Scottsbluff High School | Mar. 3, 2011 | Volume 94 | Issue 7

goldenA

end to the

BEARCATwinter sports

Bearcat wrestling team boasts three individual Class B state champions | pg. 14

Senior Taylor Counter becomes first female Seacat swimmer to win All-Class gold medal | pg. 15

Senior Willie Schwartzkopf holds his oppo-nent in a headlock at the Scottsbluff Invite.

Schwartzkopf, a transfer student from Mitch-ell, wrestled his way to the 2011 Class B state

championship in the 171 weight class.photo by Mark Rein

Junior Tyler Nation wrestles his opponent to the floor at the Scottsbluff Invite. Nation

successfully defended his state title from 2010 at the 2011 Class B state championship

in the 135 weight class.photo by Mark Rein

Freshman Colton Adams moves closer to a pin his opponent at the Mitchell Invitational.

Adams ended an undefeated season by claiming the 2011 Class B state

championship in the 112 weight class.photo by Ken Kurtz, Spectrum Photographics

Senior Taylor Counter displays her gold medal. Counter

swam her way to a first-place finish at the 2011 All-Class

state swimming meet in the 100 breaststroke.

photo by Karin Shedd

”

”

2 | NEWS

After the anti-government uprising in Tunisia in early 2011 successfully overthrew long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, many countries in the Arab world - including Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, and Egypt - have fol-lowed their example and undertaken the hefty task of toppling the decades-long dictatorial regimes running their respective countries.

Along with this political restless-ness is the concern of other countries for the safety of the people in those countries.

Some have gone so far as to travel to those countries to make sure family members or friends are all right; oth-ers have used the internet to commu-nicate, athough some countries have had restrictions on internet access.

This was the case of WNCC French/Spanish/Yoga/Belly Dancing professor Stacy Wilson.

As Egypt began to break out in protest, a friend from the past was on Wilson’s mind. While getting her Master’s in French at Colorado State University (CSU) in the late 80’s, Wilson befriended Ghada Waly, an Egyptian woman studying at CSU for the same purpose.

With the recent riots in Cairo, Egypt’s capital, Wilson worried for the safety and well-being of her friend. Wilson quickly began search-ing the web for Ghada and was eventually able to contact her via Facebook.

Wilson became reconnected with a long lost friend and came to learn that Ghada lives in Cairo very close to the Tahrir Square where most of the protesting has been taking place.

The two kept in touch

often, but there were more times of concern when then-Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak’s administration blocked and censored such social media sites, resulting in many losses of communication with the people outside of Egypt.

Ghada is the Assistant Resident Representative of the United Na-tions Development Program, and the Poverty Reduction Team Leader in the UN Cairo office. Her work focuses on capacity development for government entities, and designing and imple-menting support programs for the small and micro entrepre-neurs.

Living so close to the main square, Ghada was able to experience first-hand what was happening.

“The protests in Tahrir Square lasted seventeen days with a huge demonstration starting on Jan. 25. For the next two days, the 26 and 27, the protestors grew in numbers and po-lice became more and more aggressive as they began to shoot tear gas, water guns and rubber bullets,” Ghada said.

Ghada had several family mem-bers participate in the protests; one of her sons went down to the square for one day, but Ghada had a 16-year old cousin who caught a rubber bul-let in the eye and another needed 15 stitches on the head.

The protestors, upset with the police, filled the streets of all thirty provinces; police forces collapsed and started to fire live bullets. That night

all the police forces withdrew as 90% of police stations were burnt down by the angry protestors.

With police forces gone, prisons were attacked and 25,000 prison-ers fled, causing many residents of Cairo to panic for their safety.

“We were very scared, so my sons, my husband, and neighbors barricaded the street where we live with rumors of attacks all over the city. Men spent all night protecting homes and properties, community forces organized to manage security

and traffic for the following two weeks,” Ghada said.

Ghada saw poverty and cor-ruption but didn’t imagine that students and youth would get orga-nized and mobilize millions to be on

the streets.“The protests were organized

by youth university students and young professionals through Face-book, but were joined by hundreds of thousands of supporters from all walks of life, unemployed, poor and rich, who all asked for freedom, free elections, and change of the corrupt regime,” Ghada said.

Ghada believes the protests in Tunisia had an effect on the Egyp-tian revolt.

“The quick removal of the Tuni-sian dictator made people feel that these strong regimes are not that strong after all,” Ghada said.

On Feb. 11, Mubarak officially stepped down from office, retreating to a Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where he has a residence.

Mubarak’s son, who was getting ready to rule the country, also left. Key Ministers were arrested and are in jail with corruption charges, and both houses of Parliament were revoked.

“The army is managing things, a new interim government is in place and we hope to have elections in six to twelve months. A very respectable team is reviewing the constitution,” Ghada said.

Security is still shaky as only half the prisoners who fled were arrested, police are not back on the streets, and some parts of Cairo suffer from drug dealers and thugs.

“The mood after the fall of Muba-rak was that of celebration by millions all night in the streets, followed by high hopes and concerns for the future as one million tourists left the country,” Ghada said.

Fear of military dictatorship from the army which has ruled since the 1952 revolution is not very high as the military announced they will manage a peaceful transfer of power to civil authorities.

“Demonstrators still hold weekly demonstrations to insist on a big list of suggested reforms,” Ghada said.

story bySCOUT WILSON | news editor

The protestors grew in num-bers and police became more and more aggressive as they began to shoot tear gas, water guns and rubber bullets.

-Ghada Waly, Assistant Rep. of the United Nations

Egypt’s population is 80 million, with two-

thirds of the population under the age of 25.

The Youth Population

The UPrising in EgyPT

Photo from opinion-maker.org

Photo from fi.edu

leads to reconnection with a long, lost friend

NEWS | 3

story byRYAN MEISTER | news writer

BRIEFLYs pe aking

This year has been a year of changes: a change in administration, changes in school policy, and now a change in class registration.

This year students were introduced to online registration for the classes of next year.

This is the first time that students registered using their infinite campus accounts.

“The information we got from kids that had their log-ins and passwords [to their infinite campus accounts] was very successful,” counselor Rick Cantril said.

“The frustrating thing was deal-

ing with kids who didn’t know their passwords so we had to reset them and then some kids still had difficulty getting through the log-in process,” Cantril said.

It is not generally known that pass-words and log-ins for Infinite Campus accounts are not reset in the counsel-ing office but through the central administration building.

However, with difficulties aside, it looks as though online registration will be used in the upcoming years.

“I haven’t talked to administration yet, but I think that’s what we will be doing in the years to come. Most col-leges use online registration for their students to register,” Cantril said.

Yet the new program didn’t seem

to run as smoothly as everyone had hoped.

“This year I feel that it took more time because of the frustration and challenge of changing all the pass-words. I also believe that this new process has brought students to real-ize the importance of using their log ins and passwords more regularly,” Cantril said.

Online registration will be more efficient than the old handwritten sys-tem, as students become accustomed to the new system.

“Almost everyone, I’d say around 95% of students or more, got regis-tered with the 2 or 3 make up days we had,” Cantril said. “I think that online registration will be a better way once we work all the bugs out and it will help prepare kids for the way that most colleges register.”

The overall process hasn’t changed much, though.

