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Index 2-3 News

4-5 BOTM

6-7 Opinion

8-9 Prom Style Guide

10-11 Sports

12-15 Feature

16 Senior Spotlight

Wyoming’s Rising Star:

Blake O.

A colorful

bonding experience!

Welcome to Mexico!

Don’t drink the water

volume 017

issue 015

friday, april

27, 2012

Torrington High School Page 2 NEWS April 27, 2012

Alison M. Reporter

With the 2011-2012 school year coming to an end, it is also an end to some teacher’s careers here at THS: Jennica and Charles Fournier will not be teaching in Torrington next year. “I got accepted into the English master’s program at the University of Wyoming and I’ll be teaching freshman English at the college,” said Mr. Fournier. He thinks of it as a good opportunity. “I’d rather do it now instead of later so we’re not getting our masters’ when we have kids,” said Mrs. Fournier. They’re both looking forward to getting back in the educational and college atmosphere. “I’m excited to learn!” he added. The Fourniers moved to Tor-rington last year and have had a posi-tive experience in the town so far. “I think that Torrington is really commu-nity-oriented,” he said. They agreed that the best thing

about THS was the students and staff. The students also had nothing but good to say about them in return. “I am sad they are leaving be-

cause I wanted to take their classes next year,” said sophomore Hannah P. “But I am glad that they are moving onto bigger and better things.” Sophomore Madi B. is also sorry that they are leaving. She thinks that the Fourniers are great people: “I haven’t had Mrs. Fournier as a teacher,

but she is always nice. Mr. Fournier teaches differently than any English teacher I know. He doesn’t just make us read or write, but we have discussions

in the class.” The Fourniers left a great im-pression on many people in Torrington. “I like Mr. Fournier; he’s a cool cat,” said educational aide Clint Landon. Mrs. Fournier helped the sophomore class out immensely by being a sponsor this year, and she was

also the Green Club adviser. Mr. Fournier was the assistant wrestling coach this season and really enjoyed that. The couple also shared

their talent in dance by start-ing a Swing Club at the high school. Both of the Fourniers attended East High School in Cheyenne, WY, where school spirit is a big deal. “THS needs more school spirit! Take pride in your school,” they agreed. “Perfect the Boom-Boom—yell with it. Look it up on YouTube.” “Value your educa-tion and don’t accept the me-diocre,” Mr. Fournier ad-vised. “Don’t make excuses and be responsible for your

own learning.” He also said that every-one should be nice to each other. “I see students trying to be better than only one person. Don’t just be better than the person next to you, be the best you can possibly be,” said Mrs. Fournier.

Nick Vetter Reporter

Over the last ten years, Blake O. has been working on his family’s ranch, building up his FFA resume, and growing his leadership skills to enhance his career success and his own personal growth. During the 2012 Wyoming State FFA con-vention, Blake won the Regional Star and State Star in Beef Production Placement. He was the high individual in the Agronomy contest. He will be going to nationals and has earned $14,000 in scholarships. For Blake’s Beef Production Placement pro-ject, he had to complete a proficiency data book, an

FFA record book, a State De-gree application, three letters of recommendation, a re-sume, the personal history/story, and a Supervised Agri-cultural Experience visit by the state officer team. This is one of the highest awards the Wyoming FFA Organization can award to a member. This award makes him eligible to win the national star award. T h e L i v e s t o c k Roundup reported THS/LFL FFA advisor Jason Groene’s comments: “He’s just an awe-some kid. He has good work ethic, morals, values and standards. He

is what we are looking for and is the ideal FFA kid.” Blake is highly involved in the FFA organization. He has participated in Livestock Judging, Creed Speaking, Parliamentary Procedure, Meats Judg-ing, Environmental and Natural Re-sources, Agronomy and Farm Business Management. He has gone to the National FFA Convention two times and will be going again this fall. Blake also raises high-quality Hereford and Angus cattle that are re-

nowned for their genetics all over the nation. He told the Wyoming Livestock Roundup that he “grew up on the ranch. When we got old enough to be in 4-H, I started showing steers.” At the age of ten, he got to select one of the show heifers and started his own herd. He has now developed a ten- to twelve-head Hereford herd with ten calves and yearling bulls. Blake told the Roundup, “The Angus breed is a really strong breed, but I prefer Herefords. They are more docile and easy to recognize with their fa-cial markings, and I think they are prettier.” He plans to attend Casper College to live-stock judge and major in Ag Business. He plans to go on to the University of Wyoming or to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Most of his $14,000 dollars’ worth of scholarships came from Casper College and the State FFA Association.

Is THS going to survive the Fourniers’ leaving?

Who knew that Blake O. would be the State FFA Star?

Torrington High School Page 3

April 27, 2012

Avery Madden Collumnist

We’ve always been taught not to “toot our

own horns” but after the THS band’s performance at t he Music Festival in Casper, they have no reason not to. Band director Richard Zigweid took three bands up to the festival: Concert Band, Jazz Band, and the Percussion Ensemble, along with two soloists: sophomore Madi Bloodgood and senior Jamie Henry. The bands played before two judges and were scored on a scale from one to five, with one being the “superior” rating and the best score possible. “I was proud of how they did and proud of how much they’ve grown. We have a super young group and we have grown so much,” Zigweid said.

The concert band received a superior (I) and an excellent (II) rating. The jazz band received a su-perior (I) while the percussion ensemble received an excellent (II). Henry received a superior (I) rating for her solo and Bloodgood’s rating was unfortunately

misplaced and never got back to her. “Jazz Band had to overcome some obstacles,

but we got through it and killed it!” Zigweid added, “Percussion did the best they’ve ever performed and I’m pleased with the overall performance. Madi Bloodgood and Jamie Henry both had solos which are very hard to compose and get ready, and they both did very well.”

“I think I did well,” Bloodgood said. “I don’t have my scores because the judge messed up and put my score in someone else’s file, so we got a Glenrock score instead,” Bloodgood laughed. Henry was overall very pleased with her “superior” rating. “I would say that I am very proud of how I did,” Henry said. “I put a lot of hard work and effort into my song and I spent a lot of hours practicing. It was a lot of fun!” “The only thing I would regret is that this is my last year to go to festival. Other than that I just hope to encourage more underclassmen to take solos

Mark McKee Sports Editor

Jennica Fournier has taken charge of leading a group of tie-dyers in her chemistry classes’ covalent bonds experiment. “The dye molecules make covalent bond with cellulose—the major component in cotton— in the shirt,” Fournier said. Fournier got her dyes from Grateful Dyes out of Boulder, Colorado, so they are not the typical dyes found in our local stores. “I dyed two pairs of socks, two tee shirts, and a pillowcase,” junior Taylor Frazier said. Multiple people dyed shirts, including Christian Bila, Jenn Rowley, Alicia Campbell, Josi Jackson, Noah Ward, and Eddy Stoeger. “My shirt looked terrible! It turned out brown!” laughed Christian Bila. “Mine was awesome! I used lots of blue and pink.” Josi Jackson said. “I did a shirt and a onesie,” Alicia Campbell said. “It was to show cova-lent bonds.” The tie-dying has been available for a month, and anyone has been--and still is—able to do it.

Tie-dying is back

Korinne John Layout editor

Sing it loud and proud! Choir director Kris Tolman took Women’s Choir, Show Choir and several soloist and duets to festival in Casper. Several perform-ances placed well. Seniors Grace Fluckiger, Haylee Hornbeck, Kayla Broberg, David Miller, Ross Breedlove, and Ryan Lewendowski competed as a small group singing “Lonesome Road.” The small group received a “superior” rating. Sophomore Amy Allen and freshman Tiffany Naney competed in the duet division and received an “excellent” rating. Freshman Tiffany Naney and Brittany Palmer also did a duet and received “excellent” rating. Ryan Lewendowski said, “It was nice to hear other choirs compete and to compete ourselves. We need to have better vowel sounds and more dynamics throughout the pieces. Regan Robbins and Aleighica Keeran also got superior in solos. Amy Allen said, “I liked watching the other groups the best because it was educational. WE could work on entrances because we weren't always together.

