Topeka High World Issue 1 (2014)

Issue 1

The World

09.17.14

For more breaking news and information visit www.THSTower.com

What’s Inside

At AFS Club’s first meeting of the year on September 3rd, Dawn Romero-Hunter, Spanish teacher and AFS Club sponsor, introduced nine of the eleven foreign exchange students that had arrived so far. This year’s exchange students come from countries such as Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Brazil, and Panama to name a few. Three additional exchange students arrived unknowingly on September 8th and 9th, as AFS club had only been expecting one more student. At the beginning of the meeting exchange students stood at the front of the room, and told club members their names, where they’re from, and something they like to do. After the exchange student introductions the AFS meeting consisted mostly of talking about upcoming events such as their AFS football party on September 12th or their trip to G’s Frozen Custard on the 17th. AFS Club meets every Wednesday after school. Next issue there will be individual profiles on the Exchange Students, so stay tuned. Photo by Loghan Finey

News pages 2 and 3

Features pages 6 and 7

Culture pages 8 and 9

Sports pages 10 and 11

2

NEWS

09.17.14

Powerschool information leaks cause strife to students and district

By Tessa Duncan

Privacy is an important part of a person’s life, which is something Unified School District (USD) 501 has figured out over the last month. Most everyone has heard USD 501 has been in trouble recently for leaking students’ data on PowerSchool, as well as schools posting note cards with student information on school building walls, breaking the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, otherwise known as FERPA, is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

The law states that only parents or students eighteen and older, school officials, a school which a student transfers to, and financial aid can view these records. In order for any school to release these records to teachers and faculty, they must have written permission.

The purpose of FERPA is to ensure that all records of students data is kept private for the safety and well being of the student. FERPA applies to any school that receives federal funds or provides educational services.

501 was first caught breaking the law when a teacher reported she was dismayed by her elementary school taping notecards to a wall in the school building which had the students’ information such as test scores, special education services, whether they had switched schools, and if they were on free and reduced lunch written on them. The notecards identified students by their ID number, but some teachers said that the notecards would sometimes have the initials of the students on them.

The only people who are allowed to see information about the low income of students are superintendents and the parents of the children in 501 who are under 18. Three other elementary schools, whose names were not released, were caught with the same offense. The district came out saying they were not aware the schools were doing this and would try to fix it.

Later, it came to the attention of some of the teachers and parents the district had leaked students’ information on PowerSchool regarding the status of their income and whether they were on free and reduced lunch. The district said they had fixed this problem, but it was later discovered this information was still visible to teachers and faculty.

The district leaking this information is a federal offense. FERPA states that teachers and principals

can not have access to the income status of their students. The National School Lunch Act, which governs this law, says that if the privacy of the students is violated it is a criminal act which can result in a fine of $1000, a year in prison, or both. The federal government is still investigating the district to determine the extent of the crime and to make sure they are following through with anything they are being required to do. The involvement by the government was brought on because the district did not follow through with what they promised they would.

Teachers have also shown concern about the violation. One teacher came out to the Topeka Capital Journal with concern for the FERPA issue, as well as another issue which hits closer to home for many teachers.

“I can’t work any longer where I feel so untrusted, so on guard, so unable to be creative,” retired teacher Kris Rowan was quoted in the article ‘Topeka USD 501 Teachers Point to Paperwork, Micromanaging as stressors.’

A few teachers believe the micromanaging put on teachers is not needed in order to sustain the high test scores and just adds unnecessary stress on

teachers.

“They do put a lot of pressure on the teachers, because they want us to succeed in bringing our test scores up, but I feel that there is a better way than telling us ‘This is what you have to do’,” Kenneth Bennett, math teacher and swim coach, says.

On top of this stress, another new challenge has come up for teachers in 501 to avoid having another violation of FERPA. Teachers no longer have access to students information, besides the grades of their own. This makes teachers, like Mr. Bennett who doubles as a coach, have a hard time accessing the grades of their team.

“If I have my swim team, and I want to do grade checks and I want to find out where they are going to be at, I don’t have access to that information. I can’t go on to PowerSchool and make sure that, you know, my members of my team are passing the classes that they need to be passing”, Bennett said.

