Finishing on top

Scottsbluff High School | Oct. 25, 2012 | Volume 96 | Issue 3

ECHOESInsidetheissue-Politics, pg. 7,8,9,&10-Local Music, pg. 12

Barraza wins the first individual boys’ cross

country title since 1961

Sophomore Matthew Barraza competes at the Pan-handle Classic at the Scotts Bluff Country Club ear-lier this fall. Barraza won the individual Class B state title last week at Kearney. Photo by Gordon Rock

Leader of the pack

For a school that owns a state-record twelve team titles in boys cross country, Scottsbluff hadn’t crowned an individual champion since Allen Russell won the title in 1961.

Sophomore Matthew Barraza changed all that last Friday, Oct. 19, at the Kearney Country Club blaz-ing to a first place finish in a time of 16:22.1.

Barraza’s finish, combined with junior Anthony Parra’s third place finish, helped the Cats claim the Class B runner-up trophy behind state champion Elkhorn Mt. Mi-chael Benedictine.

“I feel really good about winning state,” Barraza said. “I’m happy that I won as a sophomore because that doesn’t happen very often.”

Barraza said his motivation for training began a year ago when he finished fourth individually at state.

After defeating Mt. Michael at the Kearney Invite on Sept. 24, by four points, the Cats were unable to overtake the Knights last week.

Mt. Michael placed all four of its runners in the top ten to defeat the Cats 25-32.

Also placing for Scottsbluff last week were junior Brendan Taedter in 11th and senior Taylor James in 17th.

by Micah Holloway

SportsWriter

2 | NEWS

ChristinaSchroeder JefferyJohnsonMath teacher

MichaelScanlanResource education

CaseyColbertSpanish Teacher Spanish teacher

Q: Where did you go to high school?A: Cheyenne CentralQ: Who inspired you to become a teacher?A: Morgan Freeman (Lean On Me , 1989). No one really.Q: Where you involved in any sports/activities in your high school?A: TennisQ: What are some of your hob-bies?A: Tennis, traveling, listening to records and consuming coffee.Q: Who do you live with?A: My dog, Torry, a Doberman/lab mixQ: What is your favorite song?A: “What’ll I Do” – Judy Gar-land and/or “Ella No Sigue Modas”- Don Omar

Q: Where did you go to high school?A: Cheyenne Central High SchoolQ: Who inspired you to be a teacher?A: My high school Spanish teacher, Mr. Redeer.Q: Were you involved in any sports/activities in high school?A: Tennis, Art and Spanish clubsQ: What are some of your hob-bies?A: I like to go hiking, attend sporting events, yard work, reading and spending time with friends and family.Q: Who do you live with?A: Husband, Mick Schroeder, son Josh (12), Daughters, Jasmin(9) and Kiley (1)Q: What is your favorite song?A: Everybody Talks- Neon Trees

Q: Where did you go to high school?A: Millard South HS Omaha, NEQ: Who inspired you to be a teacher?A: My father.Q: Were you involved in any sports/activities in high school?A: I was not.Q: What are some of your hob-bies?A: Golf, racquetball, frisbee golf, BBQ, avid Husker and Chief fan, motorcycle, and underwater basket weaving.Q: Who do you live with?A: Yorkie named Molly (the Boss), and soon, my girlfriend Katie.Q: What is your favorite song?A: One-Metallica

Q: Where did you go to high school?A: Lincoln High SchoolQ: Who inspired you to become a teacher?A: My junior high PE teacher John Fot.Q: Where you involved in any sports/activities in your high school?A: Football, wrestling, track music and choir.Q: What are some of you hob-bies?A: I like to play guitar, read and watch sports.Q: Who do you live with?A: By myself.Q: What is your favorite song?A: Here I Am to Worship

Teachers’ union ratifies two-year contractby AaronMartin

NewsEditor

After working without a contract for nearly two months, the Scottsbluff Education Associa-tion (SEA), the local branch of the National Education Association (NEA), ratified a two-year contract last Thursday, Oct. 1, with the Scottsbluff Public Schools Board of Education.

The teachers agreed to the con-tract by a majority vote.

The Scottsbluff School Board is now expected to accept the contract at its regular November meeting.

There are currently 163 mem-bers in the local union.

Not all teachers, however, who work in the system belong to the organization which is the recog-nized bargaining agent with the school district.

“We represent our members and the teacher’s union could

protect teachers in job-related is-sues,” Social Studies teacher Gary Largo said.

Largo is the current SEA President and was the head of the negotiations committee that worked with the school board on the contract.

Prior to negotiations, which began last spring, union negotia-tors attempted to find out what its members wanted through the negotiations process.

“We usually do a survey to find out what is wanted by the union,” Largo said.

“I am a representative for the union as a whole,” Social Studies teacher Matthew Parsley said. “I know the negotiating team puts a lot of work in and I trust that whatever agreement they get us is the best that we’ll get.”

The biggest issue the union faced in the recent negotiations was salary. Whatever is negoti-ated by the union is what is paid to all certified staff in the district,

even those who are not union members.

The negotiated contract does not cover the district’s support staff (secretaries, para educa-tors and maintenance personnel) which negotiate their own con-tract through a separate union.

To become the recognized bargaining agent, the union must appeal to the school board. This means talking to their attorney, who works as a mediator.

“The union makes a proposal to the board’s representative and then he relays the proposal,” Lar-go said. “They respond through them.”

“About six or seven years ago we used to talk directly to the board,” Largo said. “That was then changed for some reason.”

“We used to sit down with school board members but then it was changed so we talk to their attorney now,” Parsley said. “It makes it less personal and I think it would be better if we talked

directly to them.”A lot of things motivate teach-

ers to be a part of the union.“I was motivated by a deep

seeded belief in a union’s power to make things better,” Largo said. “My parents also worked for very little without unions.”

“I think if you’re going to teach and you get the benefits of what the union fights for then you should be a member,” Parsley said. “Salaries and healthcare are important, but we wouldn’t have those if there wasn’t a union.”

