THE MIEGIAN - Bishop Miege High School

THE MIEGIAN
Volume 58 Issue 7
March 2015
• Mrs. Amy Carman: When I Was 17 p. 7
• Top 5 of just about everything p. 8 & 9
• Boys’ and Girls’ basketball EKL Champs p. 12 & 13
Photo by Carson Miller
March 5, 2015
The Miegian
www.bishopmiege.com
News
Blithe Spirit: Behind the Scenes
The special effects and scenery made the play come alive
By: Katiesullivan
staff writer
When you go to the theater, you’re ready to sit back, relax,
and be entertained by the actors
who’ve worked extensively to put
on a great show. However, much
more goes into a show than just
memorizing lines and following
stage directions. Behind the scenes
is where the true magic happens,
and junior Jackson Gress and
freshman Erin Sutherlin were two
of the forces behind the scenes.
Miege’s winter play was
“Blithe Spirit,” a show about a seance gone wrong (or rather, right.
The seance was a little too successful.) The play was set in the ‘40s
and Erin Sutherlin recalled, “The
theater set’s effect on the production was that it looked so realistic
that it made the audience feel like
they were in 1940s and in an actual
house.” It took the crew a couple
of months to build with the
help of Mr. Paul Steinberg,.
Erin’s favorite piece
of the set was either the
chandelier or the fireplace
because they contributed
heavily to the classy 1940s
vibe. However, the real treat
happened at the end of the
show, with the incorporation of a variety of special
effects.
Jackson Gress said,
“Because the show is about
ghosts, the effects were necessary to tell the show’s story.” Paintings and pictures
on the walls swung back
and forth of what looked
like their own accord, inanimate objects moved without
any provocation, and plates
hurled themselves off their
shelves.
Erin recalled, “I came up
with the ideas from other supernatural movies, and I found some
i d e a s
thinking
of
what
w o u l d
s h o c k
people.
My favorite special
effect was probably the smashing of the dishes because it really
shocked people, and it’s fun to do.”
However, all these special
effects posed a slight problem. The
crew had to place the furniture and
other props meticulously in areas
that would work perfectly with the
effects. The mechanics behind the
set were mostly “the magic of theater” according to Sutherlin, along
with a fair amount of bolts, nuts
and string.
(Left) Capturing the audience as well as her fellow cast
(Above) Sophomore Hanna Stram
members at the set’s kitchen table is senior Amelia
strikes a pose on the set of Blithe
Romine. Photo by Nastassia Aquino
Spirit. Photo by Nastassia Aquino
The Miegian
Scholars’ Bowl
season ends after
a successful year
By: maureenMurphy
staff writer
team went to State was in 2009.
The State qualifying team
was led by senior Elliott Vanderford. “We had a great season and
did the best we could,” said Elliott. Other members included seniors Liam Bryson and Brina Wallace and juniors Nick Murdock
and Jacob Mitchell.
In competition, teams
of five go up against each other.
Teams face rounds of sixteen
questions. The questions are on
school subjects such as math, history, etc. The first team to buzz in
the correct answer receives ten
points, and the team with the most
points at the end wins.
Need $
for college?
Check out
JCCC scholarships.
Application deadline is May 1.
Visit jccc.edu and search for
"scholarships" for more details.
12345 College Blvd. | Overland Park, KS
page two
March 5, 2015
First trip to State in six years
The Scholars Bowl team
made history this season, being
only the third team at Miege to
make it to State. The team ended
up with a 2-3 record there and did
not advance after facing tough
competition. In fact, the teams
they lost to ended up taking first,
second, and third place in State on
Feb. 14.
“We faced some tough
teams at State,” said Mr. David
Mitchell, the coach of the team.
“Our team improved a lot from
previous years.” The last time the
(Above) The actors/actresses lounge in the realistic
1940s living room. Photo by Nastassia Aquino
2
www.bishopmiege.com
(From left) Liam Bryson, Elliott Vanderford, Nick Murdock, Brina Wallace and
Jacob Mitchell compete on the State Scholars’ Bowl team. They are the first team
to make it to State since 2009. Photo By David Mitchell
Art Club offers new
opportunities for artists
By: lucydoll
staff writer
Yes, people, the rumors are
true, Art Club is a real thing. To
join, show up for the next meeting
during activity period in room 320
and sign up, but founder and president senior Amanda Dee says that
it’s preferred that you are in an Art
2 level class or higher. Art Club’s
main focus is to build a stronger art
community here at Miege. Amanda is very hopeful that the new club
will be a big hit.
“I thought it would be a
great way to bring together Miege’s
artists, poets, photographers, and
writers,” Amanda said regarding
the type of artists in Art Club. “Art
Club is a club for creativity, meaning we do not limit what you can
make.”
During an Art Club meeting, typical discussion is around
the art community, including service opportunities, art opportunities, and art events. There is much
going on in Kansas City regarding
art, and Amanda says the Art Club’s
goal is to become involved in that
and put serious Miege artists into
the art community. Also, they will
be hosting an art camp this summer for younger students, and their
members will help teach art to
these children.
“I want Art Club to become
a place for creativity, imagination,
positive encouragement, and community,” said Amanda. “I want to
see Art Club displays all over the
school and the city, and encourage
creativity and individualism among
our school. I want to see the Bishop
Miege art community grow.”
Art Club is also planning to
have a display somewhere in the
school. It will highlight work made
outside of art class. It is for student
poetry, creative writing, art, sculptures, jewelry, literally anything
that students have made. Students
do not have to be in Art Club to submit to their display, and anything
submitted will also be submitted to
Facets.
If there any questions regarding Art Club, talk to Mr. Dennis Mueller, Amanda Dee, Megan
Moriarty, or
Mireya Mireles.
page three
3
The Miegian
March 5, 2015
Shorts
Award brings check for charity
Miegian
PI Day
March 14 offers a once-in-a-century math geek pleasure.
