NS Times 5th Edition

Prom tradition brings pressure for finding the perfect dress --See story page 6

25 jan 18

Boys basketball works to overcome struggles to finish well in region play --See Story page 7

www.nstimes.org

volume 12 issue 5

WELL “I am willing to go to all lengths to find a prom dress that is perfect. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m going to find a good dress that I am just in love with. Ever since I was a kid I’ve got to go see the girls dressed as a princess at prom.

Prom is pretty important to me, and I definitely want to stand out in my dress” -Junior Mahayla Anderson on the importance of prom dresses

UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, Jan 25-26 Wrestling @ Enterprise High School Tournament All Day Boys Basketball vs.

Grand @ NS 4:00 pm-8:00 pm Girls Basketball @ Grand 4:00 pm-9:00pm State Honor Choir @ Murray HS/SLC Tabernacles All Day Tuesday, Jan 22 Girls Basketball vs.

South Sevier @ NS 4:00 pm-9:00 pm

BY THE NUMBERS

234

Number of points junior basketball player Scott Hatch has scored so far this season

70 Number of gallons of water custodians cleaned up from water leak

68

Percent of students that sing in the shower

CONTENTS Features................5 Sports...................8 Arts......................10 Crossword...........12

‘Newsies’ brings record sales, Frozen coils see packed house every night cause break,

leads to senior hall flood

by Abigail Clawson

Frozen radiator coils led to a leakage of over 70 gallons of water through the ceiling of the senior hall just before faculty returned to the school after Christmas break.

The flooding came due to a malfunction in the air handlers upstairs from the senior hall. The handlers serve to regulate and circulate the air in the heating and cooling systems, and are required by law to draw a minimum of ten percent outside air photo by Lucy Anderson into the building to ensure fresh air.

The drama department saw amazing success with their production of the Drawing outside air into the school “Newsies.” Selling out for the first time in recent memory, they earned $this much has the potential to freeze and break money, doubling past revenue from plays. The cast performed in front of a full house every night, and voted to extend the musical another night due to the popu- radiator coils, but this occurrence is typically prevented by the freeze stat. larity it received. The hours spent perfecting the choreography, musical numbers and set changes paid off with an outstanding performance every night. The actors “The way [the system] works is brought the story home, and truly portrayed the emotion of the story. kinda like a car: you have hot water See Musical, page 10 flowing through a radiator, what literally looks like a giant radiator,” CusTeen Challenges: todian Kerry Coates said. “If the air temperature inside that senses...that it’s within 10% of freezing, it’s supby Savannah Ames posed to shut that damper all the way off so that it doesn’t freeze.”

It’s the story that everyFor unknown reasons, the freeze one knows. The sophomore stat didn’t respond and the damper girl falls in love with the remained open, allowing the cold air handsome senior boy, and to continue in, which froze and broke together, they take on high three radiator coils. school, hand in hand. Stories While no one was at the school similar to this one have often due to the holiday and moratorium, been told in books, movies the custodians determined the waand TV shows. High school ter was likely leaking for eight to ten relationships are so comhours, due to the amount of water monly portrayed this way in and damage that was present. the media, but the reality of “We sucked up some 70 gallons dating in high school is much of water off the floor,” Coates said. different.

“Luckily a good chunk of it was runWith the many aspects of ning right underneath the door in a teenager’s life, dating is one the kitchen and went right down the that can be considered both get to know other people and cause they see it as a risk. drain right inside the door.”

“For me, personally, I do an opportunity and a chal- create relationships with othCustodian Jim Bowles explained lenge. It can be an opportu- ers. Some teens enjoy dating, not choose to have [a relathat the standing water reached past See Couples, page 2 nity in which teens are able to but avoid dating seriously be-

The Dating Game

See Flood, page 3

Opportunity for self-expression opened through policy change

by Kaylee Anderson

This year the NS school board changed the handbook to allow students and teachers to dye their hair unnatural colors as long as they do not represent the school through a club, sport or a leadership position.

Many students have already acted on this opportunity and can be seen walking the halls with hair of almost any color in the rainbow. This is one way students can

now express their personalities.

“It shows people who I am and that I don’t care what they think about me,” sophomore Kylee Davis said. “This is a way that I can express myself by saying that I like this color and this is how I like to have my hair.”

High school is often the place where we try new things and discover more about ourselves. This new change allows students to explore more with how they look.

“I think it does give students a little lee-

way and it allows them to experiment,” said NS Principal Nan Ault. “I think there is nothing wrong with colored hair. I am not offended by that at all, but also when you work for someone though, and you represent that organization then they do have standards for you. Whether you work for NASA, the government, Adobe or whoever, you need to understand that they may ask you to meet a certain standard. We felt that if you are going to represent NS then See Hair, page 3

2 news Couples, continued from page 1 tionship] in high school because it can cause a lot of heartbreak, stress and loss of friendships,” senior Ally Brotherson said.

Many teens experience the challenges that Brotherson mentioned in their own relationships, and others feel the same way and choose not to get into relationships.

Some teens avoid dating because of the dangers that can come from an unhealthy relationship. A term that is commonly used to describe unhealthy relationships is “toxic.”

Toxic relationships prevent those involved from living a positive or healthy life.

Seniors Ryan Mineer and Cole Allred have been dating each other for 10 months. Both of them have been in other relationships that they considered toxic relationships.

“I’ve been in emotionally, verbally and physically abusive relationships,” Mineer said. “And so I would say, when we started dating, I was still scared of some things, even though I know he would never do anything like that, I was still cautious because I’ve had three relationships that were exactly the same.”

Mineer and Allred agreed that it is important to get out of toxic relationships as soon as possible. Allred said that sometimes people might not leave the toxic relationships they are in because they don’t know what they would do without them. It is common for people to develop this feeling when they become dependent on another person.

“Steady dating is always a doubleedged sword,” said counselor and teacher Ben Cox, “because I think for some students, it provides much of what they’re looking for in terms of filling the needs that we have as human beings, for love and belonging, self-respect and those kind of things. The problem is that most of the time, teenagers are insecure and unstable.”

Cox believes that it can be harmful not only for teenagers, but for all people, to put their needs in the hands of those who are emotionally volatile.

“When our love and happiness is tied up with someone who is not secure or not stable, we are bound to be insecure and unstable ourselves,” Cox said.

Mineer experienced being in a relationship in which her boyfriend had become very emotionally reliant on her.

She became concerned that she could not provide the support that he needed.

“He would tell me all the time, ‘I could not live my life without you. I don’t want to live my life without you.

