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Scroll Friday Jan. 15, 2010

Lee’s Summit West High School 2600 SW Ward Road Lee’s Summit, MO 64082 Volume VI Edition 5

What seemed to be a never-ending snowfall, quickly became problematic for student drivers

attempting to maneuver the mounds of snow to find a parking place. Pg. 5

Photo and Photo illustration by Kayla Cambers and Martin Steele.

Snow days cause sNOw parking

Just as the controversy surrounding the Gardasil shot for girls begins to calm, a new ingredient is thrown in the mix. The FDA has recently approved the use of the Gardasil vaccine in males ages 9 through 26 for the prevention of genital warts and cancers caused by HPV. This might be confusing, as most people recognize Gardasil as the new way for women to prevent cervical cancer. Several guys at West agreed they weren’t planning to get the shot and don’t see it as a concern. So why would this be beneficial for men? To understand, it is important to know some background information: Gardasil is a vaccine originally made for women that helps protect against human papilloma virus. The vaccine is effective against 4 strains of HPV; 2 that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers, and two that cause genital warts, according to the National

Cancer Institute. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV and another 6 million people become newly infected each year.” The American Social Health Association r e p o r t e d that about 75-80% of sexually active Americans will be infected with HPV at some point in their lifetime. This is why school nurse Jill Dusing supports the vaccine. “I’m a real big believer in vaccinations

of all kinds. I think immunizations are a great thing to prevent illness and I can’t think of any that have been studied and recommended that I don’t advocate for,” said Dusing. In many cases, the body can naturally fight off HPV before the individual becomes aware they had it. But in some cases, HPV can cause

genital warts and cancer. A ccording to MSN health & fitness, cervical cancer makes up 80 percent of HPV-related cancers. This is why HPV vaccinations have been geared only

t o w a r d s women until now.

Although, women account for about 80 percent of HPV-related cancers, the other 20 percent is still a significant amount. For men, HPV can also cause anal cancer. The vaccine is in particular demand among gay men, who have an increased risk of genital warts and anal cancer caused by HPV. Since Gardasil’s release in 2006, the vaccine has caused many controversies; and the vaccine for men is no different. Arguments have arisen about the vaccine’s side effects, the appropriate age of patients the vaccine should be given to, the expensive price tag, if it will promote promiscuity, and it’s effectiveness. Debates on the vaccine continue, but many health care professionals agree that the vaccine is beneficial for both men and women and by getting more men vaccinated, it will greatly reduce the amount of the virus that can spread lethal consequences to women.

2 •News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • Titan Scroll

Gardasil vaccine now for menJenna Keeble

Gardasil vaccine has now been approved for men to take to prevent genital warts and cancers caused by HPV. Photo by Kayla Cambers.

Steven J Prstojevich MD, DDS, FACSMatthew R Hlavacek MD, DDS

Oral, Facial, and Cosmetic Surgical CareBoard Certified

Titan True816-524-4334

www.facialspectrum.com

DIET

•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports •Jan. 15, 2010 3

A dollar deposited in the vending machines for a quick snack can go a long way, however the ‘healthier’ products aren’t where students want to spend their dollar. “Money from the vending machines goes into the Lee’s Summit West budget to run athletics and activities,” said West Activities Director Debbie Katzfey. The budget in which the money is deposited is divided among Lee’s Summit schools, but the profits do not amount to much, according to Katzfey. Some students are unhappy with the products available in the vending machines which could possibly influence the lack of sales. “My guess is the students don’t see the choices they want,” said District Athletic Director Darwin Rold. “I don’t like what they have to offer,” said Sophomore

Blake Piatczyc. “They don’t even have real pop in the vending machines,” said Sophomore Emily Nelson. Diet soda replaced regular soda in the vending machines two years ago, said Rold. That was a result of a government mandate. “They have diet pop and then all this candy. Either try to go healthy or don’t,” said Sophomore Brooke McCracken. Some say they are also concerned that diet soda is unhealthy for them. “Diet stuff is really bad for us. It has aspartame in it and it causes cancer,” said Piatcyzc. “I don’t want cancer.” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still analyzing whether aspartame actually increases the risk of cancer. Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Executive Director

Michael F. Jacobson said in an article in the CSPI Newsroom ‘FDA Should Reconsider Aspartame Cancer Risk, Say Experts’, “People shouldn’t panic, but they should stop buying beverages containing aspartane.” Some students said they would like even healthier foods available. “They should put some healthier things in there like granola bars and peanuts and stuff,” said Nelson. “There should be more of a mixture of stuff,” said McCracken. Rold agrees, “I believe students want a healthier lifestyle.” The products in the vending machines actually did change about ten years ago to healthier food products. “The products changed when the district health committee set the ‘healthier standards in the entire district’ as to what could be sold in

our buildings and cafeterias,” said Katzfey. Students volunteered their ideas of what they would buy out of the vending machines and suggested that there would be a better profit for the budgets if some of their suggestions were implemented. “They should put energy drinks in the vending machines. They should sell them cheaper than they are sold in the stores. They would definitely make more money that way,” said McCracken. “They should put some flavored water in the vending machines,” said Piatczyc. “We should have more Snapple too. I would buy it.”

Vending machine profits have increasingly declined after implementing ‘healthier’ products like diet sodas. It is believed that the profits have lessened due to students not liking the choices given. Photo by Ryan Babcock.

Being healthy comes at a price Sydnee Owens


Procrastination seems to be an is-sue with many high school students, especially when a deadline is involved. With graduation slowly creeping closer, seniors begin to worry about s o m e t h i n g they have been putting off for more than three years: c o m m u n i t y service. Senior Lovedeep Nagra has yet to complete all ten hours, however, he does not seem concerned. “I’ll get them done,” he said. “It’s not hard to find community service these days.” Nagra plans to be done with his hours within two months. Community Service Coordinator,

Carol Ullery said she experienced some emotional encounters with stu-dents in the past when they did not turn in their hours before deadline. Several years ago, when Ullery taught at LSHS, a student tried to turn in his community service hours the day of graduation.

