CommonSense Millard South High School • 14905 Q St. • Omaha, Neb., 68137
November 5, 2019
Volume 20 Issue 2
Band ends season with clear skies Joey Kaipust Staff Reporter
On Oct. 26, the Millard South marching band com peted at the state marching band competition. After a strong performance of the program “Always Now,” they placed 9th in the state. “I feel like the state marching band performance was our strongest performance,” Assistant Director of Bands Lauren Milbourn said. The road up to state, however, wasn’t without its difficulties. They have been facing a giant obstacle all season: very rainy weather. “This season has had much more rain than at any point in our past couple previous seasons,” sophomore and tenor saxophone Section Leader Travis Cloyd said. Many of their competitions have been affected or even canceled due to abnormal amounts of rain. “Of our first three band competitions this year, one has been entirely rained out, one has been rain-delayed, and one was partially rained out,” Cloyd said. The rain isn’t just bad because it causes cancellations, however. The rain can pose a much larger issue for the band. “Rain can damage our instruments, so it makes it difficult to even be able to perform on some days,” Cloyd said. The constant threat of damage to often expensive instruments can keep the band inside and prevent them from getting much-needed practice. “Not being able to do what we need to do right away has definitely slowed down our progress over the season,” Cloyd said. “I’m grateful [the rain] was early on in the season and we were actually able to have very nice sunny weather for our last two competitions,” Milbourn said.
The drum majors walk onto the field before their performance at the state marching band competition. Photo by Joscelyn Hynes
Millard South band finishes this season’s show, “Always Now.” The band placed ninth in the state competition. Photo by Joscelyn Hynes
With the weather issue receding for the back end of the season, the band was able to perform at a high level for their later competitions. “The kids were very resilient in finishing strong de spite the problems early on,” Milbourn said. Now with the marching band season firmly in the books, it’s time for Director of Bands Darren Myers and Milbourn to look back and reflect on how their band per-
formed. “This year the kids really took pride in the group as a whole and were more focused overall,” Milbourn said. And as directors look back, members say they are looking forward to winter opportunities such as pep, concert and jazz band.
Special effects makeup artist thrives during Halloween season Hailee Wakefield Staff Reporter
worked 25 hours every weekend sculpting noses, creating realistic scars, injuries, and creating an entirely new look for the different actors she works with. October was a busy month for special effects “FX makeup has always been something that has makeup artist junior Bridgette Brown with her seasonal interested me,” Brown said. job at BloodRush, a haunted house in Omaha. She FX makeup has always been a hobby of hers, but last year she has received an income based off of her skills and talents in the special effects department. BloodRush, a new haunted house in town, hired Brown as a makeup artist, and she really has enjoyed it. “I started at Bloodrush last year and I love it,” she said. “It’s so much fun and all of the actors are so funny and great people.” On average, Brown transforms 10-15 actors on slow nights and 20-25 on busy nights. “The actors show up a little after I do so I have time to get set up,” Brown Junior Bridgette Brown applies special effects makup to an actor at BloodRush, a haunted explained. “Then they get house in Omaha. Baker was hired to do makup for the cast and worked about 25 hours a placed and get a costume on
and then I will start on their makeup. If I’m doing latex on them I will do that and then send them off to let it dry and then I will work on someone else’s makeup while that is drying. Once it’s done drying, they come find me and I will just finish it up,” she said. Makeup isn’t really a recreational activity for Brown. She does everyday light makeup, but other than that she says she doesn’t really do FX makeup on herself for more than just her instagram page, which she posts her favorite looks on. Brown said she isn’t entirely sure what she enjoys about it, all she knows is that she enjoys the time she spends getting to be creative. Brown’s mother did makeup before she was born, and now it is something that her daughter wants to pursue as a permanent career. Brown said she is inspired by lots of different things but mainly by music and Pinterest. When asked about tips she has for people who are starting out with special FX makeup and others who are looking into FX makeup as a hobby, Brown suggests, “I would probably just say try your hardest not to compare yourself to others. That’s something I do a lot and it really does make me think I’m a lot worse than I am. For example I often compare myself to other artists at Bloodrush, but the thing is that they are older than me and have been doing makeup for longer and just have different skills than I do.”
week during the month of October.
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Students and teachers enjoy second student spotlight breakfast of the year. Photo by Rakeem Ballard
Pages 6-7
Scents of pies and pumpkin spice are filling the air as winter approaches. Art by Sean Burton
Pages 8-9
The Joker, Mario Kart Tour, Zombieland Double-Tap, and the latest in Entertainment.
Pages 10-11
Volleyball team looks ahead to wildcard game to earn spot at state. Photo by Josh Ferdico
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News 11 • 5 • 2019 ACT opens new window for success Cameron Frost Staff Reporter To most underclassmen and juniors, preparing to take the ACT doesn’t seem very enjoyable. Going in when some have the day off, having to study like crazy and overall just having a stressful day filled with standardized tests puts anybody off. However, with the ACT making large changes within the test, most will find it more forgiving. As of next year, the ACT will allow students to retake individual sections to improve scores along with the option of retaking the entire test. For people that do end up retaking the entire test multiple times they will have the option to submit the best average scores to colleges creating what is known as a superscore. Colleges will still have the option not to accept the superscore. Since the option of section retesting is decided by the individual testing site, the way that Millard South takes the ACT will stay on paper while section retesting will be put on the computer. Since these changes won’t be going in until next year, they will only apply to anyone that has taken the ACT already not counting the current seniors.
source: reporting by Edith Hickman and MPS forms and documents
Wizard shares his love of the magic Nebraska’s renewed tobacco law Santiago Lara Staff Reporter
Magic: The Gathering™ is a popular collectible card game where you clash in a battle wits and skills against one or more opponents with creatures, spells, artifacts, and so forth. And none at this school relish this battlefield like senior Jarrod Younger. Leader of this school’s Magic™ club, he takes great pride in his collection of cards and values all 4,500+ of them. “I’ve spent roughly $100 every paycheck I get on cards. All Senior, Jarrod Younger, pondering which deck to use in all, I’ve paid probably $1,500 in this game. total for cards,” Younger said “And around 200 [dollars] of it went to also said that the club is always open to decks that I ended up scrapping.” new members, even to those who do not However, he does not only extend have decks to play with, as Jarrod carries his passion for the game to himself. Not six on his person at all times and will allow only has he taught eight, soon to be nine, you to borrow them. people at this school the game, he has “Just walk right in room 126, every also given a couple starter decks out to Thursday after school!” Younger said. those who did not have any to play with. One may ask why he has spent so Younger likewise has given tons of advice much time, effort, and money on this card to those wanting to create decks of their game. It’s quite a simple answer. It’s fun! own. He also shares his love of the card “It’s a really fun game, and I would game with the club he runs. recommend it to anyone who has free “It’s been a club here for a long time. time. [...] It keeps me engaged and it alThe previous leader of the club taught me lows me to exercise my brain in a fun way. how to play, and now I run it. When I first Plus, I just love seeing people’s reactions joined, we were at about five members, now we are pulling around 15,” he said. He to the stuff pull.”
