Common Sense Millard South High School • 14905 Q St. • Omaha, Neb., 68137
May 23, 2022
Volume 22 Issue 7
Mr. Millard South returns with style Laddie Wilken Staff Reporter In a whirlwind of boat inspired swimsuits, Bob Ross impressions, seniors in suits and vomiting boys, National Honor Society’s Mr. Millard South pageant is back. The 11 contestants all say it was worth the wait. To get the most out of the experience, winner Bradyn Bode said, you have to “be yourself on stage, as hard as that is sometimes. “You have to go up there and not care what they have to say about it.” The pre-covid, annual men’s beauty pageant consisted of a dance routine, swimsuit, talent, craziest thing and Q&A portion. Senior Joseph Kaipust said the atmosphere back stage was a little hectic. “There were sections during the show, especially going from the decades dance to swimwear, where we had to rush backstage to change,” Kaipust said. “The dressing room was just a bunch of us manically changing as fast as possible.” While some of the contestants joined just for the fun of it, many had a far greater experience than they expected. Contestant Christian Nash congratulates Bradyn Bode as he is announced to be the Mr. Millard South of ‘22. Photo by Ally “It was a great experience,” Kaipust said. Leading up to it, I wasn’t the most excited,” he said. “It was just another thing I was Seevers doing, but it ended up being so fun and one of the highlights of my senior year,” he said. testants wanted it to be even better. something I wish wasn’t only a one year thing, because if I could do Many of the contestants said new friendships blossomed along “I think the show was perfect,” senior Grant Braun said. Though this every weekend, I would,” he said. the way. next time “I would add in some better questions for the Q&A,” he The boys highly recommend it for anyone who is thinking about “During the entirety of Mr. Millard South, the boys bonded said. participating. together really well,” senior Travis Cloyd said. “It was really fun “I think it’d be really funny if they added an athletic part where “If you’re a prospective senior boy thinking about it, you should joking around and having a good time,” he said. all the guys had to do weird drills of some kind,” Bode said. definitely do it, because its a great experience,” Kaipust said. “We had great chemistry between all the contestants,” Kaipust After having been through the gauntlet of Mr. Millard South, the “It was fun, hanging out with the other guys, getting together said. “We were having fun together, being buddies. I think it was an contestants offered up some advice for future participants. and putting on a great show we can look back on and be proud of,” irreplaceable experience,” he said. “Have fun with it and don’t be afraid to embarrass While the show was near perfect to start with, some of the conyourself,” Cloyd said. “It’s a great experience; it was
During his talent section, Fan Favorite Torin Edwards finds an umbrella in his kitty pool full of packing peanuts, shortly after discovering a boot and a tennis racquet.
Fellow contestants Connor Schmidt, Austin Meyer, and Bradyn Bode lift Torin Edwards into the air during the opening dance number, recreating an iconic “Dirty Dancing” scene. Photo by Ally Seevers
In his marching band uniform, Grant Braun plays the vibraphone for his talent section.
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Pages 6-9
Page 10
Slam Poetry completes successful season
Review of newly opened Crumbl
Common Sense seniors say good-bye
Streaming series ‘Archive 81’ and ‘Girl From Plainville,’ music reviews
News 5 • 23 • 2022
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Student Council makes wish come true for Omaha kid Vivian Kaldahl Staff Reporter I wish to go, I wish to have, I wish to meet, and I wish to be are the 4 different categories of wishes that Make-A-Wish grants. Millard South’s Make-A-Wish liaison, Courtney Cleveringa, explained that “Make-A-Wish Nebraska grants the wishes of children between the ages of 2.5 and 18 who are battling a critical illness.” At the end of March, Millard South’s Student Council launched their first Wish Week campaign to
This is Millard South’s Wish Kid, Liam. He lives in Omaha and is almost four years old. Photo given to Common Sense by Courtney Cleveringa.
grant an “I wish to have.” Millard South succeeded in granting Liam’s wish of a playroom in his basement for him and his sister. Liam is an almost 4-year-old boy from Omaha who loves dogs, pizza, dancing to music, and swinging on swings. Cleveringa said “Millard South StuCo has been a long-time supporter of Make-A-Wish Nebraska, and I wanted to present the idea of hosting a Wish Week because I knew your StuCo could take those ideas and implement them.” Cleveringa also said “In the Omaha area, there were just two schools that hosted a Wish Week and Millard South was one of them.” Seniors Jayden Smith and Sophia Nkwocha were committee heads for the Wish Week committee. They planned a whole week of fundraising events. “We sold bracelets, sold t-shirts, offered staff a jeans day, sold concessions at the Unified Basketball game, partnered with restaurants each night, and had a pride time donation competition,” Smith explained. Each of the restaurant nights raised approximately $300 each and the pride time contest raised $2,357. According to Smith, Ashli Hudson’s senior pride time came in first place by donating $500. “I think almost 80% of our pride time gave a donation,” senior Anna Aesoph said, “and the next day, Mrs. Hudson said she would match whatever we raised which effectively doubled our contribution.” Hudson’s pride time was close to the $500 mark, so everyone rushed to chip in a couple more dollars. “The students in our pride time raised $150 alone, then with Hudson’s matching contribution, and a $200 contribution from Hudson’s best friend, we raised $500,”
The Sunday before Wish Week activities began, Student Council decorated the halls. They made posters and hung up blue and silver streamers. Photo by Abby McGaughey.
Aesoph explained. build Liam his playroom. “I went with Mrs. Hudson to drop off the “Seeing the total came with the realization envelope. All that our school just the way down granted an entire main street we wish,” Smith said. Seeing the total came with the were practically “The whole realization that our school just buzzing with process was so excitement to rewarding,” Smith granted an entire wish. be able to give explained, “it was so much. We clear that the entire were excited school was involved. – Senior Jayden Smith to see the look I could hear people Wish Week committee head on Mrs. Nehls talking about Liam face as well as and I could see people just being such buying bracelets, a large part of giving money in pride the contribution. Afterwards, we couldn’t stop time, and going to restaurants. That is the true smiling and felt on top of the world,” Anna said. reward.” In the end, Millard South raised $5,934.43 to
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News 5• 23 • 2022
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Rookies slam the door open
First year poets close the book on a successful season “As far as how good we did. I think we did pretty decent. We are only a first year team but we have so much power it’s insane,” Jud said. Performing April 14 at the Omaha Conservatory of Music, Placing third in the semi-finals, the team didn’t advance to the Millard South’s slam poetry team fiercely competed against next competition, but third is nothing to glance over with such a Westside and Lincoln East in a battle of passionate poetry. new and dedicated team such as these poets. “To perform at a slam tournament is absolutely life changing,” “I think we did quite well for it being our first year, individually sophomore June Jud said. “Watching all these gifted students and group-wise,” sophomore Luc Chaney said. bleed their emotions onto a piece of paper is just a sight to “From what I hear, that’s really good for a first-year team,” behold,” she said. sophomore AJ Morong said. Advised and coached by English teacher Amber Wormington “I am definitely going to do slam again next year,” They said, “I and consisting entirely of first year poets, the team has still been found a part of me that I didn’t even know existed, and I can’t just making waves with their young, yet strong voices, perseverance, leave it behind.” and passion to succeed. Whether expressing themselves on the stage or in the classroom, these students have been preparing themselves for competition since day one, whether they realized it or not. “Honestly, I think we’ve been preparing since the beginning. They always had a vague mention of the competition, but it was never really like a thing,” Morong said. “Originally it wasn’t about competition, we just came to have fun, and they were like, here’s a little prompt, and so we wrote a poem that went with that prompt, and eventually, they were just like, okay do you guys wanna keep doing this, where you come in here, you share your poetry, we write some poetry and that’s it, or do you guys wanna move on to Freshman Ariah Herman and sophomores Shelbu Neeley, Luc Chaney, and Alexi Nielsen competition, and I think it was perform their group poem in front of an audience to practice for a competition. Photo by unanimous, every single one Joni Beauchamp Joni Beauchamp Staff Reporter
of us wanted to go to competition,” Morong said. Unlike many of Millard South’s clubs and activities, slam poetry has a much more immediate approach to familiarizing teammates, and in turn has become a home for many and has definitely made a huge impact in the lives of those within Rehearsing her piece a final time it, whether that be in their writing or in before competition, sophomore June other powerful ways. Jud looks for feedback from her “At the beginning team. Photo by Joni Beauchamp we were like, okay, don’t judge anybody for what they say in here, everything we say in here stays in here, so it’s like, and I know these people aren’t gonna like talk about a personal poem with one of their friends, because that’d be kind of mean, and I just trust these people and I know that they’re not going to, and I know I can really tell people what I feel, especially Mrs. Wormington,” Morong said. “I’ve made so many friends with slam, I didn’t know Worm at all before this, but now she’s like, my bestie, and like, I’ve met most of my friends in slam, like, I’d say half of my friends are in slam poetry,” Jud said. “It’s sort of like a family, even if that may sound a little cliche, but it really is, we love hearing what other people have, even if you’re like, I’m not a super great poet, we try to help other people grow, and if you’re good and you want to compete, absolutely, come on, come join us, and if you want to do it for fun, absolutely, come on in,” Chaney said.
