ECHOESthe Scottsbluff High School | Nov. 15, 2012 | Volume 96| Issue 4

Insidetheissue

-More choir, pg. 2

-Taxidermy, pg. 8

-Building a program, pg. 20

O L D W E S T C H O I R F E S T Saturday, Nov. 3 was a day of

firsts for the vocal department at the Old West Choirfest.

The school’s new, all-girls show choir, Treble Makers, debuted in their fresh new purple and orange dresses.

The Choralaires and 27th Street Singers performed their new shows, but with one major change.

None of the three choirs compet-ed for awards, only ratings.

SHS became the host for the con-test after local radio station KMOR decided not to sponsor the competi-tion.

Three new awards were added to the competition in addition to the gold, silver and bronze ratings.

Those awards included the Class Act, Best Soloist and Best Chore-ography.

-for more on the Old West Choir Fest, turn

to pg. 2

Colton Flower supports his partner, Nikki Catrina-An-derson, during thier opener Get On your Feet. Flower and Catrina were part of the Choralaires, who per-formed at Old West Weekend. Photo by Gordon Rock

Swing to the rhythm

NEWS | 2

by EmilyYanke

NewsWriter

Cody Clark, Kaytlin Wolfe and Karli Penrose all smile during their performance with the Treble Makers at Old West Weekend. Photo by Gordon Rock

Strutting their stuff

[ ]“The radio station who

had been hosting this, under new management, contacted me and asked if we would like to host.”

Brad Ronne,Choir Director

Something to sing about

Freshman Megan Hayhurst looked out into the cheering crowd as she joined her fellow choir members in their final number of, Everything Old will be New Again, at the Treble Makers debut performance at Old West Choir Fest, Nov. 3.

“So many girls auditioned to be in show choir this year, but not enough men, so we created the all-girls show choir,” Choral Director Brad Ronne said.

Members have mixed feel-ings about being in the group.

“I’m really glad I get to take part in this group,” Hayhurst said,” and the brand new dresses we wear are made to fit us!”

While former 27th Street Singers have opposing views.

“There are some girls who feel like they are entitled to

Results from Old West Choirfest, & the unveiling of Treble Makers

be in this group, and show up to practice late, or don’t sing when they show up, and feel like that’s acceptable,” Junior , two time All-State singer and former 27th Street singer Hannah Kaiser said. “I think if you aren’t being commit-ted to it then you need to seriously think about why they are there. If its for the love of music, then great, but if you are there just to talk and be with your

friends then you are there for the

The new all-girls show choir resurrected, debuts at Old West weekend

Junior Megan Pilkington, a chor-alaires member, smiled proudly as the Velocity Show Choir from Al-liance, was announced as a finalist for Best of the Fest, the first time in seven years.

Unlike the previous twenty-nine years of the Old West Choirfest, SHS show choirs did not compete. Instead, Scottsbluff High School hosted the event.

“The radio station who had been hosting this, under new manage-ment, contacted me and asked if we would like to host the competi-tion,” Choir Director Brad Ronne said.

As a result, SHS will now be the continuing host of Old West Show Choir Fest.

“In the past it would have been the same competition when we were competing, they could have hosted it anywhere in the commu-nity, WNCC for instance, however it was convenient for the radio sta-tion to work with SHS and use our facility,” Ronne said.

This year students and parents of the Scottsbluff choirs helped set up and host the festival.

“I was basically the bus greeter,” Jeff Hohnstein, father of 27th Street Singer Madison Hohnstein , said.

“I ran out to greet the school and would get everyone headed in the right direction” Hohnstein said.

Many upper classmen took to hosting visit-ing schools by decorating the desig-nated room for the school to use as a “home base,” and being the school’s helper and personal groupie(s).

Pilkington served as a host for the Alliance High School show choirs.

“They were such a great group of kids; I made some great new friends and I was so proud to watch them perform,” Pilkington said.

“I was their host” mom” for the day, I was overjoyed to see the

giant ‘Thank you’ and ‘We love you’ all over the whiteboard in the room they had stayed in, after the

competition was over and they had left,” Pilkington also said.

All three SHS show choirs per-formed, but did not com-pete with the other show choirs.

“It’s cool to know we still got judged on our performance, but made it less stressful, knowing we didn’t have to worry about making Best in the Fest but still got to per-form at the end of the day,” Chora-liars senior Nicole Schnell said.

The SHS choirs, however, were rated as if they were actually com-

peting for titles.Treble Makers, the all-girls show

choir, earned a silver rating, The 27th Street Singers and he Choral-aires both received gold rankings.

“I feel pretty accomplished, since it was the Treble Makers debut into the world of show choir competi-tions, and we got Silver,” freshmen Hannah Nagasawa said.

“I think having the kids in-volved with the competition was a great experience, for both the performers and the hosts. It was a great learning and friend making opportunity,” Ronne said.

Twenty schools competed, ex-cluding SHS, throughout the day.

The overall winner, named Best of the Fest, was the Athenians from Gateway High School in Aurora, Co.

Gering High School’s Harmony earned a bronze rating while Ba-yard’s 21st Century Singers earned

a silver rating.In addition to ratings, three new

awards were added to the competi-tion.

The Class Act Award was given to the group that was respectful, encouraging and all around good ‘sports’ as a collective group. The award was given Alliance High School.

The Best Soloist Award went to Gateway High School’s Alyssa Al-mond and the Best Choreography Award was won by the Athenians of Gateway High School

The choirfest was a daylong event that started at 8:30 a.m. and ended with the last organizers leav-ing the school at 11:30 p.m.

Everything old is new once again

wrong reason.”In the past there was an all-girl

show choir, however, Michael Patch decided to drop it during his stay here.

“We will have this choir for this year for sure, it just depends on how many people try out next year,” Ronne said.

The group consists of girls ninth through twelfth grade, both old and new to show choir.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10...135

NEWS |3

[ ]“We felt that we were

the largest district in VALTS and that in some ways we had outgrown it.”

Rick Myles,Superintendent

CHOICES that could change a life

Car vandalism takes place in both east,west lots

by AaronMartin

NewsEditor

by AaronMartin

NewsEditor

Senior Katey Myers walked out into the parking lot like any other

Uncle Sam wants you to make a choice to serve your country.

Speech teacher Kara Rada wants you to make a choice to join the speech team.

And now, Scottsbluff Public Schools is offering students yet another choice.

This one, however, will allow students the option to control their educational future.

The district has decided to partially opt out of VALTS (Valley Alternative Transitional School), the current alternative school option, and is creating a school of its own that will be called CHOI CES.

“We honestly couldn’t afford to do both,” Superintendent Rick Myles said. “We felt we were by far the largest district in VALTS and in some ways we had outgrown it.”

“We felt as if we owed our stu-dents a choice other than VALTS,” Myles said. “We will retain about eight seats in the VALTS program.”

The new school has already chosen the name CHOICES, which is fitting considering its plan for students.

The school will offer a different approach to alternative education

the community has not seen before.“The main thing about the

school is that it is unique,” devel-oper Cindy Rue said. “It is for kids who prefer a small, nontradi-tional, hands-on approach to learning.”

The school has stood out from the mo-ment its mis-sion statement was created.

The first line of the mission statement sets it apart. ‘At CHOICES students con-nect to real world issues through travel, a thematic curriculum, learning expeditions, projects, and service learning,’

“Curriculum will be developed around students’ interests,” Rue said

“It’s all about project-based learning,” Rue said. “Learning is about inquiry, this school will encourage questioning and critical thinking.”

Experiential learning, along with expeditions into interesting arenas create adventure.

“My overarching belief is that schools need to let students learn

through adventures,” Myles said. “People who seek them have ad-ventures every day, but schools too many times take away adventures.”

Currently ev-erything is in the planning stages, but school officials expect CHOICES to kick off next fall in the old central ad-ministration build-ing located at 26th and Broadway.

“We’re do-ing all the remodel-

ing ourselves which mostly consist of moving walls and resizing windows,” Myles said.

“We want to create a place for people who prefer a smaller envi-ronment, but would like to be part of the whole,” Myles said.

“The school will consist of stu-dents in grades 10 – 12,” Rue said. “Sophomores will be there most of the time, with the option of taking some elective classes at the high school, while juniors and seniors will be able to take college classes.”

The main concept behind CHOICES can be seen in its name.

“We want them to know they have choices when they graduate,” Rue said. “Career education will

be imbedded in each class. Op-portunities for internships and dual credit will be also be available.”

The school will be made up of a small number of staff and students.

“One of its primary goals will be to create a culture or community with a ‘feeling of coming home’ where students feel safe and free to explore,” Rue said.