Maddy Leland Staff Reporter In 2019 alone, the nation has seen 33 related casualties to vaping and over 1000 number of lung injuries also associated. Some of these numbers being contributed by Nebraska itself. While the effects of vaping have been relatively newly discovered, those of tobacco have been known for the last several decades. Many states are trying to combat this long-standing nicotine epidemic by implementing legislation, banning smoking in community places, and raising taxes on all tobacco products. A major focus of these attempts has been towards decreasing the availability of these products to minors. Nebraska is now taking its own measures to fight against big tobacco reaching its younger generations. On Jan 1, 2020, LB149 goes into effect. Legislative Bill 149 looks at changing the legal age that an individual can use or buy tobacco and nicotine substitutes from 18 to 19. Under-age individuals caught using products are looking at their first DUI and a fine of $100. The law was introduced by State Senator Dan Quick in an attempt to decrease the rising amount of high schoolers taking part
in electronic cigarette use. Grand Island has already implemented a law banning vaping in public places with violators paying a maximum of $500. A reported 47 percent of seniors, 31percent of sophomores, and 20 percent of 8th graders have all admitted in a survey of Grand Island schools to have tried vaping at least once. The city council hopes that by reducing exposure to teens, nicotine products will slowly leave schools. Millard South has also been combating vaping within the school by putting up posters around bathrooms, where students often vape. These posters help promote healthier habits and bring to light the dangers of vaping. “We’ve tried many different ways to get rid of vaping within Millard South,” Principal Weaver said, “From sending out PSA’s to parents, informing our teachers with new information on e-cigarettes, and updating school guidelines.” Weaver said she hopes that by addressing the problems with faculty, students and their parents, the problem will die down. In any case, many are hoping that the introduction of the renewed law will be enough to combat this rising epidemic within schools and the community.
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News 11 • 5 • 2019
Breakfast with a side of recognition
Lindzey James Staff Reporter They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and Millard South is definitely acknowledging this. Every month, every teacher from a selected school department gets to choose one student to go to breakfast with. The breakfast is held in the library and is catered. This happens on the last Monday of each month at 8 a.m. This is the Student Spotlight Breakfast. English teacher Johanna Hon and Assistant Principal Michaela Wragge are the two masterminds behind this operation. Hon brought up the idea because she said she felt like when the departments did the “Student of the Year,” having to choose only one did not recognize a lot of students. As an English 9 and Honors English 9 teacher, Hon said she felt like she never had any of her students recognized at the end of the year, because it is mostly seniors who had been having classes all four years in that department area or who was the top of the class. The breakfast was started in order to recognize more students but “in return there has been an improvement in academics and spirit in the classrooms that
the selected ones were chosen,” Wragge said. The teachers do not have any guidelines on who they select and as shown in the first breakfast, held in September by the English department, there was a variety of students. Some were students from the top of the class and some were students who struggle with attendance but had attended 5 days in a row. The teachers are encouraged to write out a card the reason they chose the student. This allows the student to understand why they were being invited to this breakfast. While this does affect the students being selected in a positive manner, Hon and Wragge do not know how this affects students in the class. They are planning to watch and learn Science teachers Jenny Wilson, Dave Burgan and Erica Storms enjoy breakfast with seniors and improve the breakfast after Maggie Madej, Kali Herbolsheimer and sophomore Abby McGaughey. Photo by Rakeem Ballard the first year. Student Spotlight Breakfast “The breakfast was nice and it was why she was chosen. allows 250 students to be recognized nice to recognize students and see that “It was a funny joke about how he is during the school year instead of only 20. the teachers saw what we did around impressed by how well I handle my dad Recognizing the students like this is to the school,” senior Alexa Edmundson at home and at school,’’ Edmundson said. improve the academics and school spirit said.. Alexa said she appreciated the little and so far it is working. touch of the teacher writing a note about
Department finally back in business with new hire Chelsea Molina Staff Reporter When business teacher Seth Woodke left Millard South to go teach as a professor at the Metropolitan Community College, the search was on for a new teacher in the Business Department. With such short notice, the department was left scrambling to find a new teacher to fill his role. After a couple of weeks, the chaos settled and they found a new teacher. He taught my Accounting I class for about a day and would walk around alternating compliments with every student. The next time I went to class, he was gone, apparently teaching high school was not the place for him, which made sense. For another week Business Teacher Kelly or so, Business Shafer Department Head Jamie Robinson and Business Teacher Jessica Nelson alternated, teaching half of the classes during their lunch breaks or whenever they could to make sure students understood what they were learning. Then, in the beginning of October, Nelson introduced her classes to the permanent teacher, Kelly Shafer. Previously a commercial analyst from Wells Fargo and a part-time treasurer at a community church, Shafer said she wanted something that gave her more time with her kids, so this teaching position was ideal for her. Shafer is currently teaching Business Law, Personal Finance, and mainly Accounting, while also studying to get her Master’s Degree in Education at UNO. Most of the time, she can be found in Room 127 or in the Business Office. “I want kids to be excited to learn Accounting because it is something I enjoy and I think [what I teach] is important and applicable for everyone,” Shafer said.
source: Candidate web sites and research by News Editor Jake Snelling
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Opinion 11 • 5 • 2019
does not address Staff Editorial: ‘Superscoring’ the faults of standardized tests The ACT already carries an oversized importance in the lives of high school students. Around testing season, John Baylor’s animatedly delivered test tip platitudes echo through Millard South students’ brains all their waking moments. The new changes to the test allowing students to retake one section at a time might make it easier for motivated students to achieve better scores, but it will only feed the fire of testing mania. At first glance, the change seems practical and beneficial to students. The ACT is marketing the ability to retake a specific section online to try and improve your “superscore”. a change meant to reduce students stress while retaking the test. By allowing them to focus on improving one subject to raise the overall score without a half day commitment, the ACT believes it will encourage more students to keep trying and retaking. ACT, Inc. has said that retaking individual sections will be cheaper compared to the full test,
opening up more opportunities for low income students. They have yet to specify the price. But there are drawbacks to this new system when considering the potential long-term consequences. For one, if scores increase nationwide, the standards for admissions and scholarships may rise as well. Competition will get even tougher. It’s also hard to believe that low income students will benefit from this change. If anything, expensive test preparation courses and free-time available to retake the test will only become more vital. Although the ACT is supposed to be a measurement of college readiness, with a variety of questions that will determine the aptitude of students, students with access to study resources are already greatly advantaged. As Mr. Baylor has taught us, there are a finite number of question types the test can use. It’s very hard to use rote memory to master the questions on all four sections, but given the opportu-
Art by Sean Burton
nity to focus on just one section, it becomes a lot easier. There are plenty of critics of the role standardized testing plays
in higher education opportunities. This change does nothing to silence those critics. Top flight students might rejoice at the
chance to perfect their score, but the troubling obsession with ACT scores will be perpetuated.
