February

THE BLUEJAY
POST
Cimarron High School
Non-profit
Permit #41
Cimarron, KS
67835
Cimarron, Kansas 67835
February 2007
Vol. 4, No. 5
Sneak Peek
• Movie-going, p. 2
• State Honor Choir, p. 3
• Winter weather, pp. 4-5
• Prepared seniors, p. 3
Cars reflect their owners’ personalities
IROCK Z-28: Senior Roman VanNahmen is the third owner of this 1989 Camaro. He has replaced the transmission and hung his
dog tags from his rear view window. VanNahmen worked for two summers to pay off his car. (Anderson photo)
by Kyle Anderson
W
Up in Flames! Carlos Varela’s pickup grill burns up the
pavement. Varela installed the grill after he bought his truck.
(Anderson photo)
hen teenagers enter high school, they begin to
think about what privileges they’ll get, from
having free lunch to not having to walk the halls in a
single-file line.
One other big perk of high school is the chance to get
a driver’s license and start driving, whenever and however.
It’s probably a teen’s ultimate freedom, and it helps them
to develop their own identity. People usually get cars that
match their personalities.
Junior Vinton Dupree and his 1993 Talon go together
like peanut butter and jelly. “I’m ferocious and my car is
ferocious,” said Dupree.
Junior Amanda Payne’s 1994 ST pickup (nicknamed
The Red Dragon) fits her like spaghetti and mashed potatoes.
“My pickup kind of matches my personality,” said
Payne.
Another personality trend is that most teen drivers
don’t want to move slowly when they are driving.
Freshman Cody Wagner knows by experience that his
car can keep up with the best.
“Oh, yes, my car can be fast if I want it to,” Wagner
said.
Senior Blake Batman has a whole different story to
tell.
“Whenever I romp on the gas, my car doesn’t go very
fast,” he said.
Sophomore David Fisher is in the same boat Batman
is in.
Fisher said, “My car just doesn’t go as fast as I want
it to.”
With all that speed, there are liable to be wrecks on
occasion. Dupree has had that problem.
“Once I accidentally ran into someone,” he said.
Sometimes people don’t exactly like their car, but are
willing to work on it to fix that problem.
Senior Carlos Vareala said, “I removed some of the
trim on my truck, and I also put in a new grill.”
This upgrading can become addictive.
Batman said, “I’ve redone all the sound system and
put in a cd deck.”
A new stereo system is a big upgrade most people
make on their cars.
Dupree said, “I repainted my car, I put new wheels and
blue lights in it; also, I worked on the sound system.”
When they finish making their car look like they want
it, people usually need that extra air freshener or hula girl
bobble head.
For sophomore Alison Lerock, it’s whatever she wants
to put in her car.
“I have some clothes, shoes, and some food in my
car, but mainly just cd’s,” Lerock said.
With the exception of clothes, what else do people
carry around in their cars?
Dupree said, “I usually have my old school papers and
assorted fast food bags which are mainly Sonic bags.”
Most people love their first car, but a select few just
want to forget about their first bucket of bolts.
Dupree said, “I would trade my car for a CT 2005.”
When people trade off their car they usually want an
upgrade from their old car, but Wagner wants to upgrade
even further.
“I would want a helicopter,” he said.
2
OPINIONS
When going to the movies goes bad
The Bluejay Post
February 2007
by Drew Harp
Your resident moviegoer here with a little advice on
the subject of on watching movies. Whether you’re at
home with your awesome or lack of (like me) home theater
system, or kicking it at the theater with your friends; you
can follow these few simple rules in order t maximize
everyone’s experience.
1. Try to limit distractions to a minimum.
I know what you’re thinking: you don’t have to
isolate yourself for the next two hours, but you can make
the experience more enjoyable by having everything you
need within grabbing distance. At the theater, turn your
cell phone off and get refreshments beforehand.
2. Don’t talk.
Yes, I know you’re DYING to tell your friend about
what happened just a second ago in the bathroom, but no
one else wants to know. Keep your chatter to a whisper
level, or put your phones on silent and text.
