Vol. 111 Issue 5

The Oshkosh West

“Your source for Wildcat news”

IND E X Second semester ‘blasts’ off in style www.oshkoshwestindex.org

Volume 111, Issue 5

February 20, 2015

This Issue:

2

OPINION Discrimination runs more than skin deep

page 2 3-4

NEWS

West mourns loss of former teachers

page 3 SPORTS

5 photo by Keoni Bailey Giddy teams rush down Garbage Hill after the Febuary 6 homemade sled contest. The winning team utilized wheels and a ski to sled 172 yards down the slippery, snowy slopes.

Obi Wan Ryfobi conquers Cali Death Star

page 5

COMMUNITY

7

For one week every Februar y, West stirs from its long winter slumber for a week-long event which students and staff have come to know and love, Snowblast. The competition pits teams of 10 passionate students against each other in a series of scored contests. Teams undertake a plethora of quirky challenges, culminating in the running

Upcoming event illustrates unity between OAHS and Oshkosh

page 7 8-9

SPREAD Beyond biology a look at gender identity

pages 8-9 ENTERTAINMENT

11-12

Flashback to forever favorite films

page 11 15-16

FEATURES

Rotary students keep life stories Evergreen

page 15 Join the conversation

Follow us online

of an eclectic mixt u re of homemade sleds down Garbage Hill. Veteran teachers, new teachers, freshmen, seniors and everyone in between get involved in the event, with each group happily giving up their hour-long lunch to test their mettle in events, score the most points, scale the leader board, and earn prized bragging rights.

“Snowblast is always so much fun,” said science teacher Heather Potratz. “I have been participating for 20 years and it never gets to be old or a drag.”

Teams for the week are organized by st udents. Many are composed of g r a de specif ic friend groups, some a r e d e -

rived from larger school clubs, and plenty are a heterogeneous mixture of aspiring Snowblast champions. Whatever the connection, Snowblast holds a special tradition in West’s history and never fails to bring people together.

“A group of friends and I decided to make a team called Team X,” said freshman C a s s ie Li ably. “We

all knew each other already and thought it would be a week to hang out and have fun.”

Far from being exclusively a competition between teams, Snowblast also nurtures a unique opportunity for new friendships to bloom.

“I’ve participated in Snowblast every year I’ve been at West,” said senior Colin Boyle.

“Every year there is someone on my team who I look at the first day and barely know who they are, but by the end of the week we’re good friends.”

T he s a me phenomenon is experienced by many competitors and ultimately creates a fun social atmosphere that breaks the usually monotony of a ca de m ic discussion between students and teachers, allowing connections on a more friendly premise to

emerge. “ I only knew one of the students on my team prior to Snowblast,” said social studies teacher Matthew Mauk, “but by the end of the week, I really felt like I knew them. It was really a unique experience.”

F a c u l t y also build or strengthen close relationships with st udents over the course of the week, many that will last far longer than a week.

“I’ve been with the same team for the last three years and its been nice to stay connected with that particular group of students even though they aren’t in my class anymore,” said science teacher Brian Perzentka. “I’ll be sad to see them go.”

The games began on Monday, February 2, with team measurements and free throws. Here, points are awarded to the teams with the skinniest waistline, tallest combined height, and the most buckets from the freethrow line. A mere teaser for the real excitement of Snowblast, these events have proven pleasantly competitive in their own right.

“I always like the free throws because everyone seems to do worse than they expect under pressure,” said Boyle. “It’s always fun to joke around with a friend when they airball a shot.”

The following day brings the start of more intense events with a slew of two-person events including log toss, log saw, snow frisbee and snow bowling.

“I always love the second day of Snowblast,” said senior Kate Lichtenburg. “Every year, my team just goes to the events one by one to support each other and when it’s your turn it’s great to have your friends cheering you on.”

Faculty also plunge into action throughout the week, and

the second day of events was no exception.

“I did the log saw for our team,” said Perzentka. “We did okay, but what was great about it was that while we did it, our entire team was holding the log in place and cheering us on. It was a great time.”

Perhaps the most fearsome and physically demanding of the events comes on the third day.

Tug of war and pyramid build create opportunities for fierce rivalries between competitors to form.

“Even though I really like all the events, tug of war would have to be my favorite,” said Perzentka, whose team was the two-time defending tug of war champ

walking into competition day. “It always seems to draw the most spectators and get the most buzz.”

Students and staff alike can’t get enough of Wednesday’s competition, with crowds lingering long after the bell has summoned them back to class to watch the tug of war finale. Although Perzentka and his experienced victors fell one hurdle short of defending their title, losing in the final round, Perzentka nonetheless enjoyed the experience.

“We didn’t win this year, which was kind of disappointing,” he said. “But it was still a great experience to be able to be surrounded by peers who are legitimately enthusiastic and excited to just do our best.”

continued on page 16

2 February 20, 2015

Opinion

Volume 111, Issue 5

Ten second editorials...

Thumbs up

If you could pick anyone to be your Valentine, who would it be and why?

“Rhianna, because come on, it’s Rhianna.”

-Freshman Clayton Fuhrman

“Zac Efron, so we could sing High School Musical songs together” -Sophomore Hannah Olkiewicz

...to nearly 24 hours of entertainment (and a lifetime of mystery) as to how Mr. Scott’s van dissapeared, who took it, and why it reappeared.... ...to Snowblast week for offering a brief respite from the torturous malaise known as February in Wisconsin. ...to Burn Unit dominating in log saw and taking 9th overall! ...to Obama for stepping up against ISIS and pushing for military intervention (and to King Abdullah II of Jordan for just being out for hard core vengeance). ...to discount Valentine’s Day candy. ...to the ACT test for a day off from school (sorry juniors.. not). ...to sunlight, longer days and a burst of Vitamin D!

Thumbs down ...to being lonely on Valentines day- at least we have donuts. ...to Obama for dragging our troops into another squabble within the discombobulated Middle East. ...to people that STILL don’t know how to drive in roundabouts: how on earth do you miss the big white arrows AND the plethera of street signs? ...to the scholarship application process: keep pushing seniors, the free money is worth it! ...to weast. It’s west, Patrick! ...to the frigid morning walk from your car to the school; it’s like something out of a Jack London story. ...to the fact that our school is basically an igloo. ...to hibernation and the weightgaining lethargy effectively killing hopes of that beach bod. ...to school on March 4, what can we achieve in 20 minutes?

The Oshkosh West

INDEX

“Barack Obama, because he can give me the world.”

-Junior Emma McAllister

Oshkosh West High School 375 N. Eagle St. Established in 1903 Volume 111, Issue 5

General Advisor: Mr. Trent Scott Managing Editors: Taylor Ferrere Hannah Schacherl Kaylyn Stanek “Princess Peach, because everyone is trying to save her from Bowser” -Senior Austin Jandrin

“My wife, because she’s awesome.”

- Business Teacher Jeff Becker

Editors: Max Antonneau (Sports) Keoni Bailey (Advertising) Caleb Coopman (Graphics) Rachel Greene (Web) Valraye Herring (Features) Claudia Koechell (Community/Photography) Charity LaBuy (Entertainment) Courtney LaBuy (Entertainment)

Justin Lee (Opinion) Keegan Lim (Photography) Erin Pyle (Business) Sam Seekings (Features) Justin Xie (News) Asreen Zangana (Web) Laura Zornosa (Community) Writers: Elizabeth Brown, Will Cuttil, Aliza Hitz, Carolina Janotha, Ashleigh Kent, Ryan Koehler, Emma McCallister, Daniel Seekings Photographers: Jonas Wagner

Non-Profit Organization Oshkosh Area Schools P.O. Box 3048 Oshkosh, WI 54902 Feb. 20, 2015 Issue #5

The purpose of the Oshkosh West Index is to educate, inform, and entertain through eight publications each year. The paper will provide a forum for students’ ideas and opinions. All letters must be signed. Index editors reserve the right to edit all letters for reason of space, clarity, or libel. All letters express the opinion of their authors and not necessarily that of the Index staff. Drop off all letters in E25, direct them to www.the-index.org, or mail them to Index, Oshkosh West High School, 375 N. Eagle Street, Oshkosh WI 54902. Index accepts advertisements from businesses, faculty, or students, thus creating a market for saleable goods.

Editorial: The Forgotten Fifth “[Have you] had sexual contact with another male, even once?”

It is this question, asked of men who sign up to give blood, which has perhaps stopped millions of gallons of the precious fluid from being donated and saving lives. In attempts to maintain a supply free of such diseases as HIV/AIDS, men are made to respond to this query. If their answer is yes, then they are barred from donating, and from potentially saving a life.

Trying to understand the FDA’s irrational concerns was a struggle for us here at Index. The theory behind this outright discrimination is that there is a much higher prevalence of certain sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS included, in gay men than in other segments of the population, and that therefore gay men are much more likely to attempt to donate infected blood than are heterosexual individuals. While gay and bisexual men are more likely to carry an STD, the rationale which such theories employ is tragically flawed and is, in reality, based on archaic and ignorant biases. Black men are eight times more likely to be infected with HIV/ AIDS, yet race is not a question presented on this. The public would be aghast if blood drives discriminated against others based on race, so why is sexuality any different?

One way the FDA tries to justify their bigotry towards the homosexual population is by claiming that there exists a “window period”: a period of time in which one may have contracted HIV but doesn’t have enough of the virus built up in their body to appear on modern tests. For this reason, they claim that it is necessary to screen applicants about behaviors that may increase their risk, but, the problem lies within the fact that the questions asked are directed towards the gay community instead of a more broad, general set of questions regarding high risk lifestyle choices. HIV does not discriminate between white and black, young and old, wealthy and poor, or homosexual and heterosexual- neither should we.

Rather than asking “have you had unprotected sexual contact?” or “how many sexual partners have you had?”, this survey discriminates against a portion of the population on a basis grounded in speculation and bias.

Every drop of blood donated is tested for a multitude of diseases, including HIV, and unsafe donations are weeded out either way; this discrimination of gay blood has no rational basis, for it victimizes perfectly qualified donors. Homosexual, heterosexual, or somewhere in between- we all have the same, much needed, red liquid running through our veins.

by the Index Staff

3

News

Volume 111, Issue 5

February 20, 2015

West mourns loss of over a century of dedication Oshkosh West has been hit hard by recent losses of legendary faculty members from across the curricular arena. Social studies teacher and coach Dan Cholewinski, music instructor Fred Leist, and physical education teacher and coach Bob Meronk combined for over a century of experience in the realm of public education. Their impact, from the concrete name of the choir room to the less tangible nature of memories and inspiration, will never be forgotten.

Mr. Daniel Cholewinski Dan Cholewinski, who was born in Oshkosh in 1951, graduated from UWOshkosh before teaching social studies at Crivitz High School. He finished his career at West, serving as department chair for social studies and coaching both baseball and basketball. He died unexpectedly on November 26 at Fox River Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center following a battle with illness. Fellow teachers, some of them former students, remember his dedication to education.

Image from legacy.com Daniel Cholewinski was a former social studies teacher and coach for baseball and basketball.

“He always wanted to help students learn,” Patrick Bertram, both a colleague and a former student of Cholewinski’s, remembered. “He really made people think about different issues, whether it was history or politics.”

As a teacher, Cholewinski’s academic acumen and energy struck a chord with staff and students alike.

“He was passionate about teaching; he was passionate about history, and government and politics,” social studies teacher Jane Piddington said. “He loved kids; he loved to get them to challenge themselves and think.”

Cholewinski’s colleagues remember his enthusiasm for social studies, especially when they discussed topics such as politics with him.

“The guy lived, ate, and breathed politics. I remember having conversations, fighting about politics with him,” said social department chair Paul Stellpflug. “He knew his stuff; he could pull out Supreme Court cases like that. When I started teaching AP Government and Politics five years ago, I wanted to be like that.”

To help students learn and achieve more, Cholewinski strived to constantly improve as a teacher and mentor for his pupils.

“We would often talk to each other about what we were reading, and I recollect him saying one time, ‘It’s good that you read,’” said Stellpflug. “He was continually educating himself to be more thoroughlyversed for the students; I found that quite inspiring.”

As he gained more knowledge, Cholewinski would prepare for his classes by debating with his fellow teachers.

“After school, I’d spend time with him and a couple other teachers just debating the topics they would bring up, so he could be able to play devil’s advocate no matter what side he needed to take,” Bertram said.

Always committed to teaching, Cholewinski expected his students to put forth just as much effort as he did.

“He set very high standards for students and he was willing to help them achieve those,” said Bertram. “He didn’t care for people who made excuses.”

Cholewinski’s serious approach to education also applied to athletics. He maintained his energy and passion as a coach for both baseball and basketball.

