French Stars in CATS Pg. 5
Hall: Behind the Lens Pg. 6-7
Homecoming photos Pg. 9
2 | Contents
In this Issue
The Staff Editors-in-Chief Hannah Johnson Megan Kohman
Assistant Editors Makenzie Allison Blair Pullman
Copy Editor
Lauren Roman
Business Managers Kaylee Gunzelman Beth Snow
Photo Editor John Jacobsen
Photographers Evan Fruhauf Peter Lundrigan Rachel Maneth
Reporters Katie Collins Brooke Dreiling Tyler Harris Madison Henry Tyler Koch Ashley Kramer Jackson Mace Stephanie Ng Avery Niernberger Jameson O’Connor Quinn O’Connor Renee Price Abigail Samuelson Daniel Saunders Helen Soultanian Colin Williams
Advisor Julie Calabro
News 3
The Briefs
Trunk-or-treat -Tennis- GAD
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CATS
Bonnie French
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Mariah Hall
Megan Wong, senior
Film Making
Feature 9 Photoblock: Homecoming 10 Golf Cross country 11 Sports Briefs
Katie Kretchmar, senior Matthew Noah, senior
Pumpkin Patch - Tennis - Dance Team
Halloween 12 Two sides of Halloween 14 Editorial
Lady Jags perform for Homecoming
Halloween pranks
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Sports Superstitions Pro/con trick-or-treating age Halloween movie review Spooky Meal Deals Guess who Halloween Treats Fears Haunted locations
GABE OLIVERIUS COVER, PHOTO JOHN JACOBSON GREG MILLS BACK COVER, PHOTO EVAN FRUHAUF
Jags vs. Salina Central
Claire Calvert, soph.
Kids 4 kids treats community
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rick-or-treaters, candy, costumes and games are all part of the annual Trunk-or-Treat hosted by the Kids 4 Kids club. Members from the club are able to come and help pass out candy to the children of the community. There is also face painting and games that the kids can play.
“It’s a great way to get community members to hear what we’re about,” Kids 4 Kids sponsor Emily Taylor said. The school joins up with Andover to help run the event and make it more fun. “I think it’s neat to see the two high schools coming together to put their energy into raising
money for a common cause. The high school kids have a lot of fun because they dress up and pass out candy,” Taylor said. It is scheduled for October 26 in the Central High School parking lot at 5:30 P.M. BROOKE DREILING For the full story go to achsspotline.org
Andover Days lacks pizzazz
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Audrey Marshall, junior, smiles between songs during a jazz performance the night before the GAD carnival. RACHEL MANETH PHOTO
Greer Niernberger, freshman, walked amidst the flashing lights and screaming children that made up the atmosphere of Andover’s annual carnival on the weekend of September 28. “I look forward to going to GAD every year because of the fun games however, I think this year lacked in entertainment.” Several other students also considered the fair to be stodgy. “The lines were so
long. I wonder if it would be a possibility to relocate in order to accommodate for all visitors and maybe some new rides,” senior Kaegen O’Donnell said. Students thought GAD failed to feature carnival standards like the Ferris wheel. “There wasn’t even a Ferris wheel. I hope that the GAD committee realizes the mistakes they’ve made so they can fix them for next year,” Niernberger said. ABIGAIL SAMUELSON
Stuco aims to heighten spirit
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ressed in a toga, junior Stuco representative Lydia Ferch helped to build excitement for Homecoming by participating in Spirit Week. The Student Counsel chose the themes to be sports, America, the beach, and ‘throwback thursday’. Hoping to catch students’ attention, Stuco advertised the thematic attire through a number
of means. “We made banners and announcements, and we have a Twitter,” Ferch said. “And we also participate.” According to Ferch, sports day was the most popular among students, even though it was on Monday. This year, Stuco added a different day to change things up. “Beach day was new,”
said Ferch. Students wore colorful button-downs and swim trunks to mimic the atmosphere of the tropical ocean shoreline. The Spirit Week themes captured idle fantasies and active loyalties, allowing students to demonstrate their passion for their school and country as well as to escape from the mundane present at the beach and in the past. COLIN WILLIAMS
News Briefs | 3
Upcoming Dates October 26 ACT Test October 30 NHS Blood Drive Southern Plains Marching Festival October 31 Halloween Senior Graduation Supplies Deadline November 1 No School Senior Night November 2 SAT Test November 5 Election Day November 6 Volleyball Banquet November 7 Soccer Banquet November 8 FBLA Fall Conference November 9 FBLA Fall Conference November 11 Veterans Day November 14 Play Matinee Football Banquet
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BOO-tiful dresses
News | 5
French cast in Crown Uptown show
CATS musical provides unique experience for student
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s the Crown Uptown performance of Hairspray concluded, senior Bonnie French was rather upset, assuming that she had missed the deadline for auditions for CATS, her favorite musical. CATS was the first musical French ever saw, on VHS at her grandmother’s house. A tweet shared her feelings online. The next morning, French awoke to find a reply on Twitter, stating that she could still set up an audition. After a 30 person dance audition, French became the first minor to land a paid role in a Crown Uptown musical. “For my audition I sang two songs: “Taylor the Latte Boy” by Kristen Chenoweth and “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady the musical. Then they told me to come back at 8:30 or 9 for the dance call. At the dance call, we were all on the stage and GiGi Gans taught us the dance for the audition. Overall the audition went really well, even though I was extremely nervous,” French said. CATS is based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats with music composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber. The musical focuses on a tribe of cats known as Jellicles and their decision on which cat will ascend and be reborn. French’s character is Bombalurina, a red, sultry, naïve, female cat. “The way we have, as actors and actresses of the Crown Uptown, portrayed this show is a little different. For example my character, to me, since I am the youngest cast member (aside from the kittens) is a little naïve. My character likes to show off and tries to prove that she can be just like every other cat. For example, in the song “Rum Tum Tugger” she tries to get Rum Tum Tugger to like her, but he just brushes her off because he is into the older cats,” she said. Crown Uptown performs CATS four days a week, September 13 through October 19. The cast spent six days learning the play and an additional eight days perfecting it before the first performance.
