Common Sense Volume 5 Issue 5 February 7, 2005

Millard South High School

14905 O St, Cake NE, 68137

Battle at Alamo: Band beats more than instruments

Danielle

Savig Features Editor

an Antonio, Texas, is fined withmarching bands everyyear.When theMillard South Patriot PrideMarchingBand was invited, therewas noway theycouldhaveknown thattheywould sweep the contest and AS home the firstplace title.

The band has traveled to many different places. In the lastfew years, they have traveled to the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg, Canada, MusicFest and Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the Winter Park SkiMusic Fest, and the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California and Disneyland.

“The early morning cold rehearsals paid off,” Band Instructor Rex Barker said. The students toughed out the cold weather August all the way until the trip preparing them for the trip.

Their hard work and accompishments around home won them many awards that students can be very proud of. They were sweepstakeswinnersplacing,1*inField Competition, 2"4placeinParade Competition, Best Parade Drum Majors, Best Marching, Best General Effect, and two Excellent Concert Band perfor-

mances.

“T think the students preformed very, very well both on the field and off,” Barker said.

By winning this competition, the band was invited to perform as the featured band at the pre-game ceremonies in front of around 65,000 spectators. They were also joined by the other 12 high school bands at the halftime performance.

“Sitting in the Alamo Dome was neat. You could see the students were excited and you watched the rehearsals come to life,” Barker said.

The band didn’tjusthave toplay the whole time. They were able to enjoy free times doing many different things like, going to the Alamo, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the Plaza Wax Museum, the Riverwalk, and the Okdahoma City National Memorial. Students talked about how good the food:was and no one went home hun-

“The music performance was goodbutsowasthetripbecause people enjoyed themselves and didwhat they were supposed todo.” Barker said.

Bond issue asks Millard residents for $78 million to ——— district growth

Jillian Strominger Managing Editor

The Millard School Board voted toplace a$78 million bondissuebefore district residents tovote on February 15%. Over the past three years, the Millard school district has grown by approximately 1,200 students that need tobe aca : commodated. The increased enrollment has caused need formore elementary schoolsand additionalclassrooms within the current schools.

“Our school district has, in two years, added enough students that ifthey were separate from us, would bea class Bschool district. This area isthefastest growing inthecity; the growth of the school district will continue to increase unforeseeably,” Millard South principal Jon Lopez said. To deal with the growing numbers of students, the School. Board has proposed to purchase land for a fourth high school, build two elementary schools, and build class< i . a — roomsin over-populated schools. Millard wouldnotbuilda fourth high school right away, but wants tosecure 50 acres of land to build one in the future while itisstill available. Because several elementary schools on the western side of the district are over-enrolled, the district feels itisnecessary to erect the district’s 24 and 25% elementary schools. Wheeler elementary, for example, iscurrently exceeding its capacitybyalmost 150 students and hashad toconvert hallways into classrooms inattempt todeal with thisneed. Additional classrooms will be added to Millard West, Millard South, and Beadle Middle School.

Inaddition tofacilitating extrastudents, thebondissue will help Millard serve students with non-traditional learning needs by building analternative high school specifically designed tocater tostudents who cannot flourishwithin the traditional high school setting.

“Right now the alternative school only includes 11° and 12* grades. Ifthe bond issue passed they [the students and teacher in the alternative school] would move out of . thebuilding they arecurrently inand could add 9" and 10% BH gtade,” Lopez said.

The bond issue also includes money for renovations within older areas of the high schools. With money from theproposed bond, Millard South would: placeartificialturf in Buell Stadium, (a change that would save nearly

$40,000.00/year), repave theEast Parking Lot,renovate the Family Consumer Science rooms, renovate Millard South science labs, widen the stairwell in the 100-200 wing, renovate restrooms inthe 100-200 wing, create office space for special education teachers, renovate a restroom so that it meets the needs ofspecial education students, and add fitness locker rooms and an art room. Many of the areas including the stairwell and chemistry labs do not meet current fire codes or safety codes.

The current bond issuewillbethe 13% issuetheMillard districthas asked voters toapprove; allprevious bond issues were successful. Several groups, however, oppose thebond issue and are fighting to ensure the bond does not pass. Perhaps the most active resistance group is the Nebraska Taxpayers forFreedom (NTF). The group shares itbeliefin itsmission statement that “District school boards throughout the state have raised our taxes enormously and outrageously to fund unnecessary, frivolous expenses, inflated teacher, administrator, and staff salaries, new, luxurious administration buildings, and tofund letwing and immoral classroom curriculum materials.” Among NIF's objectives are ending elementary school guidance counseling, eliminating careercounselors, having two schools shareoneprincipal, capping school district contributions to employee health benefits, ending talentedand gifted programs, endingall-daykindergarten, and ending summer music program and sportsactivities. Individualswho wish tojointhisgroup areencouraged toattend boardmeetings and engage inprotest or contact Doug Kagan (551-0921).

All Millard residents aged 18 and over are eligible to vote on whether or not the bond issue should pass during polling hours on February 15%. Itisnecessary tohave registered before voting. Voting takes place at the individual’s regular polling site. The bond would increase aresident's property taxes an average of $35.00.

“If the bond fails the district will consider all options todeal with the growth and the Board willmake adecision about how toproceed. Options include busing students to existing schools, (40-45 students costs$36,000.00 peryear), increasing classsizes,changing theschoolyear tosomething similar toyear-round schooling, orrunning split-schedules,” Lopez said.

Drama department presents ‘Crease’ at state convention

Amy Brammer Photo Chief

Every year drama students from all over Nebraska join together for the Nebraska State Thespian Convention, named for the first actor Thespis. This year the festival was held‘on Jan. 14 and 15 at Bellevue East. The theme of this year’s convention was “Thespis rocks the 20’s” in honor of the 75® anniversary of the organization.

Twenty-four schools participated this year. The only main stage production and the opening act of the festival was Millard South’s musical “Grease.” Besides performing, other activities the students participated in on Friday included watching three one act plays, participating in a workshop put on by Marcie Sturiale from Camp Broadway in New York and an auction to raise money for the scholarships awarded at the end of the festival.

This year both Heather Abraham and Robby Gordy from Millard South received $400 each in scholarship money. During the auction, schools donate items they wish to auction off and this year Millard South students came home with a few of those items. Sophomore David Frolio came home with an Elvis costume, senior Bailey Carlson brought back a vest and a decorative mask, a fruit hat was won by senior Kendra Way, and a stuffed red dog found a home with junior Josh Boie. Millard South also helped in raising money during the auction when a female thespian from another school paid $25 to see junior Ryan Dinning

do a back flip which participants had previously seen done during Millard South’s “Grease” performance. To close the evening the participants enjoyed the annual dance.

On Saturday students participated in improv olympics, which was won last year by the Millard South team, and in the first annual technical olympics, in which Millard South placed second. The tech olympics team this year consisted of seniors Brett Lawton, Tyler Coffey, Heather Abraham, Lisa McCollum, Casey Mitchell, and junior Wade Sullivan. As the vice presidential school Millard South students helped drama director, Robyn Baker set up and run both competitions. Next year Baker will become the president of the Nebraska Chapter of the International Thespian Society which will make Millard South the presidential school. Saturday also included showcase of the stars, a rion competitive talent show, seven one act plays, two workshop sessions which included workshops in acting, directing and stage managememt, stage combat, and technical theater. The awards banquet concluded the festival.