At Festival, Torrington choir sings it loud and proud!

Young band scores well at Festival

BOTM Page 4 Torrington High School

April 27, 2012

Sydney H. Columnist

Although injuries have been at the top of Mark M.’s list, he has found many other things to smile about throughout his high school years, and being honored as March’s Blazer of the Month is one of them. Born in Torrington to parents Karen and Marty M., Mark is a lifelong resident here. He has two older sisters. Amber, 23, just graduated from U.W., and his other older sister, Mandy, 25, is teaching in Green River and will be mar-ried in September. “Mark is a conscientious stu-dent who works hard to create high-quality products,” favorite teacher, Katherine Patrick said. Throughout high school, Mark had been involved in football, basket-ball, and baseball. He also enjoys playing golf and going fishing. McKee is also involved in FCA, Journalism, and partici-pates as a DARE Role Model. “My favorite memories in high school are winning state championships twice in basketball,” Mark said. “One of my worst memories is that I haven’t finished a football season in my three years of playing during high school.” Mark has broken his hand and his rib, and torn both of his labrums in high school. Those injuries have necessi-tated three surgeries, but that hasn’t stopped him from achieving excellence. Mark has earned All-Conference honors in basketball.

With those achievements, Mark’s advice to underclassmen seems fitting: “Work hard, never give up, and don’t do crack!” Along with good and bad memories, come the more awkward moments. “My most embarrassing mo-ment was the Scottsbluff basketball game this year,” he admitted. And he won’t miss that he is forced to take classes in high school that he believes he doesn’t need.

In the future, Mark plans to at-

tend the University of Wyoming to major in mechanical engineering and playing club base-ball.

“I like figuring stuff out,” McKee com-mented. “I have always been good at math, so engineering would be perfect!”

“I see Mark playing baseball then being an engineer in the future,” Jason M. agreed.

Upon gradua-tion, Mark said he will miss Avery M., John Kelly, and his basketball team.

“Mark works hard and is very good at math,” Avery M. said. “He’s pretty funny, al-though not as funny as

he thinks. He is also committed to the things he does in school and sports.”

Mark’s favorite teacher in THS are John Kelly and Katherine Patrick.

“Kelly has taught me more in school than anyone, and KP is always the most fun teacher to be around.”

Many of Mark’s friends and teachers have some great memories with him.

“His constant [unacceptable] Speak Out questions in journalism com-prise my favorite memory with him,” Patrick said. “If I could get anything from him, I would beg him to stop har-assing me!”

“Winning two basketball state

championships and going on fishing trips to Laramie with him” are Jason’s favorite memories of Mark.

Frank S. said his favorite mem-ory with McKee is the 4th of July—with the fire crackers.

Avery’s favorite memories were a bit different than everyone else’s: “All of the game nights over at the Marshes’ house, long walks on the beach, sunset picnics, and beating him at HORSE,” she laughed.

Say goodbye to March's BOTM, Mark McKee

Torrington

Beverage Inc.

4394 McKenna Rd

A

Phone: 307-532-

5828

Fax: 307-532-7737

Almost finished! Mark airs it out at the state tournament (above, left) and celebrates Homecoming (below, left ) with (l-r) Ryan L., Frank S., and Jason M. . File photos

“Mexico” contin-

ued from page 14 5) Don’t be an “ugly American.” Mexi-cans are extremely proud people and are always eager to show off every attraction to visi-tors. However, if that visitor is a smug, elite, American, the tides will turn. The term “ugly American” (coined by the international commu-nity) applies to those who believe the United

States culturally “owns” the rest of the world. Latin America has a long tradition of resenting North American rule, especially by the United States. Instead, show interest in the things you see (which shouldn’t be hard) and accept diver-sity. The U.S. is only one country in a big, big world. Accept it. 6) Do not drink tap wa-ter. EVER. This rule ap-plies especially to tour-ists in urban settings.

Tap water is drinkable, but at a price. A very dis-agreeable price. Drinking tap water will make a foreigner sick, no excep-tions. While locals have built up immunities to the water, foreigners are susceptible to whatever is lurking in it. Several hotels will provide water bottles, and attractions have their own water filters. Watch out for in-stant coffee also, as sometimes the tap water is not completely boiled.

In short, be respectful, be cautious, and don’t drink the water! Mexico has a multitude of activi-ties to offer and its peo-ple are eager to show visitors all of them. De-spite what the news says, Mexico is a playground for everyone featuring incredible vacation sites with outrageously hospi-table people: any stay in the Aztec nation is bound to be memorable.

Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief

“You can create quality,” is arguably one of the most inspiring things Aleighica K. has said. As the March Blazer of the Month, Aleighica joins the ranks of a long line of outstanding seniors, but still manages to maintain her indi-viduality, which several agree can be difficult in a modern life. Born in Scottsbluff in 1994, Aleighica is the oldest daughter of Jerry and Linda K., and sister to Sarandon, a seventh grader at Tor-rington Middle School. “She’s thirteen years old and plays a lot of sports. But she’s awe-some, has a great heart, and is a great sister.” said Aleighica. While her family is a chief influence in her busy life, Aleighica’s favorite memories involve her stel-lar career at Torrington High School. “My most embarrassing mo-ment was from freshman year when Jenny and Erin convinced me that Edward Cullen dies at the end of Breaking Dawn and I cried for all of lunch,” Aleighica remembered. It also happened to be Aleighica’s best friend Nicole D. most memorable moment: “watching Leesha cry over Edward freshman year,” Nicole wrote in her own “Get in Touch” profile. Aleighica’s favorite memory, however, was a compilation of “all the class trips and choir and band festivals with show choir and women’s choir freshman year.” Yearbook Adviser Shawna James had a different response, “[My favorite memory of Aleighica was] Journalism State Convention last year!” she said, “The whole trip was amazing!! That and getting stranded on the bus from State Journalism Con-vention this year.” Memories, however, are at-tributed to special qualities of a per-son, and Aleighica is second to none in that department. “Aleighica is extremely help-ful, a hard worker, and good hearted,” said cousin Tessa C. “I will always remember when we drew

faces on the balloons at her house.” James agreed, adding that “Aleighica is passionate, organized, and caring. She is a good role model because she is actively involved in school activities, 4-H, and commu-nity service, She has been a vital as-set to the yearbook staff as well.” “She’s super funny!” ex-claimed Dylan S.. “Her humor makes everyone’s day better and College English would be twenty times more boring if she weren’t in there.” Another student said that Aleighica “is lovable. I’m extremely happy she helps me in Modern American Studies and asks the stu-pid questions to get me the answers. She’s energetic and can turn any boring situation into a memorable experience. I’m going to miss her like crazy when we graduate.” With graduation looming over all the seniors, Aleighica has the majority of her college career already planned. “I want to become an ele-mentary teacher. I’ve always loved children and I know that shaping and helping them learn is what I want to do.” Aleighica explained. “I’ll be going to the Univer-sity of Wyoming in the fall for Ele-mentary Education and Consumer Science.” “I see Aleighica teaching ele-mentary students and traveling the world,” echoed James. Dylan S’s projections, “Aleighica will be a YouTube star.” Still, another student had different ideas, “Not YouTube. Aleighica is going to be a spokesper-son for the Lifetime Channel’s war movies. Either that or a mall cop.” But with a new chapter in her life just about to blossom, Aleighica still has things to say about the end of her high school years. “I’ve changed a lot. I try harder and want different things. My friends have changed, and I’m okay with that,” she explained. “I have my few and they make me happy. “I’m focused on the future instead of making sure I perfect at-tendance. I’ve matured. I don’t know what I’d do without Mrs. James. She helped me so much. Thank you!

