Hawk Talklincoln southwest high school

volume 9 issue 7 April 29, 20117001 s. 14th st. lincoln, ne 68512

Jessica CastilloNewsMemorial Garden

grief to Garden

“It all started as an idea,”

that’s what counselor Colleen

Finkhouse first said about

Southwest’s Memorial Garden.

Finkhouse explained

how Mary Metz (a student

who graduated two years

ago) had lost a niece

who was born with birth

anomalies. She was feeling

an incredible amount of grief

and thou ght about the pain

other students at Southwest

might have been feeling.

She wanted to take that grief

and turn it into something beautiful,

a place where people could go to

remember and heal after the loss of a

loved one.

That idea began to thrive,

and become a reality two years ago.

Since than students have raised

about $2,000 with fundraisers; which

isn’t even enough to get a fountain,

2News Hawk Talk April 29, 2011

on the cover: Speech and Debate Teams hosted

an Easter Egg Hunt on April 16 to raise money for their national qualifiers. Photos by Kaitlin Karins and Aubrey Woolman/Talon

on the inside:news: 2-3

student council

feature: 4-5earth day

opinion: 6-7 cellphones

close-up 8-9 prom

sports: 10-12 spring sports

TWAH: 13 juniors

a&e: 14-15 off the beaten path

style: 16 celebrity look-alikes

Southwest Hawk Talk staffCo-Editors: Atley Gustafson and Ellie ClinchA&E editor: Erin LenzFeature editor: Grace GustafsonNews editor: Ellie Clinch Close-up editors: Mikaela Balfany Opinion editor: Parker StockSports editor: Emily FrandsenStyles editor: Kaitlin KarinsAdviser: Dianne Kuppig

Hawk Talk is the official newspaper of Lincoln Southwest High School, located at 7001 S. 14th Street, Lin-coln NE 68512. (wpstu.lps.org/hawk-talk).It serves as an open forum for students and staff to discuss issues concerning Southwest. Letters are welcome and should be delivered to room C110. Hawk Talk reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and accuracy, but will not attempt to alter meaning. An online edition of the Hawk Talk can be seen at lsw.lps.org.Staff editorials represent the opinion of the Hawk Talk staff. Other opin-ion pieces and columns represent the opinion of the writer. Hawk Talk ar-ticles do not necessarily represent the view of the administration, the faculty or anyone other than the individual writer, unless labeled as such.

on the edge...

parent teacher conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on May 3 from 4-7 p.m. It’s a chance for parents to meet with students’ teachers and talk about the rest of the term.

8th grade visitFuture Southwest Silver Hawks

will visit the school on May 11 and 12. This is a day for future students to get to know Southwest and eat lunch in a high school setting.

swing nightThe Southwest Jazz Bands will

perform on May 13. Students and families will be able to come and dance the night away to live music performed by Southwest students. Doors open at 6 p.m. with free dance lessons at the beginning. Advance tickets are $5 and $7 at the door.

senior recognitionSeniors will be recognized on

May 18 at Southwest. Seniors will be honored for their high school career along with giving them the chance to share their plans for the future.

flight nightFlight Night will take place on May

20 and 21. Southwest students will perform different talent acts. M.C. auditions were held April 27. Flight Night auditions are May 3 and 4.

Hawk Talk onlineThe Hawk Talk is online! The link

is on the LSW webpage under the publications headline. The online issue contains recent news with articles not found in the print issue as well as video news! Just go to wpstu.lps.org/hawktalk and check us out!

last yearbook saleThe last yearbook sale before they

come is May 2-6, before and after school and during parent teacher conferences on May 3. The cost is $60. Distribution is tentatively scheduled for May 19 after school and extras at that time will be sold for $65.

By MiKAELA BALFAny

Student Council is ready to implement another change beginning with next year. This change will include structure of leadership class and student council to model that of a university student government.

The first change moved the application process to be due April 29 instead of in January. Representatives will serve the entire school year rather than terms 3 and 4 of one, and terms 1 and 2 of the next. The application process includes an application, teacher recommendations, a timed write and a newly added student vote.

A student vote would allow for the students to elect the representatives who are to represent them. Ideally, student council would have at least two representatives from each grade level, said new sponsor Travis Brady.

Southwest has had a Student Council since the school opened. Since then, there have been many sponsors. Brady, a social studies teacher, took on a council of six in January.

Despite many being skeptical of a council that size, Brady was optimistic.

“A small group is more effective when it comes to planning restructuring. I wanted a core group of strong leaders to implement these changes,” Brady said.

Another change involves Leadership class. Leadership class was established in 2008 with mixed reactions from the students. The purpose was to help Council members grow as leaders by learning about leaders and showing leadership around the school.

Brady plans to expand Leadership Class beyond the council to make it a highly suggested course for any

student holding a leadership position in other clubs. Students do not have to go through the application process to be a part of the class, Brady said.

Class activities will include analyzing characteristics of exceptional leaders and exploring leadership opportunities at LSW, the community and college. Next year Leadership will meet Wednesdays and every other Thursday.

Student Council will maintain its role in planning dances, volunteering in the community, assisting the school and planning events for the student body. There will also be standing committee chairs for philanthropy and student transition filled by students in related clubs. Student Council will meet every Monday and Tuesday at 7:15 a.m.

Student Assembly will meet every other Thursday on the days that leadership class does not meet. The congress of student assembly will be comprised of students in Leadership class, Student Council members, and at least one representative from every major club. Student Assembly will be led by the leadership team of Student Council and include discussions of upcoming projects, fundraisers and events clubs plan to put on.

Student Assembly will encourage collaboration within different school groups and promote awareness around the student body to make club functions more successful.

“I think that the changes being made regarding the function of Student Council are exciting,” Brady said. “They will hopefully serve as a model for other schools in the district as councils seek to re-define their purpose and mission within their schools.”

new student council structure to be more of a governing body

3 NewsHawk TalkApril 29, 2011

club members to compete at nationalsBy Erin LEnz

“Nationals is by far the best because it’s a learning experience plus we get more free time to go out to dinner and hang out as a team,” said Sydney Hayes, a two-year qualifier for nationals and a two-year participant in state for debate.

For students in organizations at school, state or nationals is a huge deal. Involving preparation, hard work and raising money.

Sports aren’t the only activities to qualify for state. Organizations like speech, debate, HOSA, DECA, FBLA, Science Olympiad and others also compete in national and state competitions. And as all members of these agree, it’s not easy.

“The competition is a lot tougher, it’s more competitive and there’s a larger pool of debaters,” said junior Landon Sadler. He qualified for nationals in Congress Debate and went to state for Public Forum debate.

For each organization,

state for the first time.Not only is there a lot of

preparation that goes into these tournaments, there’s also cost. For speech and debate, state doesn’t cost anything for the student but it goes onto the tab for the whole season. But nationals is around $300 for the student.

