Common Sense Vol. 5 issue 7 April 15, 2005

Millard South High

Millard South High School

14905 QO St., Omaha, NE, 68137

Honor Band, String Olympics provide student musicians unique opportunities, performances

Volume: 5 Issue: 7 April 15, 2005

Mr. Millard South wows audience

* oateas their own music and practice on their FON own time. Many of the Millard South

The University of Nebraska at students chose to perform their solo/ Omaha has annually held two music ensemble projects that they had pracsessions for high school student musicians. The UNO Honor Band concert was held on Feb. 5", and the UNO String Olympics were heldonApril 2™. Both were held on the UNO campus.

The UNO Honor Band was made up ofhigh school band musicians from across thewhole Omaha area. The students chosen toparticipate in the concertwere recommended by theirmusic teachers. They were then sorted into two bands, one for seniors and one for underclassmen.

From there, the groups gathered atUNO topractice theirmusic on the evening of Feb. 4%, and the morming of Feb. 5%. The concert was held for friends and family that Saturday night.

The UNO String Olympics had a differentsetup. Millard South students signed up to participate through MSHS Orchestra director Michael Frey, though the olympics were open to orchestra students throughout the city. They then chose to perform either solos or ensembles.

The students had tocome up with

ticed and performed inclass. On April 9". thestudents performed theirpieces in front of judges, who awarded them grades between 1 and 3.

“Participating in the UNO music sessions help students with self-development intheir music,” Orchestra director Michael Frey said. “They get feedback from someone other than classmates and teachers.”

Some students have alternative reasons for participating in. the UNO music sessions.

“T decided to do string Oe becauseithelpedme earnletterpoints,” sophomore Sarah Muller said. vit also provided a new oa involving -_my hobby of music.”

Sophomore Kirsten Johnson agreed.

“I wanted toparticipateinthe honor band because it gave me a chance to spend more time playing music and doing what Ilove,”Johnson said. “Ihope to participate initagain

heer impressingShe. 2005 Mr.Millard

the title of Mr.Millard

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Popular food items to be pulled from c-store

FPS

vending machines next year

k= Jill Strominger

Managing Editor Editor

Starting next school year Millard schools will begin to enact a local wellness program thatwillforce significant changes insnacks inthe vending machines and c-store as well as the overall lunch program.

The move to force students to make healthy choices comes as a result of legislation recently passed by Congress: the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265: Section 204) requires each school district toimplementa local wellness policy by the start of the. 2006-2007 school year.

According to Congress,-at minimum.a wellness program isthreefold; it must include “goals for nutrition education, physical activity, andnutrition selected by the local educational agency for all foods available on each school campus; establish a plan for measuring the implementation of the local wellness policy; and involve parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the publicinthedevelopment oftheschool wellness policy.” The policy was motivated by theincreasing childhood obesityepidemic.

In response to this legislation, the Millard School District created an ad hoc committee to review the district’s food policiesand itadvised severaldras‘ticchanges bemade attheelementary, middle, and high school levels.

The first recommended change is that high schools imitate what is regarded as the “Central Middle School Model.” While Millard South already has a similar model in most respects, the “Central Middle School Model” requires students buy a meal before they may buy a la carte or snack items. Jim Stilwell of Aramark, who is in charge of the district’s lunch program, wrote the following response to this recommendation: “Itwould be nearly impossible to successfully implement. First of all, the students would simply boycott the program. Secondly, measures would have tobe put inplace todetermine whether or not a student in the c-store had purchased ameal.”

The other primary recommendation reads “Beginning with the 20052006 school year, all snacks in the high school convenience stores and allsnack vending machines will have no more than 30% ofcaloriesderived from fat.”

For Millard South, food that

would no longer be allowed would include Patriot Post cookies, c-store cookies, all chips except for the baked varieties, Cheez-its, Lunchables, Ritz Bitz, Oreos, Yogurt Nut Mix, and more.

“When I heard the recommendation, I walked through the c-store at SHS and realized that we were going to have to switch out nearly 80% of the snack products. We should expect some resistance and:a decrease in.a la carte sales. A la carte sales in the secondaries account for 31% of the department’s total sales,” Stilwell wrote.

Some items disallowed under the 30% of calories from fat rule, for example Sunflower seeds or Yogurt Nut Mix, still have nutritional value. “As a result, Stilwell said he will advise the school board to use calories from fat as a guideline, but to allow nutritionists to review the items the school sells and determine which foods have eR value and which do not.

“We understand the committee’s wishes, but we're a little confused at the committee’s recommendation. For example, under the 30% tule, we're not “allowed tosellsunflower seeds, but we are allowed to sell Skittles,” Stilwell said.

Although theboard has not made

*High-

43% lighted

47% foods in : the Cstore that meet the 30% or lessof calories from fat guideline 62% . a. 50%

the ad hoc committee’s recommendations policy yet, three of the school board members served on the ad hoc committee and need only one more vote to make it official

In order to appease potential student resistance of the program and continue to make a similar profit from food purchased at school, the district will have substitutes for some of the most popular foods. Otis Spunkmeyer, for example, has agreed to provide low-fat cookies to replace the current ones, and

ice-cream will still remain, only itwill be a lower-fat, healthier variety. Students can determine the percentage of calories from fat an item contains by viewing the label on the back of the snack and dividing the calories from fat by the total calories.

The 30% rule does not apply to concessions sold at athletic events because that is outside of school hours and the concession stand does not fall under the school lunch program.

South

with ee his musical abilities and his incites senior C.J Greco was awarded

South. “It feels like the feeling when you have new boxer briefs. At first, it’s

get used to it and it becomes a part of you,” said Greco. Senior Robbie Gordy was awarded First Runner-Up and senior Kyle Winter won Mr.Congeniality. Photo by Ashley Critser.

10®, and the cast list went up

CE Amy Brammer: Photo Editor eeof the school year approaches sodoes thelast performance oftheschool year for the Millard South drama department. This year that show is one of William Shakespeare’s comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing”. Auditions were March 9% and on the 11" before springbreak.

and Benedick. (junior Ben Klingemann) begin to fall in love despite theirperpetual battleofwits where theyswear tohate each other. The two plots come together with the duel between Benedick and Claudio. Further, there are the two comic localconstables Dogberry and Verges played byjuniorMarcus Benzyl and freshman Garrett Fangmeyer.