According to www.teacher-portal.com Nebraska is the 32nd friendliest state for teachers. Teacherportal also reported the starting salary in Nebraska at $34,190 while the average Ne-braska teacher’s salary is about $47,368 annually.

“This time around we got a slight increase in salary and we did ratify it,” Largo said. “It was a majority vote and now the school board has to ratify it.”

New teachers - the final installment

3 |Opinion

The views expressed in this

editorial were supported 13-1 by The Echoes [ ]

StaffEchoesThe

Editor-in-chief JonWiebe

News Editor AaronMartin

News Writer EmilyYanke

FeatureEditor KateyMyers

FeatureWriter DeannaCortez

FeatureWriter SarahMercer-Smith

CenterSectionWriter

ShaleeRoseberry

CenterSectionEditor SarahHall

CenterSectionWriter

RachelMadden

SportsEditor Matthew T.Klein

SportsWriter Micah Holloway

SportsWriter KileyGuerue

EntertainmentWriter

Rachel Carlin

EntertainmentEditor

KaelaHeinz

The Echoes is a monthly publication printed by the Business Farmer. The Echoes is a member of the Nebraska High School Press Association and the International Order of the Quill and Scroll.

The Echoes encourages readers to write letters to the editor in response to a story, but does reserve the right to publish said letter.

The Echoes also encour-ages all readers to submit their ideas for story cover-age, feedback on stories, and any other input.

The EchoesScottsbluff High School313 East 27th St.Scottsbluff, NE 69361Letters with obscene,

slanderous, libelous, or false information will not be fun. The letter must also be signed to be run. Content may be edited due to grammatical or content needs. A signed copy must be presented to the Scottsbluff High School journalism depart-ment, room 130.

SpencerLakeArtwork

The sea of silent communica-tion.

It seems to envelop me, es-pecially when I comb the halls to grab a desk where, to no one else’s surprise, a large percentile of my peers have their eyes glued down on a mobile device invisible to the instructor.

Whether it be a simple text, tweet, IM, or Facebook alert, the smartphone has changed the school.

Not necessarily in a bad way, mind you.

I’m sure that profile can’t up-date itself.

What I’m trying to get at is the unecessity of our generation, the inability to go ten or fifteen

minutes without flicking out the handy-dandy device in your pocket to check on your social life.

I have a phone that is simple, oft said to resemble a “brick”; one of those military grade phones immune to all outside conditions(one of the factors in me purchasing it and yes, I have tried running it over).

This “brick” is one of two cell phones my own service provider made available to me at the time of purchase(due to lack of re-sources or shipment rescheduling, yada-yada).

It lacks everything that my generation calls “modern”: access to the internet, a touch screen, or silly applications. It doesn’t even

Personal commentary by Jon Wiebe

WiebeWobbleKids these days. . .

At the risk of sounding nega-tive, The Echoes staff recently learned a painful lesson while administrating a school-wide mock election for the office of the President of the United States and the soon-to-be vacant U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska.

The staff’s plan was to run those results in this edition of the paper in conjunction with our special election coverage.

Here is what the staff learned; if election apathy is a learned skill, then the parents of America’s teenagers are doing at least one thing right.

While we sincerely appreciated students who made an honest attempt to voice their opinion, there were those individuals who simply could not take the election seriously.

One ballot included a vote for senior Taylor Winkler for Presi-dent and senior Andrew Hollo-way for the Nebraska Senate seat.

Martial arts expert Chuck Norris also received one vote for President along with senior Justis (Bob) Alvarado.

Also sprinkled among the over 500 ballots returned were several “I don’t care” responses along with a couple of “Who cares?”

This information may not be

surprising, but it is discouraging. In the 2010 mid-term election

year, only 37.8% of eligible voters in this country voted. Although that percentage was higher (56%) in the 2008 Presidential election year, the number has not reached 60% for de-cades.

Sadly, if the results of The Echoes elec-tion are any indication, the nation’s voter percentage probably will not get much higher.

If the discarded ballots weren’t bad enough, even more discouraging were the comments heard by staff members in several CATS classes when the ballots were distributed.

The overriding response was, “This doesn’t affect me.”

Nothing could be further from reality.

The person in the White House holds the keys on several pivotal issues affecting young people.

Let’s start with something sim-ple like federal monies for college student loans and Pell Grants.

Then there are things like

health care, women’s rights, im-migration, the military, education, and gay rights.

This apathy problem isn’t entirely on the shoulders of young people. If parents don’t vote, should we be surprised if their kids do not?

All, however, is not as bleak as it may appear. This problem can easily be solved.

A. When you turn 18, register to vote and then VOTE!

B. Get informed! The next time you are online, leave Facebook five minutes early and check out a candidate’s view on one of the topics men-tioned above.

C. Don’t buy into the lies that it doesn’t affect you and your vote

doesn’t make a difference. If this is you, someone else is controlling your life.

Apathy can be contagious; we’re experiencing that among the American electorate today.

Fortunately, getting involved can be just as contagious and makes for a much better society.

It’s a simple choice, you can let someone else determine the fu-ture, or you can have a voice in it.

If you choose, however, not to vote or join in the process, don’t whine. No one wants to hear you, particularly those who do vote.

slide, flip, or whatever shenani-gans those pocket computers do nowadays.

I try and keep my dependency on my mobile technology limited, as should the rest of my col-leagues.

Even though my next phone will more than likely be an iPhone (because it’s just too difficult not to get one these days), I appreciate what I have now. Nor do I have any desire to pull out that extra chunk of dough for an “upgrade.”

Because, just sometimes, in or-der to take a step forward, you’ve got to take a couple backward first.

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Senior Matt Klein and junior Savannah Menghini share a casual embrace in the hall-way. Photo by Leah Wright.

Love in a Hug

[ ]“We need four hugs a

day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for main-tenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”

Virginia Satir,Family Therapist.

by Sarah Mercer-Smith

FeatureWriter

Have you had your daily hug?An apple a day keeps the doctor away but hugging may be an even better medicine

The do’s and don’ts of a proper hug

-DO ask permission before initiating a hug. There is nothing more awkward than having to fend of an unwanted bear hug.