“Students will still come into the counseling office to do credit and requirement checks so that we can refine the classes being taken. For example, a freshman coming in might not have all the prerequisites for a cer-tain class so we would need to change that,” Cantril said.

With change comes progress, and online registration is a change that will help the administration run the school to a brighter future.

A year of change

Photo from bplteensofwa.wordpress.com

NSAA

The Nebraska School Activi-ties Association (NSAA) is giving recognition to 48 seniors in their Believers and Achievers program.

The top eight of those 48 final-ists will receive a $500 scholarship from the U.S. Bank to the college or university of their choice.

Scottsbluff’s own Sam Harvey made it into the elite ranks of the top 48.

This is not an easy accom-plishment, as each student that is selected has to be nominated by their school.

Then, to make things harder, he had to compete with 632 students from across the state.

All students selected have to have an accumulated grade point average of 3.75 or higher on an unweighted 4.0 grading scale and be involved in an NSAA sponsored activity.

After being nominated, the students were judged on scholas-tic achievement, NSAA activity participation, school involvement, community involvement and a citizenship essay.

This years’ Winter Royalty saw many changes to the normal way things were often run. The most prominent change was the change in command, from S-Club to Stu-dent Senate.

The changes didn’t stop there as the traditionally formal dance took on the appearance of a student run dance party.

However, some traditional aspects were kept as royalty was still named along with the first and second attendants.

Taking the position of second attendant were Jarod Kerr and Victoria Bravo, the first attendants were Sam Harvey and Taylor Counter, and the two crowned king and queen of the dance were Avery Montanez and Hattie Guzman.

The popular topic of debate was what the dance’s theme would be.

It was rumored that there would be black lights and strobe lights that would light up the dance floor.

However, this was not to be the case, and although students may have been initially disappointed, many more still had a good time.

Winter RoyaltyChange of command

Believer and Achiever

The Academy Movie Awards Night for German and Spanish Clubs felt more like the Oscars this year, as many entered had their picture taken in front of the Academy Awards poster, and proceeded down the red carpet.

Attendants of the event wore some of their best attire to set the stage for the announcing of awards. The atmosphere was that of excite-ment as people began to fill up the board room, all anticipating who would claim each award.

Cookies and drinks were provid-

ed, with many taking their seats while eating a cookie.

Soon the masters of ceremony took to the front and began by thank-ing all those who had participated in the videos.

Then the moment all had been waiting for finally arrived, as the first awards of the night were announced.

No single video dominated the awards as many different people took home their golden popcorn award.

The categories for the awards were best Use of Culture Awards, best Villain, best Hero, best Actor/Actress, best Drama, best Action, best Com-edy, best Commercial, Most Creative Movie or Commercial, best Use of

Spanish/German Language, best Line, best Setting, best Music, best Costuming and a few others.

Some of the key awards handed out were the best Use of Culture, which went to the German movie Deutch Klub T-shirt Commercial, and the Spanish movie 300. Also was the best Use of Spanish/German language, which went to the Span-ish movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the German movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Individual awards were also given to best Supporting Actress; Spanish: Victoria Bravo of Sleepover, German: Taylor Counter of Zombieland. Best Supporting Actor; Spanish: Layton Croft of Twilight, German: Chad Na-gasawa of Toy Story.

In addition were the awards for best Villian; Spanish: Sheila Cloud of Homecoming, German: Riley of Frankie and Riley. Best Hero, Spanish: Nick Roussel of Twilight, German: Ben Fulk of Bourne Etwas (Something).

Best Actor, Spanish: Nick Roussel of Twilight, German: Keegan Schlager of Zombieland. Best Actress, Spanish: Sara Frederick of Sleepover, German: Jessica Schluter.

The night was filled with cries of joy and exuberance, as well as those of disappointment and defeat, but all was not lost as this year was a year of creative and enjoyable movies.

story bySCOUT WILSON | news editor

The Academy Movie Awards

Sophomore Chad Nagasawa shows off his award for best supporting actor. -Photo by Anna Teghtmeyer

Introduces students to online registration

4 | FEATURE

story byRACHEL CLEMENS | feature writer

“

“

Dancing is like expressing yourself.

Through your dancing you can show who you are, and how you feel.

-Petie Badillo, 9

CONTESTANTS:Erin Wang

2.

5.

7.

3.

1.

4.

6.

Frank Sanchez (winner)

Petie Badillo (with beat boxing)

Sylvia Castro & Anessa Ortiz

Tyler Webber & Kirby Thornton (with Sam Harvey & Emmanuel Gurrola)

Alec Rojas

Spencer Lake

lock

drop t

&Pop

6

Freshman Petie Badillo is, by his own description, a pretty laid back guy.

Badillo’s cool exterior, however, was put to the test on Wednesday, Feb. 9, when he walked in the gym for the Winter Royalty pep rally where he was scheduled to participate in the dance off.

“When I got there I saw all the peo-ple and I was like, ’Oh my goodness,’ I didn’t think there would be that many people there,” Badillo said. “I was scared. I usually don’t have stage fright because I have done concerts before.”

“When I went up to the DJ with the other dancers and saw all the people in front of me I thought, ‘I have to go get a drink.’ I was scared,” Badillo said.

The night’s entertainment also consisted of senior freestyle dancers Frank Sanchez, Erin Wang, Alec Rojas, Tyler Webber and Kirby Thornton, freshman Anessa Ortiz, junior Silvia Castro, and sophomore Spencer Lake.

Badillo started dancing in third grade; where he got up and started dancing during an assembly and ended up getting the Best Dancer Award.

The award and the movie “You Got Served” encouraged Badillo the

most to start dancing. “In ‘You Got

Served’ all that dancing just seemed really cool to me. It interested me be-cause I like music and dancing a lot,” Badillo said.

The late Michael Jackson is Ba-dillo’s dance role model and idol, but overall Badillo believes just learn-ing new dance moves to put into his dance collection have been the force

that drives him to keep dancing. “Frank and Alec came over to my

house a month ago and we were all dancing. Frank was doing that robot stuff. I was like, ‘dang he’s good.’ So, I was most intimidated by them at the pep rally,” Badillo confessed.

Yet, dancing with close friends is what Badillo prefers.

“I’m more open with them so I can do more stupid and fun stuff,” he said.

Dancing in a circle is Badillo’s favorite because people cheer him on and he feels more confident. Badillo practiced for hours leading up to the dance off at the pep rally.

After taking a drink and shaking off his nerves, Badillo started beat boxing in front of the crowd. The song he picked called “Find the Perfect

Beat” came on and he started dancing and getting into the music.

Once the crowd began cheering Badillo felt the push to do better.

“The crowd cheering brought a smile to my face, and I felt accom-plished,” he said.

Badillo learned how to do backflips with his brother Anthony Solorzano. His brother also helped him come up with some moves for the pep rally. Badillo said he pretty much puts to-gether the dance right at the moment.

“It’s kind of like just thinking be-fore the next thing,” he said. Everyone dances for different reasons, but Ba-dillo said he dances because it makes him feel more open.

“Dancing is like expressing your-self. Through your dancing you can show who you are, and how you feel, ”Badillo said.

Senior Erin Wang, a foreign exchange student from Taiwan, also enjoyed dancing at the pep rally. Dancing allows her to express herself without words. Wang started dancing three years ago, and her teacher Ash, inspired her most to dance.

