verbatimBrownell-Talbot College Preparatory School 400 North Happy Hollow Boulevard Omaha, NE 68132

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2vol. V, issue 2

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the Pius X and LIncoln East tournaments as part of a four-person team. Joining Liu with first place trophies were seniors Alison Brock-man, Alejandro Anderson and John Jordan, junior Emily Bergquist, sophomore Nate Cheney, and novice freshmen Julia Fiksinski, Rachel Cruse, Harrison Runnels and Abinav Suresh. The Yakking Raiders will be taking on their biggest chal-lenge yet this year: earning a C-1 state championship banner to match the six C-2 victories to their name. Speech season is in full swing, and the Raiders are well on their way to the elusive lucky num-ber seven. - Article by Emily Bergquist

the team was very familiar with travel-ing. And it was a road that ultimately led to the installment of a sixth pristine banner for all the school to see. This year, however, the Yakking Raiders are embark-ing on a very differ-ent journey. Due to altered qualifications, Brownell-Talbot now falls in the C-1 class for forensics. The speech team is forced to head down the road less-traveled and hope that the change won’t affect the coveted lucky number seven victory. This year’s team is under good student leadership as well. Returning poetry interpreta-tion state-champion Linda Liu, has already distinguished herself among competitors by earning first and second place trophies in Oral Interpreta-tion of a Drama at

Entering the field house, one’s eyes are naturally drawn to the six predomi-nant royal blue state championship banners. Unlike most schools, Brownell-Talbot’s im-pressive state champi-ons are not found on the field, on the court or in the locker room. They are not found wearing jerseys, warm-ups, or cleats. These distinguished Raiders are most commonly found talking to a wall,

while wearing sleek black business wear. Gladiators in suits, the Yakking Raiders strike fear in competitors statewide. At this point last year, under the leadership of Mr. Chris Hamel and Mr. Mike Recker, the speech team was starting down the road to a sixth con-secutive class C-2state championship. The path was long, emotional, and disappointing for some, but it was a road

Fear The Suit

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Fromthefirstdayofpractice,theLadyRaiderbasketballteamhasfocusedonplayinghard,play-ingsmartandplayingtogether. HeadCoachBobWilliamshasreinventedtheteam.Practicesusedtostartat3:50insteadof4:00,andateverypracticetheteammeetsfora“CoachesCorner”wherethecoachestalkabouthabits,mentality,andstrategy.“Ifeellikewearemuchcloserasateamthisyear,”said

seniorCamiOyler. Theteam’smainfocushasbeenfreethrows,rebound-inganddefense.Ev-erypracticetheteamworksonallthree. TheLadyRaiderswontheirfirstgameagainstNebraskaLutheran,28-24.Ahighfreethrowpercentageattheendcontributedtothewin.

“Ittrulywasateamwin,”saidsophomoreKenziLarkin. Onehurdlefacedbytheteamsofarhasbeeninjury.“Wehavetotryandstayhealthy,andkeepournumbershigh,”saidCoachBobWil-liams. TheinjurytothevarsityplayersresultedintheJuniorVarsityplayersstep-pingup.“Youguys

havetobereadytogointothegame,”CoachWilliamstoldtheJVplayers.Theteamplanstotakeonegameatatime. Thereisagreatsenseoftogethernessamongsttheteam.Thesmallteamallowsforbetterchemistrytodevelop.JuniorHannahEmerydescribestheteamas“veryclose,andyouseeitonthecourt.” Theteamplanstoalwaysplayhard,smartandtogether.-ArticlebyMercedesKent

Basketball

‘Tis The

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Brownell-Talbot’s swim season is finally off to a start! The Brownell-Talbot Raiders had their first swim meet on Thurs-day, Dec. 1. New addi-tions to the team have brought the total number to40, the largest swim team the Raiders have ever had. With four differ-ent schools joining together (Brownell-Tal-bot, Concordia, Mercy and Roncalli) the Raiders are introduced to new people, some from other parts of the country. Candy Qu, 11, said, “I learn a lot. I was very nervous at first but everyone is friendly and they all encourage me a lot. I also like the team din-ners.” Swimmers are known for their bottomless stomachs so the team

Academic Decathlon is a class about learning the culture and history of an event or loca-tion. Each year the subject changes, and the 2012-2013 topic is Russia. The areas of study vary from literature to economy and from art to history and science. The subjects are deep and informative. It can sometimes seem overwhelm-ing to remember everything. In the classes, the teach-ers and students focus in going over the major elements and try to find the easiest way learn everything. The cram kits and the resources are prob-

ably the easiest way to memorize everything. According to Mr. Mark Smith, one of the teachers, it is “try-ing to pursue the total amount of knowledge on a topic.”-Article By Camillo Zapata

Decathlon

Swim Team

‘Tis The Season

wasn’t hesitant to plan a team dinner before the first invite of the year at Benson. The Raiders are looking forward to a successful year.

