play Ma
gh School. 11600 W. 45th St. N, Maize, KS 67101 ize Hi
Consequences of plagiarism
Page 6
Pinterest inspired Christmas Page 10 read. watch. play.
VOL7.ISSUE3.DECEMBER2012
Greta Harper, Owner/Stylist
3804 W. Maple Suite 200 Wichita, Kansas 67213 316-942-6886
Creative Senior Portraits Call 316-992-4225 or visit darrinhackney.com
Alpha 1 Drop Zone Army and Navy Store 2121 N. Tyler Road STE. 141 wICHITA, KS 67212 HOURS: M-F 10-6 SAT 10-5 www.alpha1dropzone.com FAX: 316-729-4262 316-729-0800
mESSENGER BAGS, ZOMBIE GEAR, DOG TAGS, KEY LANYARDS, Para Cord
TABLE OF CONTENTS 05 NEWS
School district considers bond issue; Botts addresses drug-related rumors.
06 NOW PLAYING
Plagiarism is easily detectable and has major consequences.
09 COLUMNS
Reporter shares how her mother’s possible cancer has affected her; another speaks of struggles in color guard.
10 ENTERTAINMENT
Pinterest inspires holiday creativity.
12 LIFESTYLES
Students have a talent for baking.
15 EDITORIAL
Science doesn’t support claims of Dec. 21 apocalypse.
16 PHOTO FOCUS
Students show spirit, pride at pep assembly Nov. 30.
19 SPORTS
Students build relationships through athletics.
Play newsmagazine staff editor-in-chief ashley golden managing editor jordan watkins photo editor brittany neigenfind ad manager dagny castelli reporters gabby hermes nick mathias aleah milliner justin noble
RACHEL REKO
ABOVE Senior Grant Christiansen hands a box of food to juniors Matthew Smith and Jason Costello Nov. 19. The food was collected during the Caring Hearts Food Drive. COVER Photo illustration by Brittany Neigenfind.
photographer matthew pogue photographers & reporters béle benard cheyenne esser hannah henricks devan horning alexis loudermilk maite menendez rachel reko adviser dan loving
RAISE YOUR VOICE BY USING YOUR WORDS Submit a letter to the editor for the February issue to D18 or to mhsnewsmag@gmail.com For the latest updates on scores, news and more, check out Play newsmagazine online at http://myhsj.org/mhsnewsmag or click on the link on the MHS website. Play is the official newsmagazine for and by Maize High School students. Play is published six times throughout the year. Play is a student publication and a forum for public opinion. Letters to the editor should be signed and around 300 words. The editorials and columns are the sole opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USD 266 Board of Education, the administration, the faculty or the adviser. Printed by City Print
decemberplay3
NEWS
Planning future for the
Growing Maize school district considers expansion
S
chool district officials and community members have developed a plan that could lead to new facilities at Maize High and elsewhere in the district. The planning facility committee was scheduled to present its plan to the Board of Education Monday night. The board now must decide if it wants to proceed with the plan and ask voters to approve bonds to pay for the construction and upgrades. “A decision won’t be made by the board until January, so that gives us some time to do some surveying of our community,” Superintendent Doug Powers said at a Nov. 19 facility planning committee meeting. The committee has identified multiple areas of need: middle school, early childhood, athletics, safety and transportation, and career education. “We came up with some pretty crazy ideas, 13 different ideas were discussed,” a committee member said. “A third middle school is most beneficial.” The estimate for the plans presented Nov. 19 was about $83 million. However, some items were scaled back before Monday’s school board presentation to reduce the overall cost. The last bond issue was approved in 2007 $58.9 million. “I didn’t see anything that was really wants,” Powers said. “It was truly needs, so it becomes a matter of prioritizing.” The most expensive would be adding a new middle school and upgrading Maize Middle School at a cost of about $35 million. Location of a new middle school hasn’t been determined. However, the school district in 2010 purchased land at the corner of 45th and 119th streets near Maize High in anticipation of future growth. Work at Maize Middle would include classroom improvements, adding lockers and a new gymnasium.