Class rank: Competitive edge or setback? Travis Cloyd Staff Reporter 1 EMERGENCY ALERT! We have no student as #1 in class rank! Who will sit at the top of the pyramid? Who will represent the top of the class? Who will lead this year’s class into the future??? Wait — but do we need a #1? Millard South removed class rank four years ago, a decision that follows the trend of high schools throughout the United States. Class rank has slowly been phased out, as every year more and more high schools decide to terminate its use. Class rank has been a mainstay of high school and higher education since its inception, though according to collegeboard.org, less than 50 percent of high schools currently use class rank. Despite this trend, every college application asks you for your class rank, a fact that has no doubt left many Millard South students questioning if they want class rank back. Class rank is the act of ranking each class of students based on their grade point average (GPA). In this system, each student is given their own individual number i.e. 1,2,3,…, and so on. This number, or score, would be found on the student’s high school transcript and is considered a top factor in college admissions, as it is a strong representation of how the student is in comparison to their fellow students. Emily Townsend, a counselor that has been at Millard South since 2006, explains, “Class rank was factored by the number of classes you took over your high school career. So if you took every opportunity to take a class, if you had no study hall, if you took classes over the summer, if you got A’s and all those, then you could move up on that class rank.” To get an opinion from a student who would have liked to have a class rank, we asked senior Philip Reitmajer. “I would love class rank, mostly to know where I stand,” Reitmajer said. “It’s not even if I think I’m at the top or the bottom, I just want to know where I am and how to feel in school in comparison to my peers,” he said. “ I understand that it’s a very competitive thing and that it can have a draining effect on some students. But I feel like there’s a certain point where they need to accept that some people work hard and want to be rewarded for that fact.” When asked if he would have worked harder if class rank did exist, Reitmajer said, “I already worked very hard, so no, but I think it would have been nice.” Other seniors disagree. “I personally think it is a stupid thing purely because you can be incredibly smart and do decent-to-average in AP classes, whereas someone who is in normal classes all the way through doesn’t take an AP class
and it makes their class rank higher than yours simply because they didn’t take as challenging classes as you,” senior Taylor Petersen said. When asked what she thinks the implementation of class rank would do, she said, “It would wreck some of the people who have tried really, really hard throughout their high school career and just could not get up that one three in AP World History sophomore year.” “It’s interesting to see what your class rank is just to see in the comparison, but I don’t think it’s something that we should ever share with the general public. I don’t think it’s something that should hold any merit whatsoever,” Petersen said. When asked about class rank in Millard, Townsend said, “Millard has a lot of students that are high-achieving students. So we have a large population of students, and when you have so many students that are at the top of their class, they get ranked accordingly. And so you could have a kid that has a 4.0 average down there at the bottom might be in the hundreds, versus a small-town school in Nebraska, where their senior class might be 50 or less.” She continued on, mentioning how class rank could be twisted from its original intention, and at times was disruptive in school. “Sometimes we would get students that would transfer over from different Millard high schools to play this class rank game where they would be at a lower class rank at their previous school, then they would come in and learn how to move up on that classroom scale.” Another example of a way students could play the class rank game was incoming freshmen taking summer school to get ahead, making them uncatchable to anyone not doing the same thing. Because of this, Townsend said, “ It just got to be the wrong focus.” She attributed the end of class rank in Millard to this, as she said, “I think the district wanted to focus on students being the best that they can like reaching their potential and valuing all students’ efforts and, and success.” Although, she said, “It pushed kids, as some kids wanted to take as many classes as possible, because the more classes you took, the higher your class rank was.” Ultimately the district decided to do away with it, as many others have as well. Townsend would put it perfectly, as she said, “you don’t really want a culture where you’re just competing. Instead, it should be more of collaboration, so everybody can succeed or work together.”
art by Lexie Smith
Entertainment 5 • 23 • 2022
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An empire set to Crumbl
Popular cookie business fails to impress If you’ve heard of Crumbl cookies, it’s probably because they’ve collaborated with your favorite celebrities and personalities online. In 2017, Crumbl Cookies opened its first store in Utah. In the years that followed, Crumbl would become the fastest growing cookie business in the nation with help from social networking, tons of brand deals, and their iconic pink packaging. The company has expanded to have 300 bakeries in 36 different states within the US. Recently, Nebraska opened their first franchise in West Omaha. Immediately the store was flooded with teenagers who recognized their marketing on Tiktok and parents curious about the new shop. A lot of the store’s success is contributed to their unique menu that swaps out specialty cookie flavors weekly. Some of the flavors they’ve had in the past include: passion fruit, Boston cream pie, and even corn bread. Swept up in the excitement of a popular brand, we decided to review their cookies and see if they were up to par. After two weeks of trying to get our hands on the exclusive sweets we finally scored a box of cookies.