“There will be four classrooms with a teacher for each one,” Rue said. “There will be about 60 stu-dents involved who will have to go through an application process, interview, and a selection process.”

The school is considering several progressive ideas.

“We’re actually looking into getting each student an iPad they can use at school,” Rue said. “Each student will have an individual learning plan to meet their needs for graduation and beyond.”

Much emphasis will be put on the first group of students selected.

“The first group will leave a legacy,” Myles said. “They will be rolling out carpet for years and years to come.”

Students interested in CHOICES can contact their counselor or visit Rue whose office is located in the TRAC room near the band room.

day.Her first thought was “Why did

the security guards put numbers on everyone’s windows?”

Recently many of our staff and students found numbers written on their car windows with window chalk.

According to the school resource officers the vandalism was appar-ently committed by a student from a different school, who had their windows “tagged.”

“We used our investigative skills and we found out that this student had randomly picked cars in a pat-tern,” Security guard Eddy Gonza-lez said.

“The student definitely had a pattern,” Gonzalez said. “They started in the junior lot and ended in the senior lot.”

The student went from the senior lot to the junior lot marking ran-dom cars with the numbers 1 – 135 and did it all in six minutes.

“I thought it was kind of funny honestly,” Gonzalez said. “For a student to label cars with the num-bers 1 - 135 in six minutes is kind of

impressive.”“I was startled as to why there

was a number and a smiley face on my pickup,” Business teacher Randy Waldron said. “I suspected it was a student that I knew and that was trying to let me know they were around.”

The vandal defaced both student and teacher vehicles.

“I believe that my car had the number 92 on it,” senior Mitchell DeHaven said. “I honestly didn’t really care that they had put it on there.”

The information about this oc-currence was hard for the press to get a hold of as the school has a very good reason not to release the information to the public.

“We didn’t release the informa-tion about who did it exactly out of a deep felt concern for our stu-dents,” Gonzalez said. “We feared retaliation from our students, so it wasn’t shared.”

For the second consecutive year, both The Echoes and the Bluff were awarded the Nebraska High School Press Association’s top rating, The Cornhusker, at the NHSPA Fall Convention in Lincoln on Monday, Oct. 15.

Only two schools in Class A2 (enrollment 501-1099), Scottsbluff and Lincoln East, were able to win a Cornhusker for both yearbook and newspaper.

“I’m really proud of what the two staffs were able to achieve,” Echoes and Bluff Adviser Terry Pitkin said. “The Cornhusker is a tes-tament to all the hard work put in by both staffs and to the leadership provided by last year’s editors, Abby Benson and Maddy Holscher.”

Pitkin was accompanied to Lincoln for the convention by seniors Spencer Lake, Katey Myers, Luke Parsley, Lexi Webber, Jon Wiebe and junior Deanna Cortez.

Winning the award is never an easy task accordingto Pitkin.“Our newspaper and yearbook are not compared to other publica-

tions in the state, we are measured against a very strict rubric which requires journalistic excellence,” Pitkin said.

Echoes, Bluff both win Cornhusker rating

A look at a new school that will offer...

News | 4

by AaronMartin

NewsEditor

Youth Speaker Laymon Hicks, speaks in the Scottsbluff auditorium about his message that deals with his experiences with life. Photo by Terry Pitkin

Change

A & M Project

Motivational speaker Laymon Hicks sparks life

into students

Senior Julia Montez went to the school assembly thinking about how she should take notes for her speech, as she is a member of the speech team.

The speaker eventually had a time where he asked everyone to pull out their phones to tell some-one that they love them.

Someone was asked to come to the front so they could call someone on speaker phone.

Montez ended up in the front of the auditorium calling her mother on speaker phone to tell her that she loves her, even though things have been rather tense between the two.

Laymon Hicks has quite an impressive resume as a 2009 Florida State graduate, the author of four books and former Student Body President of Florida State. He is now a motivational speaker and travels quite a bit doing what he does.

On October 25 he opened with charisma and spoke to the heart of students in our area.

“There is no other place I would rather be in this moment then Scottsbluff High School,” Hicks said.

The person who actually booked

Hicks to speak was Bluffs Middle School counselor Glenda Ehler, who had great things to say about Hicks.

“This fall I heard him speak at the Multicultural Youth Conference at WNCC,” Ehler said. “I was im-pressed with the message he had.

“I believe the more you learn the more there is to learn,” Hicks said.

Hicks relates to many teens to-day because of his background.

“I was a young man who was hurting inside,” Hicks said. “I say to you though, your environment may make up who you are, but it does not dictate who you are.”

“I told him that we’re working on a no place for hate designa-tion in our school and the ongo-ing theme on improving our test scores,” Ehler said. “I want kids to realize that they don’t have to be a victim of their circumstance.”

Hicks had three main points to his speech: be positive, be hungry and neutralize the weapons of mass distraction.

“Not everything will go the way you want but some will,” Hicks

said. “Be positive.”“You were born with the fear of

two things, the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises,” Hicks said. “Anything else is something you create.”

Hicks also shared personal expe-rience with each of his points.

In asking Hicks about his inspi-rations and his reasons for doing what he does he had a lot of things to say.

“To know that I could make a difference in the life of someone else was one of my inspirations to become a speaker,” Hicks said. “I want students to realize their great-est potential.”

Hicks was inspired by a lot of different types of people

“Inspirational people in my life were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jon Gordon, Delatorro McNeal, Josh Shipp, Muhammad Ali, and many members of my family to name a few,” Hicks said.

“I would want students to remember from my visit that in all they do, they must get up, get out and go get it,” Hicks said. “Remember you will have distrac-tions, but never let anyone stop you from pursuing your hopes and/or dreams.”

Hicks now has goals to write a new book, grow his business 15 – 20% by next year, speak in every state and launch his curriculum project.

Hicks said he enjoyed his time in Scottsbluff.

“I very much enjoyed Scotts-bluff,” Hicks said. “ I received a lot of love on my Facebook and Twit-ter,” Hicks said

One year ago the Scottsbluff community has lost four loved ones to vehicle crashes/accidents.

After being deeply impacted by this, a group of SHS students have gone out into the community (and surrounding communities) to

inform people the dangers of not wearing a seat belt and being under the influence of illegal substances/alcohol .

The A and M project was found-ed by Sadie Blanco and Meagan Coffman last year. They have done nine presentations across the pan-handle since then.

“We will be doing a presenta-tion in Morrill on the 16th of this month,” Blanco said. “I just don’t

want other people to deal with the pain I have had to deal with, acci-dents like that can be prevented.”

The group has purchased a Bill-board spot on the side of Highway 26. It will say things about buckling up and being a safe driver.

In addition with they will be put-ting signs in the Scottsbluff McDon-ald’s parking lot urging drivers to buckle up.

“We are raising money to travel

and get the word out,” Coffman said. “We are selling shirts for $15 each. If you buy a shirt you will get a seatbelt bracelet that has a little reminder to buckle up on the inside.”

Students interested in making a contribution should contact juniors: Sadie Blanco, Meagan Coffman, Michelle Guzman or Jamie Spath, and purchase a shirt.

by EmilyYanke

NewsWriter

Students come together to raise awareness of the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt and being under the influence of

illegal substances/alcohol behind the wheel

Making students believe that they are ‘the Bomb.Com’

one school at a time

Cat Calendar

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All School Year Long

Covering the Scottsbluff Bearcatsevery week with stories

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Subscribe today.

www.geringcitizen.com(308) 633-6397

6 | FEATURE

by Deanna Cortez

FeatureWriter

No cell phone... no problem!Although technology can be beneficial, it can seem nearly irrelevant to those without it

Could you live WITHOUT your cell phone?

Almost everyone knows how it is to have that same boring text message conver-sion, to experience the auto correct that frustrates us or that feeling one gets when sending the message that was meant for a boyfriend or girlfriend to a parent. But what about the kids who don’t know what that feels like? What is life really like without a cell phone?

For junior Breanna Stew-art, life is the same as it has always been. Both of Stew-art’s older brothers have cell phones and her parents said that was enough.

“I don’t mind not hav-ing a cell phone, I actually feel as though it is one less thing to worry about,” Stewart said

Unlike Stewart, sopho-more Kenzie DeVena had a cell phone for a little less than a year when she went over on minutes and messaging, resulting in an expensive phone bill and no

more phones.“I got into a little trou-

ble, but once I get a job, I can go get one and pay for it myself,” DeVena said

Life without a phone may, to many of us, seem like a nightmare. However junior Arron McConnell sees the situation a little differently.