The many differences between France and America Spending two weeks in France will cause anyone to change their thinking and their views of the world. There are many things that you see and experience in a different country that will make you rethink your viewpoint and what you take for granted. Being in France made me see what the US can Sydney McDermott change to make a Copy Editor better country, and what the US is doing right. Being in France definitely changed my viewpoints and my beliefs. Before France, my views of France were formed by other people’s opinions and movies. I had believed that France was a fancy country where everyone would be smoking a cigarette and being rude to tourists while simultaneously leaving trash everywhere. But I knew that my viewpoint was not accurate but purely formed by movies on TV. Once I got to France, I witnessed how inaccurate my viewpoint was. Almost everyone in France was very nice to all tourists and they were polite to them. After we landed, our group needed to grab all our luggage and needed to quickly find our tour guide who was on the other side of the airport. We were very lost but thankfully we asked a nearby airport worker who knew exactly what to do. She very calmly gave us directions to the luggage and where we could find our guide. Anytime we needed
help and no adults were nearby, we asked someone close by and they were always very kind and helpful to us. Many movies either perceived France as a fancy, luxurious country or as a dirty trash-filled country. France is neither fancy nor trash-filled. France definitely has luxurious components such as the food, and the decadent decorations. And France definitely has problems with their littering, but they are getting better. They are putting more recycling bins and trash bins around outside, and are even teaching crows to pick up litter and throw them in the trash. The US also has a major littering problem, and I think we could benefit from trying new techniques to help stop our littering problem. There are many differences between France and the United States. One major difference is the way transportation works. In the United States, most people drive their cars and buses to their destination, with some exceptions of walking or biking. But in France, most people use the Metro, Tram, TGV train, walking, or biking. Cars and buses are used in France, but they are not as frequent as in the United States. Also, when you go into retail stores, you are not allowed to touch the items being sold or the clothing. When I was in Nice, I went into a little boho shop near the beach, and I saw a folded Nice T-shirt, and wanted to open it up. I grabbed the T-shirt and opened it up to see the full design on the shirt, and the owner of the store came up to me and told me to put that down, that customers are not allowed to touch the merchandise. But here in the US, all customers are allowed to touch all merchandise and to unfold the clothes and look at the full design. Plus people in France and other European countries have many bilingual people. In France, many people speak both French and English due to the high amount of tourists in France. In France, people start to learn their second language - English, Spanish, or German - in
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 byWhite 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.
elementary school around the age of eight. English is an extremely hard language to learn, so they start to learn it early in their life. But in the US, we start to learn a second language in middle school, and are not able to speak fluently enough to become bilingual. Another cultural difference is about the meals. Here in America, at least for me, I only eat one course with dinner. Occasionally I’ll eat an appetizer and a main course, but usually I’ll only eat a main course. Over in France, you eat three courses for every dinner. The food comes in very large portions with lots of fruits and vegetables in a very decadent visual. And you will get bread for both your appetizer and main course. There is always fresh bread in France and it is always good. In France, bread is known more as a tool than a part of the meal because you use the bread to soak up the delicious sauce and to clean up the plate. At dinner, they have liters of water on the table for the occupants to fill their cups with, but the water is almost always lukewarm. Another major point in France is that everyone is very formal and don’t create personal relationships with their teachers or adults not in your family. French people are very formal and have different ways of communication depending on who you are talking to. If it is someone older than you, a professor, or a stranger you must use formal tones and words to be respectful. When you talk to your friends or with family members, you still need to be respectful when talking to them, but you can be more informal with them. There are many things that France does that I wish we did, like incorporate more bread into dinner, add more public transportation, add more opportunities to become bilingual, and creating more opportunities and resources for cleaning up our Earth. But I am very glad that we are able to touch the merchandise in the stores, and that we are able to create a more informal relationship with teachers.
Editor-in-Chief Isabel Robb
Cartoonist Sean Burton
News Editor Jake Snelling
Chief Graphic Designer Joscelyn Hynes
Features Editor Edith Hickman
Copy Editors Sydney Mejia Sydney McDermott
Sports Editor Dillon Pelster Asst. Sports Editor Joey Kirkle Opinions Editor Carson O’Connor Entertainment Editor Halle Benson Social Media Editor Hailee Wakefield
Distribution Manager Paige Winchester Advertising Manager Sydney Roberts Staff Secretary Lindzey James
Staff Reporters Cameron Frost Joey Kaipust Santiago Lara Maddy Leland Cameron Merritt Hailee Wakefield Recruitment Lindzey James Hailee Wakefield Social Event Coordinators Chelsea Molina Brianna Strudthoff Adviser Christine Kaldahl
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Opinion 11 • 5 • 2019
Cash bail must go In the United States, the famous mantra “Innocent The sentence for his guilty plea was a fine of $50. It’s until proven guilty” is supposedly the guiding principle unfathomably unjust that this man was punished with of our justice system. In spite of this, approximately 36 days in jail for wanting a trial, making his decisions 458,600 legally innocent inmates are in jails according to without access to a lawyer, all for an offense resulting in the Bureau of Justice Statistics. a $50 fine after pleading guilty. These people may be missing out on job opportuni- This is an extreme example, but it illustrates a larger ties or childcare responsibilities while sitting in a cell, but problem with the justice system. Defendants accused they have yet to be convicted of any crime. It seems imof crimes that won’t result in jail time have no right to moral to me that in the United States, people’s freedom a public defender in Nebraska. The system moves very can depend on whether or not they are wealthy enough slowly, so these people accused of low-level misdeto afford cash bail. meanors are faced with the following decisions: await The Douglas County Jail has recently faced an trial in jail, pay for a private lawyer, post bail, or plead overcrowding problem, in addition guilty and pay a fine. Defendants are to a staffing shortage. According to strongly incentivized to plead guilty the Omaha World-Herald, the jail was to these offenses, even if they are inoperating while being nearly 100 nocent. inmates over its practical capacity this While the 8th constitutional past July, forcing 55 inmates to sleep amendment prohibits the federal on the gym floor with access to only government from imposing excessive one bathroom. bail, the national median felony bail is Michael Myers, the Director of $10,000 - an amount of money far out Corrections for Douglas County, says of reach for most who stand accused. that the average number of pretrial There have been successful lawsuits detainees has risen from 654 indiin New Orleans, Houston, and Califorviduals in 2015 to over 1,000 in 2019, nia, among other places challenging equating to 82 percent of the jail the fairness of cash bail. In California, population. With Omaha’s jail operatthat litigation motivated the Legislaing near or above capacity, it is time ture to pass a law ending monetary to take a closer look at whether this bond. Detentions there decreased by Carson O’Connor massive pretrial detainment is actuabout 40 percent. Court appearance Opinions Editor ally serving its purpose of keeping the rates and the rates of those rearrested public safe and reducing flight risk. after release are basically the same as Senator Ernie Chamber of Omaha before. district 11 introduced a bill advocating broad bail Such dramatic reductions in the jail population are reform last year, and there is also a bill in the Nebraska the result of no longer jailing people because they are legislature proposing a study to examine the effectivetoo poor to afford bail. Not only does this legislation ness of cash bail from misdemeanors in city and village bring more equality to the justice system, but the public ordinance violations. A recent Nebraska Senate Judiciary benefits as well. Incarcerating people is very expensive, Committee hearing allowed for experts to speak on the and it is paid for by taxpayers. pretrial justice system, and it amounted to some shock The money saved by fewer incarcerations can be ing testimonies. put to better use in the rehabilitation, supervision, and Joe Nigro, a Lancaster County Public Defender, told support of people who stand accused awaiting trial. the story of a man who was arrested for trespassing. He These people would get to spend time with their famipleaded not guilty because he claimed to have not seen lies and continue to work while bettering themselves the sign prohibiting him from being on the property of and learning how to avoid recidivism, opportunities a building. He was not appointed a public defender bethey would have missed out on if unable to post bail. cause a successful conviction would not have resulted in By eliminating cash bail, the legal system would become jail time, but his bond was set at $1000, which he could more just, more efficient, and less expensive. Nebraska not afford. This man sat in jail for 36 days awaiting trial, should follow through with their research and enact until he finally decided to plead guilty in order to be set sweeping reform to fix a broken system. free.
