafts,
which landed on July 20th and
September 3 rd of 1976. The
1976 Viking spacecrafts
brought back soil and rock
samples and took pictures of the
environment. Scientist’s soil
experiments failed to conclude
microscopic life on Mars,
leaving the possibility that
microorganism life might exist
on Mars. Scientists are hoping
that with modern and far
advanced
technology
(technology has greatly
advanced since 1976. In 1984,
a computer cost $3,000,
compared to today’s $1,000
average price per user-friendly
computer), the rovers will be
able to do more work, take
digital pictures, soil, and rock
samples than the previous
missions to Mars have.
The rovers Opportunity
and Spirit headed for Mars on
June 10th and June 7th, 2003, in
search of answers about its
water history. Opportunity
landed on Mars Saturday,
January 24 th , 2004. Spirit
landed a few weeks earlier,
January 3 rd, 2004. The two
spacecrafts landed at different
times because Mars often has
violent storms that kick-up a lot
of dust and can interfere with the
spacecraft’s instruments, and
make visibility difficult.
According to NASA, the
twin rovers are equipped with a
panoramic camera (Pancam), a
Miniature Thermal Emission
Spectrometer (Mini-TES), a
Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB),
an Alpha Particle X-Ray
Spectrometer (APXS), magnets,
Microscopic Imager (MI), and a
rock Abrasion Tool (RAT).
The rovers drive up to 40 meters
(about 44 yards) and perform onsite geological investigations each
day. “Each rover is sort of the
mechanical equivalent of a
geologist walking the surface of
Mars,” stated NASA.
Despite
Spirit’s
technologically advanced tools,
Spirit had some early software
problems after landing. NASA
was able to get the software
problems fixed and Spirit up and
running by early February.
Apparently technology has
quite a price tag because NASA’s
Mission to Mars costs
approximately $820 million. The
$820 million covers two
spacecrafts, Opportunity and
Spirit, and the fuel, etc. necessary
for the long trips to and from the
red planet.
Spirit landed in Gustev
Crater because scientists believe
the crater may have once been a
lake. In Gustev Crater, Spirit
used its high-tech tools to drill
into a rock that scientists have
dubbed “Humphrey.” The inside
of the rock revealed minerals
that are evidence of water.
Scientists believe that water
was in the magma and as the
magma crystallized, last
stages of the fluids led to
formation of the white
deposits that filled in the
cracks of the rock where the
minerals were found. Scientists
(at publishing time of this
newspaper) are unable to
determine when the water was
present or if the water was
standing water, or ocean water.
Sources: Merriam-Webster
Dictionary,
CNN.com,
NASA.gov,
Encyclopedia
Britannica
Walking into class, you do
a typical scan of the room,
looking at various students.
As you start for your seat, a
n e w f a c e catches your eye.
Standing in the corner is a
stranger to your classroom: a
middle-age man, dark hair,
glasses, unfamiliar but
certainly not unpleasant. You
quietly take your seat, set
down your books, and chatter
along with your friends until
the bell rings. As the bell begins
to blare, your teacher
approaches the class and
introduces the man in the
corner. He’s your new
superintendent. He’s here for a
visit.
Many Lewis Central
students have experienced this
type of event throughout the
school year. After previous
superintendent Chuck Scott
transferred to another school, Dr.
Mark Schweer came from
Atlantic to fill in the position as
superintendent for Lewis
Central. Dr. Schweer has a
Master’s Degree in education
and
administration,
a
Doctorate
Degree
in
education, has been a
superintendent for various
schools for thirteen years, and
has been an administrator for
twenty-four years. In respect of
the job and role he’s taken on for
this district, Dr. Schweer has been
visiting schools to achieve a
better understanding of its
students and staff.
“It’s important that the
superintendent be visible
throughout the district and in all
the buildings,” says Schweer.
“One of my goals is to visit as
many of the classrooms as I can
each year to observe the diversity
in teaching, in learning, and in the
process.”
As an important member to
the staff here at Lewis Central,
Dr. Schweer is trying to get to
know and understand the
students, in order to have a feel
for any needs on their part in our
district and also just to have those
personal
staff-to-student
relationships. The question is,
what do our students think about
him?
“ I think it’s really nice of
Dr. Schweer to come in and
observe our classes because it
shows he cares about our school,”
says junior Allison Jacoby. “This
is his first year, and it makes it
seem like he’s really making a
great effort to get to know
everyone in this school.”
Another relationship Dr.
Schweer is trying to build would
be the one with Lewis Central’s
staff. Of the large number of
people on staff around our
district, Dr. Schweer has very
high thoughts of all of its teachers
and their methods of teaching. Dr.
Schweer praises how the staff is
M\
Photo by Andrea Larison
Ready to rule the school, Dr. Schweer stands tall.
“very conscientious” and how its
teachers have “every student’s
best interest at heart.” The
feelings of high esteem are
mutual between the staff and the
superintendent.
“He seems like a very
confident, very caring person
who cares a lot about kids,” says
teacher John Drake. “He has a
very good reputation; he’s a good
man.”
While
the
new
superintendent has been able to
get a feel for the district, the
district in return knows little, if
anything, about its own
superintendent. To give everyone
a feel for Lewis Central’s newest
addition to the payroll, here are
some interesting facts you might
not have known about Dr.
Schweer:
~Favorite color: Red
~Favorite Movie: I haven’t
gone to the movies in awhile, but
I really liked Something’s Gotta
Give.
~Would you rather go to the
mountains or the beach? The
mountains
~What kind of M&M’s do
you like? Peanuts
~What kind of laundry
detergent do you use? Well, I
don’t do laundry, but my wife
uses Gain.
~Middle Name? Alan
~Phobias? I don’t like
snakes.
~What do you use for
toothpaste? Well, I don’t use any
particular brand, but how about
what my wife gets most of the
time – Crest.
~Would you prefer a back
rub or a foot rub? Back rub
As the superintendent
continues to visit the schools
around the district, hopefully
he’ll become a familiar and
friendly face to all he sees. He
will no longer be a stranger to
Lewis Central, but someone who
is warmly welcomed into each
individual building. By visiting
around the schools, Dr. Schweer
has not only the goal of getting
to know the students better, but
the goal to give them an
understanding of who the
superintendent really is.
“The impression that I’m
trying to create would be that
both teachers and students see me
as a superintendent that is very
interested in teaching and
learning. I think it’s important
that students and teachers know
who I am... hopefully my
presence will send the message
that I’m very interested and care
about what’s going on at Lewis
Central.”
March 2004
Page 2
“It’s Aboot Time You Get Back to the Hoose!”
Becca Sheppard
Design
Welcome to Canada; it’s the
Great White North, the Maple Leaf
State, where the Eskimos build igloos
and eat fish all day long and say “eh?”
every other word, right? Not quite.
It’s funny what people assume about
that alien country, really. I myself am
Canadian, actually. That’s right. Born
and raised (until the age of 5) in
Newfoundland, Canada. (...what the
dickens did you move to Iowa for,
you might ask. I wish I knew).
Moving on. Everyone thinks that
Canadians live in eternal winter and
say “eh” all the time, and this should
clear some things up. Then again, I
can see why. We (myself included)
also think Chinese people wear those
lampshade hats and eat rice all day
long, too. But until a China folk
speaks up, we’ll go with it.
Misconception number one:
People in Canada are Eskimos.
Hmm...I wish. That’d be pretty cool,
I think. But sorry, I don’t know of any
Eskimos living in any civilized area
of Canada.
Misconception number two:
Canada is freaking cold. Actually, it
gets colder here than it does in most
parts of Canada, unless you go WAY
north up by Santa’s workshop. It gets
more snow during the winter (...yes,
that’s right. There are actually
seasons, it isn’t a block of ice), but I
don’t remember having to wear my
parka and mukluks year round. ;-)
True or false: Canadians say
“eh” a heck of a lot. Mmm...we DO
say “eh,” to be perfectly honest with
you. But not NEARLY as much as the
world makes it out to be. We say “eh”
as many times a day as you say
“mechanics.” (....don’t ask.)
Is there electricity in Canada?
They recently installed telephone
wires and microwaves in almost every
household in Canada. Hahaha. Yes,
silly. We’ve had it JUST as long as
you have. Shocker of the century.
Everyone plays hockey in
Canada. Well, hockey is to Canada
as football or basketball is to the
United States.
What’s it like to live in an
igloo? If I knew, I’d let you know.
Perhaps visit the Yukon and ask one
of the population of 7 what it’s like
to live in one. I’m sure that
somewhere up near the Arctic Circle,
which is still technically Canada
there are natives who prefer to live
in ice, I guess. The closest I’ve been
to an igloo is the one that we made
out of milk jugs in fourth grade. You
know what I’m talking about.
So you speak French, eh? Just
as much as you do. I think “we we”
means “yes”, and I spelled it wrong.
Quebec, which is just one province
in Canada, is the only mainly French
speaking area in the entire country.
It’s like Spanish here. It’s the second
language. Don’t ask me to translate
something in French. I’ll make up
some words and let you be on your
way.
Have you ever seen a polar
bear? NO, I’ve never seen a polar
bear. Actually, that’s a lie. In our very
own Henry Doorly Zoo, I HAVE seen
a very domesticated, very American
polar bear.
You’re going to be healthy,
because you eat fish all the time.
You’re right. Breakfast, lunch, and
dinner. I’d spread it on toast if I could.
Littering is, like, the biggest
crime next to murder in Canada.
How many people do you know of
that were arrested for transporting
bottle nosed dolphins illegally across
the Kentucky state line? Exactly.
What state did you live in?
...They’re called “provinces,”
actually, and I lived in
Newfoundland. It’s sort of off the
coast of Maine in the Atlantic Ocean.
Friendly reminder: I do not
speak French.
Say “about”!! No. I’ve lived
in the Midwest for 10 years now, and
have long since lost my accent. It’s
not really “abOOt,” either. It’s more
like..abewt, like a British person sort
of. But “abOOt” is still pretty fun to
say, if you still want to.
Don’t you have Royal
Mounties instead of cops? Not that
I’m aware of. The only Mounties I’ve
ever seen were on that Mary-Kate and
Ashley movie when they go to Paris,
and that kid keeps annoying the guy
because he knows he won’t move.
(Why don’t they move, anyway?)
HaHaHuh, Canadian Bacon,
HaHa. ...thank you.
Speaking of, don’t rely on the
John Candy movie, Canadian Bacon,
to answer your unanswered mysteries
of the Great White North. You’ll be
sadly misled.
Think about Minnesota or New
York. Do people get weirder and
weirder when you progress north into
those states? Both border Canada, so
what makes everything change once
you step across the border? Do people
suddenly get interesting accents and
get cut off from electricity? Does it
seem that while standing in New
York, the weather is warm and sunny,
and suddenly, when you travel into
Canada, one mile further, it’s 43
below in a treacherous blizzard? I
could be wrong, but I doubt it.
Canada isn’t as alien as you’d
think. Each region has its own unique
flavor that makes it a bit different
from any place else, as the same with
anywhere you go. Hopefully, I
cleared up some misconceptions for
you and made you just a little bit more
well rounded, making your trip to
Canada a little less stressful. (The
lack of igloos may have been a shock
for you).