The necessity of these regulations could be questioned whether they are really going to prevent a data leak or whether they are just another stress placed on teachers considering posting a students’ grades is not a violation of FERPA policy.

3

NEWS

09.17.14

BATTLE FOR TOP CLUB RETURNS

By David Brennan

Brieanna Lopez signs up for a club during the club carnival. Clubs set up booths trying to attract new members. Photo by Loghan Finney

FIRST PLACE FRENCH CLUB 110 POINTS SECOND PLACE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN STUDENTS (FCS) 90 POINTS THIRD PLACE MU ALPHA THETA 70 POINTS

The sun was beating down on the contestants, sweat dripping down their faces, they eagerly wait for the starting bell. They hear the ding and they are off, pushing their teammate on the scooter as strong and as fast as they can around the track; hoping to outrun everyone so they can put their club ahead.

The competition was run by the Link Crew, with Maggie Miller, senior, heading it as project manager. She and her fellow Link Crew members worked relentlessly on every activity for the competition.

“Link Crew does it all, organizes the whole thing and figures out when it’s going to be and all that,” Miller said.

The Link Crew, given less than a week to organize the whole event, were forced to work frantically to ensure everything was in place. Given the short amount of time they had to work with, they believe the clash of clubs was a success overall.

“I think it’s a lot more organized than it was last year, but it could still be better,” Miller said.

This events during Clash of Clubs included scooter racing in 100 degree weather, seeing who can build the tallest tower out of donated cans, and making creative posters. The scooter race began the week long competition for the games. The goal was to be the first person to push the partner around the track, with penalties for going in the other competitor’s lanes.

Since Clash of the Clubs began so quickly into the new school year, the competition also made it challenging for many of the clubs to organize for it. This caused many clubs to have to rush to arrange their meetings

earlier than normal in order to get participants from their club in each of the events.

“I felt it happened a little too soon.

We only had a day to make a game plan,” Janice Waldo, French teacher, said.

Each club was evaluated at each event, earning points for every win; and by the end of the week, the French club emerged victorious with the most points. After the week of competition, clash of clubs then transitioned into club carnival, the theme of which being Disney and Pixar’s Monsters University, where the various clubs of Topeka High set up booths to spread word about their club. They did this by setting up games to show how fun their club was, or just giving basic information about what their club is all about.

While the clubs compete to win bragging rights and a trophy, the competition also helps to get many clubs noticed, which in turn will help to improve their enrollment and exposure. Nine new people signed up at Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) table.

“We doubled our numbers… Now we just have to see if they come,” Kate Cherveny, junior, said.

The link crew also worked extremely hard on setting up and running the carnival. They set up a dunk tank, gave out cotton candy, and served refreshments to draw people into the event.

“I think the club carnival went really well. I saw a lot of kids getting involved at all the tables the clubs set up, plus it was a good time,” Johnny Walker, junior, said.

4

Opinion

09.17.14

Riots in Ferguson prove country still has progress to be made

O

who was shot dead in Florida by a neighborhood watch vigilante in 2012, back to the police shooting of 15 year old James Powell in Harlem 50 years ago this summer, a killing that triggered a week of rioting. Such things do not happen, by and large,

a major black advance into the middle class in the wake of the civil rights movement. All the same, millions of other African Americans remained left behind in places like Ferguson.

Perhaps the only three things that can be said with total confidence about

n August 9, Missouri teenager Michael Brown walked out of a local convenience store with a friend headed back to Brown’s house.

Shortly after, Brown was confronted by police officer Darren Wilson.

While the details are widely debated, it is clear Brown and the officer were involved in some sort of altercation.

Shortly after, chaos ensued, and the small St. Louis suburb of 21,000 people quickly assembled to start protesting what they felt was an unnecessary, and fatal use of force by the police. What is not in dispute is the sense of permanent grievance held by many residents and shared in segregated urban areas around the country. Though nothing excuses violence and looting, it is clear that local governments have not dispensed justice equally .

