C ommon Sense Millard South High School • 14905 Q St. • Omaha, Neb., 68137
September 27, 2019
Volume 20 Issue 1
(Above) Bernie (left) and Gene Branch (right) stand in front of the Bernie’s Original Pizza storefront window at 13522 Cottner Street. Photo by Lindzey James (Left) A Bernie’s Pizza employee puts toppings on a supreme pizza before it goes in the oven. Photo by Lindzey James
Bernie’s grand re-re-re-reopening Chelsea Molina Staff Reporter Will the fourth time really be a charm? Bernie’s Pizza Parlor has been lucky enough to have its fourth reopening within the same decade. Only once though, has it been reopened by the original owners. After the landlord almost doubled the rent for the pizza parlor that had been at 5092 S 136th St (where the restaurant Ya Hala now runs) since the ‘70s, Bernie and his family were forced to shut down their restaurant in 2014. Although Bernie and his family no longer owned the business, the restaurant continued to run under the family name by the landlord. Bernie’s has had a loyal customer base and it didn’t take long for them to find out that the restaurant wasn’t the same. The landlord was able to keep all of the furniture and equipment, but he lacked the one thing the customers came in for -- the family recipe to making the beloved pizzas. It didn’t take long for the customers to find out that the pizza parlor was running by a hoodwinker and the restaurant failed as quickly as it reopened. The landlord and other posers attempted to reopen a couple more times. “It was a disaster--they were open for fifteen minutes, made it for another three months, and then closed,”
says Bridget Branch, co-owner of Bernie’s Original Pizza. Senior Camron Benett-Self currently works at the reopened Bernie’s. Before then, though, his mother was one of the few managers that worked at Bernie’s who wasn’t related to him. “I remember going for birthdays, I loved their food, then the landlord bought the place, got rid of everyone, and that was a mistake,” Bennett-Self said. After the first closing of Bernie’s, the landlord put the building under new management getting rid of everyone who worked there. In 2015, Bernie’s nephew and his wife, Gene and Bridget Branch, decided to take matters into their own hands doing what they could to take back their family’s restaurant. After three years of searching, they settled on what used to be a catering company. “We got lucky, a caterer was here before and we were able to buy much of their equipment. When I put it on Facebook, we couldn’t believe that it blew up so quickly. We got so many emails asking and calling me to make sure this is the real Bernie’s pizza which is why we decided to rename it Bernie’s “Original” Pizza.” Since its grand reopening though, many things have changed. They hired back many of their old employees while also hiring new people such as Camron and his twin brother Damian. They also have decided to make their new building
a take-out only business instead of the dine-in they once had. “We didn’t want to be swamped since we both have our own jobs during the day and can only work after 4. This is like our retirement package plan though and hopefully, our grandkids would want to take over after we do [retire].” There is no doubt Gene and Bridget’s grandkids will take over; their nine-year-old granddaughter loves to pretend to own the business and actually works the front desk at times. All of the ingredients in a typical pizza at Bernie’s is made from scratch and all of their vegetables are fresh and replenished daily. Gene states that some of their recipes date back to the depression and their new menu will offer their classics like the Bernie’s Supreme and the Meat Eaters. Bridget plans on adding more baked goods made from scratch by herself to improve the menu. After all, their new business promotes trial and error - and success. Gene’s motivation for their future is as goes, “If we fail, we fail on our own terms.” The prominent motto “Love at First Bite” accurately describes the taste of each slice of pizza and keeps the future for Bernie’s Original Pizza remaining clear and bright.
Not-so-secret Patriot Garden growing just a step away Maddy Leland Staff Reporter
Without even knowing it, hundreds of students traveling Stoneybrook Boulevard have driven past a little piece of land on the Hy-Vee property known as the Patriot Garden. In partnership with the HyVee at 144th & Stoneybrook Boulevard, the 2019 senior class of DECA started a community garden providing produce to the Student Council-sponsored Patriot Pantry. Things like onions, tomatoes, peppers, and corn have been introduced to the Pantry with the use of the garden. Junior Alan Acosta has worked extensively with the garden and student council, including regulating the supply and demand of products coming out of the garden this summer for the Patriot Pantry. “I’ve worked with both the Environmental Club and DECA in order to find the best balance between supply and demand,” Acosta said. “We don’t want to generate any waste with the Pantry.” Waste has become more of an issue
with the introduction of products that have a limited shelf life. There’s only a short window in which students are able to pick up produce which means that often leftover items are thrown away. This issue has caused DECA and the Environmental Club to reconsider what organization they give their crops to. After the 2019 senior class graduated, the Environmental Club stepped up to help out DECA with the maintenance of the garden. The Environmental Club, while small but mighty, has been carrying on the spirit once started by DECA. Mrs. Adams, one of the heads of Environmental Club, has become recently more active in the garden. She spoke about some of the problems with attendance and participation. “The summer months are harder to draw in volunteers,” Adams said, “due to outside activities, vacations, and problems with student transportation a lot of kids have problems taking the time to stop by.” With a lack of volunteers, representa-
Students harvest cherry tomatoes. Photo courtesy of MSHS Gardens Twitter
Senior Vivian Grosz holds up some crops from the Patriot Garden. Photo courtesy of MSHS Gardens tives of the garden are reaching out Twitter
in hopes of contacting people who are able to help. The garden presents the perfect opportunity for clubs and individuals to continue on the Patriot Way. This is a great way for students to complete their volunteer hours, for teams or clubs to bond and for anyone to give back to the community. Next spring the DECA and Environmental Clubs will be looking for volunteers to again help prep the garden for
planting and maintaining. The future of the garden relies on the participation of students in the many steps it takes to create a successful community garden. Without help, the garden’s legacy may very well be over. If we continue to put in the hard work it takes, this will become a great opportunity to show the community what Patriot Pride is all about.
