Logan Ahern ND Journalist of the Year Portfolio

01

Logan Ahern

Journalist of the Year Logan Ahern West Fargo High School North Dakota 2015 The picture above is me shaking hands with Jan Neuharth during the all-expense paid trip opportunity I gained to Washington D.C. I was the North Dakota state representative to win the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Scholarship for 2014. Photo

by Newseum.

multimedia photography/ videography

design

writing

resume

page 3 Breaking News Writing

page 4

page 15

Breaking News Writing

DPS Design

page 16

page 5

DPS Design

Breaking News Writing

page 6

page 17 News Writing

page 7 News Writing

page 8 Feature Writing Feature Writing

page 10 Feature Writing

page 11 Entertainment Writing

page 1 Cover

page 2 Table of Contents

page 18

page 32

Front Page Design

page 12 Entertainment Writing

page 13 Opinion Writing

page 14 Opinion Writing

Podcasts

page 19

page 33

Inside Page Design

page 20

page 9

Contest Entry Form

DPS Design

Inside Page Design

Twitter

page 26 School Photography

page 27

page 21

Yearbook Front Cover Sports/Action Photography

page 28

page 22 Yearbook Spread

page 23 Yearbook Spread

Portrait Photography

The Packer Website

page 25

Anchoring Web News Package

page 31 LAP Website

The Packer Weekly

page 35 Business Managing

page 36 Literary Magazine

page 37

page 29 page 30

page 24

page 34

Web Feature Package

Non-Profit Involvement

page 38 Free Spirit Conference

page 39 Awards/Achievements

writing Breaking News Writing

03

Logan Ahern

Policies regarding religious freedom are questioned Wanting a song that would appeal to students, senior Katelyn Johnson suggests to the guitar ensemble class to play the song “Take Me to Church” by Hozier for their winter concert taking place on Jan. 8th. Despite her best intentions, the song was voted down in the final round by the class.

“The song overall has a good message and [gay marriage] is a relevant topic in society now,” Johnson said. “I believe the song is not necessarily about religion and can be interpreted in many different ways.”

Because of the song’s risqué language, guitar teacher Mark Berntson believed before the class decided to vote on the songs they play for the concert they should first consider what the song is really about.

Some students, such as Johnson, were upset because Berntson had improperly inserted his opinion and was biased because he was Catholic himself.

“We vote and try the songs that people like the most and then we vote again after we talk about them,” Berntson said.

“The lyrics are really specific to what the Catholics do, which was very critical.”

The particular line in the song that stuck out to Berntson the most was “I tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife,” to which he associated with attacking Christianity.

“It was hard to get past the idea that I would be singing against my religion,” Berntson said. “I told my students that [the song] could still be an option, it would just make me feel terrible if we did it.”

According to the National Association for Music Education, if a school is to perform music it has to have good music content, be educationally sound and the school would be fine to play the song.

Berntson said that he acted on his ethics and wanted to be the voice for the students who may have been thinking the same idea.

Ultimately, Berntson did not have the final decision because the class voted the song out after hearing what he had to say.

Johnson raised the question of whether what Berntson did was legally correct or not. Assistant Principal Holly Ripley thinks Religious Freedom in schools is a gray area.

“The school is often a reflection of the society it lives in,” Ripley said. “It may feel like there is something black and white, but the school wants to give the community what it wants.”

The Packer Handbook states under NDCC 14-02.4-01 and federal law that race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability and status with regard to marriage or public assistance are all protected from discrimination. Berntson believed he should protect Christianity because he felt it being attacked.

In the General Statement of Policy found in the handbook, the West Fargo School District and school board expects administrators and supervisors to make it clear to students that harassment on any of the previously listed is not tolerated and is on grounds for disciplinary action.

The state of North Dakota, however, is more lenient and in June of 2012, the state voted down Measure Three of the North Dakota Religious Freedom Amendment that would have protected the rights of Johnson and would have prohibited Berntson from interfering in the situation.

“The situation was hard and I want to be as responsive as much as I can to my students and do the stuff that they like,” Berntson said.

To keep the concert more open, Berntson made sure the concert was not before Christmas so the class could stray away from the Christmas theme and have more freedom when choosing music. Christmas is associated with Christianity music and Berntson wanted to be responsive to the other religions and students in his class who may not be Christian.

The class decided on playing “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day, “You Belong to Me” by Pink, “Hurt”

by Johnny Cash, a song written by the student teacher and a song written by students senior Zach Burtsfield and senior Amer Bektas. Although the class came to a conclusion, senior Rileigh Hulbert was still disappointed with the decision.

“I was upset that someone could put their two cents in and change the minds of people in the class,” Hulbert said. “‘Take Me to Church’ is more than a typical song and is more unique, which would have made a more fun experience for everyone.”

thePACKER volume 68.4

1.1.9.15

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WESTFARGOPACKER.ORG Follow us on Twitter @ThePackerNews Like us on Facebook The Packer Newspaper Follow us on Instagram @WFPackerNews

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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

CENSORED CENSORED

The policies regarding Religious Freedom rights at West Fargo High are questioned are questioned Logan Ahern Assistant Editor

“After hearing of a controversy being spread around the school, I wanted to report the true facts of the situation and find out what really happened. For the first time at West Fargo High, the Religious Freedom rights of students was being tested and because of my determination, I was able to tell the story and print it as the lead story on the front page of our newspaper.”

-Printed on January 9th, 2015

W

anting a song that would appeal to students, senior Katelyn Johnson suggests to the guitar ensemble class to play the song “Take Me to Church” by Hozier for their winter concert taking place on Jan. 8th. Despite her best intentions, the song was voted down in the final round by the class.

“The song overall has a good message and [gay marriage] is a relevant topic in society now,” Johnson said. “I believe the song is not necessarily about religion and can be interpreted in many different ways.”

Because of the song’s risqué language, guitar teacher Mark Berntson believed before the class decided to vote on the songs they play for the concert they should first consider what the song is really about. Some students, such as Johnson, were upset because Berntson had improperly inserted his opinion and was biased because he was Catholic himself.

“We vote and try the songs that people like the most and then we vote again after we talk about them,” Berntson said. “The lyrics are really specific to what the Catholics do, which was very critical.”

The particular line in the song that stuck out to Berntson the most was “I tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife,” to which he associated with

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

2

attacking Christianity.

“It was hard to get past the idea that I would be singing against my religion,” Berntson said. “I told my students that [the song] could still be an option, it would just make me feel terrible if we did it.”

According to the National Association for Music Education, if a school is to perform music it has to have good music content, be educationally sound and the school would be fine to play the song. Berntson said that he acted on his ethics and wanted to be the voice for the students who may have been thinking the same idea.

Ultimately, Berntson did not have the final decision because the class voted the song out after hearing what he had to say. Johnson raised the question of whether what Berntson did was legally correct or not. Assistant Principal Holly Ripley thinks Religious Freedom in schools is a gray area.

“The school is often a reflection of the society it lives in,” Ripley said. “It may feel like there is something black and white, but the school wants to give the community what it wants.”

The Packer Handbook states under NDCC 14-02.4-01 and federal law that race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability and status with regard to marriage or public assistance are all protected from discrimination. Berntson believed he should protect Christianity because he felt it being attacked.

continued on page 5

erin

DAIGNAULT

iNJURY: 1 concussions TIME MISSED: 3 weeks

OPINION: Innovation Hour ciera

4

NEWS: Matthew Montplasir

5

FEATURE: Madison Miller

12

SPORTS: Akealy Moton

HOLLAND

iNJURY: 3 concussions 3 spinal injuries TIME MISSED: 3+ weeks taylor

ROSENKRANZ

iNJURY: back sprain TIME MISSED: 3 days

CHEERLEADERS & INJURIES Graphic designed by Logan Ahern

second semester finals change.

FINALS: Possible Find the story at: www.westfargopacker.org

RELIGION CONFLICTS BY REGION

LOW

MOD

very

HIGH

HIGH

no

DATA

NUMBER OF COUNTRIES WHERE

RELIGIOUS GROUPS WERE ABUSED CHRISTIANS

2009 107

2010 95

2011 97

MUSLIMS

96

91

82

JEWS

51

53

63

34

39

33

OTHERS

24

FOLK RELIGIONISTS

21

HINDUS

19 18

24 11

2012 111 90 68 52 26 16

BUDDHISTS

10

11

7

15

TOTAL

152

135

147

160

ReligionNews.com

Graphics designed by Logan Ahern

CONCUSSION PAINS: Cheer team loses members to practice injuries Arimeta Diop Online Editor

T

he possibility of concussions is a real threat for all athletes. Even those who do not participate in sports commonly known for concussions, such as football, are just as much at risk of suffering from brain injuries due to physical activity.

For cheerleaders, performing athletic routines full of stunts, flips and elements of dance, concussions are an ever present possibility.

Sophomore Erin Daignault, who is currently on the varsity squad and a cheerleader for the past two years, has had an experience with concussions despite not being the one in the air. She was a base at the back of the formation when she was injured.

“I feel that it’s more the bases in the back that get concussions than the flyers unless someone drops them,” Daignault said. “When I got my concussion, [senior Annie Mattern] fell on me and I caught her, but my head hit her in the back.”

However, after catching her teammate Daignault fell and hit her head on Mattern’s back again. Upon going to see athletic trainer Tom Peterson, she was given an evaluation typical for athletes who were possibly suffering from a concussion..

“The first thing that we have to do is evaluate the symptoms,” Peterson said. “If [athletes] are symptomatic they need to rest; that means no telephone,

no computers, no reading. As little brain stimulation as possible needs to be done until the symptoms improve.”

Daignault was advised not to participate in practice or any other strenuous activity for the rest of the day.

She and her mother followed that advice and then visited a doctor for an official diagnosis.

“I had a minor concussion so I missed school here and there,” Daignault said. “In the beginning of the day I’d be okay, but when it got closer to the end of the day I would have really bad headaches from reading and then I would have to just go home because I couldn’t handle it.”

For senior Ciera Holland the experience of having concussions was more extreme as she had to stop participating in cheer altogether despite it being a true passion for her.

“Leaving [cheer] was probably the hardest thing I had to do, but after three concussions my doctors told me I am no longer allowed to play or do any physical sport ever again,” Holland said. “Anything that could cause me to get another concussion is out of the question.”

Due to her multiple injuries, including two sprains to her neck, Holland has had migraines for the past year. Similar to Daignault, this consistent discomfort lead to her missing school, but on a greater scale as her injuries were more severe.

continued on page 5

Follow @ThePackerNews on Twitter for the updated finals schedule during finals week.

writing Breaking News Writing

04

Logan Ahern

Senator Heidi Heitkamp observes computer class Senator Heidi Heitkamp came with two representatives on October 7 from Microsoft, Kevin Wang and Don Morton, to observe how the TEALS (Technology Enhanced Active Learning) program was being incorporated into the computer technology classes.

“I was very curious about this program because I see a tremendous economic opportunity for the next generation of North Dakotans to be employed in this field,” Heitkamp said. “Be it at Microsoft or across any of these new startups we have in the Fargo Moorhead area, we need to grow this work force.”

The program developed by Kevin Wang, TEALS, focuses on teaching students how to do coding from professionals in the industry.

“There are very few high school teachers with the background to be able to teach an AP computer class,” Wang said.

“We get volunteers from the technology industry or people with technology science degrees to go to high school classes early in the morning and teach a computer science program.”

Currently at West Fargo High School, two classes are being taught by Microsoft volunteers including the introductory to

“Walking in the halls and seeing our North Dakota Senator, Heidi Heitkamp, being escorted to a classroom is not a common sight. This is an instance where I was completely thrown off guard and decided to pair up with a photographer and report the event. I was able to interview Senator Heidi Heitkamp herself and reported the story in less than 20 minutes to The Packer Website.”

-Published on October 7th, 2014

“Senator Heidi Heitkamp ended up retweeting my story to her followers.”

computer science class.

“This class is very advanced and these students have a great opportunity by taking the same class as college students in Seattle,” Wang said.

Students, including senior Mathew Zent, find the volunteers very beneficial and informative.

“At the beginning of the year we had four volunteers teaching the class and alternating each class period,” Zent said.

“They are really great at teaching and are able to teach across a wide base of computer knowledge and make it easy for everyone to understand.”

writing Breaking News Writing

05

Logan Ahern

Kallod plays in Macy’s Day Parade With the sound of an alarm at 1:45 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, junior Brenna Kallod assembles her uniform to be ready by 2:20 a.m. for practice. Kallod dresses warm because she is a member of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band (MGAMB) and would play later that day at the Macy’s Day Parade in New York City.

“On Heralds Square, the excitement was almost overwhelming,” Kallod said. “It was great, our lines were perfectly straight and our footwork always intact.”

Kallod was first recruited by MGAMB her freshman year when she made AllState Band for the flute. She received a letter that asked her to consider joining the organization.

“They did not require a live audition because I had already made it into AllState, just a list of accomplishments,” Kallod said. “I sent [the letter] in and received one back informing me that I was in the band for 2014.”

Band teacher Susan Jordahl encouraged Kallod on her journey, but did not have to do anything other than help

when she was needed.

“Other than making sure she was ready to go, I did not have to do much to help Brenna,” Jordahl said. “Her preparation, including practice and memorizing the pieces, was all on her own because she is a pretty independent person.”

Before going to New York, Kallod was required to have two songs completely memorized.

“I have been blessed with a really good ear for music and thanks to my musical background, it was fairly easy to memorize the music,” Kallod said. “Marching band songs are not difficult by themselves.

However, when you mix the song and the drill, it becomes extremely hard.”

Fellow flautist, senior Samantha Pickard, was happy for Kallod’s accomplishments and thought she was deserving of them.

“She is a hard worker and takes private lessons,” Pickard said. “I love to hear her play because she loves doing it and you can hear the passion she has for music through her performances.”

According to Kallod, the MGAMB was composed of the finest musicians in the United States. To be able to play in the parade together, the group had to work as a team.

“There are times to lead and times to follow, and the parade was definitely one of those times to follow,” Kallod said.

“We learned that in order to succeed as a band, we had to work as a group versus individuals.”

The band met at 4:20 in Heralds Square, NY the morning of the parade to practice and later had breakfast at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square.

“The day of the parade was cold, so we all bundled in layers,” Kallod said. “My gloves were cut at fingers to accommodate my playing the flute.”

With the passion and determination, Kallod was able to perform in front of a broadcasted program to over 50 million people and gain lifetime experiences.

“The overall experience was amazing,” Kallod said. “The journey has encouraged me to pursue more, try more and give more.”

thePACKER volume 68.3

12.05.14

801 9th St. E West Fargo, ND 58078

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Kallod plays in Macy’s Day Parade Logan Ahern Assistant Editor

Continued on page 3

Left: Senior Keyan Farahmand backhands the ping pong ball.

Top right: Graduate Alex Hogenson rallies the ball over the net.

Bottom right: Graduate Dan Brown wins his match point with a strike of his paddle. Photos by Jessica Qian

DE C A rd annual EVENT *all profits to MDA

$

349 raised

32 players

raises awareness for Muscular Dystrophy

3

WHO organized the tournament

DECA seniors Nick Pruis, Ethan Rolstad and Logan Jaszkowiak

“When given the opportunity to write a breaking news story for the front page, I wanted to find out something great going on in the school that was newsworthy. After hearing that a student was in New York to play in the Macy’s Day Parade, I called her the day after the parade and interviewed her from New York so the memory of the event was fresh in her head. I was able to put together the story and print it on the front page of our newspaper in time for layout” -Printed on December 5th, 2014

With the sound of an alarm at 1:45 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, junior Brenna Kallod assembles her uniform to be ready by 2:20 a.m. for practice. Kallod dresses warm because she is a member of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band (MGAMB) and would play later that day at the Macy’s Day Parade in New York City.

“On Heralds Square, the excitement was almost overwhelming,” Kallod said. “It was great, our lines were perfectly straight and our footwork always intact.”

Kallod was first recruited by MGAMB her freshman year when she made All-State Band for the flute. She received a letter that asked her to consider joining the organization.

“They did not require a live audition because I had already made it into All-State, just a list of accomplishments,” Kallod said. “I sent [the letter] in and received one back informing me that I was in the band for 2014.”

Band teacher Susan Jordahl encouraged Kallod on her journey, but did not have to do anything other than help when she was needed.

“Other than making sure she was ready to go, I did not have to do much to help Brenna,” Jordahl said. “Her preparation, including practice and memorizing the pieces, was all on her own because she is a pretty independent person.”

Before going to New York, Kallod was required to have two songs completely memorized.

“I have been blessed with a really good ear for music and thanks to my musical background, it was fairly easy to memorize the music,” Kallod said. “Marching band songs are not difficult by themselves. However, when you mix the song and the drill, it becomes extremely hard.”

Fellow flautist, senior Samantha Pickard, was happy for Kallod’s accomplishments and thought she was deserving of them.

“She is a hard worker and takes private lessons,” Pickard said. “I love to hear her play because she loves doing it and you can hear the passion she has for music through her performances.”

Tournament Champions

Photo submitted by Brenna Kallod

1st: Dan Brown 2nd: Alex Hogenson 3rd: Keyan Farahmand

Jessica Qian Head Editor

T

he stakes of winning the golden ping pong paddle were raised as the second place winner from last year’s DECA Ping Pong tournament, 2013 graduate Dan Brown, returned and eased into first place at this year’s tournament. The funds from the tournament benefit DECA’s chosen charity- the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

“Events like this are always good to raise awareness for people participating in it and the people watching too,” Brown said. “I think it’s a great cause especially getting people active to play for it because people who have MDA can’t be as active as we are so it’s good to take advantage of that.”

Brown was not the only person to be drawn to the ping pong tournament again. Senior Nick Pruis assisted with last year’s event and was so touched by it that he and fellow DECA members, seniors Ethan Rolstad and Logan Jaszkowiak, decided to set up the tournament as a community service project for DECA. “It feels really good because we actually did something in the community,” Pruis said. “We got the alumni to come back and they look forward to this, so it felt like we had to do it- it is one of those things where I just want to keep it going because it is tradition.”

The three DECA members have learned valuable skills from helping put together the tournament.

“It has definitely been a great experience,” Jaszkowiak said. “I think it really help me get put into perspective on projects and deadlines because it’s a lot of planning [and] effort when we

thought it was going to be more of a breeze.”

The tournament not only brought the seniors closer together, but also helped them bond with new DECA members.

“It made me more appreciative of DECA and I felt more like a leader in the group as a senior,” Rolstad said.

After a rocky start setting up the bracket for the event, the group members were doubtful, but soon everything was going so smoothly that they were all able to participate in the tournament.

They enjoyed the process so much that they hope to set up another ping pong tournament next semester.

“Once the product came out after setting up for a couple months it was pretty cool that we got to see it came out the way we wanted it to,” Rolstad said.

“We went above and beyond our goals, everyone seemed to have fun,” Pruis said. “My favorite part was watching the final match with Dan Brown and Alex Hogenson because those guys are alumni and they’ve been playing in this tournament since we’ve actually done it so it was exciting to watch them win.”

DECA adviser Caroline Crary was also proud of the product Jaszkowiak, Pruis and Rolstad formed. She hopes that their hard work creating the shirts, advertising and setting up for the event will pay off even more if they can make it to state by presenting their project in competition.

“A lot of people [played in the tournament] to have fun, but in the back of their minds they know that the money goes toward a good charity. [MDA is] a great organization so we’re happy to help them,” Crary said. “This is the third annual event and next year we will definitely have a fourth.”

writing News Writing

06

Logan Ahern

New food regulations dictate changes At the close of the 2014 school year, Food Service Director Jan Sliper sits in her desk looking at an arrangement of muffin samples lining her desk. Knowing that one of these samples must replace the studentloved, 430 calorie muffins, Sliper tastes each, not being able to swallow some.

“This year our progression is to have whole grain, which included the muffins,” Sliper said. “We put it off as long as we could, but now everything is required to be whole grain.”

A new regulation called “Smart Snack in School” was incorporated into schools across America in July. The regulation calls for standards that will now have an impact on what students are allowed to be served from the lunch line. This is a progression from 2010 when Congress passed the Healthy Hungry Free Kids Act to align school meals with scientific data and national dietary guidelines.

“The reason it is the way it is, is because there is more fiber in whole grain,” Sliper said. “There is a whole scientific reason on why we do whole grain, one being it is better on the digestive system.”

Along with the change of switching to all whole grain, students are now required to grab a fruit and vegetable with their

breakfast and staff members are obligated to monitor, otherwise the school can be audited and fined.

“It is all good intention,” Sliper said.

“It is change, and change is hard, but were doing are best with it.”

To fit with the standards, muffin bars are offered as a supplement of last year’s muffins, which have half the amount of calories with a total of 200. Muffins were not the only major food change, however.

Recently Subway decided to stop serving at West Fargo.

“We’re doing our best to find replacements,” Food Service worker Carol Sather said. “We just have to absorb the loss like we did when Dominoes pizza left us.”

Although they wanted to stay with Subway, the staff wants to serve students with the best quality of product possible.

“I liked having Subway because not only was it one of the healthier options at lunch but it was also familiar to me and other students,” senior Olivia Gravel said. “I think the quality was good given the conditions of having it in school as opposed to the restaurant, and it added a little more variety.”

Along with the complication of

Subway leaving, the staff is also having troubles with the options they are serving.

“The regulations are giving us the restrictions but not giving us suitable opportunities to replace them with,” Sather said. “We have to look at the ingredient panel more often now and we are losing more things than we can afford.”

For the staff to know what they are allowed to serve, they must now use the Smart Snack calculator. Members have to plug in the dietary information including calories and sugars, and then the calculator tells them if it is allowed to be served or not.

“I have been working here for many years and when I first started, we were serving things we should not have been,” Sliper said. “We hope the change is for the best.”

The new rule will have an effect on school stores, vending machines and the school lunches to make sure everything is up to date with the best nutrition.

“The school lunches needed more parameters,” Sliper said. “It was needed throughout the country. The intent of this is to make us all healthier and there is nothing wrong with that.”

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Online Headlines

thePACKER volume 68.1

9.26.14

801 9th St. E West Fargo, ND 58078

(701) 356-2050

GIRLS TENNIS LOSES COACH

VISIT US:

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West Fargo’s first coach moves to Sheyenne

Powderpuff

Jessica Qian Jessica Qian Head Editor

After two 20-minute halves, the senior girls Powderpuff team beat the juniors 43-0.

Jan Maxwell Broadway star and former WFHS graduate gave performing arts students a few tips and tricks.

Kat Perkins Voice star Kat Perkins visited the guitar class at WFHS and performed “Fearless.”

WHAT’S NEW:

WE ARE ALWAYS IMPROVING OUR SITE We have redesigned our online website.

Take a peek.

Within this issue...

Opinion Students should become educated voters

Page 2

News Windows 8 comes to WFHS

Page 4

Feature Mission trip exposes Aanenson to poverty

Page 5

Entertainment “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”

Page 11

Sports The Packers win 37-7 against Red River

Page 12

Boys Tennis EDC Standing Place: 4th Games Behind: 3 Wins: 5 / Losses: 3 Total Players: 32 Top Player: Brady Ballweber “We have a lot of young players and who can get some experience and learn the tricks of the trade and relax while we have experienced guys at the top of the lineup,” Ballweber said.