DECA is going to be around $1000 for nationals. And for HOSA state is around $40 and Nationals is around $70 plus expenses. The cost of the trip depends on where you go.

Madison, Wis. is where nationals is this year on May 21 for Science Olympiad, Speech and Debate is located in Texas for nationals this summer, and Anaheim, Cal. is where HOSA will be going to nationals at this summer.

However, there are always ways to fundraise. Some of the fundraisers include Waffleman, speech showcase, Subway cards, cookie dough, pizza pals, lollipop sales, restaurant nights, company donations and the arts and crafts fair. Speech hosted an Easter Egg Hunt.

nationals and state are a way to be more competitive and to get higher recognition for one’s accomplishments. They are a lot harder than just a regular tournament.

Senior Charles Chen noted that “the competition is a lot more difficult but it’s still pretty fun.” Chen went to state and qualified in nationals for DECA. He also has qualified in debate and Science Olympiad.

Senior Sara Christianson, a two-year qualifier for nationals in HOSA said, “To go to nationals you must place in first, second or third in an event at state. Anyone can compete at state. We prepare on our own for individual and team events.“

More work and preparation goes into qualifying and actually competing in these tournaments.

“You have more frequent rehearsals and there’s a different mindset needed than a normal tournament. There’s more pressure but you have to focus on just doing your best,” said junior Emma Gruhl, who qualified for nationals in speech and participated in

Many students however disagree with certain aspects of the policy.

“I think it’s unneeded and they need to find a better way of running the school without needing to take our cell phones. It’s really rude. You don’t pay our cell phone bills and until that day, then you can take my phone but until then look at this phone out in the hallway,” senior Chris Moss said while pulling out his phone.

While some students rebel others plan to follow it. Senior Ryan Newsham is one of those students.

Newsham said, “I don’t really care. We only have eight weeks left of school. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Teachers were also encouraged to have students leave their phones in the classroom when they leave to use the restroom or locker. Even though phones aren’t supposed to be used during class, some teachers make

By GrACE GUSTAFSOn

It may have been April 1, but the new cell phone policy explained to students at class meetings was no joke. In fact, the policy itself wasn’t really new, just newly enforced.

The policy states that students can’t use their phones and other electronic devices during the 90 minutes of class time, except at teacher direction. If students are caught in class or in the hall during class time using their cell phones, security or teachers will confiscate their phone and it will need to be picked up after school.

Students have already received the first warning during the class meetings and numerous times in classes. The next offense will lead to teachers taking it to security. After that if you are found using an electronic device it could lead to possible suspension.

the last danceBy KAiTLin KArinS

Prom for juniors and seniors will be Saturday, May 7 with the theme of Grecian Gardens. The dance will be held at the UNL Centennial Ballroom from 8 p.m. to midnight. Students attending the dance must be there by 9 p.m. to be admitted. Cost is $15 per person. Student Council is sponsoring the dance.

After prom, post prom will be held at Southwest. Post prom will have a jungle theme. There will be many activities run by the parents with food donated from restaurants throughout the community. The event will be held from 1-4 a.m. Tickets are $15 for one student and $25 for a couple. Students must be at Southwest by 1 a.m. to attend post prom.

their students put them on their desks to keep them in view.

English teacher Melanie Gross said, “I feel that this is a student’s work place and I don’t use my phone during instructional work time. I would follow the policy. It’s not popular, but it’s my job.”

Students are still allowed to use their phone during passing time, before and after school, and during lunch. In case of emergency, students may tell their teacher the situation and it is up to the teacher to decide whether the student can use the cellphone to make a call. Overall, the rules are mostly the same except teachers and security will be enforcing them more.

Along with this story, there is a video on the Hawk Talk online webpage with reactions from students and teachers on the new re-emphasis of the cellphone policy.

DECA members are recognized at the Pep Rally on April 15 for their outstanding achievement at the DECA State Tournament. There were five state champions and one third place winner.

Science Olympiad takes first at the state competition. This is their third time to win first in four years.

Photo by Atley Gustafson

Courtesy Photo

old cell phone policy re-implemented

FeatureHawk TalkApril 29, 2011

earth and wellness festival celebrates earth dayBy KAiTLin KArinS

Earth Day has been celebrated for over 40 years and April marks the anniversary of the start of the environmental movement.

Here at Southwest there are many ways throughout the year that students follow this modern environmental movement trend that grew out of the 1970s original Earth Day such as recycling club which gets kids active on the idea of recycling and classes such as Environmental Studies which all help the idea of going green grow.

Environmental Studies (E.S) students do many things like helping out at Nature Night, which is a LPS event that takes place at different schools through out the year. Students then come up with their own environment friendly ideas such as trash art or other projects like bare foot hiking to get children first through fifth grade interested and involved.

For the weeks leading up to Earth Day science teacher Charles Bittle took five students from a previous E.S. class to help out at the Earth and Wellness festival March 28 and 29. The event is used to get fifth graders excited about the environment.

There Bittle’s students helped out with classroom lessons on tree frogs. Students learned about different factors that can affect not only the frogs but also other animals within their ecosystems and ways to prevent point and nonpoint pollution. Students also had the chance to see actual tree frogs handled by his classroom assistants.

“It was so fun to see how excited the kids got over the frogs and what other people had to get kids pumped like the owls they had fly around the gym. Oh, and to see Abby’s face when she held the frog was priceless!” said senior Haley Christensen, one of Bittle’s assistants as she joked about how scared fellow senior Abby Graham was of holding the frog at first.

Other groups at the festival included “The Raptors” which informed students on different types of owls as well as showing them first hand how they fly, “Build a Beaver” in which a student was dressed as a beaver and they learned about beavers, “Pedal Power” in which students used an exercise bike to light up a light bulb, and “Inside a Whale” where students went inside of a blow up whale to hear tales about why keeping the ocean clean is so important for the whales.

Upper Left: A student dresses up as a beaver and kids learn about “Pedal Power.”

Upper Right: The gym held the Raptors exhibit in which students learned about how owls fly.

Middle: Science teacher Charley Bittle holds a salamander and explains about their ecosystems.

Bottom: Senior Abby Graham holds a tree frog to show others and a close-up of a tree frog.

PREGNANT?You have a lot to think about…Birthright…….402.466.26095625 “O” St, Suite 4Free confidential testing. Why wait?

5

All photos by Kaitlin Karins

April 29, 20114 Feature Hawk Talk

By PArKEr STOCKThe 2011-2012 Cheer and Dance teams

have been chosen. Along with new members on the dance team, they also gained a new sponsor, Rachel Russell.

Russell is a former dancer herself. She danced at East High School, then went on to University of Nebraska, Lincoln to become a Scarlet. She is currently a dance teacher at True Dance Academy.

