C ommon Sense Millard South High School • 14905 Q St. • Omaha, Neb., 68137
February 6, 2020
Volume 20 Issue 4
Love Yourself
educate teens on coping skills, mental health and the importance of reaching out for help,” Gohr said. Muhammad’s bubbly personality is well conveyed through her uplifting music. When asked what her hobbies are, she says she enjoys CrossFit, loves to skateboard, and, just like all of us, she loves food! Muhammad has been pursuing music ever since high school. She has six songs on large media outlets. She’s also working on some new music; some of which she performed at the concert. Muhammad took some time between songs to share some of her own stories. She explained how her life experiences helped her to create music. She shared some of her struggles with the crowd explaining that things always get better, and there’s always people who care. “Jocelyn not only has an infectious smile and positive attitude but she is real,” Gohr added. “She is honest about the challenges she has faced in her life and how difficult it can be to pull yourself through them.” Muhammad furthered her Love Yourself tour and partnership with Boys Town by stopping by Millard Singer Jocelyn Muhammad performs at Millard South High School for her Love Yourself tour in South on Jan. 24. She opened by collaboration with Boys Town. Photo by Edith Hickman singing a few of her original songs and introducing her band. She was then joined by a Boys Town representative. They discussed their partnership and how the message Singer Jocelyn Muhammad connects with Milbehind Jocelyn’s music work hand lard South students after performing her songs. in hand. After singing a few more Photo by Edith Hickman songs, Jocelyn sat down to speak Sydney Roberts mental health, specifically connect with her audience. Staff Reporter their help hotline. One of their main messages is “It’s “Jocelyn really portrayed loving yourself in her sing always okay to ask for help.” ing and song writing. She wants people to get better and It was a happy vibe at the Boys Town fundraiser Ginny Gohr, Director of the Boys Town National improve on themselves,” sophomore Maddy Leland said. where singer-songwriter Joscelyn Muhammad perHotline, said they chose Jocelyn to do the fundraiser beI think it’s really cool that she’s done this whole campaign formed her uplifting music. cause “her passion to share that story in her music results with Boys Town.” The venue, Slowdown, is downtown right outside in something that teens can connect with and lean on You can contact the Boys Town Hotline 24/7 through the Old Market. Muhammad, a 2015 Millard South gradu- during their times of need. Being there during someone’s email at hotline@boystown.org or through phone at ate, partnered with Boys Town in order to support their time of need is a mission that is shared by the Boys Town 1-800-448-3000. hotline fundraiser. Boys Town is raising awareness for National Hotline so it is a natural fit to work together to
Jocelyn sings her heart out for Boys Town fundraiser
Bond issue to bring new entrance at South Jake Snelling News Editor After months of planning and convening meetings by the school board, it’s now up to the residents of Millard to approve or decline a $125 million-dollar bond issue for the district. This request comes only two years after the passing of the property tax levy override, which allowed the school board to raise the tax levy by up to 9 cents. The incorporation of the bond will add one cent to the current tax levy, raising it from 2.8 cents to 3.8 cents and increasing the
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Snelling explores two more candidates in this ongoing feature. Graphic by Jake Snelling
tax on a $200,000 house by $20 a year. Millard Public Schools is requesting the bond strictly for improvements to infrastructure and building updates. Twenty-two schools in the district will see renovations of at least $750,000, with significant projects slated for four schools: Cody Elementary, Norris Elementary, Central Middle, and Millard South High. If passed, Millard South would get a more secure entrance, a vestibule that would be similar to Millard North’s entrance area. The school would also receive flooring replacement, repainting, and greatly needed bathroom renovations.
With its addition to the May 12 primary ballot, MPS has over four months to convince Millard to support the bond at the voting booths. It has already received endorsements from multiple influential local groups, such as Millard Citizens for Continued Excellence, a group that was an invaluable supporter of the tax levy in 2017, and even Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, a tax watchdog group that’s usually against bond issues. Micki Urban, a member of Millard Citizens for Continued Excellence and representative of the Millard South area, has attended 10 meetings over the bond and
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Sophomore Kylie Shramek participates in World Language Week fun. Photo by Josh Ferdico
Riff Raff concert review and photo by Josh Ferdico
fully supports its approval. She’s says she’s confident the community will pass it once they understand the widespread benefits for our students and for long-term value of the schools. “We need to keep our school buildings maintained, safe, and secure for all students and staff that attend these buildings daily,” Urban said. “This bond issue is a matter of needs not wants.” To get more information on the specifics, Urban suggests attending a public informational meeting. MSHS will be hosting a meeting Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the lecture hall.
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Girls basketball continues to excel and push towards state goal. Photo by Joscelyn Hynes
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News 2 • 6 • 2020
New teachers join the ranks Sydney McDermott Copy Editor
college and was only confident that she should become a teacher when her future mother-in-law told her that she would be a great teacher. In order to lower class sizes in some “I think that once I fell into it, it was departments, five new teachers were like yeah, this is where I want to be,” Killhired at semester . pack said. One of those new teachers is Chloe “My favorite thing about being a Killpack. Killpack is teaching special eduteacher is watching your students grow cation in English 10 classes and some Lit as an individual, Enrich classes. academically and “Within the socially. And being small amount of able to grow yourdays being here, self as an educathe support that tor, learning from everyone provides your students and is my favorite learning from your thing about being colleagues, and then here at Millard going from there,” South,” Killpack she said. said. “I think that Killpack does everyone is willing want her students to help, students included and I – Language Arts teacher Chloe Killpack to know that she is working just as think that’s really hard as we are, and that whatever we put great,“ she said. into something, that she will put the same “I didn’t personally get to choose Lit back into it. Enrich and English 10, but when I applied for the position, that was just what was Kimberley Mead: Social Studies open and as a college student graduating in December with a teaching license, you Millard South has also gained a are going to look for every job possible. teacher who was born and raised in CaliBut I love it! fornia, Kimberley Mead. Mead is a World Killpack says that if she could have Geography and World History teacher. chosen a subject to teach, she said she “I wasn’t very good at math. And I would have chosen math. Her first major always really struggled with reading and in college was math and she said she is a writing, as far as comprehension goes. “huge math nerd.” Killpack said she enjoys reading in her But I was always really good at concepts and being able to think critically. So I free time, which is great considering she knew social studies would be great for teaches a reading class. She really enjoys me to go to. And when I went to college, some relaxing time to just hang out with I had a hard time and I really had to hone family and friends. But Killpack spends my writing skills and my comprehension most of her free time outdoors. skills. But I really just enjoyed the subject, I “I spend a lot of time with my don’t like love history, but I appreciate the daughter and my husband, we like to be value of it,” Mead said outdoors as much as possible. So winter Mead said she really enjoys teaching isn’t fun for us” Killpack says. high school students as she feels it keeps Killpack said she was very unsure her relevant. if she should even go into teaching. “I think to be around high school stuShe switched her major many times in
“My favorite thing about being a teacher is
watching your students grow as an individual, academically and socially.
