Hiherald May issue

MAY 2017

20

Class of 2017

Graduating seniors share their plans for after high school.

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hiherald staff 16-17

ANNIE MCKENZIE ADVISER

TAYLOR LASSITER BUSINESS

LEXI KERZMAN EDITOR

BELLA KRAFT NEWS EDITOR

ASHLEY SPOTTS SPORTS EDITOR

ALEX KAUTZMAN OPINION EDITOR

DREW SANDVIG PHOTO EDITOR

TAEGAN BUECHLER DESIGNER

KATIE JOHNSON FEATURE WRITER

CHASE DOCKTER SPORTS WRITER

AJ JEROME SPORTS WRITER

KENNY WINBAUER SPORTS WRITER

TESS HEUPEL DESIGN EDITOR

STEPH SCHUSTER FEATURE EDITOR

RJ TARE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

TREVAN LONG FEATHER NEWS WRITER

JAKE KERZMAN SPORTS WRITER

PAIGE WALTERS PHOTOGRAPHER

COVER GRAPHIC TESS HEUPEL

ALLIE JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHER

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GRACIE GROTHE PHOTOGRAPHER

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table of contents

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Inked up Class pets Like father like daughter Staff editorial Senior quotes

Retraction: April 2017 “What an honor?”

In April’s issue of the BHS Hiherald, the opinion column titled, “What an honor?” had inaccurate information. We recognize that our due diligence was lacking when we failed to check these facts with members of the National Honor Society board. In the article it was stated that NHS only requires 14 hours of community service when in fact 15 hours are required. The differences of tier one and tier two hours was also inaccurately stated. Both tier one and tier two hours are non profit organizations. The difference is actually in how comfortable the volunteering activity is.

EDITORIAL POLICY

The HiHerald is a student-generated publication produced through the efforts of the Journalism II newspaper class at Bismarck High Schools and adheres to the code of ethics stated in the Canons of Professional Journalism.

The HiHerald is an open forum for students, faculty and community members. Therefore, the staff gladly accepts letters to the editor, but will only publish legally protected speech. The staff reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar, potential libel, obscenity, invasion of privacy and length. All letters must be signed and confirmed before being considered for publication and can be sent to the address below or delivered to room 103.

Published once every month, the HiHerald is funded entirely through advertising sales and subscriptions. Its purpose is to inform the students, faculty and community members of new information and issues that influence or affect them.

The material found within the publication may not always reflect the views of the Bismarck Public Schools District, the Bismarck High School administration or even the HiHerald staff as a whole. Content is controlled and edited by the staff. Consequently, the staff, not the school officials, also takes all financial and legal responsibility for what is printed. Opinion pieces represent the views of the author and the author only, unless stated otherwise.

Upon request, the HiHerald editorial policy can be viewed in its entirety by visiting room 103. All advertising information can be obtained through the following address and phone number: Bismarck High School 800 N. 8th St. Bismarck, ND 58501 701-323-4800

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The time has finally come—summer.

This year has flown by and I am forever grateful I had the opportunity to be editor of the Hiherald my senior year.

It has been an honor and nothing but fun (well, maybe a tiny bit stressful too). Thank you to my staff for making this year so great. I cannot imagine a better group of people to work with. I have learned a lot during my time as editor and I wanted to share my experiences and offer some advice to future editors. You can find that column on page 34.

The Hiherald staff strives to cover a wide range of stories each month and our writers hit it out of the park this month. You can feel the diversity as you page through this issue of the Hiherald. We have a story about fishing on page 7, a story about Advanced Placement biology on page 23 and a feature story on our school parking cop on page 9— there is something for everyone.

One of the most popular Hiherald traditions is the list of graduates and their plans for next year. We could not leave that tradition out— find the list on page 20. Best of luck to the seniors as they embark on a new chapter of their lives.

Thank you for the best year of my life. Thank you for letting me share my stories, thoughts, opinions and my passion for journalism with you. It was the perfect ending to my high school career.

Artist profile: Ariana Burgoon STORY & PHOTOS TREVAN LONG FEATHER

Freshman Ariana Burgoon enjoys writing and painting and has loved doing so for many years.

Flow. Ariana finds poetry to be the easiest form for her to write in. She has written poetry for several years now. “I really like poetry,” Burgoon said. “Poetry is kind of easy for me to write, naturally and I also enjoy [writing] fiction too.”

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he is sitting at her desk, thinking of what to write. Nothing comes to mind.

She is stuck. Writer’s block has been a problem for years for freshman Ariana Burgoon, but that does not stop her from writing.

Burgoon has been writing since sixth grade. She has also been drawing since she was six years old. Her favorite genres of writing are fiction and poetry. Burgoon has always found poetry to be the easiest kind of writing for her. Though she enjoys creative writing, she does not want to pursue it as a long-term job.

“I like reading,” Burgoon said. “I like books a lot. I’ve always liked books. I used to want to become an author actually— not really anymore. I [still] like it. I’ve always wanted to become an author, so I just kept writing.”

Along with writing, Burgoon draws as well. She like to draw with mainly pencils and copic markers—artist markers.

“I’ve always drawn,” Burgoon said.

“When I was six, I used to draw stick figures. I’d put hair on them and dresses and stuff and I’d make them really cool stick figures. I’ve always drawn, I just improved. I’m not too big on colored pencils. Sometimes I use watercolors, but not much.”

Sometimes Burgoon will spend several hours working on a piece that she

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feels passionate about. Other times she will spend less time on doodles that she does not care about.

“There’s art that I feel like I could do more on, but if it's a good piece that I put a lot of time and effort into, when I finish it, I feel relieved,” Burgoon said. It’s like finals week. When you’re done with your finals, it’s like, ‘I get to relax.’ It’s that breathe that you’ve been holding in all week. It’s relaxing and I feel like I can go back to doing whatever I want to do.”

Though Burgoon enjoys writing and drawing she admits that there is some places where she could improve. This is why she enjoys going to writer’s club and getting feedback from her peers.

“I really enjoy getting feedback actually,” Burgoon said. “Every time people write their notes on a copy of my work, I keep it and I read it over, a lot. It makes me feel good about my writing, honestly, because I get [mostly] positive feedback. I mean, obviously there was stuff I could work on, and I definitely take that into consideration and fix things, but I enjoy the feedback a lot.”

Feedback is helpful for Burgoon in writing and though she does enjoy writing often, she does not want to pursue being an author as her main career choice. Burgoon wants to have a career in journalism in the future, and would like to publish a book as a side job.

May 2017

“I kind of still want to become an author,” Burgoon said. “I think I would be interested in publishing a book of poetry.

Nothing like a novel or anything like that because it's a lot of writing for me to do. I feel like an author would be a side thing for me to do because I want to go into journalism. I really like journalism a lot, actually.”

Burgoon still sees writing as a job to have in the future, just not in the way she used to want to write. Burgoon now enjoys writing in a journalistic atmosphere. She enjoys the interviewing and the putting the story together.

“I like having the chance to put things together,” Burgoon said. “I know one of my favorite parts in [journalism I] is getting to interview people and seeing how they feel about certain topics, especially when they’re passionate about it. I love hearing people talk about things that they love.”

Whatever Burgoon chooses to write, there are still struggles of being a writer, such as writer’s block. She finds herself stuck in writer’s block often, but will not give up.

“I know writer’s block sucks, because I deal with a lot of writer’s block, but as long as you have the right inspiration, I feel like you can accomplish any piece of writing that you put your mind to,”Burgoon said. “Keep trying.”

FEATURE

Dry Ice(poem) As if you were a sign, I saw you standing there at the street corner Your eyes were cold and dangerous, like the stormiest place in the ocean And your hands were in your pockets as if you had things to hide You looked up at me and your stone cold eyes met mine A shaky breath left your lips like the cry of a sea-bird in the wind And like that, The car began to move, the light turning green I observed you from the back window, examining the way your eyes moved I watched you stand there at that corner until the car had gotten so far away I didn’t know whether you were real or a phantom of my mind

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Pimp my ride STORY KENNY WINBAUER PHOTO DREW SANDVIG

Bismarck High School senior Cooper Hill has a hobby that takes a lot of his time and effort.

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enior Cooper Hill has been working on and modifying his car for the past three years. He became interested in mechanics when he was a freshman in high school because of the upperclassmen that had nice cars, which he hoped to have some day.

Hill got into mechanics his sophomore year after he bought his 2007 Saturn ION Red Line with the money he made from mowing lawns over the years.

He wanted to build the car because he races at events in Minnesota a few times a year.

“I love the way the aftermarket parts look,” Hill said.

Hill thinks that he has spent hundreds of hours doing all kinds of different things to his car. The amount of work that can be put into cars is endless,

and he is always finding new things to modify on his car. At the moment there are no problems with his car and he has just been doing some minor tuning.

“Projects can take a number of hours depending on what you’re doing to the car,” Hill said.

Hill is very proud of his car and wants to have the fastest car at the school by the end of his senior year. His friends have also been helping him in the garage with his projects and also their own.

“I rent a shop with a few friends and we do car stuff and basically live at the shop,” Hill said.

As he keeps modifying the car he puts in more and more money into it.

Hill has spent somewhere between 15 and 20 thousand dollars with all the performance parts, wheels and paint.

“Future plans for the car are this next winter do a turbo build with a built engine,” Hill said.

Hill does not consider this as a profession, but more so as a hobby. He enjoys what he does and plans on doing it as long as he can. He would like to buy a hardtop s2000 in the next year and start a new build, but does not plan on getting rid of the Red Line.

“Not looking to make a hobby a career,” Hill said.

It was easiest for him to learn how to do things by just doing it hands on and taking it slow. His advice for people interested in cars is to take the time to learn as he did.

“If you don’t know where to learn just go online and read forums,” Hill said.

Ride. Hill got into cars his freshman year. He is doing minor tuning to the car now. “If you try hard enough you can grasp a concept that seems pretty difficult like cars,” Hill said.

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May 2017

FEATURE

Hooked

STORY

ASHLEY SPOTTS

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Senior Casey Martel has a passion for fishing and it has become a frequent hobby of his.

Free time. Ever since senior Casey Martel picked up his first fishing pole, he has loved to fish. To this day, he still loves to fish in his free time.

“I go to school and if I don't have to work, I go fishing,” Martel said. “I guess I don't really have too much homework.”

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riving his boat across the wide open water. Reeling in a big fish.

Spending countless hours on the water.

For senior Casey Martel, this is how he likes to spend his free time—fishing.

Ever since he was three years old, fishing has been a big part of Martel’s life.

When his parents first introduced him to fishing, he had no idea that it would have this big of an impact on his life. But still to this day, he enjoys all aspects of fishing and could not imagine his life without it.

“Just getting out there,” Martel said. “[It’s] relaxing.”

For Martel, fishing is not just a hobby, it has become a way of life. This is why he has dedicated his free time to fishing and being outdoors during both the summer and winter months.

“During the summer, [I fish] three to four times a week and during the winter probably every weekend,” Martel said.

