thewire.

Senior Wills: What the Seniors Will Leave BehindPage 8 & 9

Saving Some Gas and Helping the EnvironmentPage 7

May 2012

Cover Photo by Sanjula Mahathantila

What I’ll Take With Me: Senior’s Life Lessons Page 11

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Hey Juniors/Seniors 2013

Photo criteria:COLOR only, no B/W photos Vertical Head and shoulders or head to waistWallet size, glossyFormal – no props, pets or cars No words or names

Please send photos to: mlangille@lewiscentral.k12.ia.us

It’s almost time for what we’ve been anticipating since kindergarten: SENIOR YEAR. That means time to prepare for scholarships, freedom, and of course,

2013 Senior Photos for the Yearbook are due March 7

SENIOR PICTURES.

News

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wire.the

ReportersBrook DeMarque

Blake HuberAlli James

Magnus Lauritzen

The Wire is the official Lewis Central student newspaper and is distributed free of cost to students. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the student writers, not the Lewis Central administration, faculty, or its adviser. The Wire is published seven times throughout the school year by White Wolf Web Printers. The purpose of The Wire is to inform students of current and relevant events, interpret and analyze complex issues that affect students, and serve as a forum for discussion of controversial issues.

The Wire strongly encourages responses to articles appearing in the newspaper. The letters must be signed, legible, and concise. These letters should be free of profanity and vulgarity. Letters may be submitted to room 401 or emailed to loganmarada@gmail.com

Co-EditorsSanjula Mahathantila Logan Marada

Design Editor

Photography Editor

Khoi Nguyen

Business EditorCassidy MillerAdviser

Mary Langille

Editorial PolicyVictoria Anderson

Genesis RiggTaylor Underwood

Tara VanRiperMikayla Weilage

Photographer

Eric Finnegan

Copy EditorHalle Stichler

Courtney Lorenzen

Most of us like spending time in the water at Lake Manawa Beach, but unfortunately, the beach just isn’t open full-time yet. The beach was scheduled to open the weekend after Easter, if the weather permitted, from noon to 5 p.m. After Memorial Day, the beach will be opening full-time.

At the beach, you can rent floats and buy food from the shack. Although, most students here at Lewis Central have wonderful m e m o r i e s , one student in particular has really scary memories from her childhood.

Freshman Harley Stephens doesn’t go to Lake Manawa Beach because she says, “it’s messy, gross, and there is more glass than sand and rocks.” Stephens went to the beach when she was little with her family to skip rocks. When she went to the beach, she had the fear of cutting her feet and she was scared of what was in the lake. Everyone has childhood memories of going to the beach and having fun with their families,

but Stephens does not. “I remember going there and playing in the water all the time! Then one of my family members was walking in the water, right along the shore, and he cut his foot on glass.”

On the other hand, one student had some really good times and memories at Lake Manawa Beach. “I love going to the beach because I can spend time with friends I don’t normally get to see, I get sunburnt, and I just don’t care if people are scared of the things in the water, because how bad can it be?”

Although there are cases of glass and ‘creepy crawlies’ in

the water, as long as you don’t care, on the weekends or after Memorial Day, go to Lake Manawa Beach and enjoy some sun, sand, water, family, and snacks, or whatever else that floats your boat. Even though some students have, well, not so good of memories, good memories can be made at Lake Manawa Beach.

3

Story by Mickey Weilage

Beach Opening

The beach has become quite a remarkable place to be.

AP students join together for a quick pic with their helpful TAG teacher, Mrs. Duitsman.

Letters to the Editor

“I love going to the beach because I can spend time with friends that I don’t normally get to see. I just don’t care if people are scared of the things in the water, because how bad can it be?”

AP Classes: At Lewis Central High School, AP classes

are very hard to come by. Currently our school only offers AP Literature and AP Statistics online. Luckily for us, by next year this program will have grown exponentially. Mrs. Duitsman, the head of the AP program, says, “We’re sending some teachers to training so we can offer more classes for next year.” Classes such as AP Government, Biology, and Language Composition will be added to the lineup. Currently we have six students enrolled in an AP class at Lewis Central. For next year we have forty three. “It’s a great program,” says junior Taylor Stuart. “I’m really happy to be a part of it, and I’m so glad that it’s growing. I think that with a school as good as ours, we should strive to have more and more to offer for students

who want to be challenged.” Iowa Western classes are obviously college credit classes as well, but there’s a catch. “A while back, the school decided to go with Iowa Western, instead of focusing on AP classes so much. The only problem with that is kids go out of state and the credits don’t transfer, while AP classes are national, therefore the credits are recognized everywhere,” says Duitsman. Admission to the classes aren’t determined by test scores, but instead, it is determined by a summer reading assignment that is given out at the end of the year to students who are interested and are already signed up. If by the first day of class the following year, they don’t have the assignment finished, then it is recommended that they transfer.

Story by Jared Kennedy

Going above and beyond

Photo by: Khoi Nguyen

Photo by Jordan Koehler

When perfection has lost all its meaning, how far will they go to

find it?

4 News

the wire.

Clothing: How It Defines You

Hawkeye 10

Story by Halle StichlerReview by Halle Sticher

Story by Tara VanRiper

Perfect

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins poses the question, “Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?”

This book centers around this question, and the story line, along with characters, develop around this question and the complex idea of perfection. The story follows four teenagers who are willing to do anything to become perfect in the eyes of society. Each teenager has their own story, as all of us do, that leads them on a path of self-destruction to fix their imperfections that only they are able to see.

