Northwest Passage Volume 41 Issue 1

northwest

passage Volume 41

Issue 1

September 24, 2009

Constructing a New Future After two years of construction, renovations are nearly complete 4 Marching band works to perfect halftime show 14 Coaching is nice, but playing was better. NW faculty comment on their high school and college athletic experiences.

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Sophomore Pierce Roller plays the bass drum during the halftime show on Sept. 4 at the North Stadium. Roller plays first bass drum. Each bass drum is tuned to a different note, creating some of the only melodies played by the drum line.

co-editors in-chief david

catt & ryan

mccarthy ed spaunhorst design editors ashley lane & stephanie spicer photo editors hannah williams & david freyermuth graphic editor tyler absher news editor lauren komer opinions editors david catt & ryan mccarthy features editor maria davison scene editor evan shinn sports editor clay coffman ads editor kayleigh bray web technical alex revis web managing editor mary salazar web master stephanie rupp staff writers nick alexander, jeremy allen, rachel alvey, ashley calvert, nick feighner, rachel ferencz, kelsey gasser, brady klein, maddie niemackl, cj reliford, madi watts, andrew zimmer copy editor

ric

ylan

news constructing a new future 4 teacher talk 6 opinions turnitin turmoil 8 can i go yet? 10 features shoot, pass, tweet 14 a long way from home 16

scene 11 reviews 12 pinball wizard 18 music blog 18 sudoku 18 live noise sports 19 update 20 past & present 23 column

The purpose of The Northwest Passage is to relay important and interesting information to the community, administration and students of the Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. As a newsmagazine, The Northwest Passage will cater to the interests and concerns of the student body. Outside concerns and activities will only be covered if they somehow affect the school or students. The Northwest Passage is a 24-page newsmagazine. The paper will be distributed every two weeks during third hour. Subscriptions will be available to the community for $25. The Northwest Passage firmly supports the First Amendment and opposes censorship. The content of the newspaper will be determined and created by the entire staff. When questions concerning word choice, legal problems or ethics arise the editorial board and adviser will discuss the problem to find a solution. In these cases, the co-editors-in-chief will have final say in all decisions. Letters to the editor will be accepted and encouraged, but will only be published if signed. The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length and good taste. Letters may attack policy but not people. In no way will ideas or viewpoints be changed.

The co-editors-in-chief reserves the right to refuse any letter.

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“This was a great change to what was a great school, and now it’s an even better school,” Hunt said. “It is beneficial to the students, certainly because there is more space to work. [Having more space] will greatly benefit the ceramics and jewelry students.”

The new band facility provides practice rooms, storage rooms, a music library and a uniform room for students. Band

director Penny Snead said having more space makes the biggest difference, although she has personal favorites as well.

“If I had to pick [my] one [favorite] thing, I would say the uniform room,” Snead said. “But, selfishly, I would say the library because I didn’t have room in the other band room to even be organized.”

The new turf field helps

ASHLEY LANE

ABOVE: Bulldozers, steel beams, and 2 by 4 wood beams lie dormant awaiting use for the construction of the new art wing on August 5, 2008.

CLOSE RIGHT: Construction workers guide cement into the walls of the auxialary gym on July 2, 2008.

MIDDLE RIGHT: Workers begin the walls of the Auxilary gym on July 2, 2008. FAR RIGHT: Blueprints sit next to old insulation in the incomplete art hallway on July 31.

used to share one gym for practice, but now each team has enough room to play on a standard court, according to Jessica Barger, sophomore volleyball coach.

The performing arts building has added 20,850 feet, providing room for band, strings, choir and art classes. The new facility has improved the working conditions for art students, according to David Hunt, fine arts teacher.

ASHLEY LANE

From a neon orange “Home of the Cougars” sign to a shining auxiliary gym, Northwest’s construction is almost complete.

375 different people have worked on the project, which has cost close to $21 million.

The auxiliary gym has added 31, 867 square feet, providing space for volleyball and basketball practice or for outside sports on a rainy day. Four volleyball teams

ASHLEY LANE

As construction begins to draw to a close, looking back is the only way to see how far it’s come.

ASHLEY LANE

northwest passage/smnw.com

constructing

coach Aaron Barnett said.

All of the construction workers have been very helpful, according to Snead.

“These constuction workers have been incredibly nice, been

accommodating and conscious of what we need to do in the classrooms,” Snead said. “I don’t think there were any problems as far the workers were concerned.” lauren komer and rachel ferencz

CLOSE LEFT: Because of rain, football players practice in the auxillary gym on Sept. 21.MIDDLE LEFT: Volleyball players practice on the new floor in the main gymnasium. As a part of the newly completed $21 million bond project, the floor of this gym was replaced and redesigned.. FAR LEFT: Band lockers outside as well as inside the bandroom allow students to safely store their instruments and belongings. Lockers were assigned based on the instrument to be store within and seniority. ABOVE: Huge orange letters look out on the student parking lot. The letters are lit at night.

New classrooms and offices replace the old music facilities.

Part of the construction included renovating the auditorium, making changes such as reupholstering the seats, adding and enlarging the dressing rooms and set storage area, and revamping a counter-weighted pulley system that allows ‘sikes’, backdrops or set walls, to be moved vertically off the stage.

Large percussion instruments are stored in a new area directly connected to the band room

Music department chairperson Jeffrey Bishop’s office boasts one of the many windows in the nearly completed fine arts wing. This window looks out upon the south parking lot. The auxillary gym is visible in the distance.

This door from the choiris one of the two exits required for the new fire code.

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The doors leading to the band room allow marching members easy access to the east circle drive.

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These doors just down the stairs from the auxillary gym and near the new boys team locker room make it easier for athletes to reach the new baseball diamond and turf field.

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sophomore and JV football teams all play their games on the turf field. “[We] don’t have to worry about the grass, having mud holes and, in the late summer, [the field] turning hard as a rock,” football

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keep the band room clean. “We don’t come in with clumps of mud on our feet. The mud would be a quarter of an inch thick,” Snead said.

The freshman A, freshman B,

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a new future

Melinda Heaton’s art room nearly doubled in size and features 28 new iMac computers and a new photography darkroom.

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teacher talk

A Q&A with the newest members of the Cougar faculty.

Photos by Danny Lyons and David Freyermuth, Interviews by Brianna Leyden

JENNIFER AYTES Chemistry 1, Science Survival, World Futuristics Is the subject you are teaching your passion?

The thing about science that fascinates me is that new things are always being discovered and changing, and there is always more you can learn. I have lots

REBECCA WILLIAMS Special Education Resource What inspired you to become a teacher?

