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Love guided a life cut short Fourteen-year-old Julius Kamwaro Maina, who died Oct. 18, touched the lives of everyone he knew with love, compassion

By Lily Abromeit Julias Kamwaro Maina saw life as a journey ­— a journey that could easily lead to hardships.

But unlike many others who dwell on the challenges, Julias faced them head on.

“Life is a puzzle and you can never know what the future holds, and the only way to discover it is to have courage to take the next step,” Julias wrote in an autobiographical essay in September.

Julias’ journey took him from Kenya to the United States where he touched lives and acted with a maturity and compassion that seemed beyond his years. His journey ended early at just 14 years old. Julias, who was a freshman this year, died Oct. 18.

He lived life trying to make the world better for those around him but expecting nothing in return. Someday, he dreamed he would open a hospital in Kenya and provide care for free. He struggled with how to help a student he’d only just met who was being bullied. And through it all, he smiled in a care-free way that affected those around him and obscured the cancer he was fighting.

It’s an attitude he expressed when he first came to the United States. “ ‘Dad, I’m not coming for opportunities, I’m bringing opportunities,’ ” Julias’ father Samuel Maina remembers his son telling him. “ ‘People say they’re coming for more opportunities, no. You have to bring opportunities.’ ” For students and teachers who had the chance to get to know Julias, that’s an opportunity they’re grateful for.

“I only knew him for a short time, but he left a large impression on me,” English teacher Matt Stiles said. “Although I was only Julias’ teacher for a couple of months, I am better person for knowing him.”

Life transitions The students and teachers at Julias’ school in Kenya were upset when they learned he was moving to the United States. The school almost reported his mother to the district office because they thought she was taking him away to another school in Kenya.

“They loved him so much they wouldn’t have let him go because he made an impact on that school,” Connie Maina, Julias’ mother, said.

Julias was determined to come — ready to join his father in the United States and to learn everything he could. Once here, he

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loved the teachers and students. He never spoke bad of anyone.

“He loved everyone, even when he was young. He could cope with older people, younger [people], kids, everyone. That was how Julias was,” Connie said. “It didn’t matter if you were big or you were small or poor or sick, everyone was a friend to Julias.”

Julias was even a friend to strangers.

“In the house we could talk about somebody, me and my daughter, and Julias would come in and say ‘Dad, no. You can’t say that about that person. Just help that person,’ ” Samuel said. “He showed [love] to everybody, and he was really appreciative.”

“He was the best friend you could ever have. He was just a great person. I’m just glad I got to know him.”

Catherine Bell, senior Cancer found While playing baseball in April 2011, Julias tripped and fell, hit his head and lost consciousness. The fall led to tests, and doctor’s discovered a cancerous tumor on his brain stem.

Julias was worried — mostly for those who loved him. His mom was still in Kenya, and he didn’t want her to be alone and scared for her son.

“At first he was worried and he told me not to tell his mother,” Samuel said. “And I told him ‘I know how to handle this with your mother. I know how to talk to your mom.’ ” The cancer changed many things for Julias, but it did not change his personality.

“He was not negative,” Samuel said.

“And he could never get angry. I’ve never seen Julias angry.”

This positivity made Julias the peacekeeper in his home.

“He used to tell me, ‘You bring a lot of arguments, arguments bring hatred,’” Samuel said. “So he was like ‘Why can’t you bring discussion? Just discuss this thing. Don’t argue.’”

Continued on page 2

Sophomore Breanna Bell pushes Julias Kamwaro Maina while he tosses candy during the Homecoming parade on Sept. 28. Maina died on Oct. 18 due to a cancerous brain tumor. During his life, Julias strived to make the world a better place.

Photo by Gracie Rinke Vol. 123, Issue 4, Nov. 14, 2012

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Julias: student leaves impact Continued from page 1 One day, while Julias was in Kansas and his mom was still in Kenya he called her with a problem.

“Mom,” he asked. “Can you help me?” A short boy at school was being bullied. Julias wanted to help.

“I told him, ‘Tell the boy, as short as he is, God created him and God loves him very, very much the way he is. And he should be confident of himself and not worry what people will say because people will always talk, even when you are perfect,” Connie said.

Julias took this to heart.

“He [told me] ‘Oh thank you, Mom. I’m going to tell him all this and I’m going to be by [his side],” Connie said.

Always at Julias’ side was his older sister Ruth, a senior at Free State this year. LHS senior Catherine Bell, a family friend, said the two were like best friends. Julias’ father saw this, too.

“One hundred percent [of the time] she was with Julias,” Samuel said. “All the time.”

Family and love mattered to Julias — not what other people thought of him.

In Kenya, he would walk holding his mother’s arm — something boys in Kenya don’t usually do with their moms.

“So I was like ‘Julias, there are so many people here’ [and he said], ‘So what? You are my mother and I love you and that’s what matters,’ and we walked,” Connie said.

Connie arrived in the United States a few days before Julias passed.