-DON’T hug immediately after a workout. No one wants a hug where they come away soaked in sweat

-DO make sure not to hug too hard. It’s a gentle em-brace not the Heimlich.

-DON’T hug for too long. 3-5 seconds is the com-monly accepted duration. Any longer borders on being creepy.

-DO relax while hugging. If you are tense, your partner will be too.

-DON’T text or take phone calls while hugging. This is really a no brainer. You are here to enjoy a hug, not text your mom.

-DO make sure to only make appropriate noises while hugging. An “ahh” while hugging a friend might be ok, but “mmh” while hugging an ac-quaintance is not.

-DON’T forget to enjoy your hug. Even if you don’t enjoy it, at least pretend.

FEATURE |5

“I’d like to think that if I’ve made someone else happy, then I’ve made myself happy,” senior Chadwick Nagasawa said.

Nagasawa tries to walk into every situation with a smiling face and an open heart. He feels that the best way to accomplish this is with a hug.

Nagasawa is not alone in this feeling.

“Touch provides reassurance of situations, and also lowers anxiety because the release of oxytocin,” Dr. Delinda Mercer said.

Oxytocin is a powerful hormone that acts as a neu-rotransmitter in the brain. It has a molecu-lar mass of 1,007 Dal-tons, which is a unit of molecular mass, and can be released by any simple form of touch. Some researchers even believe that gazing at someone or just thinking of them can release low-levels of oxytocin.

In this case, oxytocin clearly proves itself to be the miracle drug, but why stop there? There have been many published cases of oxytocin in action.

Let’s look at the story of Kyrie and Brielle Jackson, two twins born premature on October 17, 1995.

While born twins, the two were very different. Kyrie was born strong and healthy while her twin was born only weighing two pounds and struggling to breathe.

The doctors seemed baffled on what to do. Nothing seemed to be working for Brielle. Nothing seemed to be working until one nurse put the two girls together in an incubator.

Almost as if by magic, Brielle got better, and was sent home by Christmas with her sister (Kin-

dynews.com)This account is truly a miracle.

Often human touch works in exactly that way, making signifi-cant breakthroughs with small amounts of work.

Sometimes, there are situations in which a hug or touch would not be appropriate. Just ask junior Rachel Weis.

“I hate being touched; I just think hugs are unnecessary,” Weis said.

In this generation, especially to younger people, there seems nothing wrong with the hug, but for many older people, it crosses

too many boundaries. Because of this, hugs are generally not an accepted workplace ac-tivity. Often a misinformed hugger can make social situations awkward.

Sometimes, it can even result in a sexual harassment lawsuit. This is why, when at work, the hand-hug, or handshake, is the most acceptable.

There are many other types of hugs present in our society today, but often times an avid hugger will have to get a feel for the situ-ation around them before diving in.

Some examples of these hugs include the “Me- Hug”, which exactly as it sounds, is a hug you give your-self. There is also the “Bro-Hug”, in which two “bros” grab hands and embrace quickly before a pound on the back. Another type of hug would be the “Bear-Hug”; it is a full body hug in which the hug-gies grip each other tightly and

generally rock back and forth. The “Reverse-Hug”, which should only be employed when in a committed relationship with the huggie, involves hugging another person from behind and usually putting arms around the waist.

In life, humans have a few basic needs: chocolate, smiles, glitter, and hugs. So next time you want to cheer up a sad friend or cel-ebrate the joys of life, hug away my friends.

Hug away.

by KateyMyers

FeatureEditor

[ ]“If Congressmen wrote this

bill, they really have no idea of what it’s like for farmers so their hopes of success could be completely wrong.”

Tevyn Baldwin,Senior.

A farm bill not for farmers?The so-called “farm bill” might have little effect on farmers and ranch-

ers, but what do agriculture people think about this bill?

After the proposed farm bill passes, senior Tevyn Baldwin and her family might be looking for something different to do with their ranch.

Teacher Mark Land may have to find a new hobby if the bill passes.

Actually, the previous state-ments are false. The so-called “farm bill” barely affects farmers and ranchers.

Most of the farm bill deals with rural development, nutri-tion, trade, and conservation. Very little of it affects farmers and the parts that do only affect beginning farmers.

“It’s not just about farmers. The farm bill is an all-encompassing piece of legislation comprising everything from farm subsidies and crop insurance – which have an indirect impact on food prices – to energy, forestry, food stamps, and school lunches. 80 percent of the dollars listed as the farm bill have nothing at all to do with farmers,” Land said.

For Bald-win, the bill will have no effect on her family’s ranch but it may or may not affect her future employment.

“As far as the Rangeland Management field goes, I think most jobs won’t be af-fected. The farm bill does include information pertaining to land conservation ease-ment programs and protection of water resources,” Baldwin said.

Ag teacher Shane Talking-ton agrees with Baldwin about the effect of the bill.

“If it passes as it is written, and when $23 billion are cut, there are going to be some areas not affected or affected very little and some will be affected quite a lot. It will really depend

on what area of agriculture a producer is in.”

For most people in agriculture, the bill is something that doesn’t garner a posi-tive response. It’s just some-

thing that does not affect many producers in agriculture.

“The whole idea of the farm bill

is to help farmers, and possibly ranchers, but then, that’s always the idea with proposed bills. If Congressmen wrote this bill, they really have no idea of what it’s like for farmers so their hopes of success could be completely wrong,” Baldwin said.

Land’s opinion of the bill is much like Baldwin’s. The bill will affect him very little.

“It will not change what I do that much because I have never counted on the government for assistance. I have never liked the insurance part of the bill anyways; it only is nice to have when you have a complete and total loss,” Land said.

Talkington believes the bill should be split up.

“There are too many programs existing under the farm bill. There needs to be separate bills/acts for many of the programs instead of umbrellaed under one large bill.”

For farmers and ranchers, the bill won’t be a big deal. There are other programs that will be af-fected though.