“He was enthusiastic and an excellent teacher. He was a great person for the freshman baseball team,” said baseball head coach Tony Gerharz. “He was hard on them, but he knew baseball, he knew basketball, and he taught very good fundamentals.”

Whether on the baseball diamond or the basketball court, Cholewinski’s expectations motivated his athletes to succeed.

“He was funny but also knew when to be serious,” said Gerharz. “Winning was very important to him, but he also took a lot of pride in teaching kids technique and the fundamentals.”

Cholewinski was so dedicated to athletics that he made personal sacrifices to support his players.

“When he married his wife in 1996, his wedding was actually the weekend right before the State tournament. He pushed his honeymoon back until after the tournament,” Gerharz said. “That was the first year that the West baseball team went to State.”

Cholewinski’s colleagues also remember his positive character and interactions with others.

“He got along with a lot of people and was very friendly, outgoing, and fun to be around,” said Gerharz.

His legacy as a teacher, coach, and colleague will be remembered by staff and students for years to come.

“He was a great friend and a great teacher,” said Piddington. “We’ll miss him a lot.”

Mr. Frederick Leist

Frederick Leist was born in Milwaukee in 1916. After graduating from Milwaukee State Teachers College with a major in music and minor in drama, he taught music in Algoma for several years.

In 1942, he moved to Oshkosh, where he directed the bands at the then-Oshkosh High School. The next year, Leist left to serve as an officer on a submarine chaser during World War II; his wife, Dorothy, directed the bands during his absence.

Upon his return, Leist focused on directing choirs until his retirement in 1974.

He passed away peacefully on January 23 in his home. Leist’s dedication to choral excellence is remembered by his fellow teachers and former students.

“Mr. Leist was such a unique person.

He would just f ly through the door and there would be 125 kids sitting [in the choir room], and it would go quiet,” said former student and North choir director Dan Carpenter. “There was so much respect for him. Mr. Leist was unique; he had fantastic discipline and great talent.”

Leist’s character and strong impression garnered reverence from his colleagues and students alike.

“He was a very distinguished, kind and warm person; by all accounts, he was beloved by all of his students,” said West choir director Herb Berendsen. “Everybody loved him, everybody highly respected him; he was a real gentleman.”

Image from The Choir Frederick Leist was the former director of the Oshkosh High School band and choir. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, who also used to teach music.

Students, in particular, had a special sense of admiration for Leist and his dedication to music.

“The respect for him was just unmatched,” said former student Pat Carpenter. “Mr. Leist was like an idol for the kids.”

Leist’s reputation is a result of his approach to music education. According to his students, he held exceptionally high expectations.

“If you didn’t toe the line, you weren’t in choir anymore,” said Pat Carpenter.

“He was strict, but the discipline made the choirs as fantastic as they were.”

His former students were sometimes terrified by his austere demeanor. Dan Carpenter shared one of his experiences as a choir member under Leist.

“If you were special, you got a nickname, and my nickname was ‘Carp’. I was in A Cappella my junior and senior year; I wasn’t in it sophomore year. My junior year, they started singing a very difficult song. The kids had sung it the year before, so we started practicing and the group fell apart. You could hear a pin drop in there; everybody was scared,” he recalled.

“Mr. Leist stood there for a minute and said, ‘Carp.’ My heart stopped and I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Don’t you remember this from last year?’ I said, ‘Mr. Leist, I wasn’t in choir last year.’ He said, ‘I know. You should have been,’ and we all laughed.”

Leist applied the same intensity of his teaching to his performing and leadership.

During concerts, he directed his choirs admirably.

“I was at a State Music Convention in Madison and he directed the national anthem in the rotunda,” said Berendsen.

“He was in control of hundreds of people, and it was just amazing that he had total control over so many people.”

Outside of choir, Leist and his students became very close, developing a trusting relationship.

“He was like a second dad to me,” Dan Carpenter said. “He would throw me the keys to his house and say, ‘I’m going on vacation for a week, keep an eye on my house.’ We were very close.”

Leist will be remembered by friends and colleagues for his passion for music and stern but caring personality.

“When he passed away, everybody couldn’t believe it,” said Pat Carpenter.

“He was an amazing man, teacher, and friend all in one.”

Mr. Bob Meronk

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1946, Bob Meronk graduated from Omro High School before earning an undergraduate degree from UW La Crosse and a master’s degree from UW Madison. He began teaching in Lake Mills from 1968 until 1974, when he became a teacher and coach at West.

During his time at West, Meronk served as a successful coach for football, boys basketball, and girls track. After his retirement in 2003, Meronk was inducted into the Oshkosh West Wall of Fame in 2013.

He passed away unexpectedly on January 12. West faculty and former students will remember Meronk’s legacy as a teacher and coach for many years.

“Mr. Meronk was very dedicated to West High School, both in the school itself and the athletic department,” said physical education teacher Jason Fahrney. “He devoted many years of his life to West athletics and West High School.”

In his role as head coach, Meronk devoted much of his time to working with his athletes. Through preparation and communication, he helped them achieve their best.

“He was very dedicated; he spent a lot of time thinking about coaching and planning out the season. He was always planning ahead,” said art teacher Jason Ryf. “He was a coach 24/7; he was always involved with the kids. He was always wanting to make sure the kids were good at their sports.”

Image from Oshkosh West Football Facebook Bob Meronk was a former West physical education teacher and coach for football and track.

Meronk worked well with his fellow teachers. Physical education teacher Joseph Wagner recalls the respect that Meronk had for his colleagues.

“He treated me as a professional; he didn’t treat me as a student teacher,” he said. “During track season, Mr. Meronk would have me sub, which meant a lot of me. He was a caring and compassionate person; that really touched me as a young teacher starting out.”

In addition to respect, other traits made Meronk’s personality stand out in the memories of West teachers.

“He was a quiet guy who went about his business in a very professional manner.

He had a clever sense of humor though,” Fahrney said. “It was a quiet, dry sense of humor; he was a lot of fun to be around.”

According to math teacher Kenneth Levine, Meronk’s humor was entertaining, especially for those who knew him well.

“Sometimes he was super funny, but you had to understand him,” he said. “He’d say something and you couldn’t tell if he meant it to be funny, but he did.”

In addition to his humor, his quiet disposition captured his intense dedication to West and his athletes.

“I’m going to remember him for how much he cared about kids and how much he cared about West High School,” said Fahrney. “He proved it everyday.”

by Justin Xie

4 February 20, 2015

News

Volume 111, Issue 5

Mandatory test accompanied by rare offer of motivation Harrison said. “The first day of testing is going to be approximately five hours. It is broken up into f ive different test with breaks administered in between. The schedule we have to follow is an ACTmandated schedule, so it’s the same schedule that all schools will be following.”

Image from killeenisd.org To limit distractions, This spring, high school juniors freshmen, sophomores, throughout the state will be required to and seniors will not have school on March take the ACT Plus Writing college readi- 3. This will create a quiet environment ness assessment and ACT WorkKeys job allowing juniors to concentrate. skills assessment on March 3 and 4, respec“We would not be able to have bells go tively. The former test, used to gauge the off during the school day,” Harrison said. academic abilities of high school students, “Plus, we need the classrooms that students consists of an essay and multiple choice would have been having classes in.” tests in English, Science, Reading, and On March 4, juniors will take the ACT Mathematics. The latter assesses founda- WorkKeys assessment, which focuses on tional skills students will need when they skills necessary for success in the workjoin the workforce. The tests have recently place. The other grade levels will have a been mandated as part of the Wisconsin half-day with an adjusted schedule.

2013-2015 biennial state budget.

“The tests for the ACT WorkKeys are “It’s starting for this year as part of not as long, so the juniors will be getting Governor Walker’s budget,” said assistant done just before noon,” said Harrison. “Evprincipal Steve Harrison. “Testing was a eryone will be at school in the afternoon, part of the decision so it’s not a local deci- and there will be shortened class periods.” sion; it’s actually a state decision.”

By using school days to administer To comply with the state’s mandate, the ACT tests, non-junior students will Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) lose time in the classroom - an inevitable faculty must prepare to administer the test. consequence of the state-mandated testing.

In addition to informing students, adminis“The OASD is just now feeling the trators needed to become familiar with the impacts of the new testing and assessment ACT test procedures. requirements,” said Julie Mosher, OASD “There are a number of preparations Director of Curriculum and Assessment. being taken for the ACT. One of them is “The high schools have been impacted the training staff,” said Harrison. “I trained most. Previously, high schools only had to the staff on February 11. All juniors will administer the Wisconsin Knowledge and complete the pretest portion of the ACT Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in the on February 25. At that time, I will also go fall of grade 10. Starting this year, the high over the guidelines for the test with them.” school testing is reulting in a significant As a nationally administered exam, loss in instructional time.” the ACT test must be conducted according Although the tests will impact the to a strict schedule. schedules of the other grades, some juniors “The first day, March 3, is pretty much appreciate that the school will be vacated designated to just testing with the ACT. for the duration of the tests.

Juniors will check into school at the normal “I think it will be benef icial for time and the test will be administered,” the other students to have off while we

are taking the exam,” said junior Haley Wozniczka. “That way, there will be fewer distractions while taking the test.”

Other juniors are less than enthused about going to school while their classmates get a break. However, many understand the benefits of taking the ACT at school.

“Of course, I’m a bit jealous everyone else gets a fun day of relaxation while I’m at school sobbing softly over my ACT test, but at least this way we don’t have to sacrifice a Saturday,” said junior Tess Seering.

The newly mandated ACT will offer several other benefits as well. The exams will give educators another standard by which to assess the skills of their students.

“OASD educators will have rel iable dat a to make i n s t r u c t io n a l decisions on instruction, curr iculu m, st udent placement in courses and programming,” said Mosher.

For juniors taking the ACT, t he most i mmediate benefit may be the cost of the exam - or rather, the lack thereof.

“The big advantage is that juniors will no longer have to pay a fee for the ACT,” said Harrison. “In the past, they would have to pay a fee for the test, plus they would also have to take the test on a Saturday at another location. Now the students can take the test here at Oshkosh West.”

In addition to the financial benefit of the free test (normally $54.50), some juniors appreciate the exam experience.

“I’m in favor of the standardized ACT testing. The majority of juniors were planning to take the test anyway,” said Seering.

“By making everyone take it at the same time, it alleviates a lot of the stress that previously had been associated with the test.”

If students choose to retake the ACT, the tests in March will give them an opportunity to get used to the format of the exam. The ACT will also give students a chance to show off their abilities.

“The concept of colleges taking your ACT score into consideration makes taking the ACT and doing well pretty advantageous overall,” said Seering. “In addition, I think it will be interesting to see what I know and where I rank against other students my age.”

However, the ACT tests still generate anxiety and stress for students, who often dislike standardized exams.

“The ACT is a time-consuming and

Image from Huffington Post

stressful test,” said junior Chris Rost.

Other students are opposed to the onesize-fits-all format of standardized tests.

“I am against standardized tests like the ACT because it is too generic, based on the majority, and doesn’t fill everyone’s needs,” said Wozniczka.

If they can look past the monotony of the actual test, juniors like Wozniczka can appreciate the benefits offered by the day.

“It provides the opportunity to see where you stand in comparison to other students your age, and to continue improving yourself,” she said. “It can benefit anyone, college-bound or not.”

by Aliza Hitz

Innovation Conference challenges students to take control Career oriented juniors recently attended the Innovation Career Conference, presented at the Oshkosh Convention Center on January 29. At the conference, a variety of professionals and innovators shared advice for students aspiring to successful careers. Zack Pawlosky, the 23-year old owner of Candeo Creative and keynote speaker at the Conference, discussed the impact that innovation has had on him.

“This term has definitely shaped and defined my life thus far,” he said.

The students in attendance were selected by their business, foreign language, science, or mathematics teachers to attend the Conference and learn about potential careers in innovative fields. Professionals

Image from Zach Pawlosky LinkedIn

presented three seminars on engineering, technology, and career search. In their presentations, they offered personal insights on how students’ high school decisions can influence their future plans.

“My biggest regret in high school was not taking a variety of different electives to see what I was interested in,” said Ryan Heenan, a mechanical engineer at Bemis.

“That would have helped me to learn sooner that I was interested in the field of engineering.”

Heenan’s ref lection stimulated students to consider their own plans. Some students were pleased to discover that they are on the right academic track.

“Hearing about how [Heenan] never took any sort of engineering classes in high school but still made it through college without any problems put my mind at rest,” said junior Noah Wuest. “Those are the type of classes I am taking right now, so hopefully I’ll be ahead of other people in my classes when I get to college.”

In addition to academics, the conference speakers discussed the presence of women in fields such as science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM). According to UW-Madison student Michael Soukup, a greater number of women are pursuing previously maledominated careers.

“Women are increasing their numbers in the engineering field,” he said. “All the

women engineers I know are a lot smarter than I am.”