Heritage connected to hate Since its initial use in 1861, the Confederate flag has continued to be a symbol of a dark, disgraceful period of American history that has failed to fall out of relevancy. It’s historically been championed by the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist groups across America. Jake Snelling It’s somehow News Editor made its way 4,000 miles across the ocean, popping up at white nationalist rallies and protests in Poland, Germany, and multiple other European countries. And recently, if you popped enough balloons and didn’t want a colorful bear or a giant banana, you could win this polarizing hate symbol as a prize at our very own Millard Days! This use of the flag at nationalist hate rallies and its nonchalant use as a prize at a local fair is symbolic of its continuously confusing appeal. Even the origins of the flag’s popular use is confusing. The Confederate flag (also referred to as the Dixie flag, “Southern Cross”, and the rebel flag) that is most often seen today was never officially recognized as a symbol of the Confederacy, but a similar, specifically square version of the flag was utilized in battle by a few units, most notably the Army of North Virginia. This symbol, a flag that was legally unrecognized and essentially unknown to the majority of the confederacy, has and still is promoted by a multitude of groups and causes. What
exactly is so special about this flag? Why do people still advocate for a civil war relic that has been inextricably linked to white supremacist ideologies since its creation? In order to understand the appeal of the flag, it is essential to understand its most common argument accompanying its use, that being “Heritage, not hate.” The most common argument for the display of the flag is its representation of “southern heritage,” which is often emphasized by the expression “Heritage, not hate.” This concept of upholding “southern heritage” is understandably appealing on face value for someone who lives in the South or whose family has deep southern roots, but it’s impossible to uphold when looking at the non-inclusive culture that created a unique heritage. The overarching idea that designates this concept of southern heritage as distinct from typical American heritage to the point that it may warrant a separate flag and separate representation is its historical connection to racial discrimination. The South was built on the racial discrimination of an agricultural economy based on slavery, and when confronted with its end, the group of states representing the South decided succession from the North and an exhaustive war was a better idea. Post abolition, the southern states stayed committed to continuing this racial discrimination through unequal segregation, discriminatory policies, and an overwhelmingly racist culture. Although racial equality has progressed in the South of today, it is impossible to separate racism from the past southern heritage the flag is claimed to represent. This is especially evident when southern white supremacist extremist groups that exist for reclaiming this lost “southern heritage” champion the flag to promote their message of hate. Besides the flag’s representation of southern heritage, there are few other arguments that accompany its use. On the other hand, People most often advocate against the public condemnation and banning of the
Hello darkness my old friend Everybody knows about it. The most dreaded time of year is approaching us. The thing feared by teachers and students involved in after school programs alike. Perpetual nighttime. Allow me to explain. As winter approaches and days become shorter and shorter, it allows for something we’ll refer to from here on out as the Dark Ages. Often when students leave their house for school, it is dark and the sun is just beginning to rise. Then, if they have to stay after for different sports or activities, they find themselves leaving school when it is already dark out. This is the horrible reality of the Dark Ages. Let’s look at it for the date this paper is distributed, Nov. 5. The recent daylight savings adjustment has skewed it a little bit, but the day still has a cloud of darkness looming over it. The sun is beginning to rise at 7:01 a.m., which means that some students will see precious minutes of sunlight, but anyone who has to arrive early to school will have their day with no brightness except street lights. Much more offensive than the sunrise is the time the sun sets, 5:16 p.m. Any coach or student staying after for sports is sentenced to trying to find their car in the pitch black. Teachers who need to stay after to grade papers await the same fate. There are more issues brought on by the Dark Ages than just higher electrical bills from having to keep the lights on constantly, though. The continuous darkness can lead to some actual problems. The Dark Ages might not just be something made up in the minds of students. The aptly named medical condition Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is diagnosed in three million Americans every year, characterized by an increase in fatigue, depression, and hopelessness coinciding with the shortening days in fall and carrying through into winter. But to act like students get the worst of this phenomenon would be rude. The true victims of the Dark Ages are the teachers. Teachers have to be at school much earlier than students, meaning it is likely that they don’t even get to see the sun rise in the morning, and then are at school much later than the students, often leaving when the sun begins to set. If these teachers don’t have a window in their classroom, they could realistically go many days without seeing the sunlight! However, it’s no good to keep complaining about the Dark Ages. What can be done to combat this? A solution is to be intentional every day about getting a nice look out a window or stepping outside. It’s a small thing, but taking some time to enjoy the small things in life can bring out a lot of joy.
Joey Kaipust Staff Reporter
flag for the sake of the first amendment or because it’s just a rectangular piece of cloth that shouldn’t be considered so offensive. While the first part is historically precedented (the Supreme Court has frequently ruled that hate symbols/speech are unable to be banned outside of the private domain), it’s essential that we recognize the historical context of symbols that contribute to their meaning. Not all supporters of the flag intentionally use it as a symbol of racism, but are often just not considering this context. Hopefully one day this symbol will lose importance and only be seen in civil war museums rather than state fairs, but until then, the only way to stop its use is through education and activism.
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Focus 11 • 5 • 2019
‘Tis the season of
Pie Senior Sydney Roberts dishes up a bite of lemon pie. Roberts set up the staff pie survey working with Village Inn. Photo by Lindzey James
The five Village Inn pies that the staff of Common Sense sampled were apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, lemon meringue pie, and French silk pie. Photo by Lindzey James
Which pie is best?
Favorite pumpkin-flavored food Graphic by Maddy Leland
Source: Common Sense poll. 60 students surveyed.
Sydney Roberts Advertising Manager As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re all beginning to think about the desserts inevitably following the huge feast ahead of us. How is one supposed to follow such an amazing meal with an equally amazing dessert? As a newspaper staff, we are here to help, the Common Sense team taste-tested several Village Inn pies in hopes of suggesting the best pie to bring to Thanksgiving. We tried Village Inn’s apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, lemon meringue pie, and French silk pie. We had to keep in mind that everyone has different pie preferences, however, we’ve gathered enough collective data to establish a winner: pecan! Although the winners were undeniable, it was a close race. Some may be surprised to find pumpkin at the bottom of the list considering its traditional role at the Thanksgiving table, but times are changing and maybe your pie selection should too!
The results: 1. Pecan 2. Apple 3. Lemon 4. French Silk 5. Pumpkin Thank you to Village Inn on 107th and M St. for donating pies for our tasting event.
Focus 11 • 5 • 2019
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How to make pumpkin spice Paige Winchester Staff Reporter To make pumpkin spice, all you need are 5 spices which include ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and ground cloves.