Ciara, a girl who’s brother has already felt the wrath of her parents’ harsh expectations by attempting to commit suicide, longs to break away and resist her parents’ tight grip. Kendra, a young girl obsesses with body image, has been placed in a cruel industry where image is everything. Sean, a self-proclaimed baseball fanatic, is willing to do anything to be the best player. And Andre, desperate to perform his best, will do anything to get there. All four young adults obsessed with body image and their place in society will go to great limits to become “perfect.”

All of Ellen Hopkins’ books are well worth reading. I personally love how she sets her books up like poems, making it an interesting and fast read. All of the stories intertwine, creating a complex storyline, and connections to past books. And the endings always seem to surprise readers, with shocking twists that make the books unforgettable and undoubtedly some of the best.

When the word “perfect” means something different to every person and has no real definition, how can someone meet those standards?

These days, it’s “in” to wear short shorts and tank tops, or pants that hang lower than they should. Walking through the halls, this new sense of style is easily recognizable. Our generation’s sense of style has become exposing and promiscuous, especially among the younger girls. It seems like, all of a sudden, clothing has changed and conservative clothing has left, and in its place is a new sense of style that is anything but conservative, but instead revealing. Even though young adults may not know it, the clothing that they wear is sending messages, and not necessarily the right ones. And little do teens know, clothing can begin to define you.

Issues with our generation’s new sense of style:

Issue 1: The way young adults dress is

worrisome, seeing as how, if this is the style now, what will future generations be wearing? I don’t think shorts can get much shorter than they already are, nor do I believe that pants can drop any lower before they just fall off.

Issue 2: Society. I partly blame society for the sudden change of style, from conservative to promiscuous. Society has made this new trend acceptable, and in a way, it is promoted through media.

Issue 3: Pants that hang low are not attractive, nor are shorts that barely cover what they need to. It’s not hard to buy longer shorts or belts. I don’t understand boys’ fascination with pants that hang low or girls’ sudden belief that clothing isn’t necessary or “in.”

Issue 4: The message that is sent through wearing revealing clothing is not

often recognized by young adults. When slipping on clothes in the morning, most people don’t think about the possible negative signals their clothing might be sending. Many girls often wear exposing tank tops that allow others to see their cleavage. There are 910 students here at LC, and when girls wear clothing that exposes their body, they are allowing the other 909 students to see what they have, which should be covered up in the first place. Dressing in short shorts doesn’t necessarily mean that young girls are trying to get attention or that they lack self-respect, but it may appear that way. And guys may believe that it’s trendy to have pants hang so low that they actually appear to be falling off, but instead, this look is quite a turn-off.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know that all of my hard work has paid off, and other schools have recognized my hard work too,” says junior Stacie Brandt. The Hawkeye 10 Art Conference was held on April 25th in Atlantic, Iowa. Creative students, who have art work from this year, were eligible to submit their work. “It is really neat to see what other schools bring to the table,” says art teacher Kari Lewis. Lewis’ advanced art class went, along with the select few who were chosen by Cunningham.

The conference was a student judged contest, which 20 of our artistic students attended. “It gives our students a chance to show off what they have done

throughout the year,” said pottery teacher, Clay Cunningham. During the Conference, students do not just judge art work, but the school offers workshops throughout the day, from Japanese epigraphy to taxidermy. Cunningham even did a short wheel-throwing demo for the students.

Awards are given away each year for outstanding achievements in pottery and art. Junior Stacie Brandt and senior Jordan Reese were awarded the All Conference Award for Art. Freshmen Claire Edwards and junior Alyse Higgins were both awarded the All Conference Award for Pottery.

Photos by Khoi Nguyen

News 5

the wire.

&On the night of April 14th, 2012, the Durham Museum fell silent as crowds of dance go-ers anxiously awaited the announcement of Lewis Central’s very own Prom King and Queen. Twelve excited seniors held their breath, waiting for junior class representatives, Sam Duggan and Nate Pettepier, to announce the names of the lucky boy and girl who would become nobility. After what seemed like the longest pause in history, seniors Josh Whitmore and Aly Shea were crowned victorious amidst congratulatory hugs, smiles, and lots of applause. Post coronation, Whitmore and Shea answered a few questions about crowns, campaigns, and triumph.

Josh Whitmore: I was really excited because it was so unexpected, and I felt really great because a lot of my friends made it too. With my friends and I, it really wasn’t about winning. It was about all making it as a group together.Aly Shea: I was sitting in home and car care and just looked around like “Woah... Sweet!”

How did you feel about

making Court?

Josh Whitmore: No, not at all. I really didn’t expect to win. I was just excited to have made it at all. For me, it felt amazing just making Court.Aly Shea: No! I wasn’t aiming to win, although I liked the idea. I just knew very few people had voted before Friday, so I said, “Hey, have you voted? It doesn’t have to be for me, but you should still vote.”

Did you campaign for your crown?

Josh Whitmore: It felt great! It was really exciting and shocking. It took a second to sink in, and then I started to smile and hug my friends.

Aly Shea: I was actually peeking over Nate’s shoulder when he pulled out the envelope and I saw “Alyssa Shea” written on it, and I was like “Why did they call me Alyssa? Wait… I won!” It was a really delayed reaction. And then I didn’t know how to hold the bouquet because it was so huge, but it now resides in my room, adding some prettiness to the mess.

What was your reaction when you heard your name

announced as King or Queen?

Josh Whitmore: My mom was at Prom, and when she heard my name, she laughed so hard that she cried!

Aly Shea: They were really happy, but mad at me at the same time because I told them not to come to the coronation. I didn’t know what time it even started and I didn’t want them driving through a storm to come see me walk ten feet if I didn’t win. My mom told me, “thank goodness Carly’s mom was there, otherwise I’d have NO pictures of you!”

