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Lee’s Summit West High School 2600 SW Ward Road Lee’s Summit, MO 64082 Volume VI Edition 4

Photo by Elisa Cox Photo illustration by Kayla Cambers

Seasons grow darker; S.A.D.sets in

The holidays may be ‘delightful’ for some; but each year, people around the world experience ‘frightful’ emotions

that begin as the weather grows cold. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D. for short, is a condition in which those affected become depressed when the weather gets colder, and more importantly, the days grow shorter and darker. Pg. 5

2 •News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • Titan Scroll

After a seven year battle, West Side Stage joined with three other community theatre troupes to win the Cornucopia Award for the National Trick–or–Treat So Kids Can Eat program. The Cornucopia Award is given to the team who collects the largest amount of food for a local food collection agency. “It turned out that we beat the team from Witchita by 200 pounds, which is ironic because the last two years they have beaten us by 300,” said theater director Ben Martin. Witchita had 12 schools participating, compared to Lee’s Summit’s four. West, LSHS, LSN, and LSCCS joined forces on Halloween and collected 11, 147 pounds of food for Lee’s Summit Social Services. TOTS-Eat is a program run by the

International Thespian Society. In order for a school to participate in this event, it has to have a Thespian group. “All the food we collected goes to the Lee’s Summit Social Services,” said Martin. The first year that WSS joined in on the program, they collected 2,500 pounds of food, and the amount has increased every year.

“We met at the school and split up into groups and went to different neighborhoods, knocking on doors and asking for food,” said Sophomore Melanie Bosley. “I thought it was really fun because it didn’t really feel like community service.” “It is very easy to get caught up in the competition,” said Martin. “You just have to remember why you are doing this. The fact that we won first

prize just means we did a better job at collecting food for Lee’s Summit Social Services.” On top of the first place award, the Lee’s Summit Team also won the Community Spirit Award for being the first team to sign up. Missouri as a whole won its division for number of troupes participating and amount collected. “Awards are a very nice by-product, but that’s all they are. They are not the real reason why we are doing this,” said Martin. Martin also said that there were about 80 people from West involved and that West collected the most pounds of food, but he wanted to make clear “it’s not a competition between the schools, because we are working together.” Nationwide, 300 Thespian troupes collected a total of 308,000 pounds of food to feed the nation’s hungry.

LS high schools team up for the communityKatey Stoetzel

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Members of the LSW Thespian Society participat-ed in the TOTS-Eat program to support the com-munity “because hunger is a scary thing.”

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•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports •Dec. 11, 2009 3

It’s Christmas Eve, and everyone is cozy by the fire about to open gifts before heading off to dream of sugarplums. But someone’s missing. Dad, who usually hands out the presents, isn’t there. He’s hundreds of miles away fighting to protect the nation’s freedom. That changes things. This happens to families all over the nation — brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers go off to fight leaving behind a gap they were supposed to fill for the holidays. It’s no different at West. Junior Kalli Lauver and Freshman Shaun Lauver have personal experience.Their dad has been gone the past two holiday seasons. “It’s been really hard with him being gone,” Kallie Lauver said. “The holidays are meant to be spent with family and it’s difficult when he wasn’t here.” Senior Jessica Clough and Freshman Matt Clough can relate. Their father, who has been in the Air Force more than 25 years, was overseas last Christmas as well. “I was really upset when I found out he wasn’t going to be here,” said Jessica. “He has always been here for the holidays.” For the Lauvers, the traditions their family knew were mostly unchanged. “Usually we spend the holidays at my grandparents with close family,” Kalli said. “Nothing really changed, we just kept him in our prayers and thoughts during time spent together.” But for the Cloughs, a bigger hole was left in the family. “He usually cooks dinner and he wasn’t here to do that,” Jessica said. “He also usually hands out the presents and that was different last year while he was gone.” Both families said they tried their best to stay in contact with their fathers. “We could talk on the phone, but it was hard because there was a delay, and we would e-mail a lot,” Kalli said.

“We kept in touch over the computer as much as we could and sent a lot of pictures,” said Jessica. “It was really hard to know he was by himself for Christmas last year instead of with his family.” This Christmas though, both families will be whole once again. “It will be good to have the family all together again,” said Jessica. Kalli agreed. “The holidays will be more relaxed,” she said. However, there are families at West who will be split over the holidays. Junior Ken Klinkenberg’s sister will be overseas this Christmas. “She’s been in the military for three years now,” said Klinkenberg. “This is the first time she was stationed. Before this she was in Hawaii.” K l inkenberg ’s sister was deployed to Iraq in July and will return in February. “It was kind of a shock,” he said. “You hear about the stories, but you never think it’s gonna happen to you.” They stay in contact over facebook and try to chat often. “It’s going to be hard. Her daughter, my niece, is staying with me. She’s only six. We have to keep her in contact with her mother. Her

birthday is two days after Christmas. So it’s kind of a really tough thing for her,” said Klinkenberg. Klinkenberg said that it’s going to be strange without her there. Usually, he said, she participates in opening presents, enjoying family and

togetherness. The family plans on sending her gifts while she’s there. “Having someone overseas really makes you think about those who have lost. It makes me really glad nothing has happened. It really makes you think,” said Klinkenberg.

Military families cherish holiday time together Ally McEntire

Titan father Michael Lauver, above and center of the photo below, is home for the holidays this year after being overseas during the last two holiday seasons. Photos courtesy of Lauver family.


Finals are required; but some students struggle to take them seriously since they usually make little difference in the semester grade. Others may worry too much. “Finals really don’t help grades that much. They have the ability to maintain a grade,” said English teacher Stephanie Ward. Finals are worth 10 percent of the grade, so if a student gets a zero on the final it would drop their grade by 10 percent. “The most I’ve ever seen a final truly bring a grade down is three percent. Finals can only increase grades by one percent, maybe two percent if the student really aces the final,” said Ward. With the final only being worth 10 percent, students should realize it is important, but it is not going to break or make the semester. “The final is only worth 10 percent. So even with a minimal effort, more than likely it will not effect a student’s grade one way or the other,” said Math teacher Robert Rossiter. “We want our students to do well, but I don’t want them to excessively stress out about finals,” said Principal Dr. Cindy Bateman. Even so, many students will naturally fret about finals, like anyone would with any big test. “If I have a low A, then I’m worried when it comes to the final,” said Sophomore Michael Weise. “I have to say, when it comes to final time I get really nervous and stressed out,” Sophomore Spencer Chaney said. “The kids that do study usually do well on the final, and finals are not a problem for them. I think that kids take the final as seriously as they take the class,” said Ward. Some students said they feel they get a lot of pressure from parents and teachers to do well on finals. Instead of encouraging them, that pressure they aid sometimes just stresses them out more.