The spice is nice Cameron Merritt Staff Reporter
Many grocery stores will have pumpkin spice displays somewhere in their store (probably somewhere in the Pumpkin spice is something that people tend to have a front). That way people can continue to flock towards it and love-hate relationship with, alhave easier access, as opposed to going though more people seem to like the aisles trying to find out Pumpkin spice is one of my throughout it than not. It always seems to be where the exact location is on the shelf. favorite seasonal flavors, be- one of the more popular seasonal Another thing is that a lot of flavors that people can enjoy. cause it’s sweet but also has a coffee shops have seasonal flavors, inPumpkin spice is popular because cluding pumpkin spice flavored drinks. little spice to it. many people like pumpkin pie Coffee chains like Starbucks always and pumpkin spice is incorpohave a pumpkin spice latte(PSL), and it –senior Mia Gurciullo rated into pumpkin pie, which is oftentimes one of their more popular people tend to like a lot. It will flavors throughout the seasonal drinks often make it to the table in every that they sell. Starbucks has made Thanksgiving meal, and in some $1.4 billion dollars on PSLs since they cases, it is even popular around Christmas time. came out in 2003, which makes it by far one of the highest So many different vendors incorporate pumpkin spice revenue bringing drinks that Starbucks makes. into their products. Anything from coffee to cereal to cup “Pumpkin spice is pretty popular we go through about cakes during the fall has some sort of pumpkin spice flavor. a bottle of syrup about every two weeks,” Starbucks barista Pumpkin spice is something that brings in a ton of money senior Mia Gurciullo said. “Pumpkin spice is one of my during the fall season for different vendors, and grocery favorite seasonal flavors because it’s sweet but also has a stores because people just seem to continue to buy it year little spice to it which makes it the best drink for fall.” after year.
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-3 tablespoons ground cinnamon -2 teaspoons ground ginger -2 teaspoons ground nutmeg -1 teaspoon ground allspice -1 teaspoon ground cloves
Add all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
A seasonal favorite Paige Winchester Staff Reporter The fall season is all about cool weather, warm clothes, and most importantly, pumpkin spice, the flavor pumpkin spice is what you can find in coffees and pastries. In my opinion, pumpkin spice deserves to be recognized the way it does. Pumpkin spice is a flavor that only comes around for a few short months before it leaves again till next year. So why not celebrate it and get it while we can? Pumpkin spice is what I like to call a warm flavor, a flavor that doesn’t stand out too much but leaves a warm taste in your mouth, especially if it’s in coffee or bread. Pumpkin spice is
a mixture of spices that are mixed together to create this pumpkin-flavored spice that we all know and love. Pumpkin spice is all the rage during the fall season and it should stay that way. People love pumpkin spice flavored foods and drinks because of the fact that it is a seasonal thing. It’s like the same thing when people get excited over winter and the peppermint flavored items.
Yes!
No thanks, I’ll pass Hailee Wakefield Staff Reporter Fall is the season of comfort, thick knitted sweaters complemented with falling leaves, warm colors, and maybe a few pumpkin patch visits here and there. There are many things that lead to a complete feeling of comfort, one of them being food. Fall is also the season of a variety of foods, vegetables, fruits, and different foods that bring the feeling of warmth along with them. The most popular food product is obviously pumpkin. During the fall season, pumpkin is everywhere. More specifically, pumpkin spice is everywhere. Pumpkin spice is the epitome of fall, and personally, I despise it. Technically, pumpkin spice isn’t a thing. It is just a collection of different spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. The texture of pumpkin pie makes me shiver in disgust, and the fact that it is so overloaded with pumpkin flavor. Another reason why I dislike it is because it is so overrated that it makes it very difficult to enjoy it, like a song that
No!
background photo by Josh Ferdico, Grace Hansen and Laura Spieler
is overplayed or a movie that I have seen a thousand times. Now, I am not saying this emptyhandedly, I have tried various pumpkin spice flavored foods and beverages, I attempted to indulge in a pumpkin spice latte just the other day from Starbucks, but I couldn’t stomach the overwhelming flavor. Another reason might just be that I don’t enjoy pumpkin itself. Pumpkin pie has never settled right with me. Every year at Thanksgiving I make an attempt at trying to understand the love that people have for pumpkin, but the mooshy filling, dry crust, and the overload of cinnamon is just too much to handle. Personally, I believe that vegetables do not belong in pies, squash included. The best pies are the ones with fruits and other flavors - the ones that do not involve spice. Power to you if you enjoy pumpkin spice, but personally if I had to choose between a white chocolate latte and a pumpkin spice latte, you bet I am going to take the white chocolate.
History of pumpkin spice Sydney Mejia Copy Editor
Today, there is a craze over the pumpkin spice flavor during the fall. How did pumpkin spice become so popular for the season? Pumpkin spice wasn’t first introduced until the earliest mention in 1936. At the time it was created, it wasn’t given
Graphic by Joscelyn Hynes
much if any, purpose until the 1950s when companies decided to expand how pumpkin spice could be used. It was given the name “pumpkin pie spice” and was shortened to the classic name in the 1960s. Cooks would start moving outside of putting the
flavor in pie and putting it into other dishes. People often think Starbucks was the first to spread the word for the popular flavor into other things. But really, the first out of the ordinary thing with pumpkin spice was a candle made in 1995.
A few years later is when coffee shops started to create the classic taste of a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Source: Pinterest
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Entertainment 11 • 5 • 2019
Joker leaves us wondering who’s the clown now Sydney McDermott Staff Reporter
The Joker disappointed me. The new version of the Joker was completely different to all of the versions of joker. The scenes in the movie gave off a very sad vibe to all audience members. And the scenes were very disturbing to witness. As a warning, there will be SPOILERS in this review. Joker started off with a man named Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) who works as a clown and wants to start working as a stand-up comedian. Arthur is a poor man living in Gotham City with his mom, whom he takes care of. While Arthur puts on his clown makeup, he tried to put on a happy face rather than a sad face and that scene made me feel incredibly sad. It was a hard scene to watch, seeing someone so sad try and put on a happy face just to get through the day. In the film, Arthur has a condition due to head force trauma that causes him to laugh uncontrollably. There are multiple scenes where he starts to laugh uncontrollably and everyone around him makes fun of him. Those scenes were exceptionally hard to watch because it was hard to see someone who has a condition that he has no control over to be made fun of. The movie constantly shows Arthur being beaten on by strangers and by his coworkers.