Other parts of the bill include increased international food aid, increased help for food banks, support for rural business de-velopment, increased agricul-ture research, increased forestry

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Art by Spencer Lake

programs, and changes to welfare programs.

Action is not expected on the bill until after the first of the year. The current bill expired on Sep-tember 30.

Major parts of the

proposed farm bill

• Increasedinterna-tional food aid• Increasedhelpforfood banks• Supportforruralbusiness development• Increasedagricul-ture research• Improvedforestryprograms• Continueslivestock& supplement disaster program

CenterSection l 7

There is simply no escape.If you live in the United States, the Presidential gen-

eral election scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6, is all over you like stink on a skunk.

Presidential debates preempt your favorite Tuesday night TV show.

There are so many negative ads on the air waves, one has to wonder if casting a vote for either candidate will result in the election of the antichrist.

With the stakes so high, The Echoes has tried to break down the election into some sizeable bites the average American teenager can sink his/her teeth into over the next three pages.

Check out where the candidates running for Presi-dent stand on critical issues, find out what your peers and teachers think about this election.

And finally, see why Nebraska’s vacant Senate race between Deb Fischer and Bob Kerrey is creating a buzz on the national political scene.

Your mother is never going to stop nagging and elec-tion coverage isn’t going to end until after Nov. 6. It’s time to become informed and know what’s going on.

Students President Obama...........................53.7% Mitt Romney....................................46.3%

Teachers President Obama...........................70.8% Mitt Romney....................................29.2%

Students Bob Kerrey............................................57% Deb Fischer..........................................43%

Teachers Bob Kerrey........................................72.7% Deb Fischer.......................................27.3%

Death, taxes, your nagging mother, & the election

The following results were from a school-wide election con-ducted by The Echoes staff through the CATS classes Oct. 10-12. Of the CATS classes that responded, 523 students and 24 teach-ers voted.

Who

’s going

for the next years?

School-wide election results

4to live here

Position on Iraq:-Opposed invasion from the beginning-Opposed troop increase-Ended military operations in Iraq(on previously negotiated Bush timeline)

by Shalee Roseberry

CenterSectionWriter

8l Center Section

A tale of two menLooking into the backround of the current

President of the United States of America, Barack Obama

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney: Who he is? Where did he came from? &

What does he stand for?

For the love of all that is good, and Presidential...Politically aware students, teachers give their outlook on the

up coming Presidential election and why it matters Current President Barack Obama and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney duke it out for the title of President of the United States

NAME: Willard Mitt Romney BIRTH DATE:March 12, 1947 (Age: 65) EDUCATION: Cranbrook School, Brigham Young University, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School PLACE OF BIRTH: Detroit, MichiganPARTY AFFILIATION: Republican

NAME: Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. BIRTH DATE: August 04, 1961 (Age: 51)EDUCATION: Punahou Academy, Occidental Col-lege, Columbia University, Harvard Law SchoolPLACE OF BIRTH: Honolulu, HawaiiPARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat

Position on the economy:-Repeal Bush tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000; lower taxes on manufacturing industry -Stimulus spending and tax cuts to grow the economy (short term)-Cut spending and raise taxes on wealthy to reduce deficit (long term)

Position on the economy:-Make Bush tax cuts permanent-Lower corporate tax rate across the board to 25%. -Cut taxes and regulations to encourage business-Cut “non-security discretionary [government] spending” by 5% to reduce deficit

Position on immigration:-Would make English the official language of the US and “turn off the magnets like tuition breaks or other breaks that draw people into this country illegally”

Position on immigration:-Supports path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English & paying fines-Toughen penalties for hiring illegal immigrants; voted for fence along Mexican border-Issued executive order to not deport cer- tain undocumented immigrantsPosition on Iraq:

-Romney says that keeping the U.S. in Iraq is the best option for minimizing casualties and maintaining a democratic govern-ment in IraqSecond in-line What don’t we know about Vice Presidental

candidates Joe Biden & Paul Ryan?Joe Biden Party: Democrat

-Biden’s wife, Neilia, and their 1-year old daughter, Naomi, were killed and their two sons were critially injured in a car accident in 1972

-In Februray 1988, Biden underwent two surgeries for brain aneu-rysms. He was away from the Senate for seven months in recovery

-Joe Biden is the first Roman Catholic Vice President

-He was a speech writer for Jack Kemp (Ran for president in 1988)

-Ryan zones out the press by listening to his latest playlist on his iPod

-He is an avid bow hunter

-He leads morning sessions of P90X at the White House

Paul Ryan Party: Republican

Position on gay rights:-Opposes same-sex marriage-Supports legal unions-Supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell but favors gays serving openly in the

military-Supported Employment Non-

discrimination Act(ENDA) to ban anti-gay employer dis-

crimination

Position on gay rights:-Supports same-sex mar-riage-Pushed Congress to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, allowing gays to serve open-ly in the military

Tell a teenager there’s a party west of town and he/she will find it.

Tell a teenager there’s 50% off at the Buckle and he/she will be there.

Tell a teenager he/she can have a voice in determining the next President of the United States one should be prepared for an apathetic, “Who cares?”

Although the stakes are high in the November Presidential election, many teens simply don’t care.

Resource teacher Alice Nye believes younger voters can make an impact if they become aware of the issues.

“They make an impact if they know the issues, which I think not a lot of them do,” Nye said.

Social Studies teacher Matt Parsley tries to give students a chance to become part of the political process by inviting Scotts Bluff County election officials over to register students to vote.

“It’s important for kids to vote be-cause they need to vote and it’s their responsibility,” Parsley said.

Nye, a registered Democrat, is con-cerned about the outcome of the upcom-ing elections.

“I think it’s scary because like it or not, Mitt Romney hasn’t told the truth yet,” Nye said.

She formulated her views after study-ing the positions of the two candidates.

Nye said she has a lot of respect for Obama because of his intelligence, his

empathy toward common people, and primarily because of his views on edu-cation.

“If somebody doesn’t get a handle on education, our country will be push-ing wheel barrels for the Japanese or Chinese,” Nye said.