“[I won’t miss] the drama.” Aleighica added, “That and how the students and teachers don’t care anymore. That makes school unen-joyable.” However, there are teachers who matter to Aleighica. “Mrs. James because she’s a strong, awesome person. I’m going to miss her a lot. I’m coming back for yearbook. I also love Mrs. Mac. She’s always so caring and her advice is very helpful.” O t h e r things she’ll miss are “select teachers, my choirs, and the simplicity.” Outside her academic life, Aleighica enjoys watching The Big Bang Theory, Mod-ern Family, Raising Hope, American Horror Story, Top Shot, and Rugrats! And also loves her favorite books

Space Jam and The Lovely Bones. Aleighica is also involved in 4-H, shooting sports, Jr. Leaders, Books for Africa, community service, and taking care of dogs and cats. “I’m always busy!” As final advice to her under-classmen peers, Aleighica said, “Apply, apply, apply! Don’t stop and even though you may wait until the last minute, you can create quality.”

BOTM Torrington High School Page 5

Friday, April 27, 2012

Creating quality: March BOTM

Aleighica Keeran joins list of

prominent Blazers, while being herself

Sawyer Warren & Buchanan

Edward A. Buchanan & Nathaniel S. Hibben

Attorneys at Law

2210 East A Street P.O. Box 850

Torrington, WY 82240

www.swblegal.com

Phone 307-532-2322 nhibben@swblegal.com

Fax 307-532-7221 ebuchanan@swblegal.com

Torrington High School Page 6

Jason M. Reporter

When people feel threatened, what can they legally do? Many states, including Florida, have insti-

tuted “Stand Your Ground” laws, which allow people to use force against physical threats. So, when Floridian George Zim-merman felt threatened by seven-teen year-old Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman shot and killed the teen. Was Martin an actual threat, though? Martin was walking home through a gated community after buying some Skittles and an ice tea. Zimmerman, a “neighborhood watch commander” was patrolling in his vehicle and called 911 to report a suspicious person. Martin ran away when Zimmerman started following him.

The 911 dispatcher told Zimmer-man not to follow him, but he did

anyway. Moments later, according to other 911 callers, Martin and Zimmerman got into a fight. Martin asked Zimmerman why he was following him, and a scuffle

broke out. Zimmerman then shot Martin in the chest, killing the boy.

The case has raised concerns across the nation. “I don’t know exactly what happen,” social studies teacher A.J. Gross said, “ but the ‘Stand Your Ground Law’ has its place. I don’t know if it’s a good thing here, but it is in parts of the country where there is violence.”

“After investigating the Trayvon Martin case, they need to see if the Zimmerman was really standing his ground or if he did something wrong. The people need to trust the judicial process,” Gross said. “I don’t know a lot about it, but I think it is a good law because I personally own self-defense weap-ons, and I am a firm believer in the Second Amend-ment,” art teacher Steve Law said. “I think it is a good law but Zimmerman should have made sure Martin was a threat. I think he should go to jail. but there are many people mad about it,” Kendra Ojeda said. Zimmerman has been arrested and charged in Martin’s death.

A trip for snacks turns disastrous. Victim Trayvon Martin (left) and George Zimmerman. (right) photos from Wikipedia Commons

Stand Your Ground: Martin vs. Zimmerman

Nick V. Columnist

Sometimes teachers can go M.I.A.,

especially as it gets closer to May. But some teachers are gone more

than others. When teachers don’t get their

next year’s contract fulfilled, they often attempt to use all their personal and sick leave before the end of the school year. Sometimes, this is used for job interviews; other times it might be used to stay home and relax with family members.

Obviously, teach-ers are entitled to their leave time. But, students are also entitled to have a highly-qualified teacher to instruct them. Not having that highly-qualified teacher can have long-term effects.

For example, I might be taking calculus in high school for a college credit. I also want to major in engineering, where many classes are based on calculus. My semester was going great until the last two months of the semester when the teacher was in-formed that he would not get a contract renewal. Because of this, the teacher took all of his available sick and personal days. Over his two years of teaching, this teacher had built up twenty sick days. He was gone for three days every

week—two sick days and a personal day. There are two problems with this

picture: one is that he was never actually sick and was lying to the administration to use his sick days. If teachers are not sick and they take a sick day, I contend that they are stealing from the school system and the taxpayer. This is another form of dishonesty: obviously not a sign of great character.

The second problem was that he was stealing my education. I say this be-cause (hypothetically) I showed up the last two months, while he was only in the

room forty-percent of the time. Because it’s very difficult to find a substitute who can teach calculus, we didn’t have a profi-cient instructor. I didn’t learn anything from the substitute. I then went to college and had to retake the class so I would ac-tually learn all that I needed to. The class cost roughly $600, which I shouldn’t have had to pay. I, also as a taxpayer, had to pay three times for my calculus education: to the college, to my high school teacher, and to the substitute.

What can be done to avoid such a situation? Currently teachers can get paid

$20 per day for leave time that they have accumu-lated. A substitute gets paid around $100 per day. Maybe if the teacher could “sell” his leave time to the district for a larger figure, he might feel as though it was worthwhile to honor his commit-ment to his stu-dents. That’s just one idea, but we should do some-thing. Our school is a community, and we need everyone participating to help make it work.

Photo from Wikipedia Commons

Do teachers abuse their leave privileges ?

Editor-in-Chief Dimitri N.

Online Editor Dylan S.

Sports Editor Mark M.

Seniors Editor Jason M.

Layout Editor Korinne J.

Opinions Editor Nick P.

Columnists

Sydney H.

Blake W.

Kolter E.

Avery M.

Kylie K.

Allison M.

Mackenzy P.

Reporters

Frank S.

Ryan L.

Zach L.

Nick V.

Nicki M.-B.

Gabe T.

STAFF

April 27, 2012

Nick Prusia Opinions Editor

Derrick Rose, Marcus

Camby, Kevin Durant, Greg

Oden, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love,

Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cous-

ins, Brandon Knight, and so

many more players from the col-

legiate ranks are now in the

NBA; there is one thing separat-

ing the listed players above and

the rest of the field.

The players above, are

just a few examples of players

who only attended one year of

college before jumping to the

NBA. The NBA eligibility rule

states that a player wishing to

enter the draft must be nineteen

years of age and be at least one

year removed from high school.

I have long advocated

changing the rule to a higher age

threshold. This position is rein-

forced by the emergence of more

teams being dependent on under-

classmen for scoring and effi-

ciency.

Just this year, Kentucky,

the national champions, had a

starting lineup that consisted of

three freshmen and two sopho-

mores. The Wildcats defeated the

Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 for their

eighth title in school history, and

the first for Head Coach John

Calipari.

Just like a typical end of

the year for John Calipari, nu-

merous players from the roster

will not be returning for next

year. Next year, seven faces from

this year‟s team will be missing:

(including the starting lineup):

Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-

Gilchrist, Terrance Jones, Doron

Lamb, and Marquis Teague.

Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, and

Teague are freshmen, while

Jones and Lamb are only sopho-

mores. Darius Miller and Eloy

Vargas have completed their eli-

gibility.

The problem I have with

this is that Calipari and many

other coaches are abusing this

system. The rule used to be that

a player could go right to the

NBA after high school.

Remember, a player is a

student-athlete, notice the first

part: student! Players, along with other

graduating high schoolers, do not

and should not go to school for

only one year before advancing

into their profession one year

later. Though these players are

supremely talented (Davis and

Kidd-Gilchrist are projected as

the top two picks; Lamb, Jones,

and Teague are projected to be

selected in the first thirty-two

picks), they shouldn‟t be allowed

to go after only one year. Even

though somebody may be incredi-

bly smart and talented at their

job, maybe becoming the editor of

the school newspaper as a fresh-

men, but do we send them out

into the world right then and

there?

David Stern, the Com-

missioner of the NBA, needs to

change the rule himself.

J o h n C a l i p a r i

might abuse this rule more

than anyone that I have

noticed. Derrick Rose, an

MVP winner at the NBA

level, played under

Calipari while he was still

at Memphis. The Tigers

were reeling in the top tal-

ent year after year. Why

did Memphis suddenly

drop off the map? Calipari

bolted for Kentucky. The

top players who want to go

to the NBA as soon as pos-

sible go play for Calipari,

so it was goodbye to Mem-

phis and hello to Kentucky.

After one year of represent-

ing their school, they‟re

gone to the professionals.

Calipari isn‟t the only one

though. North Carolina,

Duke, and Texas among

other schools seem to lose

their top talent every year to

the professionals, regardless

of their age.