How did your parents react to

your win?

Josh Whitmore: The best part was taking the pictures with Prom Court and other winners. It was great to join the ranks of previous royalty.

Aly Shea: Just to be able to tell my kids that I was, in fact, (somewhat) cool in high school since I won Prom Queen. Plus, the look on my boyfriend’s face was funny. The first thing he said to me was, “Wow, you’re cool. And so am I, since I’m dating a prom queen or whatever,” with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen him wear.

What was the best part about

winning?

What did you do

with your crown?

Josh Whitmore: I kept it! It’s hanging up in my room.

Aly Shea: It’s on a shelf in my room, next to all my corsages and other high school dance memorabilia.

andAQ with the PromKing Queen

Sporting the crowns, Prom royalty, seniors Josh Whitmore and Aly Shea, celebrate winning prom king and queen.

Front Row (left to right): Garrett Anderson, Jordan Reese, Josh Whitmore, Aly Shea, Bianca Zerwas, and Noah Anderson. Second Row (left to right): Lacy Huckins, Carly DeMarque, Kelsey LeClaire, Ashley Zerwas, and Gabby Alvarez. Back Row (left to right): Tanner Blay, Matt Andersen, Jaden Brouse, Charles Dreager, and Ryan Simmons represent the 2012 Prom Court.

Photo by

Photo by Pyles

Story by Alli James

6 Sports

the wire.

Front Row: James Muschenheim, Conner Hanafan, Zackari Smith, Garrett Andersen, Tyler Jacobs, Jon Osborn, Nathan Kramer, Devin Savage, Michael PlunkettSecond Row: Riley Blay, Luke Harrison, Alex Martin, Nolan Darnell, Parker Smith, Brandon Michaelsen, Ethan Ruby, Blake Berringer, Oliver Villalta, Christopher O’Connor, Brendan McCartTop Row: Eric Finnegan, Mark Savage, Tanner Mathews, Alexander Reed, Lincoln Rodenburg, Philip Gilman, Jacob Barents, Matthew Leidel, Jacob Rodgers

Front Row: Bianca Zerwas, Ashlee Shea, Ashley Zerwas, Shelby SimoninSecond Row: Coach Kennedy, Michenzie Streit, Dana Doebelin, Megan Driver, Sam Mohr, Coach Koester

Front Row: Christian Fricke, Ryan Higginbotham, Frasier Dew, Jacob Drustrup, Logan Marada, Mason BrinkmanSecond Row: Weston Morgan, Colton Cubrich, Corbin Tawzer, Jonathan Watson, Joshua Jones, Trevor Gochenour, Kasey HallTop Row: Coach Hanafan, Derek Jenkins,Austin Lear, Brook DeMarque, Duncan Hopson, Zackary Weatherill

Front Row: Emily Moore, Heidi Mailahn, Natalie Burton, Carly DeMarque, Lauren Leehy, Carrie MillerSecond Row: Alison Smith, Kelsey Loland, Alexis Albertsen, Mattie Misfeldt, Abigail Bergsten, Victoria Anderson, Mason Stoufer, Bailey DinsmoreTop Row: Coach Ben Bergsten, Madison Verschoor, Allison Montgomery, Amy Epperson, Alyssa Shea, Hannah Shea, Hannah Piercy, Coach Cunningham

Front Row: Jacob Bumsted, Alexander Gonzales, Suraj Mahathantila, Kedryn Graham, Jesse Ramos, Daniel Hiller, Alex Meister, Zachary Alley, Aaron Jacobs, Nathan Alexander, Samuel Mailahn, Second Row: Dakota Delaney, Nathaniel Suhr, David Garcia, Seth Hicks, Nicholas Ryan, Steven Parks, Zachary Finley, Christopher Espino, Ricardo Guevara, Holden King, Gavin Campbell, Carlos Aguilera-AlvaradThird Row: Alex Huttmann (Manager), James Wayman, Miguel Ramos, Jerry Orozco, Jacob Charleson, Joshua Whitmore, Zachary Edwards, Tyler Raygor, Quintin O’Toole, Alexander Hillers, Austin Thielen, Haleigh Philmalee (Manager)Fourth Row: Coach Sid, Dillon Kinart, Connor Perlberg, Troy Mahood, Cody Hicks, Jaden Brouse, Shawn Underwood, Nolan Gillespie, Magnus Lauritzen, Tyler Wobken, Ryan Nightser, Eric Cruse, Coach Gulden

Front Row: Jason Madsen, Kyle Stazzoni, Bryce WinelandSecond Row: Coach Kennedy, Tucker Maxwell, Blake Moen, Henry Terry, Kinnick Fox , Coach Koester

Front Row: Kelsey LeClaire, Shelbie Lohrke, Lacy Huckins, Ashley Schaben, Alexis Mitchell, Elisabeth HunzikerSecond Row: Kayla Jones, Alysha Daley, Shaya Paulsen, Adriana Campos, Masha Brayman, Hannah Dmyterko, Sarah Drummey, Courtney Bailey, Kallie Legband, Delaney Coffelt, Corbie Bowen Top Row: Coach Barents, Nikole Cleeton, Rochelle Sifuentes, Nicole Lamplot, Tiffany Lamplot, Amanda Schoening, Morgan Malskeit, Jordanne Jensen, McKenzie Pettepier, Ciara Mendoza, ShyAnne Swedensky, Coach Terry, Coach Frascht

Spring SportsLC

Sports 7

the wire.