“He not only just tells me how to dance; he also teaches me the history about dance and a lot of things in life,” Wang said.

The night of the pep rally, Wang said she was nervous because she is a shy person and doesn’t have much experience dancing in front of people.

She just found the music, thought of what kind of style she wanted to do, and free styled it.

When the crowd started cheering, she said she felt re-

ally happy. “It was so awesome! I felt so much

love from my friends, and it made me feel like people really love my danc-ing,” she said.

Wang dances because it makes her feel extremely happy. She feels dancing is the only way she can make herself feel freedom in her soul.

Freshman Anessa Ortiz started dancing when she was 8 years old.

She lived in Denver, and a lot of girls would always dance around her, and eventually she started dancing with them.

“My favorite place to dance is at the mall, because crowds come around and watch me dance, “Ortiz said.

Ortiz spends a lot of time dancing.

She dances almost every single day. “When I dance, I feel like all the

problems are gone,” she said. Ortiz really enjoyed watching

the other dancers at the pep rally. Although she was very anxious when her turn came.

“I was really nervous, but the crowd started screaming so I felt my adrenaline rushing so the nervousness went away,” she said.

Senior Frank Sanchez also started dancing at a young age. He has been dancing pretty much his whole life.

“Dancing is something my whole family does. We’re all dancers,” San-chez said.

Recently Sanchez started doing the popping style of dancing. “The popping kind of just came out of nowhere and I liked it so I stuck with it,” Sanchez said.

Music inspires Sanchez most to dance, along with dancing with his sisters and friends.

The Winter Royalty pep rally was the first time Sanchez ever danced in front of a lot of people.

Sanchez likes dancing because it can put him into different moods.

“If I’m ever feeling down I can just go put on some music and dance and it makes me feel better,” Sanchez said.

At the pep rally, Sanchez free styled to the song “Jam On It,” by Newcleus. A lot of kids at school didn’t know he could dance so he got a lot of comments the next day. Sanchez won the dance-off at the pep rally.

“It felt pretty good when I won, I didn’t expect it at all,” Sanchez said.

A dance-off at the Winter Royalty coronation brought unknown talent

into the spotlight

buSt A MovE

Senior Frank Sanchez dances under the spot light at the winter royalty coronation Wednesday Feb. 9. Sanchez was the winner of the dance-off. Photo by Terry Pitkin

story byASHLEIGH SMITH| feature writer

BACKon topA two-year diagnosis of Scoliosis

turned into reality when freshman Daniel Schaub received spinal surgery

It’s a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and the wind is at a still. The only thing on twelve-year-old Daniel Schaub’s mind is hitting the pool and swim-ming some laps. But there is one thing stopping him: an excruciating pain in his back.

What started out as a simple pain in then seventh grader Daniel Schaub’s back has since turned into an ordeal that has changed the course of his athletic career.

Instead of stirring up a splash in the pool that day, Schaub took a trip to the doctor’s office, where they dis-covered the culprit of his aching back. After taking and examining a few x-rays, which showed several curves in Schaub’s back, the doctors diagnosed Schaub with scoliosis.

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that, like in Dan’s case, occurs most often during the growth spurt just before puberty.

Its symptoms are simple: uneven shoulders, hips, or waist, and one prominent shoulder blade. Schaub,

however, claims his only indicator was the back pain.

As for the causes of scoliosis, not much is known except that hereditary factors are involved. Daniel’s dad happens to have scoliosis as well.

“It’s all my dad’s fault,” Schaub jokes.

After discovering the scoliosis, the Schaubs set up regular appointments with a chiropractor, on top of the doc-tor visits required every six months.

Years passed, and things seemed to be going smoothly – until a certain visit to the doctor. Something wasn’t quite right, and it was confirmed that Schaub’s scoliosis had worsened over the past two years.

“At first it wasn’t that bad; before I had to go every six months, but when I went the next time it got really

horrible, so they had no time to do anything other than surgery,” Schaub said.

Surgery is only performed in very severe cases of scoliosis, which Schaub had.

“My severity was just about as bad as it can get. It’s a really rare type. It’s different because usually guys don’t get it,” Schaub said. “My back had five curves, and usually there’s only one. They were also very large.”

Surgery for scoliosis is called spi-nal fusion, which consists of connect-ing two or more of the bones in your spine together with new bone using metal rods, hooks, screws or wires; It’s similar to what occurs when a broken bone heals.

Schaub underwent the four hour surgery on Dec. 10, 2010, and left the hospital five days later.

“It went pretty well,” Schaub said. “I prepared for the surgery by trying to swim as much as I could to get in the

best shape possible. I was kinda ner-vous going into it, but I think exercis-ing helped.”

Although operating went smoothly and preparations were made, that didn’t help much with the aftermath and pain.

“It was the most painful thing I have ever done in my entire life. I actually lost twenty pounds over ten days from the surgery. To this day, I still haven’t healed. I don’t feel any better either since the surgery was so recent. It actually hurts more than be-

fore, but it should get better,” Schaub explains.

Schaub also dealt with emotional pain subsequent to surgery, but had his family and even special guests visit in attempt to brighten his spirits.

“I was really depressed after my surgery. It was pretty bad, but we had the Colorado rapids soccer team come visit me, so that was cool,” Schaub said.

Schaub hoped he would never have to go through another surgery again - scoliosis operations rarely have to be repeated. However, this may not be the case for Schaub.

“They will probably have to do something later in my life, because it’s still not quite straight. I’m guessing they will have to do another surgery,” Schaub said.

Even considering the pain and emotional repercussions, Schaub is most concerned about his inability to participate on the swim team this season.

“The worst part about it was be-cause I couldn’t swim,” Schaub said. “I was truly looking forward to it. This was my first year of high school and I really wanted to swim, but I should be able to next year.”

Schaub currently walks the halls of SHS with his head held high and his back as straight as can be - with help from a brace that wraps around his torso and some Tylenol for the pain.

“It’s kind of hard to move around now, but eventually I will get a com-plete recovery,” Schaub said.

While the road to recovery may take a while, Schaub is excited for the future that awaits him. Hopefully by the next year, Schaub will be rid of the brace, and be back in the water to fulfill his dreams.

FEATURE | 5

Getting

LooKInG dEEp

Daniel Schaub’s x-ray shows the multiple curves in his spine. He underwent surgery Dec. 10, 2010. Courtesy of Daniel Schaub

“

“It was the most pain-ful thing I have ever

done in my entire life.-Daniel Schaub, 9

The road torecoveryexcruciating back pain•

diagnosed with Scoliosis•worsened over next two years•

prepared for surgery (swam)•

underwent surgery•

stayed in hostpital for five days•

now wears a brace until recovery•

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?CENTER SECTION | 7

With high school drop out rates sky-rock-

eting and test scores plummeting, many

Americans are beginning to wonder:

The American educational system has received more hits in the last couple of years than a Justin Bieber fan page.

If Americans aren’t complaining about the war in Afghanistan or how high taxes are soaring, one can probably find them criti-cizing the local high school teachers who they perceive as only wanting higher wages and more time off.

Anyone can chime in on the attack on public education in this country.

The question is, however, who has some real answers.

How can we fix a system that was once a paragon of how to educate young people, but has seen a steady decline in scores compared to other industrialized nations.