What happens after

the player is done in the

NBA? If he were smart enough

in money management, he may

have saved up enough money to

live for the rest of his life, but

that usually isn‟t the case. When

a player has money, what will he

likely do? He‟s going to spend it

on expensive houses and new

object to show off his wealth.

When he‟s lost his multi-million

dollar paycheck, he needs to find

another stable source of income.

In order to do that, odds are he

will need a college degree. With

one year of college, success will

be much more difficult.

Only completing one year

of college and then suddenly go-

ing back twenty years or so later

will most likely result in a loss of

knowledge. The former player

will have to spend years of his

valuable time content and earn-

ing his degree.

One argument is that

players need to start making

their own decisions by the time

they are in college. While I do

agree with that idea, sometimes

athletes won‟t make the right

choice and end up wrecking their

future. This goes back to the

“stay in school” philosophy. A

large number of high school drop

-outs seem affirm that they made

a mistake by dropping out of

high school. Sometimes players

make the same mistake and end

up being a bust in the NBA. By

increasing the required age to

join the NBA, the number of

busts may drop due to more de-

velopment in college, both in the

classroom and on the court.

The one and done epidemic: a problem for players

The uni-brow only lasted one year. Su-premely talented Anthony Davis dunks in a game earlier this year. Davis is projected as the first selection in this year‟s NBA draft. photo from Wikipedia Commons

Re-loading every year. John Calipari at a press conference in 2011. Calipari reels in the top talent out of high school seemingly every year

Photo fron Wikipedia Commons

Every rose has its thron. One of Calipari‟s most infamous players, Rose was ruled ineligible while at Memphis

Photo fromWikipedia Commons

Torrington High School Page 7

April 27, 2012

Make a statement:

Whatever the dress,

these accessories

will add polish

Jenn Harris Los Angeles Times

(MCT)

Now that the dress has been pur-chased, it’s time to add the special

details that will make the outfit dazzle.

GLITTER SHOE The modern prom queen

shines in a gold, black, silver or rain-bow glitter heel. A shimmery shoe

can elevate any prom look to pretty and polished and give you some extra sparkle on the dance floor.

“We used to do a lot of rhine-stone shoes, but this year we had customers telling us that we should have a glitter shoe,” boutique buyer

Blanca Farber said. “It might be be-cause they see celebrities wear a glitter shoe, or it’s a shoe you can wear later at another time.”

HEADPIECES The royal wedding frenzy has

carried into the world of prom ac-cessories. “The royal wedding has really inspired us to make fascina-tors so important because people saw such great headpieces last April,” said Marissa Rubinetti, a prom buyer for David’s Bridal, who noted that jeweled headbands and flowers are selling well for David’s.

The headbands may be plain satin or glitter or lavish head pieces with feathers, rhinestones or tulle.

L I N E A R D R O P /SHOULDER DUSTER EAR-RINGS

This year’s jewel accessories are big, bold statement pieces — the most popular a long, luxe earring that grazes the shoulder. The “shoulder duster” or linear drop earring adds a touch of extrava-gance without going overboard. The earring goes well with sleeveless dresses, framing the face in rhine-stones, feathers and pearls.

___ ©2012 the Los

Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at

MacKenzy P. & Kylie K. Columnists

The smell of flowers is in the air! As Torrington High School Prom draws near, boutonnieres and corsages are slowly entering student’s minds. Wrists and lapels will be decked out with the latest’s trends for the 2012 prom year. Local florists Destry’s Se-cret Garden and Wagner’s are here to help. Both shops have new and im-proved items for Prom 2012. Wag-ner’s has the new easy, safe magnetic boutonnieres that make pinning a breeze. Destrey’s offers keepsake bracelets for the corsages, allowing girls to unpin the flowers and wear the bracelets on more than one occa-sion. For other options, Alina Sur-ber suggests Bloomers in Mitchell. “They have corsage rings, and they are awesome! Bloomers also use feathers and bright colors.” Another option is a handmade corsage. There are many sets of direc-tions for this process available on the internet. As well as saving money and creating something unique, these cor-sages can be made from artificial flow-ers that provide a lasting momento of this special evening. Research reveals that bouton-nieres have been around since the 16th century. Their original purpose was to

ward off bad luck or evil. The word boutonniere is French for “buttonhole flower.” France is also where the cor-sage originated: they were originally flowers wore on the bodice of a women’s clothing. The variety of flowers for bou-tonnieres and corsages is endless, but the most frequently used for Goshen County proms is roses, in all colors and sizes. Corsages are usually worn on the

wrists of prom-goers, and students typically pay thirty to fifty dollars apiece. Previous prom at-tendees have gotten a wide assortment of boutonnieres and corsages. Senior Erin McKenna wore a white rose with turquoise and silver tips, with turquoise and silver ribbons last year. “Mine was a white rose with gold and black tips,” recalls junior Nick Vetter about his 2011 bou-tonniere. Junior Sydney H. had no hesitation when asked about her prior cor-sage, “Ugly! It was on that

went all the way up my forearm with p u r p l e f l o w e r s ! ” “Mine was lime green and teal”, says junior Taylor F., “and it had a lot of bling with a Gerber daisy.” Senior Hayley A. said, “Last year mine was a black lily with gold tips and gold lining, with a beige and copper ribbon.” Picking corsages and bouton-nieres is a challenging process in which prom dates try to ensure that the bou-tonniere and corsage match each other, and also the color of the dress and tux.

8 8

The Power of the Flower

Jenn Harris Los Angeles Times

(MCT)

There’s a smartphone app for almost everything, so why not an app to help with prom planning? From picking the perfect dress to editing your pictures, there is an app to help with every aspect of the big dance.

“So many teens have smartphones,” said Molly McLaughlin, mobile technology editor at Consumer-Search.com. “They are already managing their lives with these devices.”

Here are her top prom apps.

Prom Hairstyles (free for the iPhone)

The app allows the user to try different hairstyles on a photograph of herself. After finding your favorite style you can save a picture, bring it to your hair-dresser and share it on Facebook.

iProm dress: Prom Dress Shopping Assistant ($1.99 for iPhone users)

This personal shopping app allows users to browse styles and save favorites in an alphabetized catalog of dresses by designer, color, neckline or other feature. You can narrow down your selections before you hit the store and share your dress picks on Face-book.

Ask2Dance ($1.99 for iPhone users)

If you find yourself at the prom wanting to ask someone to dance but not sure how to make the ap-proach, Ask2Dance can help. This app acts as an ice-breaker tool, offering topics to talk about when you ask that special someone to dance.

Camera360 (Free for iPhone and Android users)

The dance floor may be a little too dark for a photo op, but if you have the Camera360 app you can snap the picture, then brighten it from your phone. This app lets users edit and apply special effects to their photos on the go.

___

©2012 the Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Apps for navigating

the big event

Kylie K. Columnist

The night that many have been looking for-ward to for months is finally arriving: Prom. The buzz of prom talk is echoing through the halls: dresses, tuxes, corsages, boutonnieres, dinner, pic-tures, and the theme, though some may be overlook-ing the small details, like prom hair. Prom is a special night and some girls are worried about what should be done to complete the “prom look”, hair. “Finding the perfect hair for prom is overwhelming sometimes,” said sophomore Raele R. As a first-time prom goer, she had a lot to think about when decid-ing which hairstyle would be the perfect fit. Many different hair salons in Torrington are ready to prepare girls with the perfect prom hair looks, but if getting your hair professionally done isn’t your style, you can either do it yourself or have a friend or family member do it. Profession- als urge girls to have a style

“trial run”

prom is finally here. They also advise clients to wash their hair the day before prom because newly-clean hair is more difficult to style. They also recommend that girls bring in photos of the hairstyle that they would like to model theirs after, but stylists do caution girls that they may not be able to achieve exactly the same style as their photo. When doing prom hair at home it is best to straighten the hair before styling, especially when curls are wanted, because they will come out clean and fresh-looking. Remember to wear a button down or strapless shirt to your appointment so that your hair won’t get messed up when you remove your shirt for your dress. Also make sure your stylist is running on time, and always take any hair accessories so that your stylist will know exactly what he/she is work-ing with! Here are the top ten prom hairstyles of 2012 accord-ing to beauty.about.com: #1: Messy Updo #2: Half up/Half down #3: The Classic Prom Updo #4: The Ponytail #5: Short Hair for Prom #6: Keep your Hair Down #7: Sideswept Hair #8: Headbands