By Devan Horning
“We want to bring it up to today’s standards,” a committee member said of MMS. The next big thing is finding a permanent home for the Early Childhood Center. The center has moved twice, never into its own building. The center needs to be in a centralized location convenient for parents and with a flexible workspace. Each class requires a therapy space, and more classrooms are needed for school growth. A group with an excessive amount of needs is the athletics department. “We’ve never put athletics in a bond issue, so we’d have to see how the community responds to that,” Powers said. A big item in the proposal is a multipurpose facility, similar to a YMCA, that the schools and the community could use. It would include a pool for the swim teams. “Everyone in our group said we need a pool in Maize,” a committee member said. The facility could generate income by being rented out and hosting events. District schools could use the center for P.E. classes or to teach lessons. Stadium improvements are needed at both high schools, the committee found. A new soccer facility and a two-sided press box is part of the plan at Maize High. Media classes would be able to use the press box. “This is not extravagant,” district activities director Marc Haugh said. “This is the needs of where our district is at right now.” Other items part of the athletics proposal at Maize High include new locker rooms and training rooms closer to the football field, new lights at the football field and moving the bleachers close to the field to improve the game-day experience for fans.
“We make Maize one of the premier districts in the state,” a committee member said. “We do it in the classroom; we need to do it in the athletic areas.” Maize High is the only school that doesn't have a designated FEMA shelter. It needs to hold 2,400 people. The high school also needs a bus drop-off area with a hall extension and a special needs changing room/restroom. The transportation facility, which is currently on 53rd Street, needs more space. Because of the size of the property, there is no room for improvements, which gives no easy fix. The fuel center is in the middle of the property and the speed bumps are not good. The facility needs room for 75 buses and 35 vans with room for growth. “I know it’s hard to justify spending in nonstudent areas,” a committee member said. “There are a lot of safety issues with your transportation facility.” The Career and Professional center is the last group that was evaluated. “Gov. Brownback has been very supportive of the career and tech-ed movement,” a board member said. The district now has 31 pathways after adding the culinary arts program. Brownback promised two years of funding for the programs, trying to encourage students to leave high school with a certificate that would provide a decent job for the future. The state will pay $1,000 to students when they complete a pathway. The goal is to provide the career pathways program with its own stand-alone facility. The goal is to provide students a place to learn these things in their own school environment so more students will participate. “There is always one draw back when it comes to choosing classes,” a committee member said. “Students don’t want to leave campus.” n
The school district owns this land at 45th and 119th. New facilities could be built here if the bond issue is passed.
4playdecember
PHOTO BY DEVAN HORNING
Drug bust rumors: checking on the facts
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW POGUE
As of Nov. 26, eight to 10 students were searched for drugs and suspended for drug usage, three to five students were caught storing illegal drugs in their car, and no students tested positive for random drug testing.
By Hannah Henricks
Botts confirms the truth about drug busts
A
By Alexis Loudermilk
rumor quickly spread among the student body on Nov. 2 that the Maize administration hired students to attend parties and report back when students did something illegal. The media attention was at its peak. Power 93.9 tweeted about it numerous times. A reporter from KSN Channel 3 News called the central office seeking information and staff from surrounding schools called to see what was going on. “It spread quickly into a lot of different places, and it was all inaccurate information,” principal Chris Botts said. Botts said the school has no interest or time to snoop on students’ Twitter accounts on a daily basis. However, he said administrators will look in to it if information regarding bullying or talk of drugs is turned into the school. Students flaunting the selling or usage of drugs will be on the radar. Botts said it’s absurd to think Maize would use funds to pay informants, especially when considering the budget constraints the school district is under. If there was extra money, it would be used for educational purposes.
DRUG USE EFFECTS Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies has proven that short term health effects from drug use include the possibility of headaches, vomiting and alcohol poisoning. Long term physical effects may include weight gain, cancer, disease, heart or respiratory failure, alcoholism and death. The highly addictive nature of drugs proves that once you start, it’s increasingly difficult to stop. The effects of poor decisions regarding drug use will hurt students later. Source: University of North Carolina
“Even if I had a billion dollars, I would not pay someone to go to a party and be a snitch,” Botts said. “It’s just not what we’re about. “In life, no matter what it is, use your own brain. Don’t just automatically think it’s true. Be an individual thinker.
