February 2013

CD REVIEW

PAGE 4D GAM ME REVIEW

PAGE 5DD ART CLUB

PAGE 6D ORIGAMI

PAGE 6D

THE PITTSBURG

BOOSTER Thursday, February 28, 2013 ■ Vol. 97 ■ Issue 7

Pittsburg High School ■ 1978 E. 4th Street ■

x u d e R

Pittsburg, KS ■ 66762 ■ www.boosterredux.com

DID YOU KNOW SCHOLARSHIPS

The USD 250 F o u n d a t i o n Scholarship applications will be available beginning on March 4. The deadline to turn in the application will be April 1. See your counselor for an application and more details. To find more scholarship opportunities visit the school website, scroll down the page and you should then see the current highlights section. Click on the tab underneath that says PHS Seniors.

This should further lead you to the current newsletters and scholarships.

BY MALORY WHITE

actually promote the development of cancers or malignancies,” said Dr. Rey Panettieri, lung In various prom preparation checklists, it specialist and toxicologist at the University of is revealed that tanning is suggested to those Pennsylvania. “If that’s the case, then we need to planning to attend prom to achieve an overall be wary of them.” more attractive, healthier appearance. For some A new study in the Archives of Dermatology high school students, tanning is the norm despite showed that people who use sunless tanning the risk of developing skin cancer. According products are about 2.5 times more likely to to cdc.gov, 21 percent of high school girls tan contract five or more sunburns throughout the regularly. summer. Sunburns have the potential to raise A darker complexion is achievable in the risk of skin cancer and prematurely aged numerous ways, the most popular being sun skin. Overall, spray tanning can cause damage tanning, tanning beds and spray tanning. A similar to that of sun or tanning in a bed. popular argument among participants is that “My family is really low on money and tanning spray tanning is less harmful to the human body just seems pointless,” junior Jordyn Newcomb than other forms of tanning. However, each said. “I burn anyway so it would just be a waste procedure can be equally detrimental. of money. Skin cancer is really big in my family “I think they are all unsafe because the so that does scare me away from tanning. I chemicals in the spray probably wouldn’t spray tans are harmful to you “I just thought, I’ll be fine...’” tan either.” but it is safer than a CNN.com argues that tanning bed,” senior many teenage spray -SENIOR SHELBY HAWKINS Shelby Hawkins said. “I tanners are a bit like didn’t really care which cigarette smokers who was safer, I just didn’t want my tan going away. chew nicotine gum to supplement, rather than I was aware of the effects tanning has on the kick, their habit. body, but I just thought ‘I’ll be fine, nothing will “I used to tan every day six days a week to get happen to me.’” darker and to make sure that I never lost my tan,” Spray tanning does not directly expose Hawkins said. “I started tanning for prom last individuals to UV rays, though, it does contain year in December and once prom came around, a chemical called dihydroxyacetone (DHA) that I kind of became addicted to it and I didn’t quit. gives skin the appearance of a tan. With vigorous I tanned for about a year straight. I stopped use, spray tanning and the DHA it contains could tanning because I ended up getting a few sun possibly alter and damage DNA, potentially spots on my body that were pretty big and could leading to cancer, according to an investigation become cancerous eventually.”

by ABC News.

If tanning is an avid habit, there is one “These compounds in some cells could alternative that does not damage the body The Booster Redux

WEDDING SINGER

The Wedding Singer will make its debut on March 6, 7, 8, 9 at 7 pm. In addition to the four evening shows, on March 9 they will also be performing a matinee show at 2 pm. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. They are available now at the front office.

FORENSICS

On February 15 and 16 the forensics team competed in a tournament at Field Kindley High School. They placed 3rd as a team.

As well as seven individual placers and two duets that each placed.

Haley Uttley-4th Place, House 1 Jason McDonald/ Sebastian Johns2nd Place, Public Foreign Debate Marti Sinclair-4th Place, United State Extemp John Tindel-5th Place, Oration Luis Hernandez/ Mcauley Windsor2nd Place, Duet, State Qualified John Tindel-3rd Place, House 1 Emily Wood-5th Place, United States Extemp John Tindel-4th Place, Foreign Extemp Kevin McNay-5th Place, Humorous Interpretation This coming weekend, March 1 and 2, the forensics team will compete in a tournament at St. Mary’s High School.

DOODLE FOR GOOGLE Doodle 4 Google is a competition open to students K-12. In this competition, they create their own Google logo.

The theme for this year is “My Best Day Ever...” The deadline for sending in a doodle is March 22.

Applications are available online at www. doodle4google. com. For further information see Beth Gilbert in room 327.

SEE TANNING PAGE 2D

Educating all at every level Increased Five programs serve a wide spectrum

BY KATIE PHALEN The Booster Redux

Nearly 800 students walk through the halls of the high school on a daily basis, and though some of them have classes together, or share similar interests, each student is different and uses different learning styles. At a school this size, it is necessary to provide for all students, so the high school offers several programs to facilitate diverse needs. These classrooms make up the special education department, which consists of five individual programs set up to meet each individual student’s goals and help them succeed in life after high school.

Each student involved in a special ed program follows an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that is customized to that student specifically. The steps to identifying if a student needs additional support is started by general education teachers who document all interventions they have tried with students for a period of time. Then, this information goes to a Student Improvement Team.

Next, the school psychologist reviews the information and gives an assessment. Lastly, an IEP team is put together to decide if the student qualifies.The IEP sets goals for the student and decides which classes they will or will not be taking and specifies which special ed teacher the student will have.

The special ed department reaches a wide range of students.

The gifted program, led by Beth Gilbert, is for students who are identified with a gifted exceptionality, which means that they learn in a different way than the average student.

The gifted program facilitates the learning needs of those students by providing them with a resource room to use for school work, as well as to prepare for the ACT and/or SAT and fill out college applications.

Gilbert says that a common misconception of gifted students is that they excel in all academic areas, when in fact, just because a student has strength in one subject, does not mean they do in others.

“I have an exceptional group of kids who are very talented in a lot of different areas,” Gilbert said. “Just

absences lead to increased issues How the flu is affecting finals

BY REECE BURNS The Booster Redux

W

Competing at Special Olympics, Bryce Commons and Wade Harris signal that they are open for a pass. PHOTO BY MADISON SPENCER

because a student is identified as gifted doesn’t mean that they are elite, they just learn in different ways.

Their brain is wired a little differently.

It doesn’t mean that if they’re good at math, then they’re good across the curriculum.”

Inclusion, or the Dragon Den, is another special education program at the high school. Students use the Inclusion program if they need extra assistance in their general education classes.

Only 60% of inclusion students take a Dragon Den period as a part of their everyday schedule, while the others only receive support in the classroom setting while they continue to do the same assignments as general education students.

The inclusion program is shared by three teachers, Tracie Newberry, Rhonda Bradshaw and Bonnie

Fenimore, who take turns running the Dragon Den. Though the three teachers focus on different grade levels, they work together towards a common goal.

“Our goal is to send productive individuals out into society, whether that is in the work site or a secondary learning environment,” Bradshaw said.

“Even though we all have different grade levels, we work as a team. We set the schedule for our paraeducators together, we work with all students in the Dragon Den and discuss student concerns and ideas to improve student support with each other. “ Chrystal Patrick works with students who need a slightly modified curriculum in her classroom, in which kids can enroll to receive credits in algebra or English. These students typically have a learning disability or

SEE SPECIAL EDUCATION PAGE 2D

ith the year’s increased cases of the influenza virus, the high school, as well as the rest of USD 250, have experienced an increase in absences from school. The Board of Education as well as building administrators have been reviewing the situation and will be excusing those affected by the outbreak sometime before Spring break, according to Principal Jon Bishop. The school’s finals absence policy will also be under review in order to deal with similar situations in the future.

“We want to assure students and parents that the students are not being punished towards finals incentives because of the flu outbreak,” said Bishop.

Sophomore Sarah Colyer missed seven days of school and even tried coming to school for fear of having to take all her finals.

“It’s a good idea that they are thinking about excusing the sick absences,” Colyer said. “There were people that were super sick that were coming to school because they were worried about finals; they shouldn’t punish us for having the flu.”

According to Bishop, when the H1N1 virus outbreak occurred four years ago, the afflicted students received excused absences. At the height of this year’s outbreak, approximately 19 percent of students attending the high school were absent, compared to the daily 7.5% (approximately 20 students).

The schools have also taken preventative actions against the flu by insuring that the restrooms and drinking fountains are cleaned more than once a day and placing several hand sanitizer dispensers around the high traffic ‘hot spots’ in addition to the existing ones in the lunch room and library.

News

■ Page 2D

SECTION D

BOOSTER REDUX

Thursday, February 28, 2013

School Master classes speak the truth safety: Band, theater and art are taught lessons USD 250 makes small changes to improve

BY ALLI BADEN

The Booster Redux

B

oth band and music rep theatre students have had the opportunity to learn from some not so average people. Susan Laushman, Greg Shaw, and Cooper Neil all arranged for their students to take a master

class.

Seth Golay, who graduated from PHS in 1996, has been a professional actor for 13 years. Recently, he returned to his alma mater on January 25 to work with music rep theatre students. The master class, or a class taught by an expert, focused on vocal techniques. Laushman and Shaw invited Golay to come after they saw him teaching a class at the State Thespian conference in January.