“The show itself is such a difficult show to do. You are nonstop moving and there are pretty fast songs with a ton of words. Not to mention the 10 minute dance we have. “Jellicle Ball” is at the end of Act I. We sing at the beginning and then just dance for 10 minutes straight. It is very, very tiring. Especially with the unitard, gloves, leg warmers, face full of makeup, and a huge wig, it just gets so hot. But I love every minute of it,” French said. Due to the intense practice and performance schedule, French had to transition to online school. “I had to take two weeks of school off from August 30 to September 13 because the rehearsals were all day. Some days it was six hours others it was nine and some it became around 11 hours of rehearsal in a day. I was planning on just getting my school work, doing it, and bringing it back the next day but it soon became near impossible with the rehearsal schedule just to eat and sleep, let alone do school work, so I ended up having to switch to online school,” she said. French plans on continuing performing in the future, however she plans on becoming a cosmetologist. “There are no words to describe the happiness I feel while doing this show. I am so very grateful to have this opportunity. Many of the actors in the show are from New York, California, and Florida so just meeting them and doing the show is awesome. It will definitely look really good on my resume. It has given me such a great experience. Also since I want to be a cosmetologist just doing my own makeup for the show is an amazing experience,” French said. STORY DANIEL SAUNDERS, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION PETER LUNDRIGAN
6 | Feature
PAGE BLAIR PULLMAN PHOTO JOHN JACOBSEN
Feature | 7
Mariah Hall: Behind the lens
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hen she was little, Mariah Hall had no interest in film. She hardly ever watched TV and rarely went to see a movie. This all changed, however, in fifth grade, when she was assigned to make a short film. “I’d never liked movies that much, and had no idea what making a movie could be like. After making that movie, though, I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” sophomore Hall said. Since then, Hall has taken almost every CityArts class offered in film, and has been heavily involved in Wichita’s annual Tallgrass Film Festival. Tallgrass is a local film festival dedicated to forwarding the work of independent filmmakers in Kansas and nationwide. The festival, founded in 2003, runs in midOctober of every year. This year’s festival opened on the 16th and concluded on the 20th. “The festival is really important to the community and filmmakers living in Kansas. This year’s Festival was the fifth year that I’ve worked with the festival. It’s fun to meet all the filmmakers and see how they work and try to
learn from them.” This year’s festival is increasingly important to Hall. Members of the Festival’s Board chose her and two other Wichita-Area highschoolers as Emerging Programmer Apprentices. “Our job as Programmer Apprentices is to watch all the high school short films that were submitted and choose which ones we felt deserved to be shown,” Hall said. “Roughly 80 were submitted and we chose the 11 that we felt were the best.” Hall also entered a short film which won the Tallgrass “Emerging Filmaker Award.” “It’s a short film titled ‘Why Not’. It’s about a man who finds a credit card and thinks all his dreams will come true, but reality soon comes crashing down on him.” While Hall enjoys being able to show her own work, she equally loves the camaraderie that comes with being involved in a local film community. “Being involved with the festival has allowed me to meet so many people and learn so much about film. The film makers that come to Tallgrass are independent
and fund their own projects. It’s different making movies in Wichita compared to New York or Los Angeles. There isn’t money involved. People are making movies because they love making films not because they want to be rich.” Whether it be working with actors to create a short film or simply filming a high school pep assembly, Hall always has her camera at the ready, prepared to capture beauty in the most banal or extravagant of moments. “Movies are just a great way to tell a story. There are so many aspects to making a movie. It’s not just a director or an actor. It’s a team effort and there are always lots of people involved.” Though she works mostly behind the camera, shooting and directing her own pieces, Halls future ambitions lie in another aspect of filmmaking. “I want to go to film school. Probably at KU, but I’m not sure, there are just so many great schools to choose from. I want to be a producer too. Film is my passion. It’s all I’ve really ever wanted to do with my life. Working in films is my dream job.” JACKSON MACE
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Feature | 9
Homecoming: no time, no problem
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t’s 8:45 AM. Bright and early, she heads to Belize Nail and Spa; no extra beauty sleep on the agenda for her. Although most girls were still sleeping, resting up for the big day of Homecoming festivities, Taran Langston, junior, was just getting started. “I was so tired, I was about to fall asleep in my chair at the nail salon,” Langston said. Decked out with freshly painted lavender nails, Langston heads straight to three hours of dance class.
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“I had to start my day early because I had dance class from 12 to three, and I couldn’t skip it,” she said. After class, energy starting to flow, the non-stop day continues with a quick hair and makeup session. “I just went to get my hair done for curls, and picked up the boutonnière on the way. That took about 45 minutes, and then I did my own makeup,” Langston said. Hair curled, corsage in place, and date in tow, Langston proceeds to group pictures and dinner.