Junior Ben Willis-Teff has a different take on the election. Willis-Teff said Obama needs to give tax cuts to the white-collar people.

“My parents don’t agree with what Obama wants to do with this country,” Willis-Teff said.

One thing Willis-Teff doesn’t sup-port Obama on is the taxation on the wealthy.

“Maybe Obama wants to tax the rich more because he thinks the wealthy don’t want their money,” Willis-Teff said.

Willis-Teff thinks everyone should be taxed the same. The only exception: people without a lot of money.

Willis-Teff, a Republican, believes both candidates are spending too much money on the campaign. He said people should win because of who they are not how much money the candidate has or makes.

“Why not advertise who you re-ally are and not how much money you have,” Willis-Teff said.

Willis-Teff believes this is the biggest election ever because Mitt Romney has many views on issues people haven’t seen in a while.

Among those issues are Romney’s

view on abortion, immigration, and women’s rights. Some of those views were formulated based on Romney’s religious views.

Junior Brendon Taedter said the up-coming election will be close.

He believes Romney will give Obama a run for his money even though it didn’t look like that at the beginning of the elec-tion race.

“I wish we could know who is telling the truth, there is a lot of propaganda go-ing on,” Taedter said.

He said both sides give conflicting stories about their plans on what they are going to do for the country.

Taedter likes to keep an open mind rather than choose a side. He says he is neither a Democrat nor Republican.

“I like Romney just because I think Obama hasn’t done a very good job, I mean it’s kind of like the lesser of two evils, but I think I would go with Rom-ney,” Taedter said.

Taedter likes Romney’s plans and he doesn’t think Obama backs up what he says. He admits, however, that he doesn’t know much about what Romney’s plans are for the country.

“Obama always sounds good, but what he says never really means any-thing,” Taedter said.

Social Studies teacher Matt Parsley helps seniors Jordan Todd (left) and Tim Magdaleno (right) register to vote. Jo Stear from the Scotts Bluff County Clerks Office was acting as the voter register; she was in charge of getting the regis-tration forms for the students. Photo by Shalee Roseberry

Registering to vote

As most people gear up for the Presidential election, they forgot another important election.

One much closer to home, is the Nebraska Senate race.

Two people. One seat.Candidates Bob Kerrey and

Deb Fischer are battling for this job.

“Bob Kerrey is more experi-enced and Nebraskans love him,” senior Lucas Parsley said.

Kerrey served in the Senate from 1989-2001. He also served as the governor of Nebraska.

“I know how the Senate works. I require no on-the-job training. From day one I will be doing the work you expect a Nebraska Sena-tor to do,” Kerrey said.

As the Senator, Kerrey helped bring the financial problems un-der control.

His models for environment, welfare reform, and many other issues have become models for the nation.

After deciding not to run for another term, Kerrey moved to New York and become the Presi-dent of the New School University until 2010.

This move away from Nebras-ka and its politics, has not set well with some Nebraskans.

“I would vote for Deb Fischer

because she stayed in state and didn’t leave,” senior Adam Harris said.

Despite being out the state, Kerrey still has a lot of support.

“He [Kerrey] can make people work together. He is the better candidate,” Parsley said.

“Not party first, not me first, not politics first - country first,” Kerrey said.

Kerrey is mostly widely known for his bi-partisan efforts. This means he is willing to work between party lines.

“Some-body has to stand middle ground,” Kerrey said.

Ker-rey’s platform includes tackling the country’s financial problems, health care reform and agriculture issues.

However, as any Democrat running for office in a primarily Republican state knows, it can be an uphill battle.

“Deb [Fischer] is making better

points than Kerrey right now. She represents Nebraska better,” senior Joe Huffman said.

“Deb Fischer is the better candi-date. Republicans need control of the Senate now,” Harris said.

Fischer was in the Nebraska Legislature. While there she worked on many bills such as the smoking ban for indoor work-places.

“I’m an honest, hardworking conserva-tive leader who will stand up to Wash-ington and fight for Ne-braska,” Fischer said.

Fischer writes a weekly column in several newspa-pers, and hosts a

weekly radio show.Fischer’s platform focuses more

on tax cuts, repelling Obama Care, and protecting the 2nd Amend-ment to the Constitution.

“I’ve developed several serious policy proposals to create jobs, reform Washington and reduce spending,” Fischer said.

Fischer may be less experi-enced, but her approach is work-ing.

She is currently leading in the polls.

The polls, however, haven’t discouraged Kerrey.

“If I win, it’s really worth doing it. If I don’t win, it’s really worth doing it because I made an effort,” Kerrey said.

A recent ad by the Kerrey campaign claimed that in 1995 Fischer sued her neighbors in a land boundary dispute.

“Neighbors do not sue neigh-bors,” Kerrey said.

Deb Fischer retorted with an ad slaming Kerrey on his smear campaign claiming that it was a desperate act because he can’t win by talking about the issues.

As the Senate race heads into the final weeks, however, there are still students unaware of the candidates or the heated race.

“These people are representing Nebraska. I want to make sure the one in seat is the most qualified,” Parsley said.

“They make a lot of decisions that affect our lives. Having the more informed vote matters,” Huffman said.

But others have different out-look on voting.

“Honestly, if they [students] are not voting, they shouldn’t be involved, it won’t change the trend,” Harris said.

by RachelMadden

Center SectionWriter

Racing towards the Senate

Bob KerreyParty: DecromaticBirthplace: Lincoln, NEBirthdate: August 27, 1943

Schooling: UNLMilitary: Navy Seals

Spouse: Sarah PaleyResidence: OmahaExperience: Governor (1983-1987); Senator (1989-2001)

Deb FischerParty: RepublicanBirthplace: Lincoln, NEBirthdate: March 1, 1951Schooling: UNLSpouse: Bruce FischerResidence: Valentine, NE*If she wins she will be the first woman elect-ed since 1954

Kerrey, Fischer battle for critical Senate seat

Meet the Senate candidates!

