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BT
January 2019
VERBATIM Basketball Conference Champs! Both the boys and the girls varsity basketball teams beat Omaha Christian Academy in their Conference Championship Game! “The camaraderie and brotherhood involved in basketball is unlike anything else. When you get a good team win, and when everyone gets involved, it makes the sport even more worthwhile.” Come cheer for the Brownell Talbot Raiders Basketball team at their next game!
Cheerleading As the weather gets colder and days get darker earlier, you can expect all nineteen cheerleaders to be hard at work on their routine for State Cheer! On February 16, they will be heading to Grand Island to compete at their earliest start time yet! They have moved up a class this year and will be competing in C1. It’s on a Saturday this year, so come out to be a cheerleader for the cheerleaders!
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This is the year for new experiences and opportunities, so embrace and cherish them all.
True Blue Although it is a requirement each year, there are many students at BT who go above and beyond the service learning requirement by consistently volunteering at a certain location. For many students, Methodist Hospital, Methodist Women’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital are the places to work. Those who volunteer there have grown close to the patients, clients, and friends they have gotten to know through their time there. Going to a college prep school has taught BT students that doing activities. At the Methodist Hospitals, there are many positions to be taken. For example, you could work in the gift shop or put information into the hospital database. For more information, ask a friend who works at the hospital what your next step should be.
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Speech If you see middle and upper schoolers talking to a wall or wearing a suit to school, chances are they are prepping for a speech competition. Most Fridays, BT students attend a competition and usually take the gold! Come support the Yakking Raiders at their next competition!
Powerlifting
January 2019
Hot Spots in Cold Omaha
As the weather gets even colder, make sure you hit up the following Omaha it-places for a bit of a break from the stress of semester two. 1: Blackstone: Blackstone is the new restaurant hot spot for people in Omaha. On 48th and Leavenworth, this renewed historical district with favorites like Blackstone Meatball and Cornflower Ice Cream is a favorite among students! 2: Village Pointe: Not only does this mall have a great movie theater that is playing hits like Aquaman, Mary Poppins Returns, and Escape Room, but it also has many other fun things to do. For example, you could go to Cold Stone Creamery for an ice cream (or hot chocolate because it’s so cold out), or head on to one of the many stores there, like Sephora for all you makeup lovers or DSW for some ski boots! 3: Aksarben Village: This has basically all the same things to do as
As powerlifting is in full swing, the weight room is crowded more than it usually is. There are many reasons to enjoy lifting cmpetitively, but as most team members would say, it’s most fun when you are breaking records. “Powerlifting meets are the most fun because I enjoy the determination you have to have to do well,” says junior Joey Ho. Go support the BT lifting team on February 9th at the state tournament at Creighton Prep.
Swimming Brownell Talbot swim is in full swing and for the team members, that means early mornings and late nights. However tasking their event is, all BTCMR swimmers enjoy what they do. The girls have won their last two meets, and conferences are coming up, so go support them and cheer on the BT swimmers on February 9th.
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Four seniors (Emma Kuhn, Madeline Vovk, Jada Griffin, and Anna Kotula) enjoy time together at ThirstTea after school!
Village Pointe: a movie theater, stores, and retaurants. But one thing that Village Pointe doesn’t have is the infamous Jones Bros. Cupcakes. These world famous baked goods won Cupcake Wars and all our hearts (I recommend White Chocolate Chip).
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Knitting Club See Ms. Harms or Ms. Zeigler if you are interested in joining the knitting club. Members participate in many different knitting activities and better their skills, all while creating pieces to give to charity.
Chess Club If you want to challenge yourself mentally, see Rashaan Yapp and Ferris Li to learn more about joining the chess club.
Gaming Club If you are interested in playing skill, video, board, and roleplaying games in an afterschool club, see Mr. Koheler for more details.
January 2019
The Politics Club The Politics Club had its first meeting on January 24th. The topic of the debate was: Benefits vs. Dangers of Social Media. The students who attended the meeting had a successful experience. “The first meeting was really fun! It was cool to be able to talk about important issues!” exclaimed junior Aruna Bashir. Led by senior Surya Buddharaju and junior Janie Xu, Politics Club is a monthly debate about various current events. The meetings take place during lunch in the room of Upper School history teacher Mark Smith. Smith helps moderate the debates as well. The purpose of the club is to help students become more informed on current events and provide a safe space for healthy discussion. When asked about the significance of Politics Club, Xu stated “Becoming knowledgeable on current events will help us better understand the world we live in. I want to provide this learning opportunity to my peers as it will enable them to formulate their own perspectives on global issues.” The Politics Club looks forward to upcoming discussions. “It has been very inspiring to see the enthusiasm young people at Brownell bring to our meetings,” said Buddharaju. Though the news cycle is changing every minute, the Brownell Talbot Politics Club will have a lasting impact.