I strongly feel like Joaquin Phoenix deserves an award for his acting in this film. His ability to bring this version of Joker to life was amazing. He was able to convince everyone in the audience that he was actually Arthur Fleck. His ability to create and bring this character to life was outright awe inspiring. There comes a scene where Arthur gets fired from his job and is on the subway home wearing his clown makeup. On the subway, there are three men who are disrespecting a woman on the train. Arthur begins to laugh uncontrollably, and the three men begin to beat on him. This is where Arthur takes out a gun and kills the three of them. On the news, Thomas Wayne is interviews and calls everyone in poverty a clown and say that they are jealous of those with money. Many people in Gotham City, begin to take the clowns side and call him a vigilante. In the film, Arthur’s mother, Penny
Fleck was an old worker at Wayne Enterprise and she keeps writing him letters, asking for more money. One night Arthur finds a letter she wrote and reads it, which tells him that Thomas Wayne is his father. This crazy connection was a new addition to the Joker series, but I felt helped create the plot. The climax all begins to happen near the end, on his way to the Murray Franklin show, which is a late night show that he was asked to be on. The cops are onto him and begin to chase him. He gets on the subway, where everyone is dressed up in clown masks to support the clown vigilante. The cops try and find him but end up killing an innocent person, and get into fights with witnesses of the murder. Arthur successfully gets away from the cops and arrives to the show on time. When he gets there, he is asked to be called as the Joker. Once he’s on the show, he reveals that he was the subway killer. He begins to rant about how unfair life is and how is he, a
Here comes the cowboy Chelsea Molina Staff Reporter The man, the myth, the cowboy, arrived at the Sokol Auditorium Oct. 4 to give a rather unconventional performance. His openers, Dustin Wong and Takako Minekawa, who are based in Tokyo, are a duo who used a mirage of sounds giving the audience a strange, almost confusing psychedelic experience. When they first began to play, I was mesmerized by the different sounds and images being displayed. Listening to all of the sounds was confusing and new because that was the first concert I had been to that opened with this kind of transcendentalistic music. It was nice to listen to for about fifteen minutes, but then it all started to sound like dog whistles and loud symbol crashes, and I was ready to be done listening. When I looked around, about half the room looked to be just as done and
ready for Mac to begin Their performance at the concert doesn’t do them much justice because while writing this, I decided to go back and listen to their music and their album, “Savage Imagination,” I found was easier to flow with the second time, although the dog barks continue to be a recurring theme that I’m not a fan of. It’s also a better alternative than classical music which is much more stagnant so if you’re looking for something experimental, try this duo. After about an hour though, Mac finally got on the stage and began playing songs from his new album starting with “Here Comes the Cowboy”. Me being me, I hadn’t really listened to that album until a couple weeks before the concert and was only familiar with a few of the new songs. The rest of the concert though, he played pure classics and
it was perfect. Except it also wasn’t. The audience, either from lack of enthusiasm, or lack of LSD, stood still most of the concert and very few danced. I also expected a little more from DeMarco waiting for him to do something crazy or be a little more enthusiastic than he was. I do think it was probably because the man drank a six pack and left to go get more midway through. He did have his moments, where he screamed for a good ten seconds and gave a fan the chance to go on stage to show him the lyrics to a song he couldn’t remember. He also spent some time telling the audience to quiet down the one time they piped up. Mac Demarco’s concert wasn’t one of the best he’s had, but if I had the chance, I would most definitely pay however much to see the cowboy one last time.
Zombie kill of the year goes to Zombieland Brianna Strudthoff Staff Reporter
Ten years. It took 10 years to make a sequel, and it was great. This comedy zombie movie was not a let down. Some sequels are just not worth it, but this one definitely is. However, you must see the first to get most of the references and jokes. Zombieland: Double-Tap brought back the original four characters with new and more complex characteristics. We see Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) as the crazy father figure, and his secret heritage. Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) is all grown up and thinks she is ready to take on the zombie-filled world to find love. Speaking of love, the sequel also brought in a lot more romance than the first. But not just any romance: crazy love triangles. Columbus (Jesse Eisenburg) and
Wichita (Emma Stone) are involved in a triangle when they introduced Maddison (Zoey Deutch), the ditsy blonde. Maddison will make you question how hard it really is to survive the zombie apocalypse. Tallahassee also finds a love interest who also has a crazy Elvis obsession. This puts him in a love triangle with himself? Well, almost. They also introduced two characters that are basically Tallahassee and Columbus doppelgangers. Two Columbuses means twice the rules, or as his doppelganger, Flagstaff, would call them, com-
mandments. Are there enough laws to follow to keep them alive? We can’t forget about Little Rock and her love interest: Berkeley (Avan Jogia), a pacifist hippy. Their journey takes them to a non-violent civilization called Baylon. No guns allowed plus zombie apocalypse. Well, you can imagine how that’s going to end. Or you can go and see the movie for yourself. But you must stay a little after the credits will start to roll. Zombieland couldn’t be complete without a Bill Murray scene.
nobody, was dead then no one would care. Murray tries to tell Arthur that killing people is not a joke, and that he should not be laughing in this situation. Arthur responds by killing Murray on national TV. The next scene shows Arthur in the back of the cop car as he watches the riots he’s created. As the riot continues, Bruce Wayne and his parents are leaving the theatre as a Joker follow decides to pay his revenge. This ties into Bruce Wayne’s urge to become Batman, to defend the people of Gotham City. This take on Joker was very different compared to all the other takes. This Joker was more of a prequel, talking more about the man Joker was before the anarchy. This movie made the audience feel sad for the Joker, and make him more humanized. Which is a completely different take as the majority of Jokers which usually make the audience feel angry. The director, Todd Phillips, decided to create this new version of the Joker without the comic book action. He wanted “ a way to sneak a real movie in the studio system under the guise of a comic book film.” And he really did, as my attention was kept on the screen for the majority of the movie without the action scenes. All in all, this new Joker was a complete different take than other Jokers and has forever changed my viewpoint.
Ready, set, go! Get ready to race with Mario Kart Tour Halle Benson Entertainment Editor Just six weeks ago, Nintendo released the mobile game, Mario Kart Tour. The game begins with the player earning their first character, kart, and glider, then start their very first race in the tour course. The tour starts in New York City. For two weeks long, everyone who plays on the app will be doing the New York City Tour. The tour has a lot of cups with little presents every single time it is finished. The goal is to try completing the cup rather than finishing the cup, because when you complete the cup, you have cleared all of the Grand Stars in that area. Finishing the cup means you haven’t collected all of the Grand Stars yet. There were a lot of things I noticed when I first began to play the game, such as only doing two laps rather than the normal three. The Mystery Boxes are a little funky too. Depending on the character you choose for the race, you might get one to three items from the Mystery Box when racing. From what I’ve seen, every time the next tour starts, a new update follows it. For example, before the Tokyo Tour and Halloween Tour started, there used to be less than twenty racers you could choose from. Now, there are so many characters including all of the Koopalings, Rosalina, Luigi, and Wario. Something I have found really annoying in the game are the gold passes. Just like any other game that wants to make some money, Mario Kart Tour lets you pay some money to let you get exclusive prizes and bonuses during the game. Despite all of the negative things about Mario Kart Tour, it is still a really fun game to play. I don’t have to play Mario Kart on my 3DS or my WiiU anymore, I can do it all from my phone and still have so much fun playing it.
Entertainment 11 • 5 • 2019
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Are you ready to Halle Benson Entertainment Editor
The drama department is bringing everyone back to the ‘80s for one weekend only. On Nov. 15 and 16t at 7 p.m. and Nov. 17 at 2 p.m., you and all of you friends and family can come rock out with all of your favorite songs such as “Don’t Stop Believing” and “The Final Countdown” in this year’s fall musical, Rock of Ages. “Everyone already knows the songs we are singing, and I think the audience will be more engaged and feel more connected to the songs,” senior Cassie Wessel said. Just like the movie, “Rock of Ages”
rock?
is a love story between Sherrie Christian (Maddie Conrad) and Drew Boley (Jeremiah Grove). A small town girls wants to be an actress and a city boy trying to kick start his rocker career. Other characters in the show consist of Lonny Barnett (Cassie Wessel) and Dennis Dupree (Kaleb Worden), who runs the Bourbon Room on Sunset Boulevard, the club that Stacee Jaxx (Austin Meyer) got his big break in. “What’s so good about Stacee Jaxx? It is the way he sings, the way he moves, the way he sparkles. That is what makes him so good,” sophomore Austin Meyer said.