Fishing on a boat is not the only type of fishing that Martel enjoys. Because of his love for fishing, Martel fishes all

Tournaments. Senior Casey Martel loved to fish so much that he decided to enter some fishing tournaments. Over the years, Martel has been in numerous fishing tournaments. “The governor's cup [is my favorite],” Martel said. “It’s on [Lake] Sakakawea.”

year round and has had to adapt to the unpredictable weather North Dakota offers. Martel makes sure to be well equipped so he can spend his days outdoors.

“I [also] do fly fishing and ice fishing,” Martel said.

While fishing on a boat, there are a lot of things that can go right, but there are also a lot of things that can go wrong out on the water. As most people know, the water is not completely clean, nor is it free of branches and rocks. These floating logs are an easy target that can cause disasters and can easily damage the boat. Unfortunately, Martel has experienced this first hand.

“I once hit a log when I was driving,” Martel said. “I put a hole in the boat but the bilge pump kept up.”

Not only do problems occur on the water, but as Martel knows quite well, they can occur even before the boat touches water. These sorts of problems are very unfortunate and unpredictable.

“I was driving out to Nelson Lake and

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I had a trailer tire pop on me and I drove for like six miles and I didn't even know the tire was popped,” Martel said.

With all the memories and stories attached to every fishing trip, make all of the bad things that can happen, worth it.

The biggest perk of fishing is of course, catching fish. And catching fish becomes more fun when bigger fish are caught.

“The biggest fish [I have] caught was a pike in Northern Michigan and it weighed 26 pounds,” Martel said.

Since fishing is such a big part of Martel’s life, it has played a major role in deciding his college and major. As he has continued to fish over the years, he has realized that he could not give up fishing.

This is why he chose to study Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. Martel is hoping to have a career in managing wildlife and fish species in particular environments.

“I'm going to NDSU for Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences,” Martel said.

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Inked up STORY ALEX KAUTZMAN PHOTO LEXI KERZMAN

Sophomore Corey Mahoney recently got a tattoo of his family’s coat of arms.

Representation. The different colors and symbols on a family crest represent different aspects of that family’s history. However, sophomore Corey Mahoney did not know what the symbols meant when he got his tattoo, he was only concerned with the honor of his last name. “It shows who I am,” Mahoney said. “I’m a Mahoney, and I will always be a Mahoney.”

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tudent tattoos usually have a negative connotation and are met with disapproval. However, one student’s tattoo is one of honor and tradition.

Sophomore Corey Mahoney got his first tattoo this year. He got the ink on March 18 and was only 16 years old when he got it.

“It was something I’ve always wanted,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney got his tattoo done by Tim at Michael Jays Tattoo and Piercing Clinic in Bismarck. “[Tim] has done a bunch of other tattoos [that] my brother has gotten in the [last] couple of months,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney’s tattoo is of his family’s crest on his right arm, a tradition that started with his brother and his father.

“My dad got it when we moved to Bismarck,” Mahoney said. “He was supposed to get it with his dad and his two other brothers.”

Mahoney knew he wanted to continue this tradition after his father got his tattoo done. Mahoney could have been the sixth member of his family to get the family tattoo, but ended up being the third. “[My grandfather and uncles] kind of wimped out and my dad was the only one who pulled through and actually got the tattoo,” Mahoney said.

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It was not a hard decision for Mahoney to make, but he still felt nervous before getting the tattoo.

“Right before getting it, yes [I was nervous],” Mahoney said. “But like a week or a couple of days before I wasn’t too nervous.”

Getting a tattoo can be very painful.

In order to make the ink permanently stay, the needle needs to puncture the skin 1000 times like a shot.

“It wasn’t really like a screaming pain,” Mahoney said. “It was more of an annoying buzzing kind of pain.”

Unlike a shot, however, the needle does not need to go very deep into the skin. The pain is more of a constant, intense vibration and feels like someone is dragging a needle across the skin.

“It messes with your nerves,” Mahoney said. “Then your body messes with you and it makes you feel worse than it really is.”

Everyone handles the pain differently. Some cry, scream or even pass out. Mahoney threw up while getting his tattoo.

“I only threw up like once or twice,” Mahoney said. “And the thing is if you don’t eat something before the tattoo, you go into the fight or flight, and then you get a big adrenaline dump and your body reacts by just throwing up or spazzing out on the chair.”

May 2017

People are recommended to eat before getting a tattoo, just like eating before exercising.

“Well I had a Tootsie Roll,” Mahoney said.

It took about an hour and a half to finish Mahoney’s tattoo. He is not sure how much the tattoo cost.

“It was a birthday present that my parents and my brother paid for,” Mahoney said.

Anyone under the age of 14 is not permitted to get tattoos or piercings in North Dakota. Someone between 14 and 18 need a guardian’s written consent and their presence while getting a tattoo or piercing. “[My parents] encouraged me to get the tattoo,” Mahoney said.

Plans are already being arranged for Mahoney’s younger siblings to get the family tattoo.

“My brother [is going to get the tattoo and] my sister [is undecided],” Mahoney said. “It’s all on her, but we’re making sure Ethan gets the tattoo.”

Mahoney may get another tattoo in the distant future, but he is positive this is a decision he will never regret.

“In the moment when you’re getting the tattoo it kinda makes you feel like you don’t want to get it,” Mahoney said.

“But afterwards, it’s kind of a sigh of relief.”

FEATURE

Protecting the parking lot STORY JAKE KERZMAN PHOTO DREW SANDVIG

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verybody has heard of him—the parking cop. Students have heard things like, ‘make sure you have your parking permit,’ and ‘you can’t eat in the parking lot,’ and ‘no hanging out in your cars.’ But has anybody taken the time to truly get to know parking cop Dave Meuchel?

Meuchel is an important part of the Bismarck High School community. He is constantly driving through the parking lot and keeping BHS safe.

“What I do here is just try to keep the place safe and secure and orderly,”

Bismarck High School has a guardian angel of its parking lot. His name is Dave Meuchel and he hopes to keep making BHS a safe place.

Meuchel said. “I write tickets if people don’t have the permits. Everybody has to have a permit. Everybody should park in the assigned area. No speeding and no gunning the engines. Keep the noise down. No loitering or eating in the parking lot. I stay pretty busy.”

Meuchel patrols the BHS parking lot from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. everyday. He likes his job, but he wishes that it was not so boring from 8:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. when the students are in class.

“That part bothers me, but I’ve

Parking pass. The parking permits are available for purchase in the attendance office for five dollars. They are required to park in the parking lot. “Get the permits. If you have any questions you know where to find me,” Dave Meuchel said.

learned to live with it otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” Meuchel said. “Other than that it is like clockwork.”

Meuchel is no stranger to security work. He worked at the state penitentiary for 32 years. This is his eighth year as a parking cop at BHS. “I have been in security work for a long time and just thought I would give it a try and see what happens, and I have been here ever since,” Meuchel said.

Meuchel technically works for BHS through the Bismarck Public School district. He has to be in constant communication with school officials to do his job.

“I communicate directly with Terri Miller in the attendance office,” Meuchel said. “She lets me know what is happening, and I do the same for her.”

The students, on the other hand, are not in a constant communication with Meuchel.

“They see me, I see them,” Meuchel said. “I do my job, they do theirs. If they need to know anything come and ask me. I’m approachable.”

He has had a very successful career and he hopes to keep it going. BHS is in good hands when Meuchel is working.

“I want to continue doing what I’m doing and keep everyone safe and secure,” Meuchel said. “And if I can get [it] done my goals have been accomplished.”

Meuchel said this year is one of the best years he has had. He said the community at BHS has been an excellent working environment for him.

“The kids here, the young people here, this year have been really good,” Meuchel said. “They cooperated quite well. They have been friendly and they have been really good people. Continue doing what you are doing.”

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STORY STEPH SCHUSTER

PHOTO ALLIE JOHNSON

To Serve and protect Junior Kelsie Carpenter has decided to dedicate her life to serving her country.

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n February 2017, junior Kelsie Carpenter made an immense decision.

There was a trip to Fargo with complete strangers, a pledge was said, papers were signed and the next eight years, or more, of her life were committed to serving her country.

At the age of 17, Carpenter enlisted to be in the Army National Guard, dedicating her time to Drill, Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training and possibly active combat. Though this decision was not an easy one to make, Carpenter had known this is what she wanted to do since July of 2016.

“I do have a couple of family members in the military,” Carpenter said.

“My father is in the National Guard, he has been in it for 20 some years, and my grandfather and uncle were in the army.

So I have been surrounded by [the army] for my whole life, but this final decision was kind of on my own. My brother also enlisted at that time, but he enlisted to be in the Air Force.”

Growing up in a military household, Carpenter has been able to see how being in the military affects a family.

When she enlisted her mother was nervous, but since Carpenter was confident in her decision, her mother supported her and continues to support her in her new journey.

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“I know my mom is a little nervous,” Carpenter said. “I think as of now I want to do this for the rest of my life. I may change my mind in the future, but as of now this is what I want to do.”

Before Carpenter enlisted, she had to go through the Military Entrance Processing Station [MEPS] where she had to have an in depth physical to see if she was in the right shape and health to be in the military. Once she passed MEPS, she was officially in the Army National Guard. Since February, Carpenter has been through drill multiple times. Drill is held in Devils Lake, North Dakota, and takes place one weekend every month.

She leaves on Friday around 4:30 p.m. and gets back to Bismarck on Sunday around 6:00 p.m.

“The first time I went to drill I was really nervous,” Carpenter said. “There were a quite a bit of people there. And I knew that they had to of been feeling the same way as me, so I realized that I wasn’t alone. The first weekend of drill they didn’t really go that hard on us because they knew it was our first time.

Most of the time that we spent there was in a classroom and we were running through what we are going to be doing.

It was nerve-racking, but once I realized that everyone there was in the same position I was, I was able to calm down.”

While at her first drill, Carpenter had

May 2017

to go through the Occupational Physical Assessment Test [OPAT], which is another physical. Other than the physicals, each drill is a little different, leaving the element of surprise in the air. The goal of drill is to prepare those who are in the Army National Guard for basic training.

“I am a little less nervous [at drill] than I was when I first started,” Carpenter said. “Because everyone that I have met has moved up along beside me.

So I have been with the same people through this journey. I have gotten to know everybody, including the sergeant.

I have learned exactly what to call them, because at my first drill I was a little bit clueless on what the ranks were. But I am a little bit more confident on the way I have to move and do things and the way I have to call people.”

Some tasks done at drill include, physical performance skills, such as running, push ups and sit ups, cleaning, formations and learning new information about what to expect at basic.

“We do the same thing right as we get there each time,” Carpenter said.

“We do height and weight, because I, including others in the National Guard have to meet a certain requirement every month. The first night is on Friday and that day we pretty much just go to our barracks and we hear what the run down is for the next days. So far everything

FEATURE

that we have done is a little different. But we do a thing called 2-2-2, which is a two mile run in a certain amount of time and then so many push ups in two minutes and so many sit ups in two minutes. I have done that every month and we have to meet the time and amount requirements before we can advance into Basic Training.”

