THE DOG BLOGBennington High School October 4, 2012 The Dog Blog is a product of the

Bennington High School Publications Class, Bennington, Kansas 67422

Chief Editor: Marissa ScheeleAdviser: DonWagner

Issue 8.2, October 4, 2012Available online at <USD240.org>

I can do anything Some people think that the state cross-country meet is the worst meet of the year. I, on the other hand, completely disagree. Every time I’ve run at this meet, the weather is perfect. There’s a chilly breeze, but the sun brings warmth, so it’s not too hot or too cold. Yes, there are some tough hills, and yes, the girls here are more competitive, but that’s a good thing. In the beginning of the season everyone is out of shape, so the competition isn’t really there. As the season progresses, the competition increases until the state meet comes along, where everyone is at their physical best and they are all there to win. That’s what I love about the state meet. It shows just how strong one has to be in order to place in the top 25 out of 99 girls.

My nerves never really become notice-able until it comes time to warm up. That’s the point where all I want to do is get the race over with. Warming up means that there’s only 30 to 45 minutes left until the race starts. Only enough time for a ten to fifteen minute jog, static and dynamic stretching, and several stride outs. Some people think that I’m in an awful mood before the race starts, but I’m not. I just can’t handle talking to people because I’m afraid I’ll lose my concentration. I get so focused on my goals and where I plan to be during the race, that I tend to block everything else out.

My heart starts to beat even faster. My body feels good and I speed up. This is the last 800 meters. It’s all or nothing. I don’t even hear the fans anymore. I know they’re there, but I can’t see them. All I see is the girl in front of me. I’m not going to let her beat me. The rest of the race is downhill.

close to the runners that it’s hard not to run into them. Since they’re so close, and each person is screaming into my ears, my mind gets completely over-whelmed. At this point, I can hardly think. It makes everything feel surreal: like it’s not really happening. That’s when I see it: the two-mile mark.

The grass is a little damp, so it glistens with every step. The hills roll across the course like waves. And the leaves are in the middle of changing, getting ready to part from their trees. Then, of course, there are the fans: the families of every single girl in this race. Every person is screaming the same thing to a different name. There are parts in this race, where the fans crowd so

When the gun is fired, I take off. I know I have to get ahead now because I don’t have much of a kick at the end of the race. So, even though I can hardly breathe at this point, I rush to be up with the front runners. For the first 800 meters, I’m fighting with myself about how badly I really want this. It would be so easy to just give up and let girls pass me, but before I know it, my breathing begins to regulate, and I start to feel good. That’s when I start to notice my surroundings.

by Katey

Whitesell

Our World is Changing,

P o t Legalizati on is Co ming!

Are you ready for it?

by Lindsay Curl

In November, voters in three states could legalize marijua-

na, and not just for medical pur-poses. Then again, they might chicken out, like California voters did in 2010. But sooner or later, and probably sooner, a state will go green. Not in the environmental way though; in the leafy green substance way. About half of America will be fine with that legal-ization, too. Support for le-galization is higher than ever and rising. The prohibition on marijuana—a relatively benign drug when used responsibly by adults, and a teddy bear com-pared to alcohol and tobacco—has cost us billions trying to enforce. Throwing people in jail and trials have been burning up police time and money. The war

on drugs alone has cost us $30 bil-lion dollars. Basically, we’re wasting our money enforcing these laws that CAN’T be enforced. It is kind of like the prohi-bition on alcohol, and we all know how well that worked. I know what you’re thinking: usage of marijuana at a young age causes brain damage, right? Not exactly. A study done by WebMD researchers found only a “very small” impairment in mem-ory and learning among long-term marijuana users. In those studies, some 700 regular marijuana users were compared with 484 non-users on various aspects of brain function.

“We were somewhat surprised by our finding, especially since there’s been a controversy for some years on whether long-term cannabis use causes brain damage,” says lead re-searcher and psychiatrist Igor Grant, MD.

“I suppose we expected to see some differences in people who were heavy users, but in fact the differenc-es were very minimal.”

No matter what the laws, young adults (teens especially) are still smoking weed. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, most teens say that it’s easier to get weed than beer. Therefore (I’m sorry to say),

why not legalize pot? Just think, if we put a tax on weed (like what we do with cigarettes and alcohol), we could wipe out the deficit that the government has created. We could put our country back in the black. We might not have long to wait to find out the consequences of legalization. Of the three states trying to legalize weed (Colorado, Washington, and Oregon), Colora-do is definitely the best shot so far. I guess America will have to stand by until voting is all tabulated in November. Norml’s Keith Stroup says, “Prohibition is falling apart, about the way alcohol prohibition fell apart. Legalization is eventually going to be a recognition of the facts on the ground.” No matter what happens between now and the eventual legalization of marijuana, we’ll continue spending money on a war that can’t be won.

“We might not have long to wait

to find out the consequences of

legalization.”

Spreading His Wings: An Interview With Ian Ostenberg

byRyan Ostenberg

Leaving for college can be a very traumatic experience. Having to be self-sufficient, learning to discipline yourself in order to get as-signments done, and making all new friends can be pretty a tough task. For some people it can be overwhelming. Not for Ian Osten-berg, however. For this 2012 graduate of Bennington High School, spreading his wings and learning to fly like the independent eagle he is destined to be is just part of the learning process. So who to interview about the age old tradition of transitioning from child-hood to adulthood than my loving brother?

1. What do you miss most about high school? Mr. Wagner. 2. If you could do high school all over again, what, if anything, would you change? Why on earth would I do high school all over again?