Question everything. Make your own decisions. Look at the facts.” Maize is, however, actively involved with discouraging drug use among students in other ways. Drug dogs were implemented last year in addition to the random drug testing that has been in place for years. Unlike the privacy of random testing, drug dogs are a public, visual reminder of the consequences that result from bringing drugs to school. Students who refuse to sign the random drug testing agreement, test positive or are caught bringing drugs to school are excluded from extracurricular activities, suspended or expelled. As of Nov. 26, eight to 10 students were searched for drugs and suspended for drug usage, three to five students were caught storing illegal drugs in their car, and zero students tested positive for random drug testing. Botts said one of his big goals is to create a climate where every student loves attending school at Maize. “I had a great high school experience,” Botts said. “I want every person that comes here to have a good high school experience and to have good thoughts about Maize High.” n
decemberplay5
NOW PLAYING
Playing with
PLAGIARISM : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own : use (another’s production) without crediting the source from Merriam Webster’s Dictionary By Aleah Milliner and Cheyenne Esser
W
riting papers in high school and college is as common as eating lunch in the cafeteria. Students write papers for English class and sometimes for other classes as well. With all of the work that goes into writing the perfect paper — reading, research, citations, etc. — students are often tempted to plagiarize a part or all of their assignment. Most students who plagiarize make the choice to do so, even when they know the consequences. “The notion that students don’t know what plagiarism is or when they’re doing it is a false one,” said English teacher Christine Borrego. Teachers make the guidelines for citations clear and are available if students truly don’t know how to do it right. Citing borrowed information correctly takes careful attention to the details of the MLA citation form. Ignorance is never an excuse. For Borrego’s students, plagiarizing leads to a zero on the assignment. English teacher Christine Kerbs also gives students zeros for plagiarism. Kerbs said she usually sees plagiarism once per assignment, usually by freshmen. “Once a student does it, teachers lose all trust,” Kerbs said. Plagiarism at the high school level might seem insignificant. Just as in the case of lying, one small lie might grow larger until what’s left is a mess of unending lies. In high school, no credit is the typical punishment. College plagiarism is a different story. “It is not tolerated at a college level and [students] will be
6playdecember
penalized,” Wichita State University English instructor Dan Close said. He said college students receive a zero on their assignment, it goes onto their record, and it is brought up with the Dean of Students. Plagiarism in college can lead to a student’s removal from the university. Maize students are often required to use Turnitin.com, which is a paper processing website that reads a paper, highlights potentially plagiarized passages in red and brings up a sidebar showing where the highlighted sections came from. “From a student’s perspective, it allows you to see if you are using too much quoted material, but from a teacher’s perspective, it ensures you are not reading recycled papers,” Borrego said. Plagiarism often happens when students write papers for school assignments. However, it can also be anything from taking music lyrics or movie quotes off of the Internet, the usual copy and paste, or taking an idea and rewriting it. Plagiarism is not always detected. However, the consequences can be harsh if someone is caught. Plagiarism is a misdemeanor crime, punishable by fines between $100 and $50,000. If someone has received money for something that contains plagiarized material, such as an author of a book, the person could face fines of $250,000 and up to 10 years in jail. Stealing items from a grocery store is a big deal. Plagiarism is no different. Students who don’t treat it as such might eventually end up in a lot of trouble. Know how to properly borrow other people’s work. n
TURNITIN.COM FACTS Turnitin processed more than 60 million papers in 2011. More than 300,000 papers are submitted on a single day with peak submissions of 500 per minute. It takes Turnitin an average of 13 seconds to process a paper.
Source: Jason Chu, Turnitin.com
N RATIO LUST ENFIND TO IL PHO ANY NEIG RITT BY B
decemberplay7
Designer Dresses at Discount Prices! Featuring: Blush Prom Night Moves Tony Bowls Mac Duggal
Prom Registry & Layaway Available!
Call (316) 729-6300 Follow Us!
Join Us! EVERY Wednesday in Jan & Feb Is
New Market Square next to Best Buy
PROM NIGHT
Wichita, KS
from 4-8PM!