Soukup’s insight reassured juniors of their ability to succeed in fields like science and engineering.

“I was a little concerned when I first heard these engineers talk because there were only guys, but hearing that most women who are in the field are successful made me feel a lot better,” said junior Hannah Ostertag.

The speakers encouraged the juniors to explore the career paths that interest them. Heenan reminded all of the students to keep working toward their goals, no matter what challenges they encounter.

“My biggest preoccupation when trying to enter this field was that I was afraid to fail, but after much trial and error I’ve found that failure isn’t real,” he said. “It’s just part of the innovation process.”

As STEM careers evolve, technology has become more integral to the innovation process. However, the development of advanced technology also threatens careers that students may have in their sights.

“Jobs are something that are always going in and out of style,” said Michael Patton. “There is not always job security when a robot could take your place.”

As Patton suggests, technology can create certain career opportunities but also replace other jobs. As a result, students will need to be innovative to have the upper

hand when pursuing a demanding career.

To help students prepare for their futures, Chris Czarnik encouraged students to decide upon a career course by taking charge of their lives.

“Identify what you’re good at, then come up with a plan to achieve it,” said Czarnik, Career Planner at Fox Valley Technical College. “You’re not supposed to know the answers, but you are responsible to ask the questions.”

By inspiring students to take charge of their futures, the speakers at the Innovation Conference offered a plethora of career advice for attendees, who appreciated the chance to learn about future occupations.

“The Innovation Seminar was a great opportunity to learn about engineering and technical occupations from people who currently worked in the field,” said junior Taylor Johnson. “The conferences and speakers were engaging and they provided information about topics I never would have learned about had I not been there.”

Pawlosky commended the initiative of the juniors like Johnson who similarly care about taking control of their futures.

“You’re taking the first step today toward being an innovative person,” he said. “Challenge what’s happening now, determine goals, and don’t stop until you get there.”

by C. Janotha and A. Kent

5

Sports

Volume 111, Issue 5

February 20, 2015

Tragedies highlight vital need for winter safety Perzentka believes there is an effective way to avoid very serious problems.

“People need to use common sense,” he said. “If the ice looks bad, don’t test it.

It’s not worth taking the chance because if it goes bad, it goes really bad really fast. So people need to keep up on ice conditions, play it safe.”

Before even approaching the ice, people can determine if it is a good day for winter activities.

“I spend a lot of time in advance talking to local fishing clubs and doing some actual f ield research by drilling some holes in the ice,” auto teacher Ma rk Boushele said.

“It’s a lot of conser vation and homework in advance, but it’s required.”

Determining the thickness of the ice is only half the bat tle. Senior J a k e Yo d e r understands the www.montanaoutdoor.com

On January 25, a truck, carrying a 40year-old father and his eight-year-old son, fell through the ice on Lake Winnebago.

Even though both were pulled from the water, they tragically died from the injuries that they had received. This type of accident is sadly common in the winter months, and it is vital for those who participate in ice fishing, and numerous other sports, to know how to stay safe while still enjoying the arctic outdoors. Science teacher Brian

importance of safety gear.

“You need to have Department of Transportation approved helmets so that if you fall off your snowmobile at 100 mph you’re still alive,” he said. “Some snowmobiles have rip cords so if you do fall off, the snowmobile will shut down so it doesn’t run you over.”

Even though the ice may offer a more thrilling experience for snowmobiling, senior Cody Hinn grasps that it can turn deadly.

“It can be dangerous riding snowmobiles on the river because the river is never 100% safe,” he said. “Also, people need to follow the speed limit at night, which is 55 mph on snowmobiles, because you never know what is in front of you.”

Snowmobile trails are there for the safety of the riders, but when operators take more dangerous routes, they put their lives at risk. People don’t always realize that they are not invincible.

“I wish people wouldn’t take for granted all the advice of the experts,” senior Sean Jirschele said. “People think they’re not going to be that person who falls through the ice today, or accidentally shoot their best friend while hunting, or I’m not going to be that person who gets in a crash when snowmobiling.”

Before even getting outdoors, Boushele realizes that the weather truly determines if it is safe to travel.

“In inclement weather, stay home,” he

said. “When the weather is bad, it’s better to have something to go wrong when you’re at home than out in the storm in a car.”

Those who are not directly involved with the action on the ice still have great concern for those who are potentially putting their lives at risk.

“My parents always worry, my mother more than anything,” Jirschele said. “I think it’s because she doesn’t hear all the successful ice fishing stories and hunting stories; she only hears about all the people who had an accident. But when I see her worry, I’ll go do more research about what I’m doing and what I need to do to stay safe if something does happen.”

Science teacher John Mueller enjoys the great outdoors that Wisconsin has to offer.

“I’m a Wisconsin purebred and I believe if you can get out in all four seasons, you should,” he said. “I learned everything cold weather safety related from my dad, and he was a Wisconsin farm boy, so I know what to do in a dangerous situation.”

Although he hopes such dangerous situations never arise, Perzentka explains what one must do in order to lift their chances of survival.

“People need to remember to keep your head about you and to not panic, because as soon as you panic, you lose common sense,” he said.

by Taylor Ferrere

Force proves strong with Ryf in Cali marathon Every mile is magic: a phrase only applicable for a Disney Marathon. Every winter, Disney hosts a series of races at the Disney Parks, accompanied with special themes for each year. Running through the park and meeting all the characters is just one of the benefits from all the training and hard work that goes into preparing for any distance competition. On January 18, cross country coach and art teacher Jason Ryf checked the Disney Half Marathon off his list.

“I have done marathons in Chicago, the Twin Cities Marathon, the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, the Boston Marathon, and the Olympic Trials in New York and Birmingham, and in Alabama,” he said, “but this was my first marathon in Disney.”

Traveling all over the United States for his races, Ryf enjoys a change in scenery and temperature.

“The race was in Disneyland, which is in Anaheim, California,” Ryf said. “The weather was great; during the day it was in the 70’s and would cool down to the 50’s at night, much better than January in Wisconsin.”

Ryf was not the only Wisconsin native seeking to escape the frost.

“It was fun seeing and meeting people from all over, but I also met some volun-

teers from here in Wisconsin,” he said.

This marathon attracted runners from all over the world, from Olympic athletes to those just participating for the experience of running through one of the most magical places on earth.

“There was a different type of crowd for this race,” Ryf said. “Most of the races I do are fairly competitive and people are really looking to run a good race. This race had some people like that, but most people were there to celebrate Disney or Star Wars.”

The theme for this year’s half marathon was Star Wars, which many of the runners fully embraced even if it inhibited their running ability.

“There were a lot of people dressed up in costumes, either Disney or Star Wars characters. Some of these costumes were not conducive to running, but they looked cool,” Ryf said.

The other assortment of runners were the ones taking on the distance and putting their training to the test.

“The toughest competition was the Force coming from Darth Vader and the Dark Side,” Ryf joked. “Nicholas Arciniaga, a pro-runner who lives and trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, was the winner, so he was the biggest competition. He was a bit ahead of me and I was ahead of third place,

so we all pretty much ran alone.” runner and a person.

With the help of Yoda and R2-D2 to “He always wants to make you betward off the Dark Side, Ryf was able to ter. When I was a sophomore my mental finish the race in good standings. attitude was horrible,” he said. “I always “The race started at 5:30 in the morning complained about doing hard workouts and so it was really dark- the sun was just com- he straight up told me to quit whining. If I ing up when I finished,” said Ryf. “Some of wanted to get better, I needed to work for it. the rides were lit up for us and there were I will never forget that moment.” a lot of Star Defining moWars characments and quotes ters cheering that stick with his us on. I ran runners forever is 1:10.56, not just what Ryf supmy best time plies in the coachbut I was ing position. Ryf happy w it h proved to Rost it since I am that “superheroes getting older are real” and that and slower. I no obstacle is too was second large. overall a nd “Coach Ryf first Masters h a s t a u g ht m e [40 and over] how anything can photo courtesy of Jason Ryf runner.” be done with a The sup- Jason Ryf (right) and his girlfriend Charity enjoy fooling strong work ethic por t of t he around in Disney after the Star Wars themed marathon. a nd a p o sit ive characters mental attitude,” and the heroes of the galaxy boosted the he said. “I want to continue running after runners’ confidence just as Ryf models college and maybe make the Olympics, and competitive running to the cross country he has showed me that it’s possible.” team. Senior runner Jake Rost feels Ryf’s

by Kaitlyn Landolt running and life lessons impact him as a

6 February 20, 2015

Sports

Volume 111, Issue 5

Senior Wildcats contemplate future Four years can change a lot. The world’s population hit seven billion, Facebook debuted on the stock market, Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, became the fastest man ever, democratic president Barack Obama was re-elected, a new Pope was chosen, and Ebola scared the world.

In a not-so ground breaking event, the seniors at West are soon graduating, like always. Although their stories don’t appear on major news stations, they still deserve attention. As athletes develop, they live on the field and in the weight room, coaches become like parents, and teammates act as siblings. The sport and everything surrounding it becomes a home and a safe haven for Wildcats. With just months left, West athletes reflect.

“I’ve had a different head coach for gymnastics each year of high school,” said gymnast and track runner Desiree Flouro.

“Every coach taught me to just have fun and enjoy myself competing. They all have brought something different to the table to help us succeed and over the years they helped me grow into not only a better gymnast, but a better person,” Possibly having even more of an impact than coaches are the teammates that surround players. Being in the same boat, teammates are easy to relate to but also follow each other into the classroom as students.

“Since winning State at six or seven year olds, my teammates and I have been extremely close,” hockey player Ryan Mantz said. “It was a real special experience to be able to bring Oshkosh its first state championship and we’ve been together ever since. We have kids from several different schools playing on the same team too, so it’s cool to meet more people that you wouldn’t have gotten to know if you didn’t play on the team.”

While Mantz is thankful for his mixed community teammates, basketball and baseball standout Jake Guenther has fonder memories in his years of beating teams from around the state.

“Any big memory of mine comes from a big win,” Guenther said. “Beating Oshkosh North in baseball regionals last year is a great memory of mine. In basketball, we beat Kimberly last year in double overtime at their place, and that was huge. Even bigger was just two weeks ago when we took down Kaukauna. That was huge.”

The past is behind these Wildcats now though, so for the three athletes it’s all about the future. Though all have goals to participate in their sports in college, each has a different way of getting there.

“I will be playing junior hockey next year, but after a couple years of that I really want to be on a college hockey team and play for a school,” Mantz said. “Anything

that happens after that would be a dream to achieve and I hope I can continue playing hockey even after college.”

For Flouro, she is prepared to go straight to college, though being on the school’s competitive team isn’t something she intends to do.

“If I go to the University of Minnesota, I plan to do their recreational gymnastics program, but if I go to Madison I don’t plan to continue my gymnastics career.”

Unlike the other two, Guenther has a chance to do something that few athletes that make it past the high school level do.

“I have the opportunity to play baseball or basketball at a few different schools,” he said. “I even have a school that will let me play both.”

With all the time at the high school level allotted, the three athletes have been through it all. Summed up by Guenther, they have some lasting words of advice for up-and-coming athletes.

“Cherish every moment you have in your sports,” he said. “When you get to high school, you likely only have those four years left to participate in sports, so that’s why I say that. If you want to compete in sports you are the only one holding yourself back, and you have to make the commitment yourself to get better.”

of 6-0, the swimmers could not be happier with the turnout of their season.

“This season went much better than I ever expected; I ended up with times I can be proud of,” said senior Jacob Landgraf.

“I wouldn’t trade my team for anyone else.

This is the best group of guys and we are all so close.”

The team came together for the tradition Mohawk haircut to obtain a fierce look for the Sectional swim meet to look. With four years in the high school program, Steeno appreciates the camaraderie of his fellow swimmers.

“This team had to come together to deal with the loss of a really strong senior class last year and I’m extremely proud of what we accomplished this year even though we had less talent, which shows that we worked hard to get to where we are now,” he said.

Even to a swimmer with eight years of meet experience, the nerves never calm when under pressure.

“I’m always a wreck,” Jacob Slezak said, “especially when you know the race you’re in is super important.”

Coach Carrie Bores does more than just prepare her swimmers physically, but mentally as well.

“She tells us to relax and to execute our races the best that we can,” Doberstein said.

Bores, a favorite of her squad, reminds her boys to worry only about their race and nothing else. Slezak says every year the Conference tournament teaches him something new.

“You can’t underestimate yourself or your opponents for that matter” he said. “I always surprise myself with a new time.

Now it’s all about the road to State.”

Now, the squad must endure the span of time stretching from here to the final finish line.

“The waiting is unbearable, but we’ve made it this far so we are excited to see how we do,” Jacob Slezak said.

once again, leading an electric offense into another deep playoff run. Most will agree, Rodgers was the most valuable player, but I for one am not one hundred percent sold.