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Challenged books you can check out today
Graphic by Joscelyn Hynes
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Banned and challenged because
it was deemed “anticop,” and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references. 1 of 5 copies available now in MSHS library.
Skippyjon Jones Series by Judy Schachner written and illustrated
Challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture Not a high school book but it is available on MPS Elementary shelves.
Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeir
Banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ characters and themes.
1 0f 4 copies available in MSHS library.
This One Summer
by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations. 1 of 2 copies available now in MSHS library.
Captain Underpants and illustrated Series written by Dav Pikey
The series was challeneged because it was percieved as encouraging disruptive behavior, while Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was challenged for including a same-sex character.
Not a high school book but it is available on MPS Elementary
News 9 • 27 • 2019 Lindzey James Staff Reporter Books are a way of life. People can imagine themselves as characters and live inside the story. People can learn new things about topics that are intriguing, and people can become obsessed over story lines living inside a series. Books show a different perspective of life that without reading nobody would have a way to see. But sometimes individuals want to challenge what is on the library shelf or taught in public school classrooms, and Banned Books Week brings attention to titles that have been challenged over time. Librarian Jennifer Prasch is familiar with book challenges. She says that common reasons why books are challenged are for offensive or sensitive topics, which are based in political, sexual, racial and religious reasoning. “Being quiet about something is not the way to learn,” Prasch said. “The only way someone is going to know anything is by learning about it,” she said. Prasch said she believes that books being banned is not the way to go and that “people need to stay open minded about books even if they don’t like it.” While some books are not for everyone, everyone does have a choice what books they read, and Banned Books Week celebrates the right to read. The American Library Association (ALA) promotes one week a year to reading books that have been banned in other areas around the world to show that people have the choice to read what they want. Every year ALA has a new slogan to relate what they believe to what is happening with banning books and this year the slogan is “Censorship leaves us in the dark, keep the lights on.” This year’s slogan is to promote that censoring what books people can and cannot read is not going to help people learn about anything, by keeping the lights on people can learn freely about that they what they want when they want to. Banned books week ends today. Prasch hosted book talks about censorship and about how books today are still being banned and what types of books are being banned. Activities in the library included a photo booth, coloring sheets, and daily drawings for prizes and gift cards.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Banned, challenged, and restricted for addressing teen suicide.
0 of 3 copies available now in MSHS library.
Banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, gambling, and underage drinking, and for its religious viewpoint. 3 of 5 copies available now in MSHS library.
Source: American Library Association
parking passes cause uproar CMS English teacher translates to Spanish Red cipal Geerts said. Brianna Strudthoff Sydney Mejia Staff Reporter If you were a Central Middle School student you might remember Mrs. Moucka as your seventh grade English teacher. Now you can find her around Millard South as one of the new open level Spanish teachers. She says she enjoys being here and is looking forward to the new year. The jump from middle school to high school teaching was something that she said she wanted to do. “Besides from wanting to switch content...I was excited to work with students who were thinking a little bit more about their future,” Moucka said. Most of her students are new to the language and that is something she said she likes. She can share her love of speaking Spanish and make it something fun. “I really like how for the
majority of students it is something totally new, so they are learning something that they haven’t learned before,” Moucka said. There are challenges, including the part of making it fun and the longer class periods. The language is meant to be active and she said she wants her students to want to learn it despite the challenge. She said she has seen change since graduating in 2002, and Spanish teacher Cassi Moucka helps now some of her junior Hailey Edwards with a ser and estar former students are verb practice in class. Photo by Lindzey around. James “I loved seeing “She makes Spanish familiar faces when I walked in easier by breaking everything on the first day,” Moucka said. down and doing activities like Her previous students Kahoot with us,” sophomore also enjoy learning a different Tyler Purcell said. subject from her.
Staff Reporter New drivers or those late to pay for a parking permit will find themselves walking from the Buell lot. “We have stopped selling blue passes,” said Assistant Principal Matt Geerts. “I got a red pass,” senior Connor Spencer said. “This system is fine but the execution of passes was bad.” With no knowledge of the red blue pass system, Spencer didn’t have the money to pay for a pass on orientation day. This resulted in him receiving a red pass when he finally paid for his pass. The school has four lots; East lot (Main lot), West lot, South lot, and Buell lot. For all but the Buell lot, you need a blue pass. Blue passes were sold at a first-come, first-served basis at orientation, designated by alphabet and not grade. The number of blue passes sold was “enough to cover the lot based on absences,” Assistant Prin-
The Buell lot is 1050 feet further away. Research conducted by MSH Common Sense shows that it takes 5 minutes to walk from the Buell lot to the front doors, though students who park there say otherwise. “It is like an 8-9 minute walk, Spencer said, “but with the snow it’s like a 12-13 minute walk because it’s slippery,” he said. At this time all blue passes are sold out. However, they are looking at moving over some people from the red lot to the blue lot. They hope to start the process soon. This year is the pilot year of the new parking pass system. Although many students had complaints, the system brought less illegal parking. It has also lessened the hassle of showing up at 7:45-7:55 and not finding a spot. Even towards 8 a.m. there are a handful of spots left. The school plans to keep the parking system with a few modifications next year. “As with anything we will always re-evaluate for the next year,” Geerts said.
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Features 9 • 27 • 2019
Young artist finds her style
Santiago Lara Staff Reporter
However, she says was not always proud of her work, which is an obstacle many tend to struggle with in their journey to become an artist. “In middle school, I was insecure about my art,” Washington said. “But I knew that if I stopped, the built up energy would be used in a negative manner;
A fan of using watercolor and micron pens to sculpt her astonishing pieces, senior Gabrielle Washington started working on art as an outlet for pent up aggressive energy at a young age.