“I had not seen him for many years, so it was the beginning of a new connection with him.” Laushman said. To start off the class, almost all the music rep theatre students individually performed for Golay. He then gave feedback and critiques to each student.

“He gave very useful feedback.” Senior Emily Commons said. “He even made me scream at him. My problem was that I couldn’t control my scream. I had to force myself to controllably scream at this man, that stood four inches away from my face.”

Each student had ten minutes to work with Golay. They performed, received feedback, and then were given the opportunity to ask any questions they would like. After everyone was finished performing for Golay, they all came together to talk about his life as a working actor.

“I would love to take more classes. I learned so much in ten minutes. I can only imagine what I could learn in an hour of singing for him.” Commons said. “Seth taught me how to go for my money notes. He said that I should never be afraid to just go for it.”

Band students also got to experience a famous performer teaching a master class. On January 31, Sandip Burman came to the school to teach students about a different form of classical music.

Burman, a native of Durgapur, India, has played with several artists before. Some of them include George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Jerry Goodman, and plenty of more.

“I thought it was awesome, it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was thinking it would have been more informative, it turned out to be more of a performance which I was totally fine with.”

Band director Cooper Neil said. Burman’s performance consisted of two types of Indian instruments. He played 50 percent of the performance on sitar, a stringed musical instrument with a long neck, a rounded body, and movable frets. Then he performed the rest of the master class on tablas, a pair of small hand drums attached together.

BY MICHAELA WAGNER The Booster Redux

In light of recent school tragedies, PHS will be making subtle changes to adjust the safety of the school for the students and faculty who spend so much time here.

“I feel very safe here because I feel like our school is prepared for the worst,” junior Josh Schooley said.

“We have intruder drills, and also a trained police officer at our school ready to protect us.”

Assistant Principal Chris Garzone is a coordinator for the USD 250 District Crisis Committee. The committee is consists of Garzone, two resource officers, also a representative from both the middle school and elementary schools. The committee decides on the safety procedures to be followed in case of any emergencies including fire, tornado, intruders, and bombs.

“Anything we can do to make our school safer, I am for,” Garzone said.

“I believe as long as we have open communication with everybody and we alert the appropriate people when we need to, then everything will be fine.”

Safety assessments have been done on all USD 250 school buildings.

The reports recommended how to improve the safety of students and faculty, the committee members are now in the process of reviewing those recommendations and deciding what changes should be made.

“I think our administrators are doing a good job keeping any type of threats to students under control,” sophomore Kylynn Collins said.

Because of the crisis committee and its plans, the doorknobs at PHS were changed. Recently, the old knobs had to be locked from outside of the classroom, but they were recently replaced with door handles that can be locked from inside the room. This reduces the possibilities of anyone getting hurt in the process of any drills or real-life crisis situations.

Along with the doorknobs, the windows around the perimeter of the school pose the only other concern for safety.

“I think the school would be safer if there [was not] so much glass at the doors,” Schooley said. “It would be easy for an intruder to break that glass and get in.”

One other process brought up by the committee includes a buzzer system for visitors. This process would require visitors to have their driver’s license scanned by a system that logs and checks for child predators and other potential threats.

“A positive to this system is when we have [any type of] crisis drill that [requires us to] evacuate the building, this system will be able to print off everyone that is in the building,” Garzone said.

Garzone feels that if any further changes were to be made that the school and the families of students would adapt well.

“I think one positive thing about our staff and students is anytime we change anything…they are very receptive,” he said. “It may be a little uncomfortable [to have a buzzer system] at first for community members or parents that want to come in to the school, but I think for the most part the reaction will be positive.”

Performing for Encore, PHS alumni and Broadway performer, Seth Golay, glances at the mirror while demonstrating a musical skit. PHOTO BY HAYDEN PARKS

“Whether students enjoyed it or not they were exposed to a new type of music in a live situation that they have never been exposed to before. That is always a benefit.” Neil said. Neil also thought the class affected the students in a very positive way and hopes to continue to have more master classes in the future.

“I would like to have more master classes.” Neil said. “Any time that I can find someone who is willing to come out I would love to have them here to perform for students. It is a great part of our education to be exposed to things like that.”

Tanning: Sprays vs. rays CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1D after use. Bronzer is a method of darkening the complexion that requires one to apply a specialized powder or liquid to simulate the effect of spray, sun or tanning in a bed. Though this method has no identifiable health risks, the resulted appearance is not as professional as the other tanning methods and can appear unnatural.

“I would think about [tanning,] but I probably would never actually go,” Newcomb said. “You are stuck with your skin, just deal with it.”

Special Education: educating all at every level CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1D behavioral concerns that make it difficult for them to be successful in the general education classroom.

However, the day-to-day activities in Patrick’s room are very much like the general education algebra and English classes, including reading novels and playing math games on Fridays.

“I have an uncle with a developmental disability and built a positive understanding of disability issues throughout my life,” Patrick said.

“I chose to be a special education teacher, I love a challenge. I also really like designing my own curriculum and being creative with instruction in the classroom.”

Some programs are tailored more to a student’s individual needs, like Gene Hendrickson’s classroom, which is structured to each student’s IEP, making each curriculum different. Students in Hendrickson’s class have course work to do in subjects like science and math, just like the rest of the student body. Hendrickson and his students work to meet those units to the best of their ability and enroll kids in as many regular classes as they

can. It all depends on that student’s particular IEP. Morgan Rewerts a student in Hendrickson’s classroom, says she loves coming to school for several reasons.

“I like school because you get to learn,” said Rewerts. “My favorite memory of high school is hanging out with my friends and going to the basketball games. Go Dragons.”

Wade Harris, a classmate of Rewerts’, feels the same way about school. Harris enjoys coming to school to hang out with friends, and participate in activities like PE and Special Olympics.

“I like Special Olympics basketball, we’re pretty good,” Harris said. “Coming to school is a lot of fun because I enjoy seeing you guys, and we never stop hanging out. It’s pretty cool.”

Tom Burns has been working with students with severe disabilities at the high school for 19 years. He and the paraeducators in his classroom work at trying to increase the self-help skills of their students.

The ultimate goal is to help the students

become as independent as possible at whatever level they achieve.

Burn’s class consists of a wide range of ability levels. Some students spend their time in his room working at increasing job readiness skills and academic skills that they can apply in the community, such as numbers and dealing with money. Burns says his job has been a rewarding one.

“They are very caring and they are very expressive of how they feel,” Burns said. “When they are pleased with you, they are real genuine and they make you feel really good.”

Burns also says he is proud of how accepting and tolerant the regular student body is of his students and their differences. He said that one of the greatest highlights of his career at the high school was watching one of his students be crowned homecoming king.

“We’re all people, and we all have special gifts,” Burns said “Everyone should take a minute to look a little deeper at each other and see that we’re all special in our own way.”

Don’t get glad, get MAD: MAD Club teams up with Get Busy Livin’ Club pairs up with local organization for shoe drive

BY MALORY WHITE The Booster Redux

The Make a Difference Club (MAD) and the Get Busy Livin’ Foundation have recently correlated to encourage positive character traits and attitudes throughout the community. A shoe drive is currently being held by these two organizations to benefit Soles for Souls.

“We, as a group, are trying to make the character traits relevant and then try to have an action related to those character traits,” said Make a Difference Club sponsor Chrystal Patrick. “In this case, the shoe drive is our action related to February’s [trait,] which is generosity. Mr. Bishop said, ‘We had a person in our community who was like Rachel [Scott] and he lived his life for other people, he wanted to make a difference in the world and he also died tragically.’ After he passed on, his family had set up this foundation for him called ‘Get Busy Livin.’ He felt like to make a difference in the world, you had to start in your community.”

On Oct. 29, 2012, a school wide presentation was held centered around the story of Rachel Scott, the first victim in the Columbine shooting. Following the presentation, the Friends of Rachel Club, later renamed the Make a Difference

Club, was developed to continue Rachel’s legacy. Along with the shoe drive, the organization has accomplished various goals since its debut, including the celebration of high-five Friday.

“We have started putting out a character trait of the month and trying to give each of the members a personal challenge,” Patrick said. “We have sent out several of the yellow slips, that’s what we started with, and then we have

“That was kind of [Meier’s] motto...you’re either getting busy living or getting busy dying.”

-CHRYSTAL PATRICK, CLUB SPONSOR also sent out holiday cards to random students that we’ve picked from PowerSchool. Then, we send out cards to three organizations in the community that make a difference in the community.”

Since this is the club’s first year, there is currently no group of club officers or a set membership list and any

student is encouraged to participate.

“What we found out is that there are so many clubs and organizations that it’s really difficult to make time for that and get very many people involved, especially because it’s not a set club, it’s just really on a volunteer basis,” Patrick said. “If you want to make a difference, no one can really pressure you into making a difference.”

Patrick hopes that the Make a Difference Club will continue to thrive in the future and provide PHS with a positive, accepting and safe environment. By pairing up with the Get Busy Livin’ Foundation, the Make a Difference Club can offer these values throughout the community as well.