10 |CenterSection

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12|Entertainment

Junior SteaVen Becker (center), senior Ma-halah Booth (left), and junior Emily Yanke practice choreography to one of their songs during Choralaires practice. Photo by Rachel Carlin

Just dance

by RachelCarlin

EntertainmentWriter

Music is a universal language and is used for almost every oc-casion.

Just had a birthday?Let me guess, close friends and

family sang the embarrassing and over-sung happy birthday song to you.

Went to a wedding recently?No doubt nice cordial music

was playing during the ceremony.Any kind of mood you’re in,

there’s a song to match it.Even in the Dark Ages, when

all seemed lost, music brought people together and brightened spirits for a better day.

And while others would rather listen to music and sing along in an off-key tone, there are some who want music to be their life.

Senior Shane Peterson, mem-ber of Choralaires and A Capella, plans on going to college to be-come a worship leader.

“I want to be, and feel called to be, a worship art pastor,” Peter-son said.

Peterson has known since he was a 15 year-old freshman that he wanted to be a worship leader, when he was singing in his church choir.

His father en-couraged him to play the guitar.

Senior Ma-halah Booth, a member of Choralaires and A Capella, also knew what she wanted to be since she was young.

“Music is a big part of my family, so I’ve always known I wanted it in my life,” Booth said.

“But I think I knew I wanted to make it a career at the end of my sophomore year.”

Booth learned to play the guitar in 8th grade by music teacher Perry Brening. She also felt that watching her father play the gui-tar encouraged her to be better.

“I think actually playing an instrument is a real expression of who you are; you don’t have to say the words, you can just let the people feel them. I love that about the guitar,” Booth said.

For Booth, playing the guitar is fairly new to her.

Peterson has been playing the guitar since he was 6.

“I can play the guitar, but com-pared to (Peterson), I’m so novice it’s not even funny,” Booth said.

“Stringed instruments come very natural to me. My main in-strument is the guitar, and if you play the guitar, you can naturally play the bass. It doesn’t mean you have awesome skill at it,” Peter-son said.

Peterson also plays the trap set, and occasionally picks up a violin or cello.

Both Peterson and Booth have played multiple times on stage with an audience, all for the love of it.

“That (performing) is the very reason why I want to be a singer/

song writer. You can make the rest of the world feel the way you feel, and let them know that you’re not alone,” Booth said.

Peterson agreed with Booth.“Every musician has a little bit

of a diva, so whenever you get that praise, it’s really rewarding,” Peterson said.

Peterson and Booth have both thought of what they want in the future and hope to be 10 years from now.

Booth wants to major in flat music and be a singer/song writer.

“In all honesty, because one in a hundred people make it in that world, the only thing I confidently see myself being in 10 years is hopefully married and hopefully a mom,” Booth said.

Peterson also seeks the same future as Booth as far as having a wife and children. He also hopes to be a part of a church for a couple of years by that time.

Peterson and Booth admit that it will take time and effort to reach their goals in the future.

“If you work really hard, you will get the praise, and you will feel you have done something worth doing.”

The universal language

Top 10 Music Colleges

1. The Juilliard School in New York, NY

2. Manhattan School of Music in New York, NY

3. Yale University in New Haven, CT

4. Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA

5. Bucknell University in Lewis-burg, PA

6. DePauw University in Green-castle, IN

7. Furman University in Green-ville, SC

8. Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH

9. University of Texas at Austin

10. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN

http://education-portal.com/top_ten_music_colleges.html

Taken 2

In theaters this weekend

Sinister

Paranormal Activity 4

Musically-involved students Shane Peterson and Mahalah Booth are passionate about music and want to make music a profession after high school

Entertainment | 13

by RachelCarlin

EntertainmentWriter

by KaelaHeinz

EntertainmentEditor

for the thrill of it

Reading: it’s good for the soul

“Halloween is my favorite horror movie because it’s not a cliché where the plot is predictable from the very beginning,” -Senior Paige Keller

“My favorite horror movie is Friday the 13th not because it’s scary because it isn’t that scary, but because Jason is gosh darn cool,” -Senior James Wilhelm

Recommended for you

Avid readers give their reasons for loving books and why teenagers need to have reading as a part of their lives

“I’m starting on the Bardameus trilogy, and so far these books are really good.”

-Dylan Feathers, 10

We’ve all gotten that feeling, the butterflies in our stomach, the inability to move, a racing heart, and difficulty breathing, also known as the feeling of fear.

The feeling of fear can some-times feel like an adrenaline rush.

“I like the adrenaline rush, it’s kind of addicting,” senior James Wilhelm said.

The horror movie industry

thrives off of scaring audiences. The fear factor is what makes the movie worthwhile.

However, the plot lines of horror movies can sometimes be redundant.

“I only get scared if the movies are put together really well and aren’t predictable,” senior Paige Keller said.

One of the most common nega-tive side effects of watching hor-ror movies is nightmares.

“Even though some of the mov-

ies give me nightmares at night, I still like to watch them,” said Bria Ingram.

Obsession is also another effect of watching horror movies. The obsession is to obsessively talk about the thing that produces the fear.

Other symptoms can also be anxiety. This anxiety can include sleeping disorders, aggressiveness and self-endangerment.

Many viewers deny they are affected by horror flicks.

“I watch horror movies for the fun of being scared, and I don’t see how that could negatively af-fect me,” Wilhelm said.

October is the best month for horror movies. With all the horror movies that are coming out, one can’t help but be excited.

“I’m looking forward to Sin-ister. Most horror movies do the same scares over and over. The makers of Sinister look like they have created new ways to scare,” Wilhelm said.

When a teenager is asked to read a book or what he/she thinks about them, their answers usually consist of:

“Ugh, books, who needs them?!”

“Why read a book when you can watch T.V.?”

“Books are for nerds, so yeah…”

These are just a few examples of what many teenagers think of books.

And it’s no wonder teenagers look at books with distaste, what with their reality T.V. shows and tech-savvy iPhone’s with Siri, and their tablets with 4G speed…

These devices that keep people up to-date on everything, where anything is available at their fingertips, have left books in the entertainment-dust.

Or have they?Although books aren’t as pop-

ular as they once were, but there are a lot of kids that still read books for the love of reading.