Lonny Barnett (Cassie Wessel) introduces the singer, Stacee Jaxx, for this one last performance at the Bourbon Room. Photo by Halle Benson
Another exciting feature “Rock of Ages” will feature is a live band playing and acting on stage during the show. They even have an official band name: Arsenal. Nov. 12 is going to be an ‘80s dress up day for the entire school. Students can dress up like a rocker, preppy, or even an ‘80s movie character. There will also be a contest with multiple categories for dressing the best, and winners will get free tickets to the show. Also on Nov. 12, the cast of Rock of Ages will be giving people a sneak peek
of what they can expect in the show at 7:30 a.m. in the auditorium. The cast will be singing “Anyway You Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believing” and one more surprise ‘80s hit. The audience will be invited to sing along. Tickets are available now online at showtix4u.com or at lunch. Students are $7 and adults are $10. Tickets at the door will be $8 and $12. The drama department will also be raffling off candy bar guitars for only $2 a raffle ticket.
Arsenal rehearses to get ready for their last performance with Stacee Jaxx. (From left to right: Jacob Henry, Will Keller, and Rob Hruska. Not picture is Sam Becker.) Photo by Halle Benson
Smokin Barrel has smokin’ good BBQ Joey Kirkle Asst. Sports Editor
This past Saturday, I tried Smokin Barrel BBQ (13508 Discovery Dr., Omaha, NE 68137) for the first time. A fairly new restaurant, there has been a lot of hype behind it. They have only been open since the start of 2019, but their business has been amazing. As crazy as this may sound, they have sold out of their food over 30 times now and have had to close early. It seems like you can’t drive past the place without seeing the parking lot full of cars. With all of this momentum behind it, I had to try it for myself. Smokin Barrel BBQ got its start as a food truck in Millard. For years now, they have been the top barbecue food truck in Omaha. The decision to turn it into a restaurant was a bold one, as you don’t see food trucks expanding very often. It seems like it was the right choice though, as the restaurant is constantly packed. Barbecue isn’t the most appealing type of restaurant, so it surprises me how busy they have been. Part of that is likely due to their limited hours. They are
open Tuesday-Saturday, and they are only open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day but Friday. On Fridays, they are open from the normal 11-2, but they reopen from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., likely trying to catch the Friday night crowds. Those are very odd hours that you don’t see anywhere else, but it seems to work for them. Their customers are willing to cooperate and they are absolutely packed while they are open. While most restaurants would expand their hours to better fit the customer’s availability, it doesn’t look like they will do that anytime soon. I can see why they have a loyal customer base and are packed. Smokin Barrel BBQ is most definitely one of the best barbecue places I have ever had. I ordered the brisket sandwich and pulled pork sandwich, both of which were amazing. The smoky flavor of the meat makes you think you’re tailgating before a football game. Their bourbon sauce is incredible, and that’s coming from someone who usually doesn’t put sauce on sandwiches. Once you try it, just the thought of it will make your mouth water. Even if you aren’t a huge fan
of barbecue (neither am I), their food is too good not to check out. It’s a relatively simple meal, but it will shock you how good it is. One great thing about Smokin Barrel is the way that the workers make sure the customer is happy. For starters, they want to maximize your experience in the restaurant. The restaurant itself has sort of a cozy feel to it. The employees are very friendly and will answer just about any questions you have. The prices are extremely cheap for the large, meat-filled sandwiches. After just two of them, I was absolutely stuffed. I can promise you that if you check out this place, you will have a great experience in the restaurant. Overall, I was insanely impressed with this restaurant. They have been very successful so far, and they have amazing food. With business booming currently, I would expect them to continue their success. They seem to have very loyal customers, while new people are constantly checking it out. I highly suggest Smokin Barrel BBQ to anyone who is looking for a barbecue place to try out. You will not be disappointed. I can guarantee you that I will be going again fairly soon.
Patriot Pets Want to see ypur pet featured here? Email pwinchester180@millardps.org along with a picture and a description of your pet.
Thunder
art by Sean Burton
Thunder is 7 months old, the most beautiful and belongs to Max Smelser
Pheobe
Pheobe is 3 years old and is the love of Kyndall Dizona’s life.
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Sports 11 • 5 • 2019
The Road to Lincoln is Underway Dillon Pelster With a little over a minute to go in the game the Patriots had Sports Editor wrapped up their win against The leaves have started to fall, the Westside and were looking snowflakes are blowing through the wind to run the clock out. That is and the frigid cold temperatures are kicking when Isaiah burst through the into high gear as we now approach the thick Westside defense one more of football season heading into November. time, running the ball all the After a stellar 8-1 regular season camway down to the one yard line. paign the Patriots are ready to take their This humble gesture by Isaiah game to another level in hopes of achieving not only tells us what kind of the ultimate goal, win four games in Novemsmart player he is but it also tells ber. the viewing public watching the For the seniors, the level of urgency is winding seconds on TV what at an ultimate high, the stakes have never kind of man Harris is, a true been bigger, however, this is the moment team player. they’ve waited four long years for. These The respect garnered by IsiPatriots are tough minded while being aiah on that last touchdown run focused on one goal only. was noticed by many including They’ve proven this throughout the last the Omaha World Herald, which five weeks since their regular season defeat wrote about Harris’ huge game to Millard West, running the ball through after the win. Not only that, but the teeth of every defense, punishing them Harris’ huge performance led at the point of attack. With commandhim to get Division 1 recogniing wins against unmatched opponents tion, receiving his first offer from Northwest, Columbus, and Creighton Prep, a D-1 school from the University along with a hard fought road game win at of North Dakota. Six touchElkhorn South, the Patriots put themselves downs sounds a lot better than in great position to have the possibility of five, but in that situation it didn’t two, maybe three home games at Buell this matter to Harris. What mattered upcoming month. was getting the victory, running To accomplish this feat, the Patriots had out the clock, and claiming back to win on the road against a very legitimate to back district titles rather than Westside team. They did just that with the worrying about personal statisoffensive line creating gaping holes for tics. Team player and unselfish. the best backfield duo in the state. Seniors It’s what personifies not only TJ Urban and Isaiah Harris have been an Per Usual, TJ Urban delivering nasty stiff arms to defenders, in this instance an Elkorn South demany individuals on the team unrelenting force the entire season, using fender. Photo by Josh Ferdico but is what represents these Patheir spread out, read option-style offense triots as a whole which is one of to gash opponents for explosive plays. This vision, ability to make cuts upfield, bounce off defendmany reasons why they should be considered legitimate dynamic duo has captivated the eyes of many Patriot ers, extend plays, and get tough yards are what make championship contenders by all. fans as most people around Millard realize not only the him elite and the focal point of this lethal ground and Millard South will head into the Class A playoffs as talent these two possess, but notice the importance pound attack. the number 3 seed out of 16 teams. Their road isn’t easy both of them are to the success of the team as a whole. In last weeks regular season finale, a game the Paby any stretch but their matchups are certainly favorBest running team in the state of Nebraska? You certriots needed to win for home field advantage purposes, able. With a home game Friday against Papio South, the tainly could make an argument, however, after last Harris delivered his best performance of his Patriots cafinal stretch is about to begin. Can this team make it to Thursday’s game against Westside, it is almost a guaranreer, rushing for over 312 yards which is presumed to be Lincoln and take down a juggernaut in Bellevue West tee. Isaiah Harris isn’t the biggest back nor the strongest a new school record, while also tallying five touchdowns or Millard West? That remains to be seen. With that said, running back in the state of Nebraska, but talent wise, in the process. What makes Harris’ game even better is the road to Lincoln, the final destination on this long and certainly speed wise, he is making a name for himthat he was able to perform under the bright lights in journey, begins. self while proving doubters wrong at the same time. His the Thursday Night game of the week on CW11.