Oh The Drama... It’s on the Tip of my Tongue
The New Real World
Photo courtesy of MTV.com
With two arrests under their belts, Real World 14 is already proving to be
one of the more dramatic and controversial seasons.
Shelby Johnson
Reporter
This is the true story of seven
strangers, picked to live in a house
to find out what happens when people
stop being polite and start getting
real. The Real World! As one of
MTV’s star shows, The Real World
has been watched and been a hit for
14 seasons.
After making it through many
US cities and Europe, they’ve made
their way back to American soil and
are in San Diego. Generally, every
season there is what I like to call
the “stereotypical 7.” Usually there
will be an African American, a
homosexual, one that’s a little overly
dramatic, throw in a few alcoholics
and you have your cast.
Mixing all these different types
of people together will eventually
lead to lots of drama and many hookups; the reason that so many are
drawn to the show. But over the years
you would think that there would be
repeat fights and get old, but this
season proves to be one of the best.
As the season progresses, two
of the cast members, Brad and
Robyn, get arrested. Brad for public
intoxication, with a bail of $500, and
then Robyn with assault, with a bail
of $5000. After they’re released and
bailed out by the roommates, they’re
back on the party scene, going out to
clubs every night.
As the season matures, everyone’s
true personalities come out. Robyn and
Randy’s fling dwindles off with
Robyn’s remark, “I hate you! I hope you
die!” Frankie is so wrapped up with her
boyfriend, who actually dumped her
over the phone; she can’t even have fun
in California without regrets and a long
phone call to her “boyfriend.” Along
with the other loner, Jamie, who you
rarely see throughout the season, and
when you do she’s with other people
she’s met while in San Diego.
Then we get the everblossoming crush between Brad and
Cameran, which escalades to constant
jealousy and emotional arguments.
Last, but my absolute favorite cast
member, Jacquese, keeps all the fights
minimal, cleans up all his roommates
messes, and is pretty calm the entire
episode so he can help with everyone
else’s situations.
With all this drama going about
this season should be a good one.
They’ve met new friends, partied at new
places, and found new clubs. So stay
tuned for all the drama, post-high
school, wrapped up in a thirty-minute
episode.
Heidi Behrens
Reporter
Sitting down at your
computer you think about how you
need to write the school report of
the century. However, as you begin
to write a funny thing happens.
You can’t think of anything to
write, and you have a deadline to
finish the paper by tomorrow. This
is an affliction known as writer’s
block. Do Lewis Central students
experience this?
“Yeah, all the time,” said
junior Tara Schimmel.
Writer ’s block is when a
person can’t think of anything to
write no matter how hard they try.
According to www.sff.net there are
many different causes of writer’s
block. Some common ones are no
time to devote to w r i t i n g ,
depression brains recharging, and
ones natural rhythm may be off
meaning if you push yourself to write
something you might get blocked.
According to www.sff.net the disinterest and the longing to be One is beating yourself up if you
other end of the process, brain anywhere but in front of the word can’t write anything. Doing this will
recharging, may hit in the middle of processor can be very panic just make you more frustrated about
writing. Another thing is stick to
strict rigorous schedule. As in
telling yourself “I have to write one
page every twenty minutes to finish
this paper before tomorrow.” Doing
this could stress you out about
meeting your goal on time.
“I turn on the stereo and blast
it, and don’t think about anything
I’m trying to do. After a couple of songs
I can think again,” said senior Eric
Hayes.
There are many techniques people
do to try to get past writer’s block.
Taking breaks to let your brain rest. You
should always try to do the same thing
when you are about to write. This will
Photo By Andrea Larison put you in a mood to write. Finally,
there are some unusual techniques that
Frustrated, sophomore John White trys to get past his writer’s block.
a roll after you’ve successfully inducing, particularly when it goes you could try to get past writer’s block.
One of these techniques is talking to
completed one project with the on for awhile.
Here’s what you don’t want to other people who write about how
intention of just breezing through to
another. The sudden bout of lassitude, do when experiencing writer’s block. they combated their problem.
Has Reality Television Shortened the Standards?
Maggie Fields
Design
It has finally happened. Reality
television has hit the lowest of all
lows. Not even those who love the
genre for its humiliating and
unintentional comedy could find
anything good in Fox’s latest
offering, The Littlest Groom.
Unbearable to watch, this Bachelor
for dwarves is both demeaning to the
people on the screen as well as the
viewers who watch it.
Then enters Glen, your
regular dating show bachelor. He has
short highlighted hair and a wide,
bright smile, and he seems to have
an internal switch that can turn on
the charm at a moment’s notice. He
is even wearing the average bachelor
patented uniform consisting of a blue
dress shirt and blue tie. Everything
is perfect, predictable even. Except,
GASP, he’s a “little person,” all four
feet and five inches of him, and so
are his bachelorettes.
The vanity of most reality
dating shows is to throw an
atmosphere of humility and
anticipation upon its participants.
The nerds and fatties on shows such
as Average Joe present a sympathetic
drawing of everyone’s inner
“averageness,” thereby making them
the cheery underdog.
By contrast, The Bachelor
and Bachelorette series thrive on
providing a fantasy image of
romance, unattainable by the rest of
America because they can never be
as attractive as the people on
television.
Littlest Groom, does
neither. Anyone who is not a “little
person” cannot empathize with the
women competing for Glen’s heart.
And no one will look at the miniature
cast and look at the resulting couple
as a storybook romance. Instead, the
Fox Corporation wants you to laugh
at them and say, “Oh, how cute.
Midgets can love people too.”
This is not to say that some
of the women on the show aren’t cute,
but it’s not because all of them are
below four feet tall. Their confidence
shines through their small stature,
provoking any viewer to ask why
these otherwise beautiful and
inspiring women would degrade
themselves by being on a show like
this.
When they are placed up
against “regular sized” blonde and
brunette bombshells, as they were
during the series’ premiere episode in
a typical FOX twist, it is impossible
not to despise oneself for thinking,
“Awww…that poor girl,” as if she
were a lost puppy.
In the case of most reality
shows, viewers need not feel bad for
making fun of the show’s subjects
because they are only on the show
for greed, publicity, or just to have a
good time. Here, all the characters
seem to be serious about finding love.
The Littlest Groom is a sad portrayal
of the tough dating life among “little
people,” and to laugh at that is to be
horribly cruel.
Photo courtesy of thelittlestgroom.com
The Fox network’s smallest bachelor, Glen, works his magic in the jacuzzi.
What do you Think? Letter to the Editor:
Excerpt from “True Life: Issue 2”
Editor-In-Chief...........................................Pam Shorey
Assistant Editor.............................................Sam Tsuji
Design Editor..........................................Krista Hansen
Photography Editor...............................Andrea Larison
Ads Editor..............................................Ashley Richter
Design... ................................................Maggie Fields
Amber Johnson, Molly Lich
Becca Sheppard
Reporters...............................................Heidi Behrens,
Vicki Burnett, Dan Hall, Jennifer Ettinger,
Shelby Johnson,
Megan Longmeyer, Melissa McKern,
Dani Mescher, Alyssa Ranney,
Thomas Webering,
J.J. Wheeler, Jill Whitney
Photographers...........................Sarah Stoutzenberger
Cartoonist..............................................Ryan Showers
“
Most of my life I had been afraid of what people might think of
me if they knew. On top of being afraid of ‘looking gay’ or ‘acting gay,’ I was even afraid of any form of contact between me
and the same sex...I wanted to be honest with people about myself. I wanted to be honest about myself with me.
”
The Wire is published seven times throughout the school year by the
Papillion Times in Papillion, Nebraska.
The Wire is the official Lewis Central student newspaper, and it
is distributed free of cost to students. The opinions expressed in this
publication reflect those of the student writers and not Lewis Central
administration, faculty, or its advisor.
The purpose of The Wire is to:Inform students of current and
relevant events, interpret and analyze complex events and issues that
affect students, and serve as a forum for discussion of controversial issues
Letters to the Editor:
The Wire staff strongly encourages responses to
articles appearing in the newspaper. Letters may be submitted to room
401 or e-mailed to [email protected]. The letters must be signed,
legible, and concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for length,
grammar, and punctuation. These letters should also be free of profanity,
vulgarity, or words with undesirable meanings.
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Wrong in the eyes of God
Dear Editor:
A very controversial issue in
society today is that of
homosexuality. In writing this, I
simply want to present the truth, and
I am grateful for an opportunity to
do so. I am not out to personally
attack homosexuals; I’m not trying
to shove anything down anyone’s
throat. You alone have to decide what
to do with this information.
The absolute bottom line is
that the Bible states that
homosexuality is a sin. Leviticus
18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:24-27, 1st
Corinthians 6:9-10. The Bible is
unmistakable concerning this;
therefore, it boils down to whether or
not you choose to believe what the
Bible, and ultimately God Himself,
has clearly stated.
Because the Bible claims to
be the very Word of God spoken to
man (1st Timothy 3:16), to say that the
Bible is wrong is to say that God
made a mistake. To say that God
made a mistake is to say that He isn’t
perfect. This is in sharp contrast with
many people’s conception of God. If
you truly believe that God is perfect,
then it only makes sense to also
believe that what He wrote is perfect.
You have to decide for yourself, but
make sure you know what you’re
actually buying into.
“Homosexuals are born
that way,” you say. To say that God
genetically predetermines some
humans to be homosexual is the same
as saying that God forces people to
sin against their will. God does not
even entice people to sin, yet alone
force them to do it, and the Bible says
so (James 1:13). I would be happy
to answer any questions.
In the name of Jesus,
Eric Evans
Page 3
March 2004
Saddle Up, Partner! Mallory Dances Her Way To The Top!
Dani Mescher
Reporter
From Black Beauty to My
Little Pony, horses have always
fascinated young girls, and Claire
Knigge is no
exception. Under
the watchful eye
of her mother,
Claire has been
on a horse since
she was two
years old.
“When all
the rest of the
fa m i l y
was
riding horses I
would sit in
front of my mom
on her horse, and
she’d have me
ride with everyone else so I
didn’t feel left out,” said Claire.
C l a i r e ’s m o m w a s i n 4 - H
when she was young, and she
gave her love of riding to her
daughter while Claire was only a baby.
Though Claire didn’t physically get
on a horse until she was two, she was
around them from
the day she was
born.
“When I was
a baby my mom
had me around
the horses. She’d
take me to the
barn to let the
horses see me
and let me get a
feel for horses.”
In the days
that
have
passed, Claire
has made the love of riding her
own. She rides for the adventure
and the adrenaline rush that comes
from letting a 1,000 pound animal
have control.
“I like the thrill of riding. You
never know what the horse is going
to do if you get bucked off. I was
bucked off once, and I got my leg
smashed,” she explained.
The danger is always present,
but th e r i s k d o e s n ’ t c o m p a r e
to the love she has for her
f i ve horses. Claire has an
Appaloosa named Ponka , t w o
paints named Hazel and Jinks,
and two quarter horses named
Missy and Jaz. Two of the five
horses, Ponka and
Hazel, are Claire’s
own
personal
horses. She is
responsible for all
of the care and
upkeep of these
two horses.
