
12 minute read
Now or Never Nebraska football needs to start winning again
I understand that it’s just a sports team, but as a fan, Nebraska football plays a big role in my life. It’s something I don’t know if I could live without. Being a die-hard fan brings a lot of emotions. However, the fact of the matter is that Nebraska football is just not good at all in this new era of college football, and hasn’t been for some time. Winning now is a must for a program that is historically dominant in every aspect of the game.
This team has five claimed national titles (including six unclaimed), 46 conference titles, and they’ve won 26 bowl games. The 1971 and 1995 championship winning teams are considered among the best in the history of college football. This program obliterated the ‘90s, winning three of their five national championships with coach Osborne and players like Tommie Frazier, Ahman Green, Zach Wiegert, and Grant Wistrom. I say all of this because this is the identity of the Nebraska football program–an identity that the current team needs to find again. This is a team that was once a powerhouse not only on the plains, but nationally as well.
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The university is surrounded with plentiful advantages for the football program to succeed. The university most definitely has the money as well as the facilities for studentathletes and coaches. I think it comes down to having a mindset during a game. You must have the right mindset to win. Players have to
Mason Steinhoff StaffReporter
believe in themselves and their team. They have to tell themselves that they’re going to win, and not that they may lose. They have to remember that they have all the support that they could ever need from the fans who’ve sold out their team’s stadium 389 consecutive times. That should be used as continuous motivation.
Matt Rhule will soon enter his first season at the helm for the Huskers. I’ve gotten a good impression of him from what I’ve seen so far. He’s connecting with and exciting the fan base on social media, he’s done a great job with recruiting efforts, and he
Common Sense
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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 Unsigned letters will not be published.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.
speaks in an appealing way. He says it as it is. He doesn’t hold back on anything. Rhule has this archetype as a rebuilding type of coach. He took Temple and Baylor from winning only one and two games his first season all the way to 10 and 11 win seasons, and competing for conference championships in just a couple of years. For as much money as UNL gave Rhule to come to Nebraska, it just has to work out. No excuses if it doesn’t. I cannot wait to see what he does with this Nebraska program.
I want to see this team consistently win. I never got to see when Nebraska was truly an unstoppable force in football. You probably have never either. It’s been some time since that. This program needs to start winning again for the sake of their historical relevance in college football. It’s now or never.
Jamison Hanway
Mason Steinhoff
Adviser Christine Kaldahl mainly as one of the most critical moments of a person’s life. It’s the time in which you find the friends who you click with the most and you discover what you’re genuinely passionate about in your life. However, a lot of people, albeit not all, define it as the most important part of their life because of the impact it can have in defining themselves as a person. For me, over the last four years, I’ve come to realize that, though high school is truly important in shaping a person, it’s only a small, minuscule part of my life that will ultimately become unimportant in the future.
Arguably, when I first got into high school, I viewed it as the defining moment in my life. High school was presented to me in a way that said that how a person viewed me determined my value and worth. And being truthful, that thought instilled a harmful mindset that I’ve had to work incredibly hard to get rid of. Although working towards getting rid of that head space was not an easy feat, it was a long process that I did occasionally want to give up on,
While working towards getting rid of that way of thinking, it was affecting me greatly. I vividly remember my freshman year of high school being a struggle as I dealt with constantly comparing myself to other people while putting on a front that didn’t let people besides a few of my closest friends, see that side of me. It shrouded my freshman year in a disastrous light that created a lot of moments that I wish I could go back and redo. Based off of how my life was going at that point, I wasn’t even sure if I would ever be able to lose that mindset.
Yet, though this is not the case for many people, quarantine was there to help me out of that mindset during my sophomore year. I spent about the last quarter of my freshman year in online schooling as a result of COVID-19, but my entire sophomore year was spent doing online schooling in both the first and second semesters. Quarantine, though an effect of the devastating consequences of as it is one of the first ended up dressing This film will always watch. I always know of my life.
COVID-19, was a largely positive time for me. It was a time in which I didn’t have to worry about other people viewing me, and I could be left alone by myself to deal with the things that were causing the negativity in my life. It gave me a chance to be with my family more and connect with them on a deeper level, and it allowed me to address my problems head-on rather than constantly avoiding them like I typically would have. And, even now, I would say it largely was beneficial for me. It was the time in which I successfully got out of that mindset and found the little things that actually mattered to me in life and made me happy, such as taking care of plants. Surprisingly, I noticed that difference too when I returned in person to the school during my junior year. I viewed myself in a different way, and I no longer cared about the opinions of people I barely knew, unless it came to school work and other things of that matter. I taught myself to put my attention elsewhere, primarily in school. I started to actually focus on my schoolwork and take back control of what high school meant to me. And, the difference was astronomical looking back at in now. My grades were substantially better than any of my previous years in high school, and I was slowly reconnecting with the world around me. Junior year was the time in which I saw legitimate differences in myself as I grew as a person and matured more. It was the only time, besides quarantine of course, where I came to accept the fact that I’ve grown away from people I was once close with and that’s okay. That’s how life is–people come and go throughout your life even though it may be painful when it occurs. It’s the time in which I learned that life happens, and sometimes you just need to accept that and move on with your own life. Now, that brings me to my senior year of high school. Confidently, I can say I’m ready to move on from high school to college. I think I’ve had my fair share of high school experiences, and I’m excited to end on a good note. I’ve come a long way, and I’ve worked on myself as a person a lot. I’m now a substantially different person than I was my freshman year, but I consider that a good thing as it’s a result of the things I’ve actively worked towards. Do I have things I wished I did differently? Absolutely. Almost everyone does. Do I wish I would’ve reconnected with people more? Definitely, but sometimes you just gotta accept things don’t work out that way and it’s okay.