”

“Much Ado About Nothing” was written in 1598 and was firstperformed in 1600. The main. plot is the story of Claudio’s Gunior Ryan Dinning) courtship of Hero (seniorJessStopak) which isruinedby the intervention of Don John (junior Josh

Boie) and his scheming. The matter is complicated by the apparent death of Hero. Meanwhile in the famous subplot, Beatrice (senior Bailey Carlson)

“Tam known for comedic roles. Beatrice isfunny and soserious and so dramatic at the same time, it gives me achance toshow people that Ican play serious roles, also. Plus Ilove Shakespeare,” senior Bailey Carlson said.

DECA advances to internationals

Katie Steiner Online Editor-in-Chief

While other students were enjoying their spring break, Millard South DECA competed among 650 students at the Nebraska DECA State Career Development Conference.

51 Millard South students competed at the state conference held March 17-19 atthe Corhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Out of the 51 students, 27 placed inthetop threeoftheircategory.

Those who attended the conference competed in either individual or . team events. In addition, seniors who

are enrolled inMarketing IIcompeted in events involving aproject they had prepared in class. Projects range from a 10 page advertising campaign to research events, planning fundraising events, teaching others about entrepreneurship, and making business plans. The students spent alloffirst semester working on their project, and they worked on their presentation during: 3rd quarter.

Marketing II students were very successfulwhen theycompeted atthe state conference. All but one group

Debaters battle their way to Philly nationals

*Jill Stominger Managing Editor

The end of the year district and state debate tournaments are the most intense, make-or-break tournaments of the season, and at this year’s competition, the Millard South team performed. at a level that excelled any in recent history.

The team began preparation for the March 11th-12th district tournament by writing brand new cases and perfecting blocks to opponents’ arguments. The fixation with districts occurs because the tournament promises winners a bid to compete in the Nationaltournament. As aresultthecompetition proves tobe cutthroat.

“Tt’s a lot harder than most tournaments because everyone does a lot more prepping,” senior Karen Archdekin said.

The slightly varied tournament format alsocreates an atmosphere that increases competitiveness by allowing debaters few chances to make up for mistakes or.poor rounds.

“Districts isdefinitely more competitive than most tournaments—especiallybecause it’sadouble-elimination tournament. There’s always a sneaking suspicion that you may not come back the next day, so you have to try harder the first time. It’s nerve-racking,” senior Alex Bucevicius said.

Despite the pressure, Millard South advanced one policy team, sophomores Amy Vanderpool and

Brian Pincock, and one Lincoln-Douglas debater, senior Jill Strominger to Quarterfinals. More impressive, however, was the achievement of senior policy debaters Will Pflug and Brian Kaplinger who qualified for competition atthenational tournament by advancing to finals.

“Kappy [Kaplinger] and I were very excited. We've worked hard for three, in Kappy’s case four, years, and it’snice toseeallofthat work pay off,” Pflug said.

Nationals willbe held inPhiladelphia the week of June 12th. In order to prepare for competition, Kaplinger and Pflug willwork on new arguments for the last time in their careers..

“As far as preparation goes, we cannot do a whole lot right now. As we get closer to nationals, we will write acouple ofnew positions andresearch some updates forour current files,but anything we try to do now could become useless within thenext month or so,” Pflug said.

Competition at the state tournament does not give teams bids tocompete inany contest, but as the lastNebraska circuit tournament of the year, itexhibits debaters performing attheir finest. As expected, Millard South performed well advancing one policyteam, senior Karen Archdekin and sophomore Alex Habrach to quarterfinals and seniors Brian Kaplinger and Will Pflug to finals.

placed in the top three of their catergory.

“Ttwas amazing towin Istplace, ”» senior Emily Tschida said. “Our hard - work really paid off.”

At thepreliminary awards session, held Friday night, three seniors from Millard South were given exciting news. Jessica Braun, Amanda Meyer, and Kristi Strain each were awarded a $500 scholarship inrecognition oftheir contributions to DECA. Also on that night, seniors Alyssa Byrd and Kristi Strainwere recognizedforbeing DECA

members of the month.

Students at the state conference were not just competing for the glory of winning; they were fighting for the chance tocompete attheInternational Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California. Any competitorwho placed inthe top three oftheir category qualified to go to California April 27-30. From Millard South, all 27 students who placed willbemoving on to internationals.

“Each category [at internationals] will have around 100-150 projects en-

tered in to them, but Millard South has a tradition of at least a few groups making ittothefinals, which isahuge achievement in itself” DECA advisor Lynn Hill said. -“I am hoping that all of the groups will do well.”

In all, 30 students will be representing Millard South at the international conference. In addition to the 27 students competing, three juniors were selected to aleadership academy held at the conference. They will be attendingdifferentworkshops intended to increase leadership skills.

Junior Jessica Thacker and seniors Jess Stopak and Bailey Carlson rehearse for Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Photo by Amy Brammer.

New district position to oversee all school activities

paoSavig Staff BA Staff Reporter

The March 7® school ihe ina Te chal board meeting released new information that another new face will be seen around the school district next year. There isajob being offered for an administrative position that isfor the whole Millard School -District. The district islooking for aDirector ofActivities and Athletics to be an “all school athletics director.” They are also going to be assigned to help the Superintendent. This jobwill shadow allof the Millard schools for the twelvemonth length of the contract.

The explanation of the job'in the handout. that was given at the meeting said, “directs and evaluates those programs and services in the areas of district activities and ath-leticsand the District’s safety program, and itsaccompanying routines for the school district, under the direction of the Superintendent.”

There are many functions thatthisdirector will do. Some of the functions include, directing and evaluati8ng all district drama, musical, athletic and school organization -activities and contests; directing school-community use of facilities; assisting in the selection, employment, assignment _and evaluation of coaching personnel and activities spon- sors; developing, directing, and implementing the District

safety and security programs. There are also some smaller jobs that this person will do. They are, act as official representative for Millard Public Schools with the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) and works with the district maintenance representatives to assure appropriate maintenance of athletic facilities and fields.

Many qualifications must be met for this person to be able to be a candidate for the job. These qualifications include, a six year education specialist degree from an approved institution with a major in educational administration. Then, a master’s degree from an approved institution with a major in educational administration or the accepted equivalent is required: They have to have an appropriate Nebraska Administrative Certificate, four years of successful experience in administration with experience in direct-ing athletics and activities preferred; three years of successful administration experience required. Also one more qualification, leadership skills in the area of administration, management and evaluation-sensitivity to the needs and objec- fives of the school and district.

As the next year rolls around, we will see another face helping make the school’s activities the best they can be.

New Director Bayer shows experience,

Ke taffShaeReporter

Next year Millard South will be going through some staffchanges. One of the most notable isthe activities director position. Barb Wagner will be leaving atthe end of theyear, and MS ‘will be taking on Nolan Beyer, the current Activities Director at Boys and Girls Town High School.