Returners to the dance team are McKenzie Balfany, Kana Leia Veney and Rachel Dowd. New members are Hayley Bell, Taylor Boesiger, Chandler Haefele, Kelsey Hillman, Lisa Ingham, Nicole Kielian and Morgan Meeks.

Tryouts for cheer lasted one-week. Results were revealed on the Southwest web page. Varsity squad includes juniors Brynn Stock, Lexi Reeder, Haley Urwiler, Sami Nelson,

earthquake in Japan hits close to home for someBy GrACE GUSTAFSOn

Even though Japan is thousands of miles away the March 11 earthquake hit certain students close to home.

Although the massive earthquakes seem to be over, aftershocks continue and the radiation levels from nuclear power plants are high and are still affecting the population.

According to USA Today, the death toll is up to 25,000 and many are still missing. Currently 150,000 people are living in shelters around Japan. On April 11 people gathered together at 2:46 p.m. exactly a month after the earthquake to mourn for those who died.

The majority of junior Saki Aota’s family lives in Japan. They were fortunate that the earthquake didn’t harm anyone. Aota sold food at Lincoln’s Asian Center to help raise money for Japan.

“When I first heard about the earthquake I was shocked and scared for my family but now I’m glad they are okay,” Aota said.

“Everyone in Japan was affected by the earthquake in one way or another, but fortunately everyone I know is still alive. An e-mail from my pen pals said as follows: ‘We are okay, but food is very hard to find the Japanese government is bringing us water, and we can’t sleep well. It is very hard to live,’” said sophomore Tristan Hilderbrand, who designed and sold the HOPE for Japan shirts.

Hilderbrand said it was very late at night when she heard about the earthquake. She didn’t really sleep and was up worrying about all her friends she made.

“I began thinking that not only did I need to do my part to contribute, but also felt I should do

something to help others contribute as well. I think a lot of us want to do something, but don’t quite know how,” Hilderbrand said.

Japanese students feared for their pen pals and students with relatives in Japan worried for their health.

Japanese teacher Jeremy Smith and his students’ had several reactions to the events:

“It made everyone worried. People were sad and they felt that they should do something.”

“Everyone was shocked and couldn’t believe this happened. We were sad and worried that they had to go through this disaster.”

”We believed it didn’t affect our pen-pals much physically. They are worried about the radiation and everyone else it affected.”

To help Japan the classes made t-shirts with the words Hope for Japan on them to sell. They also were selling ribbons, and donating money raised to the Red Cross.

U.S.A. Today said that Red Cross had raised up to $107

Left: New Emeralds gather together. Two of them are going to be seniors, one will be a junior and seven will be upcoming sophomores.

spirit: new year, new teams, new sponsorMorgan Mills, Megan Birman, Taylor Mack, Kanai Kuhnel, Makenzie Brookhouser, Ariel Blackman, Maddie Deeds, MaKayla Reed and sophomores Kelly Sieps, Jacey Lawrence, Kiara Moody and Mandy Hoyt.

This will be Sami Nelson’s third year on varsity cheer. “It feels good. I liked having the opportunity to cheer with older girls for the past two years and making new friends from different grades, but now that I get to cheer again with my friends my own age, I’m excited because now I can be one of the older girls on the squad and hopefully be able to make more decisions.”

million, which is 9.1 billion Yen, from overseas. “Please acknowledge Felicia Phares and Suzanne

Carnazzo for their amazing contribution to this effort and for dedicating much of their time to help me out,” Hilderbrand requested.

If students want to help they can donate money to the Red Cross and other organizations. There are numbers one can text and they will automatically donate money to the cause.

6Opinion Hawk Talk April 29, 2011

Prom is one of the last big things that we seniors get to do before graduation.

Atley: I’m on the fence about whether I want to go or not. Last year I had fun and all, but it really wasn’t everything I expected. I think ever since we were little we dreamed of Prom being this big magi-cal night when in all reality, it’s one night where we spend too much money to have a good time.

Dress shopping. This is what I love/hate the most because we all know I will want the most ex-pensive dress I try on and it won’t match any shoes I own. Which shouldn’t even matter because I’ll be lucky if I make it a block downtown without taking off my heels.

But the kicker is my boyfriend is a Marine and in North Carolina. He’s fine with me going with a guy friend, but to me it’s just not the same.

I’m not hating on everything about Prom though. I love getting all dressed up and taking pictures and seeing everyone else. Plus I feel like there’s a pos-siblity I’ll regret not going.

Ellie: I understand where Atley is coming from. Everyone views prom as this big ritual that’s sup-posed to be one of the best nights of our lives. How-ever, I quickly found out that it was nothing of the sort after my junior prom. Don’t get me wrong, I love finding the perfect dress, getting a date, and going out to dinner with all my friends. But it wasn’t any different from all the other dances I’ve attend-ed.

Although prom was held in a different location, it still played the same music and had the same people.

Last year, I was really excited about prom. But this year I haven’t thought much about it. I’ve been so focused on school, college, and all of my ac-tivities that prom hasn’t even consumed my mind. I’ve had so many other things to think about that I haven’t even thought about what prom will mean to me this year.

I know that prom will be a good way to end the year. After deciding where I’m going to college and studying for classes, prom will be a fun activity. So even though I now know prom isn’t life changing, I know that it is an experience that everyone should enjoy.

according to the editors

By ELLiE CLinCH AnD ATLEy GUSTAFSOn

Prom: Prom is the dance that all the upperclassmen look forward to the whole year. It is most likely the first time many juniors will be attending prom so excitement fills the air as they all prepare for the fun and festivities of the dance. And for the seniors, this will be the last dance they will ever attend in their high school career so they are looking forward to a memorable night!

The Count Down: The count down to the end of the year has officially begun! As of April 29 there are approximately 28 days left in the school year! With classes coming to an end and finals just around the corner people are starting to feel the warm breeze of summer!

School Activities: Many exciting school activities are approaching this time of year! Flight Night, which allows people to showcase their talents, is on May 20-21. If you are interested in participating in Flight Night, auditions will be May 3-4. See you there!

Gas Prices: As gas prices continue to climb, we are all feeling the pressure at the pump! It seems like every time we go to fill up it keeps digging deeper and deeper into our wallets! So if you can’t handle the drastic changes at the pump, then get outside and ride a bike. A little healthy exercise never hurt anyone!

New Policies: Cell phones have always been a major issue here at school and rules have been put into place to try and control the usage of the phones. The administration has decided to take further action in the issue and have established a newly enforced cell phone policy.

Schoolwork: The end of the school year is always exciting, knowing that summer is right around the corner. But we have to remem-ber that we still have quite a bit of time left and that we all need to finish the school year strong. So stay focused and keep working!

