Common Sense Volume 5 issue 1 September 19, 2004

Millard South High School

1905 Q St., Omaha, NE, 68137

Abundant Staff parking spots cause. morning chaos, infuriate students

w905O5t, Omaha NEc7 sss Ǥs Wolume: 5 Issue: 1 September 19, 2004

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» BA Asst. Features Editor Students came~ to school this year to realize the south parking lot was redone. There was a new black top and what seems like even more teacher parking places.

In the south parking lot there are 96 staff parking places and on any given day there are around 20 to 30 of them empty.

Millard South juniors

|and seniors are frustrated|this year with what seems like fewer parking places than there have been in the past years. S

“I parked in a teacher’s spot be be SS ‘i ‘Cause there were no student spots and” ~ jgot a ticket,” senior Brandon Tubbs

The security guards have only reported ticketing 12 students in the past couple of weeks since school started. That number isn’t alarming and what most of the students are getting tickets for is having no decals.

“Tt’s not the fact that students are parking in staff spots, the students just

© have not bought decals and they will get tickets for that,” Greg Fearday, the teacher in charge of the parking tickets, said.

According to Assistant Principal John Nattermann, there are only a few more teachers parking spots than there were last year. When the repaving happened last summer in the south lot, the teacher’s spots were spread throughout

first few rows.

“Tt needs to change to what it was before,” senior JamesBeutler said. “It stinks. You're already half way down before you can park.”

Inall the parking lots there are about 256 staff parking spaces, but according to Nattermann there are only around 160 staff and administration working at Millard South.: It

the parking lot instead of being concentrated in only the might seem like more spots are open right away in the mom-

In this issue Football wins first

ing but some of the teachers come and go from the different Millard Schools and the cooks and a few other people usually don’t get to school until after 9 a.m. in the morning.

In the future as the freshman class starts to tum 16 and the enrollment grows at Millard South, there could possibly be parking problems. The lines are repainted every year to try to diminish some of the problems. . Alsoin the future, the sophomoreott 1 for sophomores. "The sophomoresare forced to park there, but anyone can ~. park in that lot. Itis just a longer walk. The main time of the parking problems are around homeroom and then also during second hour. During first hour and after second hour gets over, the parking starts to get back to normal with all the seniors coming and going.

School lunch prices fatten.

due to world affairs team

wetdee Emily Schram BR Asst. Opinions Editor

This year several students have noticed a price change in the lunch served at Millard South compared to last years.

Principal Jon Lopez said, “when prices at the grocery store go up as well as the oil price, then other things are bound to go up”. It is not so surprising when you take a close look at the economy. The oil prices have gone up dramatically since September 11, and that has an impact on everyone. Without oil goods can’t be. Oil is the foundation of society. It adds up when one looks at all of the miles that food has to travel. Meat comes from the"Midwest, grains from Asia, and fruits and vegetables from practically everywhere. So for a simple hamburger with the works, the food can travel hundreds of miles.

“It’s so expensive to eat here now instead of what it was like last year,” sophomore Chelsea Lopez said.

In order to understand how Millard South comes up with the prices we need to take a look at the school board. They come up with all of the prices except for main fare, which is decided by the supplier. Everything else that is “A La Cart” has to be thought of with special care. When it comes to reduced lunch, the federal government decides. A family with one child on reduced lunch can save hundreds of dollars. It may seem like a lot but the school is only reimbursed so much by the government.

“T can’t believe they can do this. It’s cheaper to go out to Subway instead of here sometimes,” sophomore Heather Sullivan said.

Next time a student goes to buy lunch here at Millard

‘Millard Days carnival attracts Millard [South istudents, p. 8

Th e superfluous teacher parking spots are frustrating Millard South students. Parking is hectic as students scramble f or aa spots in the

morning.

There are nearly

100 more

staff spots than actual staff working at Millard South. Photo by Danielle Savig. -

game, p. 11

Tennis team serves up . action, p.10

Freshman Kim Davidson enjoys ice cream in the cafeteria. Photo by Kelsey Thiem South think about all of the things going on in the economy. They don’t just think of the prices right off the top of their heads; there is thought put into that process.

New rules and regulations

ban pajamas,

x

Kelsey Thiem Business Manager

With the commencement of every new school year, there is inevitably a change in rules and regulations. This year, three evident changes have been made, and students should take notice.

The first rule change this year is the new tardy rule. Students can now be nine minutes late to class with only a tardy to their name instead of a truancy. This is three minutes longer than last year’s rule.

“The district wanted consistency throughout the high schools’ tardy rules. One school had a 20-minute rule while we had a five-minute one, so we met halfway,” Principal Jon Lopez said.

Students are greatly relieved by this rule change. “Those few extra minutes help every now and then,” junior Garrick Meyer said.

“Tt takes so e pressur ff of get-

ting to class,” sophomore Becky Thomas said.

Another change in school policy is the addition of grade postings on-line. Parents are now able to access their children’s grades by applying for an account. They are then given an account number and password, which gives them access to their children’s grades and scores on every assignment given.

“We started this on-line program so that parents can see into their children’s school performance. It allows them to check up on their grades often so that they can help, encourage, or reward their children,” Lopez said.

The opinions on this change are split. “With parents watching my grades on-line, I get more stressed out,”

Numerous new teachers flood Millard South

* Kristi Palik Staff Reporter

- Art teacher Theresa Carroll helps with art club. She was a long-term substitute at Millard South last year.

sophomore Katie Elwer said.

“I don’t have anything to worry about. School isn’t that hard,” sophomore Stephanie Vanicek said.

Probably the most widely known rule change has been the banning of pajamas. Students are now prohibited from wearing anything associated with bedtime, from slippers to bathrobes.

“We are trying to increase productivity. School should be a business-like environment and sleepwear doesn’t fit that,” Lopez said.

“I don’t like the rule at all,” sophomore Marisa Cuvelier said. “It makes no sense.”

“I don’t even care about the pajama tule,” sophomore Matt Wagner said.

Whatever the opinion, all three of these rule changes are now in effect.

This year Millard South has an ‘impressive number of:23 new teachers inthebuilding. The following areshort biographies onsome ofthenew teachers.

* English teacher Jill Prochaska is in her first year of teaching and considers Millard South an “encouraging environment.”

* Social studies teacher and debate coach Scott Wike is in his first year of teaching, and, as a graduate of Millard South, finds it nice to work with all the teachers he had.

English teacher Tessa Adams taught previously in Pierce and is a freshman cheerleading sponsor.

Spanish teacher Paul Grant previously taught in St. Louis.

Business teacher Lynn Hill isa DECA sponsor.

Business teacher Greg Fearday previously taught at Bellevue East and is the Freshman B Boys Basketball Coach. Special Education teacher Kate Savas previously taught in Lincoln.

* English teacher Sarah Martin previously student taught at Kiewit Middle School and Millard West High School and looks forward to “getting involv at Millard South.

- New Frontier social studies teacher Michele Stogdill previously taught in LaMonte, Mo.

* Spanish teacher Juan Villaseca previously taught in Madrid and Murcia, Spain.

Online grades enlighten performance

a of

Jill Strominger Managing Editor

Beginning this year, parents of Millard South students are able to access grade reports through the internet. The printout includes information such as the grade received on homework and tests and whether or not they were tumed in on time. Because advances in technology have mage this capability available, the administration felt it was time for Millard South to make use of it.

“Technology has put us in a position where that kind of communica[instant access to grades] only makes sense. We're living in an era of instant access to information; information is power,” principal Jon Lopez said.

Already 545 Millard South families have taken advantage of this new power by signing up for accounts. The administration hopes this kind information will help parents intervene when their students are doing poorly causing students to perform better in school and raise academic standards.”