I was working at Boys Town, a home for kids who are struggling with the legal system and having problems with family. I decided it was time to go back and get my teaching degree.

WALTER MANSFIELD Computer Applications, Keyboard and Document Processing How did you end up at Northwest?

I was switched from a full-time job to a half-time job at SM North. An opportunity came up at Northwest, and I seized it. It’s kind of fun, actually. They have two really different atmospheres.

JENNIFER QUICK English 9, English 11 Why did you want to teach English specifically?

It was fun having the background in journalism and PR and showing students how something learned in high school is a relevant skill and can be used in the real world.

MINNIE SHELOR Biology 1, Biology 2 AP How long have you been teaching?

I’ve been teaching for three years prior to this year. I’ve been at SM West for the first three years.

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Photos

by Danny

of passions. I like a lot of subjects, but I think it’s important for students to find an interest in science and how it affects their lives and the world around them.

Why did you want to teach high school students?

Chemistry and physics are things you can’t really take in younger years, so that’s why I went toward older kids. It’s an important age to transition out of

middle school to young adulthood and learn things that go with you in your life, and don’t just get you through high school.

What was your first impression of Northwest?

I like Northwest. It’s a smooth transition, and everyone’s gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. I just don’t own enough orange.

Why did you want to teach high school students?

I like high school students. I like the way they think; I like the way they’re involved with school. Plus, I also have a history degree, so I could teach history if I wanted to. I could never teach elementary school; it’s just not my niche.

What do you think of Northwest now that the school year has started?

There’s a lot of orange around here.

School spirit’s good.

Do you have any suggestions for students who want to make a good first impression?

Organization and time management are critical to success.

Have you had any previous work experience in the field you are teaching?

The company I worked for was a familyowned business, kind of like Kelly Services, and we placed permanent and/or temporary attorneys, secretaries and paralegals at law firms around the Detroit areas. To a certain degree, I was a headhunter, but I had to wear all the hats of a small business — I did

marketing, advertisement, collection, billing, interviews, etc.

What else do you think is important for a teacher to do?

You have to joke with them a little bit, otherwise they just get bored and don’t learn that much. Nothing is worse than a teacher who drones on and on and on. You just have to have some fun, and you have to make your class interesting.

Why did you become a teacher?

I went to SM North, and I had great English teachers. I was working in development with Don Bosco, an intercity corporation that was working to create a charter high school. I was around the high school all the time, and I had always wanted to make a difference, instead of just fundraising. I wanted to be in the actual trenches and teach students.

How is high school now different from high school back then?

Well, just all of the Internet, like Parent Connect, and the attendance we still did on paper. The teacher took attendance and stuck it outside the door and, if the students were sneaky, they’d erase their absence. But SM North and Northwest still have a rivalry, and the books we read in English are still the same.

Why did you want to teach biology?

Well, while I was going to school pursuing my other degrees, I really enjoyed peer teaching. And when I started looking at teaching at a high school level, biology seemed to be the best fit.

What were your best/worst subjects

in high school?

My worst subject was English. My best subject was probably theater. I was really active in theater and forensics in high school. I went to a really small school, so there was little opportunity and very few science classes.

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Turnitin.com submission policies far too strict on students There are many advantages to using Turnitin.com to submit student work to teachers, but the grading policies that teachers enforce are excessively puritive.

I had stayed up far too long the night before student for the most part. It’s just that I fall into the putting the finishing touches on my little booby traps that teachers set English paper. I woke up the next along the way, such as Turnitin. morning feeling confident, excited to com. turn in my work.

Turnitin.com is an excellent Walking into English class that day, resource for teachers and works I froze in disbelief: I had forgotten to wonders in discouraging student submit my paper to Turnitin.com. plagiarism. What I think needs to I panicked. I tried to muster up a be changed is the policy, which good excuse as to why I didn’t submit it, is far too strict. Students should but it was no use. My teacher wouldn’t not be penalized with such E d S pa u n h o r s t budge. Twenty-five percent would be drastic measures when they have taken from my final grade on yet another English already handed in a hard copy of their paper. It’s paper. not like they didn’t write it. I agree that the paper Yeah, you read that correctly: a loss of 25 needs to be submitted soon afterward to check for percent, making my highest possible grade a “C.” plagiarism, but 25 percent off? Really?

No matter the quality of that paper I had just I’ve got a scenario for you. Let’s say our turned in, I would receive a mediocre grade. Why? imaginary friend, Jeremiah, knows that he is going I like to think it’s because the system hates me. out of town on for the last week of September. He I’m going to be honest with you. I’m a also knows he has a paper due that week. Jeremiah procrastinator; I’m unorganized; I’m extremely decides to be responsible, write his paper ahead of forgetful. Those three traits alone are the reasons I time and turn it in before he leaves. Keep in mind, don’t reach my full potential in school. I’m a good you can’t submit a paper to Turnitin.com until the

teacher opens the folder for submission, which he checked before he left. Jeremiah comes back from his trip only to find that he lost 25 percent credit because he never submitted his paper. But did he ever really have the chance? Yeah, that happened to me.

What I’m saying is, of course, there will be problems when forcing students to post their work on a site, like Turnitin.com; they are almost unavoidable. But I am not saying teachers shouldn’t penalize students at all for failure to submit.

Students have so much on their plates these days, and forgetting Turnitin.com is becoming a major issue. Submission to Turnitin.com should be done in class, eliminating the chance of difficulties. Teachers would be right there to help the student submit if problems occured.

Maybe teachers should go around with a Sharpie and individually write “Turnitin.com” on each student’s forehead the night before a deadline.

Hey, whatever it takes to keep me from getting another “C.”

We need to hear facts before speaking out on Health Care All over the country, town hall meetings are being disrupted by angry Americans who fear government take over of the health care system. Without any legislation on the table, Americans need to wait for the issue to play out and make sure they are getting the correct information.

It always amazes me when I see those people at According to the National Coalition on Health town hall meetings across the country who won’t Care, the United States will spend $ 2.7 trillion on even listen to what their elected officials have to health expenses in 2009. That is 18 percent of our say about health care reform. gross domestic product. I’m not saying it’s a bad Although it is nice to see our representatives thing that one-fifth of our GDP is health care, but working on their summer break, there is no reason I do think that one-fifth of the economy should to panic over health care until America be spent on helping to create more hears the facts. health care for all Americans.