Obviously there’s a bias towards offensive players, especially quarterbacks like Rodgers, who dictate every offensive play. Yet, we should look at who plays their position best, which I think is a more righteous way of deciding who claims this highest of honors. Rodger’s did in fact have a record setting year, but J.J. Watt had undoubtedly one of the most incredible seasons the league will ever witness.

With the finishing of this season, Watt became the only defensive end in NFL history to have two, 20 plus sack seasons. He also recorded 78 solo tackles as a defensive end. Impressed yet? I am; in a “pass first” league, anyone who lives in the trenches recording that number is absurd. Speaking of absurd, he broke up 10 passes, a signature of his dating back to his Badger days. In addition Watt forced four fumbles, returned a fumble for a 40 yard touchdown and grabbed an interception which he returned for an 80 yard touchdown. The defensive credentials go on and on, which justifies his defensive player of the year trophy. It also generates another argument that experts may babble about, was it the best year a defensive end has ever had?

I for one could argue this, which is why I strongly stand by the stance that Watt should have been the most valuable player.

Rodgers did not have the best season a quarterback has ever had, and if someone wishes to question this, please learn about Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, etc.

Another common argument claims that athletes on the defensive side cannot make the same impact. This is well noted. But when analyzing the specimen known as Watt, everyone seems to forget his offensive impact. I’m not referring to the turnovers he seems to create in every game, instead I am making reference that he is also utilized on the offensive side of the ball in many different packages. He occasionally finds himself in the backfield like his younger brother Derek at the University of Wisconsin. Bone crushing blocks seems to run in the family, but the 6’5” giant even functions as a receiver.

Watt recorded three touchdowns with his hands, including an over the shoulder catch that would find a comfortable home being replayed on ESPN’s top plays. If any lineman catches a touchdown pass, they deserve recognition, Watt did this three times. Making contributions on both sides of the line of scrimmage should have given him a natural edge. Instead those in sports media are mind blown by Aaron Rodgers throwing to some of the NFL’s best. Everyone loves a good show, and sportscasters and experts fully buy into an offensive world, while a player like Watt manufactures incredible football and doesn’t see the same stardom or credit.

Most fans from Wisconsin will denounce this argument faster than Melvin Gordon’s 40 time, but I really do not understand how these two athletes can compete for the same trophy. Comparing a quarterback to a defensive end seems impossible to me, yet everyone quickly concludes that Rodgers is a righteous MVP. The glorification of offensive players will always give a disadvantage to other positional playmakers like Watt. But I am truly dumbfounded by how many people don’t take into consideration Watt’s argument.

by Taylor Ferrere

by Jon Korger

by Max Antonneau

Aquatic ‘Cats set eyes on State pool W hile most high schoolers were spending the Valentines holiday with their beloved, the boys swim team spent the day with their one true love: chlorine. The Sectional swim meet, which took place at Neenah High School, proved to be successful for the varsity team, who placed third among seven teams and had numerous swimmers qualify for State. Senior Nate Somers qualified in the 100 and 200 freestyle and is ranked first in the state for both events, senior Taylor Steeno qualified in the 500 freestyle, junior Jacob Slezak qualified in the 100 freestyle, the 200 freestyle relay of Somers, juniors Mitchell Slezak and Jacob Slezak, and senior Cole Coons qualified, and to round it all up, the 400 freestyle relay of Jacob Slezak, Coons, Steeno, and Somers qualified as well.

“The team is more than content with

Oshkosh Campus

our third place finish,” Jacob Slezak said, “we all had some great swims.”

With State this weekend in Madison, the boys are giving everything they have to finish their season on a high note.

“My goal for State is to set the records for the 200 and 400 freestyle relays,” Coons said. “We’re a second off in both, so it’s possible.”

Major wins have been the key to success for their year of accomplishments, particularly their win over swimming powerhouse Neenah earlier this year on January 27.

“It was the best feeling of the whole season,” Jacob Slezak said. “The energy of the whole team shifted in the moment we realized we won.”

Not only did the aura of the team transform, but the interest in the sport by fans spiked to an all-time high, which inspired the boys to try even harder. “ Se ei ng fa n s at t he meets is such a booster,” said junior Nick Doberstein.

“It’s a whole new motivation when the fans turn out to support us. It makes all the difference.”

A visible difference at that. With the varsity team winning record of 5-1 in conference and the junior varsity with the undefeated record

Our Grads Get Jobs

High graduate employment rates average about 90%.

www.fvtc.edu/WhyFVTC

Korger ’s Korner: Watt’s the Deal?

Aaron Rodgers had a dynamic season

Business gaining owly setp across ica. Now commugrace the n with the hop Local February March 1 kosh busi-

Community

7 Volume 111, Issue 5

February 20, 2015

Production crafts Grand vision of animated classic

Bitter winter gales have blown musical theater through the streets of Oshkosh as, exactly a month ago, West staged Cinderella, and North soon followed suit with Shrek The Musical on February 5. Spartan thespians, and audience members, had the opportunity to enoy the the unique ambience of the renowned Grand Opera House for the production’s run. Both plot and performance seemed to spring straight from the big screen to the stage as Shrek managed to entertain children of all ages. Crowd-favorites from Donkey to Lord Farquhar to Shrek himself were perfectly cast, both vocally and characteristically, as the cast and crew brought the Dreamworks classic to life for an appreciative audience.

Adapting an animated film to the stage demanded quality costumery, and the crew of Shrek did not disappoint. Characters stood out in larger than life outfits that managed to project by strong characters into the

Claudia Koechell

Shop Local triggers investment in local business Small Business Saturday gained speed and set up shop across urban America during the holidays. Now, its spirit of community unity can be enjoyed well into the spring season with the arrival of Shop Local Week, from February 23 through March 1 in local Oshkosh businesses.

“With Shop Local and Shop Local Week, I just want everybody to change their way of thinking, and I would love to have, by the end of the year, after the fourth Shop Local Week, these local businesses quadruple, and their customer base, too,” said Connie Carmical of Shop Local Oshkosh. “We’re all about driving new business, and we just want to help them: help them grow, and stay in Oshkosh, and let people find out what’s so unique about Oshkosh.”

Shop Local itself is not an Oshkoshbased organization, but has sprouted branches across the Fox Valley. However, the current Shop Local Week includes only area participants based within the city, although it still involves over 50 locations.

“Our idea is to change the way people think when they go shopping. Instead of shopping at the big-box stores, and online, we want them to shop local, because then all the money stays in Oshkosh,” said Carmical. “All the business owners either have kids in school, or had kids in school, they support nonprofits, and they support the local school system, so why not support them in return and keep their business going?”

Participants vary vastly, ranging from cafés and restaurants like Glass Nickel Pizza to services and product providers like Kitz and Pfeil. Locations are also diverse in their geography, and are spread widely across the map of Oshkosh. The one aspect they all share in common, though, is an inherent interest in the community.

“You guys just had a play at West. Who

bought the ads for that program? Familyowned businesses,” said Planet Perk Cafe owner, Ken Osmond. “We’re running out of places where we can have our voice be heard, and you’re only going to have so many plays a year, with so many programs distributed, so we need Shop Local to get the word out.”

Shop Local curates four of these weeks each year, and each one benefits a different nonprofit organization. This week’s recipient is the Oshkosh Area Humane Society.

Clientele shopping at designated “drop- off site” businesses can donate supplies to the organization, while simultaneously supporting the community.

“There are several reasons why Shop Local is so critical. Number one: nothing locally functions without family, locally owned businesses,” said Osmond. “If you spend a dollar in this shop, or any other family-owned business, 83 cents of it will stay in Winnebago County. If you spend money at a big chain, like Starbucks or Olive Garden, only 43 cents will stay in Winnebago County.”

In order to accomplish its mission of bringing business to businesses, Shop Local Week has created a passport program for customers to use while traveling around town. Shoppers can collect stamps by dropping off donations or purchasing from participants.

“The passport idea is a great way to get the community involved and get people going to and visiting all of these different businesses that they may have never heard of before,” said Carmical. “If they live on the West side, they may have never shopped downtown; if they live downtown, they may not shop on another side of town.”

The passport program offers an incentive to solve this location problem by entering those with 10 or more stamps into

a drawing for more than 100 prizes. Those who collect more than 25 stamps qualify for the chance to win a big screen TV. “We’re from Oshkosh, and so I really do believe that one of the ways to actually help our own families strengthen up their resources is to reinvest back into our own businesses,” said Nancy Schultz of Oshkosh Heating and Air. “Otherwise, all of our money is going to go into the internet and somebody else’s pockets, and it would be so much better if we could actually make ourselves stronger by buying from each other.”

Not only will purchasing from small businesses strengthen Oshkosh residents; it will also benefit those less fortunate in the area.

“One of the drop off stations suggested OAHS be the beneficiary of Shop Local Week and we were honored to be included,” said Oshkosh Area Humane Society community coordinator Cheryl Rosenthal.

“Anytime we can project information out to the community about the work we do at OAHS and how we help both people and pets is paramount to our success as an organization.”

Citizens of Oshkosh can accomplish

this dual goal by contributing basic supplies to the humane society, and Shop Local Week can offer help by raising revenue and awareness.

“If you know the Humane Society, they really don’t turn away any animals, and yet they don’t have any money to not be turning away animals,” said Schultz.

“This will definitely impact them, so that’s positive all by itself, but also, when you reinvest money into your own community, when you buy from me, that means I have a little more resources to buy from someone else. It’s a perpetual snowball effect.”

The week’s focus on community camaraderie is ref lected in its concurrent celebration of philanthropy and profit, which plays a role in many area businesses as well.

“My favorite part is seeing our community coming together to support local businesses and their local Humane Society,” said Rosenthal. “By working together, we can all make a difference for people and pets in our community and ensure the prosperity of locally owned businesses at the same time. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

by Laura Zornosa

Beyond biology, defin

Transitioning from societal expectations to true identity Manifested through hair, clothing, and mannerisms; a lifetime of social expectations, defined from birth, have traditionally culminated by what is in between a person’s legs. Gender creates social and biological norms for males and females. However, biology and mindset do not always align, causing society’s expectations of a person’s life to conflict with the one they have chosen for themselves.

Transgender people are those assigned to a different sex than the gender they internally identify with. Females who feel they were born male are referred to as MTF transgender and males who believe they were born female are called FTM transgender. Senior Ezekiel Stephenson knew he did not meet the usual gender expectations growing up, preferring dirt to dolls.

“I hated it because ever since I can remember, I always felt different. I didn’t know there was actually a thing called being transgender. It was that you are either male or female, but I felt like something wasn’t right,” he said.

“It was in my sophomore year when one of my friends brought up the term and I started doing research on it that night. I was like ‘holy crap, that totally fits me.’ I didn’t know there were other people like me, so once I figured that out, I felt a lot better.”

Discovering he was FTM transgender gave Stephenson a word to describe his identity as well as support from two to five percent of the population who have the same feelings of displacement. Junior Mason Sonnenberg recognizes a similar feeling, having came out as FTM transgender this year.

“Sexuality-wise, it was always a thing for me. Society teaches boy-meets-girl and that’s how it’s supposed to be. Everything else is weird and freakish. I grew up with crushes on my friends and I never really understood it until puberty came around. The same thing can be said for my gender, although I was less questioning throughout my youth,” he said. “It was definitely more when my friends started questioning my gender and I was like, ‘Hey, what are you guys doing? That’s me.’ It was in middle school.”

Along with coming to terms with their own feelings, people who are transgender face the fear of scrutiny from family and friends when preparing to reveal their true identity.

“Acceptance from family members and friends is a big issue, especially because here in Wisconsin people tend to grow up in the area and stay in the area. They stay in town, growing up in a body they know they shouldn’t be in, so a lot of their friends and family have known them since kindergarten as a certain gender. They watch the change and shift,” said marriage and family psychologist Blu Wilkins of Respect Counseling Center of Oshkosh. “I

Cost of

Gender Discomfort lasting hours to a single moment can be traumatizing. For West students, this pain was not thrust upon them, it was not a decision to experience, and it has been life-long. For transgender people, choosing to match the body to the mind is the start to further well-being, according to senior Ezekiel Stephenson.

“I just started medically transitioning about two and a half weeks ago,” he said. “I

be open to it at all,” she said. “A lot of people go through various stages of this progression of trying to be comfortable in their body. Quite a few clients did not want to bring in their family. I would help them figure out how they can hold these two worlds, where their family realm and own individual self-world are pretty darn separate.”