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“Our group took pictures at 5:45 in my aunt’s backyard, and then headed to dinner at PF Changs,” she said. She ends the busy day on a high note at the dance. “Getting ready so fast was worth it because we had so much fun,” Langston said. The homecoming dance met most of Langston’s expectations. “Overall the dance was fun, but I think they could have had a lot better music”, Langston said. LAUREN ROMAN 1. Part three of a three-part halftime show, the cheerleaders wow the crowd by spelling out ‘ACHS’ with their pom-poms. JOHN JACOBSEN PHOTO 2. Katlyn Stahl, and Mackenzie Allison, seniors, dance under the flashing lights during the homecoming dance. ZAC ARNHOLD PHOTO 3. Fall homecoming court from left to right: Kalie Belt, Colin Williams, Katie Kretchmar, Matthew Noah, Hannah Johnson, Jameson O’Connor, Zoe Bishop, Kier Stamp. King and Queen were Noah and Kretchmar. COURTESY PHOTO 4. Lucas Milner, senior running back, breaks away from a mustang defender for a first down. The game resulted in a win for the mustangs. JOHN JACOBSEN PHOTO 5. Michael Grendahl, senior trumpet player, performs with the band during part two of the halftime show. JOHN JACOBSEN PHOTO
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10 | Feature
Cross country adjusts to changes, young team
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ith the official season and league behind, the cross-country team continues to prepare for regionals and state with practice six days a week and high expectations. “It is a totally different season compared to others. I am doing entries and not a single person who ran varsity last year will run varsity during this next meet,” head crosscountry coach Kevin Wiebe said. The runners also experience drastic changes from last season. “This year is a lot different from last year because we mainly have
Some of these have been met, but some are really figuring out how to get better,” Wiebe said. Besides practicing hard during the workouts, individual runners prepared earlier this summer and a younger team and I’m missing the continue to make healthier choices. seniors who made the team a lot dif“I ran a lot over the summer and ferent,” senior Taylor Oschner said. tried to stay healthy so I would not Freshman also see high school hurt myself,” Oschner said. running as a greater obstacle. “To prepare for regionals I will “High school cross-country is eat a lot of balanced meals, drink a lot harder than middle school lots of water, and get plenty of rest,” because our long-distance runs are freshman Chloe Baker said. much longer and speed workouts With such a young team, the seare more difficult,” freshman Grant nior leaders have had to step up. Sinclair said. “It’s kind of difficult because we Coming into the season, Wiebe have such a young team and they had some expectations for the team. are kind of crazy and mess around. “Just to see if a lot of the newer There’s a lot of pressure for the serunners can continue to make niors to be leaders, but that is okay improvements and be consistent because it is a lot of fun,” Oschner in workouts so they can get better. said. KAYLEE GUNZELMAN
Dedication pays off as State approaches
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fter long hours of hard work and lots of golfing, girls golf has approached the season’s end. Finishing strong at regionals on October 14, seniors Shannon Loofs and Lea Clubb are moving on to state. “I worked my butt off and it was all I wanted,” senior Shannon Loofs said. Loofs plans to practice hard at Teradyne and get out and play with Clubb as much as possible in order to prepare for state. The team was also successful at league, where Junior Lydia Ferch medaled for the first time. “[Medaling] makes me feel important and it makes me feel successful like I achieved a great
goal,” Ferch said. Though this year was a rebuilding year for the team, with lots of freshmen and new golfers, they have learned that hard work does pay off. At the Maize south tournament on September 26, the girls placed second as a team. Not only was the season for rebuilding and improving, but also having fun and making memories. “My favorite memory is either Hannah [Farney] pushing Shannon off the cart or just having crazy times with the girls at practice,” Clubb said. Clubb has hopes to continue playing in college but will miss “[her] girls” next year. ASHLEY KRAMER
Junior Aaron Maddox and freshman Peter Henry run at their first meet. “I like cross country because it keeps me in phenomenal shape and running is a nice stress reliever. The season has not met my expectations but I am looking forward to regionals to get my best time yet,” Maddox said.
Sports Briefs | 11
Wong takes 3rd at State
T Megan Wong, senior, took first place in singles at the Regional tennis tournament in Wellington. The team also placed first. She took third place at State. WONG COURTESY PHOTO
he varsity girls tennis team won a first place plaque at 4A regionals in Wellington. Megan Wong, senior, got the regional first place singles title and went on to get third place at State. Ashley Fonger, junior, placed sixth at Wellington and Colby Fugit, freshman, and Claire Calvert, sophomore, placed fourth in doubles and competed at State with Fonger and Wong. Wong was ready for State. “I trained with Indonesian coaches during the summer for about a month to get coaching on the techniques they used compared to American techniques,” she said.
Calvert and Fugit placed fifth and overall the team got fourth at State. Coach John Calabro was please with the girls’ efforts on the court. “State was fun this year. Being regional champions for the second time in three years was an unbelievable feat. Sending 4 girls to state was a first for us and coming in forth was our best showing ever. We missed bringing a trophy home by one point in the team standings. Wong, Fugit and Calvert gave it everything they had and it showed with getting 3rd in singles and 5th in doubles. I couldn’t be more proud of them,” he said. TYLER HARRIS
Dance team puts in extra hours
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t’s 5:15 AM, and while the rest of the world is asleep, some are getting ready for the day. The sun is yet to rise, and the cold weather reminds them that winter is coming quickly. But for the members of the Dance Team, the weather is the least of their worries. With both the Homecoming game and assembly at the end of the
week, the Lady Jags knew that they would need to straighten out their priorities if they were going to be able to perform two different dances, and that’s exactly what they did. They practiced twice a day, before and after school, relegating any idle thoughts of free time to the back of their minds. The schedule didn’t make their lives any
easier. “[Practicing twice a day] makes it difficult to get ready in the mornings,” dance captain Madison White said. “It makes you a little more lethargic throughout the day.” Although the team generally practices only after school, there are times in the season when that simply isn’t enough.