“There were tears,” said Ullery, “but I sent him out to

spend the rest of the afternoon at Lee’s Summit Social Services.” However, the student was able to graduate that night after his coun-selor brought his graduation cap and gown for the ceremony. Ullery advises students not to pro-crastinate to avoid any last minute is-sues. She said most students should

complete their service hours by the end of junior year. “Don’t wait until the last minute; know that you will not graduate with-out completing your community ser-vice, and make sure your project is approved,” she said. According to Ullery, several stu-dents work with younger kids during summer camps or get involved at an

animal shelter. Some even help out with the Special Olympics or feeding the needy. Junior Elise Brum-mett finished her ser-

vice hours by freshman year. “I worked at a bowling alley for special needs kids,” she said. Her mom is a speech therapist in Raytown and told her that this would allow her to get her hours done quick-ly. If students are looking for some-thing creative to do for their hours,

Ullery said students could create their own projects. “Develop an entertainment pro-gram for residents at an elderly care center; organize a fundraiser for any local charity; facilitate a project to collect care packages for servicemen,” she said. Students who go above and be-yond with their community service, have raised money by sleeping out in boxes in the cold. Some even have traveled to foreign countries, assist-ing with building orphanages and teaching the English language. These projects allow students to get connected with the community. “By making the students aware of the needs of others and allowing them an opportunity to make a dif-ference for others, students can real-ize their own self-worth and become aware of the significant role they can play in society.”

Procrastinating keeps you from graduatingRylee Webster

Volunteer in the community!


GNARLY

Photos by Martin Steele

Wicked, awsome, cool. e.g. “That was gnarly.”

6 •News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports •

“It’s really annoying because all the empty parking spaces are taken up by snow from the plows. And on the ones that do not have snow, there’s a ton

of ice,” said Junior Hanna Bowman. But with many schools in the Lee’s Summit district, clearing the parking lots takes a lot of time. “Our district f a c i l i t i e s d e p a r t m e n t makes every effort to get the parking lots and sidewalks cleared as best they can,” said Assistant Principal Frank Honn. “You have to remember we have a district of 18 elementary schools, three middle schools, three high schools, an early childhood center, Miller Park, and the Stansberry Leadership Center that have to be cleared,” he said. “Plus, you have the facilities building parking and the bus parking as well to clear.”

Equipment and manpower are the requirements to keep the West parking lot from sometimes being an outdoor ice rink.

Grounds Maintenance worker, Bill Steele is in charge of clearing the snow from parking lots. “Basically, you do the drives. It totally

depends of the amount of snow you get,” said Steele. He said some schools are easier than others. The more light poles, islands, or storm drains the lot has, the more difficult the job is to clear it. “Amount of snow has a lot to do with

it,” he said. Steele said that sleet was trapped underneath the snow, as well. “The sleet didn’t come up because the

temperature was too cold,” he said. The snow was wet, which added to the weight and also added to the difficulty, which caused a problem for teachers and students. The cars that students and teachers drive also cause problems, as certain types are not built for driving in snow. Senior Adam Hall is one such owner. “I have a Malibu, which is not very good to have in the snow. It makes me feel like the parking lots are dangerous,” he said. Naturally, the ice has caused some problems within the parking lot. “The main problem has only been the exiting of

the parking lot after school,” said Honn. For teen drivers with not much experience, the ice

can be hard to navigate and avoiding other cars and not causing accidents can prove difficult. “The hardest part is trying not to slide and hit other cars. You have to be extra careful,” said Hall. Honn said his one concern about the parking lot situation is “whether or not it is cleared of snow and to make sure our students get into the parking lot safe and get out and home safe.” Bowmansaid she believes there is more that could be done to fix this problem.“They could shovel the snow out from the plows. For the ice, they need to put salt down or something because I’ve slipped like eight times,” she said. Rock salt has been spread throughout the lots, but if it gets below a certain temperature, the salt doesn’t work. Even though this situation won’t be fixed for awhile, there is a simple solution in the hands of the teachers and students. “Just go slow and be patient,” said Honn.

Titan Scroll 2009-2010

Page Designers

Brooke Admire Zach Harris

Mick Medlock

Writers Krista Kern

Jenna KeebleSydnee Owens

Staff Columnist Katey Stoetzel Rylee Webster

Managing Editor Clayton Kelley

Content Editor Ally McEntire

Copy Editor Emily Argotsinger

AdvertisingManager

Ben Poeschl

Graphics Design Manager

Kayla Cambers

The Titan Scroll is a student publication of Lee’s Summit West High School. It welcomes all letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit for libel and for space. No unsigned let-ters will be printed. Letters may be dropped off in Room 2048 or mailed to 2600 SW Ward Road, Lee’s Summit, MO 64082. Volume 6 of the Scroll is published 13 times during the 2009-2010 school year. The opin-ions contained do not in any way represent the Lee’s Summit West faculty, administra-tion or the R-7 school district administration or school board.

Adviser Carol Ullery

Business AdviserKarrie Smythia

Staff Artist Leanna Perry

Photography Editor

Martin Steele

Photographers Elisa Cox

Jean Madison

Billing ManagerDarrick Noone

Distribution Manager

Amanda Orrick

Intro. Staff Hayley BrowerNicole ConniffSamantha Conrad Eric Dedovesh Jesse Eiskina Andy EvansNathan FosterJoey FrankeGabby Hayden Rachael Hilton Anna HunterAriel Thompson

Taylor Jensen A.C. LongKatie Maloney Jed ManacoCarlie Nash Cam O’Brien Rachel Paddock Alex PalmerHaley RoachMegan Roberts

Online EditorRyan Babcock

Katey Stoetzel

Snow days cause sNOw parking from pg. 1

With all the snow the past couple of weeks the snow plows have had a tough time catching up on clearing off the streets and the school parking lots. With 24 schools in the Lee’s Summit R7 school district clearing snow can be a tough task. Students have to be extra careful in the parking lots to not hit other cars. Photo by Martin Steele.

More traffic in the parking lot should help the salt scat-tered by maintenence melt the ice more quickly. Photo by Martin Steele.