THUMBS DOWN

THUMBS UP

STAFF EDiTOriAL Each class has its own personality. They’re all

viewed in a different light.The senior class appears to

be the quietest class. Though you’re a quiet class you have extremely strong dedication, mostly to academics. You’re a driven class. So we will just call you the good class. So congrats. You will prob-ably be a principal’s favorite for years to come.

The juniors appear to be the very nonspirited class. How hard is it to stand up during a pep rally and say “Here we go Southwest, here we go”? You should proba-bly get some pep before you have to control the SFF for next year. This class seems to be a keep-it-to-yourself grade, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Sigh.” Now on to the sophomore class. There is so much to say about it. If any-body is talking about a class as a whole, it’s this one. You are currently the grade with the most drama, and you may be one of the more interesting classes at Southwest for a while. Though your grade has much drama, you’re also a very spirited, loud class. At pep rallies where the juniors lack, you make it up.

different strokes for different folks

COM

PiLE

D By

PArK

Er ST

OCK

Last, and least for only one more term, is the freshman class. Though you’re at the bot-tom of the food chain for high school, the staff commends you on your spirit. Freshman sports

have never been made so interesting before this year. Freshman sports had more freshman sup-porters than varsity had of the entire school!

But remember, all the loud, spirited, craziness is good for games and pep rallies but please, keep it out of the classroom. You may be great for our school but academics is important, too, not just sports.

Each class is defined by something different and as a staff these were the definitions we came up with. These are what our staff sees classes like as a whole. Though they don’t necessarily apply to everyone in the class, it’s a stereotype of what

we see as a whole. So think about your image and what it brings to the entire class next time you decide not to stand up and cheer at a foot-ball game, or get an F on your test, make your teacher angry or even start drama. What you do may define your entire grade as a whole.

7 OpinionHawk TalkApril 29, 2011

Student Council has changed its ways to be organized more like a student government. The purpose of Student Council is to give students the chance to learn more about leadership and be leaders themselves. Student Council is now in charge of approving other clubs’ events before they can go through with them.

The change for Student Council is good because it teaches the students how to run a government. It’s a more mature and structured way to run the school.

The idea of club leaders taking a Leadership class is a good idea because they are the ones in charge of clubs and how they are organized. If everyone is going to the same class, than a common structure on how to run events or club meetings can be established. Plus waking up early

pros/cons of the new student council format

“From the weeks leading up to prom to those following graduation, these are the most dangerous weeks in their high school career for most se-niors” said Principal Rob Slauson, as he spoke to the class of 2011 about the dangers from senior skip day to prom to the days after graduation in their senior class meeting on April 1.

But are things really as bad as Slauson and your parents say? Ac-cording to the National Highway Traf-fic Safety Administration, “in the year 2000, 58% of traffic fatalities during the prom/graduation period were al-cohol-related. In addition, 36% of all alcohol-related fatalities are young people between the ages of 15 and 20 - below the legal age to consume alco-

holic beverages.”Alcohol seems to be a big fac-

tor for some on days like senior skip day- (where much of the senior class skips school the Friday before prom in order to spend time with their friends. )To prom (where seniors and juniors en-joy the last big dance before the end of the year), and during grad-uation weekend (where seniors celebrate being done with high school).

Seniors heard Slauson share his own experience with losing peers

By KAiTLin KArinS

‘risky business’ for seniorsBy KAiTLin KArinS

By GrACE GUSTAFSOn next year and what happens if no one joins? A vast majority of the students who left StuCo have no plans to rejoin to the best of my knowledge and some have even made plans of their own,

“We have talked about starting our own club to bring back all the fun that we had in Student Council before they started handing out grades, like Relay For Life and Polar Bear Plunge. We still want to help our people and our school but without all the drama of Student Council” said sophomore Parker Stock a StuCo member who left in January.

After starting with around 30 stu-dents, then dropping to a mere six, many students in all grades saw their peers flee from this organization to never even look back.

So why would anyone expect se-niors or juniors to be a part of this newly redone organization? Does the administration really expect under-classmen to run this organization with-out the help or endorsement of upper-classmen? If the upperclassmen stay clear of this organization as whole and new clubs begin to spring up, does ev-erything then fall apart for clubs and other organizations that are to be based off of this new student council?

Only time will tell, but I predict nothing but dark skies for this orga-nization.

StuCo of 32 at the start of 2010. StuCo of six at the start of 2011.

from his own high school when alco-hol played a key role in senior skip day and how it affected everyone.

But alcohol is not only the main contributor when it comes to risky

behaviors around prom.

Ever wonder why prom was only held at the Cornhusker Hotel once? When it was held there back in 2008, the chaperons had a hard time supervis-ing everyone with all of the stairs and corners around the

hotel. Not to mention that it is a ho-tel, and it was easy for students to get rooms there, if you catch my drift.

And for those of you that are on my drift, alcohol isn’t the only thing that can have future consequence. Others may happen, oh, nine months down the road for example.

But not all risky behaviors are just for seniors or happen out of school. Some of you saw when 17 students were suspended for a water balloon fight that happened in the hallway two years ago in which a staff mem-ber was injured.

Yet, Slauson told his Student Ad-visory group that he happens to wel-come senior pranks, under the con-ditions that no one gets hurt like in the water balloon incident and that nothing is damaged like putting glue in the locks of the doors, in hopes of bringing back the fun of being a se-nior without all that risky behavior.

PRO CO

NAs you all know by now, Student

Council (StuCo) is being revamped for the next school year, and will be run more as a governing body than as a “bring a roll of paper towels and get graded by that” type of thing, which was a major problem with the previ-ous Student Council. As a result the organization saw a dramatic drop in the members and ambassadors stepped up to such events to help out with freshman day this year.

But with a whopping number of six members currently on StuCo, four of which are seniors, many people,- my-self included, are asking if this is even going to work? When the fate of this organization lays in the hands of just two members as of right now, is it re-ally the right time to be looking into redoing the system for clubs and or-ganization which would have to report back to them?

Or even better yet, if students do join StuCo (which based on the num-ber of kids who go to this school and the total number who are even in stu-dent council right now doesn’t seem likely), are these inexperienced fresh-men really ready to lead a whole new group of kids?

And let’s face the biggest questions of them all: who will be in StuCo for

one morning a week and twice every other week honestly isn’t going to kill anyone.

After the change Student Council will be able to focus more on how the school is running. Other clubs should need approval to do activities so that it doesn’t interfere with other activities going on at the school.

“The change for Student Council will be good because all the chang-es will be beneficial for the years to come,” said freshman Student Council member Natasha Naseem.

Even though four out of the six members of Student Council are grad-uating it’s a perfect time to change the structure. Since new people will be added, they can learn the new format and wouldn’t have to change their ways. More people should want to sign up for Student Council because it’s a way to show leadership.