Since Carpenter enlisted as a junior in high school, in the summer of 2017 she will be in Fort Jackson, South Carolina for Basic Training. While at Basic, individuals in the Army National Guard learn about and train for active combat, as well as prepare for their designated career they chose while enlisting.

“I am going to be gone June 6th through August 30th for basic,” Carpenter said. “I will be missing five days of the beginning of my senior year.

While attending Basic Training, Carpenter will be allowed to bring personal items, however they have to be earned. The personal items are confiscated and then they will have to be bought at the store in order for them to be used. People are allowed to bring cellphones, but they do not have them the whole time they are at basic. These are also earned in the sense where if a

person moves up in ranks, they will earn a phone call to family members.

“You receive this money card once you get there and the money is taken out of your first paycheck,” Carpenter said.

“I believe that girls get 300 dollars and then there is a store there, and you have to use your money to buy your personal items again with that card. So what you bring there is what you can buy there.”

Basic Training also prepares individuals for their Military Occupational Speciality [MOS], that they chose when they enlisted. Carpenter chose an automotive logistic specialist as her MOS. She will will go through Advanced Individual Training [AIT] after Basic Training in order to be able to do this job.

While being in the Army National Guard, Carpenter will also be attending college.

“So I will be an [automotive logistic specialist] in a couple of years,” Carpenter said. “As an automotive logistic specialist, I will be working in [an] office.

I will be doing paperwork and I will be the one who has to order parts. Once I graduate high school, I believe I will not be shipping to AIT right away, but I will go sometime in the summer. And I will be doing AIT, and it will postpone me going to college in the fall, so I will

have to take a semester of college off.

I want to go to college for elementary education, kind of psychology as well, but mostly elementary education.”

Since her enlistment, Carpenter has been balancing school, sports and drill. This has been difficult, but since Carpenter is invested in what she does, she has been able to handle everything life throws at her.

“I think it is pretty easy at the moment, because cheer hasn’t started yet,” Carpenter said. “But I know that when I was in cheer, it was hectic.

Because we had so many games on the weekends and weekdays and I had to be gone on the weekends. And now on the weekends that I am gone for basic I can’t spend my time studying and doing homework, so I have to plan what I have to do ahead of time.”

Starting her new journey has not been an easy one, but Carpenter knows that she has the ability to serve her country and is proud to do so.

“I believe that everybody has the power to protect our country and I believe everyone can do it in the same way,” Carpenter said. “It is a great choice for certain people, and I am proud to say that is the choice I made.”

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Roughing it

PHOTO SUBMITTED

STORY BELLA KRAFT

Every summer, Mattie and Morgan Shirley-Fairbairn go on a week long backpacking trip with their family.

Family fun. Mattie and Morgan Shirley-Fairbairn go backpacking with their extended family every other year. They have been backpacking for over 10 years. “We have to pack our bag the night before and make sure that everything fits and everything ready so we can leave early in the morning,” Shirley-Fairbairn said.

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o TV, cellphone or internet. This might seem like a nightmare to some teenagers, but for one family at Bismarck High School, this is a part of their summer vacation.

For 12 years now, sophomore Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn and her brother Morgan, a junior at BHS, have gone on backpacking trips with their family.

Backpack camping is when one has to carry all of their supplies on their back while hiking, the trip usually spans more than one day.

“We usually go [backpacking] about once a year,” Mattie said.

The Shirley-Fairbairn’s backpacking trips usually range from five to 13 days out in the backcountry. They average up to nine miles of hiking per day while carrying all of their gear.

“We’ve been to Canada a couple times,” Mattie said. “We’ve [also] been to Washington, Colorado, Montana [and] Wyoming.”

Their gear consists of—a tent, sleeping bags and mats, clothes, food, a lightweight stove, water purifier and other essentials of camping. Each member of the family has to carry their items on their back, which can be heavy especially when the trip first starts because of all the food they have to carry. Mattie carries about 40 pounds in her backpack while Morgan carries around 50. “[My least favorite part is] probably when you backpack in, because then you have to set up your tent when you are already tired,” Mattie said. “Then in the morning you have to get everything

packed up and then keep going.”

Most of the food the family eats when backpacking is dehydrated. They add boiling water to the packets so the food can cook. To get extra protein, the Shirley-Fairbairns also fish in lakes they find while hiking.

“Sometimes my family eats fish, but I don’t like fish,” Mattie said.

When planning trips, Mattie and Morgan’s dad, Steve, suggests places and the family decides together. This summer they have not decided upon a place to go backpacking yet. Every other year the family is usually accompanied by Mattie and Morgan’s aunt, uncle and two cousins. “[My favorite trip was] the one in the Beartooth [Mountains] that lasted 12 days because we caught a lot of fish,” Morgan said.

This tradition of backpacking started with Mattie and Morgan’s parents—Sandy and Steve who started backpacking together 23 years ago. They then started backpacking as a family when Mattie was three and Morgan was four. “[It’s] a great thing to do with the family and we all love nature,” Sandy said.

The longest hike the ShirleyFairbairns have gone on is going 23 miles into the backcountry, which equaled 46 miles counting the return trip. They have also went nine days without seeing other hikers in the backcountry.

“We have to set up our tent and make sure that we find a good spot for our tent,” Mattie said. “Then we also have to cook food and get water and then we

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usually fish to get some extra food that we eat that we didn’t have to carry in.

Sometimes, where we setup our tent we will go and will pack a little backpack and go on a day hike to another little lake and then we will spend the day there and come back to our tent.”

Backpacking ultimately differs from camping because the hiker has to carry everything on their back, and also any trash brought into the backcountry must be taken back out with the hikers. The family hopes to continue backpacking in the future even when both siblings go off to college. “[My favorite trip was] the one when we went to Washington,” Mattie said.

“Because we backpacked right along the coast, and it was really cool, but it was also really hard because we were backpacking through the sand.”

Packing. When backpacking hikers have to carry all of their gear in large backpacks. Mattie and Morgan have gone on 10 hiking trips with their parents. “You have to carry enough food, you have to carry like a little stove thing,” Mattie said. “You have to carry a tent, backpack, sleeping bags, sleeping mats and other stuff you are going to need.”

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News shorts

NEWS

STORY KATIE JOHNSON

Graduation Bismarck High School’s graduation ceremony will be held at the Event Center on May 28, 2017. The ceremony begins at 4 p.m. with free admission to all.

Kite day Celebrate Father’s Day on June 18, 2017 by flying kites with a father or grandfather. This event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. in Mandan at the North Dakota State Railroad Museum, 3102 37th Street, NW. Admission is free but donations are accepted.

BHS Orchestra Spring Concert Bismarck High School’s spring concert will be held on May 23, 2017. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and take place in the Knaak gym.

Abbott and Fenner Business Consultants Scholarhsip This scholarship, known as the A & F Scholarship, is for juniors and seniors. A written essay is required in order to apply which can be found at www.abbottandfenner.com/scholarships.htm. If a student receives this scholarship, they will be awarded $1,000.

Relay for Life There will be a Relay for Life Event on June 3, 2017 from noon until midnight. This will take place at Century High School. The night before, on June 2, a cancer survivor supper will be held at Shiloh Christian School. There is no fee, but advanced registration is required.

Insane Inflatable 5K This noncompetitive race will take place on June 3, 2017. The race is full of obstacles made out of inflatables around the length of a 5k run. Check in opens at 7:30 a.m. in Cottonwood Park, at Cottonwood Trail Ext, Bismarck, ND, 58501. It is possible to sign up on the day of the event for a ‘wave’ that is open, although registration is available online now. There will be a fee of $75, credit cards only. There are 11 different waves that are open for participants to take part in.

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May 2017

NEWS

Learning languages STORY & PHOTOS ALLIE JOHNSON

Seniors at Bismarck High School are getting ready to complete their fourth year of a foreign language.

L

earning a foreign language can be very beneficial in the long run and some students at Bismarck High School are finding that out first hand.

Jessica Foster is in her fourth year of a foreign language. She has only taken Spanish which she started learning in seventh grade.

“I wanted to be able to relate to another culture and felt that the only way to start was to study another language and I hope to travel one day to a Spanish speaking country,” Foster said.

Another Spanish IV student is Ryanne Smith. She has been taking Spanish classes since seventh grade when she began with intro to Spanish.

“I love learning about the culture mostly,” Smith said. “It’s also almost a funny experience learning new words and phrases with my class. One wrong word form can change the entire meaning of a sentence.”

Taking four years of a foreign language is also an excellent way to learn more than just the language.

“I love seeing the world from another perspective, knowing that their world and specifically their language is different,” Foster said.

Learning another language is a long process that is not necessarily an easy task. Smith periodically struggles with keeping the languages straight in her head.

“When learning a foreign language you are just eager to become fluent which takes years to accomplish,” Smith said. “It’s frustrating having to accept that it is a long process and will take time and a lot of effort.”

Keely Koenig is in her fourth year of Latin which she also started in seventh grade. She has also previously taken Spanish.

“You get to learn something a lot of people don’t know, and you learn some pretty interesting stuff,” Koenig said.

“We’re reading the Aeneid right now, that’s definitely one of my favorites.”

Latin is not as popular as other language classes at BHS which can sometimes be tough for Koenig.

“It’s a lot of work and none of it’s really common knowledge,” Koenig said. “Also you can’t ask very many people for help with the homework because there’s only like 10 people in the class, and chances are no one else did it either.”

Learning a foreign language can be very beneficial. It has helped Koenig with English because of grammar and helped her in history as well.

“A lot of words stem from Latin and so I’ll be able to understand them more easily in the future,” Koenig said. “Also medical and law terms are in Latin.”

Perseverance. Jessica Foster is in her fourth year of learning Spanish at Bismarck High School. She learned the basics of the language in the first two years. “The most rewarding part has been getting to learn alongside my classmates and working together as a team,” Foster said.

Studying hard. Keely Koenig is taking her fourth year of Latin which she said helps her is English because of the similar grammar. She said that learning Latin has been difficult from the start.

“It’s a lot of work and none of it’s really common knowledge,” Koenig said.

15

STORY

LEXI KERZMAN

PHOTOS DREW SANDVIG

When reading becomes a choice S

One Bismarck High School English class decided to read a nontraditional novel for their world literature section.

uicide has generally been a subject that is not talked about, and in some cases, the topic is completely avoided. But in one English class at Bismarck High School, suicide has become a daily topic of conversation.

Seniors in Jodi Olheiser’s English class recently read the novel, 13 Reasons Why, as part of their world literature section. They chose this book, which is now a popular Netflix original series, off the top 30 list of novels recommended to read before graduating high school.

“We had the students go online and they checked out this website with a list of the top 30 recommended [novels] for young adults to read before they finish high school or college,” Olheiser said.

“They chose their top three and we read the back of all the books. We wanted the book to be accompanied with awards and accolades. That title came up and the class reached a consensus that they all wanted to read it and this was before the whole Netflix hype. We read the background and it had numerous awards and it was the 10 year anniversary of [the novel], so we said ‘okay’ and got the books ordered.”

Olheiser and the class wanted to tackle this book because they felt that the topic would help generate vivid class discussions. It took the class three weeks to finish the book. All the reading was done in class—students read the book

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aloud in class only, which sparked some in-depth conversations about the novel, high school and suicide.