Best friends since the third grade, Seniors Leah Shay-Zapien and Amelia McKnight share a common interest in art. “It started showing in middle school when we were both in Advanced Art class. We both chose to do art class instead of choir, and then realized we were both pretty good at it,” said McKnight. But each of them discovered their love for art at an even earlier age. Shay-Zapien said that she discovered art in kindergarten when she started taking art classes. McKnight said that when she was young, her mom worked at Hallmark and would show her the creative art there. However, their styles and what they create are not the same. “I like to paint, usually water color. Sometimes I do acrylic with a painting knife,” said Shay-Zapien. “I

usually paint my friends and family because I like painting people.” “I usually paint portraits of animals and I’m starting to paint on wood,” said McKnight. “Ever since I was little, we have always had pets. Just the way they look interests me.” McKnight said that she gets her motivation from Shay-Zapien to keep doing what they both love. “We used to write notes to each other and there would be drawings on them. Whenever I saw the drawings, it just made me want to keep doing it and now I draw all the time,” said McKnight. Likewise, Shay-Zapien said that she gets her motivation from McKnight. “She’s really, really good. She takes a lot of chances and bold stuff. I like how she takes risky chances like painting on

wood. I learn from her,” she said. Shay-Zapien said that she likes having McKnight as a friend “because she always listens to me.” The friends are both looking at colleges and both plan on somehow incorporating art into their after-high school career. “I plan on being an art major and doing illustration. I have two major ones, Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and also Savanna College of Art and Design

in Savanna, Georgia,” said McKnight. Shay-Zapien hopes on staying in the Kansas City area. “I really want to go to the Kansas City Art Institute, which I applied for over break, so I really hope I get in,” she said. Shay-Zapien also said that she wants to include art in her life after college. “I’m not sure what I want to do after college, maybe an elementary school art teacher. Whatever I do, I just want there to be art in it,” she said.

Senior Amelia McKnight has been best friends with Leah Shay-Zapien since third grade. Both discov-ered their love for art at an early age. Photo by Elisa Cox.

Leah Shay-Zapien works hard on her class studies. Both, Leah and Amelia are in graphics art together here at West. Photo by Elisa Cox.

Childhood friends build relationship through art Katey Stoetzel


When it comes to relationships, communication is something that can make it or break it. For Art instructor Brandon Briscoe, the interaction between the student and teacher made the deal when he decided to bring his love of art into the classroom. “I was an art director and did art design for advertising campaigns for the company ‘The Roasterie’,” Briscoe said. “I was creating artwork that was intended to sell a product, so there was something in particular that I was drawing for.” Although Briscoe was passionate about the art he created, he felt that something was missing. “I didn’t enjoy the commercial arts very well,” Briscoe said. “The relationships were very superficial. I was at a desk all day long, constantly in and out of meetings. It was boring.” So he decided to take another route in sharing his love and talent in the art department, and was hired this year as a new art instructor at LSW. “I’m the junior high pastor at my church, and I liked being around junior high and high school students,” Briscoe said. “I wanted to be in a place where I could build good relationships. Here I get to have conversations with students.” The conversation aspect was what really drew Briscoe into teaching, and is what drew students to Briscoe. Sophomore Spencer Brown was one student who found that Briscoe easily related to the students. “He talks to us a lot about how we are doing, what we’re doing outside of school and just chats with us,” Brown said. Brown said that he thinks Briscoe easily relates to high school students because “he is young and remembers high school pretty well.” Even so, Briscoe simply believes that art is a form of communication;

it is a way people express themselves and get their messages across to others. This is why he stresses c o m m u n i c a t i o n in his classroom and goes the extra mile to build relationships with his students. “Art is a type of environment where c o m m u n i c a t i o n thrives. Art is a platform to reach out for communication,” said Briscoe. “It gives you an opportunity to talk about life and personal experiences. There are not many o p p o r t u n i t i e s for that in other subjects.” And he never passes up an opportunity to get to know his students better, and encourages the students to get to know each other as well. “By the time a semester passes you’ve made friends,” he said. “That’s a goal for each semester; to make friends with students.” So far he hasn’t regretted the shift to the classroom from the studio. “Art is important to me, and I like the teaching aspect and getting to spark

interest in it with people,” he said. “The two worlds aren’t comparable.

I’ve really enjoyed being here and doing this.”

Art instructor Brandon Briscoe shares his art talents with the students at West. With his open heart he wants to be in a place like LSW where he can have good relationships with the stu-dents. Photo by Elisa Cox and photo design by Brooke Admire.

Emily Argotsinger Teacher establishes platform for communication


With her love for music, Sopho-more Mickayla Chapman channeled her passion to carry herself to suc-cess. “My favorite part is to make music

and to be passionate about it,” said Chapman. Last semester she auditioned for the All-District and All-State Bands and successfully made it through a “rigorous audition process.”

Out of 150 people who auditioned, Chapman made sixth chair clarinet for the All-District Band. She then went on to make 18th chair clarinet in the All-State band. Chapman is also a part of the KC Youth Symphony and received a one rating on her solo at District and State contest last spring. This year, her All-District Wom-en’s Choir ensemble went to State as well. “She came into the band program a very good player and she’s contin-ued to get better,” said Associate Di-rector of Bands, Shawn Harrel. “She was in the top two to three chairs her freshman year and she’s been work-ing hard to keep improving.” By creating a foundation in mu-sic, Chapman has built her success in band and choir. She sang in a choir for four years and she first started to play the pia-no when she was six years old. Then in the fifth grade, she began to play clarinet. She always knew she wanted to play the clarinet after she saw her baby sitter’s son playing it. “I always thought it looked cool,” said Chapman. However, Chapman recently branched out from the clarinet and learned to play the Baritone Saxo-phone for Jazz Band. “It’s really interesting,” she said. “It’s fun to be in Jazz Band.” Chapman has many mentors that were able to help her as she climbed to success. “My biggest help was my private instructor, “said Chapman. She has been taking lessons from Rebecca Casclan for about four years. “She has improved tremendously,” said Casclan. “She was always the best in whatever class she was in. She was always the top player.” Harrel, Director of Bands, Clifton

Thurmond, and Orchestra Director, Kirk Mosier all helped Chapman as well. She said they all have “given me a lot of mentoring.” “They pushed me out of my com-fort zone,” she said. “I like to teach my students about life,” said Thurmond, “and music hap-pens to be the avenue that I do that with.” Through all the practice and effort, Chapman has learned a lot through her journey in music. “I learned how to be a leader,” she said. “I learned a lot of leadership skills and I learned how to make mu-sic.” According to Casclan, Chapman has continued to practice hard and she has been passionate about mu-sic. “Those two things are the most im-portant,” she said. “If you have a pas-sion for what you’re doing, you will be successful.”