Archetype: a small coffee shop with a big difference
Cool beans
Art by Sean Burton
Senior Gabriella Washington, illustrating a hawk in drawing class. Photo by Santiago Lara
I spent so much time comparing my work to the people I looked up to that it was no longer fun. So I stopped trying to find my style and just doodled. Soon enough, my style came to me the more I doodled.” Washington describes her style as cartoony details jam packed in vibrant colors, making sure to use every inch of her canvas, be it one large, beautiful dragon or a hundred tiny monkeys. No portion is left bare, as evidenced by the many drawings in her three notebooks filled with her artwork. Her pieces are sometimes inspired by everyday things turned abstract with fanciful twists. Over the summer, she and a few other members of the Kent Bellows Mentoring Program, an organization dedicated to the artistic growth of all who are admitted, spray painted the grain silos near south 35th Street. They collabo-
Art by Sean Burton
Edith Hickman roasted locally Features Editor at a place on 13th Street. Blackstone is known for its slew of small The business owners. From Coneflower Creamery method they to Scriptown Brewery, these establishments use to roast stem from a single ideal or notion. For the them takes a a monthly feature area’s local coffee shop, Archetype coffee, lot of time and that ideal was a productive, sustainable cafe. care. Owner Isaiah Sheese said he wanted to “They’ll do a sample roast on a small scale pursue his love of coffee, but in a way that to make sure it’s good, and then they’ll do it benefited the suppliers as well. The relationon a larger scale,” said employee John. After ship between the coffeehouse and the local the roasting process is done, the beans still Latin American farmers is a lot more personal have to sit out for at least a week to allow than those between commercial producers. the carbon dioxide to release. According to Having personally visited some patron Brian Langbehn, owner of his suppliers in Colombia, of Coneflower Creamery across Sheese and his employees strive the street, this gives their coffee a to transform the way business is particular flavor. done. “It might be a little bitter, but it Another reason for this also has a great floral flavor,” Langno-middle-man philosophy is to behn said. ensure a better quality of life for The coffeehouse itself the farmers. Instead of pursuing boasts a mellow atmosphere and a a more lucrative product like rustic aesthetic. The menu is pretty opioids, Archetype gives farmsimplistic, but with all the fixin’s; ers an opportunity to continue lattes, drips, chais. Archetype even their work in the coffee bean Photo by Edith Hickman sells their own line of coffee beans. trade. “The kind we sell in house is a Philosophy aside, the main specific kind; (and) the bag will say feature of Archetype is, of course, the coffee. where the beans are from and the farmer,” The bean roast is lighter than you might John said. find at a commercial cafe. This is because The personal touch they add to their the beans, which get delivered to Archetype products just goes to show the ideals conin burlap sacks when they’re still green, are ceived and upheld at Archetype coffee.
Patriot Pets
Want to see your pet featured here? Email pwinchester180@miillardps.org along with a picture and a description of your pet.
Tank
Tank is a 3 year old Pit Bull that loves being outside and belongs to Angela Behrens
Leo
Leo is a 3 year old American Eskimo and Australian Shepherd mix that belongs to Carly Barkus
rated to create colorful murals upon the long bare silos. In the near future, the Kent Bellows Mentoring Program will have a whole new project for her and all its participants. It was here where she made her favorite piece of art which she has since sold. It depicted a peacock, its tail opening up revealing that its feathers were made of various other doodles. Her advice to aspiring artists like herself is that you shouldn’t always compare your work to professionals as you may confuse difference to inferiority. Everyone has a different style and that you shouldn’t strive to replicate. Keep your old drawings to watch the progress you have made. “And always remember that you should always make art for fun. Never do it to please anyone but yourself… unless it is a commission,” Washington said.
Leslie Chavez competes in the Fiestas Patrias Omaha Pageant Paige Winchester whole competition. Staff Reporter “This year was my first year competing, and I will definitely Winning second place and consider doing it again next year,” competing for the first time this year, Chavez said. sophomore Leslie Chaves partici But alongside the pageant, pated in the Fiestas Patrias Omaha there is also a parade and carnival Pageant. days that go along with the celebra This is an event for Mexico’s tion of Mexico’s Independence day. Independence Day which is on The parade is held on the 14th, and September 16th, but very often con- the carnival days that are during the fused with Cinco de Mayo, which is 14th and 15th. the 5th of May that is concentrated “I’m more excited about on the Victory over the French forces the parade because I can see other of Napoleon III, May 5th, 1862. people,” Chavez said. The pageant that Chavez The parade is held in South Omaha competed in started having their and happens during the afternoon. training done on Aug.11. Fiestas PaMainly stores and businesses that trias Omaha is an annual pageant in run in South Omaha promote their South Omaha where mainly Mexican work. There are Mexican bands that girls from ages 7-19 can participate. On the first day pictures are taken and are separated into 3 categories, from ages 7-10, 1114, and the Queens that are the ages of 15-19. For the next few weeks, on Sundays, practices were held in a downtown building called the AIM to teach the candidates how to walk, sit, stand, and speak confidently in front of large crowds. “I enjoyed learning how to sit with my back straight and how to be confident in a crowd of 300 people, which I wasn’t able to do before,” Chavez said. The final was held on the 13th of September, and considering how many points the canLeslie Chavez is in her final stage of the didates got, and by the judges competition. Where she shows off her choice, the Princesa and Reina confidence and pride to the judges. are chosen and are rewarded Photo courtesy of Leslie Chavez. with a crown. “There’s a whole point system play their music all throughout the to how you get chosen, points are parade and fun performers that harder to get than others,” Chavez make an appearance during it. said. The last and final event that To get points, you have to athappens is the carnival days, the tend the practices, and they judge carnival days happen all day and is you on the speech that you give dur- a big deal. This carnival are full of ing the semifinal, your posture, how all of our favorite and classic rides, confident you speak, your makeup, they serve a variety of tacos, other and your outfit. A whole series of Mexican foods and desserts. events happen and you are scored “The last time I went to the based on how well you do in each of carnival days was about 2 years ago, those events, for example, you are but I will be looking forward to gojudged on how loud and proud you ing again this year,” said Chavez speak during your speech and your focus on other people during the