3. Don’t use spoilers or build-ups.
Nobody likes a party-pooper, plain and simple. That
means that you shouldn’t ruin the movie for someone who
hasn’t seen it. That’s just rude, but there’s an even worse
crime than that, the build-up.
Everybody’s been guilty of it; you see a hilarious
movie and invite your buds or gals over to watch it. A
moment of hilarity is coming up, and you may say something like, “Oh oh! Quiet, guys, this part’s awesome!”
First off, if your friends had been following the rules thus
Please turn off all
cell phones.
far, they wouldn’t be talking at all, but the real point is
that you’re building up their expectations for a possible
disappointment.
4. Don’t force others to pay attention.
The biggest crime of them all (and the one that I am
most guilty of) belongs to this one. You’re still watching the
same funny movie, but your friends start talking about their
Lunchtime leisure reinstated
Most CHS students can recall the problems caused by
the previous lunch schedule. Some students weren’t even
able to make it through the lunch line until the bell rang.
Therefore, in the afternoon, teachers would hear the
infamous grumbling of students’ stomachs caused by the
lack of nourishment.
To help ease the anxiety of not being able to eat lunch
at a slower pace, an improved lunch schedule has been
established.
The new schedule consists of three separate lunches,
the first beginning at 10:54 a.m., the second at 11:19 a.m.,
and the third at 11:44 a.m.
This particular schedule was chosen to allow all students to make it through the line in plenty of time to eat a
leisurely lunch and still be able to chat with friends.
Principal Bill Brown said, “I believe the change
is going over well and has become effective with the
lunches.”
Although some students had their doubts when the
new schedule was put into effect, most are finding that
lunch is running more smoothly and they are allowed
Translation: I find
that offensive!
An exception to the rule...
Food, food, glorious food:
by Katelyn Royle
Dude...
enough time to eat instead of briskly stuffing their faces.
Thanks to this new and improved plan, no more
grumbling stomachs or students will be heard in the hallways and classrooms of CHS.
day and something that happened. Instead of telling them
to be quiet and watch the show, the better alternative is to
pause the movie, or wait until it’s over. You won’t make any
friends by forcing them to watch a movie they don’t like.
Now, get out there and watch a movie.
Although our editorials are written by individual board
members, the thoughts and ideas conveyed are that of The
Bluejay Post editorial board. Members of the editorial board
are Katelyn Royle, Alison Ketzner, Joseph Dasenbrock, and
Drew Harp.
The Bluejay Post
2006-2007 Staff
Editors: Katelyn Royle and Alison Ketzner
Sports Editor: Phillip Marshall
H.S. Organizations, Arts, Music Editor: Joseph
Dasenbrock
Photo Editor: Drew Harp
Community News Editor: Roman VanNahmen
Grade School/Middle School News Editor: Kyle
Anderson
Copy Editor: Katelyn Royle
Graphic Arts Department: Alison Ketzner and
Katelyn Royle
Advisor: Lynne Hewes
Cimarron High School
February 2007
Volume 4, Issue 5
NEWS
The Bluejay Post
February 2007
Ant vs. Grasshopper?
Seniors prepare for future
by Roman VanNahmen
As another school years end quickly approaches,
seniors prepare to go their separate ways. We know
they’ll be doing something--military, college, work—the
point is…is it better to be set for life, or fly by the seat
of your pants?
No one can know for sure until we’re older and wiser,
in about 20 years. So for now we can only speculate.
One may be reminded of the story of the ant and the
grasshopper, where the ant collects food all summer while
the grasshopper goes out frolicking and has fun. When
winter rolls around, the grasshopper starves to death and
the ant is warm and toasty in its underground home.
Not that this story applies to all people
who aren’t preparedf o r
college, but it gives one something to
think about.
People who are prepared
for college seem to agree.
Senior Ashley Seik said, “I’m glad I’m prepared
because I’m a very organized person, and I would probably panic if I had no idea what I was going to be doing
next year.”
Other people are trying to get prepared, but they’re
focused on other things.