The B-Tea A lot has been going on around campus recently, and if you haven’t been paying attention, you may have missed it. Here is a recap of all the things that went down in 2018. Starting off on a new note with everyone, the blocked schedule was not an immediate hit, most people thought it was too confusing to follow. However, as the students had more time to do homework and get involved in activites, it quickly became a favorite element of the 18-19 school year. “I like the block schedule because it gives us a more college like experience which is important to be exposed to in a college prepatory school” says sophomore Lily Teunissen.
Next, if you see a stressed out senior in the halls, you can assume it’s about the no-joke process of applying to college. It’s that time again: when seniors pull all nighters and stay in on weekends in order to finish their applications. So maybe say an encouraging word to a senior and let them know that they’ve got this. And finally, a piece of advice. Staying home and doing nothing is so 2018. So maybe try joining a club or sport this year! And sweetie, you’ve got options! Chess Club, Knitting Club, Politics Club, Boys Golf, Girls Tennis, Girls Soccer, Baseball, Track, Speech, and Theater are just a few of the abundant options that BT has to offer. So get involved!
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January 2019
Senior Lillian Cohen is a cheerleader, one of the many activities she has enjoyed throughout highschool.
Unbiased Politics: Today, we’re going to be talking about eminent domain. For those of you who do not know, eminent domain means that the government can legally remove someone from their property strictly for construction or unbanization. This is much different than eviction, which is a tool used to remove someone from their property for violating a contract regarding where they live. Eminent domain is a two sided issue with both sides posing a valid argument. Let’s use an example of a real life situation and compare it from the two sides. An elderly couple has lived in a house for 35 years, not long enough to qualify for a historical property status, but long enough to create many memories. It was the first house they bought together, the place they brought their children home to as babies, where all their Christmases were spent and where their son said his I do’s. However, the town isn’t in the best condition, the roads are torn up, most of the buildings break city healthcode, and the town is low on income. The solution: renovate the town for the good of the people so that the town can make money and can regain popularity with tourists and residents. The first step is building a useable road through the town. In order for this road to be laid out strategically, the town would have to tear down the elderly couple’s home, the church where they were married, and relocate the law firm where their son works. They offer to pay for new housing, but a condo in the middle of town is nothing compared to the memories the house had created while they lived there. The town builds the road and they city profits greatly. Tourism spikes and the wages of the town residents increases, water quality goes up, an even larger church is built to repace the one the city tore down, and overall, the town profits greatly. So what do you think?
Dear Susie, I am so excited to be finally writing you. I think this is something worthwhile that you are doing and so I am so happy I get to finally connect with you. My friends recently hosted a surprise party for one of our friends, but they didn't include me on the planning part of it nor did they even invite me to the party. I was very taken aback by this and so I am looking for some guidance from you on how to best navigate the social scene of high school and how to not show things are affecting me in a negative way. I am not wanting to be angry or mean towards my friends, but I definitely want them to know that it hurt Issue 3
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me and I won’t just let this slide by acting like it didn’t change my view of them. Thank you for your help and I am so excited to hear from you. Sincerely, Pearl Kensington
Dear Pearl Kensington, Thank you so much for reaching out. I know it can be hard to come forward with your emotions and so I truly admire you coming forward with your concern. High school is hard no doubt—whether you are looking at the social or academic aspect, it is not a scene that is easy to navigate by any means. Although life presents us with challenges, we need to find how to best approach every problem with a solution. I think your friends definitely feel bad about “forgetting” to invite you, but I know it hurt you and it wasn’t easy for you to get through. So, I think you need to show the cold shoulder for a while. True friends would never forget to invite you to one of their parties. Nevertheless, by cold shoulder I do not mean to be mean or talk bad about them, but know who your true friends are and who respects you enough to think about and consider you. I really hope this helps. Also, remember that these are not your only friends ever, college will bring a new start, high school is only the beginning. Enjoy your time and be positive towards everyone Pearl. Hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely, Susie
BT
VERBATIM Issue 3