“I had a phone for about three months and then my mom simply said I didn’t need one, but I don’t feel it puts me at any disadvan-tage,” McConnell said

“It is a little hard to call people when I’m not at home because I have to find someone and then ask to borrow their phone, but other than that, I can just use my home phone or something to make plans,” DeVena said

Along with cell phones, Facebook and other social websites have become very popular among teens.

“I have a Facebook but I don’t get on it too much,” DeVena said

“I have an email account and generally use that to message anyone I need to get in contact with,” Stew-art said

Technology as a whole has become much more advanced as time has gone on.

Does this have a positive or negative effect on today’s society?

“I think technology is good when it comes to com-

puters and stuff, especially in business,” Marketing teacher Derek Deaver said

“I definitely see the ad-vantages of cell phones and other forms of technology,” Journalism teacher Terry Pitkin said, “we benefit from it all the time on the yearbook and newspaper staffs.”

“However, it has become obsessive for many young people and many valuable interpersonal communica-tion skills are being lost in the process,” Pitkin added.

Technology can also be difficult for an older genera-tion to embrace.

“My wife and I reluctant-ly purchased cell phones a few years ago, but we seldom carry them with us. I know it sounds ridiculous, but since we have lived most of our lives without them, most of the time we just don’t remember to take them with us,” Pitkin said.

According to the Pew Internet Project’s 2011 teen survey, roughly three

quarters (77%) of teens have a cell phone. Therefore it is safe to say the majority of teenagers may sometimes wonder what disadvan-tages the ones without cell phones face.

However, those who do not have cell phones are fo-cusing on, not the disadvan-tages, but the advantages.

“I feel like I have a very big advantage when it comes to my speaking skills, mainly because I get a lot of that face to face communication versus just sending a text or making a phone call,” Stewart says

“I enjoy getting to experi-ence more face-to-face time with people,” McConnell said

Life without a cell phone seems to be very similar to the life with a cell phone for these three students.

So now it may be time a new question is asked:

“Do teenagers really need a cell phone in life? Or is it just another thing they could truly live without?”

I could live with-out my cell phone because it`s not a

necessity.-SteaVen Becker, 11

Yes and no, yes it’s not a necessity but at the same time that’s the

only way to contact my parents and I use it for everything.

-Olivia Salazar, 11

Easily, there is no need to have a cell phone.

The only reason kids need cell

phones is so moms and dads can take them away for punish-ment.

-Derek Deaver, Marketing teacher

No, not for five minutes, at all. It’s how my parents and I com-municate, and I have

a boyfriend who goes to Minatare and needs my attention 24/7.

-Sadie Blanco, 11

I could, but then again I couldn’t. I use it to communi-cate but it

isn’t the most important thing in the world.

-Brittany Hale, 11

1996-Macintosh Performa

According to the 2009 Parent-Teen Cell Phone Survey, American children now spend 7.5 hours a day absorb-ing and creating media - as much time as they spend in school.

2004- iPod 3rd Gen.

2005-iBook Laptop

2006-iPod touch

2009-iPhone 3Gs

2010-iPad 2011- iPad II, iPhone 4s

2012-iPhone 5

FEATURE | 7

by SarahMercer-Smith

FeatureWriter

Forget about not being kissed, there are much BIGGER problems todaySweet16

[ ]“Kids don’t care. They don’t think that what they are doing is wrong until they get into trouble.”

Pete*,Senior.

“I woke up with a dull throb-bing in my head. As I attempted to stand up and knocked the beer cans off of me, it dawned on me that I had no idea where I was. I was standing in a strange house with strange people; I had no idea where my shirt was, and all I could won-der was what did I do last night?” Trey*, a senior said.

The above scenario may sound like a nightmare, but for more and more students, it is becoming a reality.

What may start as one drink with friends often turns into drink-ing all night, and waking up in strange places.

For some teens, peer pressure is what convinces them to drink, party, and get high. Rarely do teens pick these up by themselves.

“My family drinks, my friends

drink, it was just something that I grew up with I guess,” Pete*, a senior said.

According to Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), 72% of students have consumed alcohol (more than a few sips) by the time they finish high school, and 37% have done so by eighth grade.

The statistics beg the question, when did it become appropriate for high schoolers to do these things?

Isn’t it illegal to drink alcohol until we are twenty-one?

Aren’t cigarettes only supposed to be sold to adults eighteen and older?

What ever happened to not hav-ing sex until marriage?

And when did smoking marijua-na become a lunchtime activity?

More and more teens now feel because their friends are out party-

ing, that means it is okay for them too.

That doesn’t mean all teens feel the need to party with their friends. Just ask Beth*.

Beth, a sophomore, is one of those students left who still believes that drinking and partying is wrong for someone her age.

“I feel bad for the kids who feel like they have to do that stuff,” Beth said.

Beth personally believes that because of her commitment to God, it would be wrong to give into peer pressure and do something she might regret.

“My religion is what keeps me strong,” Beth said.

Although many students start high school with the same mind-set as Beth, most feel pressured into doing illegal things by their peers.

“I saw all the same anti-drug campaigns when I was little, I took all the pledges too, but when I got into high school, everyone went out and partied all the time, “ Trey said, “ I just wanted to hang out with my friends.”

Today, drinking, doing drugs, and having sex have become so commonplace, that it’s a shock that the MTV show “Sixteen and Pregnant” hasn’t been replace by something much more scandalous such as “Sixteen and Still a Virgin”.

What ever happened to first kisses, holding hands, and shar-ing a soda pop? Has society really changed so much that a first kiss becomes the first time, holding hands becomes holding hair above the toilet, and sharing a soda pop becomes sharing a joint?

Even with the information about the dangers of drinking, smoking, having sex, and getting high, most kids really just don’t care.

“I don’t feel bad for what I do, because I never get caught,” Pete said.

The times have changed, and the students have changed. Today in Nebraska, the binge drinking rate comes in at the second highest in the nation. Teen pregnancy rates topped out at 8.5% in 2008. In 2011, marijuana use in high schools was close to 26%.

It’s shocking but it’s true. Today teens feel differently about drugs than they ever had in the past, and it doesn’t look like it’s about to change anytime soon.

Alternatives to partying for $10 or lessGo bowling!Lace up a pair of bowling shoes, grab a fluorescent pink ball, and slide that ball down the lane for a strike.Price : $6-10

Hit up the theatre!Who doesn’t want to grab their BFF, a sack of popcorn, a large coke for two, and catch the latest James Bond flick?Price : $9.25

Plan a scavenger hunt!Get your group gathered up and create a unique new way to spend your night trying to find a three-legged dog or a old lady wearing a red hat.Price : $0

Catch some extra Zzz...After recovering from your long day, nothing is better than coming home to crash in your comfortable bed and taking a night off from you busy schedule.Price : Priceless

* names have been changed

by KateyMyers

FeatureEditor

Brady Wallace works on removing various clamps from a deer mount. A few more steps are required before the mount is finished. Photo by Katey Myers

Finishing touches

Stuffed For sophomore Brady Wallace, taxidermy is

more than a hobby

Limited out.Just shot your first bird.So now what are you going to do

with it?Well you could always make

jerky or some sort of food out of it. You wouldn’t have a momento that way, or you could take it and get it stuffed to hang on your wall.

Taxidermy – the art of prepar-ing, preserving, and mounting the skins of animals so as to represent their natural appearance.

For sophomore Brady Wallace, limiting out isn’t the end of hunting season.

“I’ve been hunting since I was eight and taxidermy just went with hunting,” Wallace said.

Wallace has spent the last two years helping sixth grade teacher Jon Amundsen in his taxidermy shop.

“Brady was interested after I showed him a few of my projects when he was in my sixth grade sci-ence class,” Amundsen said.

Late this last summer, Wal-lace officially became licensed to complete taxidermy in the state of Nebraska.

To get his license, Wallace had to apply for the license and prove prior experiences and a business location where his work was con-

ducted.“Brady has worked on deer,

antelope, pheasants, quail, mink, weasel, a jackrabbit, fish, and a few other species with me. He has com-pleted pheasants, quail, and a mink by himself,” Amundsen said.

The typical taxidermy process is more complicated than many think. Even for a simple deer head, the

process takes days.

“It all starts with a client request. When the client brings the deer to the shop, we have to cape (skin) the animal from the carcass. We then remove the antlers from the head. The client then chooses a form and style for the mount,” Amundsen said.

For a normal

deer head mount, the cost ranges from $350 to $400. For fish, it’s $11 per inch, and for birds, it’s $100 to $250 per bird.

“The deer goes through a flesh-ing process to remove any extra meat or skin tissue left from the skinning process. After the flesh-ing, we put the cape into tanning chemicals for a few days. When the cape is tanned, it gets washed and is ready to put on the form. The eyes, ears, and antlers are set into place and the cape is placed over the form. Then it gets sewn up and set. After a few days of drying, all the finish work needs to be com-pleted,” Amundsen says.