“T take a look at the big picture of how kids are doing, the percentage of the kids passing; I only get to look at grades as a big group. What I’m hoping is that as parents track the progress of the kid they can intervene and help them do better. Right now 95% = kids ~ at Millard South are passin sir classes, but those 5 percent that aren’t belong to somebody,” Lopez said.

Allowing parents instant access to grades does raise some concems about a decrease in student’s responsibility. Relying on parents to help their children achieve adequate grades inevitably increases the role of the parent in their child’s education in a way which does not parallel the workplace, however, this is anational trend present not only at Millard South.

“I think the responsibility has shifted more towards the parents over the past 10 years. However, I think this will help the pendulum swing back the other way if expectations are raised and students are held accountable to their parents,” Lopez said.

Summer rainstorm floods auditorium, dampens drama department dollars

KeWhen Tech Director Ted Weir walked into the auditorium June 26, he found himself looking at 430 gallons of water.

“There was 190 gallons of water pumped out of the backstage scene shop, and 240 gallons in the actual stage area,” Weir said.

The cause of the flooding was the intense rainstorm that occurred that week. The drain that usually handles the water was covered up by the cafeteriaduringthelastrenovation,which was completed in 2001. The parking lot also sloped downward toward the auditorium, and the drain istoo small tocontrollargeamounts ofwater.The waterthenfloodedintotheauditorium.

“Tt collected in the microphone

pockets andfilledtheorchestrapitwith four or five feet of water,” drama teacher Robyn Baker said.

Although the damage seems bad, itwas greatly decreased, thanks to the RalstonCommunity Theater. Sincethe Ralston high school auditorium isunderrenovation, theRCT was usingthe MSHS theater. The set designer for RCT had placed tarps over the stage area towork on the scenery.

“Tfhertarpshadn’tbeen there,the water would have flooded off of the stage, into the seating area,” Weir said.

Also tothank isthenew air-conditioningsystem thathadrecentlybeen installed. Because it runs year-round, the auditorium stayed cool and the mold didn’t spread as much. However,

itdidspread some and itgrew allover thecurtains. The main actcurtainwas entirely covered with atoxic mold.

“Due to its size, you can’t just throwitinawashing machine. We had to send it to the only facility in the United States, in New York. Since we tookitdown ourselves,themold caused severalpeopletohave allergyproblems.

Ihad this big rash on my arm,” Weir said.

Millard South also sent the valance to the cleaners, in case the main act curtain changes colors whilebeing washed.

“Even ifthe curtain does change colors, the show must go on,” Weir said.

Weir estimated the total cost for

the curtains to be cleaned at $3,000. However, that was just a fraction of the cost to get the auditorium fixed. All thewater had tobepumped outof thestage,blown outofthecrawlspace, the soundboard needed tobe replaced and the piano in the pit was ruined. Also, among the list of destruction, the pit’scarpetwaspulledupandreplaced, aswas the drywall.

Baker was out of town when the flood happened, but Weir immediately called Principal Jon Lopez and Baker afterhis discovery.

“Mr.Weir calledme, andlin turn called the maintenance staff,” Lopez said.

The auditorium needed tobefinished in time for the new teacher in-

duction on Aug. 10.

“Having adeadlinereallyputalotof pressure on us.Itwasn’t easy toget itready intime,”custodialdepartmenthead Dave England said.

Making thematterevenmore difficult were two more floods that happened during construction.

“We started over three times and round threewas theone thatmade it,” Weir said.

While the final cost isyet to be figured; Weir’s guess is $10,000 to $15,000.

“Tt’shard,because we're stillfinding problems, and not allof them can be fixed yet due to time or money,” Baker said.

“Tt was an unfortunate event, but thankfully, itwasn’t asbad asitcould have been,” Weir said.

Devaux represents MS students i In School Board

Ke - Amy Heyer

Managing Editor

Sia voice ofstudents willnot be silent in the School Board Chambers this'year.The school board representatives from each Millard Public School willparticipateinthemeetings andcontribute their ideas.

Every year, amember of the students council ischosen to go to the school board on the students’ behalf.

Elise Devaux took over the position when Stacey Schmid, Student Council President, graduated in May of last

year. In reality, Devaux had not planned on becoming the representative when she joined student council. She had first been elected to take charge of Public Relations for the Council, and became the representative for the school board as a senior, when Schmid graduated.

Before each meeting, the three students thatrepresenteachschoolpreparebycompiling areport thatinforms the board of the activities that have takenplaceateachschoolsincethelast meeting.They dressup,then taketheir

places beside the School Board mem-

bers to wait for the meeting to begin. After the board has taken care of some opening business, the representatives are given the opportunity to give their reports. As the meeting continues, they are also called upon to provide insight into certain issues as students of the District.

The first meeting that the representatives attended took place on Sept. 7. The new representatives from Millard West and North were Chelsea Adams and Sarah Fech, respectively. It was also Dr. Kim Saum-Mills’ first

meeting in her new position. The meetings are the first and third Monday of every month (unless a holiday pushes them back to a Tuesday, as was the case with Labor Day).

“T think it has more impact to have a student there,” Devaux said after Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s very important [to have representatives at the

Board].”

——— falls on Sept. 18 Easy Money-Start Immediately!

Amanda Tombrink Staff Reporter

Part-time Telemarketing 4:30-8-30

Homecoming is unusually early this year.

The MillardSchool Boarddoesn’tlikeusplaying against our own district for thehomecoming Board “We get some say in it, but

Monday-Thursday and 9:00-1:00 Saturday coming lands. It’s mostly up to the Millard School

> Unfortunately we don't get to pick when home-

a a eens =e

School Board rep. Elise Devaux sits among School Board members Brad Burwell and Linda Poole. Photo by Amy Heyer.

School

Oz goes from ‘playhouse’ to ‘nuthouse’ as psychiatrist walks yellow brick road

“We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz...” Well, that’s alovely song, but Ithink I'lltweak ita little. How about, we're off to see the psychiatrist! Wait hold on, before you stop reading, give me achance to redeem myself. See, when Iwas amere seventh grader, my reading teacher toldus about how some Canadian psychia_tristsanalyzed Winnie-the-Pooh and friends and figure out what.was wrong with them. Like, Eeyore was severely depressedandneeded Prozacand soforth.So,Idecided toanalyzeDorothy and her gang. With-my extensive psychology background...or...tillprogress reports, Ifigured not only wasI qualified, I was the best girl for the job. So, hop on a ~~ yellowbrick road and joinme inthisprofessional sessionof quality psychiatric analyzation.

dees hese

Wicked Witch ofthe West was alwaysmy favorite, so I'll start with her. Most of yall know.. sheisthe bad guy. She is requested dead by the Wizard because she is just too evil to handle.Anyway, she is quite clearlyatroubled soul. Anyone can see that.

Next level of excellence grows dimmer everyday

scarecrow, if he is lacking in a brain, he would also lack a heart and soul. So, this leads me to wonder how he has a personality, if he has no soul. Why ishe not just a vegetable? This isjust another one oflife’slittlemysteries.

The cowardly lionhas severeissues.He isintensely distressed and distraught. Most likely, aprofessional (likeme ofcourse) would diagnose him with pantophobia, ageneral fearofeverything. He ismost likelyafraidofheights (acrophobia),bugs (insectophobia), tornadoes(lilapsophobia)and witches (wiccaphobia). Pm willing to bet that’s not all either.Itsamazing how he sleeps atnight.