During the festival, students are given the oppurtunity to meet drama students from all over Nebraska and for some people that is their favorite part.

“You get the oppurtunity to meet tons of people who have the same passion for theater as you and you get to celebrate that passion,” senior Megan Fangmeyer said.

Student Council tunes up for all-school karaoke night

Nick Olson. Entertainment Editor

Karaoke night is an excellent opportunity arranged by Student Council for MS students to put together their craziest acts for the student mob to see.

Before Karaoke Night, it was hard to gather so many students in the cafeteria unless it was lunch. This year’s Karaoke Night will be March 29th at 7p.m. and is open to anyone who wants to come including friends from other schools, and family. Students should bring their school IDs just to be safe. The admission is $3.00 with an activities or athletic card and $4.00 without.

Karaoke Night is one of the more popular MS events.

“There is always a huge turnout at Karaoke Night so we had to try to doa few things differently this year,” senior Kelly Beernink said.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13,

Anyone who is interested and would like to put him or herself on the chopping block may sign up. Applications are available in the Patriot Post or Room 320. The due date is the March 10th, so make sure they are turned in on time. Out of all of the applicants around eight will be selected depending on how many people apply. If more groups apply, more will be selected allowing for a wider range of acts and music. Normally there are kids of all different types who want to show their stuff ranging from freshmen to seniors so no one is limited by their age.

“Karaoke is our most popular event besides Homecoming,” senior Amanda Meyer said.

This year Karaoke Night has been plagued by five reschedules that were out of Student Council’s control. Hopefully it will not be changed again. Beernink and Meyer are the Student Council members in charge of organizing the

Lopez named outstanding high school principal

+k Jordan Kenik Editor-in-Chief

Due to his devotion to improving his school for teachers and students, Principal Jon Lopez has been named the Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals Region II Outstanding High School Principal.

Lopez won the honor for a 13county region, which includes the Omaha metro area. He was nominated for the award by a fellow principal and then selected as the premier principal by the Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals Region II.

Lopez believes in the importance of sharing good ideas about administrating. For this reason, the principals of Region II meet often to discuss school issues and learn from one another about how best to handle them. These issues include curriculum, instruction, assessment, student safety, sports, and lunch programs among others. Lopez describes his relationship with his colleagues as “very colloquial.”

“One of the things we believe in in Region His that any good idea about running a school is worth sharing. Many of the things that do here at Millard South are things that are good practices that other principals are doing around Omaha, around Nebraska, and across the country. I really do what I see other people doing that works in schools that are similar to ours, so lam flattered and also humbled because I have learned what I do from other people,” Lopez said.

The 2004-2005 school year is Lopez’s fourth as principal at Millard South. He began his career in education in 1986 at Millard North as a civics and American history teacher. Additionally, he was a football and wrestling coach. He has also served as an. assistant principal in the Omaha

Public School District for three years and as a principal at Plattsmouth High School for four years. Lopez did his undergraduate work at Midland Lutheran College and received his masters degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“Tam currently in the doctoral program at [UNO], and the focus of our study is to look at what research says about the practice of education,” Lopez said.

“Tam not just pulling ideas out of some magic closet. I am doing what research says works and then ] am talk ing to real life practitioners, here, and in other parts of the country.”

“If anything, I hope that what I do here is a confluence of a whole lot of other people's ideas that fall together and work at our school.”

Lopez said he finds the people part of his job to be the most rewarding. He notes that this social part can take him away from his paperwork, which he dislikes being tied down in his office doing.

Lopez believes that only with the great support he receives from Millard South’s teachers does he accomplish what needs to be accomplished. He believes the high standards of student achievement that Millard South has for itself are kept up more by the teachers than by him.

“I hope to present [the teachers] with ideas and information and support, but they are the ones who get it done,” Lopez said. “The data we use to measure whether we are getting it done, student achievement, student behavior, graduation rates, and scholarship dollars, that is not done by me. The teachers get to do that.”

Scheduling classes to become more difficult next year

*

Jake Maxson Staff Reporter

The recent announcement of tightening the rules regulating schedulechangesfornextyearhasledmany students into hysteria. Some people think that there will be no schedule changing at all next year. This is not true, but there definitely will be a smallernumber ofalterationsallowed.

AfterregistrationinFebruary,students willbegiven aprint out of the courses they have registered for.This isnot aschedule, just alisting of the classestoconfirmthatthecourseswere correctlyputinthecomputer. Ifthere areerrors,theycanbecorrected.

When students receive acopy of their actual schedule in the summer, if theyhaveascheduleconflictwithparticularcoursesthatwillrequirethestudent tochoose which course toenroll in, they willbe given an opportunity todo so.They willbe able to add or drop courses to accommodate the needed change.

Studentssimplywantingtoaddor drop acourse in the summer will be allowedtodosoifspaceisavailablein anotherclassmeetingthatsameperiod.

All- Millard Concert: Madness, fun, and music band together

Amy Heyer Managing Editor

MillardWest’s main gym bleachers were packed tothe brim on Jan. 24 with parents awaiting the start of the AllMillard Music Festival concert. Chairs lined every inch of available wall space, the huge choir was robed and ready, and the 240-person orchestra was inposition for the downbeat.

Each year, the orchestras and choirs from the three Millard high schools come together tocelebrate music. Parents, teachers, and directors expressed theirthoughts on the importance ofmusic programs inschools. A different school hosts the festival each year.

All three of the Millard high schools’ varsity choirs and orchestras had been preparing forthe clinicand for the evening’s concert as much as possible. However, many of theschoolswerenot asfamiliarwith themusic astheywould like to have been. For example, Millard South’schoirwas on the rebound from a performance with Opera Omaha and the Omaha Symphony that had taken place lessthan a week before, and many ofthe groups had recently prepared holiday concerts.

“For awhile, itwas ahuge frenzy and complete madness, but think we pulled it off quite well,” said senior choir member Florence Choi.

All the same, there was plenty of time torehearse the day of the concert. Not only isAll-Millard aperformance,

but it is a clinic that gives students a different type of performance experience. From the time the orchestra rehearsal began shortly after eight, Conductor and Clinician Vince LaGuardia, a Colorado conductor of the Apapahoe Philharmonic, worked with students to improve and fine tune each piece. He brought new and different techniques to the clinic.

“TThe conductor] had a very unique conducting style and liked to change the tempo without warming,” senior cellist Rosemary Burke said.

Around eleven, the choir arrived and the two groups rehearsed Battle Hymn of the Republic, which would be the finale of the evening. The orchestras headed back to class, and the three choirs were given the opportunity to work with Marjorie Simons-Bester, who works as Choral Director at Bellevue East High School.

The gym at Millard West was used for the clinic all day, and parents from the school assisted students with concessions during break.

Some students who are involved in both Orchestra and Varsity Choir were at Millard West all day. The intense rehearsal day was taxing according to one Millard South student.

“Tt was draining. I think I got really sick, and my body felt like a wet noodle. I never want to go to Millard West again,” junior violinist and choir member Jeneva Newman said.

because of the high number of students making schedule changes that require multiple adjustments, thereby causing many classes to be quite full when others could accommodate more.