The goal of the Obama administration Here’s another fact: 62 percent of bankruptcies in 2007 were due to and the Democrats for health care is very simple: they want to give everybody in health-related financial issues. That the country the option to purchase means people got dropped by their affordable health insurance. health care providers when they Since becoming president in January, needed it the most: when they are

Obama has already implemented RYA N M C C A R T H Y sick. When hospital bills are piling legislation to cover 11 million children. up, some health care companies will In the Recovery Act, $19 billion was spent not cover them. to move medical records to computers. The Now I know that some people think it’s crazy government is making progress on a 21st-century to give everybody the chance to get medical health care system. coverage, but it seems like a no-brainer to me, President Obamas’ address to Congress Sept. especially when we give blank checks out to banks 8 stated that he wanted to reform health care by and Wall Street investors who were irresponsible putting $900 billion of the federal budget toward with their investments. health care over the next 10 years.

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But the main reason, many are speaking out against a public option, like anything else. is money. Many of our established health care companies, with their overpriced premiums, would lose billions of dollars if the public option became available or if the government requires the companies to lower their premiums.

If health care companies lower their premiums to make medical insurance affordable for everybody then the government involvement in health care would decline dramatically. With a wider base of clients, I think the health care companies would still make the same amount of money, plus cover the tens of millions of Americans’ without medical security.

I also see the business perspective to this issue.

Hospitals and insurance companies make billions of dollars each year from Americans medical bills.

I just don’t understand why health care is seen as an option in this country. We require auto insurance for everybody who drives a car and homeowners’ insurance is a given for anybody who owns property. So why isn’t our country’s health held to the same standard.

Can I go yet?

Students have to make big decisions every day; should going to the bathroom be one of them?

I’ve had a dream since the first time I walked they may need to enforce drastic measures. through the doors into Northwest. A dream of Drastic measures? freedom, the freedom to go to the Are they going to place armed bathroom, without needing to sign a guards in front of all the bathrooms? pass and a clipboard. Just me and my No, and they shouldn’t have to. Those throne. who feel the need to write the latest However, this dream of mine has NW gossip on the bathroom walls been crushed by the students who need to find a better place to do this, feel the need to let us know they are or just don’t do it at all. rebelling from society by writing the So just for you social addicts, I latest gossip on the restroom’s walls. have fond a solution. jeremy allen C’mon it’s the bathroom, not the I would like to see the school put National Enquirer’s story idea board. up a giant piece of paper in every bathroom where We were blessed two years ago with new students can be free to write whatever their heart bathrooms and this year are lucky to have new feels. It would be beautiful. Students would be facilities in the art wing, by the new health rooms exposed to the vast array of bathroom poetry and and adjacent to the new gym. Even the restrooms NW gossip. just outside the main gym have gotten a major Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, I doubt the facelift. I figured after the vandalism problems school can afford a giant piece of paper for each we’ve had the past couple years, students would bathroom. Only in my dreams, I guess. understand that enough is enough. But a recent So until something is done, we should stick with e-mail was sent to the faculty saying that vandalism is already a problem, and

the current sign-out policy. The clipboard system is perfect and flawless in theory, but many of my teachers don’t enforce the policy. If vandalism is going to stop, it needs to start with the teachers.

I’m talking about mandatory checks of the bathrooms after passing periods for teachers on plan that hour. If vandalism is found, all we have to do is check the clip boards to see who was out during that time.

But above all, students need to realize writing vulgar things on the restroom walls isn’t an act of rebellion. It’s just annoying.

One more thing: for the student who feels the need to take the toilet paper and fling it across the bathroom, I want you to go home and pick your favorite bathroom. Find the nearest roll of toilet paper, and give it a toss. Have all the fun you want.

Then clean it up. See how much fun that is.

My fellow students, I beg you, stop vandalizing the bathrooms. I would just for once like to go to the bathroom without feeling like I have to fill out a job application to go.

BATHROOM

PSAS SPSASS

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tyler absher

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Technology Overload

Life has been improved and complicated by the advancements in technology.

From 1900 to 2009, the world has changed Internet. Students are constantly bombarded with substantially. There are 5 billion more people text messages, phone calls, TV shows, movies and alive, numerous new types of transportation and all these things converging on the Internet. We are communications, and great strides have been made eternally connected to the network through these in civil rights regarding equality. gadgets. We are no longer sticking it to the man; we We have walked on the moon, flown are becoming one with the man. at Mach 3 and increased economic and Because of this colossal expansion industrial production tenfold. Technology in information technology, students are has advanced to the point where I can expected to know more, do more and sit in the command chair in front of my achieve more. An honest day’s work on computer and track the progress of the the farm is no longer an option. I once peloton through the Tour de France. Or heard a teacher claim that students are I can have Paris Hilton’s Twitter updates expected to know 600 percent more sent straight to my pocket through a information than their counterparts of D av i d c att cell phone. Technology is addictive, 100 years ago. dumbfounding and invigorating. We’ve created all That’s 600 percent more stuff to learn, with a 0 this new technology, but is it always a good thing? percent increase in time. In fact, we probably have According to Ron Aust, professor of education even less time to learn all this information with at the University of Kansas, high school students the amount of time spent on sports, jobs and other today are exposed to at least 10 times more extracurricular activities. information than they were just 15 years ago. That’s Don’t get me wrong. I love the technological a 1000 percent increase in just 15 years, largely advancements that have made life easier. There’s due to the proliferation of cell phones and the nothing greater than checking ESPN Mobile

updates while driving through an Iowa corn field, streaming live television to a phone or looking up a future vacation spot on Google Earth. But sometimes it all gets to be a little too much. I feel like I’m becoming part of the system and losing some aspects of my individuality.

With the endless cycle of school, extracurricular activities and social life, we hardly get time to reflect on our own personal issues. Sometimes when it becomes a little overbearing, I begin to yearn for a journey back to the old days, when adventures through the woods took the place of literary analyses and thoughts of an hour of homework would send chills down my spine. This might just be a pessimistic reflection of growing up, an invasion of privacy by technology, or I could be onto something.

So, to find out, I will go where no high school student has dared to venture before. Before our next issue, I’ll go an entire weekend without the use of cell phones, television or the Internet and comment on my experiences.

Marching toward $12 trillion debt

With the national debt larger than ever, the SMNW Nov. trip helped me put my life in perspective I’m a huge band geek. My gray backpack population is about 300 million. If we divide the covered in musical notes gives me away. deficit evenly among the 300 million people, every Because band is such a key part of my life, I was citizen would pay about $39,000.That’s 13 trips to ecstatic when I heard about the band trip. Spending Hollywood per person.

Thanksgiving with the band in Even though few citizens could Hollywood? Maybe not the ideal pay $39,000, most people aren’t even vacation for everyone, but it sounds concerned. So what if the country is in great to me. debt? Why should we care?