On 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 a.m.
and p.m. the date and time
will reflect the first 10 digits of the mathematical
constant pi (3.141592653).
If your spring break
takes you to New Jersey
that day and you have a serious bed-head, Princeton
University will hold an Albert Einstein look-alike contest
that might interest you.
www.bishopmiege.com
Senior C.J. Grunhard recently won the Derrick
Thomas Community Service Award. (Thomas wore #58
when he played
for the Chiefs.)
The award
is sponsored by
the Chiefs, and
was presented
for the first
time last year.
It comes with a
$1000 donation
for the charity of
C.J.’s choice.
LINUS
BLANKETS
On the dotted line...
LOST members, including Michelle Batliner, Maddie Anderson and Gabi Salmento, have been working on making
snuggly blankets for the Linus Project. The blankets go to
firefighters and policemen to give to children after they have
been in an accident.
4
page four
There was an athletic signing on
Wednesday, Feb.
25, for three members of the track
and field team;
Ethan de Leon—
Baker University,
Ryan
Graves—
Avila University,
Carrick McCall—
Alabama.
www.bishopmiege.com
March 5, 2015
Forensics squad works toward State
Speech and Debate Association.
The team has also found colstaff writer
lective success early on in the season.
Miege sent a small squad to the Gard
Miege forensics has started off ner-Edgerton Tournament on Jan. 31
their season on the right foot, compet- and placed 3rd in Sweepstakes. Standing in tournaments over the past six outs from this tournaments include seweekends in a variety of public speak- nior Janie Sparks placing first in Original Oration, junior Nick Murdock taking, acting and debate events.
Many of the squad members ing first and sophomore Olivia Demo
have placed high in their respective taking second in Extemporaneous
events, and nine students have already Speaking, and the team of juniors Cathqualified for the Kansas 4A State Tour- erine Aaronson and Jessie Staley finishnament. Another nine students bare- ing first for Improvised Duet Acting.
ly missed state qualification but still The Miege squad also placed first
placed high enough to make it to the overall at the Paola tournament on Feb.
Kansas State Festival. Three students 28, with the team of sophomore Jack
have also accumulated enough points Emory and freshman Aidan Gray takto become full members of the National ing first in Improvised Duet Acting.
By: kylelauterwasser
“I believe that this year has gotten off on a great start,” said forensics
coach Mrs. Melissa Reynolds. “The
novices are all learning and coming
along quickly. Some are already placing at weekend tournaments, which is
always a great sign for what is to come
later on in the season.”
With the season only at its halfway mark, the Stags forensics team is
looking forward to the rest of what is
stacking up to be a very productive season. “I’m happy to see how successful
we have been thus far,” said forensics
treasurer Maddie Swall. “We have a lot
of momentum heading into the second
half of the season and a lot of room to
improve.”
•Dodgeball Tournament •
Below, sophomores
Joe Taylor and Colin
Grunhard show off
their SUPER skills on
the court.
Photo by Lauren Rupp
If you’re still not settled on your schedule for next year—and
you know it’s costing you money for being late—consider the
new Interior Design class offered in the FACS department.
Mea culpa: We made a mistake in the last issue (yes,
that is hard to believe). In the swim story, we should
have said John Schultz qualified in the 100 breaststroke
and that Matt Wiese nearly qualified for State in the 100
breaststroke and Corbin Brown in the 100 butterfly.
The Miegian
Juniors Lucy Mohler, Cathy Rometti, Cameron Martin
and Kat Tierney prepare to dodge, duck, dip, dive and
dodge at the tournament last Thursday evening.
The senior team of Eric
Buckles, Sam McArthur, Zach
Mahoney, Ethan de Leon,
Vince Stephenson, Sean Galey
and Sagin Churchman made it
to the top of the bracket.
Photo by Lauren Rupp
Photo by Lauren Rupp
page five
5
March 5, 2015
The Miegian
www.bishopmiege.com
www.bishopmiege.com
Features
2. What is your perfect day?
Perfect day of mine would be a KU victory, CYO victory,
food and sleep.
3. What is your dream vacation?
Go to the Great Barrier Reef because I
heard it’s “reely” cool. <fish puns am I
right? If anyone can think of a better fish
pun, let “minnow.” <again
4. If you stayed the night at Miege what would
you do?
Get into the admin offices, check out the phones, get onto School
Reach, notify all children that there will be no school the next day.
5. Why do you order the same meal from Pegahs every time
you eat there?
Well, on the menu, the only pictured food meal on the front is a
spaghetti and meat sauce, red creme soda, side salad with lettuce
6
Where did you attend high school?
Bishop Miege—1987. Go Stags!
Where did you live?
I lived in Leawood, Kansas- around 85th
and Mission Road.
6. What are you giving up for Lent, why?
Giving up junk food and going to exercise more. Why?
Because I want to get into the shape JV Bowling stud Alex
Perez is in.
What kind of car did you drive?
I drove a 1978 manual transmission
Volkswagen Rabbit that I had inherited
from my mom. I burned up two transmissions before finally learning to drive
it. My parents were about to sell it, but
I eventually got the hang of shifting the
gears. 7. Tell us about your life as a pianist?
Good. All I do is just sit down and play. Man, it is a fun
time. But there is some underlying rivalry to it as well…
Kevin Kellerman
What were you involved in high
school?
When I have looked back in my yearbook, I can’t believe all of the cool clubs
at Miege that I wasn’t involved with. But I was on the yearbook and was on
drill team my senior year. I later went on
to major in Journalism at KU because
of my time on Miege’s yearbook. My
freshman year, I was in freshman choir
with Joyce DiDonato. Unfortunately
I was tone-deaf, and so we could not
continue our vocal training at Miege
together. 8. Have you ever thought of becoming a
musical entertainer?
Oh yeah, That’s like a dream job of mine. Just
the thought of me just sitting down in a hotel
with a tux on and just play some tunes on the
piano, I think that would be awesome to do.