“We should be able to make state again.”

Photos by Jessica Qian

Far above: Tennis Coach Chad Anderson talks to the tennis team.

Above: Senior Keyan Farahmand volleys the tennis ball during practice.

Though Anderson is excited to start girls tennis at Sheyenne, it will be hard for him to leave the Packer tennis team behind.

“I wish them the best of luck,” Anderson said. “Some of these girls that are going to be here next year for West Fargo I’ve had since they were in seventh grade and so they’re like a family to me. It’s going to be so difficult to have to play them.”

Girls Varsity tennis player senior Delaney Faiman is worried the new coach will not be as experienced or qualified as Anderson, but feels that Anderson made the right choice moving to Sheyenne.

“It’s kind of scary not knowing who’s going to be coaching us,” Faiman said. “I think it’s the best move for him as a person because he’s always looking for younger players to make better and move up and there’s a lot of potential at Sheyenne.”

Unlike Faiman, boys Varsity tennis player senior Brady Ballweber will continue to have Anderson as a coach for his last year in high school tennis. Ballweber said he is glad because Anderson has coached him all six years.

Continued on page 4

NEW FOOD REGULATIONS DICTATE CHANGES Logan Ahern Assistant Editor

A

t the close of the 2014 school year, Food Service Director Jan Sliper sits in her desk looking at an arrangement of muffin samples lining her desk. Knowing that one of these samples must replace the student-loved, 430 calorie muffins, Sliper tastes each, not being able to swallow some.

“This year our progression is to have whole grain, which included the muffins,” Sliper said. “We put it off as long as we could, but now everything is required to be whole grain.”

A new regulation called “Smart Snack in School” was incorporated into schools across America in July. The regulation calls for standards that will now have an impact on what students are allowed to be served from the lunch line. This is a progression from 2010 when Congress passed the Healthy Hungry Free Kids Act to align school meals with scientific data and national dietary guidelines.

“The reason it is the way it is, is because there is more fiber in whole grain,” Sliper said. “There is a whole scientific reason on why we do whole grain, one being it is better on the digestive system.”

Along with the change of switching to all whole grain, students are now required to grab a fruit and vegetable with their breakfast and staff members are obligated to monitor, otherwise the

Food and waste Food is often wasted at school since students must have certain food items in their meal, even if they do not want it.

“We make sure the meals meet a requirement, or we would be fined financially,” Sliper said. “I just hope they give it to someone else instead of throwing it.”

school can be audited and fined.

“It is all good intention,” Sliper said.

“It is change, and change is hard, but were doing are best with it.”

To fit with the standards, muffin bars are offered as a supplement of last year’s muffins, which have half the amount of calories with a total of 200.

Muffins were not the only major food change, however. Recently Subway decided to stop serving at West Fargo.

“We’re doing our best to find replacements,” Food Service worker Carol Sather said. “We just have to absorb the loss like we did when Dominoes pizza left us.”

Although they wanted to stay with Subway, the staff wants to serve students with the best quality of product possible.

80 %

Continued on page 4

40 %

50 %

50 %

25 %

50% of US land is used to get food

25% of US freshwater is thrown out

Junior Richard Torrence serves himself for lunch. Photo by Logan Ahern

“A popular option for breakfast at our high school are the choice of muffins. At the beginning of the school year, however, students were informed that they would no longer have the option to get muffins for breakfast but were not explained why. It was my objective to inform the students why changes were being made and through investigation, I discovered many other changes and was able to report it.”

-Printed on September 26th, 2014

Tennis coach Chad Anderson looked from face to face at the Packers who made up his first tennis team of only 12 boys, thinking ‘What did I get myself into?’ Fourteen years later, Anderson has made the boys and girls tennis teams competitors at the state level.

Anderson is currently coaching a combined Mustang and Packer boys tennis team, but the school’s first tennis coach will soon coach his last days for the Packers and move to Sheyenne High School for the spring girls tennis season.

Anderson also teaches at Liberty Middle School.

“I’m being torn from one direction to the other, [but] I think it works best because when you’re around the kids that you coach; it just makes it that much easier,” Anderson said.“It’ll be fun to start a new tradition [at Sheyenne].”

Since coaching at WFHS, Anderson has not only started the West Fargo Tennis Invite, but has also organized summer-long tennis camps so players will always have a resource to go to and improve.

“We’ll miss a very dedicated, very passionate person,” Activities Director Curt Jones said.

10 % 10% of US energy is used to get food

Food waste is up 50% since the 1970s

40% of US food is thrown out

80% of US freshwater is used to get food

Natural Resources Defense Council

writing News Writing

07

Logan Ahern

West Fargo ranked high for teacher salaries With the ever-changing West Fargo Public School District, eighth grade history teacher and member of the negotiation team, Tim Scully, thinks it is his opportunity to continually improve teacher salary schedules for the upcoming school year.

Scully has been a negotiator since 1991 and meets with teachers and school board meetings to set teacher salaries.

“I feel like I can help to make a difference and strengthen the contract,” Scully said. “I want to solidify the contract and give a voice to represent all of the members on the board.”

West Fargo High School is ranked in the top five in the North Dakota for benefit packages, including retirement, according to Scully. Former English teacher Marti Simmons retired three years ago and experiences these benefits first hand.

Prior to retirement, Simmons had taught for 30 years, 26 in the West Fargo School District and the other four years in the Fargo School District. Simmons said that even during her years of teaching, the benefits of the retirement package were extremely good.

The West Fargo salary schedule is based on number of years teaching and the level of education a teacher has acquired.

“The best way for you to start your

retirement package is to move diagonally across so by the time you retire you are at the end of the schedule and the highest pay level,” Simmons said. “I would like to tell you that I planned all of that, but part of it was just serendipity.”

Human Resource Director Robin Hill stresses that teachers can expect more contribution from the board towards their Teacher’s Fund For Retirement (TFFR) budget.

Currently, the board matches 10.75 percent of the teacher’s salary and next year the board will match 12.75 percent of a teacher’s salary for retirement.

“I do believe that it is a good system and it would be the system I would choose,” Hill said. “A lot of teachers start teaching very young and [the package] lets them retire out really early, and then they come back and sub for us.”

For students like senior Alyssa Livermont, who is thinking about teaching as a profession, having TFFR is ideal, but it does not affect her decision as a whole.

“The pay that teachers make wouldn’t affect my decision to be a teacher because I would rather make not as much money and do something I love rather than to be miserable in my life and make a bunch of money,” Livermont said.

However, Simmons said that although

the retirement incentive is important, younger teachers may not realize how unstable it is becoming.

“I think it is extremely beneficial to have the district match what you put in because that is basically doubling the amount of money you have,” Simmons said. “I kind of feel badly for young teachers because they may never see retirement and they are paying money into retirement, but if the system is this unstable, they may not be able to have social security or teacher retirement.”

Besides the fact of teachers not having option to take all of the money out of their account, because 15 percent is taken out for retirement, Scully still believes it is a strong system.

“That is one thing that makes our overall contract strong and actually Fargo Schools got rid of it,” said Scully. “Having TFFR paid by the district just makes everything about our benefits great.”

Scully believes that taking only half of the teacher’s salary also helps bring new teachers to the district.

“We have to hire so many new teachers,” Scully said. “Just last month we hired six new teachers just in this building. That shows how fast the district is growing.”

Black Friday diminishes Thanksgiving Emily Chadwick Staff Writer

While Thanksgiving has been said to be a celebration to give thanks, the past couple of years the holiday has took a turn from giving to taking.

With Black Friday turning to Gray Thursday, stores are opening up earlier with eager customers looking for the best deals.

“Camping out varies from year to year, but normally it starts on Thursday. Usually, there is a line by noon,” Best Buy Manager Travis Reed said.

While some individuals would think the extensive hours would affect an employee and how they celebrate the holiday, Reed prepares himself for the lost holiday.

Bl ack Friday Source: Black Friday: History, Myths, and Facts

“My favorite part was getting to see everyone there and seeing people I haven’t been able to see in a long time.” -Lexy Brown, 10

$$$

A myth about how Black Friday got its name is that it refers to the famous day the stock market crashed.

“My Favorite part was probably the rush of people and pushing people to get into the store first. It’s very exciting.” -Annie Mattern, 11

“Having to report on teacher salaries proved to be a difficult. topic because it required immense research and multiple in-depth interviews. Through prior research I learned about teacher retirement plans and salaries depending on the level of schooling teachers have so that I could go into my interviews with some knowledge on the issue. ” -Printed on December 9th, 2013

eta

Diop

Philadelphia officers, bus drivers and taxi drivers dreaded this day and referred to it as, “Black Friday.” This is how the famous day got its name.

Arim

“I think working retail you anticipate working so you celebrate it earlier or on different days,” Reed said.

While numerous families can be affected by the changing hours, some families have taken the opportunity to change the holiday to support their shopping habits. The Mandt family has also taken this opportunity. Brenden Mandt is an employee at Wireless Cart and Pretzel-maker. He worked both jobs on Black Friday.

“I don’t think it really affects our family at all, normally are family comes in early and we eat around two and disperse from there,” Joy Mandt said.

Families like the Mandt family have been able to set aside the holiday to fit with the Black Friday hours.

“It was pretty rough, I worked both jobs, pretzel maker I worked overnight, I started working at nine p.m. until two a.m. then I went shopping for a while and went home slept then went back to work at wireless cart at three p.m. until close at nine,” Mandt said.

Through the long hours Mandt was able to look over the everlasting shift and look at the bright side of working on Black Friday.

“I like working Black Friday because the rushes are fun and I get to meet new people, plus I get more money while working it,” Mandt said.

While there can be positives to working the shopping holiday Mandt also realized the negatives of having to work.

“The hours made me really tired and less motivated to do anything, it also affected me even when I went back to school because I was still recovering sleep from working Friday,” Mandt said.

While sleep played a big factor with working Black Friday stores opening up so early did have an effect on how the Mandt’s Thanksgiving was celebrated.

“I have three families I celebrate thanksgiving for and I had to miss one of them to work, one I had scheduled for Saturday and I was really tired so it affected my attitude and motivation,” Mandt said.

Through the hectic gray Thursday and Black Friday the Mandt family has proven to be able to keep the holiday intact and still be on time to catch the door busters, but with hours moving earlier and earlier it is hard to say how long the holiday traditions will be able to withstand.

“It is different for each family it affects how they celebrate the holiday some families can be strongly affected by the hours and other families it doesn’t make a difference,” Reed said.

Emily Chadwick

Emily Chadwick

Above: Freshmen Jaden Klein and Erin Daignault shopping for Black Friday.

Left: Brenden Mandt works at the mall at a cellphone case kiosk. “I like working black Friday because the rushes are fun and I get to meet new people. Plus I get more money while working it,” Mandt said.

West Fargo ranked high in the state for teacher salaries Logan Ahern and Elsa Bollinger Opinion Editor and Online Editor

With the ever-changing West Fargo Public School District, eighth grade history teacher and member of the negotiation team, Tim Scully, thinks it is his opportunity

Elsa Bollinger

Eighth grade social studies teacher Tim Scully is a member of the Negotiations Committee. Scully states that he likes to be a voice for the teachers.

2014-15 how much does a teacher make?

Degree ->

BA+15 BA+30 MA MA+15 MA+30

Year 1

$35,114$33,366 $35,044 $36,421 $40,001 $41,377 $42,753

Year 2

$35,346 $36,723 $40,303 $41,679 $43,055

Year 3

$35,680 $37,094 $40,771 $42,184 $43,597

Year 4

$36,528 $37,943 $41,618 $43,032 $44,447

Year 5

$37,377 $38,790 $42,466 $43,881 $45,294 Source: West Fargo Public School Salary Schedule

to continually improve teacher salary schedules for the upcoming school year.

Scully has been a negotiator since 1991 and meets with teachers and school board meetings to set teacher salaries.

“I feel like I can help to make a difference and strengthen the contract,” Scully said. “I want to solidify the contract and give a voice to represent all of the members on the board.”

West Fargo High School is ranked in the top five in the North Dakota for benefit packages, including retirement, according to Scully. Former English teacher Marti Simmons retired three years ago and experiences these benefits first hand.

Prior to retirement, Simmons had taught for 30 years, 26 in the West Fargo School District and the other four years in the Fargo School District. Simmons said that even during her years of teaching, the benefits of the retirement package were extremely good.

The West Fargo salary schedule is based on number of years teaching and the level of education a teacher has acquired.

“The best way for you to start your retirement package is to move diagonally across so by the time you retire you are at the end of the schedule and the highest pay level,” Simmons said. “I would like to tell you that I planned all of that, but part of it was just serendipity.”

Human Resource Director Robin Hill stresses that teachers can expect more contribution from the board towards their Teacher’s Fund For Retirement (TFFR) budget.

Currently, the board matches 10.75 percent of the teacher’s salary and next year the board will match 12.75 percent of a teacher’s salary for retirement.

“I do believe that it is a good system and it would be

the system I would choose,” Hill said. “A lot of teachers start teaching very young and [the package] lets them retire out really early, and then they come back and sub for us.”

For students like senior Alyssa Livermont, who is thinking about teaching as a profession, having TFFR is ideal, but it does not affect her decision as a whole.

“The pay that teachers make wouldn’t affect my decision to be a teacher because I would rather make not as much money and do something I love rather than to be miserable in my life and make a bunch of money,” Livermont said.

However, Simmons said that although the retirement incentive is important, younger teachers may not realize how unstable it is becoming.

“I think it is extremely beneficial to have the district match what you put in because that is basically doubling the amount of money you have,” Simmons said. “I kind of feel badly for young teachers because they may never see retirement and they are paying money into retirement, but if the system is this unstable, they may not be able to have social security or teacher retirement.”

Besides the fact of teachers not having option to take all of the money out of their account, because 15 percent is taken out for retirement, Scully still believes it is a strong system.

“That is one thing that makes our overall contract strong and actually Fargo Schools got rid of it,” said Scully. “Having TFFR paid by the district just makes everything about our benefits great.”

Scully believes that taking only half of the teacher’s salary also helps bring new teachers to the district.

“We have to hire so many new teachers,” Scully said.

“Just last month we hired six new teachers just in this building. That shows how fast the district is growing.”

Career Development assists students in finding their way Logan Ahern and Jessica Qian Opinion Editor and Co-Assistant Editor

Every day during 7th and 8th period, Career Development teacher Patrick Johnson is on a mission. In Johnson’s Career Development class, he teaches special education students about working in the real world and helps them acquire job experience, which has taken place in stores ranging from Sun Mart to Paradiso. With a school-provided vehicle, Johnson drives each student to where they are job shadowing and makes sure they are back in time for the end of school to catch the bus or get a ride home.

Johnson strives to help anyone who asks for help in finding a job, whether they are a student in special education, a student outside of special education or even alumni of West Fargo High School. He has worked with multiple agencies to help students find jobs at Walmart, McDonalds, Gateway, Office Max and more. Some of the students he has helped find jobs for have been

Jessica Qian

Senior Gerald Mudek works on school work during Government. Mudek believes that his learning experience at work has helped him and has become a useful tool in life. “My favorite part about the class [is] getting the job experience,” Mudek said. “[It} has been great. I’m enjoying it there. All the coworkers help me out.”

working their jobs for over 12 years.

“There is nothing it’s limited to, we find out what you’re capable of doing and try placing you in that area,” Johnson said. “[Students] come back and see you from time to time; we’re more than happy to see them. Sometimes they come back in because they need help again and we’ll do that. Just because they leave here doesn’t mean we won’t give them help.”

Randy Henrickson, the manager of Sun Mart, got involved with the Career Development class through Johnson, and as a result, several Career Development students have gotten to job shadow there. Henrickson has the students work regular entry-level jobs, such as bagging and even some cashiering.

“It definitely teaches them, number one how to interact with people, how to be responsible for a job for themselves and how to incorporate that responsibility into their daily life,” Henrickson said.

Henrickson has watched the growth of the students over the years and has been impressed by their work ethic.

“I think over time they become able to interact with customers more efficiently and I just think it’s through dealing with those customers and seeing other people interact,” Henrickson said. “I think there’s always more of a learning curve but I think that once they get more comfortable and know what their expectations are, they do very well.”

One of the students currently job shadowing for Sun Mart as a bagger is senior Gerald Mudek, who has job shadowed for a semester. Mudek has benefited from the experience and feels more prepared for a job in the future.

“I say I would have a significantly higher chance of a job if I put the person from my job shadow [as a reference] and apply for a job,” Mudek said. “I plan on going into the grocer business, like maybe as a bagger or a cashier, [so it’s] kind of what I want to do for my entry level job.”

Mudek has learned about how to work as a bagger and finds the learning experience he gets every day at work to be very useful. For certain people, he believes that a class such as Career Development is necessary.

“My favorite part about the class [is] getting the job experience,” Mudek said. “[It] has been great, I’m enjoying it there. All the coworkers help me out.”

As the manager, Henrickson has not interacted or worked with Mudek often, but he has gotten reports and stays in touch with his other employees to see how Mudek is doing.

“I think he does a very good job, he does everything that is asked of him and he is able to handle what we expect him to do,” Henrickson said.

Career Development class has helped students such as Mudek gain skills that will help him acquire first-hand knowledge and put him a step ahead in the workforce, so he is able to work through his first entry-level job smoothly and go further to more advanced careers and activities.

writing Feature Writing

08

Logan Ahern

Kasowski explores options after incident Gravel said all students have different situations when entering Community.

The goal of Community is to first deal with what is happening in the lives of students, because without dealing with their situations, they can’t get a quality education. Foulkes believes that with Lexi’s situation, CHS is a good fit.

“Kids come over here and they make certain connections with teachers and discuss things with them and you get a chance to talk,” Foulkes said. “I feel like over here you get a better opportunity to know the students and the students get to know you as a teacher. That connection can help bring someone out maybe if they are in a low spot in their life.”

Kasowski has three and half more credits before graduating from Community a year earlier than she would at a traditional high school. Kasowski’s second baby girl is due on March 22nd and she plans to take a year off of school to spend time with her. She plans on attending a four year college in the fall of 2015.

“I am so glad I went,” Kasowski said.

“If there wasn’t a Community, I would have dropped out.”

Karlee Wold:

application process

months long, but it’s not through FCCLA.” Nicole Johnson According to the official FCCLA site, Co-Online Editor each scholarship is worth up to $6,995 and all Sending a child anywhere within the United sophomores and juniors who are in FCCLA are States can be a stressful time for many parents, let able to apply for the scholarship. The scholarship alone overseas. For Krissy Wold, it is no different. covers all bases such as round-trip international “In the beginning we thought she was just travel, placement with a selected host family and joking around,” Krissy regional orientation for said. “Then she started to the recipients and the explain what all is involved I’d get to take Japanese parents. in applying we realized how if I went to Japan, but now “I thought it would serious she is and how much I might be able to go to a be fun and while reading research she had done.” the website I saw how different country.

Sophomore Karlee easy it was, it was just a Wold, Vice President of -Karlee Wold, 10 quick application, and FCCLA (Family Career Community Leaders that got me into it,” Wold of America) has been researching a FCCLA said. “I’ll be able to take orchestra classes and I scholarship sponsored by the Kikkoman might get credits switched and I think it would Corporation and administered by Youth for be a great learning experience. Plus I’d get to take Understanding USA that would allow her to study Japanese if I went to Japan but now I might be able abroad in Japan for six to eight weeks. to go to a different country.”

“We had our meeting and our president Marisa Krissy, who believes FCCLA is an amazing briefly mentioned it and so I looked it up on the program, is 100 percent supportive of her website and I found the information,” Wold said. daughter’s efforts and believes that she has just as “I’m talking to the administrations right now much a chance as anyone who is applying. because you can apply for multiple scholarships “You need to have people in your life that and only have to pay the $75 fee to apply. So now there’s an Australian one and that one would be six believe in you and are willing to take time Logan Ahern

high school Kyla Kramer: Anxiety attacks force student

August September October

January February

Emily Chadwick Staff Writer

March April May

Transfering Out August

alternatives

fact that it is almost impossible to make a decent living and have a nice future for yourself,” Hersch said. “Try something else like Community High or talking to your principal or counselor.”

Kramer may have dropped out of high school, but she has made numerous accomplishments in dealing with her circumstances.

“At the time I regretted dropping out just for the fact I am missing out on that high school experience, but I’m happy with how far I’ve come now and it’s not like I could go back anyway,” Kramer said.

Kimele said they have individuals from all different circumstances that apply for their college, such as first- generation college students, veterans, parents, people who work full-time, or even

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individuals where English may not be their first language. Kramer thinks she will fit right in with the diverse population at M-State.

“With any student, personal circumstances always play a role in our success, and the way we achieve it. Sometimes it can be in a student’s best interest to receive their diploma in a different setting, but I do not think it’s a decision that should be made lightly” Kimele said. “I think it’s important for students to know that they can receive a college education whether or not they receive a high school diploma, but that it’s important to make the decision that is best for them.”

yfu.org

Brittany Rheault and Logan Ahern Head Editor and Opinion Editor

year,” Gravel said. “Success isn’t measured here. It is about when is the right time for the student.”

Because it does not have the traditional high school route, CHS science teacher Lisa Foulkes Community senior Lexi Kasowski starts her car worries about the students’ misconceptions. as she wipes tears from her eyes, begging for closure.

“They think ‘it’s just a GED program or a bunch She approaches the high school and heads straight of dropouts,’ but that is not the case,” Foulkes said. for counselor Deb Egge’s room, struggling to hold in “There are a lot misconceptions and once you really the gut wrenching news she just heard. She pours her do know what Community High is really like, then emotions out to Egge explaining that her daughter you know whether it is for you or whether it is not Mariah had passed due to an unfortunate event of for you. When they come here for a couple days and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. realized the work it is not what they expected.”

“When she [Mariah] passed away I stopped Gravel said all students have different situations going to school,” Kasowski said. “When I went to when entering Community. The goal of Community [West Fargo High School] I couldn’t even stay in is to first deal with what class because I would have is happening in the lives of breakdowns, so I went to students, because without Community.”

If there wasn’t a dealing with their situations, Community High Community, I would have they can’t get a quality School (CHS) is an dropped out. education. Foulkes believes that alternative education with Lexi’s situation, CHS is a -Lexi Kasowski, 12 structure compared to that good fit. of a traditional high school.

The students at CHS have “Kids come over here a morning session dedicated to one class and an and they make certain connections with teachers afternoon session dedicated to a different class. The and discuss things with them and you get a chance students are expected to complete a credit every 30 to talk,” Foulkes said. “I feel like over here you get days. a better opportunity to know the students and “At a traditional high school if you think of a the students get to know you as a teacher. That surf wave where the entire class is on the wave, in 18 connection can help bring someone out maybe if they weeks it hits the shore,” Community Principal David Gravel said. “Well, at Community, everyone gets their are in a low spot in their life.”

Kasowski has three and half more credits before own wave. Whereas at a traditional school you might graduating from Community a year earlier than she have fallen off your surf board 17 weeks ago.”