The tinmans problems were quite simple, ashe isnot ashamed andtellsyou why he istroubled. He lost thelove ofhislife to another man. Whichisreally easy enough to understand. Imagine, losing thepetsonyou love themost forever.Then imagine accidentally chopping off your limbs.And contrary topopular _ belief,it’snotjustafleshwound. The poorguyissufferingfromdepression over losing the light of his life and trauma from his several accidents. This iscalledpost trauma.

It was absolutely imperative'that every single teacher read every single rule to every single student, so this won’t be difficult to understand: the rules about being tardy have changed. You will not be counted truant until you are over nine minutes late to class. Obviously, the administration feels it is important for each student to understand this concept, but why did it feel the need to change thesue in the first place?

ina detention. Now, account forthe factthattherearetwo semesters ina year, and here is the bottom line. A studentcouldmissagrandtotalof720 minutes, or 12 hours, of school free of consequences, not including the timeone couldmissinhomeroom.

something went wrong and well, she’s just not right. bet she was abused as a child, which lead her to a life of hatred forother people. Also, hergreen skinmost likelyprovoked the other children into making fun of her, which made her feel unloved as achild. If Ihad green skin, I’m sure yall would make fun of me, I wouldn’t have any friends and I probably would never have anyone fallinlove with me, so Pd alsosecludemyself from theworld andhave flyingmonkeys attack innocent children. Or not.

Our next victim willbe the Scarecrow. Since heisobviouslymade ofstraw, hecannot possiblyhave abrain.But, if he has no brain, how can he talk? This leads me to believe

And lastly, Dorothy. Consideredtheheroineofthistimelessstory, is she really the girl she seems to be? Perhaps Dorothy suffers from multiplepersonality disorder. Her black and white life inKansas istoo boring for her, so she made up a heroic friendforherself.A friendthatlives incolor,withtalkinglionsandscarecrows. A friend, who painted the fantasy scene so real in her mind, that she believed it. Whatever it is, I think there ismore to Dorothy than that dog, those slippers and her pigtails. Deep down, this girlistwisted.

So, this concludes my professional *cough oogh* researchontheWizard ofOz gang.You may saythere’snothing more than agood story there, but look deep. Pry into the hearts and souls of these individuals and see their true selves.Justbecareful, thesepeople couldbeconsidered dangerous and also, the research might shine alight on your own true self... Ifigured outthatI’m really nyctophobic and afraid of the dark. So, Ihope your trip to Oz was as

It’s a matter of unity, congruency, and conformity. All the schools in the district must be equal, so the three high school’s administrators came to a compromise: nine minutes. Nine minutes at Millard West, nine minutes at Millard North, where 45-minute class periods mean that a student could feasibly miss nearly a quarter of class and still not be truant, and nine minutes at Millard South, which turned out to be great for us, right?

Let’s do the math. In one day, 36 minutes of school time could be spent doing absolutely nothing, but it gets. better. A student can miss nine minutes in eight classes. Multiply that times five opportunities to be late each semester without any consequences, since getting three tardies no longer results

Pm not sure if anyone else has noticed,but the school districthas this whole wonderful new plan to make Millard world class. Considering the posters that hang in every class and the “Reach for aworld-class education!” motif of the Millard Public School’s calendar, these people have put quite abit of thought into this. One of the outcomes isto “provide innovative approaches to reach studentswhoarenotmotivatedtolearn.” Maybe allowingstudentstomissmore schoolisoneofthese“innovative approaches.” Besides, the prospect of pushing the snooze button isappealing,evenifyouaremotivatedtolearn. The goalofthedistrict’sWorld-Class Education Plan is to change our schools for the better. However, I fail toseehow exchanging apolicy that worked just fine before for one that allows consequence-free delinquent behavior isgoing tohelp bring us to the“nextlevelofexcellence.” another evil witch put him under a horrid spell, after she enlightening as mine and until next time. ... follow the yeltortured him. He was clearly traumatized by that, was sui- low brick road. cidal, and tried to hang himself on a pole. Also, the poor Co Senseis thi fficial publication of Millard South High School, 14905 Q Street Edi Chief: J oe mmon. is the official publication o: ard Sou g ool, treet,

tor-in-Chief: Jor Omaha, Nebraska, 68137. School district guidelines determine the suitability of advertising con-

Managing Editors: Amy Heyer ae PRS ae SUspES Dg Sea: oto Editor: Amy Brammer tent. To place an ad, call 895-8363. Jill Strominger CR

Common Sense is a monthly publication produced in Room 130. Common Sense uses desktop Web Site Editor-in-Chief: Katie Steiner Ae Fr Kristi Palik publishing hardware and software: Macintosh computers, Laser Jet 4Q00N Printer, Nikon and Web Site Asst.

Letters to the editor are encouraged. A\ll letters must be signed with the student's first and last 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, length and clarity. Letters of profane nature or other infractions of school or district policy will not.

Features Editor: Colleen Strassenburg

Sports Editor: Amy Heyer

Opinions Editor: Jill Strominger

Entertainment Editor: Chris Bazemore

Business Manager: Kelsey Thiem

Adviser: Christine Kaldahl

Editor: Thom Hale ay ae ae lle Savi Umax scanners, Canon Rebel digital cameras, and Adobe PageMaker, Photoshop and Microsoft News Editor: Jordan Kenik ae oe “s ee S : vig Word software. All printing is done by Nebraska Printing Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. Focus Editor: Whitney Keyes Wale So fe ae ae name and grade. be published.

Hardcore provides new music genre for punk lover

Pmwritingthiscolumnwithmixedemotions. Things arehappening inthemusicindustrythatarebothexciting andsad,verysad. I’msadbecausepunkisdyingbeforemy very eyes, and yet, hard-coreisclearlythe nextbigthing,which isthe exciting part. Before a bunch of people get in atizzy andtrytotellmepunk willneverdieandthat hard-core is worthless, let me explain my theory. It’s good, I promise.

WhenIsaid that punk is“dying” and that hard-core will soon reign, Idid not mean thatNofx allof thesuddenisnogood and thatZao isthebestband ever.Infact,it’squite the opposite,butthat’sbesidethepoint. Thesedays,everyone istryingsohardtobedifferentthatthey'reallthesame.I “want tovomit allovermyselfwhen IwalkpastaClaire’s boutiquebecauseithasreducedthesacredsignsofapunk to12-year-oldgirls’accessories. Punkhasbeenstereotyped ‘toitslimit,thesoulofpunk hasbeen “beatdown, broke andbruised,” bytheposing media. Soreally,this isalla good thing. Punkhashaditsmainstreamsuccessandnow

itisbeingforcedbackintothegrungy underground from where it once came, ashard-corecomes totakeitsplace. Everyoneisprobablywonderingwhy thinkhard-core, of all genres, is next. Well, its prettyobvious isn’tit.Firstof all,metal iseverywhere. Its beengrowinginpopularityfor thepast couple ofyears, (ie. Linkin Park, Metallica, Hatebreed), and hardcore is just apurer form of metal. More and more people are showingupattheRanchBowl and other local venues when major hard-core bands arein town. Nottomentiontheinsaneincreaseinthenumberof hard-corebands,especiallyon the local scene. Bands that wereoncegaragepunkaregoinghard-core,breakdownsand all(cough-WCM-cough-youguysrock-cough).Plus,thehardcore scene isvisually appealing. It’snot dirty, there’sno flannel, and even the guys wear makeup. It’s modern, and people likethat. Hard-core is,forlackofabetterword, fresh. Idon’tknow aboutanyoneelse,butI’mpumped. Sopunkrockisnotreallygoing todie,it’sjustgoing home again. Thishashappenedbeforeanditwillhappen again. Hard-coreisamazing’and Ihopethatitiswillingly embraced,becauseit’scoming,likeit,ornot.