“The very day I came, he became so excited to see me. He was like ‘oh Mom, I love you so much,’” Connie said.

The next day, Julias lost the ability to speak as his temperature rose. But he knew his mother was there when he took his last breath. His last word was “Mom.”

Life remembered Although Julias has passed, his spirit continues with the people who knew him.

“Julias had a message that he wanted to give us as a family and that’s love,” Samuel said. “Maybe if we have love, we have everything.”

Bell found she couldn’t linger in her sadness.

“As I began to think about all the great times we spent together, the sadness went away because Julias was fun and sweet and [...] he always made us smile,” she said. “So there was no room for me to be sad, only happy and grateful that I got to know such a great guy.”

English teacher Matt Stiles, Julias’ second-hour teacher, looked back to an essay Julias had written less than a month before he died. Stiles had asked him to write an autobiographical narrative after Julias had undergone radiation and chemotherapy.

At Julias’ visitation Stiles asked Connie and Samuel if he could share the essay with Julias’ class. They said yes.

“After I read the essay to his class, several were in tears. Not a lot was

said at first. A couple students just said ‘Wow,’ ” Stiles recalled. “Most just sat and let Julias’ words sink in. It was hard to know what to say. I think they were all taken aback. But after a few moments, we began to talk about Julias and what he meant to us and what he had taught us.”

The class talked about Julias’ intelligence, thoughtfulness, sincerity, positive attitude and outlook on life.

They remembered the way he always wanted to learn and his kindness and compassion.

“I’ll always remember his courage and optimism,” Stiles said. “And, of course, that smile.”

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Visit lhsbudget.com to view a slideshow of pictures of Julias’ life

Julias jokes with his sister Ruth Maina. “Ju and I were the closest of friends,” Ruth wrote in his eulogy. “When we were separated . . . we would feel something missing inside us.”

Photo courtesy of Maina family

Julias Kamwaro Maina—March 16, 1998-Oct. 18, 2012

Autobiographical essay Editor’s note: A month before he died, freshman Julias Maina wrote this autobiographical essay for his English class.

The Budget is reprinting it here with his family’s permission.

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If you ask me, I find life to be a journey. For the way I see it, my life is a mixture of varied occasions. Some will make you laugh, some

By Julias will make you cry, some will Maina be there to benefit you, and some will be seen as only there for your loss. I live a pretty complicated life, and I find my life to be harder than other teenager’s lives. I grew up in Kenya which is not a very wealthy country like America. It has a population of over forty million people. It is located in Eastern Africa. The language spoken formally is Swahili but we do teach English in school thus my reason of understanding it. The schools there are different from schools here. Teachers have power and authority over the pupils and so does anyone else. If anyone else sees

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another child misbehaving, they have authority to take matters into their own hands by punishing him or her in the most suitable way according to them, which can be with a cane or even worse.

It is not that children do not have rights, for they do. It is just that they normally follow the saying: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

I grew up with my mother and my sister. My dad had come to America to work, so I learned how to be a proper gentleman from the professionals. In Kenya there is a primary school, a high school, and a college. There is also an elementary school and a kindergarten, often referred to as “lower primary” and I used to be in primary school, which lasts to eighth grade. I used to be in eighth grade, so it was my last year in primary school. I was going to be a young and responsible adult soon.

There was normally a test called the Kenya Examination of Primary Education (KCPE) and you had to do it in order to go to high school. The better you did on the test, the better the high school you went to.

I had my own fears of high school and the test. I heard from others that in high school you had to undergo bullying from older students as a welcoming to manhood. When I heard the news that I was coming to America I was too

overjoyed to even be in school for the last week. I could not believe it.

Coming to America was a little bit hard because I had to leave everything I grew up with behind. I knew it was beneficial, for America was, as I had heard, “the land of opportunities.” My first day in America was very confusing, for no one spoke my language and I had a deep accent. I found everyone to be very nice and respectful and there for my assistance. My first week of school was very hectic and fast, but I slowly got to understand the way of life. I actually enjoyed the first couple of weeks of school, but I accidentally had a fall while playing baseball in school, which led to admission in the hospital. I was really scared but I had courage. The doctors diagnosed the fall to be a tumor and later it developed into cancer. At that time I was frightened and did not know what to do. I had a session of radiation and a few rounds of chemotherapy. I had an MRI, which is a major scan, a few weeks ago and the tumor seemed to have grown a little bit. Right now I am on experimental medication and I am doing much better than I was a few weeks ago. I can finally reach a conclusion that life is a puzzle and you never know what the future holds, and the only way to discover it is to have courage to take the next step.

Nov. 14, 2012

Students tally the vote Juniors and seniors aid Kids Voting election process by tallying candidates’ votes

by vail moshiri Pizza, pop and democracy: a real political party.