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Opinion 9 • 27 • 2019
Millard South High School: Parking Not Included
Staff Editorial: Going into orientation this year, many were surprised and somewhat alarmed that parking passes from last year that had applied to all parking lots equally had been changed so that if you received a blue pass, you could choose from the Main, South, and West lots. However, upon finding out that if you received a red pass, you would have to park in the East Buell lot, many students reacted with anger. This parking policy has good intentions, making it so that if you bought a pass early on, you would be guaranteed a blue pass. Once the blue passes were all sold, those just receiving their licenses and cars would get red passes, limiting the number of sophomores filling up previously open spots once they start driving to school later in the year, which is the usual parking complaint. For right now, though, complaints come in the form of whether or not you got a blue pass and whether you truly have a spot reserved for you since parking is always oversold. Blue passes have already sold out, far earlier than they did last year, meaning that if everyone who bought a pass drove to school, the lot would very well be packed. But not everyone who has bought a blue pass is driving, and there are always sick students and seniors with off blocks, in addition to those not driving yet who bought a blue pass. While there are open spaces now, this will change later. The new policy works well to give current drivers an advantage, but more could be done. For instance, when a student buys a parking
Art by Sean Burton
pass, he or she could be required to show either a school permit or a driver’s license. This would ween out the ones without them who are buying the pass for their own advantage later. Another solution could be a period of time, such as two weeks after orientation, where passes are sold only to juniors and seniors. Sophomores would then be forced to wait, and
while they’d still get their pass, it would enable upperclassmen to not have to worry as much that they won’t get that coveted blue pass if they were unable to afford one the day of their scheduled orientation time. Either way, administration is on the right track, with underclassmen classes, as well as the current middle school classes,
being some of the largest in recent history. But with only around 850 total parking spots and over 2,400 students, we’re all going to have to make some sacrifices to make sure that the parking lots don’t turn into a battleground just to park your car.
Germany’s public transportation makes ours look messy This past summer, me and 21 other Millard South students flew an egregiously long time across a seemingly endless ocean to visit a country that, after 12 days of exploring, seemed a lot more like the U.S. than not. They drive on the same side of the road, watch Das Supertalent (America’s Got Talent but 100x more German and 200x more interesting), and love french fries. There’s an abundance of similarities, but where we’re different, we’re really different. In major cities in Germany, like Berlin and Dortmund (where we stayed), owning a personal car to get around is a luxury that doesn’t make much sense. You can get pretty much everywhere with public transportation at pretty much any time, whether it’s the U-Bahn (underground railway), the S-Bahn (city rapid railway), the extensively developed bus system, a taxi, or if somehow none of these options are available, a ride sharing app like Uber. Public transportation in Germany is simple, accessible, fast, and as a result of these qualities, widely used, while here in Omaha, it’s the complete opposite. Besides taxis/ride-sharing apps,
Omaha’s Metro bus system stands alone in of 2018, only 4.1% of Omaha commuters providing transportation around the city. use alternative forms of transportation This system, in its current state, simply (Riding the bus, walking, biking, etc.) and cannot keep up with the area’s seemingly there’s a clear reason why. Without better, constant westward expanmore time efficient access, sion. it’s almost impossible to Thankfully, beginwholly rely on exclusively ning in April of 2020, public transportation to Omaha Rapid Bus Transit navigate the city. (ORBT), a private contrac But how can Omaha tor that was employed by address its dependency Omaha Metro, will open on cars for our daily comup 24 new bus stops along muting? The ORBT system Dodge Street. Starting alone should increase from Westroads and endriders, and if it works efing near the Old Market, fectively, it could inspire the ORBT bus system is Omaha to expand the bus designed to stop fewer system even further. CurJake Snelling times than a regular metro rently, to travel daily by News Editor bus and ultimately speed only riding the bus whilst up the transportation proliving in Millard would be cess in some of the busiest nearly impossible, unless parts of Omaha. This new bus system is you want to be home before 7 everyday certainly a step in the right direction, but and walk several blocks (depending on it doesn’t create any unique routes or where you live). More bus investments longer operating schedules for the regular would be nice, but ultimately, even with metro. major changes, why would you want to According to the Census Bureau, as travel by bus everyday when gas is cheap
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.
and getting places by car is easy? Disagreeing with that is certainly hard, but if you’re looking to be more environmentally conscious or spend considerably less money, changing how you travel is huge. According to the American Public Transportation Association, using public transportation rather than driving can save up to $9,738, and lower your carbon footprint significantly, by around 4,800 pounds of carbon per year if your daily commute is about 20 minutes round trip. In our current world, where climate change is a relentlessly present threat and environmental disasters are far more common around the U.S., and as we saw last year with the floods, Nebraska, we need to be looking at ways to reduce our footprint. Our carbon-fuel based methods of transportation have made the transportation sector the highest greenhouse gas emitting economic sector at 29% as according to the EPA, and that’s certainly not going to go down without more cities prioritizing public transportation and more people ditching their car for the bus.