9. Will Nick Walters ever grow up and why?
I’m a kid at heart, just like my dad. I just don’t want to
grow up; these are the best years of our lives. Just live
them while you can.
What is your best high school memory? I worked really hard to just barely
make the drill team my senior year,
and so I enjoyed every moment of
practices and performing at games. I also loved going to basketball, volleyball and football games with my
friends. Coach English and Coach Pike
were winning State championships
back then, too, and so not a lot has
changed in almost 30 years. What music did you listen to?
I have always liked anything with a good beat
that you could sing along with. I already drive
my boys crazy by jumping in and singing the
songs on the radio with them. When I was at
Miege, we listened to a lot of Beastie Boys,
Run DMC, and AC/DC. I also personally liked
Bon Jovi and Billy Idol. What sports did you play?
This is probably surprising after seeing my broad shoulders, but I didn’t
play high school sports. I played
softball and volleyball and was on the
Mission Marlins swim team in grade
school, but I did a lot of bench warming.
compiled by Katie Sullivan
Scoring points on the court and online
By: KYLElAUTERWASSER
STAFF WRITER
Miege’s girls’ basketball team has been
nominated for USA Today’s newest installment
of their “Best Of” series to find the Best High
School Girls’ Basketball Program of 2015. Five
high schools were chosen from each state and
Washington D.C. to compete in the competition.
Teams were selected on a set of particular criteria based on the teams’ success on the
court, the development of the teams’ players
page six
Where was your favorite hangout
spot?
One of my best friends worked at
Waldo Pizza, and so we would go there
sometimes. But we never seemed to
have much money, and so I remember
hanging out a lot at friends’ houses,
Loose Park or Ward Parkway Mall
eating cinnamon rolls. They had just
opened a new Cinnabon.
What year did you turn 17?
In 1986
and croutons only with Italian dressing and extra garlic bread,
and I can’t read, so I just get that every time because it looks good.
10. What does the real Nick Walters want to do if he grows up?
To the amazement of my teachers and my peers, I want to be a
teacher. I don’t know what field or level I want to teach yet, but I
love kids, and I think that teaching is my calling. (close #2 is the
priesthood by the way).
Compiled by Marco Marquez
March 5, 2015
When I was 17...Mrs. Amy Carman
10 Questions with Nick Walters
1. Tell us what a daily routine for Nick Walters is?
Wake up at 6:34, turn my alarm to 6:40 for an extra 6 minutes of
sleep, shower, SC Top 10 @ 6:53 every morning except Mondays,
go to school, choir after school most likely, go home, watch
Spongebob until 4 (gotta love Patrick, my favorite character),
play some piano, eat a fabulous dinner made by my mother,
Snapchat, (homework optional), Vine, bedtime @ 11
The Miegian
and coaches, the communities’ support of the
teams and fan spirit, and the miscellaneous aspects of the teams including facilities, training programs, and
uniforms.
After the teams
were selected, it was up to
the fans to decide which
school has the best basketball program this
year. Schools compete
in three separate rounds:
state, regional, and national.
Voting for the state round began on Feb.
23 and finished today at 2 p.m. The top 51 schools,
as well as the top 5 wildcard teams move on to
the Regional Round that begins on March 6
and ends on March 12. After that, the top
eight teams and top two wildcards move
on to the National Final where a champion will be crowned. The top team will
receive $1000 for the school’s athletic
department and a banner that displays
their achievement.
At press time, Miege was in third place
for the Kansas bracket. Results will be posted at contest.usatodayhss.com.
page seven
7
The Miegian
www.bishopmiege.com
StagsCenter: Top 5
Top 5 School lunch items (voted on by the students)
1. Regular fries
2. Chicken tenders/nuggets
3. Chicken fried steak w/ mashed potatoes
4. Chocolate chip cookies
5. Pizza
Top 5 Miege events to attend (voted on by the students)
1. Home football games
2. Musicals and plays
3. Handball/dodgeball tournaments
4. Home basketball games
5. ‘80s Mixer
Top 5 Divers at Miege
1. Jacob Stockton
2. n/a
3. n/a
4. n/a
5. n/a
Students with the most Stag Spirit (voted on by the students)
Freshmen: Susie Glenn
Sophomores: Joe Taylor
Juniors: Andrew Jezak & Joey Shondell
Seniors: Natalie Leslie
Favorite moments in
Miege sports so far
“Puke” • Fran Tucker
Top 5 Uncomfortable Words
1. squishy
2. moist
3. drawer
4. phlegm
5. chunky
8
page eight
Top 10 Songs to Sing in the Shower (five just weren’t enough)
1. “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison
2. “Drops of Jupiter” by Train
3. “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
4. “One and Only” by Adele
5. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by
Whitney Houston
6. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
7. “Miss Movin’ On” by Fifth Harmony
8. “Love on Top” by Beyoncé
9. “Sugar” by Maroon 5
10. “My Life Would Suck Without You”
by Kelly Clarkson
Best April Fool’s Day Pranks
Maggie Burns (9) - This girl from my grade
school would hold up a pencil and everyone
would yell “mine” like the gulls from Finding
Nemo.
Robert Castaneda (10) - My third grade teacher
came to school acting like she was out of breath
and then collapsed walking to her desk.