NBA Preview Prediction

The King of LA Returns

The NBA playoffs are one of the most exciting things there are to kick off your summer. With the big dunks and the big stars, not many things can beat the NBA finals. From the biggest superstars to the biggest upsets, the playoffs have been quite unpredictable throughout the past years. Will Dallas be able to repeat? Will the Miami Heat’s LeBron James finally win his first title? We will just have to sit back and watch to find out. These are my picks to who will win.

The Magic Of May Begins

Story by Brook DeMarqueEastern ConferenceSecond Round: Conference Finals:

The Chicago Bulls versus the Philadelphia 76ers- Chicago 4-0The Boston Celtics versus the Atlanta Hawks- Atlanta 4-2The Indiana Pacers versus the Orlando Magic- Indiana 4-3The Miami Heat versus the New York Knicks- Miami 4-1

The Chicago Bulls versus the Atlanta Hawks- Atlanta 4-2The Miami Heat versus the Indiana Pacers- Miami 4-2

The Atlanta Hawks versus the Miami Heat- Miami 4-2

The San Antonio Spurs versus the Utah Jazz- San Antonio 4-0The Memphis Grizzlies versus the Los Angeles Clippers- Los Angeles 4-3The Los Angeles Lakers versus the Denver Nuggets- Los Angeles 4-1The Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Dallas Mavericks- Oklahoma City 4-2

The San Antonio Spurs versus the Los Angeles Clippers- San Antonio 4-2The Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Los Angeles Lakers- Oklahoma City 4-3

The San Antonio Spurs versus the Oklahoma City Thunder- Oklahoma City 4-3

Western Conference

First Round:

Second Round:

The star of LA is back. Magic Johnson and a group of his friends have bought the Dodgers for 2.1 billion dollars. This is the most money someone has ever spent on a professional franchise. The Chicago Cubs were bought a couple years ago for 880 million dollars. Magic’s group more than doubled that. Some may say that this is insane and Johnson’s group overpaid for the franchise. It could be quite true because the next highest bidder was 1.5 billion dollars, so Magic’s group added an extra 600 million, a nice little cherry on top.

People in LA totally respect Magic Johnson, even though he did have to retire from the Lakers on November 7, 1991, when he was diagnosed with HIV. Johnson brought five NBA championships to the city of Los Angeles in his tenure.

There definitely is a lot of buzz around the area knowing how much Magic has contributed to LA. “As a Dodgers fan, I am really excited that we have such a famous owner,” said sophomore Weston Morgan

It is somewhat hard to believe that Magic can rule again with all the hardship that he had to go through. Everyone back in the late 80’s and early 90’s believed that you could only get HIV if that person was homosexual. Johnson might have changed the belief on AIDS because no one believed that Magic was homosexual. Magic, in a way, opened up minds about HIV. Magic admits he had major temptations with being the star of LA and he did make mistakes. Johnson created buzz 20 years ago for LA, and he has returned again.

Story by Blake Huber

If a new student had arrived at Lewis Central any time from April 23rd to the 26th, they may have thought that a set of mysterious circumstances had totaled the cars of a multitude of students, or even that Ragbrai had started early. In reality, some environmentally friendly ecology students, with the assistance of Mr. Ford, organized LC Bike Week, a time for students to ride their bicycles to school in order to reduce the negative effects their cars have on the environment.

In addition to reducing carbon emissions, Bike Week was also a fun way for students to do something new with their friends and save gas at the same time. “I rode my bike both to save some gas and to try it out. It was a new experience for me, and I found that it gave me more energy during the day,” said senior Logan Marada when reminiscing about his experience. “I rode from Brook DeMarque’s house, so it was about three and a half to

Saving Some Gas and Helping the EnvironmentMagic Johnson buys the LA Dodgers

four miles. It was fun to ride with my friends.” The fun and energizing experience

took roughly sixty kids and three weeks to organize. “Every ecology class stepped in and helped organize,” said junior Stephanie Brandt. “We had different job assignments for everyone. Some people did publicity with Facebook and Twitter, others took surveys and collected data about the number of students who drove to school, and even more people advertised with posters and at lunch. It was a huge group effort. It took a lot of preparation! It grew from a small idea to a wildly successful project.” For Brandt, it was more than just planning and preparation. It was a personal experience. “I love riding my bike. The success of the week was very rewarding. I felt good knowing that I was helping the environment and having fun at the same time! I was excited every morning to get up and ride my bike to school.”

Story by Allison James

Conference Finals:First Round:

NBA FINALS: The Miami Heat versus the Oklahoma City Thunder- Miami 4-2

8 Special Feature

the wire.

I give Kyle Larson the will to work hard to succeed in basketball. – Darius McArthur

I will my good looks to Seth Hicks. – Cody HicksI will my beautiful smile to Krete Bullington. - Charles Dreager I will my boots to Eric Kruse. – Zeb Wahle I will my bubbliness to Riley Blay. - Liz Larson

I will my niceness to Jordanne Jensen. – Ashley Schaben I will my beautiful blonde locks to ShyAnne Swedensky. – Elizabeth Hunziker

I will my amazing senior year to Ryan Wilson. – Noah Anderson I will any junior my calculus homework and notes. – Tucker MaxwellI will my ability to have fun to the junior class. – Nolan GillespieI will my height to Brenden Johnson. – Lamar Conner

I will my swag to Riley Blay – Tanner Blay I will my dog Rocco to Taylor Stuart. – Aly Shea

I will BJC to Brendan Johnson. – Jon Osborn

I will all my cheat sheets to Nash Maxwell, along with instructions on how to not get caught. – Ben Schwery

I will my parenting packets to my good friend, Hannah Dmyterko. - Kelsey LeClaire