With these changes in place, I pre-dict a very bright future for this orga-

8Close-up Hawk Talk April 29, 2011

the ‘Look’ of Prom: from Fashion to Finance

how prom has changed through the yearsBy ATLEy GUSTAFSOn

From conservative to going against the norm. From long evening gowns and feathered hair to short vibrant dresses and curls and updos, Prom has changed a lot over the decades. Not only in style, but hugely in expenses. Now it’s not even uncommon for the girl to ask the guy or for underclassmen to go. A breakdown of Prom through the decades:

The 60’s. Prom fashion during this time can be described in two words: simple and modest all thanks to Audrey Hepburn. Her simple look inspired

girls to have dresses with little skin showing and topping off the look with bright red lipstick.

The 70’s. The transition from 60’s to 70’s wasn’t smooth at all. Prom went straight from simple to unique. It was all about being bold and different. Different colors, patterns, hair styles, jewelry. If it’s embarrassing now to have the same dress as someone, in the 70’s was even worse. And for the guys the start of leisure suits.

The 80’s. Neon. And more neon and more neon. Big hair, big shoes, big plastic jewelry all sums up a

typical 80’s Prom. The 90’s. The 90’s grunge fashion made Prom

not as bright as the 80’s. So dress was simpler while hair was a little out of control. Mohawks were seen in almost every Prom picture along with mullets and teased hair.

The 00’s. Shorter dresses start to become more popular along with animal prints, patterns and tighter fitting dresses.

then nowOnly the guys asked the girls

Girls can and do ask the guys

Guys drove their

dad’s old “cool” car

Everyone pitches in for a limo, bus, or drives themselves

Prom was held

in the gym

Prom is held in fancier

locations like hotels and ball-

roomsColorful Powder

blue suits were popular

Guys wear black and

white... and

that’s about it

This picture is an example of what a typical couple would wear in the 1960’s. The style was classy and modest.

Last year’s junior prom royalty, Austin Blankenau and Ally Walker wear a modern black tux and a short blue dress.

9 Close-upHawk TalkApril 29, 2011

the ‘Look’ of Prom: from Fashion to Finance

how prom has changed through the years

breaking the bank for promBy MiKAELA BALFAny

How much will one million dollars buy? How about Prom?

According to economics teacher Dennis Hershberger, students in Lincoln and the surrounding area spend well over this amount on that last dance of the year.

A Grande Mocha from Starbucks is about $3.60. That would mean that one would have to buy 277,777 mochas to spend $1 million. If you were to drink three Grande Mochas every day, it would take you 254 years to consume all of those drinks. Put into this context, it really shows how much $1

million really amounts to. Take a look at what students’ expectations for prom have become: girls spend money on dresses, hair, nails, tanning, shoes, boutonnieres, bags and makeup. Guys have to rent tuxes, and buy dinner, dance tickets, flowers and post prom tickets. This really adds up, with people spending around $250 each, according to surveys taken in economics classes last year.

That means that Southwest students spent roughly between $175,000 and $225,000 on the single night. With the amount of schools in Lincoln and the surrounding area, this single event has a tremendous impact on the community.

“Expectations for prom have become unrealistic and definitely are not sustainable,” Hershberger

noted, adding that the financial aspect of what prom has become puts a strain on many families.

Hershberger points out that there are some business in Lincoln help make prom more affordable by setting up dress closets where girls can trade last year’s dresses in for dresses worn by other girls. This gives girls the opportunity to wear a different dress without spending a ridiculous amount of money.

Prom is expensive. However the large economic impact helps out the Lincoln Community. How much one spends is a personal choice, but keep in mind the outrageous numbers and do your part to make the statistics reasonable.

Prom Fashion

Senior Brianna Saeger is wearing a short floral dress. This year many girls are going with contemporary short dresses as opposed to more traditional long

Senior Natalie Cooper is wearing a long coral dress. Coral is a popular spring color.

Junior Kelsey Boesiger is wearing a dress she bought in Las Vegas. Many girls go to other cities to buy dresses so that they are unique.

photos compiled by Ellie Clinch

Junior Alissa Shanahan is wearing a long dress with animal print. Animal prints are becoming increasingly popular.

10Sports Hawk Talk April 29, 2011

By ATLEy GUSTAFSOn The most noticeable difference for

the girls soccer team is that they be-gan the season without head coach, Social Studies teacher Alyssa Watson. She gave birth to her second child on March 18 and then returned to coach April 4.

“It’s different not having the same coach but the transition hasn’t been too hard because everyone is on the same page and willing to make it work,” said senior Shelby Knorr.

Social Studies teacher Tanner Pen-rod was the interim head coach for the two weeks after Watson had her baby and 2009 graduate Bri Badje helped assist Penrod during her absence as well.

“I was only gone for two weeks ex-actly, but I think it was good for my girls to get ideas/strategies from an-other coach. I feel like they responded nicely to Coach Penrod as the interim head coach. Coach Penrod and I com-municated on a daily basis with re-gards to practice plans and strategies during games. It has been very helpful to have another coach around to assist with the team,” Watson noted.

Southwest’s boys and girls track team is off to a great start this spring season. Sophomore Josh Banderas and Junior Tania Carroll are two ath-letes that have really stood out. Both have been do-ing varsity hur-dles since their freshman year.

“It is really gratifying when your hard work pays off and you get to see the progression from freshman year to now,” Carroll said. So far this season she has taken first in every meet that she has at-tended. Carroll says that she plans to go to state.

Banderas currently holds the

hurdles head toward victory for boys and girls track

girls soccer keeps up with transitioning coaches

Junior Kasha Meyer takes control of the ball during a 10-0 win against Lincoln High.

photo by Katelyn Crew/Talon

school record for hurdles at 15.21 sec-onds. His goal is to win state.

“I have an agreement with my coach and Tania that if I win state, then they will tattoo my initials onto the bottom of their foot!”

Ryan Mahoney has been head

By PArKEr STOCK

By EMiLy FrAnDSEn

On the team of 21 players, there is lot diversity this year on the varsity boys soccer team when it comes to ages.

The team consists of nine seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. Of these players only five are returning letter winners.

“There were a ton of us that were new to the varsity experience but we are doing really well. Our seniors re-ally keep us in line, and give us a com-petitive drive. Especially the captains,”

Junior Alex Guyer blocks a kick, preventing a goal during their game against Columbus on March 31. Southwest won 2-1.

photo by Katelyn Crew/Talon

It’s Your Life!It’s Your Choice!

Take Control ~ Choose Abstinence

we’re hereto help.

4247 O St. Lincoln, NE 68510

402.483.4247

www.lincolncrisispregnancycenter.org

coach since the school has opened. His brother, Luke, is the hurdles coach here at Southwest.