”
dents for an entire career, like your premature adult life, I think it really keeps you connected. It keeps you connected, as far as the students and it keeps you connected to what’s happening and changing in the world, as far as what’s current, what’s new, Tik Tok, Instagram, Snapchat. I think it keeps you relevant and I think it keeps you young. It increases your longevity, for sure,” Mead said. Mead expresses a love of working out, as she does CrossFit and she works out five days a week, no matter what. Mead also enjoys spending a lot of her free time with her family which Mead suggests is one of the reasons Art by Keeley King for her uprooting from California to here. “I’ve always liked to help other “My husband had an opportunity for people and teaching is all about helping a promotion. They basically asked if we people. And I loved to read, so I always wanted to go to Omaha, Nebraska. So we wanted to inspire reading in people so went to the internet and looked to find I thought teaching English was the best an idea of cost of living, and if it would way to do that,” Curnyn said. work for us. I had been teaching already Curnyn loves to spend any free time for quite awhile, about 17 years, and so she has reading and writing. She also that would change dramatically for us and spends her time playing games such as for me. And so we decided that we would Skyrim and the Witcher to help her relax. go for it. So I resigned at my teaching Curnyn has said that her very first position and we application came out here,” she sent in Mead said. was here to Mead Millard South, also says that and she was she knew she very excited wanted to be to be able to in West Omaha teach here. specifically. And “My that she wanted favorite thing to teach in about being either Millard or here at South Elkhorn, since would be the they are the top support from – Social Studies teacher Kimberley two districts in all the other Mead Nebraska. people in the English department. And Mead really enjoys being here at the principals are awesome, so I would say Millard South for a lot of different reasons, that’s the biggest thing that I like about one of them being the diversity here. being here, is most of the people I work “I really appreciate the diversity of with,” Curnyn said. the student population and I really enjoy Curnyn said she loves being a teachhow it’s not specific to one socioeconomic er, and her favorite thing about teaching group or another. I think that diversity is would be getting to know her students good for the students, it’s a good opporand knowing that she is really making a tunity to teach in that type of environdifference in her students’ lives. ment. The staff here have been amazing “I had some awesome teachers, I and the department, specifically, is probguess the teacher that inspired me was ably one of the most cohesive departMr. Fields at Millard West High School. ments I’ve ever been in,” Mead said. He was fantastic, and he really was a Mead also had other careers in mind role model to me,” Curnyn said. Curnyn when going to college. She was thinking also says that she had many little moabout becoming a lawyer, but she had a ments that also inspired her to become a stronger desire to teach. And by sophoteacher. more year, she was ready to start her “There wasn’t one pinnacle moment, career as an educator. but there were a lot of moments that built Mead wants her students to know up over time that helped me know that I that she cares about each and everyone wanted to be a teacher. I also lead some of her students as human beings and that youth mission trips in college and I enshe is fully invested in doing what she can joyed that. I think that it really helped me to make everyone successful. know that I would be good for this job,” Curnyn says. Caitlin Curnyn: Language Arts Curnyn wants all of her students to know that she is always here for them, Millard South has also received a new and that she wants her students to know English 10 and Speech teacher, Caitlin that she can create a safe space for them Curnyn. Curnyn is a Millard West graduate. to come to her.
“The staff here have been amazing and the
department, specifically, is probably one of the most cohesive departments I’ve ever been in.
”
Source: Candidate web sites and research by News Editor Jake Snelling
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News 2 • 6 • 2020
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Does Millard South’s tardy system need fixing? Hailee Wakefield status, but it is up to the teachers’ discretion. Staff Reporter After 10 tardies to class, the teacher can decide to ask the office to send a failing report home to parents. There have been many efforts of reform that have At the end of the semester, the student must fill out an taken place in our school since the beginning of this appeal for credit form. year. There is a multitude of reasons for a student ar Since the huge class of freshmen came in last year, riving late, but the biggest offender is breakfast. When and the years following them, there asking a handful of have been new additions to the parkjuniors why they ing policy, the hallway policies, and the were late, the main lunchroom policies. What hasn’t been rereason was because formed or looked at in a while, however, they felt they needed is the tardy policy and system. some sort of caf When a student is late, they are refeine or food to get quired to stand in line while the people them through the behind the security desk print the day. There were a lot passes. Instead of only being one or two of other reasons as – Junior Lane Howard minutes late to class, students can be up well, such as traffic to 10 minutes late because of the wait in being unpredictable, line and the walk to class. homework keeping them up at night, and of course, “I definitely think that it could be more efficient, just not wanting to get up. but our hope is that the line will deter students from “School just starts too early,” junior Lane Howard being late,” assistant principal Michaela Wragge said. says, “I work late which makes it hard to get up in the “It obviously takes time away from the teachers morning. I sleep through my thousands of alarms for and it takes our time, but because the state requires school, but I have never been to work late because it our tardy data, there really is no other way to do it,” she starts at a reasonable time.” said. “Students believe that they have enough time to Millard South follows the district policy for tardistop for a coffee before school but they don’t take the ness and holds the right to place students in failing other factors into account,” Wragge said.
“School just starts too early. I work late, which
makes it hard to get up in the morning.
”
As students begin to mature and begin to gain driving experience, they start to put thought into their actions. “It’s a maturity thing,” Wragge said. “By leaving earlier and skipping the morning coffee, a student can arrive early to class and be prepared to start the day off right, instead of standing in line for a pass.” There won’t be much change to the tardy policy, because it is working adequately as it is now, but there are still potential changes that the students have in mind to make it easier for us. “Honestly, in my opinion the tardy lines aren’t efficient at all,” junior Bridgette Brown said. “It makes us 10 more minutes later than we actually would be if we didn’t have to stand in line. If administration found a way to cut the lines down, or even get rid of them, it would make tardies less of a hassle for everyone,” she said. “The lines are definitely the worst part about being late to school,” junior Alex Rainey said. “It takes forever to get to class.” In all, the tardy policy at South will be essentially unchanging due to the fact that a majority of it is staterequirement-based. “The only suggestion that I really have is for students to be in the parking lot or in the school by 7:40. [That] gives a student time to get out of their car and get into the school to talk to friends, or to get to class early,” Wragge said.
MSHS Thespians look The faces of black towards bright future history month
Chelsea Molina Staff Reporter
Natalie Fedde Asst. Entertainment Editor Millard South Drama came home from the Nebraska State Thespian Festival in January with awards and scholarships. The Nebraska State Thespian Festival is an annual event thrown by Nebraska Thespians as an extension of the much larger International Thespian Society. Thespians are like theatre honor students. The International Thespian Society exists to honor and provide opportunities to dedicated theatre students all over the world. State Thespian Festival is one of these opportunities, and Thespian Troupe 2720 from Millard South attends every year. Millard South theatre director Robyn Baker said she believes it is important for students to attend festival because, “If you want a good theatre education, you need to connect with professionals in your field,” and professionals from all over can be found at events like this. Senior Cole Snook experienced this firsthand during the festival. Through a tedious interviewing process, Snook made connections that led to the partial financing of his theatre education. He received $1,000 through the Carol Scott Scholarship for theatre education which he plans to put towards his tuition to pursue theatre education in Chicago. Snook said he did not expect to receive this scholarship and was blindsided when presented with it at closing ceremonies. “I was really happy,” Snook said. “it was already a very emotional day.” Scholarships are just one of the many benefits students get from State Thespian Festival Another reason to go is to compete. Yes, that’s right. You can compete in theatre. Students from all over the state prepare monologues, musical theatre pieces, scenic designs, and more and get scored
on a strict rubric in their category to make it to International Thespian Festival this June. One must get a superior rating on their piece to advance to internationals. This year Millard South had three students qualify. Junior Bella Melcher, sophomore Irene Hawkins, and freshman Phoenix Nehls all worked hard to secure a high enough score to advance. For Melcher, this is her second year in a row qualifying. “I’m happy all my hard work paid off, and I’m excited to represent our department at internationals,” Melcher said after spending over six months preparing her classical musical theatre piece. Millard South also had three students working for Nebraska Thespians as Student Thespian Officers to help plan and run the festival. Senior Madi Wesch worked as an official STO, and juniors Halle Benson and Natalie Fedde shadowed the STO, so they can run the festival next year. According to Wesch, the STO have been planning all year to put together this three day theatre extravaganza. “I was personally put in charge of fundraising,” Wesch said. “I organized events to raise money for the festival as well as scholarships.” These events organized by Wesch include a Chipotle fundraiser and a raffle for tickets to Dear Evan Hansen. This leadership opportunity provides students with real world experience coordinating and organizing events. As always, Millard South was very involved in Nebraska State Thespian Festival and will continue taking advantage of this opportunity as long as it provides students with such great access to the world of theatre. State sporting events get a lot of spotlight, but it’s important to also note the need for gatherings like these in other activities such as theatre. It encourages healthy competition, personal growth, and friendship between students from different schools.