Reconciling identity with cultural stigmas is a barrier definitely feel that I’ve seen growth. For sure, more restric- for all aspects of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, tive views are present in society and the community, too. Transgender, and Queer) community. For many people, Unfortunately, I’ve overheard conversations and I’ve seen sexuality and gender are closely aligned, but Sonnenberg families that are dangerously close-minded, and that’s believes they are two separate entities that can, but not damaging.” necessarily do, correlate with each other.

Stephenson did not opt toward a quick transition, “I am a pansexual transgender boy, which means that deciding to ease into life as a male, giving his parents more theoretically if I were to have a relationship with someone time to adjust to their son. else, I wouldn’t take gender into consideration,” he said.

“It was a slower process,” he said. “I went to the store “I’m interested in boys, girls, and nonbinary people, which and I got masculine clothes. Then when I cut my hair are people who don’t identify within the gender binary.” that was when they realized that I was transgender. It’s According to Dr. Walter Bockting of Columbia Unistill hard for them because to them, they lost their only versity’s research on transgender sexuality, 27 percent daughter as they put it. They have talked to me about it, of MTF individuals are attracted to men, 35 percent to they accept it, but it is hard for them to comprehend what women, and 38 to both sexes. Ten percent of FTM indiis going on and why I did everything I did.” viduals are attracted to men, 55 and 35 percent to women Stephenson faced being ostracized by his former and both, respectively. friends when he told them that he was going to begin to “My transgender clients know the sex they are atidentify as a male. Many people from middle school con- tracted to, and many are open to either-or, and all variatinued to use both female pronouns and his misgendered tions in between. Usually, I don’t have to explore that topic and inappropriate name when addressing him. In contrast, too much because if I ask who they are attracted to, they Sonnenberg was able to utilize friends as a support system know with zero hesitation the gender of people they like,” when he could not turn to his family. said Wilkins. “It is whatever type of person they fall in “My friends were who I went to for support and who love with. I haven’t really had to explore that with clients.”

I asked questions. I was really leaning on them for advice.

While sexuality is not in question, transforming to They obviously saw it coming when I was asking them become the anatomically desired sex for their potential such a wide range of things. My friends were always really partner is a topic Wilkins commonly explores. cool about it,” he said. “My mom “When a client starts was in denial. She didn’t like to to look at who they want to think that I was old enough to date, that becomes the main make this decision for myself, as focus. Let’s say they were if it were a decision. Apparently, born a female and they are I was old enough to know I was truly a male. It is common straight, but I wasn’t old enough that they would want to date to know that I was anything else. a female,” she said. “SomeMy mom has always been my setimes they want to open the cure parent, and when I doubted door up to anyone who is that I knew myself well enough interested in them, so then to determine these things about I work with them on what me, it hurt.” that would that look like.

Sonnenberg and StephenThe most important thing is son’s conflict is not isolated to to look at everyone from an them; Wilkins sees clients on a open heart.” daily basis struggling to make Among the 61 activities their inner-self coincide with faat West, the Gender Sexual- senior Ezekiel Stephenson, FTM transgender milial and societal expectations. ity Alliance club attracts “For each client that came nearly seventy members. in, even adults a lot of times, The group aims to create a they want to talk to their families about it or they are just safe place for all students, building awareness and educatrying to figure out how they present themselves to their tion through activities to form community connections. family. Some clients did not think that their families would “Our events give young teenage folk an opportunity

“I thought it was just you were male or female, but I felt like something wasn’t right since I could remember.”

am pretty happy about that, and now I am started on hormones, so I have begun taking testosterone shots.”

The Milwaukee Pathways Transgender Counseling Center published a $20,000 average cost for a two year transition period. This includes feminization or masculinization hormone therapy and surgery.

Although many medical insurance companies cover expenses, the decision to make a permanent change can be daunting, according to Family and Marriage Psychologist, Blu Wilkins.

“Some people don’t choose to go with the medications and some people do. Some people choose to get things removed, and those types of procedures,” she said. “I really listen to where they are at with body acceptance and how comfortable they feel in their body on a daily basis and how much their anatomy is impacting their life.”

Family is a heavy influence on medical decisions, especially for youth like junior Mason Sonnenberg.

“All my mom wants is that I don’t get myself into something that is going to change later on in life, like something permanent.”

The US Department of Human Services stated in February 2014 that depression is the leading mental health issue faced by transgender persons, at 48%. Anxiety and depression is intertwined with many people who have to hide their true selves, perpetuated by isolation from the body and the people around them.

“All throughout middle school and high school I have struggled with depression,” said Sonnenberg. “I did go seek out help and advice. I mainly went to a therapist for advice on how I could talk to my mom about it, how I could come out and how I could let people know who I am. It wasn’t a matter of going to therapy because I needed to be corrected.”

photo courtesy of TIME magazine Laverne Cox, the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for her protrayal as Sophia Burset on Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black,” was featured on TIME magazine’s June 9, 2014 cover. Cox uses her position in the media, such as the TIME cover, to promote LGBTQ+ rights.

fining gender and an environment where they can be whatever they want and nobody bothers them for it,” said GSA leader junior Cody Zitek. “We provide an environment where people can be celebrated for what they are.”

This year, the club changed its acronym meanFrom calor ie ing from Gay Straight Alliance to be more inclusive counts, GPS coordito West’s diverse student body make-up. There are nates, and price tags, 14 percent of students at West who identify outside A mer ican cult u re of the cis-hetero norm. functions on labels. It “In society in general, we have seen a lot more is an innate response acceptance of alternative lifestyles,” said GSA adto categorize, where viser and sociology teacher Matthew Mauk. “With conclusions are dethat, change has become more accepted in this rived from the tags that school among adults and kids. For a lot of students, society constructs. For school is a really comfortable place to be.” transgender students at In the past, the GSA has made events for West, forming respect Transgender Remembrance Day in November and for preferred pronouns hosted a pride prom. seem to be an infinite “Not to say that LGBTQ people aren’t acstruggle. cepted sometimes, but it’s an event where we can “My family still have queer spaces where queer youth are more calls me female procomfortable,” said Sonnenberg. “They don’t feel nouns and don’t acpressured to have to lie about who they are. It has to cept me as of my new do with spreading awareness and making our youth na me,” said sen ior feel comfortable.”

Ezekiel Stephenson.

The group creates an accepting environment, “That’s actually one as well as promotes awareness as the foundation for of the hardest par ts a welcoming community. because I see them all the time.”

“Our goal is to do more outreach,” said Mauk.

Frequently experiencing inaccurate gender assignment by “Right now, a lot of the activities that we do are others, junior Mason Sonnenberg has adopted a tolerance tointernal, and we want to do more education of staff wards people misidentifying a basic human right, identification. and students to inform people about terms used.”

“I’ve learned to understand the other side of things.

Terms that are commonly confused include transgender, transsexual, and genderqueer. To and human rights.” Attention is moving beyond screens avoid insulting a person, Zitek sauggests refraining from personal questions and identifying a person by their and into people’s behavior.

“There are people who believe they will never get preferred pronouns.

“Half of the time we are informing people,” he said. to express who they are,” said Sonnenberg. “Seeing how “The other half we are talking about current issues in the people reacted so negatively when [Leelah] was misgencommunity and discussing how you can go about educat- dered in death has been a huge rallying point for queer youth and a good outlet to talk about how impactful words ing people in real life.”

The tragedy of 17 year old Leelah Alcorn’s suicide can be. GSA provides a space where you know that you on December 28 placed a spotlight on the daily issues are going to be safe. Whatever you say, you are going to be faced by transgender people. Her suicide note condemned accepted. That’s not everywhere today.

Pain inflicted by unwelcoming environments is not alienating societal standards. A post on Tumblr, a social media blog website, reads “The only way I will rest in only in the world, nation, and state; they are frequent peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the occurrences at West, as Stephenson recalls the trauma of way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings regular activities.

Giving correct Identities

Should bathrooms be

Neutral?

For senior Ezekiel Stephenson, public bathrooms are the physical manifestation of fear and judgment he faces as a transgender male.

“That is probably one of the hardest things, deciding which bathroom to go in, and I know you shouldn’t be afraid to go to the bathroom, but that is one of my biggest fears,” he said. “So a lot of times, especially at school, I won’t use the bathroom.”

Due to the explicit gender labeling of public bathrooms, gender-neutral facilities are a safe space for the transgender population. For students who are transgender, integrating with their peers who are cisgender, or align with their biological sex, is a challenge due to simple things like bathrooms.

“Transgender youth have to think more about simple things than cisgender people do. When you go inside a woman’s bathroom you don’t think, wow, I’m inside a woman’s bathroom holy cow, someone is going to yell at me. But, for transgender youth, it’s definitely got that panicedge to it,” said junior Mason Sonnenberg. “They should create spaces where it’s not going to feel like you’re outing yourself just because you need to use the restroom.”

Stephenson concurred with Sonnenberg’s statement, echoing the distress caused by the labels inside a restroom.

“I really wish there were more gender neutral bathrooms around because I know a lot of people who are still uncomfortable going to the bathroom,” he said. “You go in one bathroom you get judged in there, you go in the other bathroom you

get judged in there. So it really sucks,” Across the country, schools and communities have begun to create policies and bathrooms to fit the needs of every citizen. In 2014, California passed a statewide bill allowing students to use the restroom and locker room of the gender they identify with, not their biological sex. However, not all laws have been victories for the transgender community. In Florida a bill has been introduced to limit bathroom usage to people of the biological sex. In the Oshkosh Area School District, administrators have looked at developing a plan for transgender students and bathrooms.

“I think that it is just something that is somewhat newer to our high school, I don’t know if we have real good policies in place to clarify expectations that are in place,” said Principal Erin Kohl.

“I know right now our district is working on a policy. They are following federal guidelines and office of civil rights guidelines to write it, and I think our goal is then to educate people, so they are aware of it and are following it. So people are respecting the rights of all students.”

That’s definitely not excusing it, but if you know someone who’s not following gender norms, it should definitely be on your top priority to respect their pronouns and their name.”

West is working at maintaining acceptance for everyone. Students who are not the cisgender normality should feel comfortable both walking through the halls and in the classroom, according to administration. Properly identifying a person forms a foundation for respect in any relationship, and is important for a teacher-student connection.

“I think understanding a student’s preferred pronoun could happen a few ways,” said Principal Erin Kohl. “If the student feels comfortable talking to the teachers and faculty about it, that’s one way to do it. Sometimes, students don’t feel comfortable doing that, so then they come to a counselor or administrator, and we can communicate it to their teachers to make sure we’re using the appropriate pronouns to respect the student’s identity.”

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s 2014 Surveillance Report, two-thirds of transgender students said their teachers ‘really care and give support and encouragement’ of their gender identity, the innate sense of one’s own gender.

“It’s all about the tone and being respectful. Let a person do their own thing and let them figure it out and don’t try to do it for them,” said Sonnenberg. “There is a big difference between asking questions and purposefully inflicting harm on someone.”

“I dreaded gym class. I liked the activities, but just having to change really brought my self-esteem down because I would always hear people making fun of me in there. I would go into a stall and change. Even then it just didn’t feel right.”

Not only must some students face disagreement between their mind and body, classmates increase selfconsciousness.

“Especially post pubertal patients have a difficult time as their body starts to develop,” said Wilkins. “Everyone has different degrees of self-hate. I’ve seen people cutting their breasts because they have that much hate towards those body parts.”

After coming out to family, feeling accepted in public is a dispiriting feat for students like Sonnenberg.

“Most of the time I have this little tip-toe, constantly feeling like I’m walking on eggshells, feeling. In almost any way you can imagine, I feel like I have to apologize for the way I am. I have to apologize for my identity.

People’s reactions to me coming out make me feel like an inconvenience.”

Today, almost 40 percent of the 1.6 million homeless youth in the United States are LGBTQ, and one in three homeless transgender youth report being turned away from a shelter due to their gender status, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality. Many of these transgender youth are homeless as a result of rejection from their family.

“People who are raised in traditional homes, they think you have to follow a certain sort of cookie-cutter model because that is all they have been around,” Wilkins said. “I work with family on a more loving heart level.

It’s not easy for the child living this life, and they are not choosing this life, but now they are having to deal with that and the importance of having a supportive family it’s night and day when they have a family who can help them on their journey.”

Education builds the cognition necessary to see beyond the binary, male-female, straight or gay mindset, according to Sonnenberg.

“When people don’t understand something, it means that they don’t like it,” he said. “That’s not how it should be for people, especially youth in high school. We need to show that it’s normal to be who you are, and it’s awesome.”

Currently, the OASD is discussing transgender policy.

“People should know that we’re not physically the same as everyone else, but we have the same mindset,” said Stephenson. “Simply because I am a male transgender does not mean I am not the same as any other guy. I wish people could accept that.”

