The air is cooling, the cheerleaders are joyfully cheering, and the LHS student section is going wild. It looks like another , season of winter sports is on its way.
This winter sports season hasn't been without its fair share of controversy though, according
In mid November, some students attempted to create a student section T-shirt and were upset when they weren't
said senior Josh Hesson. "We worked really hard on those!"
The shirts were never approved, but they were ordered anyway. Hesson says that at the time, "We didn't know that the shirts weren't approved."
Students have attempted to make stu.:C dent section T-shirts for the past few years, yet the shirts have never been approved. to some members of the LHS student section. The controversy started, as
usual, with the student section T-shirts. approved by the administration. "It made me angry,"
Lincoln High Varsity Football Coach Mike Fultz ' Retires
By Erik Capo
"When you think about it, I've been at football practice nearly every day of my life, since the
Lincoln High Schools head Varsity football coach. "It's been a fun struggle," said Fultz, of his · seventh grade," said Fultz. "That's over forty years of participation in one of my favorite things."
On Wednesday, November 3rd, Mike Fultz announced his resignation as
Above:Former Varsity Football Coach and Lincoln
Mike Fultz retired as
coach after
2010
coaching career. "We didn't win very many games, • but being around young people a11d enjoying yourself, is something that's very important to me."
Fultz coached as a varsity assistant (StoryContinuedon P. 2)
Flocka Flame and his song "Hard in Da Paint" wasn't ap(Story Continued on P. 3)
By Brent Koenigsman ' ·
Chances are you've heard about K2; the "legal" marijuana, the high you can buy over the counter. But just because it's legal to buy, does that make it safe? Not according to the facts.
K2 has accounted for over 352 nationwide emergency incidents. These include comas, seizures, and suicide attempts. K2 is sold as an incense, making it legal to buy and sell, but still illegal to smoke.
By Gwendolyn Ihrie
Gretna High School took first place over Lincoln High due to a complicated and confusing point scale at the Nebraska District A-1 Contest for One-Act productions. According to the rating system, Lincoln High had 179 points and Gretna High School had 178. Lincoln High ,also took home 11 acting awards while Gretna only had 3. So how did we lose? G_oodquestion. -
Three judges watched the performances. Judges criteria included choice of literature, quality of set, and among other things, acting. "The primary reason for the decision, it says in the handbook, is to be acting," Lincoln High English teacher and One-Act Director Patsy KochrJohns said. From the number of acting awards given to Lincoln High students, their acting talent should have moved them on to the finals.
Bec;ause of a second, more subjective, 3-point
system where '1' is the best rank, Gretna won District A-1.
The three judges gave Gretna · a 1, 1, and a 2. Lincoln High earned a 1, 2, and another 2.Gretna's total of 4 points put "Psycho Beach Party" ahead of Lincoln High's "A Company of Wayward Saints" with 5 points.
The only thing unusual about this, Koch-Johns explained, is that we beat them in rating points, but got a lower rank,
"We're not angry· at Gretna necessarily, it's just that they beat us," senior Greg Ward said. "In every competition you're going to be angry at the people who beat you, not those who judged you." Ward played the character of Harlequin. ·
"Gretna wanted to win just as much as we did," senior Katy Keating said. She played Columbine in Lincoln High's show. Gretna went on to win 1st place at the contest.
(Story Continued on P. 2)
Most buyers, however, don't purchase K2 for the smell, but rather for the powerful high it induces.
A high that is "10 times more active than THC," according to Dr. John W. Huffman, the original developer of K2. THC is the ingredient in marijuana that gets you high, and for many marijuana users who end up on probation, K2 becomes a "replacement."
But much less is known about K2 than marijuana. With this boost in effect comes a boost in uncertainty. Huffman goes on to say, in an interview with WebMD, that, "It is like playing Russian roulette to use these drugs. We don't know a darn thing about them for real."
And in this case, what you don't know can hurt you. Dr. Anthony Scalzo, professor of toxicology at St. Louis University, said he'd seen (Stor Continued on P.2)
Above:John Harris ( 11) makes a slam dunk while Lincoln Ei!st High players stand awe-struck during the Varsity Boys Basketball game against East High at Lincoln High on December 17th, 2010 The Links defeated the Spartans. 53 to 37. The Links also beat Fremont High School on Saturday December 18th, 2010 at Fremont. Photo by Seth Marshall. '
Above:The LHS student section celebrates the Varsity Boys' win According to senior Andrew Owens, thi , s year's shirt, which featured rapper Whaka
· over Southwest at Lincoln High on December 10th. The them,e for the game was a "neon out." Photo by Seth Marshall.
High Teacher
head
the
season. Photo by Haley Keller
Above:The cast of "A Company of Wayward Saints," directed by Patsy Koch-Johns performs in the Lincoln High Ted Sorensen Theatre ,on December 4th for the District A-1 One-Act Competition. Photo by Hannah Malone.
One Act (continued)
By GwendolynIhrie
Former State contenders like South Sioux City, Gretna, Lincoln Southeast High School, and Lincoln High took to the Lincoln High stage to display their heart, soul, and desire in the Ted Sorensen Theatre on December 4th. Shows began at 11 a.m. and the winners were announced later in the evening. Lincoln High had a daytime advantage. They performed at 2 p.m., which gave them plenty of time to prepare for this long awaited show. Close to 70 actors, directors, technicians, parents and teachers devoted endless hours and countless nights to make this 28-minute show come to life.
A first place trophy and a spot at the state level competition based on three judges opinions and critiques of these student's hard work, blood, sweat, and tears were only a part of the reward the students could ask for.
''There's more to One-Act than winning. It's the most incredible. teaching experience, because we all learn to work together, and they've really studied something in depth in a large group project and made it happen'' KochJohns said.
What people often think about students in theatre is that they- are dramatic, but so are all other competitors. Thespians just show it on stage. We have all seen our boys basketball team cry at state before. When something doesn't go right for actors, they are going to be just as devastated as a sports, speech, math, or archery team participant. This is their life. "On the last night before the show, they're not saying 'Ms. Koch-Johns can I go home?' they're saying 'We're not going to run it again?'" KochJohns said. Their dedication made this blow even stronger, but lit the fire for those who will compete next year.
For this year's Lincoln High One~Act participants, the District competition was the end of the road in a long journey. This is KochJohns' 37th year directing One-Act competitions. ''If all I did One-Act for was to win, then I would have quit. It has to be worth more than that," Koch-Johns said.
In 2007, Lincoln High had the best show and cast of actors in Nebraska, when the cast won the State Contest with the show ''Arthur's Stone, Merlin's Fire." Last year, the Lincoln High OneAct receive 3rd place at Districts for their ''Treasure Island."
The Links were awarded second place, runners-up at Districts. Devastatingly, they were not able to continue on and fulfill their dreams of competing at the state level. Senior Christian Novotny played Pantalone. ''Everyone gave 110%. I • ](now everyone fee111J:ne same
way when we say we won our district no matter what the judges think. We all feel we gave the best show at the competition," Novotny said.
Junior Marina Blum acted as' the tragic lover Isabella in "A Company of Wayward Saints." She said the District competition was "really, really disappointing because we'd gotten encouraging critiques from earlier judges." Blum is excited to repeat the whole process next year as a senior.
Koch-Johns already chose the show for 2011. "I want to do that again, watch them seek excellence," Koch-Johns said. The desire to win is still alive inside the Lincoln High theatre program.
"My students won. They won in a big way. I'll be telling stories about them," KochJohns said.
Mike Fultz
(continued)
By Erik Chapo for 23 years at LHS, before taking over as head coach. In his six years as the head coach of the Links, Fultz posted a 6:-39 record. 'J\lthough the wins weren't always there, I've always strived to teach kids about life and education," said Fultz. "It doesn't matter how good you are at athletics, without an education, you probably won't make it very far in life."
Fultz said that his goal in life was always to get his high school diploma and to make it to college. "That was always what I wanted," Fultz said. "I always loved football, and I used it as a way to make it to college and beyond."
Fultz attended Lincoln High School and graduated in 1973. "I think that all of his achievements are a reflection of how he was brought up," said LHS athletic director Pat Gatzemeyer. "One of the major parts of his up bringing, was attending Lincoln High."
After high school he went on to play football for the Nebraska Huskers, where he was inducted into the Nebraska football hall of fame. He was then drafted into the NFL, where he played for the New Orleans Saints, the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Colts.
After the NFL Fultz returned to Lincoln High to teach industrial technology and to coach football and track and field. " I'm only retiring from football,' said Fultz. "I will continue to work as a teacher and as an assistant track coach."
Fultz said that he has enjoyed his coaching and that he will always love Lincoln High. "Football has been good to me," Fultz said. "But all good thin~s have to come to an end.
2 (continued)
By Brent Koenigsman
had a severe anxiety attack a suicide. The facts spell out and shot and killed himself. a clear message-''Don't be Lincoln High's own SCIP messing with it." coordinator, Nancy Wolfe, p
said, ''I think it's extremely Photo credits from the nearly 30 cases in a scary." Wolfe also had an 1m- lf'ront Page ''In this Issue''I month involving teenagers portant message for students. "banner: experiencing hallucinations, "If you know a friend severe agitation, elev~ted who's using it don't be afraid I Flag Ceremony Photo I heart rate and blood pressure, to say, 'Don't be messing -tJyGwendolyn Ihrie. vomiting and seizures as a with it."' · I Art Show Photo by I result of smoking K2. K2 is a huge risk for a -Hannah Malone.
The most sobering ac- short high; Its use has resulted S · · do· · count of K2 use is the story in trips to the emergency I · wimming an IVIng I of an 18 year old from Iowa room, and it was involved in -Photo by Seth Marshall. who, according to the police •
•
Student Co1lincil Visits 0111aha Tribe
By Sam Larson
It was a clear, early morning as students from around the state gathered in Macy, Nebraska for the annual National Association of Student Council's (NASC) State Convention. The councils were energetically welcomed with breakfast burritos and a tunnel walk by students from Omaha Nation High School.
As the day progressed, the Omaha Nation not only welcomed
''I had never been to an Indian Reservation before," said senior Mar-Lakuittia Overstreet, ''I didn't krtow what to expect." Members from the Omaha Tribe then led representatives from each student council in a
talk was about three points: ''Get Fired Up," ''Make It Famous," and ''Smoke The 'Competition.'' Once the students were finished, they broke out into ''mini-sessions'' to work on their leadership skills, and elect new officials to state offices.
''Mini-sessions'' were attended around the school, making for an informative, exciting day. The mini-sessions included learning a tribal hand game, a lesson on tribal music, and a session about colleges. - the students into their school, but also into their culture.
· This was the first NASC State Convention to ever be held on an Indian reservation and the residents of Macy were more than happy to share their traditions with the students.
The kindness shown by the residents of
Omaha Native Dances to welcome Student Council Macy pushed aside
The day was kicked off by both the National Anthem, and the Song of the Omaha Nation. As the drums pounded steadily and the voices rang out from the recording, the crowd experienced a 'you're not in Kansas anymore' kind of feeling.
by Malinda Burk. all stereotypes of Reservations. walk around the gym as their schools were calle d out. Then keynote speaker, James W. Anderson, took the stage. Anderson is the son of Dave Anderson, who is more commonly known as ''Famous Dave," owner of ''Famous Dave's'' restaurants. Anderson is a Native American himself and stated his goal as, ''becoming the American Indian Tony Robbins." His
Students were extremely excited about what they had learned.
''It opens your eyes," said District 6 president Alex Moody. ''It was an entirely new culture to -us.'' After jamming out to the Cupid Shuffle and singing ''Don't Stop Believing'' at the top of .their lungs, the students got on their busses and headed home with a deeper understanding of the Omaha Tribe.
Photo
LHS students and staff gathered in the Ted Sorensen Theatre on We<inesday, November 16 to take part in a blessing · and dedication ceremony for four flags that represent the tribal nations of Lincoln High's American Indian students.
The ceremony,which consisted of traditional songs and drums, the lJurning of sage, and a blessing from Oglala Lakota Spiritual Leader and Tribal Elder Myron Long Soldiei;,was also held to add a new flag to the collection firomthe Rosebud Reservationin South - Dakota.
American Indian Caucus sponsor Chris Maly explained that the first flag ceremony was held in 2003 by Native American Caucus. At that time, although the entry way at LHS displayed flags from a variety of countries around the world, there were no flags that represented the Indian nations to which Native American Lincoln High students belonged.
Rosebud flag this year as well as the others that will eventually be displayed again.
Oglala Lakota drummer Terry Ice, and Crow Creek Lakota and Chocktaw Joel Bad Moccasin, Jr., sang and drummed as Long Soldier "smudged" the flags, the students, and the theatre by burning sage leaves, fanning the smoke \Vithan eagle feather, and the singing a blessing in Lakota. Students on stage and audience members turned to face each of the four directions (north, south, east, and west)
American Indian Caucus CoPresidentsAlana Stone and Kameron Neeman explained the purpose of the ceremony to the audience.
"Today we are giving 4 flags of the Rosebud, Chickasaw,Omaha and Ponca tribes to Lincoln High to represent American Indians," Alana Stone said.
"American Indians were the first to be welcoming and accepting. We are giving these flags to Lincoln High as a sign of our good will," Neeman added.
"As a representative of our students and staff," Principal Mike Wortman said, "I am very proud to accept these flags and, make sure they are on display in the proper place in our building."
For the moment, that place is yet to be determined. Maly and students are hoping for placement with the other flags in the entry way.·
Sicangu Lakota Tribal Elder Phyllis Stone gave some remarks during the ceremony, speaking first in Lakota and then translating into English. "My friends, my relatives, I greet you with a happy heart, and I very gladly shake your hand."
• "I've been told that we can light a fire in here, so if the fire departmentcomes, don't let them arrest me," Long Soldier joked. The students formed a circle around the flags as Long Soldier fanned the smoke from the burning sage onto them and spoke a blessing in Lakota. The audience stood and bowed their heads as he fanned the smoke out over them and around the stage. He then sang the Oglala Flag Song, which he described as being the national anthem of the Oglala Lakota people.
"You students need to respect and honor your teachers, because they're the ones who are going to give you the discipline that you need," Long Soldier · said in his closing remarks. "We all need discipline. Because of our heritage, sometimeswe think we can learn everything from our people, but that's not true in today's society.We need other education. You need to learn new ways also."
"LHS has always made the identities of our students first and foremost," Maly said. "When you walk into A,bove: Students gather around new flag during ceremony. Photo our building you know we're · b,y Gweotlolyn Ihrie a global community - we have students from all over the world."'But for our first nation students, he said, there was nothing there representative1)ftheir identity.
In 2003, caucus members felt it was important to add to that LHS community, and that year 3 flags were dedicated ancl blessed. The nations represented 1Nere Omaha, Ponca, and Chickasaw ~vlyron Long Soldier, who blessed the original flags, came back and blessed the 11ew
during the blessing and drumming.
"The ceremony serves as a formal way of properly blessing the flags and getting them to their rightful place," Maly said in an interview after the event. The flags had been in storage during construction and are no;wready to be displayed again.
"Right now we're in the process of making sure that those flags are together and have a prominent place at LHS ," he added.
Student Se~::tion (continued)
By Sam Larson List of Stuclent Section Themes on Page 4
approved because it was "discriminatory" and "disrespectful." "1~hey said that people would look at it as 11wrong thing and that it would give Littcoln High a bad name and people w,ould think that we're bad kids, but tl1at's totally not what we were going for," Owens said. "Hard in Da Pain1t"refers to playing hard on the basketba.11court when in the area inside of the key, near the basket.
Associate Principal Jessie Carlson says that the lyrics on the shirt may have had a double meaning, and the shirts weren't approved, "After finding out that the words on the srtirt were song lyrics, we decided to look at the song to see if it was appropriat,~. _The song contained lyrics that didn"t represent Lincoln High in a positive manner," Carlson said.
Basketball player junior Jobln Harris brought a new perspective i1nto the issue, "I don't really see how tl1ey (school officials) should be able to decide that kind of thing. I don't see the shirts as a part of school."
"The shirts are a part of scl1ool because students are wearing tl1em
cipal Russ Uhing, "We met with them to review the upcoming sports season as far as sportsmanship, cheering, and those types of things."
This provided the students with a chance to meet with administrators, as well as Dr. Wortman. Uhing said that there isn't any plan for another meeting this year. This is because of the successful start of the winter sports season. The T-shirts were not discussed at the meeting.
Uhing had only positive things to say regarding the behavior of students during LHS's first basketball game against Lincoln Southwest. "Our students were loud, and appropriate, and they displayed great sportsmanship." He went on to mention that "if needed" there would be another meeting held.
Carlson had similar feelings about the game and stated that, "The student section did an awesome job at the game they were very positive, loud, and they represented Lincoln High with a lot of pride."
Stone, whose name means, "Woman Who Fans Herself With an Eagle, and That is How She Gets Her Strength," explained the significanceof the ceremony for Lincoln High American Indian students.
"One thing that I've been very passionate about since my own kids were little, is encouraging our sacred guests; our young people know themselves and to be happy with themselves.And that is something we want to share with you today," Stone said.
Myron Long Soldier explained what was happening through the various stages of the ceremony.He began by having the students fold the flags together on a table.
"Society has imposed differencesupon us, so we have cliques that have separated us [by tribes, races, skin color and nationalities],"Long Soldier said. "We're all classified, and what we needto do is come together like the flags are, right there, because that's the only way we're going to have harmony on this earth."
Long Soldier blessed all bf the flags and then did separate blessing for the Rosebud flag by itself.
At one time it was tough to be Indian, Long Soldier said. "I gre\v up in a time when there were signs on doors back in the '50s that said 'No Indians, No dogs allowed.' Today it's good to see harmony among the people."
Youngpeople also have a responsibility,he added. "You have the responsibilityto reach out to each other, You have the responsibilityto help each other. Like the first ceremony where we placed the Rosebud flag right amongst them, and that's the way it should be. We shouldn't exclude ourselves, we shouldn't exclude anyone."
During a reception in the Media Center afterward,Wortman added that the ceremony reflected on the history and tradition of Linco~nHigh students and the nations represented there.
"I wish more students could have been here to see it and to learn from it," Wortman said. The ceremony was an optional-assembly.
"It was a learning situation for our Native students but also for a lot of nonNative students. I think it was helpful for them to see and be part of this and experience it," Wortmanadded.
Musicdepartmentraisesmoneyfornewpiano
By Jessi Anderson
LHS Choir Director Jon Gruett says a new piano would be worth it buy, despite the $25,000 cost. ''The old piano is not a concert level instrument," Gruett said. "The tone, action and color are not appropriate for a concert piano. It's really more of a practice piano."
· According to Gruett, when South- · west and North Star were built, they received new concert pianos, Southeast and East raised funds to get their new instruments, and Northeast had a concert piano but are fundraising to rebuild it.
After a -few weeks of collecting nickels and dimes, Concert Chorale decided to challenge other choir classes to help raise money.
Jazz Connections and the 9/10 Choir accepted that challenge and have began collecting each day during their classes.
Not long after Concert Chorale challenged the other choir classes, they begun to urge the instrumental classes to join in the full-scale competition. Both the Orchestra and the Band began collecting change to help the cause, and to see which class could raise the greatest amount.
• to a school-sponsored activity," said Carlson, explaining her reasoning, "Since it's a school-sponsored activity that takes place at school, it is :1 school function.''
This year the athletic department is working hard to keep peace between the students and school officials. The week before basketball season began the athletic departplent and adrninistrators called a group of studen1tsto a meeting. "We met with some students who had been recognized by sc)me staff as student leaders," said Associate Prin-
A conclusion has also been reached about how to peacefully and fairly agree on a way to decide and announce what the theme is for the next game. All themes for Lincoln High basketball · games will now be announced along with the other daily announcements instead ofby students. The themes have not only been agreed upon by students and school officials, but are also put into a schedule that can be found in the athletic office
''The first game we did neon, and it was quite successful," said Uhing, "If every game goes like the first, we shouldn't have a problem with bad behavior."
In order to help raise money for Lincoln High's own concert piano, Concert Chorale decided to take it upon themselves to start raising money.
The class, which meets 6th period, divided up into three mini teams: Sopranos, Altos, and Men, Each team received a jar and every day students · bring in their pocket change and any money that they can spare and drop it off into their designated jar.
Old Piano
As of December 15th, after only five weeks of collecting, the amount of pocket change raised totaled $400.
The music department will continue ·to collect money for their new concert piano. All twelve jars will be set out at the choir fundraiser, Pancake Man, on December 21st at 5 p.m., in the cafeteria, to allow friends and family of choir members to donate.
Piano Progress Poster
students keep track of fundraising progress. Photgs by Gwendolyn Ihrie
•
By Gwenna Ihrie
People dream about accomplishing a goal they have, and then they work for it.
For junior Sydney Storm Van Pelt, that goal is just to take dance lessons again. Unfortunately because of many recent events in her life, she hasn't been able to get there yet.
Close to six months ago, Sydney, her younger sister, her older brother Cody, and their mother were traveling back to Lincoln from Grand Island. Unexpectedly, her life changed.
She was in the middle of a tragic accident. A tire blew out on the vehicle and suddenly they were rolling. Unfortunately, her mother did not survive the accident.
Because of the in·uries, financial -
ar s 1p, an 1meconsuming stress from adjusting to life after the accident, her dream of dancing in a studio once again, as she did when -she was younger, have been put on hold. She, her brother, and sister now live with their aunt and cousins in Lincoln.
on y one w o os an important member of their family; she did too.
''[The accident] put everything in perspective. It taught me to cherish what you have," Sydney reflected about the accident. Her caring attitude and desire to serve other people has led Sydney to want to become a pediatrician, hopefully attending Creighton University and the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the future.
Sydney Storm Van pelt photo taken by
Her brother, Cody, graduated from Lincoln High with the class of 2010 despite having been in a hospital bed for almost a month and being unable to walk. Yes, there were physical and life long changes for him. Those changes have affected everyone closely involved in the family's life, including Sydney: she was there too. He wasn't the
Despite the physical and · emotional trauma she experienced, Van Pelt continued her plans to travel with the Lincoln · High band, orchestra, and choir on their trip to Chicago shortly after th accident.
The flutes and Color Guard keep her close to this family of over 100 brothers and sisters. Sydney is a 15 year old, flute playing, dependson-the-day-marchingband style kind of girl, who just wants to dance. Sydney deserves that wish to be ranted.
This will be a part of the newspaper where we will introduce a few people from different grades. if you would like to suggest a person to be featured, please leave a note with their name and the reason you think they should be featured in room 308.
By Gwenna Ihrie
This spring,Lincoln igh seniorEmicaDiep raveledto Washington, .C.,and continuedto he nationallevel f competitionfor an environmental esearchprojectshe ad been working on for closeto a
Programwill allowme to connectwith otherpeople," said Diep aboutwhy she is still a part of the IB Program. She's also part of the LeadershipProgram-a subsetof UpwardBound. "Wefundraiseand volunteer and help out the community It teachesstudentshow to be organizedand how to
Diepdescribedthe focus of EnvironMentorsas "to bring more studentsinto the environmentalfield.What can you learnaboutthe environmentthat you can teach otherpeoplewas the questionwe wereanswering with our individualresearch projects."
Diep casuallymentioned she won firstplace at the nationallevel. She playsoff the $1,000 scholarship to any collegelike it's just another'A' on a paper. She has takenadvantage ear. Afterreceiving firstplaceat the egionallevelin the nvironMentors rogramthrough "
he Universityof ebraskaat Lincoln and UpwardBound,it
was time for her to beginher all expensespaid trip to the apitolof the Nation.
Diepis originallyfrom
run an organization,"said Diep aboutthe Leadership Program.
Diep is an Upward BoundMath and Science indung,Vietnam,but grew student. Her involvement pin Lincoln,NE. Diepis with UpwardBoundgave urrentlyin the International her the connectionthat accalaureateProgram sparkedher activityin the 'Whathas kept me in IB competitionformedthrough is the friendshipsI have EnvironMentors."That reatedand the opportunities gave me an opportunityto hat mightcomewith an IB connectwithpeopleat the iploma. I wantto work University,like the faculty n the internationalbase They mentoredme and I got so ma be the International t w rk n cam " ---
of the prestigeand
firstplaceof any
compet1t1on at a nationallevelby applying to StanfordUniversity,the Universityof Miami,and WashingtonUniversityat St. Louis,Missouri.
Afterhigh school,Diep wantsto becomea part of DoctorswithoutBorders. Whenpeoplehear of Diep in 20 yearsfrom now, she wantsto be remembered as someonewho has done the unexpectedand become somebodyno one thought she couldbe.