According to Gravel, students attend CHS for would at a traditional high school. Kasowski’s second various reasons. Some students transferring from a baby girl is due on March 22nd and she plans to take a Class B school may not be comfortable in a larger class year off of school to spend time with her. She plans on size and CHS gives them the opportunity to learn in a comfortable atmosphere, while others may be looking attending a four year college in the fall of 2015.

“I am so glad I went,” Kasowski said. “If there to graduate early.

“We’ve had to tweak a few things throughout the wasn’t a Community, I would have dropped out.”

“

November December

to consider alternatives

“

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Kasowski takes support and explores options to take new route after incident

Transfering In

change. She went to the STEM Center because it had smaller classes. In high school, she dealt While students come back from winter break with major accounts of anxiety and prepare for finals, Kyla Kramer is prepares to that made it difficult for her do start college. Kramer dropped out of high school go through each day of school, in the ninth grade. Since then she has earned leading up to her decision to drop her GED (General Education Development) and out. is enrolled to start next semester at M-State “When I started at Sheyenne (Minnesota State Community and Technical I started getting really bad College) one and a half years ahead of her anxiety so between that and graduating class. getting harassed every day I just M-State has open enrollment, which means the couldn’t deal with going there admission requires that students have either a high anymore,” Kramer said. school diploma She said the or their GED. fall of sophomore I regretted dropping out just year she started They do not have minimum GPA or for the fact I am missing out online classes, ACT requirements. on that high school experience but it was Laura Kimele is one but I’m happy with how far I’ve expensive and of the enrollment come now. -Kyla Kramer, 12 hard so she managers at decided to get her GED so she M-State. She deals could start college earlier. with admitting students whether they have a high “I felt like I was going to be like every other school diploma or GED. One of her duties is to go freshman kid. And I thought my anxiety was through applicants. normal, until it started getting worse and worse “We view students with their GED the same as and then I knew something was wrong with me,” those who received a high school diploma,” Kimele Kramer said. said. “Students are asked to take either the ACT Although Kramer received her GED, counselor or Accuplacer assessment, which we provide on Julie Hersch believes there are other alternatives our campus, to determine placement for math and students should consider before dropping out of English classes.” high school.

Kramer grew up in a small town with small “I would never ever recommend dropping classes so when she moved here it was a huge out of high school for anyone because I know for a

3

Intercultural Exchange Program

Community High: Students transferring in and out of the high school 2012-2013

Logan Ahern

“

“In order for students at our school could understand what the Community High School really was, I did a feature story on a particular student who lost her baby the previous year and decided to go to the school to get her GED. For a feature story, I knew that I needed to have an emotional element and that I had to approach the interview with extreme caution. It was a very interesting experience and one that I will never forget.”

-Printed on January 9th, 2015

“

“

from their lives to help you; she has had to get letters of recommendation,” Krissy said. “Karlee is very organized with things like deadlines and commitments, her note taking skills are phenomenal. She is extremely responsible.”

Sophomore Kailee Wallace competed with Wold in the FCCLA national competition last year along with sophomore Ellie Ratchenski in Nashville and ended up winning first.

“I always knew she would be interested in something like that,” Wallace said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn different cultures and be able to experience that.”

Wold said the application process is relatively easy and she is more excited than anything else.

She will find out in April if she has been chosen or not.

“I had to write five essays, one was about my family structure and how my family works and there’s other ones like what’s my favorite activity,” Wold said. “A lot of it was just questions on yourself, like where do I live, all that kind of stuff.”

Krissy is excited for the possibility for her daughter and hopes this experience will be a great moment for her daughter. “[I am feeling] Proud, scared, excited, the whole spectrum would likely get covered at different times.” Krissy said.

YFC USA

Essays

FCCLA member takes oppurtunity to study abroad in Japan for six weeks

Location

said. “Well, at Community, everyone gets their own wave. Whereas at a traditional school you might have fallen off your surf board 17 weeks ago.”

According to Gravel, students attend CHS for various reasons. Some students transferring from a Class B school may not be comfortable in a larger class size and CHS gives them the opportunity to learn in a comfortable atmosphere, while others may be looking to graduate early.

“We’ve had to tweak a few things throughout the year,” Gravel said. “Success isn’t measured here. It is about when is the right time for the student.”

Because it does not have the traditional high school route, CHS science teacher Lisa Foulkes worries about the students’ misconceptions.

“They think ‘it’s just a GED program or a bunch of dropouts,’ but that is not the case,” Foulkes said. “There are a lot misconceptions and once you really do know what Community High is really like, then you know whether it is for you or whether it is not for you. When they come here for a couple days and realized the work it is not what they expected.”

September October

“

Community senior Lexi Kasowski starts her car as she wipes tears from her eyes, begging for closure. She approaches the high school and heads straight for counselor Deb Egge’s room, struggling to hold in the gut wrenching news she just heard. She pours her emotions out to Egge explaining that her daughter Mariah had passed due to an unfortunate event of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

“When she [Mariah] passed away I stopped going to school,” Kasowski said.

“When I went to [West Fargo High School] I couldn’t even stay in class because I would have breakdowns, so I went to Community.”

Community High School (CHS) is an alternative education structure compared to that of a traditional high school. The students at CHS have a morning session dedicated to one class and an afternoon session dedicated to a different class. The students are expected to complete a credit every 30 days.

“At a traditional high school if you think of a surf wave where the entire class is on the wave, in 18 weeks it hits the shore,” Community Principal David Gravel

November December January February March April May

Totals

Logan Ahern

Community High School is one of the high schools offered in West Fargo. Community is located at the Lodoen Community Center at 109 3rd Street East.

Graphic by Logan Ahern

Information from PowerSchool

writing Feature Writing

09

Logan Ahern

Sutton re-lives school change for third time A week before junior Bryanna Sutton was to finish her freshman year in Town, Indiana, her mom surprised her with knowledge that the family would be packing up and moving to North Dakota.

Going into school the next day, tears fell from her face knowing she had to tell her friends she would be leaving them.

“My mom asked for my advice and I told her that I would rather not move because I wanted to finish my high school career here,” Sutton said. “She never told me that they officially decided and then she said ‘by the way you need to start packing.’”

Sutton’s mom, Deena, was offered a job at the Fairfield Inn in Fargo because of her experience and knowledge she had gained in Indiana.

“A lot of other hotels in the area ended up calling her asking how they should run their hotels,” Bryanna said. “She ended up receiving a call asking her to come up to Fargo where their headquarters are, so now she gets to teach people.”

Originally Deena had to drive an hour and a half to work every day and because of the drive she would end up spending the whole week at the hotel and come home on weekends.

“I didn’t get to see her much and it was tough not seeing her because things happen,” Bryanna said. “My grandmother passed away and I didn’t have her for support.”

Deena decided they needed to make a change, one she thought was best for Bryanna, and took the job.

“I knew that a place with job opportunities, better economy and lower crime rate would make a great place to

live,” Deena said.

This was not the first time Bryanna had switched schools. She was originally at Pipecreek, a center for kindergarten through fourth graders. The school realized there was a school closer to her home so they ended up transferring her to Maconquah.

“I was that awkward kid with nobody to play with on the playground,” Sutton said. “I had to leave all of my friends behind, but luckily I made friends fast.”

Not only was Deena experiencing a job situation, Bryanna’s dad, Stephen, had just been released from his job at Nelson Media Research Center two months prior to the move because of the smaller demand for service.

Taking all of this into account, the parents decided North Dakota would be the best option for the family.

“I hoped new friends and a new start would be good,” Stephen said.

The family spent the next two weeks after Bryanna’s last day of freshman year packing and then they made the big trip.

“I was leaving all of that behind for a place that I had never been before,” Sutton said. “As soon as I saw that ‘Welcome to North Dakota sign’ it hit me that I was actually moving.”

Deena soon settled into her job and her dad quickly found one at Xerox printing. Bryanna spent her time at home in culture shock because she was in a new place with no friends.

“I was kind of awkward and lonely because I didn’t know anybody,” Bryanna said. “I ended up getting lost in the mall and I eventually stayed cooped up in my house all summer watching TV and

reading.”

When school started in August of 2011, Bryanna approached her sophomore year with an open mind.

“When it comes to talking with new people, I am kind of scared,” Bryanna said.

“I got dropped into a school where I didn’t know any teachers, any students or any staff.”

Bryanna did not approach anyone until Kayla Anderson decided to give her a compliment and the two hit it off.

“She was wearing a Robin shirt and so I asked her about it,” Anderson said. “I wasn’t really friends with anyone in the class at the time and she just happened to be sitting right across from me.”

Bryanna ended up enjoying the move and the school change because she felt that she could finally be herself.

“It was different in Indiana,” Bryanna said. “You had to do it a certain way or you were an outcast. There was no in-between.

We were all supposed to have the same likes.”

Previously in Indiana, Sutton felt that people who enjoyed activities such as anime were mocked. Seeing the new culture change of North Dakota, Sutton decided to start an anime club with her friends at West Fargo High. Bryanna feels that she is a happier person because of the switch.

“I would have never expanded my horizons in Indiana,” Sutton said. “ I miss my old friends and family but I love how I can come here and there are people who have the same interests as me and I don’t feel like I need to pretend to like something to fit in.”

5

4

Expanding Your Roots

Sutton re-lives school change for the third time Logan Ahern Opinion Editor

A

week before junior Bryanna Sutton was to finish her freshman year in Town, Indiana, her mom surprised her with knowledge that the family would be packing up and moving to North Dakota. Going into school the next day, tears fell from her face knowing she had to tell her friends she would be leaving them.

“My mom asked for my advice and

I told her that I would rather not move because I wanted to finish my high school career here,” Sutton said. “She never told me that they officially decided and then she said ‘by the way you need to start packing.’”

Sutton’s mom, Deena, was offered a job at the Fairfield Inn in Fargo because of her experience and knowledge she had gained in Indiana.

“A lot of other hotels in the area ended up calling her asking how they should run

STAY IN STATE, STAY IN-DEMAND. As a high school senior, you have a big decision to make: where to attend college? The good news is there are smart opportunities right here in North Dakota.

their hotels,” Bryanna said. “She ended up receiving a call asking her to come up to Fargo where their headquarters are, so now she gets to teach people.”

Originally Deena had to drive an hour and a half to work every day and because of the drive she would end up spending the whole week at the hotel and come home on weekends.

“I didn’t get to see her much and it was tough not seeing her because things happen,” Bryanna said. “My grandmother

• North Dakota community colleges offer the high-demand degrees and education employers want.

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To learn why a North Dakota community college

Through the years

is the right choice for you, visit:

ndcommunitycolleges.info/demand

2001

2003

“I was kind of awkward and lonely because I didn’t know anybody,” Bryanna said. “I ended up getting lost in the mall and I eventually stayed cooped up in my house all summer watching TV and reading.”

When school started in August of 2011, Bryanna approached her sophomore year with an open mind.

“When it comes to talking with new people, I am kind of scared,” Bryanna said. “I got dropped into a school where I didn’t know any teachers, any students or any staff.”

Bryanna did not approach anyone until Kayla Anderson decided to give her a compliment and the two hit it off.

“She was wearing a Robin shirt and so I asked her about it,” Anderson said. “I wasn’t really friends with anyone in the class at the time and she just happened to be sitting right across from me.”

Bryanna ended up enjoying the move and the school change because she felt that she could finally be herself.

“It was different in Indiana,” Bryanna said.

“You had to do it a certain way or you were an outcast. There was no in-between. We were all supposed to have the same likes.”

Previously in Indiana, Sutton felt that people who enjoyed activities such as anime were mocked. Seeing the new culture change of North Dakota, Sutton decided to start an anime club with her friends at West Fargo High. Bryanna feels that she is a happier person because of the switch.

“I would have never expanded my horizons in Indiana,” Sutton said. “ I miss my old friends and family but I love how I can come here and there are people who have the same interests as me and I don’t feel like I need to pretend to like something to fit in.

‘‘ 2011

Top Left: Just newborn, junior Bryanna Sutton is held by her older brother Justin in their home in Indianapolis.

Top Right: Enjoying her birthday party, Bryanna sits at the dinner table at her Grandma’s house.

Above: Extra curriculur activities included dancing in her childhood and starting the anime club.

Below: Each image features a change in her life between school switches, making a new chapter for Bryanna, expanding her roots.

Photos submitted by Bryanna Sutton

I was leaving all of that behind for a place that I had never been before

‘‘

“For our supplement magazine I was asked to write a story relating to the topic ‘expanding your roots.’ I knew a girl who had changed schools three times and decided to talk to her and find out how her journey changed who she was. This story is a very strong personal piece.”

-Printed on March 14th, 2014

passed away and I didn’t have her for support.”

Deena decided they needed to make a change, one she thought was best for Bryanna, and took the job.

“I knew that a place with job opportunities, better economy and lower crime rate would make a great place to live,” Deena said.

This was not the first time Bryanna had switched schools. She was originally at Pipecreek, a center for kindergarten through fourth graders. The school realized there was a school closer to her home so they ended up transferring her to Maconquah.

“I was that awkward kid with nobody to play with on the playground,” Sutton said.

“I had to leave all of my friends behind, but luckily I made friends fast.”

Not only was Deena experiencing a job situation, Bryanna’s dad, Stephen, had just been released from his job at Nelson Media Research Center two months prior to the move because of the smaller demand for service.

Taking all of this into account, the parents decided North Dakota would be the best option for the family.

“I hoped new friends and a new start would be good,” Stephen said.

The family spent the next two weeks after Bryanna’s last day of freshman year packing and then they made the big trip.

“I was leaving all of that behind for a place that I had never been before,” Sutton said. “As soon as I saw that ‘Welcome to North Dakota sign’ it hit me that I was actually moving.”

Deena soon settled into her job and her dad quickly found one at Xerox printing. Bryanna spent her time at home in culture shock because she was in a new place with no friends.

FALLING INTO PLACE PLANTING A NEW SEED EXPANDING YOUR ROOTS LEAVING IT BEHIND ADAPTING FOR GROWTH TURNING A NEW LEAF CHANGING WITH THE SEASON

CARVING A LEGACY

writing Feature Writing

10

Logan Ahern

Houser exceeds expectations with National Merit Going to the mailbox and opening a letter, senior Ciara Houser is shocked to read that she has just been awarded a semi-finalist National Merit Scholar title in the state of North Dakota, an award that is given to only the top one percent of all PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) test takers.

“I took the PSAT just to practice for the ACT,” Houser said. “I wasn’t thinking too much of it while taking the test and never thought in a million years that I would make National Merit standings.”

After being awarded, Houser must take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) to confirm her PSAT scores.

“Taking the SAT will make me eligible for many scholarships,” Houser said. “If I am a [National Merit] finalist, that means I can receive full tuition at NDSU or even UND.” To become a National Merit finalist, Houser has to compile a portfolio that includes a letter of recommendation, an written essay, a list of activities and accomplishments and several other items. She will find out in February if she has received the award. Ciara’s mother Zena and step father Mike Cowman

are particularly impressed with her accomplishments.

“Ciara has worked really hard to do well in school and I feel that receiving this scholarship was a reflection of her ambition and determination,” Zena Cowman said. “Hopefully this will open more opportunities for her and allow her to continue to excel in whatever she decides to pursue.”

Along with excelling well in academics, Houser proves to have just as much passion in music and has a strong belief that it has helped her academically.

“You activate all parts of your brain when you’re playing music and I don’t struggle [with] memorizing things for classes anymore,” Houser said. “[Music] uses all the areas of your mentality and is an important art to perfect.”

Houser has been involved in music since she was seven years old and it was in second grade where she started taking piano lessons. Going into fifth grade, Houser started playing percussion, making this her seventh year in a band class.

“Music is like any sport,” Houser said.

“It takes time and commitment but you get this really phenomenal end product when

you finally master a piece.”

Senior Alecia Diede believing that Houser excels in music and academics is proud of her for what she has all achieved.

“She is so deserving and it is not just a study and academic viewpoint with Ciara,” Diede said “She is able to branch out into many different areas of expertise.”

Along with being impressed by Houser’s accomplishments, her parents continue to be supportive and excited for her future.

“As parents, our goal has been to provide her with encouragement, support and all the tools necessary to succeed,” Zena said. “We know she works hard to do well, but we are particularly impressed with her perseverance and dedication.”

Because she has many passions, Houser is not sure where she will end up but remains hopeful for the future and wants to keep her options open.

“Some people know exactly what they want to do and I have a lot of things I want to do,” Houser said. “I am definitely going to pursue music as either a career or hobby because it is so important and it will always be a part of my life.”

ASPIRING

FUTURES A MUSIC CAREER

Schaan starts passion for music early Emily Chadwick Page Design Editor

Photo by Emily Chadwick

10 STEPS TO 1 STARTING A 2 3 DIGITAL RECORD LABEL 4 5

the support of his mother, Kelly Baumgardner, has also played a key role to his success too.

“We all try to be as supportive of his music career as possible. I think all kids need to know that whatever it is they want to do, they have the utmost support from family and friends,” Baumgardner said. “I love it when [Schaan] breaks out his guitar and plays on demand for us at home.

Music really sings to the soul and can connect you with so many feelings.”

Schaan’s love for music sparked from the constant exposure as a child and the influence of Baumgardner’s passion for music as well, as she was also actively a part of music .

“We have always had music playing in the background since before I can remember; while cooking, when we have company and so on. I was always very involved in music as a child as well,” Baumgardner said.

It is clear music will be in Schaan’s future. He plans to attend NDSU for a bachelor’s of arts in music and performing, but is also looking at producing and recording music as well.

“Music gives me a way to express myself,” Schaan said.

“I’m a relatively quiet person. It helps show everyone else how I feel about an emotion or situation that’s been dealt to me.”

6 Set up promos Build your band 7 Get distribution set up Create online presence 8 Keep on admin Build your fanbase 9 Handle the launch Focus on the music 10 Plan for the future

Slater makes own music on YouTube

G

oing to the mailbox and opening a letter, senior Ciara Houser is shocked to read that she has just been awarded a semi-finalist National Merit Scholar title in the state of North Dakota, an award that is given to only the top one percent of all PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) test takers.

“I took the PSAT just to practice for the ACT,” Houser said. “I wasn’t thinking too much of it while taking the test and never thought in a million years that I would make National Merit standings.”

After being awarded, Houser must take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) to confirm her PSAT scores.

“Taking the SAT will make me eligible for many scholarships,” Houser said. “If I am a [National Merit] finalist, that means I can receive full tuition at NDSU or even UND.” To become a National Merit finalist, Houser has to compile a portfolio that includes a letter of recommendation, an written essay, a list of activities and accomplishments and several other items. She will find out in February if she has received the award. Ciara’s mother Zena and step father Mike Cowman are particularly impressed with her accomplishments.

“Ciara has worked really hard to do well in school and I feel that receiving this scholarship was a reflection of her ambition and determination,” Zena Cowman said.

“Hopefully this will open more opportunities for her and allow her to continue to excel in whatever she decides to pursue.”

Along with excelling well in academics, Houser proves to have just as much passion in music and has a strong belief that it has helped her academically.

54 64 98 109 48 60 98

Symphonic Band

109

Concert Band

64

Symphonia Orchestra

48

Orchestra

60

78% 53%

HOUSER ’ S MUSICAL EXPERIENCE

believe it is key in student education feel it helps students get better grades of kids older than 12 take part in music

Submitted by Ciara Houser

OF MUSIC EDUCATION

ANDRINA BRODGEN

Increases Enhances graduation classroom rates learning

Y OU T UBE

Quest

2:53 These tears are reals, these tears are 3:09 meals

Hen of the woods

Frozen Red

Silent Rise

Sunset Guardians

3:45

2:53

4:05 2:18

Cosmic Pulse

3:09 Videos listed in order of popularity

Fosters skills to work in teams

Develops critical thinking skills Improves cognitive development

Information from savethemusic.org

Marshal Mateys

HOME VIDEOS PLAYLISTS CHANNELS DISCUSSION

WFHS graduate, Andrina Brodgen spoke this summer at the TedX Youth conference and shared her journey from American Idol

Graphic by Logan Ahern

Submitted by Jacob Erickstad

Second Grade: started piano lessons Fifth Fifth Grade: Grade: started percussion Eleventh Grade: made All-State band Twelfth Grade: elected band president

A MUSIC PASSION

I MPORTANCE

93 Subscribers 719 views on video quest

“You activate all parts of your brain when you’re playing music and I don’t struggle [with] memorizing things for classes anymore,” Houser said. “[Music] uses all the areas of your mentality and is an important art to perfect.”

Houser has been involved in music since she was seven years old and it was in second grade where she started taking piano lessons. Going into fifth grade, Houser started playing percussion, making this her seventh year in a band class.

“Music is like any sport,” Houser said. “It takes time and commitment but you get this really phenomenal end product when you finally master a piece.”

Senior Alecia Diede believing that Houser excels in music and academics is proud of her for what she has all achieved.

“She is so deserving and it is not just a study and academic viewpoint with Ciara,” Diede said “She is able to branch out into many different areas of expertise.”

Along with being impressed by Houser’s accomplishments, her parents continue to be supportive and excited for her future.

“As parents, our goal has been to provide her with encouragement, support and all the tools necessary to succeed,” Zena said. “We know she works hard to do well, but we are particularly impressed with her perseverance and dedication.”

Because she has many passions, Houser is not sure where she will end up but remains hopeful for the future and wants to keep her options open.

“Some people know exactly what they want to do and I have a lot of things I want to do,” Houser said. “I am definitely going to pursue music as either a career or hobby because it is so important and it will always be a part of my life.”

F AST F ACTS 95%

Bailey Johnson Sports Editor

S

enior Marshal Slater, known by his YouTube fans as Marshal Mateys, started making YouTube videos in 2012. Slater started making music a while before he started posting them to YouTube, experimenting with different beats and ideas.

“I really like music that is chill and relaxed,” Slater said. “I would say that I was really inspired by a chilled vibe.”

Slater’s most popular video “Quest- Mind Games” was created two months ago and reached 719 views, an exceptionally higher than average amount for someone starting as a new YouTuber.

“I try to find pictures that speak to me to go along with the vibe of the song that I mixed,” Slater said. “I use computer software to program beats, instruments and effects to create the best sound.”

A close friend of Slater, senior Jake Erickstad, said that he would consider himself a fan of Slater’s videos.

Erickstad said that Slater has a great deal of talent for producing the unique and intriguing videos on his channel.

“His music is chill and good for listening to if you are studying or just kicking it with some friends,” Erickstad said. “The most interesting aspect about his videos is the time and effort he puts into each one.”

Slater’s promoters make up the majority of the views on his videos. His supporters are able to pick and choose songs for their own separate channels on his channel. “[The relationship] is mutual, my promoters get more views, and on the other hand I as well get to spread my fan base to further spread the word to new fans,” Slater said.

Erickstad thinks that Slater is continuously growing in his skills and talents. Slater works to perfect each of his mixes to create the relaxed and laid back vibe he strives to achieve.