sPeer acceptance challenges SOmMme SHS students

Today we spoke of those with less fortune. Money, talent, intelligence, beauty, whatever came to mind we weren’t afraid to speak. It’s terrifying really, what we do to one another. Bitter words are thrown, though weapons play no part. Obscene callings strewn about the halls, seeming to forget what it’s like to feel. Each day we see them, and watch them flail, occasion-

enteredtheroom arathergravetopic seemed upfordebate,which, consideringitwasmyhomeroomisanincrediblysurprisingincident.Theyhadbeen discussingthetreatmentofour‘special’ peers,andcameacrossasunimaginably distraught. The girls around me tespondedindisgustinregardstotheway they'dseenotherscomedownonthose unlikethem.Detailingtheagonythey must have to endure, repeating how _ students scream names at them from Seeing not the down the hall. Stepping in front of person before us, those in wheelchairs, so they are unbut the excite-- able to move. Instead of Po AE OF the. share a sheer. I hen there are those who crowd, knowing won't go anywhere near them, being you belong, that tidiculous in their behavior, acting as you aren’t the one_ ifthese students have the plague. Alwho needs to fear. _though, itmust besaid that there are So we lie there and gaze as though in a trance, as they sit paralyzed awaiting ‘punishment’ for not being like him, her, or I. So I'm writing this for them, the ‘imperfect’ angels of gociety, we have forgotten. The weak and naive, or ‘failures’ as people often refer to them. Though the reason for this, I’m quite unsure, they possess more courage than I shall ever know, these eyes we never meet.

Around 9:30 the other morning, | walked into my homeroom, as any other time. But this wasn’t simply a time to lie about, no, not that day. As

some that shed kind words among them, and help when they can. In fact, there’s a young lady see often, in the lunch room quarters enjoying her meal with them, it’s a rather inspiring sight. I feel the need to express that it isn’t simply about people who are cruel to handicap children that should rethink their choices, but also about others who see what’s going on but are afraid to speak. They stand around, on occasion letting out a laugh when words such as ‘retard’, ‘freak’, or ‘cripple’ are muttered. Holding their tongue at another's expense. It’s disheartening to see the tears they try to hide, and even more of a let down to see them smiling, as though they don’t understand, simply a game. In a way, I suppose it is, playing a game with their feelings, emotions, and self -confidence. The words someone whispers, that they’re sure are never heard, are. Each one becoming permanently engraved in their mind, never seen, but felt. It isn’t just those born with physically disabilities either, but rather the boy in class who never knows the right answer, or the young woman who thought she was in love and so became gravid on the night she chose to share it. Maybe it’s -the boy from a foreign land, that no one will say hi to, or the child behind the computer screen, the one they call a ‘geek’. The girl who never wears the right clothes, or knows the right thing to say, deciding instead to hide while others snub her. These are the eyes we fail to meet, they represent parts of our world we were raised to believe improper, less than perfect. So I only ask one question of those who choose to ‘read this, why? oe

If I Knew thenwu College preparation timeline truly

* Amy Brammer Photo Chief

As the new school year begins many procrastinating seniors are wishing that someone told them that waiting until the last minute to prepare for college was not thebright- est choice.

Even those who did not procrastinate are freaking out about some aspect of college decision making or another. “When should you start looking into colleges and taking the ACT and SAT?” sophomore Katie Elwer said.

So here is some advice for those of you who are looking for some answers to your college questions.

“Take your first test the spring of your junior year and

then plan on taking it at least once mote. Use the first test to see what your strengths are and then work on them for the second time you take the test,” counselor Sheri Harrach said.

“Look into as many colleges as you can and contact them early. Take the PLAN test seriously because it pre- dicts your ACT score, so then you can tell how much work is ahead of you. Talk to your counselor to get help,” junior Drew Horstman said. The first test this year is on Oct. 23 and registration must be in by Sept. 19. ACT registration packets are available in the counseling office. The counsel- ing centers advice is to allow at least two hours to fill the registration out and use a number two pencil.

Failed students rethink view toward school, classes, grades

Colleen Strassenburg Features Editor

Students’ chuckle, as once again the teacher reminds consequences of work not being completed on time.

Millard South students reminisce over previous years, when they were less than what would be deemed prepared for the beginning of their high school career. -

“Yes, I honestly regretted not try>~ ing as hard in my courses very much.

If I would have just done what I was supposed to then I wouldn’t have had to take all of those classes again,” senior Angela Peters said.

Other pupils such as sophomore, Thomas Canick, agree with Peters’ statement, lending their own warming.

talking. Just don’t talk while the teacher is speaking, and if you get a detention go to it, so you don’t receive an afternoon school,” Canick said.

Some students at MS struggle with course material each year, choosing instead to neglect classroom activities, as Canick and Peters demonstrate. The aftermath of this decision proving of poor judgment.

“My parents had been upset with Ie. and it made me feel weird around myfriends,”Canick said.

Peters endured amore personal affectfrom thismishap.

‘Tdfeltlazyandstupid,everyone elsewas doing well orOK, and Iwas doing incredibly bad. Ihave had to work veryhard togettowhere I’mat now, due to the paths chose,” Peters said.

in the case with sophomore Heather Sullivan, we're affected less dramatically.

“If I were to apply myself more there would be better results, but I didn’t have that much trouble besides the fact that I had to do my work eventually. Not succeeding in my classes just made me feel annoyed,” Sullivan said.

Peters, Sullivan, and Canick, alles leave words of wisdom for those entering the school.

~“Do your homework, I know you may hate doing homework, I hated it too. Which is why I failed two classes. Don’t try to be tough by not doing it, or failing a class, it sucks,” Peters said. Canick concurswiththeother'sopinions, and contributes his own thoughts on the matter.

“I used to get in trouble for talk-

A coupleofstudents,asevident

“If you do what you are supposed to do, you will do well in school,” Canick said. ing to my friends while the teacher was

Morning routine changes over high school years

*Jillian Strominger Asst. Editor in Chief

Everyone has experienced those painful agonizing mo- ments in front of the bedroom mirror flipping through shirts and combing their hair in 80 different directions. Oftentimes during freshman year students experience the worst of the petrifying fear that accompanies these times.

“lalways try and make sure I look grown up. The night before school I figure out what I'm going to wear, like what clothes, shoes and hairstyle,” freshman Nicole Roccaforte said.

“Freshman year is the worst. I changed my outfit like five times. don’t think there was a day I didn’t match, but over the years it’s gotten better and now I just want to get through the day,” senior Jessica Hauger said.

“Freshman year got up earlier and kind of took my time picking out clothes, now it’s like I get up, get in the shower and put on the first thing I see,” senior Shane Campagna said.

Senior Megan Amundson remembers being worried about how she looked when she first moved to the Millard South area and began school without knowing anyone be- sides her twin sister Michelle.

“When I was brand new was nervous about how I looked,butitgetsbetter. Some peoplejudgedme basedon. what Iwore and didn’t hang outwith me because Ihad adifferentfashion,butthatshowsyouwhoyourtruefriends are,” Amundson said.

While therewillalwaysbeafewpeoplewhowilljudge youbasedonhowyoulook,moststudentsatMillardSouth seem tofeelothersdon’tseem topassjudgement basedon

your clothes.

“Iwanttolookcleanandeverything,buthow]appear atschool means very littletome. Not verymany people willjudgemebywhatIwear,butthepeoplewho doknow verylittleaboutme soIdon’treallycarewhat theythink. Peoplelikethataren’tworthdressingcoolfor,”seniorShari McElroysaid.

stuff.“Ithinkpeoplemyagehavegrownoutofthatkindof

Ifsomeone’swearingHilfigerordressedpunk,Icould careless,”Campagna said.