“I have to
brush them, water
them, feed them,
bathe them, groom
them, clip them,
and give them
shots.”
Western and bareback
are the two different styles
Claire uses to ride her horses.
We s t e r n i n v o l v e s u s i n g t h e
saddle, saddle horn, and reigns,
while with bareback the reigns are the
only equipment attached to the horse.
“For leisure I’d rather ride bareback
because you have a better chance of jumping
off the horse if something
happens.”
Of all of her horses,
the horse that she rides
the most often is Ponka.
The catch comes in the
fact that Ponka is blind.
“She’s blind ,
but she can still see
the shapes of objects
and she trusts me
enough to know I
know where to take
her. It’s a trust thing.”
Claire spends two
to three hours each week riding her
horses, and she considers them part of
her family.
“I ride for fun on my farm, and when
I go off to college the one thing I’d want to
take with me is my horse. I’ve grown up
with them. The horse is part of my family;
it’s part of my life and who I am.
Top picture: Claire at 7 with one
of her horses. Bottom picture:Claire
after a 4h competition when she was
young. Photos submitted by Claire Knigge.
Jill Whitney
Reporter
Fo r a n y o n e w h o d o e s n ’ t
realize how much effort and time
is put into dancing, take a step
into freshman Mallory Edwards’
life.
Mallory began taking dance
lessons at Kay’s Dance Studio
when she was two years old,
and ever since she has been
practicing hard and devoting
most of her life to dancing.
When she was five she enrolled
to take lessons at Omaha
Theater Company while still
m a n a g i n g t o t a k e a t K a y s.
Mallory spends every day going
Self-discipline. Strength. Soul.
What is the first thing that comes
to mind when hearing these words?
To some they mean a deep devotion
or passion towards a certain person
or activity. For Nicki ChampEdwards they describe her feelings
toward one thing—gymnastics.
Nicki did not intentionally set
out to pursue gymnastics, however.
It was a fluke. Her mom merely
suggested the idea when passing by
a local gym, and thinking it was a
good idea Nicki decided to give it a
try. Little did she know that it would
soon become a large part of her life.
Since the tender age of 10,
Nicki has been a gymnast. She has
garnered 1 st place on beam at a
national competition and is
experienced on the beam, floor, bars,
and vault. For anyone that has
attempted gymnastics, they know
that these skills do not come easily,
but they require a lot of repetitive
work and determination.
“I don’t have a life because I’m
always at the gym. If you don’t
know where I am I’m at the gym,”
said Nicki. “I usually practice
six times a week or seven if we
have a meet.”
A lot of school sports require
around three hours of practice after
school which leaves most kids
straining for their last ounce of
energy, but for Nicki a three hour
workout is just the beginning. Her
travel to dance conventions for
free.
She
attends
these
conventions in cities like
Chicago, Indianapolis, Tulsa,
Portland, St. Louis, Kansas
C i t y, O r l a n d o a n d N e w Yo r k .
“When they said my
name for the scholarship, I
was in such shock I could
n o t m o v e a n d K a r e n Wa t s o n
had to snap me back to
reality and make me realize
I had won. I did it!” said
M a l l o r y.
In July Mallory plans to go
to Nationals in Orlando, Florida
to auditi o n f o r Te e n D a n c e r o f
t h e Ye a r. I n o r d e r t o w i n t h a t
she will have to prepare a
The team includes mock
attorneys Emily Shanks, Ellen
Nuss, Mallory Shanks, and
Lind s e y B e h r e n s . A l s o m o c k
witnesses, Pat VanNordstrand,
Molly Lich, Claire Knigge,
Dani Clemmons, Kim Thorton,
and a new member this year
B e t h
Jones.
T h e
team
w o n
f i r s t
place at
t h e
“We have improved greatly
this year,” said coach Randy
Shanks. “I bet we’re at least
twice as good as we were last
year. I am really excited about
the state competition.”
This years case, the State of
Iowa VS. Andre D u m a s ,
deals
with
a
regional competition in 2003 also,
and believe to have placed just
under the top 10 teams at the
state competition last year. This
year, however, they received the
case during Christmas break and
started practicing much earlier.
They are expecting to place in the
top 10 this year.
fencing incident that eventually
resulted in first-degree murder
charges. The witnesses range
f r o m t h e d e c e a s e d v i c t i m ’s
girlfrien d , a n d h i s c o a c h , t o
the person accused of his
m u r d e r. E a c h witness is given
their c h a r a c t e r ’s statement to
read and memorize so they are
solo and perform it in front
of judges and then get picked.
“ D a n c i n g i s M a l l o r y ’s
passion. She communicates
through dance, the way others
communicate through words or
a r t , ” s a i d M a l l o r y ’s m o t h e r
Marcia Edwards.
For people to say that
dance is not that time
consuming would be untrue.
Dancers spend just as much
time practicing and becoming as
g o o d a s t h e y c a n b e just a s
athletes do.
“Even though dance takes
up all my time, I love it and I
wouldn’t trade it for the world,”
said Mallory.
Got Mock? Mock Trial TeamGoesToState!
Molly Lich
Design
“Objection, your honor,
that’s hearsay.”
“Your honor may I respond?
I t i s h e a r s a y, h o w e v e r i t i s
admissible under evidence rule
803
(1)
present
sense
impression.”
You could hear this legal
jargon on Law and Order, or in an
actual courtroom, or believe it or
not from the mouths of some of
your peers here at LC during a
Mock Trial Competition.
The 2004 Lewis Central
Moc k Trial team will be
representing LC for the second
consecutive year at the state
Mock Trial competition on
March 19 th and 20th. ‘The Dream
Team’, as Mock Trial coach and
local lawyer Randy Shanks called
them, won the regional competition
with a 15 point lead on the AL team
that placed second.
“I heard someone at regionals
tell their coach how worried they
were about having to face our team,”
said sophomore Dani Clemmons. “I
never realized we had such a
reputation, this is only our second
year competing.”
Bend Me
Me,, Shape Me
Me,,
Anyway You Want Me!
Pam Shorey
Editor-In-Chief
to lessons so she can build her
technique.
“My mom always told me the
reason she put me in dance is
because I was extremely clumsy
and she thought it would help –
proved her wrong, I’m still
clumsy,” said Mallory.
Last January Mallory won a
scholarship for two weeks of free
dance classes in Los Angeles. To
try out for this, she was taught a
short dance with a bunch of other
girls. Then the judges watched
and from there girls were
eliminated.
She also won a year long
scholarship this January through
Tremaine, which allows her to
afternoons are spent perfecting her
routines for sometimes more than four
hours. And unlike many school sports,
Nicki devotes many hours on weekends
to perfect her routines. This would be
the breaking point for some, but for six
years Nicki’s love for gymnastics has
remained strong.
“I stay in it because I love it. It’s
like an addiction because once you start
doing it you always work to get better.
Plus, it’s awesome because I can do a
lot of stuff other people can’t.”
Nicki’s ambitions with gymnastics
stretch far beyond her high school
career. She plans to use her skills to
teach future gymnasts.
“I want to do gymnastics in
college, and I plan on being a gym coach
for the rest of my life. Gymnastics
isn’t something you can just give
up,” said Nicki, who is already
looking at Southeast Missouri
State’s gymnastics program.
As far as coaching goes Nicki
has already experienced it first hand
by teaching classes at the gym. Her
experiences with the kids are
twofold. She has acquired many
interpersonal skills and has received
a lot of satisfaction from watching
the kids develop the skills that she
has taught them.
“When a kid masters a skill that
I have taught them, I get the
satisfaction of knowing that I taught
them that,” said Nicki. “Teaching
kids has also improved my people
skills.”
Whether she is coaching or
perfecting her own routines, the gym is
somewhere Nicki can go to relieve stress
or to forget about the day’s troubles.
“When I’m at the gym I don’t
think about my outside life. If I’m
stressed out I can go to the gym and
just work it out.”
That state of mind carries over
to her competitions where her only
focus is on her and her routine.
“I think hard about my routines
and get into the mode. When I’m out
there everything is gone and it’s just
me and my routine—I’m focused.”
Being able to do round-offs, back
handspring fulls, and front
handsprings may seem invigorating,
but like any sport, it can lead to
injuries.
“I have tendonidous in my
right arm and a rotator cuff problem.
I’ll probably have to get surgery for
it,” stated Nicki. “But trust me, it’s
worth it.”
made a strong appearance at the
Lewis Central Invitational Swim
Meet. They placed fourth out of
fourteen teams, finishing with 222
points. Lewis Central beating
Abraham Lincoln this time around
by 65 points. Chris Williams, the
lone LC swimmer, placed fifth in the
200 Individual medley and eight in
the 100 backstroke. As for being
the only Lewis Central swimmer he
doesn’t act like it’s a big deal, he is
just glad he is able to swim.
“Swimming is fun and I get to
meet different people from
Glenwood,” said Williams.
ready for direct and crossexamination by the lawyers on
their own team and the opposing
team.
“This case was harder to
understand than last years, but
once it clicked everything fell into
p l a c e ,” s a i d j u n i o r P a t
VanNordstrand.
Since the case was about
a sport no one on the team was
familiar with, the fencing
terms,
techniques
and
technical material took some
time and practice to get used
to. Some of the witness’
characters are written to
be friends who circulated
t o gether while attending
Parisian colleges, and have
known each other for years.
The attorneys with the help
of their coach decide the
stance they will take on both
offense and defense.
“May it please the
court, opposing counsel? During
this case we have proved several
points,” at the end of each case
junior Emily Shanks ends the
round with a memorized sixminute closing argument “I
hope that you can return a
verdict of guilty and vindicate
the death of Sabra DiMieux.”
Always On The Go:
A Day In The Life Of An All-Star
Shelby Johnson
Reporter
In high school, normal students
are busy enough dealing with
homework, friends, school activities,
and maybe even a boyfriend or
girlfriend. That alone is enough
stress. But in the case of Jessica
Hansen and Courtnie Dennis, that’s
all doubled.
Jessica is involved in
varsity volleyball, basketball,
and tennis. In fact, she starts
varsity in all three sports. Her
activities aren’t just limited to
school though; Jessica plays
f o r E l i t e Vo l l e y b a l l a n d i s
involved
in
basketball
tournaments.
“A typical day for me is
pretty full. It’s nice to have a
break every once and a while,”
said Hansen.
A typical day for Hansen
would be school, which as we
all know starts bright and early
at 7:35. After attending all of
her classes, say during
basketball season, she would
next have to go to a two and a
half hour practice. A quick
c h a n g e o f s h o e s , a n d maybe
clothes, and she’s off to another
two-hour
Elite
practice.
Depending on the start of that,
she could be home as late as 10 or
11 at night.
“Sometimes when I get
home I just have to go to sleep. I
don’t always have time to get out
all my homework and do it all,”
said Hansen.
Courtnie, also a starting
varsity player in her sports, is
involved in school volleyball,
basketball, soccer, softball, LC
Corporation, NHS, and FCA.
Outside of class, Courtnie has
plenty of other things going on.
“I’m pretty busy all year.
My family is always on the go,
and sometimes it can be
frustrating because you always
want your spare time to be with
friends,” said Dennis.