“Staff are hired on-the basis of student enrollment in certain classes,” said Guidance Counselor Mrs. Harrach. “If too many students change their schedules, it leads to the overstaffing of some teachers, as well as the understaffing of others.”

Any changes to the total number of students who have signed up for a class affects how many sections are really needed. The decision of how many sections are needed is made after advisement in February and is not changed over the summer or in the middle oftheschoolyear.

Students who want afullscheduleshouldbequitecertainwhen they registerthatthosearethecoursesthey trulywant totakenextyear.Students who want astudyhallshouldalsoregister for eight classes and they can choose todrop aclassbased on their interests and abilities and stillhave a

These rules are being enforced study hall.

DECA proves skills at All-Metro in hope for success at state

* Katie Steiner Online Editor

FiftyeightMillardSouthDECA studentsattended the All-Metro competition held atUNO onSaturday, January 15. Millard Southgaveastrongshowing withoverhalfof itscompetitorswinning awards.

“We usually do very well,” DECA advisor Lynn Hill said. “Millard South is usually one of the top three schools atstate.”

Thereare three parts to competition: an economics exam, a categorical exam, and a role-play. Weeks before competition began, students chose anareaofbusiness they wanted tocompetein. Some examplesofcategoriesinclude FoodMarketing,ApparelandAccessories,MarketingManagement, andRetailMarketing. Afterselectingacategory, competitors took practice tests toprepare. Inarole-play, participants aregiven abusiness problem, and areresponsibleforpresenting aresolutiontotheproblem.

At the All-Metro competition, students alsohad the opportunitytocompeteinQuizBowl,whereateamoffour students competes against other schools. They are asked

questions that relate to business and marketing. Out of the six Quiz Bowl teams Millard South took to All-Metro, two teams placed in the Quiz Bowl finals, taking 2nd and 3rd places. 1st place went to Papillion Lavista.

From Millard South, four students placed in the top three of their category: junior Nicole Wagner received 2"¢ place in Apparel & Accessories associate, the team of juniors Tyler Schnaidt and Katie Steiner placed 2™* in E-commerce decision making, and senior Sarah Oddo took 3" place in Apparel & Accessories management. 29 other Millard South competitors placed in the top 10 of their categories.

The next competition for DECA will be the state competition held March 17-19 at the Comhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Anyone who competed at the All-Metro competition can compete at state. The top three per category at state will qualify for internationals held in Anaheim, CA.

“Before state I plan to study more and be more prepared,” senior Sadie Fielder said. “I really want to place so I can go to internationals.”

Journalist has thrilling adventures in high school cheerleading

camp. It was where I felt likeIhad truly become a cheerleader.

Mall employee classifies shoppers...and shoplifters

In my experience asamall employee for afemale clothing store I've come torealize that there are five very specific types ofshoppers. Each typeisprobablyworse than. the next, and all of them have better things to do with their lives than shop.

The firsttypeof customer isjustyour averageJane Doe. They don’t always know exactlywhat they’re looking for,but they surehope theycan finditinyour store.Sometimes they’re looking foragiftfor.afriend, and sometimes theyjustwant something new and interesting towear.These customers are usually docile and easy to deal with. They just need someone to ring them up and to tell them thanks, and have anice day.

In case you forgot who I am let me refresh your memory. Last spring, afellow staffreporter and decided to tryout for cheerleading. We were cutious to see what cheerleading was about. Well after aweek ofpractices, two auditions, and a lot of anxiety, I made theJunior Varsity squad and began anew journey as aMillard South cheerleader.

Practices started right after audi-tions. All new members had togo for aweek to learn the spirit cheers. All practices afterthatwerewitheveryone. During thesummer we would practice three days aweek at 7 am. At those practices wewould condition and then work on the cheer we would be taking tocamp.

Camp was held July 15-18 at theUniversity of Nebraska at Kearney. I had twogoalsgoing intocamp: become a better cheerleader and get to know my teammates. Each day was filled with learning new cheers, performing thosecheersinfrontofjudges, andthen being awarded forthoseperformances. Nighttime was for relating and spending time withyour fellowcheerleaders. Even though itwasa lotofhard work and very tiring, Ihad a great time at

The beginning of school meant the beginning of cheering at athletic events. The JV squad was responsible for cheering at home JV and reserve football, and JV volleyball games. W/e also cheered during the second half of home varsity football games. At JV and reserve games, not many student fans showed up, which meant no one cheered with us. In comparison, at varsity games, the stands were filled with students who were always excited and willing to cheer with us: And trust me, there is no greater thrill than cheering in front of a crowd of enthusiastic football fans. Another responsibility of all cheerleaders is to cheer at pep rallies. At the first pep rally in fall, all did was cheer at the beginning and the end. At the winter pep rally, the JV squad also performed the cheer we took to camp. I have loved cheering in front of my -classmates; love tolookintothe crowd andfindmy friends smilingback atme.

The second type ofshopper that Iencounter isthe “dawdle allday” shopper. These people come tothemall a lot,probably about threeorfourdayseachweek.Thiswould be good for business, except for the fact that they never reallybuy anything. They mostlyjustclogthefittingrooms and ask lotsofpointless questions. Ithink that ifthey had abetterhobby, likeicefishingorballetdancing, theywould spend considerably less time shopping.

The third kindof shopper iswhat Iwould like to call the “grab and go” customer. They are all in a hurry. Most of the time they’re late for a party, a wedding, or an important meeting. They'll gallop around the storecollecting items in their size and run to the check out counter without bothering to try anything on. It’sbest tojust ring these customers up as quickly aspossible and not ask any questions. They're likely to explode if you waste any of theirvaluable time. Jthink theirbad attitudes have alotto do with the stress they put themselves under by always doing things lastminute.

The fourth type ofcustomer willbe referred to as the pre-teen. These kids range inage from 10 to 12. They travel in packs and are armed with their parent’s cash. They’re typically loud and giggly. Most ofthe time, Ifind myself selling them low priced items and cleaning up their terriblefitting room messes. They justlove totryonnearly everything inthe entire store.

The last and final type isthe shoplifter. Shoplifters won't make eyecontact with you ifthey can avoid it.They don’t want your help or advice. They don’t even want to pay for anything. You can usually spot ashoplifter by their odd behavior. They spend alot of time watching you and hiding behind racks. They leave behind empty hangers in their dressing room, and sometimes they'll even run asfast aspossible out of the store. Mall security isabighelp when it comes to dealing with these people. Even with all the help, though, shoplifters stillcause many problems, such as anxiety, bad inventory, and alotofextra paperwork.

Each and every customer is a special case, but the onethingthat theyallhavein commonisthattheyall feel that they are the most important shopper in the store. Everyone wants theemployees tohelp them, and tohelp them immediately, well,with theexception oftheshoplifter.Next time you venture out to the mall, remember that there are all types of customers there, and that you are not the only shopper in the building. Itmay help you to become more kind and courteous tomallemployees, andbelievemewhenIsay that we'll take allthe kindness we can get.