3. How diverse is Kansas State compared to Bennington? There is pretty much every type of person at Kansas State.

4. How are college professors different than high school teachers?

College professors don’t know your name, don’t care if you show up for class, don’t care if you fail, and won’t go out of their ways to help you. So yeah, it’s not that different.

5. What is the workload like in college? Be prepared to actually work. On average, you’re going to do at least two hours of homework/studying a day. Unless you’re an English major. They don’t do anything.

6. What would you say is the best part of college? What is the worst? Exams, lectures, walking to class in the rain, running out of Ramen noodles, getting up for class on a Monday, those things are all terrible. The best part of college? Everything you’ve seen in the movies is true. (Just kidding mom!)

7. How is the food there? Freshman 15, here I come.

8. Do you miss me? If by “you” you mean “mom’s cooking,” then yes, I miss you.

The dreaded “Freshman 15”

A typical college dorm room

MAKING THE ARREST

Look, Kid, I’m telling you,

you have to either have

probable cause, a warrant,

or have witnessed the crime your-

self in order to arrest someone.

Otherwise, it’s against their rights.”

Officer Newman stops talking

and takes a deep breath before

he picked up his steaming cup of

coffee. He takes in the aroma and

savors the richness for a moment

before he looks back to his part-

ner.

The man was young and

had a lot to learn. Barely in his

twenties, he already wore frown

lines around the corners of his

round jaw from the constant intake

of Newman’s lecturing. Hearing the

ting of the clock, Newman stands

and stretches before patting his

new partner on the back. “Come

on, Kid, our break’s up. Time to get

back to our beat.”

Driving down the desert-

ed streets, Newman continuously

scans the area for any sign of trou-

ble. The silence is broken when his

partner asks, “So even if you have

a bad vibe, you can’t arrest them?,”

Taking a moment to gather an an-

swer, Newman sees a man running

from a store across the street. Not

only was this man carrying the tell

tale ski mask, he was toting a gun

and a money stuffed duffel bag

right behind him. Looking back to

his partner, Newman says, “Kid,

you’re about to get your first lesson

in arresting someone.” With that,

he cranked the wheel and sped

into the parking lot, cutting off the

robber’s escape.

With lightning speed,

Newman and his partner jump

out of the car. Sliding his fingers

around the cold metal of his pistol,

Newman unsheathes the gun and

points it towards the fleeing robber.

“Freeze, drop the bag and put your

hands behind your head.” Before

he could say anything else, the

gun-toting robber swings the bag of

money into the air and fires his gun

at the officers. Jumping behind his

car, Newman lands hard and tastes

the copper of blood from biting his

tongue. The smell of gunpowder

burns his nostrils as he fires back

at the fleeing robber. Checking his

partner and seeing him getting to

his feet, he pursues the fleeing sus-

pect.

Together, Newman and his

partner chase the man into the ally

behind the store. With nowhere

to run, the man once again turns

his gun on the officers. Seeing the

glint of the gun’s metal, Newman

pulls his partner behind a dump-

ster. The sound of metal on metal

rings about them as the bullets hit

the dumpster. Counting the tenth

shot, Newman ducks out from

behind the dumpster and levels his

gun on the robber. “You’re out of

bullets. Now drop the gun and lay

facedown on the ground.” Knowing

he’s caught, the robber drops the

gun and lowers himself to the trash

littered pavement.

Kicking the gun to his

partner, Newman puts a knee into

the his back and pulls the robber’s

hands behind him. Bringing out

the shiny cuffs, Newman makes

quick work of cuffing the suspect.

With the sound of the cuffs locking

into place, Newman looks to his

partner and wipes the sweat from

his face. As the taste of adrenaline

slowly dissipates, he says, “You see,

we have probable cause and have

witnessed this man’s crime. We can

now arrest him without violating

his rights as a citizen.” Laughing,

Newman’s partner helps pick the

man up from the ground and helps

drag him back to the car.

THE PROPER PROCEDURE

Barely in his twenties, he al-

ready wore frown lines around the

corners of his round jaw

“Kid, you’re about to get you first

lesson in arresting someone.”

The sound of met-al on metal rings

about them as the bullets hit the

dumpster.

As the cuffs lock into place,

Newman wipes the sweat from his

face.

byMarissa Scheele

“

A Sleep Deprived

Imagine a student walking to their desk and immediately slumping into it. The teacher

stands before him and begins speaking in a monotone voice. Before he knows it, his eyes be-gin to droop and his mouth goes slack. The next thing he knows his friend is shaking him awake to go to their next class. Almost every class consists of a teacher at the front of the class with the students in the desks. When you take a closer look, a few of the students may not be paying attention, dozing off, or even completely asleep. Why do some students seem so drowsy during school? Well, the answer is easy. Lots of the students are sleep deprived.

The typical schedule for a student is to get to school early, spend the day listening to the teachers drone on and on, and take tests. Next, for the athletic students, comes the couple hours of sports practice that goes on forever. Once the student suffers through all of this, he or she then have to go home and do whatever homework you have for the day. If your workload is anything like mine, homework can take hours.

Then you have to take into ac-count the students who have jobs to go to after school. If you’re a student who works during the week and manages to keep good grades, I applaud you. Other reasons also lead to students being sleep deprived. One is that we as students are terrible procrastinators and have to stay up extremely late to finish a project due the next day because we were too lazy to do it earlier. Put the television remote down and get your home-

byMarissa Scheele

S YOTEUT DBND

work done early. This way if you do it wrong, or want to add to it, you have plenty of time to do it. What about facebook? Seriously, how many of you skip the home-work or stay up late just to see what someone has posted. Then there are the students who stay up until the crack of dawn just to watch television. Like I said before, do the homework and get to bed. You’ll be better off.