The truth is, there are no easy answers. No doubt, educators must do a better job in

the future to keep American students in compe-

brokeneducation system

Is the

AMERICAN

tition with other industrialized nations. Political pundits, name calling, and union

busters will probably do little to solve the problem.

At some point, meaningful education reform needs to take place.

In the next three pages The Echoes ex-amines some of the issues facing American education and how this country’s approach to education is viewed by outsiders.

Some people believe achieving educa-tional reform in this country may never take place.

Maybe instead it’s time we took Justin Bieber’s advice and Never Say Never.

Reform is on the way as American strives to leave no child behind in our race to the top.

“I think it’s pretty good. There are some areas for im-provement, like working on helping students become more

fluent in foreign languages after four years of the classes.”

-Jon Michael Burmeister, 11

“I think that you will get out of it what you put into it. The teachers are will-ing to help if you put in the effort.

I’m satisfied with the education I’ve received.”

-Sara Frederick, 12

8 | CENTER SECTION CENTER SECTION | 9

review byGabrielle Carlin | center section editor

Although the American education system has a lot of critics, one of the most recent has come in the form of a documentary by Davis Guggenheim called Waiting for ‘Superman.’

“When I was in the fourth or fifth grade, growing up in the Bronx, I was an avid comic book reader. I can still remember crying when my mom told me that Superman wasn’t real. I wasn’t crying because it was like finding out Santa Claus isn’t real…I was crying because there wasn’t someone with enough power to save us,” Geoffrey Canada, education reformer.

There was once a time when America was a leader in education, now we are sadly fall-ing behind in nearly every aspect of the word.

Waiting for ‘Superman’ is an enlightening documentary that seeks to find the root of the problem behind the failure of the American education system.

The movie follows five children, kinder-garten through 8th grade, living in inner cities from Los Angeles to the Bronx…all have high aspirations for their future, but feel suffocated

by the lack of education they receive in the “drop out factories” they attend.

Hoping to ensure a better education for their children, the parents of the five children decide to place the future of their children in the hands of luck as they enter their children in a lottery sweepstakes where the lucky winners get to attend charter and boarding schools.

It was easy to become overwhelmed by the vast number of statistics and facts being thrown at me during the movie.

As a senior in an American high school it’s embarrassing to think that the education I’ve received over the past thirteen years has not prepared me as well as my counterparts in Asia, Scandinavia, and parts of Europe.

In general I’ve been surprised by how reluctant people in America are to talk about the current state of American education.

While at times it was hard to watch, Wait-ing for Superman tackles and brings aware-ness to the problem, rather than hide behind excuses. It was refreshing to watch a movie with such honesty.

The movie doesn’t just bash the system, it

also offers solutions to the many problems we are currently facing.

If there is a criticism of Waiting for Super-man, it might be that the finger of responsi-bility is only being pointed at teachers and schools.

As a student it’s easy to sit back and let others take the blame, but it only seems fair to give students and parents a piece of the responsibility.

If education is a cooperative effort between the school, parents, and teachers then all three need to work together to produce better results, not just a school and its staff.

While watching this movie, I couldn’t help but be a little fearful for the future of America.

“We cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless we have citizens well educated in math, science and engineering. If we fail at this we won’t be able to compete in the global economy,” Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft.

If it is understood that parents need to step up and be more involved, and students need to be more motivated when it comes to their education…the most important factor is still

We’re waiting, upermanthe teacher.

You can’t have a great school without great teachers, and nothing will change without them.

Waiting for Superman predicts that by 2020, 123 million American jobs will be high skill, high pay…but only 50 million Ameri-cans will be qualified for these jobs.

It is time for teachers, students, and par-ents to ban together and change the education system.

The problem has gone on far too long and now is the time to ask the tough questions…

What happens when a school fails a child?Are we doing enough as a country to pro-

vide our children with the best education?I strongly believe that when we sit down

and explore these questions, we’ll begin to take the education crisis more seriously and with more urgency.

It’s time for America to stop waiting around for a “Superman.” If we expect to see a change, we must create it ourselves.

Can he rescue the American educational system?

inTernaTiOnal learninG

Spanish teacher Pat Sulu (far right) teaches Spanish vocabulary words to foreign exchange students Nile Kom-vongsa (left) and Erin Wang (right) during homeroom. Photo by Terry Pitkin

Fixing aneducationalsystemstory byeTHan HUGHeS | center section writer

In general, how do you feel about the education you are receiving at Scottsbluff High?“It’s good

overall. Some teachers make it really fun, but others sometimes just sit and don’t help and expect you to know

what you’re doing.” -Mariza Pacheco, 12

“It offers a wide variety of things to study, which I like. I’ve stayed here for four years and I’ve learned a lot, so some-

thing must be right.” -Josh Colerick, 12

Every country has its stereotypes.For Australia it’s that they’re laid back

beach bums spending their days surfing and throwing a boomerang.

For Ireland it’s that they’re all beer guz-zling leprechauns.

America’s stereotype is a little different.We’re known for being overweight, over-

confident…and under educated.While most stereotypes are unfair and

can’t be backed up by facts, the lack of edu-cation Americans are getting may have a lot more truth to it than we would like to think.

Why is America unable to compete with foreign countries academically and what are other countries doing to receive the great results that we fail to produce?

“School here is definitely easier than in my home country,” Erin Wang, an exchange student fromTaiwan, said.

Wang is joined this year at SHS by Nile Nuntika fromThailand abd Miriam Castelli, Germany.

“Back home the students can’t choose what classes they want to take, and the classes we do take are usually much harder,” Nuntika said.

Wang agrees with Nuntika wholeheart-edly.

“I like that American schools have so many activities and elective classes to choose from. I think it helps students have a more memorable high school experience. I think American schools should be a little

bit harder though. Back in Taiwan we spend more time studying,” Wang said.

Castelli believes the American education system could learn a thing or two from the German education system.

“I think it would be good for America to focus on separating the students. The students that are capable of learning material faster should be able to move on to tougher stuff, rather than wait for teachers to explain things to students that need more help,” Castelli said.

Oftentimes the relationship between student and teacher is what determines the success of a class. If a student has a poor rela-tionship with a teacher he/she won’t perform as well as they would if they had a positive relationship.

“In Taiwan, students are always respect-ful to their teachers. We always use polite language and treat the teacher with respect,” Nuntika said.

“I think that students should be more polite to their teachers. When students aren’t polite, the teacher should stop them rather than overlook the problem,” Wang said.

“Here it seems like teachers are more like ‘friends.’ In Germany a teacher is there to do their job, it’s not as personal,” Castelli said.

While the American education system is far from being perfectthe system isn’t com-pletely broken.

What American schools lack in academ-ics, they make up for in social and real world preparation.

Rather than drown our students in math,

science, and English courses, American schools give their students the opportunity to express themselves through art and music and expand their minds and social skills in speech and psychology classes.

“In Germany we don’t have clubs and schools generally don’t offer sports. I like how kids here are able to participate in extra activi-ties if they want to,” Castelli said.

story byGabrielle Carlin | center section editor

Exchange students love the experience, but don’t find the education challenging

While it’s great that American schools offer activities that help students excel socially, the bottom line is that academics needs to the number one priority for a school.

Until American students begin taking their education more seriously, the stereo-type of being “ignorant Americans” may never change.