“Partnering with [The Get Busy Livin’ Foundation] is actually going to strengthen our commitment to the Pittsburg Community, which will also help with our school,” Patrick said. “I would like to see kids with more acceptance of other students, less bullying and less reports of bullying.

I would like to see students with an overall positive attitude about our school, wanting to come to PHS, feeling like they’re safe and comfortable and want to be in our building and want to be around the people here and the teachers. I think that’s really the ultimate goal.”

Opinion

■ Page 3D

Booster Redux staff and policy Editors-in-Chief Ryan Taylor Bethanne Elliott Katie Phalen Managing Editors Michaela Wagner Malory White Copy Editors Logan Rink Parker Matthews Photo Editor Hayden Parks News Editor Reece Burns Sports/Activities Editor Miranda Moore Feature/Opinion Editor Abbi Epperson Art Editor Duncan Willis Graphic Designer Reagan Rink Staff Emily Baden Caden Yantis Alli Baden Ashlee Beitzinger Macy Frasco Morgan Plank Joban Mendpara Suhani Mendpara Priscila Ruiz Evan Rajotte Rebeca Espadas Art Contributor Matt Tallie Adviser Emily Smith

The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School Student Publications 1978 E. 4th St. Pittsburg, KS 66762

PHS Student Publications Department and newspaper class produce The Booster Redux. Please call us with comments at 620-235-3200.

The Booster Redux’s purpose is to inform, educate, enlighten and entertain readers fairly and accurately in an open forum.

Opinions expressed in editorials or opinion columns do not necessarily reflect views of all members on the Booster staff.

Digital photos have not been altered to manipulate reality.

Photo illustrations are labeled to reflect any technical alternations.

Anonymity may be given in the following cases: the information is unable to be presented another way, the information warrants anonymity, the source’s privacy and/or reputation requires protection and the source must be protected from damages.

A student or faculty member death during the coverage period will be covered with a short obituary. The Booster Redux is a member of Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Kansas Scholastic Press and International Quill and Scroll.

The Booster Redux encourages letters from students, teachers and community members under 300 words and signed with a valid signature only.

The Booster Redux reserves the right to edit contributions if they are libelous, obscene and for length. Any grammatical errors at the fault of the writer will be printed.

Corrections of errors printed at the fault of the Booster staff will appear in the appropriate section of the next issue.

SECTION D

BOOSTER REDUX

Thursday, February 28, 2013

One nation indivisible, but divided

We can take the first steps to improve the well-being of the nation

BY LOGAN RINK

The Booster Redux

Rink’s reality check

T

he census bureau states that 15.7 percent of America is under the poverty line- that’s 46.2 million Americans.

According to FeedingAmerica.org, in 2011 50.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households. 16.7 million of those 50.1 million Americans were children.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are 633,782 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States. Of those 633,782 people, 239,403 are part of a family and 10 percent of the homeless population are veterans. A study by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty stated that 92% of homeless and low income women in Worcester, Massachusetts had experienced

some form of severe physical violence or sexual assault at any time in their lives.

DemocraticUnderground.com says that women living in impoverished homes are at the greatest risk for domestic violence and according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes every year.

If these numbers do not scare you, you need to reevaluate your moral compass. I, for one, find these statistics a cause for alarm. I believe that it is extremely important that all Americans invest an interest in the wellbeing of their fellow citizens. From children living in poverty to innocent women being violently abused, these statistics scream, “AMERICA, IT’S TIME FOR A WAKE UP CALL!” The time for the wake up call has passed: these issues should have been addressed long ago and yet attempts to address them have been repeatedly stifled by those lawmakers who take little time to be concerned by those who they cannot identify with.

It is so extremely important that programs like Welfare and Food Stamps and other

Love is in the air

Dating differences from Pittsburg to Cancun

BY REBECA ESPADAS The Booster Redux

Espadas is a foreign-exchange student from Cancun, Mexico. Her column is printed in English and Spanish.

Espadas’ Wordly Words

I

might not be an expert on dating, but I can definitely notice the difference between relationships in different countries. According to what I have asked other high school students, in the United States, when two people like each other and are figuring out if it would work or not, it is called “talking”.

Once they’re ready for the first date, they would automatically start dating, which makes them a couple.

The boy does not ask the girl to be his girlfriend, they both kind of know or they figure it out.

In Mexico, when two people like each other, they start talking just to get to know each other. After a while when both know they know it could work, the guy would usually ask the girl if she wants to start dating, as in going out on dates (to figure out if they can work it out).

Dating could take months often between three to six months. When they are ready to be exclusive and official, they would be called a couple, or boyfriend-girlfriend.

Typically in Mexico, guys still ask the girl to be their girlfriend. Usually they elaborate something special to make it memorable. The couple would celebrate each month together with a simple special gift; it could be anything. When they’ve been together for more than a year,

they stop celebrating each month and would celebrate every six.

When a couple breaks up, they would usually take time off until being in a relationship again, to make the feelings fade away, depending on how long their past relationship lasted.

Society would “judge” you if you were in a relationship so fast. It is kind of silly because you never know when you will fall for someone. Also, a Mexican tradition is to introduce the girl or boy that you are dating to your parents before you are in a relationship, this is for the them to know who their child is with, this also makes the relationship more serious.

Tips to get both cultures 1) If a Mexican says “I love you” in the first weeks, it might not be love as in love, it might be a lower feeling, since in Spanish we have “te quiero”, the literal translation would be “I want you”, but the meaning would be less than love but more than just friends, it is more special.

“Te quiero” could also be used with friends and family.

2) If an American says “I like you” it might mean just as friends, no emotions involved, or that they actually like your personality, looks as in a romantic way, definitely emotions involved. Be sure to distinguish which one is which!

3) The difference between “te amo” y “te quiero”, when someone says “te amo” is to describe the deep feeling they have for you, in the other hand “te quiero” as mentioned before, is to friends.

4) Currently, the true meaning of “te amo” and “I love you” is losing power.

Apparently everyone loves everything and everyone, when probably they really don’t, and it might confuse someone to figure out their true feelings.

highly criticized and stigmatized government programs put in place to provide financial assistance to those 46.2 million Americans living in poverty are kept in place and are well funded. It is important that legislation is passed- on local, state, and national levels- to help provide food, shelter and a way off the streets for the homeless and for homelessness to stop being criminalized.

It is important that legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act is not shot down because of the GOP’s stubbornness.

Most of all, it is important that we as Americans care for our fellow Americans.

It is sickening to know that people do not believe that it is their responsibility to help out those in need. I am glad to know that my tax dollars are funding beneficial government assistance programs. When I vote for my lawmakers, I vote for those who care about even the least fortunate Americans and whose lawmaking reflects that. It’s all of our responsibilities as an indivisible nation to truly be indivisible.

The first step is wanting to help those less fortunate and you have to take it.

El amor está en el aire

Las diferencias en las relaciones entre Pittsburg y Cancún

BY REBECA ESPADAS The Booster Redux

Espadas es una estudiante de intercambio. Su columna está impresa en Inglés y Español.

Espadas’ y sus palabras mundiales

P

robablemente no seré una experta en relaciones, pero definitivamente puedo notar una gran diferencia en las relaciones cuando hablamos de dos países. De acuerdo con las respuestas de otros estudiantes en los Estados Unidos, cuando dos personas se gustan mutuamente y están viendo si podrían funcionar juntos, se les llama “hablando”.

Ya una vez que estén listos para la primera cita, automáticamente empezarán a salir, lo cual serían llamados novios.

El niño no le pregunta a la niña si quiere ser su novia, usualmente ambos saben o simplemente se preguntan si ya son algo más que amigos.

En México, cuando dos personas se gustan, empezarían simplemente hablar para conocer. Después de un tiempo cuando ya ambos saben que hay la posibilidad que podría funcionar, normalmente el niño invita a la niña a empezar a salir ( tener citas para cerrar el ciclo de conocerse y para volverlo oficial).

Salir con una persona puede durar meses, entre tres a seis meses comunmente. Cuando están listos para ser exclusivos y oficial, se les llamaría novios, novia-novio.

Normalmente en México, los niños siguen en preguntar a la niña si quieren ser su novia.

Usualmente harían algo especial para impresionar a la niña y para crear una memoria. La pareja celebraría cada mes juntos con un regalo simple, pero especial; puede ser lo que sea. Cuando ya han estado juntos por más de un año, dejarían de celebrar

mensualmente y lo harían semestral.

Cuando una pareja termina, se tomarían un tiempo solteros, para desaparecer los sentimientos pasados, dependiendo del tiempo juntos. La sociedad tiende a juzgar cuando alguien termina una relación y empieza otra en un periodo muy corto. Es un poco infantil ya que uno nunca sabe cuando va a enamorarse de nuevo. También, en México, una de las tradiciones es introducir a la niña/o a tu familia antes de empezar a ser novios, esto ayuda a los papas a saber con quien su hijo está, y de la misma manera ayuda a darle seriedad a la relación.

Consejos para entender ambas culturas Si un Mexicano te dice “I love you” en las primeras semanas de conocerse, es muy probable que no sea un sentimiento de amor hacia amar, si no puede ser un sentimiento un poco menos que “amar” pero un poco más que amigos, para expresar afecto, que sería “Te quiero”.