NewJewelryClubExperiencesOverpopulation
By Jessi Anderson
Most clubs are always looking for new members, but English TeacherRuth Clark says that with 35 members already,her new Jewelry Club has a waiting list. "I knew some students who made really great jewelry," Clark said, "and I also enjoy making jewelry, so I thought it would be fun to start a club."
"I made some of my favorite bracelets in Jewelry Club," Senior Emma Lagrimini said. "The cool part is that you get to create many different kinds of jewelry like hemp, floss and metal."
ing jewelry and getting to know each other while we make fun items to wear,'' Clark said. "My vision for the club was a place for students to get together and enjoy talking with one another, but giving them somethingpositive to create and use their talents and imagination. The goal is to create a place that students feel comfortableand confident."
By SamLarson
As the holidayseason progressesstudentcouncilis cau ht up in theirannual · eventof making thanksgivingdinner for the ELLstudents Thiseventisn't just heldfor the great food.It's alsothe studentcouncil'sway of sharinga great AmericanTradition.
TheLincoln HighStudentCouncil begantheirplanning by assigningeach membera certainfood donatedgift cardsfromsupersaver andRuss'sMarket)is providedby them.The sa it's worthit thou h
thinkit's worthit," saidseniorMarla Overstreet.
The·council'ssponsorMelinda Burksaysthatthis successfuldinnerhas beengoingon for quite sometime."I've been the StudentCouncil sponsorfor fouryears now,"saidBurk,"the ELLthanksgiving dinnerwas a tradition longbeforeI came around."
that they wouldneed =A=b-o=v=e.,...: __ E__L_L-students enjoy a Thanksgiving meal to provide All of the food provided by Student Council in the West Gym.
ELLstudent wereshorton words, but not on smiles. SmileyDl}ysays thathe had funand furthermore,his favorite (otherthanthe turkeys,whichwerepurchasedwith "It's a lot of hardworkbut I really part was"turkey."As for his thoughtson the holidayDaystated,"It is fun."
So what does one do in Jewelry club? During Club Day different club members demonstrate how to make a piece of jewelry and then other students use the materials given to them to experiment and make their own.
"Mrs Clark offers a fun and exciting place to create awesome things that you can actually use," senior Minh Dong said.
"We have a great time mak-
"My favorite part is the 45 ·minutes you get to take off from school and outside stress," senior Erika Stewart-Finkenstaedtsaid. "You get to create something cool with the help of friends and people you might not know."
"Jewelry Club is a fun club where you don't just enjoy yourself, but get to meet many interesting and skillful people too," junior Alina Brichka said. Jewelry Club meets during 7th period in room 342 on Club Day. There will be a second semesterclub. To place your name on the waiting list to join, contact Clark in room 342.
By Sam Larson
After my last column I was approached by many students and teachers who liked that I was "making fun" of Sarah Palin. It is true that I did poke a bit of fun at the former Governor, but it wasn't because I thought she wasn't intelligent. In fact, I believe that she's a good, epic person. 1 • 1·
She's definitely not the academic type. I view her as the moose hunting type. But let's be honest, what's more impressive? She may not be cut out for politics, but she can sure fire a twelve gauge. The time has come for me: one of an estimated three and a half conservatives in the school, to show how they feel about our dear Palin.
I
Recently her newshow "Sarah Ralin's Alaska" premiered on TLC and five million people 1 tuned in. I was one of these five million and I have to say, I definitely enjoyed it. The show focused on the amazing state of Alaska and everything it had to offer. For the most part, it stayed away from politics all together. Sure, Palin's overuse of the word "flippin'" got a bit annoying, but I guess it's better than being a flippin' potty mouth. Later ilnthe -show while commenting on the beauty of her state she joked about being; able to see Russia from Mt. McKinley.
This always entertains me because I know quite a few people who are still totally convinced that Palin is stupid enough to think she can see Russia from her house. The flippin' quote was actually that you could see Russia from mainland Alaska. I have no clt1e why it was so, hard for people to understand that I thought it w,as just a random flippin' fact that everyone learned in 7th grade geography class.
The Best Late Night Talk Show Host Is ...
By Caleb Christiansen
When late night talk show personality and Nebraska native Johnny Carson graced the airwaves for three decades, he was without question the king of late night television.
Now, his imitators come in droves to attempt to recreate his formula for winning over the hearts of the American public. Carson was the original, the blueprint. Without his late night show we wouldn't have the various options we now have as to whom we will watch on television before we go to sleep. Carson enjoyed a · monopoly of the American audience. If you wanted to watch your favorite stars being themselves you watched Carson's show.
If you wanted to see a true comedic genius at work you watched Carson's show. When Carson left the Tonight Show in 1995 he vacated his late night throne. The "task of replacing Carson on the Tonight Show ·was given to up and coming cdmic Jay Leno who has held the position since then. Yet Leno has not enjoyed the satne success as Carson.
This can be attributed to the growing number of comics/ actors who are currently trying their hand at the late night talk show host business. The number of people is staggering. They span over many networks and time slots.
To decide whom to watch on your way to your dreams, you can choose between those on at 11 :30 including Leno and his main competitor David Letterman, If you want to contradict Leno then you might tune into his famous protege Conan O'Brien on TBS at 11 or maybe Jimmy Kimmel who airs on ABC at midnight.
If you want a more satirical
brand of comedy you might t,e a fan of either John Stewart c,r Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central. If you can only _ watch a talk show later than Leno, Kimmel, or Letterman:; networks now have late late options.
The best talk show host in1 America comes on at this tim1e. No it is not Jimmy Fallon, Carson Daily, George Lopez, or even Chelsea Handler. It is the one, the only, the Scot, Craig Ferguson. Ferguson is without a doubt the best late · night talk show host since Carson.
He has a great reputation with all of his guests who enjoy his antics including his ''awkward pauses." He has the most charming monologue to open his show in which he constantly refers to his audience as "hpbos." Yet the best thing about Ferguson is that unlike Leno, Letterman, or Kimmel, Ferguson refuses to take himself seriously. He insists on his show that he isn't quite sure he has sucha good job as l).e does. This charming quality draws me to Ferguson. Tµis and the fact that he is an actual stand up comedian as OJ:>posedto Fallo,n who is simply the goofy guy from Saturday Night Live, who stares at the camera and laughs during every sketch.
The next best host in my esteemed opinion is the great Coco, O'Brien is an outstanding writer who can really connect with his audience base. He understands that he is a cult phenomenon and plays up to it. His new show on TBS is sarcastic and genuinely a funny program. Yet my loyalties lie with Ferguson and ' his Late Late Show on CBS. If you have not checked out Ferguson I wouldl strongly suggest you do.
I hope that Sarah and going on a date with a semi-
She made it to the top, but I expected less whining from a true maverick/hockey mom/conqueror of large antlered beasts. However, Todd Palin would make a great president! If he was flippin' put against President Obama in a 'man challenge' there would be no question. While the former "first dude" kills flippin' moose on the flippin' north slope, Obama kills flies in his office. Todd Palin wrestles flippin' -cc:::;;;.,\..___~ polar bears in hjs free time (not an official T~l fact), while Obama goes
to the beach.
Palin finds out about this article famous person is on my senior If Todd ran for president some day. Then she could invite year bucket list. though, I think his wife should me over to her awesome house. Will she run for president in make his official slogan. It "Hey Sam!" she'd say, "come 2012? Possibly but I flippin' would probably go something play some flippin' basketball hope not. I think she'd be better like, "If every flippin' person and catch some flippin' fish and fit for other things, like being flips th eir flippers, anyth ing shoot some flippin' guns with us. a keynote speaker. Plus, on is flippin' possible." 1 th ink that's much better and more
Hey Willow! Make Sam a episode one of "Sarah Palin's flippin' caribou burger." Then I - Alaska'' she wimped out while entertaining th an "hope'' and "change." would probably ask Willow on climbing a precarious rock in a date because she's pretty cu~e, Denali National Park.
By: Erik Chapo
Millions of people across the country (men and women) have hopped onboard the ever more popular Jersey Shore band wagon. Jersey Shore is a reality TV show that is filmed and broadcast by MTV. It features eight ItalianAmerican house-members that spend their time together going to clubs, hooking up, making out, tanning, working out and of course, dealing with drama. There have been two seasons that have been released so far. The first season was shot in Seaside Heights, NJ and premiered on December 3rd, 2009. The second season premiered on July 29th, 2010 and was shot in Miami. The cast is made up of Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino, Nicqle "Snooki" Polizzi, Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio, Jenni "Jwoww" Farly, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola, Vinny Guadagnino and Angelina Pivamick. Together,they make a very entertaining team that constantly keep viewers on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what they'll do next. Although
By Caleb Christiansen
Student Council at Lincoln High put on their first ever talent show on December 16th called, "Lincoln High's Got Talent.''
The show was held as a fundraiser for the Make-aWish Foundation.
Seventeen acts graced the stage in the Ted Sorensen Theatre and wowed the crowd. KFRX DJ Matt
cultural icons, but social ambassadors. He writes in a story he wrote, -that in other countries the only exposure that people might have to the U.S, is what they see on the television. And if that exposure is that of Jersey Shore, then he thinks
McKay was the celebrity judge picked by Student Council to determine which act was the best of the night.
Three brothers, Tim, Josh, and Charlie Curtis-Beard won first place at the talent show with their musical act.
The rock band Light the Fuse took home second place. Cassie Luethje plaeed third to round out the top three.
It doesn't just provide entertainment, but it has also brought a cultural shift along_with it. The J-Shore crew has brought many things with them other than just big muscles and bronze tans. The abbreviated slang terms "GTL"
Lincoln High's Got Talent raised $600 for the Make-aWish Foundation. "The talent show proves that students at Lincoln High have a lot of talent, and that a lot of people aren't afraid to put themselves out there,"
Student Council President Sandy Ngo said. "Lincoln High is always willing to help." Ngo said.
and other acronyms (which are said by the cast members) have become every day conversational words. But arguably the largest impact that Jersey Shore has had on modem day culture, is the fashion that they endorse. Since the beginning of the show, more and more people have started -togo back to wearing opened back curved brim hats (which are worn by the cast) instead of the more popular closed back flat brim hats. More people can be seen wearing tinted sunglasses and silver diamond chains (which are heavily endorsed by the cast) today, than ever before. Ed Hardy T-shirts and True Religion jeans can be seen being worn more and more. The Situation even has his own iPod application that works with Jersey Shore fashion. The list goes on and on. Although it's the only of it's kind right now, there are many Jersey Shore copycat reality TV shows that are currently in the works. The first one to be announced and cast, is titled K-Town. It features 8 American-Korean's who party hardy in downtown Los Angeles. The crew of J-Shore will all be back, except for Angelina (who will be replaced by Deena Nicole Cortese) for a third season of the show. The season will be premiering on January 6th, '2011 and will be shot back in Seaside Heights, NJ
ClockwisefromBackLeft:Garrett Chelton (11), Savannah Smith (11),Ashley Camgbe (I!), Erik Chapo (11), and Angelica Bustamante (11), dress up like their favorite Jersey Shore personalities for Spirit Week. Photo By Phil Eddins
Top:Josh Curtis-Beard (11), Charlie Curtis-Beard (9), and Tim Curtis-Beard (12) are announced as the winners of Lincoln High's Got Talent.
Left:Members of Jazz Connection Nie Wensel (11), Sydney Grime (12), Minh Dong (12), Devyn Hanselmann (12), and Greg Ward (12) perform at Lincoln High 's Got Talent.
Above:Micah Hadley (12) performs at Lincoln High 's Got Talent.
Right:Cassie Luethje (12) sings a song at Lincoln High's Got Talent. Cassie was awarded 3rd place at the Talent Show. Talent Show Photos By Hannah Malone.
Above:Jessica Schuber(!!) shows off her Jersey Shore look during Spirit Week at Lincoln High. Dressing like cast members on the Jersey Shore is becoming a fad at LHS.
Photo By Tiona Brown
l)l~f~.21, 2C)If)
11 11(,1~7
LinksBoysBasketballLooksToMakeAnotherRunAtState
''Not Done Yet''
Chase White wins nationals, begins winter wrestling season
By Brent Koenigsman
Eor the past three years
Senior Chase White has been a force to be reckoned with on the Lincoln High Wrestling team and it doesn't look like this year is going to ~e ~ny different.
White 1s last year's -Nebraska State Champion, and over fall break he proved his wrestling dominance over the other 49, by winning the first National Championship of his high school career.
Overstr~et,Smithlea~ Girls;Basketbal,.team
By Brent Koenigsman Overst~eet
1s able to be a vital a very young varsity team and effective partof the team "There's a lot of younger grrls,"
Lincoln High's Girl's Basket- while also being the shortest says Smith. To lead an inexpeball is underway this winter and player, including the freshmen. riencedteam Smith said, "You the only two returning starters, "Eventhough I'm the shortest have to be disciplined, you have Mar-LakuittiaOverstreet and Na- one on the team, [I] just show to make sure you're getting kuya Smith, are looking forward that I care, I work hardon all my, everyone involved, and you just to leading this year's young team. skills and my speed [it] helps have to be focused." / Overstreetwill be entering me overcome the obstacles of not With these two exemplary her second year as captainof having the height,'' Overstreet players at the helm, the Lincoln the varsity team. She has, "a big said. High Girl's team should improve leadership role, for not only just On the otherhandNakuya a lot as the season progresses the girl's varsity, but the whole Smith sta11dstall on the court and can look forwardto a bright basketballteam." and as a l~ader,helping to guide future.
·.-SwimTeamshowsspecialcamaraderie
By Caleb Christiansen
One of the most interesting sports at Lincoln High has once again begun. Swimming and diving participants entered the pool for their first practice on Monday, November 15th •
The beginning of the season is an exciting time for all swimmers. Their energy is abundant but by the end of the year they long season will begin to wear down on them. Theswimming season is a long one with many endurance factors in play.
_ Usually each swimmer swims multiple events and practices are as draining as the meets. The season wears on the swimmer's
bodies and minds equally. This sport is not for the faint of heart.
- You must not only have the physical endurance required to last the long season, you must have the confidence to wear next to nothing in front of your peers.
Also, like any sport the mental fatigue of the athletes eventually wilI come into play. It is taxing doin,g the same physical activity day in and day out for 3 months.
"Usually we swim one to three miles," senior swimmer Haley Keller said. "Which doesn't sound like a lot, but swimming is a lot of work."
Swimming is also different in the fact that it is coed. Only in swimming, cross -country, and track are all of the athletes who participate practicing together. "I
don't think I could swim a whole season with just guys." senior swimmer Bennett Milliken said. There seems to be a special bond among swimmers. "We always are having pasta feeds, or team dinners, and we're always hanging out together." Keller said. This attitude shows in their meets. "The guys are cheering on the girls, and the girls are cheering on the guys." All of this cheering must have paid off for the Links as the boys from Lincoln High won their first meet of the year December 9th against Grand Island. A majority of the girls earned Personal Records in the same meet against Grand Island.
White beat out the other 72 wrestlers in his weight bracket to take first place at the nation-wide tournament in Iowa. His victory didn't come without hard work, however. White said he
trained ''six days a week for two to three hours each day.'' His advice for aspiring athletes? ''Keep working hard." It sounds pretty generic, but that simple phrase has seemed to pay off for White. All his hard work and dedication have had tremendous and impressive results.
But he's not stopping anytime soon. ''I'm not done yet, there's still a lot to improve on I always look to get better," White said.
As Lincoln High winter sports kick off, students can look forward to another solid season from Chase White and the Lincoln High Wrestling team.
HuskersexitBig12,loseto rivalOklahoma
By Erik Chapo
Well; it looks like along with Texas and TexasA&M the Sooners of Oklahoma get the last laugh over Nebraska, as the Huskers exit the Big 12 Conferenceto join the Big 10. On December 4t11,the University of Oklahoma came back from a 17-0 Husker lead to beat Nebraska one last time to win the Big 12 Championshipin Dallas, Texas.
Nebraska and Oklahoma have a very long and storied rivalry dating all the way back to 1912. Oklahom~ now leads the series with 45 wins to Nebraska's 38. The two teams have played 3 games that have resulted in ties. Because the two teams have such a heated rivalry, many people think that it was very appropriatethat the last Big 12 game of the 20 IO season and the last Big 12 game that Nebraska would play in, should be the Huskers versus the Sooners.
The game started out with Nebraska dominating Oklahoma. Part way thro1:1ghthe first quarter,
I 'i Nebraska senior running ) back Roy Helu Jr, broke loose on a I 66 yard touchdown run to make the j score 7-0 Huskers.
·•· The Blackshirts did their job and a I few drives later, Senior kicker Alex
\ Henery added a 53 yard field goal
} to make the score 10-0 Nebraska at I the end of the first quarter. Things
{ continuedto go well for the Huskers
••as Nebraska sophomore safety
•••Courtney Osborne intercepted a
•••pass off of the deflectionby senior
•••defensi-veend Pierre Allen Sr.
The Huskers then went on
·•·to score on a 5 yard pass from
sophomorerunning back Rex Burkhead to sophomoretight end Kyler Reed. After Alex Henery kicked the extra point, the Huskers led 17-0. That's when the Sooners said enough is enough. First, Oklahoma senior linebackerTravis Lewis intercepted a badly thrown pass by NU freshman quarterbackTaylor Martinez. They then drove down the field and scored on a 49 yard touchdown catch by freshman wide receiver Kelll).yStills from sophomorequarterbackLandry Jones.
On their next possessionthey scored on a field goal by kicker Jimmy Stevens. The Sonners then went on to score off of a quarterback sneak by Landry Jones from the 1 yard line, to tie the score at 1717. But just before half time, Nebraska kicker Alex Henrey added a 36 yard field goal to put the Huskers up 20-17 at the break.
The second half was very uneventful.The only scoring came off of two field goals by Sooners kicker Jimmy Stevens.
His second kick of the second half, which came from 26 yard out, turned out to be the game winner, making the score 23-20 Oklahoma.
The Husker offense was once again bitten by the turnovi:rbug during the game. Nebraska fumbled the ball 5 times and lost 4 of them.
Taylor Martinez also threw an interceptionand was sacked 7 times Although coaches said otherwise, his injured ankle was obviously still hurting him. He made no explosive plays when he tried to run the ball and he rushed for -32 yards.
•··FARLEFf:LHS freshman DeShawnWiggins wrestles his opponent from Bishop Neumen,during
•••his Junior Varsitymatch at Fulerton High School. Photo by JeremiahMcCrayLEFT:Junior guard
·•••Demarius Lott shoots a three point shot against Southwest.Photo by Seth MarshallBOTTOMFAR
·•••LEFT:Senior Luke Theile plays saxophonein the LHS pep band during the Lincoln High-Southwest i varsity boys basketball game. Photo by Seth MarshallBOTTOMMIDDLE:FreshmanMicah Swet/ land dives into the pool at the beginning of a race during a swim meet at Lincoln High. Photo by Seth MarshallBOTTOMRIGHT:The varsity girls basketball team huddles before their game against \ North Platte at LHS. Photo by Jessi Anderson
the SouthwestSilverhawks,the Lincoln East Spartans and the FremontTigers They currently hold a 4-1 record.
Photo by: Seth Marshall
Don't let Winter Break make you forget these important dates:
By Jessi Anderson
December 23 - January 2: NO SCHOOL; Winter Break , January 11-13: First Semester Finals
January 13: End of First Semester
January 14: NO SCHOOL; Semester Break
January 17: NO SCHOOL; Dr. Martin Luther :King, Jr. Day
Above: Students dressed in neon colors
Top:Alexis Graewe (9) jumps for the ball during the girls Junior Varsity basketball game against North Platte on December 3rd Photo by Haley Keller.
Above: Porsha Nyhoff (12) runs with the ball during the November 11th Powder Puff football game. Photo by Jessi Anderson.
Left
Rlght) Bob R1piey (1966), Thomas Christie (1970), and Wally Barnett (1948) pose for
photo in the Media Center before beginning the three Distinguished Alumni assemblies on
19th. Photo By Jessi Anderson.
rovement
on es 1n s
By Erik Chapo
6 If you signed up for clubs
}second semester,you probably no11ticed some changes. One of those ;/ changes involved how many clubs
';[you could sign up for (down from ii four to now just two). The other lidealt with some clubs that will now !I meet only outside of Club Day.
I. "We still want all of the clubs ;}to meet, just not all of them will j fbe meeting during the day," LHS
;\ Associate Principal J~ssie Carlson
d :t Sfil <;:: • ]I
In the past years there have
'\;been a number of problems con1/cerning Club Day. Students missed )class, teachers didn't have all of j;their students present during the {.day, and some clubs were so big ithat faculty members expressed !;concern that students weren't .) able to connect with the sponsors, ;/!which was one of the originals Jintentions of Club Day.
·· "We are only going to allow
' ! ' students to miss class for a club
Jlthat is sponsoredby a Lincoln High '.(ifaculty member and that was initi-
"' tdb tdt"Cl ddd
Staff,AdministrationDiscuss Advi . sory Periods
Mandatory extra period to enlighten students
By GwendolynIhrie
Do youknowmanypeopleat LincolnHigh? Chancesare, youknow yourclosecircleof friends,whoyou haveprobablyknownsinceseventh grade- and maybesomeof the people youhaveclasseswith- but youprobablydon't reallytalkto everyone.
The administrationat Lincoln Highis lookingat a newwayto connectmorepeoplein the school: AdvisoryPeriods.
TheAdvisoryPeriodwouldbe a 30-minuteperiodoncea week,prob-
day any longer will be student favorites, Campus Life, and C4, as well as Student Military Life.
The other problem? "Department chairs have been expressing concern that there are a lot of kids who are missing out on instructional time for clubs, yet they're not doing well in their classes," Carlson said.
The Administration'sfirst priority is to help kids graduate, Carlson said, and in order to graduate they have to be passing their classes to earn the credits.
The numbers don't lie, either. Attendanceon Club Days is significantly worse than on typical days.
The solution:reduce the number of clubs a student can sign up for "Students will also be limited to choosing 2 clubs per semester," Carlson said. "This will help to keep students from missing so much class and instruction."
"I want people to understand that my role was to try and see how we can keep club day alive" Carlson stressed.
cores
ablybetweenyour3rd and4th period class.Duringthis time,theAdvisory teacherwouldlead a varietyof activities to help studentsconnectwitheach otherand learnmorehelpfulinformation aboutthe schoolandtheirfutures.
"Thepowerof the advisory is that you'd havea core groupof studentswhowouldstay withthat advisorfor fouryears. By the end of student'sjunioror senioryear,they wouldhavea bond,"AssociatePrincipal BrentToalsonsaid. "Theywould knowa diversegroupof kids they don't normallyhangout with."
(Storycontinuedon page 2)
By Gwendolyn Ihrie
most Lincoln High Students
danced in the nationally televised Orange Bowl Halftime show.
"I didn't want to go out there, but at the same time I did," junior Courtney Mangers said All the Pomalinks agreed that the performance was the most nerve-racking thing they've ever done "It was intense because nobody ever knew exactly what it would feel like," senior Sarah Anderson said.
By Caleb Christiansen
Over the course of each school year, an estimated 1.2 million college-bound students take a test that will help determine the rest o their lives:. The dreaded, menacing ACT. Some students go in to this test panicking about all of its implications. Others succumb to the pressure. These people go into the testing area and underachieve.
!il.;do so Less than 1 tenth of 1 percent students nationally get a perfect score I Nguyen's willingness to go against
:••.grain and use sources outside of
ditional methods helped him achieve :igoal of a score of a 36 ;; "Do the practice tests," Nguyen ·~ised.
"Do as many as you can on Spark , }tes, even though teachers tell you 'ver to go on there, they have a lot of LHS senior Anh Nguyen is not one of these people.
The senior IB student scored a perfect 36 on his most recent ACT score, the first person from the Lincoln High class of 2011
tests that are really helpful, he scored a perlect 36 on the added. ACT. "And take a test prep class if you
by Katy Talyor can afford'it." (Storycontinuedon page 2)
they would be entering the Sun Life Stadium field to ] dance to the Goo Goo Dolls' live national performance ii: in front •Of a crowd of over 50,000 people stadium-goers :! and millions of television viewers elsewhere. ; "Performing at the actual Orange Bowl was the best JiActually being out there is crazy. It's such an adrenaline ;[!rush," junior Abby Spencer said. Spencer is a fan of the J Goo Goo Dolls. Just being close to them was exciting ' ti h .1 or er. " On Saturday, the Pomalinks took convention classes ';! where they learned new dance styles and techniques t from world famous choreographer. They worked with
Eight hundred dancers from across America and Canada, loaded into buses to go from their hotel to the stadium Monday morning to prepare for their chance to be on national television. , I choreographers like JaQuel Knight, who choreographed
They had a full make-up and costumed dress rehearsal in the morning. The next time they would all be together,
They also learned from
(Storycontinuedon page 2) '
Photo Courtesy of Aly Hart.
