Common Sense Volume 23 Issue 2 November 11, 2022

Common Sense

Band Rises Up

Buthorne Staff Reporter

Chances are most people have seen or heard the band performing, but what a lot of people don’t see is the ele ments that go into making the band successful.

“The band room is the safest room in the building… you come in this room, there are 80 kids in here and not all of them are band kids… this band being accepting [to people in the band and outside of the band] was a big thing for us,” Band director Darren Myers said. A unique aspect of the band is the environment it provides for everyone involved. “It’s a friendly, loving environment. Everyone really cares about each other and the people are very supportive,” freshman Mallory Oswald said. Junior Jordan Arrick said, “The environment is great and the people are super friendly.”

Along with a good environment, band shows take months of planning, hard work, and dedication from both students and staff to be successful. “[When plan ning a band show] we sit down as a staff and we talk about what we need to work on and what we think our strengths are going to be for the next year… In a normal year we usually listen to around sixty hours of music before deciding what to play,” Myers said.

After a marching band show is selected, music is usually given out around February and learned almost entirely at home on a student’s own time. This music is expected to be learned by the summer when students attend a short preseason and then an additional longer camp in the last three weeks of summer. This practice continues throughout the beginning of the school year including Monday night rehearsals and additional prac tice in the classroom. The goal of all this practice is to ensure students are prepared to march and play through around eight minutes of music making as few mistakes as possible. While it is a lot of work, the majority of people in the

band do it because they are passionate and willing to put in the effort. “I love being surrounded by music and I really enjoy learn ing to play an instrument,” junior Tatum Pelley said.

The purpose of Millard South’s marching band show this year was to “lift the audience up” band director Darren Myers said. This year’s show was Rise Up in reference to the song and music video Rise Up by Andra Day. The tune of the song appeared at both the beginning and end of the performance which strengthened the connection between the two. The show’s music aimed to represent a day in the life of someone rising above a difficult situation, with the different parts of the show representing progression throughout the day. The inspiration for the band show this year was “basically ordinary people do ing extraordinary things,’’ Myers said.

Some achievements that the Marching band earned this year include coming in first in the Clarinda Iowa band competition. Also, Millard South’s band placed seventh, and Color guard placed fourth out of eighteen

It’s important to note that the Marching band is only one of many band programs at Millard South. After the marching season, Millard South has three concert bands, two jazz bands, a pep band, a show band, and a winter guard. There are also many smaller ensembles, quartets, and solos during the second semester. “Kids in band understand and appreciate that… they’re a part of something that doesn’t end [after marching season],” Myers said.

Millard South’s band provides students in the band with a unique and beneficial environment that allows them to do something they’re passionate about while be ing surrounded by people who are passionate about the same thing. For students not in the band, the band provides music and enter tainment during sporting events, pep rallies, concerts, and band competitions. When listening to and watching the band perform it becomes clear that all the work and effort put in by everyone involved pays off. The result makes for a fantastic experience for both the

the

schools in the NSBA (Nebraska State Bandmasters Association) marching band competition.

viewers and

performers.

by Ella Erickson

Freshman Abbi Durow leads the pack at the mile marker. Photo by Gunner Rettele

Zoey

It’s a friendly, loving environment. Everyone really cares about each other and the people are very supportive. -Freshman Mallory Oswald

Performing at halftime during the homecoming football game, junior Toby Carlson spins their flag. Photo by Ally Seevers

Sophomore clarinetist Edwin Lohmuller-Liezen plays a movement from the show Rise Up. Photo by Ally Seevers

High school students participate in local politics

Wiese Sports Editor

It is hard to believe that we are already two years past the 2020 general election but yet we have arrived at the 2022 November midterm elections.

In Omaha alone, we have an election for the United States house of representatives, an election for the next governor of Nebraska, 11 races for the Nebraska State Legislature and many other elections.

Despite the fact that politics is usually something that older generations are the ones to pay attention to, many high school students now find themselves volunteering or even having jobs working with local politicians. These jobs include calling voters on the phone to take surveys or knocking on doors to ask the resident for their opinion on local issues.

So the question is, what do these local students think about working in politics? Many students actually enjoy having an impact on their community.

“It’s been fun, I love it. Door knocking has been a really reward ing experience,” senior Ben Jackson said.

Ben Jackson serves as the field director for the Christian Mirch campaign who is running for the Nebraska State Legislature in Dis trict 6. He also serves as the president of the High School Republi can’s Chapter for Millard South.

“The campaign as a whole, it was really easy to work with.”

sophomore Kolby Cameron, who volunteered with the Christian Mirch campaign, said. Cameron also added that he built some great connections with elected officials in Omaha and overall just had a great time volunteering with the campaign.

“I think my favorite part is that you get to meet a lot of great people and especially in the county alone, junior Walker Hill said. “You make a–difference like you truly do, and you can see that difference,” he said. Walker has worked with numer ous campaigns such as Don Bacon for U.S. Congress, Lou Ann Goding for Nebraska State Legislature and Kathleen Kauth who is running for the state legislature who in District 31 in which Millard South is located.

Politics can often be a touchy subject at best. Politics is typically what causes the most fights in today’s society. So, what has been

Fixemer sets up for big opportunity

Olivia Ellison Sports Editor

At a whopping 7’0” junior Preston Fixemer has officially been chosen for the USA National Team Development Program. Fix emer himself was 15 when he first started playing. Being 16 now, it’s extraordinary how only a year later he was chosen for this program.

“It’s a very selective program, Fixemer said. “They only take 60 people from across the country,” he said. The program has D1 coaches that come in, with one of these coaches being named head coach by USANTD. This head coach runs the camp like they would their practices. Because of how they run it, the people in the program get professional feedback, potentially creating an athlete who’s unmatched.

Fixemer found out about the USANTD when he was invited to one last spring. He has been to three USANTD training series, and is waiting to find out if he makes the next one this winter, at a training facility in Anaheim, California.