“Te quiero” también puede ser usado entre amigos y familiares.

Si un Americano te dice “I like you”, puede que se refiere a que simplemente le gustas como persona, sin un afecto romántico, o que en efecto le gustas y que quiera algo más que amistad. ¡Date cuenta cuál es cual cuando alguien te lo dice!

La diferencia entre “te amo” y “te quiero, cuando alguien te dice “te amo”, se refiere a un sentimiento profundo que tiene por alguien, por otra parte “te quiero” como mencione anteriormente, es mas de amistad, es un pre-amor.

Actualmente, el verdadero significado de la frase “te amo” o “I love you” está perdiendo poder.

Aparentemente todos aman todo y todos, lo cual es muy probable que no, y esto causa que confundan alguien que quiere averiguar lo que siente por esa persona.

Prom preparations should defeat procrastination From trying on dresses to choosing the right one, the right time is now

BY MALORY WHITE The Booster Redux

I

White’s wisdom

should have purchased my prom dress one month ago. I should have scheduled hair and nail appointments one month ago. I should have prepared everything necessary for a worry-free prom night one month ago.

Despite the fact that one of my many New Year’s Resolutions included limiting my procrastination, I have already failed at maintaining a procrastination-free life.

However, with prom a little over a month away for PHS students, there is still time for me as well as anyone participating in prom to prepare.

According to ezinearticles.com, one month before prom, females attending should have already tried on and chosen a dress and scheduled alterations if needed and made reservations for hair and nails and other appointments for the day of prom.

For males, a tux, a restaurant reservation and transportation should be purchased and arranged around this time as well, according to thelittlehawk.com.

Before I know it, two weeks before prom will be approaching as well. At this time, female and male attendees should have broken in their shoes, purchased tickets, ordered a boutonnière and corsage, made final preparations with the date, finalized plans, perfected dance moves and performed any waxes or touch ups just in case anything goes awry.

Before I know it, the day before prom will also be in my midst. On this day, it is

suggested by cbslimited.com to schedule and carry out a nail appointment on this day; wearing gloves will protect nails and keep them presentable for prom day. Also, getting a good night sleep is important to make sure staying awake the entire day on prom day will not be a problem.

Finally, before I know it, the day of prom will be a reality. Make sure to wake up early and attend all scheduled appointments, pick up flowers, discuss and finalize attire plans with your date, pack a purse or a clutch if needed, and take plenty of pre-prom photos.

These tips can help individuals stay on track before prom approaches without experiencing procrastination.

Last year, I purchased my prom dress merely a week before prom. So even if this schedule is not completely followed, a fun-filled, worry-free prom day can still be obtained by even the worst procrastinator.

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

A bullet with a raging temper

BY CADEN YANTIS

F

The Booster Redux

or many rock/metal music listeners nowadays, it may sometimes feels the music you are looking for is becoming more challenging to come by. If you are looking for some catchy vocals, aggressive riffs, and melodies,

then Bullet For My Valentine (BFMV) may be the band for you.

Recently BFMV released its fourth album “Temper Temper” on Feb. 11, 2013. BFMV is a heavy metal band composed of four members who originated from Bridgend, Wales in 1998. They originally started out with the name “Jeff Killed John” but it was changed later on when they released their first album. BFMV is COURTESY PHOTO not only a band consisted of heavy metal, but they are also considered to be thrash metal as well. The band was influenced to start by bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Alice In Chains, Nirvana and many more.

BFMV did not start out to having a lot of popularity in the late 1990’s but today the band is favored by

many metal listeners.

I first discovered BFMV when I heard it played on one of the many radio stations on the music app “Pandora”. Even though BFMV is a different type of band that plays a music genre I have never listened to before, I discovered that their music was actually pretty good once you listened to it. If you are a fan of bands like Killswitch Engage, Metallica, or Disturbed, then I highly recommend that you listen to some of BFMV’s songs just to try a different band out.

The album “Temper Temper” consists of 11 songs, all which add up to about 45 minutes total. The many critics who reviewed it only gave the CD two out of five stars simply because they believed it to be “marred by cynicism.” As far as album charts go, this CD has been making its way to the top ten placing on this week’s Official Chart despite its negativity received from fans and critics alike.

BFMV’s first album “The Poison” was released in 2005 and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 128.

Ever since then, BFMV has been making quite a name for themselves around the world by releasing three more albums and even winning some awards. BFMV has won numerous awards such as the Metal Hammer Golden God Award for “Best British Band” and the Welsh Music Award for “Best Newcomer” and many more.

Out of the soundtrack’s 11 songs, I found myself to only like seven of them. Upon listening to the four songs I did not like, I found them to not impress me as the rest of the album did. My favorite songs on the soundtrack are Temper Temper, Riot, and Leech. Due to the negativity that was received, I recommend that you preview some of the songs first on “YouTube” so that you don’t end up spending money on something that you don’t like. Even though“Temper Temper” may not the strongest of BFMV’s albums, the lyrics and tone of their music from their newest songs will still hopefully keep the band’s true meaning of their music alive.

★★★★★

Temper Temper

Armisen and Brownstein rock Portland

BY LOGAN RINK

The Booster Redux

Everyone has a favorite pastime...

Something they look forward to every day after school. For some, like me, this pastime can seem to consume your life. My favorite pastime- or perhaps, it should more appropriately be called my obsession- is watching TV shows on Netflix. I’ve watched every episode of a few dozen shows online and still have a long list of shows to start. I find nothing more satisfying than committing myself to a bunch of fictional characters in whose life I entangle myself, my emotions, and my free time. Every quirky, dark, twisted, or hilarious turn of events feels like a turn in my own life. I am not exaggerating when I say that I may or may not have a problem.

There is one show on Netflix that I really, really, really enjoyed watching all the way through. For those of you who enjoy making fun of hipsters, understand the kind COURTESY PHOTO of culture that surrounds Oregon and Washington and love sketch comedy, Portlandia is for you. Almost every character in the show is portrayed by Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live cast member, and Carrie Brownstein, lead guitarist and singer of the Portland-based Wild Flag, with a few guest appearances (for example, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, my spirit animal

Aubrey Plaza, the gorgeous Chloe Sevigny and even Sarah McLachlan). Portlandia consists of several different stories or plotlines every episode with a few recurring characters throughout the seasons. My absolute favorite recurring characters are Toni and Candace, owners of Women and Women First book store. They are a couple of easily offended, fragile but combatant feminists who just want their bookstore ran how it should be. Other recurring sketches include David and Kath, a couple of dorky wannabe outdoorsmen and Nina and Lance (Armisen as Nina and Brownstein as Lance), a very strange couple.

Armisen, Brownstein and the show’s producers also incorporate music to bring the show together. Besides Eddie Vedder, other artists such as Joanna Newsom (check her out!!), Modest Mouse’s Isaac Marr, some of The Decemberists and more. I seriously can’t get excited enough about all the awesome guest stars on the show.

This satirical sketch show is not only funny, but charming.

Portlandia and the many characters in it are sure to capture your heart and make your sides hurt from laughing... well, if you understand the humor.

If you don’t have Netflix- Really? What do you do with your life?- check out Portlandia Fridays at nine o’clock central time on the Independent Film Channel.

Freshman

“I like all the different kinds of pizza at a la carte.”

Elizabeth Blansett:

Proud sponsor of Pittsburg High School’s

!

The Character Education Trait of the Month

“I don’t really have a favorite, but I would have to say the cookies.”

Generosity

Junior

The Make a Difference Club with Get Busy Livin Foundation are having a SHOE DRIVE.

“The original baked Lays.”

Jasmine Decker:

“Make A Difference Club” Members

(formerly known as the Friends of Rachel Club)

Sophomore

Cody Deiters:

BY PRISCILA RUIZ

The Booster Redux Indie music is a music genre that is quickly becoming popular and overheard in America. Some could not say that they know what the genre really is since it has just recently emerged once again into our 21st century society. Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock born in the 1980s originally from the UK and the US. Indie rock is derived from the word “independent” for the sake of bands creating their music from scratch in their own homes.

Nowadays, our generation is used to autotune voices blended into the computerized sounds being included in our everyday music. Undoubtedly, there will be changes of technology incorporated into our music, but indie rock, on the other hand, is a never ending experiment of music that stays loyal to its originality. I could honestly say that I have never heard two bands alike from this genre; each has its own style and uniqueness of music and lyrics.

Of course, some indie rock bands are with major corporate companies, such as Modest Mouse and The Arctic Monkeys. Despite this fact, a large portion of the bands in this genre are native and original.

Alternative has been a favorite for ages and now indie rock is slowly beginning to overrule. Unpopular bands like Passion Pit are quickly raising their numbers in the charts with The Smiths currently holding number one on the Top 100 Indie Bands chart.

Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate companies, these labels and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream audiences.

Indie music is not what people typically perceive it as. Folk, dream pop, and others are typically misinterpreted and categorized as indie rock as well as alternative genres. As our society increases in the differences of music it offers, music will be more complicated to categorize. A few bands that are in this genre are Foster the People, Kaiser Chiefs, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, and my personal favorite, The Shins.

Attention

Dragons in the crowd Q: What is your favorite item to get at A La Carte during lunch?