“Both Josh and Tania are extremely hard workers. They both do work-outs during the off-season to prepare them for the next track season. They

are some of the most dedicated kids I have ever encountered here at South-west.” L. Mahoney said.

Their next track meet is the Heart-land Conference on May 4 at Lincoln High. Next comes districts, which is May 11 followed by state, May 20.

Sophomore Josh Banderas and junior Tania Carroll jumping hurdles during their track meet at Kearney.

Photos by Parker Stock/Hawk Talk

age difference helps boys soccer excel

said sophomore Kramer Rath.This year the team has four se-

nior captains, Austin Tompkins, Jacob Quandt, Travis Stoltenburg and Shane Davidson.

Other stand out players who were honored as “players of the week” were Tompkins, senior Jason Nitz and soph-omore TJ Mulgrue.

The team’s record is currently 7-4-0.

“Our record really doesn’t define us, because all we do is improve. We are really strong and grew as a team as the season went on,” Rath said.

April 29, 2011

11 SportsHawk TalkApril 29, 2011

With eight of the twelve members on the Varsity tennis team graduating in May, the girls are ready to finish the year strong. Seniors Ellie Clinch and Katie Everitt have been on the varsity team since their freshman year and play number one doubles together.

Clinch has been playing tennis at a competitive level since she was 9, but she started her love for the sport as a 4-year-old.

“I met some of my best friends through tennis,” Clinch said. Her fa-vorite memory playing for Southwest was “last year when Katie and I made it to semi-finals in number two dou-bles at state. We played a tough team and were about to lose, but we came back and won.”

Everitt started playing tennis in sixth grade. Her favorite memory comes from the team’s bonding activi-ties.

“The team is really close. We have a lot of team nights. We support each other. We are also super focused but

“I think they’re trying and prac-ticing hard and as a coach that’s all you can ask for is for them to try their best,” said golf coach Jim Danson.

Golf is off to a great start. As a team they have placed third at the City Tournament, second at the tour-nament in Kearney and fourth in the tournament at Beatrice.

“Hayden Thomson and Dylan Lester are the two seniors on golf this year. They are doing a fantastic job leading our team as our captains. They’re set-ting great examples,” Danson said.

Both Thomson and Lester partici-

One of the teams that is doing extremely well this spring is the var-sity baseball team. Part of the reason for the _-_ record may be due to the team’s experience, with fourteen se-niors.

For junior Dylan Matthews this can be a bittersweet thing.

“Having so many seniors makes the competition to start with much harder. It’s intimidating but makes you better,” Matthews said.

This is Matthew’s first year on the

When junior Stacy Manson tells classmates she is on the trap team, they often mistake her sport for track.

Trap, despite the similarity in sound, is very different. Instead of running, jumping and throwing, trap involves shooting shotguns at orange clay targets.

“It’s fun! It gives me something to look forward to. I like how it is com-petitive but anyone could do it with the right mind set,” Manson says.

There are 50 targets and the par-ticipant scores with a percentage out of 50.

The state competition is held from April 28-30 in Doniphan, near Grand Island, at a mile-long range.

Senior MacKenzie Woodward has a personal goal of coming away with the high overall lady title and a team goal with the high overall team title.

“The coaches are great,” said Woodward. They include Dick Mavis, Ed Grubbs and Todd Walter. Social studies teacher Russ Raatz is the school sponsor.

baseball team’s experience takes them far

By EMiLy FrAnDSEn varsity team, along with just three other juniors.

“There is a big difference between varsity and junior varsity, but the big-gest is definitely the pitching. They are so much better on this level,” he added.

Matthew’s positions actually in-clude pitching and playing outfield. When things get tough though, his best supporter is his dad, who always works with him when he’s struggling.

The team’s next game will be against Lincoln Northeast on May 2 at 7 p.m. at Den Hartog fields.

Dylan Exstrom leads off the base during the team’s game against Lincoln High on April 4. Southwest won 18-2.

Courtesy Photo

members give insight on the trap team

By MiKAELA BALFAny

we have a lot of fun too,” said Everitt. Everitt likes the sense of accomplish-ment she gets when winning a tough match.

“Tennis is like an individual sport, so when you do well you have a sense of pride in yourself.”

As of April 13, the doubles team is undefeated. State is May 19 and 20.

tennis swings into seasonBy MiKAELA BALFAny

teeing for a new title

By Erin LEnz

Top Left: During the number one doubles match against Pius, senior Ellie Clinch hits a forehand April 12.

Top Right: Senior Katie Everitt plays number three singles against Pius on April 12.

Photos by Melissa Byerly/Talon

pated in the state winning team last year. Both have been on varsity since their junior year.

“Our team has bonded really well. It’s really cool when we can practice and enjoy that at the same time,” Thomson said.

“I like the team dinners because our team is close and we bond well,” Lester said.

As a team their goal is to repeat their state title. But they agreed that it doesn’t just happen. You have to work hard to get it.

Districts are scheduled on May 16th and State is to follow on May 24th and 25th.

“We’re not done with our season this year yet, we need to work hard to achieve the goals that we made,” Danson said.

Sophomore Seth Barkley takes a swing during a tournament April 12 against Lincoln Southeast and Lincoln High.

Photo by Julia Anderson/Talon

12Sports Hawk Talk April 29, 2011

“I loved the competition, I love to compete. Once you get done at the college level you never get to expe-rience that competition again,” said Shelly Tvrdy, business teacher.

Tvrdy was a three-sport athlete in high school. She played basketball, cross-country and track for Gothen-

“The biggest challenge with doing multiple sports was trying to get bet-ter at one sport while playing another,” said Kevin Schrad, science teacher.

“Once you start a sport, finish out the season, you can’t get mad, can’t quit and you need to have a sense of loyalty,” Cyndi Dwyer, English teacher said.

Dwyer was a three-sport athlete at her high school of Concord. She played volleyball, basketball, track and she played on her city softball team. After high school Dwyer went on to play volleyball and track at Da-kota State in Madison, South Dakota.

“The biggest challenge for me was being a girl and growing up in my time where girls had to overcome the stereotype of them not being good at

burg High School, a Class B school. Then once it was her time to gradu-

ate she got a full ride basketball schol-arship to the University of Nebraska. She was also inducted into the Nebras-ka High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

“For high school ball it came easy to me, I was an all around good ath-lete, so I had to learn to sit the bench in college,” Tvrdy said.

And her time came. She was a starter for UNL her junior and senior years.

Tvrdy has a very sports oriented family. Her husband, Tom has been coaching for 22 years in Seward and his girls basketball team has three state championships with 75 consecu-tive wins. Her three children also play sports, her oldest son, Titus, played golf, her youngest son, Carson is only in 2nd grade so “he does practically everything,” and her daughter, Han-nah, is following in her mom’s foot-steps as a basketball player.