Outside of school she plays
for Elite Volleyball and in
basketball tournaments, with
Hansen.
“We’ve had Courtnie in
sports since she was really young;
so, we’re always proud when we
watch her play,” said Dennis’
parents.
As for Dennis, a typical
summer day for her could involve
softball practice which is about
two hours. If it hits at the right
time of the summer, she’s also got
soccer practice, both of these for
school sports. On top of that, she
attends Elite practice for a few
hours. While everyone else is out
basking in the sun and swimming
she’s getting down and dirty on the
fields.
With daily schedules as
packed as Hansen and Dennis’,
it’s amazing that they find time
to get the homework done for
class, hang out with their friends,
or even sleep. Did I even mention
their boyfriends they have to
put up with on a daily basis?
Not everyone can have enough
energy and determination to be
involved and excel in all activities
they’re involved, but for these
two, anything is possible.
Nicki, on bar, demonstrates to kids.
Photos submitted by Nicki Champ
Swimmin’ Solo For LC
Ashley Richter
Ads Editor
The Lewis Central swim team
is made up of swimmers from
Glenwood and one swimmer from
Lewis Central. With a loss against
Abraham Lincoln earlier, the boys
<
LOVE
Chris Williams represents the school as the only LC swimmer on the boys swim team. Photo submitted by Julie Williams
Courtnie and Jessica often feel overwhelmed by all of the comittments they have.
Photo by Andrea Larison
Page 4
March 2004
True Life: The First Cut is the Deepest
True Life Stories are stories meant to tell about realistic events in many teenagers’ lives, and provide help on such issues. These articles are a part
of a series, but may be another person’s story and not my own, although written as told to me.
Amber Johnson
One day I just couldn’t take the school with my mother to speak with starting to believe that it hurt more
pain anymore. It felt like it had all my counselor. Mom did all the that they didn’t.
Design
It hurt so so much. Part of
“I’m going to draw a picture, a been building up inside me, just talking, but she recommended I
picture with a twist. I’ll carve it with waiting to erupt.
I wanted check into a hospital for children/ cutting was that it allowed me to
a razorblade. I’ll carve it on my desperately to just get away from family support. At this point, I didn’t bring my pain outward. Not for
wrist. And from this funky picture, the pain or at least distract myself really have much of a choice. So I attention, but to rid myself of the
pain, through... the blood. I hated
a fountain will appear. Driving away from it for a while. So that’s exactly went.
The cool, dark halls sent chills what I was doing. I was bringing
my problems. Chasing away my what I did. Bringing the razorblade
fears.”
to my wrist was revolutionizing. It down my spine as I went in search the people around me down with me
For me, cutting wasn’t just a hurt, but not as badly as what I was of my dorm room. I spent my time as I fell to my lowest point ever.
distraction. It was an obsession. It used to. After a few times it began filling out worksheets, participating Cutting had become a deep
was something about the blood that to not hurt. After many it began to in group counseling, and eating infatuation, not worth the love, not
just bewildered me. Red. It felt like feel good…or so I had talked myself horrible food. The other patients I worth the pain. And I wasn’t as in
was dormed with seemed far worse control as I thought I was. I hadn’t
a sign of new life. New beginnings. in to believing.
I had seen it in the movies but
My best friend catching me ’in off than I. I kept telling myself that cut since my visit to the hospital. But
never quite understood why people the act’ in my bathroom was one of I would never get that bad. That I now, more then ever, I felt the
did it. Many people said it was for the most humiliating times. She kept had things under control, and that I temptation, the desire, the urge, to
attention but the last thing I wanted asking me why I did it. I wish I knew could stop if I wanted. But I just let it go. To give in.
I told myself why I shouldn’t
was for people to notice. The last the answer. I didn’t. By this time I couldn’t. I wish I could say I got
thing I wanted was for people to care. had talked myself into believing that something out of the experience...but do it. I knew why I shouldn’t do it.
When I was young my mom and it was ok. That it would drive away I didn’t. It felt like they were just I had been preached to by family,
dad split up. It was heartbreaking in the pain. The fear. The anger. But doctors, and we were just patients. friends, and counselors on why I
the fact that two people so deeply in it didn’t. It was just a distraction. They didn’t understand...or even try shouldn’t do it.
“People care about me.”
love could fall out so quickly. But in She told me that I needed a new to. But I suppose it might have
“It’s dangerous.”
just a matter of days, it happened and I distraction. She said that she would helped if I tried to listen. Five days
“I can’t.”
was sent to live with my dad. I tell my mother if things kept up. As later, I checked out.
“I won’t.”
Going back to school was hard.
practically grew up with him and my much as I loved her for being a friend
“Why?”
stepbrothers, stepsisters, and step mom, and caring, I wished she didn‘t, and I had to tell my other friends what
“Why not?”
but something always felt missing. A I couldn’t help myself. Moments had happened. I told most people
I let the scissors down hard upon
part of me that never showed, that I after she left I found myself picking that I was ‘sick.’ But after a while I
just wanted to...let out. Years later I up a nail file and digging it into my got ‘sick’ of making up lies. I ended my aching wrists. Red. But no longer
up bluntly snapping, “Well, sorry I a sign of new life. New beginnings.
came to think that maybe the thing wrist.
missing in my life was my mother. I
With blood dripping from my cut my wrists and ended up in the A sign of failure. Loss. Defeat.
Many people say that there are
hadn’t always felt like I fit in with my wrists, my hand clutched the phone. hospital.” Most folks didn’t ask any
dad and their family, so I went to live I was crying. “Mom, I have cuts on more questions after that. Most times in your life where you reach
your lowest point...and then sink
with mom. Dad stopped talking to me. my arms,” I stammered. That was folks didn’t really care.
Mom cared all too much. She lower. This was one of those times.
It really hurt for a while. I all I had to say for my mom to rush
was constantly worried about It was one of the worst times. It felt
barely saw him. He seemed like he home.
had too much going on with his
Moments later, Mom walked in leaving me alone. My dad and horrible.
“I can’t do this anymore”
family. After a few years, the and fell to her knees. Through the brother on the other hand, refused
There was something about the
resentment was taking its toll on me. sobs and the hugging, mom decided to acknowledge that anything was
Not only did I not fit in with my that I should stay home from school wrong. I used to think that it hurt blood that just bewildered me. Scared
when they cared because it was my me.
family, but sometimes I felt like I for the next few days.
“I want to change.”
didn’t fit in anywhere.
A few days later I returned to life. But now more then ever, I was
What is Self Harm?- Self is the act of hurting oneself without the intention of suicide
3 Types of Self-Harm
Psychotic Self-Injury: include the removal or amputation of body parts
Organic Self-Injury: influenced by physical or chemical problems in the body
Typical Self-Injury: results because of emotional or psychological reasons
Why Self-Harm?
Self-harm provides a solution, a remedy for expressing how they are feeling by:
*Releasing intense feelings/emotions
*Physically expressing pain
*Self-punishment
*Establishing control
*Enjoyment of feeling-adrenaline rush
Mafia Hits Store Shelves and Gamers’ Minds
annoying.
The voice acting is superb and
each character has a very fitting
“Da’ road is dark, but ya gotta
voice. It’s not hard to distinguish
keep goin’, if da’ goods don’t get
who is talking when you cannot see
back to Saliaries Bar in time, you’s
the faces.
good as dead. Pauly has his tommy
Replay Value: ****
gun ready for any poor sap who
One would think that after you
thinks he gonna be a wise guy and
beat the story mode missions, then
try messin’ with ya’ shipment. Of
the game is worthless. But this is
course ya run into trouble, Morello
where you would be way off. This
thinks he’s gonna be a wise guy and
game includes a “Free Ride” mode
try to steal ya stuff. Its time to get
where you are given a car, some
weapons, and free roam of
out and deal with this guy
the entire city. With minionce and fo’ all.”
missions to play the free
Such is the life as a
ride mode can keep you
gangster in 1934 Chicago,
busy for hours. But don’t
and with the best game
worry about completing the
you have never heard of,
main story mode to fast, the
it’s possible to live the life.
game includes over 20
“Mafia” hit shelves for
missions to keep you busy.
Playstation2 January 28th
Overall *** ½
and for some reason seems
This game is one that
to be unknown. The Xcan bring you into it and
Box version came out
makes you want to sit and
March 1st and sales are
play it until you beat it, but
slowly going up. With so
with a good 10 hours plus
many missions and play
needed to win, that’s highly
modes, almost every
unlikely. This game has a lot
gamer
will
have
of potential and with a few
something to look forward
more months of work,
to.
probably could have been
Gameplay ***
one of the best games ever,
The most important
but long loading times and
aspect in any game is of
Photo By. Andrea Larison
some gameplay issues kept
course, gameplay. The
LCHS students can’t seem to take their hands off the new Mafia game for PS2
that from happening. A good
controls of Mafia are very
easy to learn if you are used to not the only gameplay area; you can autos. The music is fun, at first. All game for people who enjoy GTA type
playing games such as Grand Theft also take a drive out in the country, the songs are straight out of the games, I give it 3 and a half stars.
Remember “Ya’ never know
Auto or Driver. The missions are an entirely different level, almost ‘30s—all three songs. Yep, three
easy to figure out and are not twice the size of the city, covered songs. After awhile those songs can whos on ya’ side, always watch ya
impossible to beat and the story can with farms, motels, schools, and get very repetitive and even back…”
J.J. Wheeler
Reporter
really suck you in and keep you
guessing until the end.
Graphics: ****
The city of Lost Heaven, as it
is called, is based off the city of
Chicago, with above ground trains
and streetcars that you can actually
ride, the similarities are very
obvious. The city itself is quite
large; large enough that even after
playing the game for some time, you
will still find new places to explore
within Lost Heaven. But the city is
even an airport. Each building has
its own features and everything
looks amazingly lifelike. While
playing the game my mom even
asked if I was watching a movie, a
clear sign of how nice and sharp the
graphics actually are.
Sound: ***
The sounds are nice, the cars
are quite loud, but if you want
realistic, then I guess this is right on
the money; cars in the 1930’s
weren’t exactly like today’s luxury
To Tip Or Not to Tip... That is the Question
Melissa McKern
Reporter
Do you ever leave your dinein table not sure if you left enough
tip? Well that’s a question I’m sure
a lot of us teens don’t know the
answer to. As a teen not only do
we not know how much we know
it’s hard to have the extra money
to pay for tip, even if you have a
job or filthy rich parents. But the
real problem we have to consider
is the tip to leave for the service
we have received. Here are some
guidelines to help you determine
tip amount:
If you’re at a restaurant: You
should give your server 15% if you
had good service, raise or lower
your percent depending on your
service.
If you have food delivered:
Tip 10% even if you food is late,
but try calling the manager to tell
them about the problem.
If you take a taxi: Tip 15% to
20% of the fare. If your driver
carries your bags, throw in a few
extra bucks.
If you’re staying in a hotel:
You should try and tip the Bellhop
(if there is one), the Housekeeping
and the Room Service. You should
leave them all a few dollars, but
room service should be given 15%
to 20% of the bill. But be careful:
make sure they didn’t already add
it on!