Khole Cupp:

Indie music offers an alternative to alternative

Bring your gently used shoes to PHS room 325 for distribution around the world through the Soles4Souls organization.

Senior

“I love the nachos.”

Bridgett Lancaster: Faculty Member “Strawberries are my favorite.”

BRITTANY WILDE

SCOTT REICK

The 1st hour class with the most shoes WINS!

Arts & Entertainment

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Battle of the Headsets: Astro vs. Turtle Beaches

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COURTESY PHOTO

★★★★

Crysis 3

BY EVAN RAJOTTE The Booster Redux

Most video gamers nowadays use headsets and the most popular of them are the Turtle Beaches headsets. Turtle Beaches are the most popular of gaming headsets out of all the headsets that have been released. In fact, I own a pair of Turtle Beaches and I find them to be quite nice. They fit on your head comfortable, and the sound quality is satisfying. Another gaming headset that is not so popular, is called Astro. I have never used a pair of Astro headsets before, but the technical specifications say that they are better than the Turtle Beaches. Astro headsets are designed by Major League Gamers to give the play the best in-game sound quality.

The most expensive pair of Turtle Beaches are called the Ear Force XP SEVEN, priced at 279.95 dollars. Its ear cups are a rectangular shape with

leather cushion. It features Dolby 7.1 surround sound which is the best sound system on the market. It has a detachable microphone, if the player just wants to play the game and not talk to anyone to distract them. All the controls for the headset is placed on a remote called the Audio Control Unit connected to the headset via cable.

I have had my Turtle Beaches for about two years and the speakers are starting to go out, but the sound quality has not decreased. The only problem is, when there are low frequencies, the speakers crackle and the sound is very annoying. This is just the only problem that I have, but other than that, the headsets are exceptional.

The most expensive pair of Astros is called the A50 Wireless Headset priced at 299.99 dollars.

All wireless headsets use radio frequencies to communicate with its transmitter. Most wireless headsets use the frequency of 2.4Ghz which is

also the frequency rate of wireless internet, or wi-fi, thus creating interference with the headset and the transmitter, resulting in white noise that the headset user can hear. Even though this does not happen all the time, the creators of the A50s did not want this problem to occur in their headsets, so the A50s use a frequency rate of 5.8Ghz to eliminate this problem. A50s are a charge and play headset, which means that the user can charge their headset and use it at the same time, or the user can put the headset back on the stand and charge it when not in use. The controls for the A50s are placed on the ear cups for a complete wireless headset.

Astros are a little more costly, but it is worth it if you are looking for professional gaming audio. If you are looking for something that you can talk with your friends and have good quality audio, then the Turtle Beaches are just for you.

Doodle profiling: what does it say about you?

Drawings can depict more than just artistic ability

BY MALORY WHITE The Booster Redux

A

ccording to doodle-art-alley.com, by studying an individual’s drawings, a plethora of characteristics can be derived simply by the drawing’s design. Like clothes, hobbies and body language, one’s doodles can give an overview of that person’s personality.

“Doodling is like the brain’s DNA,” forensic examiner Andrea McNichol said. “You just have to know how to read them.”

A simple test can determine if someone is optimistic, pessimistic, analytical, cautious, distrustful, insecure, stubborn and even the quality of a love life.

To administer a drawing personality test, simply instruct an individual to draw a pig. Depending on where the drawing is located on the paper and whether the pig is facing left, right or forward and the amount of details can determine these qualities.

“We tend to doodle when we are bored or stressed,” said Ruth Rostron, professional hand-

writing analyst. ”Because of this, we’re usually only half-conscious of what we’re drawing, which means our inner preoccupations surface on paper.”

Personality can also be determined by studying the doodles strewn across notebooks and papers of individuals. Hearts represent love or romance, arrows represent ambition, cubes represent constructivity, eyes represent suspicion, names represent obsession, houses represent a yearning for a home, scratches represent aimlessness, stick figures represent the individual’s own moods and cars, horses or airplanes represent transportation or the need to get away. Colors, lines, shapes and page placement also account for an individual’s characteristics.

“When you start to doodle you will usually be under the effect of many unconscious parameters including your personality, your current mood and other variables,” psychologist M.Farouk Radwan said.

In various cases, the individual doodling is not aware of the fact that they are filling notebook

pages with what they think are mindless and meaningless drawings. However, doodles are a method of expression even if the doodler is not aware.

According to lifehacker.com, one reason why the doodles are frequently overlooked is because doodling often goes hand-in-hand with taking notes on or listening to a presentation. In one study, individuals were asked to recall what they had just heard in recordings. Some had doodled and others had not; at the end of the study, the doodlers recalled more information than those who did not doodle.

“People may doodle as a strategy to help themselves concentrate,” psychologist Jackie Andrade said. “We might not be aware that we’re doing it, but it could be a trick that people develop because it helps them from wandering off into a daydream.”

Taking a look into an old notebook can reveal a person’s personality even if that individual has no recollection of drawing them. Next time you notice a doodle, study it; there is a possibility that a piece of your personality lies right between the lines, shapes and stick figures.

Doodle Personality Test Instructions On a clean sheet of paper, draw a pig.

What does your pig say about you?

If the pig is drawn...

Toward the top of the paper: you are positive and optimistic.

Toward the middle: you are a realist.

Toward the bottom: you are pessimistic, and have a tendency to behave negatively.

Facing left: you believe in tradition, are friendly, and remember dates. (birthdays, etc.)

Facing right: you are innovative and active, but don’t have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates.

Facing front (looking at you): you are direct, enjoy playing devil’s advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions.

With many details: you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful.

With few details: you are emotional and naive, you care little for details and are a risk-taker.

With less than 4 legs showing: you are insecure or are living through a period of major change.

With 4 legs showing: you are secure, stubborn, and stick to your ideals.

Size of the ears: indicates how good a listener you are. The bigger the better.

Length of the tail: indicates the quality of your love life.

New glasses achieve unseen spectacles Google goes beyond a search engine Jesse Niederklein, DO, BS ‘02 Anesthesiologist, Via Christi Hospital

s r e big cstaartrae t Pitt State big value- Flat-rate tuition big selection- More than 150 academic programs big

opportunities- Internships available with the world’s largest companies

Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KansasËËVËˤ oåå oy| + 00ËËVËËwww.pittstate.edu

BY EVAN ROJOTTE The Booster Redux

Whenever someone mentions Google, most people tend to think about a search engine, but Google is coming out with some revolutionizing technology. The one thing that Google is coming out with the brings the most attention to people is a project called Glass.

Project Glass is the development of glasses with internet access and bluetooth accessibility. Another one of Googles projects is the development of driverless cars, and is on its way to every car dealership.

The Google Glasses can be used for many things such as talking to people, sending messages, taking pictures and recording videos, internet searches, shares what you see, gives directions, and translates your words.

Google Glass is a set of glasses that sits on your head similar to a normal pair of glasses. There is only one lens and it hangs

just above your right eye. The glasses weigh about as much as a heavy set of sunglasses. With the bluetooth connectivity, it allows you to connect to your phone and talk to people with the built in speaker in your right ear, and a microphone. Theres also a built in camera that plays videos in 720p resolution.

Google has been testing their cars and have driven 300,000 miles without any human interference. They did report two crashes, one with a human driver, and the other with a computer driver. As of right now, there is only 3 states that have legalized driverless cars which is Nevada, Florida, and California. The car allows you to push a button, enter your destination, and the car takes over, similar to cruise control in current cars.

Google is coming out with some really cool stuff and it will interesting to see what come next in the future of technology.

Crysis in New York City

BY JOBAN MENDPARA The Booster Redux History contains a plethora of stories about heroes exceeding human expectations and executing deeds that apotheosize the heroes.

Crytek’s Crysis trilogy, centered around Prophet, is no exception.

Crysis 3, set in the year 2047, tells the third part of Prophet’s story. Prophet, after being absent for more than 20 years, returns to the lively city of New York. However, it is not how he left it.

In those 20 years the C.E.L.L, the private military of CryNet Systems, has claimed dominance over Earth by controlling the economy and establishing a debt system, which requires citizens to join C.E.L.L if they are unable to play CryNet for their services. It becomes Prophet’s goal to free mankind from the C.E.L.L corporation. Luckily, there is a brief video summarizing the events of the previous Crysis games for new players.

When the player first assumes control of Prophet the player must escape a C.E.L.L facility with his longtime friend, Psycho. The first sense of awe is experienced when the doors open to reveal the new beautiful vista of New York City.

With the use of unlimited particle FX lighting, 3rd generation real-time global illumination, and tessellated vegetation, Crysis 3 is one of the most beautiful games ever made.

Crysis 3’s game play is incredibly fun and tense. Crysis’s game play is very different from the game play from mainstream shooters. Instead of simply running into an area and shooting every enemy down, the player is required to use their cloak to stealthily kill the enemy, and maximum armor to survive longer if the player’s position is compromised.