“I’m very undecided on what I’m going to be doing next year. Right now I’m just trying to finish high
school, but college is very important to me,” said Melissa
Burns.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the people
who aren’t sure what they’re going to do; yet they know
they’re going to be successful.
Zach Tague said, “I’m going to save money for a year
and go to California and to the L.A. recording school and
be a music producer.”
Jesus Sausemeda shares Tague’s plan.
“I’m going to go to California because people who
speak two languages make good money there,” he
said.
Others don’t know what they’re going to do yet,
3
News Bytes
• Miss School Spirit - February 2
• NHS Induction - February 8
• A Team Banquet - February 12
• Regional Wrestling - February 17
• No School - February 19
• Regional Journalism - Feb. 22
• State Wrestling - Feb. 23-24
but they’re not too concerned.
Kythan Stevenson said, “I haven’t decided yet, but
I’m confident I’ll make the right decisions.”
The military can be an option for some.
“I’ve been checking out different branches of the
service,” Neal Giebler said, “but if all else fails, I can still
be a friendly hobo.”
Regardless of their plans, none of the seniors seem to
be too concerned about the future.
“I’ll figure out something,” David Burl said.
State honor choir makes choice
‘4N6’ season off to
roaring good start
by Katelyn Royle
Quiet on the set! The CHS forensics team is back for
another year of tournaments and winning medals.
The class has expanded since last year and now
involves a total of sixteen students.
The first tournament took place in Satanta on January 27.
Three team members broke into the final round and
placed in their various events.
Chelsea Morton broke in Poetry and placed fourth
which qualified her for State Festival. Mellisa Bosley and
Heather Collins broke in Informative speech.
Bosley placed third and Collins placed fifth.
Rebbeca Unruh, forensics coach, was pleased with
the performance of her novices.
“This first meet is a definite wake-up call to the newer
participants,” said Unruh. “It allows them to see that they
actually need to work really hard to break into finals and
beat their fellow competitors, but I’m proud about how
we did for our first tournament.”
The next two tournaments the team is going to take
part in are at Jetmore on February 3 and Ashland on
February 10.
by Kyle Anderson
With all the winter extra-curricular activities
coming to a close, the vocal department is also dealing
with its final events.
Two CHS sophomores, David Fisher and Kaitlin Unruh, have been selected to take part in this year’s KMEA
State Honor Choir, which will be held at Century II in
Wichita on February 24. Fisher was selected as a Baritone
I, and Unruh was selected as a Soprano I. They will be
the students representing our district at Wichita.
Vocal teacher Lynn Unruh said, “When District
Honor Choir performance is completed, eight quartets,
consisting of the scoring vocalists in each voice part
(soprano, alto, tenor and bass) were chosen to represent
our district at State.”
To sing, or not to sing: Kaitlin Unruh and David Fisher,
sophomore , are all smiles after their nominations for KMEA
State Honor Choir. (Courtesy photo)
Scholars’ Bowl team nearing end of season
by Drew Harp
When one thinks of Scholars’ Bowl, they think of
students sitting in rooms answering random trivia. That’s
the basic premise of the sport, and Cimarron High’s team
is doing well.
“The season started in October and will end in
February.” Said team coach, Ms. Jennifer Hendrix. “So
far we have placed fourth in two varsity meets, and
third in a junior varsity meet. Which is pretty good.”
Since the team has a few medals and placings under their
belts, spectators may ask what’s left of the season, and
what’s needed to go to state?
“We have to regular meets left,” said Hendrix, “Then
we have league in Syracuse and regionals. If we place
second in regionals than we are qualified for state.”
With so little time left, freshman Kyle Maddox explains
how the team will prepare for the upcoming meets.
“Ms. Hendrix asks us a lot of questions during practice,” he said.
However, Hendrix stresses that daily classes can help too.
“Going to class helps,” said Hendrix. “You learn something
new everyday.”
4
The Bluejay Post
February 2007
FEATURES
Winter ice storms among nature’s most
Wi nter weather causes massive power outages
Destructive
W
By Alison Ketzner
ith the recent weather that has blasted much of Cimarron, many residents are worrying there will be another
big storm knocking out electricity, delaying flights, and
causing dangerous road conditions.