Classic Pink Sugar Maddy’s thoughts: If you live in the Omaha metro area, you would be so much better off just going to Eileen’s cookies. Sugar cookies are a staple, and Crumbl certainly did nothing to make it stand out in its menu. Of all the cookies, this was the one that left me indifferent. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t stand out as better in any way. This was the only cookie, along with the red velvet, to be eaten fully so I’d give it points for that. (3/10) Turner’s thoughts: Another boring option, this cookie is a part of Crumbl’s menu every week. The frosting was fine at best, and the cookie was truly nothing of note for me. If I wanted a boring pink sugar cookie, I’d take a trip to Eileen’s where I can at least guarantee some bang for my buck in the volume of cookies given. There’s nothing particularly bad about this cookie, but I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth after thinking about it.(4.5/10)
Snickerdoodle Maddy’s thoughts: I usually forgo snickerdoodle cookies because I think they taste like the smell of an old person’s house. My biases against this cookie were confirmed when it lacked any cinnamon or sugar, making it bland. I mean, Play Doh™ has more flavor than this. And while I am a fan of gooey cookies, there’s something off-putting about an underbaked middle that can’t be disregarded because of its sheer size. Was the flavor lacking? Yes. Did I expect it? Also yes. (1/10) Turner’s thoughts: Yikes! There was a faint flavor of cinnamon sugar there, but it was mainly just the Crumbl-signature butter flavor. The biggest problem lies in the texture. While the outside wasn’t too bad, the inside of the cookie was underbaked. This may be a snickerdoodle tradition, but it just doesn’t work with how thick Crumbl’s cookies are. There was too much underbaked dough to make a decent bite out of a relatively expensive cookie. For a cookie classic, this might’ve been the biggest letdown for me. (3.5/10)
Overall Rating:
4.8
Red Velvet White Chip Maddy’s thoughts: This is the only cookie worth $3.50. I think it lacked the usual red velvet taste, but it was the best cookie in the box. I prefer gooey over cakey and the red velvet delivered on all fronts. It wasn’t dry and the white chocolate chips were on the right side of melted but fluffy. For being one of the unique cookies of the week, it certainly didn’t disappoint. (9.5/10) Turner’s thoughts: This was absolutely my stand out. While the majority of red velvet baked goods tend to be a little dry with a mild flavor, this cookie beat the odds. The flavor was very chocolate-heavy in just the right way. It was moist and dense–surprising for Crumbl’s more cake-based cookies. The white chocolate chips felt like a nice call back to the traditional cream cheese frosting you’d get on a red velvet cake. They were almost marshmallow-y, providing a great variety of texture. If I head back to Crumbl, you can bet money it’ll be on a red velvet week. (9.5/10)
Caramel Cookie Maddy’s thoughts: I hate pancakes and this tasted like pancakes. I’m not the biggest fan of caramel but this was just awful. The frosting on top tasted more like maple syrup and when paired with the usual cakey consistency, it tasted exactly like a pancake. A bland, dry pancake at that. (3.5/10) Turner’s thoughts: Simply put, this cookie bored me. The frosting was mediocre at best, maybe a little too sweet. The cookie itself was fluffy all right, but not how a cookie should be. It really was the texture of a pancake, but thicker. It had about as much flavor as a box pancake too. It was far from ideal to say the least. (4/10)
Ultimately... With such high pricing it’s hard to justify why someone would spend upwards of $3.50 per cookie for subpar results. At that point, you’re just paying for the brand. Ultimately, we believe that $14.93 for only two cookies that we fully ate wasn’t worth it. I don’t think we’ll be heading back to Crumbl anytime soon.
Entertainment 5 • 23 • 2022
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‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ is an emotional rush of adrenaline I think to fully appreciate the movie, you have to embrace its loose yet crazy, crowded structure, and from then on it becomes an absolute joyride that holds your attention as if nothing else matters. It ingeniously found a way to include With their strangely compelling and heartfelt 2016 “meme” humor without feeling out of touch, which probably release “Swiss Army Man,” directors Daniel Kwan and would have felt awkward if done by any other director or if Daniel Scheinert, together known as Daniels, have shown it was in any other blockbuster film in our current media themselves to be newfound innovators, willing to showcase landscape. Jokes were actually laugh-out-loud funny and what many would perceive as silly ideas and use them to tell are guaranteed to age just fine as time goes on. Contrasting a greater coming-of-age story that you weren’t expecting from the comedy aspect of the movie, with parts of emotion from the initial premise. Needless to say, their style was right and incredible vulnerability between characters, there were up my alley and gave me an immense amount of excitement effective touches of romance between Evelyn and Waymond for whatever they were concocting next. Following that that felt so natural and genuinely compassionate. The comingfilm is their latest acclaimed masterwork, “Everything of-age riff between mother and daughter is a prevalent theme “Everywhere All at Once,” a movie so vibrant and rapid, and throughout the movie, and it didn’t fail to evoke my tears. The so fantastic, it is tough to begin describing. movie marvelously encapsulates so many themes and moods The film is a bombastic combination of sci-fi, adventure, without feeling too forced or tiresome. I knew “Everything action, and comedy, surrounding lead actress and action whiz Everywhere All at Once” was special when I had to pause Michelle Yeoh. The movie entails the journey Evelyn Wang crying to laugh. (Yeoh) faces in attempting to save the world while getting This is a movie I want to watch a million more times in derailed in a series of universes under a giant multiverse. my lifetime, and even then, I don’t know If I will have fully Evelyn tries to achieve stability in the multiverse, and in grasped and appreciated every detail present in the movie. the fracturing relationships between her husband and her There were several times I was left teary-eyed with my mouth daughter. If it sounds complicated, it is in a way, although it open, either from smiling or from being impressed and isn’t hard to follow once you are presumably sucked in. The punched in the gut remembering how good movies can and entire movie is a beautiful frenzy. It is perfectly quick-paced should be. There are scenes still ringing in my head days later despite an almost two and a half hour runtime. that cause me to full-on grin. Daniels know how to cast a movie, shown in their It is a reminder and refreshing reason to love and appreciate previous work, and it is absolutely showcased here. Every the medium of film, seeing a triumphant blend of comedy and performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is genuine emotion on screen. It is overwhelming, vibrant, fun, splendid and captivating, another standout being Ke Huy moving, and hilarious, taking the ever so prevalent multiverse Quan, who plays the husband of Evelyn Wang, Waymond. genre and actually doing something special with it. Daniels are Stephanie Hsu’s performance is perfectly bittersweet, playing simply raising the standards for movie-making. This movie Evelyn’s daughter, and provides the emotion to balance serves as the blueprint of future cinema, showing that it is the chaos. Michelle Yeoh is finally used properly, not only possible to embrace fun editing and atypical storylines while as a great actress but as a raging fighter. Your eyes become welcoming the emotional tang of a bittersweet relationship transfixed on every single actor as each is giving their all to this Matrix and other classic martial arts films. Influences from between mother and daughter. It shows power through the visionary effort of a film. those movies were not overpowering enough to interfere with growth and acceptance of others, overcoming pain and trauma, With killer characters, the movie is jammed with great the wildly unique nature of Everything Everywhere All at Once, all while hitting you with several scenes of a proposed hot dog visual effects. In technical aspects, it is above par. The lighting but ended up working wonderfully in the movie’s favor. finger universe, and there’s not a lot better than that. Lauren Rayner Entertainment Editor
is stunning, and the cinematography never failed to blow me away. Parts felt like the entire movie was filmed in one shot. It was smooth but jumpy when it needed to be. I swear I never wanted it to end. Throughout the multiverse, the fighting choreography was meticulous from each actor, adjacent to the
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Sydney Mejia Features Editor I don’t think I have been so excited about a video game in a long time. When “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” was announced back in 2019, I was highly anticipating its release. Development was a long process for TT Games and it was delayed several times, but it was finally released on April 5. There have been several installments of LEGO Star Wars games already, but this would include all six original movies as well as the more recent sequel films. My first run-through of the game was just to get a sense of how it works and compared to previous versions and overall, it went really well. I ran across very few issues and only experienced one major glitch where I somehow ended up getting stuck in a small area unable to move my character around. However, I was able to simply head to the main menu and get back in order to continue gameplay. The only other complaint I would have is the camera control can become really inconvenient, especially when flying ships in big battle scenes. I was able to work my way around this though for an enjoyable experience. I will also say that this game has also definitely im-
proved compared to older ones, which I would hope so considering how far gaming has come along since then. The graphics comparison is a huge difference as well as lighting and overall picture quality. The other thing I have always loved about the LEGO games is the quirky little scenes that are always added in. The storyline is kept intact with little funny twists thrown in. There’s really nothing better than roaming around the galaxy and finding some Stormtroopers taking a yoga class or Anakin’s lightsaber switching colors by accident. I also really enjoyed the endless amount of things there are to do throughout the story. Despite going through all nine stories, I wasn’t even remotely close to completing everything there is to do. With tons of minikits to collect and missions to complete, there is still hours worth of content left. My favorite thing to do each level is collect as many studs, which are the coins of the LEGO universe, and try to achieve the ‘True Jedi’ status. After completing each of the movies, you gain the ability to play in free play mode allowing you to go back and collect any of these things you may have missed. This feature is really great for those who want the ultimate completion title. Playing this game brought back lots of memories of
playing the originals on my Nintendo DS and I loved getting to have those nostalgic moments. While it did take a long time to get the game in hand, I will say it was well worth the wait and exceeded my expectations.