If you’re sleep deprived, then you’re most likely over worked. So if you already have a lot on your plate, be nice to yourself and don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you don’t have time to do something, don’t tell someone you’ll do it. Tell them you’re sorry, but that you’re busy, and walk away. Making your life simpler and less com-plicated is the best way to catch some more z’s.

A students Schedule is to get

to school early, spend the

day listening to the teachers

drone on and on, and take tests.

If you’re sleep deprived, then

you’re most likely over worked.

students are terrible

procrastinators

Where is our School Spirit?

Many students claim that they support the

Bulldogs and that they hope that we win, but then these same people don’t show at the games. Why are students not going to games? Home games are easy to attend; so why is our student body so poorly represented? Unless there is a personal emergency or a terrorist threat, there is no valid excuse to miss attend-ing a game at the ol’ alma mater. Going to a home football or basketball game, volleyball or wrestling match, track, cross-country or golf meet is not very diffi-cult. It does not take much energy, sacrifice, or effort to support your fellow stu-dents. After all, think of the time these student athletes have given to reach a level of Friday Night Lights or varsity competition. Seeing students in the stands cheering for the team gives a group confidence. Hearing their fellow students cheer them on makes the athletes work harder to achieve that elusive and desirable victory or medal. School spirit is vital to an institutions’ success.

Have you been to a football game at KSU? A basket-ball game at Allen Fieldhouse? We should strive to

have that kind of enthusiasm and support at Bennington!

I encourage students to go to football games, cross-country meets, and every other sport that we

offer at our school. Show your support to your fellow students, and let them

know how much you value the time and effort they put into the sport. A school is more than just a building where we sit in rows and

learn equations and gram-mar. A school is an insti-tution built on pride and accomplishment, and the accomplishments of our

student athletes are more immediate and enjoyable

than the academic achieve-ments. Both will follow us from these hallowed walls. I challenge each and every

one of you students at Ben-nington High School to at-tend every home and away

game that is available to you. School spirit begets

more school spirit, and the success of our sports

teams and the enthusiasm of the supporters builds a sense of community that

fosters pride, accomplish-ment, and success both on

the field and off. Let’s not let this year go by with just a whimper from our fans in the stands. Let’s make Bennington a place

where, when other teams come here to play, they know they are in a place that is built on pride and

school spirit! No more excuses!

Let’s make the stands

ROCK!!!

by Erick Underwood

Pride and Enthusiasm Needed to Build Spirit!

A W RLDwithout MUS C

Music says something to us. It inspires us, motivates us, and speaks

out something to us. Our world

has music playing everywhere all around us. Even if it is instruments, Ipods, radios, concerts, nature, it all sings to us. Imagine if we lived in this world where music didn’t even exist. Walking down the streets not hearing one tune, beat, or note singed or played. Where would we be now? Music motivates people. When running, warming up for a sport, or even dancing. It like influences us and motivates us to go hard. When you are running those 5 miles and instead of

falling asleep. Most peoples solution to that is playing music, which helps them fall asleep. It would be hard for those people to get to sleep if music wasn’t even

heard of. People wouldn’t even have a career as a singer or as a musician if music was speechless. People wouldn’t be who they are today if it wasn’t for music. Maybe music helped them be good at sports and get better because music gave them motivation. Maybe they wouldn’t get their homework done and have good grades because they thought it was boring just sitting there in silence doing it. A world without music that’s the question I leave you guys with. Where would you be without it?

thinking how far you have to go still and how tired you are music kinds gets your mind off of it and gives you that push to keep going. What about dancing? If you

have no music then what are you supposed to dance to? Not a single beat to move your body to. Would a thing called dancing even exist? What about homecoming and prom? When you go to these events you dance with people to music and have a good time, but wouldn’t that all just change. How about homework? I know a lot of students in this school listen to music while doing homework. It motivates us to get it done and work on it. When you go home and lie down on your bed and turn on some tunes and do your homework. Sing with your tunes while you are doing your homework. Wouldn’t it be really boring just laying on your bed and doing your homework in silence. Come on you need some tunes? Some people have trouble

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety

to life and to everything.”--Plato

By Kayla Schlachter

Homecoming!

by Gabby Cooper

If I were to be asked to homecoming I would want the proposal to be PERFECT, and I know I’m not the only girl who thinks this

way. Guys don’t usually ask girls in a ‘formal’ matter. They just text a female and say ‘Hey, let’s go to homecoming together.’ Guys, why can’t you do something cute and romantic? For those males who don’t know how to gracefully ask a girl on a date, you’re in luck. I’m going to give all you boys out there some tips on how to make a girl melt when asked to go to Homecoming. Boys, let’s just put this out there--If you’re

not cleanly dressed and if your hair is a tan-gled mess, you’re basically already out of the question. Not many girls are going to give a boy who looks like he just rolled out of bed the time of day, and she definitely wouldn’t want show up to Homecoming with some sloppy fool. Take a shower, comb your hair, put on some nice smelling cologne, and change your socks. Girls are suckers for flowers. Bring her some flowers—roses, carnations, daisies, or even some wildflowers. Wrap them in a wet paper towel or stick them in a vase. One way or another, don’t ask empty handed. Don’t plan something she might suspect.