“30% of Los Angeles students don’t gradu-ate from high school. 100% deserve a boost.”

That statement decorates a billboard in Los Angeles and is a sad reflection of the state of America’s education system.

America’s education system has been a hot topic in recent news and current events, and with nearly a third of students in Los Angeles not graduating high school, it’s easy to see why.

But it’s not just the west coast: there was outrage in the east and midwest when the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island ‘fired’ nearly 2000 Providence teachers. Protesting was abundant in Wisconsin when the gover-nor proposed to strip most public employees – including teachers - of their collective-bar-gaining rights.

The City of Angels may be over 1,000 miles away, and 2000 teachers may not be ‘mass laid-off’, but Scottsbluff High School still fits into the subdivision of “America’s educa-tion system” and we have our fair share of problems – just ask Scottsbluff’s own faculty members.

Principal Rick Porter points to the fact that Americans use a different testing and overall school system than most other countries to explain why America has such a bad educa-tional image.

“The biggest problem with our education system in America today is that we are try-ing to compare apples to oranges. We aren’t assessing in the same way as other countries, which gives us the image that we aren’t doing as well,” Porter said.

Math instructor Shelby Aaberg dislikes the actual testing process itself, saying it has gone

beyond its potential usefulness. “One of the greatest problems in educa-

tion now is the emphasis on testing. While assessments are necessary to monitor the learning process, I feel we as a society have allowed the practice of testing to spiral out of control,” math instructor Shelby Aaberg said.

As a school board member and father of four SBPS-educated children, Michael Shedd has strong opinions about the state of Ameri-can education.

“The only problem with the American educational system is that it has never been designed with the needs and interests of the students first. It has always been a compro-mise between educa-tional goals and larger social goals,” Shedd said.

Social studies teacher Gary Largo agrees.

“Aside from the ob-vious funding problems, the real problem I see is that decisions are made too far from the actual delivery of instruction. Policy makers at the national and state levels are so far removed from the process that they have no clue what the real problems are,” Largo said.

With films like “Waiting for Superman” (see review on page 9) in which America’s edu-cation system is broken down and analyzed, more awareness is generated and questions like “who is to blame?” and “ from where do these problems stem?” are brought up.

While many like to pin the blame on the school system, others believe it is a cultural problem.

“I think the blame is collectively ours [adults]. Many adults believe that what

worked for them must, by default, be what is best for current students. Just because it was done a certain way in the past does not mean it was the most effective or efficient way,” Aaberg said.

“Many of the problems I see in education today stem from society. We are a reflection of what is sent to us – if kids are ready to learn and have been brought up in an environment where education and learning are valued, they thrive in our school system,” Largo said.

Oftentimes, the finger is pointed at the schools for “failing our students” or the gov-ernment for “refusing to fund our education”, and while the schools should be kept account-

able, the bottom line is that

each individual is responsible for his or her own learning, or his or her child’s learning.

“Parents are the most important teachers in any student’s life whether they wish to be or not. If they support the students in their educational careers, the sky is the limit. If they are not able to or not interested in provid-ing that support then the student is already handicapped,” Shedd said.

As Shedd has actively participated in his children’s education since day one, he is a firm believer that parents who read to their students at a young age, who stay involved with their children’s teachers, and hold their

children responsible for their homework, grades, and behavior are the greatest allies any student or teacher could have.

Despite the flaws and downfalls of Ameri-ca’s education system, it’s not all bad.

“The best thing we do is educate the masses. We do our best to educate students who speak languages other than English. I think our system really values kids first.” Largo said.

“We educate everyone who comes through the doors. We do not tell students they can’t come to school.” Menghini said.

With all the buzz about education, people are taking sides. Do we need an overhaul of the system? Are only minor adjustments necessary? What is the future of the American education system?

“The future of the American education system all depends on the political persons making decisions that affect our system. As decisions continue to be made by persons without much experience in education, our system will continue to suffer.” Aaberg said.

“What we need to do is move from the in-stant gratification ideas of high stakes testing and get back to the concept that learning is crucial for life. It is a hard job, but like all hard work, the rewards are immense.” Largo said.

“We educate everyone. We have laws pro-tecting students. We have human rights for all people. Any student can get a good education. The opportunity is there, is there a desire? Students need to remember, education sets us free from oppression and poverty.” Menghini said.

The decisions themselves may lie with the lawmakers, but perhaps a better source would be the administrators and teachers who are actually closely working with the people the educational system is supposed to help.

““The only problem with the American education system is that is has never been designed with the needs and

interests of the students first.-Michael Shedd, school board member

Teachers and administrators give their thoughts on the state of modern American education

Students respond:

10 | CENTER SECTION

language arts, math, and science as “core academic subjects,” its intention of increasing quality of education by mandating that schools improve their performances, and the increased at-tention to minority populations.

Critics of the act argue that NCLB’s goal of 100% proficiency in reading and math tests is logically unattain-able, as that would require that every student in America be above average. They also point out the high-achieving students who are left unchallenged by curriculums that ‘teach to the standardized tests,’ and the fact that,

since each state can lower their official standards on what is considered ‘pro-ficient,’ NCLB encourages lowering the bar rather than helping students reach it.

In response to continuing criticism of the education system, the Obama Administration in 2009 passed a new bill: Race to the Top.

NCLB and RTT are different mainly in how they choose to dole out money to schools - while NCLB threatened to cut funding for schools that did not meet national standards, RTT requires that states, not individ-ual schools, apply for funding awards by demonstrating ambitious but achievable plans for effective educa-tion reform.

The applications are judged holisti-cally, with points being awarded for various categories, from “interven-ing in lowest-achieving schools” to “developing and adopting common national standards,” for a total of 500 possible points.

Phase 1 applications were due on Jan. 19, 2010. Three months later, the winners were announced: Delaware ($100 million) and Tennessee ($500 million). The government released each state’s score in an effort to help improve applications for Phase 2, which were due on June 1. The win-ners (Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mary-land, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia) won anywhere from $75 million to $700 million.

Several states, including Washing-ton, Texas, and Vermont did not sub-

mit applications for either or both rounds of Race to the Top competitions. When asked to explain why, Governor Rick Perry of Texas

stated that: “We would be foolish and irresponsible to place our children’s future in the hands of unelected bu-reaucrats and special interest groups thousands of miles away in Washing-ton.”

Further criticism of RTT came from the Economic Policy Institute, which released a report in April 2010 show-ing that the selection of Delaware and Tennessee as first-round winners was “subjective” and “arbitrary,” not as a result of these states’ “superior com-pliance with reform policies.”

In President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union Address, he officially retired NCLB and referred to RTT as “the most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation.”

Americans may not all agree with Mr. Obama’s statement, but, regard-less, until the United States starts catching up with Finland or China academically, education reform will continue to be an issue of paramount importance.

Race to the Top for

The United States of America: a nation known for many things.

The longest-lasting modern de-mocracy, a melting-pot of cultural differences, a plethora of hit movies and shows bursting from Southern California, the home of internation-al fast-food celebrity, McDonald’s, and Oprah - all things attributed to the home of the free.

However, the most notable (and concerning) distinc-tion America has the misfortune of claiming is one that sets us as a nation far behind the rest of the industrial-ized world: a weak education system.

In this respect, which is evi-denced by consistently low test scores and under-achieving students, the US lags behind other industrialized countries like Japan, Korea, Finland, Canada, and New Zealand.