Students from Lawrence and Free State high schools gathered below the Riverfront Plaza on election day. Arriving at 6 p.m. and staying for three hours, students spent their night watching the election votes tally up while counting their own set of ballots: Kansas Kids Voting ballots. “[Kids] go in with their parents to the polling place and they get to cast an actual ballot just as you would if you were really voting,” social studies teacher Matthew Herbert said.

The event is sponsored by the Journal World newspaper, but teachers like Herbert help LHS students get involved.

Students like junior Molly Lockwood went for the extra credit and volunteer hours, while others, like Chase Oehlert, helped to learn more about the political process in action.

“I thought it’d be a cool thing to learn,” he said. “I mean, you get extra credit, which is always good. It was cool to learn about it and figure out how all the process of it works and how they tally them up basically.”

Others had more altruistic reasons.

“I volunteered at Kids Voting because I like to give back to the community that treats me so well,” junior Matt Carmody said.

For younger kids, Kansas Kids Voting gave them a chance to get a feel for democracy.

“I know there’s a lot of 14 and 15 year olds who are interested in politics, but don’t actually have a say in politics,” Herbert said. “[With Kids Voting] they actually get to see the democratic process in action.”

LHS social studies teacher Fran Bartlett said Kids Voting helps with the future of democracy.

“If kids get used to the idea of going to vote at an early age it will become kind of ingrained in them,” Bartlett said. “When they’re eligible to vote they’ll be more inclined to do so because they understand the process.”

The results ended up 3,400 to 776 in President Barack Obama’s favor.

Tallying votes, senior Chris Sims and junior Taylor Pascalar volunteer at the Kids Vote event Nov. 6. Students were encouraged to take part in the event by their social studies teachers. Photo by Vail

Moshiri

Out of town commutes take toll Many students at LHS live in other cities and spend extra time commuting every day

By Ashley Hocking Most students can sleep through their alarm clocks and still make it to class on time.

With a little willpower and some quick feet, these students can rush off to class, arriving only somewhat late. For students who live outside of Lawrence and commute every day, that’s not possible.

Senior Haley Tinch, who lives in Eudora, might find herself tardy to her first-hour class if the weather is poor.

“If it’s raining or snowing outside, I have to plan going earlier,” Tinch said. “If not, then I’ll be at least 30 minutes late.”

Senior Hazlett Henderson’s regular commute of 25 minutes has recently been extended due to construction going out of Baldwin.

win does,” Seaman said.

“Now I’ve got to go Henderson has similar reasons on this gravel road and through some woods to for attending LHS. Commuting is a way of life for many “There is more diversity at get to school every day,” students. Here’s a look at where stuHenderson said.

LHS and there are harder classes dents are driving from to get to school: here,” Henderson said.

But for the students •12 from Baldwin who commute, the Henderson has not considered •5 from Eudora benefits of attending LHS moving to Lawrence because of •4 from Ottawa outweigh the hassles of her family’s integral role within the •2 from Overbrook city of Baldwin. commuting.

•1 from Lecompton “My parents and I are also Senior Kylie Seaman •1 from Olathe chooses to commute really invested in the Baldwin com•1 from Oskaloosa every day because of the munity and our house, which we •1 from Shawnee rigor of academics at LHS. just redid.”

•1 from Wellsville Seaman lives in Edgerton, Sophomore Kate Dingus, but her home is in the Ottawa resident, chooses to comBaldwin school district. mute in order to be a part of the LHS orchestra program. Ottawa High School does “LHS has a better academic program than Bald-

Commuters

not offer orchestra as an elective.

Another reason Dingus spends extra time in her car each morning is to remain in school with the same group of peers that she grew up with.

Dingus previously lived in Lawrence and attended Broken Arrow Elementary School and South Junior High School.

“My parents didn’t want me separated from all my classmates,” Dingus said. “And they wanted me to remain in one school district because my dad didn’t have that same experience, so he wanted me to.”

Regardless of the reasoning behind why each student dedicates extended periods of time to commuting to a high school in a different city from the one where they live, the students all find their home at LHS.

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Squad steps up work, commitment Newly-formed club takes a turn on stage with performance in FYI talent show

By Isaiah Bell Step Squad members stepped up dedication to their club this year.

They recently performed at the University of Kansas Step Show and LHS’s talent show. The energy and excitement this group generated sparked the audience to join in clapping and cheering.

LHS security guard Armond Enclarde has had previous experience with stepping when he worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence. When students discovered this, they asked him to sponsor their club.

Students had been impressed by previously seeing him dance. They agreed he was the perfect person to help them get the club off the ground.

Enclarde doesn’t take all the credit.

“The students gathered themselves, and I just helped,” Enclarde said.

He received help from senior Taylor Edwards, who was an asset in getting the members started and excited about stepping.

This club allows members to express their individual talents and inspirations through dance.

“We all know how to put in our own flavor,” junior Jasmine Williams said.

Williams is a new dancer to the Step Squad.

“Watching TV and movies having to do with step, like ‘Stomp the Yard,’ encouraged me to get it started at school,” Williams said.