The disparity is most evident in the Ferguson Police Department, of which only three of 53 officers are black. Blacks account for 86 percent Protester takes to the streets along with many to join in on the rallies turned violent. Photo courtesy of Mashable.com of the traffic stops in the city, and 93 percent of the arrests after those stops. Throughout the next week, to unarmed young white men. The events in Ferguson are: one, that they the town erupted with several spouts continuity of race was a fundamental are not over yet; two, that they will of violence and protesters clashed factor in the killing, the rioting and nevertheless end eventually; and with police time after time. Always the response, yet plenty has changed three, that they will rightly generate in such situations, people ask: why for black people in America since much heart-searching in an America here and why now? The answers are 1964. Later this month, Topeka High where racial injustice, even now and rarely entirely sufficient. As so often, will have reunion for the class of in spite of all the progress, remains the immediate cause of the conflict 1964. It is interesting how 50 years the great enduring national wound.

All of these past events involving was local outrage against the police after a class which graduated during the Civil Rights Era will return to a race should be part of the national killing of a young and unarmed school undoubtedly more diverse conversation on race, as well, and African American. In no instance is than the one they left, but there are prompt a drive to help young black violence the appropriate response still many of the same racial issues men end up in jobs and stable to an act of senseless violence. After facing the United States this day. families rather than in crime or jail.

Brown’s death, his parents called for Overall, it is clear the country has The best escalator to opportunity peaceful protests, but their request made great progress in race relations. may be education, but that escalator was ignored. Fighting unnecessary After all, the Missouri highway patrol is broken for black kids growing up in violence with more unnecessary commander who was brought in neighborhoods with broken schools. violence is simply counterproductive by the governor to take charge after It seems as though many times adults at this point.

In this sense, Brown is simply the the initial official hamfistedness in and those in power fail those kids latest on a long list of victims, like Ferguson is a black man. The president before they fail us.

Eric Garner, who died in New York of the United States, who spoke once last August after police got him in again for his nation throughout the a chokehold, or Trayvon Martin, week as the violence continued, is a black man too. These things embody

So a starting point is for those of us in white America to wipe away any self-satisfaction about racial progress. Yes, the progress is real, but so are the challenges. The gaps demand a wrenching, soul-searching excavation of our national soul, and the first step is to acknowledge that the central race challenge in America today is not the suffering of whites.

It seems as though the quickest, easiest, and most effective fix for this thorn inside the nation’s back would be to first demilitarize the police force, especially at the local level because it is almost shocking how much money small towns spend on the very same equipment soldiers in war use. In addition to demilitarizing the police force, would be to have police who are on duty always have recording devices in their possession.

This would certainly not stop every shooting from happening but it would be a painless way for police forces to maintain accountability and assure more precautions are being taken to help prevent this from happening time and time again across the country.

If these measures are put into place, the country has a much better chance of overcoming more when it comes to racial tenisons. While many people like to believe race does not have an impact on our daily lives, the truth is, it does. In almost every facet of everyone’s lives they will deal with something which happens to them because of race. It would be convienent to say what happened to Michael Brown was tragic, but he did not die because of the color of his skin. It would however, also be naive. At a time like this, America as a whole must be able to recognize the clear problem it faces when it comes to race. Only at the point will we be able to move beyond the discussion of race and how it plays a role in all of our lives.

Staff Editorial

09.17.14

5

Opinion

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: good idea gone bad A

new trend has taken social media by storm, the ALS ice bucket challenge. Its goal is to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, by dumping a bucket filled with water and ice. The effect, however brief it may be, simulates what it is like to have ALS. This is a very deadly disease and, as of right now, always leads to the persons death because their body just shuts down over time. What it actually does is it affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As the disease progresses into further stages, muscles stop working, speaking becomes more and more difficult; their body is just weak because electrical signals from your brain cannot make it down to the muscles and constant assistance from medical staff members is required. Respiratory failure is usually the cause of death in ALS patients.

The ice bucket challenge itself is where my problem lies, it is a good thing gone bad.

I’m just going to counter the main two arguments most people use when they talk about this subject. First, they say it’s about raising awareness; and yes it was, in the beginning. When professionally athletes, such as Sydney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins (hockey) and Peyton Manning from the Denver Broncos were doing it, they were raising awareness.