I’m happy to bid farewell to Millard South and move on to the next chapter of my life. I will remember it for the impact it has created in my life, but I definitely will not remember it as the most important thing in my life. I hope my fellow seniors are also excited to move on to the next chapter of their lives wherever they may go, and I bid Millard South my final goodbye.




The Worst Person




“The Worst Person writing this, but has about my future as understanding the own lives, and the what feels right. It Julie changes her and in the end, seems her bangs). It comforts the end” does. Things sort themselves out, hear that later on. screenplays ever.

Everyone has been looking forward to high school since they first enrolled in Kindergarten. When the nine years of lead up passes, high school itself goes by before you know it. These four years are some of the most transformative and adventurous of our entire lives, but if you don’t take advantage of them, you lose all of the benefits.


There are certain times when one can easily identify that the situation that they are in will become an amazing story to tell. I have had that experience multiple times in high school, and have found that the best times that I have had can all be told as an interesting story. Whether it’s intriguing breakups, fun nights out, or tomfoolery on a school trip, gathering stories to tell has been the best part of my high school experience.
In order to put myself in the best position possible to acquire as many stories as I could, I strived to involve myself in many different activities. I was in student council for my first three years, joined DECA not knowing what it was, and this year took a swing at being a journalist. Each of these clubs have given me a lifetime of stories to tell from Applebee’s nights with student council to becoming a world champion with DECA. Without these amazing organizations I would not have been able to have as much fun as I did.
Outside of school, gathering stories comes in the form of hanging out with friends. I realized late in my time in high school that the best way to have a good time is to just say yes. Of course that comes with limitations with the law as well as kindness, but if I was invited to go somewhere or do an activity, the best answer was always yes. The stories I have gained from simply saying yes to an invitation have been some of my favorites.
Ultimately, time in high school is limited. You only have four years to join clubs, hang out with friends, and gather stories, and it all goes by way too quickly. For me, nine years of lead up was totally worth it.

Over my years writing for the newspaper, I have primarily written movie reviews and have found a lot of joy in doing so. Throughout high school specifically, I have found a deep love for film and have seen hundreds of movies each year that have impacted my life, each in different ways. These films have meant a lot to me over the years and will probably continue to mean something different as the years go on. The five movies listed below are movies that are absolutely quintessential to me and are movies that are even more significant to me now that I am graduating high school.
Almost Famous (2000)