“I enjoy playing because I like to compete. I also like play ing with the people on my team,” he said.

Fixemer has a family history of volleyball. His parents both

played, as well as his sisters, with one of them not going exactly pro, but playing Division I volleyball. She is a hitter for her con ference.

“It’s hard not to get lost in the moment because you have the top players across the nation, and not to freak out when you see a really good coach come over to your court. Also, the level of play is crazy.” When asked what makes Fixemer different from any other player, he describes himself as someone who adds a lot to his court. He’s tall, an over-communicator, and he supports his teammates. He pushes himself and his teammates in practice and promotes a positive environment of love for working hard towards this sport.

“I think that I would go pro if I had the opportunity,” Fix emer said. “I would love to play for team USA, so going to this program is an important step for that.” Fixemer said that after high school, he plans on playing volleyball in college, though he hasn’t decided for sure yet. Needless to say, he definitely has an advantage to do so.

As a manager for the girls volleyball at Millard South, it’s not uncalled for to say that Fixemer’s life almost completely revolves around volleyball. He has a talent for the sport, and is a role model to anyone fighting towards a goal.

Students lead the way with their own clubs

Reiss News Editor

Clubs and activities are the heart of school. Students are able to come together and share common interests with their fellow peers. Millard South is home to many student-led clubs and activities. Some of these activies include GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance), Young Republican’s and Democrat’s club, and Pop Culture club.

“A student-led club has a supervisor, who is a staff member, but students lead it. They lead it, they run it, they do all the work,” assistant prin cipal and activities director Steve Throne said.

“At the end of the day, it gives kids a chance if they want to start a club. There are things we don’t have in our regular club ro tation,” Throne said.

To be able to make a student-led club you must speak with Throne about your ideas, have a supervi sor [staff member] who is willing to open their room for meet ings, interest from students who would want to join the club, and fill out district paperwork.

“It is worth it. I like running the club. I like having a space

that I know that I can talk about something that I’m passionate about and that everyone there is also passionate about,” junior Zoe Oehlertz said.

Oehlertz has successfully revived the Young Democrats club this year after being involved in the club her freshman and sophomore years. She is now one of the organizers of the club that meets every other week. Obviously, being in charge of your own club comes with some difficulties.

“You have to do everything. Like there’s no teacher that will get stuff set up for you,” Oehlertz adds.

However, the difficulties of running a club are worthwhile. Being able to create a safe space for kids throughout the school to come together comes as an important part of being in charge of a club.

“Joining clubs is a great way to get out there and be able to talk to people with the same interests as you and to have a nice safe space to discuss what you’re interested in, Oehlertz said.

Clubs have proven to be a safe space around school. There is comfort found in finding a group that is interested in the same things as you.

“It’s [Young Democrats club] very light hearted and comfortable… It involves all points of view and it’s very inclusive,” junior Zayna Corey said.

Corey is a member of the Young Democrats club. She’s been going since the revival of the club.

“I’m being taught stuff from my peers who have had the same amount of experience as me, the same amount of time to figure out the world around us. It’s better from that perspective than from an adult,” Corey said. Young Democrats Club is one of the many student-led clubs.

If you are interested in starting a student-led club, see Throne.

the reaction of the people that the high schoolers talk with every day?

“A lot of the people are confused why a high schooler is cam paigning at first but then they begin to understand and are actually helpful,” senior Ben Jackson said.

“You know, a lot of people find it weird that I work in politics, others think that I’m really bad for doing it. But in the end, it’s a lot of fun and most of the people are pretty cool,” Hill said.

More and more students are now becoming interested in politics. There are a couple of ways that you get involved in politics.

“Get involved with your high school club or you go directly to the Douglas County Repub lican Party if you are interested in working on a Republican campaign or you can go to the Douglas County Democratic Party if you are in terested in working on a Democratic campaign,” Jackson said.

Students interested in volunteering or work ing on any local campaigns can join the High School Democrats or High School Republicans Clubs to get more information about how to get involved. You can also go to https:// douglascountydemocrats.com/ or you can also go to https://www. dcrponline.com/ if you are interested in working with either party.

Dylan

April

You make a difference; like you truly do, and you can see that difference

-junior Walker Hill ”

“

Student led GSA club members Trisha Gregory, Chey enne Kirk and Leela Gregory prepare to hand out candy at the Millard Education Association’s 2nd annual Trunk or Treat. Photo by Charleen Darra

Infographic by Shelby Neeley

For the underdogs

Senior looks to change the social norm

Ben Jackson Online Editor-in-Chief

When homecoming royalty has been depicted on the big screen, it’s typically your stereotypical jock or cheerleader that takes the crown, but it’s 2022 and things have changed. While athletes and cheerleaders still do win, a new wave of alternative candidates has arisen. One such candidate is senior Jacob Sunde.

While keeping busy with Chicago sports and fishing, Sunde also is involved in various activities at South including Yoga Club and Bowling.

The first round of royalty voting included a blank ballot for write-in candidates. The top nine out of that form moved on to the next round. Sunde never expected to make it to the final nine, but once he did the momentum kept growing.

“I immediately rushed to classroom and saw I made the bal lot,” Sunde added. “I realized that if I kept pushing, I could actu ally make Royalty court.”

That push came in the form of Sunde’s very first campaign video. His video was short but sweet with Sunde’s now iconic pitch “for the underdogs.”

“The video got sent everywhere including my Hoco group chat, where my friends thought that it was so funny, that they began to help put together a giant campaign,” Sunde said.

Wesley Earhart, a senior who helped with the campaign, said, “I started to realize that Jacob could actually win. There was a funny aspect to it due to him being my friend, but he really was the underdog and I thought it would be really awesome if this guy with ridiculously no chance could win.”

Another senior, Matthew Qualseth, also joined the campaign in support of Sunde. He noted that in order for Sunde to suc ceed he would need a larger push on social media. A push that Qualseth was uniquely talented for with his considerable Tik Tok following.