For students who live on farms, the weather affected
their lives most of all. Many of these families lived without
electricity and water for days.
“We were without electricity at the farm for four days
and without it [electricity] at my house for nine days,” said
Katey Nash, senior.
Some students are still waiting for electricity to once
again light their house.
“My family hasn’t had electricity for a little over a
week, but the power still isn’t on yet,” said Jake Reimer,
senior.
In addition to leaving families without heat and other
everyday comforts, the weather caused various problems
on the farms as well.
“It’s a pain to move the generators around and it also
causes more work to pump water and to keep things from
freezing,” said Reimer
The recent weather also made it difficult to care for
animals on the farm.
“The weather made a lot of work because it’s hard to
travel down the roads to feed the cattle,” said Nash.
Not only did the loss of power make household chores
difficult, but it also took away various sources of entertainment such as watching TV and playing on the Internet.
With these activities taken away, people had to find other
ways to entertain themselves.
“I talked with my family, listened to my Ipod, and
ice-skated on the creek,” said Nash.
Although this lack of fun plagued many, others were
too busy with chores to worry about what they were going
to do to amuse themselves.
“I didn’t have time to do anything fun because I was
busy taking care of the farm and cattle,” said Reimer.
With the Farmer’s Almanac correctly predicting
blizzard-like conditions during the week January 20-23,
many people are wondering if there will be yet another
big storm.
“There will probably be more rough weather before
• 435,000 without power
• $48.17 million in damage
Weather
Broken limbs:
A tree’s broken
limbs scatter the
ground due to the
recent ice storm.
(Courtesy photo)
Bow down: A pine tree’s branches are weighed down from the
amount of ice on its limbs. The recent storm wreaked havoc on
trees as well as electrical lines. The loss of power made farm
work hard for many Cimarron families. “The weather made a
lot of work because it’s hard to travel down the roads to feed the
cattle,” said Senior Katey Nash. (Ketzner photo)
the winter’s over,” said Reimer.
While some are expecting the worst from Mother
Nature, others are staying optimistic that the weather will
continue to get better.
“Hopefully the weather will get better, but I have a
feeling we’ll have another storm,” said Nash.
Despite her optimism, Nash is preparing herself and
her farm for another storm.
“Beforehand, we’ll feed the cattle heavy and move
them where they’ll have more protection, and we’ll also
stack the hay better,” she said.
Although weather forecasters are predicting more
damaging weather, most families who are just getting
their electricity back are too happy to worry about what
the future holds and can only hope the power will stay on
throughout the rest of the winter.
S t or m S t at is t ic s
Bending trees:
Trees throughout
Kansas became
bent from the
amount of ice
accumulated in the
storm. (Courtesty
photo)
Frozen plains:
Many plants were
frozen across
much of the state
during the storm.
(Courtesy photo)
• 44 counties declared in a state of disaster
• 20,000 miles of power lines damaged
FEATURES
The Bluejay Post
February 2007
5
impressively destructive weather spectacles
Ice storm severely maims Gray county power grid
by Joseph Dasenbrock
f you have been at least somewhat coherent in the past
couple of months, you will remember that the weather was
a little icy, to say the least. And most likely during this
bad weather, you were also out of power, at least for a small
amount of time.
I
This past ice storm was the biggest and the baddest
in several years, causing huge and widespread damage
throughout the Plains states. Mostly, the case was that
the power lines would collect so much ice that they
would break and fall over, cutting off the flow of electricity to homes and businesses. If you look on the bright
side, however, without power, the meters do not rack up
kilowatts!
Kilowatts, watts, amperes, volts, what do all these
phrases mean? Victory Electric lineman Joel Daniels, Cimarron resident, gave a brief explanation of these terms.
“When you go put air in your car tires, and use a tire
tester to measure how much is in the tires, you are measuring pressure. Volts are easily explained as electrical
pressure, sort of like the air pressure in your tires,” said
Daniels. “Now, if you think about a garden hose with
water flowing through it, the rate of speed through which
the water is flowing, or gallons per second, is comparable
to amperes. Watts are a measurement of the stuff that is
flowing, an amount of moving energy. If you have 1000
watts, you have a kilowatt. Kilowatts are the way electric
companies charge their customers for the amount of energy
that they use.”