For Amundsen and Wallace, the busiest time of year is deer season.

“I only work about six hours a week but it depends on how much business we have,” Wallace said.

Amundsen has been in the busi-ness for twenty years. He loved to hunt and fish but didn’t have the means to get his trophies stuffed so he taught himself the trade.

Wallace’s journey into taxidermy wasn’t much different.

“It was something I knew how to do and something I enjoyed so

that’s why I do it,” Wallace said.By state and federal law, Wal-

lace can only work on “big game” animals such as upland game birds and animals. Federal law states he can’t work on any federal migra-tory species until the age of 18, but Wallace hopes to be doing taxider-my for a long time.

“I would like to do it as a career, but it would have to be a hobby around here because you don’t get that much business,” Wallace said.

Wallace has done a lot of his own animals as he has been an avid hunter for many years.

“I normally hunt with friends and family. It’s always a fun time,” Wallace said.

Wallace’s favorite things to hunt are most types of birds.

1) Skin the animal

How to: Stuff a deer head

2) Remove the antlers

3) Choose a form and a mount

4) Fleshing process

5) Tanning 6) Washed

7) Set antlers, eyes, and ears

8) Place cape

9) Sew it up

10) Dry and finish

8|FEATURE

With the cost of tuition on the rise, students might have to take advantage of what they can in high school

Opinion |9

The views expressed in this editorial were

supported 13-1 by The Echoes [ ]

Most of us plan on getting some form of schooling after high school, whether it be a four-year universi-ty, trade school, or junior college.

But when students finally get that diploma and travel out into the world, they might run into a few issues.

Talk is cheap, but education isn’t.

Expect to shell out above $20,000 for a state university of your choosing, or throw down $40k plus for a private institution.

The national average for in-state tuitions is on the rise, taking a 15% hike over the past 4 years.

If you’re thinkin’ Lincoln, four years of in-state will run you up-wards of $17 grand.

Even at the more affordable University of Nebraska-Kearney, you might incur between $7,000 and $8,000 a year.

These days, we have to think about what options are available to us, including what’s right here

in Scottsbluff.There are cur-

rently 19 different classes students

can enroll in to receive college credit through

SHS or WNCC. These include classes that

aren’t just beneficial to getting general credits out of the way, but are practical and technical classes helpful to many career opportunities

(Basic Nurs-ing, Auto Tech-nology, Public Speaking, etc.).

Classes you can take right now will forge experience and education that will help secure a spot at a univer-sity or a place in the workforce.

Getting as much education as you can on the school’s dime isn’t just practical anymore, but extremely economical.

Eliminating as many general credit hours is a good way of eas-ing the workload and stress of a freshmen year.

Imagine bypassing the 150+ plus lecture classes and jumping straight into a specific field of study where class sizes are much, much smaller.

Many of the classes offered are those that will be required of incoming freshmen at universities, and will have to be taken care of anyway.

Why not just take the classes and check off a couple of ex-pensive college courses?

A college education is just a short walk to the counselor’s office away; trust counselor Newman, it will be worth it.

As they say, get while the get-ting‘s good.

cheapTalk

AvailableNOW

Courses at SHS or WNCC that will count for college credit

Afternoon Academy classes @ WNCC

-Medical Terminology

-Basic Nursing Assistant

-College Algebra

-Environmental Science

-General Economics

-Composition II

-Public Speaking

-Body Structure and Function

-Elementary Spanish II

-Intro Psychology

-Intermediate Algebra

Dual Credit @ SHS

-College Algebra

-Composition IV

-Construction (pending)

Dual Credit @ WNCC

-Auto Technology

-Auto Body

-Welding

Feel free to consult the counseling department for

more information on any of these courses.

by Shalee Roseberry

CenterSectionWriter

by RachelMadden

CenterSectionWriter

Let’s get physicalTaking a look at the physical and mental aspects that a male and female endure on a daily basis

Get a grip!

Now you think it, now you don’t...Girls can’t drive, boys can’t cook, taking a look at common gender myths and why they aren’t true

Boys think girls are emotional train wrecks, girls think boys have hearts of stone, but is there an exception to the stereotype?

Student opinion:Jonah Wright

Men are 10-15% larger than wom-en. And 30% physically stronger, especially on the upper body.

A woman spends an average of 2 years of her lifetime looking at herself in the mirror; a man spends 6 months.

While women speak on average 20,000

words a day, men utter only 7,000.

Women remember peo-ple better than men. This advantage might be due to women being slightly more people-oriented

than men are.

Women blink twice as many times as men do.

Men get hiccups more often than women.

Women have about four times as many

foot problems as men; lifelong patterns of wearing high heels often are the culprit.

Men are much more likely to become vio-

lent when faced with a threat to their love life

or territory.

Boys are approximate-ly three times more

likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or

attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than girls are.

Women are born better smellers than

men and remain better smellers over

life.

Average height today for men in the U.S. is just over 5’ 9” and average weight is approximately 190

pounds

The average guy shaves 24 times per month.

The average guy spends 33 hours and 56 minutes watching tv each week.

Brittli Sell, 11 Daniel Zambrano, 12

Fattest part of a woman: Hips

Fattest part of a man: Stomach

The right side of the brain is more developed in women,

making them better at visual and spatial skills.

During puberty a boy can produce enough sweat to fill a 6 pack

of soda in just one hour of exercise.

“I guess some men could. Most males think they are too cool to cook. They

will try to hide because they are embarrassed

they will be thought of as not manly. Other males just don’t try to cook.”

We have all heard it at one time or another in our lives.Men are better drivers.Women belong in the kitchen.Men wrestle and fight.Women are chatter boxes.Myths about gender differences are everywhere. Our no-

tions about men and women started deep within our history.“History created these myths. Men were stronger so they

hunted, so women became the care-takers,” junior Brittany Hale said.

“It goes back to the earlier times when men and wom-en started having different roles. Men did the driving, and women stayed in the kitchen. That’s where the pre-determined“myths” come from,” Science teacher Nick Goran-son said.

Myths about gender differences are there from the moment we are born.

“It’s what you hear growing up. You don’t really know otherwise until you find out for yourself,” junior Christian Enriquez said.

“When you are little, you don’t know very much. So you believe that the myths are true,” Hale said.

So do people still believe these myths are true?“I believe “myths” about gender differences are mostly cor-

rect, however they are always outliers in the data,” Goranson

said.Most kids would tend to disagree with him.“They may be somewhat true, men are obviously stronger

and better at manual labor. But that doesn’t mean women can’t do anything men can do,” Hale said.

“I don’t think there’s any real truth to them [myths]. I mean men are always reckless. There’s no way they are better drivers than women,” Enriquez said.

Gender differences myths may not be easily believed, but that doesn’t mean that they do not have an effect on gender.

“Guys still expect women to do things for them, like mak-ing them a sandwich,” Hale said.

“Certain aspects of a myth can make one gender look bet-ter, but they balance each other out. There is the same num-ber of myths about boys as there are myths about women,” Enriquez said.

On the other hand, these gender differences myths may have some truth to them.

“Women are more likely to talk. It’s just a known fact. That myth holds the most truth to it,” Enriquez said.

“I live with three men in my house, and they are disgust-ing. I can see why women are thought of as cleaners,” Hale said.

No matter the myth there is always some pre-conceived notion about gender.

So whether it’s cruising around town, chatting it up on the phone, or making a five-star meal, don’t assume that one gender can do it better.

Do you think men really can’t cook?

Women are three times as likely to get rheuma-

toid arthritis as men

Women develop knee pain and knee prob-lems more often than

men.

Fat men are 42% less likely to commit suicide than men with no extra

weight.

You’re sitting on the couch watching A Walk to Remember when the doorbell rings…

You grab a Kleenex to dry your tears when suddenly your friends come bursting through the door catching you mid-sniffle; you’ve been caught; your manhood has just been compromised, there’s no escaping the constant mocking you are about to receive.

Society has a Stone Age perception that males aren’t supposed to cry. They are supposed to be the ones who support the women and show strength by not showing emotion.

But senior Justin Pritchard may just be the exception to that rule.

“I think there is nothing wrong with crying. Everyone was created with emo-tions and there is nothing wrong with showing them,” Pritchard said.

Even though Pritchard claims not to be that emotional, he still thinks that it isn’t wrong for a male to express his emotions.

“Personally I am not very emotional.

I’m pretty good with keeping things boxed up inside which isn’t something I’m necessarily proud of. Transparency is a good thing,” Pritchard said.

Junior Daniel Rohrer also has the idea that society makes men believe they can’t cry.