Though she has been done playing basketball for about 10 years, Tvrdy still stays in shape by running about 20 miles a week and eating healthy.

“Enjoy every moment when you’re on the court because you will never get to experience anything like it again,” she said.

Tvrdy shines on the court as a HuskerBy Erin LEnz

Schrad: from playing to coachingBy Erin LEnz

sports,” Dwyer said.Though this was a challenge, she

overcame it by just doing the sports she was good at. Her favorite parts of high school sports were hanging out with her friends, and simply just the social aspect of it. Her favorite part of college sports was the competitive aspect of it. She liked to win.

Growing up in her family she had a football and track coach for a dad, her mom and three brothers who were always with sports and good at all of them. And now Dwyer watches as her three kids participate in sports. Her oldest daughter, Shayna, is following her footsteps of playing volleyball at

Dwyer keeps up with her all-star family By Erin LEnz

Dakota State. Her other daughter, Erin, and youngest son Zach, both pretty much play everything.

Dwyer now stays in shape by walk-ing. She doesn’t compete as much now but she keeps busy by watching her own children participate in sports like she did.

Right: Cyndi Dwyer goes for a lay up during one of her college basketball games, when she attended Dakota State.

Courtesy Photo

Shelly Tvrdy was a two-year starter on the basketball team at the University of Nebraska

Courtesy Photo

Kevin Schrad’s senior photo in his football attire for Albion High School where he also played basketball and track.

‘glory days’ teachers recall past, current passions in sports

Schrad played football, basketball and track for his high school in Albion, and he played on a summer baseball team. Then he went on to play foot-ball for the Broncos of Hastings Col-lege.

“My favorite part about sports was the challenge of getting better and working as a team,” Schrad said.

His other favorite part of playing sports was developing strong friend-ships with his teammates.

Schrad was a multi-sport athlete and now so are his three children. His oldest son Jason plays football and rugby at Macalester college in St. Paul, Minnesota. His daughter plays softball and basketball and his youngest son plays football, basketball and baseball.

Now that his high school and col-lege years of sports have passed, he still does many things to keep in shape.

Schrad not only coaches his daugh-ters fast pitch softball team but also coached his son Jason in football when he was a student at Southwest.

“It’s definitely different, but it keeps sports in my life in a positive way by helping my kids,” he said.

April 29, 2011 13Talk with a Hawk Hawk TalkApril 29, 2011

Talk with a Hawk[Juniors]

Each issue, the Hawk Talk will introduce two students you may or may not know at Southwest, and take a look into their lives inside and outside of school.

How long have you been doing gymnastics?

“Since I was 5 years old.”

What was your reasoning for getting involved in gymnastics?

“I was taking dance and there was tumbling, so I did that. But when I was supposed to move up there wasn’t anymore tumbling, so my mom took me to a gymnastics class.”

How was state?

“You do have to qualify for state and I did. State was on March 20. I won everything but the vault. So that meant all around, beam, floor and bars.”

How long do you plan on con-tinuing gymnastics?

“I plan on being a gymnast through college. Whatever college I

go to I will compete there, but I’m still undecided where I want to go.”

When and how did Regionals go?

“Regionals were Friday April, 15. I placed 4th in floor, 1st in bars and 1st all around.”

How do you feel about gym-nastics not being a school sport?

“I wish it was a school sport be-cause then there would be a way for me to be involved. I can see why it’s not though, because of how danger-ous it can be.

Tell me about your family.

“I have a mom, dad and brother named Ansel. My mom is like a role model to me. Ansel is a senior at Crete and will most likely be going to UMASS next year.

(Montana Whittle)

What are some of the activities that you participate in here at Southwest?

“My freshman and sophomore year I did track and I pole vaulted. I am also involved in theatre and choir and student ambassadors. I am currently in concert choir.”

Tell us about ambassadors. “I joined ambassadors my

freshman year. It was the first thing I ever got involved in. I did it to help me meet new people and to make new friends. We deal with a lot of new students. We help them through the transition they are going through and make them feel more welcome. We also help out the staff whenever we need to.”

Tell us about the spring comedy.

“I am in the cast of the comedy ‘You Can’t Take it With You.’ In the comedy I am playing the role of a Southern man named Donald. The character is originally a black man,

but I am just going to stay a Southern white man!”

What classes are you currently in?

“I TA for Mr. Bob for the first half of first block. Then for the second half I go to choir. Second block I have photojournalism. Third block I have Culinary Skills and Fourth block I have AP US History. It’s my easiest term this year!”

Tell me about your family.“I have two sisters and one

brother. I am the youngest of four. My oldest sister and my brother are both married. My older brother has two girls, so I am an uncle!”

Why do you go by Henry instead of Jason?

“All the guys in my family go by their middle names. It’s a tradition. My grandpa started it because he didn’t want to go by Marvin, so he went by Patrick. So my brother goes by his middle name and my dad goes

(Henry O’Neal)

Compiled by Parker Stock

Compiled by Atley Gustafson

14A&E Hawk Talk April 29, 2011

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - going off the beaten pathBy Erin LEnz

Sick of the same old clothes, foods and desserts? Me too. That’s why I looked up special places across the city that people don’t typically tend to hear about. Though these places aren’t well known they are still worth checking out. There are just as good, if not better places to see than just what you find off of Pine Lake.

Cupcakes & MoreThroughout Lincoln there are many

places to purchase desserts. But no-where in Lincoln can you buy a small piece of heaven that is as good as Cupcakes & More cupcakes.

Cupcakes & More is located at 5700 and Old Cheney Road. It’s a small shop right next to Juice Stop.

When you walk in you get a warm and cozy feeling from the start. You’re greeted with a friendly smile and a

view of an array of cupcakes. They are open 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday through Fridays and 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Satur-day, and they are closed on Sundays.

Cupcakes & More has three differ-ent sizes of cupcakes. The mini cup-cakes are about bite size for $1, it’s $2.25 for a regular size and $3 for the gourmet style cupcake, which has frosting in the center.

Among the flavors are wedding cake, husker red (red velvet), cook-ies and cream, chocolate lovers, “prin-cess” and their signature: chocolate with pink frosting. Husker red is by far my favorite. All are hand-made and decorated beautifully with butter cream frosting and sprinkles.

If you’re desiring a sweet treat that’s extremely satisfying, stop by Cupcakes & More.

Sunny’s BoutiqueThroughout the school day you

walk by and see way too many people wearing the Hollister or American Ea-gle logos on their clothes.

Sunny’s Boutique is a small bou-

tique with a fun vibe when you walk in. There are two floors of clothing

with dressing rooms to try everything on. Not only is it clothes for girls, there are clothes for guys too.