Common Sense Common Sense is the official publication of Millard South High School 14905 Q Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68137. School district guidelines determine the suitability of advertising content. To place an ad or inquire about rates, call (402)-715-8363. Common Sense is a monthly publication produced in Room 130. Common Sense uses desktop publishing hardware and software: Apple computers, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Google word processing software. Printing by White Wolf Web in Sheldon, Iowa. Letters to the editor are encouraged. All letters must be signed with the student’s first and last name, grade, then submitted to Mrs. Kaldahl. Unsigned letters will not be published. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length, and clarity. Letters of profane nature or other infractions of school or district policy will not be published.
Editor-in-Chief Madeline Leland
Opinions Editor Joni Beauchamp
Staff Secretary Turner Wittstruck
Chief Graphic Designer Sam Tews
Entertainment Editor Lauren Rayner
Social Event Coordinator Brianna Strudthoff
Online Editor Darian Pierre Sports Editor Ally Seevers Features Editor Sydney Mejia
InDepth Editor Joseph Kaipust Social Media Editor Lexie Smith Staff Illustrators Keely King Lexie Smith Joni Beauchamp
Business Manager Haley Johnson Distribution Manager Vivian Kaldahl
Staff Reporters Laddie Wilken Gabe Medina Haley Johnson Faith Wehrspann Vivian Kaldahl Brianna Strudthoff Darian Pierre Turner Wittstruck Travis Cloyd Gabe Debernardeaux Adviser Christine Kaldahl
Seniors 5 • 23 • 2022
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Common Sense Seniors
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Darian Pierre – Attending UNL to study Biology Excluding the first few years of my life, I’ve only lived in Omaha for the past four years or so. And upon coming back, my initial impression was that the city was just an okay place to live. Going on two years now, I’ve lived in a household without a vehicle, and that quickly changed my impression of the city to be much more negative. Omaha is a very suburban city, the same can be said about seemingly every Nebraska city. But the suburbs of Nebraska are all plagued by the biggest problem associated with suburbs: car culture. Suburban areas are notorious for being designed in ways that force people to rely on their own vehicles because they don’t have public transit, good footpaths, or zoning that puts places of interest within reasonable walking distance of homes. And from my experience in Omaha, these problems are unavoidable. Other staff for our publication have written extensively about Nebraska’s problem with brain drain, and in addition to the criticisms that they’ve levied, (that the state is boring and lacks opportunity) it definitely doesn’t help that people are so insulated. This is the type of area where all play dates for children have to be scheduled and
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sponsored by adults who have the time to commute their kids every step of the way, and teenagers before the age of 16 are completely dependent on those with licenses. The Colorado suburbs that I grew up in (the Denver-AuroraLakewood area) were better, but not by a significant margin. The city was still unwalkable with a lot of spacing between homes and businesses, but the city at least had a robust bus network and a lot of extensive bike paths allowing them to exceed already low expectations. Here in Omaha, I’m lucky to live close enough to Millard South where I’m capable of walking even if it’s a long way (around 35 minutes), so my problems with the city are rather first-world: I get bored and I have to ask for rides sometimes. But that’s a privilege that’s afforded to me by being able-bodied. The walk to Millard South is around the same distance as a potential walk to Hy-Vee. If it came to it, I could hypothetically walk to the grocery store and then haul a (limited) number of groceries back the other way, but you know who can’t do that? Older people. I know adults in my family who physically cannot walk that distance and have to rely on the generosity of neighbors and more costly paid transportation. And other than those trips for important supplies that have to be arranged long in advance, there is no freedom in that lifestyle. It’s incredibly isolating and miserable for older people who can’t make it to their churches, their relatives on the other side of town, or to see the city in which they live. It’s not hard to see why 16-year-olds rush to get their licenses immediately. You’ll often hear that “driving is freedom,” but a more accurate way to describe it is that: A driver’s license is a tool to retake the freedom that was stolen from you by poor city planning and the American Dream. Because even if you like driving, it’s a fact that car culture has made your life worse. Car culture is the reason that your commute
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Maddy Leland – Attending UNO to study Environmental Science
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is plagued by traffic at rush hour that stops you from actually driving. It’s the reason that the second-highest household expense for Americans under housing is “transportation,” which includes car payments, gas, and upkeep. Car culture is the reason that the solution to global warming isn’t electric cars but instead fewer cars altogether. It’s also proven that obesity rates are higher in suburbs than in urban areas with good walkability and transit networks. If you don’t have a car, the suburbs waste your time, money, and energy, and it turns out that if you have a car, the suburbs still waste your time, money, and energy. If they want to solve brain drain then they need to do a lot more than build a lake; our cities need major infrastructural improvements. Policy makers and city planners have been discussing plans to build transit systems for a while now, and it seems that we may be seeing some of that in the foreseeable future. But for now, this is far from the type of place that I want to be. In fact, my college choice is in part motivated by my desire to find a more walkable area. I’m going to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and part of the reason why is because I’ve been to the campus and was impressed to see that the sidewalks were actually being used. In addition, you can also see that the campus area has several buses buzzing about, prides itself on being conducive to biking. That’s not to say that the city of Lincoln as a whole is that attractive, since in most parts of Lincoln the walkability issue is far worse than in Omaha. But even then, UNL seems like a good transitionary step for testing a more urban lifestyle before I graduate and leave for somewhere better. Because even if I’m wrong about Lincoln’s walkability, I have to try something because the fact of the matter is that I can point to where Omaha’s structure makes me and many other people fundamentally less happy.
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Live fast, die young, regret nothing.
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Life is only what you make it, so live the fullest life you can.