This year’s Black History Month theme is, “African Americans and the Vote” . Primarily the celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. For this issue, I wanted to include modern women activists that are helping today to protect racial equality and continue their efforts that deserve a greater amount of recognition. Some of these activists include:
Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors, and Alicia Garza Co-founders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, their mission is to “build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.” Opal Tometi (right) is a human rights advocate and worked as Executive Director of the US first national immigrant rights organization for people of African descent known as BAJI (the Black Alliance for Just Immigration). Patrisse Cullors (left) is a Los Angeles-based artist and popular public speaker for the reform of the criminal justice system in LA, and Alicia Garza (middle) is a civil rights activist working primarily as Special Projects Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance and to end police brutality. Tarana Burke Founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke is a civil rights activist and has used social media as a platform to raise awareness about the sexual assault, harassment, and abuse in society. Burke started this movement over a decade ago on MySpace, but it came into full force in 2017 at the height of the Weinstein trials.
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey is known most famously for her talk show and held the title as the world’s first black billionaire for three years. Winfrey has raised more than $50 million for programs such as education for girls in South Africa and teaching communities how to help change the world. She later won the Medal of Freedom in 2013, which is the highest civilian honor that can be received by the President.
Michelle Obama As we all know, Michelle Obama is the first African-America First Lady, but she has done more than just hold the title. Obama has worked to market healthier foods in school for children to help combat childhood obesity, promote healthy living and exercising, advocating for women’s and girl’s health and education rights. Obama will always hold the title as the woman in our dreams and the person we all wish we were.
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Opinion 2 • 6 • 2020
High cost of college turned me into a scholarship hustler
Chelsea Molina Staff Reporter
For many of us, the most important and expensive purchase we will make in our lives is going to be our education. Unfortunately, college is just going to keep becoming more costly. The National Center for Education Statistics provides a chart showing the average total tuition, fees, room and board rates charged for full-time undergraduate students in four year, two year, and all other institutions including public and private. Attending a four-year institution 20 years ago cost on average $12,922, while the latest date from 2016-2017 shows that it doubled to around $26,593. The cost doubled for both private and public institutions and it is expected to rise as the demand for higher education is also increasing (Business Insider, 2019). When I was a freshman, I was determined to go to college in a different state, most likely on the west or east coast. Then, reality set in when I found out that attending said colleges would cost me around $50,000 annually, which is essentially impossible unless I would like to pay student loans well into my retirement. I learned to conform with staying here as long as I could try to get to college for free. The retail price for the University of Nebraska in Omaha is about $23,000. This includes tuition, room and board, books and supplies, meals, and transportation. To afford college, we have to become hustlers, more specifically scholarship hustlers. The easiest way to get money is to first complete the FAFSA. Even if you are not eligible for receiving a federal grant through the FAFSA, most applications require a submission of the FAFSA in order to apply for a scholarship. Then, I found it to be easier to start with the scholarships the school promotes on their website. There’s a link to the MPS foundation that offers over 100 scholarships. Another way to make money easily is to start an account with RaiseMe. This site uses your personal profile and resume and awards you money from different universities based on the activities, community service, and jobs you’ve done. Unfortunately, UNO does not currently offer any money with RaiseMe, but UNL does. CollegeBoard also offers scholarships based on merit and others based on financial need. ScholarshipQuest is the next easiest, providing over 2,000 Nebraskabased scholarships. If you plan to attend out of state, I’d suggest looking directly at the scholarships the school offers, and when in doubt, use Scholarship Monkey. It’s basically Google, but for scholarships. Most importantly though, never pay to use scholarship engines. Unless you feel like getting scammed, it is not necessary to pay to search for free money when there are thousands of other sites that can do the same for free.
E-learning isn't working yet E-learning days are being tested by Millard as more snow days inevitably pile up. This concept allows students to do work for their classes that they would have had that day from home. Ideally, e-learning work should last about one hour per class and would be due soon after the e-learning day. However, this is far from what happens, especially for high schoolers, as each 90-minute class period is filled completely with lessons and assignments. I was working on my elearning work for about three to four hours for one class on each of the two e-learning days we’ve had so far. Granted, I do tend to make sure that my work is the best I can possibly make it, and I have
a history of spending way more time than necessary on my homework. However, I also had to teach myself an entire lesson and review for a unit test for the notoriously challenging AP Calculus BC. It took time for me to learn the lesson and then also do the previously scheduled homework for that day, and then I reviewed on my own. Also, Millard has been super unclear on when assignments should be due. Very few e-learning assignments were actually assigned due dates. For AP Calc, it was on me if I didn’t complete the work, but for my other classes, whether or not I filled out the quick Google Forms right away wasn’t as pressing. Plus, they were only worth a few points, making the in-
centive to do them less, as grades could easily take the hit. Additionally, elearning days should not count for a full day off from the end of the year. Around four hours of work at home is not equivalent to sitting in class for nearly eight hours. An e-learning day should, at most, count for half a day taken from the end of the year. Millard could also implement an e-learning day only after our previouslyallotted four snow days were used. So far there have only been two days called off, and that's small compared to last year. The concept of elearning days is a great idea,
Isabel Robb Editor-In-Chief
especially as snow days seem to grow in number each year, but Millard has to refine their attempt to cut how many days of school are actually in session before they begin handing out e-learning days every time it snows.
Art by Sean Burton
Tale of a teenage wedding planner Recently I was given the role of the Maid of Honor in my brother’s and best friend’s (his fiancee) wedding. As the Maid of Honor I was told there were going to be some events that I needed to plan, like the bachelorette party. Being 17, I don’t really know what usually goes down at a bachelorette party, so I went to the bride and asked her what she wanted to do. We spent some time talking and finally planned out a weekend at a big lake to go swimming and boating and renting out a cabin. I finally text out to everyone that was invited by telling them about it and that is when everything turned for the worst. The adults in the group chat started yelling that I was too young to be planning this and I didn’t know what I was doing and that I had no right to plan this because since they are the adults, they should be. At first I was just letting the adults tell me this and that until finally it got so bad I had to tell the bride that I couldn’t do it because I was getting so
Lindzey James Staff Secretary
upset by how the adults were treating me. I was trying to keep my cool and be polite but they were not giving me the same respect back as I was offering them. The bride and I have talked more about what to do with the party but
I have decided that the whole event planning as a teenager with adults is hard, but here are some things I have learned. First, always give the most respect you can possibly give to everyone who you are dealing with even if they are not giving you respect. Secondly, never respond right away, always take a second to rethink what you are about to say because more than likely you are just angry and are going to sound rude. Lastly, you have a voice and make sure it is heard. Do not let adults belittle you since you are a minor, you have a say in what is happening. These three simple steps will help everyone in all sorts of event planning like graduation parties, birthdays, or work events to name a few. While I use these steps to finish planning this bachelorette party, go and plan whatever event you have, but make sure to follow the rules!