“[Our schedule] depends on how many dances we are doing,” she said. White explains that while this is the first week of extra practice, they can expect it to happen more frequently as the year goes on. “When we get around State we’ll do it more,” White said. COLIN WILLIAMS
Cheer team visits pumpkin patch
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t was the first cold day after a month of 95degree weather, leaves were changing to deep reds and rich gold, and autumn was in the air. The setting was perfect for the cheer squad to head to Walter’s Pumpkin Patch. east of town.
As Cherilyn E, senior, headed to the pumpkin patch, she felt relief. “It was a great team bonding after homecoming and all that stress. We don’t get to hang out as a squad for fun that much, so it makes me appreciate it more,” E said. Though it was her first
experience, Sarah Johnson, freshman, enjoyed the patch. “I loved tumbling on the orange bouncy pillow with the team and when my friend Carol lost her phone in the corn pit,” Johnson said. As the cheer team left the h Kalie Belt, senior,
realized another Tradition had ended. “It was bittersweet, just another reminder that this is our last year doing a lot of stuff together. There’s many traditions with the girls on the cheer squad that I will miss doing next year,” Belt said. HELEN SOULTANIAN
12 | Feature
Traditions major aspect of Halloween
Customs have something for all ages to celebrate
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ake a walk outside on any October afternoon. The air-cool, crisp, and breezy, signals the change of seasons from summer to fall. October contains to one of the most celebrated holidays in America—Halloween. Each year, Americans are expected to spend $2.6 billion dollars on costumes alone--and nearly 6.9 billion total on Halloween items including costumes, candy, and decorations. This holiday, with its orange, pumpkins, trick-or-treaters, and candy corn offers a way for those celebrating to participate in the holiday through methods that are different from the original purpose of Halloween, that are less frightening and more appropriate for all ages. One aspect of Halloween that is customary and iconic is the use of orange and black. The orange colors represent the colors of fall and harvest, whereas the black represents the dying of the summer season. Other colors, such as purple, yellow, green, and
brown have also become symbolic of this holiday season. Another symbolic feature of Halloween lies in foods consumed. One example is candy apples which orginated in the Roman culture. They used apples to honor the goddess of fruit trees. Candy apples were the original candy that was passed out to trick-or-treaters. Another example of traditional food is candy corn. Invented in the 1880s, the candy represents the colors and shape of corn kernels. It is mass produced for not only Halloween but also other holidays because of its popularity. An American Halloween originated in 1840s. During the potato famine and when the Irish immagrated to America, they brought a tradition of carving out the centers of various vegetables and placing a candle inside. this Tradition continues with pumpkins and is symbolic of Halloween Another long time tradition of Halloween is trick-or-treating. Though it began in different forms as early as the 1850s in other
Essential elements for Halloween
pumpkins
countries, the traditional trickor-treating we know began in the 1950s in America. Children dress up in costumes and go door to door saying, “trick-ortreat” and are given candy or some other treat. Halloween decorating is also popular in the United States. Black cats, spider webs, and pumpkins line the walkways and front porches of homes across America. These forms of celebration are the best way to participate in the holiday because all ages can enjoy these traditions. Everyone can carve a jacko-lantern, and even if you are too old to participate in Halloween, you can pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters and decorate your home. So as the season’s change and usher in a new season, we also welcome the coming of a traditional American holiday. However you choose to celebrate, there are many iconic ways to participate. KENZIE ALLISON
costume
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13 | Feature
Unmasking the dark side Exploring evil origins, traditions tied to October 31
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acabre, fear, darkness – sounds like a “child’s” holiday, right? While Halloween may trigger thoughts of candy and costumes, it has dark origins that continue to influence the holiday today. Halloween emerged in medieval Scotland and Ireland, and was known as “Samhain.” It was supposed that the barrier between the real world and the world of the dead was its thinnest on October 31, making it the easiest day of the year for contact with the dead. Demons and other supernatural creatures allegedly roamed the earth on this day. Satanists and some who practiced the Wiccan religion performed dark rituals at the midnight hour of the 31st. Many “innocent” Halloween traditions originated during ancient time because of religion and stories. Jack-o-lanterns most likely originated from an Irish folktale about a drunk named Jack. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree to get an apple. Once he was trapped in the branches, Jack made the devil promise he would not send Jack to hell after his death and once the devil agreed, Jack let him down. When Jack died he was not allowed into heaven for being a selfish drunk, but the Devil also did not allow him into Hell to keep his oath. As Jack left Hell, the devil threw a hot coal at him, which he put inside a turnip. He carried this turnip with him as he wandered earth in the afterlife. The legend eventually changed from turnips to pumpkins. While dressing up in funny or clever costumes on the 31st may seem childish, the tradition has Pagan origin. Costumes were used to hide the identities of those who attended Pagan festivals, to increase chances of communication with the dead, or