Logan Ahern Assistant Editor

433 of 1264 students are enrolled in a music class

Concert Choir

YOUTUBE: DUBSTEP ARTIST

NATIONAL MERIT

Houser exceeds her own expectations MUSIC EDUCATION ENROLLMENT

Chamber Choir 54

Choose a label name

Digitaldjtips.com

“Sitting in class and hearing from a girl that she had received a national merit scholarship inspired me to write the story about her. The student had an elaborate life that I wanted to be able to transpire onto paper for the school audience to be able to read.”

-Printed on September 26th, 2014

W

hile some students may be uncertain on what the future may hold for them, senior Jaeden Schaan knows exactly what his plans are.

“I have been writing since I was about five years old. I use to like writing stories and poetry and it kind of turned into my mom giving me vocal lessons and it started from there,” Schaan said.

With music and writing being Schaan’s passion, it is no surprise he wants to produce his own music. He has been proactive in working on building his future.

“I’m actually working on building my own recording studio. I used to be at Elevate Rock School where I worked with Shane on how to record my own music,” Schaan said.

Shane Ochsner, Jaeden’s music mentor from Elevate helped Schaan become the musician he is today by teaching him essentials in music production.

“He's a great storyteller, which is absolutely key in writing a song with substance and meaning,” Ochsner said.

“He's got a good ear for coming up with melodies, and his voice and singing style put him in a position to stand out a little from other singers and songwriters.”

Not only has Shane helped Schaan’s music career, but

SCHAAN, SLATER & HOUSER

KAT PERKINS Photo by Arimeta Diop

A fourth place finalist on the Voice, Kat Perkins came and performed for the guitar class and sang her song Fearless to show her talents.

Photo by Emily Chadwick

writing Entertainment Writing ‘Catching Fire’ to the box office Movie sequels are never better than the first, often times ruining the first movie all together. This was not the case for the record-breaking Hunger Games sequel, “Catching Fire.”

“Catching Fire” continues immediately where the first movie left off with winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), on their victory tour. Because of the recent act of defiance from Katniss in the previous film, the entire dystopian country of Panem is in an uproar.

President Snow (Donald Sutherland) wants to restore peace to the nation by destroying the image of Katniss, who has become the symbol of the “mockingjay,” to the citizens, and any other previous tributes that are defiant. Enter new Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Snow has the perfect formula to take down Katniss and the rebellious citizens of Panem. Or so he thinks.

Every 25 years lands a “Quarter Quell” where the game makers of that year have the opportunity to do something special.

Plutarch, to Snow’s liking, takes advantage of this bend in the rule and declares that tributes must be reaped from the previous year’s victors. Yes, Katniss is going back to the Hunger Games and yes, Peeta is too.

The movie switches from the previous

films normal games, to a twisted version where previous winners again must fight to the death.

Unlike the first movie, “Catching Fire” finally delivers convincing performances from all of the characters and tributes. Jena Malone’s, who portrays Johanna Mason, acting came as a surprise because it was so convincing rather than the bland Alexander Ludwig’s, in the role of Cato, performance in the “Hunger Games.” Malone, as an outsider to the main characters, delivered a performance that makes audiences finally believe the seriousness of the situation when her raw talent for acting is seen clearly on her face fighting other tributes.

The best decision that Lionsgate really made, was switching directors from the previous film’s Gary Ross to Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend,” “Water for Elephants”). Lawrence finally put the changes in the movie that non-readers could understand. For example, the characters actually saying one of the main actress’s name (Effie), and changes readers wanted by having a hovercraft come through the arena to collect the fallen tribute’s bodies that Ross seemed to forget.

Changes such as that make audiences better relate the book to the movie rather than leaving them frustrated with changed scenes as the first movie did. Plus, viewers will not get dizzy this time because

11

Logan Ahern

Lawrence holds his camera still.

What most movie goers fail to remember is that all of these kids are trying to kill each other. With a PG-13 rating, directors cannot put in the gore that shows the true violence of the situation.

In the “Hunger Games,” sadly, Ross used a quick camera turn when tributes were murdered or made the screen dark so no one could see.

On the bright side, director Lawrence in “Catching Fire” finally showed the brutality of the killings, but on the bad side the movie did not show the gore to go along with it. But the interesting part about the “Catching Fire” movie is that not all of the tributes are killed by other people and do not need to showcase gore to give the desired effect of a sad death.

Even though “Catching Fire” is longer than the first movie at 146 minutes, it never leaves audience members bored or feeling as if they have been sitting in the theater too long, it leaves them literally at the edge of their seats, shocked, confused, heartbroken and hungry for the next installment: “Mockingjay: Part 1.”

On opening weekend “Catching Fire” grossed $158.1 million in the US compared to “Hunger Game’s” opening weekend at $152.5 million. “Mockingjay: Part 1” is scheduled to be released on Nov. 21st, 2014.

‘Catching Fire’ to the box office Logan Ahern Opinion Editor

Murray Close

Murray Close

“‘The Hunger Games’ series is a very popular book and movie saga for high schoolers.

After the second installment was released I was able to watch the movie before it came out in theaters to the audiences because I worked at the movie theater, and wrote the story before the papers could. Previously I had spoke to the Lionsgate company to receive rights to their photos to use on a page for design. A few months later I submitted the entertainment article for the Quill and Scroll award and won.”

-Printed on January 9th, 2015

Murray Close

Murray Close

Movie sequels are never better than the first, often times ruining the first movie all together. This was not the case for the recordbreaking Hunger Games sequel, “Catching Fire.”

“Catching Fire” continues immediately where the first movie left off with winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), on their victory tour.

Because of the recent act of defiance from Katniss in the previous film, the entire dystopian country of Panem is in an uproar.

President Snow (Donald Sutherland) wants to restore peace to the nation by destroying the image of Katniss, who has become the symbol of the “mockingjay,” to the citizens, and any other previous tributes that are defiant. Enter new Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Snow has the perfect formula to take down Katniss and the rebellious citizens of Panem. Or so he thinks.

Every 25 years lands a “Quarter Quell” where the game makers of that year have the opportunity to do something special. Plutarch, to Snow’s liking, takes advantage of this bend in the rule and declares that tributes must be reaped from the previous year’s victors. Yes, Katniss is going back to the Hunger Games and yes, Peeta is too.

The movie switches from the previous films normal games, to a twisted version where previous winners again must fight to the death.

Unlike the first movie, “Catching Fire” finally delivers convincing performances from all of the characters and tributes. Jena Malone’s, who portrays Johanna Mason, acting came as a surprise because it was so convincing rather than the bland Alexander Ludwig’s, in the role of Cato, performance in the “Hunger Games.” Malone, as an outsider to the main characters, delivered a performance that makes audiences finally believe the seriousness of the situation when her raw talent for acting is seen clearly on her face fighting other tributes.

The best decision that Lionsgate really made, was switching directors from the previous film’s Gary Ross to Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend,” “Water for Elephants”). Lawrence finally put the changes in the movie that non-readers could understand. For example, the characters actually saying one of the main actress’s name (Effie), and changes readers wanted by having a hovercraft come through the arena to collect the fallen tribute’s bodies that Ross seemed to forget. Changes such as that make audiences better relate the book to the movie rather than leaving them frustrated with changed scenes as the first movie did. Plus, viewers will not get dizzy this time because Lawrence holds his camera still.

What most movie goers fail to remember is that all of these kids are trying to kill each other. With a PG-13 rating, directors cannot put in the gore that shows the true violence of the situation. In the “Hunger Games,” sadly, Ross used a quick camera turn when tributes were murdered or made the screen dark so no one could see.

On the bright side, director Lawrence in “Catching Fire” finally showed the brutality of the killings, but on the bad side the movie did not show the gore to go along with it. But the interesting part about the “Catching Fire” movie is that not all of the tributes are killed by

other people and do not need to showcase gore to give the desired effect of a sad death.

Even though “Catching Fire” is longer than the first movie at 146 minutes, it never leaves audience members bored or feeling as if they have been sitting in the theater too long, it leaves them literally at the edge of their seats, shocked, confused, heartbroken and hungry for the next installment: “Mockingjay: Part 1.”

On opening weekend “Catching Fire” grossed $158.1 million in the US compared to “Hunger Game’s” opening weekend at $152.5 million.

“Mockingjay: Part 1” is scheduled to be released on Nov. 21st, 2014.

Main actors of ‘The Hunger Games’ information from imdb.com

Jennifer Lawrence

Lawrence was originally paid only $500,000 for acting in “The Hunger Games” but signed on to Catching Fire for $10,000,000.

Ian West/Abaca Press/MCT

Josh Hutcherson

Huthcherson has been good friends with co-star Alexander Ludwig (Cato) since he was a child.

Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/MCT

Liam Hemsworth

Started to get in shape for the role after he got a text from his brother (Chris Hemsworth) saying “Hey fatty, it’s called ‘The Hunger Games’ not ‘The Eating Games.’”

Chaz Niell/Elevation Photos/Abaca Press/MCT

Murray Close/MCT

‘Delivery Man’ fails to handle plot with care Alexander Bertsch Sports Editor

Vince Vaughn is a hit or miss actor, sometimes hitting it out of the park in movies like “Dodgeball” and “Wedding Crashers”, and completely whiffing it with movies like “Couples Retreat” and “The Watch.” The problem for Vaughn is his character range, or lack thereof. That being said, Vaughn does a solid job of portraying the character of David Wozniak in “Delivery Man.” “Delivery Man” is the story of Wozniak who has failed in every aspect of his life, so much so that his pregnant girlfriend (Cobie Smulders) would rather be a single mother than have him be this child’s father.

Wozniak is then met with sobering news,

that he is the father of 533 children due to a fertilization clinic mishap, and now these children want to know the identity of their biological father. Wozniak then decides to change his ways by helping all of these children.

This is where the problems in “Delivery Man” begin. As Wozniak helps more and more of the children, the story becomes muddled with half-developed characters, leaving much to be desired. The children include a professional basketball player, a drug addict, an actor, a street musician, a mentally handicapped man, among others.

As all of these characters are introduced and dropped in a matter of minutes as their story receives an unsatisfactory resolution.

This upsets the pacing, jerking the audience

around from story to story with little to no time to take it in.

The awkward pacing is amplified by unnecessary scenes and moments diverting from the main plot. In one such sequence we follow Wozniak’s lawyer (Chris Pratt) as he struggles to develop his case to defend Wozniak’s identity from his children. This sequence lasts 20 minutes, and ultimately contributes nothing to the movie.

More problems come up in “Delivery Man” when the decisions Wozniak make never have consequences. At one point Wozniak chooses not to send his drug addict daughter to rehab because she promises that she can quit on her own, and she does. The problem with this is that it sends the message that rehab is not

necessary. The story would have benefited from Wozniak realizing that as a father he has to make hard decisions. Instead we are left with a father who enables his kids, and a message that is uncomfortable to hear.

The initial premise of “Delivery Man” is an interesting one, but is flawed in its implementation. The story would have worked better as a television show that would allow the character development that this movie so desperately craves.

Despite these flaws the movie manages to deliver a few good laughs, and the actors deliver an enjoyable performance. The flaws in pacing, and an overcrowded story cripple the movie and turns what would have been a great movie into a movie that is barely worth the time that it takes to watch.

Vince Vaughn movies

Gemma LaMana/MCT

Couples Retreat

Released in 2009

Dodgeball

Released in 2004

Enter Movie-Couples 1 MCT

Anchorman 2 Releases in 2013

The Dilemma

Released in 2011

The Business Trip

Releases in 2014

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writing Entertainment Writing Breakfast at its lowest standard When Applebee’s moved out of its location on 13th avenue a fairly well know breakfast restaurant took the opportunity and moved in. With the recent location change, customers who live in the West Fargo area no longer have to drive down to 25th street to eat at Village Inn. Village Inn has been open more than 50 years and has a total of 200 restaurant locations. According to the Village Inn website, the restaurant takes pride in their “homemade buttermilk pancakes.”

Knowing all of this prior to my visit, I had high expectations for the breakfast restaurant.

The restaurant takes on an orange brown theme that seems at first soothing but becomes over the top. Walking further into the restaurant, the walls are covered with at least 10 different shades of oranges and yellows with an odd color green trying to accent it. The walls are then covered with random colored circles that really give off no sense of design and feel rather odd and do not fit the color scheme.

The tables were modern and had comfy chairs that make customers feel like home. When customers are all settled in to their table, they are given a menu, which at first glance, can be extremely overwhelming. As an indecisive person it was hard to go through four pages of breakfast options that did not seemed to be in any order.

Village Inn’s menu has relatively average prices for a breakfast restaurant

in the area. The menu does has a section called the “INN-credible V.I.B.” where customers can chose any four items out of 30 options for only 6.99. If anyone wants to add a fifth item to their “INN-credible” meal it only costs 1.00. The menu also features a wide variety of omelets, pancake combos and other combos with the usual breakfast options such as French toast and eggs.

When exploring the menu a featured image caught my eye: the “Farmer’s Skillet with Home Fries.” The description promised “crisp hickory-smoked bacon,” a “generous helping of creamy country sausage gravy” and “county-style home fries” with pancakes on the side. This however, is not what I received.

After waiting 20 minutes for my meal I received what looked like a ripped off version of the picture I saw on the menu.

The gravy was not a generous portion at all. It was gone within my first few bites of fries. The bacon was not the “crisp hickory-smoked bacon” I was hoping for, rather chunks of fatty bacon. Since it was a skillet it did come with eggs, or what can be perceive as eggs to the eye but tasted like bland rubber. Along with the skillet came three pancakes that were smaller than the palm of my hand. They were bite sized but listed on the menu as “fluffy, made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes.”

The best part about my meal was the seasoning on the fries. It gave a bit of a salty spice but did not overdo it.

12

Logan Ahern

Along with the disappointing meal, I received some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced. When questioning my waitress if I could take the onions out of my skillet she replied with “I don’t know. I can write it down.” A simple mistake I understand but it was the tone and uncaring attitude that made me feel uncomfortable. Later when she tried to make small talk I heard her say that she “could not believe this (insert vulgar word that starts with an f) –ing weather.” I was appalled that a waitress would so carelessly throw around curse words in front of customers so casually.

Later in my meal my waitress asked if I needed anything and I said no, but she seemed to take it as “no you can leave for 20 minutes and not come check on me.” I sat there waiting and waiting for my water glass to be refilled. It was not.

I was extremely disappointed that other waitresses were not walking around either, or a friendly manager making rounds to be polite and trying to make guests feel like home.

With such a bad experience at the new Village in on 13th I know that I will not be heading back there anytime soon, rather making the smart decision to head to Perkins to pay the same price and get double the amount of food. There were too many promises let down to even bother making a second trip.

‘Midnight Memories’ impresses 1D fans Bailey Johnson Staff Writer

“When Village Inn opened up, I decided to do a review on the restaurant for our upcoming issue of the paper. It was an overall awful experience so writing a review was rather difficult because I did not want to be disrepectful but I still managed to do so gracefully in a tastesful manner. Shortly after the article published, the manager gave me a call and had me sit down and talk about what they could do better and she gave me a giftcard and a formal apology.”

-Printed on December 9th, 2014

Sixteen million twitter followers, 35 million albums sold worldwide and more than one billion views on YouTube – all in two years since One Direction’s first released its debut album in 2011. When the new album “Midnight Memories” released Nov. 25th it was sure to be a No. 1.

The first two songs on the album, “Best Song Ever” and “Story of My Life,” had already been released as singles. “Story of My Life” was a song unlike any fans had heard them sing. It was slower, slightly Indie, and evocative of Mumford and Sons. In a word, it sounded mature. It reflects the fact that although One Direction started as a group of teenage singing highenergy pop songs, they are now 20 years old or older.

Zayn Malik is engaged, and they are starting to realize that they cannot live on bubbly lyrics forever.

“You and I” is a modern day us-against-the-world love song, with the kind of power pop chorus that makes listeners believe the sky is the limit. “Does He Know” is a song about a boy who wants a girl who he cannot have. It covers the same ground musically

and thematically as Rick Springfield’s, “Jessie’s Girl.”

A shocker comes in the form of “Little White Lies.”

Starting out like a typical One Direction pop-dance song, it quickly evolves into something more as it drops into dubstep elements.

“Little White Lies” is a standout compared to the rest of the album.

The album does not seem to have one coherent theme. This, however, is not a downfall, but rather a strength. Just compare “Midnight Memories” to their first album “Up All Night” and the growth is indefinitely apparent.

The new album covers an assortment of audiences and ages. Not only has One Direction found their sound, but they have grown in writing abilities too. One or more members share writing credits for 15 of the 18 tracks.

It is an exciting album, but still so much more. It showcases sides 1D fans have yet to experience in a way that leaves fans and listeners excited for the future. If you are into pop music and are not ashamed to embrace the power of boy bands, there is absolutely no reason “Midnight Memories” should be left off your holiday wish list.

Jeff Wheeler/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT

One Direction boosts popularity with their new album “Midnight Memories.”

Logan Ahern

Breakfast at its lowest standard Logan Ahern Opinion Editor When Applebee’s moved out of its location on 13th avenue a fairly well know breakfast restaurant took the opportunity and moved in. With the recent location change, customers who live in the West Fargo area no longer have to drive down to 25th street to eat at Village Inn. Village Inn has been open more than 50 years and has a total of 200 restaurant locations. According to the Village Inn website, the restaurant takes pride in their “homemade buttermilk pancakes.” Knowing all of this prior to my visit, I had high expectations for the breakfast restaurant.

The restaurant takes on an orange brown theme that seems at first soothing but becomes over the top. Walking further into the restaurant, the walls are covered with at least 10 different shades of oranges and yellows with an odd color green trying to accent it. The walls are then covered with random colored circles that really give off no sense of design and feel rather odd and do not fit the color scheme.

The tables were modern and had comfy chairs that make customers feel like home. When customers are all settled in to their table, they are given a menu, which at first glance, can be extremely overwhelming. As an indecisive person it was hard to go through four pages of breakfast options that did not seemed to be in any order.

Village Inn’s menu has relatively average prices for a breakfast restaurant in the area. The menu does has a section called the “INN-credible V.I.B.” where customers can chose any four items out of 30 options for only 6.99. If anyone wants to add a fifth item to their “INN-credible” meal it only costs 1.00. The menu also features a wide variety of omelets, pancake combos and other combos with the usual breakfast options such as French toast and eggs.

When exploring the menu a featured image caught my eye: the “Farmer’s Skillet with Home Fries.” The description promised “crisp hickory-smoked bacon,” a “generous helping of creamy country sausage gravy” and “county-style home fries” with pancakes on the side. This however, is not

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what I received.

After waiting 20 minutes for my meal I received what looked like a ripped off version of the picture I saw on the menu. The gravy was not a generous portion at all. It was gone within my first few bites of fries. The bacon was not the “crisp hickory-smoked bacon” I was hoping for, rather chunks of fatty bacon. Since it was a skillet it did come with eggs, or what can be perceive as eggs to the eye but tasted like bland rubber. Along with the skillet came three pancakes that were smaller than the palm of my hand. They were bite sized but listed on the menu as “fluffy, madefrom-scratch buttermilk pancakes.” The best part about my meal was the seasoning on the fries. It gave a bit of a salty spice but did not overdo it.

Along with the disappointing meal, I received some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced. When questioning my waitress if I could take the onions out of my skillet she replied with “I don’t know. I can write it down.”

A simple mistake I understand but it was the tone and uncaring attitude that made me feel uncomfortable. Later when she tried to make small talk I heard her say that she “could not believe this (insert vulgar word that starts with an f) –ing weather.” I was appalled that a waitress would so carelessly throw around curse words in front of customers so casually.

Later in my meal my waitress asked if I needed anything and I said no, but she seemed to take it as “no you can leave for 20 minutes and not come check on me.” I sat there waiting and waiting for my water glass to be refilled. It was not. I was extremely disappointed that other waitresses were not walking around either, or a friendly manager making rounds to be polite and trying to make guests feel like home.

With such a bad experience at the new Village in on 13th I know that I will not be heading back there anytime soon, rather making the smart decision to head to Perkins to pay the same price and get double the amount of food. There were too many promises let down to even bother making a second trip.

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writing Opinion Writing

13

Logan Ahern

Lack of organization takes a toll on students Walking down the hall after the Innovation Hour meeting on Dec. 4th, I was already starting to hear the bickering coming from every side. People were complaining left and right about how they thought that their group was “so lame” and “it’s not going to help anyone” and even some go as far as “we have to start our project completely over.”

It is unfortunate that students are thinking about Innovation Hour groups this way, but how can we expect them to think any different? In the first Innovation Hour meeting, students were told about how they would have an entire day to plan and produce their project. This started the gears moving in student minds knowing that they could find an entire day out of the school year that they agreed on and go help people in need. This is not the case anymore.

The Innovation Hour meeting on Nov. 20th proved the lack of organization in the entire Innovation Hour “project,” at the expense of the students. Students were given a message over the intercom

that they were now only given a two hour volunteer time, which also includes travel, and the project must take place on the morning of, Dec. 18th.

Administrators expect students to totally scratch out their two previous meetings brainstorming and change their service project to only a solid hour and a half. Some groups were passionate about volunteering at the Salvation Army or other organizations, but now cannot. Some organizations do not need high school students for just an hour and a half, and with all of the last minute changes, cannot rely on the school. Groups were already calling businesses and planning out days they could come and volunteer and now this all has to be cancelled which makes students look unreliable.

The whole purpose of Innovation Hour is to create an event or volunteer activity that is really going to make a difference in the community or school.

Students will not and cannot create that ‘community changing’ activity anymore with all of the last minute restriction.

Another announcement students and teachers learned on the day of the Nov. 20th meeting was that the groups could not fundraise or ask for any money.

While I completely agree with this new rule because fundraising should be left for clubs or organizations in the school, this guideline should have been told to students beforehand. When walking in the hallways and hearing “we have to start our project completely over” I could not help but be angered that students were not told this.

What students need to do now in their Innovation Hour groups is think about helping the community and realize the impact they could make. Each student really needs to consider how their group is going to be consequential enough to help out a small group of people for a day. These Innovation Hour groups need to make the best of this opportunity; otherwise, there is no point for students to be meeting for an hour every two weeks.

College choice puts pressure on seniors

Thanksgiving turns into Thanksbuying

Alyssa Livermont

Senior Kaylee Stock leads her Innovation Hour group in brainstorming service ideas.

Lack of organization takes a toll on students

Logan Ahern Photography Editor

“To have every person in the student body be able to connect to the ideas that I have, I decided to write about an issue that every student has to deal with. In our school, each student is required to go to Innovation Hour and because it did not get positive feedback most of the time. I decided to give my opinion and have all of the students understand a different point of view.”

-Printed on December 9th, 2013

Walking down the hall after the Innovation Hour meeting on Dec. 4th, I was already starting to hear the bickering coming from every side. People were complaining left and right about how they thought that their group was “so lame” and “it’s not going to help anyone” and even some go as far as “we have to start our project completely over.”

It is unfortunate that students are thinking about Innovation Hour groups this way, but how can we expect them to think any different? In the first Innovation Hour meeting, students were told about how they would have an entire day to plan and produce their project. This started the gears moving in student minds knowing that they could find an entire day out of the school year that they agreed on and go help people in need. This is not the case anymore.