#9: Braids #10: Fake Bob At the 2012 THS Prom, junior Mikayla M. plans to rock an updo . Sophomore Murphy H. plans on either having an updo with curls or a half up and half down coif. Fellow sophomore Cassandra B. is doing a twisted updo. “I'm getting an up-do,” said senior Caitlyn C.. “I think from previous experiences, wearing your

hair down is a bad idea. You get really hot.” Senior Aubree J. said, “It's one of the biggest

things besides the dress that matters to the girl. It's like the icing on the cake Prom can be one of the most important

nights in a girl’s life, and everyone wants to look perfect. Everyone can start the night looking like movie stars, but don’t get frus-

trated if everything doesn’t come out just the way it wanted to. Remem-ber, when it comes to looking

back on “A Night in Paris,” the small details like hair will be

over looked and forgotten.

9

Adam Tschorn

Los Angeles Times

(MCT)

For years, men’s options in

accessorizing a suit have been lim-

ited to the cuff-link and tie bar de-

partment, with an occasional pocket

square thrown in. But as of late,

guys from Hollywood’s red carpet

to the halls of The Hunger Games’

Capitol have been accessorizing

their jacket lapels with some cooler-

than-usual lapel pins. For buttonhole

hardware that’s less about political

or charitable affiliation and more

about personal style, options worth

exploring include:

Orvis’ selection of German hat

p i n s ( $ 1 9 t o $ 3 9 ) o r

“gamsbart” (literally “chamois

beard”) came about as a sort of

hunting trophy, which is why many

of the metal and feather or deer hair

pins include the stag head and cross

insignia associated with St. Huber-

tus, the patron saint of hunters.

Available online at Orvis.com and

anyone placing an order at a retail

store for delivery to the store will

save shipping costs.

Lanvin’s delicate floral tie pins

have garnered quite a celebrity fol-

lowing. New York Knicks forward

Carmelo Anthony accessorized with

a gray-check one in his buttonhole

when he took in his first European

runway show last summer. The cot-

ton blossoms, which resemble roses

or carnations, are available in solid

colors and checked patterns for

$170, with a more elegant, faded,

silk rosebud version for $195. Avail-

able online at Lanvin.com.

George Esquivel, shoemaker to

the well-heeled, started crafting his

floral boutonnieres ($95 to $175) for

himself and his friends after noticing

the trend taking root during a trip to

Europe. He makes them to order for

customers using raw vachetta leather

in a variety of colors, including lime

green, blue, pink and red. Esquivel

is partial to white because it “goes

with everything.” Available by

phone at (714) 670-2200 or by email

at info@esquivelshoes.com.

(EDITORS: BEGIN OP-TIONAL TRIM)

For something a little more

unusual, there’s hardly a better con-

versation starter than an intricately

detailed cockroach or housefly pin

worn close to your heart. Those are

just two of the options offered by

Los Angeles jewelry label Cast of

Vices, the brainchild of creative

director Christopher Glancy and

jeweler Jay LeCompte. The silver

cockroach ($270) and the fly in a

variety of gem and metal combina-

tions ($125 to $620) are available at

A+R, 1121-1 Abbot Kinney Blvd.,

Venice, Calif.

Vintage is another option when

it comes to looking for a lapel pin.

For evidence, look no further than

The Hunger Games’ President

Snow, who manages to pull off the

perfect balance of futuristic and

retro by sporting a slender metal

lapel pin that holds a white rose.

According to the film’s costume

designer Judianna Makovsky, the

silver stem, designed to hold a moist

bit of cotton in the bottom with a

flower bud on top, was a 19th cen-

tury Victorian corsage pin that be-

longs to Snow’s portrayer, actor

D o n a l d S u t h e r l a n d , wh o m

Makovsky describes as an avid col-

lector of vintage men’s accessories.

Options for vintage include various

flea markets and jewelry resale

shops and online sites such as EBay

and Etsy.

©2012 the Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Dressing up the buttonhole

SPORTS Page 10 Torrington High School

April 27, 2012

Lady Blazers down the Dogies; fall to Buffalo and Bluffs Sydney H.

Columnist As the Blazer girls’ soccer sea-son continues, the ladies just can’t seem to find their groove. On April 12, 2012, the Lady Blazers hosted the Newcastle Dogies. Since they had lost a few weeks earlier

to the Dogies, the Blazers were looking for revenge. And that is just what they got! After Southeast sophomore Taylor B. put one in goal 18 minutes into the game, the Dogies answered back with 2 of their own in the 29th and 38th min-utes.

After being down 1 at halftime,

the Lady Blazers switched some things up, and sophomore Elizabeth Chavarria punched 1 in, tying the score at 2 apiece. With that, the game went into overtime. Junior Sydney H. assisted Southeast sen-ior Brittany S. in the first minute of overtime, and that was too much for the Dogies. The Lady Blazers notched the

win, 3-2. Goalie Mikayla B. had 9 saves in the contest. “We had numer-ous scoring opportuni-ties, but just couldn’t get the ball in the goal,” Coach Mary Perkins said. “We took control imme-diately. The girls were confident going into overtime. Mikayla had several saves that kept us in the game. She was on fire. Sydney played center mid for the first time all year and took control. Her communica-tion and decision making kept up strong in the middle. Estephany T. played her best game of the season. Caitlyn C. was double-teamed so we took advantage of the other open players on

the attack.”

On April 14, the girls traveled to Buffalo to play the Lady Bison. Terri-ble weather conditions and Buffalo’s strong attacking style combined to hand a defeat to the Lady Blazers, 0-7. In the loss, Brower had 14 saves. On Friday, April 20, the girls hosted conference opponent, the Lander Lady Tigers. After being down 2-0 at half time, the Blazers just couldn’t find a way to pull off the win and lost 4-0. Lan-der outshot the Lady Blazers 24-8. Brower had 17 saves on the night. The following day brought on another tough game. The Lady Blazers traveled to Scottsbluff to play the Lady Cats. The girls were determined to avenge an earlier 5-0 defeat. After be-ing down 0-1 at half, Caitlyn scored the Blazers’ only goal of the game, 4 min-utes into the second half. The score re-mained tied, 1-1, until the 30th minute of the half, when Scottsbluff put in the win-ning goal. The Lady Blazers fell 1-2. “We made changes to our of-fense and moved people around on de-fense. I was proud of the girls’ ability to handle the changes and execute on the fly,” Perkins said. Caitlyn had 4 shots and 1 goal, while Schaffer had 2 shots and 1 assist. Mikayla added 9 saves. The Lady Blazers traveled to Rawlins yesterday, for coverage of that game check out the May 11 issue. Dribble, dribble, dribble: The girls compete on the home field earlier this season. Photo by Nick V.

Blake W. Columnist

“Our team is doing swell!” Blazer boys’ soccer player Kolter E. said. “We are fifth in the state. We also had a clutch win over Lander last week so we are hoping to do well at state.”

This season, the members of the boys’ soccer team feel that they are playing well. What’s gone well for them?

Micheal G. also expressed his enthusiasm about the team’s perform-ance. “Soccer is going great: there are no arguments. We want to be able to go to state without having to go to regionals. I am also improving individually by hav-ing better control of the ball.”

“It is going great. We are the number-one team in our conference,” added senior Joel R.. “Our goal is to win state, and I have not played in two months, but I am very excited for this week’s game.”

Sophomore Cole B. also added, “We have been playing as a team to shoot for the state title. A problem we’ve had has been the injuries and sickness throughout the team.”