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Opinion 2 • 6 • 2020
Staff Editorial: Administration tries to keep kids in class Millard South has begun to take more visible seem to be stopping people from going to whatever measures to keep students in classes instead of wanbathroom they please and staying there for awhile. In dering the halls during class time. While we support the 100 wing restroom near the journalism room, Comkeeping students in class, some of these measures make mon Sense Staff witnessed three separate encounters students who do not abuse passes to the restroom feel during A2 where someone entered the girls restroom mistrusted. The color coded bathroom passes were created so that if a student is wandering around with a colored bathroom pass in the incorrect area, then adults can easily notice and make sure the student goes back to class. While this was a good idea, there are many things that weren’t taken into consideration. One complication is that the only adults really out in the hallways patrolling bathrooms are security and there just aren’t enough of them unless you station one person per set of bathrooms. Another thing that was not thought of was if the bathroom is beyond packed, should a student wait it out and get reprimanded about taking a long time in the bathroom or should they travel to the next closest bathroom and get yelled at about being in Art by Keeley King the wrong colored bathroom? Additionally, the whole idea of color coded bathrooms seems a bit juvenile. The color coded bathroom passes have been implemented for about 2 weeks now, and it with a different colored pass to meet up with friends has left us wondering if they have worked at all. I think there. that it has definitely made people more cautious when Another measure that the school has started are going to the bathroom, making them double check regular hallway sweeps. Administrators are taking to the that they are going to the right bathroom. But it doesn’t hallways during one passing period per day to sweep
students into class when the one minute bell rings. One day administrators were using electronic megaphones. The hallway sweeps are a good idea in theory, but as soon as class starts, students are right back out there if that’s their intention. The hallway sweeps have, though, probably gotten some stragglers to class and likely kept some from wandering right back out. We have to wonder, though, if there isn’t more important work administrators could be doing. The last thing that administrators are doing to stop wandering students is that they are hiring new paras to watch students on Monday morning. Due to Monday morning being the time for meetings for all teachers, there are no spare teachers to watch the students in the cafeteria or around the school. Some students get to school early on Monday due to their parents' driving schedule or other reasons, and they are experiencing no adult supervision. The new paras on Monday morning have not started yet, so we don’t know how effective it will be. In the end, all the new measures that the school has taken to stop wandering students haven’t meaningfully cut down on the wanderers. It has the rest of us feeling mistrusted.
Military brat shares ups and downs of moving every two years Although my life may seem like a dream, it is not as sweet as it may seem. Even though I would not change my experience, it was not an easy ride. Many only see the positives of moving every two years such as the travel and experience. I have been blessed with being able to live in more than six states and even on an island. With this I have gained more social knowledge of the rest of the world or even country than most people. Growing up in bigger cities like San Diego, Orlando, and Memphis there was always things to do. We lived close to amusement parks and visited them often. Going to amusement parks has helped me navigate through crowds. This is a skill not many people in this school have. Many people take this state and country for granted, too. Not many people have seen all the craziness and sadness in the world. You get a different perspective on life when you see all the homeless around the world or the bad neighborhoods in other places. Omaha is said to have sketchy parts but they are nothing compared to other states. A typical teenager in Nebraska gets confused when I mention Jamba Juice,
Steak and Shake, or french fries in burritos. Those confused, you are missing out. Those are more normal things I talk about. Usually the thing people find strange is the food I’ve eaten. I have eaten everything from alligator to sea urchin to dog. Living in Guam I had a bunch of strange food. When you stop at the local stands on the side of the road, you can find wild boar, wild chicken, and possibly dog for sale. These stands were often not much more then a few wood poles and a tin roof that definitely didn’t have a letter from the health department on display. But these often had the best food. People look at the surface of my experience and see a life they wished they lived, but they don’t see the hardships it creates. I grew up with my dad being deployed for 6-9 months at a time. Sometimes he was away for a year. This was hard on the whole family. Many birthdays, events, and other holidays were spent waiting for a FaceTime call. I can recall when my sister would miss school to take care of me while I was sick because my father was away and my mother couldn’t take off work.
Common Sense
Common Sense is the official publication of Millard South High School 14905 Q Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68137. School district guidelines determine the suitability of advertising content. To place an ad or inquire about rates, call (402)715-8363. Common Sense is a monthly publication produced in Room 130. Common Sense uses desktop publishing hardware and software: Apple computers, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Google word processing software. Printing by White Wolf Web in Sheldon, Iowa. Letters to the editor are encouraged. All letters must be signed with the student’s first and last name, grade, then submitted to Mrs. Kaldahl. Unsigned letters will not be published. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length, and clarity. Letters of profane nature or other infractions of school or district policy will not be published.
Moving every two years or so means switching schools a lot. To add to the normal moving states, my parents often moved houses more often even while we were stationed in the same state. While living in California for about 5 years, we lived in 3 different houses. Thus me moving to 3 different schools. Along with that trauma of moving, I have weird social habits. With moving I have become adaptable in any social situation. I can hold a conversation with most people and know how to make it through school. Although I am adaptable, over the years I have decided to make fewer friends at each place. Leaving every two years puts a lot of emotional stress on kids. I have made friends just to leave them. When you’re younger it is a lot easier to make friends. You like the same color and now you’re friends. It’s harder to make good friends as you get older because many already have their friends. When you know you’re going to move in two years, it’s pointless to make real connections. You decide you can make it two years without making friends you’ll cry about when you leave. Even after being at South for almost
Editor-in-Chief Isabel Robb News Editor Jake Snelling Features Editor Edith Hickman Sports Editor Dillon Pelster Asst. Sports Editor Joey Kirkle
Brianna Strudthoff Social Events Coordinator
two years, I have kept my distance from making real connections with people. Moving has blessed me with memories, knowledge, experience but also anxiety, and a problem to let people in. With all this said, I would never want to change my life.
Social Media Editor Hailee Wakefield
Staff Secretary Lindzey James
Cartoonist Keeley King Sean Burton
Staff Reporters Joey Kaipust Santiago Lara Maddy Leland Cameron Merritt Hailee Wakefield
Chief Graphic Designer Joscelyn Hynes Photo Chief Josh Ferdico
Opinions Editor Carson O’Connor
Copy Editors Sydney Mejia Sydney McDermott
Entertainment Editor Halle Benson
Distribution Manager Paige Winchester
Asst. Entertainment Editor Natalie Fedde
Advertising Manager Sydney Roberts
Recruitment Lindzey James Hailee Wakefield Social Event Coordinators Chelsea Molina Brianna Strudthoff Adviser Christine Kaldahl
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Features 2 • 6 • 2020
Freshman Nick Butts (German II) plays a game called Dudo. The object of the game is to guess how many dice under the cup are showing a particular number. Photo by Josh Ferdico
Freshman LaTaija Smith (French I), sophomore Gary Pyle (Spanish III), and Devin Knoell (French I) fill their plates with traditional dishes from France, Germany and Mexico to celebrate the conclusion of World Language Week. Photo by Josh Ferdico
World Language Santiago Lara Staff Reporter
Junior Jordyn Krejci (Spanish III) expertly creates a Mexican tissue paper flower. Photo by Josh Ferdico
Sophomore Joel Anderjaska (Honors Spanish III) shows his passport to games, speakers and food day fun during World Language Week. Photo by Josh Ferdico Source: MPS 2020-2021 Curriculum Handbook
The incoming freshman class of 2024 will be the first class to have only had the opportunity to study Spanish in the middle school. As a result, the World Language Departments across the district have altered their course options for next year to include Honors German I and Honors French I. “I am pleased that the district allowed us to join regular and honors 1 classes for French and German since we now have limited time to each all that we can,” says German teacher Tim Seeger. Motivated students on the honors track starting at Honors French I and Honors German I can still complete AP French or German during their senior year by moving from Honors III as juniors straight to AP as seniors.. “Students have to be passionate about the language they are taking in order to actually have the drive to learn,” French teacher Terri Wright said. Three years ago, the Millard School Board decided to eliminate German and French classes from the middle school schedule and retained only Spanish. A main reason for the cuts included budget through a process called selective abandonment where a lot of programs were evaluated and some cut. The second reason for the elimination was because standardized test scores for core classes were lower, so they wanted to shift more focus on those parts of the curriculum. The third reason was because it was a struggle to find and hire German and French teachers for the middle school level. It took taxing effort to replace a teacher if one had left. So with these in mind, they ultimately came to a decision. And some sources say that this decision wasn’t well handled. “Before this happened, they did this thing they called sunsetting,” said a world language teacher who wishes to remain anonymous. “Their initial plan was to keep these languages in middle schools and whenever a teacher left, if they couldn't find one, they would cut the program. It was sudden for us. Although it was the middle school world language teachers that were hit the hardest. We found out about the proposal, then one month later it was voted upon. We were not allowed to give our input. There was opposition from people like students and parents, but we were not allowed to participate.” Upcoming registration for 8th graders will be the first real look high school teachers have at the impact of eliminating French and German from middle schools. “We are going to keep doing our best to keep that passion,” Wright said. “It might be lemons but we are going to make lemonade. No point in being sour about it. We can only go forward,” she said.