I will my calculus homework to my sister, Rylee Higgins. – Delaney Higgins

I will a copy of the school key to my brother. – Whitney Meschling

I will my ability to forgive to everyone. – Taylor Coulter

I will my common sense to Emily Sieleman. – Liz Sieleman

I will my sense of humor to Taryn Reese. – Jordan Reese

I will my sarcastic remarks to Nathan Reese. – Garrett Anderson

I will Nick Sulentic my good looks and charm. – Trever Stephens

I will my morph suit to Brook DeMarque. – Zach Rieck

I will my good looks to David Garcia. – Hector Jimenez

I will my lunch card to Delani Kern. – Rob Stokes

I will my car to Eric Finnegan. – Ryan O’Doniel

I will my intelligence to Mark Savage. – Devin Savage

I will a food fight to the underclassmen. – Chris Edris

I will my baseball skills to Dylan O’Connor. - Nate Kramer

Class of 2012Senior Wills

Call me! We need to catch up! Hope all is well at college! :)

Note to self:Call mom & pack laundry

6 more days until graduation

College

Orientation

July 22nd

@ 11am.

buy more

ramen Swimsuit shopping

tomorrow

Turn in comp paper

ASAP

ask dad to

change car

oil

10 Entertainment

the wire.

This series will focus in on everyday problems and struggles that a young adult can encounter. In each edition, I will try to shine light on a new subject, or in this case, “struggle.” It is my hope that, through this series, I will be able to bring awareness and shine light on issues that impact teens every day.

veryday truggles: Leaving HomeE S

Story by Halle Stichler

I look at those around me, realizing that this is the final second we will all share together. Everything becomes a blur: friends laughing and crying together, hugging each other in a warm embrace. Everyone is getting ready to say goodbye to the only life we’ve ever known, and regardless of the fact that we’ve all grown apart, for one instance, we are all one.

526 miles—that’s how far I’ll be away from home when September rolls around. It was exciting at first to think that I’d be far enough away from home that I’d be able to be independent and do as I pleased, and I liked the idea of taking care of myself and not having to report back to someone. I

Walking out the doors of the high school opens up new opportunities for summer.

Research by Genesis Rigg

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could taste freedom when my acceptance letter came, and the overwhelming feeling of fast-approaching adulthood made me hopeful of the future and what it entailed.

All I’ve ever wanted has been to leave school and get away from the people in my class, but at this very second, I don’t want to leave them or this place. This is the end goal, from elementary school until now. I’ve been working for it, and now that it’s finally here, it’s a bittersweet moment. I’ve always known that there is so much out there for me, and I never cherished the special moments of high school because I was too busy focusing on the fact that all I wanted to do was leave.

Unfortunately, over the past two

months, things have begun to change. My hopefulness has turned into hopelessness. I wish I hadn’t agreed to go to a college that was 526 miles away from my hometown because, me agreeing to that, was also me agreeing to a whole new life. Leaving behind the place I’d called home all my life seemed like something exciting and adventurous, but also in a way, rebellious.

It’s a scary thought—entering the big world, not knowing what to expect or, where exactly, I’ll be going or ending up. I wonder if this was the right decision for me, but I feel like it was. At some point, I feel like I need to be able to leave home, go out into the world, and fend for myself. I’ll always know where my home is, and that’s what matters.

Hats flying as a symbol of a new beginning, parents crying, and friends wishing that this wasn’t the end. Anxieties for the future lie in all of us. What will become of us? What does our future hold? Where will our choices lead us? It’s intimidating and yet so exonerating to think I’ll be free and able to explore the world the way I’ve always wanted, with so many chances awaiting me. Leaving home is scary, but I have to take the leap to be able to find myself and adventure into the world that has always mystified me. I’ll always know where my real home is, and although taking the leap is a scary thought, it’s worth the shot to be able to have the opportunity to be a part of something bigger and better than me or anything I could ever imagine. Life is about taking the leap and leaving your comfort zone to discover the better things about the world and all it has to offer.

Photo by Taylor Underwood

Feature 11

the wire.

What I’ll Take With Me...Seniors Tell Us Their Life Lessons

“I had a spine and pelvis skeleton hanging up, and Maggie Miller asked, ‘Why the skeleton was hanging upside down?’ She thought the

pelvis was the head!” –Mr. Ford

Funniest MomentsStudents Say The Darndest Things

“Derek Nightser was ‘stained’ during a wrestling match and said he was unable

to turn in his assignments because he was recovering from being stained.” – Mr. Drake

“Jordi Gnader asked, ‘We have a basement?’ when I said I brought a vacuum from

downstairs.” – Mr. Bergman“Jori Kellogg asked, ‘How can we be expected to do the square root of 1

without a calculator?’”- Mr. Ankenbauer

Story By Cassidy Miller

Story By Cassidy Miller Photos by: Cassidy Miller and Sanjula Mahathantila

Famous ExcusesMore Than Just “My Dog Ate My Homework!”

“My dad’s a pastor. It’s okay!”

“I had a baby this weekend.”

“My little brother took it and hid it.”

“My sister cleaned the house and I can’t find any-

thing”“I was late because I

tripped over a brick in the grass.”

“I was late because a deer ran into me.”

“My little brother took my homework and hid it.”

“I was late because I couldn’t drive. My dog

pooped in the car.”“I was late because I forgot

where I parked.” “A bear escaped and I had to wrestle it.”

“Always make time for friends and

family.”

“How to text without looking.”

“How to get a teacher off

topic.”

“Mean Girls really is like high

school.”

“Your friends your freshman year

will not be your friends senior

year.”

“Stick by your true friends.”

-Noah Anderson

“Stay calm and call mom.”