Make it a surprise! Keep the suspense going and show up on her doorstep unannounced. Take her to a specific place and make your proposal special! Everyone loves a surprise every now and then. The number one key is to be creative! Use Post It sticky notes on her car, announce it over the intercom at school, or even just write a cute little note in her locker! It’s the little things that count, boys. I don’t care if you’ve been dating for the past two years, or if you just have a crush; ask ‘the’ girl to Homecoming in a memorable way. Throw out that big ole’ seven word question and presto, you have yourself a great date.

Fortune cookie anyone? This would be a GREAT way to show your creativity.

Try writing ‘HOMECOMING?’ in Skittles.

Make her laugh by something silly like this!

These pictures show some of the many ways to ask a girl to home-coming. Don’t just send an uninspired text--steal a few of these ideas or come up with something creative and romantic on your own!

Make her smile with some flowers.

How to ask a girl to

•Follow my advice and you won’t get burned AND/OR rejected!

The Cinema Giants: A Reel Story of Successful Films

In 1923 Walt Disney founded the Walt Disney Animation Studios. It

was 14 years before they made their first motion picture. Snow White (1937) was their first movie and first hit. They were very successful until the ‘70s and the ‘80s. Walt Disney struggled to make a hit during this time, but in 1989 they were once again successful with The Little Mer-maid.

Originally the logo was the word “Universal” being pulled

around by a plane. The logo has not changed much since then, however it is no longer pulled by a plane

Columbia was a very small movie making company for its

first few years. They became major contenders in the 1940s. This studio also had many different owners. Its last owner was Coca-Cola. Co-ca-Cola then sold the company to Sony for 3.4 billion dollars.

The logo has always been a young woman in the center

of the screen, but her attire has changed many times. In 1924 she was dressed as a Roman soldier. Then they gave her a headdress and draped her in an American flag. In 1992 the most recent version was created, “the torch lady.”

Universal was one of the earliest studios to give credit to their

actors. They became successful under Irving Thalberg in the 1920s. The owner of Universal changed often throughout history. Now it is owned by General Electric and Comcast.

Although Disney has been creating movies since the ‘30s, they didn’t

use the magic castle logo until 1985. Before this time they only had the words “Walt Disney Presents…” Now everyone knows Disney by the “Mag-ic Castle.” It was originally on a blue screen. In 2006 they changed the logo to a more updated version (pictured left)

Paramount is Hollywood’s oldest surviving studio. It was well

known for finding some of the greatest actors and actresses (they had many financial problems and in the late ‘60s they were almost shut down). Then they had a string of successful movies that allowed them to make a comeback. Now the company is a part of Viacom.

Warner Bros. were the first people to make movies

about unpopular subjects. Their first big hit (Rin Tin Tin) was about a dog that was at the WWI battle-field. Warner had its share of big hits. It also had its share of box office tragedies. In 1989 it merged with Time Inc. to become the giant TimeWarner.

The logo first appeared in 1923. Then it had the letters WB on

the bottom of a shield. In 1937 their logo began to resemble the logo we know today. In a 12-year period from ’72 to ’84, they dropped the shield completely. In 1999 they de-cided on the symbol we know today (as pictured right).

Howard Dietz created the basic version of the logo in 1916. He

imagined a proud lion surrounded by film. He chose a lion because he went to Columbia University, whose mascot is a lion. He put Ars Gratia Artis (art for art’s sake) along the top. Seven different lions were used in the making of the logo.

Metro Goldwyn Mayer was the dominant movie making

company in the ‘30s through the ‘50s. They were the biggest compa-ny with “more stars than are in the heavens.” They were great in the early days of film but fell as the film industry changed. They could not adapt to the changing times and have had few successes since 1966.

The “Majestic Mountain” that is shown before Paramount mov-

ies was around since the birth of Paramount. W.W. Hodkinson, “the man who invented Hollywood,” sketched the logo. It was originally modeled after a mountain in Utah, but now it is supposedly based after a mountain in the Andes. The stars that float above the mountain stand for the number of stars that are under contract with Paramount. The early version had 24 stars, but in the most recent versions there are only 2

Movie making is a huge industry. There are many companies that have taken a shot at movie making, but very few make it. Not only the small fries have trouble. The companies that have made it big have had

money problems at some point in their existence. These studios also spend a lot of time on their logo so people know who they are.

by ErickUnderwood

1. When your car says it need an oil change, don’t bring it into the local Jiffy-Lube. Instead, since everyone has a friend that is a “car guy.” solic-it their help and in exchange promise to help them do their taxes or something like that.

2. If someone’s car dies and you have jumper-cables, save yourself the embarrass-ment of having to explain to them that you don’t actually know how to use them and politely inform them that you don’t have any.

3. If you don’t know how to drift, don’t try. It’s very awk-ward having to ask the local farmer to haul you out of the ditch with his tractor.

So the next time you’re under your car revin’ up the supercharger so you can win the local drag race, pull your-self out from under that car, because the supercharger isn’t even located there. Next, go look in the mirror and remember the person looking back at you has no clue what the difference is between the crankshaft and the oil filter. After that, go excuse yourself from that said drag race, and retire to the tranquil confines of your house, because the garage is not for you. Because if you think you need to check your exhaust bearings, cars probably aren’t for you.

“There’s nothing in the maunal about “smoke,” but I’m looking up fire!”

A Non-Car Guy’s Guide to Cars!by

Ryan Ostenberg

Calipers, camshafts, and pushrods: To those unaccus-tomed to the culture of a car junky, these words may seem foreign. Unfortunately, I am not a car guy, so I will not be able to help you decode what these undoubtedly expensive and complex parts of a car are.