“Since we started the campaign in the middle of the week, we had an uphill battle,” Qualseth commented. “I knew that we needed to promote it to kids who weren’t going to hoco and who typically wouldn’t vote which is why I focused more on video edits and social media.”

Ultimately, the campaign’s pièce de résistance was not posters

or video edits, but stickers. Sunde, who works at Godfather’s Pizza, was given a large sum of stickers from his manager.

“When I went into work, my manager approached me and told me that she found a printing company and ordered me 250 stick ers,” Sunde reported.

With stickers in hand, and determination in his heart, Sunde strolled into the Millard South vs Lincoln East football game and be gan the night that would define his campaign. At that game Sunde would deliver stickers to a multitude of people.

“I gave a few to everyone in the front row at the football game so they can be seen in every photo,” Sunde said. “I also gave them to countless teachers and every single principal. I even got the cops at the game to wear them. The next day one of my friends even got the Superintendent of our district to wear my sticker as well.”

Sunde would go on to make it into the top 5 list of royalty, but he would have to wait another week for the results.

In the final hours of the campaign, a deal would be made between Sunde and another finalist, Joel Adams. If Sunde could attempt a back flip on the field during the homecoming game, then if Adams wins the crown, he would give it to Sunde.

Sunde would end up completing his end of the bargain in attempting, but failing, a back flip, and all he needed was for either Adams or himself to win.

On the night of homecoming, an air of anticipation floated through the air as Sunde waited to hear the results of his cam paign.

“When you campaign for two weeks you have a little bit of nerves, but I had a pretty good feeling Joel would win,” Sunde said.

The moment finally came, but Sunde would fall just short of

With the saga complete and the crown in his hand, Sunde has remained strong in his assertion to the throne.

“I am so glad I did this campaign and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world,” Sunde said. “Let’s just say, I’m going out on top.”

Siedlik’s move to larger school lets her teach more computer science

Hilary Lawson Staff Reporter

Many students are familiar with the process of moving from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school. This process of going from a smaller school to a much larger school can also be experienced by teachers. Some teachers, such as Sarah Siedlik, are familiar with this transition.

Siedlik is a new teacher who started teaching computer science in the busi ness department this fall. She had previous experience with teaching at other schools, such as Plattsmouth High School, but she decided to teach at Mil lard South because of what it offers.

“I wanted the opportunity to teach only computer science,” Siedlik said. “At a lot of other schools I had to teach both math and computer science, whereas here, I can teach just computer science classes,” she said.

Although she solely teaches computer science now, Siedlik said that being a math teacher would be her second choice if she had to teach a different subject.

“At my last school I taught everything from remedial algebra all the way up to pre calc and trigonometry, so [I can teach] kind

of whatever.”

Everyone has their reasons for picking a career for their fu ture, and Siedlik’s reasons were impacted by her upbringing.

“I became a teacher because I grew up in a household where we really valued public education,” she said. “Both of my parents were in high schools and community colleges, and so I felt that public education was always going to be a passion of mine, and that’s why I pursue it.”

Being a teacher does come with challenges every day. Not having a lengthy amount of time to teach a class can be somewhat of a disadvantage to teachers as much as it is to students.

“The hardest part of my job is having enough time to be able to reach every student that I teach. I have over a hundred students, and I want to make sure that I’m able to form rela tionships with all of them,” said Siedlik. “The fact that a lot of the classes I teach are only a semester long means I don’t always get to form the student relationships that I want to.”

The disturbances in the hallways can also be somewhat of a disadvantage to teaching.

“There’s some more disruptive behavior than I’m used to from other schools,” said Siedlik. “But a lot of it has to do with the fact that you’ve got those big open spaces.”

Siedlik explained how Plattsmouth had about 550 students,

and there wasn’t really space in the hallways to convene com pared to Millard South’s hallways.

She further added, “It doesn’t really seem to be a problem, but it is just the areas that they congregate in.”

Even though there are some aspects of being a teacher that aren’t the easiest to work around, there is still a bright side. Due to the fact that higher education is required to become a teacher, teachers are left with the knowledge and experience to teach students.

The easiest thing about my job is probably the content that I teach. I’m very familiar with the content that I teach so I feel like an expert in the room, and when students have questions I usu ally can answer them pretty quickly,” said Siedlik.

Although Siedlik continued her career in a different location this school season, there is still a common subject that links her past teaching experiences with her new experiences — computer science.

“Just about any job right now is going to require you to use a computer and I think it’s really important that students understand how they work, why they work, like why the internet is encrypted, why we’re able to rely on it so heavily,” she said. In addition, Siedlik said, “What I really want kids to know is that it can be really fun, it can be really creative, even if you have a creative mindset, you can apply that to what you’re doing with a computer. So I kind of want to push away all of the stereotypes that in order to be in computer science you have to look a certain way, or be a certain gender, cause that’s not the truth.”

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 con tent. 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 submit ted 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.

the crown. Fortunately though, Sunde’s biggest ally, senior Joel Adams, won the title. After the crowning ceremony, Adams gifted his crown to Sunde, “the people’s champ.”

Senior Joel Adams reawards the homecoming royalty crown to “The People’s Champ” senior Jacob Sunde. Photo courtesy of Jacob Sunde

Adviser Christine Kaldahl

Sarah Siedlik teaches computer science. Photo by Charleen Darra

The Hubbub Surrounding

The pandemic has been a burden that has caused a lot of strife and hardship in the recent years, but one benefit out of this historic event has been the ability for juniors to leave campus for lunch just like the seniors. Traditionally, the ability to have an open campus lunch period has been relegated to seniors and seniors only, but in the 2020-21 school year, that changed. Now, 2 years later, a survey of 51 seniors and 93 juniors can check the progress of the rule change.