A founder of the group, junior Rovie Jacobs, also shares the love of dancing.

“I feel it is an excellent way to express one’s self through movement” Jacobs said.

“I feel like we’re a family because we get along together. We practice and practice to get all of our steps in.”

The future of Step Club is encouraging.

“I think the Step team is awesome,” Enclarde said. “We have students that are excited and really want to step. They all come with a really good attitude. I see them practicing when they’re walking down the hallways, so that really shows me that they are wanting to do a good job.”

Performing in sync, Junior Rovie Jacobs ‘steps’ in a special performance at the end of the FYI talent show on Oct. 30. Photo by Abby Gillam

Hairy Lions grow it out in November

Students drop razors in annual No-Shave November event

By Shelby Steichen It’s that time of year again. Time to put down the razor and let the facial hair grow free.

No-Shave November is back once again, and students have begun to take part in this festivity.

“I’m a burly man,” senior and twotime participant Justin Riley said. “I want

to show off my facial hair because it gets pretty intense in the November month.”

Most students, like Riley, participate in this event to test what level of extremity their facial hair can achieve.

For these particular students, this shave-free month traditionally begins with a specific ritual.

“The night before [Nov. 1], you shave,” Riley said. “And that’s the last time you’re going to be shaving for a while.”

Other students, however, participate in this event for different reasons. “[I do No-Shave November because] I’m lazy,” senior and first time participant

Alex Clabaugh said.

Despite the different reasons to participate, most students are unaware of the important meaning behind this hairy celebration.

No-Shave November began in Australia and New Zealand to support prostate cancer awareness. This event was called “Movember”, a combination of moustache and November.

Although No-Shave November is mostly celebrated among male students, and it was originally created to support a gender specific disease, several girls have also chosen to participate in the event

this year.

“I don’t usually shave my legs anyways, since it’s winter,” senior Lydia Longabach said. “So I was like ‘Yeah, why not?’ ” However, No-Shave November is not all fun and games.

“There’s a point where my neck gets unbelievably itchy and like that’s probably the worst,” Riley said. “Every time you move your face it like itches against your skin. It’s terrible.”

Girls taking part in this event, like Longabach, also face their own difficulties.

“A lot of guys tend to freak out, but

they really shouldn’t because it’s not their business and girls should be able to do whatever they want with their body,” Longabach said. “It’s socially acceptable for guys not to shave but then it’s gross when girls don’t shave, so I think it’s really stupid.”

Despite the down-sides to No-Shave November, it is generally enjoyed by students and gives everyone a good laugh.

For those who just can’t get enough of this hairy holiday, there is always the chance to be a part of “Decembeard,” “Manuary,” and “Facial Hair February” as well.

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Nov. 14, 2012

Vegetarians left with slim pickings at Thanksgiving Vegetarians and vegans make the best of their meatless ‘Turkey Days’

By Candace Barnes

Baking business: ‘It’s a family thing’

Cheesecake business a Bell family tradition

By Abby Gillam

Holiday season is a time for being with family, friends, and devouring homemade baked goods.

For senior Catherine Bell and sophomore Breanna Bell the holidays are not only filled with family and friends but also with cheesecakes. The Bell sisters were dubbed the “family bakers” when their oldest sister passed the tradition down to them.

The original Bell family holiday baking began back in 1997 when the Bell’s oldest sister Danielle attended Central Junior High School. She wanted to bake the school janitor a cheesecake and the results were more than rewarding.

“The janitor [told Danielle], ‘That was really good.

You should really think about selling these,’ ” Catherine said. “So my mom and my sister tweaked the recipe to where they thought it was pretty good and people liked it, so we just kept it.”

Once the young Bell sisters came to LHS, people constantly asked if they were “the cheesecake ladies.”

“We were like, ‘OK. Yeah, I guess we should keep

Nov. 14, 2012

it going,’ ” Catherine said.

Chaos begins when the holiday season hits. Just like other students, they have finals to study for, projects to complete and homework that needs to be finished. But unlike everyone else they have an average of 60 cheesecakes to bake and deliver.

“We basically communicate with each other and figure out a schedule before we do anything,” Breanna said.

One loyal customer, math teacher Matt Ellis, said Catherine approached him to buy a cheesecake when she was getting math help from him.

“She came by and offered it so I thought ‘Why not,’” Ellis said. “You know, it sounded like a good deal.”

Luckily for the Bells, delivering isn’t too hard; most customers are teachers here at the high school.

“We pretty much sell to almost every teacher every holiday,” Catherine said.

The homemade cheesecakes are all nine inches, ranging from $10 to $25, with flavors including blueberry, cherry and strawberry. But the Bells do take special requests.

“People suggest [flavors], and we try it out on the family because there’s 11 of us,” Catherine said.

The Bell sisters make sure to have samples for

Senior Catherine and sophomore Breanna Bell kick-off the holiday season baking, taking orders for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Photo by Abby Gillam first-time buyers and when experimenting with new flavors. “[We give them samples] mostly for feedback,” Breanna said. “[And] because they don’t know what our cheesecake tastes like.”