Features 2 • 6 • 2020
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Graphic by Joscelyn Hynes, Lindzey James and Sydney Roberts
New Teachers by Sydney McDermott continued from page 2
tad. Fuglestad is a new biology teacher here at Millard Jordan Pullen: German South. Fuglestad said he is very excited to be here Another awesome teacher that Millard South gained teaching biology. is Jordan Pullen. Pullen is currently teaching several “I always really liked biology, and I’m going and honors German classes. getting a masters in biology right now, and eventually “I would say my favorite thing about being a I want to do AP Biology and dual enrollment biology teacher, apart from the awesome summers, would be down the line. And it’s just something that I really love,” that you really get to see the end result of all the hard he said. work you put in with fostering students' growth. You Fuglestad is also the head cross coundefinitely get to try coach. see where they “I really seem to connect with high were and where My favorite thing about being a school students, so I just really wanted to they went and teacher would be that you really be in a high school setting. I’ve coached how fun of a trip up here the last couple of years, so I’ve that was. Even get to see the end result of all the gotten to know a lot of the kids. Coming though they hard work you put in with fosterfrom Central, I know a good amount of sometimes don’t them already. So that has made the transiing students' growth. get to see that,” tion easier as well,” Fuglestad says. Pullen said. Fuglestad has many hobbies that all Pullen has a – German teacher Jordan Pullen center around sports. He enjoys running, multitude of hobworking out, and reading coaching books. bies that he enjoys He said he enjoys “mainly anyto do. His hobbies include biking in the warm weather, thing outside and anything to climbing the rock wall at UNO with his sister, and playdo with sports.” ing racquetball with his father. He is also learning new Fuglestad has also things that he enjoys. switched his major in college “I’m getting into reading for more of a hobby and was unsure about pursurather than for a school requirement. I also like to mess ing a career in education. around with computer stuff, to learn more about com “So originally I was going puters in general, and the inner workings,” Pullen said. to physical therapy school and “Even though this place is so big, it feels really then I kept getting wait listed open. Those small communities that really, not only, for that so I ended up switchhelp one another but rely on one another to make ing,” he said. things go as smooth as possible is my favorite thing “Then I went down and got about being here at Millard South,” Pullen said. my masters in education and Pullen had some very distinct reasons for why he chose to teach German. When asked what language he ending up going into teaching. Which oddly enough, wanted to learn in high school, he chose German due my parents wanted me to do to some family ancestry that leads to Germany and he in the first place. So it would wanted to follow in his big brother’s footsteps as his have saved a lot of time if I just older brother was learning German. A pinnacle point in Pullen’s life was when he was in would have listened to them to begin with,” Fuglestad said. college and he got the chance to study abroad in GerFuglestad says that he many. He expressed that that was what really solidified really enjoyed switching his his love for the language and the culture. career into education for Pullen was originally studying psychology in colmany reasons. lege and his plans after college consisted of becoming “The best thing about a psychologist or a related field, but after his study being a teacher is that you abroad trip in Germany, new ideas formed in his head. actually feel, that with your He then decided to double major in psychology and job, you actually get to affect German. people, like their lives. Most Pullen said he wants students to know that high jobs are just kind of mundane school is a great time to try something, and to find and you feel like you aren’t something that you enjoy. really doing anything and that “I would say for students to try things. If you want you are just doing the same to try out for a club, sport, or extracurricular activity thing every day and nothing that you might be second guessing, go for it. You have ever comes from it. But with no idea where it could lead you. You could have a fun this job, you don’t really have time,” Pullen said. that feeling,” Fuglestad said. Jordan Fuglestad: Science Fuglestad wants his stuAnother new teacher this semester is Jordan Fugles-
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I really seem to connect with high school students, so I just really wanted to be in a high school setting. – biology teacher and coach Jordan Fuglestad
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dents to know that he is always willing to help them, and that a busy schedule won’t stop him from finding the time to help his students.
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Entertainment 2 • 6 • 2020
The Mandalorian breathes new air into Star Wars Isabel Robb Editor-In-Chief Going into The Mandalorian, I was very skeptical. I was expecting to see the same shots Star Wars always seems to take: using more or less the same plot line with different characters and locations. I was ready for maybe some Boba Fett-like character that paraded around the galaxy looking cool while doing the most basic of bounty hunting jobs. What The Mandalorian delivered blew my expectations to the farthest reaches of what I know Star Wars to be. The first episode opened with the Mandalorian (nicknamed Mando) securing a bounty and bringing the man to his contact with the Guild. Mando goes to get another job, and he is promptly brought to a hidden-in-plain-sight hideout of a man loyal to the now gone Empire. This client tells Mando of a job so dangerous that they only trust a Mandalorian, known to be the best warriors in the galaxy, to bring in the bounty. I won’t go super into the plot after that, but the bounty is what everyone now calls Baby Yoda, a child that is able
to use the Force and is so sought after by this ex-Imperial that Mando wasn’t the only one to take up that job. Mando ends up deciding to protect this child from the other bounty hunters out for him, and in turn, becomes a runaway and a fugitive of the Guild. The eight-episode season follows Mando and Baby Yoda as they journey through the galaxy in an effort to let Baby Yoda be free from the Imperials and the Guild. The episodes themselves were fun and exciting, never once showing any previous plot lines again as I had thought. There were allusions to the days of the Rebellion, with Cara Dune, a companion of Mando, being an ex-Rebel Shock Trooper from Alderaan. The tattered remains of the Empire make occasional
Patriot Pets
appearances, and Mando even takes a trip to Tattooine. It was well put together and gave an excellent view of the galaxy in the years after the Empire was defeated. The Mandalorian himself had an incredible character arc. He started as a Guild member, simply doing jobs to keep himself busy. As the season went on, he grew more and more protective of Baby Yoda and his companions. He has a whole enclave of other Mandalorians who are in hiding to protect and guide him, and he discovers an appreciation for life, even among those who want him dead. It was very satisfying to see such impressive growth over only eight episodes. Now for what everyone has been waiting for: Baby Yoda. This tiny little fifty-year-old ball of wrinkly green cute-
Drama steps into the Twilight Zone Halle Benson Entertainment Editor
Art by Sean Burton
Honey is a 4-year-old calico who was found at the back door as a kitten. Honey belongs to sophomore Josh Andrews.
ness has effectively stolen the hearts of so many, including people who never watched the show. Baby Yoda brings a sense of child-like innocence everywhere he goes (which makes sense, considering director Jon Favreau insists on calling him “the child”). More importantly, he shows us that there are things that can be done with the Force that had not been seen before, such as healing someone by transferring a bit of life force to their wound. Baby Yoda has saved Mando and his companions on multiple occasions throughout the series and would be willing to protect them at any cost, and honestly, that only makes him more lovable. Overall, The Mandalorian was a breath of fresh air for the Star Wars universe. It only proves that modernday Star Wars is generally better on TV or in a streaming series than it is on the movie screen. This show was absolutely incredible to watch every Friday night as episodes were released onto Disney+, and I personally can’t wait until season two is available to stream next fall. The Mandalorian is worth a watch for everyone from lifelong Star Wars fans like me to those whose only encounter with Star Wars is finding humor in the Baby Yoda memes.