2441 N. Maize Rd www.thewhitedressbridal.com
fashions • gifts • accessories
s e s s e r D that dazzle
Friend us on Facebook!
A UNIQUE BOUTIQUE Phone: 682-5531 1-800-NOW-DANC
8playdecember
1719 S. Hillside Wichita, KS 67211 Mon - Sat: 10-9 Sunday: 1-6
The waiting game
I
By BéLe Benard
n life, there are many things that haunt us from day-to-day. Ask someone their fear, and they may say clowns, spiders or maybe snakes. My biggest fear, though, is losing a family member- my mom in particular. My mom is a nurse for Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice and she has worked in the ER and other various branches in hospitals. She’s a stickler when it comes to getting medical attention. She won’t take my siblings or me to the doctor unless we’re dying or have a limb hanging off, “Rub some dirt in it,” she tells us. So when my mom scheduled herself a doctor’s appointment Oct. 24 and came home in a state of disbelief, I knew it was serious. My mom, who also isn’t a strong believer in time-to-time check-ups, had a gut feeling she needed a mammogram, which is a low-dose x-ray exam of the breasts. She’d been experiencing discomfort in her chest, and it dawned on her that she may be in the midst of trouble. After her first appointment, she still hadn’t told my sisters and me what was going on. It wasn’t until after the second appointment was made that she finally broke the news to us, news that would permanently change how I see things. She began the sentence with, “It’s nothing serious, but..” and that’s when my heart sank. My mom doesn’t take things lightly; if it weren’t a big deal she wouldn’t be telling us. As she went on, she told us that she’d gotten a mammogram done and the results came back less than perfect. She tried to explain the rest to us, but her rarely seen tears appeared and replaced her ability to speak. Ever since my grandma died in 2007, my mom has kept a journal. She handed her journal to us, unable to find the strength to speak the haunting truth. “Results came back with a density in my left breast. There’s a good chance it’s cancer,” she wrote. “I can handle stage 3, but my girls can’t. I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of the wake it’ll leave behind on my girls.” After I’d taken in the news, I was unable to move. The world was at a stand-still; everything around me was in slow motion. My family surrounded me, yet I still felt so alone; my heart felt like a million pounds, slowly sinking deeper and deeper to the floor. The next half year will be excruciating; we have to play the waiting game. In six months, my mom has a check-up to see if the density in her breast is larger. If it is, they will do a biopsy to confirm the cancer. My mom has taught me absolutely everything I know; I can’t imagine my life without her. This experience has changed many things for me; I’m so much more grateful for her. It’s really made me notice all the things she does for me on a daily basis- large and small, silly and sentimental, things so full of love and comfort. I’d be lost without her. She’s my backbone, my teacher, my shoulder to cry on, but ultimately she’s my hero. Cherish today. Tell your family you love them. Live your life with happiness. And when you do, share it.n
COLUMNS Going against the wind
A
By Maite Menendez
t exactly 6:30, I arrived in the band room in late April. I didn’t quite anticipate what was going to happen next. I had heard very little about what Color Guard was. When I heard the words dancing, flagging and performing, I had a feeling I was going to like it. Matt Elliott, the instructor, called us into the choir room and we began a long journey of a week-long audition. We spent a little while talking about what the sport would be like, how committed we had to be, and how practices were going to go. After handing us informational papers and calendars, I learned how to do a basic maneuver, a drop-spin. Such a simple move, I thought, until I tried it. I spent a great amount of time trying to figure out the correct way to turn my wrist and the technique in unraveling of the flag while doing this. As time passed, other newbies had already gotten the hang of it as I struggled. This is one of the first times I have felt out of place in what would become my favorite part of the school day. Time went on, and I thought I had completely given up, even though I made the team. I was afraid of the flag. My tosses were bad. My free hand looked like dinosaur arms. Practices felt like a waste of time during the summer, and I couldn’t keep up like everyone else. During one of the summer practices, the captains decided that we should all throw tosses together. Oh what fun it sounded. The poles smacking everyone’s hands on the same count was ruined with the CLANG when I kept dropping my own toss. This happened five more times. I could feel my face getting hot and my hands starting to sweat, when one of my teammates encouraged me that I could do it, that