Beyerhashad plenty ofexperience dealing with athletics. He earned a Bachelor's Degree and aMasters Education in Physical Education from

UNK. He was afootball coach and a special education instructor at Papillion-La Vista High School. Athletics isn’t his only area though. As a’ high school student Beyer participated in many activities and clubs, which is one of the reasons he is a teacher and Administrator.

“Thad avery earlyinterest ineducation. Some of.my role models and peers were my teachers and coaches going through Jr. High and High School. At an early age I wanted to

have an impact on students the way that my teachers and coaches did [on me],” Beyer said.

Beyer is interested in all activities, not just athletics. He plans on working very closely with both our sponsors and. the staff that handle different activities to make sure that they are the best thatthey can be, while learning as much as possible about them and their roles. They havea positive effect on the student body, and bring a certain level of school pride.

What about beset ae though regarding a student involved in. an activity? That is always a big issue. Whenever something serious happens with a football player, or another athlete everyone holds their breath to see what happens. What happens reflects on the high school, and that is never a good thing.

“Tt is important to set and hold high expectations for the athletes regardless of on or off-season. It’s not just for the athletes only..Students have a

responsibility touphold the high expectations and torepresent the school well: Itisatremendous responsibility to represent your high school, and requires that those expectations are tobe met,” Beyer said.

It is sad to see Barb Wagner leave Millard South, but Nolan Beyer is a promising new staffmember. He shows determination and integrity thatwillbe a good start for his career here, and quite possibly for the sponsors aswell.

iccup spells aunt, harass othered student

Somethingghastly,grotesque,and gruesomeishauntingme.Worsethan bubonic, West Nile, and Ebola, am beingplaguedby‘hiccups.

Thesehiccupsarenotyouravetageeverydayhiccups.Thesehiccups are powerful and unrelenting: They packapunchandsometimesmakemy wholebodyjumpspasticallyoutofmy seat.Theycanlastuptotenminutes, whichseemlike hoursof.agony. Theyaresneaky,as well.Justwhenyou thinktheyhave subsidedandleft youbacktoyour normalself,they springbackupand launcha‘surprise attack.

Thisbreedof hiccupsismerciless. They chose the worstmoments. possibletoattack.

Thehiccupspopup duringtests,pepperingthesilence withintermittentspasms.It’sembarrassing!Sometimesthesehiccupsare asboldastostrikerightattheedgeof sleep. When this occurs, they become notjustanannoyance,butanunrelentingenemypuncturingmysleepystate.

Earning minimum credits causes unneeded fear in hard working students

cups floating around in the world. I have tried all of them and uncovered their worthlessness. I have tried drinking a glass of water upside down. have tried holding my breath. I have even tried tricking myself into wanting the hiccups, hoping that then they would cease. Alas, nothing has worked.

don’t know if Iam the only person troubled by these massive hiccups. What

Ifyou-remember8"gradeorientationyouoe thehighstandardsthatweresetandhowitseemedthatif thesestandardswerenotfulfilledlifewouldendasweknow it. It was a scary thought and it stressed me out, keeping me up late into the night worrying about my future. 'm never going to get into college and am going to work at minimaumi wage for the rest of my life.

Students frantically signed up for classes, discouraged to take study alls and encouraged to take honor and A.P courses. Advisors and counselors worried+that if we did take study halls we would never accumulate the credits needed to graduate. This is pretty much impossible. You need 225 credits to graduate.

If you go through high school with out taking a single study hall and pass all your classes, you will end up with 320 credits by the time graduation rolls around.

classmen friends complained about. So, I decided to take 2 study halls, one for each semester. With this decision came criticism and fear along with that. Fear about not graduating, not getting into college and the career fear that followed not getting into college. I was told it was a bad idea to take 2 study halls. I worked my butt off freshman year and I figured it wasn’t going to get any easier, and with extracurricular activities, a study hall seemed to me to be the smartest decision. I felt it was better to work on my homework in study hall and get good grades than take more classes and fail them because I _don’t have the time to study or do homework. I felt I was being responsible by taking a study hall for each semester.

I do know is that they are a menace to They never give mea. mypeaceofmind. chance to rest, and shadow me wherever Iroam.Allcandonowissitbackand waitforsomebrilliantscientisttocrack thehiccupcodeandreleasemefrommy

If you take one study hall every year you still end up with 300 credits. In doing so, one. could graduate their junior year with exactly 225. If you take a study hall each semester youearn 280 by graduation. Suill over he amount that you need to eraduate. So, if you take a study hall each semester you can still have the luxury of being a senior without a full schedule on your plate.

Freshman year followed all the rules and did not take a single study hall, I took all the advice of my counselor and advisor. I was burnt out by the time sophomore year

Now, when taking a study hall one must consider that any period that a student does not have a class where credits are earned lowers their class rank. So, you have to decide if your class rank is something that is really important. And while your class ‘rank is lowered, your GPA is usually higher when you have less classes. So when making your class decisions you have to balance all these factors. I also want to say that I think our teachers and advisors mean well and want what is best, I just think there has to be a better way than scaring us to help us make our decisions when it comes to school and our futures.

There arenumerous cures forhic- hiccup spell. rolled around. I felt the same senioritis that my- upper Common Sense

Stat f:

Common Sense is the official publication of Millard South High School, 14905 Q Street, Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Kenik Web Design/Computer Support: Tyler Schnaidt Omaha, Nebraska, 68137. School district guidelines a the suitability of see con- Managing Editors: Amy Heyer Photo Editor: Amy Brammer tent. To place an ad, call 895-8363. JillStrominger

Staff Reporters:

Common Sense is a monthly publication produced iin Room 130. Common Sense uses desktop Web Site Editor-in-Chief: Katie Steiner Micke Oise kerce Paik publishing hardware and software: Macintosh computers, Laser Jet 4000N Printer, Nikon and Web Site Asst. Editor: Thom Hale Emily Shen Danielle Savig Umax scanners, and Adobe PageMaker, Photoshop and ClarisWorks and Microsoft Word soft- News Editor: Jordan Kenik Scott Siemens Colleen Strassenburg ware. All printing is done by Nebraska Printing Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. Focus Editor: Whitney Keyes - GhasBaemore

Letters to the editor are encouraged. All letters must be signed with the student's first and be

Sports Editor: Aimee Freeman

FeaturesEditor:JakeMaxson name and grade. Letters may then be submitted to any staff member or dropped off in room 130. Unsigned letters will not be published. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, be published. SS length and clarity. Letters of profane nature or other es of school ordistrict policy will not —

Opinions Editor: Kelsey Thiem

Entertainment Editor: Jill Srominger

Business Manager: Kelsey Thiem

Adviser: Christine Kaldahl

Myspace tackles Xanga and Livejournal with free access and better features

So, since Jill tackled Xanga a while back, and I think someone else did Livejournal, I’ve decided to give Myspace a try. It is quite the “scene” thing to do, and kind of fun if you understand html and can make it look pretty, but what makes it different from Livejournal and Xanga? The fact that you can meet real people might be one thing.