However, a price tag of $3,000 To fully understand the impact of the caused many marchers to stop national debt, you have to understand quicker than a shout of, “Detail, how it started. Beukelman compared the atten-HUT!” U.S. government to an average household.

I was responsible for raising a The United States has to pay money on LAUREN KOMER third of the money for my expenses. services such as “gas, electricity and TV.” It was hard work. Over the course of the summer, I The United States makes the money to pay for the was able to pay off my part. If only everyone else in services by selling products and bonds, kind of like the United States were as responsible... the parents of the household working as salespeople.

According to Jan Beukelman, legislative assistant Eventually, the United States was no longer selling to Rep. Dennis Moore, the national debt is about enough to pay for the services. To compensate, they $11.8 trillion. In a Sept. 2 Associated Press article, began selling treasury notes, a complicated concept the exact amount was: $11,792,918,170,836.43. For that boils down to borrowing money from other some perspective, there are about 140 students in countries. Like paying off a bank loan, the countries the marching band. For $11.8 trillion, 28 million are promised their money back plus some interest.

Marching Cougar Pride members could go to The tricky thing about debt is that once you’re in it, Hollywood. It’s almost impossible to comprehend. it’s almost impossible to get out.

For me, $3,000 is a lot of money. My brain can’t even So what is Congress doing about it? There are comprehend a million dollars. So $11.8 trillion? It’s many different ideas being considered and a couple not going to happen. of projects underway. One that seems to be working Here’s another way of looking at it. The U.S. is the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). Do

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you remember when the government stepped in to bail out the failing banks last year? The banks are more stable now and have been paying back what the government gave them. Of about $700 billion loaned to banks, $68.3 billion of it has been paid back, as well as $1.8 billion in profit.

An overall spending freeze is also being tossed around. It would call for the government to stop spending any money until the debt is paid off. How will the country provide for the needs and services required by its people when no money can be spent? Sure, that’s the fastest way to eradicate the debt, but with all the other problems in our nation, it’s not feasible.

The only solution is for us to be involved in what’s going on. We will be the ones deciding who’s in charge of our money and where it’s going. We can make a difference. For this column, I called the office of Dennis Moore in Washington, D.C., and asked questions about the future of our country.

The lawmakers are there to listen to us, but they can’t help if we don’t make our concerns heard.

Become informed and give your opinions to people who can make changes. Make your voice heard. I raised a third of the money for my band trip by myself. No one’s asking you to contribute $39,000... yet. Be aware to the world and issues around you.

blink 182

Courtesy of 965thebuzz.com

The tightly packed crowd swayed back and forth, eyes glued to the dark, lifeless stage. Waiting.

96.5’s Buzz Beachball concert had been a day full of punk rock music and mosh pits as bands like Weezer and Taking Back Sunday took the stage. But it was time for the main event Blink 182, a pop-punk band from California consisting of Tom Delonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, shocked the world when they announced their reunion in February after a four-year hiatus.

Vocalist Delonge left the band in

2005 in search of a more meaningful band.

He started a band called Angels & Airwaves, while the other two members continued to make music in the the band Plus 44. However, after Barker was nearly killed in a plane crash, the three were able to put aside their differences and pick up where they left off.

The crowd could hardly be contained. Young fans of the band pushed and pulled, trying to make their way to the empty stage. Blink 182 developed a huge teenage fan base with their whiney, rebellious

white out U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (played

by Kate Beckinsale) is a Marshal at U.S. research station Amundsen-Scott located in Antarctica. Stetko has been informed that a corpse was found on the ice a few miles from the station. She and the local “Doc” go out to retrieve it and after studying the frozen body, determined that it was no accident, but a murder.

Carrie searches for the killer as the sun is about to set for six months in Antarctica, but she is determined. She comes across Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht) from the U.S. also trying to find the killer so the word about murders in Antarctica does not spread. As the two set out on the ice headed to another

now playing station, a shocking discovery is made.

Fifty years prior, a Russian aircraft crashed and was now many feet below the frozen tundra.

It was here that they concluded the murder took place. The plane had many treasures and secrets. A secret that is worth killing people for.

This movie comes off to be an action packed suspenseful movie. But, it came out to more gore and mystery.

The movie was hard to follow, and doesn’t fit the trailer tag who “nature never intended for you to survive here”.

The environment seems to have little effect on the main idea of the story and leaves you with more chills than maddi niemackl thrills.

cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

the informant!

Courtesy of Waner Bros.

jennifers body

Courtesy of Fox 20th Century

Courtesy of Rottentomatoes.com

pop-punk anthems and their outlandish sense of humor.

The stage lit up. The three members stormed the stage playing their hit song “Feeling This” from their self-titled CD. The band brought all of the energy that their fans had come to expect. In between songs, Delonge kept the crowd laughing with jokes about farts and male genitalia. One thing was for sure: Blink 182 was back and hadn’t changed a bit from their teen angst lyrics to their immature ‘toilet humor’. ed spaunhorst

love happens

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Based on the children’s picture book, Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs, this animated film takes the imagination to a whole new level as a town experiences various types of food falling from the sky, replacing precipitation.

Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) believes he’ll be praised a hero of the common man and handed a promotion after he exposes his agri-industry company, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), for its multi-naitonal price fixing conspiracy to the FBI. In this fall comedy, Whitacre willingly agrees to wear a wire a hide a tape recorder in his briefcase, pretending he’s to secret agent.

Stuck up, popular small town high school student Jennifer (Megan Fox) is victimized by a hungry flesh eating demon. Unfortantely, the young men who had never had a chance with her are quickly lured into her trap to feast. Now her best friend, Needy (Amanda Seyfried), must protect the town’s boys from her.

When a self-help author (Aaron Eckhart) arrives in Seattle to teach at a seminar, he meets the Eloise Changler (Jenniger Aniston), the owner of a floral business who has sworn off men. In this romantic drama, these characters will learn if they’re able and may fund that love happens when you least expect it.

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TOMMY the movie Leaning over the glowing pinball machine, he sways side to side as he plays the game.

Buzzers go off, bells ring and lights flash, but the boy can’t hear or see any of it. He is counting on his instincts to get him through the game, and with every movement becomes more a part of the machine. He plays impeccably; every move is flawless. He is the greatest pinball player of them all. He may be just a “deaf, dumb and blind boy,” but he is Tommy, the pinball wizard.

In 1975, The Who released their rock opera, Tommy, about a boy who witnesses his father’s murder by his mother’s lover as a small child. His mother and her lover tell Tommy not to say anything, and the trauma leads to the development of a psychological handicap that leaves Tommy unable to hear, see or speak. The loss of his father, along with neglect from his mother and stepfather, cause Tommy to lose all sense of happiness. That is, until he finds solace in a pinball machine.