Rylee Webster

Sophomore strikes a tune

Sophomore Mickayla Chapman made sixth chair out of 150 auditioners for the All-District Band. Photo by Nicole Conniff.


Winter can be a great time for fun in the snow, but accidents do happen; on Dec. 31, it was the worst kind of accident that happened. Freshman Antione Beckum was snowboarding at Hawthorne Hill Elementary and on the way down the hill, he fell hard on his chest. “He couldn’t breathe normally,” said Freshman Roberto Limon, one of Beckum’s best friends. “A few minutes later, he died.” Beckum had an impact on many of the people around him, in and out of school.“If Antione did something, everyone

around Antione knew he did something,” said Sgt. Ray Switzer, one of Beckum’s teachers. “He was a squirrelly freshman,” he said. “But he had a big heart.” “He was really cool,” said Limon. “He always made me feel a lot better. He always gave me the right advice. I could count on him.” The impact of Beckum was clear at his visitation as well as his funeral. Literally, there was standing room only,” said Switzer. “It was amazing to see how many people he had interactions with.” Limon was one of the people to

s p e a k a t

Beckum’s visitation. “I said we should stay positive and be t h a n k f u l t h a t

Antione is in a better place,” he said. At West, Beckum was involved in ROTC. “Sixth hour is a totally different class, “ said Switzer. “They’re very reserved right now.” Outside of school, Beckum was just an average kid. “He liked to just hang out with friends,” said Freshman Blake Carpenter, another friend of Beckum’s. “His favorite food was pizza. He liked to watch movies. He liked to dance – he did that.” According to his memorial web site, Beckum was also very active in his faith, and led a youth group at his church. Winter is here; the three snow days

in a row made that clear, but with winter come

additional dangers. E x t r a

precaution s h o u l d be taken w h i l e driving o r

playing outside; proper outfitting of people and cars is necessary. Cars need all-weather tires and emergency kits are good. Multiple layers of clothing should be worn, with skin covered to prevent frostbite. Caution and care is needed to prevent accidents, and common sense is the best guide. Mason Fender, younger sister of Junior Lauren Fender, broke her tibia and fibula while sledding with her cousins last week. The group piled onto one sled and while going down a hill, Mason’s leg was caught beneath the sled, under the weight of everyone, said Lauren

Winter hazards lead to tragedy

Freshman Antione Beckum Photo courtesy Ted Haub.

Photo by Martin Steele

In Memory...

Ally McEntire

•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • •News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports •Jan. 15, 2010 11

It started with the smell of burning insulation, but as the night progressed what the Schultz family believed to be just an odd smell turned out to be much more. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, structural fires are at their highest in the winter months due to an increase in indoor activities and a need for heat within the home. The Schultz’s know this firsthand. Last Tuesday, the family was gathered in their home on Pryor Road. The snow day had been announced, and Senior Nathan Schultz had invited a friend over for the night. “It was l i k e ,

10 o’clock at night when I came upstairs to get something to eat. I came up, and it smelled like sewer throughout the house. My dad noticed it too,” said Nathan. N a t h a n and his father searched for the cause of the smell, and found it to be strongest in a corner of the kitchen. They couldn’t find exactly what was causing the odor though, so they gave up and headed to bed for the night. “My mom stayed up really late

to watch a movie,” said Freshman Hannah Schultz. “She never does that.” The smell was getting worse, so Mr. Schultz got up again to investigate. While on his way back to bed, he heard a noise. Hannah as well as the family dog heard the noise too. “It was kind of a crackling- it got louder,” said Hannah.

“In the hallway, smoke was pouring out of the

vents.” “He ran into

my sister’s room and

w o k e h e r

up,” said Nathan. “My other sister was already up. He came down and got me and B r a n d o n . B r a n d o n was in the shower.” “His friend ran out in his boxers,” Hannah said. “My brother didn’t have any shoes, neither did I. When you’ve got adrenaline pumping through you, you don’t even feel the snow.” The fire, caused by an electrical problem

in the home, began in the attic, and moved through the house, causing what Nathan said he thinks is damage

of about 50 percent of the house. Right now, the family is staying

with their grandparents in Raymore. “We’ve gotten a lot of clothes from our friends and stuff,” said Hannah. “They’re always like, ‘You can stay with us for a little bit’.” “None of them have really gone through what we’ve gone through,” said Nathan. “They offered to help out any way they can.” Home will never be the same again for the Schultz’s. They recently met with the adjuster, who evaluated the home and said that, while it is not a total loss, a lot of work will be necessary.

“If they [the insurance company] give us enough, we’re just gonna tear

the thing down and start over,” said Nathan. “We’ll never have the same house,” Hannah said. “We’ll be living in a rental house or Raymore for the rest of the year. It’s gonna be way different.” The family lost a lot, but were thankful that everyone got out unharmed. “I know we’re lucky because everybody got out okay,” Hannah said. “Everything’s replaceable. It’s not like you’re going to die if you don’t have something.”