While everyone was entering the new decade, the Millard South drama department was entering the Twilight Zone to get ready to perform their first production of the new year. At the beginning of the year, director Robyn Baker told her students that there would be eight different shows in the school’s production of The Twilight Zone. Baker would direct one of the eight shows while the other seven shows would be directed by the students. The Twilight Zone helped a lot of the students grow these past couple of months. Some of the students were able to direct their own shows, some were able to take on bigger acting roles in the shows, and some got to learn what it takes to get the show ready before bringing it to the stage. Rehearsals for the show officially began in early December. Nearly every day after school, students would take the time to memorize lines, put together set pieces, design props, and find costumes for the show. Within a month, the cast and crew put the shows together and performed them at the beginning of January. Each show got to perform once. On Friday night, The Hunt, Jess-Belle, and Piano in the House got to perform and on Saturday night, You Drive, Ring-A-Ding Girl, Black Leather Jackets, Stopover in a Quiet Town, and The Bewitchin’ Pool
got to perform. The next show will be Cinderella, except, it isn’t the average fairy tale. While the classic Cinderella gets to narrate the story, the audience gets to experience the Russian, Chinese, Native American, and Egyptian Cinderella stories. The shows perform March 13 and March 14 at 7 p.m. and March 15 at 2 p.m.
Ryan Swanson (Fitzgerald) and Katherine Finger (Marge) perform the show “Piano in the House,” directed by Olivia Palmer. Photo by Emalee Tarver
Salem is 1 years old and loves sitting on the porch. Salem belongs to freshman Kaitlynn Self.
Want to see your pet featured here? E-mail pwinchester180@millardps.org along with a picture and a description of your pet.
Follow us on Twitter @mshscommonsense on Instagram @commonsensenp and check out our website at wearemillardsouth.com
Graphic by Sydney Mejia
Entertainment 2 • 6 • 2020
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Cringy ‘Cats’ gives musicals a bad rep Santiago Lara Staff Reporter “The path of my departure was free; and there was none to lament my annihilation. My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I?” This excerpt from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a great way to describe this movie’s existence. Cats is an aimless abomination that would not be missed should it meet its end, and judging by the money lost between its gigantic stature, or budget, of almost $100 million and its worldwide profit of $57.3 million, it already has. Conceptually, turning the surprisingly successful Broadway musical of Cats into a movie isn’t a bad idea, being the fourth largest grossing musical earning over $3 billion. Naturally, producers would see this and have dollar signs in their eyes, but, as they and everyone else came to see, this would be a grave mistake.
Of course, we must begin with the thing most people think of when they hear of this dumpster fire, the uncanny, CGI, anthropomorphic cats that will even make furries recoil in disgust. I will give credit where it is due, the CGI itself was decent; however, the CGI is not the problem, but the unsettling design choice of putting human faces on bulging heads attached to a fur-covered, skin tight suit. Having them look more like cat-like would have definitely been more appealing to look at for an hour and forty-nine minutes, and with a budget of $95 million, it was definitely possible. It probably would’ve been better looking and appealed to broader audiences had they stuck to animation rather than… whatever this is. Many also say that the unease of the movie is only amplified by the hyper sexualization of these cats, though I will have to disagree with this point, because if you mix contemporary dance with the fact that they are essentially naked, it will appear to be sexual, but I don’t think this
was the intent; However, it is still disturbing. Then there is the story. What story? The original musical never really had a story to begin with, as it was a concept musical. And the movie follows this trend. The story is that an old, wise cat named Old Deuteronomy makes an appearance every year and picks one cat to be reborn into a better life, and the entire musical and movie is literally just one cat after another introducing themselves in their own songs. That’s it. Of course, I’m being hyperbolic, but only a little. I won’t get into spoilers… but I basically already explained it in its entirety. However, I will give them credit for attempting to add more, such as the increased presence of Victoria as the main character, as well as giving her her own song, and the exclusion of the somewhat controversial song about a cat’s dislike towards the Siamese that may or may not have a racial slur in it. Good call by the directors for that one. As I had said about the aforementioned story, a majority of it are cats
introducing themselves in song form, which takes up about 90% of the film. So… how is the music? While in the Broadway musical, the lyrics are strange, like everything else, but they were catchy. Puns aside, the music of the original play was good, but how do they fair in the 2019 film adaptation? Well… it’s not bad. The songs that did make it over to the film were quite the same, having a bit of a modern pop elements but not too much that it feels far removed from the choreography. They are just as catchy and the actors do a great job with their parts. Speaking of acting, it was descent, the actors did their best, not too much to say about that. All in all, is this movie terrible? Most likely by many standards including mine. I would recommend that you save yourself the money, however, if you live on the edge, give it a watch. There are movies that are so bad you have a good time laughing about it, but in this case, instead of laughing, you’re going to cringe. A lot.
Riff Raff concert worth the wait At 8 p.m., the venue was pretty sad, with hardly anyone in the crowd. Two local DJs took the stage and started playing some lo-fi pop bass earrape mixes to start off the show. I could thoroughly appreciate their energy but I’m just not convinced their remixes fit the whole Riff Raff “vibe.” Fast-forwarding through three more mediocre openers consisting of varying degrees of what you call MC’s, the main event Riff Raff himself finally appears on stage… only an hour and fifty minutes late. That’s right, yes you read this correctly, and no it wasn’t a typo, the man was actually nearly two hours late on stage to his own show. Once on stage, Riff Raff did not disappoint. Playing timeless hits such as “Tip Toe Wing in My Jawwdinz” and more recent music such as “THESE EYES” he was a crowd pleaser to say the absolute least. With fun songs, an all around contagiously zany personality, and the crowd just as rowdy as the artist himself, it makes for an enjoyable, high energy show all around. Final rating: 8.21 out of 10.
True to form, Riff Raff was late to the stage at his performance at The Waiting Room. Photo by Josh Ferdico
Coffee shop advocates for ethical practices Edith Hickman Features Editor Amateur Coffee’s signature slogan is “love something more”. Well, to the local coffee-lovers of the Blackstone district, it’s hard to love something more than the community and atmosphere of Amateur’s cozy coffee shop. “The ‘love something more’ comes from [veganism] being a lifelong practice. There has to be love in it, or else you can’t keep doing it,” employee Aaron Scobie said. The concept behind this newborn coffee shop, located directly on the busy intersection of 40th and Cuming, is to provide a vegan, allergen-free coffeehouse experience that maintains a minimal plastic waste philosophy. In essence, it is an entirely guilt-free drinking experience. “[Owners Jacob and Jasmyn Wichert] are both vegan, and have been for a long time,” Scobie said. “They both worked in coffee for a long
time and wanted to have a place that could sustain their needs.” These needs, says Scobie, are related to their vegan-
Amateur Coffee serves coffee to go in reusable glass jars in an effort to produce less waste. Photo by Edith Hickman
ism. The husband-wife duo thus decided to open their own coffee shop, so that they could finally head the kind of ethical coffee market that they’d been dreaming of. Amateur doesn’t draw the line at veganism, though. “We try to adhere to all dietary restrictions and practices, which is why most of our pastries and milk are allergen free,” Scobie said. This includes nuts, milk, soy, and gluten. According to Scobie, Oatly, an oatbased milk substitute, is their preferred creamer because it ticks all those boxes and more; it’s made sustainably. And, in a time of growing concern for Earth’s climate, Amateur has put a big emphasis on running a wholly sustainable shop. When ordering in house, coffee is served in ceramic mugs that are washed and reused. Although that isn’t too uncommon in local coffeehouses, Amateur goes one step further. When ordering to go, coffee is served in reusable glass jars. These glass jars are meant to replace paper coffee cups in an effort to create
Cool beans
Art by Sean Burton
Josh Ferdico Photo Chief Flamboyant: adjective. (of a person or their behavior) tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness. A term often muttered, but nobody can top the flamboyance of one man. Horst Christian Simco is better known by his stage name, Riff Raff aka Jody Highroller aka Peach Panther aka Neon Icon aka Mr. Lamborghini Leglock and many, many more. With the release of Riff Raff’s new debut album, “Cranberry Vampire” he once again continues his over the top exuberance everyone adores with tracks such as “BUTTERSCOTCH BABE RUTH”, “ARROGANT AMERICAN FREESTYLE”, and “MARSHMALLOW MAZERATI”. Along with the release of the album was a cross-country concert tour with beginning with none other than The Waiting Room in Omaha. Walking into the concert, it was scheduled to be a pretty normal event. Doors open at 7 p.m., openers start at 8 p.m. and play until 10 p.m., and finally Riff Raff would play until 11 p.m. and everything would be cut and dry, except this however was anything but the case. Riff Raff is notorious for being extraordinarily late on stage and, of course, he had to keep up with this trend for his kick of show.