“Society portrays men as not being tough if they cry, so they just don’t, I think it is ok to cry on some occasions, the only time I think it is ok to cry is at a funeral or maybe a loss at a sporting event, I mean it is ok to show emotion but men are really good at covering it up,” Rohrer said.

Studies show at the age of 12 boys cry just as much as girls do, but at the age of 18 women cry four more times than men do due to the growth and levels of estro-gen.

Not only is there a double standard when it comes to men crying there is also a double standard when it comes to men and women and the way they look and the way they act.

It’s a well-known fact that society puts pressure on women to be perfect and look their best at all times.

“I think girls have it pretty tough and guys should be treated the same way as girls,” Pritchard said.

But some girls have a very different outlook on that stereotype.

Senior Lexi Webber claims to be the typical tomboy and doesn’t fit into the mold of the common day woman.

“I hate dressing up and wearing clothes that are cute. I like to be comfortable in whatever I am wearing; I like being a tomboy because I’m not interested in volleyball, but I’d rather be in the dirt and playing a contact sport like softball,” Web-ber said.

Not only does Webber have her opin-ion on how women look but she also has an opinion when it comes to relationships between guys and girls.

“I would rather someone be in a long-term relationship instead of hooking up with three guys in one night. It gives the girl a bad reputation and ultimately the guy a bad reputation as well,” Webber said.

The double standard that men and women run into the most is that it is ok

for men to have more sexual partners than women.

“The more girls a guys gets makes them cooler and then the girl gets a repu-tation of becoming promiscuous. It should be equal but it never will be,” Webber said.

Prichard also has a similar opinion when it comes to the subject.

“I believe there should be equality when it comes to hooking up. It’s unfair that girls get a bad name for something guys are generally worse at,” Pritchard said.

Society pegs females as a distraction from everyday tasks.

“I think it’s imbedded into a man that girls are distractions and that becomes the standard for men,” Rohrer said.

“If a woman wants to have several part-ners I wouldn’t judge her based on that decision,” Rohrer said.

Whether its emotions, dating, or sex, there will always be a way that men and women are supposed to conduct them-selves in public, and there will always be the person who is the exception to the stereotype.

Personal commentary by Jon Wiebe

WiebeWobbleThe fumes, the dangerous

drop-offs, the constant re-routing to a simple destination.

Construction.What used to be a casual com-

mute was turned into a chaotic ramble to the high school.

My 1.8 mile traverse had become a zig-zagging maze of unexpected turns, harsh dips, and brilliant orange delays.

Several weeks ago I was travel-ing down 27th Street, hoping to find an outlet to the restaurant of my choosing to grab a quick bite.

To my horror, no through road was available to me.

StaffEchoesThe

Editor-in-chief JonWiebe

News Editor AaronMartinNews Writer EmilyYanke

FeatureEditor KateyMyers

FeatureWriter DeannaCortez

FeatureWriter SarahMercer-Smith

CenterSectionWriter

ShaleeRoseberry

CenterSectionEditor SarahHall

CenterSectionWriter

RachelMadden

SportsEditor Matthew T.Klein

SportsWriter Micah Holloway

SportsWriter KileyGuerue

EntertainmentWriter

Rachel Carlin

EntertainmentEditor

KaelaHeinz

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

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

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

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

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

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12|Opinion

I was forced to scarf down lunch and accept a tardy to my next class in order to avoid the absurd amount of traffic piled down Avenue I (how I got that far off course, I do not know).

Now that the majority of the construction down 27th Street is now near complete, I hope that the daily grind will return to normal.

The slight inconvenience we have put ourselves through these

past few months has apparently been worth it, as we are now driv-ing on roads smooth as glass.

I appreciate the effort by our city to refurbish roads in need of repair.

Like a fresh new suit, a good road network should be silky smooth, almost to the point where you don’t even realize it’s there at all.

The road network is well on it’s way, so kudos to you Scottsbluff.

Reduction in construction

Late July, this was the start of it all.

I left for the eastern side of the state, 27th street was barren of any florescent orange traffic mark-ers, I return to the entire stretch from K-mart to Avenue I has these orange and white candy cane striped pillars on the sidewalks.

What was this? Why are these here?

I remember reading back in April a story in the Star Herald about construction starting in the down town region sometime in the summer, but now this is late July, school is three weeks away from starting and now this is hap-pening?

Now this may sound a little ungrateful but shouldn’t they have started a little earlier in the summer?

In an article titled, Drivers Aware: Road Construction Season Begins, published April 16th, 2012 it was stated that road construc-tion was scheduled to begin June 21st.

June 21st, that was an entire month before it happened.

So school rolled around and low and behold, the issues began. I couldn’t possibly have been the only one to foresee the traffic problems that we were about to face.

The list of issues started to build the more and more I thought about it.

1. There is no turning lane at the intersection of 27th St. and

2nd Avenue, so the original two lane traffic that would soon be-come one-lane traffic turned into a nightmare. Trying to turn left into the parking lot wasn’t easy to begin with and now it just got worse.

2. High school students al-ready don’t have the best reputa-tion for their driving skills, throw a few thousand traffic cones into the mix and it went from bad to worse.

It is 7:40AM, seniors flooding into the parking lot, parents drop-ping their children off, and the occasional staff member trying to get into the staff parking lot.

Solution: come to school earlier, drop your kids off earlier, but we weren’t smart enough to grasp that concept.

3. This is most definitely not organized chaos, this wasn’t orga-nized at all.

Let’s give a hand to the brave-hearted security guards who tried their best to help direct this traffic before and after school, they did a great job, and their help was greatly appreciated.

But, once you were past the entrance of the parking lot it was out of their hands and back in to yours. Parents lined up trying to drop their kids off all while the se-

niors were trying to get a parking spot and get to class on time.

4. Blocking off both of the exits to get out of the senior lot. Genius…

Twenty minutes before the lunch bell rang, we were all sitting in class, Mr. Halley comes over the intercom and gives us the great news that we were going to have to drive around to the back of the high school, through the junior lot, and on to fifth avenue.

I had a sneaking suspicion that this was going to be a nightmare. But, kudos to the administration and the security guards for direct-ing us through the course and getting us out of there with great ease.

5. I don’t know about anyone else but those 3 inch drops did nothing positive for my vehicle.

All that could be done was to try not to bottom out your car and cringe as you went over the grand canyon of road construction.

Now I know this was a rant, and I want to get it out there that I am by no means trying to down-grade the construction because now that it’s over the roads do look great, and I would like to thank everyone for grinning and bearing through it.

Personal commentary by Sarah Hall

Deck theHalls

Bye, bye July

by RachelCarlin

EntertainmentWriter

Our one-act performances have never disappoint-ed, and they definitely have never been known to be unentertaining.

They’ve been known to be funny at times, serious in most, and usually controversial in some way.

And this year’s one-act play will definitely im-press the viewers and more.

A new one-act director and English teacher Sue Herdt is bringing the one-act play to a whole new level with the production of Hello Herman.

Herdt has 30 years of experience with directing one-act plays.

“It’s my first year here, of course. I majored in theatre, along with English and speech too,” Herdt said.

And the one-act kids notice Herdt’s experience and admire her talent.

Senior Lucas Parsley, who plays the lead role as Herman Howards, is en-joying Herdt’s style as a director.

“The thing I love about her and the way she directs is how she uses so much symbolism in the play,” Parsley said.

Senior Andrew

Holsinger, who plays a major role as reporter Lax Morales, said Herdt helps the cast get into character.

“While you’re reading your part, she’s getting across the message: don’t just say your part, but truly think your part,” Holsinger said.

Herdt says it’s crucial to think as the character before the curtain opens.

So how did Herdt choose Parsley and Hols-inger to play their parts?

“So many things go into casting a show: a look, an attitude, commitment to excellence, and ‘coach ability’. But everyone is working so well,” Herdt said.

Herdt also said cooperation, grades, atten-dance and other factors that play a part in pick-ing the cast.

With such a dark, complex and controversial play, there was bound to be some difficulties from the lead roles.

“Whenever we go to practice, I may be a little overwhelmed and a little unsure of myself. But most of the time I get into charac-ter fairly easily,” Parsley said.

Parsley tries different things to help him get into Herman’s

character. “I think of one very

emotional part in my life while listening to very nega-

tive music,” Parsley

said.Holsinger works to get into Lax’s charac-

ter.“Lax is kind of this big-shot reporter and

is confident; I wouldn’t say cocky, but pretty sure of himself. So I think of stuff I’m really proud of and I get into the mindset of how I’m better than other people,” Holsinger said.

In reality, Parsley and Holsinger have done this play before, as an Oral Interpretation of Drama (OID), but never have they done it like this.