“My parents say ‘you better get a good grade to get into college.’ They’re disappointed if I get a B,” said Weise. “My parents don’t put a lot of pressure on me. They’re constantly telling me to study for finals though,” said MaKenzie. “Teachers put more pressure on you. They just want you

to do great. I don’t think it’s that overwhelming.” However, the teachers understand the stress of finals for students. “I like to be a part of the committee that writes the test. I feel like if it’s essential knowledge, I want students to have it, if I don’t think it’s important then I throw it out,” said Ward. “Teachers make finals a really big deal. They need to calm down,” said Chaney. “Teachers make students nervous because they make finals such a big deal,” said Weise. “Then sometimes when I take the final I’ll get nervous and forget easy things that I should know.” “Teachers feel sorry for kids, we really do, but I think it’s just a fact of life that life is a test,” said Ward. “It’s taking on a lot of stuff at one time. It’s a lot of stress,” said MaKenzie. But after the finals week is over, everyone can breathe a huge sigh of relief. “After finals, you’re done with the semester,” said Chaney. “I’m happy we get to give finals

before Christmas break. I think it gives students a feeling of completion. They can go enjoy break and then come back ready to get back to work,” said Bateman. To many students’ relief, only a few classes will have to take the constructed response on the final

this year. “Based on the EOC [End of Course exam] not requiring a c o n s t r u c t e d response, there will be less c o n s t r u c t e d responses on the finals this year,” said Bateman. Finals are just getting

students used to what they will encounter beyond high school. “All of life is a test. You have to take a test to get into college. When you get into college you have to take a test to stay in college. You have to take a test to take a test,” explained Ward. “In adult life you have exams and students need to know to move forward, sometimes it comes down to a test,” said Bateman. “Finals serve as a mode of assessing the cumulative academic progress of a student,” said Rossiter. “Kids should take the final seriously, because unfortunately, I don’t think it will ever change,” said Ward. “Finals are just one of those hoops you have to jump through. There’s pressure in life and in high school you’re just starting to get to it,” she said.

12/16 FINALS TIMES Hour 3 7:30-9:00 Hour 5 9:05-10:35 Hour 7 12:53-2:2312/17 FINALS TIMES Hour 2 7:30-9:00 Hour 4 9:05-10:35 Hour 6 12:53-2:2312/18 FINALS TIMES Hour 1 7:30-9:00 Advisory 9:05-9:25 Candle Lighting 9:25-10:30

2009 FALL FINAL SCHEDULE

‘Don’t stress over the test’Sydnee Owens


Seasonal Affective Disorder occurs in some people because of less exposure to full spectrum light. That, in the northern hemisphere, is the immense sunshine of the spring and summer months. The neurochemicals in the brain are affected, causing the person to experience depression in the form of an altered sleep pattern, eating more frequently, and in general, feeling disconnected, said Dr. Brian Barash. Senior Chay Mehl knows this firsthand. Last year her psychology class studied the disorder, and Mehl felt a connection. “I was like, wow, I feel like this all the time,” she said. “It’s associated with lack of sunlight,” said Barash. “You don’t have to live in Washington or Oregon to have it.” “During the summertime, I love the sun. I love to be warm, I’m happy all the time,” said Mehl.

Barash said that patients typically begin to feel the effects in the latter part of fall, through the winter. “When it starts getting colder, I get like, instantly grumpy,” Mehl said. “Wintertime I have almost like a personality change.” “To us in the mental health field, depression is depression is depression,” Barash said. “If it’s severe, getting in the way, we start medication.” Junior Taylor Fritz studied S.A.D. in his Psychology class. “I think that teens and adults are affected by it rather than children,” he said. There are three main ways to treat S.A.D., said Barash. The first, he said, is medication. These pills increase serotonin levels in the body, which control a person’s happiness; certain vitamins can also be used. The medications help the users sleep cycle, which makes them more alert and pleasant during the day. Light therapy is another treatment method. “30 minutes to an hour a day

mimics wavelength from the sun,” said Barash. These “light boxes” can be purchased at Home Depot, the Home Living Store, and various other home improvement stores. The neurological connection between the retina — the back of the eye — and the brain is stimulated, said Barash. Often psychiatrists ask their patients to change out lightbulbs around the house with these alternate bulbs to increase exposure. Breathing in negative air can be positive for S.A.D. as well. Air ionizers put a negative charge on air. Barash said some data proves breathing in this air has an effect on the brain that increases happiness. Barash said that people located in places that are geographically darker are more prone to develop S.A.D. For instance, in Alaska, where there is less daylight for a little more than two-thirds of the day in the Winter. Symptoms include sleeping more, eating more, decreased interest

levels, less energy, thoughts of suicide, excessive guilt for no obvious reason, things feeling suddenly unreal, feeling outside of the body, and feeling disconnected. These are all symptoms of standard depression, but someone afflicted with S.A.D. experiences these seasonally. “I’m grumpy, I’m easily irritated, very depressed, which is weird,” said Mehl. “I get sleepy, I feel like I want to hibernate. I eat more. But I feel really depressed all the time.” “You can tell people take longer to get places. Like, you can’t just run out to your car,” said Fritz. Deciding to what degree does an intervention need to be made is the job of psychiatrists. Barash said “The biggest question for us is what degree are the symptoms interfering with day-to-day activities.” “I feel like it’s normal that people get depressed during the wintertime,” said Mehl. “There’d be no point in it [treatment]. It would be a waste of money. I try to get more sunlight.””

Ally McEntire

Seasons grow darker; S.A.D. sets in

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When people make fun of other people it’s just not right. That discourages them. When someone makes fun of another person, that hurts. It’s happened to me before. It makes you feel bad. It makes you feel like you’re not worth anything;

like you’re just there. One time, I was walking up the stairs, when I lived in Harrisonville. We had a two-story school. One of these kids I knew, he tripped me. My nose started bleeding. Everyone was laughing. Only one kid had the courage to come up and ask if I was okay. Since that day, I was just angry at the kid who tripped me. I wanted to start a fight. I wanted to bring violence into it, and that’s not the way to go. Violence only equals more violence. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Ever since that day, I’ve never hurt anyone as a joke. I stand up for people. Before, I was the kid who just sat there and watched it. But when it happened to me, I knew how it felt, and so I decided to stick up for anyone going through the same thing.

It doesn’t matter if they’re different. They don’t deserve that treatment. A lot of people don’t realize when they’re causing someone else pain. But they need to realize that making a joke out of someone else’s misfortune isn’t ever okay. Some people don’t do it every day. They do it every once and a while. But that’s not okay either. It’s like drugs. Maybe you start out using only a little, but it just progresses. There are people who are my friends who used to use mean humor, and I talked to them; told them I didn’t think that it was right. They agreed. I gave them suggestions of things they could use instead as jokes. It’s your spirit that determines if you are nice or mean. It’s hard to change, but it can be done. It takes time and effort, but changing the

way you act toward other people is something that can and should be done. People here at West are more accepting. In Harrisonville, there is one group who thinks they’re the best. West is more equal; that’s awesome. No one feels left out. There are other things that can be said or done to be funny. You don’t have to tease another person or put them down. You can make a real, genuine joke that doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings, or use their pain as humor. If your friends do it, talk to them about it. Make a stand, and give them ideas for change, you don’t have to be mean about it, but say something. Steve Rhodes is a freshman involved in ROTC, known for his outgoing, friendly personality and unique ability to make funny sounds!