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Entertainment

11 Volume 111, Issue 5

February 20, 2015

Digging through the tapes: Throwback theater As Hollywood pushes out blockbusters and superhero mega-hits with seemingly no end in sight, audiences often forget the classics on which modern cinema has built its movie empire. Movies long forgotten capture moments from the past- shedding light on values and the overall character of a particular time period. Taking time to dig through those classics in the basement can uncover something new and profound (while providing relief from the February doldrums at your local theater).

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): Black and white films are mistakenly viewed by today’s youth as outdated and dull. However, millennials simply lack the motivation and open mindedness to explore the outstanding films and themes of the past. Mr. Smith is one such overlooked treasure, as the film was made in a time when television was in its early infancy and the world teetered on the cusp of World War II. Smith delves deeply into the politics of the period as Jefferson Smith, a young man and quite the country bumpkin, is appointed by the governor to fill a vacant Senate seat. Though the starry-eyed, idealistic Smith is excited to push for the creation of a boy’s summer camp, unbeknownst to him, colleagues chose the novice believing he would be easy to manipulate- just as it would seem the governor is manipulated by the corrupt political boss Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold, The Toast of New York).

The newly appointed senator leaves home, beaming with excitement, for the nation’s capital, where he is brought to the forefront of Washington politics. Smith, dreadfully too cheery, optimistic, and naive, must learn to cope with the relentless Washington press and the corrupt practices of a choice few politicians. The film utilizes Smith, portrayed by the talented James Stewart, to represent the romanticized ideal of the everyday American man while also highlighting the cutthroat nature of the US government- a facet of society echoing even now in the 21st century.

Image from Rebel Without a Cause Facebook

Rebel Without a Cause (1955): When flipping through any high school yearbook, it is impossible to ignore the numerous James Dean senior quotes. While some only know of Dean from the glossy pages of such annals, others will recall the name as one of the biggest icons from the 1950s.

Dean’s fame in American cinematic history ultimately stems from a trio of films in which he held starring roles. Dean first erupted on screen as the focus of theatrics and unparalleled charisma on the big screen with his embodiment of teenage angst in Rebel Without a Cause. Opening on a juvenile department of a police station in the suburbs of Los Angeles, the audience is introduced to Jim Stark (Dean, East of Eden), who is brought in by po-

lice for public intoxication. Confiding in officer Ray Fremick (Edward Platt, Get Smart), Jim reveals his disillusion over a ‘happy family’ as a result of his parents’ constant arguing.

At the station Jim meets John “Plato” Crawford (Sal Mineo, Exodus) and Judy (Natalie Wood, West Side Story). Separately, they both admit to Fremick that they struggle with troubled family lives, and this commonality ultimately brings the three teens together. The ever present uncertainty and tension between teenagers and their parents is captured and crafted to make Rebel Without a Cause an American classic.

Image from The Lost Boys Facebook

The Lost Boys (1987): While technically rated-R, The Lost Boys feels exceptionally tame when compared to today’s horror movie standards. Even so, Boys packs enough fright to be exciting and provides an arcane aesthetic to make it completely charming. The story unfolds as two teen brothers, along with their recently divorced mother, move to Santa Carla, California, to live with their quirky grandfather. Enduring a blisteringly hot summer, new to town, and with nothing to do, the boys opt to spend their time wandering around the boardwalk. The older of the two, Michael (Jason Patric, Sleepers), finds himself head over heels for a girl named Star (Jami Gertz, The Neighbors).

However, much to his dismay, Star has a boyfriend, David (Kiefer Sutherland, 24), who leads a gang of leather clad delinquents. While Michael, in his pursuit of Star, is toyed around with by David, his younger brother, Sam, meets Edgar (Corey Feldman, The Goonies) and Alan Frog (Jamison Newlander, The Blob) at a local comic book store. The Frog Brothers inform Sam of Santa Carla’s vampire infestation, although Sam takes the boys warnings with a grain of salt. As Michael and Sam become better acquainted with their new ‘ friends’, the stranger side of Santa Carla is uncovered and the brothers are forced to face off against the supernatural.

The skillful actors of The Lost Boys deliver a wide range of spectacular performances needed to support an involved storyline.

Such talent allows the audience to connect with the dynamic characters and indulge in 93 minutes of thrilling theatrics. The soundtrack, on par with the quality cast, features a cover of The Door’s “People are Strange” and “Cry Little Sister” by Gerard McMann that sends chills and offers eerie overtones. Levels above any current paranormal film, The Lost Boys capture the finest aspects of the 80’s.

Heathers (1988): Before the time of Mean Girls, the chicks that topped the high

school hierarc h y

owski) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare, 22 Jump Street) to carry out the job.

Lundegaard returns home to a possible opportunity to make some major money after introducing an investment deal to Wade.

After the realization ap-

pea red i n t he f il m Heathers. White, rich, and beautiful, the three girls, all named “Heather,” compose the r uling clique at Westerburg High School. And much like the ever popular Mean Girls, the popular teens invite an outcast to join them. In the case of the Heathers, they welcome in Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder, Edward Scissorhands) who is boosted to instant popularity. However, Veronica eventually takes note of the Heather’s acerbid, condescending demeanor and yearns to break her newly established ties to the group. While scheming against the girls, Veronica is drawn to the rebellious Jason “J.D” Dean (Christian Slater, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), who seems to make a point to defy all the school rules and push back, violently, against the status quo. Veronica soon finds herself pulled deep into J.D’s devious schemes against the preppy girls and dimwitted jocks of Westerburg High School. Brimming with dark humor and social criticism, the unpredictable Heathers epitomizes the unconventional teenage romance and effortlessly expresses dynamic themes that modern day flicks struggle to establish.

Image from coenbrother.net

Fargo (1996): The Coen brothers are notorious for both screenwriting and directing prowess behind spectacular films such as The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Although the brothers’ filmography is vast, their best stroke of creative genius can be seen in Fargo. Suspenseful and chilling to the core, Fargo acts as the ultimate crime film. Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy, Jurassic Park III) is a spineless car salesman who lives with his wife and son in Minneapolis, and has dug himself into a pit of financial crisis. Desperate for cash, Lundegaard comes up with a scheme to have his wife abducted to force her wealthy father, Wade (Harve Presnell, Saving Private Ryan) pay the ransom before splitting the money with the hired kidnappers. To put his plan into action the salesman travels to Fargo, North Dakota where he enlists criminals Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi, The Big Leb-

Image from etc. usf.edu/clippix/

comes to the salesman, he attempts to contact the criminals to stop the abduction, but to no avail. While Lundegaard is in a meeting with Wade in which he realizes he’ll make little to nothing from the deal, Showalter and Grimsrud break into Lundegaard’s home and successfully capture his wife. However, as Showalter and Grimsrud travel through Brainerd, Minnesota they encounter a bit of trouble, which propels local police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand, Almost Famous) onto the case. While dark in humor and overflowing with Midwest aesthetic, the finest aspect of Fargo stems from character interaction. The conversations and motivations of the characters are natural, believable, and entirely enticing.

Galaxy Quest (1999): Parodying the finest science fiction franchise of all time, Galaxy Quest draws inspiration from the 1960’s television series Star Trek and its avid fan base. The film follows the cocky Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen, Home Improvement), along with his former co-stars of the since cancelled space age program Galaxy Quest, as the dysfunctional group travels from convention to convention, catering to fans of the show. During a run-of-the-mill meeting, a group, who refer to themselves as “Thermians from the Klaatu Nebula,” approaches Nesmith, requesting that he come with them to aid their people in negotiating peace with a cruel alien warlord known as Roth’h’ar Sarris (Robin Sachs, The Lost World: Jurassic Park). Nesmith, with little regard to what the peculiar group is actually asking of him, agrees to go with them believing that they are offering up another gig. However, much to Nesmith’s surprise, he is taken aboard an exact replica of the ship his character commanded in Galaxy Quest. Not long after, the actor realizes the group are aliens who have modeled their civilization after the tv program, believing the series to represent historical documents. Nesmith and his co-stars are eventually beamed to the ship.

At first awed by the majesty of space, they come to realize how woefully unprepared they are to lead the Thermians and face off against Roth’h’ar. Through layers of interstellar adventure, the film explores the faulty aspects and endearing qualities that often befall the sci-fi genre. Utterly hilarious and clever, Galaxy Quest reaches beyond the typical confines of parody to bring nostalgia for Trekkies everywhere.

by C² LaBuy

12 February 20, 2015

Volume 111, Issue 5

Entertainment

Eclectic Academy nominates broad array of talent The 2015 Oscar scene appears to be re- as decades prior. The casting of Keaton is volving around true stories, great dialogue superb and even somewhat comical and and excellent cinematography. The 87th ironic since Keaton himself is a retired Academy Awards nominations for “Best superhero action film star from the faPicture” contain a wide variety of motion mous Batman movies of the late 1980’s and pictures that push far beyond the conven- early 1990’s. The filming has a continutional constructs of film and effortlessly ous fashion, with virtually no cuts in the pull upon the emotions of viewers. Bird- picture, making for a visually stimulating man along with The Theory of Everything experience. This stylistic cinematography specifically stand out for their phenomenal further emphasizes the unconventional plot, skilled actors, and the use of vivid and characteristics of the movie that made it so harsh color. The Grand Budapest Hotel, successful. however, is arguably the most impressive Boyhood: On the indie end of the nominated film, with it’s attention to detail, nominees sits Boyhood. In this Bildungsrotime period, and glamor. Several other of man film, the life of Mason Evans Jr.(Ellar those nominated fail to make a thought Coltrane, Fast Food Nation) from age five provoking statement although their charac- to the age 18 is captured as he grows up in ters and storyline are brilliantly developed. a dysfunctional family. Filmed over the Overall, these works of art leave audicourse of 12 years using the same actors ences and critics alike stunned by the as they age, instead of the traditional amount of talent within the industry and use of different actors to convey aga certain sense of wonder for what the ing when filming over the duration of future may hold. a few months, the shere creation American Sniper: W hile of the film deserves comendable all the nominations this year are respect. Additionally, Boyhood hot topics of conversation, none utilizes songs and style while is more praised and contested than filming to coincide with the time Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper. period in which the scenes take The movie has generated a tremenplace. The unique creation of the dous amount of publicity - with love film, provided to be the best quality from patriotic Americans and critiof the film overall. Apart from the cism by Muslim citizens. Despite the immense amount of time dedicated wild controversy, the film falls short to filming, most other aspects of of the hype. American Sniper does not Boyhood are unfulfilling. The plot is live up to any of the expectations that displayed in short vignettes of Mason’s circulated among the movie watching life, rather than having one continumasses before its release. Most notably ally connecting storyline. Given the the characterization of Chris Kyle (Bradlength of the film, there is a disconley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook) is nection between scenes and no strong lackluster and the emotion required to central theme that is easily found by make the portrayal of the sniper believthe viewer. Unfortunately the character able is absent. development was lost between Birdman: Fairly bizarre scenes and time which makes but just as brilliant, Birdman it difficult for the audience to blends reality and fantasy to creinvest emotionally. ate an unusual take on a black The G rand Buda pe s t comedy style film. The film Hotel : Pushing far beyond begins as Riggan Thomson conventional story line (Michael Keaton, Batman), limts, this film challenges a washed up film star sufviewers in many ways.

Image from Academy Facebook fering through a midlife criTaking place within the sis, attempts to produce a play. Thomson is fictional Republic of Zubrowka during the constantly being taunted for his former su- 1930’s, the Grand Budapest’s concierge, perhero role as Birdman that he performed Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes, Harry

Potter films), is framed for murder and is then forced to seek out the help of one of his young employees, Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori, The Perfect Game), to prove his innocence. The acting and plot is fine and dandy, but the set of the film is absolutely marvellous. The attention to detail within every aspect of the film is stunning. While one could just casually sit back and watch, The Grand Budapest Hotel deserves full attention to it’s grand details, depth, and witty humor.

The Imitation Game: Based upon a true story, The Imitation Game relays the life of a young mathematician named Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock) who is hired by the British government to help solve the German code “enigma” during World War II. Many have not heard of the great technological advancements Turing contributed to the war effort for he was later exposed as a homosexual and publicly shamed. While the film itself shies away from the more depressing details of Turing’s life in some ways, overall The Imitation Game is both interesting and realistic - staying true to the language, dress, and mannerisms appropriate for the time period. Whether one takes time to watch the movie or surfs through the world wide web, everyone should know the true story of Alan Turing.

Selma: Recreating the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches used to rally for voting rights, the movie depicts the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo, The Butler) and Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple).