-Ashley Schaben

“Teamwork is key.”

-Tucker Maxwell

“Don’t miss out on an opportunity

when it’s presented to you.”

-Liz Larson

“Karma is ‘fo real.”

-Charles Dreager

“Don’t slack. Get it done before you

have fun. “

-Jaden Brouse

“Imperialism is: the taking of colonies

for the good of the mother country.”

-Thomas Jacobs

“Don’t let what people say get to

your head.”

-Cody Hicks

-Kassi Nauman -Gabby Alverez

-Lindsey Quaas

“The tough situations help you find out who your real friends are.”

-Becca Piercy

-Kaitlyn Reif-Andrew O’Reilly

12 Opinion

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Prototype 2 sets out to accomplish what the team at Radical Entertainment envisioned for the original. In many respects, Prototype 2 does a great job of surpassing its predecessor in the ways of combat and some minor visual tweaks. However, Prototype 2 falls short in many ways that its predecessor did and didn’t. Overall though, I found the visuals more striking and the gameplay more controlled (which is a good thing).

The story starts off with the game’s newest protagonist, Sargent James Heller, wrestling with the loss of his wife and child to a mutated strain of the virus that has been infecting the citizens of NYZ (New York Zero). Alex Mercer, the cause of the viral outbreak and the protagonist from the original Prototype, is being pegged as responsible for the death of Heller’s family. In an attempt to avenge his family, Heller goes on a suicide mission in the RED ZONE (an extremely dense area of New York plagued with an uncontrollable viral outbreak) of NYZ to kill the unstoppable shape-shifting Alex Mercer.

After Heller slashes his throat, Alex Mercer shrugs off the “minor nick” and tosses Heller like a softball three blocks down the street without breaking a sweat. A determined Heller drags himself out of the rubble and dismembered body parts of fellow soldiers and chugs along asking for more. Alex Mercer, impressed with Heller’s display of bravery, lures Heller into a crowded, infected zone and jabs him in the stomach, holding him by the neck into the air. As the virus courses through Heller’s veins, it unleashes Alex Mercer’s power. And with that gesture, a whole world of destructive fun opens up.

The whole premise of Prototype 2 is actually pretty darn simple. Kill. Kill some more. And when you get tired of that? Just sprout massive claw arms, tendrils, whip fists, blades, bio shields, bio bombs or anything else in Heller’s ever-growing viral arsenal, and take on wave after wave of infected creatures. Heck, throw a tank or two in for good measure. Combine that with the ability to fly, run up walls and uppercut helicopters, and you’ve got yourself hours of fun. This is where Prototype 2 shines. The story, though originally compelling, dies out and visuals, though impressive, can leave a bad taste in your mouth. No, the real thrust of Prototype 2 comes from finding new and creative ways to, well, be awesome. When I play Prototype 2, I don’t notice the mediocre fallback distance of the graphics engine as much as I do Heller

tearing up 40-story buildings on foot and leaping off only to shape shift into a flying old lady carrying a thousand pound tank (or sporting razor sharp claws; your preference).

That all being said, the story can drag at times or the language in-game can get to a laughable point when Heller is throwing out F-bombs like they’re free candy. The score for the game is decent and it does a good job of sounding like epic post-apocalyptic music to fly through New York to. The cast delivers fairly well-rounded characters, but as I said, the staggering amount of foul language can hinder the ability to see Heller as the misunderstood, caring man Radical Entertainment tries to paint him as.

Prototype 2 takes itself very seriously, but at the same time, it doesn’t. Some of the most enjoyable parts of Prototype 2 are the bowling mini-games, where Heller is prompted to smash hundreds of stories below to launch Blackwatch soldiers into the sky in a flaming ball of blood and guts.

Overall, this game is highly amusing, even if it sometimes falls short with its muddy fall distances. If you want a game where you feel unstoppable and all-powerful, Prototype 2 demands your attention. Crazy powers, over-the-top action, and amusing gameplay that has me laughing and curling my maniacal moustache at the same time, all makes for an overall immersive and fun experience. Prototype 2 is one of the most jaw-dropping action titles I’ve seen, and it requires a couple play-throughs for all of those flying, wall running, tank fighting, arm-blade-wielding maniacs out there.

Prototype 2 Kill Consume Become. .

Story by Trever Daniels

Marvel’s The Avengers opened on May 4th with very high expectations. The super team of Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, and The Black Widow joining forces would not go unnoticed. The movie crushed the box office opening weekend, earning a whopping $200.3 million dollars. The next closest movie was “Think Like A Man,” earning $8 million dollars.

The Avengers begins with Loki, the brother of Thor, plotting to destroy the Earth. He uses the Tesseract to teleport to Earth and

Review by Brook DeMarque and Logan Marada

begin his attack. Nick Fury, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international peace-keeping agency, assembles The Avengers to fight off the army of aliens. Prior to watching The Avengers, I was expecting a total “popcorn” film with great visuals, explosions, and awesome fighting. I got that, but I also got a pretty good story with great comical dialogue, and a great mix of badass-ery and fun. I think their aim with this film was to have the awesome explosions, as well as the funny script to make this movie enjoyable for the whole family. With this aim, I think they pulled it off flawlessly. The fighting sequences had you ready to stand up and applaud, and the lines were legitimately funny, and there wasn’t a corny superhero line throughout the whole thing! Thank the Lord. Now, to answer my question above, could it have

VENGERSbeen better? My answer is yes. I think the movie was a bit too predictable in ways, like how in every moment of trouble, somebody comes out of nowhere and saves the day. I mean, of course they can’t have anything too extreme, but it was a bit campy in the sense of how Iron Man would fly out of nowhere and swoop somebody up seconds before they were about to get destroyed. Also, the biggest problem I had was with Loki. Loki was a decent choice for the villain, but The Avengers had absolutely no trouble with him. Not at all. I mean, he is a god and they beat the crap out of him each moment before he got done talking. I almost felt like there really wasn’t any struggle in this film, other than the city getting demolished. But in the end, I was excited and had a great time watching it.