-Article by Michaela Higgins

6The Waiting Room in Benson:

Beehive- Saturday, Dec. 22,at 5 p.m.A unique 60s rock and roll musical revue

Jimmy Skaffa- Saturday, Dec. 29, 9 p.m.Midwest-famous ska band

Slowdown:

Ladyfinger- Friday, Dec. 21, 9 p.m.- Doors at 8 p.m.+Indie Rock

Mal Maldrigal w/ Jake Bellows Band- Dec.27,9 p.m.- Doors open 8 p.m.

The Lizard King/ Jazzwholes w/ Matt Cox- Dec. 28, 9 p.m.- Doors

open at 8 p.m.

Many people (not saying all of you… but let’s face it, most of you) will resent Omaha at one point or anoth-er for its lack of new and intriguing things to do. Last year especially, I could not shake this sense of antipa-thy from my being. I tried many things to assuage this feeling; I took up art as a pastime, I would take hour-long drives to the edges of Omaha, I would explore and emulate the graffiti in back Benson, but nothing had the power to alleviate my boredom. Nothing, until the St. Vincent concert, that is. Ryan Segur bought me a ticket, persuading my reluctant self to tag along that night, and I have never been more grateful. At the Slowdown in early May, the concert it-self could not have been more perfect. It was then that my ennui left, without a trace of its being there in the first place. Never had I realized that Omaha had such a bustling music scene. And so, fellow Omahans, I challenge you to discover something new today. -Grace Bydalek

Sokol Underground:Eastern Turkish Reunion Show, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m.- Doors open 6:30 p.m.

Surreal the MC and 10PM Kids pres-ent the return of MC Gringo- Jan. 5, 8 p.m. - Doors open at 7 p.m.

Woe is Me - Jan. 6, 7 p.m. - Doors open at 6 p.m.

Omaha Music Scene

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One thing that everyone can agree on is that arcade games are some of the most classic forms of entertainment. However, the characters in these games are always confined behind a pane of glass—until the ar-cade closes. In Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, favorite game characters such as Pac Man come alive in a story about a “bad-guy” that would do anything to earn a “hero” medal and the approval of the acclaimed “good-guys” in the video game world. In a story about friendship and love, Wreck-It Ralph wrecks his way into the hearts of the audience as he breaks down the walls of ste-reotypes. Ralph teaches that anyone can be a hero in a movie that is truly “turbo-tastic!”

Set in the 1990’s, the message of The Perks of Being a Wallflower still holds true today. As an out-of-place high school freshman, Char-lie struggles with the ups and downs of teenage life. After befriend-ing two seniors, Sam and Patrick, his life changes when he finally begins to “participate.” Based on the novel by Stephen Chbosky, the movie is set to a beauti-ful soundtrack that cor-responds with Charlie’s musical interests in Ch-bosky’s book. Featuring upbeat dance scenes and tons of Rocky Horror, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a hit. The movie shows the inner workings of a teen-ager’s mind and touches on deeper subjects such as depression and love in such a way that reminds us all, “we are infinite.”

One of the most classic movies to date is The NeverEnding Sto-ry, a beloved tale about a boy named Bastion who finds himself with a book that contains the mysti-cal world named Fantasia. Bastion reads along as Atreyu, a young warrior, searches to find a cure for the Childlike Em-press before The Nothing, a dark force, overtakes Fantasia and destroys everything in its path. With Falcor the Luck Dragon as their guide, Atreyu and Bastion learns about trust, friendship and the magic of books in a story that never truly ends.

Quality Cinema

Wreck it Ralph

The Neverending Story

Perks of Being a Wallflower

-with Ally Washka

8 BT puts the College Prep in College Prep School

Brownell-Talbot School may be known to have the best college preparatory school in the greater Omaha area, but are the students starting college prep too early? Sure, every kid dreams of one day going far away to a great college, but is having an ACT prep tutor and starting your Common App essays while you’re still in middle school really necessary? With Brownell- Talbot, having a kid with high collegiate goals is not out of the norm. With the help from expert college counselor Stacey Evert, accomplishing those goals isn’t out of the norm either.