While
braved the Nebraska cold over break, nine Pomalinks toured Florida's beaches and
Photo
Advisory Periods (cont.)
By Gwendolynlhrie
Each grade would have a specific curriculum. Seniors and freshmen have very different needs, so the different curriculums would allow for focus on topics relevant to the student's interests.
"What we know from research and experience is that students respond better in an academic setting when they feel there is an adult in the building who has taken their time to get to know the student's interests, talents, future aspirations," Toalson said. Those relationships need time to develop. The four-year long connection the advisory periods allows staff to have with students is one of the benefits of the 30-minute periods.
From the bond advisors would have with students, they could suggest new things for students to try and intervene if the student is struggling in their academic or personal life.
''Freshmen come in, and they're learning about school procedures. As you progress through your high school years, you transition to things that are more geared to your strengths, interests you might want to turn into a career, or your education path," Social Studies teacher Mandy Peterson explained.
Currently there isn't an official decision on the Advisory Periods. To move forward in developing the Advisory Periods, 100 staff members have to vote in
support, so a 15 to 1 ratio of student to staff could be maintained. If the Advisory Periods are approved, they would be inserted on Tuesday's (which are already adapted for PLCs) so there aren't multiple days of adjusted schedules during the school week. The advisories would be counted as a regular class, and attendance would be taken as usual, including tardies and truancies.
Currently, classes are 42 minutes long. The advisory periods would take three or four minutes from each class so they would be 38 minutes long. This loss of instructional time is one of the chief concerns for those who do not fully support the periods. A staff decision should be made by the middle of February reported Toalson.
As for student and parent input, Toalson said if the Advisory Periods receive enough staff votes to pass the preliminary planning stages, calls, emails, letters, and other ways of communication will be sent to parents and shared •with students.
After that, an initial reaction from those who received the information about Advisory Periods would determine further progress of the Advisory planning or send the development team back to the drawing board. If implemented, Lincoln High would be the only Lincoln school to host Advisory Periods.
Pomalinks in Florida (cont.)
By Gwendolyn Ihrie
Gibson, who works with the dancing/singing group Danity Kane and Lady Gaga.
"In convention classes, the choreographers give you a basic 8-count that they've choreographed so you get a taste of their style," senior Sydney Grime explained. They took six of these classes adding up to almost 10 hours of dancing a day.
"On Sunday we worked on the dance for the Bowl game, all day," senior Catherine Delaine said. The Pomalinks had worked for weeks before they left learning their dances. At the Orange Bowl they performed live to
Slide and Not Broken played by the Goo Goo Dolls.
Their coach, Ali Hart, taught them the pre-choreographed dance. They received the choreography ahead of time so they would have more than just one day to learn the six-minute long routine.
After 25 hours of dancing in Florida, and weeks of preparation before the trip, the Pomalinks were awarded a day at the beach before they had to come back home. "We got to have fun together, bond together, go shopping and go to the beach with each other," Grime said.
Nguyen, Perfect ACT (cont.)
By Caleb Christiansen
All of this practice paid off big time for Nguyen as he worked strenuously toward achieving his goal of a 36. Nguyen was very excited with his score, because he had received "only" a 35 on his previous test and wanted to get his score up. "I was very surprised," Nguyen said. "I was jumping up and down when I saw my score online."
Tested a:n.d etested
tandardizedtests raise stress levels, criticism,and costs, but what are they really measuring?
By Brent Koenigsman
We are the generationof testers Since elementaryschoolour intelligencehas been displayed in tangiblenumbers.Those consideringcollege respectand fear the ACT and SAT,tests that camopen or close the doors of educationalopportunity.
The NeSAtest had implicationsfor our entire high school,and its verdict on LincolnHigh was, "PersistentlyLow Achieving."There's no denying the importanceand weight these exams carry 1nour futureprospects.They condenseand measureour entire educationalcareers into a single, all important number.But shouldthey?
Many teachersand testers across LPS don't seem to think so. ChandraDiaz-DeBose,LHS's testing coordinator,expressedher discomfortwith the directionschoolsare taking with these tests, a directionthat leads to more tests.
even show up for it in the first place. These tests don't seem to give an accurate picture, but they still have a large say in how our schools are viewed and held accountable. Schoolreputationsaren't the only things at stake with these test scores.Millionsof dollarsare grantedby the federalgovernmentto low achieving schools in an effortto improvethem. This money does not come withouta cost.
Last year, Elliot Elementaryqualifiedfor one of these grants but could only receivethe money if they replacedtheir principal.These stipulationsput schodls in a very tough and unsavoryposition.
Former LPS su2erintendentSusanGourleytold the Lincoln Journal Star, "It is a direct result of the federal governmentinfringingupon the local control of education."
And while the governmentis giving millions of dollars as incentivefor schoolsto improve,it also costs millions of dollars to developand administer the tests used to determinethe well being of our schools.The NeSAwritingtest alone costs $600,000 to be implementedaroundNebraska. · But the NeSAtests, and standardizedtests-
"Honestly,I've been criticalof these tests," Diaz-DeBosesaid. "My honest educationalopinionmy professionalopinion- is that, with No Child Left Behind,that has createdmore standardizedtesting and has transformedthe way studentsthink. When I was a classroom in general,aren't all neg!ltive, accordingto BethanyBrunsman, the Assessment Specialistat teacher,I saw this transformationhappen as more and more studentshave become test takers insteadof being able to apply informationand to
The NeSA writing test alone costs $600,000 to be implementedaround Nebraska.
think deeply. That's a huge problem."
Classeshave indeedbecomemore test-centric. AP (AdvancedPlacement)classesare perfect examplesof test-obsessedlearning.Their end goal is to pass the all-importantAP tests.
Our transformationinto "test takers" seems to be taking place gui!e_clearlyto studentsand teache~s. But studentsas md1v1dualsare not the only ones with a lot riding on these test scores. Schoolsas a whole are held accountableby these numbers.
LPS. She said the tests were "well-
And accordingto Dr. Foy there has been real improvementin wnting since the NeSAwritingtest implementation10 years ago. "I think the NeSA writing test, which has been what I'm familiarwith, has greatly improvedwriting acrossthe state. The pass rate 1nthe writingtest m the state has slowly grown over the years last year it was over 85%, the writing test has had a very positive effect on writing in this state."
Nguyen plans to take his considerable talents in academia "In this Issue"PhotoCredits: somewhere out of the state of Nebraska."ln the long shot, I'm hoping for Cal Tech or MIT, but I will be happy just to go somewhere out of state."
Last year's labelingofLHS as "Persistently Low Achieving"soundspretty harsh, but what does it actuallymean'!Ifyou look it up onlinethe definition of"PersistentlyLow Achieving"is a convoluted, three page long affair,indecipherableto anyone not intimatelyinvolvedwith the inner workingsof the NebraskaState Departmentof Education.
Nguyen would like to be a material scientist when he gets older. "I want to figure out what other people use to make stuff with. I think it's a pretty interesting field." If the test is any predictor, whatever he decides to do, Nguyen will definitely be a success.
Dr. Ed Foy,the writingassessmentcoordinator for NeSA, said the PersistentlyLow Achieving label is "built on a complicatedformula it's a very complicatedmatter."At its most basic the label, "PersistentlyLow Achieving"dependson the NeSA test scores and a school's graduationrate.
Parentswho read the words "PersistentlyLow Achieving"next to LincolnHigh won't be that · confused.The messageis clear: Not doing well, but this messagemight be a little misleadingconsidering LincolnHigh Schoolis the only school in the city with the prestigiousInternationalBaccalaureate programand had the secondhighestnumber of National ScholarMerit finalistsin the city last year.
The NeSAtests also did not count for a grade, giving studentsno motivationto try to do welf or intentioned."
There is no way to know for certain if the tests have caused an improvementin writing,or if it's because of some other factors.
The other NeSAtests for reading,science,and math haven't been aroundas long as the writin&test, and for now, Dr. Foy said, "It's too early to tell.' He went on to say,however,"I suspectthey will have somewhatof a positive effect."
Even with these positive aspectsthe systemhas been criticizedby numerouseducationalgroups who call for reform.
Diaz-DeBoseex_presseduncertaintyon the chance of reform. "Is 1tsomethingthat I can change? No. Is it somethingthat's going to changeanxtime soon? No. But I have a real concernabout it.'
But with all the issues it has raised, it's somethingthat has to change.This current systemhas control over us as students,and not only us, but every institutionof learningacross the country.
In the end it's going to take a tirefesswork ethic and plenty of all-nightersto give real reform a chance Some things a generationof test takers shouldbe capable of.
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Karen, Vietna111ese Students Find Support in LHS Clubs
, By Jessi Anderson
For Vietnamese and Karen students said. "Schools where we came from were Club Day is more than just a place to hang very different and we are working very hard out, it is a time to connect with other stu- to get a good education. We are just learning dents who have recently moved to the U.S. the American culture so we have so much to Vietnamese students make up the new club learn." Vietlinks, and Karen students make up the
"Vietlinks was estaolished for Vietnamnew club Karen Student Network Group. ese students who have moved to the United According to Counselor Belinda Jons, States recently," Senior Tai Le said ' 'We try who co-sponsors both clubs, Karen students to adapt to the new environment, but often are originally from ....,.,.,...,..,,,.,,,.,""""111'111'111'7" 77 7'7 we get lost by such a Burma, but have left +: , , ig gap between the two Burma and become ultures." refugees in Thailand.
Vietlinks club They left because of embers are also workthe ongoing conflict ·ng very hard to get a in Burma. good education, but
Above:Vietlinksmembersmeettogetherfor Club about themselves. "We to as Karen students Day. Photo by Jessi Anderson just want everyone to instead of Burmese know that we, Vietbecause we are links club members , fighting With the are proud to be Vietpeople of Burma. namese," Le said. "We All Karen students are practicing for Tet are newcomers to (VietmameseNew Year) the USA," Dee :..= = wliiil now. ··Hopefully we can said. "We don't perfonn for Lincoln
Above:Karenstudentsmeettogetherfor ClubDay. have many people 1nPhoto by Jessi Anderson
High 1mFebruary to our community who show everyone about are familiar with American culture. The club the Vietnamese culture." T'hey also want is a way for all Karen-speaking students to students to know that any mewcomers from gather and hear information about Lincoln Vietnam are welcome to jo,in their club. High School and the community at large." The Vietlink club members also parComing from a different country may ticipated in the Fright Hun:ger Food Drive sound cool to native-born American citizens, during October. but to refugees who are learning English it They collected over 5100pounds of can be a scary adventure. "We want people c anne d food , and eve n t ho1llght hey did not t o know that we are differ ent pe op l e fr om - win the-c ompetition L e s aid, "We were all Asia. We are refugee s from Burma who gl ad that we h ad contribut ed something to lived in re fugee camps in Thailand," Dee our community."
By DeVon Kelley
· Imagine being at your home in the town you have lived in all your life where you have friends and family and all is, more or less, peaceful, and then a rain of bullets and explosions bring an end to it all. Some of your friends and family are dead, perhaps even all, and if you are lucky enough to survive, you no longer have a home.
You are a refugee, now living in a foreign country. You are isolated, because you don't know the language very well, but must find a way to gradually integrate into the foreign society that you find yourself in. That's how LHS Senior Poe Dee, a Karen refugee, felt when he came here along with the 40-50 other new Karen speakers who now live in Lincoln and go to Lincoln High School. '
Dee was born in a peasant farm in the Southeast Asian country of Burma (known as Myanmar to the country's government, but still known as Burma to many of the country's ethnic groups). When Dee was 8-9, he recalls a shoot out at his home in his village between Burmese and Karen soldiers. So that they would not get caught in the middle, he and his family dug a large hole to hide in a field behind their home. Dee said, "We covered the hole with tree branches so the soldiers would not notice."
Dee eventually made it out of Burma by sneaking across the Burmese Patrolled border disguised as a monk's understudy. He then fled
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repealed
By Brent Koenigsman
After 17 years, the Senate repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the military policy that kept gay and lesbian service members from being open about their sexuality. This landmark decision is a step forward for gay rights but is still drawing criticism from opponents who claim it will be a distraction and could affect unit cohesion.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell was originally put in place by the Clinton administration in 1993, in order to protect gay and lesbians in the military from being forced to be public about their sexuality and then discharged. Its effectiveness was often under scrutiny and the number of discharges due to homosexuality was still significant. According to the Congressional Research Service, upwards of 12,000 servicemen and women were discharged on that basis. But on December 22nd, President Barak Obama signed off on the repeal ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Lincoln High's GLBTSA coordinator, Lori Rennings was very excited about the repeal. "I think it's fabulous I'm shocked that it finally went down as quickly as it did." It did indeed happen quickly,sneaking quietly through the Senate after a very public debate and denial of repeal in September.
The repeal did not come about ea s i l y and continues to have its critics : Followin g a Pentagon study that
•to a Thailandl refugee camp where he heard free educations 'wrere being given. After five years in the Refugee ,camp, Dee decided that he would not
· benefit muchl from the education he was receiving
from the camp, because of the lack of resources like pencils, paper, and even food. So the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees helped to fly Dee an 1d other Karen refugees to America. On Nov. 11, 200 19, he arrived in Lincoln.
When Dee arrived at LHS he knew no one. He did not come here with his parents, because according to him they are not educated so they did not enco1llrage him to go to school. The only encouragement Dee got to attend school was from an older brother, which made Dee realize he could only improve his life by getting an education.
''If I live in Thailand, or Burma, there is nothing to improve my life or my education. So I chose to come to Lincoln to study and get an education." Dee says.
When Dee got here he was one of few Karen students attending LHS at the time, and he knew of no one, and not very many people knew of him or -
revealed two-thirds of the military thought repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell would have little impact, Senator John McCain stood by his condemnation of the repeal saying, ''We are doing great damage, and we are possibly and probably harming the battle effectiveness which is so -vital to the support of the men and women of the military.''
Ms. Rennings addressed McCain's criticisms saying, "McCain was the same guy that said 'As soon as the military says it's okay I'm on board,' and as soon as the military said it was okay he went, 'Well not me.''' Despite this opposition the repeal was successfu l and will take effect after a 60- day Congressional requirement and implementation by the United States Service Chiefs. Until then Don't Ask, Don't Tell still has the power to discharge service members.
Gay right's activists hope this historic change in policy will transfer over into other debated issues. Ref erring to the increasing amount of Gay right's legislation being passed, including last week's hospital rights decision, Ms. Rennings said ''It's a current that's picking up force, and you're still going to have some back steps that you have to take here and there, but overall if you just compare it to twenty years ago we've come along way, we've still g o t a lo n g w ay t o g o , bu t I think it's inevitable." '
his people. Some just thought he was Vietnamese ''When we came to Lincoln, most other people thought we were Vietnamese, or an ethnic group from an ot her country. No we are not." Dee expresses, because they had not been in Lincoln
for very long. Dee did not let 'that faze him though. ''Coming to Lincoln, I would say, every thing is perfect for me here, because I come to school every day and meet with a lot of people in school, and a lot of different ethnic groups, and I meet a lot of cool teachers here, and I get a lot of education."
A year after his arrival He met with UNL reporter Ben Kriemer to discuss his past and his people. Imagine coming to a foreign country in which you know no one, and no one knows you. To make matters worse, people mistake you for another ethnicity and you cannot fully explain to everyone this problem because you have trouble speaking their language.
''I wanted people to know we are Karen in Lincoln High, and that we are not Vietnamese," Dee said.
There is something others can do to help. Dee and the 40-50 other Karen refugees who now live in Lincoln are new Americans, and an official part of the Lincoln community. The only thing they wish is to be acknowledged, and this does not go for just the Karen, but all the refugees coming to America who find themselves in the same situation. If you want to help them be a part of this nation, that is growing increasingly diverse by the day known as America, donations of money or gifts to community organizations, albeit helpful, are not completely necessary. Just pay attention to those you see during the day, and if you see them, greet them, because it is the pure acknowledgement of their existence in a world in which they may otherwise feel unwelcome. That wo~ld truly be an amazing gift, and worth so much more than money.
Above: P'oe Dee (12) takes notes in Donna Anderson •s 8th period class.
o~ey Witki~ ara'be9
By Gwenna Ihrie
Freshman Casey Wilkins spent the night before her first varsity softball tournament visiting the Emergency Room. It wouldn't be unnatural for her to visit, since she often volunteers, but she usually wouldn't be the one being examined
This time she was the patient.
Wilkins spent weeks before Lincoln High's softball tryouts practicing her skills, getting ready for her big chance to be a part of a team. "That represents a whole school," she said. Tryouts were in sweltering hot Nebraska weather, not made for the weak After two days in this miserable pattern, Wilkins was ready for the third and final day when they would receive
notice of what teams they made.
!n this s_ection of the new_spaper ~e will be introducing some of the many interestir,g students of Lincoln High. If you know of someone with a story to tell, please email us at lhsnews,paper@lps.org
room later after playing cards at the softball team dinner.
· At the hospital, doctors told her she had broken her hand and put
"It was all good until the last day of tryouts, the day before our first big game," said Wilkins. "I was in the batting cages a hard splint on it. Her instructions were to resist physical activity for a few days until she had her cast off, but she had her glove back on and was tossing softballs after ten minutes.
Above: CaseyWilkins(10). Photo by Katy Taylor
swinging at a ball It was a 60-mile per hour ball. The machine tips a lot because it's going so fast. This time it came faster inside than I could move "
The ball broke straight through the bone on the outer edge of her hand. Wilkins sat out with ice for a while, but she didn't even know it was a serious injury until she went to the emergency
fP Ill ,,
lt's a rare occasion that Wilkins would be in the hospital for her own needs. If she is at a hospital, she's volunteering her time As a Red Cross member, a Girl Scout Cadette, and part
of the Zoo Crew, Wilkins enjoys giving her time to others. "It's a better use of my time than anything else," Wilkins said
In the future, she hopes to stay out of the line of danger. A career in gemology, the study of gems, or as
a chef would keep her far from the dangers of tilting batting machines.
Lincoln High's Astronomy Club makes Rockets
By Izzy Lew}
Rockets climb beyond the clouds, flying toward the stars seen only as dimming lights as we stand upon our earth. The dreams of astronomers are only dreams, but the Lincoln High Astronomy Cltib is beginning to realize those dreams through the building of rockets.
The club, under the direction of math teacher Pat Janike, builds paper rockets every year with the fourth grade students of Elliot
paper like in the past, was an attempt at something a little bit more c1!_allengingfor th e students.
" We ' ve done th e pap er ones for the last two years, and
lti:y Lewy Elementary School The there are some students that members have also been to the have been in the club the past Holmes Lake observatory and two years so they would've to Morrill Hall's Planetarium been doing the same thing,"
One thing that most people Janike said. "There's a lot of do not realize about Janike is good teaching concepts in that he once applied to become there for talking about drag and an astronaut soon after he lift." Basically the began sponsoring the club. goal was to have the students
Although he never quite build a rocket that could stay in realized that dream, Janike took the air and be airborne, for as his leap toward the stars and is long as possible. now teaching the members of Club members talked about this club while exploring his different strategies to 'maximize own curiosities. that time. "I think that there
"I'v e always been are a lot of really great things curious about space. I took an to learn about physics and how astronomy class in college, to maximize that time," Janike and that gave me a little bit of said exposure to it," Janike said. It's a good, practical "Having the Astronomy Club, project, Janike added. "I think that gave me kind of a little bit that any time you do those more interest. hands-on projects you learn
I thought it would be really both, about yourself a little bit incredible to go up in space," and how you can find success Janike said. best."
This year the Astronomy Junior Paisley Martin and Club has made bottle rockets senior Chelsea Remmenga from two liter bottles. Using have joined together in a pact plastic bottles, rather than to build their rocket.
By Gwenna Ihrie
up with my schoolwork while still being a part of a lot of extracurricular activities," Nguyen said. Although she
may seem on top of everything, like many young people, she's torn between her family's future wishes and her
in the medical field. Nguyen has a passion for mathematics, though. "I love numbers," she said "I want to be a math professor some day."
As a sophomore in a mainly senior math class, becoming a math professor could be in
Pre-International Baccalaureate Program, DECA, Reserve Basketball, Theatre, Honor Roll, and singer in a Vietnamese Band: all of the things sophomore Linh Nguyen is able to do in a school year. the cards for this excited · student.
Nguyen was able to partake in all of these activities AND receive an Academic Letter her freshman year; for a freshman, that means having all A's both semesters.
If Nguyen could be remembered for one thing in high school, it would be for "keeping
"I know ours will be the best," Remmenga said in a very upbeat t one
They also described the le ssons learned in th e pr ocess.
''The fins on the rocket make a difference," Martin said. Using her Contra Bass Clarinet mouthpiece Chelsea described the significance of the fins, "You make the pockets go like that," she said, making a triangle shape on the mouthpiece so that the flat end was at the bottom. "It'll be easier to go up and it'll be softer to come down. So that's the safer decision. But we've decided against that plan.
We've made it quite the opposite. We made a pocket of air here." Chelsea points to the top of the imaginary fin. "And it will be harder to go up and faster to come down " What does astronomy have to do with building rockets?
"Astronomy is really more of the study of space.
I guess the connection would be the rockets are the vehicles that take your instruments, your astronauts up to space. It doesn't directly correlate with studying space, but there's a strong indirect relationship there." Janike pointed out.
If the study of stars interests you or you just have a short fascination with outer space, then the Astronomy Club is one club you should look into.
The Astronomy club will be launching their rockets when everyone has completed
in a year of high school! As a freshman she took PreCalculus Diff. Many of the juniors who were in the Pre-Cal class with her, are now the seniors - in her AP Cale. class. • They have accepted her
own aspirations. As the only child in her family, her parents only want the best for her, but to them that's a career as just another student in the class. She doesn't receive any special attention from them just because she's younger.
To worlk or not to work, that is the questt:ionthat many high school studlents are asking How do students; man age schoolwork with their jjobs, and furthermore, is it a good! idea to work while you're stilli trying to manage · with all of your schoolwork and college preparations?
According to senior Jenny Tran, there are many positives to having a job while in high school.
"I work Monday through Friday for two hours a day," said Tran who works as an assistant teacher at a day care center.
· "If they, (students) don't work very many hours I guess it doesn't reailly hurt their schooling," Tran :said.
Tran adlded that she would recommend getting a job because the e:xperience makes you more resp(J)nsible."It helps you to become more prepared," Tran said.
Senior Nyameer Puok has a very different experience with her jobs, as she works at both the Grand Theatre, and WRA (a subdivision of Gallup).
"It's hard to balance school and work, but I can do it. It's definitely stressful," said Puok. ·She finds that working two jobs
can be a little overwhelming, but still believes that it's good for high school students to get jobs. "It's up to the person I primaril y have my jobs because I pay for my cell phone, car insurance, car maintenance, and gas," said Puok
"It makes me have good work ethic, but I definitely don ' t recommend having two jobs in high school."
·
She also thinks that it helps her to prepare for her future, "It will teach me to balance work and school. I know I'm going to have to work in college if I want to pay for at least half of my tuition.
Senior Corey Sheesley also said that students would benefit from having a job in high school. "It heips you prepare for college. It's easier to start working in high school so you're used to it," said Sheesley.
As for how it affected her current schoolwork she said, "If I have a paper to write and I work for 15 or 20 hours I probably won't do it."
Sheesley ultimately agreed with both Tran and Puok that it's an overall good thing to have a job. "I think as you get older you need to start relying on yourself and be more independent." ·
Above: Linh Nguyen(10).
Photo by Katy Taylor
Nguyen is taking AP Calculus Diff. That's a whole year of collegelevel calculus
Photo by
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Slo • m
By Brent Koenigsman
This semester break hundreds of high school students from Lincoln to Omaha to Denver piled on to buses at midnight and embarked on a weekend of skiing and snowboarding down the powdery slopes of the Colorado Rockies on a trip sponsored by Campus Life.
This wasn't just a meaningless vacation in the mountains, and it didn't happen without a lot of hard work and dedication by the Campus Life clubs around Lincoln, namely the club at Lincoln High.
Four years ago an enterprise like this would've been impossible for LHS students, mainly because it was a year with absolutely no Campus Life at Lincoln High. Jason Hawkins, Lincoln High's Campus Life leader, said to restart the club he had to "start from scratch " Nevertheless he successfully resurrected the club and in just three years has made it one of the most popular and well attended in the entire school.