GRAPHICS 6.5SOUND DESIGN 7.0GAME PLAY 10.0LASTING APPEAL 8.0STORY LINE 8.0

Overall:

8.0

Assembled = Unstoppable

Opinion 13

the wire.Story by Sanjula Mahathantila Story by Logan Marada

It seems that the school year has gone by fairly quickly, though it didn’t seem like that at the beginning of my freshman year. I remember sitting in class, thinking how slowly my entire high school life is going to go by. Now that I’m here, I’ve realized how fast it went by. But this isn’t going to be some cliché column reminiscing about the ups and downs of my entire high school life -- that’s been done before. To make matters worse, I have put off this last column for, it seems like, a very long time.

I’ve considered telling you the digits of pi to as far as I can count, but then you wouldn’t believe me because it’s so easy to look up, and you’d start questioning my knowledge. I’ve considered writing about things I have thought of but didn’t write, but then again, I have some pretty mean thoughts. I’ve even considered writing about the most memorable memory I have that has nothing to do with school.

That’s when I realized that I want to do something with my life. It may not motivate you, or it might, but I have seriously thought about this for a long time. I want to do something with my life, and before I start, this is not going to be some random allocation of my ambitions. Instead, I want to make it perfectly clear that I want you guys to go out and do something. I’ve never been a motivational speaker before, and I’m sure I won’t be in the future, but I honestly think we can change the future. I think we can do something inspirational thinking and actually do something with our lives.

Not only that, but I also think that we should thank people for what they might have done for us. Thank them for getting us this far and maybe even thank them again for what they might do in the future. Instead of looking back, we should look forward. We should aim to leave behind a legacy before we hit the bucket.

Maybe motivation isn’t my think, but maybe someone out there is actually reading this and thinking that that is exactly what they want to do with their life, and that they actually want to change the future and have their name in the history books, so that students just like us will read about them. I mean, even the greatest minds had to start somewhere. All it takes is an idea.

That’s All Folks! Saying good-bye to senior year

A higher majority of married couples are divorcing these days. One out of every two couples will divorce out of their first marriage. Unfortunately more than just hearts are broken through divorce. With broken hearts come broken homes and broken banks. Who would have known that such a simple act could lead to depression, bankruptcy, and instability in general life?

“Let’s just do it for children” is commonly said in many families. The divorce rate is slightly lower for couples with children as opposed to couples without; a small difference of forty percent to sixty percent. Many children can’t make it through their parents’ divorce. Making changes and being split into two houses leads multiple teenagers to depression, failure in school, or trouble with the law. It is quite evident that adults are facing few problems with divorce, but what about the millions of children facing multiple problems with divorce?

“I see my dad about three times a year. Sometimes it’s for a couple of hours, other times it’s for a couple of days,” says anonymous. Children learn to be in relationships by their relationship with their parents. As a teenager in high school, you are faced with many chances to be in relationships, but how is a person expected to be in a relationship if they’ve never witnessed how a true one works? Many times when a teenager isn’t getting the right amount of nourishment and attention, they take to relationships, which is rather unhealthy. As soon as it is realized that it isn’t possible to get that kind of attention from one significant other, they move to the next, not stopping until it is found. Sometimes it can lead to much

emotional distress and wasted time. This comes to show that we will continue with these dissolved relationships until we put an end to dysfunctional marriages.

“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to making leaning unnecessary,” says sophomore Lexi Spielman. Single parents are often closer to their children than married parents, but unfortunately one parent is left out and ninety percent of the time it is the father. Mothers are usually granted full custody, while fathers are stuck with every other weekend, spring break, winter break, and an occasional holiday (approximately twenty-five percent of a year). The parent-child relationship diminishes over time for children who see their father less than thirty-five percent of a year. One of the biggest problems is that the bond a child has with their parent is unique and unlike any other. Therefore when it’s missing, so is a part of them.

Fifty percent of all children are children of divorce. Therefore, nearly half of the children in the US suffer from a problem caused by divorce. Whether it is depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, or anger issues, it is evident that more than hearts are affected.

Although it may be frequently overlooked, so many problems are faced when it comes to divorce. It’s extremely difficult to change the mindset of the out-of-love parents getting the divorce, but it’s rather easy to change the one of your own. Many people say that “life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent of how you take it.” When problems such as divorce occur, the best thing for a child to do is keep their head up and think of the positives. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate two Christmases?

DiBreaking apart the ties of marriage creates challenges for families

Story by Taylor Underwood

One more week, one final columnvorce My last column, my last early out Wednesday, my

last Chicken Bowl, why is it that all of these things that I always overlook feel so sentimental? As these final weeks come to a close, my final thoughts begin to grow. High school is a quick experience, and I’ve noticed that rather than crediting myself for making it through and giving myself praise, I should give others praise, because I know that if friends, family, teachers, and others weren’t there to help me get through things it’s hard to say I would be looking at high school the same way I do.

To start off my “shout-outs”, I would like to start off with the entire class of 2012. Considering the world may end, we may be the final class to graduate ever, and that is pretty awesome. We may not walk away being a class with some huge fancy state championship, or a class with the smartest kids the school has seen, but we walk away as the class who could potentially be the most successful.