“We wanted a powerful play that would impact those in it as well as those who see it. ‘Hello Herman’ has an amazing social mes-sage,” Herdt said.

This story is about bullying and how kids that are being bullied may go to the extreme of causing physical harm to others.

“It sends a message that bullying isn’t the an- swer. If you bully to an extreme, there

could be another Herman,” Parsley said.

Throughout the play, there’s an understanding of why Herman lashes out.

“You learn a lot more about me as the play

This year’s one-act play is Hello Herman, directed by English teacher Sue Herdt. Hello Herman is a controversial play about a school shooting where the shooter, Herman, will be executed

on live television. Senior Luke Parsley plays the lead role as Herman and Senior Andrew Holsinger plays the reporter who interviews Herman throughout the play.

Don’t be afraid to act

Entertainment | 13

Seniors Andrew Holsinger (left) and Luke Parsley (right) practice one of many scenes they have together in the one-act play Hello Herman. Holsinger plays Lax the reporter and Parsley plays the lead role Herma. Photo by

Stare-off

Continued on page 14

14 | Entertainment

Whether we choose to admit it or not, we have all been bullied or have been the cause of bullying at one point in our lives.

According to statistics from Family First Aid, roughly 30% of teenagers in America have been in-volved in bullying as either a bully or the victim.

When most people think of bullying, they think of two kids fighting each other with onlookers circled around.

Although that’s not always the way it happens, physical bullying is common within a school.

Freshman Nathan Sanders* knows what it’s like to be a victim of physical bullying.

“People would call me names and punch me and push me around,” Sanders said.

However, in sophomore Peyton Betts *case, the attacks against her were in the form of words.

“It was verbal. A lot of the bully-ing was when I had black hair and I would wear dark makeup. People would say I was emo,” Betts said.

Verbal bullying is more com-mon than physical bullying, and the consequences are just as severe.

Studies show that being bullied can cause depression, drug use, and stunted social development.

Bullying is also one of the leading causes of suicide amongst American teenagers.

Being a victim of bullying also makes the victim more prone to be a bully themselves.

Being a victim of this violence may even lead the person to take drastic measures.

“I hated the people that bullied me, but I never thought, oh I’m go-ing to get revenge on them,” senior Ted Randall* said

Even though Randall wouldn’t seek to harm his tormentors, many bullying victims don’t feel the same.

In some cases, bullied teens have violent fantasies of attacking their tormentors. The victims sometimes wish to seek revenge against those who have bullied them.

Harassment and bullying have been linked to approximately 75% of school shooting incidents.

It is important for victims of bullying to find a healthy way to release their anger and frustrations.

“I found people who cared about me and would vent to them about it,” Betts said.

Telling a trusted adult is impor-tant and, in some cases, may even stop the bullying. Even though telling someone about the problems that you’re having might seem scary, it can help.

“At first I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want to be a snitch. I even-tually told my parents and they emailed the principal,” Sanders said.

Often times victims try to stand up for themselves but it doesn’t

work or it may even lead to more violence.

“I would tell them to knock it off but they wouldn’t do anything,” Sanders said.

People often feel the need to bully because they feel insecure about themselves.

Bullying may make the tormen-tors feel as though they are supe-rior to others.

“Bullies want to feel like they have control of others,” Sanders said.

Bullies say or do things to others to feel better about themselves, without realizing what they may be doing and what damage they may be causing to others.

Bullying is a very serious matter and can have negative effects on teenagers. If you or someone you know is being bullied, please talk to a parent, teacher, or another trusted adult.

*Names have been changed

Continued from pg. 13

The effects of bullying

bullyingStop and think before you say or do something that could hurt someone

If you think you have bullied someone in the past, apologize. Everyone feels better.

Look at the kid bullying you and tell him or her to stop in a calm, clear voice. You can also try to laugh it off. This works best if joking is easy for you. It could catch the kid bullying you off guard.

If speaking up seems too hard or not safe, walk away and stay away. Don’t fight back. Find an adult to stop the bullying on the spot.

http://www.stopbullying.gov

by KaelaHeinz

EntertainmentEditor

Bullying can cause teenagers serious social and mental problems during their lifetime

progresses and people start showing sympathy for me. “You learn that I was screwed up as a kid, my dad left me when I was eight, my sister got ran over, and my mom was never there to teach me right from wrong,” Parsley said.

Hello Herman isn’t suggesting that Herman should not be prose-cuted, but it does shed light on how every person has a story.

“But when this play is done, our goal is for the audience to hate

Luke,” Holsinger said.“And my last line really empha-

sized that hate,” Parsley said.Although this story is fictional, it

reminds audiences of school shoot-ings in the past.

“There’s a line in there that says, ‘There’ll be more kids like me’, and whenever I turn the T.V. on and hear about a shooting that hap-pened at a school, or a library, or a movie theater, I look back at that part and think, ‘Wow, Herman was that kid’,” Holsinger said.

Hello Herman is meant to sway the audience and create a huge impact.

“I think it’s going to make the

students uncomfortable. This is not a light play, this is as dark as you can get for a school play and I think students are really going to enjoy it,” Holsinger said.

Herdt hopes this play will have an impact on viewers, but also ‘an-ticipates greatness’ for the one-act competition.

“I hope and pray for so many things with this show; those involved will be-and already are-impacted beyond belief. The audi-ence will be moved and more,” Herdt said.

All hope the audience will walk out of the performance and be changed and moved to do some-thing about bullying.

“This play will have a bigger impact than 90% of the plays we’ve ever done. And if we can perform it well and relay that message to our audience, it should have a big impact,” Parsley said.

Remember this: everyone has a back story.

So maybe there’s a kid that’s a little weird, so they may dress dif-ferently, and so they may be an odd ball.

To bully someone only sets a bully lower, there’s no fight won with bullying.

So before you decide to pick on that person that seems different, remember to put yourself in their shoes.

The end is near!I’m not talking about December

21.The Twilight Saga is coming out

with its final movie Breaking Dawn Part II on Nov. 15, and every Twi-light fan is unhappy to see it come.

Twilight fans, freshman Megan Hayhurst and Librarian Karen Harshbarger, are both sad to see the Twilight Saga end.

“I’m really excited but also sad; it started when I was in 5th grade and now it’s over,” Hayhurst said.

Harshbarger is excited more than she is sad, and tells when she first got hooked on the Twilight books.

“I initially read the book, Twi-light, because I needed to know what the content was,” Harsh-barger said.

After reading Twilight she in-stantly became a fan. She couldn’t wait for author Stephanie Meyers to complete the series.

Most people do enjoy the Twi-light series, but a lot of people have a problem with the movies.

Geography teacher Sarah Elger hasn’t had the best experience with the Twilight movies.

When Elger’s friends, fellow Whitney Gipe and Kiley Luchsing-

er found out that she hadn’t read the books or seen the movies, they made her watch all the Twilight movies until midnight.

“I was continually asking Gipe questions like ‘Why was the wolf instantly in-love with a newly born human/vampire baby’,” Elger said.

There are other issues with the Twilight movies. One of the major problems is the cast.

“I think Kristin Stewart did a horrible job in all the movies except for certain parts of Breaking Dawn Part I,” Hayhurst said.

Elger doesn’t have a huge prob-lem with Stewart’s depiction of Bella, but feels that’s the only role Stewart is able to play.

Many people have issues with Stewart’s portrayal of Bella, but Harshbarger said Stewart does exceptionally well.

“Bella is described as a klutz, not exciting to look at, quiet and doesn’t show the emotions she is feeling. Unless you haven’t read the books, you don’t have much appre-ciation for how well she portrays Bella,” Harshbarger said.

Elger actually enjoyed Robert Pattinson’s performance as Edward and has also enjoyed other movies he has starred in besides Twilight.

Harshbarger doesn’t agree with Elger. She thinks Pattinson wasn’t the right choice for Edward.

“I would’ve chosen someone like Edward Norton or Liam Hems-worth,” Harshbarger said.

Elger thinks the cast as a whole won’t be winning an Oscar anytime soon.

But something happened during the Twilight production this past year that made fans furious.

That’s right, Stewart cheated on her on-screen and off-screen boyfriend Pattinson with Rupert Sanders, director of Snow White and the Huntsman.

Hayhurst was upset that Kristin would do such a thing to Pattinson, but Harshbarger felt it was just like any other Hollywould relationship.

“I think the duration of Kristin’s and Robert’s relationship depends more on how they trust and respect each other. Promoting the Twilight movies is a limited engagement for them,” Harshbarger said.

Harshbarger thinks that if they are to survive beyond this point and time, they will need to get their value system in sync with one another.