This I Believe:

Steve Rhodes

Very few people are enthusiastic about the word “Finals.” Teachers tend to push finals on students and encourage studying and good test preparation habits; but the truth is, most students rarely make a huge effort on them. If a student’s grade is good in a particular class, the realization that the final isn’t going to have much of an impact only encourages a lack of excitement to really try. Regardless, students have to take them. Some students see this as just an end-of-the-semester opportunity to slack off, and others consider putting in a little effort. It is mathematically true, that the only students significantly affected by their performance on finals are those who have a grade teetering on the line between two grades. Other than that, the student has to absolutely bomb the final to really

lower his grade; or, he must initially have a bad grade, and really kick it into gear, for the final to make a difference in his semester grade. If a student has a good grade in the class, he is probably going to continue to put effort into it. In most cases, the student who has a low grade will probably continue doing what he has been doing to get him a low grade in the first place. The general idea of a final is to test what a student has learned over the course of the entire semester. If this doesn’t happen, it basically defeats the purpose of a final and with that focus taken away, students likely see no point to really try. All that being said, finals last three days — a relatively short period of time. After that, winter break arrives when there is plenty of time to slack off. Why not make a real effort and finish the semester strong?

Ally McEntire

Staff Editioral: Dreaming of Decimals

Making fun is not funny


It takes a certain kind of person to be a teacher. You have to have tolerance and patience to put up with a bunch of loud, chatty kids all day long. Plus, you have to be able to outsmart your

kids when they try to pull one over on you. Most importantly, you have to be able to connect with the students in a way that will help them learn the things they have to in order to be successful. Students think they can tell the good teachers from the bad ones. We critique the way we are taught even though we usually don’t know a thing about the right way to teach hard-headed students. As easily as we can pick out the bad teachers, we can pick out the good teachers, too. The teachers who actually love coming in to work despite getting up early and possibly staying late and having to explain a simple set of directions multiple times just to get it through the thick skulls of their students and still pull

it off with a smile on their face are the good ones. Maybe it’s the bottomless cup of coffee that gets them through the day, but nevertheless, they deserve a lot more than they get. Most teachers’ paychecks do not reflect the work they put in to their job and yet, professional athletes get paychecks big enough to buy eight cars, at least two houses, and go through a few divorces. However, being an athlete isn’t an easy thing to do. It takes work, dedication, and natural talent that some people don’t have, but do they really need to get paid all this money while teachers work hard to make a difference in the lives of their students? People like doctors and lawyers

make pretty good money, as well, but they do work that helps our society. Doctors work to make new discoveries in medicine and pave the way for the rest of us and lawyers help people get what they deserve in the court room when they feel wrongfully accused. If lawyers get paid to defend the law and doctors get paid to help people get better and teachers get paid to teach students who may become a doctor or lawyer in the future, then why is there such a difference in pay if everybody’s helping someone? Because everybody works hard at doing something they love, maybe paychecks should reflect the impact these people have on other people’s lives.

Commentary by Elisa Cox

The New York based alternative band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have become a pretty well known band in the alternative scene. Recently I started listening to the band’s albums, specifically “It’s Blitz!,” and realized why they are getting all the attention. The band started in 2000, and in late 2001 the band released their first EP. They then started touring and started to become known for their unique songs. The band has released three studio albums so far; 2003’s “Fever to Tell”, 2006’s “Show Your Bones”, and the most recent release 2009’s “It’s Blitz!.” The thing that appeals to the majority of listeners the most is front-woman Karen O’s, born Karen

Orzolek, interesting vocals and style When talking about Orzolek, Sophomore Nicole Roe says, “She should be a wonder of the world.” Overall, I am not the biggest fan of female-fronted bands. Few seem to keep me interested, such as Alison Mosshart of The Dead Weather and The Kills, Tegan and Sara, and of course, Hayley Williams of Paramore. But, it is always nice to find a band with a good female vocalist that knows what they are doing. Usually bands that are female fronted sound cheesy or poppy. Orzolek is known for her unusual clothing style and interesting stage presence. Her outrageous outfits during live performances makes her performance stand out. The thing that stands out the most

though is her voice of course. On “It’s Blitz!,” songs such as “Dull Life” and “Runaway” are great examples of her vocal range. She not only can hit notes, but she is not boring to listen to. She changes up how she sings throughout songs and always is trying new things. Recently, Karen O worked on the the “Where the Wild Things Are” soundtrack. The songs on the soundtrack gave the film a folk kind of feeling and fully showed that the singer can not only sing, but can write songs that have feeling, and that can create different moods. The next time you are looking for something new to listen to, anything by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is a worthy option.

Commentary by Rylee Webster

Rylee’s Reality Who deserves the biggest paycheck?

Listen to ElisaWhich female vocalists are worthy

of the A-list?

•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • Dec. 11, 2009 9

Modeling has changed the lives of Juniors Taylor Oswald and Andrew Rios. Since they were each ten or younger, they have modeled as a side job. Each are signed with Hoffman International out of Overland Park and Advantage Models out of Nashville. Oswald was inspired to become a model after the first time she watched America’s Next Top Model. She told her mom that she wanted to do what the girls on the show did, and that began her modeling career. Her mom took pictures of Oswald as well as her two younger sisters Ashlyn and Kiley. They took the pictures to an agency and quickly began a number of courses. The girls learned etiquette, how to walk the runway, which Oswald says is much harder than people think; how to do makeup, about clothing, and what’s going on in fashion. “Then we have a test at the very end and we have a big fashion show. We create our own outfits and have

this huge show and at the end they say ‘we want you as a model, or we don’t’,” said Oswald. Luckily for Oswald and her two sisters, the agency wanted to sign all three of the girls. For Rios, modeling was not always something he wanted for himself. “Whenever I was little I was really scared to do it, but my parents got me started. After awhile I started getting jobs and making money I started liking it a lot,” said Rios. At first, shoots were nerve-racking for Rios but after nine years he has gotten used to them. “Now I’m comfortable with it and its really fun and easy,” said Rios. For her first shoot, Oswald was very nervous as well. “My first shoot wasn’t as good as I thought it would be, but I have the most wonderful photographer in the world; Jeff Nickolson. He’s worked with Michael Jackson, he recently did a movie with Corbin Bleu, he works a lot with Nickelodeon and Disney, he did a bunch of stuff for High School Musical,” said Oswald. “He’s the best guy ever and just makes you feel so

comfortable. I was so nervous, but at the same time I felt comfortable, it just felt right. I couldn’t believe it was happening, but it was a lot of fun.” Once the two got past their nerves, jobs and opportunities began lining up. One of Rio’s favorite shoots was for Oceans of Fun. He got to play at the park all day long, and one of the pictures ended up being used on the OOF ticket. Oswald commented on one of her favorite shoots that, “Basically I had a family but we didn’t shoot together, we shot separate and then the photographer put us all together. I had an annoying little brother so I had to pretend that he was there, and pretend that I was

yelling at him but I was yelling and giving funny looks to nothing. Plus I was a Gothic person so I had all this crazy eye-shadow and crazy clothes and it was really interesting. I felt like such a dork, but it came out well.” Both Oswald and Rios have recently done shoots that aren’t out yet, but they are very excited to see the finished products. Rios’ photos will be used in a graduation campaign. “In May I’ll be in posters and banners in stores nationwide,” said Rios. Oswald’s shoot was for a Hallmark card. It was held at the Plaza with two other teenagers. They had to pretend to be best friends, and the card will be a parent to teen card. It’s not out yet, but Oswald is excited to be able to go to the store and buy it. Over the summer, Oswald and Rios spent two weeks in Florida at AMTC; a Christian based modeling convention. “There was acting, competitions for monologue and scene read and improv, singing c o m p e t i t i o n s , dance, photography, all these different things. There were agents from all across the country looking for people. It was just a really great experience,” Oswald said. The money that the two earn helps in a variety of ways. Oswald’s parents let her keep a portion of her earnings. “I get part of it to spend however I want, but most of it goes into savings for college which is where it needs to be.” Rios also spends some of the money on things for himself, but saves the rest. The two agree

that modeling has taught them to more comfortable in their own skin. Oswald said that, “Modeling has changed my life, I’m so much happier now that I’ve been doing it. Before I wasn’t fully confident in myself, but now it’s a whole new me and I love that. Rios said that, “I’ve learned to be more of an outgoing person. I still am shy but this has helped me out a lot.” Modeling has become a huge part of each of their lives, and they both see themselves continuing it in the future at least as a side job. The two said that modeling isn’t as stereotypical as it is perceived. “There’s a wide range of models — you don’t have to be 100 pounds and 5’9’’. There’s so many things you can model for,” said Oswald. Rios agreed that modeling is easier than people think, and anyone can do it.