Miscellaneous
top 5
Words that make you feel
uncomfortable
“Mushy”
• John Quinly (11)
Sweeping Aquinas
in basketball
• Elliot Nuno (10)
Winning state football
• Kyle Wicker (11)
The Miegian
Top 5 Spring Break Road Trip Songs
1. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
2. “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane or Rascal Flatts
3. “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys
4. “Fly” by Sugar Ray
5. “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant
March 5, 2015
Top 5 best ways to travel on Spring Break
1. Pterodactyl
2. Pegasus
3. Millenium Falcon
4. Horseback
5. Or car
Dream Spring Break destination
The Great Barrier
Reef in Australia
• Brien O’Neill
Top 5 general things about Spring Break
1. NO SCHOOL!
2. Warmish weather
3. Start of spring sports
4. Mission Trips
5. No alarm clocks
Sicily, Italy
•Bryanna Simmons (11)
Top 5 alternative hiding spots for a pot of gold at Miege
1. The math hallway
2. The tunnels
3. The chiller room
4. The staircase by Mr. Sailler's room
5. The “Vader” in the journalism room
Top 5 green things
1. Grass
2. Kermit the Frog
3. Avocados
4. Lantern
5. Those little alien guys
from Toy Story
St. Paddy’s
Day Top 5
Miege Top 5
So much is happening this time of year. Spring Break is just around the corner, St. Patrick’s Day
is only a couple weeks away, and Miege is entering the last quarter of the 2015 school year. So instead
of some boring articles you guys probably won’t read, we decided to highlight the best characteristics of everything that is going on: from Miege, to Spring Break, and everything in between.
www.bishopmiege.com
Spring Break
Top 5
March 5, 2015
Top 5 students who could make
a living as a leprechaun
1. Chance Friesen
2.
3.
4.
5.
Anthony Alvarez
Alex Freese
Robby Redmond
Kevin Gaughan
Top 5 St. Paddy’s Jokes
1. What do you get when you do the Irish jig at McDonalds? A Shamrock Shake.
2. Why can’t you borrow money from a leprechaun? Because they’re always a little short.
3. What’s Irish and stays out all night? Paddy O’Furniture.
4. How did the Irish jig get started? Too much drink and not enough restrooms.
5. What do you call a fake stone in Ireland? A sham rock.
compiled by Andrew Jezak & Kyle Lauterwasser
page nine
9
The Miegian
www.bishopmiege.com
Opinions
Staff Writer
The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) defines sportsmanship as a general way of thinking and behaving.
It goes further to say that it must be taught,
modeled, expected and reinforced in the classroom and in all competitive activities. Here at
Miege, one of the many attributes on which we
pride ourselves is our outstanding sportsmanship. The students, the administration, the
parents, and the players all play a role in the
attitude we display during athletic activities.
With all the recent uproar regarding sportsmanship and crowd integrity, The Miegan dug
a little deeper to find the facts about this heavily valued aspect of Bishop Miege.
As I sat down with Mr. Mike Hubka
(athletic director and associate principal) in
his office on a regular Tuesday afternoon, I
was nervous. Not because I was in trouble, not
because I was carrying my phone in my pocket
at the time (for recording purposes, of course),
but because I knew it was a difficult subject for
both of us to address. But I was pleasantly mistaken. We had a calm conversation about the
ins and outs of sportsmanship here at Miege
and elsewhere. “Schools have their traditions,
but it’s up to the administration to enforce (discipline) just like everything else we have here,”
said Mr. Hubka, “other schools are doing what
they see fit, and we’re just going to worry about
ourselves.”
The Eastern Kansas League hosts the
EKL Sportsmanship Summit each year which is
aimed at assembling the schools and reviewing
why sportsmanship is important and how we
should go about it. “As long as we’re positively
supporting our team, I want us to be there. I
know the coaches want us to be there. I want
us to be a voice for our team. We just need to
be respectful of each other, we have enough
negative stuff out there already,” explained Mr.
Hubka.
For the players, sportsmanship is a
little different, “If we win, we win. If we lose,
we lose, but you shake the hands of your opponents after the game and tell them ‘good
game,’ and if we are fortunate enough to play
them again, we will beat them the next time we
play them,” said Mr. Hubka, “that’s what sport
is, especially at the high school level.”
Asked if he thinks there have been any
changes this year in the way that sportsmanship has been monitored at Miege, he replied,
“From my perspective, nothing really has
changed I think maybe some things have been
tried this year that wouldn’t have been allowed
in the past,” explained Mr. Hubka “as far as
enforcement goes, maybe it came across that
way a little bit, which is why some would say
there’s a difference. I want to be consistent and
not make it seem like there’s a big change. I
hope I’m not impacting the cheering, I want
the crowd there, but we want to be perceived or
seen on the right side of things. We don’t want
to be making fun of others, and we don’t want
to be made fun of either.”
As a loyal fan to the Stags, I believe that
Staggering Thoughts
By: ANdrewGleason
Editor
it’s extremely important for the student body
to show up to games (BOTH boys and girls)
and support our teams. A crowd, especially
at a home game, should be valued almost like
another player. The players, the coaches, and
the other fans can all feed off the energy and
the support that the crowd exerts. While some
players are more affected than others by the
crowd, the high school and college crowds can
certainly assist a team.
On the matter on sportsmanship, I’m
torn. I do think the crowd should be revved
enough (from the positive support
perspective) to have a psychological
effect on the opposing team, after all
it is called home-field advantage for
a reason. Also, aren’t we entitled to
our own opinions on calls and such?
Well, yes, but not every opinion has
to be voiced, especially towards the
refs. There’s no need to overdo your
complaining, because the call isn’t
going to be reversed. The administration has an obligation
to keep us in line as
well as keeping our
cheering positive,
but some traditions
are traditions. Respect our tradition
of positivity and
sportsmanship,
but don’t stop
cheering.
What would you do on your fantasy spring break?
10
“Go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and photograph
buffalo.”
page ten
Nick Krewitt (11)
“Go to Colorado and ski.”
Merritt Vaughn (10)
“Go back-packing through
Europe.”
Vaccinations: give them a shot!
Compiled by
Maureen Murphy
Mrs. Judi Wollenziehn
The Miegian
March 5, 2015
THE MIEGIAN STAFF
Keepin’ it classy: Why sportsmanship is important
By: ANdrewJezak
www.bishopmiege.com
Sam Smith (9)
Natalie Leslie (12)
“Go to Alaska.”
“Get tan.”