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Brianna Strudthoff - Attending UNL to study Forensic Science
Millard South has been my And I’m not going to lie, I absolutely loved home away from home for being remote. I was able to sleep more and I most of my life. found myself to be more productive. Because As a kid, I loved coming my best friend, Maddy Leland, was also remote, up to school on the weekend I was never lonely. We Facetimed every day when my mom needed to run whether it be between classes or after school, up to grab something or finish and we had a lunch swap. Even though I wasn’t the newspaper with her staff. physically at our building, I was still able to Weekends participate in Student Counspent at school just for fun, cil and orchestra. With the soon turned into weekends I exception of a few inconvespent working on homecomniences, remote learning was ing decorations with student one of the best parts of high council, athletic training at school. sporting events, or working Millard South has on the newspaper as an ofbeen the best place for me to ficial staff reporter. grow up. It will always have There were many days a special place in my heart in high school when I spent and hold some of my best more time at Millard South memories. Over just the last than I spent at my actual four years, this school has home. The nights before gifted me a valuable educahomecoming hold the record tion and an environment for most hours spent within to develop my leadership the four walls of Millard skills and build connections South, clocking in at 16 with staff and students. In hours. a few short weeks, all the This all changed when work I’ve done and time I’ve Covid hit. I went from spent will be equivalent to a spending upwards of ten simple piece of paper, but the hours at school a day to memories I’ve made here are Vivian Kaldahl spending zero hours at Milpriceless. The time has come lard South. Even when we all for me to move out. It’s time – Attending UNO went back to school in the to start on a new path, a new to study Elementary fall of 2021, I opted to stay adventure, and a new place home for the first semester. to call home. Education
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graduates Four painfully long years of mingling with judgy teenagers and every opportunity to overload or stress yourself out–what could go wrong? High school is by all means a time for self growth and discovery, and I learned that firsthand. I’ve probably heard a million times over how a diamond can only be formed under immense pressure. Now, while I don’t consider myself any sort of precious mineral, I’ve certainly been stressed! It’s exactly that environment and pressure that led to my practicallyTurner Wittstruck ensured self-growth and discovery period. But how exactly did all of -Attending UNL to that affect my self-identity- and study Journalism and who exactly am I anyway? Music It’s difficult to answer any of that outright because of just how fast-paced an environment high school is. Every couple months my life has radically changed. I’d even aim to say “Turner” was a relatively different person from month to month, even if every version shared the same 5’ 7” meat-suit. We may all have walked around calling ourselves Turner Wittstruck, but modern day Turner wouldn’t be caught dead in those double 0 skinny jeans he tried to make work last year. I wish scientists made solar eclipses bright enough to burn those memories from my mind. Alas, I haven’t been so lucky. Fashion faux-pas aside, I’ve been a revolving door of a kid for the past couple years. Academically, I was always busy, to say the least. I chose to be an Early College AP kid who took a singular study hall ever. I pushed myself, if not just to say I was taking the hardest courses. While these classes and that workload definitely contributed to my complex of having to be consistently bright, I wouldn’t say it exactly aided in creating the Turner I recognize today. To take up even more of my time, I lived and breathed my activities. I figured out early on I was an arts kid. I took up spots in show choir, jazz choir, chamber choir, drama shows, a music honors society, and the International Thespian Society. I even experimented with leadership, as I was on both Junior Class Board and National Honor Society. By that point I definitely had a resume to boast, but bullet-points on a college application don’t make an identity. Maybe I could consult public opinion for some answers? Whether someone says it to your face or you hear it through the grapevine, opinions of how people perceive you are always flying around in high school (and will likely make it back to you at some point). Inevitably, these words will start to resonate with how you view yourself, for the better or worse. The word “annoying” was always a fanfavorite. I’ve heard it thrown at me since I was four, and I doubt it’s going away anytime soon. Not too long after, everyone found a new word for me: “gay”. I can’t say for sure why middle school students felt that it was their job to speculate on a 12 year old’s sexuality, but it quickly grew to be another piece of how people around me seemed to view me. While I’d like to imagine all these areas I looked for answers in could magically tell me who I am, it will never be that simple. “Turner, the annoying-choir-drama-early college-AP kid-that-likes-dudes” is just never gonna have the same ring as “Turner Wittstruck.” What I really took away after four years of fumbling with my own self-concept is as straight-forward as it sounds: your sense of who you are has to come from you. Not from what you do, not from who you speak to, but from who you are. One would think a global pandemic’s worth of alone time would’ve taught me that, but one would’ve also been wrong in that presumption. I’ll concede, while packing my schedule with commitments may or may not have been how I grew into who I am today, it really was the personal time I put in that gave me a better understanding of who I am. I’m not all the way there yet- I have college for that- but I’d still be ignorant not to appreciate my time at South for snowballing this loudmeat-suit of a kid into the Common Sense secretary before you all. I, Turner Wittstruck, have pain-stakingly made it through high school, and managed to stumble upon pieces of who I am along the way. For that, I couldn’t be more grateful. I just wish I had never stumbled upon those awful skinny jeans.
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art by Lexie Smith
Lexie Smith – Attending South Dakota State University to study Graphic Design
Throughout high school, I’ve been known for my extensive music involvement, failed track career, and membership in numerous clubs and organizations. I’ve worked as a cashier, food prep, set designer, and retail lead. I’ve done a lot of things in four short years, the one I’m most proud of is my self-appointed barista job. For senior year I decided to step out of my comfort zone and join the newspaper staff. I got to explore writing different types of articles and found a love for making infographics. During the first few weeks, the staff bonded over a love (need) for caffeine. When the newspaper staff discovered that the luxuries of Keurigs and K-cups were not going to be cost-efficient or environmentally conscious for the 37 weeks of this school year, someone had to step up and learn how to use the ancient Mr. Coffee. I am this unpaid barista. In dire need of caffeine, I trained myself in the art of making the most unimpressive cup of coffee. It starts with scooping coffee grounds out of a questionable ziplock bag that a fellow staffer generously donated into the coffee filter. The number of scoops doesn’t matter because it’ll taste bad either way. Then I make my way over to the water fountain to fill the pot, have an awkward conversation with the bathroom security guard, and stroll back to the journalism fortress of solitude. After a few minutes of nothing, I remember to plug the machine in. Ten minutes later you have coffee, or at least something close to it! After four years of high school, you’d think I’d have more to say and reflect on. Sure, there are probably a few other things I can take away from my time here, but the most important thing I learned is how to make a bad cup of coffee. It’s a useful skill to have. Unlike a lot of high schoolers, my need for caffeine didn’t even start until senior year. Since this was my last year of high school I thought I’d go out with a bang and be a part of every club, group, and event I could. Being more active in school and picking up more hours at work made sleep harder to come by. That tasteless newspaper coffee every other day was the only thing keeping me going. I don’t regret getting more involved, I made tons of memories and felt recognized for the things I accomplished. I won’t remember every detail about chemistry 10 years from now, but I will remember having wheely chair races in
the hallways and my choir director’s car that was plum crazy purple. While most of my high school experience was spent worrying about people’s expectations and academic success, those worries were diluted by my senior year. No matter how much I want to deny it, the girl who walked in here freshman year is not the same girl getting her diploma this month. As my life has changed, so do my priorities. Yes, grades are important, but so are experiences. I’m only in high school once, so this year I chose to make the most of it. I balanced school, work, and activities, but saved myself time to go out with friends and do things at school I’d never done before. Taking one night out of the week to go watch a basketball game or see a school play can turn into some great memories. It’s okay to prioritize yourself. It’s okay to have fun and stay out late. Part of growing up is having experiences to learn from and look back on. Have fun today, and worry about things tomorrow. And if my late nights clash with my early mornings, at least I know how to make a good pot of the worst coffee.
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Haley Johnson -Attending Wayne State to study Music Industry
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While I don’t support the banning of books by any means, I believe that those currently mandated are seriously in need of review, or just scrapping some of the ‘classics’ from our curriculum in general. The majority of novels read in high school, such as “The Catcher in the Rye”, “Animal Farm”, or “1984”, have been taught in schools across the country since our parents, and in some cases, their parents, have been in school, and yet somehow we still haven’t revamped the catalog of novels we read from, or haven’t really questioned the stagnant nature of our English curriculum in general. English isn’t really like any of the other subjects; it’s truly an outlier when it comes to content and what is learned, because most of what is learned in an English class is not information that you could just quickly Google or memorize, it’s much more metaphorical and abstract than that, but it seems that we’ve undervalued those lessons in an attempt to push kids towards more STEM-oriented subjects in the past few decades. Reading boring, old and uninteresting books to familiarize us with the classics doesn’t necessarily interest most teenagers, and while some find those old novels interesting, they’re not teaching anything new that couldn’t be more efficiently taught or more interestingly taught with a modern and more relatable version of that novel. Twentieth century novels are the most commonly taught pieces of literature in our English classes, but newsflash, we don’t live in the 20th century anymore. Sure, most of these topics are relatable to some degree, but for many it’s difficult to fully relate to, understand, or truly grasp the characters’ situations when they’re too busy trying to understand what certain words or phrases mean. Much of the nuance and general understanding is lost, even if the teacher attempts to demonstrate it. Of course, there is always the option to
Seniors 5 • 23 • 2022
focus on the small things and build up from there, but is that guaranteed to happen? No, it’s not, and more often than not there will be a disconnect between the theme and topics within the novel and the young, inexperienced readers that are often forced to consume it. In order to fix, or at least put a temporary bandage on the issue, I suggest that we replace some of these old and outdated novels with their more modern and relatable counterparts. For example, a replacement for the 1960 novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ could be the 2017 novel, ‘The Hate U Give.’ which would not only bring a more modern and relatable
Joni Beauchamp – Attending UNO to study English take into the classroom, but would also contextualize the prevalence of racism in our modern day society in contrast to the old and somewhat out of reach ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Since the bulk of these outdated novels have been released or written, a plethora of historical events contradicting, or at least aging the themes or main points of these novels occurred, and not acknowledging that is truly unfortunate
for the young readers who are supposed to be learning valuable lessons and developing different skills essential to their eventual adult lives. There are multiple events between the publishing and the modern day that change the reception of these pieces of literature quite a bit, especially when it comes to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ such as the Civil Rights Act being signed into law in 1964, just four years after the release of this novel, or even the March on Washington in 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The point is, these events, happening not long after the release of the novel, already change some of what could be interpreted, such as the use of the infamous white savior model, seen in most of the main characters, becoming a more prevalent issue than before and shadowing some of the main points that the author was trying to make, which are not entirely as valuable now when we could be focusing on a novel, such as ‘The Hate U Give’ which would give us a much more modern context without the blur of the 1960s, white-tinted lens. The nonwhite characters in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ rely on the white “savior” who ultimately should not be the focus of a story in which one of the main themes is prejudice. Still, it is important to acknowledge that these older novels can be valuable to us now in other ways disregarding events or outdated content, such as being culturally or educationally enriching. If you’re looking to learn about specific beliefs and thoughts within a society at a specific point in time, sure, maybe reading these novels is a wonderful way to do that, but you’re not going to gain anything new from them. I suggest replacement, and sure, that may be controversial, but if given time, I believe that the topics and themes taught in these novels will become more controversial than just replacing them. They’re books, they’ll always have value, but when there’s a chance these are the only novels a high school student will ever truly read, maybe it’s best if they really mean something to them.