Jenna Keeble

Maintaining composure in front of camera

Modeling photo courtesy Junior Taylor Oswald Modeling photo, courtesy Junior Andrew Rios


Emily Argotsinger

BWB. Believe it. Achieve it. Call it intuition, a premonition, or maybe just motherly instinct. Whatever it was, Kathi Hertzog had a feeling something was wrong. It was a mother’s natural way of knowing something was not right with her child. So the call from the doctor saying her daughter had leukemia, was only a confirmation of her worst fear. “I wasn’t surprised. I mean, you are still in shock, but I just knew,” Kathi said. On Oct. 26, 2009, Rebecca Hertzog, a 2008 LSW graduate, was diagnosed with leukemia, cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The diagnosis came after a stressful month of not knowing what was wrong. It all started on Sept. 15 when Becca woke up one morning at school, Pittsburg State University, with a horrible rash all over her stomach. “It started on my right side and did a u-shape all the way down my stomach and back up my left side. It was red and really itchy,” Becca said. She went to the student health center where the nurses administered her amoxicillin. However, the next morning, the rash spread to her legs. “She sent me a picture and I thought it might be poison ivy because of the way it looked,” Kathi said. “The nurses thought it was strep rash.” Becca was sent to urgent care to get a steroid shot and have her blood drawn to see if she had strep in her blood. On Sept. 21 the nurses called and said her white blood count had come back low. She was then sent to Pitt State Health Center for further testing. “I got blood work done every single Wednesday from then on because they didn’t know what was wrong,” Becca said. Not knowing can be one of the hardest parts. So when Becca saw science teacher, Jay Meyer, at the gym, she shared with him what she was going through. “When you are dealing with the unknown it is very stressful,” Meyer said, whose wife is a four year colon cancer survivor.“Talking to someone different with an outside perspective about it at that time was what she needed,” Meyer said. “I’m honored that she trusted me

to talk to.” After two weeks of blood work, Becca and her parents met with Dr. Matthew at Pitt State Health Center to get additional blood work done and to go over all her past medical history. “He thought it was just an infection because no abnormal cells were found in my blood under a microscope,” said Becca. However, her blood counts continued to drop alarmingly low. “When I went back my white blood count was 1.8. It’s supposed to be 4.5 to 11.0, and my hemoglobin was 10.5, which is supposed to be from 12.0-15.5,” Becca said. That is when Dr. Matthew decided more than Becca’s blood needed to be examined, and scheduled her for a bone marrow test on Oct. 23. “We knew no news was good news,” Kathi said. “The Friday before the doctor called, I called my kids and told them they needed to prepare themselves because I just had this feeling something was really wrong.”The Hertzogs received news only three short days later, and like Kathi expected, it was not good; Becca had leukemia. “My parents showed up at my house at Pitt and I knew something was wrong,” Becca said. “I asked them if the doctor had called, and they said yes-you have leukemia.” At first, that information was too unfathomable to process. “I was in so much shock. I didn’t get it. I have always been so athletic and always eaten so healthy,” Becca said. “I was like, why did this happen to me?” Through the devastation came enduring support from friends and family. “That night there were 50 kids at her house within the first twenty minutes,” Kathi said. “The support from the kids is really, really good.” “After I calmed down I called Coach Meyer, and after I talked to him I was so motivated and inspired,” said Becca. “I told her, if you can survive winter weights with me you can survive anything,” Meyer said. “But I didn’t

sugarcoat it. I told her, you’re going to feel sick. You’re going to feel tired, but you’re going to get through it.” The pep talk from Meyer motivated Becca to not give up and to remain enthusiastic. “I want to stay positive,” she said. “The day I found out was the last day I cried.” The next morning, Kathi saw just how strong Becca was.“Becca told me-‘I know you are going to be sad and break down, but don’t do it in front of me. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I need a positive attitude and environment. This isn’t going to break me down; I’m going to fight this .’”

Her fight began the next day when she was admitted to the KU Medical Center to begin treatment.“When I got to KU the first thing they did was put a pick line in my arm that runs to my heart and ran tests for my heart,” said Becca. “That night I started chemotherapy.” Becca continued to undergo chemotherapy until Nov. 4, during which all of her cell counts got wiped out so that new, good cells could replace the bad ones. Because her cell counts fell so low, Becca was very susceptible to diseases and had precautionary restrictions. “She can have no hugging when her counts are low,” Kathi said. “No one is allowed in her bathroom and no one can touch anything of hers.” “I wasn’t allowed to go to the gym and on weeks that my counts are high I have to wear a mask to go out in public,” said Becca. “Everything has to be sterilized before I use it and I can’t

share anything with anyone.”These restrictions, however didn’t stop Becca from turning the situation into a positive one. “I had my hospital room really decorated; it was like a dorm room,” said Becca. “All the nurses said my room was the most decorated.” From that point on, Becca underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and bone marrow biopsies, remaining cheerful and optimistic the entire time. She kept family and friends up to date through her daily blog at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bewithbec. After every entry she would end with the uplifting slogan ‘Be with Becca-BWB. Believe it. Achieve it.” “If I felt sick in the hospital, I wouldn’t relate it to cancer,” said Becca. “I’d relate it to something like strep throat.” “She named her bone marrow biopsies and videotaped all of them,” Kathi said. “The first one was BoBo the Bone/ Bad to the Bone. The second was Boney Barbara and the last was Bodacious Bone.” After 23 days in the hospital, Becca was released to go home on Nov. 20. She still has to continue chemotherapy and started her second dose Monday. The good news is she is doing an outpatient, meaning she can do chemotherapy at home, not in a hospital. “I will have a pick line in my arm for four months. I get to take the pump home with chemo in it and will have chemo Monday, Wednesday and Friday for one week. Then I have three weeks off,” Becca said. “I’ll go one week on, three weeks off chemo all the way through March.” The support from friends and family continues to surround Becca through a very difficult situation. “The whole family has pitched in ready to help do whatever they can,” Kathi said.. “We’ve always been a close family, but the boys have really stepped up for Becca to be there for her.” “I haven’t seen a picture without a smile on her face. She’s always upbeat, two thumbs up,” said Meyer. “I know Becca is the one who is sick, but she is the rock. I’ve been so proud of her; she’s been absolutely positive the whole way.”

‘08 Lee’s Summit West graduate Rebecca Hertzog recently was diagnosed with leukemia; her photos and blog can be seen at her caringbridge website.