Not only has Hawkins worked hard to get kids to come to club, he's worked hard on '
giving them something worth coming to by creating a fun and comfortable environment and sponsoring incredible trips, like this year's to Copper Mountain.
Over the years the membership has grown and grown, and attendance to the ski trip went from 16 three years ago to 26 kids this year, an impressive number considering the cost of the trip
A lot of the students who got to go aren't kids who normally get to spend three days at a top shelf ski lodge, and Hawkins worked hard giving them that chance as well. Hawkins raised nearly $2,000 to pay the trip's expenses
He organized a trivia night, participated in numerous fundraisers, and convinced many to donate money to students wanting to go.
Hawkins's hard work and devotion to this club seem to know no bounds,
"I want to continue to make things available to all, not just one or two students." With leaders like Hawkins with genuine passion and tireless dedication Campus Life is headed in a promising direction.
FINALS FINALLY BEFORE WINTER BREAK
By DeVon Kelley
When it comes to next year's LHS schedule tlhere is good news and there is bad news
The good news is that Winter Break will be tiwo full weeks long and will mark the end of first semester for the first time ever! Also school will now end three days earlier on May 24th.
The bad news is that school will start two dlays earlier, on Aug. 16th, and Fall Break will b,e only one day instead of a week long.
The District Calendar Committee, which is made up of community people, parents and teachers, made this decision because they felt i1timproved student learning, and satisfied parental expectations of a longer summer break.
"There are lot of community people and parents that felt that they wanted school to start }:ateenough so that students still have a summer vracation,'' Lincoln High Principal Mike Wortman said.
Having finals before Winter Break makes
• rom terrorists ' , uton
By Brent Koenigsman
The would-be Times Square bomber, the would-be Shoe bomber, the would-be Underwear bomber, the would-be Stockholm bomber. Unlike those who brought down flight 93 on a Pennsylvania field, crashed into the Pentagon, and brought down the World Trade Centers on 9/11, these men will beforgotten by most. But the ideas they represent-luck, failure, vigilance, radicalism-are issues that should be ever present in our country's consciousness. Recently, airlines hav~ beefed up their searching technology and protocols. Five years ago, after would-be bombers using liquid explosives were stopped, a limit was put on the amount of liquids passengers could bring aboard planes. More recently the TSA (TransportationSecurity Administration)began to enact full body scans of airplane passengers. These new measures have certainly produced complaints and protests, but what about results? Not really, says a study by the
Institute for H;omelandSecurity Solutions, which found that, since 1999, eighty percent of terrorist plots foiled were stopped by police work or tips, not by technology based efforts. The liquid bomb plot was brought to an end by diligent British Police work and the Shoe-bomberwas subdued by passengeFson the plane after he tried to ignite his explosives. So can travelers drop their hyperparanoia and rest easy on the reliable human antiterrorist efforts? No.
The very recent failures in Times Square, Stockholm, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's underwear were the faults of the terrorists themselves. The Times Square bomber's explosives were found by authorities, who were notified by an observant T-shirt vendor, as they were already in the process of detonating. Fortunately the amateurish bomb malfunctioned.At a press conference New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, ''We are very
it more likely students will retain what they learn.
"If students are out of school for two weeks, and then come back and have to finish their final projects and the final exams, its not fresh information," Wortman said.
The calendar committee met for months talking about this issue to make sure they could still meet all requirements, such as having 180 days in a school year, and an extra 5 days for teachers to work without students.
So the extra days taken had to come from somewhere, and Fall Break was donor.
These schedule changes are expected to raise student performance in finals test scores, and raise student performance in all other aspects, Wortman said
It is, in and of itself, a test to see educationally what is the best way for students to learn, Wortman added.
lucky we avoided what could have been a very deadly event." Swedish officials said the Stockholm bomber's device went off early because he bent down to pick up his cell phone. The end result was his death and the injury of two others. The underwear bomber failed to ignite his explosives properly resulting in a burned upper leg. These miscues highlight not so much an impressive anti-terrorist effort, but rather a lucky streak. A former CIA and FBI terrorism specialist, Phillip Mudd, said to National Public Radio, ''I'm not sure why so many of them are failing, but I don't think we should take that as success One of these kids is going to succeed "
Hopefully this series of fortunate mistakes won't-lull our nation into a false sense of safety, but rather provide evidence and clues that will improve our security even more, so one day the words ''would-be'' will precede terrorist every time.
Above: Campus Life Members seniors Dane Christensen, Andrew Owens, Seth Roepke ice skate at Copper Mountain in Colorado during winter break. Photo Courtesy of Amy Springer
' ytoStomp our Feet!
By Caleb Christiansen .,...
The time is ripe in the theatre
, awards handed out to our favor! · · ~ ite stage performers every year.
We have a street in New York, season for a musical, and this year Broadway, irnfamous for its musiwe are treated to the classic piece cal works. We idolize most of the by Rodgers and Hammerstein; people who get up on stage and not Oklahoma!, a traditional romantic only act at a high level, but sing musical that was first performed on i ' and dance at high a level. Oklathe Broadway stage in 1943. homa! brings a lot of interesting
The adapted film Oklahoma! characters to the stage as well. garnered two Academy Awards "I really enjoy playing for Best Music and Best Sound such a floozy, who is so fun and Recording in 1955. flirty," said senior Kate Rask who
"The American musical is its plays Ado Annie. own genre," stage director John "I'm the one that everyone Heinetnan said. "And Rodgers and listens to, which is awesome," said Hammerstein are two of the greats, senior Katy Keating who plays so doing one of the great classical Above (Left to Right): Ashley Epp(ll}, Sam Larson(l2}, Katy Keating(l2}, Kate Aunt Eller. "She is really the B.A. musicals is really vety special." Rask(12), and Wesley McCord(l2} strike a pose. You can see all of them in Oklahoma! of the show," Keating said.
Musicals are a unique theatrical
The musical will begin its "It is one of the few times that all of the experiences for the simple fact that music is three-day run of performances on Thursday, the central formatting tool. arts come toge th er; music, th eatre, and th e · February 17th at 7 p.m. in the Ted Sorensen l 'k h b · visual arts," Heineman said. h "I 1 e ow the characters urst into T eatre. "It 1s exciting, entertaining, and it'll song all the time, because that's kind of how "It is combining people who have a lot get your feet-a-stomping," Rask said. I wish my life was," junior Ashley Epp who of different talents being able to use th em in Oklahoma! also features: ·senior Sam plays Laurey said. one venue. It's such a big show, so the tech is Larson who plays Curly McClain, senior
The actors must be talented in many fac- really intense. It really juSt brings every th ing Wesley McCord who plays Will Parker, ets, including acting, singing, and dancing. toge th er," Heineman added.
senior Scott Shomaker who plays Jud Fry, They must combine all forms of theatre into The musical is one of th e moSt popular senior Gwendolyn Ihrie who plays Gertie one show, and they must do them all with st age performances held at Lincoln High. Cummings, senior Greg Ward who plays Ali apparent ease, something that is not an easy In th is country we are known to be infatil- Hakim, and junior James Steele who plays feat. ated with musicals. We go as far as to have Carnes.
New Rapper
By Erik Chapo
The word is out. There's a new rapper on the rise, and it's not Drake. This new phenomenon breakout artist is known as Wiz Khalifa Based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cameron Jibril Thomaz (better known as Wiz Khalifa) has taken the musical world by storm. Khal ifa was born on Sep t embe r 8t h, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota
H is parents bo th served in the military so his family moved on a regular basis , from military base to military base. In 1990 Khalifa ' s mother was a ssi g ned to Oper a t ion Desert Storm, and he was sent to live with his aunt in Oklahoma City.
Wiz was almost destined to make mus ic. His aunt owned a recording studio in Oklahoma City where Khalifa recorded his first song at the age of 12. Wiz continued recording in Oklahoma, until he graduated from high school and decided to move to Pittsburgh.
There, his career took off Khalifa released his first mix tape titled Prince of the City in 2006.
After it's success Photo Courtesy of wi2\khalif a.com Wiz was signed by Warner Brothers Records.
·
In 2009 Khalifa released his first album titled Deal or no Deal. "I like Wiz Khalifa because he is very lyrical and creative with his music," says LHS Junior and Wiz Khal ifa fan Angelica Bustamante "His songs are very catchy and most of them have good beats."
Khalifa has been rocking in the "underground" up until about the year 2009 , when he released Deal or no Deal.
Khalifa is just hitting major markets with his current hit single titled Black and Yellow. In the song he sings about how he represents Pittsburgh by always wearing the cities main colors, black and yellow.
"I think that it's really cool how Wiz Khalifa always talks about his fashion and his swag," says Lincoln High junior and Khalifa fan Keenan Marsh. "That's one of the reasons why I enjoy his music."
Wiz Khalifa has a number of unique aspects about him. First of all, he was born in North Dakota, where as it seems that all of the major rappers of today are from major metropolitan cities. He is known for his cackle like laugh that is a trademark in nearly every song that he records.
iz Khalifa on the • rise
He also has a number of very unique fashion trends. Khalifa endorses the Converse trademark shoe, Chuck Taylors In fact he likes them so much, that he named is "click" of friends the Taylor Gang, because they all wear and love Chucks.
"Every star has their own little group," says Bustamante. "I'd have to say that his has the most uni que n ame th ough." He re f er s to the Taylor Gang in every song that he makes
of his arms covered wiith tattoo sleeves : Another fashion trend that he has is the way he likes to "rock"' his hats. Wiz usually \\'.ears flat brim baseball caps with the brims bent an1d turned up, like an old school newspaper boy
He also has been lknown to wear them completely side ways :and inside out. Wiz Kh alifa is making a huge impa ct on mu s ic.
His first hit single: Say Yeah, made it to # 5 o n The Ho t 100 in ]lat e 2 009. His most recent hit Black and Y,ellow is currently sky rocketing in popularity and was sittin g at #34 on American Top 40
Khalifa definitely likes to stand out He is literally c o v ered in t att oos. H e has a s olid body cover of tattoos, ranging all the way fr o m hi s wai st to h i s ne ck. He als o h as b o th ·- - --- •
Highly Anticipated Movies and I Video Games in 2011 : · I .. _________
Movies: Video Games: I I
I The Hangover 2 Dead Space 2 I I May 26th PS3, Xbox 360 I January 25th
Deus Ex:Human I I The Green Lantern June 17th I
ITransformers: Dark I I of the Moon, July 1st
I Harry Potter and lthe Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I July 15th
I Captain America: I The First Avenger July 2 2nd I
I I Real Steel October 7th
_ IMiss ion Impossible: I Ghost Protocol I December 16th
I I Scream 4 April 15th
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Revolution I PC,PS3, Xbox360April20 1 1 Star Wars: The Old I Republic PC May 9th I I Batman: Arkham I City PC,PS3,Xbox360 I June 16th I Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception I PS3 I Noven1ber1st Diablo 3 PC,Mac I I November201 1 Gears of War 3 I Xbox360 I November201 1 I
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword I Wii I December201 1 .I ----
People's Chollce AwardsWinnc~rs:
Favorite M oviie
Twilight Saga: Ec:lipse
Favorite Movie Alctor Johnny Depi:1
Favorite Muvie A1ctress Kristen Stewart
Favorite Family fi"dovie Toy Story 3
avorite Comedy 1Hovie Grown Ups
Favorite TV Dri rzma House
Favorite TV Conriedy Glee
Favorite Male Artist Eminem
Favorite Female f4..rtist Katy Perry
Favorite Sonig Love the Way Yo1u Lie Eminem feat. Rihlanna
Favorite Country iA.rtist Taylor Swift
F avorite Comedi,: Star Adam Sandle:r
• •
LHSBoysBasketball''Allabointdefense''
By Sam Larson
As the Links winter sports teams reach 'their midseason the lHS Boys Varsity basketball team has slipped into a trench of mediocrity after finishing the first 15 games of their season with a record of 8- 7.
After a strong start (including four back to back wins) the Links suffered a crushing loss to Lincoln Southwest at the Holiday Tournament (45-59), after defeating them earlier in the season (51-48).
This was followed by a nail-biting victory against Grand Island, and later, four straight losses.
The Links Varsity team has decided to focus on one aspect of the game in order to turn their season around. That aspect is their defense
''Each team is kind of unique we're seeing what we're going to be good
areas that we're going to have io address and work on," Lincoln High's Head Basketball Coach Dan Noble said.
''So far for the most part when we've played an opponent we've been the hardest working team.
Another strength is our defense," Noble said.
The team knows that this is a critical part of any basketball team. ''We feel that if we can hold teams under 50 points we've got a great chance to win games."
The Links have in fact won all but one game that they managed to hold their opponents under the 50 point mark (Lincoln Southwest, Lincoln East, Fremont, and Lincoln Northeast (twice), and Omaha Northwest).
Becoming a powerful defensive team is something that Noble helps the team with every day junior guard •
''If we play good defense we 1getmore points," Lott saidl. He pointed out that Nol~le is encouraging them to woi·k to improve the defense and to become a defensively sou·nd team.
''As my dad says, 'oftiense sells tickets, deft!nse wins ball games,"' saicl Lott, ''I love offensegetting the ball and scoring two, points on the board is gre,1t-but defense is the life of the game It's all about defca:nse."
Junior Guard John Hmris looks to step up to his personal defensive challenge. ''I ~tsually guard the best pla:y-eron 'the other team," Hatris said.
Harris wasn't so confident on the team's cunrent defensive state. ''Wle're working on it," Harris
A new year has begun, the One year later Nebraska still cold has set in and once again had 11,000 tickets available for the Huskers offense has hit road sale, going into the game against bumps late in the season. They Washington. Husker nation just showed their problems in a huge simply wasn't excited to be manner during their shocking playing in the game. The Husker 19-7 loss to the University of football players obviously had Washington during the Holiday similar feelings toward the on December 30th in San Diego. match up. They played a very The game was perhaps the sub par game. For starters, the Huskers worse and definitely Husker defense (which is one of their most embarrassing, judging the top in the nation) let Huskie by the fact that Nebraska beat the quarterback Jake Locker run Huskies 56-21 in their third game all over them. He looked more of the season. like a half back as he tore up But perhaps the largest the Nebraska defense with his mistake was the fact that the running ability. Huskers wer~ P,layingin the On the offensive side of game in the first place. After the ball the Big Red didn't fair all, the Huskers had much better. Taylor won IO games going Martinez and company into the bowl game only racked up 186 and were ranked 14th total yards of offense, in the nation. The with their lone score University of Missouri coming off of a 34 yard sai · ''Anyone can ju st thr0 w was originally intended pass from Martinez to ab 11in a basket. It's defense to play in the Holiday tight end Kyler Reed. tha mak~s the difference." Bowl and have Speaking of which, until · ;ifiJJ\!tWilil!IJi'fiilliii!ltL ' i Nebraska play in the Insight Taylor Martinez regains his high ...,·'"· '.~:::lfflll i Bowl. level of play on the gridiron, I'm tir;JY1! 9 '-;l)Jll[ , But Big 12 commissioner going to be calling him T-Tragic <!l ; Dan Bebee expressed that he instead ofT-Magic. I remember ! would like for Missouri to play how the Huskers started off the '. in the Insight Bowl, putting the year so strong and everyone here ·Huskers into the Holiday Bowl, in Husker Nation was talking i which they beat the University National Championship and ! of Arizona 33-0, one year ago. Taylor Martinez for Reisman. ; That fact alone caused a loss of Since then, the Huskers have ·••excitement going into the game. finished their promising (at first) ) A year ago, Nebraska sold out season badly losing the last 3 : Qualcom Stadium, five days after of their 4 games. We'll hope for '. the Huskers were announced to better luck next year.
By Erik Chapo be playing in the Holiday Bowl.
By Sam Larson
Students may have been out of school in honor of Dr. King, on Monday, January 17th, but for seniors Mar 'Lakuittia Overstreet and Sandy Ngo, and sop ho m ore T r e Ander so n , i t was a time to share about the importance o f education, civil rights, and leadership at the 16th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Rally and March.
The event began at the UNL Student Union, which was filled with students attending the rally. Senior Sandy Ngo said," There had to be over 200 people there." Ngo i s a veteran of the MLK Day march, and has been involved in it for four years. This year she served as the event chair, and took on a leadership role in the planning of the rally.
who is highly involved at LHS in Student Council, cheerleading, and band, said that she was very encouraged by the event.
''It's just a really awesome thing and it's great to g et to speak at it ," Overstreet said. Her k ey no te spe ech that w a s titled "Don't You Give Up o n You " was a highlig h t of the rally.
''It was to encourage people to not give up, and to tell people to reach their full potential,"
by Dr. King himself. "It gets me thinking about where my ancestors and the people of the past have gotten us, to where we are now."
Overstreet said the day makes her think about not taking her education for granted. "It tells me how i mportant educat ion i s and how important i t is to be th e best tha t y ou can be."
Highlights of the event for Overstreet inc l uded the singing and the march, "I like the music. We ''''"'always sing 'We Shall Overcome' and Jjthe Negro/Black National Anthem."
LHS sophomore Tre Anderson i stepped up to play a leadership role { in this year's rally. ''This is my third ;jyear, and I've become more of a leader !this year," Anderson said. In becomil:ing a leader he also gave a speech that I he had written by himself.
•,:-:;; "A lot of people came up and "Our adult organizer, Pete Fer- ; said that they enjoyed what I said. It --gu son, helped out when we needed him, !was great to hear that people were lisbut he was mostly just there to help 1!tening to me. It really influenced me." with contacts," Ngo said. She went on IiAnderson also took part in leading to say that the event is almost entirely ~I ,some of the chants. put on by the students, "He [Ferguson]
J Anderson said that the rally was made sure that it was student-run,'' Ngo
ting to him and to the Above: Members of the 16thAnnual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. YouthRally march toward the ·· ,, ' said. capitol building on January 17th for a program in the WarnerChamber inside. Photo by Greg Keller other students there. We JUStneed to After meeting at the Student keep doing this year after year to make Union, those in attendance marched to the State Overstreet said. She is no stranger to the MLK sure that we influence people," Anderson said. Capitol. youth rally and has also been involved in it for "They need to hear our voices like they heard LHS senior Mar'Lakuittia Overstreet, the last four years. Overstreet is inspired greatly Martin Luther King's''.
Photo by GregKeller
Photo by Greg
EarthquakeTriggersMassive Wave I•
By Takehiko Kambayashi and Albert Otti (MCT Campus)
Fire trucks sprayed water at i an overheating nuclear reactor
Ii in north-eastern Japan Friday, as · the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) described the situation at the stricken power plant as serious but stabilizing.
Military and police trucks ), sprayed tons of water on the overI heated fuel storage pool at reactor ;); 3 of Fukushima I nuclear power '1 ) plant, which was damaged by 1 the earthquake and tsunami that Ii devastated the region a week ago.
;!
The water "almost certainly li reached" the fuel storage pool, I Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary
I Yukio Edano told reporters.
• Cooling systems at the reac'i tors failed after the electricity ;i ; system was knocked out in the '! disaster. "I would characterize it f as moving to a stable situation," ! senior IAEA official Graham An-
the even temperature level at the spent-fuel pond at reactor 6 as positive signs
Workers were trying to recover power at Reactors 1 and 2 by late Friday and at Reactors 3 and 4 by Sunday, to pump cooling \>i<J.ter to the reactors. However, An&-ewwarned that the state of the pl<i':\tremained "very serious." Edano said the level of water in the fuel st0rage pool at Reactor 1 was thought \.0 be falling.
Elevated temperatures in fuel ponds at Reactor ~5 and 6 did not pose an immediate danger, he said. If necessary, they would also be doused with water. •••• )I drew told reporters at the agency's
Names
By Caleb Christiansen
For some, it is their dreamjob Most high school football coaches aspire to be a head coach, especiallyat the Class A level, at one point in their careers Lincoln High found itself with a head coachingvacancy at the end of this year when Head Coach Mike Fultz decidedto retire. Mark Macke, an 18-year veteran assistantcoach at CreightonPrep, has been selectedby Lincoln High to help get the Links back to state, somethingthey have not accomplishedsince 2004.
Even though the football head-coaching job at Lincoln High was not consideredall that prestigious due to lack of competitiveness in recent years, this highly touted assistantcoach from CreightonPrep has decidedto take on the challengeof tumin this program around.
"I'm extremelyexcited to take on this position." Coach Macke said "I've been waiting for this opportunity,and I'm getting good vibes so far."
to Reactor
Unit 2, stabilization of pressure
in side thec or eo f Re actor3 and
have an ideal situationto begin his tenure as a head footballcoach. Lincoln High has won a total of 6 games since 20C>6.One of the biggest challengesMacke faces is simply getting kids to come out and play
"That is one of the main challenges that we will face, and I don't have a magical formula, but I know a couple of essentials that go into a winningprogram," Macke said.
"And one of those is hard work, we are going to work hard "
Macke expects Lincoln High to be back on the track to state sooner rather than later, v, and this means the players will ] :have to gear up alongsidethe !!coaches.
•Ir "We're going to be more :fdemandingof the players, espeicially in the off-season," Macke I!said." These players are going ]!itohave to have strong commitlimentand ln)st that [we] coaches ;\cantake them to a higher level,"
!Macke said. , l;l;;;;;~;N'6~h~~dF66ib~l.,n·<.,'.Hopef~llyCoach Macke coach Mark Macke. Photo by 1sthe spark this programsneeds Coach Macke does not Caleb Chris t iansen to get back on the road to success.
By Jessi Anderson
Students in the Lincoln High choir are excited about the new addition to the choir room. Recently the LHS choir received
Japan raised the rat'ingof the nuclear accident up one stet to level 5 on the 7 - step INES sca\e, labeling it as an "accident with wider consequences," because reactor cores have been damaged. The new rating on the socalled INES scale puts the accident on the same level as the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island in the United States, where the core wa s severely damaged.
that are being
to promote the a generous donation from the Grammy Foundation and the card-board version of the check is now on display in the choir room.
According Choir Director Jon Gruett the same foundation that holds the Gramrny's partnered with Best Buy to
States. Lincoln High was
While Dr ]!Gruett was uns~re of ;j)exactly why Lincoln ]\High was chosen, he tt , , · , ·
,
./\ass es 1·t·s because Al,ovtf1'hic?tli&6'it!H~tiHe'Mti~le·o&p!rtIBehtte8~fV6a'' 1~fouruf:rge n~mber from the Grammy Foundation. Photo by Jessi Anderson of students on free or (StoryContinuedon Pg. 2)
By Brent Koenigsman
A sudden increase in violence has created a veritable wave sweeping across the nation. It has crashed down as close as Omaha, where Millard South senior, Robert Butler took his life and the life of Vice Principal Vicki Kaspar. These inexplicable acts of violence have left many searching for answers. What steps should be taken to prevent these tragedies from happening again? Nebraska State Senator Mark Christensen thinks he may have an answer.
Two weeks after the Millard South shooting, Christensen introduced a bill that would allow some teachers, staff, and security that are already licensed, to carry concealed weapons in school. Even if the bill passed it would be up to School boards whether or not to allow it to apply to their schools. The bill is currently in committee but its passage is doubtful. State Sen. Christensen himself said, "It won't go nowhere " The bill's fate has a lot to do with very vocal opposition and little
•\;;outright support, although Christensen claimed he had teachers who il"wished they could be more vocal," but feared being disciplined. 'I I did my own research here at Lincoln High and sent out an tl;email to LHS staff asking for their thoughts about the bill. Out of :!those that responded, 17 staff members, including head ofLHS ]security Dave Medina, all of them were against the bill. Medina '.;said,"I just don't think it's a good idea." He also didn't think that ]being licensed was enough to qualify staff to use a gun in those high (stress situations. "You can have a license to carry, but you still really !.'needlaw enforcement training," Medina said. Other teachers and
!istaff responded saying that allowing LHS faculty to carry weapons }would show a distrust of the students and escalate an already tense · ii/atmosphere. Social Studies teacher, Andrew Bargen, summed up the ,, '}responding teacher's feelings well saying, "For my money, bringing
Above:Gov ernment offic ials walk down
recently-cleared roadway on Thursday, Marcin 17, 2011, in Kesennuma, Japan, whe,re
Photoillustration by Greg Keller
Choir Story Cont.
By Jessi Anderson
reduced lunches and because of our diverse student population. Gruett was unsure of how many schools received checks in the United States, but he was sure that Lincoln High is the only school in LPS to be presented with one.
The $2000 check will be used towards the new music department piano that the choir is fund raising for.