“OnedayIcametoschoolinpinkfloralcapripants,a Sturgisshirt,and my socks didn’tmatch; Ithink onewas pinkandonewasyellow,butitdidn’tscarmylife,”senior Erika Nunn said.

“Idon’tpaymuchattentiontowhatpeoplewear.Ifit’s funnyI'llreadit,butthat’saboutit,”seniorJordanAschwege said.

Allinall,mostpeopleagreethatitdoesn’treallymat-terhow you dress, but -whoyou are. Studentsneed not spendhourscritiquingtheirstyle,worryingaboutabadhair dayhere and there, orchanging anything toplease other people.

“Don’tworryabouthowyoulookbecausepeoplewon’t remember wardrobes at a class reunion,” Aschwege said.

“Don’tchangeyourselfforotherpeopleinhighschool. Youaregoingtochangeenoughanywayonyourown.Don't gettoocaught upintryingtolookcoolandfittinginbecauseinfouryearsit’snotreallygoingtomatterifyouwere the geek who wore no make-up orifyou were thehigh schooldivawhohadthecutestdesignerclothes,”McElroy

GPA proves to” be confusing

for students

Murphy Reporter . * Staf

Entering another new school year, something important that all students must pay attention to, even freshmen, are their grades. A high GPA is beneficial for college.

‘Tm not really worried about my GPA,” freshman Jeanna Croft said. A GPA is a grade point average of your classes. Every student has a paper in his or her homeroom folder that lists their current and past courses and the specific grade earned for each course. At the end of each semester, an averagé is found and that is the GPA given for that semester.

On the sheet, a column of numbers is found in the upper-tight hand corner. The first number is credits eamed. This is the total number of credits currently achieved. Underneath is

thecredits attempted. Ifacourse was failed, these two numbers willbe different. The thirdnumber isthe standard GPA. This isoverallgrade point average accomplished. Fourth isthe weighted GPA, which includes AP classes for those students who have taken AP courses. An AP course is worth 5.00pointsinstead oftheusual 4.00,which equalsa1.Ifastudentin an AP course receives a2, they still receive 4.00 points, which isequivalenttoa1.Thefifthnumberisthetotal class rank points, and is determined by multiplying the GPA times the total mark points (thetotalmarkpointsbeing 4.00 for a 1, 3.00 for a2, 2.00 for a3,and 1.00fora 4).The lastnumber in the column, class rank, is simply the total class rank points number put in numerical orderwith allclassmates in thestudent’scurrentgrade.

Toseeanupdated versionofthis paper, seeyour homeroom teacher or. advisor.

Seniors forced to face difficult challenge of advanced education

¥& Colleen Strassenburg Features Editor

Repetition, innocence, help, guidance. Gone. Gradually over the course of time, students are stripped of their security blankets, and find themselves struggling to grasp responsibility as the years slip by.

Seniors Jessica Garcia and Ashley Curtis have been learning to cope with advances in course material as their high school career comes to a close, essentially being thrown into a game with little or no padding.

“In my classes, I can’t just copy and memorize, they (the teachers) make you think bout what’s going on. It’s a higher level of learning,” Garcia said.

Curtis agrees, and adds a little more wistful thought to - the topic at hand.

“I wish they still spoon fed us,” Curtis said.

Others have the tendency to skate by their senior year, finding little difference in the level of difficulty in their classes.

“If anything, they've gotten easier. I'd never taken notes in any of my previous years anyway. Although, this year ’m actually doing my work now, and I’m probably more mature than I was my freshman year,” senior Tyler Huff said.

In fact, some, like senior Jack Archer, prefer the more intellectually inspiring courses.

“Yes, they've gotten harder. It’s not copying down notes;it’s more of a discussion. You have to know what to take down. Even though it requires more thought, I like it better now, because it’s helping me get ready for college,” Archer said.

The variety of opinions over the evolution of classes

Fun school activities impress colleges, offer friends, good times

Katie Steiner Online Editor in Chief

As new freshmen walk the halls of Millard South, many of them are already questioning what they need to do to prepare for college. One of the most important things everyone should do to prepare for college is to participate in extracurricular activities.

Extracurricular activities include sports, clubs, and organizations. Millard South offers many different opportunities for students to become active: 11 boys sports, 9 girls sports, 3 representative organizations, 4 spirit groups, and over 21 clubs. With so much to choose from, there is something interesting for everyone.

Most students choose to participate in clubs, because they do not play sports or know how to cheer and dance. Some of the clubs offered at Millard South include foreign language clubs, computer club, DECA, and literary magazine.

One of the reasons that students participate in activities is to put it on college applications. Many schools look for someone who has been active in the community and school. But it’s important to remember that colleges’ main criteria for selection are academics.

“Activities just add to your application,” counselor Sheri Harrach said. “It shows that you are a well rounded student

who can handle activities and academics.”

Another reason forjoining an activity isallthepeople involved.Extracurriculars areagreatway tomeetnew people who have thesame interestsandlikethesame things.Manypeople have met their best friends through clubs and sports. For freshmen, it means having the opportunity to make friends with upperclassmen, who they wouldn’t have known otherwise. And it always helps to have upperclassmen asfriends.

Activities aren’t always just fun and games. They offer a way to learn important skills such as teamwork, leadership qualities, and communication skills. It also shows that practice makes perfect, and how to learn from mistakes.

“T Activities] teach you life skills like how to make decisions on your feet,” principal Jon Lopez said. “It’s like a dress rehearsal for life.”

School spirit is also a result of activities. Through participation, a sense of school pride is developed. Everyone wants his or her school to do well in everything. And school spirit is not limited to sports; it can also be for drama, band, forensics,debate, and anything elseMillardSouthcompetes in.

“We are going to have a great season in everything,” Lopez said. “I don’t anticipate being second in anything.”

With so many opportunities and great reasons for joining, there is no reason not to join an activity. So stop reading this article, get up, and get involved!

over the four previous years differs a great deal. Some believe the classes themselves haven’t changed simply the students. With time comes wisdom, and students realize this, and willfully admit that the classes may be stressful, but for the best.

“The classes have gotten more challenging, such as math. The class challenges your mind, how much you know, and how much you can do,” senior Christina Sapp said.

Fellow senior, Jeannine Mullins, acknowledges this belief and concurs.

“The activities we do are more complex, the teachers expect you to know more,” Mullins said.

Faculty who have had students in both courses, those younger and others on the brink of adulthood, aren’t sure what to expect.

“I think it depends on what the teacher demands. The seniors are getting ready for life, so the materials covered are going to be more complex. Many of the seniors have goals, and feel that by piling on work it will provide more opportunities for their future. This is the moment they've been preparing for, the time that they've been gradually moving toward since they were freshmen. Yes, the seniors have learned many life lessons over the past years, but they have not learned all the discipline needed, and I don’t want them to fall on their face,” AP chemistry teacher, Ron Kaspar said.

Whether students like it or not, classes have evolved, and will continue to change and grow. With possibilities of college, looming in the future, teachers are assumed responsible for preparing their students for college. Teachers expectations will rise, curriculum starts getting tougher and the students will need to be able to handle all the changes.

MS Cafeteriafriend or foe:

*

Kelsey Thiem Business Manager

The lunchroom has always played a large part in students’ school days. It can be scary for some, and a comfort place for others. As students go through the years here at Millard South, their opinions and perceptions of the cafeteria seem to morph and differ. From freshmen to seniors, everyone has a different opinion on lunchroom life.

“T was nervous about not finding friends to sit with,” freshman Cassandra Skiles said.

She is not alone. Many students have wondered who they were going to sit with on the first day of school.