•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • Dec. 11, 2009 11

Looking adorable with her curled hair; wearing her new dress that twirls around as she spins; click-clacking her sparkly red shoes, and her cheeks flushing with excitement, she anxiously waited for her date — her daddy. Young, future female Titans and friends arrived at West last Friday evening all dressed up to see Santa, get their picture taken, and most of all, dance with their dads at the sixth annual Father-Daughter Dance. “The FCCLA [Family, Career, and Community Leadership of America] caters it and the cafeteria staff also helps out,”

said business teacher, Buddy Spurck, organizer. Spurck said that they came about the idea of the dance at a national convention a few years back. “It’s a good way to raise money for charities like the Hope House Foundation. We’ve raised over $10,000.” “We found out it was a lot easier to run and a lot more organized than we thought,” said Spurck. West students help out with the dance to earn community service hours. “I did this year and last year for FCCLA and for community service,” said Junior Lauren Cheadle. “You can either set up or actually work the dance. I usually do both. We decorate

the commons with lights and stuff. It’s really fun. I got seven community service hours for it too.” Besides raising the money for charity, the dance also is a success because of the rewarding experience it gives the fathers and daughters. “I like the dance because we get to dance with daddy,” said Summit Point first-grader, Brooke Ellis. “If your friends are there, you’ll have a ton of fun,” said Summit Point sixth-grader, Kara Allen. “The little girls get all dressed up and the dads usually come out of their shell and dance with their daughters,” said Spurck. “The dads embarrass

themselves. They bust their moves,” said Allen. “The little girls have a lot of fun. Santa makes an appearance so they get all excited,” said Spurck. “Santa came and he gave us a candy cane and we got to dance with him. We were doing the Cha-Cha dance and I got to be right behind him,” said Ellis. “I think the girls really like it. They dress up all cute and they get to be with their friends and their dads. They really enjoy it,” said Cheadle. “I wore a pretty dress. It was either gray – or silver – and it had black polka dots. I didn’t get to wear make up, but I got a picture with my daddy,” said Ellis.

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12 •News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • Titan Scroll Holiday Traditions

Merry Christmahanakwanzika

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•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • •News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • Dec. 11, 2009 13Holiday Traditions

Not everyone’s Christmas involves stale fruit cake,

Christmas carols, and amateur mall Santas. Junior Samantha Botwinik celebrates Hanukkah with her family every year. Hanukkah begins at sundown on Dec. 11 and lasts for eight days and nights. “Each night, we get together and eat, light the menorah, and say a prayer,” said Botwinik. Botwinik’s favorite part is eating latkes, or potato pancakes, and playing Dreidel with her family. “You play it with a four sided top, each side means something different,” she said. “You try to earn as much gelt (gold coins) as you can.” Because Sophomore Seth Gilgus’ mom’s family is Christian and his dad’s family is Jewish, he also celebrates Hanukkah.

He celebrates Christmas at his Grandam’s house and Hanukkah at his Aunt’s. “I like it, but it’s kinda confusing,” he said. “There’s a lot of running around.” According to Gilgus, Hanukkah is about a miracle in the Jewish temple when there wasn’t enough oil to light the menorah and Christmas is mainly about the birth of Christ. “It’s a time to be with family and to just get together,” he said. “We sit around and talk and hang out. We usually help make the food together.” He said that Hanukkah is “different from a lot of other traditions that other people have.” Gilgus’ favorite holiday is Christmas; but because he is closer to his dad’s side of the family, he likes Hanukkah, as well. He likes the lights and the

Christmas songs and spending time with his family since he doesn’t get to see them a lot. He said both holidays “opened my eyes to different religions and customs people have.” Gilgus likes the time he gets to spend during the holiday season. Sophomore Belinda Darkwah also celebrates with her parents who honor the Ghanian traditions. “We dress up in our native clothes,” said Darkwah. T h e n , t h e y have a

f e l l o w s h i p meeting which will be held at her house this year. The Darkwahs also sing

African Christmas songs and the adults dance. The tradition also includes many foods such as okra stew and various chicken and vegetable dishes. “I like spending time with loved ones and family the most,” said Darkwah.

Rylee Webster

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Photos by Elisa Cox and Kayla Cambers

14•News •Opinion •Feature •Arts&Entertainment •Sports • Titan Scroll

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Jenna Keeble

Fans of the classic holiday film “A Christmas Story” will be glad to hear that this holiday season, they can get a double dose of the beloved tale. Kansas City has been chosen as the site of the world premiere for “A Christmas Story, The Musical!” The show runs through Jan. 3 at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. The show is based off of the 1983 Warner Brothers movie which remains in the number one spot of the Associated Press’ “Best-Ever List” of top 12 Christmas movies. It has been played in a 24-hour marathon on TNT (and now on TBS) every Christmas Eve for the past 12 years. The marathon will begin at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. After continued success, audiences demanded more, and in 2006, the process of creating the musical began. After a successful

reading with p r o m i n e n t members of the Broadway world in New York before being set to tour. The highly a n t i c i p a t e d show has a l r e a d y r e c e i v e d rave reviews. A c c o r d i n g to kcrep.com, reviews said that, “A C h r i s t m a s Story, The M u s i c a l ! unforgettably captures every child’s holiday wonder with deliciously wicked wit, a nostalgic eye and a heart of gold. It’s a Christmas present that

audiences of all ages will be sure to embrace and cherish for years to come.” The plot of the musical follows that of the movie; a narration of the weeks leading up to Christmas for a young boy named Ralphie and his attempt to get “an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time.” Along the way, Ralphie finds himself helping his old man with car troubles on the Interstate, attempting to get his friend’s tongue off of a frozen flagpole, surviving an almost deadly icicle injury, amongst numerous other shenanigans. Eric Rosen is the director of the show and music and lyrics were created by Scott Davenport

Richards. The cast consists of many impressive stars such as Zachary Carter Sayle (Ralphie), John Bolton (The Old Man), James Judy (Jean Shepherd), and Kansas City native Becky Barta (Miss Shields). According to achristmas storythemusical.com, if “A Christmas Story” is successful and becomes a staple of regional theaters, every company that

produced it would have to credit Kansas City Rep. Rosen is excited by that possibility because it would help accomplish one of the tasks the Rep board asked of him when he was hired–to elevate the Rep’s national profile. Tickets could be used as great holiday gifts this year and can be bought starting at $15.

“A Christmas Story, The Musical!” premieres in K.C.

The Classic Holiday film “A Christmas Story” will have a different approach to entertain its audience as Kansas City was chosen to host “A Christmas Story, The Musical!”. The show runs through Jan 3.


Katey Stoetzel

‘The Blind Side’ is a hit on the big screen

The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, hit the movie theaters on November 20th. The movie tells the extraordinary story of Baltimore Ravens’ Michael Oher.

There is no doubt that Sandra Bullock absolutely rocks in her new movie, “The Blind Side.” She will probably earn an award for her performance. Bullock plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, who finds the heart to take in a lonely, homeless African-American teenager.

“The Blind Side” tells the true story of Michael Oher. The story starts off with Oher getting into a Christian private school with the help of a friend’s parent. Coming into the school with a .6 grade point average, it’s his incredible athletic abilities, which catches the eye of the football coach, who talks the administrators into letting him attend.