The Innovation Hour meeting on Nov. 20th proved the lack of organization in the entire Innovation Hour “project,” at the expense of the students. Students were given a message over the intercom that they were now only given a two hour volunteer time, which also includes travel, and the project must take place on the morning of, Dec. 18th.

Administrators expect students to totally scratch out their two previous meetings brainstorming and change their service project to only a solid hour and a half. Some groups were passionate about volunteering at the Salvation Army or other organizations, but now cannot.

Some organizations do not need high school students for just an hour and a half, and with all of the last minute changes, cannot rely on the school.

Groups were already calling businesses and planning out days they could come and volunteer and now this all has to be cancelled which makes students look unreliable.

The whole purpose of Innovation Hour is to create an event or volunteer activity that is really going to make a difference in the community or school.

Students will not and cannot create that ‘community changing’ activity anymore with all of the last minute restriction.

Another announcement students and teachers learned on the day of the Nov. 20th meeting was that the groups could not fundraise or ask for any money.

While I completely agree with this new rule because fundraising should be left for clubs or organizations in the school, this guideline should have been told to students beforehand. When walking in the hallways and hearing “we have to start our project completely over” I could not help but be angered that students were not told this.

What students need to do now in their Innovation Hour groups is think about helping the community and realize the impact they could make. Each student really needs to consider how their group is going to be consequential enough to help out a small group of people for a day. These Innovation Hour groups need to make the best of this opportunity; otherwise, there is no point for students to be meeting for an hour every two weeks.

Just a few years ago, Thanksgiving was a day for family to get together and show thanks for the family and friends surrounding them. That traditional holiday has quickly become a day to eat a freshly prepared meal and head out to stand in line and freeze in hopes of getting the newest and cheapest electronics.

According to the National Retail Federation official website, 35 million shoppers were out last year visiting retail stores on Thanksgiving Day. This number climbed from the 29 million the year before. Retail stores have started opening with Black Friday deals as early as 7 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning in order to stay competitive with other stores.

Thanksgiving is no longer about stuffing your face with turkey and fixings, and then finishing the day off with a piece of freshly baked pumpkin pie and a football game. Instead, more and more American’s are saving the dirty dishes and pie for later, recording the games to watch at a later time and starting new family traditions of shopping. It is no longer just Black Friday and Cyber Monday catching the attention of

busy shoppers, but now sales begin Thursday morning and run until Monday online and in stores.

Although families can say they are celebrating their thanks, it is now thanks for shopping and no longer for the original reasons for the holiday. The holiday of Thanksgiving has quickly become overlooked

by American’s due to the excitement of the holidays. No longer do shoppers walk into stores after Halloween and see fall decorations fit for any Thanksgiving celebration, but instead they begin to see trees and boxes for presents starting before Halloween, along with the overabundance of holiday music.

Americans need to realize that shopping can be done at any time. Although the sales are spectacular on Black Friday, families should always be more important than getting a game system 50 percent off or a video game $10 cheaper. Take the time to spend one day with family, stuffing faces with delicious food and screaming at the football players on the television. It will not kill anyone to wait the extra five hours to shop.

Emily Chadwick

Emily Chadwick

Emily Chadwick

Top Photo: Freshman Jaden Klein waits in line for the sale at Pink on Black Friday. Bottom left: Senior Tyler Berginski, junior Derek Turner, and sophomore Grant Ellenson walk past Macy’s on black Friday. Bottom right: Sophomore Stone Sandavol looks at a pair of shoes at Journey’s with fellow junior Rylie Vareberg.

Students give minimal respect to their teachers Nicole Johnson Co-Online Editor When I sit in any class, normally in the back, I think I have the best view of the class.

I can see the big picture the teacher is trying to imprint on students. I can also see the four students sitting on their phones, two others falling asleep and a student studying for a test that takes place next period.

I have been guilty of sitting on my phone during class or even reading a book through a lesson. It is not that issue that gets under my skin. It is the fact that after the lesson is over we have to redo it for all who now complain the teacher did not actually teach anything.

Students complain, “Oh man, he/she just hates me,” or “Wow, that teacher is such a (insert curse word here).”

It is true that some teachers are not the best at their job, but they are the ones who went to college and got the degree. Respect needs to be shown during school hours. It is astounding that most students seem to think a particular teacher hates them because of their failing grade.

Newsflash, do you really think they have the time to hate you? Most of the time they are working through family time to figure

Head Editor: Brittany Rheault

out better ways to teach the course material students do not understand. Teachers, for the most part, are incredibly selfless.

If people looked closer, they might see how much teachers honestly care. My experience at this school has been extremely blessed because most of my teachers have all inspired me with their dedication.

On a website called Synonym in an article titled, “Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today’s Classroom,” by Julia Klaus, she talks about how teachers are often pressed for time already in the classroom so adding the extra hindrances and distractions of a phone does not sit well with many teachers. Along with that problem is the added problem of teaching students at different learning levels. With a phone or any other distraction in the room, we are hurting ourselves and our potential to do better in a class.

Try to put the phone down more often and give teachers respect because in the end they can see that phone. They are just nice enough to ignore it. If we showed more respect to our teachers, perhaps our learning environment would be better and we might learn more about the subjects we are in and not have to be retaught it three times.

Katie Savage Photography Editor Last year, I witnessed all of my friends panicking about their college decisions and thought nothing of it.

This year came around and it hit me, I am now the one panicking about my future.

It is bad enough that seniors already have pressure from families and friends about where to attend college.

I am almost positive the University of Kansas has used an entire trees worth of paper sending me letters and packets trying to get me interested in their school. Also Drake University has been blowing up my email with constant messages stating that I am a choice student. I have recently decided colleges will do absolutely anything to make sure students know about them.

It amazes me what level colleges and universities will go to these days to get students interested in their school. Whether it involves them giving you free items on a campus visit, allowing you to apply without paying the application fee, or even just exaggerating the qualities of their school.

Before this year, I never understood why seniors procrastinated and waited until the last minute to start looking into where they want to go to college. Sadly, I have become one of those seniors because I was looking at schools I want to go to, but are unrealistic. Now that I am going through the stress of having to decide on a realistic choice, I look back and fully regret signing up for information from every college I heard of or spoke with.

There are plenty of reasons why I am regretting my past choices on college preparations. My main problem, I still continue to receive ads, letters and emails from these schools I will never be attending.

Within the past few months, it has slowly become easier to narrow down my realistic choices of where I will be attending college next year. I liked conducting campus visits in our area to see the people who genuinely care about the college they are attending, and I learned that when they find the school that is right for them, it just clicks and it becomes progressively more difficult to change their mind.

Students who attend college within the next couple of years should learn from my mistakes and not stress themselves by receiving information from every college in the country. They should decide between three to five schools they are truly considering and focus on finding out more about those specific colleges. They should also start looking early.

It is never too early to begin looking into colleges. Students should not procrastinate because it adds stress to what should be a fun experience. It may seem difficult at first to try and juggle college decisions with high school, but the earlier students begin, the easier it will be to make a correct decision that will help you succeed in the future with less stress.

Katie Savage

58 MSUM NDSU UND KU Iowa Drake

You have mail!

The amount of advertising colleges do to try and convince seniors that it is the right place for them can be overwhelming when making a decision.

Copy Editor: Nicole Johnson

Assistant Editors: Claire DeJong, Jessica Qian

Business Manager: Nicole Johnson, Logan Ahern

News Editor: Jessica Qian

Staff Writers: Emily Chadwick,

Opinion Editor: Logan Ahern

Bailey Johnson, Chelsey Cressman,

Feature Editor: Claire DeJong

Arimeta Diop, Morgan Heley,

Entertainment Editor: Katie Savage

Izaac Jacobson, McKenzie Kalsow,

Sports Editor: Alexander Bertsch

Haley Kringlie

Online Editor: Elsa Bollinger, Nicole Johnson

Adviser: Jeremy Murphy

The Packer is published periodically throughout the school year by WFHS students at 801 9th Street East, West Fargo, ND 58078. Subscription rates are $4.25 per year. The opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the student body, the faculty, administration or the school board. Letters to the Editors must be signed. Mail them to the school or e-mail them to The.Packer@sendit.nodak.edu. We reserve the right to edit letters submitted for publication. The Packer will accept advertisements if they are not considered libelous, obscene or do not promote the use or sale of illegal goods or service.

writing Opinion Writing

14

Logan Ahern

Conference opens eyes to expression Six months ago, if asked what the First Amendment was, I would not have been able to say: “The First Amendment states that Congress can make no law restricting the establishment of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right of peaceful assembly and the right to petition.” Six months ago, I was misinformed of the rights that students really have.

Two major events happened during my junior year of 2014: I applied for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference and later I read “WINNER” in my email inbox while I casually laid on my couch.

The next three months passed quickly and then on June 21st, my alarm woke me at 4 a.m. to be at the airport for my all-expense paid trip. Going in, I did not know what to expect other than the encouragements from a past West Fargo High School (WFHS) winner, Jaurdyn Dobler.

What I discovered on the trip was my true passion, but not only that, I discovered 50 people who had won the trip for their state and were in the same

boat as me. We flew solo from each of our states only to meet in one big room where we eventually broke down the barriers and played a game to go beyond first impressions and learn who each person was.

With those 50 people, we bonded over speakers ranging from Val Hoeppner a digital journalist, Sara Ganim of CNN who broke the Jerry Sandusky story, Charles Haynes from the Religious Freedom Center and civil right leaders John Seigenthaler and Rep. Joh Lewis.

From all of the speakers, the most influential one that stood out from the others was Haynes. He spoke to the group about how students are the voice shaping our schools. As journalists, we have the freedom to report the issues, the successes and the downfalls of the system.

It was a major eye opener for me to realize that the First Amendment gives students rights and there were not any laws to restrict our freedoms. It is 2014 and still, students are restricted from expressing themselves. It is offending that people feel aggrieved by expression and believe that their opinion is the way life should be.

Expression is important in our society because the right was granted for us to have and through expression stems creativity. After learning more about the rights of students and how limited student expression is, it made me strive to help start the first literary magazine at WFHS. Through the experience of the trip, it inspired an idea to do something impactful for the school that encompassed what the First Amendment represents.

Al Neuharth, the man behind the creation of the conference, had one main message he used as the slogan to represent the free spirits: “dream, dare, do.” The conference finally ignited the spark that desperately needed to be lit to realize my true passion.

Put a football player on a football field, they play the game. Put a drama student as the lead role, they pour their heart out. Put a socially awkward high school student with a little confidence in an environment that requires them to step out of their boundaries in every way imaginable, they transform.

Senior Trip needs to be implemented

M

“Along with my all-expense paid trip I was awared a $1,000 scholarship through the Al Neuharth program. After the conference I wanted to write an article about my experience in Washington D.C. I decided to focus on how the conference opened my eyes to student expression and explained how I gained my drive to start the first ever Literary Magazine at West Fargo. This column is one of my favorites because it encompasses who I am as a writer.”

-Printed on October 31st, 2014

emories are meant to Hannah Dioh be made during senior Staff Writer year. It is the last time that we really have to indulge in our childish ways. As seniors are getting closer to the end of their high school career, they should have something to look forward to other than just Prom and graduation.

Senior year is the end to a premature beginning, the responsibilities of being a young adult come at full force. Seniors will usually be going through a hectic period of their lives and will not have time to spend with their peers. To make the end of high school easier and to embrace students, there should be a better transition, like a senior trip.

Senior year is the most stressful year. Students need to take a step back and take a break from all the activities. They should all come together as one and reminisce. A senior trip would give students a chance to experience something they are not used to. For most students, it would be an opportunity of a lifetime. Disney World is every child’s dream, and most teenagers grew up never having experience it. It would be a great place for the senior trip to take place. The entire point of the senior trip is to allow students to indulge in a youthful atmosphere.

Fundraising is one of the best aspects of a senior trip.

This part allows the entire school to come together and raise money. The other grades are included in helping raise the money. At my old high school, we had activities such as car washes, dances and festivals. It gives everyone a chance to join in on the fun. By setting each grade against each other, my high school was able to use the spirit of competition to their advantage. The simplest things, such as a raffle to win a small prize or paying to

throw pies at the faculty, helped raised money.

Fundraising also ensures that everyone who chooses to attend the trip has some kind of financial help. Some of the children cannot afford it, fundraising it will allow everyone to be able to attend the senior trip. The school is able to come up with more activities and faculty can be sure that it will be attended by students by fundraising. The area of West Fargo would benefit from all the activity of our school. If the school had activities that all ages could enjoy, more money could be made.

A senior trip is more than just getting a couple days out

The high school does not organize senior trips, but several foreign language classes go on biannual trips. The cost for the France trip is roughly $4,000. French teacher Suzanne Thibert believes it is beneficial to go on school trips. “It exposes them to another perspective of the definition of culture,” Thibert said.

Photos submitted by Nicole Johnson

The 51 free spirits pose in front of the White House.

Courtesy of the Newseum Institute

Native American topics highlight need for having universal respect

A

Conference opens eyes to expression S

Logan Ahern ix Assistant Editor months ago, if asked what the First Amendment was, I would not have been able to say: “The First Amendment states that Congress can make no law restricting the establishment of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right of peaceful assembly and the right to petition.” Six months ago, I was misinformed of the rights that students really have.

Two major events happened during my junior year of 2014: I applied for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference and later I read “WINNER” in my email inbox while I casually laid on my couch.

The next three months passed quickly and then on June 21st, my alarm woke me at 4 a.m. to be at the airport for my all-expense paid trip.

Going in, I did not know what to expect other than the encouragements from a past West Fargo High School (WFHS) winner, Jaurdyn Dobler.

What I discovered on the trip was my true passion, but not only that, I discovered 50 people who had won the trip for their state and were in the same boat as me. We flew solo from each of our states only to meet in one big room where we eventually broke down the barriers and played a game to go beyond first impressions and learn who each person was.

With those 50 people, we bonded over speakers ranging from Val Hoeppner a digital journalist, Sara Ganim of CNN who broke the Jerry Sandusky story, Charles Haynes from

of school. Going through four years of constant change can be detrimental on students. By the time senior year arrives students have accomplished a lot that some adults were not able to. Some of the children graduating are the first in their family. Dropping out of high school have crosses students minds multiple times, but they stuck it through. Some may not see this as an achievement worth rewarding, but it is.

A senior trip should be a necessity, a mandatory part of a student’s senior year. The real world comes too fast for a senior in high school they deserve a chance to have fun before having to confront all of life’s ups and downs.

the Religious Freedom Center and civil right leaders John Seigenthaler and Rep. Joh Lewis.

From all of the speakers, the most influential one that stood out from the others was Haynes. He spoke to the group about how students are the voice shaping our schools. As journalists, we have the freedom to report the issues, the successes and the downfalls of the system.

It was a major eye opener for me to realize that the First Amendment gives students rights and there were not any laws to restrict our freedoms.

It is 2014 and still, students are restricted from expressing themselves.

It is offending that people feel aggrieved by expression and believe that their opinion is the way life should be.

Expression is important in our society because the right was granted for us to have and through expression stems creativity. After learning more about the rights of students and how limited student expression is, it made me strive to help start the first literary magazine at WFHS. Through the experience of the trip, it inspired an idea to do something impactful for the school that encompassed what the First Amendment represents.

Al Neuharth, the man behind the creation of the conference, had one main message he used as the slogan to represent the free spirits: “dream, dare, do.” The conference finally ignited the spark that desperately needed to be lit to realize my true passion.

Put a football player on a football field, they play the game. Put a drama student as the lead role, they pour their heart out. Put a socially awkward high school student with a little confidence in an environment that requires them to step out of their boundaries in every way imaginable, they transform.

s students Tessa Chambers and faculty Opinion Editor walk through the halls on any given school day, it is not uncommon to see jerseys and t-shirts with a Native American team mascot. With debates over sports team names like “Fighting Sioux” and “Redskins” featured in recent media, the idea of cultural respect has become a popular tag-along topic.

Respect is value drilled into students of the West Fargo School District annually, and with that repetition, it has hopefully become apparent the concept has no boundaries.

Keeping this lesson in mind, it may be time to recognize that unless one personally identifies with the offended ethnicity, they have no place in deciding whether or not the depiction is acceptable.

To begin, the term “redskin” is derogatory and offensive. In that alone, opposition to the name should be completely supported.

A baseball team named with the infamously demeaning term beginning with “N,” in reference to African-Americans, would never be accepted nor supported, and neither should an NFL team called the “Redskins.”

Besides the blatant use of offensive terminology, cultural appropriation is occuring. Aspects of an oppressed or previously oppressed minority are being taken and utilized by the oppressive, or formally oppressive, majority. Initially, that may sound relatively harmless, but when those in power know little of the culture being taken from, it is disrespectful and holds societal consequences.

In connection with that comes that Native Americans experienced a genocide upon European migration to North America.

The term genocide is not often used in the reduction of their population, but conservative statistics place Native American populations - four centuries after European

arrival – down 95 percent. While some of that is due to disease, students who have taken a U.S. History course are aware that throughout that period of history, the race was deliberately killed in mass numbers or held from resources they needed to survive.

With that being said, it ought to be seen as basic human respect that an ethnicity, whose numbers are now one twentieth of what they were before Caucasian presence, be unquestioned when asking not to be used for athletic titles unspecific to their culture.

If anyone further disagrees with that statement, despite the Native American genocide and consequences of those past actions still present in the culture, it may be clarifying to ask how well a German sports team for, let us say, soccer named “The Feisty Jews” would go over with the public.

It would not be tolerated whatsoever.

Such a ridiculous action would be opposed globally, since those in that nation’s history enacted unforgettable wrongs to the Jewish people and thus have no right to any kind of their representation. Blatant maltreatment of Native Americans may have began earlier in history, but that does not mean that their misrepresentation is any less deserving of opposition.

Without belonging to the minority, which has had to deal with prior oppression and limited resources from an oppressive group in power, an individual has no justification for telling the disadvantaged group that they cannot eliminate harmful representation.

The fact that there are those who do not accept the Sioux tribe’s decision to rid of UND’s portrayal of their culture despite little connection or benefit to the actual people, or support a football team’s derogatory name for a group which opposes its use, should be seen as completely unacceptable. The West Fargo School District annually reminds students of all ages to keep in mind the great worth of being a respectful person. With that, disappointment is the only appropriate reaction in noticing that anyone would think the value has any boundaries, of any kind.

Tessa Chambers

design Newspaper Double Page Insert

ASPIRING

FUTURES A MUSIC CAREER

Schaan starts passion for music early Emily Chadwick Page Design Editor

W

hile some students may be uncertain on what the future may hold for them, senior Jaeden Schaan knows exactly what his plans are.

“I have been writing since I was about five years old. I use to like writing stories and poetry and it kind of turned into my mom giving me vocal lessons and it started from there,” Schaan said.

With music and writing being Schaan’s passion, it is no surprise he wants to produce his own music. He has been proactive in working on building his future.

“I’m actually working on building my own recording studio. I used to be at Elevate Rock School where I worked with Shane on how to record my own music,” Schaan said.

Shane Ochsner, Jaeden’s music mentor from Elevate helped Schaan become the musician he is today by teaching him essentials in music production.

“He's a great storyteller, which is absolutely key in writing a song with substance and meaning,” Ochsner said.

“He's got a good ear for coming up with melodies, and his voice and singing style put him in a position to stand out a little from other singers and songwriters.”

Not only has Shane helped Schaan’s music career, but

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Photo by Emily Chadwick

6 Set up promos 7 Get distribution set up Create online presence 8 Keep on admin Build your fanbase 9 Handle the launch Focus on the music 10 Plan for the future

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HOUSER ’ S MUSICAL EXPERIENCE

believe it is key in student education feel it helps students get better grades of kids older than 12 take part in music

Submitted by Ciara Houser

OF MUSIC EDUCATION

ANDRINA BRODGEN

Increases Enhances graduation classroom rates learning

93 Subscribers 719 views on video quest

Quest

2:53 These tears are reals, these tears are 3:09 meals

Hen of the woods

Frozen Red

Silent Rise

Sunset Guardians

3:45

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4:05 2:18

Cosmic Pulse

3:09 Videos listed in order of popularity

Fosters skills to work in teams

Develops critical thinking skills Improves cognitive development

Information from savethemusic.org

Marshal Mateys

HOME VIDEOS PLAYLISTS CHANNELS DISCUSSION

WFHS graduate, Andrina Brodgen spoke this summer at the TedX Youth conference and shared her journey from American Idol

Graphic by Logan Ahern

Submitted by Jacob Erickstad

Second Grade: started piano lessons Fifth Fifth Grade: Grade: started percussion Eleventh Grade: made All-State band Twelfth Grade: elected band president

A MUSIC PASSION

I MPORTANCE

Y OU T UBE

“You activate all parts of your brain when you’re playing music and I don’t struggle [with] memorizing things for classes anymore,” Houser said. “[Music] uses all the areas of your mentality and is an important art to perfect.”

Houser has been involved in music since she was seven years old and it was in second grade where she started taking piano lessons. Going into fifth grade, Houser started playing percussion, making this her seventh year in a band class.

“Music is like any sport,” Houser said. “It takes time and commitment but you get this really phenomenal end product when you finally master a piece.”

Senior Alecia Diede believing that Houser excels in music and academics is proud of her for what she has all achieved.

“She is so deserving and it is not just a study and academic viewpoint with Ciara,” Diede said “She is able to branch out into many different areas of expertise.”

Along with being impressed by Houser’s accomplishments, her parents continue to be supportive and excited for her future.

“As parents, our goal has been to provide her with encouragement, support and all the tools necessary to succeed,” Zena said. “We know she works hard to do well, but we are particularly impressed with her perseverance and dedication.”

Because she has many passions, Houser is not sure where she will end up but remains hopeful for the future and wants to keep her options open.

“Some people know exactly what they want to do and I have a lot of things I want to do,” Houser said. “I am definitely going to pursue music as either a career or hobby because it is so important and it will always be a part of my life.”

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oing to the mailbox and opening a letter, senior Ciara Houser is shocked to read that she has just been awarded a semi-finalist National Merit Scholar title in the state of North Dakota, an award that is given to only the top one percent of all PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) test takers.

“I took the PSAT just to practice for the ACT,” Houser said. “I wasn’t thinking too much of it while taking the test and never thought in a million years that I would make National Merit standings.”

After being awarded, Houser must take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) to confirm her PSAT scores.

“Taking the SAT will make me eligible for many scholarships,” Houser said. “If I am a [National Merit] finalist, that means I can receive full tuition at NDSU or even UND.” To become a National Merit finalist, Houser has to compile a portfolio that includes a letter of recommendation, an written essay, a list of activities and accomplishments and several other items. She will find out in February if she has received the award. Ciara’s mother Zena and step father Mike Cowman are particularly impressed with her accomplishments.

“Ciara has worked really hard to do well in school and I feel that receiving this scholarship was a reflection of her ambition and determination,” Zena Cowman said.

“Hopefully this will open more opportunities for her and allow her to continue to excel in whatever she decides to pursue.”

Along with excelling well in academics, Houser proves to have just as much passion in music and has a strong belief that it has helped her academically.