I can’t see myself going another day if I didn’t have you,’” Mineer said. “There was this one week where he just kept saying all these comments like, ‘I don’t want to live. I don’t want this. I don’t want that,’ and so I was absolutely terrified to leave because I didn’t know what would happen. Finally, I involved his parents and told him, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”

It can be difficult for teenagers to engage in relationships because they often become very dependent on one another. When one becomes dependent on the other, their actions and emotions have a great affect on them personally. Those that are insecure may pressure their partner into staying in the relationship, despite how the other person may feel.

Not all relationships are toxic or unhealthy relationships, and it’s not impossible to find a healthy and happy relationship in high school.

Senior Halli Bennett is one of many teens that have seen the positive effects that dating in high school can have.

She and her boyfriend attend different schools, which Bennett sees as both an advantage and disadvantage.

“We have two totally different lives, which can be nice. When we’re with each other, we just always get to catch

up, and we’re not part of each other’s drama, so we always have kind of a safe place to turn,” Bennett said.

Bennett thinks that the distance has been a positive thing for their relationship because they can share time with each other but they are also able to be involved in their own things.

“I’m able to have my friends and my life and not feel like I’m missing out on something,” Bennett said. Before she got into a relationship, she was worried about dating because she didn’t want to be uninvolved. Since she started dating, she’s found that she has had more opportunities than she would have had outside of her relationship.

Bennett said that her friends and family respect her relationship, and she hasn’t felt judged by others for dating.

It isn’t always common for teens to experience the same support that Bennett receives from those around her. Many experience pressure from their parents not to date or judgment from their peers for their choice to date.

“Parents always discourage teenagers from being in relationships, because they think they’re too immature to handle it,” Cox said, “and for the most part, I think that’s true. I think there are exceptions, and I think there are things that they can learn and gain from positive relationships, but it’s rare that it works out well.”

In our area, many teens views of dating are influenced by teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. The religion encourages teens to wait until the age of 16 to date, and when they reach that age, they are encouraged to avoid serious relationships.

“In the culture we live in, I think a lot of members [of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] are scared to steady date because of the judgment they will receive and the guilt they might feel,” Brotherson said.

Brotherson is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she appreciates the way her religion views dating because it protects her from dangers and temptations that can be found in relationships. Others, such as junior Charlee Christensen, have felt judgment from church members for their choice to be in a relationship.

“A lot of times, people don’t accept you for, you know, having a boyfriend or dating because around here that’s just the culture. Everyone is LDS and that’s just really frowned upon even after or even if you’re 16,” Christensen said.

Christensen tried to find support from the church in the past but felt that that support was not available to her.

“There’s a very thin line between being a good member of the church, and being judgmental,” Christensen said, “There’s a very, very thin line in between that, and a lot of times that line gets crossed and people are more worried about what you’re doing than what they’re doing, and that’s not how you should live at all.”

There are those who choose to be in steady relationships, and there are those that prefer to date many people during high school, but there are some who choose not to date at all.

As a teacher and counselor, Cox has witnessed changes overtime in the interactions among students at NS, and he believes that there is a need for dating among teens now more than ever.

“With the increasing amount of technology in our lives, and the increasing amount of isolation that comes with it, it’s essential that we learn how to be with each other, and how to treat each other, how to understand these relationships and develop these relationships,” Cox said.

Student created fight club based around fun, brotherly bonds

by Kaleb Cox

Fighting is an activity often associated with animosity, but for a group of friends at NS, it’s another way of bringing them together.

“NS Fight Night” first began after a discussion between seniors Ashton Osborne and Porter Benson on who

would win in a hypothetical fight, which then turned into an actual event.

“Me and Ashton were talking back and forth seeing who would win in a fight, so we decided to get serious about it,” Benson said. “We knew that Maison Burgess had some [boxing] gloves, so we made it all real.”

They settled it in senior Chance

Senior bassoonist joins junior in All-State Honor Band ranks

photo provied by Tim Kidder

Senior Marley Booher was selected to be part of the All-State Band for her talent with the bassoon.

Booher is the third student under the direction of Timothy Kidder to receive the honor. Junior Tawnee Allen also received the honor this year.

Clawson’s basement in a little arena they set up consisting of three couches they had arranged. With the boxing gloves, hand wraps and Vaseline to cover their faces, they were able to create a casual-yet-sophisticated environment to duke it out and solve this no-longer-hypothetical scenario.

After Benson came out on top, many other guys wanted in on the action, and thus a new kind of friendly competition was born.

Throughout the week, any of the boys who want to fight pick someone to take on. Then after the NS basketball games on Friday nights, everyone involved heads over to Clawson’s house to fight, watch and have an allaround good time.

“We’re just doing it for fun,” senior Brock Justesen said. “Everyone that fights are all pretty good friends, and we don’t have anything against each other.”

To keep the fights fair, they created a weight class system and divided themselves accordingly. Since his first victory over Osborne, Benson has remained undefeated in his weight class.

None of the fighters involved have much experience with any actual fighting or boxing even though much of the equipment they were able to gather suggests otherwise.

“None of us have really fought before, so we don’t really know any rules,” Justesen said.

They keep things simple: No cheap shots, and if there’s any blood, stop the match.

photo provided by Linzy Flinders

Discussion between these seniors lead to the first match and start of the fight club.

Justesen was fighting junior Trevor Dyches one week when his inevitable victory was halted by one such accidental cheap shot.

“I basically won until the very end,” Justesen said. “I was turned around when I heard ‘nine seconds left’ so I turned around, sprinted and hit him, but he was on a knee and I accidentally hit where I wasn’t supposed to. I felt so bad afterwards, but [Trevor] just laughed at it. So he technically won.”

Despite the overall success they’ve had, the chances of this extending even beyond the basketball season are unlikely due to the casual and informal nature of the get-togethers.

“I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere,” Justesen said. “It’s just something to do and something to have fun with.”

3

3 news

USBE awards NS ‘commendable’ rating for post-secondary readiness

by Mayzie Talbot

Each year the Utah School Board of Education (USBE) gives every school a grade, much like students receive each term. Schools are evaluated on a number of things, from English learner progress, to achievements in science, to the graduation rate. This provides valuable feedback for parents and educators alike.

“They are a way for the community, for the public, to get an idea of how all of the schools are doing,” said Assistant Principal Jeff Ericksen.

“It’s a law that’s mandated by the legislature, so that everyone can figure out how the schools are.”

In the past, schools were given a simple letter grade from A-F as an overall indicator of how those schools were performing. This year the letter grade has been replaced with four indicators on a scale consisting of five possible

scores: critical needs, developing, typical, commendable and exemplary. The four indicators are achievement, growth, English learner progress and post-secondary readiness, with each of those indicators having subsections.