In response to this unsettling trend, the Bush Administration signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002.

The law’s purpose was, es-sentially, to hold schools account-able for the success or failure of their students, a statistic that was to be measured by standardized math and reading tests. Schools that showed no improvement in test scores from year to year faced punishments such as decreased funding.

Proponents of NCLB point to American students’ improved national test scores from 2000 to 2005, NCLB’s focus on reading,

NOTwinning the

academic excellence?

Guess who’s

Until the United States starts catching up with Finland and China academically, education reform will continue to be an

issue of paramount importance

story byKARIN SHEDD | editor-in-chief

OPINION | 11

editor-in-chief | KARIN SHEDD

theECHOES

news editor | SCOUT WILSON

news writer | RYAN MEISTER

feature editor | MEGHAN PRITCHARD

feature writer | RACHEL CLEMENS

feature writer | ASHLEIGH SMITH

center section editor | GABRIELLE CARLIN

center section writer | ETHAN HUGHES

entertainment editor | RUSSELL MORGAN

entertainment writer | VICTORIA BRAVO

sports editor | KELSEY EMPFIELD

sports writer | MADDIE HOLSCHER

sports writer | MICHAEL MILLER

adviser | TERRY PITKIN

The Echoes is a tri-weekly pub-lication 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 read-ers to write letters to the editor in response to a story, but does reserve the right to publish said letter.

The Echoes also encourages all readers to submit their ideas for story coverage, feedback on stories, and any other input.

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

ous, libelous, or false information will not be fun. The letter must also be signed to be run. Content may be edited due to grammati-cal or content needs. A signed copy must be presented to the Scottsbluff High School journal-ism department, room 130. Also, please check out The Echoes’ Fa-cebook.com group and MySpace page online!

staff

ad manager | CASEY SIGRIST

We here at The Echoes enjoy beating dead horses (metaphorically, of course).

The topic discussed in the follow-ing editorial has been pushed in Echoes editorials past, but, with the end of the school year swiftly approaching, we believe it is time to once again ques-tion a long-standing policy that affects every student who will ever don a Scotts-bluff High School graduation robe and mortarboard cap.

The graduation policy that prohibits, on threat of withholding diplomas, such horrific items as silly string and beach balls, alters the commencement cer-

emony from one of youthful exuberance to one of overbearingly solemn pomp and circumstance.

Yes, all the parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other extended rela-tives who tow themselves out to the Panhandle to attend the graduation cer-

emonies expect a tightly-run, well-put-together show, but stifling every harmless glee-ful adolescent outburst for their sake defeats the pur-pose of graduation, which is, as its name implies, about

celebrating the graduates themselves.Certainly the entire ceremony should

not be intermittently punctuated by party poppers and spurts of silly string,

but why not allow a mere 30 seconds (a fraction of the total time of the cer-emony) for the graduating seniors to throw beach balls, toss confetti, scream, whoop, holler, yell, and generally engage in benign expressions of teenage exuberance?

This compromise should be suitable for all - the graduates get an opportu-nity to release their pent-up excitement, while the dignity of the ceremony stays intact for the remaining two or so hours.

With the 2011 graduation ceremony swiftly approaching, we here at The Echoes hope that this request be consid-ered, lest our metaphorical horse-beat-ing be in vain.

GRADUATION:No harm, no foul in allowing seniors 30 seconds of hoopla at the commencement ceremony

it’s really about the students

The views expressed in this editorial were supported 15-0 by

The Echoes staff

The other day I was trying to explain to my brother just why I love the TV show Glee so much, why I watch it every single week without fail, glued to the couch, not even switching the channel at commercials.

He said something to me like, “But Maddy, it’s completely fake.”

And I replied, “Yeah, but….but……aaaahh!!”

I’m eloquent that way.But although I couldn’t really come

up with an appropriate reply to my brother’s argument then, I think I can now.

You see, the thing about Glee is that it throws actions and feelings and in-tensity around like they’re easy to come by. Cheesy high school dramas targeted at teenagers tend to be that way—and this one has the added bonus of random unnecessary singing.

In other words, to me Glee represents all the epic lovely things that could hap-pen in real life, but usually don’t. So, of course, it draws me in like a magnet.

Because that’s just the kind of person I am.

I cry during sappy movies starring ac-tors whose work I don’t even like, tears well up in my eyes when I watch my little brother run at cross country meets, I attach extreme sentimentality to inanimate objects and, yeah, I do wish my life was actually a musical—prefer-ably with multiple impromptu dance scenes.

I’m emotional. I’m a crier. I’m one of those people who gasp far too dramati-

cally because of minor surprises. Which is weird, because somehow

I’ve always thought of myself as the exact opposite type of person: the laid-back kind who is very calm and has a nice Zen outlook on the world.

But that’s not really true.Actually, I possess an extreme admi-

ration, and possibly even idealization, when it comes to the best qualities in people and other aspects of the world.

Basically, I’m just really, really dra-matic.

I want to believe that people can truly act with the cliché beautiful dig-nity and heart that they show on movies and in books, and about ninety percent of the time, I do believe it.

I can’t help it. And, try as I might, I can’t see the world any other way.

It’s not as though I believe that bad things never happen; of course they do. It’s just that somehow my brain or soul or whatever has been infused with this unstoppable optimism that I don’t think I could push out even if I wanted to—whether it comes from minor everyday entertainment or my outlook on the whole entire world.

I know all the arguments: the world is a bad, bad place. Besides, everything’s really just too normal for the kind of constant intensity present on Glee.

Intelligent, well-educated people are supposed to believe that the world functions not as a series of amazing things humans accomplish, but rather as a series of abominable crimes humans commit.

I’m pretty sure that kind of cynicism is the society-approved route.

But have you seen the world out there? Have you?

I guess this could just be the serial optimist in me talking, but it’s pretty amazing.

And even if I were to try, I don’t hon-estly think I could let go of my fantastic belief in the capabilities of the human spirit.

First of all, if I ever did, it would be super depressing. And also, how would I be able to enjoy anything at all in life?

And maybe it’s a stretch to say I can get all this just from some show in Fox’s Tuesday night lineup. But at their hearts, the ideas are very much the same.

At some point at the end of her stay in the Secret Annex, Anne Frank wrote, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

And honestly, if Anne Frank could still think like that after all that she went through, then why shouldn’t I?

I am for cheesy TV musicals, because I secretly want the world to be at least a little bit like them, and I do believe that sometimes it truly is.

I am for drama and sacrifice and character, because I would so much rather celebrate the truth in these things than the equal truth present in evil or danger or greed.

I am for optimism, not because I would ever dare assume the world is perfect always, but just because I believe the world is perfect sometimes--with impromptu dance numbers or without.

I LOVE GLEEThe world through the eyes of an unflappable optimist

guest commentary by MADDY PARSLEY

Filmer uten grenserFim san fontyè

Film senza frontiere

Películas sin fronteras

Filme fara frontiere

12 | ENTERTAINMENT

The United States boasts an impressive array of films, but what if we’re not seeing the

best the industry has to offer?Action. Death. Crime. Technology.

Suspense. These are all aspects we look for in

today’s movie industry. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Iron Man 2, Tron: Leg-acy, and Inception are all examples of this, and they all are some of the high-est grossing movies in the past year.