“Having someone to talk to adds comfort in. anew place,” freshman Erik Molin said.

By the time students have become sophomores or juniors, they seem to become very comfortable with the social aspect of the cafeteria.

“It’s our place to eat and talk with

friends,” sophomore Veronica Johnson said.

“Te’s just a place to eat,” junior ErinBollingersaid,“Nothing more and. nothing less.”

“The cafeteria isavery open and welcoming place,” sophomore Lauren Hospodka said. “I'mvery comfortable there.”

The seniors have the cafeteria down to a science, but can still see the inherent problems inthe lunchroom.

“Tt shouldn’t matter where people sit, but for some reason it does. It’s gotten better, but it still needs work,” senior Ashley Miller said.

“Mix it up everyday and get to know new people,” senior Amy Butler said. “Having self-confidence helps a lot.”

Fromnervousness inthefreshmen tosupreme comfort inthe upperclassmen, the cafeteria is an experience widely known. Itisallof these views thatgiveourlunchroom itsown unique variety that everyone, sooner orlater, comes toknow.

Carnival games await students’

This year’s Millard offers mud-fr

Steiner

Web Site Editor in Chief Parades, carnivals, fun, and mud. These are just a few of the things people think of when they think of Millard Days. Millard Days took place Aug. 25-29.

The main attraction of Millard Days is the carnival. This year, everyone’s favorite rides returned including the Zipper, Octopus, Sizzler, and Sky Master.

“The Octopus scared me sideways and silly,” senior Jordan Shanks said.

Unlike other years, the baseball field where the carnival is held was _| not very muddy and was mostly clear everywhere. But people had other problems to face including overpriced tickets and many crowds.

“T thought it was overcrowded,” junior Hannah Witt said. “J didn’t ride any rides because the lines were too long.”

Kids had the chance to play games and try to win prizes. They also could eat the regular carnival foods including com dogs, nachos, and funnel cakes. But it’s important not to eat too much, or ride too many rides. The combination of the two could equal a very queasy stomach.

The Millard Days Parade was held on Saturday, Aug 28. Families

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UNO to pay the fee for AP stats exam

Aimee Freeman Staff Reporter

Millard South is doing anew pilot study program with its AP classes to see the results when they give students free AP exams and see how they do on them. The class for our school is Cami Wameke’s AP statistics class.

“They pick one AP class in each high school and each kid in that class has to take the éxam for credit and it’s paid for. [The administration] is trying to decide what will happen with the

ee excitement Days

from all over town crowded the sidewalks of Millard Ave. to support their favorite Millard school. All three Millard high schools participated in the parade.

The Patriot cheerleaders led the way for Millard South. They were followed by the marching band, who performed “Salute to America’s Finest” and the school song. After them came the dance team. They performed jds ‘shoot’ for fun while at Millard Days, finding part of theirrou- entertainment in activities. tine from camp Photo by Tyler Schnaidt for the judges, and did leaps down the street. being an enjoyable experience for

“The crowd was really good,” everyone who attended. It is one sophomore dance team member Beth _ of the only ways to unite the comBrungardt said. “They always cheered munity of Millard. Some people for us when we did our techniques.”

In the end, Millard Days ended up

exams,” Warneke said.

Many kids in the school are taking AP classes, they just aren’t taking the AP exams. This could be because Millard South>offers dual enroliment” which if a student in an AP class qualifies, he can pay and get credit for that class from Peru State Gollege or the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“I'm planning on taking the AP “exams for my classes unless I get the chance to do dual enrollment,” senior Megan Amundson said. The other reason is that dual enrollment and the AP exams cost money to take and many kids that take AP classes - are in more than one of them.

“About 18 percent of the kids in AP classes last year took the exams which is quite low because we offer dual enrollment, which 38 percent of the students chose to do,” Warneke said.

Trying to get more students to take the AP exams also means we are trying to get more students to enroll in these classes to ensure the new world class education.

“We're trying to prepare every kid and provide the most rigorous classes they can take to make sure they receive a college level education,” Principal Jon Lopez said. Evie 1 though just getting students to take more AP classes may not ensure them paying to take AP exams, they will be getting prepared for college by the material they cover. el can tell that the AP classes have a lot more reading you have to do,” junior Pat Morris said. With the harder curriculum, this may be what is keeping students from wtaking theAP- classes especiallyif they can’t get dual enrollment or they don’t do well.on the AP exams.

“Tt depends on how wel [ote ing the year, but I am and have to take my AP Stat exam because the school is paying for it,” Morris said.

As of right now, there are no other classes offering free exams until the pilot study is done and decisions are made on what to do about them, which for now, means most students will have to keep on paying for them.

are already excited for it to come back next year.

Harrach has big plans to overhaul guidance office

+k Jordan Kenik

Editor in Chief Counselor

Sheri Harrach has been named the new guidance center department chair, and she has big plans to rework counseling at Millard South.

“We're trying to remarket the counseling center,” Harrach said. “We want to let people become aware of what we have to offer.”

One major modification instituted at the beginning of this year was the schedule change process. Instead of simply making the switch as in past semesters, students must now fill out a form in homeroom and have their advisor sign it. The forms are sent to the guidance office, and the counselors send for the students when they are ready to process the request.

“We wanted to keep advisors in the loop as to what is going on [with their students],” Harrach said. “So far the feedback has been pretty positive.”

“The schedule change process was

pretty smooth this year, Morris said. “It seems like there waiting in the counseling center.

” junior Pat ’s less

Harrach has taken on several new responsibilities as department head including but not limited to building all the new student schedules, attending department head meetings, and planning department meetings. Harrach applied and interviewed with Principal Jon Lopez for the position left empty after former department chair Gary Neuhaus retired. The 2004-2005 school year marks her seventh year as acounselor at Millard South. Harrach, an MS graduate, has also taught at Millard South as a business and psychology teacher, and she worked as a counselor at Bryan High School.

“Pm excited to do this,” Harrach said. “We have a lot of great counse-lors, and they are a fun team to work with. ”»

Photo by Tyler Schnaidt Katie

‘Seniors Angela Bosak, Jessica Braun and Kelly Beernink are AP Spanish students in Juventina Sloter’s class.

Photo by Amy Brammer

‘Grease is the word’ for Patriot Players

* Amy Brammer

Photo Editor Mar sden. sai a s(n Millard South drama kicks off an- Patriot players are working very hard other great season with the ever popu- On this show. Dance rehearsals began This is ‘Jar “Grease,” which will be put on by over the summer and many soloists : the Patriot Players on Oct. 8,9, and came into work with Marsden well the fi rst 10. This show is expected to be a big throughout the summer to prepare heir voices. I SUCCESS.

eo i y “My expectations on every show Rehearsals are practically everyin eight are really high, but 1 know that this is day after school from 3:15 to 6 p.m. or a show that Millard South kids willlove _ later. During a show like this I probYears just as much as we love putting it on,” ably spend about 15 to 20 hours a week that Millard South drama director, Robyn — at school just for drama,” junior Ben Baker said. Klingemann said. drama The show follows the lives of a The Patriot Players have been dogroup of high school kids in the 1950’s._ ing a lot with this show. On Aug. 25 has The show stars Kendra Way as good _ they performed “We Go Together,” at otten to girl Sandy and Robby Gordy asbad boy _the new Wal-Mart in Millard and are g Danny. Danny has his groupies, Sonny, performing at the first pep rally of the erform __ Doody, Roger and Kenicki played by school year - a P I David Frolio, Ryan Dinning, Ben “This is the first pep rally in eight m. Klingemann and John Moesner. Sandy years that drama has gotten-to perform < :has her group of friends, “the pink la- in,” Baker said. jove: sophomores John Drama dies,” played by Bailey Carlson, Jess “Oh my gosh, it is really, really, ee ae Director Thacker, Florence Choi, and Jess really exciting! I can’t wait! Thisissuch ,. Klingemann eee Stopak. Altogether, there are about 28 _ fun show,” senior Kendra Way said. ines for upcoming RK obyn people in the cast and crew of “Grease.” Patriot Players will also have the _ performances in early

“This is one of the most exciting, opportunity to audition for a chance October. They boys play Baker well-rounded casts we have ever had _ to take the musical to both state Drama members of the ‘Greasers’ gang.

inamusical, and there isanenergy to this cast that have not seen since I have been here,” Choir director Tim

Convention in January and possibly International Drama Convention in June.