I can catch the last one. CLANG. I couldn’t keep myself from feeling disappointed and useless. I broke down soon after on my way to the bathroom. I was stopped by one of the captains, and she could already see the failure I felt in my face. I had a little pep talk with myself that moment in the bathroom and promised that I’d get better no matter what it took. From taking my flag bag home and practicing to taking all criticism seriously, I achieved what I wanted. I worked hard enough to the point where I can say that I know how to do a single toss and many other things that had required me to work and practice by myself. No one ever sees how much effort and time I put into my tosses or performances. Staying after school for home football game performances, early morning and late night practices, competitions and every morning for first block still wasn’t enough to make us look our best. All people see is whether I caught the toss. My mind is boggled now every time I think of how much I didn’t care or try but yet I still managed to find a way to love the sport. n
decemberplay9
Christmas by Pinterest By Hannah Henricks
1 2
Nail Art
PHOTOS BY BRITTANY NEIGENFIND AND HANNAH HENRICKS
1. Paint nails base coat (red) 3. Outline white with silver What you will need: 4. Make a bow with white polish Red, white, silver nail polish 2. Make a “t” on one nail 5. Add rhinestone to center (white) Rhinestone nails stickers
Peanut Butter Balls
What you will need: 2/3 cup peanut butter 2 Tbsp. butter 1 cup powdered sugar 12 oz. package semisweet chocolate Wax paper 2 Tbsp. paraphane 1. Stir peanut butter and butter until soupy 2. Add vanilla to PB and butter 3. Mix in powdered sugar 4. Roll mixture into balls, any size 5. Dip peanut butter balls into chocolate 6. Put on wax paper to cool and harden
10playdecember
Peppermint Mocha Latte What you will need: ¼ cup milk ¼ cup coffee 1 Tbsp. chocolate syrup 1 drop peppermint extract as much to liking
3
1. Brew coffee 2. Heat milk in microwave until hot 3. Mix syrup and peppermint into coffee 4. Foam milk with frother or just pour milk into coffee
ENTERTAINMENT
45
Nutella Cupcakes What you will need: 1 cup Nutella 2 eggs 10 Tbsp. flour
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 2. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl 3. Pour batter into lined muffin tins 4. Bake for 15-19 minutes checking periodically
What you will need: Plain, glass ornaments Acrylic paint 2-4 colors 1. Drop 2 colors into the ornament-about a drop each 2. Swirl ornament until pint covers most of the inside 3. If you have other colors, drop the rest into ornament and swirl ornament until paint covers entire ornament 4. Let dry approximately 1 hour (varies on how much paint is used)
Painted Ornaments
6
Homemade Snow Globe
What you will need: Any jar that seals Distilled water Glitter Figurines Epoxy/crazy glue Liquid glycerin (used to help glitter fall slowly) 1. Use glue to attach figurines to the lid of the jar 2. Fill jar almost to the top with water 3. Add a dash of glycerin 4. Add glitter to your discretion
decemberplay11
LIFESTYLES
Pastry Prodigies By BéLe Benard and Maite Menendez
Senior Kellie Platek and freshman Brett Young decorate cookies.
W
ith school, sports and other activities, most students don’t have enough time to do much else. However, senior Kellie Platek and freshman Brett Young find time to practice their favorite hobby: baking. Platek started baking a year ago and Young when he was in sixth grade. Platek gathers her ideas from baking with her mom and finding ideas on Pinterest. Young said his inspiration was TV show “Cake Boss,” which led him later to begin his own business, Brett’s Bakery. Platek enjoys all the different variations and how when you bake
you’re making everything your own. Platek, who started baking with her mom when she was a little girl, has a busy schedule yet still finds baking time and does it three times a week. Although Platek has some time to bake, she hasn’t found the time to take any baking classes. Regardless of the lack of time, Platek still hopes to open her own baking business one day. Her parents also suggest that she should open a bakery. “I’d love to open my own bakery business one day”, Platek said. “I haven’t decided what I want to study, but I’ll
PHOTOS BY CHEYENNE ESSER
probably consider taking business classes.” Besides making creations just for fun, Platek had her own booth last year at Maize’s World Market. She constantly is giving food to her friends. Even though her parents support her baking, she still insists on buying all the ingredients with her money. Platek said she goes to Wal-Mart five times a week to purchase items. Despite all the delightful recipes she has mastered, she still hasn’t become friendly with the microwave. “I’m bad with microwaves,” she said. “I’ve burnt caramel and had something
Platek and Young show their baking abilities as they knead and cut out dough and decorate cookies.