Now I’m not encouraging you to go meet someone you find on Myspace, because that might turn out badly like every thing they shove at you on the news about “online people.” Honestly it’s not as horrible as the news makes it seem sometimes. My uncle met his exwife over the internet, regardless of the fact that it didn’t work out, so it can’t be that bad. P've reconnected with some friends, Ashley for instance, and I’ve met some cool people in the metro area. I do have some friends that I've met through Myspace that live in other areas, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Friends are friends.

What makes it different than the other fad sites? Well, not only do I have some teally cool music playing in the background, Androgyny by Garbage, that I would have had to pay for on

the other sites like Livejournal, but can choose what my Myspace functions as. It does have a blog feature, which I

extremely hilarious pictures of people that I never imagined would do, but I also get to laugh at the things other

friend Carrie and me at a Dielated concert with a girl who had just turned 21. It was amusing to say the least, but it’s a good memory. That picture has long since been taken down and stored in an image hoster because Carrie had a few choice words for me over it. She’s like a sister to me so I just laughed over it, besides we both eventually laughed at the moment that will be one of the best we’ve shared at a concert.

Anyway, the scene is Myspace. I'll admit not liking most scene things, I even posted something on Myspace about the evolution of scene kids thanks to Cassie, but it is sort of fun. I have Kasey on my friends list, and Kzisti with her paint brush sweater, even Scott with his lovely rendition of his head sticking out of the sand. They're the kind of people that make Myspace fun. They always have something to say regardless of who it’s to, and taking a peek in on other people’s lives is fun.

do use as my personal calendar for my friends, but it has options where I can search for-other current or past students at Millard South. That was quite a scary thing for me. Not only did I see some

people write about them. I'll admit it’s slightlymean but I’m sure they've done the same thing with afew of mine. I think the one picture that got the most comments was one of my

Pll ignore my pride on this subject and say that this scene fad is one that I enjoy for the most part. Believe me I’ve never thought I'd say those words together in the same sentence. Scene, fad and enjoy, but there they are and I won't take them back. For now at least.

“Please, be patient.” I’m sure all of us have heard this more than once in our lifetime, but do any of us really have enough patience? In today’s world, we are in a hurry to get everything done. We rush around and seriously lack patience.

- When we get caught up in our busy schedule, we end up need-ing things fast. One of these things is food. Fast food restaurants are a result or our lack of prea =z tience t oO make Ooult own food. This fast food, unfortunately, is typically full of grease and lacks vitamins and minerals that are important to our health. Our need for food on the go is causing us to deplete our health.

Our lack of patience is also evident in our driving skills. Everyday I see people speeding to cut each other off, ignoring stops signs, and running red lights. These things are not only dangerous to those who are in a hurry, but also to everyone else on the road. Running red lights and avoiding stop signs can cause serious and even fatal accidents, and it’s all

for the sake of being maybe one minute faster. Putting yourself and others in that kind of danger for such a small reward is ridiculous.

Our avid television watching shows our want for quick and easy entertainment and information. We could get the same effect from books and magazines, but television gets it to us faster. I can see where this is helpful

with news and weather warnings, but it’snot always necessary:Sitting infront of the television can cause our literary skills to decline, and can also hurt our eyesight inthe long term.

Our lack of patience in today’s society israrely agood thing. We're all in hurry to get to everything on our busy schedule. In the process of rushing around we're missing some impottant aspects of life and causing ourselves pain. Our lives could be much more healthy and enjoyable ifwe could just slow down our fast paced lives and do things at a reasonable speed.

[Everybody] aS something to say and taking a peek inon other people's lives is a

atience fallen by wayside

Keen eyes for the average guy

Thom Hale and Jake Maxson Asst. Online Editor and Features Editor

lethim down atthispoint. To walk away with agreat prom Probably themost pivotal moment inhigh school (aside experience, he needed to do more than just walk around

from graduation that is) has to be prom night. Each year, many juniors and seniors refuse to attend, claiming that there are better things to do with their time. We found one such student, Andy Cubrich, a junior with no desire to dance on aSaturday night.

“T mean, I don’t even have a date,” Cubrich said. “Prom just isn’tfor me, you know?”

Immediately, itwas decided. The two of us would turn this insecure bum intoa positively slick party animal and give him agreat prom experience.

The firstthing we had todo was find him atuxedo. This was more difficult than it sounds, because at six feet and four inches, there was little room for error in size.

“Do Ireallyneed atuxedo?”Cubrich asked, “Imean, I’ve got this powder blue suit, wouldn’t that work?”

We answered his firstquestion with ayes. His second question we responded to withaslap.

In the end, he opted to buy most of a tuxedo for himself from After Hours Formal Wear. Heisrane the jacket.

“Tt cost alittle bit more, but ifIgo to prom again, it'llbe abetter deal,” Cubrich said.

Both of these were far out-dated and clearly his reper- a SG age toire needed to be updated. After spending three hours listening to the radio, we managed to hear about five songs. / want to Rigorous practice in the ways of waltzing, tango, andeven fe COO L a bit of break dancing ensued, readying Cubrich for the : dance floor. like

-

A date was just as important as the tuxedo. Unfortunately, when it came to girls, Andy was a bit lacking in Surfe er knowledge or confidence. Luckily, we discovered a serious COO L but talent in him. He could play the guitar like nobody’s business. Focusing on his good qualities like his sense of humor still and guitar prowess, selling him to theladies became a simple See : tough,

“A few ies came my way, but I turn em down,” Cubrich said, thoroughly enjoying his new found confidence. like bear “Tm not going to settle for someone I don’t want to go with.” fight Of course, there was a difference between being confident Fait ect ee tough.

Again, height played a key part. We couldn’t have him dancing witha girl half his size. Also, he’dbe spending /UNIOr the whole night with this girl, so he had to be able to:stand An dy her. Although currently he is still looking, several prospects have risen. Only time will tell if Cubrich will meet Cubrich the challenge of winning over a girl.