Editor-in-Chief Isabel Robb
Cartoonist Sean Burton
News Editor Jake Snelling
Chief Graphic Designer Joscelyn Hynes
Features Editor Edith Hickman
Copy Editors Sydney Mejia Sydney McDermott
Sports Editor Dillon Pelster Asst. Sports Editor Joey Kirkle Opinions Editor Carson O’Connor Entertainment Editor Halle Benson Social Media Editor Hailee Wakefield
Distribution Manager Paige Winchester Advertising Manager Sydney Roberts Staff Secretary Lindzey James
Staff Reporters Cameron Frost Joey Kaipust Santiago Lara Maddy Leland Cameron Merritt Hailee Wakefield Recruitment Lindzey James Hailee Wakefield Social Event Coordinators Chelsea Molina Brianna Strudthoff Adviser Christine Kaldahl
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Entertainment 9 • 27 • 2019
IT will always come back to haunt you Halle Benson Entertainment Editor Nothing is scarier than a giant Paul Bunyan chasing after you in a park when you are 13 years old. It and It Chapter 2 director, Andy Muschietti, has once again done an amazing job with the second part to Stephen King’s iconic novel. There will be spoilers from the two movies and the book, so please read at your own risk. It Chapter 2 begins with a horrific scene in Derry, Maine, at a carnival. That scene was one of the hardest things to watch on the large screen. It was bad enough to watch Henry Bowers (Nicolas Hamilton) carve the letter “H” into Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor) in the first movie, but a group of bullies beating up two gay men is just heartbreaking. The next couple of scenes begin with all of the adult actors getting a phone call from Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa). I wish we could have seen more of their lives as an adult like the book, but the movie was already running for almost three hours. Not going to lie, I cried watching Stan end his life. The letter he gave to all of the Losers didn’t help either. I
was bawling by then. One thing I did notice right away is that they changed Richie’s profession to fit better with the current time. In the book, Richie is a radio show host, and in the movie, Richie is a comedian. I didn’t mind the change they made to Richie’s job, I mean, it does fit better for his adult actor (Bill Hader) since he is a comedian in real life. One of the things I was the most excited about is the new scenes with the kids. In the first movie we missed out on the kids playing around in the tree house and the arcade. Not only did we get both the tree house and arcade, we got to see some more of the character’s fears from when they were children. Another thing It Chapter 2 changed is the Ritual of Chϋd. In the book, the kids and adults do the ritual, while in the movie, they only do the ritual as adults.
Doctor Sleep King’s throne continues to grow Carson O’Connor Opinion Editor “Doctor Sleep” is the sequel to one of Stephen King’s earliest and most highly regarded books, “The Shining”, and although it is a starkly different story, it is a satisfying continuation of the saga. Stephen King is one of the most widely read American fiction writers and has a knack for crafting brilliant, bone chilling stories. With the success of the recent “IT” adaptation, a torrent of new movies based on his classic stories are in the works. The “Doctor Sleep” movie will be released on Nov. 8th. King is the most adapted living author, and many of these movies are highly acclaimed. Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” is one of the most famous adaptations, but King is critical of the picture. He’s quoted as saying “It’s like a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it.” He specifically criticizes the portrait of Jack Torrance as portrayed by Jack Nicholson. The character in the book, a writer struggling with alcoholism, is somewhat a reflection of King himself. Torrance’s slow descent into insanity culminating with a relapse may have personal meaning to him. King had issues with substance abuse in the past, but he has been sober since the late 1980s. “Doctor Sleep” revolves around the life of Jack’s psychic son Danny. Now an adult, he struggles with the same demons that plagued his father. Documenting the horrors of the human condition, such as addiction and child abuse, is one of King’s strongest suits. He is a brilliant wordsmith who can write about ordinary events in a way that captures a reader’s attention. King seems to have the ability to crawl into the minds of all different types of characters, exposing the realities of their lives, while making them endearing to readers. Danny enters a downward spiral of debauchery and his psychic ‘shine’ dwindles, while on the other side of the country a prodigious young girl named Abra comes to grips with her own powers, which far exceed the strength of even a young Danny’s abilities. All the action is confined to the haunted Overlook Hotel in “The Shining”, but Doctor Sleep’s story spans the whole United States. A traveling gang of immortality seekers serve as the antagonists. King is able to combine the internal struggles and psychological horror of the original with more action and broader worldbuilding. The “Doctor Sleep” book was released on Sept. 23, 2013, 26 years after the release of the original, and is the next King novel in line to hit the big screen. If the picture is able to capture the excitement and suspense of the novel, it is sure to be the next in the string of successful King thrillers.
Now for the big topic everyone has been waiting for: Reddie. If you don’t know, Reddie is the “ship” name of the two characters Richie and Eddie. When the 2017 movie came out, fans of the movie began to ship the two characters together. I’m not opposed to shipping them, the movie made the two characters bicker a lot more than they did in the book, so it made sense that in the second more they would push the fact that Richie had a crush on Eddie. Sadly, Richie never got to confess his feelings for Eddie with him dying in one of the very last scenes of the movie. That is another difference in the movie. Eddie died after Pennywise took one of his spider legs and stabbed him through the stomach. In the book, Eddie got his right arm ripped off his body. Either way, I cried when he died. One thing I did notice they did in the
movie is how different Pennywise is compared to the book. For example, did you know that Pennywise is technically a female? It is seen in the book that Pennywise lays a bunch of eggs in the sewers, but none of that was shown in the movie. They did keep Pennywise as the giant spider creature at the end of the movie, and I didn’t think that would scare me as much as it did. The casting for It Chapter 2 is the most phenomenal thing ever. My favorite kid to adult casting is for Eddie Kaspbrak, who is played by Jack Dylan Grazer and James Ransone. There were so many moments in the film where you could see Ransone’s version of Eddie act just like Grazer’s version of Eddie. Their acting was spot on. Another casting I really like for the movie is Stanley Uris, who is played by Wyatt Oleff and Andy Bean. They look almost identical. Don’t worry, this isn’t the end of It. In recent interviews for It Chapter 2, Andy Muschietti has said to do a supercut of the It movies. That means he is going to combine both It and It Chapter 2 into one movie, put all of the extra scenes back into the movies, and possibly film more. The final cut could end up being over eight hours long. However long the supercut of the movie is, I am going to sit through every last minute of it.