The Schultz family will be staying with relatives for the remainder of the year. The family maybe able to fix some of the fire damage or start over from the ground up. Photos by Martin Steele

A house divided, a family togetherAlly McEntire


No school Monday! Happy 81st birthday to Martin Luther King, Jr.! But wait, how exactly is MLKJ day to be commemorated? Not many people know. There’s not really a set celebration code for such a holiday. It is observed the third Monday in January, near the birthday of King, Jan 15. Local community celebration is set for Monday, 7p.m., at the John Knox Pavillion. Several district students will participate including the presentation of the colors by West JR ROTC, National Anthem by LSHS, Steppers Dancers, and the LSN jazz band. However, many just rejoice in the fact that they are not in school or at work. Is that what this holiday has come to? Just another day off school? It almost seems backwards. King was promoting unity of races and peoples, but instead we all spread out to do our own thing with our usual friends. Maybe some groups

are diverse, but not all. The beliefs that Martin Luther King, Jr. spread throughout the United States and the world are clearly important, and are embraced by many. With the freedoms in this country, no one can be told they have to be accepting, tolerant, or kind. People are raised with those ideals, and grow with them. Each generation seems to be more accepting of others’ differences. Although there are still groups and cliques, the borders between races seem much less clear than they were even 10 years ago. Everyone should find his or her own way to honor the memory of a man who made great changes in our society. Find something to do on Monday just to say, “Yeah, I agree with diversity.” It is important to acknowledge how far the population has come. The United States has gone from segregated water fountains to clubs like the Harmony Council and best

friends of different races. Slowly but surely, the tide is turning. The dreams of King have become

reality. Maybe not completely, but almost. That’s something of which to be proud.

Martin Luther King was known for his achievements in the civil rights movement as well as his ability to persevere. He fought for righteousness and equality despite the constant threats that surrounded him. His integrity and his determination led the way for the future. With the many issues facing us today, people must be able to demonstrate their perseverance in

the way he did. We would be able to accomplish many things in our society if we took the time out to form our own opinions and ideas to make changes in the areas that need to be changed. We’ve become lazy and now our idea of doing something productive is making sure we’ve recorded all our TV shows for the week. Getting involved is the key to success and it takes more than just

a few people to create change. We should take initiative and support each other’s ideas in order to get somewhere. Fortunately, we have the luxury of living in a free country which allows us to think freely and express ourselves in an independent way. We should use this to our advantage and make a difference in the world. We have the power to make changes, we should use them.

Rylee’s Reality

Commentary by Rylee Webster

Perseverance equals the power of change

Staff Editorial: The phantom holiday Ally McEntire


Another season has gone and passed. And what do the Chiefs have to show for it? Four wins, to be exact. Ending a season 4-12 is not good. But honestly, what did we expect? A Super Bowl win? No. We expected more wins from the 2-14 season the previous year, and they did just that. But I am constantly hearing people call into radio shows complaining how horrible the Chiefs played and that Todd Haley should just be fired right now and how much they don’t like his personality and frankly, his

coaching style. News flash: Todd Haley just won us two more games than that one guy from last year. But I think the best moment this season was the last game against Denver. Not that I watched it, to tell the truth. I was busy watching A v a t a r . But the highlights, and the score, and my mom’s r e a c t i o n when I asked how the game went was pretty unexpected. Let me be clear on the fact that in my household, the possibility of winning this game had made its way to the back of our minds and promptly

curled up in a ball silently rocking back and forth. But clearly, the outcome was a 44-24 win for the Chiefs. Before the game, there had been speculation on whether or not Todd Haley would be fired, which is crazy after just one year, giving him little time to prove himself.

But I don’t think he’ll be fired. They are

bringing in help, which

will be good, because Todd

Haley cannot be the head coach

AND offensive coordinator at the same time. It has been announced that the Chiefs have a 5th round draft pick in April for the NFL draft. Let’s hope

Haley and new company can bring in some talent. We weren’t the worst team this year, as hard as that may be to believe. But I feel we improved, if only a little. The offense (especially after getting rid of Larry Johnson) seemed to get in a groove with Jamal Charles. However, Cassel seemed to be scrambling for his life constantly because of no offensive line. And the defense…well, there isn’t much to say because half the time there seemed to be no defense at all. But like I said, I think we improved a bit. So based on that, here’s my theory: it took Herm Edwards three years to bring the Chiefs to how they are now. So it’s going take at least that long for Todd Haley to bring them out of their funk. You just have to be open minded...and patient.

Katey Stoetzel

Strong Finish Chiefs; Keep it Going

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The senior class has a lot of work to do in order to make their last show at LSW the best one yet. With intricate dance routines and advanced vocal numbers, A Chorus Line might prove to be the most challenging production the cast of LSW has ever taken on. “This is a crazy hard show,” Theatre Director Ben Martin said. “A Chorus Line “is one of the most important musicals to be recognized in the last half century.” The musical was created in a ‘workshop process’, meaning there was not an author who wrote a script. It was created in 1974 to 1975 by a group of actors who worked collaborative with directors. “They wanted to tell the story of not the star dancers on Broadway, but the chorus line,” Martin said. “A Chorus Line” is set on a theatre stage during the audition for a musical. “It’s about a group of forty dancers who audition for this Broadway musical,” Martin said. “Then they get cut down to seventeen.” As the plot goes on, the director, Zach (Kyle Stolfus), gets to know the seventeen dancers who made the first cut. “He says, ‘I want to get to know you, what got you into this business, why do you stay, why do you want to continue to want to do this’,” Martin said. “A Chorus Line” portrays the life of a performer, including the good, the

bad and the ugly. It illustrates the love of performing, which is a big reason why Martin likes this show.

“It’s about why we do that life, what draws us to it and the joy of performance,” he said. “It says a number of things about theatre that we want people to know. It’s hard though, it’s a tough life.”

The rehearsals for the show are just as tough. “It’s a hard show to do,” said Martin. “The dance is at a level that we haven’t asked our cast to do before and they are really going at it.” Some of the cast members agreed that the dancing aspect of “A Chorus Line” is very challenging. “It’s so different and really intense,” Senior Bryson Bruce said. “Compared to other musicals, this show has so much dancing. We know we have to work so much harder to get the show the way it needs to look.” “A lot of our dancers are used to dancing, but not dancing as a character,” Martin said. “They not only have to be a good dancer, but

they have to dance, sing, and act like their character would.” “For me, the toughest part is the dancing because my dancing isn’t the best, especially with the group dancing,” Senior Hartzell Gray said. Even though Gray thought his dancing wasn’t up to par, Martin was impressed with his rehearsals.