“The conversations we had were the coolest part,” Olheiser said. “They would come into class early and we would discuss the novel before the class even started. They would talk about if they watched the series, and then our discussions would revolve around whether or not [the show was] doing the novel justice.”

The book, written by Jay Asher, was released in 2007. On March 31, 2016, Netflix released their original series based on the book. The series has received a mixture of reviews. Although based on Asher’s novel, the Netflix series has many differences with additional plot lines, mature content and graphic scenes.

“The Netflix series itself has 50 times more mature content than the novel does,” Olheiser said. “I would even say that Romeo and Juliet has more mature content than the novel 13 Reasons Why.” In the book, Baker took her life by swallowing pills. In an interview with Entertainment Magazine, Asher said in an original draft of the novel, Baker actually survived and had her stomach pumped.

That version was never published because he felt her survival would take away the novel’s meaning.

“I liked the idea of ‘We’ve learned something from this. And yet, here’s

May 2017

a second chance,” Asher said. “Once I realized that the message of the story would be stronger and that it would definitely be more of a cautionary tale.”

One of the most controversial differences between the novel and the show is Baker’s suicide. In the show, Baker commits suicide by slitting her wrists rather than overdosing on pills.

The scene where Baker slit her wrists is included in the show. This graphic scene has created controversy and left many who read the book unhappy.

“I do not know if I will finish [the show], because they have made so many changes,” Olheiser said.

They were changes that the students discussed during class. They talked about the differences between the book and the show after students watched the series on their own time, and how the two differed. Discussions included conversations about the director and whether or not he was justified in the changes.

“Half the time when I was [watching the show] I was confused of how different it was from the book,” senior ShyAnne Marsette said. “[I didn’t like the changes] because there was too much crime and inappropriate scenes. But it did make me think about how cruel high schoolers are and how important it is to be nice to everyone because you never know what they are going through.”

NEWS

Counselor Julie Berg sat down for an interview to discuss the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why. As a school counselor what were your initial thoughts of the show 13 Reasons Why? “As a counselor I was looking at it like ‘no you don’t do that.’ That’s not how it would really go. The way that they decorated Hannah’s locker, when somebody dies from suicide, that is not something we would probably do at [BHS], we wouldn’t memorialize that. And that seems kind of harsh, but kids are very vulnerable and if they see somebody is getting all this attention after doing something like that, you never know, you could have a ripple effect. The incident with her counselor did not make us look good. Counselors are trained to handle those situations, and if a student comes in and talks even a little bit about being sad or depressed, we would never just say things will get better. He didn’t address the issue and made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal.

She went in there with the intention of confiding in him, and by the way he acted, she gave up. Of course I didn’t like that. She did have supporters in her life and they didn’t show any ways of how to access those things to try and get the help that you need.”

Did Netflix romanticise suicide?

“I think they did with the memorials and

the love story between Hannah and Clay.

And Clay seeing her, you can’t come back when you’re not alive. That just doesn’t happen. Even the tapes and being able to hear her talk. To me it wasn’t portrayed as serious as I think it should have been.”

Were the graphic scenes really necessary?

“The fact that they showed the whole suicide was not okay in my opinion. That was bad. I suppose they were thinking by showing it, it would show how awful it is, but I think it did the opposite. Everything that I have read said that that was a bad thing to do in terms of triggering viewers.”

Do you think this show is an accurate representation of high school life?

“I do actually. I want to say no because I want to say there is no bullying and the cliques of people and the rumors aren’t real, but yeah it does happen. And the partying and the drinking and the rape-—I think that happens a lot. So unfortunately, yeah, I think it is very real.”

Is the school doing anything in response to the show?

“We talked about it as a department and we decided if we had any kids who wanted to talk we would, but we really haven’t [had any yet]. The show hasn’t ever come up and we haven’t had any parents call with concerns. Other high school counselors are doing things to address the show and sharing talking points with teachers, but we just haven’t felt the need to do that. We have as a school a plan in place if we expect a student is suicidal. Plus as teachers, each year, we do a few hours of training on what to look for. We have a handout printed for teachers, so they know what to do. You just have to take all [cases] 100 percent serious. “ What are signs that someone is suffering from a mental illness and may be suicidal?

“If they’ve lost interest in things that they used to enjoy doing, if they feel tired and just want to stay in bed, if they feel sad and don’t really have any real reason as to why, those would all be things that could be signs they are depressed.

And depression is the leading cause of suicide. It is about 90 percent of the time that people die from suicide have a mental illness usually either depression or bipolar.”

How can you help that person?

“A lot of times people don’t want to talk

about it because what if that puts ideas in people’s heads, but I think the best thing to do if you think they are sad or not themselves is to ask them that. ‘Is everything okay’ and they might say ‘I haven’t been okay and I’ve been feeling sad.’ It’s okay just to ask them if they feel like they have wanted to hurt themselves or have thoughts about suicide. It’s okay to just come right out with that. If they are feeling like that, a lot of times they will say they are feeling like that. And if that’s the case, go with them to get help.

Don’t keep their secret and feel bad if they tell someone, always tell somebody.”

Do you have advice for parents in response to this show?

“I would recommend parents watching it with their teens. So many parents don’t realize what kids go through while in high school and how they feel. At the very least, just check what they are watching. You just don’t know their state of mind when they are watching it, and what it is making them feel.”

What were some of the negative aspects of the show?

“The thing that really bothered me was the title, because you can’t blame that on other people. The majority of us who go through difficult situations, we have the coping skills, and you can find the resources to cope with it. If you are depressed you will feel there is no other way, and there is always another way. I liked the show. It was a show that I wanted to keep watching it, but it’s fiction. That’s not exactly how that would go down. It was a good story, but it wasn’t accurate.”

What are the positive aspects of the show?

“I do think it is starting a conversation. I think in that part, it is a positive, because it really has brought up the topic of suicide. Suicide is [the tenth] leading cause of death in the United States and it is 100 percent preventable. The topic is interesting. It is hard to understand how anybody could get to that point if you don’t have a mental illness. It’s just feeling so hopeless and that is really the only word that I can describe how someone is feeling where they don’t possibly think anything could get better.

I think it is a good thing [that it is starting conversation], I just hope it is not going to give others an idea.”

Behind the diploma Beyond the cap and gown. Seniors often do not know just how much goes into the graduation preparation. Cassie Bauer was also unaware of what is done in preparation prior to taking this position. “There is a lot that goes into it that as a student or a spectator you wouldn’t know,” Bauer said. “I had no idea how much planning goes into it.”

STORY

LEXI KERZMAN

PHOTOS DREW SANDVIG

There is a variety of things that go into preparing for the graduation ceremony that many seniors and spectators are unaware of.

A

s the senior class ascends the stage at the graduation ceremony and receives their diploma, they finally see the payoff of their 13 years of hard work. Besides their accomplishments, the people in charge of the graduation ceremony behind the scenes are able to see their time and preparation come together in front of their eyes.

As the head secretary at Bismarck High School, one of Cassie Bauer’s main jobs for the year is to prepare for the graduation ceremony. She is in charge of coordinating the entire event each year.

“I just get everything ready,” Bauer said. “From ordering the diplomas, getting the seat assignments, getting everybody that day assigned and notified where they need to go, getting school board members [and] getting them going, [getting] parking tickets for that event and handling the [Event] Center making sure everything is set up the way we need to and is ready for each school.”

The preparation for graduation generally starts around January and does not end until the week of finals, as unfortunately some seniors’ final test grades can determine whether they have to repeat a course in summer

school or not. As the list changes, Bauer is responsible for modifying the lineup so there are no glitches in the ceremony.

If someone does not show up for the ceremony and it is not caught, it causes all sorts of problems.

“If someone doesn’t show up for

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“

When you sit back and actually listen to the speakers, it is all worth it and it is just really neat -CASSIE BAUER

“

graduation we are notified,” Bauer said.

“If we don’t catch it right away it really is a domino effect and it will throw off the whole line. So just making sure everybody is accounted for and making sure everyone who should be graduating

is. And that goes all the way until the last testing date. If someone doesn’t have all their credits and they have to come back for summer school, they will be pulled.

We are doing that until the last Friday before graduation.”

This year, a new challenge arises for Bauer as it will be the first year there will be three graduations held at the Event Center.

“The struggles with three graduations will be the district not giving us very much time in between [ceremonies],” Bauer said. “We have graduations at 1 p.m., 4 p.m and 7 p.m, and each ceremony will last an hour to an hour and 15 [minutes] and the next class of seniors will come 45 minutes before the ceremony. Meaning that we will have one hour in between the ceremonies. Meaning we have one hour to get everything reset for the next graduation. To make sure that parents and students are cleared out of the [Event] Center will be our big challenge.

A lot of times they like to take pictures and go back on stage, and we’re just not gonna have that availability this year.

So we are going to be asking parents and students to really clear out as quick as possible as soon as the ceremony is

NEWS

complete. It is really hard to clear out that spot, it’s like clearing out a concert.

Before we had a good two hours so it was nothing.”

While Bauer is stressed about the timing, Bismarck High School counselor Steve Meyer is stressed about pronunciation. It is his job to announce half the graduates names as they cross the stage.

“In all honesty, there is nothing that is hard about it, it is just trying to be as prepared as I can,” Meyer said. “It is a big day for the students, so I do the best I can to pronounce their names right, but some of them are a challenge.”

Meyer starts perfecting his name pronunciations in early May, often calling individual students into his office to learn the correct saying. If he does not call students in one at a time, he will attend social studies classes and go over the class list, making notes to himself for the ceremony. Meyer realizes how monumental this day is for the seniors

and their families and strives to make the day go as smoothly as possible. He has enjoyed being able to be apart of this special day for the last six years.

“Just being able to witness the achievement of the large senior group,” Meyer said. “I don’t get to know them all by name or face over their four years, I do get to know the students who are assigned [to] me personally [but not every student at BHS]. So it is just a feeling of satisfaction when you see their happiness and achievement as they cross the stage and see their diploma.”

Every teacher at Bismarck High School is required to work the graduation ceremony. Who will work each year is based on a rotating schedule. Bauer is in charge of creating the rotations and already has it prepared which teachers will work up until the 2020 graduation ceremony.

“It is a rotating schedule so it depends on how big our graduating class is,” Bauer said. “Currently I have all

the way into 2020 planned on who will be in it. So when a new teacher comes to BHS they get thrown to the last year I have planned. But if I only need let’s say eight working this year, and I had 10 or 15 planned I’ll take those and push them to the next year. So they already know well into advance if they are working [that year].”

After all the work and time that goes into preparing for the ceremony, and it is finally time to watch the seniors receive their diploma, everything comes together and Bauer is able to enjoy the ceremony.

“When you sit back and actually listen to the speakers, it is all worth it and it is just really neat,” Bauer said. “Each year is different and has a different feel and is unique. The senior graduates that speak are just so inspiring. It is all just fun and worth it. And when everything is all said and done and everything went smoothly you’re just like ‘this is perfect.’”