Among the wreckage of cars in the dump, Tommy finds a pinball machine and begins playing. The buzzers go off and the lights glimmer in the darkness of the night. From that night on, Tommy continues to play pinball, as the world discovers his great skill. He becomes the the object of religious cults and people everywhere.

The idea behind Tommy? Pete Townshend’s rejection of psychedelic drugs and discovery of mysticysim. He wanted to represent different states of conciousness with the story and music in this film. Madi Watts

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pinball

WIZARD Marching band gears up to rock audiences with The Who’s Tommy.

people realize. It’s all totally worth it though.”

Many of the techniques used in marching band require discipline and execution, especially when trying to connect with the audience, but developing those skills between the beginning of the school year and the first home game is nearly impossible.

“We have a rehearsal the last day of school [of the previous year],” Snead said. “We read through the music, and then they have it for the summer to practice.”

This year’s marching band theme is Tommy, a rock’n roll opera written by The Who in 1969 about a unhappy boy who can not hear, see or speak.

The theme is decided at the end of the previous school year in order to create a feel for what lies ahead in the upcoming season.

“If the music looks like it would be a good fit for the band this year, I would … do something that would be a little bit more fun,” Snead said.

In addition to morning rehearsels, band camp is the other huge factor in the marching band’s

preparations. Band camp begins at the end of July and continues through the first week of August.

“By the time school starts for marching band, a huge chunk of the work is done,” Snead said.

On Sept. 4th, the marching band played its first half-time show. They walked out on to the field and assembled into position as the crowd waited. Standing in sections, with the drum line in the front, the drill team followed onto the field to join the band. The band started to play “It’s A Boy” and simultaneously, 100 orange balloons were released from the stands as the crowd cheered. The release of the balloons at each performance is just one way that the band boostser club supports the musicians, and it allows parents to be involved in something their sutdents love.

“We always walk out on to the field or the stage and totally rock it out,” Zacharias said. “And you know what? We do get that cliche “proud feeling” when everyone cheers us on. That’s how we know we’ve succeeded.

Evan Shinn

CAITLYN MASSY

bailey kopp

CAITLYN MASSY

something together with this massive group of people you love,” sophomore flutist Isabel Zacharias said.

On the field, leaders group their sections and begin their warmups by stretching and playing the “Star-Spangled Banner.” After 10 minutes, band members make their way into position, the drum majors take their stances and the drill team centers itself on the field.

“Spencer, can you give us a pitch?” Britt Haney’s voice bellows from a megaphone.

A trumpet sounds and all instruments find the exact note.

“All right, let’s just run through the whole thing.”

It’s then that the drum majors yell, “Detail, Atten-hut,” and the band responds in a roar, “One.” “The hardest part of preparing [for shows] is just taking the time to get up in the morning and make it look perfect,” Zacharias said. “You run the same drill over and over, and it’s work -- more work than

CAITLYN hopkins

The room grows louder as students with instruments in hand make their way through Room 39.

It’s 6:50 a.m. and their first class of the day has already begun.

As marching band director Ann Snead seats herself at the front of the room, the noise begins to die out -- all eyes toward her. “How was everyone’s weekend?” she asks, but no one fully answers; there are only grunts and yawns. Snead acknowledges the fact that it’s early and changes her introduction to procedures and upcoming events.

When all is discussed, she sits up and addresses the class. “All right, well, let’s head outside,” she says.

Almost immediately, instruments sound, chatter continues, and the band files out the side doors into the cold morning.

“The best thing about first hour is feeling like you’re doing

CAITLYN hopkins

LEFT: Marching Cougar Pride trumpets gather before the halftime show of the first football game against SM South Friday Sept. 4th at SM North Stadium. TOP LEFT: Sophomore Brian Davis plays the marching tenor in front of the crowd after halftime on Sept. 4 at North District Stadium. TOP RIGHT: The flute section stands at attention at out first football game of the year with Junior Erica Waltman at the head of the line BOTTOM LEFT: Tuba players waiting to go on the field. BOTTOM RIGHT:The drumline marches toward the crowd after the halftime show on Sept. 4 at North District Stadium.

scene\13

northwest passage/smnw.com

shoot, pass, tweet Have you ever been doing homework at home or hanging out with a group of friends while wondering “What is the score of the varsity basketball game, soccer game, or football game?” Through the use of our new Twitter account, we will be able to update information on game scores at almost a live broadcast rate, and you can get everything sent straight to your cell phone in a text message. Compiled by David Catt and Maria Davison Graphics by Stephanie Spicer

Twitter Information Since it was created in 2006, Twitter has grown immensely. Based on the idea of the Facebook status bar, Twitter is a social networking website which allows users to write and post tweets of up to 140 characters and follow the tweets of other groups and people. While some claim Twitter is nothing more than another way to waste time, it can also be a useful means of communication. For example, tweets can be sent to a specific group of people to inform them of events. Sports updates can be sent out immediately as they happen. Large organizations can tweet a way to get involved with their cause. Our Twitter channel, smnw_sports, provides followers with the results of all varsity athletics.

smnw_sports In the process of joining the smnw_ sports Twitter feed, make an account on Twitter from the home page. To access the smnw_sports page, type in twitter.com/smnw_sports or click on our link from smnw.com. Then, click on the “Follow this person” icon to begin receiving our updates.

To receive text message updates, access your Settings in the top right corner, click on Devices, and follow Twitter’s instructions for syncing your phone and account. Send a passoword to the short code 40404, and wait for a confirmation reply.

Refresh the page, and your account should be updated.

Now, return to your profile or homepage and access the list of people you are following on your homepage. Next, choose to receive

14/september 24

text message updates from smnw_ sports by clicking on the little cell phone icon to make it green (this will not be there until you sync your phone and account). The rest will be as easy as pie. Just receive and enjoy.

We know this sounds like a lot of steps, but it will literally take less than 10 minutes if done right. If you have any questions at all on the process of signing up, contact the Northwest Passage in room 151, or reach David Catt at dcattsmnw@ gmail.com As a side note, please realize that you will be receiving updates from most varsity sports. For most games there will be a maximum of 1 or 2 text messages, but for a football or basketball game, there will be quarterly updates with stats.

Mobile Settings

To receive text message updates, access your Settings, click on Devices, and follow Twitter’s instructions for syncing your phone and account.

If you refresh the page and it looks l ike this, your phone and account have been correctly synced.