“This is his first year; he’s never done this stuff before,” Martin said of Gray. “He can sing very well and he can move, even though he’s had no dance training.” Gray, an All-State track athlete, had never been involved in any type of theatrical production, but with a little encouragement from some friends, decided to give it a shot his senior year. “It’s so different from anything I’ve done in the past, but I like it a lot,” Gray said. Despite this being his first experience on stage, Gray said he relies on his energy and athletic abilities to improve his role. “My character is really energetic, so

I get to be really over the top in some scenes,” he said. “I just try to keep up the energy and keep working hard at it and it will get better.” The lead role for “A Chorus Line” was earned by Sophomore Jenna Klausing, who plays Cassie, the love interest of Zach. Klausing said she, too, has worked extremely hard to get

her dancing seamless. “The part I have been given is definitely challenging,” said Klausing. “Not only does it stretch my acting and vocal ability but it also calls for supreme dance ability, which I wouldn’t call my strongest point. I’ve had to put in lots of extra time to improve this area of my triple threat.” With a hard working cast, Martin expects this to be yet another successful production. “We’ve done some really good shows. This is a difficult show and has a different feel,” he said. “It has the

potential to be the best we’ve ever done.”

“We know we have to work extremely hard,” Bruce said. “We know we have to stay focused during rehearsals.” The cast has all the more reason to turn the hardest show into the best one, seeing that it is Martin’s last production at LSW before retirement. “We’ve been through a lot with Mr. Martin from all the different shows we’ve done together and have formed a connection,” said Bruce. “I can speak for all of us that we are honored that he would think highly enough of our class that he would spend his last show at West with us.”

Emily Argotsinger

Senior class grasps challenging task

The chorus lines is taken to a new level by Lee’s Summit West Students. Photo by Nathan Foster.

•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports •Jan.15, 2010 15

Not only is the new “Sherlock Holmes” movie action packed with hanging-on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, but it is also very witty. Of course, the whole character of Sherlock Holmes is witty, and actor Robert Downey Jr. proves just that. With his amazing deductive reasoning skills, Holmes and his trusted friend and colleague, Watson, set off on a dangerous adventure to stop Lord Blackwood, who is using black magic to murder innocent people. During the movie, the audience gets to be inside Holmes’s mind as he thinks situations through. Though some of his actions may be weird and not quite make sense (i.e. licking rocks), he seems to know what he is doing. The graphics are top-notch and

provide the feeling of being up close and personal during the fight scenes. A l r e a d y , Downey has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture for “Sherlock H o l m e s ” , according to yahoomovies.com. Adding to Downing’s great performance is actor Jude Law,

who portrays Dr. Watson. Throughout the movie, Watson is always reluctant in helping Holmes because of his r e l a t i o n s h i p with his future fiancé, Mary. But Holmes being Holmes, he finds a way to guilt Watson into joining him. “ S h e r l o c k Holmes” is definitely a movie that should not be seen only once,

but many times, if only to make sure you understand what is going on. The plot is neatly organized, and ends with viewers hanging on edge. Along with the action and adventure comes humor, provided mostly by Holmes, but also by Watson. Indeed, much of the humor comes in the most dangerous situations, mostly in ironic ways. Also starring in the movie is Rachel McAdams, who plays Irene Adler. Adler, having already bested Holmes once, teams up with him and Watson to take down Lord Blackwood. “Sherlock Holmes” is quite enjoyable and leaves the audience wondering how to use deductive reasoning to their own advantage in daily life.

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A multi-observed thriller

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Happy 50th Anniversary Tom & Shirley

The Twenty-second of January

Two-thousand and ten


They entertain the crowd, dedicate shots to their friends, and have fun doing it…the KC Grapes of Wrath LSJBA basketball team tears up the court in style. “Two weeks after football we decided to put a [basketball] team together since it was our senior year and our last time we could do it,” said Senior Andrew ‘The Chosen One’ Holt . “A bunch of our friends are athletes and were just sitting around in the winter, so we thought we might as well play,” Senior Andrew ‘A-Dub’ Westhues said. The team, made up of all seniors, consists of Holt, Westhues, Billy ‘BB-Smooth’ Barnard, TJ ‘The Hulk’ Randall, Derek ‘Mr. Wet’ Noone, Trevor ‘T-real’ Smith, and a student from Blue Springs, Ben, ‘Fried Rice’ Piercy. The LSJBA league provides a playing environment with lower pressure and less stress compared to a typical high school sport. “It’s a lot more relaxed and fun,”

Holt said. “It’s more carefree.” The team doesn’t practice; they just go out and play for the fun of it. H o w e v e r , they tried to maintain some structure by using some specialty plays and strategies against their opponents. “We use our i m a g i n a t i o n and try to put in plays, but we don’t,” Barnard said. “We live and die by the trey-ball.” In other words, three pointers.

“Yeah we mainly only shoot threes,” Barnard said. “I like to shoot from the volleyball lines.” As for the defense, Westhues stepped up to provide solid performances. “I am a defensive specialist; I only play defense,” he said. “Shooting

is not my forte. I did shoot a half court shot once…but I missed.”

Even a great team is nothing without a coach, and the KC

Grapes of Wrath owe it all to Senior Zach Harris.

“Yeah I’m the head coach,” Harris

said. “I have a red sweater vest with

matching baby blue pants and a tie. And I have

my own whistle.” Although the team likes to have a good time, Harris

makes them put on their games faces when it comes to competitions. “I might be friends with them but when it comes down to game time, they call me

coach,” he said. “I don’t h a v e

any knowledge about basketball but that doesn’t matter.” The team still likes to have a little fun during the games by getting the crowd involved and interacting with the fans. “My favorite part is entertaining the crowd,” Barnard said. “We dedicate shots to our friends.” Like any athletic team, the KC Grapes of Wrath have an arch Rival, the Gators, made up of juniors from LSW. This Saturday the teams will finally meet to see who comes out on top. “Anyone who wants to come can come watch us,” Westhues said. “We have a big rivalry game on Jan. 16 against the Gators at 9 a.m.” The team even has a facebook group, K.C. Grapes of Wrath, where game times can be found. All the games are played on Saturdays. Although they don’t practice, the team is confident in their skills. “We are the best basketball team who ever set foot on the court,” Barnard said. “We have great team chemistry.”