The sole selling point of the film is the inspiring event from which its based. The civil rights movement is thrust into the cineatic spotlight with its numerous influential figures and truly inspiring rallies for equality. Other films containing these aspects have thrived in years past, this movie however, is lacking overall. The casting - save David Oyelowo - and performances lack true passion and are a stifling disappointment. Most of the performances are bland, absent of facial expression, and unfortunately most of the lines are delivered without realism and emotion. Selma isn’t anything special. The best quality of the film is the impressive recreation that

the protests scenes create, just as they did in 1965 American society. Most notably, the riot sequences contain mass hysteria and the restless rioters effectively convey the tense atmosphere present in the south during the civil rights movement. While both positives and negatives exist within Selma, which is by no means horrible, the film is still far from Oscar worthy.

The Theory of Everything: Depicting the life of Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne, Les Misérables) and his journey into space and time with Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones, Like Crazy), The Theory of Everything proves to be one of the finest films among the Academy nominations.

Redmayne, also nominated for “Best Actor in a Leading Role,” delivers an outstanding performance. Every action he makes is done with tremendous emotion and purpose. Little quirks of the hands and the movement of the lips is done in such a way that it is apparent that Redmayne spent a great deal of time preparing for this role as Hawking. Not only is Redmayne excellent, his co-star Jones portrays Jane Wilde with conviction and heart. The Theory of Everything, while based on a true story, still maintains a high level of intrigue and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats for the film’s entire duration.

Whiplash: Whiplash, an independent film of notable significance, follows Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller, Divergent), a young jazz drummer, as he quickly rises to stardom as a result of his remarkable talent, although his mentor would say otherwise. The mentor, Terence Fletcher (J. K. Simmons, Juno), is a harsh teacher with relentless methods which he uses to push the young drummer towards greatness. It would appear Neiman is at constant odds with Fletcher, although Nieman in only wishes to truly impress his mentor. Intriguing and well-written, both the storyline and the characters offer a refreshing view from the other films nominated. The character Fletcher is by far the most interesting facet though, with his diverse characterization and strong moments of passion, he creates a complicated love-hate relationship with the audience.

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Entertainment

13 Volume 111, Issue 5

February 20, 2015

Magic:technicolor trash Too late?? Too soon!!

The mythical creatures known as fairies draw two polar reactions when mentioned in polite company. The first, and most favorable, reflect those memories of yesteryear when one believed that anything was possible, in a time of wondrous ideas and unlimited imagination. The second fairy connotation might raise disturbing feelings of being covered in obscene amounts of glitter while ethereal princesses buzz around downing a sickly shade of Pepto-Bismol pink. Unfortunately, after viewing the atrociously animated Strange Magic, the overwhelming sentiment conjures up the latter, disturbing vision (and aftertaste).

Freed from the burden of ruining the Star Wars franchise, legendary hack George Lucas has “crafted” an awful tale of fairy princesses so absurd that it can only be enjoyed by children ages four and under. The girly, lovesick fairy princess, Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood, Across the Universe), is head-over-heels for the obnoxious Roland (Sam Palladio, Nashville) and she can’t wait to marry him, until she finds him kissing another fairy. She thus turns into an independent magical princess that doesn’t want or need a man, although Roland still insists upon marriage since he would then inherit the fairy army (a fact that he mentions incessantly). Meanwhile her younger sister, Dawn (Meredith Anne Bull, Good Intentions), is boy crazy and can’t stop shamelessly flirting with every guy that she meets. As the younger fairy princess carries on her merry way, Sunny (Elijah Kelley, Hairspray), a short elf who seems to blend into the background, has unreciprocated feelings of love for the elusive Dawn. Roland and Sunny, both seeking the affections of the fairy princesses, travel into the dark forest to obtain a love potion made by the Sugar Plum Fairy (Kristin Chenoweth, Wicked). Through and through, the creative direction of Lucas makes for a bland and predictable story.

The voice acting doesn’t help mask the missteps in plot; in fact, it makes the

blunders of the film all the more evident.

The Sugar Plum Fairy, legendary from the beautiful ballet The Nutcracker, has been reduced to an annoying, useless character by both the writers and Chenoweth. By far one of the most irritating individuals in the movie, her grating voice and awful interpretation of the character is only somewhat compensated by her pleasant singing.

However, Wood, who depicts Marianne, does a mediocre job in terms of voice acting and her singing is just as unfortunate. Although, in Wood’s defense, the writers failed miserably in trying to create the spunky, fighting fairy princess, proving that a voice can only carry an already terrible character so far. Likewise, the combination of blatant stupidity and typical-jock antics are employed to create the incredibly irritating Roland. The only thing worse than his attitude and selfishness is the thick country accent with which he speaks. Last but not least is the revolting Bog King, voiced by Alan Cumming (The Good Wife). His slight Irish accent does fit the character, but the extremely awkward placement of songs hinders his overall performance.

All in all, the devoted actors, try as they might, can’t make the movie enjoyable. From the horrendous voice acting to the cringe worthy placement of songs, one might wonder just how the film even made it into theaters.

Lacking all the fundamentals of a decent animated flick, Strange Magic leaves a gigantic blemish on the face of George Lucas’ career.

by Elizabeth Brown

From the man responsible for YOLO comes a spur of the moment mixtape, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, an apt title for an exercise in auditory pain. The surprise release on February 12 effectively killed anticipation for the album. However, Beyoncé has taught that ‘If you like it you should put a ring on it,’ not copy it by emulating her original stunt from 2013. Musical artists should steer clear of unannounced releases unless they actually feature quality. Unfortunately, this mixtape bobs along on the surface of a much greater wave of material for the rapper. Drake’s gloomy short film Jungle, launched the morning after his mixtape debut, hints at songs for his upcoming album.

“Legend,” the first track, is made ominous by Drake’s characteristically deep and wrung-out voice. A sluggish snare beat paired with proud lyrics slowly burns into listeners Drake’s only skill, braggadocio.

Lyrics like “If I die I’m a legend” and “6 G-O-D, I’m the holy one” assert his misguided sense of power and importance.

Mentions to the “6 God” refer to his 416 area code growing up in Toronto. These, with the crudely drawn hands in prayer on the mixtape’s cover art, effectively provide a target for divine intervention to strike Drake down with lightning in punishment of his delusionary success.

Songs like “Company” and “You & The 6” feature the deepest dives taken in Drake’s attempt at an introspective album.

Featuring Travi$ Scott, “Company” is a tough track to take seriously even among an onslaught of arrogant, half-witted lyrics dragging down the entire release. Holding a monotone note interminably does not make it any better. Drake must learn ye olde doctrine of poetry: just because it rhymes, doesn’t mean it’s good. The only emotionally vulnerable vibe Drake brings to the track is the sadness it gives the listener. Continuing his thread on direct conversation with his mother in every project, “You & The 6” burns the heart with his tiny embers of compassion for her. Lyrics

like “I pull the knife out my back and cut they throat with it momma” makes use of the repetition of “momma” to make a rhyme. Telling his mom he can take care of himself against intruders would be better off in a text than in a published song.

Released the morning after the mixtape, Jungle is a short film that attempts to imbue significance in Drake’s clichéd and high-budget celebrity lifestyle. Drake may have started from the bottom, but now he is skidding along on a plateau, which makes for 14 minutes of staring at a screen thinking about anything but the clip. Produced

by Karim Huu Do, the cinematography embodies Drake’s basic music video style.

The camera follows a car through Toronto in dark lighting, where a grim atmosphere is sure to inspire deep reflection. Or sleep.

Especially with Drake’s lengthy monologue that is pitiful in its attempt to inspire pity for his routine fame. The grainy, amateur film job is matched only by an equally hazy concept through the film’s score. Tiny pieces of full songs by producer Noah “40” Shebib preview tracks from Drake’s tentatively dubbed upcoming album, Views From the 6.

There is no excuse for repugnant sound, however, there is reason. Reading This, sold on iTunes and Soundcloud, is the rapper’s fourth and last album for the Cash Money label. Hopefully it will be his last album altogether.

Trying to capitalize with an auditory cash grab, Drake only manages to embarrass his so-called legacy.

by Kaylyn Stanek

by Courtney LaBuy

14 February 20, 2015

Features

Volume 111, Issue 5

Midseason retirements welcome new faces brought him to West’s art rooms, his journey actually began across the pond.

“I did my student teaching in StokeDried clay caking underneath fingernails, the scent of acrylic paint, soft on-Trent, England,” he said.

Besides teaching in Great Britain, scratching of pencils on paper; the intoxicating sensory perceptions of an art room Eichorn has taught throughout Wisconsin have long produced feelings of comfort and has moved throughout the Oshkosh for long-term substitute art teacher David Area School District.

“I started out as a high school art teacher in Fennimore, Wisconsin and eventually ended up here in Oshkosh,” said Eichorn. “I first taught at North High School and Merrill Middle School.

I moved on to Webster Stanley for seven years and in 1996, when Carl Traeger Middle School opened up, I taught there for 16 years before I retired in June of 2012.”

Beyond art, Eichhorn’s passions in life have revolved around family.

“I have two daughters getting married this year; Hailey in April, and Chelsea in August. They’re both graduates of West,” photo by Hannah Schacherl he said. “I also come from a very large Eichhorn connects with former student Dana Martins. family of six brothers and four sisters.”

Outside of his blood relations, his art Eichhorn. He has been passionate about introducing students to various forms of family has expanded with each passing art for decades, which is why he stepped year. One of the joys of teaching at West is up when Bill Brabender retired at the end reconnecting with old students and meeting new ones. of the semester.

“I like seeing a lot of my former “I taught art for 32 years before I retired two years ago,” he said. “This se- students I had when I was at Traeger and mester I’m teaching Mr. Brabender’s three working with the high school students; ceramic classes, a jewelry and sculpture their work is amazing,” he said.

Eichhorn’s surprise in the artistic talclass and an introduction to painting and ent at West has quickly become his favorite drawing class.”

While Eichhorn’s teaching career has part of being a Wildcat.

David

Eichhorn

“Seeing students turn out something that they’ve never done before, the look on their faces of amazement and accomplishment,” he said. “That they’re excited enough to want to come back the next day.”

Bryon

Stein

With the first semester seemingly in the distant past, it is rather unusual to see a new face teaching full time at West. Byron Stein, however, has joined the staff this semester, replacing the recently retired

photo by Keegan Lim Stein relaxes at his desk in B-20 between classes

Vernon Widmer in the Technology and Engineering Department. Stein, a recent graduate of Viterbo University, teaches a variety of classes throughout the day.

“I team teach a power mechanics class second hour, a fabrication and machining

class third hour, then I don’t have class until fifth hour,” he said. “Sixth hour is team teaching with Chris Arps in graphic communications, and then I’m back in my classroom teaching a manufacturing and welding course seventh hour.”

While this diverse schedule could prove a challenge for Stein, he believes that his success in overcoming it will rely largely on the teachers around him.

“I think that it is the people that I work with that have made it so good so far,” he said. “So I feel confident in my ability to adapt because I’ve got great people who know exactly what to do in every situation helping me out.”

Although just starting his West career, Stein is already looking to the future.

“A goal that I have is to update the metal shop a little bit,” he said. “I want to see about getting some new and better equipment for the students to work with.”

The new teacher is also looking to the future in extracurricular areas.

“I’d like to get involved in clubs or sports,” he said. “In high school I wrestled, and I’d like to see where that goes. Maybe next year I’ll take part in working with the team and helping them out.”

Although in the infancy of his tenure, Stein is already settling in well.

“Things at West are fantastic right now,” he said. “It has been everything I expected, and then some.”

by H. Schacherl and D. Seekings

15

Features

Volume 111, Issue 5

February 20, 2015

Rotary brings smiles, memories to Evergreen residents Although autobiographies tend to bring to mind celebrities, visionaries, and historical figures writing narcissistically, recently a few West students helped residents of Evergreen Nursing Home retell their own personal history. The Write Your Life project took place every Monday over a duration of six weeks which began in January. Among the multitude of students taking part in the project, a trio of teenag-

ers from the Oshkosh West Rotary Club participated, including junior Ava Buechel.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for residents at Evergreen to work with a student on writing their life story,” she said. “The students are able to get some volunteering hours, while learning life lessons from the experiences that the residents have had.”

Each pa r t icipat i ng st udent wa s matched with a resident, then tasked with

learning and transcribing their life story.

“I was paired up with a 94-year-old woman. Working with her has been a very special experience for me,” said senior Chloe Knudtson. “The residents that we’ve been working with have so much insight on life because of everything they have been through, so listening to their stories and their perspectives on situations is incredible. Being able to try and capture the essence of their lives in a short story has been a great experience.”

The students were not alone in this process. They were joined by a mentor who had more to offer than simply coaching the young authors.

“In the first session, an author named Ibtisam Barakat came in to get us all started on the writing process,” said Buechel.

“Meeting Ibtisam was very interesting.

She believed that recording someone’s story was one of the most powerful tools you could give the to next generation.”

Her background with bringing life to prose during her experiences in her native Jeruselam built Barakat a platform to support and encourage seniors with a lot to talk about who may not have known how to present it.