to also ward off evil spirits and demons. It was also rumored that since demons roamed the earth on October 31, dressing up like them would trick them into thinking humans were of their kind, which kept them from harassing people. Trick-or-treating originally resembled Christmas caroling. It was called “souling” and consisted of children going door-to-door begging for money or food in return for songs or prayers. The term “trick-or-treat” emerged in the 1930s, shortly after the activity emerged in the U.S. Aside from the origins of Halloween traditions, ancient religion also influences violence around October 31. Many animal shelters do not allow the adoptions of black cats near
Halloween because members of the Satanic religion as well as others sacrifice cats in certain rituals. Many forms of gang and religious violence also still occur on the holiday today. Halloween has been extremely Americanized to a day focused on fun and games. The horror movie industry is one of the fastest growing movie industries in the U.S., and haunted houses are a top source of entertainment for teens and adults in the month of October. Whether it be deemed justifiable or not, the origins of Halloween are pushed aside for candy, spooky movies, and haunted houses in the U.S. This makes acknowledging the holiday’s origins very important, so that they are not forgotten in the future. HANNAH JOHNSON
Staff Editorial | 14
Halloween pranks ruin holiday for kids Pranks harm victims, leave bad childhood memories
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alloween is a time for tricks-or-treats. But are some tricks too cruel? Pranks are usually funny for the audience, but not so much for the victim. Most “jokes” aren’t as harmless as people think. Some pranks are innocent fun. Gavin Cusick, freshman, shares a holiday tradition from his neighborhood. “Our cul-de-sac does this thing where you ‘boo’ somebody. You put a ghost on somebody’s window and then they have to ‘boo’ someone else,” Cusick said. Others, like freshman Grace Uhlenhop, find scares to be fun. “A couple of years ago I went to a house to trickor-treat and there was a skeleton decoration sitting in a chair. I took some candy from the bowl and was about to leave. I go up to the skeleton and tap it on the head and said “It feels like a real person” then it popped up and scared me. It was fun,” Uhlenhop said. Some pranks are just down-right confusing. Sara McLemore, freshman, recalls one night trick-or-treating with fellow freshmen Corinna Powell and Madison Price. “Me, Corinna [Powell], and Madi [Price] were walking up to this house. It was dark. We were in the middle of a conversation when someone yelled ‘It’s Corinna!’ and like twenty to thirty guys in black and blue morph suits swarmed out from the bushes and trees. Then they ran away to hide somewhere else. It was really astonishing,” McLemore said. However, Victoria Eastman, freshman, did not find a prank played on her fun at all. “When I was six there was this gorilla thing holding the candy bowl, and I thought it was stuffed. I reached into the bowl, and it grabbed my hand and started screaming. It was really scary and I started crying,” Eastman said.
Pranksters tend to target young kids. An easy scare is an easy target after all. “I was trick-or-treating around my neighborhood and there was this guy sitting in a chair. He had on a black cape and mask, and I thought it was one of those mannequins. I was walking away, and I kept looking back at him. He got up and started chasing me. I screamed and fell, and I ripped my dress and scabbed my arm. It was very scary,” senior Blair Pulman said. Not only are children scared, but they can end up hurt or their costumes damaged. A night meant for fun ends in tears and bad memories. Lauren Roman, junior, recalled a particularly scary night. “There was this guy in our neighborhood who does a haunted house every year in his garage. He was trying to get us to go into the garage and my dad was like ‘No we’re not going.’ and he [the neighbor] had this chainsaw without the chain on it and he chased us around. I was traumatized,” Roman said. Pranks are meant to be fun. They are supposed to be harmless, and make everyone, including the one being pranked, laugh. Halloween pranks take things too far. There is a difference between a quick scare and ruining a child’s night, potentially scarring them. People need to rethink what might be a “fun” prank and take account for those who will not find it fun at all. There have been many cases of injuries and even deaths caused by supposed “pranks.” The chance at a cheap laugh is not worth ruining another person’s night, let alone their life. If a prank is going to hurt someone, emotionally or physically, it should not be done. STORY, CARTOON RENEE PRICE
Are Halloween pranks harmful?
Staff Vote
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Agree 20 Disagree 5
]
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Sports Feature | 16
Student atheletes wiegh in on pre-game rituals
Greer Niernberger Peyton Huslig Basketball Football Come winter, and with it basketball season, Greer Niernberger, freshman, will never lose her basketball bag. That’s because she can spot her bright orange sock monkey attached to it from a mile away. “My mom got me an orange sock monkey, and
I have to have it clipped to my bag,” Niernberger said. “It’s for good luck. [My mom] gave it to me before my seventh grade basketball tryout. I made the team that year and the next year, all because of the orange sock monkey.”
Wyatt Skibba Soccer When watching the men’s soccer team warmup, spectators will see one player off to the side, away from the others. “I warm-up by myself, away from the team. I can do the things neces-
sary to get me ready for the game,” Wyatt Skibba, sophomore said. Preparing on his own is one of the things that Skibba claims helps him get ready to take action on the field.
Lucas Milner Baseball Lucas Milner, senior, has a ritual that he performs every time he pitches a baseball game. “I write my grandmother’s initials on the backside of the mound and then do the Sign of the Cross,”
Milner said. However, he says it’s not necessarily vital to his performance. “I just like to do it. I trust my abilities enough to be able to still perform. I just like to do it before I pitch.”