Oher is immediately seen as an outsider at the school, he’s the only African American kid, not to mention his enormous size. The teachers talk about how much he doesn’t respond in classes and how he doesn’t seem know any of the material they are teaching. But soon, Oher becomes acquaintances with a kid named S.J., who, by coincidence (or maybe fate), is the son of Mrs. Tuohy. It is this acquaintance that leads Mrs. Tuohy to stop the car on that cold night driving home from her daughter’s volleyball game and open up her arms to Michael by offering him a place to stay. And from then on, Michael’s life starts to turn around. Playing Oher is Quinton Aaron, starring in only his second movie.

Though he doesn’t have many lines, Aaron passes pretty well as a homeless and neglected teenager. “The Blind Side” is a stupendous movie to see with the family, so it was not surprising when there were a lot of people at the theaters on Thanksgiving day. Co-starring with Bullock is Tim McGraw who played Mr. Tuohy. His performance was very believable and at some points amusing and entertaining. The movie is filled with humor and woebegone moments, but doesn’t fail to provide us with inspiration. By becoming apart of the Tuohy family, Michael’s life is opened to more opportunities. This movie will inspire anyone who watches it to persevere and never give up on his or her dreams.


On the first Friday and Saturday of every year Aldersgate United Methodist Church holds a two day concert called Nite Lite and has been going on for eleven years now. The first night consisted of metal/hardcore bands and on the second night alternative bands played. Junior Ryan Dahmer is in the band Among the Atirathi and participated at Nite Lite on the metal night. “I was really nervous,” he said. “Our last two songs were written on the Tuesday before was a petty good set.” Senior Greg Janssen just joined Static Society last Friday. “It was my first show with them. I learned the base a week before and the lyrics the night before,” said Janssen. Among the Atirathi have done two gigs so far. “We are hoping to play bigger shows,” said Dahmer “I would

rather not open for other bands but its whatever we have to do to get shows.” Dahmer said he thinks that Nite Lite helps give bands good reps. “If we play Nite Lite again, it would be cool to play with some bigger bands, but Nite Lite has a good rep for the bands that play at it so there will always be a good turn out,” Dahmer said. For Static Society, Nite Lite was overall a success. “We thought it went pretty well. We got a good reaction from the crowd,” said Janssen. The Whurlitzers, winners of last

years Battle of the Bands played on Saturday’s alternative night. The crowd was a big influence for The Whurlitzers.

“The crowd was energetic. We have a few really loyal fans. They would clap if we asked them to clap,” said Junior Jared Bajkowski of The Whurlitzers. Nite Lite allowed the bands to reconnect. “I really enjoyed Static Society, they are some of my best friends,” said Dahmer. “I also really enjoyed seeing In Progress for the first time. I was really anxious to

finally hear them, so that was really fun. Also, Second Flare is always a pleasure

to see. Louie Pagan is one the most talented guitarists I know,” he said.

Freshman Sam Easley has been going to Nite Lite since last year. “I had so much fun,” she said. “I like just being able to hang out with all my friends and listening to music and all around having a good time.” Easley looks forward to going to Nite Lite every year. “I liked both years,” said Easley. “It’s just something I really enjoy going and there aren’t very many places to really hang out anymore,” she said. Although Easley and friends enjoy going every year she thinks the word hardly gets out about it. “I think they should have been able to put up flyers around the school or something to help spread the word.” Easley only attended the metal show. “I thought most of the bands did okay but there were only a few bands I really enjoyed,” she said. Easley plans on going to Nite Lite next year.

Junior Ryan Dahmer jams on is guitar during last weekends Nite Lite. Photo by Elisa Cox

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For all young, aspiring artists at West, the stories behind the dancers of the “So You Think You Can Dance” tour are truly inspiring. The top twelve finalists of the hit TV series are visiting 40 US cities on the nationwide tour, which stopped at the Sprint Center Nov. 1. Although the dancers have now made it past thousands of other contestants, it wasn’t necessarily an easy journey getting to where they are today. “I’ve been watching the show since the first season, and I’ve wanted to audition ever since; so it took me three years to get here and I finally made it! It was worth coming back three times,” said dancer Randi Evans. Janette Manrara spent eight years of her life behind the desk working at a bank. Since the start of the show, her friends had tried to convince her to audition but Janette never believed that she was good enough. “They really were great enthusiasm for me to do it,” Janette said. She finally caved in an attempt to prove to them that she wouldn’t make it–her friends were right. Friends and family were also a big inspiration for Caitlin Kinney and Kupono Aweau’s auditions. Up until the day before her audition, Caitlin had nothing prepared, and wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with it. Her sister persuaded her to give it a shot and, “I’m really glad I did!” said Caitlin. A friend of Kupono’s helped him

realize that auditioning for the show was the right thing to do. “My best friend, Mark Kanemura was on last season. When you watch the show you think the dancers are god–like and you honestly don’t think you can do it. So after seeing him make it as far as he did; making top six and making the tour and stuff, I was like ‘you know I honestly think I can do

this’,” said Kupono. For runner–up Brandon Bryant, age was the only thing stopping him from showing the world his passion for dancing. Brandon went to audition for season one at the age of 15, not knowing he had to be at least 18. When the judges realized he was lying about his age they told him to come back when he was old enough. Brandon said, “I came last season for season four and I was the last boy not to be chosen for top 20 so I was dedicated to come back last year and make it.” Once the dancers made it past auditions, it was off to Las Vegas week to determine the top 20 dancers, and then the grueling nine week competition. “During competition we had rehearsal everyday. We had one day off, but it wasn’t really a day off, it was more like ‘get with your partner and rehearse on your own’. Sometimes it would be up to 12 hours a day,” said Randi. For Janette, the most challenging aspect of the competition was “Just hoping that everybody liked me because it really is a personality test more than it actually is a dance contest. Obviously your dancing matters; if you suck at dancing you’re not gonna be in the top 20. But I just really hoped that America could always read me as a person and know that I’m humble, and fun, and spunky. I just really wanted my personality to come across and that was really hard throughout the entire competition.” During the competition, Brandon

had to overcome tough criticism from Emmy Award winning choreographer Mia Michaels. However, these judgments were nothing new to Brandon. “Being in the dance world you deal with a lot of criticism, people either love you or they hate you. Growing up as a boy dancer, I’ve dealt with a lot of negativity in my life so I think her negativity just pushed me even more to prove to myself and to her that I am a dancer, and this is what I love to do. So I think it helped me in a way,” Brandon said. Kupono also received constructive criticism that he said he believes ended up helping him. Judge Nigel Lythgoe urged him to cut his long Mohawk that he had at the beginning of the competition. “When I shaved it off,” said Kupono, “it was kind of exhilarating and what’s crazy is that I almost found a new form of movement. With my hair I moved this way, and then without it I had to move differently, and I feel like it really worked to my advantage, so I’m kind of grateful he had me do that.” Every long rehearsal, tough critique, or self-doubt ended up paying off for the dancers when they made it into a top 10 spot. “There is no bigger relief than making top 10 on this show because obviously you want to win it but those first four or five weeks before are the most excruciating so once you make top 10 there’s a pressure that’s off your chest, it’s nice. The level of the competition changes and it becomes a bit more fun,” said Kupono. These top dancers worked with many world renowned choreographers and performed some unforgettable pieces. The three choreographers Kayla Radomski enjoyed working with most were Brian Friedman, Mia Michaels, and Tyce Diorio. For Kupono, working with all of the choreographers was “Life changing, literally life changing. These people are sheer geniuses, and just so passionate; so to meet someone of their caliber brings stuff out of you that you didn’t even know existed, so it was honestly life changing for me.”