Not too many of us will find our-selves watching a foreign film such as Mesrine: L’Instinct de Mort (Killer Instinct) on a Satur-day night.

Instead we might tune into something that has been frequently watched by our peers, something we know, something safe.

Though what we’ve been asking Hollywood for throughout the years can be found outside of our comfort zone, beyond our borders, in a foreign film.

Mesrine is a four hour biography of the notori-ous French Gangster of the 1960’s-1970’s, Jacques Mes-rine. The film is divided in two parts Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy #1, both of which can be found on Netflix.

Mesrine is known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces”, and for being brave beyond measure with his risky escapes from prison.

In his lifetime, Mesrine carried out numerous robberies, kidnappings, and murders in several different con-tinents until he was shot dead in 1979, but his infamy lives on.

Mesrine gets help along the way by equally reckless, Jeanne Schneider.

Together they have an unbreakable bond of romance and cruelty that

makes for a foreign film must-see. Another foreign film that is worth-

while is Pan’s Labyrinth, a haunting fantasy-drama set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and details strange journeys by an imaginative young girl, Ofelia.

Ofelia’s mother, Carmen just remarried to an army captain and is soon to bear his child leaving Ofelia to

entertain herself. While her stepfather is determined

to fulfill the orders of General Fran-cisco Franco to crush a nearby upris-ing, Ofelia ventures into an elaborate stone labyrinth presided over by Pan, a mythical faun.

Pan soon convinces her that she is a princess and that in order to return

to her underground kingdom she must complete a trio of life-threaten-ing tasks.

Ofelia plans on setting out on reclaiming her kingdom and return-ing to her bed stricken mother.

The film is said to be a more adult version of Alice in Wonderland, a successful movie here in America.

If one is looking for a more relaxed movie, one should turn to a movie from South Korea and Germany titled Spring, Sum-mer, Fall, Winter… and Spring.

It’s a Buddhist-inspired tale of two monks, one young and one old.

The story takes place over several years and is divided into 5 sections, the seasons of the title.

The plot follows the education of the younger monk, who is just a small boy in the beginning but learns im-portant lessons over his lifetime from his aging counterpart.

Then there is City of God, a Brazil-ian crime film that has been nomi-nated for 4 academy awards.

The story follows the bringing up of two young boys, Buscape and Bene as they witness violence, hate, and crime.

When the boys grow up, Buscape becomes a photographer and Bene a drug dealer.

The story of how crime contributes to the population is set in the middle

of a brutal crime war lead by Bene.

Bene’s longtime friend Buscape takes pictures throughout the war and makes the famous story of bravery and violence.

Foreign films don’t get as much atten-tion that they deserve here in the United States.

Last year a Korean film, Secret Reunion, was second on the list of

the highest grossing movies in the 1st half of 2010, right behind Avatar and ahead of Ironman 2 and Alice in Wonderland.

These foreign films don’t get much attention here, which isn’t logical due to the fact that a majority of foreign films are more entertaining and make more money than many American films.

One might not be used to watch-ing a film in a different language or having to read subtitles for two hours, but if the statistics weren’t enough know this, foreign films are definitely worthwhile.

Films withoutBorders

story byvictoria bravo | entertainment writer

wncc.edu308.635.3606

Three4FreeThree4Free is a scholarship program available to students who will graduate in

2011 & 2012. This program enables you to take one class, absolutely free during the 2011 summer session. By participating in the Three4Free program, you can start your future today by completing one of several general education courses or take

a class in an area you always wanted to learn more about!

Registration for the summer session begins April 11!

For more information, visit wncc.edu or call 308.635.6010.

Start Your Future Today!

FRIDAY!!! Is the last day to purchase your

2011 yearbook. Talk to any Bluff or Echoes staff member, or stop by room130 to purchase

a lifetime of memories.

story byKELSEY EMPFIELD| sports editor

14 | SPORTS

In For thE PIn

(Above) Junior Tyler Nation controls his opponent in a match earlier in the season. (Right) The undefeated freshman, Colton Adams, takes down his rival. Both Nation and Adams earned a first place finish at the state wrestling tournament Feb. 19. Photos by Mark Rein & Alexis Cook

thE hEaD LocK

Undefeated senior Willie Schwartzkopf makes a move on his opponent earlier in the year. Schwartzkopf won the gold medal at the Qwest Center in Omaha for the second consecutive year. Photo by Mark Rein

‘We are the (state) champions!’Adams, Nation, Schwartzkopf capture state wrestling titles

As the lyrics from Queen’s, “We Are the Champions” began to blare over the sound system in the Qwest Center in Omaha, the adrenaline began surging through the veins of junior Tyler Nation.

“We are the champions, my friend,” welcomed the traditional Parade of Champions prior to the final round of the state wrestling tournament.

An NETV camera captured a look of anticipation on Nation’s face.

“We’ll keep on fighting till the end.” Nation looked to his side and his

opponent for the final round, Kevin Smith from Central City.

“We are the champions. We are the champions.”

Suddenly, the realization hit Na-tion. For the second consecutive year he had made it to the state finals.

“No time for losers, ‘cause we are the champions…”

“This is it,” Nation thought to himself. “I have a chance to defend my championship.”

“…of the world.”Before the afternoon was over at

the Qwest Center, three Scottsbluff wrestlers would prove they were champions.

“And the champion, Colton Ad-

ams, Scottsbluff!”“And the champion, Tyler Nation,

Scottsbluff!”“And the champion, William

Schwartzkopf, Scottsbluff!” Undefeated freshman Col-

ton Adams pinned senior Daniel Dominguez-Jiminez of O’Neill in only 1:04 in the 112 lb. weight division.

“My nerves didn’t affect me in the finals. I was just thinking about if I did get a pin, it would be more team points,” Adams said.

“Colton is probably the best freshman you can find. Everything is second nature for him. When you put the time in that he has, you will get success, which is exactly what he does,” head coach Claude Robinson said.

Nation also snagged a gold medal for the second consecutive year, win-ning a 5-2 decision over Central City’s Kevin Smith in the 135 lb. weight division.

“I wasn’t nervous, I was confident. Once I made it to the finals, I knew I was going to win,” Nation said.

Although Nation received the gold, it wasn’t without a major set-back.

“During the first period, I sprained my ankle; this made the match a lot harder. I just thought to myself that it was the state finals and I wasn’t go-ing to let it get in the way of the state

championship with only four minutes left in the match,” Nation said.

“When Tyler sprained his ankle, that was when our hearts dropped. Tyler isn’t one to complain about bumps and bruises, especially on the mat, but we let him go and he pushed through the pain. He did what he had to do,” Robinson said.

The extent of the injury was seen when he returned to school last Mon-day and had to spend the entire week on crutches.

After transferring to Scottsbluff from Mitchell last fall, the return-ing Class C cham-pion at 171 lb., senior Willie Schwartzkopf picked up the Class B championship as well.

Schwartzkopf defended his unde-feated record and won a 9-4 decision over Grant Harrill from Boys Town.

“There’s nobody in the state that can hang with Willie. He’s a freak. He’s been wrestling for years. Willie

does what Willie does best, which is being athletic and strong,” Robinson said.

With three top medalists, the Cats earned a fifth place finish in the team race with 92 points.