I am, however, someone who has driven a car before, so I am more than qualified to give you a crash course in everything you need to know about a car when you really don’t care about cars.

So, if you follow these ten golden rules you will hopefully avoid killing yourself in a mas-sive ball of fire when you acci-dentally put anti-freeze in the gas tank.

“I’m not, like, a big car person.” - Jacob Matney

Who knows what these parts are? Not me.

4. Don’t let anyone else drive your car. They will p l ay with your mirrors, which is very annoying.

5. Learn to drive stick shift, just in case you stumble upon the opportunity to drive a hot Italian sports car.

6. Check what gear you are in before you start driving. Reverse means the car will go backward when you hit the gas pedal. Neutral means it won’t go anywhere, and drive means it will go forward.

7. Learn how to change your car’s tire before you start driving, because learning in the middle of nowhere on a cold winter night while it is snowing is not fun.

8. Automatic locking doors are a necessity. It’s an-noying having to lock all of your doors individually.

9. Gasoline and fire don’t mix.

10. If you have “car friends” please, please, please, PLEASE, don’t humiliate yourself by trying to have an intelligent conversation about cars with them.

Tongue inCheek( )

Homecoming Candidates 2012-2013What do you think of garden gnomes?

Lindsay- Real ones are scary. But the ones on Gnomeo and Juliet are cute. I like flamingos.Katey- They’re kind of creepyZach- CreepyAdam- TravelocityMadi- They’re hairy and weird!Jacob- I’m with Zach, Creepy. What’s your catch phrase?

Lindsay-”Hey Cutie”Katey- I have a catch phrase? Zach- “Oh, it’s fine.”Adam- “My name is Adam and I’m kind of a big deal.”Madi- What are the other people’s catch phrases? “What’s up, what’s up?!”Jacob- “Ner ner.”

5 years from now people will remem-ber you as the person who…

Lindsay- ...was a perfectionist.Katey- ...runs.Zach- ...a jokester.Adam- ...I will be remembered as a lot of different things.Madi- ...was totally awesome and a jokesterJacob- ...I was always messing around in class.

Do you sing in the shower?Lindsay- Who doesn’t? I like singing “Don’t Stop Believing,” Glee version and Parry the platypus theme song .Katey- ABSOLUTELY!! The fun song… by sponge bob.Zach- Yes--mainly Justin Bieber, though.Adam- A wide assortment of musical arrangements in incredibly high-pitched voices.Madi- No. Well, sometimes. I sing what’s on my mind.Jacob- Yes, and I whistle.

Do you have any strange phobias?Lindsay- I hate spiders. And I really don’t like toilet seats. They are shaped weird and your butt is supposed to go on them. Who designed that?Katey- Opossums. They scare me.Zach- Phobia of a bad hair day… Kiddddddding :D Oh its fine.Adam- I have no fear.Madi- Being eaten by. a bear. Jacob- Really just spiders.. Hate them.

What would you do if a hobo ran-domly jumped out of the bushes and took your wallet?Lindsay- Yell out, “Ha, Sucker there’s no money in there!”Katey- I’d jump on his back flick his ear until he gives it back, then bop him on the nose for good measure.Zach- Tackle himAdam- Kindly ask for it back and handle things in a diplo-matic way.Madi- Punch him and take it back.Jacob- Drop him.What would you do if a penguin

ate all your Cheetos?Lindsay- Try and pet it cause I hear they’re really soft, but I don’t know.Katey- Do we have super powers in this scenario? Zach- I’d think about kicking it, but I wouldn’t cause it’s cute. Wait.. are they Puffy or regular Cheetos? Adam- Silly penguin, Cheetos are for cheetahs. Madi- Make him spit them out so we could share be-cause penguins are awesome.Jacob- Kill it.

If your life were a song, what would the title be?Lindsay- I like turtlesKatey- “I Work Out”Zach- “Love Story” or “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”Adam- “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”Madi- “Life’s What You Make It”Jacob- “Like a Boss”

Jacob Arnold

Katey Whitesell

Zach Fief

Lindsay Curl

Adam Schieferecke

Madi Wolf

Who do you think will win? byJasmyneBaffa

Say goodbye to the automatic!Stick shifts popular again

1

2 4 R

53

The wonderful world of stick shift!! Automatics aren’t as want-ed as they once were. Manuals have better gas milage and they’re cheaper! It’s no wonder why de-mands for manual cars has gone through the roof. So what’s the big deal? Why is everyone swaying his or her vote to get a manual over an automatic? Well, it’s related to the price, performance, habit, and user-friendliness.

•Price. Manuals typically are at least $1,000 less than similar models with automatics. For me, the less money I spend, the better. I’m not rollin’ in the dough, so if it’s cuter and cheaper than the same car without stick-shift, then manuals are the way to go.

•Performance. Many people consider manuals more fun to drive than automat-ics. Because, well, most of the time they are. They make you feel TOUGH! Or at least that is what Adam Schiefereke claims.

•Habit. People who’ve been driving sticks are back in the market and buying them again. The old is now the new.

•User-friendliness. Yes, it might be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a piece of cake. Plus it keeps you in the speed limit. Today’s clutches have gotten way better than older versions too. They take less effort to push and release, and they engage smoother, which means you don’t kill the engine in traffic or subject passengers to those jerks on every shift. Sparing the embarrassed red face when you kill your car at a stop light with ten cars behind you!