If the screen remains the same, check with your cell service provider to make sure that your cell phone can send short codes.

Following

The final step in the process to receive text messages is to actually choose who you want to follow by mobile updates. Click on “following” from your home page or profile to reach to a page that shows who you are following.

Then click on the cell phone icon next to each person you want to follow by mobile updates. The icon should be green after clicking on it. Note: there will not be any cell phone icons if your phone has not been synced to the account yet.

Profile

Users have a home page, similar to a Facebook home page. All the tweets coming from the people or groups the user is following appear on this page in chronological order.

features\15

Every year, students travel thousands of miles for the unique educational opportunities found in the United States. These foreign exchange students are seeing the world from another point of view.

Petra Yu, Vienna, Austria

“America is, like, huge. Everyone knows that you have to come here at least once in your life,” Petra Yu, from Austria, said.

Although Yu lives in Vienna, Austria, she is chinese.

“A lot of teachers have been, like, ‘You’re not from Austria,’” she said.

Her parents’ love of the city kept them in Vienna, although Yu lived in China for about a year when she was four.

One of Yu’s fears about coming to the United States was getting fat.

“People here don’t walk a lot, and there is a lot of fast food. I think the people here are busier, and they don’t really have time to cook.”

Unlike other foreign exchange students, Yu does not have any host siblings, only parents.

“Fitting in is hard,” she said, but she’s starting to get the hang of it. In addition to having fun and making friends, Yu is focusing on learning English and more about our culture.

“It’s a really good opportunity,” Yu said.

Erica Pozza, Milano, Italy

Compiled by Kelsey Gasser and Rachel Alvey

Theresa Weber, Berlin, Germany

“I have the best host family. They are really cool,” German exchange student Theresa Weber said of senior Sarah and sophomore Rachel Nyhart’s family. “I like them very much.”

Weber love of singing led her to try out for the fall muscial.

“I really like it.” Weber said. “All the guys in the musical are so nice,.”

Weber is also a member of Marching Cougar Pride.

“I like the school and I’m very impressed from the school spirit,” Weber. said.

“I really love it here in America.” Weber said.

“I found a lot of friends and made a lot of new experiences.”

Although life in Kansas is very different from Milano, senior Erica Pozza is adjusting well to American life. She enjoys her classes, and has become a member of Interact club.

“I like Interact club because most of my friends are there, and I like to do community services to help people,” Pozza said.

During her time in the United States, Pozza wants to improve her English.

She is also studying French and Spanish.

“I really like the idea to speak foreign languages and to understand different languages. It’s pretty cool to understand more people,” Pozza said.

Daniela Rojas, Chuquicamata, Chile and Szilvia Kántor, Debas, Hungary

“I feel like we’ve become good friends, and it’s cool. I am not alone,” Szilvia “CC” Kántor , from Chile, said about her housemate, Daniela Rojas, from Hungary. The two girls live together with the family of junior Jordan McGuinn. Kántor met the McGuinns over the summer while they were traveling in Hungary.

“They are cool because they travel a lot. I love foreign places and travel.” Rojas said.

Rojas came here to learn about the differences between Chile and the United States. Kántor wanted to see the world from another view. Although they enjoy being in the United States, the girls occasionaly get homesick.

Kantor gets particularly homesick “when I see pictures [on Facebook] of my friends having fun [at home].”

Even though they miss home, the experience is worth it.

Zoe Weber

northwest passage/smnw.com

a long way from

Erica Pozza

Daniela Rojas

Szilvia Kantor

Petra Yu

Theresa Weber

16/september 24

Nikolaj Niebuhr Sirinsopit Pachimsawat

Bastian Hahn

home Lenny Wichmann, Oldenburg, Germany

Before arriving in America, German exchange student Lenny Wichmann was most afraid of living with an unfriendly host family.

Now, after spending five weeks with the family of senior Adam and sophomore Eric Zoellner, he is very comfortable.

“It’s better [than I expected]. People are more friendly,” Wichmann said.

Already, he’s become involved in managing the girls’ tennis team. The school system is very unique from his school in Germany, Helene-Lange-Schule, which includes grades five to 13, and a completely different class schedule.

“We usually have two hours [of school], then a break, two hours, and a break,” Wichmann said.

Although the system isn’t familiar, he doesn’t find himself missing the old schedule.

“I miss my friends and family, but I’m not homesick,” said Wichmann.

After the first semester, Wichmann will return to Germany. “[My family wants me to stay] no longer than five months. They will miss me,” Wichmann said.

Diego Babuder, Muggia Trieste, Italy “To be honest, I didn’t have many expectations,” senior Diego Babuder, from Italy, said.

Although he didn’t know what to expect, Babuder has already joined three clubs, and meeting new friends.

“It was a bit scary by that fact that I didn’t know a thing about Kansas, but I hoped they were good people,” Babuder said.

Before he came to the U.S., Babuder spent three years in a small boarding school, where he was studying to be a pilot.

“My favorite thing [in America] is the school system, technologies, everything,” Babuder said.

America has been a new way of life for Babuder, from the school system to extracurricular activities. However, he still misses home.

“Sometimes I’m homesick, but I feel well, very well,” Babuder said.

Bastian Hahn, Moraira, Spain “Every day I was on the computer looking at pictures of America, [and] the American flag,” Spanish exchange student Bastian Hahn said. He came here expecting “American Pie”, and has enjoyed his time in America.

“I expected the people to act like they did in the movie,” said Hahn.

Hahn traveled here with the Rotary Youth exchange from Moraira, Spain. He moved from Stuttgart, Germany when he was three years old.

He doesn’t miss much about his hometown, and hasn’t had trouble adjusting to America.

“I wasn’t worried. I’m very confident in myself,” Hahn said.

Sirinsopit Pachimsawat, Bangkok, Thailand

Since she was little, Sirinsopit “Bambie” Pachimsawat has been very similar to her Disney counterpart, Bambi.

“He [Bambi] is loved by everyone. He likes to try new things and grows up to be a strong person. Good heart and soul,” Pachimsawat said.

“I love to act and perform, and I also love to sing.”

For the past three years, Pachimsawat has been exploring all genres of dance. She’s trying street jazz, hip-hop, contemporary and others, in addition to ballet and jazz which she’s been taking for 14 years.

Now that she’s arrived in America, she’s “I wanted to do something else,” said Tora Sivertsen, from Norway, housemate to Michelle Fountijne, involved in both drama and choir. from Switzerland. The girls share a room in their host family’s home and have become very close in the “I’m looking forward to be able to join past month living together. The family already has six kids of their own. in as many activities as I can for the year,” “The kids [are] so cute,” said Fountijne.