So

Common Sense Staff:

Common Sense is the official publication of Millard South High School, 14905 Q Street, School district guidelines determine the suitability of advertising con-

Common Sense isamonthly publication produced inRoom 130. Common Sense usesdesktop publishing hardware and software: Macintosh computers, Laser Jet 4000N Printer, Nikon and Umax scanners, and Adobe PageMaker, Photoshop and ClarisWorks and Microsoft Word software. All printing isdone by Nebraska Printing Center, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Letters totheeditor areencouraged. Alllettersmust be signed with thestudent’s firstand last name and grade. Letters may then be submitted toany staff member ordropped off inroom 130. Unsigned letters will not be published. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length and clarity. Letters ofprofane nature orother infractions ofschool ordistrictpolicy willnot

oe Se - Web Design/Computer Support: Tyler Schnaidt

oe ‘llee

coe Sei Repoas

Photo Editory: Amy Brammer

Web Site Editor-in-Chief: Katie Steiner Agee Kristi Palik

Web SiteAsst. Editor: Thom Hale Binily Sd Jake

ee Scott Siemens Colleen Strassenburg

Features Editor: Focus Editor: Whitney Keyes Danielle Savig

Sports Editor: Chris Bazemore

Opinions Editor: Thom Hale

Entertainment Editor: Nick Olson

BusinessManager: Kelsey Thiem

Adviser: Christine Kaldahl

As of nowI have about a month left of cheering atbasketball games. I cheer at boys and girls JV and reserve games. After that Iwill be done with cheering at games, for my junior year atleast. Incaseyou were wondering, I am planning on trying out again this year. Do have agood shot ofmaking it?Isurehope so.Incheerleading have found an exciting activity that Ihave come to love. Omaha, Nebraska, 68137. tent. To place an ad, call895-8363. bepublished.

Most great literature fails to excite Finnloving student

Recently, my good friend Kyle Winter and I found ourselves deep in thought-provoking, intellectual conversation, a place we often visit, when the tough question arose, what constitutes good literature?

Volumes could be and have been filled attempting to answer this question. My advanced placement English teacher, Mrs. Tiller, does a fabulous job teaching her students the characteristics of great compositions, but it still remains a mystery to me why certain Pulitzer or Nobel Prizewinning authors are just that, award-winning.

Ican see the greatness in certain works, such as Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” This satire of American culture remains funny, if not as poignant, today. Also, “1984” by George Orwell, once again less poignant today due to the fall of the Soviet Union, is still a fascinating study of life under a totalitarian government. Possibly due to the fact that I do not read all that often when it is not required of me, that ends my list of universally great literature which I also consider to be great.

Most “classics,” in my amateur opinion, are trash. They are boring, plotless collections of words interested in presenting nothing more than a bleak theme through symbolism and other literary crock. “A Lost Lady” by Willa Cather perfectly exemplifies my point. Its description on amazon.com teads, “A portrait of a woman who reflects the conventions of her age even as she defies them and whose transformations embody the decline and coarsening of the American frontier.” What that enough to get a few critics to call her writing “superb,” and suddenly “A Lost Lady” is a great American work.

During first semester of AP English, we read several thrilling, absorbing short stories. We read Graham Greene’s “The Destructors,” which followed a gang of hoodlums as they destroy a house; Thomas Wolfe’s “A Child By Tiger,” which ends with a man going on a killing spree; and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” which is about a rural town that sacrifices someone chosen each year ina lottery in the belief that it will bring them a good harvest. Although they sound ultra-violent and dark, they hold the attributes of quality writing and have an electrifying plot. Apparently, the great

writers choose to fashion their best ideas into short stories, and they leave their weak plots for their novels.

Probably because I watch a lot more movies than I read books and because the visual stimulation of film can be acquired with much less effort than reading, I can understand what composes great filmmaking much better than classic literature. Comedies such as “The Graduate” and “Rushmore” are clever in their subtleties, combining film and music artfully to create true masterpieces. In all honesty, they are basically character studies, yet they are somehow infinitely more enjoyable than literary character studies such as “A Lost Lady” and “The Great Gatsby.”

Tn answer to the question what constitutes great works of literature, I suppose the answer must be whatever critics and scholars say they are. For most, these books stand as unpleasant, grating experiences that are a relief when finished.

Whitney Keyes

Focus Editor

Sophomores Chad Beal and Stephanie Moyer have been best friends since Homecoming 2004, however, Friday January 21, they were blind dates. When Newspaper decided to sponsor a blind date, complete with dinner, free entrance to the basketball game and their very own paparazzi, both Beal and Moyer decided to apply.

“I lost a bet to my friend in homeroom, so had to apply,” Beal said. “He thought he would be going out with a girl the next week, and didn’t,

SWIN aWw

so we had a bet.I lost.”

The application asked questions such as likes, dislikes, extracurricular activities and ideas about the perfect date. Beal and Moyer even picked up and filled their applications out together.

“T kept asking Chad what the answers to my questions were,” Moyer said. “ But all the answers were true.”

The Wednesday before the blind date, Newspaper made a decision and set out to tell the two lucky winners via note as the two were in class and it needed to be secretive. Problems arose

kward blind

when the two were in the same class.

“When I saw they were in the same class, I gasped and Mrs. Grazziano asked me what waswrong. Tt ended up being sort of an undercover operation to get one of them the note, but not the other,” Amy Heyer, managing editor of the newspaper and the deliverer of the note said.

“T suess when found out,I was like ‘Please don’t let it be Chad, please, that’d be so awkward,” Moyer said. And, thenight of the date, it tums out it was a little bit awkward for the couple.

“My friends dad takes longer to get ready than I do and since he was taking me and I live in Council Bluffs, I was a little late,” Moyer said.

Whitney Keyes, a member of the newspaper staff was about to fill in as the missing date, when Moyer showed up.

“Having a date with Stephanie was kinda weird, but having to eat with Whitney probably would have been more awkward,” Beal said.

Despite the cold spaghetti, paparazzi Amy Brammer and general

dateawkwardness of the night, it still tumed out ok for the couple.

“Tt would have been totally different if we weren’t best friends, we would actually have questions to talk about, whereas Chad and I already know everything about each other,” Moyer said.

“I would do it again, and recommend it to my friends, it was fun,” Beal said.

Sophomores Chad Beal and Steph re good frier

_

Enchanted broom swe i ae

Trying out for the musical turns out to be a HUGE ordeal. You don’t justgetup and doalittle dance, sing a song, act and be on your way. People pour their hearts and souls into this; it’saforce tobereckoned with.It’svery intense and...dramatic. was wrong when Ithought Icould just tag along and do my own thing. They suck you in, so that all youcan.think about is Beauty and the Beast.

When thechance toaudition and write about it arose, Iwas completely excited. I was so thrilled about that week of dancing, singing and acting. Deep down I thought I would make it, even if was justthe third spoon from theleft. Ireallywanted tobe apart of theexperience and yet,Iwas panicked by the thought ofperforming.

Monday we were given schedules, grade and auditions sheets. The auditionsheets were arequired two sidesof hard corequestioning. Height, weight, schedule, emergency contacts and the listwent on. Even after the informational meeting, questions stillrang out inmy head, because Iwas tooafraid to askthem. Iwas terrifiedoftheupcomingweek.