Each year, the Disneyland
theme park in California attracts
around 16 million visitors. Children
and adults alike flock to the park with
hopes to meet their favorite princess
or explore the Magic Kingdom they’ve
come to know so well from their television screens. But along with laughter,
The Happiest Place on Earth is spreading something much more sinister: the
measles virus.
Disneyland is ground-zero of
the biggest measles outbreak in recent
history. Of the 59 cases of measles in
California, 42 are believed to have originated in the popular amusement park.
This outbreak has reached 14 other
states, not surprising considering the
touristic aspect of the park. But why has
a very well contained virus come back
from near-extinction? Blame anti-vaxxers — the growing group of people who
believe, for a variety of reasons, that
vaccines (shots that create immunity to
diseases, including measles) are unnecessary, even harmful to health.
This group first assembled
cohesively in 1988, when Dr. Andrew
Wakefield, a British surgeon, published
a study that claimed a link between vaccines and autism. This spurred a sensationalist movement against vaccines,
even though Wakefield’s research was
operated on the basis of bribery and was
scientifically unsound. The study, which
was conducted on a mere 12 children,
has been retracted, and Wakefield’s
medical license revoked.
But the anti-vaxxers continue to
follow Wakefield with a blind determination, despite the discrediting of his
actions. They continue to believe that
vaccines cause autism, dubbing them
“chemical cocktails,” even in the face
of a multitude of evidence proving the
contrary. Worse yet, the anti-vaxxers
refuse to vaccinate their children and
themselves.
vaxx facts
Even after someone with
the measles virus leaves a
room, the virus can remain
in the air for two hours.
The highly-contagious
nature of the virus makes
vaccination extremely
important.
The recomended
two-shot vaccination
procedure is nearly
100% effective agasint
the measles virus.
9 out of 10 people who
are not vaccinated and
are exposed to measles
will become infected.
Herd immunity protects
those who cannot receive
vaccinations from diseases
likes measles, but its effectiveness is being threatened by the anti-vaxx
movement.
Editor-in-Chief Eric Buckels
Andrew Gleason
Information from the Oxford Journal of Infectious Diseases
March 5, 2015
Because of this, preventable
and containable viruses such as measles have seen a dramatic resurgence:
the number of cases tripled from 2011
to 2014. Not by coincidence, the highest concentration of outbreaks have
occurred in the areas with the lowest
vaccination rates — areas with the
nation’s largest populations of antivaxxers.
Ignorance, in a sense, is acceptable when it only affects the
ignorant. In other words, if the antivaccination movement only caused
anti-vaxxers to become sick, then
their lack of understanding on the
subject would be forgivable. Innocuous, even. But this isn’t the case.
When the vaccination rate falls below
95%, herd immunity — resistance to a
pathogen because of a large immunity
in the population — is lost or greatly
diminished. Herd immunity is vital
to public health because it protects
those who cannot be vaccinated from
contracting certain diseases. This
demographic depends on herd immunity because receiving a vaccination
is legitimately harmful to their health.
In California, the vaccination rate for
measles is currently at 92%, leaving
the herd-dependent at risk.
Kansas law requires that
children receive their first measles
vaccination (called MMR because the
shot immunizes for measles, mumps,
and rubella) between ages 1 and 4.
A second shot is required between
kindergarten and 6th grade. Children
are allowed exemption from vaccination if it poses a legitimate health risk
(documented by a physician) or if it is
contrary to their religious beliefs, in
which case parents need to provide a
signed statement for exemption.
The anti-vaccine movement is
not an assertion of freedom, it is not
a mere exercise of belief. It is a public
health hazard motivated by junk science. Those that do not vaccinate put
themselves and others at risk.
Staff Members Maria Baska
Brennan Dial
Lucy Doll
CJ Grunhard
Andrew Jezak
Kyle Lauterwasser
Marco Marquez
Maureen Murphy
Katie Sullivan
Photographers Nastassia Aquino
Mary Egger
Brandon Kirkland
Carson Miller
Lauren Rupp
McKenzi Weber
Adviser - Mrs. Phyllis Hartwig
The Miegian is published
monthly by the newspaper staff of
Bishop Miege High School. It is a student-produced newspaper. The editorial board decides the content of each
issue. Opinions expressed are the
views of the writer and are signed.
The Miegian welcomes material (letters, guest columns, feedback)
from faculty, administrators, students,
parents and community members.
This material will be reviewed by the
editorial board and published based on
the publication’s letters policy criteria.
Material can be dropped off in
the journalism room (144), or mailed to
the newspaper in care of Bishop Miege
High School. All letters and columns
must be signed. The staff reserves the
right to edit letters for length, language or potential libel, and to refuse
any articles or advertising submitted.
All opinion pieces submitted
should contain an address and a phone
number where the writer can be contacted, because the staff will confirm
all letters.
Bishop Miege High School
5041 Reinhardt Drive
Shawnee Mission, KS 662051599
11
page eleven
The Miegian
March 5, 2015
Boys’ bball takes EKL title with win over Gardner
By: C.J.grunhard
staff writer
Boys’ basketball finished off
the regular season with a 16-4 record. The Stags ended the regular
season atop the EKL standings with
a 11-3 league record. Post-season
play begins tonight at Bishop Miege
as the Stags take on Bonner Springs
in the sub-state semifinals.
On Feb. 10, the team traveled out to Aquinas for the Holy
War part two. Both teams packed
the house as Miege would try to
follow up their home win earlier
this year against the Saints with another. Senior Reggie Byers capped
off a solid first half for the Stags
by hitting a half court shot at the
buzzer. Miege would carry this momentum with them into the second
half, holding off the Saints on the
way to the 59-47 win.
Miege hosted Blue Valley
Northwest on Feb. 13. Neither team
could pull away in the first half, as
Northwest led the Stags 28-26 going into halftime. This would continue in the second half, with the
Huskies hitting two free throws
with under five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to go up
54-53. The Stags got off a shot at
the buzzer, but it wouldn’t fall, and
Miege would lose 54-53. Senior Jacob Meurer led the Stags with 14
points and 8 rebounds.