Bergan Simmonds – Attending UNO to study Professional Flight
10 Photo taken by Bergan Simmonds during the Nebraska High School Press Association summer camp in Lincoln. He earned several awards this year in feature photography for this picture.
Lucas (Travis) Cloyd – Attending UNL to study Chemical Engineering
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Please don’t read this. 5/13/22 at 9:11 a.m.
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Joseph Kaipust
– Attending UNL to study Electrical Engineering My experience in high school activities was characterized by frequent, borderline constant failure to meet the expectations placed upon me. Frequent late arrivals to meetings. Frequent no arrival to meetings. Definitive underachievement and mishandling of leadership positions I was placed in. Newspaper stories written two weeks after the deadline (this one included). The list of sponsors and peers I disappointed throughout my years here is concerningly extensive. I proudly bear the titles of “Worst NHS Officer,” “Laziest SCB member,” and “Worst StuCo member” as if they are the crown jewels on my coronet of failure. As for the younger version of myself, he tried very hard to feel some sort or shame or remorse for his shortcomings. But as I shed the veil of uncertain youth and stepped into a state of self-actualized confidence, I finally came to terms with how I felt about these things. In an admittedly very twisted way, I just didn’t feel bad. While my apathy towards these things was perhaps a tad villainous, I was also grateful for the opportunity to have understood myself better. Being in and taking leadership positions in these activities was really just me trying to walk a path that wasn’t paved for me. Shockingly, there were actually areas in high school where I consistently succeeded and met expectations. In sports, I was a four-year threesport athlete. I never missed a practice without a valid reason and through my four years I consistently improved, challenged myself, and competed at a level I was proud of. In academics, I maintained a perfect unweighted 4.0, took challenging classes, and furthered my education in a meaningful way. It really was just activities where I couldn’t bring myself to do anything positive, and upon considering that, everything made sense to me. Common knowledge states that you should be on the Student Council, and you should be an officer on the National Honor Society. But common knowledge isn’t as common to everyone as the name suggests. For me, these activities were something I just felt no passion for and didn’t care about, and it took me too long to admit that to myself. To the reader, I advise that you don’t continue to spend time trying to care about things you have no passion for. Finding what you actually care about is going to be what takes you places. For me, that’s where I found my true success and my true meaning.
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Sydney Mejia – Attending Clarkson College to study Radiography and Medical Imaging
Finding time to do anything as a senior in high school is honestly unheard of at this point, at least for me. Any free time I end up with has turned into taking naps to catch up on any sleep I’ve been missing. However, during spring break I decided to pick up a book for the first time in a while to actually sit down and enjoy it without being forced to read it for school. I can’t remember the last time I actually decided to read for entertainment; it was at least back in middle school. The only times I do find myself reading are for academic reasons. Even then, it is so hard for me to stay focused because it is almost always uninteresting and boring. While there were a select few I didn’t mind, I still have trouble finding any motivation to read them. Trying to find that motiva-
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If You, Then I’ll by Keely King
tion is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, especially when Senioritis hits. I recently found myself rereading the entire Harry Potter series, and I sure have missed it. I dedicated a lot of time over break to watch all the movies, so I figured why not read the books. I’ve been speeding through them way faster than I expected. Anytime I get the chance to pick up my book, you’ll find it in my hands whether it be for 15 minutes or even hours on end. The other thing I have loved about reading is just how stressfree it is. I could be in the worst mood, but picking up a good book will do the trick. I just play some quiet background music and then I am all set. It’s especially great before bed when I am having trouble sleeping. There’s also an infinite number of genres
and titles to choose. From fiction to nonfiction and sci-fi to mysteries, there are so many options I’ve been having trouble picking what to read next. Books are also really accessible to me whether it be at the library or an app on my phone. I will almost have something to read with me. While I do prefer a classic hard copy of a book, I have been willing to read on my phone to keep me busy in my downtime when I don’t have a hard copy. I’m sure many can agree that social media is a super toxic place. With the help of books, I’ve been able to avoid scrolling through these unnecessary apps we tend to find ourselves stuck on nonstop. I can’t say it’s kept me completely away, but it has definitely been better and I can confidently say that I have been happier with
If you feel like fading away, Then I’ll be running to save the day If you lose your wings and fall from the sky, Then I’ll be the one to nurse you back so you can fly
If you fail your mission and fall, Then I’ll lift you up from your crawl If you lose the light and need a guide, Then I’ll be there at your side
If you are lost within the darkest night, Then I’ll light the match which burns bright If you are unable to change the tide, Then I’ll bring confidence back into your stride
If you are a yang in need of a yin, Then I’ll be here with you through thick and thin If you are cursed to walk through time, Then I’ll be the one you call your partner in crime
If you have fallen under the weather, Then I’ll bring homemade treats that make everything better If you go lone wolf and leave the pack, Then I’ll be right beside you and have your back
If you feel lost and alone at sea, Then I’ll become a boat so you can flee If you seem frightened of the unknown, Then I’ll stay near so you never battle in this war alone
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Photo illustration representing the Ukraine war that earned Tews a 1st place at the UNO Department of Communications contest
Attending Metro Community College to study graphic design
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– Attending Morningside University to study education
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Gabe Medina
Laddie Wilken - Attending St. Olaf College to study political science and environmental studies How on earth did I end up here? I’m writing this for the school newspaper, yet 3 years ago I could barely spell the word hospitel, hospittal, hospital, there we are. I worked so hard to get better at grammar and English in general, though, it seems more like I went the distance rather than actually winning the fight. My struggle in English has been indicative of high school as a whole. I’ve worked hard to get as far as I have. I’ve met so
less of that scrolling. So the next time you think about picking up your phone to scroll for hours, maybe consider picking up a book instead. It may not be for everyone, but it was a life-changing habit for me.
Keely King
– Attending University of Iowa to study aerospace engineering
Sam Tews
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many people,and I’ve done so many things I’m proud of, and even more that I’m embarrassed of. So even though I know only a few people will ever see, much less read, this small block of words that I wrote one night, I’m happy that I did it, and I’m happy that I ended up in newspaper, even if it was just for two semesters. I’m glad that this happened whether it was meant to or not.