A killer game of hide and seek Ready or Not comes to get you Sydney McDermott Copy Editor Ready or Not is a movie that will forever make viewers think of the innocent game of hide and seek differently. The movie is full of gory, creepy graphics that will make stomachs churn. Ready or Not contains all the genres in one movie: comedy, horror, love, action, and mystery. The director of Ready or Not, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, has also directed horror movies such as V/H/S, Devil’s Dye, and Southbound. The film starts off with a happy couple who viewers get to know as Grace and Alex, who are about to get married. Grace (Samara Weaving) had a rough home life, consisting of multiple foster care families. This lead to her desperately wanting to have one family who will always be there for her. Her fiance, Alex le Domas (Mark O’Brien) is a part of the le Domas dynasty which is known for making board games. Viewers get to witness the adorable love flowing between the two characters. I really enjoyed getting to see the lovebirds interact with one another and how well the actors were able to show that emotion. You could totally tell these two genuinely loved one another and we’re ready for the next chapter of their lives together. Before the wedding starts, movie goers get to meet some quirky family members of the le Domas family such as Tony, the overbearing father; Becky, the protective mom; Helene, the scary aunt; Daniel, the best big brother; and Emilie, the ditzy sister. Spectators also get to meet Charity, the gold digging wife to Daniel, and Fitch, the husband to Emilie who is the character that is known for being used as the comedic relief. My personal favorite was Daniel because he was kind to everyone around him while still displaying his “I don’t really care about anyone” front. When in reality, that’s not true because he
loves his little brother and always looks out for him. Another character that stands out is Becky because she radiates such confidence and power that makes everyone knows she is the boss. Around midnight, the whole family meets downstairs as Tony explains to Grace the past of the le Domas family and how his grandfather Victor made a deal with Mr. Le Bail. He explains that someone must play a game in order to be a
part of the family, and it must be a random game. Grace grabs a box that will randomize the game cards, she pushes some buttons and a card is chosen. The card reads “Hide and Seek.” Tony explains to Grace that she will get 100 seconds to run and hide. Tony starts to hand out weapons as the audience starts to realize that this version of Hide and Seek is a very serious game that results in death. Grace is still looking for a hiding spot, when she watches as Emilie kills a maid. This is where the gory details come to play, as you get to witness the murder and see the gruesome killing. Viewers get to see as the bullet goes straight through the maid’s eye while blood is gushing down her face. The le
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Domas family yell at Emilie for killing a maid when she was supposed to hurt Grace. Horrified, Grace starts to run away at the same time Alex finds her. He grabs Grace and hides in the maid’s quarters as he explains to Grace that the family believes that if they don’t catch Grace and do the ritual then the whole le Domas empire will die. As Grace runs away, viewers get to see Fitch struggle to work his weapon, a crossbow. It finds him in a bathroom watching YouTube tutorials on how to operate the weapon. Fitch is so easily distracted by the videos, he does not see Grace escape through the window. As another maid tries to tell the family where Grace is, Emilie kills her via crossbow. The crossbow goes straight through the neck of the maid, killing her slowly. Movie goers get to see the maid struggling to breathe while she slowly suffocates on her own blood until Helene shoots her. This idea of a killer hide and seek game is so farfetched, it is interesting to see how the events would take place. While the movie was not a scary one, it definitely had its jump scares to keep me on my toes. There were multiple scenes where no one could tell what would come next, which I enjoyed immensely. And while the movie definitely contains interesting scenes, it has its boring ones too. There are a good chunk of scenes that seem either repetitive or unnecessary to the plot. But the movie makes up for it with action scenes such as fight scenes, car crashes, and kidnappings. One thing this movie does well is incorporating all of the elements of hide and seek into the movie. As the movie continues, viewers get to see the heart wrenching decision that leads to a twist no one saw coming. In my opinion, this movie is definitely worth a watch.