The boys attempted to
avenge this loss on Feb. 17, taking on Blue Valley Southwest. The
Stags jumped on the Timberwolves
early, going into the half up 33-15.
Tensions were high as the second
half began and Blue Valley Southwest received multiple technical
fouls, including one player being
ejected after a hard
foul on senior Alston
12
Jones. This did nothing but motivate the Stags to play harder, taking
a 51-28 lead into the fourth quarter.
The starters did not play the majority of the fourth quarter as the boys
cruised to a 64-42 win. Sophomore
Semaj Ray led the Stags in scoring
with 17 points, with Jacob Meurer
adding 14 as well.
Following the win against
Blue Valley Southwest, the Stags
traveled to Blue Valley to take on
the Tigers on Feb.20. Neither team
could pull away heading into halftime, as the Stags led by a score of
20-19. But things would change in
the second half as the Stags dominated the entire third and fourth
quarters, outscoring the Tigers
28-10 in the second half. The night
was highlighted by the four breakaway dunks for the Stags, three by
Alston Jones and one by Semaj Ray.
Alston’s three dunks contributed
to his 22 points on the night.
The Stags were back in action on Saturday, Feb. 21, as they
took on the St. James Thunder.
Miege jumped out to an early lead
and never looked back, taking
down the Thunder by a score of 7153. The 71 points scored by the team
in the win was the largest number
of points scored by the Stags in a
single game this year. Alston Jones
again added 22 points along with
5 assists in the win. Jacob Meurer
crashed the boards in the win with
10 rebounds.
On Feb. 24, the Stags went
up against Blue Valley West at
home. The game was low scoring
from the start, with both teams
scoring only 18 points in the first
half. The second half would remain the same, with both teams
playing lockdown defense. Neither
team could pull away, and with
under one minute to go, the game
was tied at 41-41. Blue Valley West
got the ball with time running out
and hit a layup at the buzzer to win
page twelve
43-41. Alston Jones led the Stags in
scoring with 16 points. Sophomore
Joe Gleason added 6 points and 12
boards.
In the final regular season
home game, the Stags took on
The Miegian
March 5, 2015
Undefeated girls’ basketball wins EKL title outright
Sports
www.bishopmiege.com
www.bishopmiege.com
started off slowly, trailing 32-27 at
the half, but they tied up the game
in the fourth, sending it into overtime and capping off senior night
with a 75-67 win.
On the breakaway against Blue Valley on Feb.20, senior Alston Jones went up for the
two-handed slam and swung back on the rim for extra emphasis—and a technical.
Photos by Brandon Kirkland
By: brennandial
staff writer
Ending EKL play, the Lady
Stags took on Gardner Edgerton last
Friday and outscored the Trailblazers 25 to 5 in the third quarter. The
75-47 victory improved the Lady
Stags to 20-0. They start sub-state
play here tomorrow night.
Winding down the season, the Stags played Blue Valley
West Feb. 24 in their second to last
EKL game. The Lady Stags quickly
turned the game to a blowout, ending the first quarter only allowing
four points; Miege went into the
half up 36-14. Senior Madeline Homoly led the team in scoring with 14
points while adding 6 rebounds to
her stats. The Stags beat the Jaguars
60-19.
In the last road game of the
season, the Lady Stags traveled with
the boys to Blue Valley Feb. 20. With
a raucous band and crowd, the Stags
were the favorite to win. In their 14
point victory, center Madeline Homoly scored a game high 21 points
as the Stags rolled over the Tigers
57-43.
Coming off two previous
overtime wins, the Lady Stags made
sure they were also the victors in
Driving past a Blue Valley defender on
way to the basket is junior Shelbe Piggie.
Photo by Carson Miller
and with an edge; they played as if
they had something to prove. Winning by almost 20 points, they left
no doubt in the crowd’s minds who
the better team was. The Stags advanced to 17-0 with their undefeated State championship hopes still
alive.
As the season started the
Stags had found themselves breezing by the Blue Valley Northwest
Huskies en route to their first victory of the year. A 65-34 victory over
the Huskies was in the past, and
Blue Valley Northwest played like
they wanted revenge on Feb. 13.
Taking the lead into the
half, the Stags found themselves in
a tough situation for one of the first
times of the season. Coming out of
the half down 29-21, the Lady Stags
knew that the only way to win was
to make their move from the jump.
Trading baskets throughout the
whole third quarter, the moment
of truth came down to the fourth.
Down six going into the fourth, the
pressure was on the Stags.
“We knew what we had to
do; it came down to us executing,”
Tristen McFeders said about going
into the third quarter down.
With late game heroics,
Hunter Bentley hit key shots for the
Stags to pull the game closer. Turn-
ing the defense up in the final minutes, three steals in a row followed
by a game tying three, the Stags had
momentum and the crowd on their
side. As the clock counted down,
a prayer was answered for the Huskies as they tied with a baseline
floater sending the game to overtime. The Lady Stags prior to this
game were 2-0 in overtime with the
biggest win against Aquinas Feb. 9
just a week before facing Northwest.
“We were able to stop them
when we needed to most and that
is what the game came down too,”
McFeders said about winning in
overtime 50-45.
Sophomore Hunter Bentley crosses up a
Blue Valley defender on Feb.20. Hunter
had nine points and five assists in the win.
Photo by Carson Miller
Swimmers and the entire dive team fare well at State
Against Blue Valley on Feb.20, senior Reggie Byers puts a move on a Blue Valley deGardner
Edgerton
Feb. 27. Miege
fender. Photo
by Carson Miller
their next game. With three starters
scoring in double digits, the Stags
won in convincing fashion, beating Southwest 60-46. Feb. 17 junior
guard Tristen McFeders finished
with 20 points. Just two points shy,
Homoly finished with 18, and as the
third starter in double digits, Hunter Bentley, had 12 points with three
steals, adding three assists as well.