They say ‘the third time’s the charm’, but for the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats it was the fifth. After four consecutive championship game losses, the Bearcats beat the Grand Valley Lakers and became the 2009 NCAA Division II National Football Champions. Administrator, alum, and huge fan, Frank Honn said, “I was happy obviously to see them get back there but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous about the game.” NW running back LaRon Council told the Durango Herald “I told my teammates I would do all I could not to let them down and make sure we didn’t have that feeling I had last year.” The Lakers and the Bearcats have each had extremely successful seasons and the championship game

showed off each of their talents. The Bearcats ended their season with a record of 14-1 and the Lakers held a record of 13-2. Northwest’s head football coach Mel Tjeerdsma told the Maryville Daily Forum that, “We said it’s our best against their best, and we’ll see what we can do, our best won.” At halftime, the Bearcats had a strong lead of 21-0. Former West student and current Bearcat mascot Andrew Johnson said, “I didn’t know we would win, but I felt confident that we would pull it off. Grand Valley wasn’t going down without a fight though, and put us in for a good scare.” This scare came in the second half when the Lakers proved they deserved to be fighting for the championship. On the Lakers’ first possession of the second half, they scored on an 8 yard

touchdown pass from Brad Iciek to Greg Gay. “The fans were crazy the first half, but really quieted down the second half,” said Johnson. In the fourth quarter, Northwest Missouri State Quarterback Blake Bolles threw a 26 yard touchdown pass to Jake Soy on fourth-and-4 with 10 minutes remaining taking the momentum away from Grand Valley, who had almost caught up to the Bearcats with a score of 23-20. The team’s efforts paid off and the Bearcats won the game with a final score of 30-23. “I think the best word to describe the crowd after the game was relieved. They’ve been waiting for the past three years to see this big win,” said Johnson. This is Northwest’s third national championship title under Tjeerdsma.

They also won in 1998 and 1999. With the win, the team has 29 all-time playoff wins, marking a Division II record. “It appeared to me that they did the things during the game that got them into the championship. They ran the ball like they’ve been, and they threw the ball like they’ve been. They had the same game plan where in years past I think they tried to change some things up. I think they went with what worked,” said Honn. Tjeerdsma’s devotion to the program’s success led him to the honor of being named the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. The prestigious award is given to four college coaches each year. Each coach receives a $50,000 donation to the charity of their choice as well as $20,000 in scholarship money to go to the school’s alumni association.

Emily Argotsinger

Jenna Keeble

Grapes of Wrath entertain the crowds

Fifth time’s the charm for NorthwestIllustration

Leanna Perry


Most high school athletes aspire to get to state by the end of their season, but Junior Jean Madison has her eyes set on much higher goals. Madison recently returned from the Winter Junior National Swim Meet. She competed with the Kansas City Blazers against over 700 girl swimmers from all over the nation. “Junior Nationals is one of the second lowest competition meets from the Olympic Trials,” Madison said. In June, Madison competed at the summer sectional meet and her times in the 100 and 200 breaststroke qualified her for the Winter Junior National Meet. “I actually didn’t know when I got out of the pool because I didn’t know we had a Winter Junior Nationals and that my long course times qualified me to go,” Madison said. “It was exciting when I found out. I was a

little shocked actually because my 200 made it by at least three seconds.” For Madison’s first time competing at Nationals, she was happy with her performance. “It went pretty well since there were over 700 girls in the meet. It was pretty hard to get in the top 30, so I was happy with what I got,” said Madison. For the 100 breaststroke she dropped one second with a 1:06.08 and dropped about .4 tenths of a second from her 200 breaststroke swimming a time of 2:24 low. To help achieve these times, Madison makes sure she gets mentally focused. “Normally before I race I always think about what I need to do,” she said. “I think about technique.” Another thing that helps Madison prepare is by concentrating on her competition, particularly her friend, Caroline Woody. The two have been competing together since Madison

began swimming. “We’ve always been neck and neck, and that’s what I think about most before I race,” Madison said. Now that Nationals is over, she turned her focus to qualifying for every state cut, something which she accomplished last Saturday. The eight possible state cuts, include the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breast, 100 freestyle, 200 free, 50 free and 200 Intermediate Medley. “My goals at state are to get first in the 10 breast,” said Madison. “She has the capability to do as much as she wants,” said Head Coach Colleen Gibler. “We don’t exactly know who she’ll come up against if there are any surprises on the Saint Louis side.” Although state is a short term goal, Madison is also working towards making it to the Olympic Trials. She hopes to achieve this goal by her senior year of college.

“I would love to go to the Olympics but it is hard to be the top two in America,” said Madison.

Jenna Keeble and Emily Argotsinger

Junior Jean Madison practices the breast stroke in practice as she works hard to achieve her Olympic dreams. Photo by Elisa Cox.

Junior works hard to achieve Olympic aspirations


Every time he steps onto the mat, Sophomore Evan Boehm means business, and it showed during the Lee’s Summit Christmas Wrestling tournament. “It is one of the biggest tournaments next to state,” Boehm said. “To be involved in that tournament is an honor because if you place in that tournament you know you will place at State.” Not only did he place, Boehm won the whole tournament, coming out on top of 26 wrestlers in the heavy weight class. If that isn’t impressive enough, it was his second year in a row to win the tournament. “I feel honored to win it for the second time because I don’t think any other heavy weight has won it two years in a row from freshman to sophomore year,” said Boehm. Despite past success, Boehm admitted he was not expecting to win. “Going into it, I didn’t know what to expect. I just thought, ‘just go in and wrestle’,” he said. “But once I made it to the eight man bracket I thought, ‘okay, it’s really time to step it up and win it again’.” In order to do that though, Boehm had to overcome fatigue that comes with big tournaments. “You get really tired after you wrestle and you have to build yourself back up,” he said. “You have to keep

yourself ready to wrestle, even if your body is saying it doesn’t want to keep going, you have to tell yourself, ‘I’m here to wrestle, I need to do what I need to do’.” Versatility is a strength for Boehm that has improved since his Freshman season. Said Coach Ethan Hauck. “He has steadily been getting better,” Hauck said. “He’s trying a variety of moves rather than the same ones he relied on last year.”