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Sports 9 • 27 • 2019
A season full of high expectations
taken every day that we are going to dominate can be seen at all every snap,” Urban said. levels of this year’s And that’s exactly what they varsity team. With a did to start off. The game began complicated zone with the Patriots stopping the read option concept Wildcats, and then Urban ran the mixed with a spread ball in for a touchdown. It was offensive look, these the perfect start for the Patriots, Patriots players know ending the first quarter leading the challenge it week 7-0. in and week out to The second quarter wasn’t strive for perfection, quite what Millard South wanted, or at least a stellar as the Wildcats bounced back to level of play. When perfection. Senior quarterback this offense is at its Tristan Gomez had an excellent best, all of the play game, both running and passing. makers are getting While the pass play wasn’t very involved. The bread present in the game, it came up and butter for the big when it needed to. Gomez Pats is to ground had numerous first down runs, and pound, running many coming up in big mothe ball through the ments. Running backs Dan Sulteeth of the defense, livan and Ethan Valencia also had imposing their will great games, making up a huge on every snap. The part of the West offense. After a ground attack is feastrong end to the half by Millard tured prominently West, the Wildcats took the lead, by running back 14-7. Isaiah Harris with Needing a bit of a revival his flashy speed, his in the second half, the Patriots acceleration through looked to score quickly and get the gap, his ability to themselves back in the game. explode off cuts, and The Patriots looked better than his ability to make they did in the second quarter, Isaiah Harris finds the open field for a big run against Millard West. Harris finished the game with 57 rushing yards and one something out of but were only able to add on receiving touchdown. Photo by Joscelyn Hynes nothing. Harris says another 7 points, as Urban threw one of his biggest a touchdown pass to Harris (Har Dillon Pelster and Joey Kirkle manding 27-0 win the previous group had been daunting the improvements this year has been ris’s tenth total touchdown of the Sports Editors year, it was evident from the first opening weeks, flying to the ball, “becoming a better leader honseason). The Wildcats retaliated play from scrimmage that Millard using their speed and athleticism estly. That’s probably the with a touchdown of their own South was looking to do even to overwhelm opponents in the but were unable After quarter final appearworse damage this time around. process. By the to make the PAT. ances in back to back years, the They indeed did as the route was end of the game, Fortunately for expectation surrounding this on by the end of the opening Millard South the Wildcats, year’s football squad was a shot quarter as the Patriots nearly had put together they were able to finally bring a state champion- matched their 27-0 win from the yet another to take advanship to Millard South for the first year before. dominating tage of a bad time in 10 years. After grueling The following week, it was performance, snap and force summer workouts every mornthe same Patriots that excited winning by a a safety. After a ing beginning at the crack of fans from their dominant perforfinal score of 44relatively even dawn to long film studies and mance to open up the season. 7. quarter, the practices, this team knows that With a swarming defense and a This Patriot Wildcats led their hard work is not done, rath- lethal ground attack, the Patriots team hasd been 22-14 with one er it is just beginning for them to punished Lincoln Pius in a comwidely viewed as quarter to go. discover their true potential and manding victory to push them to a championship With a lot reach their end goal of a champi- a 2-0 start, outscoring their oplevel team after of hope to get onship. ponents by 85 points throughout 3 great wins to their first victory “I think our work ethic is way the first two weeks. start the year off. against the Wildbetter than past years,” junior Week 3 of the season “There is a cats since 2011, Tate Hinrichs said. “We worked brought Millard South’s first test lot to live up to the Patriots were way harder in the off season and against rival opponent Millard but we have put going to put it seem way more focused on our North. Despite two tough losses in all the hard all on the line end goal. We are way stronger in a row for the Mustangs, they work and know in the fourth and faster than we were last year were known as a very competiwhat it is going quarter. as well and that has made us all tive team that could give them to take to get to Unfortubetter as a team.” trouble if they weren’t prepared where we want nately, multiple From the opening snap of for their best shot. The Patrito be,” TJ Urban penalties and South receiver Antrell Taylor prepares a big juke move to avoid the the season, the hype surroundots came out firing, looking to said. Lincoln Pius X defender. Taylor leads the team with 264 receiving yards a turnover ing this program was real. For pummel MN, and did just that. It With the prevented the as well as touchdowns with 3. Photo by Josh Ferdico the second consecutive year, took 3 games for the Patriots first elite quarterPatriots from the Patriots would open up the team defense to surrender their back-running putting any season with Gretna. After a comfirst touchdown of the year. This back duo, the biggest thing I’ve improved on,” points on the board at the end. team possesses, Millard The Wildcats, on the other South has gained 934 yards he said. His ability to carry his squad hand, were able to make a field on the ground through 3 and put the team on his back has goal to give them the 25-14 lead, weeks in help because of been noticeable to say the least. and ultimately, the win. It was a a great offensive line that All of this hype led up to what is rough ending for Millard South has become a cohesive possibly the biggest game of the in a game that was full of hope, unit and a cognitive for the regular season for the Patriots: but there is still plenty of season Patriot offense. The core of The Battle of Q Street vs Millard left. this offensive line, led by West. The Patriots were on a There is no denying that Kohl Herbolsheimer, Beau mission, and that was to defeat this is one of the most talented Wendt, Jake Mayville, Dathe Wildcats for the first time in teams in the state. They have a vid Braun, Jack Nickolisen, eight years. To increase motivagreat dual-threat quarterback, Dexter Smith, and Tyson an excellent running back, very King, has been together for tion, Millard South had the 2009 state champion football team to good receivers and a scary offena long time now, and it is support them, celebrating their sive line and defense. This team part of the reason why the 10 year anniversary of winning it is going to put in more work group is so successful. all. Needless to say, there was a than ever, and they hope to play “We have played with lot riding behind this game, and Millard West again in the postone another for so many South was ready to take it on. season. It doesn’t matter what years and the accountabilWith two straight rivalry the result was last week, they still ity is just way better,” senior games, it was definitely imporhave one ultimate goal: The State Jake Melville said. We also tant to get momentum early Championship. have speed and size now, TJ Urban gets the throw off while facing heavy pressure from the Millard West on. not just size,” he said. defender. Urban went 6 for 11 with 76 passing yards, throwing one touchdown “It’s important to stay The accountability and while also rushing for another. Photo by Josh Ferdico humble but keep the mindset professional approach
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Sports 9 • 27 • 2019