In January, many different crews were brought in to
help with setting up the downed lines. These crews came
from far and wide, some even from other states. The workers were lodged at hotels usually, and would eat breakfast
at one of the local buffets, such as The Dodge House.
“Yeah, they could go and eat at the buffet in the morning, unless you wanted more sleep,” said Daniels. “We
would usually start at 7 a.m. and get off the job around
9 p.m.” For lunch, Victory’s office workers would pack
them sack lunches.
Most of the time, the large, heavy trucks had problems
getting to the locations where work needed to be done.
Sometimes this problem was remedied with a tractor to
pull the trucks, but other times not.
In certian stituations, the poles were just set up temporarily, with plans to come back later and put them into
the ground better. Contrary to rumor, there was no shortage
of poles in our area.
If you have had a reason to drive on Highway 50 west
of Cimarron, you might have noticed the ice toppled some
of the huge transmission lines.
“There were nineteen of those down, and the company
only had four in stock,” said Daniels. “They were supposed
to be indestructible; 345,000 volts flow through them.” Considering that your car runs off a measly twelve
volts, that is a huge amount of juice. The power lines that
run a normal-sized house or business have 13,000 volts
flowing through them.
Safety with electricity is of utmost importance.
“It only takes half of an amp to kill a person,” said
Daniels. “If you touch a power line that is electrified, that’s
it. You’re done, that’s it, that was your day. If you come
across a downed power line, call in and report it, don’t
even get out of your vehicle.”
High voltage: These power lines normally
carry 345,000 volts of electricity.
(Dasenbrock photo)
It’s broken!
North of
Peirceville
the huge
transmission
lines were
toppled
by the ice.
(Dasenbrock
photo)
Pancake flat: The
company only had
a few of the towers
in stock. There was
a total of ninteen
towers toppled.
(Dasenbrock
photo)
Snapped: This pole,
along with many others,
was broken by the ice.
Downed lines should
be reported and then
left alone. (Dasenbrock
photo)
Getting the job done: A BNSF worker works on some of railway communication lines, which are used to keep the trains in order.
Sometimes the weight of the ice will break only the crossmembers, and not the entire pole. (Dasenbrock photo)
6
SPORTS
The Bluejay Post
February 2007
‘Super Ads’
Commercials add excitement to Super Bowl
by Phillip Marshall
Everyday, millions of people tune in to watch their
favorite television programs, but most of the time we can’t
enjoy these programs, solely because of interruptions by
commercials.
Commercials are used primarily as a marketing tool
to try and sell certain products. It seems that everything
that can be purchased has its own commercial.
Commercials use a range of techniques to reach their
viewers. Repeating the product’s name, or using a catchy
jingle, or having celebrities or symbols used to endorse the
product all help to sell it. Food-chain franchises use the
catchy jingle slogan or incorporate some kind of symbol
to herd customers to their restaurants. McDonald’s arches
are known worldwide; The King from Burger King has
become the symbol associated with that company.
Sometimes tactics used to reach viewers and consumers work, and other times they fail.
“I’m annoyed when celebrities are used to sell products.” said Darrel Stice, math teacher. “I know they get
paid to say nice things about the products.” Some viewers, on the other hand, are easily influenced
by television advertisements.
“I’m a sucker for shoe commercials, and for cosmetics,” said Susan Wiseman, English teacher. “People that I
admire have influenced me to buy certain products.”
Food commercials often sway customers to drive in
for a late-night meal.
“The commercials that I fall for are the food commercials I see all the time, late at night,” said Rebecca Unruh,
English teacher. “Those always make me hungry.”
Every year, one single event brings some of the funniest and most memorable commercials together on one
television set: the Super Bowl.
This year, Super Bowl XLI will be the most expensive
in terms of running commercials, costing advertisers $2.6
million per 30-second time slot. Top advertisers include
Anheuser-Busch, FedEx, General Motors, Frito-Lay, and
Pepsi.