Isuppose should confess thatthe reason Iwas soafraidisbecause Idon’t dance.Imean yesIdance toM.C Hammer when the house isempty. But no, Ican’t dance, so don’t. Iknew that formy dance audition Iwould have to perform right after learned it,otherwise would completely forgetit.However, even more than I don’t dance, don’t sing. There are exceptions, such as my car when I’m by myself, but I won't sing infront of anyone else. ’'m paranoid that someone might hear me and think I’m absolutely horrible and tellme to stop. Iknew that for an auditionIwould have toconquer thisfear and sing by myself. wasn’t reallywortied about the acting audition, I fig-

Freshman Schonher: Forensics star

Thom Hale Opinions Editor

Kyle Schonher isafreshman thisyear, coming out of Andersen Middle School. Schonher isactively involved in Forensics and Student Congress. He has ahumorous interpretation piece for forensics called “Bagel Boys.”

In this comedy, Schonher plays the parts of two quarrellingbrothers in an argument about bagels.

Schonher has ahard time comparing other classes to his fourth period B day. The only classhe says he really enjoys isMr. Brown’s forensics.

“Tt’sfun,” saidSchonher. It’snot easy, though: There isalotofwork and steep competition. While debating bills during student congress, some students getheated and very

opinionated.

“Sometimes people make me look like an idiot,” said Schonher, “so Ijust do my best tomake them look likeidi-

Ots, too.”

Outside ofschool, Schonher takespartinHeart Group and the dinner theater group in the Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church. Schonher plays an IRS agent in the church’s production “The New Preacher.”

Currently, Schonher isranked number 4 on the congresschartand number 9 on theentireforensicsdepthchart. Schonher recently qualified for National Forensics League standing, something he says he’s very proud of. He currently has atotal of 55 forensics league points. He ishoping toletterand looking forward tomoving tovarsity next

year.

eps Whitney up in drama

ured Iwould beok.Idon’tmind public speaking andI act atmy church.

Tuesday, we alllearned the songs we would be singing for auditions. There were two songs forthe girlsand two different tunes for the guys. I’m pretty surewe allknow the“Ooh, isn’t this amazing...” song of Belle’s and thatis what we sang. We also had to sing a song from the Broadway show by the teapot, Mrs. Potts. That song was teally difficult, mainly because it had several high notes for several counts. We allpracticed the songs together, onthestage,offthestage,with and without the tape. We knew those songs so well, yet we were all nervous andkeptpracticing.Severalpeoplesang their auditions that evening, but Ihad to wait until Thursday. Besides singing well, itwas a key factor whether you could sing loudly. The louder the better even. Singing loud presented to justbe another factor of my cold feet. Even if mustered up allmy courage, I would just barely be heard, so singing loud would have tobe an act of God.

Wednesday after school, we started the dancing workshop. Iam a genius, Iwore flip-flops toschool that day and ended up dancing barefoot. Probably not thebest wardrobe tobust amove in. Anyways, Iwas scared for this afternoon because Ihavea difficult time remembering dance moves. have long legs, and during the workshop, someone commented onand said they were too long and she was afraid ofbeinghit.The dance went fairlywell until the bell kicks, those little leprechaun skip things and then the pony. Alli cansayisthatitwas tremendously difficult. Then the choreographer said “Now, do that in a circle!” When we had practiced and practiced, we allsat back down exhausted. Groups of five were going to dance on the stage for the audition. I don’t even remember

noticing who was inmy group orthatI was dancing in front of alarge group ofpeople. Itwaslikebeingnumbedby fear, but at the same time, not noticing. When I stepped off the stage, I was exhilarated from conquering the first obstacle: One fear down, two to go.

Friday afternoon I had a double header. Twice the chance to shine or fail. Ifirstwent tothe chorus room to sing. No one had heard me sing by myself, and all of a sudden, Iwas expected to whip it out and amaze the world. Iwas atotal mess. Iseriously almost left the room, that’s how afraid I was. I’m not sure why Ihave such a fear of singing by myself, but Ido andthat day, absolutely had to defeat it. We practiced twice and then auditions started.Two girlsauditioned, and then me. Ididn’t even get to go last so no one heard me. Iheld Katie’s hand really tightly asIwaited. Ikept whispering that Icouldn’t do itand she kept telling me she believed in me. When my tum came, sheofferedtogoupwith me and hold my hand during my audition. So she came up with me until I _made herleavebecause we were laughing too much. First I sang the Belle song, which I think went well.In no more than 2 minutes, both were over and was done with singing bymyself. Iheaded straight to acting after that andwatched afew auditions untilMrs. Baker calledmy name foragroup. One girl was to be Mrs. Potts, one was the dresser and Iwas Belle. We practiced inthehallway outside oftheblack box and triedtoperfectourpiece.The scene was the one in which Belle discovers the enchanted objects and is shocked by their personification. We ran the scene four or five times and headed back into the black box to await our turn. Our turn finally came and looking back, Ican see that God did not

intend me tobeanactress.But likethe other times,I had given itmy alland now, all I could do was wait.

Ithink thatwith theexception of singing, waiting for the listtogo up is theworstpart.Knowing thatthiscould make youabig star, orjust awannabe isanawfulfeelingofindecisiveness and worry. The list was posted on the last day ofschool before winter break. The music commons were swarmed with hopefuls, their conversations all mingling together. For the first time in a week, noonewassinging thesongs, and no one was practicing the dance. We were all waiting. The tension rose. It was like everyone’s hopes and anxiety joinedtogether asone and attacked us. Iremember thinking how intense this was, possibly one of the most intense experiences I’ve had atMillard South. When Mrs. Baker came out we all jammed intothattinylittlehallway, listening toher. Over 230 studentshad tried out and they had only chosen around40.The pause aftershesaidthat made me heart sink and my hope dimmed. knew how tough itwas to getinon thefirsttime. My secrethope that I might actually make it vanished and my heart sank. Nevertheless, Itried tobe optimistic and confident. While she was hanging the list up, time just crept by.I’mstillamazed athow much themusical can capture you. Then the swarmmoved forward andwhetheryou wanted to be or not, you were swept away init.Iwas relatively inthefront and once Isawit, Iscannedthe list, I hadn’tmade it.The disappointment hit me hard.Although Iknew Imost likely wouldn’t make it,thiswas reallytough. This. had meant alot to me and had put my all into it. It’s not easy overcomingsomany fearsin one week and now, itseemed like all had gotten out of itwas this story. On the outside, I shrugged it off and told everyone it was

ok, but for that night, it wasn’t. After break Iwas given the privilege of seeing my audition sheet, with my scores on it.That turned out tobe very surprising, yet at the same time, confusing. Dancing and singing were both graded ina 1-5 scale. Indancing, one was the best and in singing, five was the best. Totally shocking me, I had gotten aoneondancing andMrs.Baker said it was outstanding. Knowing my previous abilities, I was astonished. That score made me feel really-good and restored some confidence. The nextgradeshe toldme was singing and withafivebeing thebestIhadreceived a three. Not the best, not the worst, just, average. Which, at first was disheartening, Irealizedlaterthatmy fear of someone telling me Iwas an awful singer had not come true and that average wasn’t bad. My acting audition was graded toa“chorus” level. assume thatmeans, “she’sreallynot verygood, so if she was chosen, make sure she doesn’thave anylines.”More sighs,but hey,therewasnothing Icould doabout it now.

Istill wish Ihad made the musical, just to say I'd been involved in at least one of the amazing dramas here atSouth. Iabsolutely can’t wait to see it and maybe, whenI hear those two songs, I'll sing along. Very softly of course though, someone might hear me. Thanks you to Mrs. Baker, Mr. Marsden and Melanie for being such marvelous people willing to donate their time.