“If the waiter or waitress is
good and fun then I leave more
than 15%, but if they’re bad I leave
them the required 15%,” said
senior Dan Barnett.
“I usually leave 3 dollars no
matter the price of my bill,” said
junior Megan Pomerleau.
“I give 15% at all times,
unless they are bad,” said senior
Brandon Mason.
“I’ll leave 20% just because I
know it’s a hard job,” said junior
Reagan Beckendorf.
Australian Open: Hard
Hitting and Record Breaking
“That is awesome, serving the
ball that fast. It’s amazing that the
opponent can actually return the
The 2004 Australian Open for serve,” said sophomore tennis player
tennis took place from January 19th to Austin Strohbean.
February 1st. This awesome tournament
Many other records were set off
brought in the top ranked players in the the court as well. On site, hungry
world from Andy Roddick to the customers devoured 120,000 ice
William sisters. This tournament, which cream cones, 3 tons of curry, 37,000
sandwiches,
15,000 Tokyo
rolls, 12,300
sausages, and 7
tons of noodles!
The other hothand item was
Australian Open
fleece hooded
tops, with over
2,000 being sold
over the duration
of
the
tournament.
There were
l i t e r a l l y
Tennis Champion Roger Federer in action
thousands of
people working
to keep the
tournament
going including
4,000 members
of staff, 312 ball
persons, 355
umpires, 200
courtesy car
drivers, and 65
people in charge
of statistics. The
fleet of 85
official cars
supplied by the
t o u r n a m e n t ’s
After the extrenuous action of the 2004 Australian major sponsor,
Open, Roger Federer graciously accepts his title for the Kia Motors,
2nd time.
made
over
28,000 journeys
is over 1,000 miles away, turned out to transporting players to and from
be a hard-hitting and record-breaking Melbourne Park, putting the total
event.
mileage at 211,140 miles.
The Australian Open 2004 was
In the final round, it was Roger
another thriving success both on and Federer and Marat Safin who battled
off the court with over half a million it out for the title. In the end it was
visitors coming through the gates for Roger Federer with the upset over the
the 5th consecutive year bringing the No. 2 seat of the tournament. After
closing total to being 521,691, the upsetting Marat Safin in three straight
second highest attendance figure ever sets, he graciously accepted his title.
recorded. This year’s open had a This was his second grand slam title
number of records that surpassed the in two years and he is now ready for a
following years. American Andy third.
Roddick made an unbelievable 140
Ending the tournament on
mph serve, which recorded to be the February 1 st , 2004, the stadium
fastest serve of the tournament. The emptied, parking lots became
women’s fastest serve was 120 mph by vacant, and the fans get ready to
Aussie Samantha Stosur.
come back next year.
Thomas Webering
Reporter
The following students earned Division I ratings at the District Individual Speech Contest
at Audubon High School on February 28, 2004,
and will advance to State competition on March
20th.
Pam Shorey- Storytelling and Poetry
Jennifer Ettinger- Poetry and Acting
Shannon Kelley- Reviewing
Melinda Smits- Radio News
Jamie Taylor- Acting
Bethany Riso- Poetry
Emily Cox- Storytelling
Heidi Behrens- Spontaneous Speaking and
Improvisation
Claire Knigge- Expository Address
Brian Henderson- Acting and Improvisation
Pat VanNordstrand- Prose
Chelsea McFarland- Prose
Eric Evans- Original Oratory
Kaylene Page-Poetry
Alyssa Brewer- Prose
Tessa Hopson- Improvisation
Katherine Tweedt- Acting
Sam Tsuji- Acting
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Page 5
March 2004
So You Wa n t to be A mer ica’s Idol . . .
Amber Johnson
Reporter
Beginning as a television
phenomenon in the UK as Pop
Idol, American Idol came to the
shores of the US in 2002 and has
become an overnight success.
Millions auditioned, but only one
will become the next American
Idol. Question is… who will be
next? What does it take?
During American Idol
Season 1, over 30 million
viewers watched as Kelly
Clarkson was crowned the first
American Idol. American Idol
Season 2 proved to be just as
successful as Ruban Studdard,
barely swept by Clay Aiken,
claimed the ever-so-worthy title
of American Idol.
According to Simon
Cowell, the difference between
American Idol and other reality
TV shows, is that American Idol
produces real results. Those that
call in to vote for their favorite
stars later see them on the top
charts, making money with their
CD’s, and touring the world.
American Idol turns the average
waitress, student, or
SDR
stockbroker into an “American Idol,”
living out the American Dream.
Although it may seem easy, this
transformation does not happen
overnight. Finalists must undergo
a series of stages before they hit the
red carpet. First off, the auditions.
Millions of fans camp out for days
hoping to just get a chance with the
judges. What the viewers don’t
know is that there are pre-auditions
before the auditioners make it to
Simon, Randy, and Paula. Now
unless you want to become the next
“She Bangs” guy or the next “Skat
Girl,” here are a few tips you should
follow.
1-Don’t copy another performerWhat the judges are looking for is
somebody original. Countless times
auditioners have perfected the art of
mimicry. There is only one
Madonna. There is only one Cher.
And there is only one Michael
Jackson, thank God.
2- Don’t overstyle yourself- The
judges interpretation of someone
who overdresses for an audition is
that they’re desperate. What they are
looking for is people who are
comfortable in their own skin, minus
the hats, sunglasses, popstar
clothing, and gimmicks. You may
think that it worked for “scooter
girl,” but in actuality, her voice
worked for her.
3- Don’t sing and dance at the
same time- First off, it reminds the
Artwork by Becca Sheppard
Signs?RDS
Alyssa Ranney
Reporter
Some people think that
everything on earth has been
conquered or discovered and
understood. But crop circles are
not understood, even though
they have been appearing since
the late 17th century. Crop circle
theories range from the
paranormal, undiscovered
magnetic
fields,
extraterrestrials, to hoaxes.
There have been over
10,000 reported crop circles
throughout 28 countries.
Approximately 90 percent of
the 10,000 reported have
emerged from southern
England.
Specifically,
Wiltshire County, England.
Is it irony or coincidence?
Southern England is home of
the world’s largest man-made
monoliths (a single large block
or piece of stone) and has, by far,
the most crop circles in any one
region, with an average of 100 crop
circles per year. One argument is
that the stone-age people witnessed
crop circles, and seeing them as a
message from the gods, built
te mp les a n d mo n ume nts to
preserve them through the ages.
Others argue that the spirits of the
stone-age people are trying to
warn the people of today, possibly
about extraterrestrials or warn of
the harm we are doing to the earth.
One theory is that crop circles
are
a
worldwide
prank.
Supporters of this theory claim
that it is just a game or prank, and
games are a part of human nature.
Skeptics claim a worldwide prank
wouldn’t be plausible because of
the many different cultures and
different ways of thinking of
societies of the world.
Geometric precision and crop
abnormalities, only in the crop
This is a crop circle discovered in England in 1999.
judges of a cabaret. Also, it is very
difficult to dance when you’re
singing without a backup track and
you’re likely to run out of breath and
focus less on your singing. Some of
circles, are some of what intrigues
and frustrates both scientists and
researchers alike. The inside of a
crop circle consists of the crop’s
stems bent, not broken, at a 90degree angle. Studies have shown
that in order for the crop’s stem to
be bent, an intense burst of heat,
heat source unknown, softens the
stems to drop just above the ground
at 90-degrees, where they re-harden
into their new and permanent
position without damage. The
stems are then “folded” into weave
type patterns to create the intricate
look of a crop circle.
Another theory suggests that
there is some kind of undiscovered
magnetic field or pull. Supporters
of this theory claim this is a definite
possibility because of the little
information we have and have just
begun to understand about space.
Crop circles have appeared all
over the world. One example is a
crop circle appearing in a Japanese
rice paddy field. The following
morning, thousands of gallons of
water had vanished, equal to the
volume of the crop circle. Snow
circles
have
even
been
photographed in the mountains of
Afghanistan, with no footsteps
leading to them.
“You can’t tell me that hoaxers
are driving around in water tanks
or lowering themselves out of
helicopters,” said one crop circles
researcher.
Another theory suggests
extraterrestrials are responsible for
the formation of crop circles.
“I think crop circles are
caused by aliens because only they
possess the talent to make such
weird looking things,” said
freshman David Ebke.
Supporters of this theory state
that there have been may UFO
sightings in the surrounding area of
crop circles. Skeptics suggest the
lack of “solid evidence,” despite
NASA’s efforts and search for E.T.,
extraterrestrials have not been
discovered.
the worst auditions seen are the
singer/dancers. Remember the
“Like a Virgin” guy?
4- Make eye contact when
performing- This is a sign of
comfort and confidence. Gazing at
the ceiling makes it difficult to know
what’s going on in your head, and
difficult for the judge to tell you to
stop. It also makes you seem
nervous and unsure of yourself.
Confidence is the key.
5- Choose the right song for your
personality- There are songs that are
right for your voice and your
personality, and songs that are
wrong. Be true to yourself. One of
the most off-putting things is when
a 16 year old girl walks in, looks
very hip, and sings a Patsey Cline
song. It doesn’t make sense. Think
Nikki Mckibbin, the rocker, singing
“Ben” in Season 1. Not a good
choice.
6- Don’t grovel when you go inAgain, this is a sign of desperation.
Don’t try to butter up the judges with
how much you love Randy, Paula,
or Simon. The judges aren’t looking
for a nice person. They are looking
for somebody who’s confident,
assured, and talented. Truth is—
most stars aren’t nice.
Alyssa Ranney
Reporter
Tossing In A Spice of Variety
Lacrosse, diving, and hockey
are not sports heard uttered by many
Lewis Central students. Gymnastics,
fencing, and boxing are not common
to LC. And some students have
never heard of rugby, archery, and
rowing, let alone squash.
Lewis Central currently offers
an abundance of sports, including
football, soccer, and basketball. And
who could forget Lewis Central’s
ranked wrestling, baseball, dance,
and volleyball teams? Lewis Central
also has a multitude of students who
participate in track each spring. The
school even has a team for cheering
on teams, just ask any cheerleader.
And Lewis Central offers other
sports; such as, tennis, cross country,
and golf. You name it, and Lewis
Central probably offers the sport; such
as, softball, swim team, golf, and
bowling (although bowling is not
titled a sport at Lewis Central).
“We’re pretty well represented
across the board in all the sports the
Jill Whitney
Reporter
Since Prom is the biggest dance
of the year, and most students look
forward to it and want it to be
perfect, right down to the clothes
they wear, the places they eat and,
of course, the gifts they get
afterwards. However, what students
look forward to varies from person
to person.
“I’m looking forward to having
a blast at my last school dance with
all of my close friends,” said senior
Karen Watson.
Last year, however, no one
received their Prom glasses. Many
students have asked why, and now
after a year here’s every one’s
answer.
other high schools our size have,”
said Activities Director, Mr. Padilla.
If students and or faculty
wanted to start a new school sport
team, they could fundraise and
possibly get a sponsor. Or they
could follow the example of Lewis
Central’s boys swim team. Chris
Williams is the only LC boy on the
swim team; the rest of the
swimmers are from Glenwood. So
if there are not enough Lewis
Central students who would like to
participate in the sport you are
interested in, combine forces with
a local school.