All school grades are posted on the USBE website at utahschoolgrades.schools. utah.gov. Each area is shown with comparisons to state and district averages as well as scores from previous years.

In most areas, NS was given typical scores, meaning not high or low. However, in postsecondary readiness, NS was given a commendable score, meaning a higher performance in those categories.

The strongest area for NS in the postsecondary readiness group is readiness coursework, where NS came in 32 percent higher than the state average. Readiness coursework is all of the courses offered to help prepare students for college and higher edu-

Flood, continued from page 1

the boys’ locker room almost to the woodshop, and caused a “big ol’ puddle in the middle of the commons.”

Water leaking from the radiator overwhelmed the upstairs drain, which was later found to be plugged, although the amount of water would have been more than the drain could take at full capacity.

“It just spilled water out of the air handler upstairs across the floor, and it found every crack in the concrete and ran down,” Coates said. “I’ve been here for 23 years, and this has happened three times.”

These breaks over the years have happened in dif-

Hair, continued from page 1 you are going to showcase that in a way that is professional.”

With this change there are limits and restrictions for hair coloring like there are for the school’s dress code.

“I think there are always trends in a school and you have to try to create a boundary that is safe for all kids,” Ault said, “and that is why the dress code exists. We tend to be a very traditional community, so you create a boundary that represents that. Then when those trends roll through there, they push against that just a bit.”

For some students, they dye their hair for fun or because they just like the color, but for others it has more meaning be-

cation, especially honors courses, concurrent enrollment and CTE pathways.

The next strongest area was ACT 18+, which shows the percentage of seniors who earned a score of 18 or higher on the ACT. In this category NS outperformed the state by 11 percent and scored higher than any other school in our surrounding area.

At NS the school improvement plan is based off of the scores received each year. Staff members are able to better gauge where NS is at and they address the weak areas to try to shorten the gaps there.

English Language Learners (ELL) and Special Education are two subgroups at NS that are weak points according to Ericksen, but NS has excellent teachers and though the ELL indicator is listed as developing, the ELL score is actually 18 percent higher than the state average.

In the mathematics department, achievement is five percent above the state with a 42 percent, and growth is 2 percent above the state average with 41 percent.

“That means somebody’s doing something right,” said math teacher Matt Syme. “We have math teachers here that work very hard. Also, they expect a lot out of their students and I think the results are showing in that case.”

However, there is always room for improvement and according to Syme, there are still some things we can im-

graphic by Mayzie Talbot

Seventy-four percent of current NS seniors scored 18+ on the ACT, 11 percent above the state average. NS also outperformed surrounding schools, with only one other school coming in above the state average.

prove on such as how students are treated. He sees too many students that feel like there’s no hope in math class.

“In my opinion that’s half the battle,” Syme said. “If you can give students confidence and they can feel somewhat good about what they’re doing, test scores will improve.”

In the English Language Arts area, achievement is 39 percent, sitting just two percent under the state average.

English teacher Jori Turpin feels that although students may be taught well, some things students have been doing their whole lives that affect the scores.

“I feel like there are some grammatical errors that are commonly accepted. It’s kind of a Sanpete thing that there’s not a big emphasis on speaking correctly,” Turpin said.

Some of it can also be attributed to how much stu-

ferent places, but each time the water escapes through the same cracks in the upstairs floor, leaking through the fissures to come through in the same spot.

To prevent additional reoccurrences, the settings on the freeze state were changed and the drain cleaned out, but the cost to replace the damaged parts led to the custodians mending the broken coils.

“These [radiator coils] are so exorbitantly expensive that we are forced to repair them unless we absolutely cannot,” Coates said. “[To fix them we have to] solder them—completely empty the coil, drain all of the water out of the coil, and then you have to shut

hind it.

“For my personal life it helps with my family. It also expresses against domestic violence because that is what the color purple stands for,” sophomore Daytona Hansen said.

Many students are excited by this change, but there are still some that think students should be more professional.

“Times definitely have changed,” junior Natalie Day said. “People are more into being your own self, so that change helps with that, but it can also be a distraction in class like the reasons before, so I don’t necessarily think they needed to change it.”

More teachers would con-

sider coloring their hair if there wasn’t a stigma against it for being unruly.

“If it was not considered an unprofessional thing, I totally would have colored hair,” said NS teacher Jori Turpin. “Even in high school I thought the reason of that it’s distracting was kind of a cop-out because I never felt like I couldn’t pay attention in class if someone’s hair was red. I thought it was just a way for schools to have an air of professionality, but for the students it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

How teachers present themselves often sets the tone for how the school is run. Even though they are allowed to

dents are working which is a major part in the community.

“A lot of our kids are working a lot. They’re working kids, they’re farm kids, and so I don’t really feel like literacy and reading at home is something that a lot of the kids focus on in this community,” Turpin said.

However, the English department is constantly looking for and working towards ways to help scores go up.

“Every time we take the ACT, our department looks at the ACT and sees where we’re lacking and we notice that our kids have a really hard time using semicolons or they have a really hard time defending their ideas,” Turpin said.

“We’ve kind of focused on being able to defend our reasons and then we really have been heavily working on semicolons the last little while.”

the water off.”

While the damage upstairs is repaired, the water left damaging white marks on the tiles in the hallway due to the chemical that is run through the circulation lines to prevent hard water deposits. To restore the floor, the custodians will need to deny access through the senior hall in order for them to have enough time to strip and wax the floor. The marks remain due to the difficulty of blocking off the hall during school or in the evening due to sporting events that need the hall to access the gyms.

photo by Kaylee Anderson

Sophomore Daytona Hansen uses his colored hair to portray his feelings about domestic violence.

have colored hair, it could still give the impression that they are too casual for their job.

“If it was super bright and obnoxious, I could see how that would be considered that

you aren’t taking you job as seriously as others,” Turpin said.

“If everyone had crazy hair it would set this attitude that anything goes.”

4 news

Judgment leads to negative experience with teen dating unfriending me because I had started dating that year. She told me I was making bad decisions and disappointing everyone along the way.

In Sanpete county, it is popular for people to frown upon high school dating. Many people are LDS in this area and dating is a taboo subject according to the church.

This makes it so when you do start dating, people start to judge you.

by Charlee Christensen When I started dating, I lost almost all of my friends due to the fact that they When I was in 8th grade, finish- thought I was no longer a good influing up the school year, I had what I ence on them. thought was one of my best friends People started looking at me difsign my yearbook. She took a long ferent and talking about me. I am LDS time and I was excited to read what she and going to church started to become had written for me. something that I didn’t want to particiWhen she gave back my yearbook pate in because of how people started she took up an entire page essentially to treat me.