Right: Megan Fangmeyer finds time to sing with Kendra Way. Way plays the classic good-girl, Sandy.

Photos by Amy Brammer

_‘Mickey’s’ crew dances into South - using mousy demeanor to cha

Parading in pink, Schoeszler, and Dallas Archer are all ears.

Photo by Colleen Morrissey

Millard South Mediators: Florence Choi, Samantha. Zickefoose, Robby Gordy, Eric Sorens, Jan Valerie Nicholson. Saff R KelliCrump, another sponsor for _ grade. They thenfilledoutanapplicapens Peer Mediation, says the kids are “en- tion and essay. Once they passed the Armed with pink shirts, Mickey thusiastic” during theirmonthly meet- _applicationandessayprocess,theywent ears, and a sense of understanding, the PeerMediators areready fortheirjobs.

The Peer Mediators started the yearoffwith asong.Their debut atthe handbook assembly included singing anddancing totheirtheme “The MagicalWorld ofPeers” wearing theirpink t-shirts and Mickey Mouse ears.

There are 12 new PeerMediators: JanSchoeszler,Jordan Aschwege, Robert Gordy, Dallas Archer, Zickefoose, Eric Sorens, Florence Choi, Will Pflug, Amanda Burkhart, Amanda Meyer, Kendra Way, and C. J.Greco.

Samantha.

“They're agood group of kids,”

ings.Crump saysthat sheand Harrach “provide asupport system for the students” and discuss any issues the kids may have.

The Peer Mediators themselves have great thingstosayaboutpeermediation.

“It’s like a carousel of fun with endless quarters,” said C. J. Greco, describing how much fun he is having in Peer Mediation.

Kendra Way said, “I love it.”

Will Pflug said they “get to wear pink,” talking about their new shirts that go along with the theme.

To be a Peer Mediator the stu_..dents had.to begoinginto the twelfth

through an interview. When they passed the interview, the voting processbegan. Therewerethreevotesthat took place. The teachers voted, next thestudentsvoted, andfinallythe2003 Peers voted. After that long process, ifthey survived, they were elected to bePeerMediators. The PeerMediators went toatwo-day camp and practiced mock mediations. They also created their theme “The Magical World of Peers”. = Ifanyone isin need of Peer Mediation, juststopby thecounseling office and talk toCrump or Harrach to setup ameeting.

New sports coaches hit Millard South: Football, Volleyball teams find new leadership

Chris Bazemore Staff Reporter

The MillardSouthAthletic department hasaddedfive new coaches to the staff thisyear hoping tomake the Patriot teams even better than previous years.

On the football field, Andy Means has moved up to thehead coaching position afterserving astheassistant under Marty Going for 17 years. The former Nebraska footballplayer was the secondary coach on varsity and also the head coach onJunior Varsity inpastyears. Lastyear Means coached theJunior Varsity team to an undefeated season, and ishoping todo the same with thisyear’s varsity team.

“We're looking forward toagood season thisyear.We have excellent senior leadership and alsosome talentedjuniors and sophomores ready tostep up,” Means said.

Coach Tim Bond after retiring from Bryan this summer, became aPatriot coach afterMeans asked him tojoin the staff and coach secondary. Bond coached at Omaha Bryan for 20 years and also coached at Omaha Tech for nine years.

The volleyball team at South has some new faces as well. Taking over as the new head coach for the varsity volleyball team isJessicaJeseritz.Jeseritzisinherninth year ofcoaching volleyball;before shecoached forPremier Volleyball and alsoplayed at the College of St.Mary and isin her second year at Millard South. Taking over Jeseritz old spotastheJuniorVarsity coach isNikki Poloncic, who also coached forPremier and played attheCollege ofSt.Mary. Svec was the coach at class C-1 Loganview High Poloncic isastudent teacher outside of Millard right now School, where she led them to the state runner up. Craig but still manages to help coach the team. The two other _works at St. Stevens and joins Svec after school. With all new volleyball coaches areAngie Svec andJaneCraig,who _ thenew coaches thathavejoinedthePatriot staffthisyear, coach the freshman team. the fallteams should look forward toan excellent season.

Hard work marks Start of ‘O4 CrossCountry season

Thom Hale Staff Reporter

Although cross-country isnot the most celebratedofactivities atMillard South, itisbecoming apopular option for athletes. The races in this sport range from 2.5 miles to3.1 miles long, andcoverseveraltypesofterrain,such asgolfcourses and parks. Itrequires a lotofstamina and commitment, butit isarewarding sport.

The cross-country team has afun and welcoming atmosphere.

“Tt’s a smaller group, so it’s very friendly,” senior Scott Marshall said. “There's a strong sense of camaradeTi ie MSophomoreChadBealrunsthrough Bel So0e oh ne Gees Walnut Grove Park where the team currently running for the boy’s cross Gaon practices. country team, but other grade levels photo by Thom Hale have strong runners involved as well.

Currently,thetoptworunners,Todd Gulizia and Ellina Pisetsky, are both ee

eee

time-trial, and then a workout based

“Everything in apractice isindi-

328 SSUES ETL Ee vidualized,” Rainbolt said. ing rapidly.

“We're gettingbiggerandbigger,”

Coach Scot Rainbolt said. “It’s avery socialsport.” Everyone who enjoysrunning long distances isinvited tojoin.

“Tencourageotherstorun,”senior Brandon Essler says.

The practicesconsistofatwo-mile

- Lots ofrunning iskey inpreparationforcompetition. The team workedhard tolower theirtimesforthefirst meet onSept.4th,which wassponsored by Burke High. Support at future events is welcome and attending is a good opportunity to see what the Patriots cah doin acompetition.’

Patriot Varsity

Football kicks off season: Bittersweet win marked by turnovers

Kasey Matthews Staff Reporter

The Millard South Patriots won their opening game against the Lincoln North Star Navigators by a score of 22 to 12 on Sept. 2. The game was held at the Patriot’s home Buell Stadium. The first touchdown of the game was during first quarter. Jake We Reissener made the touchdown with a two-point conversion by Jon Tumer. Se ected Right after the Patriot’s touchdown, to win. the ‘Gators made their own 50-yard touchdown.

We knew In the second quarter a ‘Gator offensive-tackle was injured, but it WE WETE didn't pull North Star down. The the better ‘Gators were leading 8 to 12 by half time. team. “We had some breakdowns and turnovers in the first half, but we Senior came back after half time, we can rise ‘Troy above our mistakes,” Patriot Coach, Matthews Andy Means said. The patriots gave up six turnovers throughout the game. The second half of the game saw two touchdowns by the Patriots which lead to their win.

“We expected to win,” senior fullback Troy Matthews said. “We knew we were the better ti »”

Volleyball girls contend leaque rule changes

Dani Jenkins said.