They did it because the captain of the Boston College baseball team, Pete Frates, was diagnosed at the height of his college baseball career. As the disease progressed and became more severe, Pete had to give up his dream of playing for a team in the MLB. When

he had to give up his dream because of this awful disease, different professional athletes started doing this challenge on his behalf, and actually donating money. He is actually credited with starting the challenge for ALS. When it started becoming more of a social fad amongst high schools, colleges, and most celebrities, we lost the true meaning of this challenge.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say many celebrities would not give ALS even a passing glance but now that everyone is doing this challenge, they do not want to be the one person who has not done it. I will even give an example of this, Justin Bieber. With his recent string of bad behavior, ranging from dangerous driving to assault, I think it is safe to say that he is not the most caring of people. So why do the challenge? Because he was challenged and he does not want to be the one person who does not do it.

The second argument is the ALS foundation has raised a lot of money because of this new trend and I will agree with them just a bit. As of September 3, the total count is around 100 million dollars. That sounds like a lot but with an estimated 34 million ice bucket related videos all over the internet, 100 million dollars is not that much anymore. The rules for the ice bucket challenge are simple, you dump freezing water on your head and donate only ten dollars. If you are nominated and you decide not to accept the challenge, you donate 100 dollars. These are very simple rules and even then, people do not donate which is what this whole thing is for.

Raising awareness is good but people

Particpant taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge. Photo courtesy of Facebook.com

can only go so far on awareness before they start needing money. My favorite video I have seen and the best example for this is Charlie Sheen’s ice bucket challenge. It starts out building up the courage to dump the water on his head and when he does, it is money. He says, “oh wait, that’s not ice, that’s $10,000 in cash which I’m donating to the ALS foundation because, lets face it, ice is going to melt but this money is going to actually help people.” He then calls out his three people to do the exact same thing he did. If more people did what Charlie Sheen did, the ALS foundation could have enough money to really find a cure for this horrible disease.

This “challenge” is simply a trend which will stop when it is no longer considered cool but the money which has been raised is being put towards finding a cure. This is why the ALS foundation is putting this money towards their own research, with stem cell research being among the types of research done. Stem cell research has been a very dividing subject amongst the nation because the cells can be taken from different things, with aborted fetuses being the most controversial. If the cell is taken from a living embryo, it dies; hence taking it from one which is dead. Some say it is immoral because of the abortion aspect and some say it’s not because

it can possibly cure diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s but the ALS foundation has specifically said, when it comes to stem cell research, they are using cells from a volunteer adult owner; and if you are still very much against it, you can say you do not want your donations to go towards this type of research.

I understand people won’t like what I have to say about this because it is very much going against the social norms right now but someone needs to say it. This challenge started out as a good thing, but as more and more people caught on to this trend, it became a joke.

ALS is a very serious matter and we need to treat it as such. Many people are just trying to do it bigger and better than everybody else. I have seen videos of people dumping tractor buckets filled with water on themselves; if that’s not taking this as a joke, then I don’t know what is. Just because you are dumping a bucket of cold water on your head, doesn’t mean you are helping; remember this next time you see a video of someone saying a couple names and dumping water on themselves.

By Austin Ellis

6

09.17.14

Feat

Top Left: George Neaderhiser directs a practice session of the band Center: The front of Topeka High School Top Right: A wreath was placed on the boulder honoring the Topeka High students who gave their lives on the battlefield by Harry Truman Bottom Right: Students swarm toward a chartered bus on their way to a trojan football game

‘54 Reunion I

n 60 years, how much has changed?

It’s strange to think that 60 years ago, segregation was a normality, Elvis Presley began his music career, women were regarded as second class citizens, minimum wage was $0.75, and at Topeka High the class of 1954 graduated.

“It was a golden time to be a teenager.”

Carol Orr, alumni, said.

About 60 classmates from ‘54 (now representing 15 states) attended a weekend of socializing in Topeka including a tour of the school and a formal dinner. Jean FitzGibbons helped organize the events, and spoke to the journalist about life 60 years ago.