For me, I drive a Jeep because they’re fun. Plus my brother doesn’t know how to drive stick, thus I have to be better than he so I can shove it in his face. That’s classic sibling stuff. Also, I love that shifting keeps me in the speed limit which, I will admit, isn’t always easy. So maybe newer isn’t always better! You make the call.

QUESTIONS!

HANNAH ROHLEDERWhy did you pick your stick shift car? -Because I loved the way the car looked. But I was a lit-tle scared of the stick-shift. ADAM SCHIEFERECKEWhat’s your favorite part of driving your car? -It makes me feel like I’m in NASCAR.

JESSE WEISDo you enjoy stick shift more than an automat-ic? Why or why not? -A stick shift, because I feel like I’m drag racing.

by Lindsay Curl

Society Is Changing People.Don’t let it change you!

By Gabby Cooper

“The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That’s one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help rebelling against. Who are the people that make up the biggest proportion of the population -- the

intelligent ones or the fools?”HENRIK IBSEN, An Enemy of the People

VS.

We are judged and our reputa-tion is made for us before we’ve even had the chance to utter a word. The types of music we listen to, the way we dress, and even the way we style our hair can make people think dif-ferently about us. People are no lon-ger striving for the look they want be-cause they want to fit into society’s idea of ‘normal.’ Girls may be af-fected by what oth-ers think of them at as young of an age as 4 or 5. Those girls begin to feel the need to fit into society’s descrip-tions. In most mag-azines, the media portrays beautiful woman as being tall and slender. The women usual-ly have blonde long

hair, a flat stomach, and yet still man-age to be curvy and perfect. Men are good looking if they are ‘tall, dark, and handsome.’ So what happens to those who don’t fit into those catego-ries?

Young girls have developed eating disorders just to fit into those size zero pants that models wear. Those girls

also hide their fac-es behind masks of make-up and taint their hair with dyes just to look the way they think peo-ple want them to look. They refuse to embrace their natural beauty. They won’t get that

cute haircut they want because they don’t know how the people around them will react, or they won’t buy that one shirt they love because they are afraid to show their unique style. People change peo-ple. What I don’t un-derstand is why people have this

crazy need to try and be what the media considers as ‘in.’ People will go to almost any length to be the me-dia’s finest descrip-tion. Women will never see them-selves as beauti-ful, and some are

even giving up the things they love; and for what rea-son? Just because some people con-sider it abnormal? That is absolute-ly absurd! People should love them-selves for who they are. People need to embrace their own personal style, as

well as their hob-bies. Do what they feel will make them happy, not fear other people’s reactions. Love the Monroe piercing? Go ahead; get it. Love tight pants? Wear them; rock the style. Want to get that cra-zy haircut? Do it; chop it all off. Peo-ple should be able to be what they want to be with-out this crazy need to please others. Don’t worry about what people are saying, or the rep-utation they’re giv-ing you. Just make yourself happy. That’s really what life is about; not fitting in, but being who you dream of being.

Girls have been said to be able to be affected

by what others think at as low as age of 4 or 5.

The thing that keeps you entertained. The thing that keeps your life exciting. The thing that makes everything that happens interesting. It makes everyone at some point

the center of attention and travels around faster than the speed of light. Sit down and get ready. I’m about to start some serious drama on: well, you guessed it, drama.

He said what? She’s dating whom? What did they say about me? Why do people talk behind each other’s back? The way I

see it is, if you have a problem with someone, do this strange little thing no one does anymore. Walk up to them and tell them. Now, for the record, I’m NOT telling you to go up and yell, call names, and flip out in the hall on someone. I’m saying go and ASK them what’s going on. Otherwise you may never really know the truth about what was said. There’s no way I am going to sit here and preach to you about this because that would make me hypocrit-ical. In short, I’m just as guilty as you are. Maybe even more so. With that being said, not one person reading this can say that they are completely innocent, either.

L et me now direct you towards the people starting the nosense. Okay, piece of advice if you’re going to talk about someone, be

prepared for at least one of the following to occur:

1.) the person to whom you’re referring will find out and flip out on you. 2.) the person you’re referring to will find out and not care but his or her friends will flip out. 3.) the person you were referring to will start some stupid rumor about you.

Since we’re just throwing this all out there, let it also be said that if you think it’s necessary to talk about someone behind their

back, you’re kind of a coward. I like to pride myself on being a

person who tells it like it is (clearly) and tells you to your face. If you’re the shy person who doesn’t like confrontation and doesn’t want to argue and just wants to vent every once in a while, that’s fine. Just be careful whom you vent to, because the person who is your best friend this week may be the person who’s talking about you next week.

Here’s the thing, kiddos: no one likes being talked about. So sometimes when people are running their mouth, you’ve

got to be the bigger person. Swallow that pill they call pride and walk away. Also smack talkers; please eat this delicious cake I like to call karma, because it comes back for you. So, take these last few sentences to reflect, we are all guilty. Now, let’s see who walks away from this still talking...and who says, “Good point,” and reads the next article.

Not one person reading this can say that they are completely inno-

cent, either.

D R AM AThe dramatic truth about:

byJasmyneBaffa

Mickinzi Burrow, Aubree Anderson, and Delaney Ellis pose as girls gossiping in front of the art room. Photo by Jasmyne Baffa

Marissa Scheele, Paula Olbrig, Kasie Garrison, and Sydnie Glavin pose as girls talking about each other in front of the doors. Photo by Jasmyne Baffa

Life of an

ATHLETE

Athlete: a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. Yep, that’s what I would consider myself. Every season, differ-ent sport. Fall: XC; Winter: basketball; and Spring: track; and all year: dance. I am committed to a sport ever season, every month, and every day. Participating in phys-ical activities at school is fun. Doing sports with your teammates and having a fun time as you are getting good exercise is great. I know that sometimes practices are not that fun. Doing sprints, drills, and all sorts of stuff can be demanding, but you know that you got to do what you got to do to be a better athlete. You’re going to sweat, you’re going to be in pain, but it all pays off. Everyday going to school, dreading throughout the day knowing that you have to go to practice after school.