Miege was in control the
whole game, coming out focused
By: brennandial
staff writer
They went to defend their title as the
2014 State swim champs, but after the loss of a
talented senior group a year ago, Miege ‘s swim
team went through a rebuilding process this
year.
“We did really well with so little,” Coach
Dennis Mueller explained about the State finals.
There were strong performances from
sophomore Ryan Bias, senior Louie Carter, and
the junior duo John Stockton and John Schultz.
Jacob Stockton and Louie Carter both
placed in the top five of their races. Stockton —
Miege’s only diver—placed second in dive as he
tallied 416 points while also being on the second
team All-State. By no surprise, returner senior
Louie Carter placed fourth in the 50 freestyle
and earned an AllState first team spot
for his performance
throughout the season.
Sophomore Ryan
Bias raced in the
100 backstroke and
though he finished
11th, he broke the
record
previously
held by Louie Carter
with a time of 59.75.
Also swimming the
200 IM, Bias finished
10th with the time of
209.62, just one second off the school record.
Underclassmen such
as freshman Geno Dodd, who was a
part of the 200 freestyle team which
placed fifth with a time of 138.55 and
the personal record for the team on
the season, came up big, contributing to the team at State.
Louie Carter, John Schultz,
Corbin Brown and Ryan Bias were
the champions of the consolation
race, placing 9th in the 200 medley
relay with a time of 145.97.
Swimming the 400 freestyle
relay, senior Matthew Wiese, Ryan
Bias, John Schultz and Louie Carter
finished 7th with the time of 3:32.23,
setting anFlipping through the air on one of his dives
other perat the State championship is junior Jacob
sonal record
Stockton. Jacob finished in second place
for the team
with 416 points. Photo by Teresa Stockton
this year.
page thirteen
13
March 5, 2015
The Miegian
www.bishopmiege.com
Wrestlers end season with three to State
By: C.J.GRUNHARD
staff writer
On Feb. 14, the Stag wrestling team
traveled to Blue Valley High School for the
annual EKL tournament. Junior Mark Muraski
finished in second place in the tournament in
the 195 weight class. Senior Hunter Friesen
also finished high for the Stags, winning the
consolation finals and taking third place in the
160 weight class. Following the Stags’ finish in
the EKL tournament, head coach David Eller
said, “It was a solid performance for our team
as we work towards peaking at Regionals and
State.”
As the regular season came to a close
for the wrestlers, Hunter Friesen led the Stags
in scoring with 104 points. Following Hunter for
most points were senior Chance Friesen with
100 and Mark Muraski with 95. The wrestlers
finishing with the best records were Chance
Friesen with a 15-9 record, Mark Muraski 15- 182, sophomore Luke Ziglinski; and 195, junior
16, senior Alias Martinez 10-11, and freshman Mark Muraski.
Drew Perez
In the Class 4A Regional at
14-15.
Baldwin on Feb. 20-21, the Stags
With the
as a team finished in tenth place
conclusion
with a team score of 46.
of
the
Bishop Miege had three
r e g u l a r
wrestlers finish in the top four,
s e a s o n ,
qualifying for State. Chance
the
Stags’
Friesen finished fourth in the
Regional
152 weight class, Hunter Friesen
qualifiers
finished fourth in the 160
were in the
weight class, and Luke Ziglinski
113
pound
finished fourth in the 182 weight
weight class,
class.
The
three
from
Miege
sophomore
C u r t i s Senior Hunter Friesen scored 104 points at State, leading wrestled in the Kansas State
championships on Feb. 27. None
Park;
126 the team in scoring. Photo By Brandon Kirkland
lb., junior Jackson Berry; 138 lb., sophomore of the wrestlers came away with a medal at
Tommy O’Donnell; 145, freshman Drew State, but all three competed well against the
Perez; 152, senior Chance Friesen; 160, senior best wrestlers in the State, according to Coach
Hunter Friesen; 170, senior Alias Martinez; Eller.
A successful season means Stag bowler is State bound
By: Lucy Doll
staff writer
The Stag bowling team
has completed a good season.
Today,senior Kaitlyn Gemmill is
competing at State.
“This year was a lot of learning and growth. Bowlers did a great
job of working harder to get better
everyday. We had a very successful
season,” said coach Matthew Eshelbrenner.
On Feb. 6, the Stags JV
team traveled to Topeka for an
overall successful meet. The girls’
team leader was Alyssa Yap, sophomore, who finished with a series
total of 387, helping her team score
a total of 1230 points. The boys’ JV
team finished in seventh place; junior Tyler Infinger led with a 488
series total.
The JV boys’ team finished
with a win the following week at the
Archbishop’s Cup. Their final total
was 1781 points with senior Martin
Yap leading the team with a 464 series total.
Va r s i t y
boys finished in
second
14
with 2149 final score. Sophomore
Peter Fontaine took fourth overall,
scoring a 551 series and was the top
varsity boy from Miege.
Varsity girls also brought
home second place with a 1681 final tally; Kaitlyn Gemmill placed
second overall with 519 series. The
JV girls’ team followed close behind, finishing in third place with a
combined score 1323. Elaina Rush,
senior, was third overall in the JV
competition and finished with a
369 series total.
Carrying over their good
fortune to the next meet on Feb.
17, JV boys claimed their second
win in a row. Their final score was
1762 with senior Alex Perez taking
home the best individual score of
477 and sophomore Adam White
close behind in second place with
431 series total. Varsity boys came
in second with 2146. Jake Klausner,
senior, finished in second with a
series total of 562.
The girls’ varsity team had
a total score of 1673, landing them
in second place. Kaitlyn Gemmill
again led the team, finishing in
fifth with 434. The JV girls’ team
also brought home second with a
final total of 1337. Elena Rush took
page fourteen
At Regionals on Feb. 25,
first place with a series total of 389. EKL was another success- their final meet, the boys’ team
ful meet for boys’ JV. They brought placed ninth overall with a final
home first place with a final score total score of 1996. The girls’ team
of 1887. Adam White, sophomore, finished with an impressive fifth
won the meet with a top individual place with a 1800 combined score.