Students from Concert Chorale were joyous when Dr. Gruett presented them with the large cardboard version of the donated money.
"I think it was really generous for them to give it to us like that, I mean Lincoln high out of all schools in Nebraska, out of all of America they chose us, and Japan Cont.
By Takehiko Kambayashi and Albert Otti
Radiation levels around reactor 3 fell slightly on Thursday after it was sprayed by military firefighters, Japan's nuclear safety C0lfimission said Friday Officials of the World tlealth Organization and the JAEA said separately that thert>was no general health risk for Japan's population, despite temporary elevated radil!tion levels over the past days.
Earlier Friday, IAEA chief Yukiya .\mano arrived in Japan and 111etPrime Minister Naoto Kan and other officials to discuss che nuclear crisis.
Amano told reporters that a four-person IAEA team would be dispatched within a couple of days to monitor radiation around the plant Ky odo news agen c y reported.
During a meet in g w ith Fo reign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto ,
New Bi ll Contin
By Brent Koenigsman
Western schools. ''The closest help is miles away from some of these schools," Christensen said. Christensen also said staff could leave weapons locked in secret, safe locations around the school rather than have teachers or staff carry them. Christensen also did not think pushing the other way, for stricter gun control, was a good idea.
I
01r one
By Jessi Anderson
Last semester Concert
Chorale started a penny-wars fundraiser to help fund the new $25,000 piano that will be for music department. On Friday March 4th Concert Chorale counted their jars of collections to find that anywhere between $10 and $50 was missing.
Each Friday students in Concert Chorale would count and tally the amount of change raised for the week. When they counted on March 4th they found that they were around ten dollars short of the prior tally, not counting the money that had been raised since that last tall y
As a class the students decided to stop their pennywars fundraiser in light of the news of the stolen money. Choir members were frustrated that their donations had been funding someone's pocket instead of the new piano, as was intended.
"I think it's very unfortunate because people put forth money out of their own pockets to help us with the piano fundraiser, and the fact that someone either in our choir or outside of our choir had the nerve to do that, I mean why would you steal from a fundraiser, it's for charity."
I feel like the choir should be really honored," senior Gina Harvey said. Sophomore Trey Anderson felt similar when he said, "I'm really glad that we got it. We as a choir were trying to reach a goal but it was going to be hard reaching that kind of money with just pennies and change "
''It was a real surprise," Music Department Accompanist Jana Ghormley said, "it was a wonderful gift, it was totally unexpected and it has been an encouragement in the raising of the funds for the new piano."
The new piano the department is trying to purchase will cost $25,000. This genours gift put the music department closer to their goal but they still have a long way to go.
Amano also urged Tokyo to have closer contact with the nuclear agency over the troubled reactors. Matsumoto said he recognized tile importance of explaining the situation to the Japanese public and abroad with "transparency," K yodo reported. "This is a very serious accident," Amano told reporters. "It is import~t for the international community to tackle the problem together."
Meanwhile, cooperation between Japan and the United States seemed to be goi[\g more smoothly, as the the US military has ordered 450 nuclear emergency experts to prepare to deploy to Japan if needed. Communication and coordination in the current crisis had been seamless, thanks to close cooperation between the US military and its Japanese counterpart for decades, said Navy Admiral Robert Willard , who will be in charge of the US military assistan ce to Japan.
'' A b s olu t ely not ," Christensen said. "You can't r e gulate criminals."
As of now the bill is sort of a non-issue, but Christensen said he would continue to push for similar legislation. Christensen cautioned, "I just hope it doesn't take another tragedy, l ike Millard South, for people to open their eyes and take this seriously." Regardless the bill is, by Christensen's own admission, dead in the water.
I oes 1ss1n
sophomore Cyndee Josenberger said.
Junior Evan Sackett explained his fury when lie said "I find it very disappointing that someone would steal ou• money, because we had ro shut down the progr:im that we were doing that got the choir members to doniite and that's 'what really got lundraising to take off among the choir."
Now choir members are looking for lager donations from alumni and other organizations instead of collecting pocket change from choir members. The Music Department has already raised a total of five thousand dollars towards the new piano that will cost twenty-five thousand. Students continue to look forward to the purchase of the new instrument, and hope that who ever took the choir's money comes forward and returns it to the Music Department.
Lo Green Music Review Courtesy of www contactmusic.com Track Photoss by Erik Chapo
ective
By Caleb Christiansen
C itizens in Wisco ns in have taken to the stireets to protest against thei r g overnor S co tt Walk e r who has passed legislation that will dissolve unions right to collectively bargain. Most of the state's workers have had their right to collectively bargain curtailed when Republican Senators held a vote to pass the necessary legislation despite the absence of 14 Democratic Senators who fled the state. There is similar legislation being discussed in Nebraska that will also dissolve unions right to bargain collectively. This could directly affect the teachers of Lincoln High, who are part of the teacher's union, Lincoln Education Association, or the LEA, here in Nebraska. It is being argued that unions are detrimental to the overall economic success of a state, and their ideal situation would be to make it illegal to collectively bargain. However unions, like the LEA, help protect the rights of workers so they are not taken advantage of by those in power positions. Teacher Unions have been targeted by legisla-
tures i n ma ny states across the na t ion It is be in g s a id tha t tea cher s' unio ns ha ve no beneficial qual i ties to people other than the teac hers themselves. However without these unions, teachers would not have proper protecti1n against things like low pay wages and a guaranteed three-day period to turn grades in
These things may seem trivial but must be fought for. English teacher Julia Doerr is the Senior Faculty Representative to the LEA here at Lincoln High. She supports the workers in Wisconsin and would likely take to the streets in protest in Lincoln if Nebraska furthers its outlaw on collective bargaining. "I'm proud of the protests in Wisconsin." Doerr said. "I'm not sure what this new governor in Wisconsin is all about, but the nationwide movement to go after collective bargaining unions, is, for lack of a better word, un-American." Doerr said. We will keep our eyes open for any further developments that may dissolve our teachers' right to bargain collectively.
Above:Teache r s crowd outside of the Wisconsin Capitol building to pro te st the removal of col l ective barg ai ning. Photo Courtesy of MI'CCampus
LHS.CelebratesMulticulturalweek
By Katy Taylor
"An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea," the Buddha said.
That is just what Mica Pacheco Ceballos did during Multicultural week. She took an idea, and ran with it.
With the help of Social Studies Department Chair J.P. Caruso and others, Pacheco Ceballos organized the events for the week, including a host of guest speakers who filled the halls of Lincoln High School.
UNL English professor Kwakiutl
Dreher did a one-woman reading, of her play entitled, "In a Smoke-Filled Room" in the Ted Sorensen Theatre.
"A representative from The American Civil Liberties Union came and talked with Lincoln High students about immigration and LB48, [an Arizona-style b ill introduced in the Nebraska Legislature]," Caruso said.
Gary Hill, a profes sor from the Univer sity of Omaha (and a Lincoln High alum) who deals with international affairs talked about the differences we must actively see.
The most memorable of all the speakers was Dr. Chris Benson, a pro-
fessor of Journalism from the University of Illinois, who did a split lecture on that Friday about Emmett Till's story. Preparation took months in advance and Pacheco Ceballos was a major contributor. "We talked to a lot of different people in the community about how we can best influence students. We also wanted to have a lot of discussion base stuff but that was really hard to do and didn't get through that as much." Pacheco Ceballos said.
"I was accepted to The Bezos Scholarship program," :PachecoCeballos said. "Twelve students and 12 teachers went to the Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado. We met a lot of influential and powerful people and unbelievable leaders around the world."
''A lot of it was just contacting people around the community and seeing if they'd be interested in participating," Pacheco Ceballos added
Lincoln High seniors got their first taste just this year of Multicultural week. "It was the first time in 6 or 7 years that we've had anything like this," Caruso said. ·
"We hope to continue in future years as well." Caruso added.
Anyone who wants to become a part of this ''Ideas Festival" or to become more in formed can , speak to Dr. Wortman or Caruso.
"The idea wasn't to !bringmulticulturalism to Lincoln Hiigh,but it was really to sort of bring the issue to the table," Pacheco Ceballos said. ''It's something we should be talking ·about it all the time."
LincotnHighStudentsSkatefor Pride
By Elizabeth Lewy
Star City Pride, a communitybased organizationdedicatedto Lancaster Gay LesbianBisexualTrans gender (GLBT),hosted a Skate for Pride event at Skate Zone on February27, 2011.The crowd there that day was made up of mostly LincolnHigh students.
The winter season's snowflake decor hung from the ceiling and swayed in the breeze from the skaterscirclingbelow.The bac~ wall someonehad painted neon colors had been lit with a black light.
The reason why Skate Zone was open was, "to raise money for Star City Pride s9 that they can have anotherPride Parade."LHS senior,ChelseaRemmenga, said. Remmengais also one of the councilmembers for LHS Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,Trans gender,and Straightalliance (GLBTSA)club.
Although,the events themselves did not bring awarenessto gay pride they held the usual events as regular skate days held at Skate Zone. This includesfree skate, partner skate, and even the limbo. There will be anotherSkate for Pride event at Skate Zone. The bad part about
that is that's the night of our LincolnHigh Prom on April 16th.If the ,event is the same time, 4p.m.-6p.m.,as in February, then you may be able to go skatingbefore Prom even starts. ''It would be awesome,so, freshmen and sophomoresyou should totally go," Remmenga said. "I learned how to skate again."Remmengasuggeststhat those whom cannot go to Prom, everyone included,should go to the next Skate for Pride.
Any age can go. The lowest age group that was at Skate for Pride in February was 3 years old. The Star City GLBT Pride communitystronglysuggests anyone who wants to supportand participateto go.
Also on April 23, 2011, there will be Pride Prom held by the LPS high school GLBTSAclubs.The theme this year is Mardi Gras. The feeto enter is $5. Anyone that still goes to high school is allowed as long as they bring their student ID. If you would like more information about this event please contact the LHS OLBTSAsponsor,Lori Rennings in room 341.
)l1.\ll. :JI, 2() 11
NAACP Visi ,ts Lincoln High
By DeVon Kelley
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP), came to LHS to recruit mem-
once a month to further progress the Youth Chapter of the NAACP. All LHS students as well as other Above: high school student are welcome to join the association, "Our plan was to bring the NAACP here and join our college chapter in with our youth chapter", UNL Sophomore and College Chapter NAACP member Terra Bates said.
This all was done in the Media Center, and started out with Ice Breaker's,
and then it leapt into group discussions on prevalent matters such as immigration, and Education. Afterward students were asked /W;t ;to stand and ,~~:,,x,,,,,,,,,'Summanze :·--::- ::,: what was
·n ,their group and at the end all students were given an Applicaions to join he NAACP Youth Chapter, and were encouraged to tell as many dedicated and intelligent friends as possible.
If you want to join the NAACP and be a part of something larger than yourself, please talk to Christopher Maly in room 403, Malinda Burk in S233, or Donna Anderson in room 105
LanguagesSpoken,Not Taughtat LHS .
By Katy Taylor
Lincoln High School has so many languages spoken by students and teachers alike it's a surprise and a shock we only teach 3 of them.
French, German, and Spanish, when first instilled into the curriculum were the main languages spoken by Americans, but as the diversity in our citizens grew, in America and in Lincoln High as well, the amount of languages grew as well.
Just in Lin coln High last year alone we spoke up to 27 different languages. Engl ish, A rabic , Spa nish, Farsi, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Serbo-Croatian, French, Albanian, Belorussian, German, Kurdish, Nuer, Swahili, Dinka, Burmese, Acholi, • Igbo, Lorma, Karen, Kissi, Karenni, and Russian.
Lincoln High senior Mukashimana Jolie or better known as Jolie Jolie speaks 4 different languages, French which she learned in school from kindergarten to eighth grade, Swahili which 10% of Africa speaks, English and a native language of Congo which she speaks at home. ''Learning more languages is better,'' Jolie said, "Sometimes you go -places where they don't speak your language and you need to communicate."
Sophomore Daisy Guiza Beltran speaks three languages: Spanish fluently, English, and French. "I've always wanted to learn Japanese." Ouiza Beltran said
Language Department
Chair Marissa Wanamaker explained why we don't have more languages taugh at Lincoln High School. ''It really comes down to enrollment," Wanamaker said "If you don't have enough kids in a class it turns into a teacher's salary."
the world economically and socially. "There are two sides to the coin ," Wanamaker said. ''Those are the languages which will be most useful and the ref ore should be taught here but on the other side they don't really match up with English."
German, French, and Spanish all have secret components of English which is how we learn them but Chinese, Arabic, and African dialects are not part of the Germanic languages and are harder to learn when we get older. " We coul d teach those languages," Wanamaker said, ''Maybefrom kindergarten on up but not when you're fourteen and your brain has become too smart."
To help our children we need to expand 'and teach them the world. Start at an early age and grow. Languages like Vietnamese, could be taught starting in kindergarten and then on. These languages shouldn't be taught because we want them but the children who will follow us need them.
As young adults the time when our brain could You havi a lot to think about develop languages easier has long since been gone 33 i rthright 402 466.26 '09 ' 5625 ''O'' ~t, ~uiti 4 fr!Z!Z confid!Zntial t!Z3ting. Why wait?
Above:Dr. Chris Benson talks to LHS students during Multicultural Week. Photo by Elizabeth Lewy
LPS takes stand against obesity
New program seeks to educate and involve communities
By DeVonKelley working group would like to pursue in the
The Mission of Teach a Kid to Fish coming year: 1) To advocate for support (TKF) is to prevent and reduce childhood and promote the policy initiatives of obesity by empowering Lincoln children the TKF working groups 2) Establish a and families to eat healthy and be active database network of community members TKF envisions creating community committed to taking action on policy solutions for children's health and is a initiatives. 3) Coordinate efforts to address physician-directed 501(C) (3) nonprofit and prevent childhood obesity across organization with a mission in partnership government departments and jurisdictions, with community members. ..------------, engaging city leaders and Karla K. Lester M.D is the Ch"ldobesity policymakers as advocates. In TFK Executive Director and I 2008, increasingly concerned Percentage of U.S children Marybell Avery, PhD is the considered obese, grouped by age with the growing epidemic LPS Curriculum Specialist. 2 5 years 6 11 12 19 of childhood obesjty and Teach a Kid to Fish has challenged to prevent and recently received a $12,000 reduce obesity in her own Community Access To Child patients, Dr. Karla Lester, a Health (CATCH) Planning 15 % • · community pediatrician, left grant, which are awarded her practice to create Teach to pediatricians to develop 10 - a Kid to Fish, a public health innovative, community - collaborative initiative. The based initiatives that increase 5 __ 16 •4% · board of directors of Teach children's access to medical a Kid to Fish is comprised of key stakeholders from the homes or to specific health services not otherwise available.
The CATCH Planning Grant will be used to create an Integrated Community Obesity Intervention Model.
utism
Over 500 Iconic Buildings and Landmarks Around World_ Shine Bright Blue Light on Autism
NEW YORK,N.Y (March, 24 2011)
Autism Speaks, North America's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today announced its 2nd annual Light It Up Blue (LIUB) campaign - a unique global initiative to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day and help raise funds and awareness of autism as a growing public health crisis.
With the help of this grant, they are working on a planning project. The goals :
1. The development of an Individualized Health Plan to be used in the school setting by school nurses 2. An assessment or survey of community resources for physical activity and nutrition, medical home access, BMI and health behaviors
3. An assessment of gaps in obesity intervention and a plan to address them.
At the September 28th meeting of the Teach a Kid to Fish (TKF) Working Groups, priorities were set based on the TKF long-term strategic plan Priorities · are actio n items that each group feels need to be addr e ssed as we seek a community solution to the epidemic o f childhood obesity. The following are acti on s th at the Governmental P olicies and Programs
physicians, business leaders, dietitians and policy experts.
Teach a Kid to Fish is all about getting the community involved so we asked Head School Nurse Wendy Rau how we help out. ·
"We promote the 5-2-1-0 program." Rau said, ''5-2-1-0 is a model for healthy living. It focuses on using those numbers as a way to make healthy choices throughout your day. 5 stands for 5 fruits and vegetables, 2 stands for 2 hours of screen time meaning video games, cell phones, and television, 1 stands for 1 hour of activity, and the 0 stands for limiting your consumption of sugary drinks down to O and focusing more on water and milk."
Teach a Kid to Fish is spreading but now the focus is to develop a Ca ll to Action t h at includes the c ommunity's voice on this growing epidemic.
On Friday, February 25th during spoke on all of his different lives work He multicultural week, Dr. Chris Benson, a has worked as a journalist, lawyer, political professor of journalism at the University of speechwriter and author among many other Illinois, spoke to the Lincoln High faculty things. In his talk at LHS Benson tied all of and students about the past, present and those aspects of his life together with the future of the civil rights movement and civil rights movement and the Emmett Till/ how Emmett Till 's death affected it. He Mamie Till story. also spoke on the topic of how Mamie Dr. Benson's visit to Lincoln High Till-Mobley
LIUB will begin on the evening of April 1 when more than 500 structures in over 120 · U.S. cities and 25 countries will join Autism Speaks to shine a bright light on autism. Iconic landmarks around the world - including the Empire State Building and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, the Willis Tower in Chicago , Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando, STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, · and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, along with the Niagara Falls and CN Tower in Canada , Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil and the Sydney Opera House in , Australia - as well as airports, bridges, museums , concert halls, scho ,ols/ universities, restaurants, and retail stores, will light up in bright blue to help kick off Autism Awareneiss Month and celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.
The public can actively participate in LIUB by supporting the campaign virtually with the launch of a free Light It Up Blue i P hone App and ne:w Build a Blue Website. The L1UBapp iis available at t he iTunes Store and allowis users to become p ar t of th is global iinit iative by tur n in g the ir o wn pictures blue with a choice of five different style frames. Americans are encouraged to upload the photos to the live stream on LightltUpBlue.org. In an effort to help raise much needed funds for research, participants can also Build a Blue Website and ask friends and family to support Autism Speaks by making a donation to their personal page.
on AutismSpeaks.org. As part of its ongoing, award-winning public service ad campaign, to promote autism awareness and encourage participation in the LIUB initiative, Autism Speaks has once again produced web banners that can be downloaded for free. Individuals interested in finding fun and creative ways to participate in LIUB should visit LightltUpBlue.org. The website provides a number of ideas from hosting autism-themed gatherings to viewings of autism-themed films and TV programs to wearing the Autism Speaks puzzle piece pin or by purchasing specially marked blue light bulbs and LED lanterns sold exclusively at Home Depot to light the exterior of your house. The site also accepts donations to fund autism awareness and research efforts.
"We are very excited to see all these landmark buildings, some for the second year now, illuminated in blue as part of our ' Light It Up Blue campaign to support World Autism Awareness Day and Autism Awareness Month;' says Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks. "We also want to give a special thank you to our corporate and retail partners for their dedication and the generosity they have shown to th is cause. Together, we will light the sk i es like a beacon of hope and ensure th a t our mes s age of au t ism awareness will reach milli o n s around the globe. " The following Autism Speaks corporate and retail partners will Light It Up Blue by raising autism awareness in stores starting on April 1 and 2: oys"R"Us Casey's General Stores
Bergdorf Goodman
Build-A-Bear Dollar General etnies
FelCor Lodging Trust Gaylord Hotels
LAMARDigital Media
h mmett S
wouldn't have been (E '
murdered.
In addition, Autism Speaks will launch a new 30 second PSA starring 5th graders from Pelham, N.Y.,singing an original song composed by one of their classmates for LIUB. The PSA is set to air starting March 21 on broadcast and cable television and SiriusXM satellite radio and is live
Lindt he Home Depot hite Castle appos ale Corporation
Bloomingdale's Coldwater Creek Elizabeth Arden Lord & Taylor Neiman Marcus Nest Fragrances Ralph Lauren Scentsy The NBCExperience Store
T.J.Maxx Walgreens
i!l;lll1!111I! I I ft production about that It was my
role of Till in a theatrical said ' 1 I felt i·;jlJl!lillll!I!llljli;;lil]!l!l)'!lf;i
Emmett's life, when he responsibility
was a freshman (which to tell mother
: Maly wrote). Ever since, Mobley's story." · Maly had been driven to Benson is a life get Benson to Lincoln long journalist, to speak to the Links writer, college student body and staff tfofessor (at the about Till's story. Illi~~i~)'.tfa~er otiif ( ;:ft~::at~~tittlc!r and now the ::,)ii!t!i!fai,l!:L .• that he would have a lot author of De~th University of Illinois professor Dr. Chris Benson gives a of,~mportant_th~~g~to of Innocence. speech during the split assembly on Friday March 25th, s~y, Maly said Given the Story 0/ the 2011 during MulticulturalWeek. Photo by lu:y Lewy h!s resu~e and give~ Hate Crime That his expenences, I think ChangedAmerica. The book is about the that he was a great speaker to have share_ murder of Emmett Till and how his death his story." Maly hosted Benson's stay at affected his mother Mamie Till-Mobley Lincoln High and presented him to two Those were some of the words that he classes of students later in the day, during SP.oketo the crowd of roughly 1,600 people private question and answer sessions. who gathered in Edward Johnson Gym "Having the opportunity to have (in two separate sessions) to listen to his a genuine conversation about race and message civil rights is really important," Maly also His message centered mainly on self- said. "That was one of our main motives in empowerment and personal responsibility. bringing Chris Benson here."
He preached sentences such as we're Another Link who played a key role all here for a reason and go from this in bringing Benson here was senior Mica place and make the most of your life. Pacheco Ceballos. "I helped organize most He emphasized how far we've come in of the event along with Mr. Maly," Pacheco America in roughly 60 short years. Ceballos said.
· We've come from having a 14-year- "I also helped write a grant that helped old boy being murdered in Mississippi for to pay for his trip here." Thanks to their whistling at a white woman to having a efforts, LHS stuaents and staff got to hear black man be elected president. He also this inspirational speaker.
evol-utio1r1s
By Brent Koenigsman
Beginning in the small country of Tunisia, protests and revolutions have spread across the African continent and the Middle East.
Governments have been overthrown and the world has recently welcomed its newest country, Southern Sudan. Today thousands upon thousands protest in countries like Libya and Bahrain. But why should this radical shifting, happening an ocean and farther away concern us? Why should North American high school students even be watching or reading about these countries? The truth is that the world that's forming right now, the one we will inherit, is going to be a very different one from the one we were born into.
Riightnow thousands are fighting tyranrty in Libya. Other successful revolt1tionsin Egypt and Tunisia are now hamrr1erin$out the beginnings to new forms of government. Bahrain and Yemen have 1 rotestors flooding their streets Protests continue in Iran and China has begun preemptive crackdowns fearing demo11strationsin its own country. This truly i s something for our generation to behol,d. Revolutions alone have almost becon ie common, but this is a trend across bordeirs.The bold citizens of Tunisia emboldening those in Egypt and so on and so on. Even while this is happening I'm somei tow more aware of the latest Charlie Sheen antics than the current state of
OVi·1esComingSoon
affairs of Southern Sudan.
And many people would agree that that's just fine. But how can we be just fine with the prevailing feeling of apathy among youth in one of the world's most politically free nations? With all of these rights shouldn't we be doing something with them? Halfway across the world kids face bullets and tear gas to stand up for what they think is right. Here many ofus wouldn't wake up early to do that. And it isn't because there's nothing to fight for here.
In Wisconsin union's rights are being attacked. There are still many without direct access to food or shelter. Arizona is passing legislation that enforces racial
profiling. Or you could believe the opposite of all these things, and that's a reason to speak your mind too. We barely exercise our right to stand up against what we think is wrong. The right that thousands upon thousands have fought and died to protect. These revolutions happening in far away continents should resonate strongly with us anyway. They should stir up passion inside of us and jerk us away from the complacent and purposeless tendencies that keep us from being all that we can be and making our country and the world better than we found it.
By Caleb Christiansen
Going to the movies is usually one of the most popular venues to escape my boredom, and this summer it appears as if I will be spending my summer nights attending various movies pertaining to multiple superheroes, and their conquests against their foes. In other words, it appears a bunch of superhero movies are on their way, and I am having some mixed feelings about their quality. It is not the fact that there is an abundance of superhero movies that has me down, because don't get me wrong I love superhero mov• 1es.
I have seen all three Spiderman and all three X-Men movies. I went out to theaters to sit thr ough mo vies like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Yet t he superhero movies set to be released in 2011 don't appear to be my cup of tea. For instance there seems to be a new trend of creating prequels CrurtesyciMnvel.Oxnics to already established superhero franchises.