Some of the dancer’s personal favorites were Kayla and Kupono’s contemporary piece, Kayla and Max’s samba, and Brandon and Janette’s Argentine tango. Kayla and Kupono’s contemporary routine was an emotional piece choreographed by Mia Michaels that portrayed addiction. Kupono had a difficult time with this number, because he has suffered through family members and a close friend’s struggle with drug addiction. “I would say one number that I think kind of touched everyone was the addiction piece. Addiction is something that you can’t describe in words, you can’t write down how it feels. I’ve had some close family members go through some really hard stuff, so to be able to put that feeling–that emotion–into a dance; she did it brilliantly. I remember the first time we all watched it in rehearsal, it was just silent. It just gives me chills thinking about it,” Caitlin commented. This competition was an incredible, life-changing experience for the dancers. After making it so far in the competition Kupono said that “Obviously, throughout your life you doubt yourself, and you always will; but with the show, you don’t think that you can do half the stuff they put you through and then you do it. One way or another you get through it; so I just walked away with this newfound confidence that I really can do almost anything.” The competition taught each individual dancer that they could do things they never dreamed possible. Believing in yourself is a great lesson for anyone to learn. Janette‘s advice is, “Don’t be scared; I was scared and it took me a couple years to get up and do it. My advice is to just keep going and keep fighting for what you really want. If you love any type of art whether it’s dancing, singing, acting, whatever the case may be–don’t think it can’t happen because it really can. I thought it couldn’t happen and I was just like, ‘go for it’ and it did.”

Jenna Keeble

“So You Think You Can Dance” comes to Kansas City

Junior Jenna Keeble and Morgan Smythia pose with some dancers from “So You Think You Can Dance”.


In June 2011 Oprah will be ending her television talk show on its 25th season. In Oprah’s announcement she said it ‘feels right in her bones and right in her spirit to end the show on it’s 25th season’. Once the show ends Winfrey plans to appear and participate in OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, which will be a cable network that reflects her vision, values and interests. The network will launch in January 2011. Sophomore Lydia Long is sad about Oprah ending her show, “My mom and I watch the show all the time together and that was our thing and now it’s ending,” she said. “I always wanted to go on her show and win a

new car or something.” Oprah did many giveaways on her show, and on her 22nd season she gave 276 members on her show Pontiac G6 sports sedans. Even though the show is ending, Long thinks that Oprah will continue contributing to society. “I think she’s a good person and will continue working with people without her show because she has other charitable resources.” Long believes it is time that the show should end, “I think Oprah is just too overrated and should just stay low because she’s just been around for such a long time and her show just kinda gets boring to me now.” English teacher Stephanie Ward doesn’t mind much that Oprah is ending her show either.

“I’m not very disappointed that she’s ending her show,” she said. “I think that Oprah is an amazing person and really helps out but on her show it always seems like she agrees with everyone, so her show isn’t very exciting to me.” Besides the Oprah Winfrey Show, she has a radio network on Sirius Satellite Radio, her own charity called the

Angel Network, the O magazines, and Oprah.com.

Oprah ends; OWN beginsKrista Kern

As the Oprah Winfrey Show ends, students voice their opin-ions and disappointments. Oprah plans to launch her new T.V. network, OWN, in 2011.


The Boys Basketball team kicked off their season playing one of the toughest teams in the area with a new addition to the team. Senior Yoni Ekoto moved from Bel-gium to Atlanta two years ago then made the move from Atlanta to Lee’s Summit four months ago. Ekoto’s opportunity to go to a new school was due to the scholarships he got which brought him here to West. “I got a school scholarship from when I was in Belgium and a scholar-ship to a school in Atlanta,” he said. “If I wanted to stay, I could just stay in Belgium, but I just wanted to do something different.” Ekoto said that the transition was not hard, but leaving his family behind was diffi-cult. “The hardest part was family and saying bye to everybody.”

However, He said he had no problem getting along with the other players on the team which helped him to adjust easily to a new school. “My school in Atlanta was a private school so a public school is way more fun and it’s bigger,” he said. Ekoto likes the new environ-ment here in Lee’s Summit, as well. “Its way bigger. Its got a lot more stuff to do. It kinda de-pends where you live,” he said. The boys fought hard last Tuesday during their first game against Rockhurst with a final score of 47-51. Junior Rodderick Clark said this game was “one of the hard-est games we will play through-out the season.” “Rockhurst is a pretty good

team and for us playing our first game together, we did pretty good,” said Ekoto. Ekoto said the team moved the ball well. He also said the offense and defense was strong, but he said the team struggled with making free throws. “We just have to be careful with the ball and I think we‚ are going to have a good season because this was the first game against a really good team and we only lost by four,” said Ekoto. “I think we should beat every other team we are going to play.” Although the boys did not come out with a win, Schieber said their defense, rebounding, and over all ef-fort was good. He said that the team lost track of what they worked on in practice at times, but he said that they still played well.

Starting the season off at the LSN Invitational last week, Coach Darin Hall said the goal for the tournament was to “survive and advance.” The team went 1-2 in the tournament. The girls lost to Hickman Mills last Monday 41-60. “Hickman Mills had an outstanding game,” said Hall. “Our team played hard and we forced a lot of Hickman Mills turn-overs, but we did not convert them into points.” “Hickman Mills had a new coach and a new system. Therefore, we did not know a lot about them going into the game. It is difficult to prepare for individual opponents at this time of the year because no one has played,” said Hall. The girls lost a close game against

St. Theresa’s last Wednesday 45-46. “We were leading all game and lost within the last minute,” said Hall. They also played Truman last Friday and pulled out a big win with the score of 53-37. “We played zone defense for the first time on Friday. It was really successful and interesting,” said Junior Katie Kelly. The girls were glad to end the tournament with a win. “The last game of the tournament we executed, we played together as a team, we cut down on turn overs and we played good defense,” said Sophomore Emiah Bingley. “The tournament was a little shaky at times, but we needed to work out our jitters,” said Kelly. Overall, the tournament was a good way to kick off the season. “The tournament was a good

measuring stick to see how we compare to other teams early in the season,” said Hall. “We worked hard. We struggled at first, but in the end we came out with a win,” said Bingley. The tournament helped the team realize what they are good at and what they need to work on. “I think we need to cut down on turn overs and play together defensively,” said Bingley. “We learned that we need to manage close games better and we found out that we execute better and take care of the basketball better offensively,” said Hall. “I was impressed with our post players, Katie Kelly and [Sophomore] Megan McGehee. They did a good job rebounding,” said Hall. As for things the team needs to work on, Hall said, “Offensively, our

guards can shoot a higher percentage and defensively, we need to defend the drive a lot better.” On Wednesday, the Titans played at North Kansas City. The girls still have high hopes for the rest of the season. “I think we’ll do better once we get our three seniors back, Keyana Anderson, Paige Vanderpool, and Bri Forbes. They are hoping to come back Jan. 1,” said Bingley. “The Titans will finish strong. We have a talented team. It’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together,” said Hall. The girls will be playing at Raytown next Thursday, they will compete in the Unilever Classic at Jefferson City Dec. 28-30, and then Monday Jan. 4 they will play their first home game at 7 p.m. against North Kansas City.

Rylee Webster

Titans gain “Belgian Baller”

Sydnee Owens

Basketball player Yoni Ekoto played his first game as a Titan last Tues-day against Rockhurst. The boys lost 47-51. Photo by Martin Steele.