Pachimsawat said.

Michelle Fountijne, Steigen, Norway Tora Sivertsen, Switzerland

The girls knew they would be living together when the family chose them as their foreign exchange students, and it made them much less nervous about coming. However, as the girls anticipated their arrival they worried that they might not find friends, or they could get fat.

The U.S. is very different from Fountijne’s home in the center of Switzerland, which has only one main street. Sivertsen’s town is also much smaller than Kansas City.

“When we have problems with family or friends or whatever, we get homesick,” Fountijne said.

Michelle Fountijne

Lenny Wichmann

Diego Babuder

Lenny Bulka

Iago Silva Jens Epping not pictured: Tora Sivertsen

features\17

northwest passage/smnw.com

MUSIC BLOG WEEKLY SUDOKU

2 3

9 7

5 6 8 3 1 9 5 4 7 6 7 5 2 8 9 2 7 1 6 3 9 8 2 4 2 9

LIve noise The Republic Tigers at The Beaumont Club 9/25/09 Snow Patrol at Uptown Theatre 9/29/09 Dave Matthews Band at Sprint Center 9/30/09 Hanson and Hellogoodbye at The Beaumont Club 10/2/09

18/september 24

Members of the NW Passage give their thoughts and input on music artists that may be up and coming or have already made their mark in the industy. Blogs

by Madi Watts, Evan Shinn and Maddie Niemackl “Scream” by the Misfits begins with cymbals and eerie chords from an electric guitar. The lead singer, Jerry Only, adds his vocals, perfectly matching the pitch of the guitar. Then the first verse begins, “A chill runs up your spine / And crawls into your brain / A freezing touch of fear / It’s driving me insane.” The drums switch from a mellow tempo to something much more upbeat, and the guitar shifts into some very raw rifts. This is my favorite song on the Famous Monsters album because of the eerie guitar chords and the tempo of the song is extremely upbeat. You can’t help but want to play this song on repeat.

Relying on the luck of the Irish isn’t really necessary for these Dublin guys, but I bet it doesn’t hurt. The moment The Script blasted from my earphones, I had found my pot of gold. The flow; the lyrics; the melody.

It all just clashed together so perfectly. But the strange thing is it’s all old news “across the pond.” They’ve already made ground there with their self-titled album, rising to number one on the charts in Ireland and the UK. Along with that accomplishment, they just finished their first United States headlining tour and hope to produce their next album. What could be so charming about the U.S.? I guess I’ll never know.

What I do know is The Script will continue to impress, either through their music ability or their foreign charm. Look up an interview of them on YouTube. You’ll see what I mean. It must be the accents – American girls really do eat that stuff up.

If only I were them.

Jeremy Larson began his musical endeavors in Springfield, Mo. and performed his first time in 2003. He then released his self-titled album in 2007, and this was his opener to fame.

His music is individual and one can hear that Larson really puts thought and meaning into his work. Larson creates a new sound by adding instruments such as cello, trumpet, mandolin and various keyboards. These elements make Larson truly seem like a one man band. He opens his album with “The Thief”. It begins with powerful strings and throaty vocals. “A Neutral Conclusion” is one of his most empowering songs ­— not so much because of the quality of his music, but his lyrics. It’s hard to not be impressed with the song writing exhibition.

BOSS best of sports shot

This photo was chosen as this issue’s BOSS because of it’s solid stop action as the running back, Junior KC Waterman, breaking away from a SM South defender.

By Daniel Bauer

what to watch for

by the numbers

50/ 17/ 1434/ 2967/ 1533/

percentage of penalty kicks saved by goalie Shawn Miles

TONIGHT- VARSITY FOOTBALL AT LEAVENWORTH

Varsity Soccer at Rockhurst

Mon., Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Varsity Football at Lawrence Free State

percentage of penalty kicks saved by all MLS goalies in 2008 number of miles the XC team will travel the rest of this season number of total offensive yards of last year for the football team

number of total offensive yards lost from graduating seniors

-The Cougars will face their toughest opponent yet in the Hawklets, the defending MO state champions.

Fri., Oct. 2 at 7 pm

-The Firebirds ended the Cougars playoff run last year and went on to play for a state championship; but without stand-out running back Chucky Hunter.

Girls’ Tennis vs. SM East

Mon., Sept. 28 at 3:30 p.m.

-The Cougars face the perennial powerhouse Lancers in what is sure to be

their toughest matchup of the season.

sports\19

interests at the University of Kansas. Kincaid majored in secondary education and studied abroad in Australia. Despite not playing in college, Kincaid still reminisces about her accomplishments as a high school athlete.

“The highlight of my high school career was against SM Northwest, the best team in the league. I hit a two-strike, two-out pitch over the center field fence to win the game for my team,” she said. Ironically, South never won again against Northwest until last year when Kincaid was coaching first base for the Cougars.

If you were to walk through the halls of SM South, you would see Lindsay Kincaid on many plaques behind glass cases. Kincaid still holds records for career batting average, single season batting average, career hits, and career doubles.

“Not playing in college wasn’t an easy decision, but I knew someday I would continue my love for softball through coaching.”

then now

&

past

nick feighner

NW faculty reminisce on their high school and college athletic endeavors.

Aaron Barnett

c.j. reliford

then now ASHLEY LANE

20/september 24

a player, but still having a passion for the game, he decided the next best thing to playing was coaching.

“Football brought me to many places in life,” Barnett said. “Without football, I wouldn’t have been able to get a college degree. I feel that I owe the game my best effort.”

Barnett started his coaching career at Eudora, where he posted a 30-10 record in four seasons as head coach. He then went to Washburn Rural High School, where he finished with an 18-18 record after four years as head coach. Barnett left Washburn to replace NW head coach Scott Diebold. In his four years here, Barnett has led the Cougars to the playoffs three times, winning the Sunflower League title in 2007.

“One of my goals as a coach is to win a state title,” Barnett said. “I know we as a team have a lot of work to do, but I feel that if the guys keep going out and working hard, then we have a really good chance of reaching that goal.”

COURTESY OF AARON BARNETT

Varsity football head coach Aaron Barnett’s passion wasn’t always encouraging players from the sidelines. He began his football career at Atchison County Community High School. As a Tiger, Barnett was a four-year varsity starter and was named to the Kansas Class 4A All-State Team. He played football at St. Benedictine Community College in Atchison, Kan., and then transferred to play his last two years for Emporia State University.

Barnett’s favorite high school football memories often occurred when the Tigers played their rival, the Maur Hill Ravens. The fact that Maur Hill was a private school only intensified matchup.