“This year, we have been play-ing very well as a team, and we haven’t

had any major letdowns yet this year,” senior Dan A. said. “As a team, we want to do better at state. We are number-one in our region, so I’m hoping that will help. I want to get bet-ter because I want to go to college for soc-cer. “My personal struggle is playing a new position this year, being put back on de-fense. Switching posi-tions can be an issue. This year will make or break this season, so I’m trying my best to improve on every-thing.”

“So far, we have been doing very well. We feel that we are controlling the game a little more, though we could be doing a little better on teamwork,” com-mented senior Carlos A. “My personal goal is

to make it to the state finals and make the All-State team. I plan to take my

skills to WNCC to prove that I can play soccer at the upper levels.”

Blazer boys aim to qualify for, and even win, the state tournament

It‟s all under control! A Blazer player protects the ball from a Newcastle player on the field. Photo by Nick V.

Getting to know

The Sophomores...

Who is your role

model, and why? Brent P.

“My mom because she

is positive and helps me

work hard.”

Lakotta P. “Lisa Owens because

she helps the special

needs kids.”

Nashila M. “My sister because I look up

to her and learn from her

mistakes.”

Torrington High School Page 11

Allison Marsh Columnist

Trying to keep up with the Blazer track athletes is hard enough, especially with their busy meet schedule they’ve had lately. On Fri-day, April 20, the team traveled to Douglas to participate in the Twilight Meet. “I thought I did pretty well at Douglas,” said junior Evan Ponce. “I threw in the 120 range and did pretty well and got second. Hopefully I can keep that up for regionals.” Ponce would also like to work on his technique. Other Torrington throwers did well. Zach Lurz earned a first place medal in both the shot put (52-09.50) and discus (146-09.50). Wil-liam Anderson placed ninth in discus. “I won [the 300 hurdles] in Douglas and also ‘P.R.ed’ with about a 42.8,” junior Blake Wisroth said. “We got 2nd in the 4x1, but we should’ve done better.”

The 4x400 meter relay, with Caden Coffelt, Alex McAnelly, Blake Wisroth, and Isaac Brown, took third. Freshman Matty Richardson, juniors Isidro Cortez and Garett Derr, and senior Ryan Lewandowski teamed up to take first in the 4x800 meter relay. Brock Youtz placed third in the 300 hurdles and 10th in the 110 meter hurdles. Isaac Brown took top honors in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.55 seconds, and 4th in the 100 meter dash. Jacob Hatley placed eighth in pole vault, “I need to improve on my form and start working with a longer pole to hopefully vault to higher heights.” Caden Coffelt got 4th in long jump and first in triple jump. The boys track team placed second overall at the Douglas Twi-light, behind Douglas. All three of the boys relays qualified for the Best of the West in Scottsbluf, NE on Tuesday night. The 4x4 P.R.ed and also prequalified for

state. The 4x1 relay placed 5th and the 4x8 placed 6th. Individual awards for the boys at the Best of the West included Isaac Brown, 2nd in the 100 and 200, Blake Wisroth, 7th in the 300 hur-dles, Zach Lurz, 1st in both shot put and discus, and Caden Coffelt, who got 4th in triple jump. “I P.R.ed in the 300 hurdles,

and I think I performed well, but I was

in lane one so I struggled a bit,” said Wisroth. Placing third in shot, and ninth in disc, Christian Bila P.R.ed in both of her events at the Douglas Twilight. “I’m looking forward to state!” she said. Freshman Taylor Troxel placed tenth in the shot put and 7th in the discus and Alex Lurz placed third in discus. Avery Madden earned first in triple jump while Kayla Frazier earned sec-ond in triple jump and seventh in long jump. Tarah Werner tied for fourth place in pole vault, and Allison

Marsh got second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 100 meter dash. Kylie Korell placed eighth in the 800 and Whitney Walson also got eighth in the 400. Mikayla McNamee earned a second place medal in high jump and fourth in the 800. Junior Kaylie Haun, part of the 4x800 team, said, “I think we did well for our first time running the 4x8. and I’m glad we prequaled. I think our time can improve.” The three relays for the girls also qualified for the Best of the West. The 4x1 got fourth place, the 4x8 got fifth, and the 4x4 earned third place medals. “It was a good experience for the 4x8 and it was good for our 4x4 to have competition,” said McNamee. Marsh got fifth place in both the 100 and the 300 hurdles, Werner got eighth in pole vault, Madden got second in triple jump, and Frazier got seventh in long jump and fifth in tri-ple.

Blazer Track soars at Douglas and Best in the West

Fourteen seniors will go above and beyond at college

With the seniors’ last days being counted down on the wall, many of this year’s graduating class is looking to their futures. Many of these young adults have decided to continue their extracurricular activities into college. We all know Jason M. has a full-ride to UW for basketball, but what about his classmates? Lady Blazer basketball star Mi-kayla B. has been signed to play WNCC basketball for the next two years. She was given a full-ride to rain down those threes that we got to see here in Willi Gymna-sium. Teammate Matty J. is going to Gillete on scholarship also to play basketball. Mikayla will be joined by Caitlyn Caitlyn at WNCC who received a full-ride

scholarship. She will be drilling goals for the Lady Cougar soccer team.

Blazer men’s soccer players Dan A. and Carlos A. are planning to red-shirt next year at WNCC. These two want to get a feel for the college speed and get to know the soccer coaching staff before they go full swing into college soccer.

Mark M. is going to continue his baseball career. He has narrowed his col-leges down to a choice between UW club baseball and Miles City Junior College, both very competitive programs.

The thing he looks forward to most next year is the freedom. “I am ex-cited to have the option to set my own schedule and not to just be stuck in a classroom for eight hours.”

Michaella L. and Ross B. will be attending EWC on scholarships. Michaella will be representing the Lancers as a cru-cial part of the rodeo team. Ross has been recruited to play golf for EWC and is thinking about being part of the music program there.

Zachary L. has decided to go to Concordia University in Seward, NE. He will be playing football and participating in track receiving scholarships in both.

Two-time National Meats Evalua-tion Champion Blake O. will be going to Casper College to continue his judging career by being on the livestock judging team. Blake has shown a lot of excitement for his college experience.

Story continues on pg 12

“Not only am I still judging to receive scholarships at Casper, but it is what I love to do,” he said.

Torrington has four students continuing their theatrical careers past high school; Kayla B., David M., Grace F., and Reagan R. Kayla will be going up to Casper and she is SUPER excited! “How excited am I? On a scale of 1 to 10, it is about a 20.”

David will be part of the musical program here in Torrington next year at EWC. Robbins will be doing musicals at WNCC after his senior year, and Grace has yet to decide where she will be going. All she knows is that she will continue to par-ticipate in music.

April 27, 2012

FEATURES Page 12 Torrington High School

April 27, 2012

Miranda S. “Dance

as if no one is

watching.”

Jennifer R. “Don’t

have one.”

Cristina V.

“You only live

once.”

Getting to know the Juniors... What is your favorite quote?

Ashley A.

“Taylor Gang or

die.”

Shennan B.

“Math is God.”

Nikki M. Reporter

The question of banning

a book in a Wyoming school has

arisen again.

A parent of a student

enrolled in Cheyenne‟s Carey

Junior High asked that the book

Lord Loss be removed from the

shelves.

According to Casper Star-Tribune reports, the man, Sam

Whitley, contended that “there

is sickness in this book,” and

asked that it be eliminated from

the library‟s collection.

The Laramie County

School Board, however, accepted

the opinion from a district com-

mittee to keep the book avail-

able.

Lord Loss is part of the

THS library collection, and

many students here have read

the novel.

Sophomore Shon R. said

that this book is “very scary.

Fellow reader George

Deffenbaugh said, “Lord Loss is

an interesting cliff-hanger.”

Ross B. is one of the few

Torrington students who knew

about the Cheyenne challenge.

“It is what it is,” he noted crypti-

cally. “People just need to get

over themselves.”

One teacher added, “We

do almost whatever it takes to

get students to read. If that

means including books that we

might not „like‟ or „approve of,‟

then so be it. Our job is to foster

reading, not to control student

tastes and preferences. These

books have been published for

certain audiences, and they‟re

not necessarily for adult read-

ers.”