The first time I saw “Almost Famous” I declared it my favorite movie. For almost an entire summer at the age of twelve, I watched it at least once a week, replayed scenes, listened to the soundtrack on repeat, and most importantly, felt connected and inspired by a piece of media in a way I hadn’t ever before. “Almost Famous” could be described as the cheesiest movie of all time and I wouldn’t care. To me, the movie emits a feeling above all. It is something that is warm-hearted, uplifting, nostalgic, and is a beautiful picture of authentic humanity of a time decades before the movie’s release. That genuineness is in part to Cameron Crowe’s direction and story based on his real-life experiences, and larger-than-life performances given from every actor. William Miller’s goal of becoming a music journalist definitely stuck with me six years ago and may have a small role in my decision to pursue journalism. “Almost Famous” is in my eyes, a perfect ‘70s-set portrait of empathy that will have always inspired my career decisions, interest in film, and life in general.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
“When Harry Met Sally” is and will probably always be my #1 comfort movie. I had only seen it for the first time two years ago, and have watched it at least ten times since. Every line is a beautiful, quotable, smart, aheadof-its-time piece of writing. Not a single beat is missed. The movie moves at such an incredible pace and is still jammed to the brim with flawless scenes following flawless scenes. Every scene is the best scene. In fact, if you were to watch the movie with me, you would witness me mouthing the script or talking about how each and every scene is “quintessential” and is an incredible piece of filmmaking. What can I say? It is the definitive romcom. “When Harry Met Sally” also now has special significance in my life, first movies I bonded over with my boyfriend. It is one of his favorites too. We up as Harry and Sally for Halloween, which is a really happy memory of mine. always be a warm blanket for me when I am sad, stressed out, or unsure of what to know Harry and Sally have my back, especially as I enter a new, intimidating stage
In The World (2021)
Person In The World” came out only two years ago as of has already had a profound impact on the way I think as an adult. The movie has taught me a great deal about the relationships and friendships with others’ roles in our importance of choosing when to let go and choosing It is ok to not be sure. In the movie, the main character career at least five times, enters multiple relationships, seems to find peace and happiness, (all while growing out comforts me in the same way the saying “It’ll all work out in Things that often feel too much to even manage eventually out, and I feel like college freshman me might need to
The movie is beautifully crafted, moving, bittersweet, and has one of my favorite The film affecting me now at my young age speaks to how much this will most likely as I enter real adulthood.
True Stories (1986)
Out of all of my picks, this one might be the most unconventional in relating to my high school experience. “True Stories” is such a special, specific film that has over time become one of my favorite movies of all time. It has a weird, strangely comforting energy to it that can only exist in these eighty-nine minutes that take the viewer on a journey through a small town in Texas and its plethora of unique townsfolk. The film is directed by one of my favorite musicians, David Byrne, of Talking Heads fame, and is full of excellent Talking Heads songs that end up better after watching the movie somehow. I think what makes “True Stories” so special is its pure, authentic love it has for suburbanites of the ‘80s and its unbeatable sense of humor. It is an incredibly funny film that feels adjacent to so many modern “anti-comics” in its dryness and satirical nature. It is compassionate, colorful, and an all-around delight of a film that makes you take in the world around you with a sense of childlike wonder, a capability only Byrne could engage with on film. “True Stories” has felt like my home away from home ever since I first saw it, and has allowed me to really appreciate the absurdity and uniqueness of the human experience.
Lady Bird (2017)
“Lady Bird” will be the first movie I watch when I graduate high school. The movie follows a Californian high schooler named Christine, nicknamed “Lady Bird” navigating teenagehood and eventually leaving her home state to attend college in New York, all while managing a relationship with her strong-minded mother. I have yet to find a better depiction of girlhood, specifically set in the 2000s, than in “Lady Bird” and Greta Gerwig’s other directed and written films. “Lady Bird” has always said what I wanted to say and portrayed suburbia, middle-class life, friendships, relationships, and frustration in the most rewatchable, wonderful way possible. With every viewing, I find something more to appreciate about it. The film is effortlessly funny and sentimental. Watching it my senior year puts the movie in a much different perspective for me. I would watch “Lady Bird” my freshman year of high school repeatedly with graduation being an afterthought, seeming so far out of reach. I am now Lady Bird’s age, and although I am not flying to NYU, I am enduring her exact emotions, relating to her exact experiences, and handling life just as decently as she could.