My first ode goes out to my own little crew, The Wolfpack. I know I’m a pretty off-the-wall kid, and it shows me I truly know I have the best friends when they’re able to be friends with me for who I am. To say I was able to perform a stand-up comedy show with my best friend at Mr. LC, wear morphsuits to a football game, attend all the school dances, going to Las Vegas with my best friend, and simply share all every day with the amazing people at this school. So, rather than celebrating myself graduating on May 20th, I will be celebrating all the memories I shared with all these people.

I could go on about friends, but I think teachers are deserving on this list. I would like to start out with The Wire’s very own, Ms. Langille. I am glad I had you all these years, and I know how much of a procrastinator I could be, and the patience you show with me and other students is truly a remarkable skill that I admire. It may not sound like much, but being able to hold back and let people take responsibility has helped me a lot in truly realizing the jest of each experience. Next is Laurie Nielsen. I have had you for Creative Writing probably a record amount times, and each time I have never had a dull day in that class. Your excitement and true passion for teaching and communicating with students has made me, as a student enjoy going to school, and for a teacher that is probably the best compliment you can receive from a student. Last on my list is Anko. You may teach math and coach cross country, which sounds like two of the most arduous things on the planet, but you keep them lively and interesting. You walk through the halls, and make sure to say hello to pretty much every student and make them feel welcome at Lewis Central. Through this, you showed me that even though you may teach a class that is boring to some, and you may coach a sport that isn’t appealing to some, you keep life interesting and that is something I admire and want to carry on into my life.

L king BackTen Things You Didn’t Know About The RMS Titanic

Story by Allison James

On April 15th, 1912, approximately 100 years ago, the RMS Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic, taking 1,523 of her 2,224 crew members and passengers with her. Even a decade after she sent out her last distress call, people everywhere are still honoring the memory of what was supposed to be the White Star Line’s crowning glory. Here are ten interesting things you didn’t know about the behemoth ship:

The Titanic had its own newspaper. The Atlantic Daily Bulletin was printed daily and included news articles, the latest stock prices, horse-racing results, society gossip, and a daily menu.

1.

The massive ship had some unheard of amenities. Perks available to first class passengers included an onboard Turkish bath, libraries, a squash court, and the first heated swimming pool installed in an ocean liner. The behemoth ship even boasted an infirmary with an operating room.

2.

While the Titanic boasted some of the wealthiest people in the world on board, two famous men of that era didn’t make the trip. Financier J. P. Morgan and famed chocolatier, Milton S. Hershey, had planned to sail aboard the ship’s maiden voyage but canceled at the last minute.

3.

Less than a month after the tragedy, silent film actress and Titanic survivor, Dorothy Gibson, starred in the film Saved From the Titanic. The actress re-enacted her personal story of the tragedy, complete with the actual white silk evening dress she wore on that fateful night. The film was a hit in America and England, but the only known prints were destroyed two years later in a fire.

4.

Many artifacts from the Titanic were salvaged. The Titanic Museum in Massachusetts houses The Titanic Historical Society’s collection, which includes a lifejacket, lifeboat flag, luncheon and dinner menus, a square of first class stateroom carpet, letters and postcards written on board, first class china, and a bridge bell.

5.

The former home of one of the most famous Titanic survivors is now a museum in Denver. The 1910 home of socialite Margaret Brown - known after the tragedy as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” - is open for tours and workshops.

6.

The last remaining survivor of the Titanic died in 2009. Millvana Dean was only nine weeks old and the youngest passenger on the ship when she was put on a lifeboat and saved. Her death at age 97 came just a month after Titanic stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, helped pay her nursing home expenses.

7.

Many sources have pegged the band’s final song as Nearer My God To Me. But in a 1912 interview with The New York Times, surviving crew member, Harold Bride, said the band played the hymn “Autumn” as the ship went down.

8.

The Titanic sank at 2:20 a.m., approximately three hours after lookout, Frederick Fleet, spotted the iceberg that would cut short her maiden voyage.

9.

Of about 2,224 passengers and crew members aboard the Titanic, 1,523 passed away. Not only did what was supposed to be the safest ship in the seven seas sink, but she sent 68% of those on board to an icy grave as she went.

10.

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Making Lives Easier, Healthier, Happier

16 Misc.

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Thank You, LC Staff

CONGRATS

2012

“He was very helpful over the years and I’m sad to see him go.” - senior Trevor Stephens

“She has really helped a lot of 9th graders since coming to LC.” - Mrs. McComas

“I was really shocked when I heard he was leaving. It’s weird to picture the hallway without him.” - junior Shelia Doebelin

“She is one of my favorite teachers. Even though some people say she is hard, she just pushes you to be the best.” - junior Samantha Johnson

Business Professionals of America• Whitney Mehsling, Sam Duggan, Mia Blackman, Aubery Norville, and Morgan Means all scored in the top 4% of Administrative Support Concepts out of 700 entries.• Allie Schlotman placed 6th in Banking and Finance out of 70 entries.• Aubrey Norville and Morgan Means scored in the top 5% in Business Meeting Management out of 465 entries.• Allie Schlotman, Sam Duggan, and Whitney Mehsling scored in the top 8% of Financial Math and Analysis out of 431 entries.• Allie Schlotman, Sam Duggan, Whitney Meshling, Morgan Means, Aubrey Norville, Mia Blackman, and Josh Whitmore all scored in the top 7% in Insurance Concepts out of 412 entries.• Whitney Meshling, and Sam Duggan placed in the top 5% of Marketing Human Resources out of 643 entries.

Ms. Taylor

Mr. Story Mrs. Wandersee

Mr. Mace