~OPEN 24 HOURS~

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Open ALL Holidays

Pop•Snacks•Candy

•Dairy

Fresh Baked

Pasteries•Donuts

Cookies•Breads

Hot and Cold

Sandwiches

and much, much

more!

Is it okay to ban books from school?

Dear Bones Jones--- With gas prices so high, my parents are cutting back on buying me gas. I still want to be able to drive. I need a summer job! The only problem is that I’ve never had one. How can I get one? What jobs are good for high school students? Where can I work?

Thanks,

Dollar-less Dolly

Dollar-less Dolly, I’d like to congratulate you

on wanting to take the responsibility of having your own job. You must remember, however, that the work place isn’t the same as school. Con-gress hasn’t passed a “No-lazy-worker-left-behind-act” (yet…). In the work place there is no makeup time, no redos, and no excuse for missing. Most places will fire you if you are tardie. If you are not at a pro-ficient level of work, there is no A.S.E. to help you. You get fired. Having a

job is a huge responsibility. There are people who rely on you being there ready to work every day. It is not a situation that should be taken lightly.

Don’t let that scare you off though. The work force is what drives society, and anyone can keep a job if they simply do what they are supposed to do.

One great job for high school kids is to make your own lawn mow-ing service. Simply go around asking people if they would like you to mow their lawn every two weeks, and es-tablish a fair price based on the size of their lawn. This is often times an excellent job, as you work whenever you are able to and make great money for what you do.

Another idea could be to apply to work for the city either at the pool or maintenance. Though this is a harder job to land, the pay is good and you will most likely be able to work with friends. Remember, with this job you do have a work schedule. To get this job, simply go by City Hall and pick up an application form.

Of course, one can always

try and apply to work at a restaurant. There are many restaurants that you could work at, as well as many jobs in the food service that you can do. With a job in the food service you will most likely have to work with the general public, so remember to use your manners. Nobody wants to tip a rude waiter/waitress. One good thing for this type of job is to take the “Serve Safe” certification in Foods III. This could help get you a job, or allow you to get paid more if you do have a job. For most restaurant jobs, you can get an application by going into it and talking to a manager.

Always remember that whenever you are viewed at a future work site, be it picking up the appli-cation or the interview, you are being watched. You should use your best manners, dress appropriately, and be excited to work. Also, always try and make the best of a day at work. No one wants to work with a Negative Nancy. Best of luck, Bones Jones

Bones Jones

Torrington High School Page 13

April 27, 2012

It was pretty legit. It was more serious and people believe it

more. David M.

Senior

It was kind of cool. It looked better with actual newspaper format instead of stapled Stormy B. Senior

I like it. It looks cool the way it’s formatted. Cali S. Sophomore (l)

Makes me feel like I’m reading an actual newspaper Cara C. Freshman (r)

It’s much more organized Saint D.

Freshman

I like it, especially the cover page Anthony M. Senior

It’s good. It went into detail more, and it has a nicer layout

Alex M. Senior

What did you think about the new

newspaper format?

April 27th Friday Spring Play

7 p.m. THS Auditorium

April 28th Saturday Spring Play

7 p.m. THS Auditorium

May 1st Tuesday Boys Soccer home vs South

Girls Soccer @ South

May 4th Friday Boys Soccer home vs Douglas

Girls’ Soccer @ Douglas

May 5th Saturday Prom

Million Dollar Night in Paris

May 10th Thursday THS Choir Concert

7 p.m.

Track leaves for Regionals

May 11th Friday Regional Track@ Worland

Regional Soccer@ Riverton and

Lander

Triple Kiss Regular Kiss

Superior Rating

Natural Coloring

Flying Kites

Broken Radios

Tie Dying

Skin Cancer

Getting Hit by Lightning

Operating Radios

White Tees

Advanced Rating

Kolter E. Columnist

Most students in THS will take a for-eign language before they graduate, either Spanish or French, but what would happen if these classes met together? The French 1 class and Span-ish 1 class found this out on April 20 when the two classes came together for a day of…. Frenish? Instead of making a new language, however, they looked for the similarities be-tween the two languages they were already studying. They accomplished this through a simple exercise: the French students wrote a children’s story in French, which they read to their Spanish-studying peers. Freshmen Matty R. and Day-ton H. were partners during the fi-esta. “The French kids were trying to read a story to us,” said Matty. “It was a fun way to intermix the classes.” Dayton said he liked interact-ing with new people during the or-deal. “We also got to learn a few

phrases in Span-ish ,” said Dayton. S o p h o -mores Josie J. and Madison B. were also a duo in the learning experi-ence. “I learned that I feel like a dork when I read out loud,” teased Madi. The two talked about how the two languages are similar, also about how both are considered “romance” lan-guages. J a c k s o n joked, “I would do it again because it got me out of doing Span-ish for a day.” Diane Nighswonger, THS’s French teacher, was in charge of the French students who got to read their stories. “Each French I student wrote an animal story using any

French they had learned all year,” said Nighswonger. “This assignment gave the students an opportunity to read aloud to someone other than me or their classmates. I was very pleased with how it turned out, Mrs.

Lunde’s Spanish I class was very co-operative.” The French I class also vis-ited Mrs. Heilbrun’s Spanish II class. Nighswonger deemed this exercise a “ great success.”

Frenish… the true

language of love?

Je ne say what? Alex H. (l) listens attentively while Asa B. reads his book. This lesson was designed so that students could see how closely Spanish and French are associated. Photo by Kolter E.

Page 14 Torrington High School

Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief

There are only a few days remaining for the Class of 2012 be-fore it all ends. Graduation is loom-ing. Scholarship deadlines approach. But perhaps the most anticipated, are the summer trips several seniors will take. A popular destination? Mex-ico. The diverse country is a vaca-tioners’ paradise. With mountain ad-ventures, world-famous beaches, the most impeccable shopping west of 5th Avenue, and everything in be-tween, Mexico is the ultimate desti-nation for United States travelers. But that’s the thing. Mexico is not the United States. I’ve heard sev-eral of my classmates already plan-ning on trips south of the border. They’re in for an unforgettable ex-perience. Nevertheless, the way these people are talking about such trips, the more I’m convinced that they are on their way to getting mugged. Thus, here’s a little 411 on what not to do in Mexico: 1) At the airport, keep it on

the down low. Airports, especially in resort cities like Acapulco and Can-cun, are magnets for robbers. Mexi-cans will pick you out easily from two very basic actions that speak vol-umes: walking and talking. The United States is a spacious country; therefore, we walk big. When we

stroll down the street, we swing our arms and make big movements. In Latin America, however, things are more crowded. Two-thirds of the Mexican population lives in urban

centers, which make the density of these cities intense. Latinos walk, but not as big (think walking in the crowded school halls). So, while in airports, walk, but keep yourself “compact.” While talking, American accents give us away, obviously. Along with the way Americans walk,

we talk loudly. In Mex-ico, take the decibel level down a few notches. Nobody needs to know you forgot shampoo. 2) US dollars will not make you rich in Mexico. Sure, the exchange rate is roughly ten pesos to one dollar, but it does-n’t make you the next Bill Gates. A wide-spread misconception is that American money will go a lot far-

ther in Mexico. Not true. Prices in Mexico can be extreme. For example, a five dollar bottle of water here would cost fifty pesos there. It’s not any different in value, but the price

seems much higher. The truth is, you will get the same thing if you have five hundred pesos or fifty dollars. Don’t expect more. 3) Do NOT flaunt your money. This goes for every country in Latin America. If you act rich, you will be targeted. Don’t flash your wealth in stores or, even worse, on the street. Don’t pull out a wallet when it’s full in a crowded attraction. Instead, divide your money effi-ciently. If you’re going to a club, take only what you think you will need. The same thing applies for shopping and other tourist attractions: be dis-crete. 4) Don’t get drunk. The drinking (and clubbing) age in Mex-ico is eighteen, but that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of that. The best advice? Drink responsibly. Standard Mexican resorts are infa-mous for extreme parties on the beach, but don’t get too wild. Getting drunk in a foreign country is not a good idea. Besides, we can all agree a sunny beach is preferable to a hang-over. “Mexico” continued on page 4

Olé! Read this, then enjoy fabulous Mexico

Frank S. columnist

They swooped, dipped, and

kicked up their heels, all for a good cause.