Though Ididn’tmake it,audition-ing for Beauty and the Beast was definitelyagood experience; learned alot and had fun. Imade new friends and I conquered some fears. Everyone was really supportive and encouraging. I know itwillbeone ofthememories I'll »”» treasure. It'llbe a “tale as old as time.

Faculty musicians join pep band fun

Nick Olson Entertainment Editor

There was a special performance bythePep Band last Friday at the Papillion LaVista South basketball game. There were staff from all over the building involved. The joint performance normally only takes place every few years, but some would like to see it more often.

“We would like to have a performance with thestaff every year,” said Band teacher Rex° Barker.

Any member of the staff who wanted to participate and play was welcome to come. There were no requirements of skill or past experience to perform. Usually the Pep Band gets about eight or nine staff members who are interested.

“Faculty tend tobealittlebitshy,” ~saidBarker. “Some ofthem askforthe music in advance so they can practice and some walk the day of the performance and ask to be part of the performance.”

Paul Grant (trombone), Larry Ribble (drums), Kristy McGuire (baritone), Trevor Longe (trombone),

Michelle Gauthier (flute), Christine Kaldahl (alto saxophone), and Barb Wagner. (drums) .were all present to play Friday. The interaction between the teachers and the students is really a special pep at the games. When the teachers put themselves at risk with the possibility of a little embarrassment, it really makes things exciting.

“T think the teachers were great, senior Nate Pace said. “The best part was trying to get them to laugh.”

”

Special needs students benefit from volunteers

Native Sp

anish speaker enjoys new assignment

Krisit Palik Staff Reporter

Juan Villaseca has left his own country, Spain, to teach at Millard South. Inhisplace Leigh McKeehan, is teaching at his school, Sangonera La Verde.

Villaseca has been teaching for 15 years, this year ishis 16". In Spain, he teaches English. Sangonera La Verde hasamandatory Englishclassforallsecondary school students, whereas, Millard South students have a choice ofwhat language totake orwhether or not totake alanguage atall.Sangonera laVerde offers sixyears for students to take classes. The first four years are mandatory and coincide with Millard School’s seventh through tenth grade. The last two years resemble Millard Public’s eleventh and twelfth grade. These lasttwo years arefocused on college and most of the students are college-bound.

Sangonera laVerde does not have much emphasis on clubs, sports, and extra-curricular activities.

“(Millard South] has more activi-

ties and they are more evolved than ours.” Villaseca said.

Sangonera laVerde also does not have the same sort of pep-rallies and spirit weeks as Millard Schools. They

A difference in scheduling was also noticed by Villaseca. Although his school in Spain had close to the same spring, Christmas, and summer break, they are scheduled for slightly different times than Millard Schools. The summer break at Sangonera la Verde is spanned across July and August while Millard’s break is through June and July.

Students in Spain also have a shorter school day than Millard Public Schools. The day at Sangonera la Verde begins at 8:30 and ends at 2:30. Teachets there are only at the building while students are. ‘

“In Spain, teachers do most of their work at home.” Villaseca said.

Colleen Strassenburg Staff Reporter

Every year, hundreds of students become involved in activities such as the Future Educators of America, DECA, or any of the many athletics provided by Millard South. Yet each year, special needs instructors, such as Kate Savas, struggle to recruit volunteers to assist in their program.

“We approach study halls, and basically let them know ‘hey this is available” We've received many good volunteers that way; we let them know this option is available. The student will act as an assistant for the students in my classes. think it’s good for my students, but I also think it’s good for the general population as well. Hopefully they'll think ‘this is pretty cool, I might like to do this,” Savas said.

To some students, like junior Anthony Boeman, working with the students has proven to be an enlightening experience.

helped someone else” Boeman said. Savas agrees that these students affect students’ lives, and often times who they become.

‘Iwas going tobecome an English teacher, and while I was in school I began working in a daycare, where I metalittle boy with many disabilities. Which is a major factor in why | changed my mind, and chose to become a special needs teacher,” Savas said.

Spanish teacher Juan Villaseca do, however, have days that resemble our spirit days.

“We have certain activity days when thereisno teaching. Instead, students areinvolvedinsports,games, and performances.” Villaseca said.

As for comparing the students in Spain compared to the students at Millard South. Villaseca said he believes they behave more or less the same with ‘some minor differences.

‘Here, behavior is a bit better and more controlled.” Villaseca said.

“At one point in my life, when was getting into trouble, I decided to go to work with my mom. It turned out that she assisted with down syndrome children, and from there I found out that we had a program at Millard South with special needs students that I could become involved in. I've been assisting here for about a year now and helping with the students makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, and

For some students, such as senior JoshBlaisdell,justmeeting thestudents has altered their future, “When Iwas asophomore Iwent in to talk to Mrs. Savas, and began volunteering.Working with thespecial needs students has helped me in my decision tobecome aspecial education teacher,” Blaisdell said. Blaisdell, who has been involved with thespecialneeds program fortwo years now, was chosen-by Millard to host Millard’s annual special needs prom, with one other student from Millard North.

“Tchose tobecome involved with theirprom becauseIlike seeing thekids and how they act when they're happy. We set up a prom, design the dance, and hire a dj.The dance is supported by the donations from local businesses, and is free for the kids,” Blaisdell said.

Spanish teacher Paul Grant plays with the pep band. Photo by Amy Brammer. trombone

Denson leads way to State

* Kelsey Thiem Business Manager

The world of wrestling is a competitive one and one of challenging proportion. Only the best of the best can survive. The Millard South wrestling team knows this, but no one more so than junior Aaron Denson.

Aaron Denson is a member of the varsity wrestling team, and has been since his freshman year. He is a valuable member of the team with an impressive record. During his high school wrestling career, he has lost only seven matches.

“I don’t lose very often,” Denson said, “but when I do, it motivates me to work twice as hard to redeem myself.”

- He practices with the team Monday through Friday for two hours each day in order to stay in shape and refine his moves. During all of the lengthy practices, he has formed a bond with all of the other wrestlers.

“We are all friends and have a lot of fun together everyday,” Denson said.

Junior wrestler Aaron Denson competes a nvite, so far this year 1, Denson is undefeated and ranked 1st in the state in Class A. Photo courtesy of Doug Denson.

Despite the fun he has during the - practices with his teammates, he remains focused on the upcoming state tournament.

“The team and I are very motivated right now because there is a lot of pressure on the team now that we are ranked number one in the state,” Denson said. “P'm working especially hard so I can make the team proud.”

As his senior year looms ahead, he will continue to work adamantly at his wrestling.

“Next year I'll have the same big goals: to win State, do my best, and work as hard as I can,” he said. “It would be nice to leave high school knowing that I accomplished great things, so I will do all that it takes to get to that point.”

Physical therapy finds

Many athletes and students at Millard South have endured the pain of a knee injury that has put them out of competition for months. Now, with the help of the Nebraska Orthopedic Hospital Physical Therapy Center, there is a program that has spread out to MS by physical education teacher Phyllis Schroeder so the program can start to prevent serious knee and hip injuries from happening.

Schroeder learned about the pro-

gram when she was at Physical Therapy last summer and decided to check it out to make it available to students here.