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Gabe Debernardeaux – Attending University of Nebraska=Lincoln to study biochemistry
Entertainment 5 • 23 • 2022
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‘Chloë and the Next 20th Century’ - Father John Misty Joni Beauchamp Opinions Editor Ever since his dramatic split from the iconic alternative indie band, Fleet Foxes, Joshua Tillman has kept himself occupied. Acquiring the stage name Father John Misty and multiplying his musical catalog with his long list of projects, including many of the most evocative pieces of music of the mid to late 2010’s, Tillman hasn’t yet failed to amaze with his beautiful production and innovative ideas. Tillman’s most recent project, ‘Chloë and the Next 20th Century,’ certainly maintains his streak of musical genius. Reminiscent of a golden age Hollywood film score, this record is sure to leave the audience swaying in admiration of the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Compiling songs that bring a more old school country-esque sound to the table, as well as more
orchestral and jazz inspired tracks, this project surprisingly goes well together, much like a ‘best of’ CD of the early 20th century, but with a fresh and modern take on those classic concepts. While this is certainly not Tillman’s first time using these motifs, showcased in his 2015 release, ‘I Love You, Honeybear,’ or on his more recent 2018 release, ‘God’s Favorite Customer,’ it still does feel as if this is the first time Tillman has so cohesively brought a sound such as this to an entire record. This is also seemingly the first time that Tillman has strung an entire thematic concept, with prominent imagery to go along with it, such as this to an album, much like a movie. Likely inspired by Tillman’s wife, Emma Tillman, a filmmaker and photographer, the evocation of old filmwork is nothing but clever when it comes to his own life and the art he’s made thus far, usually elduing to classic romance with a strong and mature melody to ac-
Small venue artist rocks Lincoln stage Brianna Strudthoff Staff Reporter
Sara Kays (alternative/indie) opened up for Alec Benjamin (Indiefolk-pop; alt-pop) at the Bourbon Theater in Lincoln and gave some of the best live vocals I’ve heard. I found her on TikTok almost five years ago and was elated to see how far she has come. While I did not immediately recognize her name, I knew about 85 percent of her music. She played guitar and her ukulele and had only one other band member who also played guitar and piano. Her set gave a more acoustic vibe which fit the small venue theme of the Bourbon Theater. Finishing out her performance she left the crowd on a high note with her recent chart-topping song “Remember That Night.” Benjamin opened his performance with a song that is dear to my heart as a senior, “My Childhood is Over.” His vocals were flawless, and he added a rock flair to his songs to get the crowd into it more. The crowd went from a small sway to fully armed with phone cameras and some slight jumping and a good amount of head bopping. He took the energy from a three to a solid eight. To achieve this rock flare, he added a killer drum beat and an extra guitar line to take his songs from a low level alt to a crowd pumping indie rock song. He kept the energy high even through his sad songs. With an hour and a half setlist I, fortunately, got to hear all of my favorite songs. He closed and then came back with an encore which included his most popular song “Let Me Down Slowly.” During his encore, a concert goer fainted towards the front of the stage, and he paused his final song to make sure she was all right. For her safety, he asked everyone to step back and made a way for her to get out of the crowd. He even offered to have her and her daughter stay after for him to sing the song to them privately. When she turned that down he then offered for them both to come on stage, with the mother turning him down and the daughter rushing up to sit on the stage. This was one of the best live performances I’ve seen, although I was a little overwhelmed with the light show they put on. During Benjamin’s performance, they had lights that went with the music, but I felt like they were too bright for the small room and they blinded everyone. I honestly had to close my eyes a couple of times because of the rotating white lights and the strip lights going to full brightness. You can find both artists on all streaming platforms and can stay up to date on their new songs via their TikTok accounts @
company it. Married in September of 2013, many of Tillman’s records have been inspired by the beautiful and creative Emma Tillman, and while it’s not entirely clear who or what most of this record is inspired by, it’s safe to say that she’s likely permanently been made a part of it, whether in lyrics alluding to their romance, or other little hints buried within his music. Throughout the record, Tillman showcases much of his talent, whether relating to storytelling or the overall production, he is introducing us to a new era of his sound and improving upon his already established catalog. ‘Chloë and the Next 20th Century,’ while deeply enchanting, could also be considered quite campy, with a wonderfully theatrical and over the top concept, Tillman creates a movie in your head and a longing in your heart with his newest and most apparently sentimental project.
‘The Girl from Plainville’ unveils tragic case of murderous messaging Faith Wehrspann Staff Reporter In 2017 headlines swept the nation about a case in Massachusetts involving a teen suicide. What police did not know until later there was a series of concerning text messages involving the now infamous Michelle Carter. Now in 2022, a Hulu original mini series came out about the texting suicide case starring Elle Fanning as Michelle Carter and Colton Ryan as Conard “CoCo” Roy III. “The Girl from Plainville’’ came out on March 29. This Hulu mini-series will last for eight episodes and airs every Tuesday for an hour-long episode. This show is full of drama, crime, and betrayal from one teen’s sorrowful death that should’ve been prevented. The Hulu mini series about this case is called “The Girl from Plainville” around the death of Conard Roy III and the chilling text messages exchanged from Michelle Carter leading to his suicide. This series looks at the so-called love relationship between the teens only meeting
fewer than a handful of times but the majority of their time through online text messaging. This series takes on events following up to his death and the aftermath of his death. Throughout this show, Elle Fanning did a brilliant job embracing Michelle Carter through her mental, emotional, and physical appearance. The makeup and hair department did an amazing job making Elle Fanning so incredibly similar to Michelle embracing three different hairstyles and Michelle’s iconic eyebrows. Colton Ryan did an astounding job showing Conard Roy III mental health struggles. Elle Fanning and Colton Ryan’s on screen chemistry is unbelievable that shows the true relationship between Michelle and Conard. Recently, I have been interested in true crime like watching ABC 20/20 or a crime documentary series. So when I saw the trailer for “The Girl from Plainville,” I was so excited and just couldn’t wait for it to come out. After the first episode, I was hooked. It was so much in a good way that I couldn’t wrap my head around what just happened in the episode. What I like about this series is that it’s a show where the relationship from the text messaging is presented like they were together in person and also going back and forth between the present and the past. “The Girl from Plainville” is such a wonderful show through every little aspect making such smallest detail so perfect. This show starting from script to makeup and hair truly brought this real-life case brought back to the spotlight. This TV show is a mustwatch so and to your must-seen watch list.
‘Archive 81’ a captivating, complex series Gabe Debernardeaux Staff Reporter An archivist takes a job restoring damaged videotapes and is pulled into a twisted mystery involving a Phd candidate, her legacy, and a terrifying cult that leaves him questioning his sanity. This new addition to the Netflix original pantheon left me awestruck by the complexity of its two intertwined storylines. Dan Turner, an archivist, and one of our main characters is hired by a mysterious corporation to restore a set of tapes. As he watches through these he begins to feel a connection to Melody Pendras, their creator, that deepens as he progresses through each tape. Mamoudou Athie (Dan Turner) is seen in other works, most notably “Jurassic World: Dominion” which will be released in June 2022. Other appearances include, Sorry For Your Loss, and Underwater. His costar Dina Shihabi (Melody Pendras) has also had roles in some prominent shows; such as Tom Clancy’s: Jack Ryan, and Altered Carbon. Both of these actors’ performances were amazing on “Archive 81.” I hope to see where their careers go in the future. The best way to describe watching Archive 81 is totally and completely mind-warping; just as you think you found stable ground, it’s ripped from beneath you, leaving you fumbling. One of the best parts of “Archive 81” was its ability to keep you on edge throughout the eight-episode series even when nothing necessarily “scary” is happening. They rarely utilize gore, but when they do, it is completely terrifying. This is one of my favorite shows of 2022, and I would love to see this show get renewed for another season. In essence, this show is a mustwatch, and I highly recommend it to anyone. “Archive 81” is a show that manages to be scary through this ever-present feeling of something being wrong, which is what makes it such a captivating thriller.