It may be hard to get enough
students for some of the sports
Lewis Central does not already
have.
“There probably aren’t
enough students who are
interested in gymnastics for a
team, but I would totally consider
doing both [club and school
gymnastics], “ said junior Nicki
Champ-Edwards.
Athletes would have spectators
cheering them on in the stands
because the idea of new sports at
LC intrigues and excites many
students.
“I would like to see a
gymnastics or a diving team
perform,” commented sophomore
Tiffany Clark.
Unfortunately, local schools,
at least public schools, do not offer
sports such as rowing, water polo,
hockey, etc. Students who have
gone to another school, especially
out of state or to a predominately
larger school, have had the
opportunity to watch or participate
in these sports.
“I liked watching water polo
because it was violent and
exciting,” said junior Brittanie
Chafe, who attended a public school
in California last year.
Other students would like to
see different sports offered at Lewis
Central. “Lacrosse, because it’s my
favorite sport. It involves a lot of
mental activity as well as physical
activity. It’s a really fast-paced
sport and it’s hard to keep up with,”
said sophomore Amber Johnson.
Just to clear it up, yes, we were
supposed to receive glasses.
“They were ordered but the
girl’s order got messed up and
would of come in after Prom if we
were to get them fixed. So at that
point they just didn’t accept the
glasses,” said activities secretary,
Charlotte Butterbaugh.
Prom is a self-supporting
activity, which costs more money
than the students think. The school
does not help to host prom for the
students. In order to have Prom,
they make their money off of ticket
sales and donations made. This
year students are lucky because the
Post Prom Committee has offered
to make a $500 donation.
The ticket sales and donations
all help to pay for the preparations
and set up of Prom. The school
rents the Mid-America Center and
that alone costs us about $900.
There’s the DJ that also costs
about $900. Plus, you have to add
the extra costs of roses, crowns,
sashes, ticket making, hiring
policemen, and all of the
decorations. In the end it costs
about 4,000.
“I am looking forward to
going out to eat at a nice
restaurant and stuffing my face
with food,” said junior Kendra
Lindaman.
Good news; this year
students will for sure receive
their 2003-2004 Prom glasses.
The junior class officers are
picking them out and getting
everything prepared for Prom.
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* Ideas derived from Simon
Cowells biography, I don’t mean
to be rude, but…
Thinking Outside The Box
Corum’s Flower &
Greenhouse
7- Believe in yourself the second
you leave the house- Selfpossession isn’t something you
can turn on seconds before you
enter the audition room. If you try
to cobble it up in the waiting room,
you’ll fail.
8- Be sure to eat and drink prior
to the audition- Food is fuel and
you don’t want to run out of fuel.
Constantly auditioners forget the
words or get emotional because
they have no energy. Also, staying
hydrated is essential to your voice.
9- REHEARSE- You need to
know your material well enough
that it’s second nature. If you have
to try to remember the lyrics,
you’ll lose your confidence.
10-Listen- Sometimes a judge will
see something in you but want you
to try something slightly different.
This may include different
material, better dance training, or
a new look. Be receptive to
suggestions, and recognize that
someone with experience might
be able to see something in you
that you don’t see in yourself.
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Page 6
March 2004
.
Celebrating
the Year’s Best Films
SFLong
Sam Tsuji
Assistant Editor
Every year there is one night when
the stars shine brighter than ever. The
night when dreams come true and the
talented are rewarded for their hard
work. The night that has both tears and
angry glares, the night where one line
strikes silence in homes across the
country. Sunday, February 29th was this
night in America. Sunday was Oscar
night.
Follow the red carpet and what do
you find? A thirteen-year old nominee,
an 11-time award winning film, and a
host that leaves nothing to the
imagination. This year’s Oscars were
ripe with new talent and old memories.
With awards going to esteemed
comedic filmmaker Blake Edwards for
lifetime contribution, and to Sofia
Coppola, for best original screenplay
there was a pretty expansive and
diverse group of winners. However,
there was one name that was sure to
have become excessively redundant.
The Lord Of The Rings: Return of
the King (LOTR) cleaned house with
an astounding 11 wins. Including wins
for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best
Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best
Directing, Best Costume Design, Best
Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best
Original Song, Best Original Score,
Best Make-up and Best Motion Picture.
Headline
of his Art House ways, received his
first nomination for Pirates of the
Caribbean.
Perhaps one of the biggest let
downs of the night was the
critically acclaimed, Big Fish,
directed by Tim Burton. Receiving
only one nomination for Best
Original Score, it was seemingly
overlooked by the Academy.
However, Big Fish was not
the only disappointment in the 76th
production of the Academy
Awards. Christina Ricci’s efforts
and performance in Monster did
not even win her a nomination for
Best Supporting Actress while
While many were disappointed
Charlize Theron, Monster’s leading
by the heavy competition posed by
lady, took home Best Actress in a
LOTR even some who walked away
Leading Role.
with out the little gold man had won
Theron, however, did not
something that night. Keisha Castleoverlook her co-star and in her very
Hughes a thirteen- year old, New
emotional and sentimental speech
Zealand native, made her first
stated “[I want to thank] My
appearance at the Oscars and walked
incredible, incredible, leading lady
away with the respect of many of
Christina Ricci, who I couldn’t have
Hollywood’s greatest. The starlet also
done this film without. You are truly
got the chance to meet and greet with
the unsung hero of this film.”
the infamous Johnny Depp. Depp,
As usual Oscar acceptance
nominee for Best Actor in a Leading
speeches ranged from short and sweet
Role, made a surprising appearance
to long and winded with a little
at the 2004 Oscars after years of
controversy here and there. Adam
boycotting the ceremony as a sidebar
Elliot, winner for Best Animated Short
Film with Harvie Krumpet, thanked
his “beautiful boyfriend Dan” amid
the wise cracks from host Billy
Crystal and presenter Robin Williams,
and on-going references San
Francisco’s marriage debate.
As the night drew to a close and
Billy Crystal’s humor began to wear
thin, the audience for once, had no
doubt who would take home the Best
Motion Picture award. As producers
Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, and
Fran Walsh took the stage yet again
for LOTR, the population of New
Zealand was thanked for the eleventh
and final time that evening. Now that
Original Artwork by Ryan Showers they are over, we begin to
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King stole the show taking home wonder…what, and who will be
11 oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.
taking the stage next year?
Review:
“Passion
Passion” Astounds and Confounds
Passion
Becca Shepard
Design
Jesus Christ. The Son of God.
King of the Jews. The Messiah. Jesus
of Nazareth. The Way, the Truth, and
the Life.
I will never take the Lord’s name
in vain again.
Jesus is born, Jesus is crucified,
Jesus is risen again. We’ve been told
the story a thousand times. But not like
this.
The Passion of the Christ is in no
way just another Pixar film. It’s so
intense, so brutal, so radically different
from anything you’ve ever seen; not
just a movie. It’s an experience. The
story of the Son of God is no fairy tale.
It’s real, and it happened. I don’t know
what someone lacking religious faith
gets out of the movie. They may feel
like Gibson shoved their faces into the
blood soaked dirt Jesus was drug
through on the way to his inhumane
death for two hours, but for anyone who
has a relationship with God, The
Passion is a deeply moving wake up
call for what you’ve been doing with
your life. Not just that, but a revealed
truth. The ultimate testament to how
Christ was crucified for our sins.
We are so unworthy.
The movie, which is spoken
completely in Aramaic with English
subtitles, sounds distracting, but really
adds to the entire feeling. There really
isn’t a lot of dialogue throughout the
film, but it didn’t need words to make
you understand. The setting begins in
the Garden of Gethsemane where
Jesus is praying to God for strength,
because he knows what he is about to
endure. Satan’s first appearance is
made in this scene as well, and what
a haunting figure. A pale, gaunt
shadow that is always nearby,
tempting and mocking the Son of
Man, constantly taunts Him every step
of the way, trying to convince Jesus
that no one man could wash away the
sins of the world. Repeatedly, Jesus
brushes it off and finds strength in the
Father. The movie continues with the
betrayal of Judas, and Jesus and three
of his disciples are found in the forest,
followed by Jesus’ arrest. After being
accused of blasphemy and devilpossession, he is maliciously beaten
and scourged by the sadistic Roman
guards. Flash backs are scattered
throughout the movie, and anyone
familiar with the New Testament
could easily follow, but for a
lukewarm believer, it may seem that
Gibson focused more on the physical
pain and torture than the reason
behind it, and it was just two hours of
beating up Jesus.
I cringe as Jesus is dragged back
to the temple with the high priests, and
is repeatedly punched, kicked,
slapped, mocked, and spat upon, but
nothing could ever prepare me for the
merciless beatings that followed after
his persecution. Honestly, the hardest
thing I’ve ever had to watch. Bamboo
sticks were the first tool of choice, and
with each crack on Jesus’ spine, the
entire theater gasped. Next, the cat of
Review:
nine tails, whips with chunks of
rock and glass sewn into the ends
of the leather strips, ripped into his
flesh and tore it away until there
was hardly anything left to
mutilate. After countless beatings
and whippings, Jesus’ wrists are
untied from the post, and I sigh a
breath of relief. We think it’s over,
but it has only just begun. Over and
over and over again, the whips and
chains are belted onto his shredded
body; innocent blood being spilled
everywhere. And with every crack
of a whip, guilt is nailed into me
and tears stream down my face. It’s
my fault that he went through this.
It’s your fault. It’s everyone’s fault.
Jesus never sinned. He endured this
unbearable torture for each and
every one of us.
For a moment, the whipping
and beating isn’t focused upon, and
you just gaze into the pure,
innocent, and terribly swollen eyes
of Jesus’ face. I realize that everyone
around me is sniffling and is
breathing choppily. A lot of feelings
run through me. Guilt, amazement,
shock, repent, sadness, and longing.
I could do nothing but sit there and
pray in my head, and beg over and
over for forgiveness. I stop and start
thinking about all the things people
worry about...school, jobs,
boyfriends, girlfriends, fights...it
all means nothing. Absolutely
nothing. The Passion made it very
easy to clear one’s head and focus
upon what really matters. If you’re
a believer, then you know that humans
were created and put on this earth to
worship God, and we are
commissioned to spread the Gospel.
He wants to bless us and let us enjoy
earthly things, but our main reason for
living is to worship Him. The truth is
so hard to understand and make a
reality, and Gibson truly captured it
for everyone, and made it real. Real
enough to change someone’s life. I
always considered myself a Christian,
a believer, but nothing could rekindle
a fire in one’s soul like this movie.
The movie ends with the
resurrection of Christ, and then it’s
over. No one in the theater could really
just get up and leave. The usual hustle
and bustle and stretching and yawning
that goes on after any other movie
didn’t happen. It’s not just another
movie. Everyone sat in awe, too
drained, or too deep in thought about
Jesus, heaven, hell, their lives, guilt, or
whatever it was that kept us thinking.
While exiting the building, I didn’t
want to talk to anyone or do anything.