“We had eight state qualifiers which is the highest I have had while coach-ing at

Scottsbluff,” Robinson said.The Cats also finished first in the

B-4 district tournament Feb. 12. With such a successful season end, the expectations are high for next year.

“Next year our goal is domination at all costs. We will at least be in the top 3 [at state],” Robinson said.

““When Tyler sprained his an-kle, that was when our hearts

dropped.-head coach Claude Robinson

story byMICHAEL MILLER | sports writer

Getting the payoff when it

Senior Taylor Counter touched the wall, rose from the water and quickly looked to her left at the lead-erboard.

She was elated when she saw 1:07.14 on the clock, a time that broke the school record and earned her second place in the 100 breaststroke at the state meet last Saturday.

She turned to Katie Ditter from Omaha Gross/Ralston in the next lane and offered the words, “Good job,” as she watched Ditter celebrate her first place finish.

Then something happened that would change Seacat history.

After NET television interviewed Ditter, meet officials disqualified her for a technique violation.

Counter’s face turned from happi-ness to utter joy.

Tears ran down her face as she embraced coach Mike Hayhurst.

It was a bittersweet moment. She could see the pain and disappoint-ment in Ditter’s face who was being consoled by teammates.

It did not, however, diminish Counter’s accomplishment.

She had done it: she was now the first female Seacat ever to win the gold at state.

A calm, relaxed flow of thought was going through the champion’s mind before the race started.

“I just wanted to get a better time. If I start thinking about places, it screws me up,” Counter said.

As for during the race, she kept a focused mind.

“I never remember what I was thinking during the race, I just let my body do what it does best,” Counter said.

Success is nothing new to Counter, as she finished fourth at last year’s meet in the same event. In this respect she was happy with the initial second

place finish. “I felt a wave of emotions (upon

learning about the gold medal coming her way). I was happy for myself but sad for her (Ditter). Second place is amazing, but first place is just ridicu-

lous,” Counter said.

Ath-letes dream of one

day having a gold medal placed around their neck; Counter got the opportunity to make the dream a real-ity, although it wasn’t just for her.

“My main goal was to give coach the opportunity to put a medal around somebody’s neck and have some of the credit returned to him because of all he does for the swim team,” Counter said.

“She is a very deserving kid. She works really hard and she does every-

thing you ask her to do. So, for her to get [first place] is a testament to what can happen if you work really hard and you’re a good kid,” head coach Mike Hayhurst said.

“I’m incredibly proud of her and how hard she works. If anyone deserved it, it was her,” junior Triniti Counter said.

Counter’s sister, Triniti, also had a noteworthy performance at state. She finished in ninth place in the 200 free and 9th in the 100 fresstyle.

The 200 medley relay consisting of junior Triniti Counter, senior Taylor Counter, senior Karin Shedd, and se-nior Brittany Walker walked off with a twelfth place finish.

Another relay, the 400 free relay, consisting of the same group went on to net a tenth place finish.

Count(er)edthe mostCounter becomes the first female Seacat to win a gold at state

In the boys’ division, a 200 free re-lay team including senior Jarod Kerr, sophomore Jon Wiebe, junior Ryan Meister, and senior Kyle Hertig would go on to earn a sixth place finish.

The same team competed in the 400 freestyle relay and earned an eleventh place spot.

Among that team, Kerr got tenth in the 50 freestyle and ninth in the 100 freestyle. Hertig came in twelfth in the 100 breaststroke.

The boys would end up going on to earn 12th place and the girls 13th place with 30 and 37 points, respec-tively.

Overall, the Seacats had a good showing at state, where Taylor once again proved that the team could “count” on her.

““Second place is amazing, but first place is just ridiculous.

-Taylor Counter, 12

IN FOR THE GOLD

Senior Taylor Counter competes in the 100 breaststroke in a swim meet earlier in the season. Counter is the first female Seacat to earn a first place finish at the state tourna-ment. Photo by Mark Rein

SPORTS | 15

story byMADDIE HOLSCHER | sports writer

#3-Lexington (23-3)

Thinkin’ LincolnBasketball team advances to state tournament in Lincoln after winning the B-6 district tournament

The five seniors glanced at each other knowing this would be a mo-ment they would never forget.

As they sat hand in hand, their gaze turned toward the scoreboard at WNCC’s Cougar Palace waiting for the final buzzer to sound. Tears of joy welled in all of their eyes.

It was the moment they’ve been waiting for since fourth grade.

All those years of shooting hoops in the driveway and playing on trav-eling teams together had come to this: the ultimate goal.

They had won the district champi-onship and earned a berth in the state tournament.

This was their team and their time. At the sound of the buzzer, the

girls stormed the court in excitement. They took it all in knowing moments like these don’t come around very often.

Moments later the five seniors, best friends, walked together to receive the first place plaque.

Nothing could top this feeling. The lady Bearcat basketball team

pounded their arch-rival from Gering 59-35 in the B-6 district championship

game last Friday at WNCC’s Cougar Palace.

The Cats came out hot, despite the cold February snow storm outside, and took an early 9-0 lead in the first quarter.

From there, they never looked

back. The Bearcats shot a blistering 79%

from the field in the period, only missing three shots.

They exploded to a 26-7 first quar-ter lead which set the tone for the rest of the game.

In fact, the Bulldogs would not overcome a double digit deficit for the remainder of the contest.

The Bearcats were lead in scoring by senior Hattie Guzman with 18 points. Seniors Marcie Sindt and Gil-lian Harkins also came up big scoring 13 points apiece.

The other two seniors, Makayla Westphal and Abby Zach, added eight and five points, respectively.

Gering made a run at the end of the half to cut the lead to 13 points at 40-27.

Scottsbluff, however, outscored the Bulldogs 19-8 in the second half to put the game away and earn a trip to the state tournament for the first time since 2006 and only the second time in school history.

The win set the school record for wins in a season at 21 games, break-ing the previous record set the night before. It also was their 15th win in the last 16 games.

The win earned Scottsbluff the number four seed in the Class B state tournament where they will face fifth-seeded Beatrice.

Tip-off is scheduled for 10:45 AM at Lincoln’s Pershing Auditorium.

Beatrice (18-4) qualified for state as one of the two wildcards after losing to No. 1 ranked Seward 45-17 in the B-4 district final at Lincoln’s North

THE BIg WIn

The girls basketball team poses with a ‘Thinkin Lincoln’ poster after capturing the B-6 district title Feb. 25 at Cougar Palace. It was the second time in school history the girls basketball team earned a state berth. Photo by Mark Rein

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Pershing

Pershing

Sports Center

Sports Center

#8-Omaha Skutt (13-12)

#1-Seward (22-0)

Mar. 3 9:00 AM

Mar. 3 10:45 AM

Mar. 3 7:00PM

Mar. 3 8:45 PM

#4-Scottsbluff (21-4)

#5-Beatrice (18-4)

#6-Holdrege (21-3)

#7-Norris (15-7)

#2-Elkhorn (21-1)

Game 5

Mar. 4 7:00 PMSports Center

Game 6Sports Center

Mar. 4 8:45 PM

Game 8Sports Center

Mar. 5 6:30 PM

Champion

3rd Place

Game 7Lincoln Southwest

Mar. 5 2:00 PM

Class B Girls State Basketball Bracket

March 3-5

16 | SPORTS