Fortunately for Harshbarger, the two celebrities are back together after Kristin apologized over and over, not only to Pattinson, but to the public as well.

So whether you hate the movie or love the movie, whether you feel the casting was spot-on or a hor-

rible mistake, and whether you feel Stewart and Pattinson were meant to be or just another Hollywood never-to-be, one thing’s for sure: you’ll never forget The Twilight Saga.

by RachelCarlin

EntertainmentWriter

Entertainment| 15

The sun sets on the Twilight seriesOpening Night

Nov. 15, 2012 Carmike Theaters Monument Mall

Show times

10 p.m. & Midnight

How she won him back

Rob

•Kristen promised Rob she would cut off all contact with her old boyfriends.

•Kristen gave Rob the passwords to her cell phone and e-mail accounts.

•Kristen & Rob are going to couples and indivdual thereapy at Kristen’s expense.

&http://www.examiner.com/article/latest-robert-pattinson-and-kristen-stewart-news-how-kristen-won-rob-back

•Kristen also promised to give Rob the space he needs.

Kristen

•Kristen agreed to stop hanging out with friends that were having a bad influence on her.

Will Bella & Edward live happily ever after?

SPORTS |17

by Matt T. Klein

SportsEditor

(above) Senior Jon Maag chases down the Lexington quarterback during the Cats’season opener at Bearcats Stadium. (below left) Maag throws shot at the Twilight meet in Scottsbluff. He qualified for state in the event last spring. Photo by Gordon Rock

Blind side

[ ]“He is very humble and is

a team player who puts the team before anything else, no matter what sport he is participating in.”

Mike Fisher,Coach/teacher.

Standing at 6’ 5’’ and weighing 240 pounds, senior Jon Maag easily sticks out in the hallways.

It is not just because of his size, however, that the student body recognizes him, but by all the things he has done representing our school.

Maag, 17, comes from a family of nine including his mom and dad, four brothers, James 16 , Collin 15, Joe 12 and Nick 8, and two sisters Jennifer 19 and Isabel 6.

Despite the big family, Jon is close to each one of his family members.

“We all support each other and go to each other’s events. We live out in the country on a farm so we do a lot of farm work together like checking the animals and stuff like that,” Maag said.

Living on the farm means there is always some-thing to do. Maag

says the family works collectively.“We have a variety of animals;

we have chickens, pigs, cows, dogs and cats that we take care of, along with growing alfalfa in our fields to harvest and then sell,” Maag said.

Maag and his family have done projects out on their land that have taken up to seven days to accom-plish.

“We built a greenhouse that took us about seven days to get put together with digging the holes put-ting posts together,” Maag said.

Although he has many family members to turn to, Jon can’t rely on them all the time and has other influenc-es in his life he turns to.

“My coach-es that I work with everyday are good role models to fol-

low,” Maag said. Offensive and defensive line

coach, Mike Fisher who is one of Jon’s football and track coaches sees many great characteristics in Jon

that he prac-tices every day.

“He takes coaching well and he wants to get better,”

Fisher said. “He is very

humble and is a team player

who puts the team before anything else, no matter

what sport he is participat-ing in.”

Alec Burg and Ty Dunkel, who have been friends with Jon since freshman year, don’t see Jon as your typical big man on campus.

“He’s such a nice guy and he is always smiling and friendly,” Burg said.

“He is a great guy

to hang out with on the weekends and he is great at motivating the people around him,” Dunkel said.

Maag’s coaches have been a big influence on him.

“My coaches have taught me a lot about my sports and how you’re supposed to act and carry your-self,” Maag said.

Throughout his high school career Jon has participated in foot-ball, swimming and track and field.

“The most enjoyable sport for me is football, but I enjoy doing track on the side, Maag said.

Maag, who played on the offen-sive and defensive line, in football also throws the shot and discus during track.

After being such an important part of this year’s football team, Jon hopes to continue his playing career in college.

“I hope to play football in col-lege, but if that doesn’t work I have also been talking to colleges about track,” Maag said.

With so many things that Jon values and cherishes, he sets priori-

Senior Jon Maag may stand above the crowd, but it’s his character people notice

BIGA man on campus

ties so he can focus on his future. “My top priority right now is

making sure I’m talking to colleges and coaches to figure out where I want to go to college,” Maag said.

With everything going on in his life with family, activities and school, Jon must find motivation to do his best in sports that he hopes will carry him to college.

“Both of my parents were college athletes with my mom being in track and my dad playing football, so it kind of makes it a competition, but a healthy one, since it keeps me motivated,” Maag said.

So even though he sticks out in the crowd, it’s not only because he is physically big, but also as a young man with big character.

18 | SPORTS

by MicahHolloway

SportsWriter

[ ]“I have been going to practices with him since I was five so it felt com-pletely normal this foot-ball season.”

TyBenson,junior

All In THe fAMIlyMarriage counselors tell couples

not to take their work home with them.

That advice simply isn’t a pos-sibility for volleyball coach Megan Burda and her husband, Mike, the head girls’ basketball coach.

Every August through Febru-ary the couple does a sophisticated juggling act while coaching two consecutive sports while raising two small children.

“To be honest it can be difficult at times having two young chil-dren and trying to balance family, teaching, and coaching. However my wife and I work well together and both understand the dedication it takes to be a coach,” Mike Burda said.

Coaching in two different sea-sons is something to be thankful for because it makes coordinating schedules much easier.

“With us coaching different seasons we are able to work things out so one of us is home with the kids or we are at the gym,” Megan Burda said.

The couple is also lucky to have relatives living relatively close to help out whenever it is needed.

“We have a great support system with both our parents living in the area, so they help us out with the kids when we need it,” Megan said.

The Burdas are not the only fam-ily who has to deal with the stress of having two family members involved in sports.

For junior Kiley Guerue and her dad, Josh, it is a slightly dif-ferent story though.

Instead of having to balance clashing schedules, from November through February the two are con-stantly together with Josh Guerue serving as the assistant varsity coach.

Kiley and her dad, or ‘coach’ which she also calls him, see each other at every practice, game, and long bus ride!

It’s a good thing the pair have a strong relation-

ship.“Coaching her has helped us

to become closer because of the amount of time we spend togeth-er,” Josh Guerue said.

“I have always been really close with my dad and with him being my coach we have grown even closer,” Kiley said.

Kiley is the typical “coaches kid.” Her dad has coached her all throughout middle school and moved on to high school with her as well.

“The expecta-tions are always higher because I

am her coach. That pressure of feel-ing like you have to perform well all the time can be overwhelming, but Kiley handles it very well,” Josh said.

Kiley feels the pressure but takes it as a positive in her life.

“Having my dad in practice and being at all of my games is a drive for me to be good because he’s my dad and I want to make him proud. So although it is added pressure, it’s a good added pressure,” Kiley said.

Having a father daughter rela-tionship as well as a coach athlete relationship can be difficult to find a balance, but throughout the years the two have been able to handle it.

“He is like a coach for me on and off the court,” Kiley said, “We usu-ally sit down and discuss the game,

what I did good at, and what I need to work on. It is usually always positive.”

“I will always be a father first and coach second. It is more impor-tant to me the type of person Kiley becomes rather than how good a basketball player she becomes,” Josh said.

Just like any other father daugh-

ter relationship there are bound to be disagreements, especially with the added time spent together.

“Being a teenage girl of course we have some arguments but find-ing a way to work through them makes our bond even stronger,” Kiley said.

In addition to the Guerues and Burdas, head football coach Joe Benson and his son Ty, a sopho-more, are in the same situation.

When they are at football it is strictly business.

“It’s fun having him out on the field with me but we don’t ever act like father and son while at practice and games. We just keep it like any other coach and athlete,” Ty said.

Ty is used to seeing his dad in the role of coach.

“Having him coach me isn’t new because he coached me in baseball and basketball when I was young-er,” Ty said, “I have been going to practices with him since I was five so it felt completely normal this football season.”

With all these family ties in-volved it is no surprise the focus is turning to involving families in sports.

“Having the family be part of the entire coaching atmosphere is important to my wife and me,” Burda said.

Coaches, athletes & parents work together to make the program successful

Junior, Kiley Guerue has been coached by dad Josh for seven years. The two have a very strong relationship. Photo by Micah Holloway

Family Ties

It’s all in the family tree

Football

VolleyballSwimm

ing

Soccer

Basketball

Track

Golf

Kiley, Josh Guerue Ty, Joe Benso

n

Holloway

Taylor, Tylii Muncie

Micah, H

annah

The Burda’s

REPEATanyone?

SPORTS | 19

With a strong offseason and a competitive summer, the Lady Bearcats are hoping to be contend-ers in the B-6 district this season.