This kind of game play is more captivating than the normal run-and-gun kind of game play. The enemy AI is quite interesting. The enemy AI works as a team. If one C.E.L.L infantryman is killed and another AI notices, the commander of the enemy squad will command another squad member to check inspect the body and for everyone to be cautious. If the player’s threat meter is full, the enemy AI is aware of the presence of Prophet. The AI will notify other squad members when a grenade or a EMP grenade is thrown toward Prophet, which allows a sense of realism. What is Crysis 3 allows tons of customizable features for Prophet. Even with the extensive armory of upgrades, the customization screen is very userfriendly. Customizing Prophets weapons and nanosuit abilities is as easy as putting on a new set of clothes.

Crysis 3 may sound perfect, but it is not. The main character is Prophet, but the man under the suit is actually a man named Alcatraz. Prophet is dead but his conscious remains within the nanosuit. Alcatraz after suffering lifethreatening injuries becomes the new man under the nanosuit. Whenever Prophet talks it is his conscious that talks. Alcatraz is just there, but has no significance. I feel Alcatraz would feel more alive to the player if he provided some sort of dialogue in the game, but instead he is silent the entire game.

The multiplayer of Crysis 3 is fun, but most of the modes do not have a long lasting appeal. The new Hunter mode is a lot like Infection from the Halo series. One team is armed with bows and arrows, and the other is armed with guns. The team with bows and arrows must kill the team armed with guns. The Hunter mode was fun, but the other generic gametypes had nothing special to offer.

Crysis 3 does a good job of making the player feel like an unstoppable force. Even though the multiplayer isn’t the best, it also isn’t awful.

The campaign is quite impressive at making the player feel like a hero.

The graphics are so impressive, I sometimes get distracted while trying to survive a firefight. Crysis 3 is able to make the player feel like an unstoppable force while not ruining the game play or completely dulling down the story.

F eature Belting those high notes for one final time at state

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Choir takes 10 students to state: Bayliss, McNay, and Wilber return with medal

Showing off their three-year medallions outside of the Wichita Convention Center, seniors Kevin McNay, Mason Bayliss and Kylie Wilber along with vocal music teacher Susan Laushman prepare the KMEA State Choir Concert. The concert consisted of 236 sophomore, junior and senior high school students from across the state. PHOTO FOR THE BOOSTER BY CHRIS MCNAY

BY EMILY BADEN The Booster Redux

It happens every year to any senior involved in an activity, a last time. Whether it is a last football game, wrestling match, debate rounds or a last performance, seniors all experience saying goodbye. For three seniors, they said their final goodbye to state choir.

On Feb. 20, nine choir members had the

honor of traveling to Wichita for the annual State Choir concert, three of which have attended all three years it was possible to go and received a medallion. The three qualifying seniors were Kylie Wilber, Mason Bayliss and Kevin McNay. Along with the three medallion holders, senior Luis Hernandez, senior Michaela Wagner, junior Devina Reetz, junior Hanna Wade, junior Ashley Hall (Alternate),

sophomore Abbi Epperson and sophomore Kagen White also qualified and participated in State Choir.

To receive a medallion, the singer must make All State choir all three years that they are eligible, which are their sophomore, junior and senior years. According to vocal music teacher Susan Laushman, it is very unusual to have three medallion recipients from one high school.

“It is a big honor to receive a three year medallion,” Laushman said. “It shows how talented you are and represents your high school music program in the best way. Having three medallion recipients means we have a reputable, established vocal music program that produces the best singers in the state. I am so proud.”

Going to state choir is the highest honor for a high school choir member. They first have to make it to district choir, then they have to be in the top seven in their voice part.

“I was overjoyed to learn of my first acceptance [of state choir] during my sophomore year, but this has been my goal since then,” Bayliss said. “To know now that I have achieved a dream of mine, it is beyond amazing, and I am very proud of myself and the others.”

State choir is a process that takes three days of preparation in Wichita, and the concert itself on the last day. This year, the choir is singing six pieces, including in two foreign languages. The students going spend time after school and during

dragon time prepping for the concert. At their prepping sessions they sang all of the selected songs with Laushman and make sure they at least knew the basics, if not have them memorized by the time they arrived in Wichita.

“You are amongst some of the most talented high school vocalists in the state of Kansas, and to be considered one, is incredible...the music created there is unlike any other sound I have experienced. Truly wonderful.” Bayliss said.

The students arrived in Wichita on Feb. 20 and performed on Feb. 23.

“My favorite part [of state] is waking up everyday and eating, sleeping, singing and repeating,” Wilber said. “I am really sad it’s my last year, but it is so amazing to be somewhere where everyone shares the same love for music as you and are so good at it.”

Wilber says she still remembers the first time Laushman told her she made it to state and said she “practically tackled her in the hallway.”

“Making it three years and being a medallion holder is the single best accomplishment I’ve made, in my opinion,” Wilber said.

Along with receiving a medallion, Bayliss also applied for a music educator scholarship.

“Its bittersweet. I’m going to miss [State Choir],” Bayliss said. “But I’ll be able to look back and see that I did not miss a single second of it, or miss a single note.”

No longer at the drawing board Art night starts off Art Club with funds

BY ALLI BADEN The Booster Redux

F

Particpating in Art Night, sophomore David Su folds colorful paper figures for children. PHOTO

BY MIRANDA MOORE

Su takes interest in Orgami

BY SUHANI MENDPARA The Booster Redux

Although origami may seem easy, it is harder than it looks. Sophomore, Davin Su, has practically mastered the art of origami. He started doing origami when he was about six or seven years old when his dad taught him how to make a paper frog.

He has been making all kinds of things ever since his dad taught him, such as hens, narwhals, hearts and many more.

“My easiest to make is either a bird or boat, and my hardest is probably a snowflake,” Su said.

He does origami as sort of a hobby when he has nothing to do in his free time. To learn new origami creations, Su looks it up on the internet.

“It’s actually very easy because it’s doing the same thing, it’s relaxing, and it’s really fun,” Su said.

After Su makes his creations, he does not keep it in a collection, instead he gives it to friends, classmates or even strangers for them to enjoy. One of his classmates, sophomore Rachyl Russian had a first hand experience with Su’s origami talents last year in Dragon Time.

Su taught Russian multiple things such as a flower, paper bowl, and icosahedron, a polyhedron with 12 vertices.

“He’s very creative and really good at it,” Russian said.

or almost four years, Pittsburg High School has not had a club for students to express their love of art. But, this year, that has changed. Art teacher Rebecca Lomshek has revived the art club and is taking it to a whole new level.

Lomshek first got the idea to have an art club when she saw how successful the Girard art club had been.

[Girard has] a healthy, active club that promotes the arts not only in Girard but also in Pittsburg,” Lomshek said.

After Lomshek got the permission to have the club, they had their first meeting.

Approximately 60 students joined the club. Each person that participates has their own reason for joining, but for freshman Ailie Foresman, the decision to join was easy.

“I wanted to join art club because of my passion for art,” Foresman said, “Art is one of my favorite things and I like doing the stuff I love.”

Art club has been meeting all year but, this semester is when they Wstarted working on big projects.

To start off the club, students and Lomshek set up a fundraiser during homecoming called Art Night. After two months of planning, the big event finally took place. Art Night consisted of carnival-like booths with activities that included cookie decorating, face painting, portraits, tarot card readings, origami, finger nail painting, and a bake sale. They costed anywhere from 1-5 tickets, tickets were $1 each. The money that was raised went to help pay for activities that art club students will do later on in the semester.

“It was a blast planning and the students did a great job organizing and preparing for our

Focusing on the shape of a little girl’s face, senior Sara Walden free hands a portrait during the first annual Art Night, meant to be a fundraiser for Art Club. Portraits was one of several different stations people could spend their purchased tickets at including baked goods, tarot card reading, and oragami. PHOTO BY MIRANDA MOORE

evening.” Lomshek said.

The club raised over $100.

Although they hoped to earn more, art club president Bailey Bennett was still pleased with the outcome of Art Night.

“This year we are planning on doing fundraisers just so we have a solid funding for next years art club.” Bennett said. “We had to start from scratch so Art Night was pretty successful.”

Lomshek and members still have many plans for art club this semester. They plan on visiting an art museum as well as working on many types of art projects some of which include henna painting, Pinterest day, recycled clothing crafts, and balloon painting. The club also plans on having one more big fundraiser at the end of the year. For this fundraiser, students in art club or any art

class may put their projects up for an art auction. They hope in the future art club continues to prosper.

“Not only does the art club promote the arts, but it gives us combined experiences in the arts outside of the regular classroom setting.” Lomshek said. “Students are able to create and see what their friends are doing in a social setting.”

Honors classes outweigh normal classes in a multitude of forms Weighted curriculum give students a step up in the race for competitive college

BY EMILY BADEN The Booster Redux

When considering enrolling in an honors class, one may think about a harder class with more homework. What they may not know about is the many benefits that come out of taking one of these classes.

Two years ago the high school started offering honors classes in the subjects of English, science and math, for sophomores and this year for freshmen as well. So far, teachers are seeing success with all the classes.

“I’d like to think that classes are more challenging for the students exposed to additional material they wouldn’t get in a normal class, and keeps them from being bored,” Honors English teacher Mike Hogard said.

Actual benefits of taking the honors classes, according to Hogard, is they get a weighted grade point average (GPA) which raises their position in their class. This helps with scholarships because these types of classes looks good on transcripts. He also hopes it prepares the students better for ACT because they do more logical thinking in class.