CONGRATS CLASS OF

Preparing for the ceremony. Cassie Bauer has been in charge of the graduation ceremony since she became head secretary at Bismarck High School.

Preparation for the ceremony usually begins in January. “January it hits,” Bauer said. “And right about now, April and May, it is full blown trying to get everything situated.”

2017 TWITTER @BHSHIHERALD

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CLASS OF 2017 BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE DAMON AHLGREN BENJAMIN ARBACH OLIVIA BACHMEIER TATUM BAHM SHEALYNN BALLIET JUSTIN BANNISTER SIERRA BECKER ATLANTIS BELGARD KOBE BERGER BRENDON BITZ JACOB BUCHMILLER

SANTOS CAHUEC CANAHUI

ABBIE CARLSON NICOLAS CARTER JACOB CERMAK MATTHEW CURTIS COLE DEICHERT BRANDIS DVORAK NAOMI ELK CAMBRI EVANSON NICHOLAS EVERITT NICHOLAS FASCHING EASTON FICEK RYAN FITTERER JESSICA FOSTER

ZACHARY FRANKLIN KATHERINE GERMAN SHYANNE GRAY ALDEN HALVERSON ERIN HEIDEN TESSLIN HEUPEL COOPER HILL MADISON HOFFMAN JAMES HOON MAKYLEE HUBER HUNTER HUIZENGA GEORGIA JACKMAN NICHOLAS JESSEN ALLISON JOHNSON BENJAMIN JOHNSON KATE JOHNSON DAMIEN KARLIN ALEX KASEMAN ZACHARY KESSLER STEPHANIE KIEMELE MIKAELA KLEIN KEELY KOENIG CASEY KRAFT MCKENZIE KRAMER SKYLER LAFAVE

TAYLOR LANCASTER DAWSON LARSON JOSHUA LEIER KAELAN MACDONALD BRANDON MAHLMANN JOEY MCGARVEY JON MCSHANE RAYVA MERTZ ELIZABETH MILLER TRESTAN MOSER KAMERON NAGEL JAXSON O’NEILL JESSIE OHLHAUSER JESSICA OJA JENNA OTTO ABIGAIL PETTIT-SCHMIDT DESTINY PFLIIGER CONNOR PIATZ JAYDEN PIFER ALEXIA REED SAVANNAH REIS SAMUEL REISTER SHELBY ROOKER CALLAH ROTH BRYCE SAYLER

BRANDON SCHAFER GRANT SCHIERMEISTER BRAXTON SCHMIDT HEAVEN SCHUMACHER ADAM SCHWARTZ JASMINE SHEETS JASMIN STEIGER SYDNEY STORK ELIJAH TAIX MEGAN TERNES JORDAN UPGREN ETHAN VALLIE COLE VETTER LYNNLEE VOELLER HARLEY WAGNER DAMON WANNER JORDYN WEIGEL DYLAN WENTZ KALI WERNER JAKE WIEGE JOCIE WIEGE DAWSON WIEST ELLIOT WILKENS

CASEY MARTEL REGAN MARTINSON YURICK MARTIS EMILY OMVIG DYLAN ROHRICH DREW SANDVIG RACHAEL SAYLER KATRINA SCHAUER

GRACE SCHMALTZ RYANNE SMITH EMILY WANGLER SAMUEL WOLF GABRIELLE YOUNG

CAITLIN JONS BRADYN JUST RICHARD KELLINGTON KEARA KNOX LANDON LANDSIEDEL BREANNA LANDSVERK

RICHARD MARQUEZ ISAAC MARSCHALL FAITH NELSON LILLY NG JOSHUA SCHANER MATTHEW SCHANER

KYRA SCHMIDT ADAM VOLK ALEXIS WALTHER

MATTHER HAMMERSCHMIDT

MARIAH MURPHY ISABELLA ROJAS ANDREW TWO HEARTS

JORDYN VARLAND BRIELE VOLLMUTH COLE WILZ

NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY SCOTT AAKER MIKAYLA BENNETT LANE BURGHART RYAN CLANCY ALEAH DYK ALLIE GEIGER LALA GENENE JAIDA HANSON

KIARA HARPER CARA HAUSSLER GARRETT HAVELKA SHAYLA HEGER TANNER JOCHIM CORYNNE KRENZ TREVAN LONG FEATHER ALEXIS MAGSTADT

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA MATTHEW BAKKEN SKYLER COWLEY RACHEL DILLMAN CONNOR DUPRIS RONNEE GLATT ALEXIS IVERSON

UNIVERSITY OF MARY KIERRA ANDERSON PAIGE BURNSIDE MORGAN DEICHERT CAMERON FUERSTENBERG

EMMA LARSON TAYLOR LASSITER

HIHERALD SURVEYED 269 OUT OF THE 288 GRADUATING SENIORS ON THEIR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION. MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD KENNEDY BENZ MICHAELA CASEY ASHLEY DAVIS ZOE KRAFT RYLEI RIPPLINGER MADISON SCHIRADO EMMA STECKLER

NORTH DAKOTA STATE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE JOHN BITZAN JOSHUA FAZEKAS JACOB NEIS CODY MARTIN JORDAN RUFF

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PARKER NEIN MANASSEH PAULING CAITLIN POMPLUN DYLAN STOCKERT CHANDLER TOBECK

SAN JUAN COLLEGE BRAYDEN SANDERSON

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UNITED TRIBES TECHNICAL COLLEGE SOLOMON GARTER KOBIE LAFROMBOISE SHYANNE MARSETTE RYLAN HOWLING WOLF

DELANEY WOLF

CONCORDIA UNIVERITY (NEBRASKA) DANE WOLFGRAM

CARROLL COLLEGE ANNA DARLING

MCNALLY SMITH COLLEGE OF MUSIC AVERY JOHNSON

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA ALEXIS KERZMAN

DICKINSON STATE UNIVERSITY JUSTIN BERGQUIST CODY SCHWARTZ

REED COLLEGE DOUGLAS TAYLOR

CONCORDIA COLLEGE VALLEY CITY STATE UNIVERSITY

KAITLYN PAGE

EDYNN GLATT

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF DENVER PAIGE ROBINSON

you will never know the value “Sometimes of a moment, until it becomes a memory.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS

-- Dr. Seuss

MARISSA DOLL

BEAUTY SCHOOL

LAKE REGION STATE COLLEGE

KYLIE BRENNEISE BRANDI FEIST MEGAN VASQUEZ

GAGE MCMAHEN

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SHANNON BARTON

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE MEGAN MORRIS

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UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS TY FARNSWORTH

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA GAGE DAVENPORT

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO LILLYANNA LEPP

MINNEAPOLIS TECHNICAL COLLEGE AMY KOBS

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY GRACIE GROTHER

LIFE EDUCATION JAYCIDE JOHNSON MONET PAVLISH GARRETT HORNER

GAP YEAR KAITLYN BAKKEN

UNDECIDED CADE CLOOTEN ECHO FONTENELLE KATE GATES ELIAS MCCLOUD NATHANIEL PIERCE-DAMMARELL ERIC PLADSEN TAYLOR SCHENKEL

NOT ATTENDING KEVIN BAEZ ROMAN JESSE KITZMAN JAKOB PARISIEN TREA IREY

WORK FORCE SHAYE ANDERSON MERANDA BAIER SHANE BUEHNER CHARLI FASCHING EMILY GLOVICH DILLAN HAUSAUER SHAWN KLATT DYLAN MEDOWS LOGAN ROLLER MARIO SUCUP

MILITARY DANIEL CARPENTER STEVEN GOTTA ZACHARY GREFF DYLAN HALE NATHAN HELMER BRENDEN HEISLER JARROD HURLEY MCKAELI JOHNSON HOPE NELSON ALEKXANDER PUTNEY MICHAEL SIMEK CARTER STRAND JACK SULLIVAN ERIC WEILAND

“

Michael Bichler’s Advanced Placement biology class is taking on a three to five week project that most science classes do not. They are creating an experiment based on an animal’s behavior.

Class pets Furry Friends. Although this project is for learning purposes, the students are enjoying the time with their animals. Both groups chose their animal partly because the animal is cute and soft. “We wanted to have fun with the experiment, so we didn’t want to choose something boring like fish,” Senior Callah Roth said.

M

ichael Bichler has been teaching advanced placement biology for seven years and has been assigning this specific project for four years. He originally created this project for his students when he had to take part in an animal behavior experiment while getting his master’s degree.

A.P. biology students first have to learn about animal behavior before doing an experiment on them. After their chapter is completed, the students find a partner and then choose a small animal and create an experiment on the behavior of there animals. “[This teaches the students about] scientific method, how to write a lab report, procedure within a lab experiment, animal behaviors and data collection,” Bichler said.

Seniors, Callah Roth and Jordyn Weigel are in Bichler’s A.P. biology class and will be studying chick behavior for their experiment. They created a maze out of cardboard and will place a young chick inside of it with food hidden in the maze somewhere. Roth and Weigel will study how quickly the chick can find its

STORY KATIE JOHNSON PHOTOS DREW SANDVIG

way to the food and if over time the chick will be able to find the food right away.

“I think the hardest part will be the first time we put them through the maze because they won’t know what they are doing or where they are going,” Roth and Weigel said. “Also they poop a lot, cleaning up after them is almost a full time job, but they’re cute.”

Katie Schauer and Kaitlyn Page are also seniors in A.P. biology. They plan on doing a similar experiment that has two mazes with different obstacles and patterns. Schauer and Page will then study which path their hamster chooses in order to get the food at the end. “[The most exciting part is] being able to hold our furry friend and seeing how his behavior changes based on our experiment,” Page said.

Bichler created this experiment to be very self-driven with limited help. It allows for the students to be creative in order to get the result they are looking for all while experimenting their own interests.

“My favorite thing about A.P. Bio is that it’s not all about doing worksheets

Timed. Bichler’s class is working hard with their animals in order to be successful in their experiment. Students were informed most of the work will have to be done by themselves with little help from Bichler. “[The hardest part will be] getting him to cooperate by going through the maze and not biting us,” Katie Schauer said.

and getting graded on completion,” Roth said. “It’s actually like a college course where you take notes in class and study outside of class.”

Although this class may sound easy and fun since students get to play with animals, that is not what some students had to say. It is an A.P. course so students should be ready to work hard and learn.

“If you’re up for a challenge with Bichler, I would definitely recommend this class,” Roth and Weigel said. “Don’t be expecting an easy A, because that definitely won’t happen.”

Although this class may be challenging for some, students tend to have fun during the year.

“You do a lot of fun experiments and learn new things,” Schauer and Page said.

Bichler hopes to have his A.P. biology class as a dual credit course next year since it is more challenging.

“Taking an A.P. class, although challenging, is a great way to prepare for college,” Bichler said.

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Demon spotlight

SPORTS

STORY AJ JEROME

SHANE SIVERSON

DELANEY SCANSON

DEREK BURR

High school sports are one of the best places to build relationships. Senior Cambri Evanson has made some great friendships in her four years playing soccer for BHS. She puts much of her focus on being a good role model for the younger girls on the team and being a great teammate. Her goal for the season is to make it back to the state championship as she did in her sophomore season and finish the job this time.