54 64 98 109 48 60 Chamber Choir 54

Bailey Johnson Sports Editor

SCHAAN, SLATER & HOUSER Logan Ahern Assistant Editor

433 of 1264 students are enrolled in a music class

Concert Choir

Slater makes own music on YouTube enior Marshal Slater, known by his YouTube fans as Marshal Mateys, started making YouTube videos in 2012. Slater started making music a while before he started posting them to YouTube, experimenting with different beats and ideas.

“I really like music that is chill and relaxed,” Slater said. “I would say that I was really inspired by a chilled vibe.”

Slater’s most popular video “Quest- Mind Games” was created two months ago and reached 719 views, an exceptionally higher than average amount for someone starting as a new YouTuber.

“I try to find pictures that speak to me to go along with the vibe of the song that I mixed,” Slater said. “I use computer software to program beats, instruments and effects to create the best sound.”

A close friend of Slater, senior Jake Erickstad, said that he would consider himself a fan of Slater’s videos.

Erickstad said that Slater has a great deal of talent for producing the unique and intriguing videos on his channel.

“His music is chill and good for listening to if you are studying or just kicking it with some friends,” Erickstad said. “The most interesting aspect about his videos is the time and effort he puts into each one.”

Slater’s promoters make up the majority of the views on his videos. His supporters are able to pick and choose songs for their own separate channels on his channel. “[The relationship] is mutual, my promoters get more views, and on the other hand I as well get to spread my fan base to further spread the word to new fans,” Slater said.

Erickstad thinks that Slater is continuously growing in his skills and talents. Slater works to perfect each of his mixes to create the relaxed and laid back vibe he strives to achieve.

MUSIC EDUCATION ENROLLMENT

Build your band

YOUTUBE: DUBSTEP ARTIST

Logan Ahern

Houser exceeds her own expectations

Choose a label name

Digitaldjtips.com

10 STEPS TO 1

the support of his mother, Kelly Baumgardner, has also played a key role to his success too.

“We all try to be as supportive of his music career as possible. I think all kids need to know that whatever it is they want to do, they have the utmost support from family and friends,” Baumgardner said. “I love it when [Schaan] breaks out his guitar and plays on demand for us at home.

Music really sings to the soul and can connect you with so many feelings.”

Schaan’s love for music sparked from the constant exposure as a child and the influence of Baumgardner’s passion for music as well, as she was also actively a part of music .

“We have always had music playing in the background since before I can remember; while cooking, when we have company and so on. I was always very involved in music as a child as well,” Baumgardner said.

It is clear music will be in Schaan’s future. He plans to attend NDSU for a bachelor’s of arts in music and performing, but is also looking at producing and recording music as well.

“Music gives me a way to express myself,” Schaan said.

“I’m a relatively quiet person. It helps show everyone else how I feel about an emotion or situation that’s been dealt to me.”

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KAT PERKINS Photo by Arimeta Diop

A fourth place finalist on the Voice, Kat Perkins came and performed for the guitar class and sang her song Fearless to show her talents.

Photo by Emily Chadwick

“In our September issue I designed the Double Page Spread (DPS). Three stories were put on the page and I found that they were all related by music and great futures. I decided to centralize my design around that fact and along with each story accompanied with it a picture and alternative copy. To connect each one, I created a black bar with an alt-copy in the middle of the page so readers could find out information regarding music in our school.”

-Printed on Sepember 26th, 2014

design Newspaper Double Page Insert

Karlee Wold:

Logan Ahern

high school

Problem Situations

5 essays - 1 scholarship Essays

yfu.org

STUDY ABROAD

YFC USA

Intercultural Exchange Program

APPLY

$75 non-refundable fee

JAPAN

Cost completely covered 2014 Kikkoman/FCCLA Scholarship

6 week trip

Location

STUDY ABROAD

Kyla Kramer: Anxiety attacks force student

September October

January February

Emily Chadwick Staff Writer

March April May

Transfering Out August

alternatives

individuals where English may not be their first language. Kramer thinks she will fit right in with the diverse population at M-State.

“With any student, personal circumstances always play a role in our success, and the way we achieve it. Sometimes it can be in a student’s best interest to receive their diploma in a different setting, but I do not think it’s a decision that should be made lightly” Kimele said. “I think it’s important for students to know that they can receive a college education whether or not they receive a high school diploma, but that it’s important to make the decision that is best for them.”

year,” Gravel said. “Success isn’t measured here. It is about when is the right time for the student.”

Because it does not have the traditional high school route, CHS science teacher Lisa Foulkes Community senior Lexi Kasowski starts her car worries about the students’ misconceptions. as she wipes tears from her eyes, begging for closure.

“They think ‘it’s just a GED program or a bunch She approaches the high school and heads straight of dropouts,’ but that is not the case,” Foulkes said. for counselor Deb Egge’s room, struggling to hold in “There are a lot misconceptions and once you really the gut wrenching news she just heard. She pours her do know what Community High is really like, then emotions out to Egge explaining that her daughter you know whether it is for you or whether it is not Mariah had passed due to an unfortunate event of for you. When they come here for a couple days and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. realized the work it is not what they expected.”

“When she [Mariah] passed away I stopped Gravel said all students have different situations going to school,” Kasowski said. “When I went to when entering Community. The goal of Community [West Fargo High School] I couldn’t even stay in is to first deal with what class because I would have is happening in the lives of breakdowns, so I went to students, because without Community.”

If there wasn’t a dealing with their situations, Community High Community, I would have they can’t get a quality School (CHS) is an dropped out. education. Foulkes believes that alternative education with Lexi’s situation, CHS is a -Lexi Kasowski, 12 structure compared to that good fit. of a traditional high school.

The students at CHS have “Kids come over here a morning session dedicated to one class and an and they make certain connections with teachers afternoon session dedicated to a different class. The and discuss things with them and you get a chance students are expected to complete a credit every 30 to talk,” Foulkes said. “I feel like over here you get days. a better opportunity to know the students and “At a traditional high school if you think of a the students get to know you as a teacher. That surf wave where the entire class is on the wave, in 18 connection can help bring someone out maybe if they weeks it hits the shore,” Community Principal David Gravel said. “Well, at Community, everyone gets their are in a low spot in their life.”

Kasowski has three and half more credits before own wave. Whereas at a traditional school you might graduating from Community a year earlier than she have fallen off your surf board 17 weeks ago.”

According to Gravel, students attend CHS for would at a traditional high school. Kasowski’s second various reasons. Some students transferring from a baby girl is due on March 22nd and she plans to take a Class B school may not be comfortable in a larger class year off of school to spend time with her. She plans on size and CHS gives them the opportunity to learn in a comfortable atmosphere, while others may be looking attending a four year college in the fall of 2015.

“I am so glad I went,” Kasowski said. “If there to graduate early.

“We’ve had to tweak a few things throughout the wasn’t a Community, I would have dropped out.”

“

November December

to consider alternatives

Brittany Rheault and Logan Ahern Head Editor and Opinion Editor

September October

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in and out of the high school 2012-2013

August

fact that it is almost impossible to make a decent living and have a nice future for yourself,” Hersch said. “Try something else like Community High or talking to your principal or counselor.”

Kramer may have dropped out of high school, but she has made numerous accomplishments in dealing with her circumstances.

“At the time I regretted dropping out just for the fact I am missing out on that high school experience, but I’m happy with how far I’ve come now and it’s not like I could go back anyway,” Kramer said.

Kimele said they have individuals from all different circumstances that apply for their college, such as first- generation college students, veterans, parents, people who work full-time, or even

APPLY

30 minutes total 150 minutes

Community High: Transfering In

“

“

Scholarships

Intercultural Exchange Program

Essay topics: 1 Family Structure 2 Challenges Faced

3

APPLY

Youth For Leadership 1 apply online 2 study abroad 3 scholarships available

Kasowski takes support and explores options to take new route after incident Students transferring

Logan Ahern

change. She went to the STEM Center because it had smaller classes. In high school, she dealt While students come back from winter break with major accounts of anxiety and prepare for finals, Kyla Kramer is prepares to that made it difficult for her do start college. Kramer dropped out of high school go through each day of school, in the ninth grade. Since then she has earned leading up to her decision to drop her GED (General Education Development) and out. is enrolled to start next semester at M-State “When I started at Sheyenne (Minnesota State Community and Technical I started getting really bad College) one and a half years ahead of her anxiety so between that and graduating class. getting harassed every day I just M-State has open enrollment, which means the couldn’t deal with going there admission requires that students have either a high anymore,” Kramer said. school diploma She said the or their GED. fall of sophomore I regretted dropping out just year she started They do not have minimum GPA or for the fact I am missing out online classes, ACT requirements. on that high school experience but it was Laura Kimele is one but I’m happy with how far I’ve expensive and of the enrollment come now. -Kyla Kramer, 12 hard so she managers at decided to get her GED so she M-State. She deals could start college earlier. with admitting students whether they have a high “I felt like I was going to be like every other school diploma or GED. One of her duties is to go freshman kid. And I thought my anxiety was through applicants. normal, until it started getting worse and worse “We view students with their GED the same as and then I knew something was wrong with me,” those who received a high school diploma,” Kimele Kramer said. said. “Students are asked to take either the ACT Although Kramer received her GED, counselor or Accuplacer assessment, which we provide on Julie Hersch believes there are other alternatives our campus, to determine placement for math and students should consider before dropping out of English classes.” high school.

Kramer grew up in a small town with small “I would never ever recommend dropping classes so when she moved here it was a huge out of high school for anyone because I know for a

3

Intercultural Exchange Program

STUDY ABROAD

YFC USA

Essays

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“

from their lives to help you; she has had to get letters of recommendation,” Krissy said. “Karlee is very organized with things like deadlines and commitments, her note taking skills are phenomenal. She is extremely responsible.”

Sophomore Kailee Wallace competed with Wold in the FCCLA national competition last year along with sophomore Ellie Ratchenski in Nashville and ended up winning first.

“I always knew she would be interested in something like that,” Wallace said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn different cultures and be able to experience that.”

Wold said the application process is relatively easy and she is more excited than anything else.

She will find out in April if she has been chosen or not.

“I had to write five essays, one was about my family structure and how my family works and there’s other ones like what’s my favorite activity,” Wold said. “A lot of it was just questions on yourself, like where do I live, all that kind of stuff.”

Krissy is excited for the possibility for her daughter and hopes this experience will be a great moment for her daughter. “[I am feeling] Proud, scared, excited, the whole spectrum would likely get covered at different times.” Krissy said.

YFC USA

Location

months long, but it’s not through FCCLA.” According to the official FCCLA site, each scholarship is worth up to $6,995 and all Sending a child anywhere within the United sophomores and juniors who are in FCCLA are States can be a stressful time for many parents, let able to apply for the scholarship. The scholarship alone overseas. For Krissy Wold, it is no different. covers all bases such as round-trip international “In the beginning we thought she was just travel, placement with a selected host family and joking around,” Krissy regional orientation for said. “Then she started to the recipients and the explain what all is involved I’d get to take Japanese parents. in applying we realized how if I went to Japan, but now “I thought it would serious she is and how much I might be able to go to a be fun and while reading research she had done.” the website I saw how different country.

Sophomore Karlee easy it was, it was just a Wold, Vice President of -Karlee Wold, 10 FCCLA (Family Career quick application, and Community Leaders that got me into it,” Wold of America) has been researching a FCCLA said. “I’ll be able to take orchestra classes and I scholarship sponsored by the Kikkoman might get credits switched and I think it would Corporation and administered by Youth for be a great learning experience. Plus I’d get to take Understanding USA that would allow her to study Japanese if I went to Japan but now I might be able abroad in Japan for six to eight weeks.

“We had our meeting and our president Marisa to go to a different country.”

Krissy, who believes FCCLA is an amazing briefly mentioned it and so I looked it up on the program, is 100 percent supportive of her website and I found the information,” Wold said. daughter’s efforts and believes that she has just as “I’m talking to the administrations right now much a chance as anyone who is applying. because you can apply for multiple scholarships “You need to have people in your life that and only have to pay the $75 fee to apply. So now there’s an Australian one and that one would be six believe in you and are willing to take time

Logan Ahern

application process

FCCLA member takes oppurtunity to study abroad in Japan for six weeks

Nicole Johnson Co-Online Editor

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November December January February March April May

Totals

Logan Ahern

Community High School is one of the high schools offered in West Fargo. Community is located at the Lodoen Community Center at 109 3rd Street East.

Graphic by Logan Ahern

Information from PowerSchool

“In our January issue I designed the Double Page Spread (DPS). Three stories were put on the page and I found that they were all related by alternatives to high school. I decided to centralize my design around that fact and because they were feature stories I wanted giant dramatic pictures of the students. I took the pictures and added alternative information to accompany each story.”

-Printed on January 10th, 2014

design Newspaper Double Page Insert

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Logan Ahern

DEDICATION. DETERMINATION. VOLUNTEER. Dylan Putnam

GET INVOLVED AT WF HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENT COUNCIL

KEY CLUB

“StuCo helps the school by getting students involved and informed about events that are going on in the school and community.”

-Andrew Sather, 12

CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

“Members have the opportunity to choose which organizations to volunteer for and to set up the actual project.”

-Kelly Tran, 12

RENAISSANCE CLUB

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

“Renaissance club rewards students that excel academically but also students that are kind and represent what the school is about.”

-Dorothee Kom, 12

“NHS provides students with opportunities to make a positive impact on the community while meeting new people.”

-Erica Lee, 11

WHAT IS 4-H? Lardy finds passion in 4-H

4-H is the largest youth development program in the U.S. it gives opportunities in communications, leadership, career development, livestock, home improvement and computer technology.

Above: Student council members unpack boxes full of cans at the Fargodome. Below: Junior Taylor Laufenberg hands over her box full of food. The members formed an assembly line for efficency. Photos by Logan Ahern.

Two seniors join the Fill the Dome student board Anthony Peralta Entertainment Editor

F

ill the Dome is a completely student led project that is used to help the less fortunate in the Fargo-Moorhead area by providing food for the needy. For a first time, two members from the West Fargo High School (WFHS) student council, senior Cody Eisenbeisz and Danielle Dube, were a part of the Fill the Dome student board.

"We work together with every high school in the area to gain non-perishable food items,” Dube said.

One of the tasks Eisenbeisz and Dube were given involved spending time working hard to find sponsors and supporters for the project.

Fill the Dome has obtained more than one million meals since the beginning in 2007, and has raised over $400,000 for homeless shelters and support groups. As a

goal, Eisenbeisz and Dube created a plan to obtain the one millionth physical meal from solid donations.

"The main goal in Fill the Dome is to Feed, Teach, and Develop," Dube said. "What this means is that we feed those in need, teach the community about those in need and are less fortunate and develop a community where people are aware of those around who need help."

Eisenbeisz and Dube raised sponsorships for the project along with other ambassadors from schools in the region.

“Many people don't realize how big of an impact this has on the community," Eisenbeisz said.

Fill the Dome has helped the less fortunate for several years, and it would not have been created or organized if it were not for the students who raised donations each year.

"We have realized how big of an impact Fill the Dome has had on the community that we just keep holding it every year, and we plan on keeping it for many more," Dube said.

WHAT ARE THE 4-H’S? HEAD managing, thinking

HEART relating, caring

HANDS giving, working

HEALTH being, living Graphic designed by Logan Ahern. Information from 4-h.org.

Jessica Qian Head Editor

J

aeLyn Lardy grinned as eight-year-old girls ran around on stage, showing off the decorated t-shirt she had sewed with her grandma. That year, JaeLyn made it to state for her 4-H project. JaeLyn has spent more of her life being involved in 4-H than not, starting at six years old and now continuing as a sophomore.

4-H is a national youth development organization that teaches youth leadership, public speaking skills and more by working on projects around the community. The club also provides opportunities to create exhibits and projects that can be submitted to the fair- anything from showing livestock to entering a baked good. JaeLyn is part of the Kindred Sanburrs County 4-H Club.

“Over the years I have grown more passionate about 4-H as it has made me the person I am today; improving my public speaking and making a ton of friends,” JaeLyn said.

“It does kind of make you feel like your voice can be heard because you are impacting what’s being done around the community.”

JaeLyn originally joined the club because her parents and grandparents had been members. As a former member, JaeLyn’s father, Greg Lardy, said being involved in the organization is a great opportunity because it helps youth find new skills, gain self-confidence, leadership skills, public speaking skills and more.

“It allows kids to learn by doing and pick up on some skills that or interest that they might not even know that they had,” Greg said. “I still use the skills that I developed there in the work I do today.”

Another large part of JaeLyn’s experience in 4-H has been her involvement in community service. The club takes part in projects like going to the food bank, collecting money for the salvation army and more.

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Emily Chadwick Online Editor

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DOROTHY DAY HOUSE Dorothy Day House is a food pantry that dedicates time to providing food for families

TOTAL FAMILIES HELPED

Above: Senior Alyssa Flom assists a surgeon removing a gall bladder. Photo submitted by Alyssa Flom.

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children have access to better education due to school partnerships

Logan Ahern

7.9 BILLION

hours are spent volunteering per year on average

$ FUNDRAISING

Above: JaeLyn and Jarret Lardy pose holding ribbons. JaeLyn holds North Dakota State Fair grand champion ribbon for Food Preservation and Jarrett holds Red River Valley Fair grand champion ribbon in Rocketry.

Flom assists surgeon in Guatamala with others

CANS RAISED AT WFHS 2012

“The feeling after you get done with the project is like ‘whoa I just actually helped all those people and it’s crazy,’” JaeLyn said. “I believe that it helps kids develop the skills so that they can get farther in life it’s just an important part of my whole family’s life.”

JaeLyn’s brother, junior Jarrett Lardy, is proud of her accomplishments in 4-H. He also participates in the club and both have learned lifelong skills through 4-H projects, such as cooking, woodworking, photography and more.

“It teaches you just basic skills that you can enjoy in life,” Jarrett said. “She’s learned speaking skills, respect, how to use authority with her office, leadership, hard work and dedication.”

JaeLyn’s involvement in the club was further inspired by some of the older girls in her club to run for the secretary position. JaeLyn has held this position for three years now. “[Her commitment] shows loyalty and respect and those are good things to have when joining any organization,” Jarrett said. “It’s been cool seeing her grow as an adult, as my sister.”

4-H has affected how JaeLyn portrays herself to other people and believes because of it, she is much more confident.

“Without it I feel like I’d be a nervous wreck talking to people and have anxiety but with it I feel as if I’ve become a better leader and learn to not only lead by example but be a good leader with everything I do, because people are always watching you.”

Through 4-H, JaeLyn has learned that the youth can make a difference in the community and the world, and has inspired the younger population to do the same as she has.

“One of the agents wanted me to actually help out with a workshop and teach younger kids how to be secretaries,” JaeLyn said. “That impacted me because it showed me that just because I’m 15 years old, I can still make an impact on people’s lives.”

is the most popular service to volunteer

STATISTICS ON COMMON HOPE 38 homes

&

31 stoves

were built for families who worked

ON (( STATISTICS VOLUNTEERING: ((

160

patients were seen each month

7,080

exams consulted

20,099

enior Alyssa Flom went through many cultural changes when entering Guatemala, but even with the language barriers and different environment changes, she was able to help many individuals there during a medical mission.

Flom went to Guatemala with a group from Perham, Minn. who is associated with the Perham Rotary Club, “We gave surgeries to Guatemalan people for free, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to afford it. They have 'really poor water sources, and also in their houses they have open flames so they get a lot of diseases from it,” Flom said.

“We removed hernias, took off lipomas and removed gall bladders.”

Flom attended Guatemala with her mother, Adrianne Flom, who is an anesthetist. They worked together helping almost 140 patients in the six days they were at the hospital.

“It was a new experience for both of us to experience a third world country and the staggering poverty that is there,” Adrianne said. “I'm very proud of her hard work while she was there, the wisdom she gained from working with other medical professionals. And it was fun to experience this together and see her fascination with a new part of the world.”

Adrianne and Alyssa worked with a group of doctors from Perham who are associated with the Perham Rotary Club.

The leader of this group was Randel Stolee, who has been to Guatemala approximately 10 times to perform surgeries. Each time they go they have a group Partner for Surgery find those who need surgery the most and review their story to confirm the examination.

“We then discuss the planned surgery and get consent through the translators as well,” Stolee said. “We do more pediatric hernia repairs in Guatemala in one week than I do here in five years. Part of the reason may be that most other teams that come down don’t want to do the pediatric surgeries.”

For Adrianne, the trip to Guatemala was something she had wanted to do for a long time so when she was given the opportunity she could not pass it up.

“I believe that God blessed me with the ability to be an anesthetist, and I wanted to give back to people in need,” Adrianne said.

For both Adrianne and Alyssa, this was a life changing experience that will stick with them for a long time.

“It was so nice to wake up every day and do something for someone else we literally had no time to do anything for ourselves you feel everything you’re doing is good and you have no time to be selfish,” Flom said.

filled prescriptions Graphic designed by Logan Ahern. Information from commonhope.org.

70 PERCENT

of highschoolers volunteer their senior year

Photo submitted by Alyssa Flom.

teens are

3 TIMES

more likely to volunteer than adults

“In our December issue I was decided to complete the Double Page Spread (DPS). After receiving three stories, I compiled them on the page and I found that they were all related by volunteer work. I decided to centralize my design around that fact try and connect the school with plenty of alternative information. I wanted to have a dominant image on the top of the page for the readers to be drawn to.”

-Printed on December 5th, 2014

design Newspaper Front Page

thePACKER volume 68.4

1.1.9.15

801 9th St. E West Fargo, ND 58078

VISIT US:

WESTFARGOPACKER.ORG Follow us on Twitter @ThePackerNews Like us on Facebook The Packer Newspaper Follow us on Instagram @WFPackerNews

CENSORED CENSORED

The policies regarding Religious Freedom are questioned rights at West Fargo High are questioned

W

anting a song that would appeal to students, senior Katelyn Johnson suggests to the guitar ensemble class to play the song “Take Me to Church” by Hozier for their winter concert taking place on Jan. 8th. Despite her best intentions, the song was voted down in the final round by the class.

“The song overall has a good message and [gay marriage] is a relevant topic in society now,” Johnson said. “I believe the song is not necessarily about religion and can be interpreted in many different ways.”

Because of the song’s risqué language, guitar teacher Mark Berntson believed before the class decided to vote on the songs they play for the concert they should first consider what the song is really about. Some students, such as Johnson, were upset because Berntson had improperly inserted his opinion and was biased because he was Catholic himself.

“We vote and try the songs that people like the most and then we vote again after we talk about them,” Berntson said. “The lyrics are really specific to what the Catholics do, which was very critical.”

The particular line in the song that stuck out to Berntson the most was “I tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife,” to which he associated with

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

2

attacking Christianity.

“It was hard to get past the idea that I would be singing against my religion,” Berntson said. “I told my students that [the song] could still be an option, it would just make me feel terrible if we did it.”

According to the National Association for Music Education, if a school is to perform music it has to have good music content, be educationally sound and the school would be fine to play the song. Berntson said that he acted on his ethics and wanted to be the voice for the students who may have been thinking the same idea.

Ultimately, Berntson did not have the final decision because the class voted the song out after hearing what he had to say. Johnson raised the question of whether what Berntson did was legally correct or not. Assistant Principal Holly Ripley thinks Religious Freedom in schools is a gray area.