“When I came to Brownell, I tried to get every-thing to start earlier, so senior year is less stressful,” said Stacey Evert, the college counselor of six years for Brownell-Talbot School. In eighth grade the college-counseling program begins with a brief explanation of how applications work and how to succeed in high school. By freshman year, students already have a broad college list prepared and learn how to calculate their cumulative GPA. When sophomore year approaches, with Evert’s help, the stu-dents take many surveys to see what skills and profes-sions match their interests and abilities.

CollegeCounselor,Mrs.StaceyEvert

LaurenZimmerman,‘15CamiloZapata,‘15EmilyBergquist,‘14MichaelaHiggins,‘14WellesleyMichael,‘14ChristinaFossum,‘14ZoePeng,‘14AllyWashka,‘14MercedesKent,‘14SydneyWoods,‘14

9BT puts the College Prep in College Prep School

We on the newspaper staff (pictured below) all de-stress in different ways with all of the pressures of going to such a competitive school...

1. Lauren likes to sew.2. Camillo plays tennis.

3. Emily bakes.4. Michaela loves to drive .5. Wellesley does Yoga.

6.Christina watches Food net-work.7. Zoe likes to build robots.8. Ally is a painter.9. Mercedes plays sports.

10. Sydney plays ping pong.

...What do you do?

Then junior year hits, and students begin es-says for the Common Appli-cation and standardized test preparation. Finally, when senior year comes around, all seniors are ready to send off their applications and hear the responses. “I’ve started more evening presentations, so the students and the parents are more aware of the college process together,” Evert said. Evert has also start-ed a financial aid night, a college panel that has real college admissions counsel-ors, and a junior parent night. So, are kids taking this col-lege process too seriously? “Students do put too much pressure on themselves. They need to find a healthy balance between their academics and extracurricular activities,” Evert said.

Back to the main question: is it tru-ly necessary to pick out your essay topics while you are still fitting into Gymboree clothing? “Absolutely not,” said Evert. “It is always good to get healthy exposure to differ-ent types to colleges when you’re young, but signing up for anACT prep class when you are in middle school is not called for. Then the stu-dent burns out.” -Article by Sydney Woods

SS

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LaurenZimmerman,‘15CamiloZapata,‘15EmilyBergquist,‘14MichaelaHiggins,‘14WellesleyMichael,‘14ChristinaFossum,‘14ZoePeng,‘14AllyWashka,‘14MercedesKent,‘14SydneyWoods,‘14

SeniorAlisonBrockmanholdsupherNorthwesternacceptanceletter

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Obama Drama

Thedayafterthisyear’selectionshowedthetruepo-liticalsidesofanyonevaguelyinterestedintheAmericanpoli-tics. Supportersofthere-electedBarackObamawerewalkingaroundwithsmilesontheirfacesandaskipintheirstep,whileMittRomneysupportersseemedtobeinaper-manentstateofsadnessoranger.Yetonehastowonder,afterallthehypeleadinguptotheNov.6election,wasitreallythatclose? Dependingon

whatnewsbroad-casteryoulistenedto,ObamaandRomneywerealwaysfightingeachotherinthepolls.Fromday-to-day,statesbouncedbackandforthsayingthatRomneywasaheadorObamawasahead.Foranex-ampleofthis,onOct.9,Obamaled50%toRomney’s45%,butbyOct.15bothcandidatessatat47%asreportedbyGallup.com. GallupalsoreportedthatonNov.5Romneywasaheadat49%withObamaat48%.

Thisleaddidn’textendtoelectiondaythough.With270electoralvotestowin,Obamablewpastthatmarkerwithafinalcountof332bytheHuffington Post. Romney’s206seemstinyincompari-son. OnewouldnothaveguessedthatObamabarelypassedthehalfwaymarkerinthepopularvote.At50.7%,ObamastillbeatRomney’s47.6%. Tosaythatthiswasapredictableraceiswhatsomewouldcall“TheUnderstate-

mentoftheYear.” Analystsevenadmittedthatthiswasnotgoingtobeeasytopickoutatruewinner.TheAmericanpeople,withtheirbouncingpoliticalselectioninthepolls,didn’tmakethateasy.Sideswerealwayschanging,andsomewouldadmitthatitwasaharddecision. Somepeoplearestillundecided.Noonecouldhavepre-dictedtheoutcome,butnow,onemonthlater,itseemsalmostobvious. Oh,politics!