Entertainment 5 • 23• 2022
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Artists earn prestigious Scholastic Art Awards
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were founded in 1923 and, for nearly a century, have inspired bold ideas in creative teens throughout the country. These students’ artworks were submitted by art teachers Theresa Hoag, Lori Wegener and Meta Felt and selected out of over 2,200 Nebraska Region entries.
Artist: Gabriella Barrientos - 12 Title: “Winged Wonder” - Drawing & Illustration Award: Silver Key
Artist: Cal Haworth - 12 Title: “Self-Reflection” - Drawing & Illustration Award: Honarable Mention
Artist: Nora Baquero-Cruz - 12 Title: “Heart’s Design” - Sculpture Award: Honorable Mention
Artist: Allison Brooks - 11 Piece: Emily - Painting Award: Silver Key
Artist: Mac Smith - 12 Title: “Trapped” - Sculpture Award: Honorable Mention
Artist: Allison Brooks - 11 Title: “Yin Yang” - Drawing & Illustration Award: Honorable Mention
Artist: Nora Baquero-Cruz - 12 Piece: Luna - Drawing & Illustration Award: Honarable Mention
Artist: Sydney Cecetka - 12 Piece: Self Portrait - Mixed Media Award: Gold Key
Artist: Allie Bunjer - 10 Title: “Symmetrical Sight” - Drawing & Illustration Award: Silver Key
Sports 5 • 23 • 2022
12 Senior Amelia Dolton utilizes her forehand to hit a winner off her opponent. Dolton, the varsity #1 singles player, played a tough Millard North in the first round at the Metro Tournament. To find the stats from the State Tournament last week, follow @MSPatriotTennis on Twitter. Photo by Haley Geringer
Seniors chip in for a fun final season Dylan Wiese Contributing Reporter One of the most anticipated and dreaded moments for an athlete is their final season, that final game. While it can be sad to see it end, the Millard South boys golf seniors have found a way to make their final season the best one yet. Experienced team members, seniors Owen Herbolsheimer, Patrick Rathburn, and Cal Hinrichs convinced their friends, seniors Joe Stratman and Justin Gassaway to join this season, looking to make this season unforgettable. “I joined because of Cal and Owen. We always play golf in the summer, so they told me I should come out and play,” Gassaway said. “I just though it would be a fun way to finish senior year.” Whether they’ve been golfing for as long as they can remember or just recently picked up a set of clubs, seniors on the boys golf team say they will miss it. “My favorite part of the season was probably those days with the warm weather, getting out onto the course and playing with the guys. That’s the most fun part about it all, something that I will miss,” senior Owen Herbolsheimer said. “The thing I am going to miss most is my teammates for sure,” Rathburn said. “My favorite part of golf was practicing with teammates and just having fun, so it’s sad to see it end.”
Baseball community rallies together after tragic death ner there, it shows that he will always be with us.” After the game, the teams, families, and fans all gathered around home plate, releasing balloons as the day marked the one-month anniversary of Farrell’s death. On March 12, just after 10 p.m., sirens blasted through “It was a very special moment, commemorating the the streets of Millard, plowing through the traffic as life of Tanner,” they rushed to the scene of a high Heard said. school hangout. As officers pulled up, “Seeing all the they saw the devastating ending of a balloons fly out show-and-tell: the death of Ralston into the air, it baseball senior Tanner Farrell. was just a very One month later, during the Milspecial molard South versus Millard West rival ment.” game, the teams honored the life of “The balloon Farrell, who was tragically shot and release at the killed while his best friend displayed end, that was his family’s gun. awesome. “Between the 3rd and 4th inning, Millard West we had the families of Tanner come wasn’t on one -Senior Braden Sweet out, having a moment of silence to side, Millard honor his life,” junior Max Heard South wasn’t said. “We cleared the dugouts and all on one side; we just all came together to celebrate a life just surrounded the families.” cut too short,” junior Cam Kozeal said. “Watching the Following the moment, the teams walked to right balloons, I think we all realized that there’s something field, hanging up a very special banner. The banner, the bigger than baseball. Life is very precious; we can’t take initials “TF” sitting inside home plate, signifies the ever- any day for granted, and it’s sad that something like has lasting impact Farrell had on the community. to happen for us to realize that, but I think it brought “Tanner was someone who could make friends with everyone together. It was just a great thing to do for the anyone,” senior Braden Sweet said. “He was always family and the baseball community.” super nice and had a contagious smile. Hanging that banAlly Seevers Sports Editor
“ Hanging that
banner there, it shows that he will always be with us.
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Kaasch soars past her own record Senior and reigning triple jump state champion Lilee Kaasch knew she needed to preform her best at districts if she wanted to get back to the state championships. What she didn’t know is that she had more than that to give. At the A-3 District meet, hosted by the Patriots, Kaasch soared past her school record, jumping 6.25 inches more to set the new record at 38 feet 11 inches. “My goal was to get as close to my PR as possible so I could break it at state, so breaking it a districts was a surprise,” Kaasch said. “It was a huge relief, breaking my record. After my foot/ ankle injury, I didn’t know how long it was going to take me to recover, so to get back where I was, that was super exciting.” Heading into the state meet, the University of New Mexico commit looks to defend her state title, finishing her senior season out in the best way possible.
Senior Lilee Kaasch builds momentum, getting ready to jump another record-breaking length. Photo by Ally Seevers
Patriots on the road to glory ers out with injury, the team continued to compete at a high level. “We definitely struggled a lot mid-season [with injuries], but we While adversity can break even kept playing. We kept pushing,” the strongest of teams, for the girls sophomore Susie Kastl said. soccer team this year, it only made With a roster torn up by injury, them stronger. Looking back on there was a lot of room created for their season, the road to districts healthy members of the team to was certainly not easy. step up. The start of the season proved to “Our senior leadership really be a serious challenge for the team. shined during this time,” Mosser “Our schedule at the beginning said. “We were playing some kids of the year was brutal, yet the girls who did a wonderful job of taking kept battling. We had three ranked advantage of their opportunities.” teams in our first four games,” head After battling a rough schedule at coach Shon Mosser said. the beginning and injuries through With a stacked schedule, the the midseason, the backstretch team was unable to secure a win in of the season was where the team their first four games of the season, finally found their footing. but played each opponent they “We were playing our best ball as faced extremely close. a team and won 5 of our last 6,” “We ended up going into four Mosser said. Senior Faith Kreager scores in the game against Marian. Kreager became shootouts and losing all four,” said the first person to score against the undefeated Crusaders, one of only 7 With many of their starters returnMosser. “At this point we could be goals Marian let in leading up to the state tournament. Photo by Ally Seevers ing to the field, the team carried a 11-4 instead of 7-8.” newfound confidence in the final After that vicious opening middle portion of the season, the Pa“At one point we were missing five stretch of the season. stretch to the season, the team wasn’t triots were consistently slowed down starters due to injuries,” Mosser said. “We got a win against Bellevue completely out of the woods. In the by injuries. Despite several of their top startWest and from then on we kind of Joseph Kaipust InDepth Editor
got into our groove,” senior captain Emma Madej said. Headed into districts with momentum, the Patriots were met with heartbreak. “Districts was a huge gut punch is the best way to describe it,” Mosser said. After a close game, the team fell in overtime with a final score of 3-2. “It was definitely a disappointing end to the season,” Madej said. Even with the season ending on a sour note, both coaches and players were happy with what they accomplished. “It was probably the best senior year I could ask for,” Madej said. “We kind of discovered what Millard South soccer is and how it is going to be,” Mosser said. “We are moving in the right direction.”