This boutique at 4728 Prescott Ave is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6

p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

The employees are friendly and ea-ger to help you with what you need. When I walked in there was someone there immediately to help me with the sales and locate where everything was.

The clothes may be a little bit pric-ier than your average store at South-Pointe but they do have sales racks in the floor above along with great priced dresses.

If you’re looking for a fresh new style, then Sunny’s Boutique is a great place for you to shop.

Ali Baba GyrosIf you’ve ever taken a trip to down-

town you have probably seen Ali Ba-ba’s Gyros. Ali Baba’s is located on the corner at 112 N. 14 St.

When I first walked in to Ali Baba’s I had my doubts. It almost looks like a fast food establishment. But then I ordered my choice of food, sat down and enjoyed my meal.

The service is fast and you get to see the food being made right behind the counter.

Menu prices of $4.49- $7.49. You can order different sandwiches, ham-burgers, vegetarian items and of course, traditional Greek food. In my opinion the best item, and the one I always have to get, is just the plain old Gyro Sandwich. It has a great cooked and spiced meat, served on pita bread with an amazing cucumber sauce added to it. It’s messy, but boy is it good.

Get away from the same old tastes of pizza and Jimmy John’s sandwiches and try Ali Baba’s Gyros.

Photos taken by Mikaela Balfany/Hawk Talk, Jessica Ernesti/Talon and Melissa Byerly/Talon.

‘You Can’t Take it With You’Here are some memorable moments from the spring play “You Can’t Take it With You.”

It was performed April 14-16.

(Left to right, top to bottom)

-Families get together to eat dinner on the wrong night

-Daughter and Granddaughter watch as Grandfather reads letter from the irS

-Mother revisits her old painting days

-Couple dances after a perfect evening together

-russian dance teacher increases craziness of the evening with physical violence.

-russian dance teacher attempts to teach awful dancer

April 29, 2011 15 A&EHawk Talk

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1

-Memorial Fountain Golf Tournament at Noon

May Day

2

-First day of AP testing (May3 - May13)

3-Flight Night Auditions 3:30

-Parent Teacher Conferences 4-7 p.m.

4-Flight Night Auditions 3:30

-NESA-S testing

5 6

-Something Borrowed (R)

7-Prom-UNL Centennial Ballroom 8 p.m.

-Blue October at the Orpheum Theater.

8-Post Prom 1-4 a.m.

-Mother’s Day

9 10 11

-8th Grade Visit

12- Girls Varsity State Soccer Tournament begins

-8th Grade Visit

13- Boys Varsity State Soccer Tournament begins-Bridesmaids (R)- The Sound of Music at Lincoln Community Playhouse (May 13-22)

14

-Boys Varsity Baseball State Tournament begins

15 16 17

-Lil Wayne- The Carter IV (CD)

18

-Senior Recognition 8:15 a.m.

Band/Orchestra Concert 7 p.m.

19-Girls Varsity State Tennis Tournament begins-Yearbook Distribution after school

20-Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13)- Boys/Girls Varsity State Track and Field Tournament begins- Flight NIght 7 p.m.

21

-Flight Night 7 p.m.

May

the cherry doesn’t fall far from the treeBy PArKEr STOCK

I recently decided to indulge my sweet tooth and try the new frozen yogurt shop, Cherry on Top. The store is located at just off of Pine Lake road be-tween Starbucks and Noodles and Company.

After walking in, I found the de-sign of the store to be quite wel-coming. It has two topping sta-tions filled with an endless supply of mouth watering candy! Towards the back of the store there are multiple self-serve frozen yogurt machines.

Some of the flavors include Peach, Tropical Mango, Peanut buttercup, Cookies and Cream, Cheese Cake and other exotic flavors such as peanut butter and jelly, which I actually found

to be quite the sensation. Accompanying me on my excursion

were sophomores Gunnar Peterson, Cami Kopetka and Kylie Brookhouser.

After asking Peterson what he thought of Cherry on Top he said, “I am not going say that it is the best frozen yo-gurt shop in Lin-coln, but if I were to say something about it…I would say that it is the best frozen yo-gurt shop in Lin-coln!”

In my opinion, Cherry on Top was an overall delicious experience hav-ing said that it is a lot like Red Mango and other frozen yogurt shops. If you have not yet experienced the delight of Cherry on Top, then I would highly recommend trying out this new prom-ising establishment. Bon appétit!

seniors debate rules of skip dayBy EMiLy FrAnDSEn

Spring is here, prom is around the corner and the count down has begun for school ending. This means seniori-tis has definitely been kicking in. One of the best days for seniors is the infa-mous senior skip day, which is not offi-cial and is unsanctioned by the school day where seniors choose to skip in mass.

One question seniors must consid-er about the much-awaited day is, “Do you think that calling in sick is cheat-ing?”

The answers in an unscientific sur-vey came with an overwhelming “Yes, it’s cheating.”

However those same people also said they would inform their parents of skipping school. Isn’t that cheating as well?

Attendance secretary Sandy Hays didn’t have specific statistics on past senior skip days, but she did note there is a very large majority of the

senior class not attending school the Friday before prom. She also gave her own opinion on the day.

“If you are going to be a part of the tradition, you have to do it right. Its called senior skip day for a reason,” Hays said.

For seniors who are currently in a spring sport, they will most likely not be able to participate, because if tru-ant they will not be able to play in their sport. Although, for those who do plan on not being at school they don’t have exact plans but feel they don’t need to.

Senior Miranda Ienn said, “Senior skip day to me is a day to be with your friends because, like it or not, we will all be doing our own thing very soon. This last month of May is really going to show our appreciation for each oth-er, and basically saying goodbye to our classmates.”

Senior Taylor Hansen agreed. “I don’t plan on breaking the law, just relaxing with friends because prom is seriously stressful.”

16 Hawk TalkStyles April 29, 2011

celeb look-a-likes

Ever seen that kid walking down the hall and just couldn’t think of who they remind you of? Well stop thinking, we did it for

you!

Spanish teacher Lori Hemmett shows off her work outfits for the week of April 4-8.

“It’s cold and I’m over it. So I had to put on pants. But it’s spring so I had to wear something bright.”

“It’s spring! I had to put on a skirt. I had to put on my chicken necklace because it reminds me of spring and makes me laugh.”

“I woke up late, I really did. I just needed to find something that matched.”

“I was going to wear just the dress but then I was cold, so I had to put on the leggings. It was dreary out so I had to wear something springy.”

“It’s Friday I can wear jeans, but I don’t like to wear sports wear. So I try to incorporate Southwest colors into my outfit.”

Mac Miller - Vocal Artist

Taylor Swift - Vocal Artist

John Krasinski - Actor

Billy Mays - Infomercial actor Senior Justin PeetSophomore TJ Mulgrue

Senior Ali Nolan Teacher Mark Reeder

By KAiTLin KArinS