One could say ‘54 was a relaxed time for Topeka. School was not a casual affair.

The standard for clothing was dresses or long skirts with bobby socks and saddle shoes. Women were not allowed to wear slacks. Men were expected to wear at least a collared shirt if not a suit.

“We took school more seriously. Everyone dressed up.” Pat Eldien, alumni, said.

Even romance has changed drastically. In the 1950s men and women generally went to “dates”, in separate groups. Once at

an event groups would usually split into couples and continue on from there. If a boy liked a girl he would give her his letter jacket and class ring, but students didn’t show their affection as physically as today, especially not in public.

“Dating wasn’t as big a deal as it is today. There wasn’t any dirty dancing or smooching in the halls. No one was serious about romance. It was just light-hearted.”

Orr said.

Even though ‘54 was the year of the Brown V. Board decision, Topeka High and other regional high schools were almost fully integrated and only sports teams were segregated. To teens not avidly following the news, Brown V. Board did not affect their daily life.

“There wasn’t really any prejudice. The black kids seemed to stay together but [Brown V. Board] really was a non-issue,” Jean FitzGibbons, Reunion Organizer and ‘54 Alumna, said.

Women during the ‘50s were generally expected to go to high school, marry, and have children. They went to college mainly to find a husband. In high school, almost all were enrolled in home equity classes. These classes were designed to teach women to sew, cook, and clean, and keep a good

house.

“Women’s jobs were to get married and have children, not a career,” Fitzgibbons said.

In post World War II America, pressure and paranoia as communism spread across Europe. When the American military found evidence of nuclear testing, both Communist Russia and Democratic America (much like today with the tension of Ukraine) began to militarize. While open war did not break out, Topeka High does still have a fallout shelter.

The class of ‘54 graduated towards the end of the Korean War. Patriotism was high in the States as UN forces led by the US fought the spread of communism in Asia. Some earlier graduates enlisted straight out of high school.

“Me and my friends enlisted in the National Guard because our parents wouldn’t allow us to enter the army before we graduated.”

Larry Graham, alumni, said.

By Tom Teeter

tures

7

09.17.14

Jean Ann Fitzgibbons Honor Prep Senior Leader

Carol Orr Choir Rep. Council

Pat Eldien Key Club Home Room Rep.

Larry Graham Mechanical Drawing Key club

Richard Allen Gingrich Voc. Auto Mechanics

Kathryn Ann Gatewood Home Economics Social Studies

Marvin Bean Baseball Madrigals

Ed Graham Football Co-Captain Baseball

Cheryl Green Pep Club Co-op Office Mahines

Leener L. Barber Boys’ senior Glee Operettes

Lee R. Beaty Co-Cap. Football, 1953 Representative Council

Barbara Cox Cafeteria Worker History Minor

Class of 1954

8

Culture

9.17.14

What Not To Wear: S

Dress Code Style

chool board policy #8150 requires students to dress appropreatly for school, the whole dress code is on page 17 in the palnner. Students should dress in attire that isnt distracting or disruptive to the educational enviorment. If clothing against the code is worn students may be asked to change, diciplinary action may occur if they fail to comply to the request. Below Kyle Tangari, senior, and Ashley Yoder, junior display a few examples of what not to wear.

GIRLS Crop tops, backless halter tops, tube tops, or other shirts deemed too low or revelaing.

Shorts and skirts that are innapropreatly short.

BOYS Hats are not allowed to be worn insde of the buding, and can be confiscated by a staff member after a warming.

T-Shirts that promote alchahol/drugs or which are offensive or dorogatory twards reacial/religious/ ethnic groups.

Sagging your pants even if there are shorts underneath.

Coming to school barefoot or in house slippers.

By Haley Myers

Culture

9.17.14

Lights, Camera, SRO

9

Student run talent show prepares for Hollywood themed performance

ByShayna Myers

S

Never Forget

tudents participating in the Student Run Organization (SRO), a school talent show, have been hard at work in rehearsals to lead the rest of the school and community down the red carpet with their unique gifts in a Hollywood themed performance.