I just wanted to stay in the state that I
was in (deep in thought with a tear
streaked face and a runny nose) so I
could try to capture what The Passion
made me feel onto paper for others to
try to understand. I hope every person
experiences this movie, and I also
hope they understand it. I truly hope
it means something to anyone who
watches it.
We owed a debt we could not
pay; He paid a debt He did not owe.
Thirteen
A Year To Remember:
Shelby Johnson
Reporter
appear to be too much for
someone at thirteen. She loses her
virginity, her grades get so low
that she is told she might have to
repeat seventh grade, and to top
things off you find out that she is
a cutter.
Her mom and older brother,
played by Holly Hunter and Brady
Corbet, notice the effects of Evie’s
behavior and desperately try to get
her out of the trap. By the time
Tracy realizes what is happening,
she’s already been framed by her
“friend” with $800 dollars in her
purse, drugs throughout her room,
and the horrible things Evie made
her do were suddenly things that
she made Evie do.
In this true to life depiction
of Nikki Reed’s life, the viewer
comes to realize the stress
throughout middle school to be
popular can take one further down
than it will up, and no matter what is
done to change, the social standing
will remain the same. In my middle
school years I really don’t remember
things going on like this at all. In fact,
I don’t even think anyone from
around here went through something
so rough, this kind of life rarely even
happens in high school, so it’s hard to
picture a middle school student, my
younger sister’s age, doing the things
that Tracy does in Thirteen.
In the opening clip of Thirteen,
Tracy, played by Evan Rachel Wood, and
her friend Evie, played by Nikki Reed,
are in a bedroom inhaling can fumes and
violently punching each other because
“they can’t feel anything!” Not exactly
how I remember my thirteenth year, but
everyone’s is different I suppose.
In this movie, a thirteen year-old’s
life is completely changed while trying
to fit in with the popular crowd. The
clothes she wears, her friends, and even
her family embarrass her.
To fit in at her school, Tracy
changes her wardrobe to be way more
provocative. Her first step to popularity
earns her an invite to go shopping with
Evie and “the gang.” In reality, they
....Sam Tsuji
aren’t really shopping; it’s more of the
five-finger discount at the most
expensive stores in their area which
Tracy would never usually participate
in, but why not if you’ll be on top?
After Evie befriends her and they
become incredibly close, Evie shows her
the “ropes” on dealing, using, and sex.
At thirteen they’re already spending
hundreds of dollars on their clothes,
money they earned from dealing, staying
out until early morning with guys much
older than them, getting high, and
drinking until they’re completely
Photo From Fox.com
trashed.
As the movie continues, Tracy is Evan Rachel Wood (Tracy) and Nikki Reed (Evie) pose for the camera after their characters get their
on a downward spiral into situations that tongues pierced.
Keanu Reeves
Overly
Emotional
Review:
Dashboard Confessional
Sam Tsuji
Assistant Editor
Punk music has come more into
the spotlight than it ever has been in
the past. Many of the “true punks”
are appalled at this consumerism that
punk music has recently developed.
Many groups have ‘sold out’ or
compromised the ‘punk mantra’ for
the more popular themes. However,
there is one of the punk genres that
has stayed very true to themselves
and their ‘theme’. Emo, or
Emotional Punk, still remains the
whiniest form of music on the planet.
I am amazed at the ability these
groups have to remain just as
whiney, sad, bitter and heartbroken,
even as they rake in millions of dough
from poor whiney, sad, bitter and
heartbroken listeners. Even I have to
respect that.
For the most part I try to avoid
Emo because my few encounters have
been painful ones that made me want
to find the nearest bridge and jump
off it. However, I overcame my
phobia of whiney emo music and
borrowed Dashboard Confessional’s
“The Places You Have Come To Fear
The Most.” I listened to the entire CD
twice, and I gave my own
interpretation and thoughts on some
of the songs. The songs are rated on a
Cry Scale of 1-5 tears, 1 being the
least sad and 5 being the most
pathetic.
Track 2: Screaming Infidelities
Drinking his pain away with this one. Could this be AA’s theme
song? He’s all about the unrequited love thing in this song. Avoiding the
girl but pining for her secretly and wondering how she’s doing. He misses
her, and he wishes he could “make out” with somebody, anybody. Apparently if he could ‘get some’ he’d be much happier. He also makes a reference to listening to somebody else’s whiney Emo music aka “the saddest
songs” or maybe he just puts in his own CD and hits repeat. The song
finishes with the line “Your hair is everywhere, screaming infidelities.”
Question, how does her hair scream infidelities? Such a lame metaphor.
Same old acoustic nothing special.
Whiniest Line: “But as for me, I wish I was anywhere, with anyone, making
out.”
Cry Scale:
Track 6: The Good Fight
Upbeat again. Maybe this is a healing CD. You gradually go from
sad to angry to cynical to happy? This one is a little hopeful. Or not. I can
barely understand what he’s saying, He talks/sings fast and doesn’t enunciate very well. But he begged her, he pleaded. But she left anyway, again.
And she’s hollow and alone, and SHE’S bitter. Right…hypocrite much?
Some crazy drums at the end of this one. That was kind of fun, and kind of
out of place.
Whiniest Line: “I begged you not to go, I begged you. I pleaded.”
Cry Scale:
Jo
Track 7: Standard Lines
I think his guitar is out of tune on this one, or he’s just putting
more emotion into his singing than his playing. He’s okay with the end of
the relationship, but he’s still “excited”. He can still “taste her” on his lips.
Interesting. Slow, guitar break…definitely out of tune. He wants to call her,
but he didn’t, and that’s making a point or something. The same beat again.
Nothing new. Yawn.
Whiniest Line: “I’m starving for you.”
Cry Scale:
Track 10: This Bitter Pill.
Slow and quiet acoustic now, same old beat. This one is a little
morbid. Something about choking and dying. Eck. Screechy sad-yelling
crying thing again. Bad, emo kid, bad. More drinking. He really must be an
alcoholic. Ew. More screechy sad-yelling crying. I feel a migraine coming
on. Now he is really crying and screaming. How pathetic. Who would honestly record themselves having a tantrum and sell it to people? More so,
who would buy a CD of somebody screaming and crying?
Whiniest line: “This feeling of despair is never weaaaaaaaaaaariiiiinng out,
weeeeeeaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrring out, weaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrriiiiing out.”
Cry Scale:
I apologize if this offends any
Emo listeners or sympathizers, but
quite honestly, I am in physical pain
from listening to that CD and I now
must go on a search for some aspirin, or possibly some morphine. I
can honestly say that henceforth, I will
not only avoid Emo music, I will run
screaming from the room in the direction of the nearest toilet, should it
ever happen to be played in my
vicinity.
B
IRTHRIGHT
of Council Bluffs, 427 E. Kanesville, Suite 303
We are here if you need us.
Call for:
A Free Pregnancy Test
Emotional Support
Medical Referrals
Maternity or Infant Clothing
Celebrating 10 Years Of Service!
Call : (712) 322-2100
Page 7
March 2004
LC SpeechTeamTakes Twelve to All-State
was it. This was what we had worked
so hard for. This was All-State.
For a speech participant, making
it to All-State is the highest honor one
can get, and less than 2% of speech
students get to experience it.
However, on February 21 st , 12
students from Lewis Central
experienced that honor. Lewis Central
had two groups qualify this year in
Reader’s Theatre and Ensemble
Acting.
“I was really impressed by the
sheer talent in my All-State groups,”
said speech instructor Laurie Nielsen.
“I didn’t really have to direct them
as much as far as characterization and
line interpretation goes.”
Sitting in the crowded
Now, making it to All-State is
auditorium, the anticipation grew as
no piece of cake. Being nominated
speech students from all around Iowa
can be a very rigorous process. The
filled in the empty seats. Our excited
process starts at the state
chatter was silenced as the trumpet
competition where each group
blared and the former banner holders
performs in front of three judges from
came out with the banners—the prize
their category. Each judge gives the
that each group had their eye on that
group a rating and all groups that
day. Anticipation and excitement
receive Division I ratings have a
rushed through me, and as I looked at
chance of advancing to All-State.
the people around me, I knew that
Lewis Central had eight groups
they were feeling the same thing. This
receive Division I ratings, with high
hopes of making it to All-State.
At the end of the day the judges
from each room individually choose
which groups they would like to send
on. They must think back to the
many groups that they saw that day
and choose which ones they feel
were qualified. They have no limit
on how many groups they may
send, but the majority pick around
four or five, depending on the
category.
The agony of waiting is then
bestowed upon every group that
performed and they are forced to
wait until Monday night to see the
Photo by Pat VanNordstrand results online.
“It’s horrible having to wait two
As two giggly girls in chruch , seniors Melinda Smits and Pam
days after state because you have to
Shorey extract laughs with their All-State nominated performace.
Pam Shorey
Editor-In-Chief
In the Heart of an Athlete
What it takes to make it through
Dani Mescher
Reporter
true athlete gets ready the same way
the next morning. The true athlete
steps out on the floor the next time
ready to give it their all once again.
Having a bad game does not open them
up to hurtful and accusing comments
from those who claim to be fans.
It’s simply unbelievable that
someone would have the nerve to
question their hearts. By the time you
hit high school, the people who don’t
have a passion for the sport have quit,
and you are left with a nucleus of
players who love their sport and one
another. They step out on the floor
every night, together, as a team. As
one unit they take on opposing teams
with each giving the very best of what
they have. They aren’t superstars, but
they do have big hearts.
They play with desire and
determination. They have endured
countless numbers of bruises, and
injuries to play their sport. They
shower themselves with sweat
everyday. They choke on tears of
frustration and bask in the joy of
laughter. They pour their whole being
into the game they love. The true
glory lies in the fact that all of this is
done behind closed doors. No one but
the players and coaches see all of this
going on. They bond together as
sisters while nobody is watching.
When they step onto the floor on
game nights the crowd gets to see
them play for little under an hour.
They get to see a small fraction of
what being an athlete is all about.
They miss all of the backstage
preparation and growth.
If someone wants to question
the hearts of those out on the floor
they should pause and consider what
they’re saying. They should
remember that thirty-two minutes is
not enough time to get an
understanding of someone’s heart.
Hopefully they will realize that
every player is giving it their
everything , even if it doesn’t look
like it to them.
Recently, the hearts of some
athletes here at Lewis Central were
put into question. The comment was
made that an opposing team made
you want to cheer for them because
they played like they wanted it more.
It was said that the Lewis Central
team simply didn’t have as much
heart as the other team.
Now, take a moment and think
about what that says. It may appear
to be a harmless comment, but it is
far from that. When you question
someone’s heart you are questioning
part of their character. In essence you
are questioning part of who they are.
One of the greatest insults you can
give someone is to question who they
are as a person.
In the dictionary, heart is not
only described as a blood pumping
vessel, but also as courage,
resolution, and fortitude. Resolution
can be defined as firm determination,
and fortitude is the strength of mind
that allows one to endure pain with
courage.
As an athlete, having heart
means that you aren’t afraid to stand
up to challenges. It means you are
willing to give a 110% effort even if
nobody is noticing it. You are doing
the mundane, disciplined things when
it gets difficult and tiring. It means
you are never willing to settle for less
than your best effort. There will be
times when you are weak and let
doubt slip into your mind, but you
will fight it off and continue to hold
your head up high.