12playdecember
cooked in a metal bowl.” Though she hasn’t mastered microwaves, Platek is well on her way to mastering baking. Neither Platek nor Young have strayed from book recipes except for changing a few ingredients. Young works in his bakery in his in-home studio. He spends most of his baking time working on his detail and perfecting his techniques. “Now I bake so well with my detail, my family thinks it’s insane,” Young said.
Young has baked for events such as birthday parties and baby showers. He said he has about six regular clients. Regardless of the occasion or quantity, Young still enjoys this hobby. Like Platek, he also manages to have time for baking with a busy schedule. “I do it because I love it. It gets stressful though, because of school and swim team,” Young said. The bakery frustrated Young’s parents at the beginning. “I’d always run out of something, and we’d have to go to the store,” he said.
“They have told me multiple times that it’s over.” Young’s experience is limited, but he has already begun taking on large tasks. His largest order consisted of 60 cupcakes, and during summer, he was mentored by a family friend. His mentor advised him to pack a bag because they would be making 300 cupcakes that night. “I was excited,” he said. “It was my first time meeting her; she taught me a lot. By the time it hit 4 a.m, I wasn’t so excited anymore.” n
Appetizing adjustments Maize’s culinary department makes changes to meet industry standards
M
By Gabby Hermes
aize’s culinary department is working toward providing more opportunities for students who want a career in the culinary field. Every culinary class is getting shifted to meet industry standards, which means students will leave class with skills needed to be employed in the culinary career field. Maize is using a curriculum called ProStart. ProStart is an industry-driven curriculum where students get the opportunity to learn about cooking by training and getting valuable instruction in the classroom to build practical skills. The program lets students cook with professionals. On Nov. 27, students went to Butler Community College to cook
and get tips from chefs. The students cooked pork loin, learned how to find the cost of food and were able to work in groups with a head chef from different restaurants. “I worked with a head chef of Red Rock Cafe,” freshman Brett Young said. “I like ProStart because the way it is set up is really cool. I plan on moving forward in the food industry and ProStart helps me with that.” Along with getting hands-on experience, students in culinary arts and culinary applications are taught safety and sanitation and can receive a Safe Serve Certification and Food Handlers cards. Students are taught management skills, including making menus for a project. Students gain customer service skills by
serving people outside of the class. They also use kitchen math to learn how to price food and make a profit. If students complete the program, they earn 12 hours of culinary school credit. Completing the program requires students to pass the two exams in culinary arts and culinary applications. After completion, students receive a Certificate of Achievement. The certificate helps students get ahead in the industry, according to the ProStart website. “This was absolutely a great addition to the foods program because we needed to get students ready for industry,” said culinary teacher Cara Poole, who is in her first year at Maize. “This prepares them for a job.” n
PHOTOS BY MATTHEW POGUE
Seniors Chris Chambers and Gabby Ybarra help chefs James Tully and Kelly Peterson from Cocoa Dolce.
decemberplay13
Sexual Health
menu
PCC of Wichita 1040 N West St Wichita Kansas
STD Testing...........................$20.00 Pregnancy Testing................FREE Confidential Information......FREE Support..................................FREE
West Wichita Locations: 21st & Tyler 8621 W. 21st St. N. Maple & Ridge 420 S. Ridge Rd.
CALL US 316-945-9400 VISIT US pccwichita.org
Get updated with
MaizeHighAd.indd 1
10/8/2012 3:46:56 PM
Play
Sports, clubs, activities and columns by Play staff members are made convenient for you on the Play newsmagazine website.