The funnier Super Bowl commercials usually are the
ones sponsored by Anheuser-Busch.
“My favorite Super Bowl commercial was the one
about the ‘Magic Fridge,’” said Stice. “That one always
makes me laugh.”
“I like the one where the Clydesdale horses are playing football and the zebra is the referee,” said Wiseman.
Most people nowadays watch the Super Bowl not for
the game but for the funny commercials.
“I used to enjoy watching the Super Bowl,” said Unruh, “now I eat the food and talk with my friends during
the game.”
Advertisers compete for time slots because the Super
Bowl is the most watched football game televised. Placing
an ad during the game guarantees that a high percentage
of the nation will watch the ad, either during the game, or
via the Internet. From an economic standpoint, running
advertisements during the Super Bowl is efficient.
Buzzer beater! Brayton Maier, junior, looks to sink a longrange jumpshot. The boys’ basketball team finished second
in the Hi-Plains League tournament. (Courtesy photo)
Phil-osophy
Colts vs. Bears in ‘Super’showdown
by Phillip Marshall
Squished: Kyle Anderson elbows his opponent in the
back of his head. The Regional wrestling tournament
will be held on February 16-17, and the State wrestling
tournament will be held 23-24 in Hays.
(Courtesy photo).
Well, it has come down to this. The top two teams in
the National Football League will square off on February
4, in Miami Florida, in Super Bowl XLI: the Indianapolis
Colts vs. the Chicago Bears.
The Bears, ending the season with a 13-3 record,
head into the game led by the “Monsters of the Midway,”
the defense, which looks to stop Indianapolis’ high-powered offense led by Peyton Manning. The one question
Bears’ fans have to ask is: can Rex Grossman be the leader
that Lovie Smith, head coach, thinks he can be, and bring
the Lombardi trophy back to Chicago?
The Indianapolis Colts ended the regular season with
a 12-4 record, and they will look to Peyton Manning and
the offense to dictate the pace of the game from opening
kick-off until the final whistle. The one question Colts’
fans have to ask is: can the defense come together and
halt the Bears’ efforts?
Keys to victory
For the Bears to win, Rex Grossman has to play like
he did in the second half of the NFC Championship game
against the New Orleans Saints. Devin Hester can give the
offense either good field-position or six points on every
punt/kick-off return. The smash mouth defense has to
pressure Manning early and often and cause turnovers.
For the Colts, they can’t fall behind early. With the
strength of the Bears’ defense, the Colts have to control
the pace of the game. The defense needs to play better
than it did against the New England Patriots in the AFC
Championship game.
My Prediction
This is going to be one of the best Super Bowls
in a while. Two teams that are relatively the same but
very different at the same time will be playing on “Super Sunday.” The Bears’ defense will create problems
for Peyton Manning and the Colts’ offense early, but
Manning will find his rhythm like he did against the
Patriots. Rex Grossman will have to play four quarters
of consistent football to give the Bears an even better
chance at victory.
In the end, though, the Colts’ have someone that isn’t
afraid of pressure and that someone is Adam Vinatieri.
He will give the Colts the win with a final field goal.
Final score: Colts 31, Bears 28. Colts, Super Bowl
XLI Champions!
PEO PLE
The Bluejay Post
February 2007
Double dose of unique Unruhs
by Katelyn Royle
How many Unruhs can you have in one school?
Never too many!
Vocal teacher, Lynn Unruh and her daughter Rebecca
Unruh who teaches eighth grade English, Speech and Forensics, are both employed by Cimarron High School.
Rebecca Unruh had some doubts when she first
acquired the job at Cimarron.
“I didn’t particularly like the idea of working with
my mother at first,” she said. “But it turned out to be very
helpful when I first arrived. She understood all of my
frustration, answered my questions, and would help me
figure out various problems.”
Working with her daughter has become a privilege
for Lynn Unruh.
She said, “I like that Rebecca is here, because she is
a lot of fun and very talented and organized.”
Both teachers are passionate about their specific
educational fields.