“It always was a big game for us.” Barnett said In Barnett’s senior year, the Tigers upset the Ravens 6-2, something Atchison had never managed to do before.

Barnett hadn’t considered being a coach until he graduated from college. Realizing that he was not going to be able to make a living as

JOHNNY TONG

Some know her as the Chris McCandless freak; some know her as that English 10 teacher who gives hours of homework; some know her as Coach. Lindsay Kincaid began her teaching career at Northwest six years ago. She is currently the assistant varsity softball coach and assistant bowling coach.

What most people don’t know is that Kincaid was quite the athlete herself. A 1999 SM South graduate, Kincaid spent her time on the softball diamond as a four-year varsity starter behind the plate.

Kincaid received numerous athletic honors throughout her high school career, including All-Metro, All-Sunflower and All-Johnson County Team. She recalls her favorite award she received. The Kansas City Star after her senior season, named her “The best high school softball player not playing in college.”

“By my junior year, I had already decided that I didn’t want to pursue college softball,” Kincaid said. Instead, she explored other

COURTESY OF LINSAY KINCAID

northwest passage/smnw.com

Lindsay Kincaid

Howard Newcomb

then now

andrew zimmer

present

DANNY LYONS

&

“My dad never pressured me to compete or anything; I had a lot of self-motivation to compete and do better,” Newcomb said.

Competitive lifting wasn’t the only sport Newcomb competed in. He played on the Commerce High School football team as a fullback and linebacker. He played all four years of school, three of them as a varsity player. Newcomb was able to use his strength as an advantage on the field and was selected as district defensive player of the year his senior year. After high school, he walked onto the football team at the University of Arkansas and played for three years under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Lou Holtz. He stopped playing after his junior year due to injuries and other issues.

“It’s one thing to be big in high school, but when you get to college and there’s a hundred guys as big or bigger than you, it’s a whole different story,” Newcomb said.

Today, Howard Newcomb is the head coach of the wrestling and freshman football teams.

COURTESY OF HOWARD NEWCOMB

Most high school athletes tend to stick to the usual sports: football, basketball and baseball.

For Computer-Aided Design teacher Howard Newcomb, it was all about lifting weights.

“My dad was a competitive weight lifter when I was little, so I’d hang out at the gym with him and mess around while he would train,” he said.

Newcomb was naturally strong as a child; weight lifting was in his genes. When he was 11 years old, he was able to squat 245 pounds, a feat for most high-schoolers today. He never thought anything about it until sophomore year, when he squatted 415 pounds. That is more than any player on the varsity football team today can lift. Newcomb realized he had a tremendous amount of talent and decided to compete.

“By the end of junior year, I was squatting 540 pounds and competing at the state level,” Newcomb said. “I was in the top three in the state and was consistently winning gold medals and trophies [in high school events].”

By then, Newcomb was lifting and training all year-round.

Eddie LyDay game was a close battle as neither team took a sizeable lead. Then, in the third quarter, Coach Mike Bonzcyck called a timeout to talk to his players.

“He looked at us and just said three words.

‘This is it.’ And he was right,” LyDay said.

Those words inspired the team to break away in the remainder of the game, winning by 18 points.

LyDay would always remember that moment. After high school, he went on to play two years of junior college basketball before playing at Midwestern University in Illinois. However, hie was forced to discontinue his collegiate basketball career after one year at Midwestern due to injury.

Today, LyDay continues to love the sport of basketball. But, he says,

players today just don’t have the passion that they used to.

“These players have much more talent than we had, but when we played it was blood and guts. I just don’t see the same passion anymore.” brady klein

DAVID FREYERMUTH

Sitting in the stands at Cougar basketball games, associate principal Eddie LyDay often looks back to the winter of 1982 when he was on the court, playing in the state baketball championship.

LyDay grew up in Wichita and attended Wichita West High School where he played basketball for three years. Although he wasn’t blessed with a natural talent for the game, LyDay worked hard at an early age to improve his skills.

“I was so fortunate to be able to play. Back in the fifth grade, I couldn’t even make a lay up, but I got better. I had the privilege to play with my friends which made the game even better for all of us. I had their back and they had mine., LyDay said.

The grueling practices and tough coaching paid off when Wichita West played for the state championship during LyDay’s senior year. The

sports\21

northwest passage/smnw.com

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22/september 24

Five reasons to stay a Kansas City sports fans Kansas City is a great sports town, but with a last-place baseball team, and a football team in major transition, the fans of this town need to look to the future.

We are all sick and tired of the professional sports teams in this city. Fortuantely, I am a Green Bay Packers fan, born and raised, but that doesn’t mean Kansas City diehards should give up on their teams. For Chiefs and Royals fans, here are the top five reason to remain a Kansas City sports fans.

1. No more King Carl:After the 20th year of the five-year plan failed, Chiefs ownership made a much-needed change in the front office, firing long time dictator Carl Peterson and bringing in general manager Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley. Pioli is a disciple of the Bill Beliceck system which means winning is on the horizon for the Chiefs. But fans need to be patient because this is a complete facelift of the

management they have had for 20 section watching our beloved years.

Royals.

2. Great facilities: Both 3.Two words—Zach Greinke : Arrowhead and Kaufman Stadium Instead of talking about how great just received $850 Grienke has been this million worth of year and how he should win the Cy Young renovations provided

by Jackson County Award, I’m just going to taxpayers. Should you give his stats:14-8 with care? Johnson County a 2.14 ERA and 224 residents spend a strikeouts. All of those significant amount except the win/loss

of money at these record lead the entire RYA N M C C A R T H Y stadiums, and we’re MLB. He is a once-innot taxed a dime to maintain them. a-lifetime talent. Enjoy Greinke That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t before he gets his $20 million-asupport these beautiful places. year contract from the Yankees.

My favorite part of the summer is 4. The franchise quarterback: going over to the Truman Sports This was the most important Complex with a carload of my signing for the Chiefs since the late friends and spending a couple Derrick Thomas. Matt Cassel was hours sitting in the nosebleed given a contract worth $63 million

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over the next six years, so he better get the Chiefs and their fans that playoff win they’ve yearned for.

He is a prototypical quarterback: mobile and poised, with a rocket arm. If the new regime of Pioli and Haley can surround their main piece of the offense, they will be successful in the very near future.

5. At least we’ve got our college teams: My Jayhawks are looking great this year as they cruise through the non-conference schedule, and by the way, have one of the best basketball teams in the country. The Missouri Tigers hope to claim their Third Big 12 North title in football on the back of sophomore sensation quarterback Blain Gabbert. And K-State‌.?

Well, at least you got your old coach back.

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