“Our theme this year is Hollywood, so its very lively, so I definitely think the audience will enjoy it,” Skyler Dykes, senior, said.

The directors this year are seniors Morgan Long and Skyler Dykes.

These appointed directors picked the theme for the whole production.

Auditions were held at the beginning of the year and the directors received about twenty-five acts to choose from.

“It is really hard [to choose] especially with singers because we have so many great singers, but we can’t only put singers in the show, so we spent a lot of time making sure our show reflected the diversity that we have here at Topeka High,” Dykes said.

Although there was limited space available in the show, Dykes and Long were able to cast about eleven auditions while still including a variety of acts to be featured in the production.

“We got a yo-yo act, we got a rapper, we’ve got dancers, we’ve got soloists, we have got something for everybody,” Steve Eubank, Vocal Music Director, said.

Along with individual acts SRO also offers the option of group ensembles creating more opportunities for other

students to be a part of the show without auditioning.

“The mens ensemble and womens ensemble is for anyone who wants to join and the hip-hop, jazz, and tap we had dance clinics where people learned about thirty minutes of the dance and then we had tryouts for those who would be in the show,” Dykes said.

Not only do the directors put in a lot of time and hard work in preparation, but the individual acts and ensembles also spend hours practicing after school and on their own time.

“We have rehearsals Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for full ensembles for forty-five minutes and dances like jazz, hip-hop, and tap they rehearse around two to three times a week on their own and the individual acts too,” Dykes said.

Directors and supervisors have had a challenge trying to organize and coordinate time with such a large amount of students involved.

This exacerbates the fact SRO begins so early into the year.

“I think the struggle every year is everybody is really excited to start SRO, so at rehearsals people can be a little rambunctious, but I think that in general people are excited and they know they want to put on a good show,” Dykes said.

SRO will premiere for the first showing on September 18th at 7:00 p.m in the Topeka High auditorium.

Following shows will be on the 19th and 20th at the same time and place.

ROTC commemorates the memory of 9/11 at their annual memorial ceremony held on Polk.

They also recognized Topeka Police officer, Cpl. Jason Harwood, who was shot and killed Sunday, September 7 during a routine traffic stop. Photos by Loghan Finney

10

Sports

9.17.14

Fiander shows football team what girls can do

Breaking stereotypes, challenging barriers, and giving a new meaning to the term girl power, Ruth Fiander, sophomore, begun her first season as the Varsity kicker on the football team.

“My dad was a football player in college and he used to take me out in seventh grade and have me practice kicking field goals,” Fiander said.

Fiander started playing soccer at four and it stuck. Her father had helped her realize that she has a talent for kicking field goals, so when she found out that the team needed a kicker she knew she had to try out.

“When I heard the team needed a kicker, I knew I could kick field goals, and I had to atleast give it a chance,” Fiander explained Seeing a female on a football team is

quite rare, since football is considered a male dominated sport. Although it is a rough sport, Fiander said she has almost no fear and is actually excited to be able to practice and play with the team.

“I’m most excited about being on sidelines on Friday nights and being in that atmosphere.” Fiander says.

Fiander finished her first game, and besides her long ponytail hanging out the back of her helmet, she blended in well with the other players.

By Tessa Duncan

Topeka High Sporting Events Varsity girls Gold (Alvamar) 9/17

Varsity boys Soccr (Shawnee Heights) 9/18/14

9/18/14 (Junction City) Varsity Volleyball

Cross Country (Bonner Springs) 9/20/14

9/19/14 (Highland Park) Varsity Football

Varsity Volleyball (Manhanttan) 9/23/14

9/22/14 Topeka Varsity Golf

Sports

9.17.14

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Football

Cross Country

The football team has been gearing up for this season all summer. In July, they placed 6th in the entire nation in the 7 on 7 touch football tournament.

“I think we’ll be just as good or better than last year,” Alec Beatty, senior, said.

They will also go head to head against teams they’ve never played before. According to Beatty, this will be a challenge, but he thinks that he and his teammates can work through it.

“You can watch them on film but you really don’t have the sense of how they play until you actually play them,” he said.

Kansas City Schlagle and Lawrence Free State are the new teams that have been added to the schedule.