“I think honors classes are great, I like my honors

classes,” Hogard said. “You can definitely see a difference in abilities. I think for a long time we’ve sort of neglected upper level students and not challenged them enough and I think this gives us an opportunity to do that.”

This year the school added a new honors English 9 class for freshmen, taught by Linda Barberich. Generally honors classes are taught by more experienced teachers in the subject area.

“Initially we had an AP class for seniors, then we added an AP class for juniors, then added Honors 10. So Honors 9 was just the next piece that went in. Now there is a clear path for [the students] to follow,” Barberich said.

In comparison to the work in a regular English 9 class, the students in the honors class have to write additional research papers and essays in addition to reading extra novels and plays, which add a lot more work to their load.

This prepares them for AP classes their junior and senior years, according to Barberich.

Despite the heavy work load however, the honors students say it is not as bad as it seems.

“I expected the classes to be a lot harder. It is still hard

but a lot easier than I thought,” freshman Sam Bollinger said. “I think it is benefiting me because it’s a lot more challenging than all the classes I took last year and it pushes me to work harder so I am not bored in class.”

Bollinger also takes honors Geometry, taught by Rhonda Willis. Dave Hudson is also an honors math teacher, except he teaches Algebra 2.

“I like [teaching the honors classes] because you get to challenge the students more,” Hudson said. “For the most part kids are more highly motivated to excel and are not just be happy with just getting it done.”

Hudson teaches his honors class by going more in depth, challenging his students more and having them look beyond just the regular problems they do in normal math classes. He says he also does not explain things quite as much, and tries to allow them to figure stuff out on their own.

“Only take [honors classes] if you are really ready for it,” freshman Reyna Valenzuela said. Make sure you are prepared and for the extra challenges they are going to be handing to you along the way.”

Feature

■ Page 7D

Students help less fortunate Mission trip aids homeless

BY ABBI EPPERSON The Booster Redux

Churches all over the world give their members chances to travel and make a difference in other people’s lives. On Jan. 18 to 20, freshmen Rachel Folk and Jordan Eller, and sophomore Erik Lindsey had the opportunity to travel to Fort Worth Texas with the Pittsburg Trinity Baptist Church and other churches on a mission trip.

While there, they handed out food, hygiene packets, and bibles to the homeless, helped with a children’s bible service, and assisted in sorting and passing out clothes to the homeless.

This was Folk’s first year going and she found the experience to be very eye-opening.

“It’s a really life changing opportunity. It really opens your eyes and you realize how blessed you are,” Folk said. “You see how much you have and how much other people don’t.”

For Lindsey, he found seeing how people reacted to receiving the simplest of gifts was the best part of the trip.

“I loved watching people get toothpaste,” Lindsey said.

“These people were going crazy just over getting toothpaste. It made me feel great getting to give it to them.”

One of the biggest parts of the trip was the bible service that they helped organize and run.

It started out with them going to a low income housing area and going door to door inviting people to send their children to the service. Once there, the children got to do things like work on crafts, play on bounce houses, and hear stories about God. “The children all really enjoyed it,” Eller said. “After it was over, they were coming up to us crying that they didn’t want to go home and that they just wanted to stay with us.”

The students all agreed that the experience was very humbling for them.

“It makes you kind of want to cry with how many homeless people there were,” Eller said.

“You wouldn’t expect it, being around Pittsburg. But there, it’s 10 times worse. There are so many things that we don’t notice until it’s like right in front of us, and this was definitely one of them.”

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Ballet and basketball all in one

Midwest Regional ballet performs at Harlem halftime

BY MORGAN PLANK The Booster Redux

For five and a half years now junior Hanna Wade has been dancing for Midwest Regional Ballet.

Throughout her dance career she has been a part of a number of community performances. On Feb. 6, her studio had the opportunity of being the entertainment at the Harlem Globetrotters halftime at the Leggett and Platt Sports Complex at MSSU. The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that showcases their athletic and comedy skills to produce an entertaining show for people of all ages.

Ashley Murry, one of the organizers for the Globetrotters, saw the studio’s Facebook page and pictures. Murry contacted Midwest Regional Ballet’s director Kaye Lewis and asked if they would like to come and perform.

“I think anytime you have a chance to promote the arts in our community that you should and what better way than at a sporting event,” Lewis said.

Lewis and Murry further emailed, booked T.V. news appearances, started choreography, worked on getting costumes together, and rehearsing for the performance.

To prepare for this, the junior and senior companies practiced for about a month. The dance they performed was choreographed to the song “As Long as You Love Me” by Justin Bieber.

They not only danced but did aerial ballet as well. Aerial ballet is ballet performed on silk cloths

Wedding Singer nearing opening night Strenuous work pays off with otherworldly feelings

suspended from the ceiling. The night before the performance the dancers rigged up the silks, worked on formations, and got accustomed to the gym floor.

“It was a really cool experience. It was also a great opportunity to showcase the aerial ballet and our talents that we have been generously given,” Wade said.

Given this experience, Hanna feels it has furthered her dance career.

“It gave me more exposure to hone the skills I have learned,” Wade said.

Along with being exposed to new opportunities, the dancers got to personally meet the Harlem Globetrotters. Hanna said it was cool to meet them and that her favorite player is Paul Sturgess because he is 7’8”.

Several students attended the game and also met the Globetrotters. Some of them even recognized Hanna dancing at halftime.

“I thought it was really awesome when they were doing the aerial ballet,” senior Erin O’Dell said.

O’Dell, along with the dancers, got to personally meet the Harlem Globetrotters.

Meeting new people and having a chance to be a part of a nationally known entertainment group has made Hanna realize what it means to work hard for what you love.

“I’ve learned that by trying your hardest and performing to the best of your ability, you never know who will be watching that could give you a lifetime opportunity,” Wade explains.

Jazzing it up

BY ABBI EPPERSON

BY EMILY BADEN

The Booster Redux

The Booster Redux

S

ince auditions in November, the cast of the Wedding Singer has been practicing “nonstop” to see their hard work pay off opening week.

“I can’t wait for the actual play because we are all working really hard and [we] cannot wait to put it all together,” sophomore Matthew McMaster who plays in orchestra said.

The Wedding Singer is a “sappy and over exaggerated” eighties spoof about a man named Robbie whose fiance leaves him at the alter. He then has to get back on his feet with the help of many of his friends so he can continue his career of singing at weddings.

Opening week starts Mar. 6-9.

For most cast members, opening week is a stressful time full of extra rehearsals and long hours, as well as keeping up with school work and other activities outside of the theatre.

“I’ve kind of just learned to push [the stress] aside,” junior Erin Simons said. “I put myself with people that will encourage me and make me feel better and try to get as much sleep and rest as possible. And it is nice to know that the whole cast is going through it too. We all feel the stress but once it is over and we perform we know it’s all worth it.”

Simons’ role in the musical is Glen’s secretary and a Cyndi Lauper impersonator. According to Simons, a typical rehearsal day depends on how long they have been working on the show.

Towards the end of the process, a normal day involves running the show from top to bottom, sometimes two or three times a rehearsal for three to four hours. Simons is also involved in other activities outside of theatre including student government, dance team, The Dance Pitt, Spanish club and activities through her church. She said she has had to learn to balance out her priorities.

SECTION D

Booster Redux

Preparing for the upcoming show “The Wedding Singer,” junior Erin Simons rehearses the dance number “It’s all about the green.” Opening night for the show will be March 6 and will continued to be performed every evening through March 9. PHOTO BY HAYDEN PARKS

“You kind of just have to look at what you have going on and decide what is most important at the time,” Simons said. “[Director Greg] Shaw always tells us school is first priority and he makes sure that our grades are in check.

Sometimes you just have to pick and choose and make sure to do as much as you can to please everyone with family, school, rehearsal and other activities.”

Though opening week is a stressful time for some, others say it is when the stress starts to go down. Senior Megan

Reed, who plays the role of Holly, is one of them. Unlike Simons, Reed only has three classes this semester so she has a break between school and rehearsals. She also said the stress decreases mainly because by that time they know the show inside and out.

“My absolute favorite part [of opening week] is when you first step on the stage for the performance and your adrenaline is pumping,” Reed said. “Then you hear your first applause and it is just out of this world.”

Once a year, over 40 high school bands from around the area gather for Jazz Fest. Robert Kehle has been organizing the event at Pittsburg State University (PSU) for many years.

March 1 is the set date for this year’s annual PSU Jazz Festival. Bands participate not to necessarily compete directly against each other, but to be individually judged based on a rating system with a one being the best rating they can receive. In addition to the contest, that evening the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, a tribute band in honor of late brass player Dizzy Gillespie, will give a performance.

Instrumental music teacher Cooper Neil has had experience with performing in the PSU ensemble and with volunteering for Kehle. However, last year was his first time experiencing the festival from a teacher’s standpoint.

“As a teacher, especially as a first year, last year it was definitely more stressed filled because I was responsible for getting everything and there are just so many things that can go wrong,” Neil said. “The thing I will try differently this year is not stressing quite as much, because there’s always advanced planning. Issues always come up, but you just have to stay calm and take them in stride.”

Some students found practicing for the festival itself to be one of the most difficult things about it.