There have been a couple times relating to dating and other issues that I have had, that I have gone to church for support and the support just wasn’t there for me. Not everyone would judge me for my decisions, but a lot would, so I stopped going for a while.

Although many people don’t like the idea of dating, I enjoy having someone there for me, and it makes things seem a little less lonely. When my friends aren’t there for me, the boy I’m dating is.

I have had so many difficult experiences through the time I’ve been with my boyfriend, and when I thought nobody could help me, he was there.

Maybe I just like the idea of being loved, I don’t know, but being in a relationship seems to keep me happier during times that it seems like I can’t

find a light in the darkness.

Dating has taught me so many different things including how to get rid of the toxic friends in my life. You really start to understand those who are actually there for you.

I think that everyone needs to find a way to be a little more kind to everyone. Not just being more friendly, but going out of the way to make sure those you love understand and feel like you love them.

In the long run, it’s not about what decisions your friends make, such as dating, it’s about how you influence them and how you make them feel.

You are not a true friend if you are okay with making someone feel bad for something that doesn’t meet up to your standards.

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5

25 jan 19

Stress, financial difficulties accompany prom dress search E MILY K ERKSIEK LEE C ROZIER BY

AND

M AR-

With prom March 1-2, there is no time to waste for junior girls to find a special dress or dresses for prom. With high expectations, a junior girl often purchases her prom dress underneath layers of fabric and stress. With dress designs in mind, she goes shopping hoping to find the dress of her dreams.

She tries on a variety of dresses, one too big, the next the wrong style. Finally, she pulls a dress off the rack that fits all of her requirements. She tries it on and it fits perfectly. In anticipation, she turns the price tag over and with that, her dreams for this dress are shattered. Back to the racks, she goes.

Prom dresses may include layers of tulle or satin, but unseen layers include financial struggles, peer pressure, modesty concerns and finding time to go shopping.

“I am willing to go to all lengths to find a prom dress that is perfect. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m going to find a good dress that I am just in love with,” said junior Mahayala Anderson. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve got to go see the girls dressed as a princess at prom.

Prom is pretty important to me, and I definitely want to stand out in my dress.”

Because of financial issues, many students begin their dress hunt early in the season. Junior Isa Wright purchased her prom

dress before school began.

“We got my prom dress when we went school shopping for a great price,” Wright said. “People really underestimate the power of ‘Ross.’”

Others that struggle financially create a budget to stick to.

Junior Alecia Terry knows that it is important to stick to a budget so she doesn’t place a burden on her family.

“It’s just really stressful to find a dress, considering my family doesn’t have a lot of money, so it can be really stressful for my parents even just to find suits for my brothers,” Terry said. “It can be a lot more stressful for my parents to pay for my dress, because we don’t have a lot of money to spend. I’m hoping we can find one in our range of money. I’m going to try not to take out a loan, cause if I go into debt, I’d basically be starting out bad as an adult.”

Many students also feel the need to buy two dresses, one for each night of prom. This stress adds to many of the families’ financial burdens.

“I feel pressured to buy a dress for both nights,” Terry said.

“My brothers’ girlfriends tend to buy two dresses. And I think, ‘Oh man if I don’t live up to that expectation I’m pretty sure my parents, or siblings are going to judge me.’”

NS students are often involved in time-consuming activities such as Makayla Robinson who participated in the school

musical “Newsies.” Robinson struggled to schedule a time to shop for a prom dress in a store.

As an alternative, Robinson purchased her prom dress online, which is becoming a more popular option.

“I am a bigger girl, so the biggest stress was finding a prom dress that would fit,” Robinson said. “Being in the musical is stressful, but as an ensemble member, I can do a lot of online shopping. When I saw the picture of my dress, it was the feeling you get when you put on your wedding dress for the first time and it was like, ‘This is the dress.’”

Because of the culture at NS, students are often concerned about modesty. The more fabric on a dress, the more expensive the dress can become. This creates difficulty in finding a modest dress.

“I am Mormon and I have high standards for my body, so I want to be modest,” junior Anaka Black said.

While some students are worried about modesty, parents are often more concerned than the students.

“Modesty is a big deal for my family,” Terry said. “My parents are super concerned. My dad actually suggested that I wear sleeves that go all the way to my wrists and all the way up to my neck. I want to find a dress that’s modest, but I don’t want to die in the heat.”

Finding the perfect dress isn’t always the last step, it is common

photo provided by Natalie Day

Prom dress stress affects many girls in the months approaching prom, but junior Natatlie Day beams as she goes through dresses to find the perfect one.

for girls to need to alter their dresses.

“I don’t know anyone that can alter [my prom dress]—yes I’m stressed, cause if it doesn’t fit, that sucks,” Robinson said.

Many details happen behind the prom dress buying process, but NS students are mostly look-

ing for a dress that makes them feel happy and confident.

“I am not very comfortable in my body, so I don’t care about what others think of my dress. I just care what I think of my dress,” junior Heather Haveron said.

Survey highlights odd patterns of everyday life, what is ‘normal’ BY

K AJE NIELSEN

It’s safe to say that everyone knows someone weird. Everyone knows someone that they consider themselves “normal” compared to. But, in reality, we’re all that “weird” person to somebody else. So what does “normal” really mean?

Senior Nicholas Honey explained “normal” as “things that you do or things that you can do that become familiar to you.”

While normal is very subjective, the NS Times has put together a survey called the “Normality Survey” that asks random questions about habits, natural preferences and other random and somewhat silly questions to try and figure out what the majority of students consider normal.

“It was unusual in some areas, but I thought it was a good survey,” sophomore Jared Strait said.

Some interesting statistics include the fact that 70.4 percent of students talk to themselves out loud, 67.6 percent sing in the shower, 7.7 percent of students only use two fingers to hold a pencil, 12 percent of students do not have a middle name, 13.4 percent of students’ toes touch the ground first when walking, 43 percent of students remember their dreams more than once per week, 26.8 percent of students can’t whistle, 21.8 percent of students can wiggle their ears, 31 percent of students cannot flare their nostrils and 7.7 percent claim that they can perform the supposedly impossible task of licking their elbows.

“I guess I’m normal compared to everyone else,” sophomore Lauren Miller said.

While normalcy is mostly determined by odd mannerisms and preferences in the survey, some students felt that a few questions regarding tastes and hobbies could have proved to be useful as well.

“I think [the survey] should’ve asked a question about sports or something,” Strait said.

While Strait and Honey felt the survey could have had a few small improvements, Miller thought that it was fine the way it was.