STORY, JAMESON O’CONNOR PAGE, BLAIR PULLMAN
“If I throw with a certain person before a game, and we win, I have to throw with them until we lose,” Peyton Huslig, sophomore, said about his superstitions when it comes to football. His pre-game routine
doesn’t particularly affect his performance during the game, but it helps him to mentally prepare himself. “Before the game it helps me to think about the previous game that I did well in, and what I did to help us win.”
Becca Schulte Softball Becca Schulte, junior, doesn’t necessarily have a strict ritual for game days, but she never forgets to take time to think early in the morning. “Every morning before
a game I get up 30 minutes early and visualize what I have to do to win,” Schulte said. This meditation time early in the morning gets Schulte focused for the game.
Stana Jefferson Basketball Some people have lucky charms; others have lucky handshakes; Coach Stana Jefferson has lucky pants. “I have worn the same pair of pants for nine years every game. I call them my ‘game pants,’” Jefferson said. “The girls put their uniforms on, I put my game pants on.” Last season,
Coach Jefferson’s “game pants” almost weren’t an option to wear. “I was nervous last season, because I was pregnant and I wasn’t always sure I’d fit into them.” Jefferson made the squeeze however, and the “game pants” were always on the bench with her, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
17 | Pro/Con
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ressed in full ladybug getup, threeyear-old Ashley Naipohn experienced her first Halloween with her parents. Full of fun and entirely too much sugar, she got a taste of all the Halloweens to come. She began a favorite holiday tradition that she still enjoys. As kids, traditions begin that take up huge parts of adolescent life. Letters are written to Santa Claus; teeth are left underneath pillows for the Tooth Fairy. As children grow older, they grow out of these holiday traditions. One seems to stand the test of time for some teens: trick-ortreating. Teenagers still dress up with friends and go around the neighborhood searching for sweets. Since trick-or-treating centers around spending time with friends, there should be no age limit when it suddenly becomes unacceptable. If you have fun when you are with your friends, trick-or-treating will be fun because you are with them. Plus, free candy is not a bad thing. Dressing up is entertaining for all ages and as interests change, so do the costumes. Ladybugs become rock stars and rock stars become hippies. No matter the costume, pretending to be something different for a night can be exciting. Much of the fun of Halloween is the challenge of deciding what you want to be. Halloween gives you the chance to dress up however you want and not worry if you look good. There is no reason to change this tradition when it still has the potential to make unforgettable memories. “If you’re going with your friends and you’re having fun, it shouldn’t matter how old you are. It is still tons of fun,” Naipohn said. BETH SNOW
“When you get into high school, you are too old to trick-or-treat because your friends might make fun of you for dressing up and wanting candy,” freshman Isaac Poe said.
“I think it is acceptable for teenagers to trick-or-treat as long as as they are taking younger children with them and not just going by themselves,” junior Jenny Mendenhall said.
T
rick or Treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat! Or, go buy it yourself. Fall means great food, haunted houses, an, of course, the endless discussion over whether or not high school students should trick-or-treat. Thousands of people buy candy to give to little kids on Halloween. They do not buy it for teenagers. According to the United States Census Bureau, the estimated number of children from five to 14 that will trick-or-treat is 41 million, not including high school students. If 41 million kids are already trying to get some candy, then they will end up with even less because of the high school students. Not to mention, many adults are expecting small children to show up instead of full-grown Chewbaccas and Cinderellas. While parents take their kids out to get candy, some leave a bowl full of candy on the front porch. Most teenagers see that as a sign to dump the entire bowl in the bag. Teenagers will also cover more area than children. Children are easily intimidated by teenagers and may experience some bullying. Teenagers also tend to wear provocative costumes that influence younger children. Lastly, with Halloween falling on a weekday, students should be home doing homework instread of taking candy from the mouths of babies. High school students also have the freedom to go to parties or haunted houses that children can not go to. Why not enjoy that freedom and let the little kids trick-or-treat on Halloween? STEPHANIE NG
Reviews | 18
Family friendly spooky movie reviews The Nightmare Before Christmas Hocus Pocus Rating:
Rating:
Our student body gave “A Nightmare Before Christmas” a six star rating. The pumpkin king of Halloween Town is sick of Halloween. He discovers Christmas Town and tries to get everyone to celebrate Christmas instead of Halloween. Frankly, this is not one of my favorite Halloween movies, because I always thought the skeletons and decaying bodies were vulgar, and I never could get into the moral of the story.
Among our student body, Hocus Pocus was given five stars. “Hocus Pocus” is personally my favorite Halloween movie. Three witches who were executed during the Salem witch trials are brought back from the dead and go out to get revenge. They make this Halloween movie very entertaining and scary, making it unique. “Hocus Pocus” is my all time favorite Halloween movie.
Halloweentown Twitches Rating:
Rating:
“Halloweentown” was given four stars among our student body. 12-year-old Marnie must go through witch training before the age of 13 or else she will lose her powers. Marnie and her two siblings travel to Halloweentown and discover a whole new world. Watching Marnie discover her magic powers and fight off evil with her grandmother Aggie make this a fun watch. This movie is perfect for younger children.
“Twitches” received three stars from our student body. I liked this movie because it had an interesting plotline of two twin sisters who not only had never met before, but also had magic powers that got stronger when they were together. This movie was always a joy to watch because the magic made for many surprises which kept my attention. This plotline is not typical in a Halloween movie, which makes it unique.