To help the girls get used to the new rules, the new coaches have some techniques tohelp thegirlsontheirfor-

Aimee Freeman Staff Reporter and the net serve is better because it will be harder to return the ball and Thisyear’svolleyballteamiswork- Ss esitmorechallsoph Sees ees makes itmore challenging,” sophomore last year’s 11-20 record and come out with a win-

When YOu ning ae mation and accuracy. The techniques first hear a = that they used have come form former coachesandtheHusker coaching clinic about lotof ee = that their coach, Jessica Jeseritz, at-

Renew igen “S

“When you first hear about [the techniques] ae = a new techniques] you think they’re think «il oe o crazy,but they doactually help you you tm ae = learn,” juniorJenna Duensing said.

One of these new techniques inthey re EOE Amanda volve hitting while abroom isinfront crazy, ee ofyou on theother sideofthenet try€T© ingtosimulateblockers trying toblock but they are two major your hit.They have alsopracticed hitdo a changesS tingwithanelasticband aboutonefoot the game this above the net to work on reaching and actually ‘x atthe et itting the ball over the blockers hands Roe tonot get blocked. Another thing that help you © The first one _ is helping the team is having an extra is the new ae coach, Phyllis Schroeder, around due leam. See which tonot having areserve team thisyear. Wior soe oe “The numbers didn’t allow us to have a reserve team, but it will be nice = aoe i a ae C ae toshuffle people around,”

leseritz sai

CaS The With nothaving toshufflepeople other rule is the around, the team has time to get used

See to playing and communicating with scoring, players get a point every time one another so they can achieve what they want to do this season with the the ball hits the ground whether they remaining 19 girls.After all,themost have the serve OFnot. common thing you hear on the court

I think the rules are better because it yall snake the eames go,fast

from coachJeseritzis“talk, talk,talk!”

Senior Jake Reissener runs the ball as seni contributed to the Millard South win.

Photo by Colleen Morrissey.

ior Derek Austin blocks a Lincoln Northstar player for him This is one of the many plays that

Village Point Mall

Offers New Experience

< = “Emily Schram PA StaffReporter

For a place to spend a Saturday afternoon out in the sun, many people look to Village Pointe Mall, which is conveniently located on 168th and West Dodge Road and already has 45 shops populating the 78 acres.

The outdoor shopping ranges from Chico's, a specialtyclothing store for women, to Finish Line the athletic shoe retailer. For that extra something to spice up the home or office, Jeanne Marie sells everything from European-style fumishings to accessory accents. For those of you who might need to pick up some flowers on the way to surprise your special someone, then head to B’s Blooms & Boutique. They sell exotic flowers like the Peace Rose or the humble Gardenia.

‘{ liked it a lot,” sophomore Lindsey Hausman said. “My favorite store was DSW, a designer shoe store. It was cheap and affordable for me.”

Tessa Adams, English and speech teacher, was very impressed with Scheels, the biggest store in the Village Pointe area. Inside this sporting goods store, they have everything from tennis rackets, to paintball guns that are hard to find anywhere else. If by some chance boredom strikes then try the Ferris wheel in the center of the store.

If that doesn’t get you going then you could always try the Village Pointe Cinema. It has the latest movies and is owned by Douglas Theater so it’s possible to get extra

Summer Sequels

Equal Good Time

A. Thom Hale FR Asst. Web Se:

This summer was dominated by films that broke a cardinal moviegoer tule; “Never see a sequel in the theater.” Few people waited for the local video store to pick up these hits.

From “Spiderman 2” to “The Bourne Supremacy,” excitement was inabundance in theaters nationwide.

Fans of Quentin Tarantino rushed the box office to see “Kill Bill, Volume 2,” and weren't disappointed. In this follow-up to “Kill Bill, Volume 1,” Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) continues her action-packed hunt for Bill (David Carradine), the man who shot her at her wedding.

Paul Greengrass’ “The Bourne Supremacy” followed “The Bourne Identity” with even more action, largely due to a strong performance by Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, an ex-secret agent fighting to free himself of the government’s hold on his life.

“Spiderman 2,” directed by Sam ‘Raimi, lived up to its hype with ease.

Peter Parker (Toby Maquire) continues to struggle with his identity, and his gifts. While he is torn between keeping his identity secret and sharing with those he cares most about, he is forced to battle a new villain, Dr. Otto Octavious (Alfred Molina).

“Shrek 2,” co-directed by Andrew. Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and

Conrad Vernon, manages the near impossible. It is just as, if not funnier than the first one. In the movie, Princess Fiona, (Cameron Diaz) receives an invitation from her parents who discover her marriage to Shrek (Mike Myers) for a dinner party. When two ogres greet them, rather than the Prince Charming they were expecting, they plot to break up the union with the help of Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas).

“The Chronicles of Riddick” directed by David Twohy, proved that the quality of sequels was not a fluke. It was met with horrible reviews and rock-bottom ratings. Following “Pitch Black,” in this movie, Riddick (Vin Diesel), an escaped convict, finds himself in a power-struggle between Lord Marshal (Colm Feore) and Aereon (Judi Dench). Poor action scenes and an. esoteric plot line made this movie difficult to follow, and left many fans shouting for their money back.

After a summer of mostly wellmade sequels, some people wonder if directors will attempt the holy grail of movie making: a trilogy that works. After seeing what happened to the Matrix and Alien in the second and third movies, many should be questioning their ability to make it happen. We can only hope that the moyies coming out in the near future will live up to the standards set by the sequels ofthesummer.

points on aDouglas movie card. Ithas over 20 screens so there isalways agreat movie showing.

“TlikeVillage Pointe because it’scool and my friend, Andrew Gosh from Millard North, works there,” senior Michael Epperson said. “Everyone should gothere because it’sthebest.”

To finish off the day, Village Pointe a avariety of restaurants for one to choose from. Thereis Mongolian food atthe Flat Top Grill,where there isplenty to choose from forwhat goesintoastir-fry.Unlike theother Mongoliangrills,thisonehas anamewrittenon apaddle, whichis put into the bowl andissent off to be grilled. They don’t allow people to watch but when it’s done your foodis brought out to the tablehot and ready toeat.Not only do they justserve Mongolian food but they also serve dessert. There is the peanut butter pie and the chocolate storm. Both arenot suggested ifadiet isinvolved.

The 650,000-square-foot mall has several entrances forpeople togettotheparking lots.The main entrance, on 168th and Burke Street, is usually crowded so, there is also the entrance on the south side of 180th on Dodge. Take 180th to Burke Street, which then extends allthe way to the east entrance of themall. On weekends itistouse the alternative entrance to avoid congestion and sitting inthe car forprolonged period oftime.

Missinance Rocks at MS

~ Wands Tombank— A Staff Reporter

Today’s range of teen rock bands has become a big part of society within the past decade. Garage bands are popping up everywhere, from high school to MTV. Missinance, a new band composed of students from Millard South, hopes to make it as the next big thing.

“I don’t know why people are so into punkrock bands today, I guess it’s the cool thing to do, I’ve grown up listening to music my whole life and singing since I can remember. It just gives me the motivation to entertain people,” sophomore and lead vocalist Austin Peck said.

“We started playing cogether about ayear ago, but never letanyone listen to us until about three months

ago,” sophomore and electric guitarist Mark Corum said.

“Our practices are usually on Saturdays for about four hours long. We never get anything done, because most of our band members grab their skateboards, go outside and mess around. That’s how we get most of our idea’s for songs, by skateboarding,” sophomore and bass player Thomas Canick said. “But we have some more practicing to do before we get any good gigs. Our goal is to makeit to the Conan O’ Brian Show,” Peck said. Missinance may be “The Next Big Thing.” For more information on Minnisance,visit their website at Wwww.missinance.com.

Sheels, the biggest sporting Boods store in Omaha, features a Ferris Wheel. Photo by Emily Schram.