Photo taken from Huff post

-ArticlebyLaurenZimmerman

11MerryApocalypse So,itisindeedthattimeofyearagain.AswedrivedownthestreetsofOmahatothemajesticglowoftwinklingChrist-maslights,wearehauntedoneverysingleradiosta-tionbytheannoy-inglyjollysoundofChristmasmusic,and,ofcourse,werunaroundlikechickenswithourheadscutoff,carefullytryingtobalanceallofthestressesoffinals. Soundslikearelativelynor-malholidayseasonatfirstglance,butdelvingdeepintotheseedyunderbellyofDecember2012,wecomeacrossahorrortoomysteri-ouslygreattobegintofathom. AccordingtotheancientMayancalendar,theworldwillculminatein“judgmentday”onDecember21,

2012.Sowhat?ThisspecificcivilizationalsoprobablyassumedtheyWEREN’Tgoingtoendwhentheydid,buthey,thingshap-pen. Unfortunatelyforourgeneration,theMayansweren’tthe

thattwoofhispre-dictions,anemperorbeingexiledtoElba(Napoleon),andaGermantyrantwhowillriseupinhatred(Hitler),camealmostentirelytrue.Hispre-dictionsofworldterroranddestructionroughly

andthedayshouldnotshineforthethirdpartofit,andthenightinlikemanor,”(Revelations8:12). Couldthisbeyetanotherapocalyp-ticforeshadowing?Ifthesespookycoinci-dencesreallytripyourtrigger,itmaybetoolatetosaveyourself.InfamouslyindestructibleTwinkiesarenolon-gerinproduction;youstillneedtoconstructanapocalypse-prooffortress,orperhapsspaceshuttle,nottomentionthatthereisalwaysthepopularlyfearedpossibilityofzombies. SoIguessthebestwecanalldoishaulupinthewinteryhazeoffinalsweekcladinourfuzzi-estpairofChristmassocks,listeningtoholidaytunesuntilourearsbleed.Youneverknow,thiscouldbethelasttimeyoueverhavethechance.

-ArticlebyChristinaFossum

aroundtheyear2012nowbearalotofweight.Otherhistoricalsourceshavemaderoughallusionstoanapocalypseinclud-ingtheBible’sBookofRevelations,“…andthethirdangelsounded,andthethirdpartofthesunwassmitten…

onlysourcetopredictanapocalypsedat-ingto2012.SixteenthcenturywriterNos-tradamuswroteaboutthisextensivelyinhisworkLes Propheties, acompilationofhislong-termpredictions. Thiswouldbenothingworthmen-tioning,ifitweren’t

-ArticlebyLaurenZimmerman

JuniorAustinTaylorinaphotohemodified.

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Fashion Spotlight

How would you describe your style in three words? Funny,creative,anduniqueWhere do you like to shop? MostlyonlineWhat’s your favorite clothing item to wear in the winter? SweatersWho inspires your fashion choices? AmixbetweenOlanRogersandTyraBanks

AustinTaylor

Page by Wellesley Michael

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Finally, cut 1/2 inch fringes no more than two inches deep.

Next, cut off the sleeves, and cut out the arch shape. Then cut out the collar.

‘Tis I, the Queen of DIY, Eva! As many notice, it’s really getting cold outside; it is winter after all. Starting off, what you’re going to need for this wonderful project is an old/ unwanted t-shirt that you are really bored with. You also are going to need some kind of marker and some scissors.

DIY: Fringe Scarf

First, make a mark about 10 inches into the shirt from the collar, connect to make an arch shape as shown below.

Page by Eva Surbeck

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Winter is Coming

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:- 3 1/2 cups milk- 8 ounces white choco-late-1/2 cups heavy cream-1/4 cups crushed pep-permint candies

Directions:heat milk and cream, stir in chocolate until melted, stir in pepepr-mint candies

SnUGGlyBoots CowboyBoots

Scarfs

OversizedSweaterTheNorthFaceJacket

ChristmasSweaters

Booties MilitaryJackets

WINTER

FASHION

ESSENTIALS

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The Editors

Editors Mercedes Kent, Emily Bergquist, Wellesley Michael, and Lauren Zimmerman, Editor-In-Chief Christina Fossum