Seniors sit out as Juniors take command


New hope has been given to Kansas City with an early gift of a new hockey team–The Mavericks. Their first game was a success. “It was awesome. We had more than a sell-out. We had people standing,” said Patrick Armstrong, Vice President of Communications. The Mavericks record at home is off to a great start at 5-2. However, they are struggling away from home at 3-8-1, with an overall record of 8-10-1. The arena is equipped with 5,800 fixed seats, 25 luxury seats, a bar/grill, and a community ice rink, according to missourimavericks.com. But it took a lot of work to get this team together. T h e M a v e r i c k s are a part of the Central H o c k e y League, or CHL. The p e o p l e w h o own

t he

building, Global Entertainment,

negotiated with businesses in Texas, who spoke with people on the City Council in Independence, and after six months, the Missouri Mavericks were a hockey team. As for the actual name, the owners decided to pick it democratically. “There were a total of top ten names. The Mavericks were in the top three. It was put to a vote and

was decided by ownership in the front office,” said Armstrong. Armstrong also said that anyone can come out and enjoy the Mavericks, even non-hockey fans. “We do a little of everything, like in arena promotions. It’s not just a hockey game, but a full entertainment.” Playing a 64 game schedule, the game the team is aiming for is called the President’s Cup, and playoffs for that start in the middle of March. “Every team wants to win the championships,” said Armstrong

about their goal for this season. “I think they have

the talent to go pretty far in the playoffs,

being a first year team.” A l t h o u g h the CHL is not

the NHL, it is a professional hockey

team. “In terms of baseball, it’s like AA.

A lot of the guys do want to move onto to

the NHL,” he said. Working for the CHL comes with a smaller, more intimate staff.

“ Working f o r the minor l e a g u e , we get to wear a lot of hats. It’s a smaller staff so we get to do a lot of stuff; it’s pretty fun,” said Armstrong. The Mavericks next game is tonight against the Laredo Bucks in Texas. Their next home game is on Dec. 15 against Rapid City. Tickets range from $14-37.

Preferred Pediatrics

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241 NW McNary CourtLee’s Summit, MO 64086

(816) 347-0064Fax (816) 347-0593

Noel M. Graham, M.D. FAAP Sherri Quick CPNP

Sara Cox MPAS, PA-C

The Kansas City Mavericks have been a success in only their first 7 games in Kansas City. They do struggle on the road though with a record of 3-8-1. They are 5-2 when they have a huge Kansas City home crowd rallying behind them whether it be in shoot-outs or trying to get them to come back from behind in the game. The arena the Mavericks play in holds about 6,000 and has a bar/grill. Photos by Martin Steele.

Mavericks stick their opponentsKatey Stoetzel


Swimmers and divers hit the water kicking and as Head Coach Colleen Gibler said, the team looks strong again this year. After some crazy tryouts according to Gibler, 53 girls are ready to jump into the pool this season. Gibler said that this year, the Titans have a “wonderfully well-rounded team with all levels and abilities and happy attitudes supporting each other.” Leaders of the team include, Seniors Libby Pike and Lauren Trump, as well as Junior Jean Madison and Sophomore Alyson Raymond. Gibler said Trump and Pike have a “really positive influence when the work gets tough.” Madison and Raymond “show the team how the hard work is never intimidation to them, no matter how tough it gets. If it gets tough, they just ask for more,” said Gibler. “I try to encourage everybody. Keep

going when it’s hard,” said Trump. “It’s my fourth year doing it, so I’d say I’m experienced. I know how to work hard and have fun.” Trump said that she thinks the new aquatic center will only help the girls’ skills. “I think we’ll improve a lot faster than we did last year,” she said. “We’ll get back in shape faster.” With 30 new members of the team, getting into shape is one thing Gibler said the team will have to work on. “We need to develop endurance in the new girls that are coming aboard,” she said. “We will look to develop sprinters.” Trump said that all the work wears on the girls, but said she wants them to keep a positive attitude. “It’ll pay off in the end,” she said. “Everybody will be really excited about how the team does this year.”Gibler said she hopes for a repeat conference win. Diving team is also beginning well,

with some very strong f r e s h m e n , like Jessie Huff and E m i l y A n d e r s o n , said Gibler. “Each of us have our d i f f e r e n t specialties. We all e n c o u r a g e each other,” said Huff. Huff said she thinks the team will be strong this year, and is excited to be a part of it. “I think we’ll do really good. We have the seniors on the team- the two Kelseys, and me, and Emily. The rest

are really good, and learning really fast,” she said. With work to be done, most said this season is headed in the right direction.

Ally McEntire

Swimmers hope hard work pays off

Junior Jean Madison qualified for state during the Titan’s first meet Tuesday. Photo by Martin Steele

Happy Holidays


The first match of the season for the Titan wrestling team could not have been much closer, as they came away with a 38-36 victory over Blue Springs South last week. “The difference was one match,” Head Coach Ethan Hauck said. “And we came out on top.” For the first competition of the season, Hauck said the dual against Blue Springs South went pretty well. “The thing about the first match is that there are a lot of little things to work on,” he said. “But we saw more positives than negatives.” Hauck said one the main aspects he wants the team to improve on is for the younger guys to gain more confidence and hit their moves. This shouldn’t pose as much of a problem seeing that the team only lost three seniors from last year and return four out of six state qualifiers. Seniors Jake Logsdon and Jordan

Knox, Junior Ben Poeschl and Sophomore Evan Boehm are the four state returners, all of whom won their individual matches last Tuesday. Hauck said Logsdon’s performance was especially impressive. “He normally wrestles in the 152

weight class, but to counteract the opponent we had him wrestle in the 160 weight class,” he said. “It was a hard fought match and he came out on top winning 10-6.” Another stand–out performance, according to Hauck, was Freshman Elias Duckworth. “This was a very good team effort, but we had a very good individual performance by Elias Duckworth, winning 3-2 in his first Varsity match as a freshman,” said Hauck. After a successful first match, the team heads into the season ready to meet some big goals, one of those consisting of winning the first–ever Conference Championship. “I want us to be the first team to win conference,” Sophomore Matt Lemanowicz said. “That would be awesome.” After coming so close with a tie for second place at Conference last year, the team is even more motivated to go for the gold. With only three seniors lost and the return of many

talented wrestlers, Hauck sees this as a realistic goal and looks for people to step up and make it happen. “We had other guys last year who did a good job with their first year on Varsity. Matt (Lemanowicz) and Andrew Neihaus should help a lot this year,” he said. After a 16th place finish at State and a record of 7-3 last year, the team’s goals, according to Hauck, are to get in the top three at Districts and place in the top ten at State. Lemanowicz has some goals of his own after missing State last year by one match. “I really want to place at State this year and be first team All Conference,” he said. However, he must move up a weight class this season. “I was in the 119 weight class last year, but I’ll probably be in 130 this year. I think it will be tougher wrestling bigger kids,” Lemanowicz said. “But I’m taking a weight class to try and get bigger and stronger.”

Emily Argotsinger

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Titans escape match with a victory

Senior Jake Logsdon placed first at the Pleasant Hill tournament this past week-end and won his championship match with a pin. The team placed second overrall Photo by Martin Steele

Happy 17th BirthdayRachel Paddock

Good luck on your season girls swim

team


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