“The school is often a reflection of the society it lives in,” Ripley said. “It may feel like there is something black and white, but the school wants to give the community what it wants.”

The Packer Handbook states under NDCC 14-02.4-01 and federal law that race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability and status with regard to marriage or public assistance are all protected from discrimination. Berntson believed he should protect Christianity because he felt it being attacked.

continued on page 5

erin

DAIGNAULT

iNJURY: 1 concussions TIME MISSED: 3 weeks

OPINION: Innovation Hour ciera

4

NEWS: Matthew Montplasir

5

FEATURE: Madison Miller

12

SPORTS: Akealy Moton

HOLLAND

iNJURY: 3 concussions 3 spinal injuries TIME MISSED: 3+ weeks taylor

ROSENKRANZ

iNJURY: back sprain TIME MISSED: 3 days

CHEERLEADERS & INJURIES Graphic designed by Logan Ahern

second semester finals change.

FINALS: Possible Find the story at: www.westfargopacker.org

RELIGION CONFLICTS BY REGION

LOW

MOD

very

HIGH

HIGH

no

DATA

NUMBER OF COUNTRIES WHERE

RELIGIOUS GROUPS WERE ABUSED CHRISTIANS

2009 107

2010 95

2011 97

2012 111

MUSLIMS

96

91

82

90

JEWS

51

53

63

68

OTHERS

33

34

39

FOLK RELIGIONISTS

24

19

24

26

HINDUS

21

18

11

16

BUDDHISTS

10

11

7

15

TOTAL

152

135

147

160

ReligionNews.com

52

Graphics designed by Logan Ahern

CONCUSSION PAINS: Cheer team loses members to practice injuries Arimeta Diop Online Editor

T

Logan Ahern

(701) 356-2050

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Logan Ahern Assistant Editor

18

he possibility of concussions is a real threat for all athletes. Even those who do not participate in sports commonly known for concussions, such as football, are just as much at risk of suffering from brain injuries due to physical activity.

For cheerleaders, performing athletic routines full of stunts, flips and elements of dance, concussions are an ever present possibility.

Sophomore Erin Daignault, who is currently on the varsity squad and a cheerleader for the past two years, has had an experience with concussions despite not being the one in the air. She was a base at the back of the formation when she was injured.

“I feel that it’s more the bases in the back that get concussions than the flyers unless someone drops them,” Daignault said. “When I got my concussion, [senior Annie Mattern] fell on me and I caught her, but my head hit her in the back.”

However, after catching her teammate Daignault fell and hit her head on Mattern’s back again. Upon going to see athletic trainer Tom Peterson, she was given an evaluation typical for athletes who were possibly suffering from a concussion..

“The first thing that we have to do is evaluate the symptoms,” Peterson said. “If [athletes] are symptomatic they need to rest; that means no telephone,

no computers, no reading. As little brain stimulation as possible needs to be done until the symptoms improve.”

Daignault was advised not to participate in practice or any other strenuous activity for the rest of the day.

She and her mother followed that advice and then visited a doctor for an official diagnosis.

“I had a minor concussion so I missed school here and there,” Daignault said. “In the beginning of the day I’d be okay, but when it got closer to the end of the day I would have really bad headaches from reading and then I would have to just go home because I couldn’t handle it.”

For senior Ciera Holland the experience of having concussions was more extreme as she had to stop participating in cheer altogether despite it being a true passion for her.

“Leaving [cheer] was probably the hardest thing I had to do, but after three concussions my doctors told me I am no longer allowed to play or do any physical sport ever again,” Holland said. “Anything that could cause me to get another concussion is out of the question.”

Due to her multiple injuries, including two sprains to her neck, Holland has had migraines for the past year. Similar to Daignault, this consistent discomfort lead to her missing school, but on a greater scale as her injuries were more severe.

continued on page 5

Follow @ThePackerNews on Twitter for the updated finals schedule during finals week.

“I was presented the opportunity to design the front page of the newspaper because I had the main story on the page. My main concept was to have a large headline and picture to pull the readers in. I had the goal to make it mysterious, but informative.

I would say that I was highly successful because the day after printing everyone was trying to get a copy of the newspaper.

It was a new experience for me because when designing the front page I have to be aware of page jumps and to make everything extra appealing.

The front page is one of the most important because it is one of the first impressions a reader gets from the paper.”

-Printed on January 9th, 2015

design Newspaper Inside Page

19

Logan Ahern

Apple Top 10 Free Apps Spiderman

Amazing Thief

Graphics by Logan Ahern

Facebook Messenger

Yik Yak Share thoughts privately

Observe other schools anywhere Yik Yak finds a phones location and projects “Yaks” within a 10 mile radius. Below is how it gives the radius for NDSU.

Bicolor

Instagram

Free Music Download

TwoDots

f

Facebook

Snapchat

New campus geared app takes the charts despite controversy Logan Ahern Assistant Editor

S

ocial media flourishes from the teen generation: people posting a plethora of pictures on Facebook and Instagram and “tweeting” their everyday thoughts.

What most social media websites have unfortunately become are a gateway for teen expression and teen angst. While it is perfectly acceptable for users to express themselves, some are not doing it in the healthiest way, and the new app “Yik Yak” provides yet another segue for teens to anonymously post their opinions and feelings without knowing the ramification it generates.

While it is being used for the wrong reasons, Yik Yak is a creative app in itself. When downloaded, the application reads the location of the person and shows anonymous posts from other users within a 10-mile radius. After posting a “Yak,” a user can view postings and give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down rating. The rating system helps establish which posts are popular and filter out the ones people view as inappropriate or not to their taste.

Yik Yak was developed in November of 2013 by Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington who both graduated from Furman University in Greenville, SC. Since, the app has received more than 500,000 downloads in the Android market and made it on the top 10 apps in the Apple store.

Unlike Twitter, where people cannot post anonymously, Yik Yak provides a safe outlet for anyone to post what they think. This is what is most dangerous about the app because no one actually knows the original person posting. The main controversy associated with the app is the perception that it fosters a network for cyber-bullying and spreading hateful

messages. While this is a concern, most “Yaks” that have a negative message end up getting removed because so many users “down vote” the post.

The new social media offers a fun and creative way for people to communicate. The app actually has emphasizes life on college campuses and because of that, a majority of posts are from college students. “Yaks” can offer helpful advice, light funny comments to make people's day or the the locations to parties, which can be an unsettling idea for most adults.

The North Dakota State University (NDSU) campus has heavily adopted this app and posts are updated by the second.

“Yakkers” can scroll through the funny and interesting thoughts of a majority of people on campus while some may be unpleasant. The positive outcome from the Yik Yak app is that “Yaks” are often humorous and people constantly make positive comments on how a certain post actually made his/ her day.

Because Twitter does not offer “tweeters” a way to be anonymous, because Facebook and Instagram seem to focus heavily on photography and because SnapChat does not let a whole community see snaps, Yik Yak offers the best of all the sites. Users can be content posting in secret and still say what they want to say.

The most unfortunate outcome of most applications is how the users abuse it. Instead of blaming the applications for causing violence or bullying, people should admire the hard work and positive outcomes social media has to offer.

Unfortunately, people will find a way to abuse the power of being anonymous on Yik Yak, but the app should not take fault for the wrong actions of others. Yik Yak is new, fresh and everyone should download it to read the interesting events going on in their area.

‘SIMS 4’ computer game sets the bar

Into the Lake: The Pre-Flight Jessica Qian Head Editor

A

fter more than two years of working on small recording projects and writing music combinations together, Robert Biglow, Michael Carter, Lucas Rutten and Christopher Iverson began officially recording their music at the MSUM music studio. Without realizing it, the four had became a band: Into the Lake.

Within months, the college students developed their first EP, The Pre-Flight, and an established sound with it that takes a typical band years to develop. With just five tracks, Into the Lake hooks in listeners and leaves them longing for more of its elemental combination of alternative and folk.

The EP begins with two dynamic instrumental tracks.

The two songs set the tone for the EP: “The Intro” with an airy and mysterious ambiance and “We Are Not Machines” with a warmer and more upbeat tune.

Colored with gentle instrumentals and silvery vocals, the third track, “Rivers,” brings a strong folk touch into the album. The instrumentals evoke the feeling of sun streaming into a room and reach perfect equilibrium with the vocals, neither overpowering the other. As the main vocalist, Biglow’s resonant and distinctive tone rings in the air, reminiscent of the lead vocalists of Mumford and Sons or Bon Iver. Time slows down as the song progresses and it seems as if the line “just like your veins we are both intertwined” is sung straight into the soul.

“The Pre-Flight” is a definite standout in the EP, made evident in the first five seconds of the song. Starting as a simple yet beautiful one instrument melody, it builds up and layers in several instruments tactfully, gaining momentum with each one. The quick tempo then slows down for expressive lyrics that make you feel like you have “never felt so much peace in once place.” The instrumentals and vocals are effortlessly delivered, and flow together entirely. Each note goes exactly where your ears did not know they wanted to go, but wanted to go, and all spirits are lifted as Biglow “[finds] his way back home.”

At only 1:50, “So The Echoes Don’t Forget Us” closes off Into the Lake’s freshman EP. It adds a dark intensity to a simple melody that is sure to bring listeners back and back again. Added into the background of the haunting melody is the sound of a crackling fire, which escalates as the song goes on and rings clear by the end. The cracking brings a certain old-time quality to “So The Echoes Don’t Forget Us” that makes the song feel even more real and genuine.

Like the titles of its songs, The Pre-Flight brings a unique twist to old ideas; modernizing folk music with hints of alternative. Each of the songs possess a certain familiarity that mix with its indie elements to create a very peaceful and authentic sound. From its unplugged, honest quality of instrumentals and vocals to its original lyrics, Into the Lake embodies what the FM music scene should aspire to sound like.

Anthony Peralta Staff Writer

T Photos submitted by Lucas Rutten

BAND MEMBERS ROBERT BIGLOW

Vocalist - age 21 From St. Paul, MN

MICHAEL CARTER Guitar - age 21 From Huron, SD

CHRIS IVERSON Drums - age 22 From Huron, SD

LUCAS RUTTEN Bass - age 21 From Bismarck, ND

hey say you only live once, but what if you could live hundreds of times and experience life in many different perspectives, now in “Sims 4” you can. The newest EA game, Sims 4, has taken the famous Sims series to a new standard. From the faster gameplay, to the new player editing tools, this game is one to check out.

In “Sims 4”, you start out by making your avatar like any other Sims game, but this time EA took it up a few notches.

You can now add personality to your Sim by using the personality generator to fit your own personality in real life.

Along with that, you no longer are restricted to the simple slide bar to adjust your Sim’s body. Now you have a tool to adjust any feature in any way you would like to make the most realistic version of yourself to give you the most realistic Sims experience.

While playing the game there was something different about it. The artificial intelligence in the characters are more clever compared to the old games. One would rarely find the sims stuck in walls, or walking in a circle for hours. The separate characters, along with the ones gamers create, are more realistic with their reactions to the environment.

Along with the gameplay, the design is incredibly clean cut with it’s graphics and brighter colors compared to the previous games in the series. This may mean there could be a better and more realistic game coming out in the future.

Unfortunately, there are a few bugs. A major issue that is constantly occurring, is that the icons to select a few of the items will not work. Even when all the requirements are fulfilled, the icons will not properly respond to the command.

This is very frustrating, but according to EA they will patch up the issue in the next update.

The “Sims 4” is an incredible game to play solo or with friends. Time really flies while playing it, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fun gameplay and interactions with other characters. It is a truly remarkable sequel to one of the greatest simulation game series ever developed.

BAND FACTS RECORDING Recorded at Dragon Studios in Moorhead, MN

SONGS

All songs produced by Daniel Rasmussen

MEDIA

457+ FB Likes 96+ Twitter followers

MCT

“For our Entertainment page in our October issue I wrote a review on an app called Yik Yak. To accompany it I created 10 graphics of apps in the Apple market. The page design is evenly spaced with a dominant story and full of eye-pleasing graphics. Pictures and designs are properly credited and stories all have their bylines.”

-Printed on October 31st, 2014

design Newspaper Inside Page Obamacare: Uninsured under Obamacare by employment (in millions) information from www.washingtonpost.com

17.6

employed

15.5

2.7

4.4

0.4

0-17

18-44 45-64

65+

Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT

TV: cont. page 1

Speech team rebuilds in hope of successful year:

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Bailey Johnson Staff Writer

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feedback for revision, note taking, [and] access to information and many resources,” Bertsch said.

With these new 21st century skills being implemented in the classroom, Bertsch said that the students can be more organized and efficient in the classroom.

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“As teachers and students transition to having access to a personal learning device, the top benefits thus far are organization, collaboration and communication with Google Apps for Education [makes] it fluid for students to share work with teachers and receive

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21 Century: cont. page 1

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“

Speech is for everyone.

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w

You get to improve on aspects you do every day."

Breen said the benefit of being The West Fargo High School speech involved in a team like speech is that team will be entering a rebuilding it enhances skills students will use in stage as they kick off the 2013-14 year. everyday life and in the future.

Last year, the team consisted mostly "Every career path is in some way of seniors and the coaches, English tied to skills you can learn in speech teachers Mindy Moon, Jennifer Kruger club. At some point in your life, you and assistant coach Molly Siegert. have to speak in front of people whether This year, ELL teacher you’re working at the front Dakota Breen and desk of a hotel, becoming English teacher Kate a teacher, or running for Amundson have taken congress," Breen said. on the role to coach the According to the -Speech coach Dakota Breen team. Amundson was International Speech formerly a speech coach official website, how to in Hillsboro before she came to West catch people’s attention, how your body Fargo. language conveys messages, how to think “There are a lot less people involved,” on your feet, and even how to make returning speech member, junior Neeraj people laugh and cry simply by voice expression are just some of the skills Advani said. “Last year the team was students gain in speech. basically senior-based.”

The speech team seeks to help "Speech is for everyone. There are over ten different events in speech so students develop their communication everyone can find one or two that they skills in both oral and written English are comfortable doing. There are even through such activities as oratorical contests, essay writing contests, debates, humorous and serious duos you can perform with a friend," Breen said. play fests and seminars on journalism.

The first speech informational "I think the idea scares people,” meeting will be at 8:15 a.m. or 3:45 p.m.

Amundson said. “It is a lot of fun though. in room 105G Nov. 19th.

q

“It’s always a possibility [to lose channels] when the programmers make demands for extreme higher rates, we negotiate hard as well because we believe that it’s in the best interests of our customers. I’m quite sure that eventually, these problems will be resolved,” Simmons said.

English teacher Toni Nelson had never liked Cable One, but has no other cable options in Fargo other than satellite networks and has been waiting for Midcontinent to move to Fargo for over two years.

“I’ve told [Cable One] repeatedly that as soon as Midcontinent comes to Fargo, they will find all of their equipment on the boulevard and they can come pick it up,” Nelson said.

Simmons and his colleagues have heard the requests from Fargo and are considering moving to Fargo.

“We know the value of Fargo, how important that community is and it is certainly something that we are talking very seriously about, but we have not yet made any commitments,” Simmons said.

Though customers are disappointed about Cable One’s agreements with Turner, Geston believes they have been mostly supportive overall.

“We’ve been getting complaints,” Geston said. “I wouldn’t say it’s insurmountable, there haven’t been a lot, but those people who have called in are supportive of our situation and the fact that we’re taking a stand to fight for lower rates.”

On the other hand, Nelson is dissatisfied with how the cable situation has worked out so far.

“It’s going to make my life unbearable,” Nelson said. “I have a three year old that loves Cartoon Network, especially the “How to Train Your Dragon” television show. It’s been really difficult for me as a parent to explain to him why, on Thursday nights, because he now knows what day Thursday is, that we can’t watch ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ It is upsetting my family balance.”

Meanwhile, Cable One strives to make its customers happier about the temporary loss of the popular channels by previewing new networks similar to the old networks so customers still have content on most of the lost channels.

“We don’t believe that this is going to be permanent,” Geston said. “The extent of the duration of this could continue for a while, and we have already placed three preview networks, new networks on a couple of the open slots so people can at least have some content there.”

a

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not in labor force 7.9 ed ploy unem

No one could cross a room Oct. 1st without hearing or seeing the words “Government Shutdown” buzzing around them. The reason behind the shutdown was a disagreement between the Democratic and Republican parties in an effort to carry out or stop the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly coined as “Obamacare.” After more than three years, the set of health reforms is being put into action.

On a minor scale, the hotly debated ACA will appear in everyday life, from stumbling across the calorie count on a chain restaurant’s menu, to parents providing their children with now 26 years of coverage under their health care plan. However, on a major scale it will only affect certain types of businesses. According to The Washington Post, 80 percent of Americans will hardly be affected.

Among the 80 percent not affected by the ACA are the employees at The Shack, a restaurant on It ends up Broadway. This business has less than 50 employees and will not have to face the ACA directly. The only costing the commitment that The Shack owner Tanya Bale, had taxpayers more to make was to send a letter to her employees by Oct. 1st letting them know The Shack was not providing money in the long health insurance and how to find the health care run. market.

“I’m a small, small business, I have less than 24 -History teacher Thomas Rakoczy employees and I only have five full-time employees so it doesn’t affect me at all in the sense that I don’t have to worry about paying health care for any of my employees because I don’t qualify,” Bale said. “If I were a multi-chain restaurant, if I was bigger and in multiple locations, then I can see where it would keep me from hiring more full-time employees because health care is a big expense to pay.”

While Bale feels lucky her business is not under the ACA, said the plan is not a “fix-all,” she understands the difficulty facing other businesses.

“They may make cutbacks in other areas like raises or promotions or vacation time and things like that,” Bale said. “[If] their health care expense is going to go up tremendously because they have to provide health care for their full-time employees now, they’re going to find a way to pay for it and it will mean they’re going to make cuts more than likely in other areas.”

An employee at The Shack, Bale’s daughter junior Shelby Wilhelm, falters to understand the reasoning behind the ACA. While she is still under her parent’s insurance, she thinks she would get her own health insurance after age 26, instead of relying on her employer.

“Health insurance is a good thing to have, but it should be an independent thing,” Wilhelm said. “It shouldn’t be up to the employers to provide it. I feel it should be up to the employee to get health insurance.”

U.S. History and Government teacher Thomas Rakoczy is certain America needs health care reform, but doubts that the ACA is the answer. “[If] you take a look at the history of the federal government, you’ll discover that every time we get our hands into an issue, we make more of a mess of it,” Rakoczy said. “And Obamacare, we’re not talking a small program. When it’s all said and done, it will be one of the largest government run programs in the United States history. It ends up costing the taxpayers more money in the long run.”

Though Rakoczy does not think it is important to know a great deal about Obamacare as a teacher, but he believes that government officials should have given the policies a more in-depth look.

“The actual bill itself was over a couple thousand pages in which by the way, should be noted not every member of congress took the time to read the bill,” Rakoczy said.

Rakoczy is not positive what affects the ACA may have on businesses, but does not believe that it will affect them positively.

“I’m not sure as to some of the details of the plan that may have an adverse effect on businesses because I’m not a businessman, but I know that [Obama has] already exempted some businesses from the plan,” Rakoczy said. “Some corporations have already been exempt from Obamacare, so that should tell you that it’s not necessarily good for business.”

Several gas stations are also unaffected by the ACA because they already provide health insurance. Although the gas station RJ’s Conoco does not come under the umbrella of the ACA, the General Manager of RJ’s Conoco, Dave Olsen, still considers the negative affect the ACA will have on other businesses.

“I would say that it is probably going to curtail hiring a small business that would want to hire full-time employees,” Olsen said. “They’re going to make it part time work and not increase hiring because every time they hire someone it’s going to cost them more.”

The ACA may not be the solution to America’s issues, especially for small businesses, but companies are making the best of what they have.

“I know that there are companies that are making changes that are finding other options for themselves and providing insurance for their employees because my husband works for a big company here in town so yes, they’re already sending us letters about another option for us and stuff like that,” Bale said. “Good companies, smart companies are looking at their options.”

f

Uninsured under Obamacare by age (in millions)

Logan Ahern

Jessica Qian Co-Assistant Editor

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acquires doubtful opinions

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Graphic by Logan Ahern

“The tablets are a tool that enhances the awareness and development of the 21st Century Skills,” Bertsch said. “Often the focus is on the device, rather how the teacher and students use the device. Ultimately, the teacher is the primary 1-1 device.”

“For a news page that I was assigned., I was given very little information and no pictures to work with. I had to research information on Obamacare to create eye-pleasing graphics that were informative. I used the website MCTCampus to find a picture of Obama to accompany the story.

Another hurdle that I had to deal with was the jumps from the front page so constant communication with my head editor was needed.”

-Printed on October 10th, 2013

design Yearbook Front Cover

21

Logan Ahern

'15

WEST FARGO HIGH SCHOOL

1

“As a Yearbook editor I had the opportunity to design the front cover. To remain cost-effective I wanted to come up with a simplistic design. The theme of the Yearbook this year is “undivided” and using the hand I wanted to represent how we are strong together. When people first look at the cover they can understand immediately what the theme is and therefore it is effective in its purpose.”

-To be published June 2015

design Yearbook Divider Spread

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Logan Ahern

court was announched so I felt really awkward."

braDy heisler: "I had to go to Tip Top Tux to buy our tuxes and I went with Jake Hoy."

loGan ahern: "I was late for school the day the

chocolate bar to see if there was a golden ticket."

coDy lien: "It was an honor and felt like a dream to be nominated."

Jacob hoy: "My favorite part was opening the

experience that we will cherish forever."

helped me realize the fears I have overcome."

coDy eisenbeisz: "Winning homecoming kind of

MaDeline schatz: "It was fun to bond beforehand and get breakfast with everyone before pictures."

Marcus Wohl: "Coronation was a breathtaking

to use her Prom dress because I loved it."

it all with a great group of people."

ashley eisenbeisz: "I asked my friend Carley Rortvedt

ashley GreenlunD: "My favorite part was experiencing

me so I was so excited I got to do it with her."

with them just made it that more memorable."

isabel Waite: "Danielle Dube was called right before

14

14

bryce lanGeruD: "Being able to share this moment

Danielle Dube: "I was with 11 other individuals who are the greatest people at WFHS you will ever meet."

Homecoming From top left to bottom : showing their school spirit, pep band plays loudly the for the student audien ce. The Homecoming football game took place on Sept.

19th. Photo

by Logan Ahern. running the down the field, senior ball Isaiah Helland-Davis escape s grip of the other team. the The team played Grand Forks Red River. Photo by Logan Ahern. dancing to the music, senior McKayla Campagna scream s with the audience. The Homec oming dance immediately followed the game. Photo by Natalie Zupan. being tackled, senior Anthony Nichols struggles to keep hold of the ball. The game ended 37-7. Photo

by Logan Ahern.

The West Fest Parade

From top to bottom : Marching down the road, the pep band follows the crowd.

On Sept.

20, the West Fest parade took place. Photo by Sierra Balster. having to deal with the rain, the Packatahnas team keeps smiling during their routine despite the weathe r. The parade route started at the Lodoen Center and went along Sheyenne Street. Photo by Sierra Balster. leading the softball float, senior Irene Astran looks at the audien ce. Each float crew threw candy to the crowd.