Rebecca Unruh, who has been at Cimarron for two
and a half years, is already cherishing her career decisions.
“I started out as an English Lit. major, and ended up
getting a teaching degree,” she said. “It was probably the
smartest move I’ve ever made.”
Lynn Unruh’s eight years at Cimarron have provided
her with enthusiasm for her career.
January
Students of the Month
Each month, the faculty honors students who have exhibited
exemplary conduct, helpfulness, and enthusiastic involvement
as “students of the month.”
Two is better! Lynn Unruh and Rebecca Unruh, are both
teachers at Cimarron High School. (Royle photo)
“I love music, so it’s almost like I get to play and enjoy
myself for the rest of my life,” said L. Unruh.
The only other point in time the two Unruhs found
themselves in the same school setting, was during Rebecca
Unruh’s high school years
“I was under my mother’s instruction during all four
years of high school,” she said.
Although they work on opposite sides of the building,
they still manage to meet up when necessary.
Lynn Unruh said, “We don’t see each other too much,
but when we do, we can bounce ideas off one another and
receive the help that we need.”
Reading students study final frontiers
By Joseph Dasenbrock
Students in Kathy Machotka’s reading classes have
been studying two types of people who explore vast, empty
areas, like the ocean and space.
The students have created posters displaying their
research on pirates and astronauts.
“We started out with the class on pirates by watching
the Johnny Depp movie; that got their interest. Then the
group researched specific pirates, such as Blackbeard,”
said Machotka.
There were some students who studied space and the
people who explore it.
“[The group] researched astronauts like Neil Armstrong—which, although it’s surprising to me, seems like
ancient history to them,” Machotka said.
The posters are on display in Machotka’s room.
“Joseph is pleasant and
considerate to everyone in
and out of the classroom.
He is dependable and
trustworthy and usually puts
others before him.
He goes the
extra distance when helping
with classroom tasks.”
--Mr. Giebler
Joseph Dasenbrock,
senior
Maria Rodriguez,
sophomore
“Maria demonstrates an
outstanding work ethic and
takes a great deal of pride in
her work. Her work is always
complete, neat,
accurate, and on time. Maria
is also respectful, and though
serious about her work, has a
quick smile and a warm greeting for everyone.”
--Mr. Voth
“Colin was a new student
last year. I have noticed a
tremendous amount fo growth
and maturity. Colin seeks out
help, is better organized, and
perfoms admirably. He maintains a positive attitude and
treats everyone with respect.”
--Mr. Voth
Colin Wespe
junior high
Dr. Drew’s Reviews
Little Miss Sunshine
(Rated: R)
lette
Stars: Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni ColRunning Time:
One hour, forty-two
minutes
Plot Haiku: “A beauty pageant, plus dysfunctional family, equals some mild laughs.
Well, it’s Oscar season. The time of year when
movies that most people haven’t seen go up for nominations and win big, along with many other awards
7
that most people don’t pay attention to.
One of the nominees for best picture is Little Miss
Sunshine. The flick’s about a dysfunctional family’s trip
from New Mexico to California so that the daughter can
compete in a beauty pageant.
Let’s get this out of the way: I don’t agree with the
academy’s choices most of the time, and they tend to get
flak for their out-of-touchness with the current generation
of moviegoers. The movie is a dark comedy, but I didn’t
find it too funny. There were a few laughs, but mostly at
the grandfather’s expletive-ridden outbursts.
I have one word to describe this flick: over-hyped.
Two words? Majorly over-hyped. I don’t see why this is
an Oscar nominee, but it’s not horrible by any means. It
just has most of the road trip movie clichés, but with an
indie twist.
For example, Steve Carell, better known for his
roles in The Forty-Year Old Virgin and Anchorman,
plays the quirky uncle, only he starts the movie after a
failed suicide attempt.
I won’t reveal too much else about the movie, but
if you have to see one of the Oscar nominees, then this
would be the one to choose if you want a little laugh
in your movie.
Rating
out of 5
8
The Bluejay Post
February 2007
AD M I N IST R AT I O N N E WS
The Principal’s
In last month’s article, I commented on a book I
was reading at the time. The book is titled The Way
of the Wild Heart. In the book, the author describes
the six stages that a male must pass through as he
matures from ‘child’ to ‘man.’