“I think it did portray normality good… I don’t know any other things you could have done,” Miller said.

In the end, even if this survey doesn’t necessarily bring the NS Times a step closer to discovering the meaning of normality, it will still provide some interesting statistics and give a brief glimpse of normalcy at the very least.

6

Librarian stands as a bright example to all around her

by Carli Johansen

Usually if someone were to ask you what possession you would keep if you had to sell everything else you own, it’s hypothetical, an icebreaker. That is unless you are the then eightyear-old Robyn Hansen. This was how her parents broke the news that her family of five was selling everything besides a camping trailer and a car and their single prized possession to move to Alaska.

“Each child got to pick something that they wanted to keep,” Hansen said. “I kept my Barbies, my brother kept his guns and my sister kept some extra clothes.”

Her family lived in Alaska for three months before moving back to the mainland states due to her father’s unemployment.

“My dad couldn’t find a job that he wanted, so we moved back. With nothing,” Hansen said.

Now Hansen, a librarian at NS, looks back on the experience with amusement and puzzlement.

Once back, her family came upon a disheartening realization: they were right back where they started, only this time they had close to nothing besides a camp trailer, a car and a couple Barbies.

At first it was difficult for their family to get by, but eventu-

photo by Carli Johansen

Librarian Robyn Hansen shares her happiness with all students and staff who interact with her. Hansen loves her work and considers it a blessing to be at the high school.

ally, they recovered.

When she was a sophomore at Cottonwood High School, she met the then senior Tod Hansen, and they began to date.

“We were high school sweethearts,” Robyn Hansen said.

The Hansens dated until he left on an LDS mission at the age of 19, and were married three months after he got back.

The couple had the wedding all planned, and even had an apartment ready to move into after they were married, but Tod Hansen didn’t propose until a

couple weeks before the wedding, thanks to the prompting of him mom.

“His mother sat him down, two or three weeks before we got married and said, ‘You need to propose to that gal,’” Robyn Hansen said.

He proposed at a burger joint drive-thru with a ring he had fashioned from a piece of pipe.

After she accepted, Tod Hansen didn’t follow the customary steps of a proposal.

“He grabbed that ring, and threw it out the car window,”

Robyn Hansen said.

While Robyn Hansen was still in shock, Tod Hansen presented a much more customary ring for her engagement.

After their marriage, they had three children, Thayne O’Deen III (O’Dee for short), who is now the NSMS principal; Justin Levi and Brighton.

Robyn Hansen has spent all of her career working at NS, she started out as a special education TA at Moroni Elementary for 10 years, then as a librarian at the same school for 12, finally trans-

ferring to NS high where she has remained for eight years.

“I decided I needed a change,” Robyn Hansen said regarding her transfer to NS. The transfer ended up being a positive, life changing event.

Robyn Hansen enjoys her career immensely.

“She loves working with the North Sanpete High school students. She loves her job,” Tod Hansen said.

Robyn Hansen enjoys spending time with teenagers, and loves to watch the students as they develop in the high school. “[Teens] have a direction that they’re going in,” Robyn Hansen said. “They have plans and goals.

It’s a great blessing in my life to be here.”

As Robyn Hansen looks back on her life, all of the good and the bad, there is one lesson she values more than anything.

“Be a positive example for good for everyone you come in contact with,” Robyn Hansen said.

“Be happy, just be happy.”

Anyone who knows Robyn Hansen knows that she is a shining example of this principle. Those close to her have come to treasure her loving nature.

“She is the most honest, sweet, loving and caring individual in the world. She always tries to treat people fairly,” Tod Hansen said.

“Plus, she’s also gorgeous.”

Solution to better resolutions requires personal desire to change

by Cheyenne Ballard

As Christmas comes to a close and the new year rolls around, people start searching for a New Year’s resolution.

According to an NS survey, 47 percent of students made a New Year’s resolution this year, some of which include getting better grades, improving physical fitness and being more kind. Some resolutions were specific, such as making their bed every morning or keeping their room clean. Senior Christopher Holbrook is one of those who made a New Year’s resolution.

“When talking to my parents or siblings, I want to be able take a step back and reflect on things, and then continue talking and not get so frustrated,” Holbrook said.

In the past, Holbrook has made many resolutions but has failed to carry them out. He believes you only make a change when you truly desire to change.

“Half the time I’ve made resolutions, they don’t work.

I kind of just stop caring. I think that is what happens with the majority of people. That’s why the perspective of ‘new year, new me’ doesn’t really work out,” Holbrook said.

However, math teacher Matt Syme has a different opinion. Instead of setting a certain time of the year to improve himself, Syme does it year round or whenever he feels it is needed or necessary.

“I’m not opposed to New Year’s resolutions, but I don’t think there should be a time where we choose to make ourselves better. If I feel there is something I need to

work on, I’m not going to wait until New Years, I’m going to jump on it, be proactive,” Syme said.

When Syme does make resolutions (typically not for the New Year), they are the cliche resolutions like lose 15 pounds before summer or be kind to those that he meets.

In most cases, he goes through with his resolutions.

When making resolutions, it is much more effective when you have the longing to change rather than making a resolution just because it’s the new year.

“I think goals are important,” Syme said. “I think sometimes we make resolutions just to make them, but if you make it a goal, write it down, and make steps to achieve your goal, then it’s worth it.”

Dating apps ease burden of online dating, bring dangers People have come up with different applications for technology to solve many problems. One problem for people has always been dating.

Recently, many popular apps and websites have been helping people with dating issues making it a little bit easier to meet new people. Some of the most popular being, Tinder, Match, and Bumble.

“When I turned 18 I got tinder partly because I could, I wanted to see what it was about,” said senior Bailee Hansen.

These apps allow you to view and contact people that you might be interested in meeting. They provide an easy way to meet new people without having to worry about the social

challenges of finding people offline.

“It works for some people,” said BYU student Thomas DeGroff, “I think it depends on your approach to dating as a whole.”

NS teacher Sterling Whipple met his wife on and online dating site.

“I’m not very good at just approaching people and becoming friendly with them, so the internet was really helpful for me to reach out to people without the social awkwardness that I have always had,” Whipple said.

Online dating can eliminate some of the social stresses that come with dating for many people. It can be easier to find common interests and you can get an immediate answer.

“On the internet you can just send someone a message and if they say no

then you got your answer and you don’t have to worry about the public s h a m e ,” W hipple said, “so it was good for me but it’s not going to be good for everybody.”

Many people use dating apps because they don’t have many opportunities to meet people face to face and can be a good way to meet people if you don’t have many other options.