Catherine and Breanna are not alone in their cheesecake business efforts. The whole Bell family works as a team to bake them and help ship them off to the customers. Catherine and Breanna are in charge of mixing the main part of the cheesecake, their younger siblings crush the graham crackers, their dad and brothers assist the distribution, and their mother keeps track of inventory.

“Because there’s so many of us in our family we’re cool with each other,” Catherine said.

The hard work baked into the holidays pays off in the end.

“The cheesecakes are pretty tasty,” Ellis said. “It just reminds me [of if] I would have made it myself, but it’s better than what I can make, it’s just an exceptional taste.”

It’s Thanksgiving and a turkey is roasting in the oven, gravy is slowly cooking on the stove, a pumpkin pie is cooling on the windowsill, and some LHS students can’t have any of it.

One student who won’t be able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal is sophomore Isabell Rummell, a vegetarian of “I felt I needed one year. a change. I ate “I felt I needed too much meat a change,” Rumand wanted to be mell said. “I ate healthy.” too much meat ­—Isabell Rummell and wanted to be healthy.”

It may seem difficult to be a vegan or vegetarian on Thanksgiving, but senior Sarah Sutterfield, who has been vegan for more than a month, knows how to work around the problems.

“I’m not a big fan of Tofurky (tofu turkey), but it’s only my mom [and me], and so we never really have that big of a meal,” Sutterfield said.

“My favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving is green bean casserole, so I’m sure there is a vegan alternative out there.”

Rummell also knows how to work around eating meat on Thanksgiving.

“There are substitutions, but I don’t personally do that,” Rummell said. “I just eat the other stuff.”

So does senior Tess Seuferling.

“I just eat potatoes and bread [on Thanksgiving],” Seuferling said.

Another student who won’t be having a normal Thanksgiving feast is senior Hazlett Henderson, who has been a vegan for seven months.

Even though she’s been a vegetarian for the past four years, she faces a new challenge this Thanksgiving by cutting out all animal byproducts instead of just cutting out meat.

“It’s just me and my parents [on Thanksgiving], so I’ll probably just be like ‘I’m gonna eat regular food today.’ I’m not gonna eat Thanksgiving food, because it’s not really a holiday that we get into,” Henderson said. “Maybe I’ll make vegan pecan pie.”

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Firebirds flock to LHS for class opportunities Students from Free State choose to commute to LHS for part of their day in order to take classes not offered at their school

By Harley Phelps Walking through the halls, you might think you would only find students sporting their favorite LHS gear.

However, if you look closely, you might find a few cross-town mascots appearing on the shirts of some students.

“I don’t do it on purpose, I just get up and get dressed like I’m going to Free State, and I don’t even realize until I walk into LHS,” Free State senior Logan Bannister said.

Bannister comes to LHS for part of the day to attend Engineering Design class. Others also come to attend auto-

Working on their project, Free State seniors Logan Bannister and Wilson Hack test their invention in Lauts’ sixth hour Engineering Design class. Photo by Kelly Song

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tech classes.

Other students include: seniors Wilson Hack, Sean Morris and Chase Langston; juniors Anish Patel and Ryan Givens; and freshmen Carter Ruckman and Jesse Miller.

Although for some going to the rival school might seem like a hassle or an awkward venture to make, most of the students who drive from across town every day see it as an opportunity they wouldn’t otherwise have.

“Coming to LHS is worth it because the Engineering Design class is very interesting, and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to take it at Free State,” Bannister said.

Hack also finds little problems with making the commute.

“The 10 minutes it takes to get here isn’t a problem, just the gas,” Hack said, who comes for Engineering Design.

For the students who attend both LHS and Free State, most of their loyalties still lie across town at their home school.

Even though they are considered students of both schools and receive grade cards from both schools, most only participate in their home school events, such as homecoming voting and other pep events.

The exception to this, however, is Patel who participates in LHS events and also has his hopes set on transferring to LHS from Free State for his senior year.

“I didn’t vote for Free State homecoming, just LHS homecoming,” Patel said.

Whether it’s for one or three hours of their schedules, these students are forced to put their personal or athletic opinions of LHS behind them and accompany their rivals to class.

Nov. 14, 2012

Winter sports: players to watch this season Despite the chilly weather, these students are likely to gain wins for their Lawrence High Graphics by Nathaniel Reynolds

Sport: Girls’ Basketball Coach: Nick Wood Reasons why she is the standout player: •Averaged 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season •Was selected by the Sunflower League Coaches to the Honorable Mention All League last season

Kionna Coleman, junior

Sport: Swimming/ Diving Coach: Kent McDonald Reasons he is the standout player: •Qualified for State last year in 50 and 100 Freestyle •On school record for State: placed and 200 freestyle relay

Sport: Boys’ Basketball Coach: Mike Lewis Reasons why he is the standout player: •Scores an average of eight points per game •Has 52 steals/ deflections •Honorable mention for Sunflower League

Adam Edmonds, senior

Jake Moisman, senior

Sport: Wrestling Coach: Patrick Naughton Reason why he is the standout player: • Current Career high school varsity record of 72-15

Hunter Haralson, senior

Athletic director retires after two decades at LHS Commons shares details about his position and decision to retire

a coaching stint. Under his tenure the school constructed new on-campus athletic facilities. However, Commons said he is ready to retire while things are going well and he can still enjoy things in life.