“We want to go to state and hopefully win it,” Evanson said. “We would also like to get more fans to come to games!”

Baseball is a game that requires a strong mind nearly as much as physical ability. Junior Shane Siverson has been playing baseball since he was in kindergarten, so he knows the game very well.

He goes into each game with the same mindset, along with the pre-game ritual of having TJ Irey tape his wrists for him.

“I go into each game with the mindset that the opponent is no better or worse than us and we are gonna go play harder and get two wins,” Siverson said.

Sophomore Delaney Scanson says there are a lot of things she likes about tennis, some being more comical than others.

One thing she enjoys is the competitive nature, another is the team aspect of it. She likes to play for her teammates in the singles matches. The Tom O’ Leary tennis courts are along a busy road, so there are also some odd things that she has learned to enjoy.

“All the vulgar things people yell while driving by the Tom O’ during practices and matches never fail to make me laugh,” Scanson said.

Junior Derek Burr began his golf career and the age of two when his father first put a club in his hands. He has continued to play ever since. His greatest golf memories have come while playing with his dad. He always cherishes the times they get to play together.

His game has matured significantly since he was young. He tries to avoid dwelling on the negative or worrying about his past bad shots and focusing on the next one.

“I just try to play the game and have fun,” Burr said. “I focus on myself instead of the competition.”

PHOTO ALLIE JOHNSON

PHOTO DREW SANDVIG

PHOTO DREW SANDVIG

PHOTO PAIGE WALTERS

CAMBRI EVANSON

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hiherald

May 2017

SPORTS

For these seven student athletes, sports are more than just a past time, they are a passion. Each month, the Hiherald will feature athletes who represent their current sport’s team.

ZOE KRAFT

TOMMY COLBY

OLIVIA WAGNER

Senior Zoe Kraft runs distance for BHS Girls Track, particularly the 800, 1600 and 3200. She says that the 800 and 3200 are the worst events but she always runs for her teammates and her coaches because they have worked so hard to prepare for the season.

Kraft believes that the 800 is basically a sprint for two laps and it is usually ran after the 1600 so she is already tired at the start of the race.

“The 1600 is probably my favorite because it gets over quick and the 800 and 3200 are death,” Kraft said.

Track and field is a great way to improve somebody’s athleticism.

That is what freshman Tommy Colby really enjoys about it. He competes in triple jump, long jump and sprinting events, triple jump being his favorite. It gives him an oppurtunity to compete in the spring season, as he also plays football and basketball during the fall and winter months. He believes that track makes him better for his other sports and he has fun while doing it.

“My goal is to get better everyday and get myself ready for the years to come,” Colby said.

Junior third baseman Olivia Wagner goes into every game with a belief that her team will come out with a win. She enjoys the friendships among her teammates. Wagner especially enjoys being Laiken Grensteiner’s throwing partner. Wagner and her teammates pride themselves on having the loudest dugout in North Dakota. She plans to go out and do her best to help the team win state at the end of this season.

“I want to leave it all on the field every day so there is nothing to regret later,” Wagner said.

PHOTO TREVAN LONG FEATHER

PHOTO TREVAN LONG FEATHER

PHOTO PAIGE WALTERS

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25

Like father like daughter

STORY STEPH SCHUSTER PHOTO PAIGE WALTERS

Junior Laiken Grensteiner has been playing softball for fives years, and has recently transitioned to playing under the coaching of her dad, Kurt.

E

ver since the sixth grade, junior Laiken Grensteiner has been playing the sport she loves the most, softball.

Her father, Kurt Grensteiner, inspired her to pick up a bat and a ball and start swinging.

Two years ago, Kurt accepted the position of head coach for the Bismarck High School softball team. Laiken has been playing softball for BHS for three years. This season marks her first year only being a varsity player under the coaching of her father.

“Well I was on the JV side when he first started coaching,” Laiken said. “So we didn’t really see each other much so it didn’t have an affect on me when he took the job. But now that we are actually in contact with each other, it doesn’t really affect me except for the fact that my coach knows how much I practice. And so he usually gets on me for doing things at home outside of practice. But really it is just the same.”

Kurt is a big advocate of Laiken practicing on her own time to improve her skills. He does not believe Laiken

should automatically play in the game because she is his daughter— her playing time must be earned.

“I 100 percent believe my dad is harder on me than other girls,” Laiken said. “Because like I said, he knows how much I practice so if I am not practicing he always does the thing where he says ‘If you are not putting in the time, I’m not going to play you.’ He is the person that doesn’t want people to think that I am getting playing time because he is my dad. So I always have to try 10 times harder than everybody else in order to get playing time. I feel like it is definitely different, but I don’t think it is a good different or bad different. It just allows me to improve.”

Though this is Kurt’s first year being Laiken’s primary coach for BHS softball, he has coached Laiken is other sports in the past, such as basketball and summer league softball. Those sports were not to the same intensity level as varsity softball.

“He was my coach in sports of lower intensity levels,” Laiken said. “So those

sport were not as serious, they were for fun. Now since [I am playing] a varsity level sport, it is way more intense.”

Since Laiken started playing softball, she has seen immense growth. Being on the varsity team, she has had to adapt to different pitchers and the faster speed of the game. But through this adaptation, Laiken has become a more confident player.

“With every season I can sense myself getting better,” Laiken said. “This year I had to catch up with the pitchers, which was hard at first but now I am used to it.”

While at softball, Laiken addresses her dad as Kurt, or coach rather than using the term dad. She believes by doing this, her teammates and other coaches will see that she is dedicated to the sport and takes it seriously.

“I treat him like I would treat any coach and most people on the team didn’t even know I’m his daughter,” Laiken said. “People found out a couple of weeks ago and they were like ‘Are you kidding me? I had no idea’ because we

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1682 Capitol Way * Bismarck, ND

May 2017

223-0427

SPORTS

Grensteiner glory. Junior Laiken Grensteiner plays softball under the coaching of her dad, Kurt Grensteiner. Laiken played softball last year and Kurt was not her primary coach. “I like having him as a coach,” Laiken said. “I can ask him anything pertaining to what I need to work on. Sometimes you have coaches who beat around the bush, but he’s straight forward with me and it makes me better.”

never talk to eachother like we are about to go to the same house after practice.”

Laiken appreciates having her father as a coach and likes the bond they have been able to form through their love of softball.

“I do [like having my dad] as coach because everybody has special bonds with their parents and because of softball it has become easier to talk to him about anything at home,” Laiken said. “Especially softball, like if I am really messed up on my swing, he has all of the opinions of the coaching staff, plus himself. So that is always really helpful. And it allows for me to know what it is I have to work on.”

Even though her father is the softball coach, Laiken is not obligated to play the sport. She wanted to, she would be able to quit.

“My dad also coaches basketball and I am not really that

fond of basketball, I don’t play that anymore,” Laiken said. “It has never been really an obligation thing, I could probably quit tomorrow if I wanted to. I mean my dad would obviously be mad at me, but that is because he likes when I am in sports and staying healthy, it doesn’t necessarily have to be softball.”

Laiken has enjoyed playing softball, but it is undecided if she will play in college.

“I like [softball] because of the environment of the team,” Laiken said. “It is like a family, everybody just loves each other, there is no drama. The environment is what makes it so great.

In the sport itself, you can always improve so it never gets boring. There is always the possibility of becoming faster, or becoming stronger. I personally think in college I have to focus on academics other than athletics, so I don’t think I am going to play sports in college, but if I do, it would be softball.”

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27

Offseason training STORY KENNY WINBAUER

PHOTO TREVAN LONGFEATHER

Bismarck High School physical education teacher Dale Colby puts on a speed and agility workout program during the summer.

P

hysical education teacher Dale Colby is going to have speed and agility training for the second year this summer.

The program starts at the beginning of June and goes until the end of July. Colby knows what it takes to be a great athlete as he is a varsity football and track coach.

Anyone, freshman through senior, can join with a fee of $100. There are four different times athletes can attend in the morning from 8 a.m. through 11 a.m., and one available at 6 p.m. Speed and agility is designed for kids who want to get better individually.

“The workouts are about 50 minutes long,” Colby said.

Colby had around 70 kids in his program last year. He gave each

participant two t-shirts, a sweatshirt, water bottle and bag for coming all summer long and plans on doing something similar this year.

“It’s a good way to stay busy in the summer, where coaches and players can see what everyone is doing,” Colby said.

“There’s no question, it’s either you are there or you are not” Colby made this program to give everyone an opportunity to create a time where they can workout together with friends or teammates. He hopes that from working together they can gain some team leadership skills. The program helps kids improve individually and get better for any athletics they are in.

“They get to see each other workout

and push each other to get better,” Colby said.

They meet every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at BHS. They start off every workout using bands to stretch for a warm up. Monday’s are plyometric and conditioning, Tuesday’s are speed and conditioning and Thursday’s are usually a mixture of everything.

“Everyday has a specific thing we want to get through,” Colby said.

Colby likes that he is able to have fun with it and have different competitions for the kids. They are able to cheer on one another and compete while still being serious about their workout.

“The key is having the students come,” Colby said.

May 2017

SPORTS

Work. This is the second year that Dale Colby will have speed and agility. He is having 5 different sessions. “Anyone can join grades nine through twelve, male or female, athlete or non athlete,” Colby said.

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Striking out hunger STORY CHASE DOCKTER PHOTO ALLIE JOHNSON

Bismarck High School and Century High School baseball teams forget their rivalry to help out a local cause.

F

or many years, Bismarck High School and Century High School have been cross town rivals. They have been trying to beat each other in everything from football to Science Olympiad. But this time, they are teaming up for a good cause.

Baseball season is a time for fun and excitement at the baseball diamond. This year the Demons hope to improve and make it back to state once again. First, they are working on something bigger than baseball.

Two seniors, Andrew Feist from BHS and Ian McDonald from CHS, are both excited to help out the food pantry.

“It’s our second year doing the food pantry,” Feist said.

Both Feist and McDonald have been playing Baseball since they were four years old. Feist enjoys getting to play with his teammates and getting the opportunity to play at their home field, Municipal ball park. This year they are excited to help out the community while playing a sport they love.

“There is a need in our community that boths teams can help with—the food pantry,” Feist said.

For the second year, both Bismarck and Century will team up to work together on collecting food for the food drive. In the past, the two teams have done a “Cancer Awareness Night,” but have recently switched

to help raise food items for the food pantry in Bismarck.

“It’s very important to do the food drive because there are a lot of people in the city of Bismarck who are less fortunate than some of us and don’t get some of the opportunities to play baseball or do other things because of their financial situation, so it’s important for us to do our part to help people who are less fortunate,’’ McDonald said.

The teams played each other on May 9, 2017 at Municipal Park where fans could bring food for the food pantry. Even though both teams fought out fiercely on the field, they both helped raise awareness for the food drive “It’s one of the biggest games of the year due to the rivalry,” Feist said. “It’s good, it shows that both teams can work together to better the community.”

At the end of the day, it is important to realize that there are things that mean more than winning a game. Two rival teams came together to help spread awareness for a great cause.