But non-readers want to know, what makes reading books so enjoyable?

If one wants to ask, just ask the avid book readers: junior Bre-anna Stewart, sophomore Miriam Klein, sophomore Vanessa Hoff and sopho-more Dylan Feathers.

“Read-ing is a way to stimulate your imagina-tion, and you get to learn other people’s stories while feeling like they are your own,” Stewart said.

Feathers agrees with Stewart.“Reading

makes you write better, you learn more, and it gives people a better imagina-tion,” Feathers said.

According to the research book, To read or Not to Read: A Question of National Conse-quence, Feathers and Klein are right.

Reading reg-ularly improves one’s likelihood of academic and economic success, im-proves social and civic sense, and surprisingly one attends more concerts

and theatrical performances than a

non-reader.And even though studies show

how much reading can improve a person’s life, the percentage of people that reading is declining annually.

To change the views on books, what would the avid book-readers recommend to read that will be interesting for all teenagers?

Klein recommends books like Eragon, The Davinci Code, and Twilight that not only are popular reads but have also been turned into movies.

Stewart recommends the books East of the Sun and West of the Moon that are romantic fairy-tale stories that will keep the reader intrigued.

Teenagers, it would be wise not to judge a book by its cover, literally.

Instead, take the time to read a book, or short story, or even a news article, with an open mind.

For it will, in-turn, broaden one’s mind and add to one’s imagination; it’s just good for the soul.

Students talk about their love and fear of their favorite horror movies

“What My Mother Doesn’t Know, because when I read it, I thought

it was very interesting.”-Vanessa Hoff, 10

“The Hunger Games, it is a fast paced book with a lot of suspense.”

-Breanna Stewart, 11

Start here. Get there.

Like Us on FacebookVisit wncc.edu Click on

SPORTS| 15

by Matt T.Klein

SportsEditor

by Micah Holloway

SportsWriter

Outside hitter, junior Makayla Castro, passes the ball in serve receive. The Cats’ went 0-3 against Cheyenne East. Photo by Gordon Rock

Serve receive

5-1, 6-2, 5-2…wait, what are we in again?

With the lineup continually changing, the team has had a hard time keeping things straight.

“We had a few out of rotation calls, especially during our first game because we went from a 6-2 to a 5-1. No one knew where they were going but we have gotten a lot better as the season has gone on,” junior Amy Colburn said.

Despite the changes, the girls are finding ways to remember where they belong on the court.

“It isn’t that difficult to remem-ber where to go during the game. All you have to do is find your op-posite on the court and it’s easy,” senior Alexus Pinedo said.

The team’s libero, senior Lau-ren Miller, said the changes have resulted in definite improvements.

“We started off the season not doing so well. That’s when we started trying new things and so far they have been working well and we have been more success-ful,” Miller said.

Even with the improvement, the team admits it is difficult to keep doing different things.

It can be especially hard for set-ters, including Connor Ehler.

“Always switching throws us off because we never know what’s going to happen, and because of that it’s hard to get into the feel of the game,” Ehler said.

“It’s hard switching positions all the time because right when we get used to playing with cer-tain people, the rotation changes and we have to learn how to play with someone else,” Pinedo said.

Along with the different chem-istry on the court, the players have to get used to the mental aspect of it.

“It’s difficult because you have to know every single rotation and position, but you start to get used to it and know where you are go-ing,” Colburn said.

There are several new faces on the team including Ehler, Col-burn, Makayla Castro and fresh-man Chesney Walker.

Ehler, who never played a var-sity set is getting her opportunity.

“I was really nervous at first, but eventually it worked out for

the best. I feel like if I would have set some last year it would have helped more with this season,” Ehler said.

Another new player on the team is Walker, who has played both the middle and right side positions.

“Chesney has caught on really well and isn’t shy,” Miller said, “All the underclassmen fit in well with the team and we have a lot of fun together.”

“It’s not easy to come in as a freshman and play varsity, but she does a good job,” junior Shalee Roseberry said.

The Cats are heading into GNAC at Columbus this weekend with a 9-22 record.

The team says the season re-cord isn’t everything.

“Our record doesn’t show how hard we really work as a team,” Miller said.

“We are all good friends and get along better than we have in the past,” Colburn said.

The B-6 district tournament will be played at Perkins County High School in Grant on Nov. 1, 2

“We can compete with most teams. Our problem is we think

it’s OK to play hard to fifteen and then stop,” Ehler said “So if we can play through an entire set, we will have a chance to do well at districts.”

Volleyball still searching for the right combination

Going into the season there were spots to be filled and the softball team knew that.

“We knew going into the sea-son that we had some big holes to fill from last year’s team. Pitching was a major concern and a prior-ity as it usually is,” Coach Kendall Vogel said.

After posting their 15-18 record the girls clinched the 3rd seed at the district tournament. However, they had a very tough road ahead and met some very good competi-tion.

“I was proud of the way our team handled themselves at dis-tricts. Even though we lost to Co-zad and McCook, who eventually

won districts, the girls never quit and kept trying to come back,” Vogel said.

The season can be considered a successful one that holds promises for the future.

“Hopefully the girls that are coming back next year are ready to take their game to the next level and realize what they need to improve on to get to a higher level of play,” Vogel said.

The girl’s golf team has wrapped up another successful season.

Throughout the season, the girls experienced success that boosted them to perform well at districts and state,which was expected by Coach Mike Klein.

“I expected them to show improvement from last year and for each of them to shot their high

school career low this season,” Klein said.

The team finished third at districts with a score of 384 led by Junior Megan Pilkington who shot an 86. This qualified the team for state once again.

For the seventh year in a row, the girls were able to finish in the top three at the state tournament held at Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln.

Junior Kim Moore finished tied for 11th with a total score of 174. She shot a 90 on the first day and came back strong the second day shooting an 84.

The team finished the state tournament in third place with a total team score of 722.