Q: How long have you been the athletic director at LHS? A: “At the conclusion of this year, it will be 19 years.”

Q: What led you to that position?

A: “Nineteen years ago there was an assistant principal that had retired and they were looking for somebody to fill that position. I was coaching and teaching at the time with a masters degree in physical education, so I was really interested in moving into that spot.”

By Trae Green After 29 years of Lawrence High athletics, Ron Commons is calling it quits at the end of the school year.

For 19 years, Commons has held the position of athletic director following

Nov. 14, 2012

Q: Which did you enjoy more, being a coach or athletic director?

A:“They both have their positives. I really enjoyed the interaction with all the students. (When I was a coach), I would get kids coming in as sophomores and would grow with them until they were seniors. At the same time it’s always fun as an athletic director to figure out schedules and conflicts that need to be resolved.”

Q: What were the main influences for your decision to retire at the end of the year?

A: “While I’m still having fun [being the Athletic Director], and everything seems to be in pretty good shape here at Lawrence High, I want to have time to watch my grandkids do things, do some traveling, obviously do a lot more fishing.”

Q: How involved do you think you’ll still be with Lawrence High athletics or even beyond after your retirement?

A: “Somebody else is going to be wearing that hat. I obviously don’t want to interfere with their job, yet I’ll always be willing to consult and help them problem solve. That will become someone else’s baby, and I will be glad to step aside completely and just come to games when I have the opportunity.”

Q: How does the funding for the Athletic Department work? Is it mostly booster money that is spent or is a majority of it USD 497 money?

A: “There are three sources of money that we use for athletics. First when students buy activity tickets, that $25 comes

back in to help support us. Second, the school district does have some funds that come from their general budget to help us out. Our main source is through ticket sales at games. there are also a few fundraisers we do to help us also. All the money raised by the booster clubs goes to the specific sport they back.”

when a player gets a red card then they are not permitted to play in the next game so there is always a self report that goes to the KSHSAA on that.”

Q: What is it like to oversee those funds for the whole athletic department?

A: “Nineteen years ago that was a real eye opener of how much money is spent through the athletic department, from buying uniforms, equipment, paying officials, transportation, it really starts to add up throughout a school year.”

Q: How much were you dealing with the surrounding neighborhood when the school district wanted to build on site athletic fields?

A: “Fortunately most of that was handled by the school administration and the superintendent, I had a lot more fun dealing with the facility part, dealing with the architects, the builders, the contractors and deciding where we wanted ticket booths and flag poles. I have a passion for that, making the executive decision of where things are going to go.”

Q: The Kansas State High School Activities Association obviously isn’t the NCAA, but what kind of violations are there that you need to be aware of, and have any of those ever came up?

A: “Occasionally we have things we have to report to the KSHSAA. Most of it is self reporting, all the way from a student that might be ineligible because of academics, or a violation of code of conduct that prevents someone from playing. An example would be in soccer

Q: Any suggestions as to who the school should bring in or move up from a current position to take your place at year’s end?

A: “I’ve given them enough time so they can advertise for the job, I think they plan to connect that (Athletic Director) with another administration position, so somebody will be wearing a couple of hats there. I’m not sure if I will have any input whatsoever when it comes to my replacement.”

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The Budget | 9

Limits on blood donations concern some As Lions roll up sleeves for annual drive, ban on some potential donors raises questions, concerns from some students

By Yu Kyung Lee Donate Blood. Make a life saving difference.

These words hung on the posters for the semi-annual blood drive Friday reminding students about the value of donating blood.

What the posters didn’t mention were the many requirements potential donors have to meet to be eligible. One has to be more than 16 years old, weigh at least 115 pounds and can’t have had cold symptoms in the past three days.

Also, if you are a man who has had sex with another man since 1977, federally labeled as “MSMs,” you are not allowed to donate blood -- even if you are completely healthy.

First adopted by Food and Drug Administration in 1983, the rule was a response to the AIDS scare when the AIDS-causing virus HIV and other deadly diseases transmitted by bodily fluids were more prevalent among homosexual men than any other demographic group.

According to the Red Cross, MSMs are 60 times more likely to have HIV than the general population. Compared to firsttime donors, MSMs were 800 times more likely to have HIV. But in 1983, there weren’t proper tests to detect HIV -- hence the ban on any MSMs from donating blood.

“I think at that point, they were scared, and they wanted to do whatever they could to prevent the disease from spreading,” junior Matt Rood said.