Of the 93 juniors surveyed, almost 58% take advantage of the open campus opportunity. For seniors that number jumps to nearly 70%. With the addition of full open blocks in their schedule, the drastic increase in students leaving campus for lunch makes sense. This also accounts for the difference in eating lunch at home where almost 20% of seniors do so and only 8% of juniors do so.

For seniors, the top two choices are eating lunch at home and going to HyVee. Whereas for juniors, the top two choices are McDonalds and HyVee. With Hyvee being the closest available option, it makes sense that both seniors and juniors alike would frequent there.

Overall, almost exactly 50% of all respondents do not typically eat fast food. Rather, 26% eat school lunch, 12% eat a sack lunch, and 12% eat at home. The other 50% of fast food eaters are split considerably between the various options in the immediate area of Millard South. The two clear winners are HyVee and McDonalds with both having around 10%.

Two years since the rule change, juniors have taken full advantage of their new freedoms. With nearly 60% of juniors leaving campus for lunch, it is clear that the rule change has had an impact on the lunch routines of juniors.

art by Ella Erickson

April Reiss News Editor

Once upon a time, there was a school food world where you could have salt on your fries, the grain wasn’t whole, and there was chocolate in the vending machines. Those days have long since passed.

Since the shift, fundraising by activities has become a popular way for students to get their sugar fix during the school day. A popular item has become candy, but the school’s clubs and activities selling sweets have some food guidelines to follow.

“In a school, we do it where clubs can sell ‘unhealthy’ food two different times each semester. So each club can sell four times, in school, per year,” said Assistant Activities Director Treavor Wragge who oversees all club and activity fundraising.

to implemented, and that improves made this students passes to go Weaver “Students their during sell available a.m.,

What do you eat most often for lunch during school? source: Common Sense poll 144 surveyed 5 minutes 6.5 minutes 6.5 minutes 7.5 minutes 7.5 minutes 8 minutes 8 minutes 8 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes Restaurants near Millard South arranged in order of total time it takes to drive there, get your food, and return back to school. 10.5 minutes 11 minutes 12 minutes 13 minutes 14 minutes 14 minutes 14.5 minutes 16 minutes 19 minutes 22 minutes Home School lunch

Surrounding Grub Admin puts the end in vending

Alexa Leiting Features Editor

Beginning on Oct. 3, Millard South began the shut down of vending machines from 7:55 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Although it was not largely talked about over the announcements or in other ways, teachers began writing on their whiteboards and informational papers were taped to the machines themselves.

Students were initially confused as a whole. They seemed to not understand as to why this was happening to their daily snacks.

When asked about why the shut down was implemented, Principal Heidi Weaver said, “Administration the Multi-Tiered System of Support, which is a group improves learning and behavioral outcomes for students, this choice. The decision was made because too many were tardy to class. Also, students were using restroom go to the vending machines,” she said.

Weaver also explained that the changes have helped. “Students can’t be distracted by the vending machines on their way to class anymore,” she said.

Despite the vending machines being shut down during the school day, the Patriot Post still is able to sell one of the most popular snack items South makes available for purchase: Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies. At 9 a.m., students may begin requesting passes from teachers to buy fresh, warm cookies. Although the cookies are truly delicious, this creates some confusion about the reasons why administration shortened the vending time frame. It was announced that the reason the machines got shut down was because kids were losing class time by waiting in line for snacks. The Patriot Post, however, also produces a line of kids missing class time waiting to get their hands on these popular treats. Weaver went on to explain the difference.

“We have a system for students to buy cookies from the [Patriot] Post. They must have a pass from the classroom teacher.” There should only be one student and one pass from each classroom to get the whole class order, not a pass per student.

“Typically it was at teacher discretion to hand out vending machine passes but in reality, students should not be receiving passes to go to multiple places during instructional time. If we have good instructional time for students, then they will receive more credits. If they earn more credits, more people graduate,” Weaver said. She went on to say that if all students can get themselves to class on time much more frequently, the vending machines might have a chance to return.

Even though students showed a somewhat negative response to their snacks being taken away, teachers have a different outlook on the choice.

Taylor Mendenhall, a business teacher located in the 100s, spoke on the issues with the vending machines. “There has been significant changes with the removal of the vending machines previously just outside my door,” Mendenhall said. “For one, when the bells ring, it is a lot easier to get students cleared from the hallways because they can’t use the machines as an excuse. Two, during the class periods, it is quieter in the hallways because people aren’t constantly out there chit-chatting waiting to use the machine. Also, in the 200s, the security desk up there was constantly busy. [They were] showing kids to back to class when they were using the vending machines upstairs. But now they don’t have to,” he said.

Although MSHS began this schoolwide shutdown of the vending machines, other high schools in the district have not taken the same measures. According to Mark Hawkins, an assistant principal at West High School, there are 10 vending machines in the building. In addition to this, snacks are sold throughout the whole school day minus breakfast and lunch due to national nutrition laws. Hawkins said that there are no issues with students using vending machines at West High. Students seem to not cause any disruption in the hallways while buying items nor have there been any major concerns about students missing lesson time to purchase food or drink.

In a way, Millard North High School has come up with a sort of ‘not-too-hot and not-too-cold’ alternative to both of the two other

schools. North has a total of four vending machines located near the cafeteria which are kept on all day long. However, students are expected to only use the snack and drink machines during passing periods as well as before and after school time.

Matthew Starks, an assistant principal at North High, had a similar response as West’s administration regarding issues (or lack thereof) surrounding vending: “We have not had many issues with the vending machines. Occasionally, we will have a student who leaves class to get something from the vending machine. There has not been any major disruption or lines forming at the machines during class. If we started noticing issues with the machines, we would look at limiting access to them during the school day,” he said.

Despite the fact that it is assumed that schools are the only ones deal with the machines, there is someone outside of the district that gets significantly impacted by choices about them. Brian Oswalt, a local small business owner, supplies and owns the vending machines in Millard high schools. When asked about how the shut down has affected him he replied, “I have been at Millard South for over a decade. This year has been very frustrating as the vending time rules [have] changed… I think administration was dealing with a lot of behavior issues, and this was one way to address it,” Oswalt said.