less waste. The jars come with branded lids for easy transport, and are entirely reusable. According to Scobie, a monthly feature customers can bring back their glass jars and the store will buy them back. This process of reusing sustainable products and reducing the waste of non-sustainable products is what sets Amateur apart from other shops even more. Of course, it’s not always cheap to drink sustainably. With Amateur’s use of locally sourced coffee beans, reusable glass jars, and pricey milk substitutes, it’s not uncommon to pay a couple dollars extra for a latte. But, there’s an obvious trade-off - your money is going towards supporting Omaha’s first vegan and sustainable coffeehouse.
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Recounting Kobe’s complicated legacy On Jan. 26, a tragic private helicopter accident took the life of Kobe Bryant, basketball legend, along with eight other people. Bryant was with his daughter on the way to her travel basketball game, along with three parents and two other thirteen year old girls. He passed away at age 41, only three years after his retirement. Bryant was the closest stylistic equivalent to Michael Jordan, and had inspired an entire generation of basketball players to emulate his competitive spirit and array of scoring moves. Bryant entered the league in 1996, straight out of high school. He spent his entire 20-year career playing for a Lakers team that won five NBA championships under his leadership. He was the face of basketball for that era, taking the torch from Jordan and eventually passing it to LeBron James. Kobe sits fourth on the all-time scoring list, having been passed by LeBron just hours before his untimely death. This horrible tragedy took not only Bryant’s life, but also the life of his daughter Gianna, who was an aspiring basketball player herself with a commitment to UCONN. She hoped to follow in her father’s footsteps, and Kobe was publicly very proud and supportive of her and his three other daughters. He was by all accounts a good father and husband in recent years. Bryant was one of women’s basketball’s most visible and vocal supporters. There has been an outpouring of mourning from the entire sports world and beyond. Most basketball fans at Millard South has likely seen him play, and whether or not they were fans, the news has hit as a horrible shock. Remembrances of Bryant Carson O’Connor have rightly centered Opinions Editor around his legendary career, but it would be remiss to exclude the more complicated aspects of his legacy when memorializing his character. Kobe Bryant was credibly accused of rape in 2003, and though the criminal charges were dropped, he admitted to wrongdoing before his settlement. “I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did,” Bryant said as part of a statement he released on what would have been the first day of the trial. “After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.” The accuser, a 19 year-old hotel clerk in Eagle, Colorado, made a statement to police the day after the incident alleging that Bryant had forced himself upon her in spite of her physical and verbal resistance. Doctors that examined her saw injuries consistent with rape and evidence of intercourse with Bryant. When Bryant was brought in for questioning, he originally denied having had sex with the accuser. He later amended his story, alleging he had consensual sex with the accuser. “Is there any way I can settle this whatever it is, I mean…?” asked Bryant. He had been married to his wife Vannessa in 2001. Asked whether the accuser said no or resisted, Bryant replied, “OK. I’m thinking, I’m thinking, I’m thinking. (Pause) I’m trying to think of the conversation we had.” This part of Kobe Bryant’s life needs to be included when telling his story, not to desecrate a dead man’s grave, but to send a message to the world that a sports icon cannot get away with sexual assault untarnished. Power dynamics are often at play when sexual assault is swept under the rug. Just because Bryant was a famous, beloved figure, it does not make him the saint that some in the media have portrayed him to be following his death. It is unfair to define a man’s life by his worst mistake, but it is also harmful to gloss over a terribly immoral decision. To portray him as a perfect person is harmful and disingenuous. It is possible that there was simply a misunderstanding, and Bryant’s version of the story is closer to the truth. Kobe Bryant was a flawed human being that achieved great things, and he should be remembered as an imperfect basketball legend.
Sports 2 • 6 • 2020
Girls basketball continues historic stretch, undefeated season Dillon Pelster Sports Editor Excellance. Continued excellence. Thirtytwo minutes to pursue excellence each and every night. The Millard South girls basketball team is firing on all cylinders right now, currently positioned at 19-0, the best record in class A and ranked number one overall in the state, as well. There has been constant improvement each night out from this group of girls, a steady level of group that is starting to separate this team from previous years. It is well documented that this Patriot team is filled with an abundance of talent, however, it takes more than talent to get to where this group is positioned right now. Relentless attitudes, tenacity on the defensive end, and overall hard work from top to bottom have pushed the Patriots to their number one spot. To put the Patriots’ dominance into perspective, this group has given up 638 points all season. Their point differential is a whopping +738. “That’s what we work on every day is defense,” Coach Bryce Meyers said. “It creates 60 to 70 percent of our offense, which is why we practice it as often as we do.If we think we can score in the 60s and 70s every game and if were not ever allowing opponents to score over 50 then it’s going to be extremely hard to beat us,” he said. The defensive pressure the Patriots bring to the table is not only is hard to match, but it is also hard to prepare for, because no other team plays at the pace the Patriots are accustomed to. Not only has this group excelled on the defensive end, but the precise execution on the Freshman Mya Babbitt pushes the ball up the court looking offensive end continues to be showcased each to find an open teammate. Photo by Joscelyn Hynes time they step on the hardwood. A willingness to share the ball, get everyone involved, and senior teammates. find the best possible shot on every possession is a “We never take any moment for granted,” senior testament to the unselfish attitudes from everyone Kenna Bray said. “We have wanted to be in this moon this team. With All Americans Maddie Krull and ment every year so we have to take it day by day and Jamie Horan leading the way on this team it is easy not have any bad days and just keep doing what to think from a distance that these two do all the we’re doing to improve every day,” she said. work however, that is not the case, it is a collective There is still only one goal for this Patriot team group that gets the job done every single day. and that is a state championship. This team has set “We don’t really care who scores the ball as long out to take out every team in its way, going 100 as everyone is moving it well and getting opportuni- percent each possession against any opponent no ties to score,’’ freshman matter the quality, Khloe Lemon said. while focusing in on the Lemon is one of little details everyday in four freshmen, along practice. They have their with Cora Olsen, Mya eye on the prize and Babbitt, and Juliana realize what steps are Jones, that have taken necessary to continue tremendous strides to improve as an entire since the beginning of unit. the year. Part of what The team’s separates this team toughest test came this from previous years is past Friday when they the continued rise of played Millard North – Freshman Khloe Lemon these deeply talented on the road in a hostile freshmen each game as three of the top six scorers environment. Millard South had previously edged on this Patriot team are these freshman sensations. North in a close contest at the Metro Holiday Tourna “We love our freshmen,” senior Chloe Carr said. ment last month. “And when state roles around, they will continue ‘We have to play better defense against them,” to step up like they have all season. They’ve proved All American Maddie Krull said. “First tough game we that they aren’t anything less than us seniors,” she had been in as a team and it was just the first battle said. Part of the reason for their success has been we had to go through so we weren’t used to it with the ongoing support from the senior leaders on this all of our younger players yet. If we play our game team. we will be fine,” she said. “The seniors are awesome,” Olsen said. ”They The Patriots answered the call with a pounding have helped us freshmen so much this year to get us wire to wire 72-52 victory against the Mustangs, inwhere we are now,” she said. cluding a 20-5 run to begin the second quarter with “Upperclassmen have helped along the way smothering, demoralizing defense throughout to go they have been very helpful for me,” Lemon said. along with lights out shooting from behind the arc. “At the beginning of the year I was scared but now I This team was ready for the moment and it showed, have adapted and I feel comfortable in my role.” dominating in one of their toughest regular season The senior leadership and experience is and will games of the year. continue to be a key to success for the Patriots in the The Patriots followed this outing with another future. With tough road games against Westside and impressive victory against Lincoln North Star the Lincoln East around the corner these seniors know very next night, leading a whopping 50-8 after 16 exactly what battles and challenges lie ahead in the minutes of play. Coming up in the next two weeks coming weeks. With that said this group of seniors is are contests against Omaha Northwest, Fremont, already battle tested, ready for every curveball that Benson, as well as challenging games at Westside comes their way, and experienced unlike any other and at Lincoln East. group. Kenna Bray spoke on behalf of her fellow
“We don’t really care who scores the ball as long as everyone is moving it well and getting opportunities to score.