Photo by Sierra Balster.

Theme: Hats off

to West Fargo - City of the Year Date: Septemb ! er 20th Time: 1:00-3:00 Location: Shey enne Street Floats from the school: Cheer team Packatahnas, Homecoming cour , Pep Band, JROTC, Softball, Theater, Soccer, t and Key Club Football,

Homecoming Design by Logan Ahern

“As an editor for the Yearbook, I was given the specific task to design a special Yearbook spread featuring the events of Homecoming week. The page has a focus of the dominant image being the student crowd picture that I took at our Homecoming game. On the left side was a feature on the Homecoming court designed in a creative, tasteful way. The page itself features 20 people, not including the crowd.�

-Created on Sepember 28th, 2014 - to be published May, 2015

15

design Yearbook Divider Spread

23

Logan Ahern

96 Prom Design by Logan Ahern

The Dance 1. Dancing to the music, students enjoy their Prom experience. The dance started right after Grand March and lasted until midnight.

Photo by Arimeta Diop 2. Talking together as a slow song plays, prom-goers continue to sway.

Along with dancing, students had the option to buy concessions and go out in the courtyard. Photo

by Arimeta Diop. 3. Doing the Cupid Shuffle, the group kicks their feet in sync with the music. This song brought the entire commons together as well as the Electric Slide. Photo by Arimeta Diop.

1

2

The Process of Setting up Prom

3

The Dance

“I was helping Cassidy Nelson and Jenaya Wentz hang a banner in the commons. My favorite part was meeting new people."

Stephanie Krogen, 11

1

Grand March

Decorations

“I thought the tables looked a little boring so a few of us ran to the store to buy confetti and beads to put on the tables at the dance."

“We really wanted to bring that Gatsby glam and create an atmosphere for people to remember."

Haley Hugelen, 11

Olivia Gravel, 11

Prom Committee Members 2014 Leyla Bakir, Anna Baumgartner, Gift Ben-Bernard, Kelsey Bishoff, Cayenne Dextader, Suzy Dullum, Mia Duncan, Cody Eisenbeisz, Ashley Eisenbeisz, Delaney Faiman, Brandi Fladland, Olivia Gravel, Ashley Greenlund, Danielle Haekenkamp, Sam Heinen, Nicole Heinen, Makayla Henricks, Haley Hugeren, Kennedy Kraft, Stephanie Krogen, Tabitha Miller, Jessica Mullenberg, Cassidy Nelson, Tara Peters, Nick Prius, Mandi Rakoczy, Karly Randash, Erica Rene, Cora Riehl, Carley Rortvedt, Madeline Schatz, Alyssa Smith, Mackenzie Ste. Marie, Izzy Waite and Jenaya Wentz 2

The Walk 1. Walking through the doors, juniors Daniel Asp and Yesenia De Leon are greeted by a cheering crowd. Couples were given a card and were called by the color they had instead of the number listed. Photo by Elizabeth Vallejo 2. Struggling to go through the door, juniors Alecia Diede and Lawrence Cronin go through the decorations.

The theme for Prom was “Roaring 20's" so most of the gym was decorated in gold. Photo by Elizabeth Vallejo. 3. Not having dates, juniors Jessica Morris and Cheyenne Cole walk as a girl group. There were multiple other girls who also followed suit.

Photo by Arimeta Diop. 4. After a long wait, junior Mckenzie VanHorne and senior Broc Beyers hold arms as they walk the diamond pattern on the floor. To save time, the Prom committee marked four specific places for couples to stop. Photo by Elizabeth Vallejo.

4

By the Numbers 326 Couples Marched 1 of every 2 students went How many times have you been in Grand March?

56% One Time 35% Two Times 6% Three Times 3% Never Been

3

Grand March

“I had the opportunity to create four spreads for the 2013-2014 Yearling Yearbook,, this spread being my favorite. I took the change of using a dominant black color as the background so that the pictures would be able to pop out of the page even more. I also did a poll of 100 students who went to prom so that I could get as much student voice as I could.”

-Created on May 5th, 2014 - published June, 2014

design The Packer Website

24

Logan Ahern

“During my sophomore year I was quickly introduced to The Packer Website and continuing into my Junior year I was frequently uploading content once to three times a day. During the summer going into my senior year I wanted to give the webstie a revamp because we were receiving up to 500 viewers a day. The top of the website features a bar with the most updated breaking news story to catch audiences eyes. The website was designed to be navigated easily.�

-www.westfargopacker.org -Pictured on January 27th, 2015

I developed a QR Code that was on the front page of the newspaper and on posters around the school so students could scan it and be directed to our website.

design The LAP Website

25

Logan Ahern

“Just recently I was hired by a non-profit organization, the Lake Agassiz Pacers (LAP), for race photography, graphic design and to redesign their website.

Inititally they had a very unorganized webpage but I converted it using the wordpress program to make a more user friendly site. Thousands of runners in the State of North Dakota come to the LAP website to find races and to become a member.

The website is still in its first drafts but as the administrator and designer of the site I have made it user friendly and appealing to the eye .�

-fmlakeagassizpacers.com -Pictured on January 27th, 2015

photography School Photography

“One of my first passions that I discovered when joining newspaper was photography. Since joining, I have shot over 40 school related photo assignments. Events that I have shot include chemistry labs, graduation, school plays, pep rallys, concerts and more. Through the years, I have demonstrated and emmense knowledge in the rule of thrids, limited and over exposed lighting, difficult angles and unique angles. One of my favorite pictures is the graducation one above. I asked my school principal prior to graduation if I would be able to go on state when the class spearker went to give his speech. I was able to do so and caputre an unforgettable moment that was used in the yearbook. Some of the above photos are now hanging up in the school office as well.�

-Photos taken by Logan Ahern spanning from August 2012 to January 2015

26

Logan Ahern

photography Sports/Action Photography

27

Logan Ahern

“One of my favorite aspects of sports/action photography is capturing emotion. In most of my football photos above, emotion is clearly captured in the faces of the students. Through my years I have attended more than 30 sporting events that I have captured moments at and then uploaded them to the Packer Website, showing the real world journalism skills that I possess. I also have had the pleasure to take pictures of two Lake Agassiz Pacer races. I ended up editing around 100 pictures from each event, embroidered their logo for advertising on each picture and uploaded them the same day. Each album has over 6,500 views meaning a great amount of people have seen my photography.�

-Photos taken by Logan Ahern spanning from August 2012 to January 2015

photography Portrait Photography

28

Logan Ahern

“I own a Nikon D7100 camera and with it I have taken senior pictures for 10 people and have taken couple and family pictures as well. Portrait photography is one of my favorite types of photography because I get to work individually with the subject of the photos. In the few years I have been doing senior pictures, I have developed an immense knowledge in leading lines, rule of thirds, unique angles and certain lighting situations. In each of my photos I embroider my logo “LA Photography” to copyright them as my own. Through this business, I have been paid and asked to do multiple photoshoots in the future.”

-Photos taken by Logan Ahern spanning from September 2012 to November 2014

videography Anchoring

29

Logan Ahern

“Our High School has a broadcast program, West Fargo Packer TV, and since sophomore year I have anchored in more than 20 broadcasts that have been aired to the 1,500 students in our school. In this experience I started as an amatuer and then perfected reading from a teleprompter and can usually read my announcements in only one take. Anchoring was the first time I was exposed to Broadcast journalism.�

-Top: http://www.useducationtv.com/default.aspx?sid=10282#15a501b3d7634042b7543201f764b72b_0

-Middle: http://www.useducationtv. com/default.aspx?sid=10282#e655db851190499da29ae1a4cd62e08b_0

-Bottom left: http://www. useducationtv.com/default. aspx?sid=10282#130965a36ee746498262aa912b48eff0_0

-Bottom right: http://www.useducationtv.com/default.aspx?sid=10282#-

4f5a58b693d44dc3adfd1eddb1a7af2a_0

-More at: www.wfhspackertv.com

videography News Package

30

Logan Ahern

“To report on the Student Council going to state, I traveled with the group and filmed them at the competition. I created the package and learned how to use Adobe PremirePro in the process. This was my first package I ever created and gave me a taste of reporting broadcast journalism. Through creating the package I learned how to conduct interviews, set up a tripod, use the camera and find unique shots. My favorite shot of the package was an overview of the competition room that displayed how crazy the event was and how many were involved.�

-Aired on December 19th, 2014 -Watch: http://www.useducationtv.com/default.aspx?sid=10282#5be2e3df10ce49a9a20f809bacd446ca_0

videography Feature Package

31

Logan Ahern

“After discovering the potential I had in Broadcast journalism, I decided to do a feature on a student who competes in snowboarding competitions. To tell this story I had to drive to Detroit Lakes, North Dakota to film her snowboarding. This time after learning from my mistakes in my first package I conducted all of my interviews with a scenic background and at the location itself. I also took part in a stand up to add more to the package as a whole. Through creating this package, I learned how to better use Adobe PremirePro and a thorough understanding of broadcasting.�

-Aired on January 30th, 2015 -Watch: http://www.useducationtv.com/default.aspx?sid=10282#8b75e4145b2f4841a390aecf9d0785eb_0

multimedia Podcasting

32

Logan Ahern

“During my sophomore and junior year, the Packer Newspaper did weekly podcast every Thursday called ‘Wednesdays with Wyatt.’ I personally took part in a few and it proved to be an interesting expereince. It was hard to talk and come up with answers in a completely unscripted setting. After each recording, I uploaded the podcasts to YouTube and posted them on the website. In this particular podcast I polled 400 students in the school regarding the topic of our administration deciding whether or not switch to skinny or block scheduling.”

-Aired on February 20th, 2013 -Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30x5Pbz8ObQ -More: ThePackerNewspaper Youtube Channel

multimedia Twitter

33

Logan Ahern

“Currently, I am in control of three twitter accounts: The Packer Newspaper, Exprimere Literary Magazine and The Lake Agassiz Pacers Official. Using the Packer Newspaper account, I have tweeted live game updates for over 20 sporting events. Last year I had a goal of finally gaining 1,000 followers, and through major advertising and constant game updates, we reached 1,000. After uploading stories to the website, I tweet the links to the public that link directly to the website. This gains viewers to the site and pulls in more readers.�

-Tweets ranging from April 24th, 2013 -Follow: @ThePackerNews, @WFHS_Exprimere and @LakeAgPacers

multimedia The Packer Weekly

34

Logan Ahern

“Every other week the Packer Newspaper submits an article to be possibly featured in a local newspaper, The West Fargo Pioneer. My stories have been published in the newspaper and now reside on the offical Pioneer website for anyone to view. I have since been able to have three more stories have been printed.�

-Published between April 2014-October 2014 -View: www.westfargopioneer.com and search Logan Ahern

3

most common methods Firearms 45%

3rd leading cause of death among youth

Suffocation 40%

multimedia Business Marketing Poisoning 8%

35

Each year,

157,000

youths are treated for self-inflicted injuries

Approximately

4,600

81%

of deathes are male, and

19%

are female

lives lost each year

Stephanie Goetz Mental Wellness Initiative drives student leadership Logan Ahern Opinion Editor Sitting in Starbucks on Main Avenue, senior Dylan Putnam jots down notes for the Stephanie Goetz Mental Wellness Initiative (SGMWI) meeting as the group brainstorms how to plan their next project. As secretary of the Student Board, this is one of Putnam’s many tasks, including creating notes for each meeting and distributing them.

On Aug. 11th, 2002 Valley News Live anchor Stephanie Goetz lost her brother Cameron to suicide and after in the fall of 2012, she approached her friend Abby Tow for advice.

“Stephanie realized that she had a platform to speak,” Tow said. “She launched the foundation to provide students and teachers resources needed to remove barriers to care for student mental health.”

Tow originally met Goetz when she was a freelance photographer for Area Woman Magazine and the two became friends. After, Tow ended up on the founding board for the foundation and later became a full time Executive Director for SGMWI in April of 2013.

A foundation Board Member came up with an idea to create a board of student leaders, because they believed that the foundation was for the students and was all about the students.

“The student board is in the schools to help erase the stigma of mental illness and provide their family and their friends and their peers information about mental illness and how to be healthy and create a culture of support in their schools,” Tow said.

The student board is composed of 12 students including six from West Fargo: juniors Kelsey Bishoff, Danielle Dube, Tailor Rudolph, Skyler Stoner, Isabel Waite and senior Putnam.

Tow is blown away by the passion and resilience the student board showcases for the foundation.

“It is totally refreshing to me to be surrounded by such amazing people,” Tow said. “Many of society’s great changes

and breakthroughs have been because of youth driven movements.”

Junior Skylar Stoner, vice president of the student board, joined the movement after the loss of sophomore Tessa Miller and junior MacKenzie Walkin in December 2012.

“We wanted to help after Tessa and MacKenzie last year and we felt that there were other people who had some of the same troubles,” Stoner said. “It really helps students get the resources that they need.”

Including Stoner, Bishoff and Waite joined after the passing of their fellow classmates.

“I saw the affect that depression really has on teens, especially last year,” Waite said. “It really hits home for us to make an impact.”

The three students were introduced to the program through counselor Julie Hersch after they approached her with ideas to improve the school.

“We felt that [administration] didn’t know what to do or how to go about it and we wanted something to happen,” Waite said. “We needed a connection somehow and then Hersch connected us with Stephanie. It was like two pieces of a puzzle fitting perfectly together.”

To raise awareness for the organization, the student committee is putting together an all men’s volleyball tournament on Feb. 10th, 2014 at North High School. The event is a community-wide action project and stresses heavily the idea of “Imagine Thriving,” to create awareness of the stigmas that are attached to mental illnesses.

“Mental illness is no different than any physical disease and people need to understand that,” Tow said.

During the tournament, Goetz will be speaking to the audience about what is going on in each of the schools and promoting her “Imagine Thriving” campaign.

“It is about taking people who are in a moment of stress and makes them stop for a second and think about how they would feel if they were thriving,” Tow said. “We really want kids to know that there is always somewhere to turn for help.”

Pipeline explosion: cont.

“I think it was a good wake-up call for us knowing that our energy supplies are somewhat dependent on weather and other conditions,” Diemert said. “[I]t just shows that everything affects us too.

I think we’ve kind of been spoiled by how nice it’s been for us. It’s 20-below zero and I can walk through the school and see people wearing t-shirts.”

Even though people might be “spoiled,” according

to Diemert, Nisbet sees a community quick to help out people in need.

“This is a time when the media actually played a big role in getting the message out to people, so we appreciated their help and the end result,” Nisbet said. “The customers got the message, turned down the heat, and we got through a pretty touchy situation with the help of the customers.”

Logan Ahern

www.CDC.gov

Photos submitted by Abby Tow

Photo submitted by Abby Tow

Top: Stephanie Goetz poses with members of the Stephanie Goetz Mental Wellness Initiative at a charity car wash. Above: Juniors Tailor Rudolph and Skylar Stoner high five while representing the group at the Fargo Marathon.

The money raised at the tournament will be donated to “Giving Hearts Day,” a statewide day for donations sponsored by DMF that will be matched by the company.

According to Stoner, they have three goals: to hire student strategists, help offset costs for medicine and give students help they need. “[The tournament] helps show that we are students so we know how other students feel,” Bishoff said. “It is easier for students to relate to other students.”

For more information about mental illnesses students are encouraged to go Imaginethriving.org and if interested in going to the Volleyball tournament, students can use #ImThriving on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and get a reduced ticket into the game.

Natural Gas Safety

www.xcelenergy.com

Recognize and respond to a natural gas leak:

-Has an odorant added which smells similar to a rotten egg for easy detection -Leaks may cause a noise which ranges from a low hissing to a loud roaring. It may cause dust or debris to fly up, and in water it may also create a blowing, bubbling movement. For green vegetation, a leak may produce a spot of dead or discolored vegetation.

-Immediately have everyone in home or building evacuate -Do not strike matches or turn on a lighter -Do not turn off or on any electrical switches -Avoid use of electric appliances of any type -Call Xcel Energy or 911 and stay away until Xcel Energy or emergency responders have told you otherwise

COMING SOON TO WEST FARGO HOURS SUN-THURS 11 AM - 11 PM FRI-SAT 11 AM - 1:30 AM NDSU

LOCATIONS

DOWNTOWN

1414 12TH AVE N 701-356-7438

322 N BROADWAY 701-356-7437

MENU PIZZA

GRINDER

BY THE SLICE BUILD YOUR OWN

HAM, TURKEY, SALAMI, TACO, ULTIMATE

West Fargo High School 801 9th Street East West Fargo, ND 58078

Dr. Fremstad, With the printing of nine issues and the constant managing of a website that runs every day of the year, spending and receiving income is one of the more important aspects of the Packer Newspaper.

Currently, the Packer charges a small fee of $4.25 for students to be able to read and be informed of the news happening in West Fargo High. That subscription cost fee accounted for $3897.50 received in 20132014. Without the subscription cost, students who spend their time and dedication towards the publication would be extremely impaired for the upcoming year.

I.

The Financial Breakdown

As of now, students on the Packer publication are given the opportunity to compete in several national and state wide competitions. Among them include the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA), Quill and Scroll, Northern Interscholastic Press Association (NIPA) and the National Newspaper Convention. Each of the organizations offer students numerous benefits such as awards, critiques, national exposure and scholarship opportunities, however, they cost a large sum of money to join.

Competitons/Memberships CSPA NSPA ASPA Quill and Scroll NIPA *National Convention 2014

Cost

475

Quantity

14

Total 180 240 60 151 260 6650 Total 7601

Competitions alone require a grand total fee of $7601. Along with those fees requires the fees of the printing of the newspaper, a total of nine times, and the publication of a website.

Publication Print Edition per issue Online Cost per month Grand Total:

Cost 800 25

Quantity 9 12

Total 7200 300 7500

Combining the total of the cost of the publication and the cost of the competitions and memberships creates an estimated grand total of $15,401 to be withdrawn from the Packer Newspaper

0 1

January 15, 2015 West Fargo Public Library 109 3rd St. East West Fargo, ND 58078 Dear Sandra: Thank you for advertising in the Packer. The continued support of our advertisers is vital to the success of our newspaper. Below is the advertising information for the past issues with missed payments.

We have not yet received payments for the months of October, December or January.

According to your contract you would like to be billed after each month. The cost for the four 1/8 sized ads in the three issues are $76.00 each, making a combined total of $304.00 owed. Please have a payment sent in as soon as possible.

We are confident that you, too, will benefit from your ad in the newspaper. We appreciate the opportunity to work together with you. Thank you.

Sincerely, Logan Ahern, Business Manager Jeremy Murphy, Adviser

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9 t

h

S t r e e t E a s t e s t

W

F a r g o , N D 5 8 0 7 8

0 1

8

9 t

h

S t r e e t E a s t

W

“The Packer Newspaper is a completely student funded publication to avoid prior review. Each month we must raise money to pay to print the publication. As business manager I spend time emailing and directly visiting businesses in order to have them advertise with us. After we print each issue I send out updated invoives such as the one to the left to each and every business and a tearsheet charging them. To keep everything organized I have developed a system, above, to keep track of payments. Sometimes businesses ask me design an ad such as the one to the left. Last year the school wanted to get rid of the subscription fee so I created a four year proposal that drafted how to slowly rid of the fee. This proposal was eventually sent on to the school board. The front of three pages is displayed to the way left.

Being business manager for three years has given me a different insight to the development of a publication.”

multimedia Exprimere Literary Magazine

“After my experience at the Free Spirit Conference, I was inspired to create the first ever Literary Magazine at West Fargo High School to promote student expression. The magazine was named “Exprimere” because it is latin for expression. To start the process going, I found a teacher, Ms. Hill who had previous Literary Magazine experience, agree to become our adviser and help me get started.

Since, I have presented to multiple classrooms about the project, designed posters to advertise, gathered a committee of students interested in helping put together the publication and called and met with businesses to recieve donations. Most students did not know how to use inDesign so I was able to create presentation, displayed below, to teach the group the basics. The publication is still being created and we have a deadline of February 28th, 2015 before it goes to print. Students are able to submit their work by filling out a form I designed above.”

-Started November 2014

36

Logan Ahern

exprimere Literary Magazine Submission Form

SubmiSSion TiTle ConTACT informATion full name: phone number: email: best way to contact: grade:

SCHeDule

freshman

texting

email

sophomore

facebook junior

other senior

*list teacher and class room number

period 1

period 5

period 2

period 6

period 3

period 7

period 4

period 8

ADDiTionAl informATion contact us: exprimere@gmail.com

DiSClAimer

*I give the exprimere staff the right to:

edit my work, publish my work, title my work (if not provided) and discard my work after review signature:

date:

multimedia Lake Agassiz Pacers “In October of 2014 I was offered an internship for the Lake Agassiz Pacers (LAP) Non-profit organization. Through them, they wanted me to take photos at races, run the twitter and facebook pages, design posters and design their website.

This experience has given me many real-world journalism experiences.

Event photos are uploaded to the website and Facebook within an hour after the race and receive thousands of views. Through this process I have gained a better understanding of web design and marketing. Recently, I was permenantly elected to the non-profit board as head of the media.

Since, I have had many photography opportunities open up to me to take pictures for the Army mudder run in October of 2015 and I was given the change to design a logo for a marathon running in March of 2015 that would be broadcasted over television.�

-More photos available on the LAP Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ pages/Lake-Agassiz-Pacers-of-Fargo-North-Dakota/

37

Logan Ahern

multimedia Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award

“On March 21st, 2014 I recieved an email awarding me with the Free Spirit Journalism Award for North Dakota. Prior, I created an eight page portfolio featuring letters of recommendation, journalistic work examples and personal essays. Through this journey I truly discovered my passion for journalism and was inspired to continue it as my main focus in college and as a career. I feel that my Free Spirit Column really dipicts my journey on page 22. The award granted me a $1,000 scholarship, an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There, I learned from journalism icons such as Gwen Eiffel.�

-Photos by Newseum -More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ifreespirit51/ sets/72157645395455784/

38

Logan Ahern

multimedia Awards/Achievements

39

Logan Ahern

Awards

Achievements

State Northern Interscholastic Press Association (NIPA) Competition:

Newspaper Staff Positions:

First Place Sports Photo Awarded in 2013 First Place Inside Page Design Awarded in 2014 First Place Graphic Design Awarded in 2014 Second Place Cover and Endsheet Design Awarded in 2014

Opinion Editor 2013 Photography Editor 2013-2014 Business Manager 2012-2015 Online Editor 2014

Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholarship

Assistant Editor 2014-2015

National Scholastic Press Association (JEA) Competition:

Page Design Editor 2014 Yearbook Staff Positions: Assistant Editor 2014-2015 Literary Magazine Staff Positions Head Editor 2014-2015

Honorary Mention for First Year Photography Awarded in 2013 in San Fransico Pictured above Honorary Mention for Page Design Awarded in 2014 in San Diego Recieved an academic letter in Newspaper Newspaper Pacemaker Finalist Fall 2014 Boston

A picture of my staff at the 2014 state NIPA competition where our paper took first in the state.

Photo by Dylan Putnam.