In the end, all that’s left is to see what happens on Clearly, his confidence was rising, because he was con-

- with a date. It was time to teach him some dance moves.

“Coming into the deal, I basically knew just two dance April 23". We have high hopes for our newly confident sidering next year for prom as well. We definitely couldn’t — moves: the robot and the moonwalk,” Cubrich said. friend.

A lovely Cezanne cream pearl necklace, Approximately 16 inches in. length, with Gnu pearls all the way

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Parents work hard to make post prom memorable

Amy

Heyer Managing Editor

Co-Chair of post prom, As prom approaches there are many parents behind the scenes that have been working formonths tomake the night even more memorable and fun. Many volunteers help out for the planning, preparation, and setup of post prom.

“Parents start working on post prom theday afterpostprom. A theme isusually decided on inMay and ideas are formed throughout the summer with materials being purchased allyear

“long,” Katherine Hauswald, said.

While students are enjoying the dinner and the dance and the volunteers are scrambling around to finish the last minute details so at midnight, they can start letting students walk into the wonderful world of imagination. The parents plan a night of fun and games to make post prom a safe place for students to be.

- Being on the post prom committee might sound fun but it is a lot of

work tobe able todo.They get decorations and have year round planning with a lot ofpainting, entertainment is secured, the blow up games are rented, donations are taken all year round.

“Ttisahuge undertaking and parents don’t realize how much work it takes until they become involved,”

There are many things that the parents do to make sure the night fun and memorable. There isacore group of ten to fifteen parents that work year

round. Then the night of post prom there are 175 parents working. They are working the different stands that are set up, direct all of the activities that are being offered. Not to mention making sure that everyone is safe by being at post prom. They also think of the prizes that students would like to win in the drawing that takes place at the end of the night.

Volunteers are always still welcomed to be able to help. The parents ‘that want to still get involved in the

prom efforts are definitely able to. Call the co-chairs of the volunteer committee: Katherine Hauswald - 331-2178 or. Nancy Burkhart 895-5203. The committee would like people to help out at the actual night of prom and the preparations of before the students are let in the doors. -

“We sure could use your help,” Hauswald said.

Photo illustration by Thom Hale and Jake Maxson

Dillard's Depa Store.

firefly highlights

COLOR THAT WILL BE THE CROWNING TOUCH TO THE

Money saving tips for prom

pay Heyer

Cheesecake— This no-bake cake can be oe from a Managing Editor bocce Attire;

Being traditional has its place. A gentleman always holds: the door, and a lady never orders the most expensive item on the menu. But creating a new version of the ideal Prom ‘night can be a great experience. Try something new: an extravagant evening can be had ona SES thin budget.

For Dinner; Make dinner at home! Have a picnic, either at the park or by candle light on the living room floor. Make a surprise out of the meal. Try having the boys of the party put dinner together while the ladies make dessert. Serve foods that seem fancy, but are not.

Shrimp Alfredo — Alfredo sauce, shrimp, and noodles in a sauce pan.

Gourmet Sandwiches — purchase as many different kinds of cheese and meat as you can find, and top it of with some fancy mustards or sauces.

Chocolate covered strawberries — buy some hardening chocolate (for ice cream) and the rest is simple.

LORD Soy We OgT PROM 2005

~ -After Prom sales are a great money saver. Pick up next year’s dress early.

For the more ambitious, buy a pattern. at a craft store to make a dress. Patterns create a very professional looking product and offer more options than can be found in any store. Many designs are surprisingly easy. If anything, create a skirt to match your taste then purchase an elegant top. -A damaged dress on the sales rack can be a great find. Most stores offer at least ten percent off for a loose seam or a few missing beads. Nearly all of the problems are a quick fix with a needle and thread.

Hair and Makeup;

Beauty Schools offer up-dos and makeovers at discounted ptices. Try making an appointment at the Xenon or Capitol School of Beauty.

Don’t be afraid to do your own hair or makeup. Get help and input from friends and pick up a few packages of bobby pins.

Sophomore Jessica Sm: y Taylor Larue helped sew sequins onto the skirt making it a brand new creation. Photo 2 Emily Schram.

Choir swings into competition at Jazz Festival

~~ Amy Brammer Photo Editor

Millard South High School has two swing choirs: South on Stage, which is the mixed gender swing choir, and South Town, which is the all girls swing choir:

Both swing choirs brought their 15 minute show to the Bellevue East Jazz Festival on March 12%. Swing choirs from the metro area and beyond participated. South on Stage placed fourth and South Town placed second at this competition.

Every group has a competition show that is about 15-20 minutes in length. Each groups’ show is different from the next. Each show has differences in songs, dances, costumes, the use of the stage, and their band.

There are three experienced judges who are usually current or retired high school or college music directors. They judge the choirs on musicianship, vocals, choreography, stage presence,

accompaniment, blend and balance, and facial expression.

“Millard South’s emphasis isonbeing atight choir ensemble, sell it on vocals rather than be a dance team,” choir director Tim Marsden said.

At swing choir competitions there are usually five female choirs and 20 mixed.

When judges critique aMillard South choir they are usually told that they are good at connecting and being anensemble on stage and that their vocals are their strongest suit.

South on Stage practices every Tuesday night from 6:30 to9:00 and Thursday mornings before school. South Town practices Monday and. Wednesday morning.

“At times it can be hard and frustrating, but at the end of the day, itisalways one of the funnest things am involved in,”juniorJoshBoie said.

‘97 MS graduate Jessica Sefzik answers Call to duty in Iraq

Kristi Palik Staff Reporter

Millard South graduate, Jessica Sefzik, is a specialist who works with sick and injured people in the army. She has been serving in Iraq.

Before joining the army, Sefzik was a college student for two years. She was involved i in track in th high school nd col-

“T wasn’t ready for college yet, so I joined the army,” Sefzik said.

Before leaving for Iraq, the soldiers spent six weeks training at Fort Riley. Sefzik and the rest of the soldiers had many requirements before leaving, such.as being able to run two miles in 18 minutes, doing 50 sit-ups in two minutes, and being able to do 17 push-ups in two minutes. Another requirement for soldiers is to spend time in the gas chamber. There, soldiers are submitted to tear gas. They are allowed to wear gas masks, but most remove the mask. Effects of the tear gas in-clude watery eyes, runny nose, and a hacking

of the gas chamber] it’s even worse,” Sefzik said.

The weather in Iraq can get up to 140 degrees and sandstorms are common.

troop must be ready for an attack or an injured soldier.

“We do alot of waiting around.” Sefzik said.