The removal of the vending machines, although controversial, has occurred and does not appear to be changing any time in the near future. Unfortunately, this is due to the frequent disturbances to classes near the machines as well as tardiness to lessons.

Nevertheless, if MSHS students are able to clean up their timeliness record, the snack crackdown might make a turn around.

“The other guideline is no food can be sold 30 minutes before and after any school food is offered,” Wragge said.

Pride Time has become a popular time for students to fundraise and host sales for their snacks because the time doesn’t violate any of these rules.

Federally, Millard South and all schools around the country are required to meet the school food standards. Every school around the country is required for their school to provide food to meet some sort of standard. These standards are tracked nationally and stately.

From a federal standpoint, a lot changed for school food regulations in 2010. In 2010, Michelle Obama introduced and Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act does a number of things for school food. The act focuses on improving child nutrition and reducing child obesity, increases access to meals, and

increases program [lunch programs] monitoring.

Students having enough of “specific food groups” and meeting the “minimum and maximum serving sizes” for required groups are just a few things that Director of Nutrition Services in Nebraska Kayte Partch said.

The specific food groups required for Nebraska are fruits, vegetables, grains, meat/meat alternate, and milk. The school must offer options that meet the proper serving sizes every single lunch and breakfast.

The maximum and minimum serving sizes fluctuates between grades in the state. Elementary school students have smaller minimum requirements than high school students.

For lunch, data received from Kayte Partch, shows K-8 grade students receive ½ cup fruit compared to the 1 cup of fruits and vegetables for 9-12 grade students. Vegetables differ in the grade K-8 where they must receive ¾ cup of vegetables

everyday.

Similar data is made for grains and meat where K-8 grade students receive 1 oz of meal and grains everyday while 9-12 grade students receive 2 oz grain and meat.

However, all grades receive the same amount of milk, 8oz per day.

Breakfast runs a similar system. K-12 students receive 1 cup of fruits per day, 1 oz of grains per day, and 8 oz of milk.

This is because a high school student eats more “adult” portions than elementary and middle schoolers, Partch explains.

Also, the school must offer, regardless of their popularity, a “variety of fruits and vegetables,” Partch said. This ensures that a student can find something they want to eat that can fulfill the food group requirements.

Students can’t be distracted by the vending machines on their way to class anymore.

-Principal Heidi Weaver ”

art by Anna Gurciullo

art by Ella Erickson

Standout freshman crosses the line, improving her time

Ally Seevers Editor-In-Chief

After Millard South announced the hiring of a new head cross country coach, freshman Abbi Durow’s plan to run for the Patri ots looked a little different.

“When I learned Coach Fuglestad [the previous head coach] was leaving, I was definite ly sad, but I knew I had to stick with it,” Durow said.

The position was given to Millard Central Tech Facilitator, Dustin Schro eder, who watched Durow grow as a runner in middle school.

“I remember seeing her run in 7th grade when I was coaching at North Middle School,” new head coach, Dustin Schroeder said. “She won the 1600 by over 30 seconds at the Millard Junior High Championship meet.

It was amazing how far ahead she was. When I was hired as the Millard South Cross Country coach, it was right before the same meet the next year. This time, she ended up winning the 1600 by 45 seconds. I talked to her after the race to see if she was going to run cross country because I knew she could be something special in the

Fall.”

Durow has always had a special talent for running, starting cross country her sixth-grade year, but she only began to keep in shape for basketball and soccer.

“I started running because it kept me in shape for soccer and basketball,” Durow said. “Playing for Nebraska Attack and club soccer, I wanted to build endurance.”

Now, as a freshman in high school, she has run her way to an 8th place finish in her first NSAA State Cham pionship race.

“Going into the race, I was definitely nervous, but once that gun went off, every thing settled and I dialed in,” Durow said. “When I hit the mile marker, I was going so fast.

It was nerve-racking being up by Mia Murry [the state champion], but I knew if I wanted to place, I had to be up there with her.”

Running a 5:57 first mile, Durow was in second place. As the race went on, she fell back to 9th before out-sprinting Lincoln High’s Kennedy Bartee for an 8th place fin ish with a time of 19:18.2

“To out-kick Kennedy and place 8th felt really good,” Durow said. “It just shows off all the hard work I’ve done.”

Throughout the season, Durow placed at every single meet she ran at, including a 3rd place finish at the District meet to carry her to the State Championship meet.

“Placing at districts felt really good,” she said. “Since a lot of the girls on the team are seniors, if felt great to be able to qualify for state and give them the oppor tunity to race one more time.”

With the conclusion of her freshman season, Abbi’s focus has shifted to basketball, looking to help the team reach a state championship title, but come next fall, she plans to lead the girl’s cross country team with a Top 5 finish.

An 8th place finish is amazing, but not unexpected,” Schroeder said. “If you look at Abbi’s results over the course of the season, she continued to get better almost weekly. At the district meet, she set a PR on a day that we had 30 to 40 MPH wind gusts. Over the course of the season, she improved her time by almost a minute and a half. Abbi is someone that can really elevate a program. She comes in as a freshman and works hard everyday. While she may not lead vocally as a freshman, her work ethic sets an example. With four seniors leaving the team, she will really have to take the reins next year for the girls team.”

Double or Nothing

Patriots leave it all out on the field but come up short in district final

I knew she could be something special in the fall.

–Head coach Dustin Schroeder

Freshman Abbi Durow passes by Lincoln High senior Kennedy Bartee to place 8th at the State Cross Country Championships in Kearney.