“As a teacher and coach I have seen many students and athletes suffer ACL and other serious knee injuries. We would much rather construct workOuts to prevent injury rather than ones to recover from them,” Schroeder said.

The training is called Sportsmetrics and it works on overall strengthening muscles and muscle balance in the knee joint and surrounding

its way to MS

structures. It was developed by Cincinnati Sports Medicine and is being used nationwide.

“Sportsmetrics was originally attended for females for a variety of reasons but the program is very effective for males as well,” Schroeder said.

The main reasons why the program was developed for females originally is because females have wider pelvises, which causes them to have a “knocked- kneed” appearance. Females have a narrower notch for the ACL to rest in than males do. Also, there is a

ratio.

After leaming the program was being offered attheNebraska Orthopedic Center, Schroeder decided to bringittoMS toprovidefreesessions to athletes and non-athletes who want topreventinjuries.Shehasalsostarted toincludesome oftheexercisesinPE class warm-ups so every student benefitsfromit.

“We arenotyetsetuptoprovide complex video tapeanalysisandfunctionaltestingthatisofferedbytheNe-

braska Orthopedic Hospital but we hope to expand our contributions to the health and fitness of our students and community,” Schroeder said. Using the materials that our school offers, Schroeder is holding Sportsmetric sessions for anyone who wants to participate in it every Tuesday and Thursday morning usually starting at 7:00 and getting over around 730.

“Millard South athletes and nonathletes are welcome to take the class and it can be done in less than 25 minutes,” Schroeder said.

Patriots end one streak and start another

Scott Siemens Staff Reporter

It was an end and a beginning. On January 14, 2005 the Millard South boys basket-

ball team lost to top ranked Bellevue West, and broke Class A record for losing the most games in a row. They also lost the record for the longest winning streak in Class A history, which now belongs to Bellevue West. Since the loss to Bellevue West the Patriots have won their last two games against Papillion LaVista South and Omaha Westside.

“Its tough being in the hole, but once we get one, we'll get five or six in a row,” Head Coach Steve Throne said last week before the two wins over the weekend.

Before the win against Papillion La-Vista South, the last game Millard South won was against Fremont in the 2003 district tournament where the Patriots finished second to Omaha Benson. At the end of the 2002-2003 season long time head coach Larry Ribble resigned with 514 career victories and a place in the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Steve Throne was brought in from Nebraska City Lourdes, a D-1 school with three state appearances.

The 2003-2004 Patriots looked prime for another run at state. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits as the season started. Most people don’t realize how long it takes for a new offense and defense to be installed. The Patriots struggled through the first half of the season, but played many games very close, in-

« cluding a heartbreaking half court buzzer beater against Omaha Benson late in the season.

This season the Patriots looked

ready to break out of their funk returning two starters from last year’s team. Motivation is not an a problem for the Patriots

ae “These are great kids and they really motivate themselves because they want to get better and win,” Throne said. Game by game the Patriots are steadily improving by making huge strides on the defensive side of the ball and demonstrating a hard work ethic in practice that is showing up in the Patriots recent games. The Patriots are playing good team basketball and playing unselfishly and working hard on how to play smarter in the fourth quarter.

“If we could finish games stronger, we would probably be a state qualifying team, that’s the one area where we need to improve tremendously,” an optimistic Throne said.

“We're working hard and you can see the improvement of this team,” Junior Andrew Page, who leads the Patriots in scoring and rebounding, said.

The Patriots will continue to improve on a daily basis and the future looks bright with a strong JV and Reserve team and has potential to be a Top 10 team next season.

Aimee Freeman. Staff Reporter

Theseare great kids and they really motivate themselves to get better - and win.

Coach Steve Throne

ophomore Colin Schroeder plays in defense in Millard South’s first win since the 2002-2003 basketball season. The Patriots followed up this win, with a win the next night against Omaha Westside. Photo by Laura Rock

Competition at Metros no match for record-setting Patriot wrestling team

Chris Bazemore Sports Editor

The year of 2005 may be the year for the Millard South wrestling team. So far this year the Patriot wrestlers are ranked first in the state and have an untamished record.

After finishing second last year, South is once again in the hunt for a state championship. Since coach Doug Denson has been at Millard South the team has finished second three times but hasn’t yet finished the deal, but Denson and the team is planning to make this year different.

On Jan. 14 and 15% the MS wrestling team competed in the metro wrestling tournament at Papillion Lavista South and dominated the competition. The team score for MS was over 100 points more than second-place finisher Omaha Burke. The Patriots also set a record for points at metros with 274, an amazing and almost shocking amount of points.

The scary thing is that only two metro champs were from Coach Denson’s squad. All 14 of the Patriots wrestling in the tournament place in the top five with seven of them appearing in the finals and two going on to win their weight class.

They included senior Jake Muirheid.at 119 Ibs. and junior Aaron Denson at 152 Ibs. Although they won only two of the seven finals matches, it didn’t mean much as the team proved a point.

“Every year the kids are more motivated than the previous year and this year it isn’t any different as the team works to get better every day in order to Be a banner in our gym,” Denson said.

The wrestling also had a dual against eighth ranked Gretna High School at Millard South on January 20". The Patriots once again dominated as they beat Gretna 53-19 to

on LaVista South. Muirheid won the 119 Ib. weight class at Metro S and is currently ranked first in the State in Class A. Photo by Chris Bazemore. the Burke Invite, the Skutt Invite, and hopes to accomplish the mission during the third week of February. You can follow up on the team by going to MSW Club. Org to get all of the latest stats and rankings.

improve their dual’s record to 11-0. Pins by Millard South included Curtis Miller, Greg Garcia, Mike Ramsey, Aaron Denson, and Pat Doyle. Gretna was also open at the 160 lb. weight class, so Mitch Brown received the forfeit victory. Millard South continues their “mission” with trips to

Students seek to be ‘Believers and Achievers’

Danielle Savig Staff Reporter

Two people in this school have been nominated for the NSAA (Nebraska State Athletic Association) Believer and Achiever award. Rae Rohlfsen and Will Pflug were nominated and Rohlfsen actually got the award.

Rohlfsen is a really good student with big plans for the future. She is

going to go to college in St. Louis. All through high school Rohlfson. has been involved in many different activities including, Junior Class Board, Senior Class Board, Band, National Honor Society, and Soccer. “These activities are a lot of fun and I love the people. They also challenge me, giving me a sense of accomplishment when they’re done,” Rohlfsen said.

Pflug has also been involved in

many different activities in the last four years. He has been involved in football, swimming, debate, drama, National Honor Society, Senior Class. Board, Peer Mediation, Boy Scouts, Youth Group, and choir. “The activities are a lot of fun and it makes me a better person,” Pflug said. Rohlfsen lives a busy life trying to juggle around school, the activities she

is in, and work. “I kind of stopped. watching so much T.V., and I have a great job that is understanding if I have to skip some days.”

Pflug stays busy with all as activities and. manages to juggle everything around. “I manage to get most of my homework done during the school day, so I usually don’t have much to take home. I usually only have problems if

Swim team trounces Omaha Central on the road to a State appearance

Nick Olson Staff Reporter

The Millard South and Omaha Central swim team went head-to-head Jan.18,withMillard South coming out victorious.