“the military. Although soldiers and marines

“The sand gets everywhere, it doesn’t matter ifyou shut the door,” Sefzik said. Sefzik spends most of her time working ; ina hospital. The hospital is eni tirely run, by saa es Rent come first, some Iragis that work on the base are also treated. The hospital includes an ER -and an OR, although ea are always a last resort.

Parts of Sefzik’s duties involve driving: anambulance. These ambulances aren’twhat one would thinkofasanordinary ambulance. Their exteriorispainted camouflage and they have fourinch thickglasswindows. They can have four patients onstretchers and eight sitting down. While driving the ambulance there isapossibility torun into problems.

During their downtime, soldiers and marines have different ways to entertain them-selves. They have boxing matches, play video games, and sometimes they'll even play jokes on each other.

- “T got locked in a porta-potty once. Somebody drove their Humvee up tothe door so Icouldn’t get out.” Sefzik said.

Soldiers in Sefzik’s unit are given a 15 day vacation. Getting home requires a longplane ride, but Sefzik believes itiswell worth it tovisither family and friends.

“The one thing I couldn’t wait to do was to come home and havea glass of milk.” Sefzik said.

Sefzik has one year of service left.When. she returns home, she will go to school at Methodist. She will also work as a nursing assistant on the cancer floor of Methodist cough.

“There will sometimes be mines inpotholes, so if you see a pothole, you swerve.”

“When the air hits you [after you're out Sefzik said. Hospital.

While in Iraq, Sefzik and the rest of her

Project Kelate helps cure individuals’ mental illnesses

S5 Jill Strominger | “Managing Editor

Mental illness is a subject that is rarely discussed, yet one in five Nebraskans are affected by mental health issues. The silence surrounding discussion of mental illness results from the stereotypes associated with the disease. People associate words like “crazy” and “psycho” with mental health problems causing individuals to fear or deny telling others about issues they are experiencing. Project Relate, a Nebraskabased medical endeavor to help inform people about the realities of mental illness, explains that mental illnesses are not moral or personal weaknesses, but instead medical diseases. It is scientifically proven that the brain of individuals with mental illnesses is different than individuals without such diseases.

The causes of mental illness are varied. In addition to biological factors other potential causes include genetics, brain chemistry, physical or emotional trauma, and environmental stress. While symptoms of emotional illness are diverse, common symptoms include confused thinking, long-lasting sadness or irritability, extreme high and low mood swings, excessive fear or worry, withdrawal, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, delusions or hallucinations, thoughts of suicide, unexplained physical problems, and substance abuse.

Many individuals with mental disorders do not seek help creating a need for others to initiate the process. Acting upon suspicions that loved ones and -

friends are experiencing problems is vital in order to get them help. Project Relate believes the greatest thing one can do to support individuals experiencing mental trauma is just relate and talk to them. Directing individuals to a professional is the second step in curing the disease. The Project Relate website, www.projectrelate.org gives advice and step-by-step instructions for how to deal with either one’s own or someone else’s mental illness. There are several crisis hotline numbers to call such as Alegent Health’s Crisis Line. (402)-717-HOPE or the Hope Line Network 1-800-SUICIDE.

It’s important to seek treatment and not lose hope because mental illnesses are curable diseases. Sat

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South on Stage sings “Turn the Beat Around” in a rehearsal prior to the Bellevue East Jazz Festival. The ensemble placed fourth. Photo by Dan Durski.

Lit Mag continues to inn

* Whitney Keyes Focus Editor

Consider This:- a literary magazine that surpasses all others and one that continually publishes Millard South’s finest masterpieces. Claiming

“We publish the arts,” the Millard South Lit Mag recently received two awards. The American Scholastic Press Association awarded Consider This

First Place with Special Merit, the highest award possible.

“This is the first year that we have received this award, so it’s very exciting,” Charles Gould, English teacher and Lit Mag advisor said.

The National Council of Teachers of English also awarded Consider This the highest award possible, though due to complications amongst the committee, the award is simply being called “Recommended for Highest Award.” In the entire nation, only 97 other magazines received the same award.

Going above and beyond expectations for a high school Lit Magis just another goal for the Millard South Lit Mag staff. In fact this year, they are breaking

out of the normal format and changing the look and feel of the magazine.

“Instead of the normal 64 pages, we are printing only 56 this year; however we have 16 pages of color art, a ‘mini-zine’ and an audio CD,” Gould said.

The so-called ‘minizine’ will have three award winning stories by South students published in it. Also anew addition to the magazine is the audio CD which will have spoken poetry and musical performances.

“We already publish ——__ art and writing, so to really ‘publish the arts’ we need to include music and spoken word,” Gould said.

This edition, Volume 29, will be released to the public late April. A reception will

Co-Graphic Editors John Smith and Ben Busch work on the images that will appear in

this year’s issue of the Lit Mag.

Photo-by Christine Kaldahl.

Track takes off with high hopes

*« Aimee Freeman ‘ Sports Editor -

Sprinting into a new season, the Millard South girls and boys track teams are pushing themselves to be

nesseveryday.

“Ourpracticesandmeetsaregoingprettywell,weworkhardeveryday andhelppusheachother,”sophomore

Haley Schwartz said. better and send as many people as pos-

Ose oh he oe pes ole ae sible oe th .. 7, year is to qualify all of their relay teams — Far the season 1s going Well. for the state tournament. To do this, Weal have high Sspecerous for our- the runners are using a unique techselves and each other,” senior Derek nique to improve themselves. Austin said.

Along with high expectations pushing the boys team, the boys are also enforcing lifting and doing over distances to improve their overall conditioning and endurance.

“Early,we'rerunninglongerdistanceataslowerpacetryingtostay healthy, after mid season we will changetorunningshorterdistancesat afasterpaceandthelastweeksofthe seasonwewillemphasizerestand

Some goals for the team this year speed,” girls head track coach Scot are to do as well as we possibly can, Rainbolt said.” improve-as the season goes on, and do

While pushing themselves todo = oe at aie ) ee head track better the girls also have some return-

coach Larry le said. +f: ing state qualifiers from last year who |

Trying to do their best also means = y cs helppushev.eatpractice.Thesetheboys’teamistryingtosendasmanyeeeaesdkae runnersandthrowersaspossibletotheASaSculosiorass statetournament.ThisyeartheyhaveKorssKellyandFllinaPca. sixretumingstatequalifiersfromlastBeedeineaayol year. -These Tunners are sophomore all working hard and improving,” - Todd Gulizia, who placed 3rd in the Rabel crosscountrystateandwasanalter-Botholeand nateagirlsandboysteamshave lastyear,juniorsAdamSchwartz,eyCe NoahYost,RyanDinning,andseniorsnewelladneromaewtsoe Adaree:=aUsen:Eventhoughtheyarehappywithhow ezsaeasee50a'Stheyareperforming,theyarealways TheiraesoethisYear.pushingthemselvestogetbetterand provinghardworkanddedicationisim-improve. theirrunningformandquick-

All Stater Paletta leads MS into soccer season

Aimee Freeman. Sports Editor

-.Notmanyathletesgetthechancetostartontoheraward. theirvarsityteamasasophomore,butjuniorGinaIfeellikeIhavestandardstoliveup Paletta got the chance last year and took advantage to,” Paletta said. of it.