Sometimes I just wish I could be lazy and just go home and sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing, but instead I give my time and dedication to a sport. Sweating, working hard, and trying to get better. That’s what practice is for.

By the end of all that it is almost 9:00 pm but that var-ies by how much homework I have. It feels like I don’t have enough time for family and friends. My siblings want to go outside and play catch or my friends want to hang out, but it’s getting late and I am just too exhausted. It’s hard because I got to stay up on my tasks. I just don’t have enough time for everything by the end of the day. In all honestly, I couldn’t live without sports. Be-ing active helps me stay in shape. I also have fun playing sports with my teammates and being able to compete against others. Being physi-cally athletic makes me feel good about myself. I know that I am staying healthy and active. Being able to play the sports I love is fun. It can cause some stress and some pain, but in all, I know I’m not the only one. I just have to think it through and try to make things work. Never quit, even when times get rough!

Sports can put a lot of stress on us. We have to balance school and sports. You got to be able to have good grades to even be able to play and we got to get your home-work done. By the time I get done with practice, it is 5:30 or 6:00 pm. I have been at the school for a total of 10 hours and I just want to get home. I get home, I eat dinner, do chores, and then sit down and do my homework.

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.”

By Kayla Schlachter

Life of an

ATHLETE

Never quit! Keep Going!

A Midnight SnackI want it. I want that cupcake that

is just in reach, right behind the window of the beautiful bakery. I want it so badly. I walk to the door of the bakery, keeping my eyes on that magnificent baked confection. “That will be my cupcake,” I tell myself as I try to open the door. The door won’t budge.

“Locked,” I tell myself, “its always locked.”

My mind fills with anger as the pure thought of not having that cupcake drives me to desperation. My mind becomes an explosion of ideas. All the ideas in my mind seem to make since in one way or another. I have a plan.

I look at the window. All that’s standing between my cupcake and me is a wall of glass. I look around for people, then for objects I can use for my master plan. Nobody. There is nobody. I slowly walk around the building to see if securi-ty cameras guard my cupcake. I see no cameras. Only a back door that I don’t even try to open; it is prob-ably locked. I walk back to the evil plate of glass and put my ingenious plan into action.

I close my eyes and punch the win-dow with my fist as hard as I can. I hear a shattering sound and I open my eyes.

“OWWWWW!” I scream! My hand fills with pain as I see that the window is not cracked at all. The

pain of my hand, which has to be broken, makes me upset even more! I look in the window once again, staring at the baked good.

“I want that cupcake!” I tell myself with determination.

I look around once again to see if anyone is near. Still nobody. I walk back a good ten feet and look at the window with passion. I run as fast as I can towards the sheet of glass, putting my side towards the sur-face, knowing that this is going be my way in!

BAM! I hit the window head on, feeling the pain pulsate through my body. I hit the ground with a thud. I can feel the stinging pain on my side and I find it best to lie down for a brief moment to regain my strength. After about three minutes

on the ground I stand up and see that the window still hasn’t budged.

“What is this window made out of?” I ask aloud.

I look at the mouth-watering cup-cake in all its glory and I try again. My mind keeps saying the same thing over and over again: I want that cupcake. I walk back 15 feet and look around to insure my pri-vacy. As before, no one is around. I run toward the window full speed and hit the glass once again.

“Ugh!” I let out under my breath as the stinging pain returns to my body and I drop on the ground once again.

It is obvious that I need a new plan. I look around the landscape to see if I can find anything of use to hit

A Fictional Story

“I want that cupcake!” I tell myself with determination.

the idiotic glass with. All I can find is a single lonely tennis ball. It isn’t much but it has to do.

I pick up the small, dirty ball and stand about five feet from window. I pull my one good arm back and throw the ball with all my strength. The ball hits the glass with enough force to make the surface shake, and then ricochets and hits me in my eye!

The pain is unbearable. I fall to the sidewalk, covering my eye with my hand. I must admit, not my best idea. I lie on the sidewalk for what seemed like an eternity. After a cou-ple of minutes of searing pain, I be-gin to hear a voice. A lovely voice, an enchanting voice. I stand up and try to identify where the sound is coming from. It was coming from my cupcake!

“Eat me!” It says in a heavenly voice.

i am once again set on getting my hands on my cupcake. That cup-

cake will be mine. But I am all out of ideas and was in pain from my broken hand, black eye, and aching side. I sit down to think of a new plan. I think and think. Going over my past mistakes, learning from each encounter. Then it hits me! It hits me like a man running into glass!

“The back door!” I say in an en-lightened tone. I walk to the back of the building. “Why didn’t I think of this before?”

I slowly place my good hand on the handle of the metal door, and begin to turn the knob.

CLICK! It opens! I run into the bakery with joy! I sing and look around for my beautiful cupcake. I find it as the same it was before in the display case.

I grab the wonderful confection and rip the paper right off the bot-tom of the treat. I take a great big bite and my eyes widen, not with sweetness, but bitterness. I spit the horrible taste out of my mouth.