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Trumble leads Patriot wrestlers into the postseason Senior Cayd McCarter performs a dive into the Millard South Pool. “I moved from Norfolk to dive here,” McCarter said. “I won a quad last week on Friday. We have four state qualifiers this year out of the eleven of us.” Photo by Joscelyn Hynes
Grace Hansen Staff Reporter
Senior Isaac Trumble has nothing but success and winning on his mind for the remainder of his senior season and his future as a wrestler. Wrestling at 220 pounds, Trumble has dominated every opponent he has faced, including two nationally ranked wrestlers so far this season, beating one of them twice. Trumble announced his commitment to NC State at the end of October. As of Jan. 27, NC State is ranked 4th for Division 1 wrestling teams and has a record of 11-0. “The coaches [at NC State]
are strong in their faith in God,” Trumble said. “I love the environment in the wrestling room during practice and how they enforce a no drinking or drug policy.” So far this season, Trumble is 42-0; 34 of those wins being pins and six of them coming from forfeits. Trumble carries the most points for the team at 280. Along with Trumble, many of the other Patriot wrestlers are having outstanding seasons as well. Tyler Antoniak carries the most wins for the team with 43 wins and zero losses and the second most points for the team at 263. Caleb Coyle, Conor Knopick, and Scott Robertson also all have above 200 points for the team. The Patriots
have won every dual and tournament that they have competed in this season. Coming up to the closing of the season, the Patriots will be competing at the State Duals in Kearney, Districts at Papillion La-Vista South, and State at the CHI Health Center. The Patriots are looking to continue what they started last year, winning both state duals and the individual state tournament in team points. Trumble will look to qualify for his fourth state tournament and win his second state title. Isaac Trumble’s high school career will end this February, but keep a lookout in the years to come at NC State for this phenomenal wrestler.
NFL overtime rules need to be more fair for every team For somebody mostly used to watching college football, the National Football League’s overtime rules can seem a little strange. For the uninitiated, the NFL is a professional football league which is currently in the postseason. Most people look to the NFL as the highest level of competition for football and is exactly what Sunday means to a lot of people. The rules of the NFL have been slowly refined over the years, but there has always been one that a lot of people still see issues with. Overtime is something
that all football leagues have to consider. When a game is ending and the score is tied, what happens? What a lot of people will look to as the best solution is how NCAA college football approaches overtime. In this system, each team has an opportunity to drive down the field and potentially score. After this, if it’s still tied, then they advance to a second round of overtime, and this continues until one team wins. However, when you look at NFL, the rules seem a lot less balanced. In NFL overtime rules,
they use a similar system, but with one important change. If the team who has the ball first scores a touchdown, they automatically win and the other team doesn’t even get the ball. This is unfair because it doesn’t give both teams the opportunity to score. Say in a game, both teams have good offenses and mediocre defenses. Then the team who wins the coin toss will get the ball first, drive down the field, score a touchdown, and win. The coin flip is what decided the game here, not the skill of the teams. In the mission statement of
the NFL Football Operations, they state, “Our responsibilities extend to ensuring the rules and officiating are consistent and fair to all competitors.” However, with the current state of matters, during overtime, the rules are not consistent and fair to all competitors, they give an advantage to the team that wins the coin flip. It is important that in the National Football League, the highest standard for professional football, that competition is fair.
Joey Kaipust Staff Reporter
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Patriots hope to finish season on high note Joey Kirkle Sports Editor From the start of the season, many people counted out this Millard South boys basketball team before they even got a chance to step on the court. In the previous year, they had a rough outing, ending with a 4-18 record. This year’s team knew that a lot of people were expecting a similar season, so they made it their mission to prove them wrong. Their goal was to show the state that they are constantly improving and can compete with any team.
Junior Blake Stenger finishes the fast break with the swift layup. Stenger’s ability to force turnovers led to countless Patriot fast breaks. Photo by Josh Ferdico
While they are still in the final stretch of the regular season, it seems safe to say that they’ve already made it clear that they are not a team to mess with. The beginning of the Patriots’ season didn’t go exactly as they’d hoped, starting off 2-6. However, if you look into those games, you see lots of hard fought battles, falling just short late in the game. At that point, they knew that they would have to turn it up a notch if they wanted their season to improve, and they did just that. The Patriots caught fire, winning three straight games, the biggest one being against Creighton Prep, who was 9-3 at the time. In January it was easy to see the Patriots growing as a Forward Michael Harding goes up strong vs Millard North. Harding’s ability to attack the inside has been a team. big advantage for the Patriots. Photo by Josh Ferdico “Our huge thing coming into January was recommit “I want to do whatever I can to help been a crucial part of the offense, always ting to the process,” junior Michael Hardmy team win, no matter what it takes,” contributing any way he can. They also ing said. “We knew if we wanted to get Stenger said. So far this season, that has have guys like Blake Stenger, making high better as a team we had to put our own been the mindset of the whole team. It’s IQ defensive plays, constantly forcing separate egos aside and focus on winning rare that you see a team this selfless, who turnovers and shifting the momentum. and so far we have done a really good job will all do whatever is necessary to help Each player on this team has found a way of that,” he said. their team. to contribute, with all of them playing a While they lost a few tough games, Another big advantage for this Milhuge role. they gave each of the opposing teams a lard South team is how full of leaders they Looking ahead to the rest of the run for their money. One of the main reaare. While most teams have one or two season and the next few years, it’s safe to sons this team improved as much as they players that carry leadership, it seems that say that the Patriots are in great condidid is because of their selfless attitude. No everyone is full of leadership potential. tion. They have learned a lot, and have player on the team cares about their stat When times are tough for the Patriots, grown a ton throughout the year. Coach line, all they care about is making the best there is always someone ready to step up. Leuschen said that at the end of the play and helping their team win. Point On some nights, it’s Trevor Albert, season they “want to be in a spot where guard Blake Stenger is a prime example of making huge defensive stops and hitting we’re still making progress. We feel that that, always doing what he can to find an big shots on the other end. All season we’ve improved in January, and we want open teammate. long, sophomore Gage Stenger has to continue that in February.”