Feeling the pressure,

Last season, Paletta started Paletta has stepped up her level at Midfield for the Patriots’ girls’ of play in hopes of helping the soccer team and kicked her way team win state and improve

to receive All-State for defense. from last year.

“{ was not surprised [Gina]

<< ing herself and hh eee tN for Se eee

gz

“Gina is a hard worker th received this honor, she is an and tremendous leader. She al- at the q 34 & Q = outstanding player,” girls’ varsity ways gives 110% and has made therestoftheteamstepupby herexample,”Rimingtonsaid.

doing3yearsnowandhaswonfwinningthestatetitle.Her explosiveedgeandplay-+”CeanneeS - the All-State award for be at ing basketball. defense. Photo by Aimee oS = = ge “IplayclubsoccerfortheFreemanteam,alongwithGinatohelp Arsenal Strikers and during club win the state title and see if Gina a = season,soccertakesupacouplehourstwoorthreeCamireceivethisawardasecondtime.NewLocation: times a week,” Paletta said.

“Thope to see Gina receive All-State honNow,aftertrainingforalltheseyears,Palettaorsoathisyearasaforwardormidfielder. willreturntothePatriots’teamstartingasanof-Sheistrulyanall-aroundplayer,”Rimington fensiveplayerdealingwiththepressureoflivingupsaid.

' 475 & W. Center Offer valid only at 134th & Q Street location for limited time, Not good with any other coupon or discount. Runze* is 8 registered trademark of Runza® National, Inc.

Junior Scott Ridpath soars over the high jump bar at the Ralston Relay Invite where he jumped 6’0”. Photo by

Whitney Keyes.

Girls’ tennis team: optimistic for upcoming year

* Jordan Kenik Editor-in-Chief

With a mix of familiar and new talent, the girls varsity tennis team expects smashing success for the upcoming season.

“Pm reallyexcited about thisyear’s team. because we all work really hard and we get along great,” senior Amanda Meyer said.

Returning starters include seniors Meyer, Jill Strominger, and Sarah Koenig and junior Kayla Robertson. Freshman Samantha Kenik may be young but has five years of competitive play under her belt-and an intensity that has earned her the top spot on this year’s team.

“Pm really excited toplay on varsity with such experienced and nice girls,” Kenik said.

The remaining positions in order from highest tolowest gotoRobertson, JillStrominger, juniorKellyStrominger, Koenig, Meyer, and junior Allison

Way. Juniors Karri Huismann and Sarah Waller will swing between junior varsity and varsity.

“After reinventing the butterfly stroke, I now want to master the ground stroke,” Way said.

At invitationals and the Metro and State tournaments, Kenik will play number one singles,JillStrominger and Robertson will play number one doubles,: Kelly Strominger will play number two singles, and Koenig and [| Meyer will play number two doubles. Jun

“T think the doubles team of Jill and Kayla willdominate atMetros and State thisyear,” Kelly Strominger said.

The team isworking hard toprepare for their eleven duels, three invitationals, and the Metro and State tournaments. Coach Gene Starmer feels that Marian and Westside willbe their toughest matches.

“The schedule isalotharder than Iexpected, however Ithink we'll still win most ofourmatches except against

ior Kelly Strominger hits a backhand to her teammate during tennis practice. At the number four singles position, Strominger won her first match against Central. Photo by Jordan Kenik. a few of the exceptional teams,” Jill

optimistic about the season.

Against Central, the first duel took place on April 7 at Millard South and was a win for the Patriots. The ~ girls won every match for an 8-0 final.

“I think we will have a decent team, at least as good as previous years,”

Strominger said. Robertson said.

Others on the team feel even more

“T think we'll have a stronger team this year with a lot of returning starters and upcoming talent,” Koenig said.

“We'll probably have one of the best teams we've had in the last ten years,” Starmer said.

with the skilled retuming players

It remains tobe seen if this tennis squad will live up to expectations, but addition of the fiery Kenik, it is likely to be an impressive year on Starmer’s record.

Carolina ends month of madness

Scott Siemens Staff Reporter

Ifyou love the game, the first Tuesday in April isalways the hardest day. The dribbling has stopped, and won't start again until mid-October. A boundless amount of basketball where over 330 teams played over 1000 games has ended:The end was culminated by the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Illinios Fighting Ilini 75-70.

Some highlights from the tournament included the major upsets the first Friday night of the NCAA Tournament, two of the most endearing Cinderella stories in recent years unfolded right on top of one another. First, this once-in-a-lifetime Vermont Catamounts team shocked Syracuse. Then the Bucknell Bison, who give alimited number of athletic scholarships, beat national powerhouse Kansas (which has a basketball budget more than quadruple Bucknell’s) at the buzzer. The tournament would not be

CECE e eI

Ninety-f Ne Ka ae fa atships and financial aid.

Seseetiene ic complete without all the upsets and underdog stories

“The Bucknell game really messed up my bracket,” said sophomore Kevin Kloewer.

Another great story was the play of Illinois and tying a Division One record winning 37 games in a row. The concept of a team effort was shown throughout their season enabling them to win unprecedented twenty-nine straight games. There were many teams that had a chance to win the tournament this year including Wake Forest, Duke and Syracuse. Syracuse proved to be the biggest disappointment of the tournament and messing up countless brackets by losing in the first round.

Sports Illustrated picked Syracuse to go to the Final Four-and many faithful fans went the same way. All in all, the tournament had an all time high for viewing because of all the upsets and overtime games. It’s sad to see it go but March will come around next year and the madness will ensue once again.

icy Simpson sophomore, Omaha

“When received my financial award letter from Wesleyan, learned to my great surprise and joy that! would be able to pur-_ | sue my dream of furthering my education in music—a dream that have had all of my life.”