Photo by Gunner Rettele

The Patriot Softball team ended their season 21-11, losing to Lincoln Southwest in the district finals. The team graduates seniors Neveah Williams, Catie Rodenbiker, Andrea McGargill, Kaitlyn Boge, and Amari Laing, who ended the season with 10 home runs. Photos by Ally Seevers

Junior and UNO women’s softball commit Bree Urban finds open ground in the game against Lincoln Pius. Urban now holds the NSAA state record and school record for doubles in the season. With 23 doubles and 3 home runs, she ended the season with a .618 batting average. The junior was also selected for the All-Nebraska softball team, becoming one of only two under classmen picked. Photo by Ally Seevers

Fight Patriots Fight

End of the season marks beginning of an era

Dylan Wiese Sports Editor

Millard South Football began a new era as Coach Ty Wisdom took over after the retirement of longtime football coach Andrew Means.

The season got off to a great start as the Patriots dominated the first half of the Battle for Q Street against Millard West. Millard South led 24-7 at halftime and continued their dominance in the second half as the Patriots beat the Wildcats 38-14.

In week 2 things got a little bit more difficult for the Patriots as they traveled to Elkhorn South for a tough matchup. Millard South kept within striking distance in the first half as they trailed 24-14 at halftime. However, the Patriots refused to go down easily and tightened the game up in the second half but Elkhorn South emerged victorious as they won the tight game 31-28.

The next week Millard South came back home where they faced their second Millard team of the year as they faced the Millard North Mustangs. The Patriots got off to a rough start as they trailed 20-0 at halftime. However, in the second half they launched a comeback.

“We kept thinking about how the second half was a new game,” senior Barrett Luce said. “Getting down on your self and staying low is how you lose games, so changing the mindset was the only thing to do to suc ceed.”

“During the halftime speech, the coaches were telling us that we know we can do better, so we went out there and tried to play with everything we had,” junior JR Lecuona said.

Despite the rally, they came up just short as Millard North won 20-14, so the Patriots dropped to a record 1-2.

Week 4 proved to be a very difficult game for the Patriots as they hosted the Gretna Dragons. The Patriots got off to a shaky start against a very good Gretna team and never recovered as they fell 49-26 to the Dragons.

However, Week 5 turned out to be the turning point for the Pa triots. They traveled to Lincoln North Star for a matchup between conference foes. With senior quarterback Camden Kozeal back from the World Championship baseball team, the Patriots got off to a great start as they led 28-10 at halftime and never let up.

“Getting that first kick return by Gavin set us up for the mo mentum and got us going in the game,” Kozeal said. ‘It felt great to get back there with my friends. We started out slow, but once I was able to settle in, our offense just kind of clicked.”

When the final second ran off the clock the Patriots had won 49-10 for a big win, improving their record to 2-3.

“Winning that game and having Cam back felt really good. I ended up getting my first touchdown early in the game and got 2 more by the end of it. It felt really good because scoring 3 touch downs in a game was a once in the lifetime thing for me,” senior Grant Renken said.

The next week Millard South returned home to Buell Stadium for a conference matchup with Lincoln East. The score was close the entire game as the Patriots trailed 21-19 at halftime. It was a low scoring second half but the Patriots proved to be the better team in this half as they pulled off the victory 22-21. The Patriots win streak led them back to 3-3.

“It felt good to get this game,” senior Brock Murtaugh said. “They were a talented team that had very good players and we knew that we needed to get a win in this one to help us get into the playoffs. We started out slow, but the defense had a very good second half and was able to come up with much needed stops and help us get the win.”

The Patriots dominance only continued as they hosted Colum bus at Buell Stadium for the Millard South Homecoming Game. The first half was close as Millard South led 10-7 at halftime. “We knew what Columbus wanted to do from the get go and that was to run the ball,” senior Gavin Nunnally said. However, in the second half the Patriots were unstoppable as Mil lard South kept the win streak going with a 49-7 victory.

“In the second half, we knew that we just had to be more discipline because penalties were hurting us,” Nunnally said, “but once we settled in we started to get going and then it led to many points. It was good to get the 2nd and 3rd strings in the game for them to get some good varsity experience after all the hard work they do for us in scout team and in the JV and reserve levels.”

Millard South was looking to continue their hot streak as they headed to Omaha Westside for a monster matchup against a War rior team with a record of 6-1. It was a tight first half as Westside led 17-14 but the Patriots held strong and managed to push the game into overtime as the game was tied 34-34 at the end of the 4th quarter. The Patriots fought hard but the Westside Warriors squeaked by with a close overtime victory of 41-34.

“To win we knew we had to play a great game and it was a revenge

tour for us,” senior Lance Rucker said. “After a good start going into halftime, it felt very good, but at the same time, it didn’t feel right because the job isn’t finished. Unfortunately, we fell short but it showed the culture and hardwork of the program and that we can hang with anyone.”

Millard South finished their regular season with a road game at Lincoln High. The Patriots started the finale well as they led 20-0 at halftime. The greatness continued as the Patriots left with a 3414 win, a 5-4 regular season record and a berth in the 2022 Class A Football Playoffs.

For the first round of the playoffs the 12th seeded Patriots traveled to the 5th seeded Kearney team. The Patriots started the game off on fire as they led 29-7 at halftime. The Patriots held strong in the second half as they left Kearney with a 35-21 victory that launched them into the 2nd round for a date with 4th seeded Grand Island.

However, after the long road trip to Grand Island the Patriots run to the state title ended with a tough 28-10 loss to Grand Island in the state quarterfinals.

“Going into the game, we knew they wanted to run the ball and get it to #21 in the passing game. At halftime, we didn’t want to let up. We knew we had to get some momentum early in the half if we wanted to win the game. It was a tough loss,” junior Delunn Jones said. “It feels bad to lose in 2 close games the past two years in the playoffs, but shows the underclassmen what is needed to do in the offseason to try and prevent early loses in the playoffs and make a run for a state championship title this next season.”

Transfer finds a new home, hardware

Ally Seevers Editor-In-Chief

Making the transition to a new school to start your senior year is never an easy feat, but for Ben Boudreau, coming from Papillion La-Vista to Millard South made no difference in his road to success at the state level.