“I think the purpose of dating apps should be for people who can’t have face to face interactions with many people in their usual schedule,” DeGroff said.

It can be hard to find success when using dating apps as not many people use them to find serious relationships. Often they are used to just have fun on

a date with someone you wouldn’t otherwise get to know. “[Tinder] can be used to meet guys out of San p ete,” Hansen said, “ I’ve went on a few dates, they haven’t really went anywhere. I have talked to a few guys for a while but nothing very serious.”

Different dating sites and apps can have different demographics in mind making it easier to find one that works for you. It can help you immediately share a connection with a person that you may be interested in.

“I do appreciate sites that try to fit a demographic,” Whipple said. “I think that’s something that comes nicely with the internet. If you go to a site for

Star Wars fans then you automatically know that you have something in common.”

There can be many dangers when it comes to dating apps and sites, people will often lie about things on their profile which can cause bad situations so people should be cautious when using them.

“I don’t think that high schoolers should use dating apps,” Whipple said, “I don’t think they possess the wisdom that comes with age for that.”

Not many people use dating apps in high school.

A survey sent to students at NS shows that only four percent of NS students admitted to using a dating app.

“When you are in high school I think you’ve got

friends and people around you that you see everyday.

You have small classes of people that you’ve known for years,” DeGroff said, “I think that there is no reason why you should get on an app to find people when you have a school full of people you can take on dates.”

People generally tend to start using dating apps when they get into college and beyond.

“I know within the first few weeks living [at BYU] my roommates wanted to get on mutual to meet some girls,” DeGroff said.

Dating apps have their pros and cons and can work for certain people.

“It can expose you to a lot of different people,” Hansen said, “it needs to be handled the right way.”

7

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8

sports 25 jan 19

Fourth quarters, difficult region loom over Hawks

photo by Carson Hadley

Sophomore Trevin Morley takes a free throw against Manti in the fourth quarter. The team is working to find a solution to overcome the problems in the fourth quarter. In order to place well in region and continue to state, the team needs to find their groove and win the majority of remaining games.

BY

CARSON H ADLEY

The NS boys basketball team started region play on Jan. 4 with a game at San Juan, and then at Grand the next day.

The Hawks most recent games were at Richfield on Jan. 16 and Jan. 18 at Manti. They were defeated 46-72 at Richfield, with Richfield’s leading scorer having 23 points.

At Manti, the Hawks started off behind, but tied it up with a 10-0 run at the start of the third quarter. Shortly

afterward the Templars began to pull ahead again and the game ended with a 73-64 Templar victory.

Overall, junior Scott Hatch is leading the team with 234 total points so far this season, with Jamal Mayoul in second with 164.

While the team has been defeated in every region game so far this season, they are still holding out hope for better games to come.

Assistant Coach Bill Pollock said that the team is working hard and is figuring out how

to play together.

“The five kids that are on the court in a game need to be functioning as a unit,” Pollock said. “If [the team] functions together as a team, these kids are pretty hard to stop.”

The coaches are always working on things to improve how the boys play and help them win games.

“We have focused on just doing the little things right,” Pollock said, “the discipline of the kids.”

But it is not going to be easy for NS to get

back on track. As far as 3A goes the Hawks have the toughest region, with the top five teams in 3A all in Region 15 according to the Deseret News.

“If we finish strong we can still finish above .500,” Pollock said.

The Hawks next games are on Friday against Grand and Saturday against San Juan, both at home.

The following week NS will travel to South Sevier and Emery, before finishing off the regular season with two final home games against

Richfield and Manti.

If the Hawks hope to place in region and move on to the state tournament, they have to win the majority of these games.

Senior Ashton Osborne is somewhat frustrated with how the team has been performing as a whole.

“We just can’t seem to finish games,” Osborne said, “we will be ahead, almost the whole game sometimes and we can’t finish the fourth quarter.”

But he knows that the team is always work-

ing hard to overcome these challenges and figure out what they need to do to win.

“We go over drills, like in crucial minutes, like the fourth quarter,” Osborne said. “We are going back to the fundamentals.”

Another thing that Osborne thinks that the team needs to improve on is their defense.

“We can play better defense, everybody in our region is stopping each other from scoring,” Osborne said.

“They play each other and score 40 points, and then play us and score 90 and 100.”

Junior Mason Bailey, another player on the team, has the same frustrations.

“The team just needs to figure out how to finish games,” Bailey said.

“We will be leading the whole game and then fall behind in the fourth quarter.”

The coaches are working hard to try to figure out what is causing these problems and how they can overcome them.

“In practice we go over drills and plays to help us work together and be a better team,” Bailey said.

Even if NS can figure out all of these problems and are able to overcome all of the obstacles in their path, they still have to win every game to be above .500.

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9

Girls basketball finds success amongst struggles BY

K ALEB C OX

Despite how it may appear in the win/loss column, the NS girls basketball team has found successes as the season has gone on. “[This season] has been a progressive thing,” senior Linzy Flinders said. “We started out unsure of what was going to happen, but as we’ve been working harder everyday and getting a lot better, we’re progressively getting more and more successful.”

With three total wins so far—two coming during region play— the team has already outperformed themselves from last season, when they went winless.

“One of our goals coming into this season was to at least win a game,” junior Sarah Oldroyd said.

Of those two region wins, one came against longtime rival Manti, which they found to always be a little bit sweeter.

“For us it was super exciting and gave us a huge boost of confidence,” Flinders said. “It was on our home floor, but the whole county was there. Along with some not-necessarilygreat calls, it was awesome to win against our rivals.”

With this new season came a rather difficult transition with a new head coach and system, especially for senior and varsity players.

However, with time, the girls have bought in, creating a bright future for the team.

“I think [the changes] are just what the program needed,” Flinders said. “Bringing in a new coach changes some of the goals, and what it is we stand for. It brought some of us seniors back, and I think shaking it up that much is what’s brought us the success that we’ve had.”

In the wins that they’ve seen, NS has been able to identify exactly what allows them to click, and hopes to

photo by Lucy Anderson

Senior Aubree Ison goes for the reverse layup during a recent home loss against Wasatch Academy. NS is 3-12 on the entire season.

replicate that in the second half of region play.

“When we can have five or six girls play at their best, that’s usually when we pull out a win,” Flinders said. “When there’s just a couple of us we usually struggle.”

Knowing that they have a long ways to go before they’re able to compete for a region ti-

tle, one of the things NS hopes to achieve in the latter part of region play is to beat and rank ahead of San Juan. They play a crucial game against them on the road this weekend.

“At the beginning of the season we sat down and made some goals going off of last year,” Flinders said, “and this

year we chose the team ranked right above us and said ‘hey, let’s beat them in region,’ so this weekend is a big deal for us.”