“You deceived me!” I yell at the cupcake that is now on the floor. I walk out of the bakery and shut the door with a slam. I return to the front and look at the bakery from afar. It doesn’t look harmed in any way, like no one was ever inside. I think of the disgusting cupcake and shiver as i remember the lemon filling of that horrible cupcake. I dislike lemons, you some might say I hate them. I look at the building one more time and begin to walk away from the bakery.

As I walk home, I see a candy store, and in that candy store there is the most delectable looking cotton can-dy the world had ever seen. I want it. It will be mine.

CLICK! It opens! I run into the bakery

with joy!

The pain was un-bearable. I fall to

the sidewalk cover-ing my eye with my

hand.

by Jacob Matney

Who says you can’t find love in high school? I’m not talking about

a lustful love, but I’m talking about a love that lasts and sur-vives the test of time. Ask your-self this: Why are you dating your boyfriend/girlfriend? Now, I’m not here to criticize your relationships or tell you how to know if your love will survive the test of time. I’m writing this to tell you that finding the person you are going to marry can very well happen in the four short years of high school.

I can honestly say that there are quite a few fraudulent relationships, but there are also plenty of long lasting relation-ships. High school relationships can be very important, but you need to know the basic knowl-edge of dating that our genera-tion has forgotten. Don’t become obsessed. Remember that after high school, life changes dramat-ically. That’s not to say that you can’t form a lasting relationship at a young age; it just means that you need to be ready for long distance and a whole new set of problems as an adult. Try not to make a relationship your whole world because it will limit your experience in other areas of life. Communication is key. Whether you’re 17 or 75, keeping open communication with the person you’re dating is absolutely es-sential. Most bad break-ups and horrible fights of high school dating could be avoided if the

couple make an effort to talk to one another about problems in-stead of jumping to conclusions.

Ever thought of dating someone who is three years and eleven months younger than you? Well, my grandpa and grandma did, and eventually they got married. Not only were they separated by age, but they also had a five-year class differ-ence. Don’t believe me? Well, go look at the pictures of past graduates the year of 1953 and 1958. Delbert Stanley and Dean-na Powell got married in 1959, only one year after my grandma’s graduation. On October 11, they will be married for 53 years. Now try and tell me you can’t find love in high school. Most of you know that Holly Burt and I have been dating for quite some time, and in December it will be four years together. In a previous article, the question was asked if you could you imagine spending the rest of your life with that person? In all honesty, there isn’t another

person I could see myself spend-ing the rest of my life with except Holly. Even though we started dating in our early teen years, what was simplicity then has now become a strong relationship built to last.

So why should I let some-one try and tell me that I’m not going to be able to find love or, in fact, why should anybody let someone else tell them that they won’t find love in high school? Now I’m not saying that you are guaranteed to find love in high school, but what I am saying is that some do find love in high school. For those of you in a long relationship, I applaud you for your commitment, and for those of you who aren’t in a relation-ship, just remember: you never know when you will find love.

The Love Rebuttal

Who says you can’t find love in high school?

Whether you’re 17 or 75, open communication is

essential.

Delbert and Deanna StanleyMarried 53 years

I could see myself spending the rest of my life with Holly.

Cross Country: What Is Stopping You?Cross Country, also known as XC,

is a sport of pure endurance, guts, and stamina. Am I saying this sport is for everyone? No. It is obvious that Cross Country is not for everybody,

but why not at least try it?What is getting in the way of you and Cross Country at Bennington High School? The only acceptable answers to this question are a) you are already out for volleyball or football, b) You have a medical issue that restricts you from playing sports, or c) you can prove that you absolutely have no time for any extracurricular activites. When I say no time for sports, I mean that you have to write papers every night, have an advanced class, and more than your share of a single school subject--but even then you can still go out for Cross Country. My opinion of Cross Coun-try had always been that it is a hor-rible sport, and only an idiot would run three miles, but I can say that my thoughts on Cross Country have changed since my first day of practice. Is it work? You bet. Is it going to take dedication? Of course! And will you have to run your gluteus maximus off? Yep. But I can say from personal expe-rience that it is worth the effort. I ran Cross Country this year to improve my sprinting for track, and let me tell you, I went from running a pathetic 34 minute race time to an average 23 minute time in a little more than a month or two. If that doesn’t show that Coach Mick knows what she’s doing,

then nothing else will. What do I get out of this sport? Many people, including myself, don’t only get involved with sports for the athletic portion; we do it to get out of school. Cross Country is completely different than volleyball or football. Cross Country usually takes 3 hours to arrive at the meet, run, and then leave. Compared to the all-nighters volleyball and football have, cross country gets you home in time to watch television or do homework. You can say that Cross Country is worth the effort, right? Cross Country is a family. When

joining the sport you are auto-matically adopted

by Coach Mick and put in the crew. When you finish your race, all of the other members will be there to con-gratulate you no matter what place you get. The XC members also share laughs and have lots of fun at meets. After the running period, you can do tons of fun stuff. When you achieve something, your team will be there. If Coach Mick is yelling at you while you run, she isn’t mad at you. She is only encouraging you to do your best! When going out for a sport, you shouldnt regret it. Like Mark Twain wrote “You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagina-tion. You may not see your ears, but they will be there.”

by Jacob Matney

Photos taken and editited by Jacob Issacson

Cross Country is family

A sport of pure endurance, guts, and stamina

If at first you don’t succeed... so much for skydiving.Never put a sock in a toaster.

Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very im-portant part of your life.

Never fight an inanimate object.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.

People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.

If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three.

Now, don’t you feel so very enlightened?

8 Gems to Live by. . .

. . .or Not.

by Jacob Ryland