Check out photos from the choir Christmas show “Believe” on our website
Visit us at my.hsj.org/mhsnewsmag 14playdecember
Credit Union of America $500 and $1,000 SCHOLARSHIPS Apply online at: cuofamerica.com/scholarships *Membership in good standing required.
EDITORIAL
It’s not the end of the world By Jordan Watkins for the Play editorial board
A
man named Joe Rogan has a website selling supplies to help people survive the apocalypse on Dec. 21. His customers can buy things like emergency survival kits, potassium iodide tablets (to prevent consumption of radioactive poison) and gas masks. You won’t need any of it. According to NASA, “credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.” Because the Mayan calendar ends on Dec. 21, 2012, some believe the world will come crashing to an end and humanity will see its last day. Rogan says on his website that recent economic troubles, political unrest and natural disasters are proof of the “catastrophic event” that is to come. According to Rogan, this “catastrophic event” should not be seen as an end, but as a new beginning, a cleansing of the Earth. A cleansing of the Earth through destruction of life as we know it might sound intriguing to some, but science simply doesn’t back those claims. While the Mayan calendar’s “long-count period” might end on Dec. 21, our calendar ends on Dec. 31 of every year. And every single year, the calendar starts over. Humanity doesn’t start over, Earth doesn’t start over. Just the calendar. Evidence also suggests that the Mayans believe time will
continue even thousands of years from today. National Geographic says archaeologists found an ancient mural in the Guatemalan jungle that suggest dates 7,000 years in the future. These archaeologists say the mural depicts a set of calculations used by ancient Mayans to predict the city’s fortunes. Some believe that a “Planet X” will collide with Earth on Dec. 21 because of a 2002 Hubble Telescope photo of a star surrounded by dust clouds that is said to contain a phantom world. There is no scientific link to this dust cloud being a planet or to it colliding with Earth. On the NASA website, astrobiologist David Morrison put it simply: "There is no object out there.” He said that if any other planet was in danger of hitting Earth anytime soon, it would be visible to the naked eye by now. Others believe that Earth will experience a pole shift on Dec. 21 that will shift the Earth’s mantle and crust. They say this will send cities into the ocean and pour volcanic gas from the Earth’s core onto the surface. Geologist Adam Maloof told National Geographic that while these pole shifts have happened, they happen very slowly over millions of years. Even if a pole shift were happening, humans would be unable to see the difference in their lifetime. That’s not the last rumored threat to humanity. Some astrology enthusiasts say that a “galactic alignment” will occur for the first time in 26,000 years on, of course, Dec. 21. This means that the path of the sun will cross through the center of the galaxy, creating a cloudy stripe in the sky. They believe this could expose Earth to a black hole that will suck up the planet. Morrison, again, said humanity has nothing to fear. Alignments happen during every winter solstice and mean absolutely nothing to science. He said there is “nothing out of the ordinary” in 2012. He couldn’t have said it better. Despite all the unscientific speculation and disproved rumors, Earth’s inhabitants will see Dec. 21 come and go, with nothing out of the ordinary.n
Editorial cartoon by junior Krista Shields. This cartoon was submitted as part of an assignment in Beth Janssen’s Art I class. Want to see more submitted cartoons? Visit our web site. www.myhsj.org/MHSnewsmag
decemberplay15
PHOTO FOCUS
PEPPY PARTY Photos by Matthew Pogue
E
xcitement filled the air at the pep assembly Nov. 30 as Maize students and staff got the winter sports season off to a spirited start. They kicked it off with contests and performances by the cheerleaders and Flygirls. Junior Amber Fisher, right, won a contest in which she had to blow up a balloon, dribble and make a basket. “I was blowing a balloon with all the breath I had left,” she said. “It was really hard to dribble.”
“I like performing; it makes me feel hyped,” senior yell leader Nathan Hermes, left, said.
16playdecember
The Flygirls danced in front of the student body at the pep assembly. “Performing is scary because you’re in front of the whole school, but it’s fun to entertain,” senior Briana Foster, bottom center, said.
Jacob Horsch handles the ball in the Eagles’ season-opener against Emporia. Maize lost 67-55.