In order to continue gaining success both this year and in the years to come, the older girls have made it a priority to connect and help out the younger classmen both

on and off the court.

“We had a team party where we invited everyone to come, and we got to know the younger girls” Flinders said.

“We’re giving them rides home after practice, and making it seem like we’re not so scary.”

buses.

“The hard part is trying to find a girls sport to sanction, because if you sanction a boys sport, you have to add a girls sport because of equal rights and stuff,” senior Treven Cook said.

“If [this program] was with the school the cost would go down to a hundred dollars.”

Tryouts were recently held and actual games will start around the first

of March.

“Last year we only had like eight or nine kids play, and this year we had about 19 show up to tryouts,” Cook said.

The team is made up of boys that for the most part haven’t played organized volleyball before. The team was only created last year, so the fact that they had such a successful opening season when facing large

schools with more established programs was impressive.

It makes it a lot more fun when you knock off the big schools, and there is a lot of competition,” junior Connor Jorgensen.

The team has played against large schools like Lone Peak, Provo and Bingham (who won state.) Coach Austin Ison is a huge part of their success.

They play at Orem High School, and usually practice either at the Mount Pleasant Rec Center or the high school.

The team plays with a lot of spirit, and they have proven that a boys volleyball team could be a great benefit for NS.

Boys club volleyball sees strong start for second year BY

H ENRY DE GROFF

Last year, an NS boys club volleyball team debuted, allowing boys to participate in an organized volleyball league. Last season was largely a success, and this upcoming spring season is looking promising.

Right now it is a club sport, so no funding comes from the school. Without the funding from the school,

the sport costs the boys $300 per person, which can be hard for some kids to pay.

“The hardest part right now is to get kids come and say that they will pay, and then drive up to Orem to play,” junior Alex Mower said.

Eventually they hope to sanction the sport, so that it can have funding from the high school and they can use school utilities such as

10

arts 25 jan 19

Musical cast produces phenomenal peformance of Newsies’

father got laid-off for getting injured on the job. Jack dreams of earning enough money to buy a train ticket and move out of New York City to Santa Fe. He fights for his and every other Newsies’ dream. Throughout the play, Jack, Davie, Les and all the others play a role in providing inspiring, noteworthy speeches and actions on why their rights matter.

Nicholas Honey was the perfect person to play Mr. Pulitzer.

He completely sold the big business, money centered publisher role. He has a big presence that caused me to want to join the Newsies strike with them.

Spencer Brown was very well suited for the role of Jack Kelly.

He was able to capture the emotion of a homeless boy trying to photo by Lucy Anderson make a difference. Brown has a Jack Kelly (junior Spencer Brown) uses his powers of persuasion to convince a scab strong singing voice, both by it(senior Kelli Christensen) to join the newsie strike. self and with the rest of the Newson the New York newsboy strike ten cents, the newspaper boys ies.

BY L UCY A NDERSON Each song was well thought in the late 19th century. Newsies go on strike to demand rights for out and helped the audience enJan. 16-19 and 21, the NS were young boys who sold news- child laborers.

Leading the strike is Jack Kel- gage with the story and become drama department performed papers to make enough money Disney’s Broadway Musical, to get by, buying papers every ly (Spencer Brown), an orphan just as invested as the characters. morning to try and sell them for a boy who lives on the streets with The dancing through the isles and “Newsies.”

“Newsies” is arguably the profit throughout the day. When his friend Crutchie (Aidan An- handing out papers helped the best production that this high the newspaper publisher, Joseph derson), and two new kids, Davey audience to feel like they were a Pulitzer (Nicholas Honey), raises (Braxton Smith) and his brother part of the story. school has ever put together.

The musical wouldn’t have “Newsies” is a story based the price of the newspapers by Les (Maddie Anderson) whose

been as exciting if it had not had the amazing set that was built for it. It was easy to tell that it had been well thought out. Each time the tables and scaffolding were moved on and off it was done smoothly and efficiently and in a way that helped each scene have a distinct and different feel to it.

One of the best things about this production for me was the costumes. Not one costume looked out of place. They all helped the audience to know what time period this musical took place in.

The musical’s popularity was easily shown in the fact that the auditorium was packed from front to back. In past years, it seems that there would be a good crowd spread out over the three nights the play/musical was performed, but I have never seen it as packed as it was for this production and it was well justified. The musical even filled every seat the opening night.

Because of the popularity and quality of this production, the performance dates had to be extended for one more night which, according to the department, was “the first time in recent memory, due to high demand.”

Bandersnatch opens door for new, creative storytelling

BY

SALEM K IMBALL

Bandersnatch is the first episode of the fifth season of “Black Mirror.” From the get-go Bandersnatch sets itself apart from any other episode of Black Mirror, or any other series at all. That is because Bandersnatch is a choose your own adventure story.

Since “Black Mirror” launched on Netflix in December 2011, the psychological thriller has received moderately good reviews, praised for being a modern reboot of the hit 1959 television series “The Twilight Zone.” This is a worthy comparison, as both shows use the fantastical and misunderstood things of this world in order to create tension and a feeling of unease in the viewer.

However, don’t let the comparisons to “The Twilight Zone” fool you into thinking this is a family-friendly series. Though “Black Mirror” is well made, it is not made for children. “Black Mirror” is geared towards adult audiences, with many episodes featuring intense gore, foul language and nudity, among other things.

Choose your own adventure stories have been around for some time, but, until this point, have existed mainly in the form of children’s books. Choose your own ad-

venture stories allow the reader to make decisions presented by the text that change the outcome of the story. Bandersnatch is the first time a choose your own adventure format has been applied to a film.

Bandersnatch follows the antics of a boy named Stefan Butler (played by Fionn Whitehead) set in 1984 Britain. The story begins with Stefan presenting a demo of his computer game Bandersnatch, which is promptly picked up by the studio Tuckersoft, who agree to publish his game as long as he finishes it in five months.

A basic premise, however, the story doesn’t much focus on his development of said game. Instead, the film follows Stefan Butler’s steady descent into insanity, fueled by his obsession to make the perfect game.

Soon after the film begins, you are presented with your first choice: Do you eat Sugar Puffs or Frosted Flakes? And with that decision out of the way, yours and Stefan’s journey begins.

In total, there are five “official endings” with two or three variants of each.

The ending you get is determined by each choice you make along the way. These choices range from intense violent actions, to choosing what music to listen to. The film also allows you to go back and choose

the other option after one choice has run its course.