• On June 3rd the X-Men franchise will release its latest installment called X-Men: First Class, which is about the teenage years of the original group of mutants who band together to take on the challenge of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Spiderman series will also revisit the teen years of Peter Parker and company in their latest movie centrally about the webslinging hero.
Also on tap for this year are the likes of Thor, The Green Lantern, Transformers 3, Captain America: The First Avenger,
and Rc~dSonja. Any of those sound good to you? Yeah, me neither. Is anyone still going to watch Shia Lebeouf run away from Etlienrobots that can transform into cars? ]DidI mention that Megan Fox will not be in this sequel to a sequel? Not only l::lasthe Transformers lost the pop it had wlhenthe first rendition came out, it has now lost its most integral J)erson in regar 1 s to sex appeal. However, with the upcon11ing Avengers, which will feature Iron Nlan, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. The Avengers is set to be released in 2012.
I will likely see both Thor and Captain America to see how they get tied into the story l in e of Iron Mmn and The Incuedible Hullk, i f that is pos sible. Hope full y we will see cameos made by Robert Downey, Jr. who is set to play Iron Man once again, and Mark Ruffalo who is the third actor to take on the role of Bruce Banner a.k.a The Incredible Hulk. All in all I am a fan of the :superherogenre.
Most of these movies are generally ent ertaining from start to finish and ultima1telythat is what I crave: simply to be entf:rtained. Most of these movies will entertain you simply on the basi s that it is mindle:ssaction.
·
Ycu cannot watch it expecting to see fantastic acting, but you will see top of the line sp,ecialeffects and some great fight scenes. You should definitely tune in to some c,f these summer superhero blockbusters for a few hours of entertainment.
einJapanmay~thecauseofNuclearReactorLeak
By Ralph Vartabedian, Barbara Demick and Laura King, Lo s Angeles Times (MCT)
U.S g o vernment nucle ar e xp erts believe a spent fuel pool at Jap an's cripp led Fukushima reactor complex has a breach in the wall or floor, a situation that creates a major obstacle to refilling the pool with cooling water and keeping dangerous levels of radiation from escaping. That assessment by U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials is based on the sequence of events since the earthquake and information provided by key American contractors who were in the pll!llt at the time, said government officials familiar with the evaluation.
Unlike the reactor itself, the spent fuel pool does not have its own containment vessel, and any radioactive particles and gases can more easily spew into the environment if the uranium fuel begins to bum. A breach in the pool would leave engineers with a problem that has no precedent or ready-made solution, said Edwin Lyman, a physicist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. "My intuition is that this is a terrible situation and it is only going to get worse," he said. "There may not be any way to deal with it."
The struggle to cool down stricken nuclear reactors and spent fuel pools in northern Japan entered a second week Friday. Military fire trucks were preparing to repeat the spraying operations of the day before, but the Defense Ministry said the use of helicopters again Friday was unlikely. Workers also hoped to hook at least two of the reactors up to the electrical grid in the course of the day, which would aid in cooling efforts. In a sign of the worsening crisis at the complex 150 miles north of Tokyo, Japan said that it would accept American assistance in stemming the cascade of nuclear woes. , With some devastated stretches of coastline still untouched by recovery teams, the official toll of dead and missing in Japan's magnitude 9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami topped 15,000. As of early Friday, the official death toll stood at 5,692, according to the National Police Agency, and 9,522 were unaccounted for and feared dead. Radioactive levels at the plant had fallen and were not at levels that would affect human health, Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. "Information from the front line is emerging in fragments," he said, adding that wind, rain, snow and topography· were all factors. In Washington, the State Department reported the first evacuation flights of U.S. citizens. The national fear is of a full-scale meltdown at the reactors in Fukushima prefecture. President Barack Obama has assured Americans that the crisis did not pose a risk to U.S. territory. The situation at the Fukushima reactors continued
to be a major concern. Fuel rods at the core of at least three of the six reactors there are believed to have at least partially melted. P lant operators have had to vent rad ioactiv e gases, but no maj or release has been confirmed. "Cooling the No. 3 reactor is still our top priority," Edano said in a briefing on national television. But outside nuclear experts say the spent fuel pool may be the most serious long-term problem Nuclear fuel in the No. 4 reactor was moved to the spent fuel pool in December 2010, while the unit was being serviced, and that fuel remains highly radioactive. When a fire or explosion_ officials aren't sure which _ left a hole in the secondary containment building this week, most experts concluded that the spent fuel pool had somehow lost water, exposing the fuel rods.
An exposed fuel rod can interact with air and steam, allowing the zirconium cladding to oxidize and produce highly flammable hydrogen gas. It's not clear how the rods became exposed to air in the first place.
Nuclear plant experts interviewed by the Los Angeles Times said it was unlikely that the quake could have caused a significant amount of water in the 45-foot-deep pool to slosh out and drain away, exposing the 15-foot rods. They also doubted that heat from the fuel rods could boil away that much water in just a few days, especially because steam was not seen coming from the reactor building. Instead, U.S. officials believe that the pool's wall was cracked either by the intense shaking of the earthquake or by a large piece of equipment falling into it
Employees of a consortium of General Electric and Hitachi were in the reactor building at the time <,>fthe quake, according to company and government sources The GE employees have returned home, though some Hitachi employees are continuing to offer assistance to Tokyo Electric. In the quake zone, Japanese officials said tens of thousands were still without power in unseasonably cold · weather. An additional 1.6 million households still do not have running water.
"This is the biggest disaster since World War II, and they are totally paralyzed," said Kit Miyamoto, a Japanese American structural engineer Whowas inspecting damage in tsunami-ravaged Kesennuma.
"The refugee.s in the sports center are lacking food. If they had the gasoline, they could drive somewhere to get food, but they are stuck here," said Muneo Saijo, a shopkeeper who was helping evacuees in Kesennuma. Even a week after the start of the crisis, many struggled to comprehend the level of privation in wealthy Japan.
By Erik Chapo
What do you get when you combine the fighting and military tactics of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 with the chaos of Independence Day and add in the camera effects of
Saving Private Ryan and District ,,;wi
9? You+ get Battle: Los Angeles,
a hard hitting, suspenseful, ac-
k d 1·
tlon Pac e a len lnvaslon le
about a platoon of
Marines who must fight their way through the streets of a war ravaged LA.
The plot of the film, focuses around Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), a battle tested, veteran Marine who is called back into action after filing his retirement papers at the com beginning of the movie.
He has a bad reputation among the younger Marines because of an event that got a number of the men in his squad killed, during a tour in Iraq Corporal
By Erik Chapo
Jason Lockett (played by Cory Hardrict) · the new unit that Nantz is assigned to. He is the brother of a Marine that died in Iraq with Nantz. As you can probably tell, the drama among the soldiers is there right from the get go The platoon is supi'i, posed to evacuate
,, civilians from the Los
Force bombs 1t into
oblivion, but finds themselves fighting foir their lives against an advanced army of alien invaders.
The squad is headed by 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez) who redeems himself of his cheesy ' role as L eo Spitz in Transformers 2, by providing a strong performance as a hard-nosed young Marine leader, fresh out of training.
Forget You is second on the track behind The Lady Killer Theme (intro), which is a classical cinema sounding intro-
• Forget you it's a simple phrase right? Not if you're duction tune that is set to the James Bond theme.Cee Lo Green. The ex Gnarls Barkley member took those
Directly following Forget You comes a 90's sounding two words and used them to create a song that has become rap medley titled Bright Lights Bigger City. Green rhymes one of the most popular hits in the world and has jumped to about going out on the town with his friends, particularly his the top of countless music charts (such as Billboard the Top female friends 100 and American Top 40). Forget It's pretty catchy. The You (the radio name for the song next track is my favorite F**k You) leads the 14 tracks that song on the album and II\ake up Cee Lo's retro soul hip- one of my favorite songs, hop album titled The Lady K i ller overal l It ' s ti t l ed WildF**K You is the first single flower On the tra ck Cee that Green has rel ea sed off of the Lo sings about the birth label Green actually recorded of his daughter and how two versions of the song, both of it's a beautiful event in which appear on the Lady Killer's his life like a wildflower track list. in bloom.
The version that most people It's a catchy hip-hop are more familiar with is Forget beat set over a classic You. It is the more appropriate and ,,· drummers line with a censored version that is played on
big band sound and a the radio.
nice piano piece. The
\ i>
In the song Cee Lo sassily
> ,d l 1111 track also features a sings ~o long Jost love w~o he , lj;JL ,.'.,,...·· ·· i'. :i~ilf- : :[ ii lot of stron~ musical doesn t like and that he thinks h~ s itb ,, .\ , if
chords. better than. The song is immense- !!,!,ili1il \,
The next three labels ly popular in America 1'JttlFv 1:< 4 '.Wll' , !i ?KilEJli!t H i' if on the track list are · hoto ourtesy of Atla_ntic.Rec.ords , It took the track a mere 5 weeks to be voted into the number {1norderJ titled tlod1es, Please and Satisfied If you re 1n a one spot for the most popular song on American Top 40. 2.2 crunch for time and need to skip some tunes on the Lady million downloads later; it was nominated for song of the Killer when you're listening to it, those would be the three year along with Need You Now by Lady Antebellum and They all share sort of 60's Beatles sounding funky hip-hop Love The Way You Lie by Eminem and Rhianna. beats that quite frankly aren't very catching. Sadly for Green, the song lost in the selection and the After those three come two very quality pieces. They award went to Need You Now by Lady Antebellum. are titled I Want You and Cry Baby. They both feature retro
woo
By Katy Taylor
Tron Legacy, True Grit, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, are all remakes, did you know that? Originality, according to Dictionary.com, is the ability to think or express oneself in an independent and individual manner. Where did it go? If all we have is remakes then what will we do when all the stories are gone? Remake them of course. Harry Potter, Twilight, Watchmen, Spiderman, and Transformers are all based off of books and comic books of the like. According to Based on the Book there are exactly 1250 books since the year 1980 that have been turned into major motion pictures, The Godfather and I am Legend for example are movies you've come to love and think are "BRILLIANT" have been taken, scripted, and edited from an author, whose name you probably can't remembers, original work Favorite movie? It was probably a remake. This past year we've had some great original movies like Inception, and Salt, but something is alike among them all,
ACTION, ACTION, ACTION. Filling an audiences head with gunfire and smoke are sure to bring box office seats. Even gunshots can be the same sound affect machine they used when they were shooting Clint Eastwood's famous scene in Dirty Harry, how would we know the difference '? In a world full of remakes and sequels, our lives will never move past a certain point. If it was only PG-13 and above maybe it would c ause a small outcry but the children are being pulled in as well. Shrek has a four-part movie saga and Harry Potter as derived from its literature kin has an eight-part movie saga. Children are supposed to respect the past but not live it. Movies like Tangled a great family flick brings them something new and creative, a plot and script we can learn from, but sadly will eventually be remade.
With movies like Inception, no matter how genre specific it may be, it was a great original idea Movies like that make us wonder, where are these great ideas? Could you be the next person to come up with it? Instead of watching remade movie after remade movie go out an d make your own life story.
I'm not g g to go into much more detail about the plot because it would take me until December to tell about all of it. "
In a nutshell, once the action in the film gets rolling (which doesn't take long) and the bullets start flying, the movie becomes extremely suspenseful and entertaining.
There's action at every turn and constant surprises throughout. I'm not going to lie, the film is pretty sad. I nearly caught myself crying during a couple of scenes.
It's one of the only flicks that I've watched where multiple good, quality characters get killed and die in such blink of the eye circumstances. It's also one of the few movies that I've ever seen, where you become so attached to the characters that you find yourself cheering and fist bumping every ,time they blow up a hapless alien.
Like most war movies of this manner and • caliber, the film is filled with acts of heroics, personal sacrifice and lots of difficult decisions.
The graphics are excellent and the modem war aspect of it with all of the weaponry and tactics is done excellently. I'd say that it has to be one of the most high quality modem war movies from an acting, drama, suspense and action point of view ever filmed.
'
techno beats that are very fun to listen to. They're the kind of songs that make you wartt to get up, dance and just let everything go.
Fool For You follows Cry Baby, and sounds a lot like something that you would hear being sung in the movie Grease.
In it Green sings a funky tune about a love obsession that he had for a girl back in high school. Cee Lo's next track is very similar to F**K You with it's sound. It's titled It's OK and i s mainly a message to everybody wh o 's fallen to hard times that every thing will tum out to be all righ t The number 12 and 13 songs on The Lady Kill er are Ol d F a shion ed and Th e Lady Kil l er T heme (outro).
Old F ashi oned is a go spels soul hip-hop track where Gree n sings an "old fashioned" love song to a scared child. The Lady Killer Theme (outro) is exactly how it sounds. It's the second half of The Lady Killer Theme (intro) placed · at the end of the album similarly to how a lot of theatrical musicals set up the placement of their themes in their shows.
Last but not least, the last song on The Lady Killer is the one and only F**K You. This track is the unedited version that is not played on the radio. Green is very unique with this track in the aspect that he put the edited version ofF**K You (Forget You) on the album along with the unedited version. I can't think up another instance when an artist has done that with a song.
Overall I think that Cee Lo did a pretty solid and good job with The Lady Killer. I would give' it a 7 out of 10 ratip.g. I think that Bodies, Please and Satisfied all could've been left off or replaced, but no one can be completely perfect. So, if you like a unique hip-hop sound and crazy beats, Cee Lo Green's The Lady Killer is the album for you.
Basketball has 1111iform • .-up, loses at districts
By Brent Koengism
In a school with few recent athletic championships Lincoln High Boys Varsity Basketball has been a precious source of pride that Links fans could rally behind With 7 trips to the State Tournament in 11 years, including the past 3 consecutive years, and a 2003 State Championship, the Links had another promising team this season after new Coach Dan Noble's stellar debut last year. This year's Links Basketball team was city champs again and had a number of impressive wins under its belt before making the trip to Omaha for districts.
That trip and the ensuing game against Grand Island ended any hopes of another trip to State, and some missed school days, and saw the Links finish the season too soon and in a disappointing fashion.
The year was not without its share of highlights Looking back on
~ their final ba3ketball season here at Lincoln Higti seniors Mitch Kreifels, Casey Philpot, and Blake Eitzmann were most pr,oud of their win against Lincoln Soutllieast,a 73- 56 romp over the Link:'s cross-town rivals.
"We all went out and played our hardest, and it was probably our best game effort v,ise," Kreifels said.
They als to saw improvement as the season progressed. Philpot said, "Towards the, end of the season we started to pu games together, like all four quarters, instead of just having our mental lapses."
Unfortunately in the very last game of the season, districts against Grand Islandl the lapses started even before the first quarter with a jersey mix up. Because the Links were entering the !iame as the lower seed a lot-of playe:rsonly brought their away jerseys, but they were also the top team in tli1ebracket, so in the end they were su~1posed to bring their home jerseys. The mistake resulted
in a handful of technical fouls in the final quarter of the game when some players who only had their away jerseys had to go in.
When asked if it had an effect on their play Kreifels said, "I think we lost focus because of all of it." His teammate Eitzmann went on to say, "It shouldn't have really been an excuse." And Kreifels •also said, "We still should have come out ready to play."
They weren't and put up very little offense on their way to losing 63-37.Even with the dissatisfying finish to the season there's no denying the hard work of these L,incoln High athletes and the proud b:asketball tradition they uphold every year.
Photo by Erik Chapo
Above LHS Senior Nathan Matz practices his form for the 100 meter hurdles during track practice. Photo By Erik Chapo
-,-.•-
Above Lincoln High junior Elijah Eubanks warms up before LHS track practice begins at Beechner Field. Photo By Erik Chapo
(12), Catherin Delaine (12) and Mary Overstreet (9), run on the Beechner field track during warmups, at track practice. Photo By Erik Chapo
Above LHS junior Jessi Pickett runs sprints as he warms up for track practice at Beechner Field.
Photo By Erik Chapo
By Katy Taylor
March, a short month due to Spring Break, has been filled with unexpected snow storms and cold weather that we painstakingly wait • through. Vacation has come and gone, Prom is closing in on us, and graduation is a mere nine weeks away.
Although this month at Lincoln High School hasn't been the most eventful, many ac tivities have taken pl ace We 'v e h ad coldi fire drills (ir onic much), culinary compe titions, and an entir e wee k dledicated to u nde rstan d in g dive rs it y. Spring spo rts h av e b egun, and stu,dents have started thinking about summer.
Even though from the outside it may not look like much is going on, inside Lincoln High there's always something for everybody.
Above:Doctor Chris Benson speaks about Emmett Till's mother Mamie Mobley during the split assembly with senior Mica Pacheco Ceballos, Social Studies teacher
Caruso, and English teacher Chris Maly
on
Above:Nebraska State Senator Bill Avery talks to students about the current multicultural and immigration legislation during Greg Keller's 4th period Multicultural Literature class on Friday March 11th, 2011. Photo by De Von Kelley
Photo courtesy of Sheli Wieden
Above:Chelsea Remmenga (12), Carlos Rodriguez (12), and Dawn Remmenga, show students at West Lincoln Elementary School how to make sun-catchers during Enviromental Day on March 3rd, 2011.
Photo by Izzy Lewy.
by l:zzyLewy
Photo by Greg Keller
By Katy Taylor
This
Above;Math teacherNancy Beck's 5th periodAlgebraBlockposes for a
as the winnersof the pennieswars DECAhosted.
own Associative Principal Brent Toalson has a fifteen-year-old son, Alex, who was diagnosed with the disease when he was two-and-ahalf years old. doesn't feel like he's different." Math teacher Nancy Beck's 5th period class raised the most with Beck herself donating $100 dollars. "Mr. Conradt donated 50 dollars," DECA sponsor Tiffany Holka said. ors Convocation.
by Greg Keller
Vietlinks raise :money to support devastated apan
By Caleb Christiansen
The club Vietlinks here at LincolntHigh have teamed up with the Vietlinks cllub at North Star and has been raising m1oney in response to the disastrous earthq es and resulting tsunami that shook Ja March 11, 2011. The earthquake and tsunami have caused an estimated 18,000 deaths so far and damages that could reach up and nurses office during the school day and selling egg rolls. "The students are learning how to raise money, different ways they can do it, whether that be asking for cash, or selling people a product," said ELL depart•·•••··ment chair Susan }Hertzler who over- ·i::. ¥saw the fundraiser iifor the Vietlinks Ii"They also learned problem solving ! skills if something went wrong, so all .;together it was a iigood experience for Ethe kids too."
I The Vietlinks )could not make to 300 billion dollars. The Vietlinks felt is was necessary to send their support, even if it was only a small amount. The Vietlinks have risen over 1000 dollars total so far in support of Japan by placing jars asking for donations in places like the lunch room \the egg rolls for Above:··1vteriiib~r~6fVi~flirtks•·p~6pat~'.lci·h~rid•. ·'·.·themselves because out the egg rolls that they sold on FridayMay they lack the essential 13th Photo ~,yDeVonKelly food handlers permit,
(StoryContinuedon Pg. 2)
Alex, a student at East High School and the son of Toalson; made the final decision on what
By Caleb Christiansen
(StoryContinuedon Pg. 2)
We have in our midst one of the best debate competitions if I didn't know there debaters ever to walk the halls of Lincoln was going to be good competition." High, possibly the best. Derrick Stevens, a Stevens is also being considered by senior debater here at LHS will be attend- the NFL for the prestigious Academic All ing the National Forensics Leagues Nation - American award which is the highest honor al Competition in Dallas, - you can receive at the national June 13-18 with his coach \level. Lincoln High has never had Brian Goodbrake. ;~ student nominated for this award. Goodbrake himself ;~tevens was a State Finalist this competed at the National i·yearin the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Competition in 1994 when (~ategory. He broke 1000 points in he was a senior in high ihis high school career, an outstandschool. However, Good - '.Jng achievement. We have in our brake had a partner, Ste- t {tnidstone of the best debaters ever vens does not. "One thing · •· ,,
· /to walk the halls of Lincoln High
Above:SeniorDer- , about deb~te is that you rick Stevensholds the possibly the best. "Its nice to know ~ave,,toenJoy th~ co,i;npeti-, 'Ethos, Pathos,Log<;>s that I have a competitor who will be t1on, Stevens said. I don t Award'that he won 1n in the late elimination rounds every think I would even go to Debate.Photo Courtesy tournament." Goodbrake said. of Derrick Stevens (StoryContinuedon Pg. 2)
By Erik Chapo
Of every 100 people who appl)1·to Harvard only eight are accepted, Lincoln High senior Micaela Pacheco-Ceballos is one of those people. "It's sort of an b nreal feeling," PachecoCeballos said. "I almost don't belie, e it yet."
\ '.was then interviewed by Michael Jobst, a Harvard alumni and medi'!cal doctor for her second part of the acceptance process. Her interJview was a success and she was granted admission. "I think that one <)of the common misconceptions about getting accepted is how the Pacheco-Ceballos took her firs~visit to Harvard over prom weekend. "It was weirdly non al. You know, just a regt1larcollege-type of school," PaGheco-Ceballos said. "At the same time though, it was really i mpressive because of the history and the very intense level of academics " Pacheco-Ceballos had expressed some concern about the type of people and their attitudes before she took Her first visit to the school. "I think that a lot of people think th· tit's way different and that every one is snooty and nerdy but it's really not," she said. "It kind of surprised me."
Pacheco-Ceballos
process works," Pacheco-Ceballos said. "You have to have proficient [test scores, but mostly it's about how you are as a person and what ]extra curricular activities you're involved in." Pacheco-Ceballos !plays varsity tennis at LHS and tutors students at Elliot Elementary ';School. She also put together the events and activities scheduled jfduring Lincoln High's multicultural week in February. "At Harvard, .{they say it's all about investing in a person," Pacheco-Ceballos said.
photo
Photo by Katy Taylor
Photo
J: ,, s a )lllY 2:J, 2f)l I
Vietlinks Cont.
By Caleb Christiansen
so the owner of the local restaurant, The Golden Wok stepped in to help. "(The Golden Wok) helped us a lot," VietlinksSecretaryTai Le Phan said. "(The Golden Wok) agreed to make the egg rolls at a cheap price, so we could have more profit for the fundraiser."The MDACont.
By Katy Taylor
"Ms. Burman's class raised over a hundred dollars, and Ms Patterson's class raised a lot as well."
"We hoped it raised awareness of muscular dystrophy so that people are more educated," Holka said. Announcementswere given each day for that week trying to educate and inform the students.A
Derrick Cont.
By Caleb Christiansen
"There's a pride aspect knowing I have someone who can compete at the highest level in the state."
Maybe more impressiveis the way in which Stevens prepares for his competitionsand how he conducts himself as a person. "You have to have good research skills, a lot of commitmentbecause debate takes a lot of time, and most of all debate really requires the desire to do it," Stevens said. "If you're only half passionate about it, or you 're just doing it because you want an extra curricular activity, then I don't know if you're going to get as much out of it or be as successful,"Stevens said.
"Derrick is one of the nicest, smartest,most humble people I've ever met and you don't get that combinationvery often with debaters." Goodbrake said of his star pupil. "It's been a pleasure coaching him this year." Stevens has not always had success as a debater.
Mica Cont.
By Erik Chapo
"Harvard has a huge alumni foundationthat I will be receiving money from, so I really won't have to pay for much at all," PachecoCeballossaid. "My parents are both professionalsso I don't need it as much as some students,but they're (Harvard)still going to take care of a lot (of the costs)."
Pacheco-Ceballossays that
Vietlinksmade 550 dollars selling egg rolls at 1 dollar each.
·The Vietlinkstook orders from students and faculty before May 13, and then distributedthose egg rolls to the people who ordered them. The Vietlinksgained an additional500 dollars by selling these pre ordered egg rolls. All of the profits from the fundraiser will go to Japan aid.
total of 450 students participated in the event and only 7 students planned it taking a week to get it all under way. With the efforts of teachers and students alike we fully supported the idea that everyone is included whether it be in Lincoln High or at a camp. "There were a few classes that went above and beyond," Holka said, "and really drove up the amount that we collected."
Students generally get better at Debate with experience so it doesn't come as a surprise that Stevens is beginning to see more success and notoriety."Something clicked for him this year," Goodbrake said. "And the very first tournament this year, he won. We knew right then that he had matured and developed and gotten a lot better with the technical aspect of the activity that you need to understand in order to be successful."This success can be attributedto Stevens' "hard work and dedicationto the activity" Goodbrake said. "That really was his formula for success." Stevens will travel with his coach to Dallas to compete with some of the best debaters in the nation and hopes to be competitiveduring the event. Undoubtedlythe good relationship with his coach, who happened to be a national caliber debater as well, along with his dedication and hard work, has transformed Stevens into arguably the best debater Lincoln High has seen and he will continue to have success. she will most likely major in government with an emphasis on internationalstudies. She also will be living on campus. "Pretty much all students live on campus," PachecoCeballos said. "They have a really good house system. They have a freshman house that you live in for your first year (at school),and then [as a sophomore]you get moved up to a house that you live in for your last three years."