“We had a great off season. There were a lot of girls that played a lot of basketball and it will show this season. I can tell there are a lot of girls that have put in the hours and effort. This should translate into success,” Coach Mike Burda said about the team’s offseason preparation.

Three returning seniors, Alexus Pinedo, Brayden Auer, and Lauren Miller, along with Mitchell transfer, senior Liz Cunningham, will lead the Lady Bearcats this season.

Other returning letterwinners in-clude junior Micah Holloway, Toni Rosado and Amy Colburn.

“I don’t think the transition will be hard because I’ve played with a lot of these girls before and during

the summer” Cunningham said. “I think it will be pretty easy to step in and be a part of the team.”

The Bearcats will be depending a lot on team chemistry to be success-ful.

“As a coach, my first goal is to get everyone involved with the pro-gram to work together and try to build strong, positive team chemis-try,” Burda said.

“I think team chemistry is very important,” Pinedo said. “This year’s team is closer than ever as if having five best friends on the court. That alone will play a big role in our success.”

Expectations for the girls this year are high with the returning experience from last year’s 4-22 squad.

“I think our strengths will be our determination and our defense. We should be able to put a group on the floor throughout the game that can play hard the entire time. Our main focus on defense will be play-

Preparation during the offseason builds team unity,talent & confidence

ing hard and forcing our opponents to scramble,” Burda said.

“We have a lot of depth on the team and a lot of speed. It is im-portant for us to utilize those areas of our game and to continue to get better throughout the season in order to have the success we want,” Cunningham said.

The Bearcats have a solid plan for the upcoming season which features a tough schedule.

“I think Sidney will be one of our tough competitors in our dis-trict for us,” Pinedo said.

“Our schedule is extremely tough,” Burda said. “It can be a good thing, but playing really good teams can hurt us if the girls do not come to play each game. We need to understand this as a team and make sure we are ready to go every game.”

The Bearcats will begin their season with the Hall of Fame ex-hibition game on Nov. 26, against Kimball at home.

by Kiley Guerue

SportsSectionWriter

by Kiley Guerue

SportsSectionWriter

Head Boys Basketball Coach Tony Siske says he is approaching this season just he does any other.

That may true, but then again, Coach Siske was never the coach of a team coming off of a state cham-pionship season.

The defending Class B champion Bearcats will be the target of every-one’s best shot this season as they begin their title defense with three returning starters from last year’s 25-3 team.

“This year is not any different, we will continue to do what we do and like always try to beat our op-ponents,” Coach Tony Siske said.

“I think we need to work hard through conditioning and two-a- days. We don’t have much size this

year so it is important we are in good shape so we can press teams,” senior Michael Hadden said.

Losing three senior starters from last year the boys are eager to fill positions.

“Like every year you lose seniors and that just means some of our JV players will move up and need be ready to compete,” Siske said.

“We are all just going to have to practice hard in order to be success-ful this year. Younger players will have to step up and everyone will have to come to compete,” senior Taylor Winkler.

Compared to previous off season training, this year was different.

“We have a lot of involved ath-letes; during the summer boys are involved in baseball, and during the fall we have boys in football,” Siske said

For senior Michael Hadden, it was a different off season.

“Taking the fall off was impor-tant for me because I was able to gain some weight, and be in the weight room and work on my shot

and improving other aspects of my game,” Hadden.

Coming off a state championship the Bearcat boys are eager to start season looking forward to improv-ing throughout the year.

“It’s important we come to com-pete every game. We have a really tough schedule and that will help make us better as the season goes on,” Siske said.

“It’s going to be important for our seniors to have good leadership this season, and everybody will need to step up in order to have an-other good season,” Winkler said.

It is the younger players who may be the difference makers this year.

“I think it’s important to stay positive. We are going to have a lot of younger players stepping up this year, and it’s important to encour-age them and stay positive for them, in order to have a successful season,” Hadden said.

The boys will open their season with the Hall of Fame game Nov. 26 against Kimball at home.

Boys eager to get the season started after last year’s successREPEAT

Teamchemistry

Senior Alexus Pinedo goes against Shae Brennan during a home game against Alli-ance last season. Photo by Gordon Rock

Outta my way

Coach Tony Siske fist pumps at the finale of the Class B State Championship game against South Sioux City last spring. The Cats return three starters from last year. Photo courtesy of Callum Sports

Fist Pumping Finish

The girl’s first regular season game will be held at home on Nov. 29 against Chadron.

SUCCESSFUL sportsprogram

The late Al Davis, the former owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders put sports into perspective with his now infamous quote, ‘Just win, baby.’

Every team wants to win, but saying it and then doing it are two completely different things.

Teams don’t win just because everyone on the team wants to.

Sports teams that win consistent-ly over a long period of time are the product of a program.

To understand what that in-volves, The Echoes interviewed three Nebraska coaches who have built programs that have consis-tently won over long period of time.

The three include Scottsbluff Cross Country Coach Jim Barker, McCook Head Football Coach Jeff Gross and Columbus Scotus Central Catholic Head Volleyball Coach Jon Petersen.

Not surprisingly, all three men share a lot of similar idea about what it takes to, ‘Just win, baby.’

Cross country Coach Jim Barker has been the coach for 25 years, had 24 state meet appearances, and nine team titles.

McCook football coach Jeff Gross has success in common with Coach Barker as he has been the coach for the Bison for 15 years. In that time he has had 14 state playoff appear-ances, two state championships and three state runner-ups.

Coach John Petersen of Colum-

bus Scotus shares the same type of success as Gross and Barker. He has been the volleyball coach at Scotus for 36 years and been in the state tournament for 26 of them and win-ning it 15 times. Two titles in Class B and 13 in class C-1.

One can easily see that these three men have enjoyed much suc-cess with their teams over the years.

Not surprisingly success like this does not come easily, it is achieved from things that most people might not expect.

Teams can’t just be like the Mi-ami Heat, Philadelphia Eagles, or the New York Yankees and try and get every superstar in the sport. There is so much more that goes into building a successful team.

The consistent success like that of these coaches is built over time and with hard work.

“It takes time and perseverance,” Barker said. “Good things come to those who persevere: it’s something that I have learned to accept and live by in coaching.”

“You have to be consistent in ev-erything you do,” Gross said. “We believe that if you coach and teach with consistency you afford your athletes a chance at success.”

“Our junior high coaches do a great job of teaching correct funda-mentals and starting the building process of success,” Petersen said.

Barker believes one must have a dream and a vision and everyone on the team must be on the same page.

“Athletes and assistant coaches must share the same vision as the

head coach. My vision is that we will always be a contender for a state title, year in and year out,” Barker said.

Athletes must be dedicated in order to be the best. That includes their middle school years when they are first introduced to the program.

“The middle school program led by Ron Howard is truly a reason why our high school program has been so successful throughout the years,” Barker said. “His leadership and mentoring at the middle school level has been priceless.”

Gross also starts his athletes at an early age.

“We run a three week league for 5th-8th graders in the summer. It is run by our high school coaches and players, no parents,” Gross said. “They are taught basic funda-mentals and learn to run our base offense and defense which leads to junior high where they once again teach everything exactly like we do at the high school level.”

Everything is a process and all this work does not take place strictly during the season. The ath-letes have to work year-round and participate in off season work.

“We have a running and training program from June to mid-August, along with a winter running pro-gram for athletes who do not par-ticipate in a winter sport,” Barker said. “To become a successful distance runner, it takes a 12-month commitment.”

“The best off-season program is for kids to compete in sports year

round,” Gross said. On top of all the team success

these programs experience, they all have individuals who perform at very high levels.

“Obviously all-state players mostly come from our success dur-ing the season which allows them to reap honors,” Petersen said. “Mostly it comes from a group of athletes that are extremely hard workers during the season, in the off season, and in other sports.

“We have had 44 1st team Class B players in my first 14 years and I suspect we should have one or two more this year; we have been blessed to have some great talent,” Gross said.

Barker also has had outstanding individuals as sophomore Matthew Baraza supports that claim, as he won the individual state cham-pionship in cross country back in October.

Of course all great programs are backed by great support.

“Our student body, parents and alumni are great about attend-ing matches and getting into the match,” Petersen said.

“McCook supports our football program second to none,” Gross said. “Our fans appreciate how hard the kids work and they back them by coming out and support-ing them.”

All great structures are built from the ground up and when it comes to a successful program in sports the same laws apply.

Al Davis said it best. “Just win, baby.”

by Matt T.Klein

SportsEditor

Taylor Winkler, 12 Connor Ehler, 12 Jordan York, 10 Sabian Harsh, 11 Michael Hadden, 12 Taylor Muncie, 10 Brayden Auer, 12

NEWS | 20

Building a