After tough districts loss, Patriots hungry heading into State Joey Kirkle Asst. Sports Editor For the Millard South volleyball team, this has been a season of ups and downs. After a tough loss at districts, they are looking to bounce back better than ever at the State Tournament. The Patriots wasted no time showing the state that this team is here to stay, starting their season off with two wins at the Bellevue West Volleyball Invitational. The team then entered a hot and cold battle, winning the majority of their games, but didn’t have quite the consistency you would hope for. Then the Patriots hit their stride, winning six straight games towards the beginning of October. After adding on a five game winning streak the following week, they proved to other teams that they were a force to be reckoned with. “We wanted Sophomore Makayla Fleming sets up her teammate in the first round of districts. to prove what Photo by Josh Ferdico Patriot Volley-
ball is all about,” senior Rosie Butler said. “We were able to come out hot and give ourselves an opportunity to be highly ranked,” she said. The team is ranked 6th in the Class A standings to close the regular season. Senior Paige Fixemer and sophomore Maddie Mactaggart led the team in kills, with 384 for Fixemer and 262 for Mactaggart. With everyone contributing to the team’s success, the Patriots were able to end the season with a 23-11 record. While that may seem great, the Patriots had more in mind: Districts. Junior Elyse Globe and Senior Maggie Madej team up for the block against Papio South. Entering districts, Photo by Josh Ferdico their first matchup was against 13-19 Omaha Central. The Patriots cut us from being able to execute the plays we initially wanted to make a statement right away at districts, wanted to run,” junior Elyse Globe said. and that’s exactly what they did. They wasted no time, Now the Patriots are looking ahead to practicing winning 3 sets to 1. Fixemer and senior Maggie Madej and strategizing the right plan to succeed for their Nov. led the team in kills, each with 12. Coming off of a great 7 game vs Lincoln Pius in the wildcard round of state. victory, they looked to continue their success against 20- Though they will be playing the number three ranked 17 Papio South. Unfortunately for the Patriots, this match team in Class A, the Patriots are heading into the game didn’t go as well as they had hoped, losing the first 3 full of confidence. sets. “We’re ready to get out on the court and fight for While it was a tough loss for Millard South, the team a big win,” senior Sam Steele said. “It’s going to take the learned some things about themselves. whole team coming together, and we’re willing to do “Our lack of communication on and off of the court whatever it takes to win,” she said.
Sports 11 • 5 • 2019
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Junior Carly Barkus gives teammate Ian Kely a high five in the team’s first meet against Millard West and Millard North. Photo by Kali Herbolsheimer
Junior Wyatt Geary bowls in his first competition of the season. Photo by Kali Herbolsheimer
Unified bowling gets season rolling Sydney Mejia Copy Editor
Millard South is known for their importance of being one unified group and being involved throughout the school. Senior Kali Herbolsheimer works a lot with our unified teams here and is proud of what she does with the group. Unified bowling competed really well last year as the District A-2 Runner Up and is expected to grow even more this season. “We have some extremely talented athletes and unified partners that I believe will get us to that same level, if not higher by the end of the season,” senior Kali Herbolsheimer said.
With the right mindset, the team is headed in the right direction with plenty of practice and working together as a unified group. They are getting better every practice leading up to state in December. “it’s an eight week season with three hour and a half practices a week of getting to know everyone,” Herbolsheimer said. It is a rewarding experience with the great opportunity of getting to know the student athletes. “It’s not just a short two minute conversation with them in the hallway...teaching and learning from everyone on the team and just simply making some of my best friends doing something we all love,” Herbolsheimer said.
“...simply making some of my best friends doing something we all love, ” – senior Kali Herbolsheimer
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Features 11• 5 •2019
Teen shoots for a future in film an Adobe program that can be installed on Millard South student laptops. “The editing program, Premiere Pro, is what they edited Deadpool on, Lights, camera, action! which is kind of dope,” Butler said. Career academies are a great way to “The way my teacher Bob explained test out what you may be interested in purit was like you use Microsoft Word to suing a career in before you get to college. edit whatever you write, so Premiere These academies are offered to juniors and Pro is like the Microsoft Word of vidseniors in Millard, and the classes can be eos. It makes it less overwhelming to at high schools here in Millard or at other edit on it.” institutions in the area. The computer software isn’t the Senior Lily Butler is enrolled in the only equipment film academy Butler uses offered through I loved movies before, but has actuMetropolitan now it’s like, so many people that ally been used Community make them. to make movies College and has and TV shows. been since classes “We did began at Metro on –Senior Lily Butler microphones Sept. 3. She takes and stuff and he college classes, pulled out the though they are big boom pole and the little ones that mostly filled with other academy students. you see like Jimmy Kimmel clip to his “This class in the fall quarter is called tie,” Butler said. “The video cameras we Moving Image Lab, and it’s camera basics use are Panasonic, big expensive video and stuff,” Butler said. “All our grades are cameras. I mean they’re not huge but projects. Some of them are in class, and Senior Lily Butler sets up a camera in Chamber Orchestra. Butler’s current project is to conduct they’re a good size. We use tripods.” it’s just, like, a skill: audio recording and and film interviews, and she chose to interview orchestra director Brittany Rom. Photo by Isabel Being in the film academy solidimicrophone stuff. And then we go practice Robb fied that filmmaking is what Butler a dialogue scene, and then we go back and wants to do as a job later on. edit it in class.” Media Arts but I would do an emphasis in decide to pay all the money for college to go “I loved movies before, but now Butler was recently assigned a project cinematography,” Butler said. “And I have do it,” Butler said. “Cause like that’s what I it’s like, so many people make them,” Butler exploring continuity, and she created a to apply and get into that still, but if that was planning on doing anyway, is going to said. “And honestly, right now I don’t care story line in which a thief, played by senior doesn’t work out I’ll probably just stick to UNL and this program. But what if I ended what aspect of filmmaking I would want to Christina Cardoza, stole sweatshirts from Bob’s classes at Metro and get my degree up not liking it and I just spent $20,000 to be a part of. If I’m just a grip on set, if I’m the Patriot Post and was pursued by senior there.” go to UNL but I don’t like it? But I do like it just doing lighting, like I don’t care. It’s still Abbey Dyer. Butler is glad that the film academy and I feel confident that that’s what I want cool.” “The continuity one took me like two gave her the chance to try out what she to do now.” Butler is making plans for when she hours to edit and two and a half hours to planned on majoring in before beginning You can view Butler’s projects on the shoot. And it only ended up being a minute graduates in May knowing what she wants college. Common Sense website at http://www. to study in college. and a half,” Butler said. “Seniors need to try things before they wearemillardsouth.com/ “UNL’s program is called Emerging Videos for Butler’s class are edited on Isabel Robb Editor-In-Chief
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