“Its been pretty hard. Mr. Neil has had us working pretty hard. He’s had us practicing non stop,” freshman Sebastion Johns said. “During rehearsal, we’ve practically had no free time. Its been really hard preparing because we’ve had such little time to prepare.”

The band will be performing three pieces for the festival: Battle Blues, Gringo, and Georgia on My Mind with featured saxophone soloist, senior Sam Ortiz. This will be Ortiz’s fourth and final year participating in the festival and he is very excited to have the opportunity to be a featured soloist this year.

“I’ve done Jazz Fest all four years, but one year I wasn’t even in Jazz band. They were just like, ‘Hey, we need more people. Come join’, and I said, ‘Okay’,” Ortiz said. “I’ve really always wanted to have a featured solo.”

Some students will be participating in this for the first time and are open minded and looking forward to the experience.

“I’m very excited and can’t wait to see if people like us, and I’m very interested in listening to the other bands,” freshman Ryan Amick said. “Also, the best way to get better at jazz is to listen, and that’s exactly what I’ll get to do.”

Sports

■ Page 8D

DID YOU KNOW Spring Sports Pics Track Pictures March 4 @ 3:00 Softball Pictures March 5 @ 3:15 Baseball Pictures March 5 @ 3:30 Golf Pictures March 6 @ 3:15 Tennis Pictures March 6 @ 3:45

State Wrestling When the lights at the Bicentennial Center in Salina shut off last weekend after the 4A state wrestling tournament, three of the six state wrestlers walked out as medalist and an overall team finish at 16th place.

Senior Gershom Avalos (220 pounds) led the team in points and the results showed on the medal stand with a third place finish, ending his season 35-7. Fellow senior Jeremiah Jones (113) climbed the medal stand for the third time in his high school career, taking 5th place and finishing his final season 378. Alongside Avalos and Jones, junior Levi Kester (106) respectively captured 6th place.

The team combined for a total 42 points, 48 points shy of last year’s finish of fourth place.

Other state wrestlers included sophomore Joey Wools (120), junior Brett Cobb (132) and senior Ivan Carrell-Beasly (195). Each lost his first two matches and were eliminated from further competition.

Girls Basketball After dealing with injuries to key seniors earlier in the season, the girls basketball team is looking to prolong their season with victories in the sub-state tournament.

Finishing his season fourth in the Southeast Kansas League with a record of 13-6, the team enters sub-state as the sixth seed.

Senior forward Lizzy Willis underwent emergency surgery in the middle of the season after her appendix ruptured.

Willis was able to return to the court with only missing one game. While fellow senior post Brianna Maxwell missed games recovering from knee surgery that took place prior to the start of the season. Maxwell made her presence known down low, and muscled up rebounds for a strong defensive performance. Willis’ return was an immediate impact as she was the leading scorer on senior night with 24 points. The girls will travel to Ft. Scott tonight for the first round of sub-state at 7:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball Placing an all senior starting line up on the court seemed to be the proving point this season for the boys basketball team as they managed a plus .500 season with a 10-9 record.

The successful record gave the boys a three seed and a home game against Columbus on a neutral court for the first game of sub-state last night. The game was postponed from Monday due to harsh weather conditions.

Last Tuesday the boys lost 67-45 to Labette County after the Grizzlies went on a 29-7 third quarter run.

Leading scorer senior Tanner Ellis finished the game with 13 points while FeDor Lomax followed closely with 12 points.

Fellow seniors Kaleb Owens and Stefon Rich combined for 15 points.

SECTION D

BOOSTER REDUX

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Dead week or no dead week, athletes get it done

Students are left with no week in between fall and winter sports

BY REECE BURNS The Booster Redux

Every February seniors Tanner Ellis and Alaura Short are focusing on sub-state and state basketball competitions. Whether their team wins or loses, Ellis and Short move straight into baseball and track the day after their last game of basketball. The cherished time between fall and winter sports - also known as dead week - is nonexistent in the spring.

“It’s not too bad,” Ellis said. “A break could definitely be used.

If I got one I would definitely be sitting on my butt after school.”

Sitting around, however, will

not be an option for anyone who transitions from wrestling and basketball to golf, track, tennis, softball or baseball. This may not bother everyone as some people, like Short, take it as an advantage.

“It’s not that bad not having a dead week,” Short said. “I don’t want one [a dead week] because without one I can stay in shape.”

The absence of a dead week between winter and spring sports is a more complicated situation than may be noticeable.

According to Gary Musselman, Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, many variables

come into play.

“The fall semester calendars of schools across the state of Kansas are far more consistent school to school than the spring semester,” Musselman said. “...Adding a buffer week in spring proves to be something schools have not supported.”

Musselman and his staff face scheduling challenges every year.

For instance, not every school in Kansas has a spring break and not all spring breaks occur at the same time. This also applies to Easter weekend and whether or not a district has school on Good Friday or the Monday following

Baseball New coaching staff, new uniforms, and new faces.

Along with a remodeled field, the baseball team this year is based around new equipment. Head coach Keith Matlock will be taking over for previous head coach Mike Wilbert.

SCHEDULE Thurs. 3/28 V @ Baldwin @ 3:30 Tues. 4/2 V @ Home @ 4 Tues. 4/2 JV @ Home @ 4 Fri. 4/5 V @ Paola @ 3 Mon. 4/8 JV @ Chanute @ 3 Tues. 4/9 V @ Miami @ 10am Fri. 4/12 V @ PSU @ 3 Mon. 4/15 JV @ Coffeyville @ 3:30 Fri. 4/19 V @ Ft. Scott @ 3:30 Tues. 4/23 JV @ Ft. Scott @ 3:30 Fri. 4/26 V @ Girard @ 3:30

SCHEDULE Thurs. 3/14 V Purple and White @ 4:30 Thurs. 3/14 JV Purple and White @ 4:30

Mon. 3/25 JV @ Chanute @ 4:30 Tues. 3/26 V @ Home @ 4:30 Tues. 3/26 JV @ Home @ 4:30 Thurs. 3/28 V @ Home @ 4:30 Tues. 4/2 V @ Girard @ 4:30 Tues. 4/2 JV @ Girard @ 4:30 Thurs. 4/4 V @ Home @ 4:30 Mon. 4/8 JV @ Ft. Scott @ 4:30 Tues. 4/9 V @ Coffeyville @ 4:30 Fri. 4/12 V @ Home @ 4:30

Track The track and field team will be focusing on being better “today than we were yesterday,” in the words of head coach Gary Ausemus. This year will be the first time the new track will be used in a track meet. The league meet held prior to Regionals will be held at PHS.

Tennis The tennis team will have three returning varsity members this season, senior Jake Creech, junior Hank Cloninger, and sophomore Micah Hashman. The three state-qualifiers from last season all graduated, so new varsity members such as Adrian McAfee and Logan Benham will have to step up and fill the void.

SCHEDULE

Easter Sunday.

According to Musselman this makes it especially difficult to reschedule postponed competitions as many schools do not want to be playing during spring break or Good Friday.

“It’s tough, I usually try to give my players a few days or a week off for kind of a mental break, which is good for them,” said track coach Gary Ausemus. “You only have so many weeks to get in meets before regionals and state so it’s hard to reschedule if something gets canceled because you don’t want too many in one week.”

SCHEDULE Tues. 3/12 V @ Independence @ 3 Thurs. 3/14 JV @ PSU @ 4 Tues. 3/26 V @ Fort Scott @ 3 Thurs. 3/28 V@ Coffeyville @ 3 Thurs. 4/4 V @ PSU @ 3 Mon. 4/8 JV @ Parsons @ 3 Tues. 4/9 V @ Coffeyville @ 3 Fri. 4/12 V @ Parsons @ 3 Mon. 4/15 JV @ Ft. Scott @ 1 Fri. 4/19 JV @ PSU @ 3

Softball

Returning juniors and Thurs. 3/12 V Purple/White @ 4:30 seniors will make up Thurs. 3/12 JV Purple/White @ 4:30 the majority of the girls softball varsity team this Mon. 3/25 JV @ Chanute @ 4:30 spring. Some spots will Tues. 3/26 V @ Ft. Scott @ 4:30 be filled by sophomores Thurs. 3/28 V @ Home @ 4:30 and possibly freshman.

Tues. 4/2 V @ BVNW @ 4:30 With the addition of the Thurs. 4/4 V @ Home @ 4:30 new practice field, the Mon. 4/8 JV @ Ft. Scott @ 4:30 softball team will have Tues. 4/9 V @ Coffeyville @ 4:30 more time to prepare for games.

Golf After losing four of members of a six-member team, the varsity boys golf team will be leaning on new players this spring, including freshmen as well as previous junior varsity members.

SCHEDULE Thurs. 3/28 V @ Independence @ 1 Mon. 4/1 V @ Miami, OK @ 8:30 am Tues. 4/2 JV @ Coffeyville @ 3:30 Tues. 4/9 V @ Crestwood @ 3 Thurs. 4/11 V @ Katy Parsons @ 3 Thurs. 4/25 V @ Parsons CC @ 3 Mon. 4/29 JV @ Independence @ 3 Tues. 4/30 V @ Coffeyville @ 3 Mon. 5/6 V @ Chanute @ 1 Tues. 5/7 V @ Ft. Scott @ 1