Moms Got A Date The Haunted With A Vampire Mansion Rating:
Rating: The student body gave “Moms Got a Date with a Vampire” two stars. The Hansen kids are grounded and want out of the house. They set their mom up with a mysterious man, and the littlest brother thinks the man is a vampire. The children spend the remainder of the movie trying to save their mom. This movie was not always the most entertaining; I prefer to skip the channel when this Halloween movie is on. This movie has more of a humorous attitude and I’m attracted to the spookier feel towards Halloween.
Our student body gave “Haunted Mansion” one star. The Evers family day was interrupted by their father’s realtor business. Their father, being a work-a-holic, must go to this mansion. While visiting the mansion, they realize their mother is in danger and go through many adventures to protect her. This movie was not very funny or scary to me, which did not make it very entertaining. It had its spookier parts, but overall it just did not grab my
19 | Opinion
What do you do on Halloween night? 15.7%
tricko treat r-
33.8
go t oa
%
part
y
Sink your teeth into local Halloween deals Chipotle
“Boorito” - Wear your costume to Chipotle, after 4 pm, on Halloween to receive a $2 burrito.
Sonic
All Halloween Day, come to Sonic for 50 cent corn dogs.
50.5
Wendy’s
%
stay h hand ome & o u t c andy
Donate $1 and receive a Halloween coupon booklet which includes 10 coupons for free Jr. Frostys.
*204 students surveyed
Freshman Volleyball Team Bonding
McDonald’s
Donate $1 and receive a coupon booklet that includes 12 coupons for 4 free apple slices, 4 free small cones, and 4 free milk chugs or juice boxes.
Krispy Kreme
Come in costume to Krispy Kreme to receive a free Halloween or Pumpkin Spice doughnut. PAGE, ASHLEY KRAMER, QUINN O’CONNOR Natalie Howarter and Kellie Sleefe, freshmen, pose with their carved pumpkin. COURTESY PHOTO
“The volleyball team got together and carved like 10 pumpkins. It was the freshmen team at Hannah Cole’s house. We took a long time, because we took breaks in between and, we all carved different ones. [The hardest part was] taking out all the guts and seeds and nasty stuff inside [the pumpkin],” freshman Kellie Sleefe said.
Trick-or-Treat with Spotlight Can you guess which Jaguar students are pictured below? Come to the journalism room to redeem a correct guess for a candy bar!
Recipes | 20
Halloween treats fun aspect of season
Chocolate Mice INGREDIENTS: 1 oz. of cream cheese 1 package of OREO’s M&M’s Licorice Red Hot’s Semi-sweet chocolate chips DIRECTIONS 1. Crush the OREO’s and mix it with the cream cheese. 2. Mold the mixture into an oval shape. Let freeze for twenty minutes.
3. While freezing melt the semisweet chocolate chips. 4. Dip the frozen oreo forms into the melted chocolate 5. While the chocolate is still hot add the M&M’s for ears, Red Hots for noses, and the torn apart licorice for tails and eyes. 6. Let Freeze for 20 minutes
Owl Cupcakes INGREDIENTS: 1-1½ cups flour ¼ cups cocoa powder 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup warm water mixed with 2 tablespoons espresso powder 1 tablespoon white
wine vinegar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ¼ cups vegetable oil ½ cups Nutella OWL DECORATION oreo halves, brown and orange M & M.’s.
PAGE KENZIE ALLISON RECIPES AVERY NIERNBERGER
DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake tins in the pan. 2. In a large bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside till instructed. 3. In a different bowl mix together espresso, vinegar, vanilla, and oil. 4. Mix together the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until thoroughly blended. 5. Fill the tins ¾ full and bake for 15-20 minutes 6. Once cool spread Nutella on top, then add OREO halves with brown M&M’S for pupils, and orange M & M’s for beaks
21 | Feature
Do you ever get the feeling. . .
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he floor lamps cast eerie light about the living room. Sophomore Claire Calvert pulls the blanket up to her chin as the TV show changes. As she glances to the right, she watches the wind blow leaves across the yard through the sliding glass door. Suddenly, there is a noise. Claire freezes. The immediate thought jumps into her mind: someone broke in. For eternity, she is immobile, staring at the now barren lawn. How could someone have gotten in? After the moment has passed, she slowly stands and walks around the room, locking the windows and doors. Her heart rate begins to slow as she walks up the stairs. Claire tests the locks on all of the doors and windows anyway, just to make sure. But still she wonders: is there someone in the pool shed? Or the tree house? The feeling that someone is watching you or the impression
that someone is there when you are alone is not uncommon. This false perception that someone is ‘out to get you’ is called paranoia. According to Lisa Stinson, school counselor, paranoias stem from a past traumatic events or situations that can leave emotional residue. “Sometimes I get the feeling that spiders are crawling on me. My parents made me kill the spiders in our house as a kid, and now I hate them,” sophomore Wyatt Skibba said. Children are easily scared by the unknown and whole-heartedly believe in scary stories. But why do we still look twice at the shadow in our basement even as teenagers and adults? “When we’re young, we’re paranoid of the dark because of the stories that the boogey man and monsters will attack us. As we get older, we realize that even worse things than like that happen in real life,” sopho-
more Kirsten King said. Stinson explains that losing control, being injured, or, in some cases, being judged for their reaction can cause paranoia. For diagnosable paranoia, the person believes that everyone is talking about or wanting to harm him/her. “It’s something psychologists call egocentrism,” psychology teacher Sharon Slade said. “[Being self focused] makes sense, because we should know ourselves better than anyone else.” She said as we grow older, we understand others better. “That’s why toddlers say ‘mine’ and ‘me’ so much,” Slade said. Subconscious ‘what ifs’ can contribute to paranoia, for example, speculating if there is a hidden danger. “When I was little, I would dial 911 into the phone before I walked down the stairs because I was so afraid,” sopho-
more Riley Bishop said. “In mentally healthy people, they have a reason to be paranoid, such as seeing the same man in three different stores in the mall,” Slade said. The mind can misinterpret its surroundings. “It can seem so real because it can have such an emotional impact,” she said. This is why fiction can have such a strong impact. For example, a group of sophomore girls avoid taking a shower when home alone because of horror movies. Claire’s heart rate continues to calm as she realizes that there was never a threat, and she returns to her show. This kind of experience happens to almost everyone, which makes us wonder: was it just her mind misperceiving reality, or can our brains pick up on something that we just cannot understand? KATIE COLLINS CLAIRE CALVERT PHOTO ILLUSTRATION PETER LUNDRIGAN
22 | Feature
Paranormal Activity: Kansas Edition
T
rick or treating becomes more taboo as years go by, so teenagers look for a new thrill around Halloween time. To achieve the same rush free candy once gave, many look into the supernatural aspect of the holiday. Kaylen McMilen, junior, comes from Garden City, a town that experiences several hauntings. “I’ve never went in
myself, but a couple of my friends went into a meatpacking plant. They couldn’t get in through the front, so they went through the side and they opened up something pretty much like a garage door; when they walked in a girl felt something touch her shoulder even though everyone else was in front of her. You know how in meatpacking plants they have the room with the hooks?