“When I learned Ben was transferring to Millard South, I was overjoyed because I knew what we were getting: a hard worker, a very solid player, and a great person,” head tennis coach Jason Rodenberger said. “He showed up to summer work outs for both tennis and basketball, helping him improve his skill and making the transition very easy for him.”

Coming into a new school, Boudreau was a little nervous, but with the help of his teammates and coaches, he felt at home.

“I was a little nervous at first, but my teammates and coaches helped me transition,” Boudreau said. “The culture here at Millard South and in the tennis program is something special. It feels like one, big family, so it was easy to find my place.”

Boudreau quickly proved his place and earned the #1 singles

spot on the varsity team, heading into state with a 23 and 8 record.

“He had a very good season at the top singles spot,” Roden berger said. “He played the best player every school had to offer and excelled.”

At the state tournament, Boudreau sailed through the first round with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Gretna, and ended the run for Millard West’s freshman, Jake Smiley, winning in a second set tiebreaker, only falling to the eventual state champion in straight sets.

Although he ended up losing, Boudreau had secured himself a spot on the podium, playing for 7th against Creighton Prep’s Rowan Lunning.

“Going into that match, I was confident. I wasn’t really ner vous or anything,” Boudreau said. “I knew I had put in the work and was good enough to earn a medal.”

While the match didn’t go Boudreau’s way, losing 8-3, he earned himself an 8th-place finish, something he had been look ing to accomplish since his freshman year.

“It felt really good,” he said. “I’ve been trying to do it for four years, so to place was a good accomplishment.”

After falling in the second round of the state tournament in his sophomore and junior year, Boudreau’s resilience to come back and earn a state medal is something to be admired.

“My favorite thing about coaching him is watching how he responds to situations,” Rodenberger said. “His emotion on the court is positive and when things get tense, you can see the basketball player come out in him and it makes the match even more fun. He also just outworks people. He would go in before school for basketball workouts, go through a full day of classes, and then come out full of energy for tennis practice. What I will miss most about Ben is how inclusive and supportive he is of all of the players in our program. That is something you can’t teach. He just did it because that’s the kind of person he is.”

Now, Boudreau looks to continue his success into the basket ball season, where he will be a starting guard for the Patriots.

“Millard South has been good so far,” Boudreau said. “I am excited for the rest of the year.”

Senior Camden Kozeal passes to senior Lance Rucker in the game against Grand Island. Rucker made the catch, taking the ball 39 yards down to the end zone to start the Patriots with a 10 and 0 lead. Photo by Ally Seevers

Midnights is an overnight success

Lauren Rayner Managing Editor

After the critical success and extensive fan praise from Taylor Swift’s 2020 releases “Folklore” and “Evermore,” as well as a busy last year of album re-recordings for the pop singer, her latest work, Midnights, being announced in August of this year had a hype train following it from music critics and die-hard “Swifties” alike.

Taylor’s 10th studio album is already, however, garnering mixed reactions, which at this point, is almost expected, as Taylor has proactively made an effort to go out and try any genre that inspires her. A switch up from her singer-songwriter efforts to an atmospheric alt-pop release may have left many disappointed or eager to compare it to “the old Taylor,” a lyrical theme well established in her work at this point. It seems that trying to fit Taylor into a box will only make her want to break out of it. Despite a bitter anti-Midnights army lurking anywhere the album gets mentioned, I felt that Midnights was a passionate, enjoyable release from Taylor Swift, with a lot of good going for it.

The album starts off solid, with the groovy opener “Lavender Haze.” Here we get a really nice driving beat accompanied by bass that had some “1989” elements combined with more con temporary pop styles. Following, “Maroon” is a great transitional song, with similar instrumentals to the track that precedes it, and a stunning chorus that outshines most of the verses of the song itself. The first time you hear “Anti-Hero” you can tell it is going to be the breakout hit from the album, understandably. The song is a perfect pop cut, reaching just under 3 minutes long. It is an undeni ably fun track despite its chorus playing cheesy on paper, with the hook, “It’s me, Hi, I’m the problem it’s me”, but for whatever rea son Taylor is able to make it work, with the ‘80s synth pop elements prevalent throughout Midnights carrying the tune.

“Snow On The Beach” is a song I keep coming back to, as it

has a beautiful flow to it and some creative rhyming in the lyrics. Unfortunately, the Lana Del Rey feature on the track is pretty lackluster, as her presence was diminished to measly background vocals when her talents could have brought the song to an entirely different level. Another favorite is “Midnight Rain”, which caught me off guard the first time I heard it, but it is undoubtedly a song that grows on you, with a cool retro feel to it and an ear-worm loop ing chorus I love. “Question…?” is looking to be a fan favorite that I am also on board with. The song is beautifully hypnotizing and

just plain inventive. The best songs here have been stuck in my head for days, and have an introspective, bittersweet personality to them that really enhances the album.

“You’re On Your Own, Kid” is a quaint track that is play-worthy every once in a while, featuring a great bridge. There are spots on Midnights with some new, interesting vocal effects on the production end, but “Labyrinth” specifically ended up being one the cooler songs vocally for Taylor, even though I didn’t connect with the song much at first. Like “Anti-Hero”, “Karma” is more of an old-school Taylor pop song, especially lyrically, but it is still fun enough that I come back to it fairly often. It might have my favor ite ending to a song on “Midnights”, with a transcendent, desolate vibe as it closes.

Some of the weaker tracks on the album are “Bejeweled” and “Sweet Nothing”, which are simply more forgettable and fade into the rest of the record on repeated listens. They are cliché lyrically and remind me of some of the lower moments from Taylor’s past albums, but aren’t anything atrocious or unlistenable at the end of the day. At least the closer, “Mastermind”, saves the second half of the album, which is a powerful, bubbly tune that encapsulates the vulnerable intensity of “Midnights” perfectly.