Volleyball This years volleyball team will bring a lot of young, untested potential to the court older players believe. Marissa Lilly, senior, says there is a lot of new talent.

“I’m really excited to see how well we’ll do, actually, because the young girls are pretty good,” Lilly said.

Lilly also hopes that she and her teammates can improve upon the past and make it farther than they have before.

“I can’t wait for sub-state because two years ago we made it past the first round, so hopefully we’ll do it again,” Lilly said.

Boys Soccer All summer the boys soccer team has been preparing for the 2014-2015 season. Brendon Stock, junior, thinks this will set them apart from the other teams.

“This year conditioning is key. We’re doing a lot of running, and we’re gonna be more fit than teams we play,” Stock said.

Getting to know each other will also help the team get ahead.

Stock thinks this will help he and his teammates become a stronger competitor.

“Team bonding and strengthening our relationships as friends on and off the field is going to be key in order to play as a team,” Stock said.Their next game will be in the KAMO tournament on September 13 at DAC-Switzer.

11

Girls Tennis

This year, the Trojan girls tennis team will be returning a lot of experienced players. Whitney Holloman, senior, says that the doubles and singles teams are all set, and they are looking excellent for the upcoming season.

“We have six seniors this year, and five of them are on varsity, so we’re gonna have a relatively strong team compared to the rest of the Centennial League,” Holloman said.

Their next meet is on September 15 in Lawrence at 3 p.m.

This year, the Trojan girls tennis team will be returning a lot of experienced players.

Whitney Holloman, senior, says that the doubles and singles teams are all set, and they are looking excellent for the upcoming season. With so many seniors this year, Holloman thinks they will have an advantage over other Centennial League teams.

“We have six seniors this year, and five of them are on varsity, so we’re gonna have a relatively strong team compared to the rest of the Centennial League,” Holloman said.

Their next meet is on September 15 in Lawrence at 3 p.m.

Girls Golf

The Lady Trojans golf team has a large amount of young people this year. With the loss of several valuable seniors last year, the team will have to work hard to compensate. Jessica Oaks, senior, thinks they can handle it.

“The freshmen this year, I can tell they’re gonna be really good once they’re seniors,” Oaks said.

According to Oaks, this year will be a learning experience for the four freshmen on the team. “We have a lot of new people this year, so I think it’ll be a building year,” she said.

Their next meet is the Topeka West City Invitational at the Topeka Country Club at 1 p.m.

ByErin Mumford

Adviser

MJE

Kristy Dekat,

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Editor-inChief

Meet The World staff

Advertising Policy The World has the right to accept, reject, edit, or cancel any advertisement at any time. Advertising shall be free of statements, illustrations, or implications that are offensive based on the opinion of the staff. Ads are not an endorsement of the adviser, the administration, or the USD 501 Board of Education.

The World opinion section is an accessible public forum for the publication readers.

Editorials represent the collective opinion of the publication staff. Others opinions expressed in any Topeka High student publication are not necessarily those of The World editorial staff, the student body, faculty, administration, or school district. Signed columns and letters to the editor represent the view and opinion of the writer only. The publication The publications are subject to state and federal laws, and the content reflects student thinking and is not necessarily in agreement with administrative policies.

The World newspaper will act as an open forum for public discussions and field letters for all of the journalism publications. A forum, by definition, is, “A marketplace of ideas”. Letters will be edited for content and length as well as spelling, grammar, and other considerations. Letters will be edited if the letter is in poor taste, and letters will be edited to fit space requirements. Letters that are libelous, obscene, or an invasion of privacy will not be printed in the paper: all letters must be signed and verified before publication. The number of letters included will depend on the page space that is available. The World will not directly answer letters unless a question is posed.

The opinion pages area forum for the exchange of comment and criticism, and they are open to students and others interested in Topeka High School. All letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, signature, and class position or role in the community. Typed, double-spaced letters are prefered, but legible hand-written letters are acceptable. e-Mailed letters will not be accepted (since there would be no signature.) letters should be limited to approximately 300 words, or about one-and-a-half pages doublespaced. Poetry is not accepted for submission.