Some of his new moves were picked up this summer at the Mizzou wrestling camp when Boehm was given the opportunity to wrestle national champion Mark Ellis and teammate Dominique Bradley. “Last year I only had two moves. Mark Ellis and Don Bradley really showed me new moves and I’m

working on those,” Boehm said. Boehm is not the only one who is improving; the team also gave a good performance at the tournament, despite the absence of some wrestlers. “We wanted to finish in the top five and ended up getting ninth out of twenty four teams,” said Hauck. “There were very few points that separated tenth through third place.”

“We had some people out sick or with injuries,” Hauck said. “Because of that we had kids shifting weight classes and didn’t have an entry in every weight class.” However, solid performances were given by those who did wrestle. Junior Andrew Niehaus, according to Hauck, was one who had a good

tournament. “I did really well,” Niehaus said. “I came in fifth. I went five and two, and my losses were to the kids who got first and second in my weight class.” Like Boehm, Niehaus has seen improvements in his wrestling compared to last year. “I’ve stepped up and am becoming a very competitive varsity wrestler,” he said. “I definitely have more

confidence.” Hauck said that with such a young group, he expects the team to keep improving. “We have a young team so we have a lot of room to improve,” Hauck said. “Our focus is to maintain consistent improvement throughout the season so hopefully we’ll be ready for districts.” “This year we still don’t have very many upperclassmen,” Niehaus said. “We are still young, but we have more sophomores than last year so we have more depth.” As the season progresses, both Boehm and Niehaus said they are working toward Districts, and

eventually state. “Last year I was a match away from state,” said Niehaus. “So this year I want to qualify and place at state.” “My goal is to win all the tournaments that I won last year, win Districts, and go on to hopefully win State” Boehm said.

Boehm makes the pin to win

Sophomore Evan Boehm is looking for a win this weekend following his recent victory in the Les’s Summit Christmas tournament. Photo by Martin Steele

Emily Argotsinger

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The girls’ basketball team is still fighting to get into their groove this season, currently sitting at a 3-8 record. “The girls are playing hard. We simply are not defending well enough to win,” said Coach Darin Hall. Over break, the team participated in the Unilever Classic Holiday Tournament in Jefferson City. “We did okay,” said Sophomore Emiah Bingley. “We still have a lot of things to work on.” They went 1-2 in the tournament, winning their first game 50-48 over Jefferson City. “We played a really strong second half and played really hard,” said Senior Bailey Swyden. “Everything clicked second half.” They lost 44-61to St. Joseph Benton as well as the third place game against Liberty, 30-48 “We played two very good teams and the chemistry was not there,” said Swyden. Bingley was named to the All-Tournament team in Jefferson City. “It was definitely a good experience. I just try to help my team to be successful the best I can,” said Bingley. “Overall, the tournament was a great opportunity to improve and I think we did just that,” said Swyden. The coach and some of the players said they recognize their struggles and they are determined to rise above the areas where they are currently lacking. “Offensively, we are struggling at the free throw line and our field goal percentage is low,” said Hall. “Defensively, we are having difficulty

guarding the dribble.” “I think we all have good relationships off the court; we just need to work on coming together on the court and having each other’s back,” said Bingley. “I think one of our struggles is developing continuity and consistency throughout all four quarters,” said Swyden. However, with a few practices the girls should be able to bounce back to their potential. Hall said in order to overcome their struggles they need to “keep a positive attitude and keep teaching in practice.” Hopefully with this knowledge the team will be able buck up and produce some W’s. “I think that if we continue to learn and understand each others strengths then we will become more successful,” said Swyden. “We need to learn to defend better and execute better at critical parts of the game,” said Hall. The girls are ready to dominate as they look the rest of the season hard in the eye. “I think if we come together defensively it will help us pull out more wins together,” said Bingley. “It has been frustrating that we have not been able to produce the results that we have worked so hard for,” said Swyden. “However, I believe in our team and I believe that we will improve.” The girls won their make-up game against Belton by 15 on Monday. They lost Tuesday night to Blue Springs 38-58. They play again in the Truman Invitational all next week.

Sydnee Owens

Titans struggle with consistency

Junior Katie Douglas Follows through with her free throw shot in the close loss to Blue Springs on Tuesday. Photo By Ryan Babcock

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The Titan boys basketball team claimed victory over Raytown their first day back from winter break last week. “I think we played really well”,said Junior Roderick Clark. “We had a lot of positive energy from our fans.” “We started out really great once we got the lead,” said Senior Melvin Turner. The team competed in the William Jewell Tournament, and came out with a record of 1-2. They lost their first game against Lincoln Prep, but won their second game against Wil-liam Chrisman. They finished the tournament with another loss to Raytown. “We fought hard against Lincoln Prep,” said. Turner. “But the team lost in over time.” “We did not play as well as I had hoped but we still have the majority of our Conference season and Dis-

trict so our goals are in front of us,” said Head Coach Michael Schieber. As the season is progressing, the team continues to improve their game. “Our team has made great strides in improvements,” said Clark. “We can only get better.” Turner is focusing on his lead-ership towards his teammates and said he wants to be a leader on and off the court. He also said he is working on his “vocal leadership as well as his ability to handle pressure on the court.” However, Schieber still is fo-cusing on “making hustle plays, defending, rebounding, and re-ducing the high number of turn-overs we have had.”“Coach Schieber always had something to critique us on,” said Turner. “He wants us to

play hard.” According to Clark, Schieber is pushing the boys to play with passion on the court. Clark said he is coaching the team to play with effort and to be men-tally involved in the game “He wants everyone to play each game like it’s the last,” said Clark. With their goals in sight, the team will continue to work hard and play with passion. “We might have started slow,” said Turner, “but our goals are still very much in reach.”

Team feeds off positive energy from the fans Rylee Webster Junior

Roderick Clark takes aim in a recent game. The boys got a little help from the crowd in keeping a lead over Raytown for the 66-55 win last week. Photo by Martin Steele.

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