Patriot wrestlers compete overseas Grace Hansen upcoming high school season. Staff Reporter This summer in Akron, Ohio, junior Conor Knopick placed first in his weight From competing around the nation class at qualifiers and made the Greco to competing around the world, 6 memWorld team. The world tournament for bers of the Millard South wrestling team Knopick did not go exactly as planned competed against some of the most but he says that one thing he overcame outstanding high school wrestlers out there this summer. Now ranked the #1 high school wrestler in the world for Greco-Roman at 68 kg, sophomore Tyler Antoniak achieved some of his biggest goals in his wrestling career. Antoniak made the U15 World Combat Games by placing first at the qualiJunior Conor Knopick with a look of determination on his face as fier that was held he competes in Sofia, Bulgaria, this summer for the USA Cadet in Papillion, then World Team. Along with competing for Team USA, Knopick was he traveled to Bunamed the most outsanding wrestler at the qualifying tournament dapest, Hungary, in Akron, Ohio. and took home the Photo courtesy of Conor Knopick gold for team USA. “I was motivated by my friends and family and it was excit- was the struggle with believing in himing being the only kid from Nebraska to self. win a gold medal,” Antoniak said. “Believing in yourself is always a Along with Antoniak was sophohard one for a lot of people and being more Antrell Taylor. Taylor plays wide able to go out on the mat and not be receiver for the football team but that’s scared to win or lose is the best possible not all he is known for. Over the summer thing you can do; you just have to go out Taylor, known by most as “Trelly”, won there and wrestle,” Knopick said. the silver medal for team USA in Budapest. According to Taylor, some of the biggest struggles he faced was getting second place at some of the bigger tournaments but that is what he believes will motivate him for this
Freshman Joel Adams defeats Alghamdi Abulaziz of Saudi Arabia in the Bronze medal match at the U15 World Combat Games in Bulgaria, Hungary, this summer. Photo courtesy of Joel Adams
The final wrestler to compete in a world tournament over the summer was freshman Joel Adams. Along with Antoniak, Taylor and Knopick, Adams traveled to Budapest, bringing home the bronze medal for team USA. Adams says his biggest struggle in preparation for worlds was cutting weight. “Nobody likes it, but you gotta do your part and make sacrifices. I am my biggest fan, mentor, coach and my biggest fear,” Adams said. This upcoming season Adams will be wrestling as a part of the Millard South wrestling team and he said he is definitely looking forward to building relationships with his teammates and his coaches as well. On the national side of summer wrestling, Isaac Trumble and Caleb Coyle both became double All Americans at Junior NationJunior Caleb Coyle competes at Junior Nationals in Fargo, North als in Fargo, ND. Dakota this summer. Coyle placed 6th in Freestyle and 5th in Coyle placed 5th in Greco-Roman. Photo courtesy of Caleb Coyle. Greco-Roman and 6th in Freestyle while Trumble won only four matches and Trumble placed 3rd that is what helped to spark something in Greco-Roman and 4th in Freestyle. in him for this year’s tournament. The Coyle’s biggest motivation going into this tournament was the fact that he biggest goal Trumble said he has for this upcoming high school season is for the has lost 3 times in the heartbreak round, Patriots to be ranked top 20 nationally. which is the round before placing, and The wrestling season will start compethe was adamant to not let that happen ing in December. again. This tournament for Trumble was important as well. Last year at Fargo,
New bowling season starts for the forgotten sport Cameron Frost Staff Reporter
have one varsity team and two junior varsity teams who both go to competitions,” senior Colton Schmieding explains. “As of last year, var A Lot of people think of bowling as a casual sity bowled on Sundays and JV went Saturdays, sport–something you do on the weekends with and then come around early spring we have family or friends. Many think it’s something that state. Men’s teams are made up of 5 members would be fun if you get and women have 4 good at it but never give members. Practices I do think more people should are Thursdays from it a real chance to show its try bowling as a competitive worth as a sport. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Some students have optional on Sundays sport. decided to pursue bowlat 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 ing as a competitive sport p.m. until tournaments –Junior Ryan Manuel and have had a great start. Tournaments start time doing it. Junior Ryan about late September Manuel has been bowlearly October,” he said. ing ever since he was six years old and decided Both teams are coached by Rich Saighman more recently to pursue bowling competitively. with some assistance from other parent volun “I do think more people should try bowling teers. as a competitive sport,” Manuel said. The sport Since Millard West reserved Western Bowl doesn’t get enough attention as it should, and for their practices, the Millard South team goes it’s a slowly dying sport sadly. People always say to Mockingbird Lanes for practice. bowling is fun, but don’t do it competitively.’’ For tournaments, the team bowls against Millard South does offer an opportunity for a lot of different schools such as Millard West, competitive bowling. North Bend, Bellevue East, Bellevue West, and The season began earlier this month and Fremont. When the team travels for tournathe team is preparing for tryouts. ments, they have gone as far as North Bend. “The way our bowling team works is we
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Sports 9• 27 •2019
New generation of runners crosses the finish line Joey Kaipust Staff Reporter Sometimes teams have new coaches, and sometimes teams have a lot of new players, but every once in a while, both of these things happen at the same time. Head coach Jordan Fuglestad is starting his second season in the position. As such a new coach however, it isn’t all easy. “The most difficult part is getting the kids that were here already [before I was coach] to buy in to the things I want to do with the team,”
Fuglestad said. Coach Fuglestad isn’t the only fresh faces for the team, however. Of the 54 athletes on the team, 41 are underclassmen. This could be due to a number of different reasons. For example, one possible cause is the fact that Fuglestad teaches at Central Middle School. “Teaching at Central definitely helped me get more new freshmen to go out for the team,” he said. Freshman Zach Vanicek is one of many new runners to the team. “It’s cool because you have a lot of guys your age to compete with and push yourself against,” Vanicek said.
“We’re really looking
forward to developing depth on both teams. – Head Coach Jordan Fuglestad
Freshman Isaiah Rassmussen runs his first meet as a varsity athlete completing a 18:11 5k race at Walnut Grove Park. Photo by Bergan Simmonds
Sophomore Amanda Davis goes down the final stretch of her race, finishing with a 22:37 5k. Photo by Bergan Simmonds
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As Fuglestad says, this young team has its benefits and disadvantages. “The hardest part is building good running habits. The habits, good or bad, we build [in the underclassmen] will carry on until they’re seniors.” The young team does put a lot of stress on a coach, but it also allows for some really great things. “One benefit is you get to see the potential,” Fuglestad said. With such a large amount of freshmen and sophomores, the team has the ability to be very good in 2 or 3 years, and the future is looking bright. “Ideally in three years, it’s not a question if we make state,” Fuglestad said.