Well, as they went into there something pulled my friend’s hair. Another time, some more people went in and a boy was just wandering around behind. Suddenly he tripped and fell, and they took off within 5 second,.” she said. Some of these spooky places are within miles of Andover, Kansas from Thearosas bridge, inhabited by a dead mother, to one of the Seven Gates
of Hell. It’s is not hard to find a spooky thrill. HELEN SOULTANIAN
Looking up at the Bel Aire water tower, and the view of all who look up to pay homage to the lost soul. Legend has it that if you jump the fence surrounding the water tower you will hear either the tapping or the screams of the man who accidently fell into the tower. AVERY NIERNBERGER PHOTOS
Bel Aire spirit yearns for help from living
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hen one approaches the Bel Aire water tower, the mood instantly changes. The wind picks up and whips around. The chains of the nearby swing set rattle. Irony is in the air looking the nearby playground, a sign of youth and life. Yet, the scene was one of death. The tale that circulated is that while the tower was being constructed, a man broke into the site and while exploring fell 183 feet into it. The next morning, construction workers discovered the man’s
body. They had two choices: to continue building around the man’s remains or to stop the project and destroy all the progress they had made.... the workers continued and built around his remains. Legend has it that if one jumps the fence surrounding the tower, one can hear him tapping on the inside of the water tower. He yearns for the attention of all who come and pay homage to him and his lost soul in hopes of being saved. Even non-believers develop a shadow of doubt when visiting the site. “I am very skeptical about ghosts, I’ve never believed in them.
I will admit though that it was creepy walking up to the tower and how the wind instantly changed and grew harsher the longer we stayed,” senior Blair Pullman said. He is still begging for a savior that can save his tortured soul. The experience consisted of no tapping, but there was a definite tone of the supernatural present. Will you save him? AVERY NIERNBERGER
Feature | 23
Thearosa haunts bridge
O
ver a hundred years ago, settlers moving through Valley Center, Kansas were attacked by the Injun Indians, and a young woman, Thearosa, had her child kidnapped. All the settlers left the town in a rush except for Thearosa who continued to search for her baby. Heartbroken, cold, and starving, Thearosa drowned herself in the river surrounding the 109th street bridge. Legend has it that Thearosa’s ghost still searches for her lost baby on the bridge and in the river. “Driving to the bridge I wasn’t really scared,” junior Nick Johnston said. “Getting out of the car, I was a little scared just because I
didn’t know what to expect and it was really dark out. When I got out I just kind of looked around and there was graffiti all over the bridge. I saw these lights that looked like headlights and these guys pulled up and spoke no English. I don’t think they were Indians but were for sure not American. After I yelled ‘Thearosa, I have your baby’ I heard this weird noise from under the bridge and these orbs of light came from under the bridge. I was relieved that I left then because I did not want to see what came next.” No one knows for sure if
Thearosa still searches for her baby around the bridge, but the orbs of light could be a sign.
TYLER HARRIS
Haunted destinations around Kansas Abilene- Old Abilene Town Where most students go, this tourist attraction holds ghosts in almost every building. Many report hearing voices and seeing shadowy figures at night..
Stull- Satanic Cemetery The previous site of many Satanic Rituals, this burnt down church and graveyard is thought to be one of the Seven Gateways to Hell.
Hutchinson-Screaming Well In this nearby town one would approach the well, where a young boy and girl fell down, and hear screams; it is rumored if you get close a hand will pull you in.
Atchinson- The Gargoyle Home After a man made a pact with the Devil, he put gargoyles around his home. When people tried to remove them, theymet an untimely end.
Ark City- Sleepy Hollow With a name based on the headless horsemen tale, one will feel an extreme eeriness when on this dirt road; drive a few miles and see lights, fog, and hear sounds from nowhere.
Pregame rituals Pg. 16
Trick-ortreating age limit Pg 17
Haunted Kansas Locations Pg. 22
Welcome to the dark side...