Last month, I shared the first two stages. A boy
must first know that he is the ‘Beloved Son’ (i.e., he
must know that he is the ‘apple of his father’s eye’).
Second, the boy passes through the ‘Cowboy’ stage.
In this stage, the boy begins to play out his dreams of
being a cowboy, soldier, and so forth. As he becomes
a teenager, he will often participate in sports in an
effort to live out this ‘Cowboy’ stage.
The remaining four stages are: Warrior, Lover,
King, and Sage. As a ‘Warrior,’ the male finds a cause,
something to fight for in life. As ‘Lover,’ the boy
begins to be interested in various aspects of ‘beauty.’
This focus on ‘beauty’ will usually involve girls, but
can be focused on other areas as well: they become
poets/writers/musicians or become fascinated with
hunting/camping (anything to get them into the wild
where they see beauty at its best.)
As King, the male is at the ‘top of their game’
(if you measure by the world’s standards.) They are
earning money and building a career. They are setting
themselves up for retirement. They are ending kids
to college, going on nice vacations, buying a nicer
car. They have authority, people answer to them, they
usually love their jobs (probably too much.)
Finally, as Sage, the man begins to ‘decline’
in life. Life is much shorter now. The gray hair is
predominant and the face is wrinkled. The walk
is a little slower, but the hands are still strong (and
calloused.)
It is so sad, but we sometimes ignore the man
who has reached the ‘Sage’ period in life. Yes, he
is full of wisdom, but he chooses to remain silent.
After all, if he were to voice his opinion, the young
men would ‘cast him off’ as the old man in the corner
who re-lives his days as King. “Yes, sir, sonny, …I
remember when…”
Allow me a little freedom in my comments.
Allow me to speak directly to the students and their
parents. We would be wise if we would allow the Sage
to speak. He is a valuable resource, but he won’t be
here forever. The Sage has wisdom to share; he only
needs to be invited to share. We must invite him to
participate in our lives.
Students: seek out the ‘Sage’ who is in your
life. You already know him. He is your grandfather
or neighbor. He is sometimes your teacher or pastor.
He is the man who watches you and hopes the best
for you. He probably even prays for you. Seek him
out and invite him into your world. Savor his time,
advice, and presence.
--Mr. Brown, CHS Principal
The Counselor’s
It is hard to believe how fast second semester is going. This
time of year is so busy with basketball, wrestling, senior visits,
pre-enrollment and the list goes on. This time of year also brings
about State Assessments. This year our eighth graders and eleventh
graders are not only taking math and reading state assessments, but
also writing. The scores reflect our school and, students, therefore,
please do your best on each one.
I recently read an article on the careers that take a creative mind.
Many people believe that if you are into art and music then you can
only be a teacher; however, here are a few more ideas:
1. Forensic Photographer
2. Forensic Sculptor/Artist
3. Medical Illustrator
4. Music Supervisor
5. Storyboard Artist
As always, here are some important dates:
February 10
February 12
February 19
March 9
March 12-13
ACT Test
A-Team Banquet
No School
April ACT registration Due
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Seniors, please check board for scholarship opportunities.
I will leave you with this quote from the movie Barnyard: “A
strong man helps himself, a stronger man helps others.”
--Mrs. Millershaski, CHS Counselor
February Birthdays
1. Megan Mahurin
2. Callie Fisher
2. Sharon Garcia
2. Neal Giebler
5. Mario Barraza
6. Haley Lloyd
7. Whitney Hoban
8. Callie Losey
9. Joseph Riley
10. Nathan Baublits
10. Zachery Daniel Tague
11. Emily Payne
11. Michael Stefan
12. Bailey Schafer
14. Chelsea Dupree
15. Sebastian Capps
16. Wyatt Richardson
16. Taylor Siek
16. Tyler Siek
19. Kyle Anderson
21. Allyson LeRock
24. Bluelake Pritchett
26. Hanna Burl
28. Kelly Smidt