After a two year vacancy from their home tennis courts, the boys were able to return this year to a

FallWrapups

Softball season ends with 1-2 showing at B-6 district tournament

Girls golf earns second consecutive third place

finish at state meet

Tennis comes home to new courts and a place to call

their own

new place to call home.Coach Ron Swank noticed that

the new courts definitely had an effect on the team this season. He calls them “state of the art.”

“With no courts, the tennis team does not attract athletes to come out,” Swank said.

Although the season was not filled with wins, the tennis team was able to enjoy their sport and improve throughout the season.

“Across the board their basic skill set improved,” Swank said. “Learning to play good tennis is hard. Anyone can slap a ball over a fence, keeping it in the lines is tough.”

Coach Swank didn’t expect his kids to win every match, due to their lack of experience, but he did want them to give their best effort every time they went out.

“I do expect them to com-pete and give their best effort every outing,” Swank said. “If you give your best, continue to work, and learn to compete,

Sports| 16

by KileyGuerue

SportsWriter

Senior Randy Wentz makes a catch in the Grand Island Northwest game. Wentz, along with senior Taylor Winkler, lead the team in receiving. Wentz also is responsible for kickoffs and extra points. Photo by Gordon Rock

Sure hands

First round opponent York finishes season strongUndefeated Cats earn top seed in Class B

Lexington.................26-0 (W)McCook...................17-7 (W)Holdrege.................44-6 (W)Hastings...................28-7 (W)Aurora......................32-8 (W) G.I. Northwest......23-21 (W)Gering...................38-14 (W)Alliance.................49-33 (W)Sidney......................35-6 (W)

Norris.........................7-28 (L)Lexington...............20-13 (W)Beatrice....................24-38 (L)Seward.....................21-39 (L)Holdrege..................21-6 (W)Schuylder.................33-0 (W)Columbus.................21-7 (W)G.I. Northwest.......21-10 (W)Aurora......................28-41 (L)

Class B Playoff

Scottsbluff (9-0) York (5-4)

1st round

No. 1 seed Scottsbluffvs. 16th seed York

7 p.m.Friday, Oct. 26Bearcat Stadium Senior Luke Worden against Grand Island

Northwest in Scottsbluff’s 23-21 win.

Photo by Gordon Rock

For the first time since 2000, the Scottsbluff football team com-pleted an undefeated 9-0 regular season; that was also the last time the Cats reached state finals.

With the No. 1 playoff seed in its back pocket, and an injury free squad, the Bearcats are hoping to duplicate the 2000 season success, with one exception.

This year the Cats want to win it all.

Last Friday night Scottsbluff capped off their undefeated regu-lar season with a 35-6 win over Sidney to clinch the B-6 district championship.

The Cats will now host the 16th seeded York Dukes this Fri-day, Oct. 26, in a 6 p.m. game at Bearcat Stadium.

Head Coach Joe Benson says the Cats must stay focused to reach their goal.

“We will continue to do what we have been doing all season and just worry about Scottsbluff,” Benson said about this week’s preparation for the upcoming playoff game.

“Obviously I want us to go all the way, but we will need a lot of focus and effort, and we can’t take any of the teams lightly,” senior middle linebacker

Tim Magdaleno, said. York, located fifty-four miles

east of Grand Island, will have to make the long trek west for Friday’s game. Head Coach Joe Benson sees the trip as a definite advantage for the Cats.

“It’s great! The fact that they have to travel gets them out of their regular routine, and messes with them a little which is a great advantage for us,” Benson said.

York head coach Glen Snodgrass, however, has a differ-ent spin on the trip.

“The long trip is a great oppor-tunity to further build team unity and create memories that we will carry with us forever,” Snodgrass said.

York will showcase a balanced offense attack Friday night.

“We try to be very balanced with our offensive attack, but our running game has had a lot of success lately,” Snodgrass said. “But we have been efficient in our passing game throwing for a high percentage.”

The Dukes average about 22 points per game on offense this season.

Defensively, the Dukes run a 5-2 scheme and have given up an average of 26 points per game.

That average, however, is deceptive considering over the

last five games of the season the Dukes only gave up an average of 12 points per game.

“Our defense is based on being disciplined and playing with great effort all the time. We also want to be very physical on both sides of the ball,” Snodgrass said.

One of York’s biggest wins came on Oct. 12 when they upset state-rated Grand Island North-west, 21-10.

That is the same G. I. North-west team that nearly upset Scottsbluff two weeks earlier.

After building up a 23-8 lead early in the fourth quarter, North-west rallied against the Bearcats only to be denied on a two-point conversion with just over a min-ute left in the game.

The unsuccessful two-point conversion allowed Scottsbluff to escape with a 23-21 win.

Snodgrass is optimistic about the Dukes’ chances against Scotts-bluff

“Our team has gained con-fidence every week. We are all playing very well and very hard right now,” Snodgrass said. “It has been a total team effort for us and it is important for us to be very unselfish.”

Snodgrass, who is only in his

second year at York, knows a thing or two about success in the state playoffs.

Prior to arriving at York he coached for twelve years at Overton, a Class D school near Lexington. At Overton, Snodgrass lead the Eagles to three state final appearances, two semifinal ap-pearances, and qualified for the playoffs ten consecutive years.

Still, he is aware of the task in front of the Dukes.

“Scottsbluff is a great team,” Snodgrass said. “They have the most explosive backfield in Class B this year. Also on defense they are very fast and their schemes cause several problems for every team.”

Class B 1st Round Playoff ScheduleAll games played on Friday, Oct. 26

No. 16 York (5-4) at No. 1 Scottsbluff (9-0)No. 9 Blair (5-4 at No. 8 Elkhorn (6-3)No. 12 Plattsmouth (5-4) at No. 5 Omaha Gross Catholic (8-1)No. 13 Ralston (6-3) at No. 4 Omaha Skutt Catholic (8-1)

No. 14 Elkhorn South (5-4) at No. 3 Beatrice (9-0)No. 11 G.I. Northwest (6-3) at No. 6 Aurora (7-2)No. 10 Norris (7-2) at No. 7 McCook (7-2)No. 15 South Sioux City (6-3) at No. 2 Gretna (8-1)