A player with heart is the most
valuable kind to be. Playing with
heart isn’t something that can be
coached-it’s an instinct. It’s a
personal character trait. It is an
emotion that cannot be hidden.
There will be good games and
bad games, but a true athlete
Photo by Krista Hansen
responds in the same way to both. A Playing full force, junior Cournie Dennis gives 100 percent.
Lewis Central Dance Team
Presents
The Spirt Within Us
It’s finally here!
On Friday March 26, 2004, come watch the team perform in jazz,
lyrical, and pom. And don’t forget the infamous bag routine.
In the:
Lewis Central High School
Gymnasium
Other teams appearing that night will be: St. Albert’s, Iowa Western
Community College, Treynor, and many others.
wait all day Sunday and during school
on Monday to see if you made it or
not,” said junior Pat VanNordstrand.
The members of Reader’s Theatre
and Ensemble Acting were surprisingly
pleased when they saw their
nominations posted on the IHSSA
website.
“I jumped up and down when I
saw that Reader’s Theatre made it and
I looked around for someone to tell,”
said sophomore Brian Henderson.
The All-State festival itself is an
experience. There are so many talented
performers.
“It’s so nerve-wracking waiting to
perform, but once you get in there and
the audience gets into your
performance and starts laughing, you
lose all nervous feeling and get total
exhilaration,” said senior Melinda
Smits.
At the closing ceremonies each the
critic’s choice is announced and they
receive the banner to be displayed at
their school for a year.
“This was one of the years I
thought we could get the banner, and I
felt like we were really close,” said
Nielsen.
No matter what the outcome,
performing at All-State was an
experience none of the performers will
ever forget.
2004
All -State
Participants
Ensemble Acting
Parallel Lives
Melinda Smits and Pam Shorey
Reader’s Theater
Cinderella Story
Brooke Bergantzel
Chris Ebke
Jennifer Ettinger
Krista Hansen
Brian Henderson
Erin Higgins
Sarah Kreger
Bethany Riso
Sam Tsuji
Pat VanNordstrand
March Madness:
Spreading the Glory
Dan Hall
Reporter
Every college basketball coach
and player have one common goal to
achieve during their career, to make the
big dance, the NCAA tournament, to be
part of March Madness. March Madness is one of the few sporting events
we can enjoy during the off-season of
football. But the lack of America’s true
favorite pastime is not what makes
March Madness so special.
March Madness is a 65-team
single elimination tournament to crown
a NCAA Division 1 national champion.
Teams make it to the tournament by
getting automatic bids by winning their
conference tournament or they get at
large bids based on the team’s regular
season record and strength of schedule.
There is something different
in the air during March Madness—a
different feel. March Madness is a time
when colleges, cities, and even entire
states rally around the teams that they
support. The paper, the television, and
the radio all become centered around the
tournament and that special team of
theirs. The excitement is always building. People put their jobs on hold, and
teachers put assignments off to the side;
then, they turn on the TV.
“I hate missing out on March
Madness. I usually find someway to
watch or listen to the games,” said freshman Chris Paff.
Not only does March Mad-
ness stimulate the people, but it stimulates the economy. Since there are 65
teams in the tournament games have
to be played in cities all over the U.S.
These first and second round games
bring fans into the cities. This means
the fans are going to have to spend
some money, making a lot of hotel
chains and restaurant owners happy.
With the new Omaha Quest Center
there is a good possibility that there
could be a first and second round game
in our own backyard sometime in the
near future.
Varsity head coach Dan
Miller expressed his feelings about
Omaha hosting a regional for the
NCAA’s. “It would be great. You can
see a lot of quality basketball teams.
They definitely have the facilities for it.”
The best thing about
March Madness is that anything can
happen. There are always those huge
upsets and those last second shot
winners.
“Everyone loves the underdog. It’s just that everyone has the
opportunity to win,” said coach
Miller.
With games like these it
brings the true thrill of March Madness into play. But no matter what
aspect you like about March Madness the most everyone can agree that
it’s a great thing.
“It’s do or die, win or you’re
out. There are so many upsets that
make it that much more interesting,”
said varsity head coach Chris
Hanafan.
UPSET SPECIAL:
7 Xavier vs. 10 Louisville
The Louisville Cardinals started of this season hot winning their first 16
of 17 but have taken a dramatic turn to a 20-9 record. If the Cardinals
want to win they need to start the tournament how they started the
season.
Xavier started out at a dismal 10-9 but finished tremendously strong by
going 23-10, knocking off No.1 and undefeated St. Joe’s and winning the
Atlantic10 tournament.
Titan Wrestlers Reign Again
Thomas Webering
Reporter
The Lewis Central Titans
walked into Vets Auditorium with
high hopes of regaining the state
championship. The Titan wrestling
team qualified nine wrestlers for the
state tournament: Jeff Rau at 103,
Scooter Davis at 112, Tobyn Ward
at 125, Luke Stamp at 130, Mike
Stamp at 140, Jimmy Watters at 145,
Jeremy Coe at 152, Brandon Mason
at 160, and Travis Greer at 215. Out
of these nine there was one 5th place,
one 4th place, three 3rd places, one
runner-up, and one state champion.
“You can’t really explain the
feeling when you walk out onto the
mat in front of 1,000 + people. You
can’t even hear yourself think, it’s
one of the coolest feelings in the
world but at the same time kind of
scary,” said junior Tobyn Ward
Along with Ward, Scooter Davis
and Jeff Rau all placed 3rd winning
their consolation finals to stand high
on the award stand.
Freshman Jimmy Waters made
it to the finals against inter city
adversary Bryce Carruthers.
Carruthers decisioned Waters 4-0. A
decision is beating your opponent
by six points or less. Although
Waters wasn’t victorious, he learned
a lot and is determined to stand on
the top next year.
“It was crazy, you can’t even
explain the feeling when you’re
walking up the stairs to the mats.
Your whole body goes numb and
starts tingling,” said medal winner
Mike Stamp. Along with Mike, twin
brother Luke Stamp finished 5 th
place.
Senior Brandon Mason won the
160-pound weight class. The win in
the finals gave him his 192nd victory
in his career. Tying the record set by
former teammate Trent Paulson. “ It
is unbelievable, it’s like a dream come
true,”.
The 2003-2004 season ended
with
regaining
the
state
championship, which has been the
goal for the past two years.
Photo by Rachel Driver
A Titan wrestler grips his opponent’s arm to gain control and help
LC’s wrestlers bring in the title and regain dominance at the state
tournament.
Page 8
March 2004
The Adventures of Johnny and GerBill How to Stay Home
on a Saturday Night
talking. It’s not like communication is
important or you want to know things
about one another.
She’s the enemy ~ Say rude
things about her and treat her like dirt.
When she’s having a bad day, be sure
to terrorize her every five
minutes...that’ll be sure to get under
her skin.
I’m Mr. Right ~ She’ll be
frustrated and annoyed by your
attempt to be anything she wants you
to be…you’ll be in clear view of being
dumped.
“Shaggy-dog” syndrome ~
Forget shaving, showers, or cologne,
you’re a rough, tough guy who would
make any girl would gawk and scurry
away.
Shy city ~ avoid talking to her at
all costs. Run away if she ever even
approaches you.
Mr. Dull ~ Speak in monotone
and don’t do anything fun, that ought
to keep her entertained.
My Trophy ~ Hang out with her
only around your friends. Make out
with her in public. Show her off. She’ll
feel more like a trophy than she ever
will as your girlfriend.
Girls are complex, and that’s
why there are limits on how you treat
them. These types of things make
them feel inferior, used, and
unimportant to someone they most
likely think the world of. For a girl all
it usually takes is for someone to be
there for them and make them feel
special. So, if you want a girl, go out
there and get one, but remember, treat
her nice, care for her, and never slap
her butt.
Megan Longmeyer
Reporter
Cartoon by Ryan Showers
What makes you scream?
Be one of the first three people to finish this crossword correctly and you will receive
a prize. Bring your correct
entry to Room 401.
Across
1. Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof
of your mouth
5. Fear of memories
9. Fear of school
10. Fear of being buried alive
13. Fear of bogeyman
Down
2. Fear of string
3. Fear of Friday the 13th
4. Fear of bald people
6. Fear of chins
7. Fear of vegetables
8. Fear of moths
11. Fear of swallowing air
12. Fear of nudity
When walking down the
hallways at school, it’s easy to see
those lucky couples, holding hands,
smiling at each other, and altogether
making you want to throw up. As
much as you don’t want to see the
PDA, you can’t help but look. “Why
can’t I have that?” you think.
“What’s wrong with me?” Well, for
all you men out there who think you
have it all right for what it takes to
catch a lady, listen up. Girls are
complex organisms; they talk in code
and entice you just because they can.
Just when you think you’re being
cute, they think you’re a moron. In
short, there is no one way to get any
girl you want. However, there are
some serious “no-no’s” when it comes
to the dating world. These are things
you should never do in the name of
love. If you want to keep a girl, a
little word to the wise: stay off of
this list.
Get smelly ~ Take a two-hour
jog and roll in the mud and you’ll be
sure to send your girl packing.
Be Mr. Macho ~ Don’t
sympathize or care about her needs
and feelings. All you need to say is
“stop crying and get over it.” Get
ready for some flood works.
Burp and Fart Feast ~ When you
meet her parents and friends, be sure
to burp, fart, or itch various parts
right in public. I’m sure slapping her
butt and calling her ‘sexy’ will earn
you some extra points too.
Be the Mime ~ Let her do all the
What’s the Strangest Thing
you’ve Ever Been Asked?
Andrea Larison
Photography Editor
“What’s the strangest
question you’ve ever
been asked?”
-Junior Lindsey Shank
Word Bank
Taphe
Gymno
Lachano
Bogy
Aero
Arachibutyro
Didaskaleino
Genio
Pelado
Paraskavedekatria
Cnido
Mnemo
Motte
Corp’s last
competition ended
with quite a finale.
Saturday March 13, Corp Show choir
traveled to Sioux City Heelan for their last
competition of the year.
They earned Grand Champion Honors.
They also earned 3 Caption Awards
1. Best Choreography
2. Best Vocals
3. Best Band
It has been over 20 years since Corp has
brought home two Grand Champion
Awards in one year- and a new record for
the number of Caption Awards was set.
“What am I doing on
June 9th?”
-Senior Alan Gwinn
Murder in Area 4
The Janitorial Staff, Nick in particular, mourns after the death of an
extremely close friend. Spidey, a
large brown wolf spider, had a special
place in the hearts of many. No one
knows the cause of death, though
they assume it’s murder by squashing. If you have any information on
who may have killed Spidey, contact
the Janitorial Staff, who would
really appreciate it.
“Where do babies
come from?”
-Sophomore McKayla
Christiansen
“Do you have a hand
saw for left-handed
people?”
-Jeff Krabbenhoft
“Are buffalo wings made
out of buffalo?”
-Freshman Kristin Coppa
Photo by Sarah Stoutzenberger
Corp Director Matt Huth shows off the vast array of trophies earned by
the vocal program.
Photo courtesy of google.com/photos
Not actual photo of spidey.