“Because it’s AIDS -- a terrible disease that affects a lot of people.”

Rood learned about the ban on MSM

10 | The Budget

blood donation and found that most people did not know about the FDA’s ban.

“I think it’s just not talked about, so it hasn’t been changed,” Rood said. “I think people just ignore it and treat it like it’s not an issue. Or they don’t know about it because it isn’t well-publicized. But it is a real issue.”

With the upcoming blood drive and the ban in the news, Rood has worked to increase public awareness. In one Facebook post on Oct. 24, he expressed his belief that “...we are still under the scare of the 1980s. No joke...”

“I wanted to get people talking about it,” Rood said. “And I think that any time you can get people to start talking about an issue, people who haven’t heard about it learn some new information, or interject their opinions, and then everyone can have a more rounded perspective.”

The post got 43 likes and 38 comments.

Among the 43 likes were Organization for Sexual and Gender Equality co-president, junior Andrea Summey.

“As someone who is not homosexual, I feel that it’s just an old rule,” Summey said. “But as someone who is an ally to homosexuals, I feel that it’s just totally against them and it’s not anything they can really control.”

The ban on MSM’s blood became a national issue this summer as blood banks across the United States experienced a decrease in blood donations. A group of legislators, along with several universities and the American Red Cross, worked to get the Department of Health and Human Services to review FDA’s ban.

The legislators argued that the blood

ban was discriminatory to homosexuals as well as limiting much-needed blood donations.

“I don’t think the lifetime ban is very practical anyway when you are keeping 50,000 people a year who want to donate from donating,” Rood said. “If someone has HIV, then they can’t donate blood anyway. But if someone is clean and is a homosexual, they should be able to have a normal sexual lifestyle and be able to donate blood. I think it needs to be repealed.”

Technological advances have allowed for more accurate tests for HIV. The Community Blood Center, which holds blood drives at LHS, is a major blood collection center that provides for about 70 hospitals in Kansas and Mis-

souri. Not only does CBC tests its blood collection itself, it also sends out the blood to be tested at a different center.

“There’s no perfect science,” said Stann Tate, the marketing director for the CBC. “The tests we use are accurate, but 100 percent accuracy -- there’s no such thing.”

CBC receives complaints about the ban on MSMs blood, but can only say one thing: it’s a policy the FDA set.

Some students accept the rule without much hesitation.

“I think they make those rules to look out for the best interests of the people, so I don’t think it’s anything in a bad way or against people [who are homosexual],” said senior Alex Hilliard, a two-time donor. “If I was a male and I fit that descrip-

Donating blood, junior Tim Schraad participates in the fall blood drive, organized by student council.

Photo by Abby Gillam tion or did that, then I would understand and not take it personally.”

Others would argue the system is broken.

“I think it’s completely insane because all blood is good blood -- no matter who it came from,” said sophomore Lizzy McEntire, StuCo coordinator for the LHS blood drive. “Also straight people can have AIDS and HIV as well, so for gays to be unable to give is crazy. I don’t think this is valid because if you were dying and in need of a blood transfusion, who cares where it came from?”

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Staff: Keyty Ashcraft-Galve Candace Barnes Isaiah Bell Jordan Brown Ashley Hocking (Managing Editor) Louisa Holland (Opinion Editor) Vail Moshiri Harley Phelps Nathaniel Reynolds Grace Rinke Tiffany Robbins Kendra Schwartz (Assistant Online Editor) Zach Spears Shelby Steichen Morgan Wildeman

Avid texters’ grammar benefits from texting

By Kendra Schwartz From “LOL” to “OMG,” texting abbreviations are often used by students, both on their phones, and more recently, in person.

Many psychologists from older generations have the concern that these “shortcuts” will inevitably lead to bad grammar and spelling for Generation Z, or the generation in which many of the students now enrolled in high school belong to. However, for the majority of high school students, texting does not have this effect.

At Lawrence High, many of the statistically “avid” texters are enrolled in advanced or AP English courses and are unaffected by their texting habits. In these classes, students are taught proper spelling, a wide vocabulary and helpful grammar skills.

Junior Annie Odrowski, a self-proclaimed text-aholic, has consistently taken Advanced English courses since her freshman year.

“When you use proper grammar, it’s more formal,” Odrowski said. “It’s important because if you’re using the wrong words all the time, you’re not really speaking English, which is our native language.”

Psychologists of the X and Y generations have attempted to prove the effect of texting on grammar; however, their results can’t be completely proven.

Although grammar scores are at an all time low, this is more likely an effect of how grammar is being taught in English classes.

What’s on your mind?

By Morgan Wildeman

If you could be anywhere when the weather turns cold, where would you be?

‘‘

Nov. 14, 2012

Teachers share their political views

By Keyty Ashcraft Forty-three teachers were surveyed anonymously by department about their political views. They were asked which party they support and also who they planned on voting for. The only department that had a majority voting for Mitt Romney was the social studies department.