Coach Craig Lungwitz tries to make a basket with a balloon. “It was fun; it was good. I was skying over [Jamie] Stiverson.”
decemberplay17
SPORTS
Friends from the field
Students share how athletics help build new friendships By Nick Mathias and Justin Noble
W
between most, if not all, of the teammates. Johnson also believes this. “You’re around the people on your team a lot, so it’s going to make you automatically friends.” Freshmen Aubrey Cole and Madison and Marissa Wright met during basketball season in seventh grade. “They’re basically the only people I hang out with,” Cole said. “You hang out with your teammates a lot, like the whole time,” Madison said. “They’re your friends during the season of the sport you play, and you just get to know them so well you stay friends after that.” Like any friendship, problems can arise. Between teammates, however, it is hard to get away from the tension. “Sometimes it makes people get mad at their friends, because if they play more or moved up to a different team, then people get jealous,” Cole said. Though sports can be competitive, students still have a good time with their teammates. “Being competitive with your friends is just something that comes with sports,” Norrod said. “It just happens because you’re all playing the same sport and you all want to make each other better.” Wilson agrees. “Around here it’s a lot of friendly competition,” he said. “You want to beat out your friend, but you want to have fun doing it.” n
PHOTOS BY RACHEL REKO
orking toward a common goal brings people together. In sports, teammates spend hours working together. That often leads to forming bonds that last long after the season concludes. Junior Clayton Norrod knows about this first hand. He transferred to Maize in eighth grade. He said without sports like football, making friends wouldn’t have come as easily. “[Sports are] pretty much how I got to meet all of my [friends],” Norrod said. “I mean, I’m new to Maize still. I may have got here in eighth grade, but I’m meeting new people through sports.” Two of the friends he’s had the longest - juniors Chase and Chandler Goff - he met playing t-ball when they were little. “That’s pretty much the only reason we’re friends,” Chase Goff said. Junior Andrew Johnson and sophomore Corey Wilson understand the bonding that occurs between teammates. They met each other through baseball last year. “I met a whole bunch of the upperclassmen and got to know them,” Wilson said. The friendly environment and competition of sports often leads to the creation of many friendships. Many people on sports teams become close during the season and maintain those relationships during the offseason. Chandler Goff said that spending so much time with teammates during the season leads to many formed bonds
Freshman Aubrey Cole got to know Madison and Marissa Wright during seventh grade basketball season.
18playdecember
Though they are in different grades, junior Andrew Johnson and sophomore Corey Wilson became friends through baseball.
Juniors Chase and Chandler Goff met junior Clayton Norrod while playing t-ball and now they play football.
JORDAN WATKINS
Chris Davis speaks to the crowd at a basketball scrimmage Nov. 17.
Davis becomes head coach By Rachel Reko Chris Davis, the new boys basketball coach, tries to make a difference every day in the lives of his players and students. A special education teacher at Maize for almost two years, Davis enjoys teaching and working with the kids. He likes not knowing what to expect each day. “It’s different every day,” Davis said. “There’s never a dull moment.” Davis said he wanted to work with special needs students to make a difference in their lives. “There’s a need for quality teachers to help,” he said. “Anytime you can help and be proactive, it’s good. If we don’t stand up for them, who will?” Davis said that growing up in a sports family encouraged his love of sports. His father, who worked for the National Baseball Congress for many years, rubbed off on him. After being a basketball coach for more than 19 years at Kapaun Mount Carmel, Wichita South and Liberal, Davis brings his expertise to Maize. He was an assistant coach for Mike Darrah on the team last year. Davis’ hopes for the year include improving as a team. “I want to get better every day,” he said. “I want them to understand what a team is all about and learn life lessons. If we can do that, we’ll be successful.” Davis believes the best thing about coaching is the challenge to get better. “When you get a group of individuals together as a team and improve, there’s no better feeling.”n
Aaron Hight, BST, Construction Mgmt. ‘03 Project Manager, Crossland Construction
s r e e r a c big start at Pitt State
big value-
big
big selection-
Internships available with the world’s largest companies
Flat-rate tuition More than 150 academic programs
opportunities-
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, Kansas • www.pittstate.edu • 1-800-854-PITT
decemberplay19