“It’s very humbling to be able to come together with our cross town rivals to help a cause that’s much bigger than baseball, and I really enjoy doing it,” McDonald said.

Strike out hunger. Both teams work together to help the pantry. They started helping the pantry two years ago. “It gives us the chance to work togeteher as one to help give back to the community,” Andrew Feist said.

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29

Who is the G.O.A.T.?

COLUMN AJ JEROME

LeBron James is chasing history, as he looks to eclipse Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time.

T

he debate of the greatest National Basketball Association (NBA) player in history has always been talked about, but it has been discussed more and more frequently in the last few years.

Last year, LeBron James won his third championship. Not only did he beat the Golden State Warriors who were coming off the greatest regular season in NBA history (record of 73-9), but he came back from a three to one deficit to win. This gave him his third ring in seven finals appearances. Obviously, this is only half of Michaels Jordan’s six NBA Finals wins, but he has already surpassed Jordan in finals appearances. LeBron is the best basketball player to ever live, and he will prove it by the end of his career.

LeBron has lost four NBA Finals.

Two of LeBron’s losses came when his team was severely outmatched. At the age of 22, he led his team to the Finals with the worst supporting cast in Finals history. Another loss came against the Warriors in 2015. LeBron lost his two best teammates earlier in the playoffs to injuries. In the series, he led both teams

JORDAN WILHELM

in points, rebounds and assists which has never been done by anyone else, including Jordan. There is nothing more he could have done in those series, his team was simply subpar.

Something that is often overlooked in this debate is that value to their respective teams. LeBron left the Cavaliers and they went from 61 wins in an 82 game season to 19. That is 42 less wins with the loss of one single player.

When Jordan left the Bulls they went from 57 wins to 55. Jordan’s teammates stepped up and filled his spot and posted an almost identical record without him.

Can you imagine what LeBron’s resume would look like if he had that kind of supporting cast?

In direct statistical comparison, LeBron is going to blow Jordan away by the end of his career. Lebron is still in the prime of his career with five or more seasons left in his tank, but he has already passed Jordan in minutes played, assists and rebounds. LeBron is quickly closing the gap in points, blocks and steals. LeBron’s longevity is unprecedented in the NBA. He has

Q: Who is the best basketball player of all time and why?

A: “Michael Jordan, [because]when you’re six for six in the NBA Finals, that speaks for itself. And if he wouldn’t have left for baseball he would have been eight for eight. I just don’t see how anyone in that era could have competed with a Michael Jordan team. “

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avoided major injury for all 14 seasons of his NBA career. Jordan also avoided injury but he took a break from basketball for more than two years in his career, and came back fresh. LeBron has never had a break.

LeBron is in his 14th year in the NBA, and he just played arguably his best season to date. He put up career highs in assists and rebounds, along with improving his shooting percentage.

His efficiency and his knowledge of the game is the best in the league.

He remains one of the best and most explosive athletes in the NBA, but if he has lost any of his athleticism over his career, he has made up for it in his experience. The point is that LeBron is showing no signs of slowing down. It is fair to say that he will make it to the Finals at least 10 times by the end of his career, or even more. Hypothetically, if he were to win two more championships and increase his total to at least five and pass Jordan in every major statistical category, how could somebody say he is not the greatest?

TATE DOPPLER

Q: Who is the best basketball player of all time and why?

A: “LeBron James, [because] LeBron will surpass Jordan in every major category if he stays healthy for the rest of his career. In the 06-07 season LeBron had carried his team to the finals and that Cavs team is widely regarded as the worst team to ever compete in the finals. Without LeBron they likely would not have even been a playoff contender. LeBron has evolved the game of basketball. His physical dominance has never been seen before.”

May 2017

SPORTS

Homefeild advantage?

COLUMN CHASE DOCKTER

After many years of playing at the Community Bowl for home games, the BHS football team will play a home game on a new field.

I

n recent years, Bismarck has gone through many different changes. With the recent oil boom, many have flocked to North Dakota looking to find one of the many jobs available. With so many new people, Bismarck Public Schools has built a brand new athletic complex.

The new field is great, the only problem is it does not seem like it was made in the right spot to handle every Bismarck school.

The Bismarck Community Bowl has been home for all the Bismarck Schools for many seasons. Many different sports from football to soccer have regularly been played there. With the addition of Legacy High School, the bowl just does not have enough room in their schedule to host all of the necessary high school games. With the addition of the new sports complex, the ultimate goal was to help alleviate tension in the schedule.

Although it fixes schedule conflicts, it takes away the tradition of the home field advantage that other Bismarck Public Schools are used to.

The new sports complex is owned and is suppose to be used by all Bismarck Public Schools. The only problem is that it is a couple yards away from Legacy High School. Many teams from other Bismarck high schools do not want to travel all the way up north to play their supposedly “home” games. For the first time in many seasons, the BHS football team will play a home game on a field besides the Community Bowl.

The Demon football team will play Williston for a regular season home game at the new complex. The field has nicer turf compared to the Community Bowl, but has less bleacher space and is more out of town. It also feels more like an away game at Legacy, then

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a home game. It is understandable that administration is trying to make sure everyone has equal rights to the complex, but things would be better if they just made it Legacy’s home field.

Many BHS football players would rather keep their games at the bowl then play at Legacy. It is a very nice field and is a great addition to Bismarck, but the location makes it feel as though it belongs to Legacy home games and the Community Bowl to Bismarck, Century High School and Saint Mary Central High School home games. This would make it so that every high school would have fair home field advantage.

The new sports complex is a great field. Even though administration thinks that other teams want to play there, they would rather continue playing the bowl.

31

Preserving high school priorities

OPINION

STAFF EDITORIAL

Electives and extracurricular activities at Bismarck High School have seen a drop in numbers in recent years, limiting the number of classes offered.

H

igh school is the time and place where certain interests come about.

Elective classes, clubs and sports are things within the school that foster these interests and can get kids excited about being a part of something. They are what kids consider safe places and something that can be looked forward to after a particularly hard class or just a rough day.

Elective classes are especially important in the fact that they broaden experiences and spark passions that can lead to work fields after high school.

Unfortunately, the amount of these classes offered are low in numbers. One reason for this being that core classes hold priority over electives and leave little room to experiences other things than the coursework of math, science,

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english and so on. That is not to say core classes do not create interest in fields pertaining to those subjects, but for those who have not found their niche yet it can be hard to find out what their passions are when those classes take up most of their required time.

Although BHS does not have a vast amount of electives like larger scale schools offer, there is a broad variety to choose from that contribute just as much value to the school as core classes.

For example, journalism classes such as HiHerald, yearbook and litMag have created passions within students that have ended up prospering in professions that will further these passions. Not only that, but for years these classes have been accredited numerous awards that

May 2017

have the Bismarck High School name on them. This goes for other electives as well as extra-curricular activities.

The low numbers that continue to diminish over the years are hurting the potential for achievement, enthusiasm, and connections among students.

Pushing to get students the information and starting a passion about these classes and activities is important for students to be able to take advantage of all the available resources BHS has to offer. Elective classes create life skills, social skills, responsibility and opportunities that can be carried on in the real world and are vital to achieve the maximum information and skills while still in high school.

OPINION

Dating in high school is basically dumb COLUMN ALEX KAUTZMAN

Many teens waste their time with what they think is dating.

T

here are many mysteries in life that cannot be solved by the incompetent human mind. What was here before the beginning? What lies beyond death? Why is the bed so comfy just after waking up? Humans attempt to solve these confound questions with constructs like time, truth, mathematics and love. High schoolers believe they have mastered one of these ideologies and by looking at some calculus grades, it is definitely not mathematics. No, teenagers like to imagine that they are the keepers of romance. And while there are some real Romeo and Juliets out there, it is only fair to say that most teen relationships are not built on real love.

Rather, they consist of hormones, naivety and drama.

It has come to the point where dating is defined by the two sixth graders who plan to ‘go on a date’ but have to ask their parents for a ride first.

This is not dating. Dating is a tool meant to help find someone who is compatible for a long term relationship. While it can be fun and exciting, dating also holds a more crucial point. One has to decide if this is the person they will potentially spend the rest of their life with. That is a long time. The process of dating itself is hard and tedious as well. The fear of commitment keeps some away from the dating scene, but there is also change, trust and the unknown. It is a big deal and most high schoolers cannot handle it.

High school is hard enough.

Homework, tests, extracurriculars and jobs are enough to deal with so why bother with dating? Who really has time for both, school and a committed

relationship? When do they sleep? Not to mention how distracting a relationship can be. And the drama that follows any relationship is enough to fill up an entire season of a TV drama. “Did you hear that Soandso are dating Soandso?” “What!?

Dumb and Dumber broke up?” “I heard Whocares cheated on Growup with Findahobbyorsomething.” The gossip that follows these types of relationships are immature and unnecessary. Instead of wasting time jabbering about a thing that might last another three months, go do something useful like getting an education or preparing for the future.

There is a good chance that who dated who in high school will not matter in ten years anyway.

One problem that arises with teen relationships is the lack of rationality teenagers have. High school is a very emotional time for everybody. Hormones are flying everywhere and kids are expected to have their life figured out by the time they are 16. They are also pressured into a lot of situations. One of these just happens to be dating. This becomes evident when one of the first questions relatives asks after not seeing eachother for a period of time is “So do you have a boy/girlfriend yet?” Media also falsely advertises how relationships and high school function together. Sorry to be the one to ruin it for everyone, but movies lie.

The other issue with dating in high school is the confinement of it all. A high school’s enrollment is a very small percentage of the world’s population. Thinking that one will find their soul mate in that small of a pool is preposterous. There are so many other

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opportunities to meet new people.

There is no rule saying that true love will be living in the same town and will go to the same high school at the exact same time. Why would people settle for Brad from Psychology when they have not even met Carson from Idaho yet?

People should not assume that they will meet their future spouse in high school.

They have their whole life to meet them, eventually the time will come. But this is not to say that Brad from Psychology is not ‘the one’. Afterall, less than two percent of marriages are to a high school sweetheart. But there is always that chance!

People need to remember that there are only two options once they start dating someone. Either they end up marrying that person or they break up.

If they are still convinced that they are meant to be, then the next step is after high school. How will college affect the relationship? Most people do not want to pursue a long distance relationship which is understandable and one of the biggest reasons why high school relationships just do not work out. But not every aspect of teen love is bad. For one thing, it is great practice for when one is ready to pursue a real relationship.

High school is a big trial and error where teens have to try and figure out who they are and what they want to be. It is the stepping stone into the real world. Teen relationships are still relatively silly and trivial, but so is being a teenager. It is the years left aside to do dumb things while learning from them.

Relationships should be treated as such, a silly phase teens need to get out of the way before they can be serious about it.

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To the new editor COLUMN LEXI KERZMAN

Advice from a retired editor to the new editor— enjoy your time.

D

ear future editor, When I first admitted to myself I actually wanted to be editor, I never imagined what it would mean to me.

Hopefully you know what an important thing you are doing by taking over the editor position and can cherish every moment of it. I can only hope that when I leave, the same joy I have recieved from being editor can be passed on to you.