“Both ourgirlsandboys teams did very well,” Coach Wennstedt said. State finals are coming up very soon so there isnot much more time toprepare.Junior Allison Way, Junior Ryan Dinning, Sophomore Tara Quandt, freshman Morgan Coffey, and Freshman Carly Pohiman have all met the standard in the three relays. Those who have yet toachieve agood enough time tobe eligible can stilldo itattheupcoming metro tournaments.

“We are hoping that the rest of our boys will meet their qualifications for state at metro,” Mr. Wennstedt said. “That is usually where they get their best times.”

For thenext three weeks theonly thing that can happenwith MS swimmers is that they get better. There is always room for improvement.

“Do good and give it 110%,” SeniorWill Pflug said.

there is multiple things at once. I also do have a job at Zzzap Lazer Adventures, butI don’t work many hours.”

The activities that Rohlfsen-has been involved in throughout all four years are band and soccer, and those are the activities that have been part of the award. She will be recognized for the award at a state basketball game and might receive a $500 scholarship.

Learn to Drive Driving School

With instructor

Tom Mosser

Over 25 years of experience.

Classes will be held at the Legion Hail 4612 So. 139th St.

Saturday mornings 7:45-10:15 a.m.

For information on classes call:

Tom Mosser 289-4240

.. the team works to get better every day in order to put a banner in our gym. Coach Doug Denson

Senior Jake Muirheid wrestles at Metros at Pa

Senior swimmer Michael Epperson competes in the butterfly event Millard South. The butterfly is known for being a difficult stroke, one that only veteran swimm ers can master. Epperson and other swimmers can be seen with not only shaved heads but also shaved eyebrows. They do anything to “shave” seconds off of their time. Photo by Katie Elwer.

Hidden tech-ies

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes of any theater production and the people taking part in that hard work are theater techni__cians. Theater technicians are skilled in many different areas. Sound, lights, props, set construction, management, make up and costumes areamong themany skillsneeded tobe atechnician. Millard South’s technicians are skilled inlots of different areas of the theater.

Everyone always hears about the people on stage performing, but not many hear about what happens behind the scenes of ashow. A lotofwork goes into ashow way before ithitsthestageoreven before actors startrehearsing. Lots ofwork isespecially put into alarge scale musical like“Beauty and the Beast” which will perform inMarch.

Junior Wade Sullivan isatechnical director for the musical.

“You have to watch over set construction, painting,

all of the crews, and essentially all the technical aspects of the show,” Sullivan said.

Making sure everything is done on time is a crucial aspect ofatechnician’s job.Techies usually end up putting inlonger hours than the actors.They usually stayway after rehearsal has ended and the actors have left. Some technicians put in 100 hours or more during a musical production. Such was the case for Brett Lawton during “Grease.”

“Ttwas achallengebecause Iheld threeroles. Iwas a stage manager, a tech director, and a set designer. I would not have been able to do it, though, without the help of Mrs. Baker and Jenny Cupak,” Lawton said.

Some technicians also perform on stage as actors, along withtheirtechnicalpositionorpositions.In“Grease” Sullivan

played Vince Fontaine and also had atechnical role tofulfill.

Lawton andseniorTylerCoffey, who areflymen for“Beauty and theBeast” agreed thatthehardest thing about working on a main stage musical isworking with the mass amounts of actors and making sure that they are safe.

“Tt’shardwhen you have thatmany peoplebackstage around the set and fly system and everything, you have to make sure thateveryone issafeand itisaprettystressfuljob,” Lawton said.

Technicians don’t just have to be male. Many of Millard South’s best technicians arewomen. Heather Abraham, Juanita Allocco, Casey Mitchell and Lisa McCollum arejust afew.

“Some people don’t always respectyou, butyoujusthave to deal with it. There is a lot of respect from Millard South stu-

rying talents

Aimee Freeman Staff Reporter

After entering the family, Greg Gaylord Focker (Ben Stiller) puts another dent intheBymes’ circleoftrust when the Byrnes meet his parents in the annoying but hilarious Meet the Fockers.

As the Byres get introduced to the Fockers, the Dad, Bernie Focker

(Dustin Hoffman) is overdone as he keepshugging and touchesJackBymes (Robert DeNiro) which makes the Byrnes family and the audience extremely uncomfortable and perturbed. Jack, brings a whole new meaning to the word annoyed. The whole movie he is obsessed with his new grandson, LittleJack. He triestoteach him lessonsbyleaving LittleJackalone when he cries and teaching him sign

language. The audience feels bad for the boy when Jack won’t take care of him but laugh instead when Jack puts ona fakebreasttofeedLittleJackwhile he is not with his mother.

Greg’smom, Roz Focker (Barbara Streisand)isanunusual character.Greg triestohide hismom’s profession, asex therapist, from theByrnes’ sothatJack doesn’t freak out. Trying to keep it a

dents. But sometimes when you go toanotherschool, likeatBellevue West sica Thacker said.

for state convention, aguy told us that we had toprove ourselves as good enough because we were girls. Sometimes you just work harder to prove yourself because you areagirl,” Mitchell said.

“Juanitaisamazing, she works so hard and does so muc » junior JesAllocco made many of the costumes seen inMillard South’s “Grease” and spent many sleepless nights working on them.

Abraham, Allocco, and Lawton arejustafew technicians whoplanon taking technical theater on into their futures after high school. Both Abraham and Allocco are currently technical theater apprentices for the Omaha Community Playhouse.

thought because Roz starts to give therapy to Jack’s wife, Dina (Blythe Danner). Another secret is kept from the family, thistimebetween Greg and his fiancée Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo). This secretbringsaseriousnote tothemovie and almost separates them when Jack findsoutandleavesonlytoreturnback totheFocker’s home laterwith Bernie and Greg after being bailed out of.

prison.

Meet the Fock is a hilarious movie that will have you laughing but will also tend to push your buttons. This movie is recommended for people who have a good sense of humor and don’t mind things getting under their skin a little bit.

Coach Carter motiviates, scores super slam dunk

Chris Bazemore Sports Editor

In the movie Coach Carter, Samuel L. Jackson provides an extremely moving and inspirational performancebasedon atruestoryinRichmond, California. Jackson plays abasketball coach who takes over a team ofkidswith alackofdiscipline andan ample amount of heart.

As Carter tries tocoach the team about basketball, he also makes sure basketball isnot allhe teaches them in an unstable community with drugs, gangs, and violence. Through lots of adversity and conditioning Carter finally gets the team to where everyone wants and never expected.

With an undefeated record, a mid-season tournament championship and high hopes for the state tourna-

ment, disasteroccurs and grade reports are given to Carter. As most of the team isinviolation ofacontract written by Carter, the gym islocked.

In a shocking move to everyone Jackson forces theteam tostudyinthe library instead ofpracticing basketball until the agreed GPA is reached. Through all this Jackson teaches the team that one basketball season when theyare 17 shouldnotbethehighlight of their entire lives.

With everything behind them the team has no fear in playing the number one team in the state and being happy with theoutcome. Coach Carter was one of the best stories of an unknown coach who made an immense change inthelivesofmany people ina community. —

Lisa McCollum, Tyler Coffey and Casey-Mitchell participate in “Technical Olympics” at the Nebraska State Thespian Festival at Bellevue East. They placed second. Photo by Amy Brammer.

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