Many THS students— along with teachers

from all district schools—participated in

“Dancing with the Teachers” on April 21.

This event was a fund-raiser for

Special Olympics. Students and teachers

weren’t the only source of entertainment

of the night. Students from the Dance Loft

studio performed between the students

and teachers.

Most teams would dance to one

song. But there were no limits and a few

teams turned up the volume and put as

many songs together as they could. The

original plan was to only have one male

and one female. But with teams getting

creative, many asked other classmates or

other students to help make their perform-

ance better than everyone else's.

Senior Mark M. said, “I got sec-

ond to last because the judges math score

is horrible. I really liked shuffling. I didn’t

like the judges. After doing this I am a

better dancer and according to Mrs. Wil-

son, I am a very good stripper pole.”

Senior Jason M. added, “At the

end of the night, I got third place. My

partner Frank S., who is a better dancer,

got second. It was a great night of dancing.

I really enjoyed it. I can’t believe we did-

n’t win because we really were the best

team. Also I think the judges just liked the

girls because our dance was definitely

better.”

“I thought it was

really fun. Also I knew

we were going to win

because we had some

mad choreography. Jason

and Frank’s team almost

took the victory away

from us, but we executed

when it counted and

pulled out the victory for

a great cause,” sophomore

Allison M. said.

Senior Ryan L.

added, “It helped our

community a lot and I had

a lot of fun doing it. I felt

that the judges were awe-

some [even though we

were obviously the best

team], and I worked my

butt off.”

Saturday night

was full of a lot of fun

and memories that won’t

be forgotten. Most con-

testants agreed that the

judges were the real deal

and knew what they were

talking about.

Seniors playing at the next level” continued from page 11 “Not only am I still judging to receive scholarships at Casper, but it is

what I love to do,” he said. Torrington has four students continuing their theatrical careers past

high school; Kayla B., David Miller, Grace F., and Reagan R.. Kayla will be going up to Casper and she is SUPER excited! “How excited am I? On a scale of 1 to 10, it is about a 20.”

Miller will be part of the musical program here in Torrington next year at EWC. Reagan will be doing musicals at WNCC after his senior year, and Grace has yet to decide where she will be going. All she knows is that she will continue to participate in music.

Page 15 Torrington High School

Nick Prusia Opinions Editor

Many of us have big dreams. Some of us want to be the next Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Adele, Wiz Khalifa, or whatever else we may dream of. At one point in our lives, we have these dreams, and most of us still have those today. Work ethic separates the success-ful and the fizzles. Nobody is fed with a golden spoon, and we all had to work for something that we’ve achieved. Many of us possess the dream, but don’t want to put in the time, the sweat, and the grind to achieve it. Any-thing is possible, there’s always some-thing crazier that’s hap-pened in the world. Were we sup-posed to beat the Sovi-ets in the Winter Olym-pics in 1980? Always remember this, if you can dream it, you can achieve it, but only with a tireless work ethic. There are basically no excuses in anything we do. Just because some-body has achieved something, doesn’t mean the ones who had the same

dream, but not the same work ethic, can degrade the job the achiever has done. It all starts in high school. High school sets the framework of the road to success. Graduating high school should not be seen as the end of something, but rather a beginning to the larger portion of somebody’s life. While we may want to have

great memories these days, but we still need to apply ourselves to the fullest of our abilities if we want to have a successful life as an adult. Think of it this way, we all at one point have to put in a time of sacrifice in suf-fering. At many points through-out our lives, we are going to need to do things we don’t want to do. I’ll be honest, I

rarely ever WANT to do my homework, but I still do it, because I know I NEED to do it if I want to get the sacrifice over with. Putting in the hard work and

sacrifice now, will allow me to have a more enjoyable adult life. Those putting in the grind now will have jobs in the future, and we all hear the stories of how jobs can be hard and stressful, but imagine a life without a job. All the luxuries we enjoy get taken away from us if we don’t have jobs. Instead of watching the funny pro-gram during the evening, we would have to sit out back and watch the sun-set every evening. Instead of having a nice dinner prepared every night, we would have to settle for a cup of Ramen each and every single night. The fancy, nice clothing we would look good in would turn into rags and dirt stained jeans worn every single day. Instead of a nice SUV, we would have to settle for a car that has to be powered like the Flinstones’ car. Having a job doesn’t seem like that much of a bad thing now doesn't it? The last paragraph describes the typical life of people who decided to be slackers in high school. Instead of making their own money, they are rely-ing on the government to make sure that they don’t go under, and the rich people enjoying their hard-earned money are red with anger watching that money go to somebody that hasn’t earned it. We earn what we put forth: I can’t preach that enough.

Nothing is going to be easy in life. There are going to be hard times, struggles, and everything else. We will be stressed at some point in our lives, and we have to get through with it if we want to get to our dreams. Wasting time, making excuses, and refusing to give it our all now is only setting us up for a life of poverty later on. The sense of entitlement that some people feel is sickening. Like I said before, nothing is given to anyone, and we aren’t fed with a golden spoon. Not working at anything and thinking we deserve the best, is laugh-able. Why should the ones who didn’t do anything in high school receive and earn the same stuff that the ones who put in the time and effort have? With all of this summed up, get to work; and don’t give a half-hearted effort, give it your all. Anybody can have some crazy dream that others can make seem unob-tainable: we all do that. There are a couple things that can get anybody just about anything in life if it: a strong work ethic, a great atti-tude, and a will to learn and not give up. Work now, play later. Don’t play now and work later and end up wondering what could have been had you given it your all in high school.

Part II:

The dictionary is the only place in which success comes before work

Dancing for donations delightful

LAST WORD Page 16 Torrington High School

Friday, April 27, 2012

Grace F. 1. Senior Prom 2. When Mr. Afdahl and I bucked into each other 3. Seniors should have a free period. 4. Valedictorian, no homeroom, senior year, All State

junior year. 5. Friends! 6. I’m going to college.

Jenny R. 1. That one thing that one time with Mikayla. 2. Showing freshman around at orientation with a

tear on my jeans butt. 3. Food/Drinks rule. Lots of high expectations for

students, and Jason. 4. Successfully accomplishing it without a complete

mental breakdown. 5. All of the great, nice people I'm around everyday. 6. Go to U.W. and probably hang out with Mark and

Jason every once in awhile. 7. Rise above the expected maturity level.

Matty J. 1. All the sport trips. 2. Tripping at 2012 regional basketball. 3. Food and drink rule. 4. Going from B team bench in 8th grade, to play-

ing my first high school B-Ball game on varsity. 5. Christian 6. Go play basketball at Gillette college. 7. Don’t be stupid!

Hayley Allen 1. Anything or time with Sydney H. :) 2. I enjoy embarrassing others ,Billy Madison style. 3. Jason McManamen hahahah. 4. Not dropping out like half of my class. 5. Basketball! The rest is history! 6. Get a degree in ag business. 7. Wetting your pants is cool.

Ross B. 1. Meeting Nick V.. 2. Failing in comparison to Nick V.. 3. Not Nick V. 4. Getting Nick V.’s permission to write this. 5. Nick V. 6. Go invest in the stock market with Nick V. 7. Be like Nick V.

Korinne J. 1. Regional Volleyball with Shai S. (: 2. Tripping up the stairs= a daily event. 3. Food and drink rule. 4. Making it through school successfully while hav-ing fun! 5. Friends 6. Get a degree in kinesiology 7. Don’t sweat the small stuff and have fun! It goes

Every year, we try to feature a bit of information about

each of our seniors: here’s the class of 2012’s edition!

THE QUESTIONS:

1. What’s your favorite memory?

2. Most embarrassing moment

3. If you could change one thing about THS, what

would it be?

4. What high school accomplishments are you

proudest of?

5. What will you miss about high school?

6. What are your plans after high school?

7. Advice to under class men? *Blazing Sun

Why do we play

during a

recital, but recite

during a play?