'In This Issue' PhotoCredits: A Day WithoutSocialMedia:Photoillustrationby Jessi Anderson .Toynite:KatyTaylor SoulSurfer:entertainmentwallpaper.com
fherapy , Dog Keeps LHS Calm
Jessi Anderson
r his six-year-old Shitzu-Poodle miJocroams the halls of Lincoln Hi,~hacting as a natural moodcalmer. Miss Squiggles is L incol n HiEh' s very own Therapy Dog. Stie began her work here at the Hi.ghin 2009 when originally she W<Juld weave her way in and out of fl Yroom that welcomed her, bu;t now she has found a home in English teacher Deborah Mc-
Gi.nn's classroom.
"Sometimes she naps, but she m lkes her rounds around the roi~m settling in places where
Squiggles began her career as a therapy dog by visiting nursing homes an1d she is now working right here at Lincoln High. Other LPS schools, such as Lincoln North Star, are also on the list of schools with therapy dogs.
to McGinn, "she will play ball for two hours straight, if you have the time." After the students go home, Squiggles goes home with her mother Mrs. Able. The name Squiggles is very unique and Able said, "My nephew named her. We were taking her home after buying her and I asked him what he thought we should name her and he said, 'How about Squiggles?' It was perfect, so we kept it!"
Both McGinn and Able believe that Squiggles is a beneficial to Lincoln High. "I think she's more therapy for me, honestly," McGinn said. "All I have to do a tudent can pet her." McGinn sai d. "She seems to know who to sit near, like she knows they could us! some love that day."
rAccording to Squiggles' m ~ther,Coordinator Jill Able, Sq~iggles is present at Lincoln Hiph to help reduce the stress le rels of both students and staff mG·mbers.Able owns Squiggles an ~ first started taking her dog to the Domesti-pups/Edu-Pups tr ·ning in the Spring of 2009.
Above;Squiggleshangsout with FreshmanElizabethNelsen.Photo by Katy
The bustling hallways frighten small Squiggles, so Able says she enjoys staying in McGuinn's room most of the day. Some of her hobbies include napping, allowing students to pet her, sitting on student's laps and according
is look at her adorable face and I'm back on my game." Able had a similar response when she said, "Having a therapy dog at LHS helps cheer up students or teachers that are having a bad day."
So the next time you see Miss Squiggles making her way down the hall, don't be afraid to stop and say hi.
t fundraiserpersonalforassociateprinci
By Katy Taylor
AssociatePrincipalBrent Toalsonhad a little more investedin this,year's DECA fundraiserfor the Muscular DystrophyAssociation(MDA),and for good reason.His son,Alex, a fifteen-year-oldat East High school,has a severe case of the Muscular Dystrophywith duchenne,a rapidly-worsening form of MuscularDystrophy.MD is a disease that weakensmuscles as you age. Alex was diagnosedwhen he was two and a half years old and stopped walking when he was a first grader.Toalsonmade an announcementduring school to encourage studentsand staff to donate.
Tne fundraiser,which was from April 11th-15th,raised over $700 during 5th period classes, and Alex got to make the final decision as to where the money would be spent. It could have gone toward research, general support,climes, summer camf.,support groups, or to a specificdisease.' Alex chose the camp, because he's gone for many years and he loves camp," Toalson said. Camp Comeca, a Methodist centeredfacility near Cozad, Nebraska,has the correct equipmentand staff to really help these kids out.
"If you've ever been to camp you know they do camp songs, stay up late at night, have campfires,and they tell stories," Toalsonsaid. "It's just a lot of fun. They build friendshipswith students with similar
Above;AssociatePrincipalBrentToalson and his sonsAlex and Ben get readyto fish at the AdventureDay at HolmesLake on Mayl7th. Photo by Greg Keller disabilities,and they build really powerful friendshipswith their camp counselors." The scholarshipmoney will go toward 1 helping someonewith MD to go to a camp just like Alex does. "If we just get to send one student and make sure that one more studenthas that positive experience,it's well worth it," Toalsonsaid. · When asked about next year's DECA kids Toalsonsaid, "If they need help in any way,Alex could come talk to the classes or he could even make a little video that people could pull up on YouTube.I'm really supportive."
Taylor
·a Center Receives
By ElizabethAmericanLewyAssociation
of School Libraries (AASL) seeks out an outstanding school library in every state. The AASL president, Nancy Everhart calls this the Vision Tour. According to the AASL Leaming4Life page, "The Vision Tour is AASL President Nancy Everhart's vision to visit a school library in every state in the S. in order to bring to the general public visual models of what good libraries offer students and communities." TheAASL Affiliate Organizations have chosen the LHS Media Center out of the entire state of Nebraska to represent as "examples in their state of school libraries that are dedicated to empowering every student with the skills needed to be a Leamer4Life."
According to the NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies the Media Center must "develop proficiency with the tools of technology; build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross culturally; design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes; manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information; create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts; attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments."
McClung, one of the awarded librarians, said, "[The award] was not necessarily classified as an award It was more of a recognition of outstanding library media programs across the United States. The president of the American Association of School Libraries, AASL, asked each of the states divisions; which Nebraska's division is NEMA, Nebraska Educational Media Association. Nominations were sent in of schools that were exemplary in their programs and what they offered."
On of the members of NEMA had been to the Media Center a couple of times. They had noticed the variety of books, amount of student, and the help given. The
Lin s ta
By Katy Taylor
Senior Catelynn Groshans got a homemade tattoo of the Tree of Life on her shoulder. Two months later she contracted a strain of staff infection, leading to a painful surgery and a large scar across her tattoo. "The surgery," Groshans said, "was caused by MRSA, and I didn't know I was going to get it so bad." MRSA is "caused by a strain of staph bacteria that's become resistant to the antibiotics" according to mayoclinic. com.
Tattoos, done with sewing like needles, insert droplets of ink into the first layer of skin and are done without anesthetics. They can take from ten minutes to eight hours depending on the size, detail, and shape. Tattooing can be painful; being punctured repeatedly can do that to a person. The duration isn't the only part you should be worried about. Money in this economy is hard to come by. The world's most expensive tattoo was $924,000 for water adhesive diamonds to be placed artistically on the South African model Minki van der Westhuizen.Apart from that extreme tattoo, pricing can range from a quarter-sized costing $20 tattoo or a full-body tattoo costing $300 an hour.
All of our lives are all about decisions, college, clothes, or what to eat for lunch, but just as you give consideration to those choices so you must also take time to consider your tattoo future. "I think they should wait," PCS teacher Samantha Koehler-Overton said, who has two tattoos of flowers on her foot and a shamrock on her back. "I am already reconsidering the one I got on my back. I wish I would have waited a little longer to decide to get one."
NEMA member had nominated the LHS Media Center for the Vision Tour Award. The award or 'recognition' was to help bring awareness across the country to the many different school libraries. According to McClung, the schools are slowly cutting down the size of the libraries and even taking them completely out. "Students have to rely on the book mobile to come to school to get books." McClung said. Both McClung and Gannon have worked very hard to create "that wide variety.' "Mrs. Gannon, especially, works extremely hard to stay right on that cutting edge of technology and always looking to see what is the next thing," McClung said. McClung believes that they were accepting the award not only on their behalf but also "on behalf of all the great school libraries."
There was a ceremony held in the Media Center. The Culinary Arts class prepared a large amount of food just for the occasion, as the IB Theatre class created an original song about checking out a book, and the Jazz Band created their own original song about the possibilities in your life when you read a book. See what the NEMA is talking all about. According to McClung, "We're · pretty lucky in Nebraska that Lincoln Public Schools and the state of Nebraska are pretty strong supporters of Libraries."
Tattoos are permanent, unlike the ones your mom gave you when you were younger using only a warm washcloth. "I had my design up on my wall from my sophomore year of high school through my sophomore year of college and then decided
to get it," Wrestling Coach Andrew Genrich said. "I wanted to make sure it was the one for me." Genrich has three "tribal" tattoos, on his back, calf, and down his side. "The one down my side is something that my brothers and I all got to represent each other. We all of course got it in different spots," Genrich said.
English teacher Isau Metes has a three-piece tattoo of a panther on her shoulder. Now she has a picture of headphones as well. "My second tattoo was a parlor that was later closed permanently for health violations," Metes said, "[It] totally freaked me out." Metes has had her fair share of freaky experiences. "I went with a friend once to a tattoo parlor outside of town and I thought I was going to puke, they were smoking cigarettes in there and there were flies I can't believe she still got a tattoo there." Where you get it at is one of the major things to consider. "I definitely think cautious," Metes said. "My tattoos are about what they mean to me, not about looking cool or anything. I really evaluate a parlor's cleanliness and "legitness" before going through with a tattoo."
"Do you think I would be employed here if I had a skull and cross bones or 'I love my Mom' tattooed on my cheek?"
Economics teacher Tiffany Holka who has two tattoos said. "You also need to make sure you are getting something that will stand the test of time or at least something you can look at in 20 years " If your dentist had sleeves what would you do?
Spontaneous or cautious? "You should definitely make very sure that your tattoo is well P.lannedand is something you can live with, because it's going to be there for life, but approach it with a spontaneous attitude." Senior Gina Harvey said, who has one tattoo of a microphone on her back with the words "Music lasts a lifetime" wrapped around it. "Have fun with it the end result is worth it all.'' Harvey said.
Consider this is where you are going clean and licensed, is the money worth it, and factor in pain and size as well, "Make sure you have a hand to hold!" Harvey said.
Advanced Photography Students Explore Night Photography
By Elizabeth Lewy
Lurking the school grounds during the night, the Advanced Photography students take pictures. While in the stealth of the night they learned how to use diff~rent sh~tter speeds to create intriguing pictures 1n the dark.
The photography teacher, Amber Buhrman, and her student teacher, Megan Muller, accompanied the students on April 8, 2011 for the Late Night Photography. They had pizza and snacks then headed down to the basement. They took down digital cameras, tripods, and props. The props consisted of glow sticks, Christmas lights, and flashlights.
"Every year I do one Late Night with my Advanced Photography class. The goal is mostly just to give them an opportunity to pr_acticeand play with and really explore Night Photography, light painting, and using extended exposures. I don't send home any cameras with kids so this is an opportunity for them at night to get their hands on the digital cameras," Buhrman said.
When they made it to the basement they used separate shutter speeds to slow down the speed of information collected on the camera to create pictures with the propped lights causing them to show as a blur. They also learned the significance of the angle of the camera to create the perfect photo. "There's light painting. We did that a lot in the old swimming pool in the basement," junior, James Steele said. "We could go down there and tum the camera on a bulb set~ing, where it leaves the shutter open, and its completely dark and you use a glowstick and it leaves a trail of light."
After about an hour and a half they headed outside of the building to create pictures with the nighttime lighting. They
The
Photo
used the streetlights and the schools spot lights to create shadows and highlighted areas. "When we went outside they were trying to get some interesting shots using the big spotlights that project and light up to school. Playing with shadows and that severe spotlight. There were student with flashlights and cell phones and they were drawing things and it sort of works like· using asparkler, but it records that whole image," Buhrman said.
"When we went outside I took pictures of street lights and took a picture of the students that were outside. They came out blurry. They looked like they had no legs," senior, Brian Acevedo, said.
"We've done [late night photography] three out of the four years that I've taught," Buhrman said.
"The Late Night was to capture moving lights or go down in the basement and get dark shots of something that was either scary or blurry I liked it. I learned to keep a fast shutter speed when you're out in the darkness, because if you don't the lights will become all 'smudged out," Acevedo said. The Advanced Photography · class had tons of fun that night. Buhrman is planning on continuing the Late Nights with her future classes.
Above:Librarians Paula McClung and Pam Gannon receive the Vision Tour Award from Nancy Everhart. Photo by Dr. Wortman
AboveLeft:Senior Catelynn Groshans shows her tattoo with MRSA scar. Right:Senior Gina Harvey shows off her Music inspired tattoo.
Photos by Katy Taylor
Left: English Teacher Isau Metes shows off her ink Photo by Katy , ,., Taylor
Above:
many faces of Madison Cappellano.
by Madison Cappellano
•
en1ors
Anh Nguyen
It's been three m.onths since I had received my first-degree black belt. Throughout my three years of training, I've miraculously avoided going to any and all martial arts competitions. This time, however, I failed to intercept the flyer sent home to parents. And so, on a warm midsummer morning, I got up at 5:00 and started packing for the two-hour drive to Hastings. There were four of us competing, my master's younger son, two grandsons of a friend of my father, and me. Even though I was tired, I couldn't sleep a wink the entire time.
There were traffic delays and we arrived late. By the time we had changed into our unifo rms and donned our sparring gear, Youth Sparring had already begun. I rushed to the board to find that I was up next, against a girl from Kearney in Ring 4. By the time I stepped onto the mat, the butterflies in my stomach had already propagated through several generations. I wasn't confident, I didn't expect to win. In fact, I had already relegated myself
are
to losing, my only hope was that my loss wouldn't be too humiliating. I especially did not want to lose by blackout (5-0). The judge signaled to begin, my opponent took the first point. And the point after. And the point after. The presiding instructor asked if I wanted to forfeit, saying yes would have been the mortal blow to the honor of both my family and my dojo. But if I refused, I would have to endure the most intense shame I've ever felt in my life, for at least two more points.
When I didn't answer, the judge yelled my name, and then I heard it. "Anh, win!" The match resumed, training and instinct took control of my paralyzed muscles. It was a blur until the last five seconds. She was readying a slide side kick, so I spun for tornado kick. Time was called as soon as my feet touched the mat. I looked at the scoreboard.
I lost, 6-5.
At around noon, as we were prepared to leave, the same instructor walked over and shook my hand. "Well done," he said, "yours was one of the more exciting matches I've seen today." I was in utter shock, I couldn't believe how anyone could call that piss-poor performance exciting! But my master agreed, and so did my father. I had a smile glued on my face all the way home.
I had always been unsure of myself, afraid to reveal my inferiority, afraid to be judged by those better than me. That day, I finally realized that doing doesn't take confidence, confidence comes from doing. It's not as if I felt like I could take on the world, but I was certainly more willing to try.
:: • >: When I was 16 I went on a youth exc ~iange to Taiwan. I went there for one yealj. There I lived with four different host famlilies, but went to the same school. At first 1 I had really big culture shock and didrl1'tunderstand why they did some of the l hings that they did. However, after a wltile of staying with them I started to und1~rstandwhy they did it. In all, I am reallly glad that I went to Taiwan. I made so niany friends and I got to understand that not everyone has the same perspective of tl!te.I also got to learn a different culti1re.
Jackie Strahan
, I love high School and : !ways have but :1never really id anything · o stand out · ntil this year. · his year me nd six ofmy
: ·'friends got an ide~ to form a girl band and let me tell you it was the best idea ever! So thinking we 1wouldn't ever really pull this off we pic~led a song from Tilly and The Wall and! we decided to try out for Joynite. We
Safa Salih
Brandon Okemba
To go to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for Architecture and/or Athletic Training.
Derrick Stevens
I plan to attend the University of Illinois, double major in Political Science and Philosophy, minoring in Classics, with the hope it will prepare me for law school.
• ;, Iri 007, we ou t we W1
to
scarey but I could tell
Maly and
We got in! Can you believe that we got in both nights! The first night I was a wreck, I was so nervous, I didn't want to mess this up. On stage I think I blacked out cause I do not remember most of what happened but off stage I felt like a rock star. We did it, we played and they loved us. The second night went better at least for me I wasn't so scared, I liked being on the stage and showing people the side of me they couldn't see before. Over all I loved it, because we worked hard and had the time of our lives.
By Brent Koenigsman
Technologyisn't just part of the world anymore.It's a world all its own. With networkslike Facebook,Twitter,and the ability to text anyone,anywhere,anytimeyou want people have become citizensof a world on a sp-een~And now technologyis advancing at a breakneckspeedto the point we can hardlykeep up. So what would happenif someonetook a vacationfrom this world forjust 24 hours? FreshmanLillianBornsteinand I, a senior,took that challengefor a day without socialmedia. For one day we gave up cell phones,Facebook, and the internetin generalto see what life outsidethe technospherewas like. While the resultsof just one day away from socialnetworkingweren't extreme,there was a definitefeelingofbeing left out in the cold. I ,i))ianexperiencedthis quite literally."I wantedto look at my phone when I was waiting for my Dad to pick me up afterpracticeand he wasn't there and it was cold and rainingalmost horizontallyand it was extremelywindy and I was a littleworriedbecauseI thoughtmaybe he had texted or calledme to say he was going to be late."But, unable to check her phone, Lillianhad to sit and endurethe delugeuntil her dad finallyfound her.As a seniorwith a car, waitingfor rides wasn't reallya problemfor me, but I rememberspendingmy underclassman years waitingoutsideby south lot for after practicerides and havingto be in constant communicationwith my mom to make sure she was there on time. It seems absurdthat once people had to dependon othersto pick them up or meet them withoutconstantreminding. Another"out in the cold" happened among friends.I hadn't reallynoticedbefore how much time my friendsand I spendtalking to peoplethroughFacebookand texting.While
eco
By Brent Koingsman
The lost quarter, the fourth quarter of senior year; it's at this moment that seniors stop and ask themselves, "Why bother? Why should I wake up at 6 a.m., sit in class and do my homework? What's the point?" You might think that the closer you get to the end of school the more you would want to slow down and focus. You might think it would be a good time to take it all in and really enjoy everything before it's gone. You might think most people would try their hardest at the end and make an effort to go out with a long, drawn-out, glorious bang.
For many high school seniors, however, the goal is just to get everything over with, making the end to their high
I hung out with them about every minuteor so they would receive,read, and repl.r to a text or check their Facebook I found myself reaching for my pocket and feelingphanto n phone vibrations.It occurredto me that \!Ve aren't very presentmindedpeople. Rather ~n j ust enjoy the companyof those around us -wrealso need be in contactwith everyone,else. I also noticed how our conversationswere full dfreferences to someone'sFacebookstatus or I,ictures. It seemedlike everythingwas ha11r;nmg somewhereelse and I was comple~ly out of the loop.Lillianalso noticed a similar textingfascinationin her theatre ompatriots. "Everybodywas textingduring tHe breaks at rehearsaland people were on the :omputer beforehand,but I, I did my home 1/ork,"Lillian said proudly,if somewhatfacetio1;isly.
The lack of social conn1~ctivityalso meant the absenceof relentlessdistractionand entertainment.It made it a lot harEderfor me to find ways to waste time, which eant I ended up accomplishinga lot more than I would have otherwise.InsteadofFacebook c] attingor keepingup with the latest in sports,music,and entertainmentI did homework,fu:iishedcollege applications,and read for the firs time in a long time. So while I said goodb~'eto the world of technologyand entertainment][discovered a world of productivitythat I had f orgotten existed
While 24 hourswasn't t long, it was long enough.Long enough '? ~me to realize technologyhas influencedus in r ••Ostevery way. It's changedhow we get thii1gsdone,how we think, and how we relate to e,,eryonearound us. I think it's healthyto step outsideof the socialn:iicrocosmwe've created1moreoften and spendtime enjoyingthe real world
• 1n·
school career a blundering, tru·F cy-riddled mess standing between th,em and the plunge to real, grown-up life. This decimation of m )tivation is called "senioritis." The onset is quick and powerful. Found mostly in second semester seniors, it truly is a p :aralyzing disease. Symptoms include· skipping Lifetime Sports more than usu al, not pretending to like your administrators anymore, parking in the teache.r lot, better attendance at Juice Stop than vvhatever technology class you're gettini~ credit for, deciding not to write that Eng1i.sh essay or make up that Calculus test, nd realizing that apparently you never actually had to hear the morning anno 1ncements. Senioritis turns once ailigent, nail-biting studiers into carefr~!e, absent
Wrist bands ·introduced t
drifters. But is the new, laid back attitude a bad thing? Does it really matter that students on track to finish school don't take everything quite as seriously? It depends on how you contracted senioritis in the first place. For some, Senioritis comes from weariness with school. This is Senioritis Type A. Take the natural fatigue a student will feel after 12 years of school and add in the fact that it's almost over and there you have it. The result is a student with no fire or real need to try. Often times these students actually still need to get credits and pass lots of classes to graduate. No desire to participate in school combined with the need to get things done can make Senioritis a very dangerous and unhealthy thing. It can lead to a condition nobody ro
By Caleb Christiansen
Prom 2011 was held at the Pla Moor Ballroom on April 16. It was an enorrnous success with many juniors, sen i o rs, and even some freshmen and sophomores present. New to Prom this year was the use of wristbands in order to keep track of dirty dancers. Students received one warning mark, and if they received another mark they were immediately removed from the dance. Administrators even took it upon themselves to stand in the middle of the dance floor in order to get a better view of
By Jessi Anderson
Every year the Omaha World Herald releases the names of the seniors in Nebraska and Western Iowa that have reached academic excellence. This year Lincoln High had 22 seniors that were recognized by the Omaha newspaper. According to Omaha.com all Nebraskan and Western Iowa high schools can non:iinate all seniors who scored at least a 32 on the ACT or at least 2080 on the SAT to receive this honorable mention. The entire list of students that were honored will appear in the Sunday May 22 Omaha World
the dancing. Post Prom was held at Lincoln High once again this year and there were plenty of events to l ook f orward t o T he band Kar a van and the dance group Ground Zero performed to widespread excitement. An even bigger surprise was the decision to have the swimming pool be open to the students after Prom. Students could swim in the pool if they brought proper school swimwear to swim in. Many students attended Post Prom. n rs • en1ors
Herald newspaper. Nicholas Angelos, Reed Brodersen, Kyle Chapo, David Cossart, Eve Dimagno, Alex Dugas, Connor Goodwin, Micah Hadley, Jules Hansen, Henry Lagrimini, Justin Lepard, Emily, Madcharo, Nathanial Matz, Charlie Neibel, Anh Nguyen, Micaela Pacheco Ceballos, Hannah Rivers, Jonathan Sands, Jordan Scribner, Erika Stewart-Finkenstaedt and Kelsey Williams have all reached acaden:iicexcellence and were the 22 students that the OWH honored.
• • • en1or1 1s
wants called Super Senioritis.
But there's another strain of the disease: Senioritis Type B. Some get it when they realize the end is in sight and their chance to do something meaningful, something they get to choose to do, is just around the comer. This comes from an ambition to achieve things beyond the walls of Lincoln High, which I think we can all agree is a good thing.
For some, Senioritis isn't about the end at all. It's the start to a life they've been working toward for 12 school years. It's okay for those of us suffering from Type B Senioritis to stop and enjoy our Juice Stop, because our foray into the real world will begin sooner than we think.
By Sandy Ngo
For the 11thyear of Aqualinks,the teams wanted "somethingnew, something nobody was expecting"said senior Katie Catron. The theme for the seasonwas "Turn Up The Volume - Radio, Edition". With this theme, the teams searchedfor respect and new beats to perform to. "Many people don't considerus as a sport, they don't realize how professional
we are, so we are trying to make it more popular."said seniorKristen Harvey.Ten routines,compacted into an hour in a half, the team hoped to catch audienceattention with music choicesthey felt our generationenjoyed,such as songs by Katy Perry,Bruno Mars and 3 Doors Down.They performed moves such as the Castle and Biffle Tower,accompaniedby screams and applauses.