I’d go to Colorado so I can ski.

Elizabeth Godinez

‘‘ Sergio Perez

Graphic by Zach Spears

Freshman

Freshman

Freshman

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I’d like to be snuggled up at home by the fireplace.

Sydney Blackbourn

Business manager: Pat Treff Adviser: Barbara Tholen

Although grammar is taught in many of the Advanced or AP English courses, in the grade-specific classes offered, this is rare.

English teachers Keri Lauxman, Kim O’Brien and Sue Donnelly have a reputation for teaching grammar, but these and a few other teachers are a minority in the nation as a whole. English teachers have no curriculum requirement to teach grammar to their high school students.

Many teachers choose not to teach grammar, but this does not mean the students have no interest in learning how to write and speak in the professional world.

Sophomore Matt Mantooth sees texting as the ideal way to practice use of correct grammar.

“If I’m talking to someone and they don’t use proper grammar, I will not reply,” Mantooth said. “I’d actually say my grammar has gotten better because over text I use proper grammar.”

When representatives from each of the four grade levels were given a grammar test, the average score was six out of seven.

Using these statistics, it would seem Lawrence High students’ grammar is superior to most in the nation, as many of our academic scores reflect.

Although studies demonstrate the lack of grammar being taught at school, because of the talented teachers of Lawrence High, texting has had little to no effect on the students’ grammar.

I’d go to Hawaii, because it’s hot there when it’s cold here.

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Editorial Board: Mallory Thompson, Sports Yu Kyung Lee, features Lily Abromeit, News Ella Magerl, Design Abby Gillam, Photo Mara McAllister, Online

OPINION

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Issue Editor-in-Chief: Mallory Thompson

Students’ grammar unaffected by texting

‘‘

The Budget is published every three weeks and distributed free of charge to students and faculty at Lawrence High School, 1901 Louisiana, Lawrence, Kan. 660462999.

The Budget is produced by students in the Digital Journalism and Digital Design and Production courses with occasional contributions from 21st Century Journalism and guest columnists. The newspaper’s goals are to inform, entertain and present a forum of expression for students, faculty, administrators and community members. The newspaper is financed through advertising and staff fundraising.

The editorial staff is solely responsible for the content of this newspaper, and views expressed in The Budget do not necessarily reflect those of the administration of Lawrence High School or USD 497.

‘‘

Budget

Fiji, because the name is cool.

Nick Steichen Freshman

Page Design By Mallory Thompson

Graphic by Gracie Rinke

11 | The Budget

New stadium hosts first playoff game

Faking out an opposing player, senior Erick Mayo runs the ball during the state quarterfinals on Nov. 9. The Lions were the first to score and went into halftime with the lead but wound up losing their second matchup of the year to the Shawnee Mission West Vikings. Photo by Gage Nelson

Upset about a call, Head Coach Dirk Wedd argues with the referee during the first half. “I think we had a really good season,” senior Kharon Brown said.

“It was really fun, and we got a lot better from my sophomore year to my senior year. It was really cool to be a part of that.” Photo by Gage Nelson

Lions fall to Shawnee Mission West in state quarterfinals but still proud of 8-3 season

By Tiffany Robbins & Mallory Thompson

to Shawnee Mission West, the home bleachers were packed and fans lingered more than an hour after the game to congratulate the team on its season. The cheers bolstered players on the field.

“This last Friday they were particularly loud, and I could actually hear them, so that was nice,” senior Kharon Brown said.

For many of the fans and players, hosting the first playoff game in the home stadium contributed to the excitement.

After a frustrating loss to Free State, football players and fans kept their heads high for the next game: the first round of state playoffs against Gardner-Edgerton.

By holding off the Trailblazers 34-32, the Lions advanced to the second round.

This was the first time LHS would host a playoff game in its newly-built stadium.

Although the Lions would lose 21-14

Players remembered former football teams’ pain of traveling to play home games and have an appreciation for their new game location.

“Lord knows we needed [the new stadium],” said senior running-back Tyrone Jenkins. “We were playing at Haskell.”

Excitement and appreciation for the new stadium carried to the coaches.

“The alums have done a great job of raising money to put the arch in and encase the scoreboard, and we now

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“It’s great to have a new stadium, it’s great to be a part of tradition at Lawrence High,” Jenkins said. “It’s just an honor to be able to play for Lawrence High.”

Although team members hoped to advance further, they said they felt good about their season and the resulting 8-3 record.

“The season was an unforgettable ride with the best group of people out there,” senior Ryan Schroeder said. “We’ll all be family forever.”

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have state championship flags flying all over the stadium, and we got a nice press box,” said head football coach Dirk Wedd. “It’s a beautiful stadium.”

A Lawrence High win, would have meant going to the semi-finals and the chance for redemption by playing Free State once again.

With the excitement of making history in the new stadium and advancing to state quarterfinals, players were appreciative of the opportunity.

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The Budget | 12