Although being editor was one of my favorite things about my senior year, at times it seemed like I was floating along without a clue of what I was doing.

So I thought, maybe, I could leave some guidance and advice for you, future editor.

Now, you do not have to take my advice, after all you are in charge now, but it is here for you to do with as you please.

If you are like me, future editor, you have never gone to a layout day before and the week of layout was always your time to relax. I am sorry to say, that is no longer the case. Layout is the most stressful time of the month, especially your first month. You may feel clueless on what is happening and overwhelmed with all that still needs to be done. That is, sadly, pretty normal.

The layout days are long and very exhausting, so learn how to effectively

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drink large quantities of coffee without getting the shakes—shaking fingers will interfere with your typing ability and slow typing will only make your long days longer. It is also important to note that food is almost always provided, but bringing extra snacks will earn you a gold star as editor from your designers, but that is not the most important thing to worry about so do not fret if you forget.

When you finally finish your first issue, it will feel as though you are now a mother or father and the Hiherald is your child. I cannot speak for every editor, but from my experiences that is completely normal and it is actually beneficial because your pride will push you to work harder on the next issue. However, not everyone is going to think your work is as amazing as you do, and that is something you slowly have to learn to accept.

The hardest part about being editor is learning from your own mistakes and not beating yourself up over the little things. Each issue has its own challenges, from missing pictures, to uncomplete photo captions and unfinished stories, but somehow it always comes together.

It is going to take a lot of different people working together to make it happen.

Learning to ask for people’s help is the first step to being a good leader.

For Hiherald we are lucky enough to

May 2017

be blessed with one of the kindest and most understanding advisors, so cherish the time you get with Mrs. McKenzie.

Listen to her advice, but if you have a different idea, do not be afraid to state what you think. You are editor. She wants you to be the leader and have opinions.

Take your title and actually fulfill it.

Besides a great advisor, Hiherald is filled with talented and amazing people.

Trust them. Ask your section editors for help and their opinion. They know what they are doing. No one expects you to know how to do everything just because you are the editor. Great leaders know when to ask for help. The sooner you learn this, the better.

My final advice to you, future editor, is enjoy every moment of your senior year. As cliché as it is, it really does go fast, especially when you fill your time doing things you love. For me, my senior year was nothing but great memories because I was a part of the Hiherald, and I hope after you graduate, you feel the same way about Hiherald as I do now.

Thank you for caring for the Hiherald as much as I do. I have the utmost respect and confidence in you. Now prove me right and uphold the ideals and tradition that is the Bismarck High School Hiherald.

OPINION

Hot topic COLUMN BELLA KRAFT

Global warming is not hoax and should be taken seriously.

T

here is no denying it, global warming is real. From rising temperatures to more severe weather, it is foolish for people to deny that climate change is a hoax.

While sunny and 65 degrees sounds amazing, this weather should not be happening in February. Days and even week like this, where weather is quite out of the ordinary are not rare, and they are becoming more of an occurrence. Winter weather turning into spring in the middle of February leads to hotter summers where the heat can become unbearable and even deadly.

People should not be living under rocks, believing climate change is nothing but a rumor is not acceptable.

There is solid proof that global warming is a real, with sea levels rising 3.4 millimeters per year and land ice

decreasing 287.0 gigatonnes per year.

Some of these numbers may seem insignificant, but think about in the future when beaches and entire islands cease to exist because of rising sea levels.

Efforts to stop global warming need to be taken more seriously. Little things such as recycling paper or carpooling go a long way to help decrease climate change. The government also needs to take more action, removing climate change pages from the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] will not make the problem of global warming go away.

Everyone needs to take a little more responsibility in taking care of the earth, because it is the only planet humans have. And the promise of finding a planet where they can travel to and sustain life in this lifetime are slim.

Global warming is real and people

TWITTER @BHSHIHERALD

need to stop believing in the illusions that it is fake. There is concrete evidence proving that climate change is real, such as studies on temperature and ice loss in Antarctica and the Arctic. There should be no denying climate change and why would organizations make something like this up?

From recycling to riding a bike, people can help the planet in many different ways. People need to help in order to slow global warming, because can lead to the extinction of many different species of animals, destroy habitats, and also make natural disasters such as hurricanes more dangerous.

Global warming is real and there should be no denying it and actions should be taken to try and help solve this problem.

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May Reviews

ENTERTAINMENT

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Many additions to a movie franchise suffer from what is known as sequelitis. This is usually referred to when the sequel of a well know movie is considerably worse than the original. Just look at Cars 2 or Jaws 2, both very underwhelming movies compared to their ancestors. Despite this trend, there are some sequels that live up to their name, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is one of them. The same lovable characters are back to save the galaxy with even more snark and sass.

The movie is funny, entertaining and overall just a good time. Between the chuckles and snorts are scenes that leave the audience on the edge of their seats. Add a dash of cool fight scenes and an amazing soundtrack and it results in a fun movie worth seeing again. However, this movie does not get to walk away without some form of criticism. There are moments where the story beats feel very obvious, as if they were clumsily put in the script in order to move the plot along. But once one gets past the clunky plot starters, the movie picks up and does its job—it makes the audience want to see it again. For those questioning whether or not they want to see this film, a good rule of thumb to follow is to see the original. If they like the first one, then there is a good chance they will love the second one. Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a silly, enjoyable film made for people who enjoy some sick space action and can get down to some groovy 70’s tunes.

REVIEW ALEX KAUTZMAN PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Circle

Based on the best-selling novel, The Circle, this movie features a distaste for technological innovations as well as keeping the attention of the audience. The plot revolves around the life of Mae Holland (Emma Watson) and her journey of being live streamed all the time through cameras called SeeChange. The Circle is set in a technological dystopia that portrays what society will be like in the future. However, it fails at delivering this message. On the other hand, Emma Watson and Tom Hanks perform their characters beautifully, but they do not fit in the movie because of their cheesy dialogue and Hank’s bad dad jokes. The movie lacks the color, lighting and sounds that are essential to create an experience that is set in the future. Overall, The Circle tries hard to convey a Black Mirror-esque future but ultimately fails because of its unhealthy view of technological advancement. In fact, just watch Black Mirror’s “White Bear” and “Nosedive” episodes to better understand the whole intention of The Circle.

REVIEW RJ TARE

PHOTO SUBMITTED

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hiherald

May 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

Boys vs. Girls STORY ALLIE JOHNSON PHOTOS DREW SANDVIG

Students and staff around Bismarck High School were asked to share their favorite memories from this school year.

MRS. NEIN

MR. WANGLER

“My favorite memory is seeing all of my student’s smiling faces every day.”

“Seeing Mr. Weigum act out today’s lunch.”

KENNEDY BENZ-12

“My favorite memory from senior year is being nominated as class flirt.”

MICHAEL KLOSE-12 “My favorite memory is all of the bad puns I’ve made.”

ERIC KRUG-11

KIAYA SCHWAB-11 “My favorite memory from this year is going to be when Megan Ternes graduates and I’ll never have to see her again.”

MADDY STECKLER-10

“My favorite memory from this year was the dodgeball tournament.”

TATELYN HOULE-9

“My favorite memory would be the homecoming football game and sitting around with my friends.”

“Taking third place in the state swimming meet.”

CHRISTIAN WALTH-10 “My favorite memory from BHS this year was going to Colorado and making Jell-O.”

MASON STOTZ-9

“My favorite memory would have to be going to state with the soccer team.”

TWITTER @BHSHIHERALD

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Senior quotes STORY ASHLEY SPOTTS PHOTOS DREW SANDVIG

As the senior class prepares to graduate, they spent time reminiscing on their high school experience and leave Bismarck High School with quotes to live by.

ZACH FRANKLIN

ASHLEY DAVIS “...I don’t wanna talk.”

“If you aint talkin’ money…”

KOBE BERGER

OLIVIA BACHMEIER

“If I spent half as much money on my education as I spent on my car, I’d definitely be rich by now.”

“No matter where you end up in life, that’s where you are.”

TRISTA WENTZ

BRADYN JUST

“I would like to thank Starbucks for getting me through high school.”

“Don’t give up on your dreams.

Keep sleeping.”

MATT BAKKEN

KYRA SCHMIDT

“It’s been real. It’s been fun. But it has not been real fun.”

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“I doughnut care.”

May 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

Rants & raves Ranting about hardships can be as theraputic for someone as focusing on the positive. In this month’s edition, the Hiherald staff takes some time to aire their grievences in the form of a rant. In order to keep life in balance, they also rave about those things in life that give people a reason to keep smiling.

Group work is probably the dumbest and most frustrating aspect of school. On average, you are paired with someone that you either do not know or like, or someone who just does not care at all. Unless you have the cool teacher, you normally do not pick your groups and have to rely on others for a grade. This proves to be frustrating for those who want to do well on the project but are held back by the rest of the group. It is difficult to do the same amount of work at the same rate of five people working together. And if you do manage to complete it, those who did nothing still get the same amount of credit you do. Even though teachers think they grade projects fairly, chances are they will still give the slackers a good grade. There also just seems to be no point to group projects. They do not demonstrate what students have learned and retained, it only shows how much nonsense they can handle before they lose their minds. However, it does make students cooperate which they will eventually have to do in the real world, but that still does not change the fact that group work is a pain in the butt.

RANT ALEX KAUTZMAN Having a random bruise is terrible. Where did it come from? What happened? But what is even worse than a random bruise is a bruise on your elbow. You cannot use your elbow to hold your head or rest it on the table because it hurts that bad. You always try to hold your head up only to be hit with a sudden sense of pain. And do not even get me started on hitting your funny bone with a bruise. It is just about the worst feeling ever. Hitting your funny bone in general is terrible but it is intensified with a bruise, even the tiniest of bruises.

RANT LEXI KERZMAN Getting tan makes everything so much better. Mood changes to happy and positive, the breakouts disappear with the coming of sun freckles, and clothes seem to compliment one’s complexion instantly. It makes sense that people want to attain tans in the winter by fake baking and spray-ons but nothing beats the natural glow that comes from the sun. Tanning outside is also relaxing and a must for summer activities. A lot of people look forward to the sun coming and skin getting darker, just do not forget the sunscreen.

RAVE TAYLOR LASSITER Believe it or not, I actually enjoy taking notes in class. It is an unpopular opinion, but I find them very relaxing. I like the feeling of my pen gliding along the paper in different bright colors, patterns and shapes. It is fun to go back and decorate them with sketches and designs. I especially like it when we can choose what exactly it is that we have to write down. I am the kind of person that would rather have more useless information than I know what to do with. Notes are one of, if not, the best way to study for quizzes and test, so having the freedom to do what I want to prepare for each test is a true blessing for me. Of course, I am not a fan of having to write an entire notebook-full of material, but a few pages here and there is quite a nice and relaxing time for me that makes learning new things worth getting up way too early in the morning.

RAVE TAEGAN BUECHLER TWITTER @BHSHIHERALD

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SUMMER

OPEN HOUSE

Friday, June 9, 2017

10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • NECE

bismarckstate.edu/openhouse

CLR-075-0417

Join us.