Many people are unaware of the hard workAqualinks put in. They practice everyday after schoolduringtheir season."We work as hard as any other sportsteam." said Harvey.Harveyis the only four year member of this years Varsityteam and serves as President.Harveyused to disregardAqualinksas a sport, but after a few practicesher freshmanyear, she developed respect for them, a type of respect she hopes the school · '"''" developedfor the teams after
their performance. tine during their performancein the LHS
rac IS ers
DylanBruggemanfor the ShotPut,_junior LincolnHighseniorNakuyaSmithwillbe MerrilHoldenfor Highjump,senioirDemarius participatingin her 4th StateTrackand Field Lottfor LongJump,and seniorDeo1ndreWhite, d?ffe~:~:i;:e~~~~r~~i~:;tree
compete1nthe LongJump, }•(:c+(
+< -'. juniorJohnHarrisforthe TripleJump,and as part ofthe
) 4 X100-Mete;rRelay. the G1~ls 4 X100 Relayteam
y "A lot of the on whichshe helpedset a new ii
it.? injurieswer n't because recordat Distric~s.Shealsoset
Girls Varsity Tennis looks to find success state
By Erik Chapo
{fi;}i of what happ•enedduring r~ord for th_eTripleJumpa~t~e
;;:3i,Jth~yhad happe~to.them Smit~1sconfident,but 11:1st :+\ \ y
(
;;:,t}J£s prior to the l:Jeg1nn1ng a httle bit overwhelmed."Iiust
of track;'Whjite said. needto bringmyA game."Next Despitethese injuries, year Smithwillattend Kearney includingshin splints, whereshe willrun trackand hip flexors,l.cnee,footand hopefullyplaybasketball. ankleinjurie.i, the team "[Nakuya]has donevery,ve seemsto be 1!1goodhealth wellfor us,"GirlsTackCoach for state. RodneyDroudsaid. "I don'tthink we need Smithjoinsfreshman Above;Nakuya Smith (12) jumps anymorebaillingwire or KeiteyanaParks,and seniors • t th d •t ,, th tn· 1 ducktape to kleepanyone KaleighKingstonand Timiko in ° e san pi ior e P e Jump together,"Whfte said. Omaron the 4 X100-Meter during the HeartlandConfrence "Allwe ca do is RelayTeam. Track Meet. Photo by Lindsey To- continuetop epare the
Theygot a time of 49.63at man kidsthe best ~veknowhow Districtswhichbrokethe LHS and I thinkwel've donea Girls4 X 100recordof 50.1.Smithsaysthe girls goodjob,its just littlefreakthingsthat seemto actuallywantto beat that recordwhentheyget hindertheir progress,"Droudsaidf"Ifwe can get to Statewherethere is sometoughcompetition. throughand be healthyI thinkthat we canhave "Wedefinitelyhaveto go faster;'Smithsaid. a verystrongteam nextyear." Parksis alsogoingto state for the 100-Meter JuniorDeavanteThompsonis confident Dashand the 200-MeterDash. aboutthe team'sstate performance."Weare Despiteinjurieson the Boysteam,seven used to highcompetitionlevels,"1:hompson athleteswillrepresentLHSat State:senior said.
On Thursday;May 19th, the LincolnHigh School GirlsVarsity tennis team will oe sending six of its members to the state tournament Those players are junior Lindsey Keller;senior Eve DiMagno, senior MicaPacheco-Ceballos,junior AliceMcVicker;sophomore Ami Naffand sophomore Cheyenna Kempel.Every school that is a member the NSM has its top six qualifyingmembers sent to the tournament Some players are veterans who have been there before, while for others it's there first experience at state.
"It's my first year of going to state, so I don't really know what to , expect;' said LHSsophomore and number two doubles player Ami Naff."I don't know who I'm going to be fu.cin~yet, but I'm mostly just excited to be here. Naff's doubles partner is Lincoln High sophomore Cheyenna Kempel.This year the state tournament willlbe held at the Tranquility Tennis Courts at the Nebraska Tennis Center;which is located in Omaha
Number one doubles player Eve DiMagnohas grown up around tennis so it's no surprise that she will be participating in the event "Myentire fu.milyplays tennis and I've been playing it since I was really young," said DiMagno."I'vejust grown up around it and I've always loved it" DiMagnowill be playing in tlie doubles with fellow LHS stuaent and junior Lindsey Keller.Head coach Jim Jensen thinks that improvements from one year to the next have played a big role in
•the teams success this year. ''Alot of the girls have showed more dedication;' said Jensen. "Our team is much stron_gerthis year and shows more team unity.' Allof the players who will be participating in the tournament will play on Thursday and if they win their matcfies,they will proceed to play on Friday."I think that we have a good shot at going deep;' said Jensen. 'We got pretty good draws this year and that
more apparent desire
taking this
much more seriously.'
By Katy Taylor
Flash Gloria busts through the pack with a whip from ThickaThanAhSnicka, "SHE HAS THE LEAD JAM!!!" the announcer screams. Roller Derby a sport from the time when ladies wore petticoats and men wore top hats, but it didn't get popular until early 2000's.
burns, bruises, but still she pushes on. "Roller derby has changed my l1fe in many ways," Northup said. "My level of assertiven ,ss in life has greatly improved from playing roller derby and the impact has been seen in my professional life as well as all of my relationships." Along Our Lincoln league, The No Coast Derby Girls, is ranked 5th in the South Central Region. Team Captains Flash Gloria and Kelly Ripa-Nipalov have lead this highly ranked team all over the country.
On March 12th, The No Coast girls took on the Omaha Roller girls bringing in a record 2,507 fans. No Coast beat ORG 93 to ·62. "Winning - the pressure of not being victorious when the final buzzer sounds is enough to push me to my limits," Coach Kelly Ripa #00 a.k.a. Andrea Tarnick said. This team of powerful women is a force to be reckoned with.
"We are 8-0 so far this season!" ThickaThanAhSnicka #402 a.k.a. Malerie Houdek said, "As a team we are doing great, we are really corning together and even when we are down we find a way to stay positive and encourage each other to pull it together." Thicka is known for her 'booty bump' and throws some pretty hard hits along the way. "We have the chance to get in the top 3 in our region which would land us a spot at nationals." Houdek said
My sister Velvet Crush #11 a.k.a. Jessica Northup is a blocker and has been playing for 3 years with a total of 4 seasons.
"Knowing that my team is successful and wanting to stay that way pushes me to the max." Northup said.
Injuries are no stranger to my sister, track
with emotion·:11stability my sister has gained a physical self-confiden :e, skating faster, pushing harder, and never giving up. He , motto is "Hit SOMEBODY!!" and she sure idoes in every game. "Roller derby has been resurrected to, it's current all female state," Northup said. "And it has t2ught me that women are fully capable of achieving anjr dream they set in front of them and that women are tal ented, beautiful, intelligent, athletic, and equal to our E ale counterparts."
This league doesn't just consist of players but fans and cour1cil members. "The whole derby community (nationwide) is bonded with the common understanding that it takes a whole league of dedicated individuals to make a league not only exist, but also successful." Kobra Kai #505 saiAm 1~ng the team are two extraordinary captains Kelly R pa #00 and Flash Gloria #32 a.k.a. Andrea Tarnick and lMegan Harrington, who have led our Mad Maxines to a ground breaking winning streak. When asked what p,ushed her, Tarnick replied, "My teammates push me fartliler than I think I can go. We en courage eaclj other to push harder than we ourselves think we earl and I'm lucky to skate with some of the best in the counm~." Megan Harrington (Flash) was awarded MVP of the 1~ntire South Central Regional Tournament. In r,incoln High we have no contact sports for
Above;LHS AlumniJessicaNorthupa.k.a.
is announcedat the beginningof the March
bout
girls, we have Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis, Golf and Softball to name a couple of the sports available for girls and powder puff football only happens once a year. Roller Derby brings women's strength and agility together; maybe it can bring Lincoln High together too. Roller Derby, though it started out as a women's sport now has men leagues and Mixed-sex leagues also participating, is a sport using the speed of track, the hits of football, and tactic of soccer to make one sport to beat them all. It is Roller Derby. ·
Above;The Auqual1nksshow off therr rou-
pool. Photo by Haley Keller
Above;Alice McVicker(11) serves the ball during a varsity tennis match against Southeast.Photo by Casondra Bulling should help:' Jensen also said that the girls are showing a much better attitude towards the game. "There's a much
to win;' said Jensen. "Our team is
season
VelvetCrush
12throller derby
againstThe OmahaRoller Derby Girls. Photo courtesy of Taura Horn Photography
by Dana McNeil
Basea teameanson 'enzor e erszp
By Caleb Christiansen
Spring is upon us, and that means sports at Lincoln High move outdoors once again. Among these sports is baseball, which saw steady improvements this year. The baseball team started hot winning 5 games in the first couple weeks of the season. One more than their season win total ( 4) last year. ''The team knew what to expect from the coaches,'' Coach Todd Sandberg said. ''So we spent less time coaching what we wanted( out of the players) and more time coaching fundamentals, and other things that really only older teams can do."
The baseball team has been steadily impreving over the years thanks in large part to the rising level of confidence and a team now laden with seniors who have Varsity • experience.
''(Confidence) is really the most important thing to winning games," Sandberg said. ''Baseball is a game of failure, the old saying in baseball is that you fail seven out of ten times and you're good."
The Links looked to compete hard against the Lincoln schools this year , and believed they can play with any team in the si ty this year ''We' v e
had a. lot of talent this year'' Senior catcher Josh Hess 'on said. ''It was really a case of j q st putting it all together, but we fiplt we could've held our own agai11stanyone out there.'' The Links are Etoping to use this new found con:tildence to spark even more wins aga iJ1st quality opponents this year. ''We improved week to week and got noti~ieably better as a tearri," Hesson said
The Links however finished the season on a rough note winning onl Ylfour of their next fifteen games. The jr lost their district game to defe 1nding state champion Papillion -La - i sta S outh- l 0-2.
Boys Soccer te, n1 ends strong season .,with loss
By DeVon Kelley
The LHS boys varsity soccer team was on fire! After a four-game winning streak and a double-header, their win/loss ratio was 7-7, but once they participated at Districts they ended up losing. The change in the season that led them to the Districts may have come in an unexpected way.
In the fifth game of the season they suffered the loss of senior defense player Connor Goodwin who was a valuable player in the eyes of his teammates. "I had bad knees before," Goodwin said, but this game seemed different. He tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), which is one of the four major knee ligaments.
"I was perfectly fine and healthy, and then I stepped on it wrong, and then I just tore it in that moment," Goodwin said. Goodwin's injury may, however, have in some way helped motivate the team to be better. "We started the season out bad, but now we are trying to pick it up. Players are starting to get it together, since now we lost one of our better defenders, Connor, and everybody had to step up more," senior striker Shaka Chol said.
"We've got a lot of heart and a lot of competition in us," Head Coach Wesley Zach said. To get a four-game winning streak and tie the ratio at 7-7 is a truly amazing feat. Even though Goodwin was lost to an injury early in the season, the team still seemed to be doing a great job. "That hurt our defense a little bit, but guys are stepping up and filling his shoes," Zach said. "Shaka has been dominating people up top."
"The first game of the season we played Southwest, and they're a really tough team," Chol said. "They're one of the best in the state, and we lost against them 7-0. That really encouraged us to work hard and practice."
But were their efforts all in vain?
"People lost hope in soccer at LHS," Chol said. "Every team that we play thinks they will come and beat us 10-0 then leave, but now we are trying to change that," and they did until the tables seemed to turn at Districts.
Lincoln
IIAY. 2!1, 2ftl I
Mercy Rule imposed .on Girls Soccer
By Katy Taylor
"Soccer to me means doing something I love," Varsity girls captain senior Callie Kiehn said. Kiehn, wbo has P.layedsoccer since she was four, added, 'Soccer is a team effort. It is a lot easier on everyone, if there is great team chemistry." Kiehn has also been invited to play soccer and represent the United States in the Youth World Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden this summer.
"I really enjoy playing soccer it's been life changing," senior Miranda Mikesh said. She has played soccer for 3 years. "I met some of my best friends while doing soccer," Mikesh added. Soccer can be a way of life or a burden for some of these hard working players. "Not only does it keep me busy but also focused on school," Kiehn said. "I keep my grades up but the bad thing is that I'm up late every night doing homework because I don't' get home from practice till 8 or even later."
Last season the girls won two games but sadly this season they've only scored two goals. They scored their two while participating in the tournament on April 7th, 8th, and 9th. "It's a little demotivating to lose all the time when you try so hard," Varsity girls captain Marina Blum said.
Already this season they have had the new Mercy Rule instilled in seven games against Norfolk, Southwest, and Southeast to name a few. "Well there's kind of an element of relief," Blum said. "It's honestly not fun to play teams where you're getting your butt kicked all the time." The Mercy Rule, a rule supposed to help the losing team,
Above:Sophomore C aitlan Holeman battles a Lincoln East defender during their varsity match. Photo by Dennis Olivo calls the game when the winning team has a 10 point lead and whichever team has that wins the game overall no matter if the game is done or not. When asked about the new Mercy Rule Coach Russ Inbody said, "Some people do stuff like play keep away fr~m the girls and I think it's better than getting scored on."
"Honestly I don't like the Mercy Rule," Kiehn said. "I guess it could help that instead of being 14 to nothing it's 10 to nothing but I'd rather play the whole game and lose 14 nothing than not play the whole game at all." Blum felt similarly when she said, "I feel like there is pros and cons, and maybe times when you just wish rou could say 'no just let us keep playing'.'
Om1:1haSouth Papillion Packer at Districts and ost 2-0. It was a devastating loss that man1y players had comments about. "We had a lot of opportunities on goal, but we just couldn't finish any of them and I think that was our big fault," Goodwin said, '' We just lacked communication on the field."
"We didn't work together, we just blat1t1edeach other, and talked back to each
Lincoln High's varsit • game against Lincoln East Photo by DeinnisOlivo
oth1·r," senior middle K'Paw Moo said, but wh • fight when they had finally made it to whe,re they wanted to?
"We were not ready, and I think it w ,as because we had been winning a lot so re just felt like we were going to walk in t tere and win the game," junior middle/ fonl vard Nathan Buzi said, '.'Weplayed hare!but I would say we didn't play smart."
Chol seconded what Buzi said, but sadly mentions he did not fulfill his goalls of changing how people view soccer at LIHS. "This year we tried to change that and we did something about it, but I don't thill!kit was enough for people to change their minds," Chol said
Besides the general feelings of unc poperative behavior on the field and incol!11Pletegoals, there was much sadness for t he seniors of the team. 14 out of the 22 menbbers on the team are seniors and they wil no longer play LHS varsity soccer.
"WG r felt bad for our seniors, because they trie l the best they could and worked hard," jun i or middle/forward Lwel Moo said, "It's their last year, and their last game."
AbmJ~Lincoln High senior Brian Goeres hits a pitclil dumig Lincoln High's varsity game again 1,t Grand Island. Photo by Dana McNeil
high played against the
ove:Sophomore Joe Yapp looks to pass the ball during
Soul Surfer
By Jessi Anderson
Most movies these days are remakes of older forgottenmovies, but the inspirationaltrue story of Soul Surfer is anythingbut. A shark attack and a dramatic amputationleave the heroin of this story fightingto survive.
Director Sean McNamarataps into real emotionsthroughoutthis entire movie. McNamara,who also wrote the screenplay,tells the amazingstory of BethanyHamilton.On October 31, 2003 when, Hamiltonwas thirteen and living in Hanalei,Kauai, Hawaii a 14-footshark bit off her left arm. Hamilton's story is worthy of a movie because she overcame the challengesof loosing an arm and got back to surfingby Novemberof 2003, only a month after her shark attack. By the time she was 15, Hamiltonwon first place in the United States nationalunder-18surf championships.
AnnaSophiaRobb proves that she has grown up from her role as Violet Beauregardein Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in her role as BethanyHamilton. She lights up the screen with her warming smile, and brings tears to your eyes when the she cracks under stress. Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt costar in Soul Surfer as Hamilton's surfer parents. Quaid and Hunt are very convincingas hippie-surfers.
The story line has very few dull spots, but most of the previews leave out how spiritualHamiltonwas, and how much religion is in this movie. Carrie Underwoodtakes a brake from singing and makes an appearanceas Hamilton's youth group leader.Her performancewas a little weak, and it was apparent that she was trying to hard. But don't let the word religion scare you away from seeing this emotional flick,3ustkeep in mind that it is included. Hamiltonmay have been close to God, but Director McNamaradoes a goodjob of explaining Hamilton's beliefs with out trying to force feed Christianityto the audience.
covie Review
Everythingfrom the story to the actors is heartwarmingin Soul Surfer, but the one thing that the visual effects departmentslackedon was the amputation of Robb's arm. In real life Hamiltonhas
an amputation,but the actress who plays her does not. So how do you cut off an actress's arm, without actually cutting off her arm? Youmake her wear a green sleeve. The same technologyof a green screen is used in a sleeve to create the illusion that AnnaSophiaRobb is missing an arm. While this techniquesounds like a great idea, the way that it was done was almost annoying.Throughoutthe entire movie you could tell where Robb's 'hidden' arm was because pieces of her body and or background would be missing or clearly photo shopped.Also, during most of the surfing scenes it was apparentthat Robb's face had been photo shoppedonto someoneelse's body.
Visualeffects aside Soul Surfer will keep you on the edge of your seat, tears streamingdown your face and the feelingthat as long as you put your mind to it, you can do anything.
By Caleb Christiansen
The theatre seasonhere at Lincoln High has ended and the last show to be performedthis year was the classicalwork of WilliamShakespeare-The Tempest.The Tempestis known to be the last full-length show written solely by Shakes;:,eare.
The lead of the show s name is Prosperobut for this show it has been changedto Prosperaand is being portrayed by Katy Keating(12).This is Keating's secondrole this year that was originally intendedfor a male, the first coming in the fall show Hound of the Baskervilles.
"Its differentthis time," Keating said. "With Hound of the Baskervilles the script intendedfor it to be a girl, the playwrightswitchedthe genders and made
epic scenesmost notablythe fierce storm caused by Prosperaand Ariel, which causes the destructionof the ship carryingthe King of Naples (playedby yours truly) his naive son Ferdinand(playedby seniorJaz Schoeneck)his ignorantbrother Sebastian (playedby junior James Steele)his extremelyloyal servantGonzalo(playedby seniorWesleyVanhoosen)and his wicked businesspartnerAntonio(playedby junior MichaelKeating).
The King, Sebastian,and Antonio are responsiblefor the banishmentof Prosperaand her daughterMiranda(played by junior MargeryDunkle).Ferdinandgets separatedfrom the group and winds up falling madly in love with Miranda ,
From there, The Tempestis very similarto some of the romanticcomedies seen in today's cinemas.There is of course a pair of young loverswho fall in love at first sight, and the overprotectiveparent who tries to keep them arart. However what sets this "rom-com apart from the rest is the presenceof the sprites and monstersthroughoutthe play that do the bidding of Prospera.Studentsshouldnot be turned off from seeingThe Tempest simplybecause they do not understand the language."The situationsbroughtup in Shakes\'earehold up well in today's culture.It s an excitingshow,full of magic, adventure,and romance,"MargeryDunkle said, "The languageis very beautiful,but beyond that it has very clear,universal themes that really anyonecan relate to."
The Tempestwas performedin the Ted SorensenTheatre on April 28th throughApril 30th. Ticketswere purchased from any cast memberfor 5 dollars or at the door for. Hopefullyyou didn't miss an invaluabl~opportunityto witness Shakespeare at its best.
them the nieces of the characters(Sherlock Holmesand Dr. John Watson,)for comedic effect."
Left:
The cast and crew of The Tempest poses for a cast photo before performing on April 28th.
Photo by Haley Keller
ll1IY 2!1, 2ftl I
1B
Garden
Project at Park M iddle School for 2nd year
By Erik Chapa
Starting sometime in late April a group of LHS International Baccalaureate juniors headed by Matt Showalter will begin a gardening project at Park Middle School that will help to supply the school's FCS and culinary classes with vegetables that the students will be growing in the gardens. The students received a $150 grant from Serve Nebraska (an organization that works to strengthen Nebraska's communities) that will allow them to purchase tools, seeds and any other supplies that they may need. "I'm guessing that there will be some out of pocket expenses as well," Chris Duerschner said. "Because of the amount of time that we're going to be working on it, the grant might not be able to cover all of the costs."
Showalter originally planned to have the group start working at Park on April 16th but when they sat down to talk about it, they realized that it's the same day as the Husker spring game and of Lincoln High's prom. The other Lincoln High students that will be assisting Showalter are Nick Lehnert, Jati Zunaibi and twin brothers Chris and John Duerschner. The project originally began last year and was worked on by a group of
By Brent Koenigsman
This month the Administration took a more aggressive stance on yet another school issue and began issuing $4.00 fines to students who had 5 or more temporary ID's in one quarter. This new policy adds to the growing number of money-based punishments doled out by the LHS administration. But fines in themselves aren't anything to get that upset about.
In truth issues with parking and wearing school ID's are pretty trivial. As students we should know where to park, and we should be willing to wear our ID's. And the administration's steps to combat these issues have gotten results. Anyone who parks in south lot can attest to the fact that there has been a huge dive in the number of illegal parkers, and Administrator Russ Uhing
said there has been a "substantial decrease" in the number of students using temporary ID's, but like I said before, these problems don't, or at least shouldn't, matter to most students.
What does matter is the way LHS administration is handling them, and I think most students can agree they were a little extreme. Uhing himself seemed a little unsure about the mass towing he ordered last quarter in south lot. "Was that overboard?"
Uhing asked himself," I don't know I don't think so." And could the excessive towing could be attributed to a loss of patience with students? "Yes I think some of it could," Uhing conceded. Before the towing started there were orange stickers slapped on car windows and warnings handed out, but none of that
seemed to do the trick. Uhing insists he doesn't like giving out fines and towing cars saying, "If ~e could come up with a better way, that would work, I would be all for it."
Well, what about send-
ing kids to ARC for an hour after sch00l to students who-get too many temporary ID's? What about assigning Saturday school to students who park illegally? After all we're just students. We shouldn't be made to pay for our mistakes with money, and many students here at Lincoln High don't have the financial resources to do that in the first place. What we can afford, and probably should take advantage of anyway, is more school. Were any of these consequences, none involving money, considered by the administration? "Not that I can recall," Uhing said. Well maybe it's time they were. Obviously students aren't going to want to go to ARC or Saturday school, but that's the point of a consequence, and there should be consequences for not following
now Lincoln High seniors. "The garden was first started by Eve DiMagno and Mica PachecoCeballos," Showalter said. "They were the ones who first gave me the idea to do it."
The group will also be receiving more than just moral satisfactions for their work in the garden. "The project will count for our CASS hours," John Duerschner said. "CASS hours are the community service hours that are required for IB (International Baccalaureate).
The garden will be a produce garden and all of the vegetables that are grown in it will be donated to Park's culinary department. "We're going to growing tomatoes, maybe potatoes, green beans, cucumbers, onions, pretty much every thing," Showalter said. "Ifwe can I'd like to grow some com, just 'cause we're in Nebraska," added Nick Lehnert.
The students are only going to be working on the project this spring and summer, so Showalter and crew will need a new group of students to take over after their time is up. "We'll probably try to get some of this year's (IB) sophomores to take over the project," John Duerschner said. school rules. The difference is these. punishments can actually help you out. No one's going to do better in school if they have to pay a fine or get their car towed. All that does is spark a festering negative attitude towards our administration, the people we should be looking to for help. Uhing seemed interested by these suggestions and even said he'd bring them up when discussing ideas for next year.
His responsiveness made me realize that there needs to be more done on our part, the part of the students. Rather than just complain about how out of touch LHS staff is with us, like I've done many times in the past, we should let them know not only what we want to change, but give them ways that they can change it.
Above:LHS Temporary IDs. Photo by Katy Taylor
By Katy Taylor
This year is ending with honors, seniors graduating,and underclassmenmoving up on the totem pole and as we move on a new class enters the halls of Lincoln High to make new memories,break old records, and represent the Links.
The graduatingclass of 2011 has a lot to be proud of, 6 milliou_dollarsin scholarships was handed"outnuring the May 12th, 2011 Senior Honor Convocationand numerous awards from each department. Theatre, Art, CAD, Scribe, Debate, ELL, FCS, Science, Industrial Tech, World Language,Psychology,StuCo, and Music all handed out at least 2 awards to graduatingseniors.
After four years of hard work and determinationwe have made it, to the last home stretch.
Above:Kenneth Allen (12) flips pancakes at the May 10th,
from the musical Les Miserables at the World Language Fair. Image Courtesy of Lynda Graham-Rowe
Award Convocations.
Photo by Greg Keller
2011 DECA sponsored Pancake feed. Photo by Greg Keller
Above:Maggieweaemanerrsperforms te
ne veux pas travailler by Edith Piaf during the World Language Fair. Image Courtesy of Lynda Graham-Rowe
Above:Micah Hadley (12) receives his numerous scholarships at the May 12th, 2011 Senior Honor Convocation. Photo b Gre Keller
i! Above:Marie Schwab ( 11) and Flora Zempleni ( 11) perform during the World Language Fair. Zempleni and Schwab won 1st place in the Native Speakers category. Image Courtesy of Lynda Graham-Rowe
scholarships at the May 12th, 2011 Senior Honor Convocation. Photo by Greg Keller
Feed on May 10th, 2011. Photo by Greg Keller.
Above:IB Coordinator John Heinemen proctors the AP testing during May 2 through May 13