For the most part, “Midnights” flows nicely. The songs on the album match Taylor’s goal for the album completely. Taylor Swift has proved herself to be an artist capable of many genres, talents, eras, and styles, and the “Midnights” era should be seen as a fun, innovative concept album in her varied discography about latenight thoughts and feminine rage. Although the album is somewhat frontloaded, with some lacking tracks in the latter half, picking and choosing my favorites to re-listen to has made the most sense in my “Midnights” listening experience. “Midnights” is far from Taylor’s worst, but not quite her best. It is a synth-filled, modern adventure of a record, filled with lively, danceable tunes that I will be playing for a good while.

Colleen Hoover hooks readers in

Amick Staff Reporter

Previously, on August 22, 2022, at DC FanDome, a virtual convention hosted by Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Comics, the new Gotham Knights video game was an nounced.

Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by WB Games Montreal, the game follows the story of Gotham City without its most iconic bat vigilante. Supposedly, Batman, secretly known as Bruce Wayne, is dead along with former police commissioner James Gordon. In his wake, crime has suddenly run rampant and gangs of criminals once again ravage the city. However, this time, Batman is no longer present to ensure “justice” and ensure the city stays safe, so it’s now left up to different vigilantes to do that job in his place.

These other vigilantes consist of primarily four people who have formerly worked with Batman: Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin. Bat girl, known as Barbara Gordon, is most known for her hacking abilities and her previous leader ship of the Birds of Prey as Oracle.

Nightwing, otherwise called Dick Grayson, was the first Robin Batman had ever had, and he is acknowl edged for his acrobatic skills and his former position as leader of the Teen Titans. Red hood, better known as Jason Todd to some, was Batman’s second Robin before the Joker killed him and brought him back to life via the Lazarus Pit. After being trained by the League of Assassins and the All-Castle, he re turned to Gotham as Red hood, where he became known for his violent tendencies. Robin, identified as Tim Drake, was the third robin before Batman met his demise. Recognized most notably as the most intelligent out of the many Robins, he is mainly known for his later role as Red Robin.

There was, in particular, quite a lot of excitement surrounding the release of the game, especially with the as tounding positivity a previous series Batman: Arkham Knight received. However, upon its release, the game fell short for many people, which has been reflected in the general 65% rating many people hold for the game.

Playing the game, though, some of the concerns reflected

in reviews are valid. One of the biggest “problems” people have pointed out is the low frames per second (fps). At the moment, the game only runs at a maximum of 30 fps. For many people, this is considered really low as some games are currently running at a staggering 120 fps. But, speaking personally, the frames per second aren’t really that big of a deal. Even with the low fps, the game does still have some beautiful visuals that make up for the low fps, such as the beginning scene of the game.

Another problem brought up is the general boring status of many things in the game, specifically regarding the fighting styles present in the game and the user interface. The game consists of four different characters you can play as, and they all have their own fighting style, but it does become repetitive as the characters eventually continue doing the same thing over and over again as you progress in the game. As for the user interface, where a player can interact with the story itself and other fourth wall elements, it’s honestly a little confusing. In summary: It’s basically press ing some but tons and hoping for the best. The game itself does explain it, but it seems as if once it explains it becomes a one-and-done deal. Though, on the other hand, it’s partially easy

to understand once you get the hang of it and if you view it outside of a, “this should be aesthetically pleasing,” eye.

Regardless of the downfalls of the game, nevertheless, the game itself is still a good game. Particularly, the story of the game did make up for a lot of those undoings. So far, it’s been very rare to see a majority of the bat family all in one place outside of the comics, and it’s refreshing to see it in a game especially. Furthermore, it’s incredibly enjoyable to see the bat family themselves act as a semi-normal family outside of their stereotypical brooding. Viewing the game in a positive light, though, just takes seeing the game outside of its flaws, even if they may be sticking out at every corner. The game is simple: give it a chance, and it’ll, eventually, give you a chance.

Staff Reporter

Colleen Hoover's books have hit a massive rise in fame over “BookTok” and other social media. Her books have a lot of drama and romance with twists and turns that hooked me on her pages. I was certainly not much of a reader until her books. At a younger age most of the appeal to Hoover’s books are the romance plots and the specific scenarios she puts her characters in.

With more than 20 books out in the world, the book that had me grasped was “It Ends With Us.” This book had me on the edge of my seat with flashbacks, abuse, and tragic love. It sparked a sell-out on her books after social media drove this book into the headlights and Hoover finally got the deserved light shone on her.

Furthermore, Hoover’s humble being and traumatic past have led her to have such a hold on writ ing. Some-to-most of her books have had some sort of relation to her life. Such as the highly-rated novel “Regretting You”, which was written about struggles with young mother-and-daughter relation ships, depicted her mother's rela tionship with Hoover’s sister. This type of inter personal connection she puts into her books has been a major grasping point.

All of the social media is crazy about her but the most substan tial media to her rise in fame is TikTok, more specifically “BookTok.” This is a community of people who discuss lit erature and give reviews on many books. Her

romance novels had me hooked majorly due to her use of popu lar tropes like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and childhood best friends.

Due to the mass amounts of teens that have leaned towards her books, she has become a role model for the many who don’t know all there is to know about the world of romance. Sophomore Briley Loewenstein said, “ They are fast reads and they are a book for everybody.” Hoover's fame has not plummeted since she has kept her readers hooked bait ing the new sequel “It Starts With Us,” the second book to “It Ends With Us.” This entrancing book has sold 800,000 copies through preorder. This novel is mainly so fawned upon since it has a point of view from Atlas who has become one of Hoover’s, most beloved characters.

Hoover's talents with writing does not only stretch to the ro mance genre. She is also profound in writing physiological thrillers. Her main thriller is “Verity.” This book is full of mind-boggling scenarios, confusion, and until the very end she put all the pieces into place.

Alexa

Anna Gurciullo