“I had a lot of fun at Regionscore of 491 with senior Alex Perez
close behind in second with a 481 als, and I loved having my positive
series total. JV girls’ finished in team surround me and cheering
fifth with a 1221 total score. Alyssa for each other,” said junior Lucy
Yap had the highest score from Mohler.
Kaitlyn Gemmill was the
Miege at 311 total series points,
landing her in twelfth place.
only bowler to qualify for State.
Boys’ varsity finished in
second place
with a combined score of
2088. Their
top
bowler
was
Peter
Fontaine who
finished sixth
overall with
a series total
of 542. Varsity girls were
fifth with 1707
total points.
Kaitlyn Gemmill finished
fifth overall Today senior Kaitlyn Gemmill is bowling at State competition in
with a final Wichita. She was the only Stag to qualify. Photo by Brandon Kirkland
score of 468.
www.bishopmiege.com
The Miegian
March 5, 2015
Childhood games it would be impossible to forget. . .
By: AndrewJezak
By: C.J.GRUNHARD
staff writer
Released in 2001,
NBA Street by EA sports
revolutionized how basketball
video games were played.
By combining NBA stars
such as Kobe Bryant, Vince
Carter, Tracy McGrady,
Allen Iverson, and Shaq with
NBA street legends such as
Biggs and Drake, NBA Street
incorporated street ball and
the NBA into one video game.
High flying alley oops,
mind-boggling dunks, and
punch steals on a blacktop
street court did nothing
but add to the excitement.
Every flashy spin move, cross
over, or crazy dunk would
slowly add points to the
Gamebreaker meter, and
when filled completely, left
you with an automatic three
pointer or huge dunk.
Whether playing
a pick-up game with your
favorite NBA stars, or playing
a circuit season with your
favorite team, NBA Street
always left you wanting to play
more.
Staff Writer
Most games only require
the use of your hands and expired
brain cells, but not the masterfully
created Wii Sports from Nintendo.
The Wii Sports duo of the classic
Wii Sports and its iconic sequel
Wii Sports Resort puts its players
into a virtual world of athletics,
strange-looking people, and agile
wrist movements. In the original
game, players can choose matches
such as baseball, boxing, bowling,
golf, and my personal favorite,
tennis.
I am an avid Wii Sports
tennis player, having fought
my way to the pro level with my
super quick serves and masterful
backhand. The only downside was
the tennis elbow the next day.
By: BrennanDial
staff writer
In this amazing and
well-constructed football game,
released July 20, 2004, ESPN
added Chris Berman, an anchor
for ESPN football, to the game,
and he would open the game while
you were waiting for it to load.
Comparing the two teams to one
another, “This will be a good one,”
was his favorite way to send you off
to the stadium.
At the time, the
graphics were
unlike any others,
and the game play
was ultimately
smooth, making
it one of the best
football games ever.
The Dynasty
mode, in which you could pick a
team and play their schedule, was
flawless, Chris Berman again was
shown analyzing the plays and
players of the week as he would
go through all games the week
before, SportsCenter highlights
made it feel as close to real life as
any other football Dynasty mode.
Madden might be the only football
game out now, but NFL 2K5 paved
the way for sports video games.
By: KyleLauterwasser
staff writer
If you had asked me a
year ago, I would have told you
that there is no way I would
ever enjoy soccer. Watching
a sport that continues over
90 minutes and then ends in
a tie just did not seem like a
fun time to me. Then I was
introduced to FIFA, and my
whole frame of mind changed.
FIFA has been entertaining
generations of fans ever since
its first release on July 13, 1993.
The game allows
players to control all of their
favorite soccer teams from
around the world (usually FC
Barcelona or Real Madrid).
And whether you spend your
time pummeling some random
one star team 10 to nothing, or
compete in the World Cup and
win during penalty kicks, FIFA
always keeps players on their
toes.
In more recent
versions, players now have the
opportunity to create their
own Ultimate Team of soccer
superstars to compete against
other players’ teams. Who
wouldn’t want to have a team
with both Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo as forwards?
FIFA puts players in the middle
of the action, and allows them
to live out some of their wildest
aspirations.
15
page fifteen
Mother Daughter
Fashion Show
Sadies in
Senior boys clap and wave to
thank the parents at the end of
the show. Photo by McKenzi Weber
KC
Sadies King and Queen Ethan de
Leon (12) and Mary Egger(12)
were crowned at the dance on
Valentine’s Day.
During the first part of the fashion
show, Katie Sullivan (12) and Nick
Corkill (12) model formal wear.
Photo by McKenzi Weber
Photo by McKenzi Weber
Kaitlyn Gemmil (12) models a light
teal dress on the runway and is
accompanied by Eric Buckels (12).
Photo by Lauren Rupp
Ryan Graves (12) is sporting an all
white tuxedo provided by Men’s
Warehouse . Photo by Judi Wollenziehn
Dawson Downing (11) and Maggie
Mitchell (11) stand at the center of
the gym as they are introduced at
the pep assembly.
Photo by Lauren Rupp
At the assembly, Hanna Stram (10)
walks with Attabak Sadeghi (10)
who waves to his fans.
Photo by Nastassia Aquino
In the middle of the runway,
Liam Bryson (12) tries on Molly
Becker’s (12) sweater.
Photo by Lauren Rupp
Danny Herrington (12) shows off a
black tux with a white tie and vest
while escorting Natalie Sitek (12)
who is in a purple evening dress.
Photo by McKenzi Weber
Alex Perez (12) walks with queen
candidate Mary Egger (12) into
the gym during the Sadies pep assembly. Photo by Nastassia Aquino
High-fiving their way through the
crowd are Hope Bentley (12) and
Ethan de Leon (12).
Photo by McKenzi Weber