However, going back and choosing the other options makes the show begin to become self aware. Characters will begin to have deja-vu, as well as feeling like they’ve already met certain characters that they have not. Stefan himself becomes the most self aware as, on multiple occasions, he states that he doesn’t feel in control of his own actions, as if someone is controlling what choices he makes. This was a nice touch and really kept things interesting.

Bandersnatch has taken the first steps into uncharted territory. For as long as choose your own adventure stories have been around, it is surprising that it hasn’t been tried in film format until now, and

since this is the first time a studio has tried making choices impact a film, it is very experimental.

Bandersnatch deals with murder, obsession, insanity and many other topics.

It’s easy to tell that a lot of thought was put in by the creators of the show to make it something special. But at some points, it becomes too much to bear—the show is too interesting for its own good.

Bandersnatch can leave the viewer feeling confused, unsatisfied or simply disgusted. Bandersnatch is most definitely worth a watch, but in the future, if Netflix or any other studio attempts another choose your own adventure film, it is to be hoped that the product is more grounded and less meta than Bandersnatch.

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arts

11

Wide world of books serves wide audience through various genres

ATHENA DE GROFF

to be discovered.

I have loved to read books There is nothing like open- since I was young. No matter my ing up a book for a good read. age, there was always a vast assortWhether it be a crisp, new novel ment of books to choose from in from Amazon, or a well worn and my reading level. One great aspect delicious smelling adventure from about books is that they advance your local library. Each good book along with you. Throughout the holds an intriguing story waiting course of our lives we can progress BY

from being unable to decipher words on a page to reading challenging pieces of literature.

If you do not share my love of reading, I advise you to at least pick up a book once in a while— you may be surprised at what you find. Upon numerous occasions, I have ended up loving a book that at first seemed boring and unappealing.

When searching for a good book, just remember, you can always judge a book by its cover.

Does it have any awards on the front? Perhaps you recognize and like the author? Maybe the summary on the back intrigues you. If it looks promising, give it a chance.

When you read, you are steadily taking in words and information. This helps increase vocabulary levels, develop necessary thinking skills, improve memory and even reduce stress. Essentially, you are giving your brain a workout.

Here are a few quick reviews

of some books that I have read.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a powerful and poignant story about a girl named Liesel Meminger living in Nazi Germany.

This novel is different than most, seeing as it is narrated by Death.

This interesting way of telling a story, although it may sound odd, and adds a certain depth and insight to the events that take place.

The House of the Scorpion

by Nancy Farmer- When my brother suggested I read this book, I was very hesitant. I am not a fan of science fiction books and thought this one would be no exception.

I decided to read it anyways, and I’m glad that I did. This dystopian novel follows young Matteo Alacrán, the clone of a wealthy drug lord, as he struggles with his own identity and what the future holds.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George SpeareA great piece of historical fiction, this story takes place in New Eng-

land during the late 17th century.

The protagonist, Katherine (Kit) Tyler, befriends a lady who is thought to be a witch, and both good and bad consequences follow.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker- Although this book is geared towards a slightly younger audience, I believe that everyone should read it.

It is the story of a boy named Peter and the unbreakable bond he has with his pet fox Pax. When this two are torn apart on account of war, they each have to learn how to fend for themselves, both mentally and physically.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is a coming of age novel about a not so average family living in an old English castle. Cassandra, along with her family, struggle with their poverty; their focus is on how to earn some money. With complex characters and old English charm, this is a compelling read that I recommend to any fans of Jane Austen’s work.

Beginning to end, 2019 brings promising films to entertainment BY

M EGAN BOOHER

The new year always brings something to look forward to, and for this year I think it’s safe to say that movies are going to be a sizable highlight.

Coming out in January is a movie called “Glass,” a sequel to “Unbreakable” and “Split” by M. Night Shyamalan. This movie features Bruce Willis as David Dunn, Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah (Mr. Glass), James McAvoy reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities that reside within him. Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of thrilling encounters.

Samuel L Jackson is an outstanding actor with a big reputation to uphold so we can anticipate he will keep up his reputation in the “Glass.”

In March comes a turning point for all future Marvel shows: “Captain Marvel.” Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson, is an Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident. The resulting alteration gives her with the superpowers of strength, energy projection and flight.

Marvel movies have always been well made, especially when they are introducing new characters so I hope we can expect the same from “Captain Marvel.”

When April comes around Marvel fans around the world will be lining up to see “Avengers: Endgame.” After the devastating events of “Avengers: Infinity War” with the universe in ruins because of Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe once and for all.

Let’s hope for the sake of the fan base’s sanity it is a

satisfying end to the series.

In June Disney and Pixar are bringing us yet another “Toy Story.” Woody has always taken care of his kid, but when Bonnie adds a new toy to the room named “Forky,” an adventure begins and shows Woody just how big the world can be for a toy.

“Toy Story” is a series of movies that a lot of little kids grew up watching. It made so many childhood imaginations grow, so with that one more could bring more good memories. However, the previous “Toy Story” was such a definitive last movie, that there is worry about reopening a story that had ended on such a final note.

July brings two potentially amazing movies the liveaction “Lion King” and “Spiderman: Far from Home.” In “Spiderman,” Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, decides to go on a vacation to Europe, leaving his superhero duties behind, but when Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, asks Peter to help him uncover the mystery of several attacks, Peter unintentionally wreaks havoc across the continent.

Marvel is making a lot of movies this year, and Spiderman is a well-loved superhero that Holland portrays well in “Spiderman Homecoming.” I hope this Spiderman will be just as good or better.

“Lion King” is a cherished classic; reimagining it as a live-action could either further the love for it, or detract from it considerably; I did not like the idea of a live-action Lion King due to the original being one of my favorites.

In November, Disney will bring us another lovely animated musical: “Frozen 2.” In this film Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf venture into the forest to find out more about their kingdom.

The first “Frozen” released a few years ago was all the

rage. Here’s to hoping that Disney’s need to capitalize on success proves successful for audiences.

Movies are a big part of modern culture, and for this year I am really looking forward to seeing all of the movies that are coming out.

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arts

12

Musicals BY

A BIGAIL C LAWSON

Heard in the

Halls -“I hear with my eyes, not with my mouth.“ -“I can open a refrigerator with my shoulder blades.”

-“Sorry, I can’t read British.”

-“If I wasn’t LDS, I’d be on LSD.” -“This is how trolls are created: they go to high school.“ -“These spandex make me feel powerful!”

-”I love it when they have organs in things and they just cut it.”

-”It’s not only my nose water, it is also mouth water.”

-”You look really different without the rest of your face.”

-”Don’t mind us while you vacuum your leg hair.”

The difference between a cow and a bean

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