“Ibtisam Barakat told the residents to relive their memories and really dig deep to find the emotion that was felt during those memories,” said Knudtson. “She had the residents talk about the people in their lives, the accomplishments they had, and the emotion throughout their lives. The author wanted to capture all angles of the residents’ lives and have as much to write about as possible.”

Barakat’s mentoring was among a plethora of factors that influenced and inspired the Rotary members. Students also took to heart the stories and experiences their partners had to share.

“When my partner was 16, the De-

pression hit her family very hard,” said Knudtson. “Her mother died around the same time. She struggled through these situations and lived her life to the fullest despite those setbacks. She went on to marry and have five successful children.

That story of hers really influenced me to believe I need to live my life to the absolute fullest no matter what the circumstances.”

Participants across a wide span of ages took part in the project. The younger group in particular had much to learn from their older counterparts, as well from the teaching of techniques.

“The structure of the Write Your Life seminar focuses on using writing to examine the treasures of the self, voice, memory, hopes, hurts, and all that composes the emotional terrain, which is the ink of all great writings,” said Barakat. “Students in middle and high schools love this workshop because many are eager to have validation of their voices.”

This process was sur pr ising for Buechel, as she gained both valuable advice and a new and interesting opportunity that she had not expected.

“Coming into this project, I did not believe that I would enjoy writing about someone else’s life, but throughout every session I have come to realize how incredibly valuable this experience is, because I am able to apply the advice the members have given me to my own life,” she said.

“Although the members are much older than I am, it’s easy to relate to them, which provides for a fun experience.”

This value for the the seniors’ words of wisdom is shared by many of the students involved, and will be remembered and respected well into the future.

“The residents are very knowledgeable, so personally, I have learned a lot,” said Knudtson. “My partner has repeatedly told me to do whatever I want to in life be-

After a full day of extensive brain drainage, sore f ingers, and smacked foreheads, it was evident that it had been another successful UW-Madison Winter Quiz Bowl for the West Academic team.

The group advanced to the national level competition at Regency O’Hare hotel in Chicago, Illinois, from May 29-31, as a result of the competition, which was held on December 6. Academic Team competes in breakneck trivia-style competitions across the state each year.

“The judges basically ask a series of questions, which can range from poetry to pop culture,” said Leah Christian, math teacher and academic team adviser. “Normally how the questions start is that they give a very vague description of something and unless you really know the subject matter, there’s no way you’ll get it right away. The first team to answer correctly gets the points.”

This year, West sent two teams to the competition, an “A” team and a “B” team, which were divided based on a number of factors.

“Teams are made mostly so each member can complement each other’s knowledge, so if one person has a bunch of knowledge in literature but isn’t the best at math, they’d be paired with someone who could reel off equations with ease,” said junior Jonas Wagner. “That way, we have people who are knowledgeable in a variety of intellectual fields on each team.”

Dividing these teams was no easy task considering Christian had little familiarity with the team before this year.

“I actually had no intention of advising

academic team at the start of the year,” she said. “I was just hanging out in my room one day during activity period and Jonas popped his head in and said they needed a teacher to be present at their meeting, so I thought ‘why not’.”

What started out as sitting in on a meeting soon turned into a full-blown adviser role. The student leaders of the club soon asked Christian to stay on.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it, so I said that if they organized it all and got me the information I would do it; and they did,” she said.

This ability to self-organize is indicative of the club’s camaraderie and motivation, which shapes members into a closely knit community.

“We spend a lot of time together studying, practicing, and riding on buses, which allows us to really come together as teammates,” said junior Nate Kiraly.

The two teams have been practicing twice a week since the end of September, and as such, a combination of team spirit and hard work propelled them into the December competition with high hopes.

“We have a very intellectually diverse group giving us an advantage over many teams. This diversity is also what will help us perform well at nationals,” Kiraly said.

Despite this confidence, students were pleasantly surprised when it was revealed just how well they had done.

“We weren’t expecting to go to nationals,” said four-year veteran and current captain Ben Adams. “Even though we didn’t place first, we placed second, and that’s good enough to go to Chicago.”

Competitors were overjoyed upon hearing the decision, and found it a reward well earned.

“I was really glad,” said Wagner. “We really are a close family, and making it to nationals was incredibly satisfying for everyone.”

At nationals this year there will be 256 teams from around the country competing,

photo courtesy of Ava Buechel Junior Ava Buechel with Evergreen resident Marlene Krueger, whom she helped write her memoir.

photo courtesy of Ibtisam Barakat Ibtisam Barakat, the author of “Tasting the Sky,” founded the Write Your Story project.

cause she looks back on her life and wishes she would have done more. Also, she tells me to cherish the good times and not to sulk on bad situations or bad people.”

Similar to the residents, Barakat has a lot to offer students eager to gain both wisdom and writing skills.

“Anyone can begin the journey of writing,” she said. “If it is genuine, it will live. If it has a soul, it will grow and it will surprise you. It will always have a soul if you put a drop of your soul in it. If you keep peeling off layers and it still does not feel genuine, this could be because you had buried it so deeply. Keep digging for seeds you have put into the Earth of your life. Most surely, you will see some flowers sometime. You will know that they are the seeds of your voice.”

by Valraye Herring

Academ ic team advances to nat ional meet offering a chance for the participants to strut their stuff at the highest level.

“With the national competition growing nearer and nearer, we are studying harder than ever,” said Kiraly. “We know that if we keep up the dedication there is no reason we couldn’t do well in the national competition.”

by Ryan Koehler

16 February 20, 2015

Volume 111, Issue 5

Snowblast, continued from page 1 “My favorite event was probably the relay race,” said English teacher and track coach Brett Hartman. “We had a fast team and racing is what I’m good at. Plus, it was fun to go against some of the athletes I coach in track and do some friendly trashtalking when we beat them.”

Gang sport, an equally well received event and perennial favorite, requires students to tie themselves together by a loop of belts. Then, tasked with making a layup, a free throw, and knocking over a bowling pin placed conveniently underneath the hoop with two basketballs, teammates must work in perfect coordination.

“Gang sport is always my favorite,” said junior Theresa Richards. “It always produces a lot of excitement and requires a lot of communication in order to do well.

It’s something you would only ever see during Snowblast.”

The activity is also widely loved for another reason: its ridiculous nature never fails to produce an authentic laugh by participants and onlookers alike.

“Gang sport has been a favorite for a long time,” said Potratz. “It always makes me laugh because people can fall over or lose their ball halfway across the gym and have to scramble to get it back. I t ’ s

what Snowblast is all about.”

Loved as it may be, gang sport and relay races cannot compare to the traditional finale of the week which decides who takes home the title of Snowblast Champions.

As students flocked to the peak of Garbage Hill, the tournament reached its height: the difficult voyage of makeshift sleds down the slope of the hill towards Sawyer Creek on the horizon.

“I enjoyed watching the sledding competition on Garbage Hill. There are many creative designs, but it is often the simplest ideas that have the most success,” said Mauk. “Although I would suggest designing a sled that goes farther than two feet as ours did.”

The event has a massive influence on a team’s total points and can either capsize a potential champion or propel a team to glory.

“We were in first place all week until a sled disaster,” said Hartman. “We still got a top five finish, but our sled really sank us.”

Whether their sled flew down the slope or was unceremoniously halted by the force of friction before it truly gained a head of steam, all participants enjoyed watching the event.

“I really liked watching the sleds go down one after the other,” said freshman Ben Kohl.

Features

“There were some really interesting designs that gave me ideas for the next few years.”

When the g u st y w i nd s f inally ceased and the snow star ted to settle, the victor was revealed. To an ironic surprise, the team victoriously crowned Snowblast champion was none ot her t ha n tea m one.

“Our sled took photo by Keegan Lim third, which really The winning team prepares to take the trip down Garbage Hill on their homemade cliched our victory sled on the final day of Snowblast. for us,” said Officer Johnson, who was the faculty member on of weeks without any days off of school, the team. “We had been in the top five or so it’s important to do something like this so for the whole time, but that was our first to keep kids engaged and mix things up.” time in first place.”

Snowblast is an age-old tradition that While only one team finished first, has become synonymous with West’s however, all participants were able to enjoy culture and continues to provide needed the benefits of one of West’s most exciting alleviation from third quarter’s desolate weeks of the year, which wrapped up with march to spring break. a dance on Saturday, “Homecoming Two.” “Snowblast is always great,” said Li“I love Snowblast week,” said Hart- chtenburg. “It comes at the time of year man. “ I think it gives kids a chance to de- that you need it most and just makes every compress a little and act a little stranger lunch hour a break from your day and a than usual. It falls during a long chance to relax.” st r e t ch In fact, knowledge of Snowblast has spread beyond the walls of West, as former middle school teacher Mauk can confirm.

“I remember hearing about how fun Snowblast is before I taught at West,” he said. “I’m happy that I now have had the opportunity to participate myself. It’s a really unique and fun tradition here at West, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.”

by K. Bailey and S. Seekings

Robotics waves hello to challenges of new season

West’s Wave Robotics team, a club which has grown in both size and strength in recent years, is in the midst of its build season, diligently preparing its robot for another year of tasks which it must overcome. Beyond building the machine, the club and its leaders aim to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As such, the club is organized to simulate ‘real world’ experiences.

“There are four main subteams: software, build, systems, and business,” said senior Melissa Daniels. “Build team has multiple sub teams within it that have different specialized jobs. Business is split

photo by Jonas Wagner Robotics students work together to perfect their robot.

between marketing and chairmans. Chairmans are in charge of presenting to judges at competitions about our teams outreach and efforts outside of the robot.”

The club’s various sub teams work in unity to create the final product, a working robot which can accomplish the tasks to which it is assigned.

“The robot is the product that we pro-

duce, but there are so many factors and facets that go into that,” said Tyler Olds, the Program Director and one of the founders of Wave. “The way I best describe it to people is that it’s a mock engineering firm. If you think of Oshkosh Corporation, that’d be a great example. There’s a lot of people that go into Oshkosh Corporation to make things work. It’s not just the engineers building the trucks, but you have marketing representatives, you have people in public relations, and all these different facets come together. We have students that are in all those different fields, not just a robot builder or an engineer. They’re also writing essays and doing graphic arts.”

Despite the intense work, prior knowledge regarding any of the specialized jobs is not necessary in order for students to get involved, as the club has a period before their actual season where students can learn about the fields.

“We train once a week on Tuesday nights before the season, and it is optional for students to attend,” said Olds. “This makes fall sports a non-issue for the people involved.”

This consideration for other commitments is necessary largely because of the sheer diversity of Wave participants.

“Wave has had football players, wrestlers, cheerleaders, and band kids involved,” said Jon Branson, a mentor of the group and a mechanical engineer employed at Oshkosh truck. “We hit such a diverse group of students, there’s a place here for everybody, and unlike any other sport we don’t cut, you won’t get benched. There is always something to do and you will get whatever you put into this program back

out of it.”

“I wasn’t an exemplary high school Although there is no pressure to be student, but having the experience I did in constantly involved, however, many mem- Wave, especially being in a leadership role bers of the club seem omnipresent during as a student, looked great on my resumé,” the build season he said. “Being in the group as a student, “We meet and build in Tipler Middle and being a physics major, I have learned School’s basement and we have a practice field at the old Green Meadow elementary school,” said Daniels. “Build season is full of long and tiresome, but fun, nights trying to perfect our design.”

Combining West students along with students from surrounding districts, the overall group creates a tight-knit coalition of students over the period of time spent together.

“I’m kind of new to Wave,” said sophomore Austin Yates. “But I have to say that it’s a blast getting to spend photo by Jonas Wagner time with people that you want to be Robotics mentor Jessica Powers assist in the bulild. surrounded by, and that want to be there.

It’s basically like a family.” to think very logically and critically about Stemming from their camaraderie and problems which enables me to help the hard work, Robotics has found themselves students with things I may not be an expert growing prosperous in competitions. in.”

“Since our rookie year we have been Daniels shares a similar opinion very successful,” said Daniels. “We have regarding Robotics and what it supplies made it to the world championships four students. out of six competition seasons and made “Robotics is the most beneficial club in it close to the final round two or three of all of high school in my opinion,” said Danthose times. Our team has gained a lot of iels. “Students get to work with professionrespect in a very short amount of time. We als and gain real life experiences. Students haven’t gone to a regional yet that we didn’t have obtained co-ops, internships, jobs, take home an award.” and many scholarships through robotics.

Alexander Bellman-Greenwood, who Robotics teaches kids things that could participated in Robotics in high school never be taught in a school. It teaches how and now attends UWO as a physics ma- to become leaders and take responsibility jor, functions as one of the mentors in the at all times.” group, helping teach the students how to

by Will Cuttill accomplish numerous tasks.