Music scene gains big-name artists

Katie Steiner Online Editor-in-Chief

Nebraska has never been known as a place for big-name artists to stop by. But this year, music fans have many good concerts to look forward to.

Music fans rejoiced when they heard the news that the classic rock band U2 would be performing in town. They will be performing at the Qwest Center on Dec. 15. The Qwest Centet is one of the smallest venues the band will be stopping at on their “Vertigo 2005” tour. When the tickets went on sale, it only took 33 minutes for all 17,000 seats to sell out.

If you were not fortunate enough to buy a ticket when they were on sale, there is still hope for you. Tickets for sale have been popping up all over the internet, and many scalpers have been looking to sell. If you're interested in purchasing tickets still, be prepared to pay a large sum of money for.them.

Another big name stopping at the Qwest Center is the band Green Day. They will be performing May 15 at 7 p.m. Opening up for the group will be the pop-punk band My Chemical Romance. Just like the U2 concert, tickets for this show are sold out, but are available for a higher price on the internet or from personal scalpers.

Country music lovers were enthralled to hear that star Kenny Chesney will be performing at the

50 Cent makes minimal sense for Millard resident

Qwest Center on April 23. He will be joined by country superstar Gretchen. Wilson and pop-country-blues singer Uncle Kracker. Unfortunately, not only did that concert conflict with Millard South’s prom, but the show also sold out. But have no fear, for another __ show was added on April 24. ‘Tickets are still available on that date.

If you’re interested in supporting local music, then here is a concert for ‘you. Omaha groups Bright Eyes and the Faint will be performing at the MidAmerica Center in Council Bluffs on May 11. Bright Eyes, who is led by singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, will be focusing on songs from the album Digital Ash in a Digital Um, which is just one of two albums they just released nationally.

Two pop-rock bands will be making stops in the state. Hot off the success of their “Songs About Jane” cd, Maroon 5 will be performing at the Pershing Center in Lincoln on April 25. Opening up for the band will be the Irish group the Thrills. Also making a stop will be the Killers, who are performing May 5 at the Sokol Auditorium. Tickets are still on sale for-both shows.

This was just a sampling of what is to come in the upcoming months. Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for other shows to be announced. Tickets for all the concerts listed can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location _or at www.ticketmaster.com.

hoping for another disc with as many hits and songs that even a white kid in Millard would not mind listening to on £8 #| his weekends, but this CD did not even make that list. The ‘effort Massacre” alot East Coast gangster could have done a few things different his seco ae For one, lay off the talk about guns shooting ple ae ey to some of a do not ee

‘Movie ‘cursed’ with mediocrity

Thos ee Assistant Online Editor

“Cursed,” directed by the master of slasher films, Wes Craven, was a horrifyingly awful movie. Christina Ricci, best known for her role as Wednesday in “The Addams Family,” and Jesse Eisenberg, who nobody seems to know at all, play the lead roles of Jimme and Ellie, a brother and sister mysteriously devoid of last names coping with the loss of their parents. During a long car ride on a stereotypically dark mountain road, these adorable siblings and their dog are involved in an accident that leads tho the two of them being bitten by some sort of “wolf-ike creature.” Are there honestly any questions about what happens next? a

As Jimmy begins to notice changes in himself, he gains strength and charisma, drawing the affections of both the head cheerleader and the head wrestler at his school. His

sister struggles in her relationship with her boyfriend Jake played by Joshua Jackson, also known as Pacey from “Dawson’s Creek.” The rest of the movie is basically about the main characters spending a ridiculous amount of time being ‘baffled that they’re becoming werewolves, leaving the time for actual action minimal.

Probably the scariest part of this movie (apart from Joshua Jackson’s facial hair) is the fact that Wes Craven directed it. “Scream,” although lacking in a story line, was still entertainingly violent. “Cursed” took no initiative on homicide and wound up being sillier than it was frightening. Unfortunately, his new film “Red Eye” doesn’t look like it will be much more interesting. My suggestion would be to settle for the previews of any Wes Craven movies coming out any time soon, they are much more frightening and have the same amount of plot.

Sin-City’s _ provides unique experience

KES

Jake Maxson Features Editor

Noir film style has not produced a Hollywood blockbuster for some time, but “Sin City” brings it back to the mainstream with brutal efficiency. “Sin City” is a unique alternative to one’s usual movie going experience, offering individuality rather than banality.

“Sin City” is Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novels. Rodriguez and Miller, with a little help from “special guest director” Quentin Tarantino, have created a distinctive work of art that many will be able to appreciate, that is if they can see past the violence that is exhibited throughout.

"Based on Miller’s Sin City (The Hard Goodbye), That Yellow Bastard, The Big Fat Kill andA Dame to Kill For, the film promises to be true to the novels that Miller created. This was very important to Miller, who would not even allow the project to begin without garnering a director’s seat for himself. In fact, Rodriguez resigned his own Directors Guild of America membership in order to ensure

that Miller was credited as a director. Something that makes this film unique is the way that it

was shot. Filmed almost entirely in front of a green screen, the film’s monochromatic surroundings allow it to strikingly resemble the drawings from Miller’s novels.

“Instead of trying to turn [Sin City] into a movie, which would be terrible, let’s take cinema and try and make it into this book. The mediums teally are very similar,” said Rodriguez.

The movie follows three interconnecting stories. First, Marv (Mickey Rourke) is an ex-convict who meets the girl of his dreams only to be framed for her murder on the same night. He then goes on a bloody rampage, searching for the man responsible for her death. Then, Dwight (Clive Owen) tries to protect the Old Towne Girls from the violent Jackie (Benicio Del Toro). Finally, Hartigan (Bruce Willis), a cop wrongly imprisoned for the kidnapping and raping of a young girl, is released. Having swom to protect Nancy (Jessica Alba) after saving her life as a child, Hartigan returns to her in order to

protect her from the actual noite

While each of the three stories is distinctive, they are inter-

twined in a way that is reminiscent of Tarantino's “Pulp Fiction.” All of the events are happening at roughly the same time, but the audience isable to see how each story begins and ends without interruption.

The movie features almost unparalleled star-power, featuring the aforementioned actors and actresses, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Michael Madsen, Rosario Dawson, Josh Hartnett, Michael Clarke Duncan, Nick Stahl, and numerous others. The performances of Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke are brilliant in their simplicity, in that their characters will do anything to protect those that they care about.

“Sin City” is a cinematic triumph, originalin both sound and appearance. While the movie's violence may bealittle over-the-top, it is ultimately a very enjoyable film. “Sin City” can be perfectly described by the old cliché, “black and white and red all over.”