Gretna High School • 11335 South 204th Street • Gretna, NE 68028 • Volume IX • Issue IV• March 2011 VoiceThe

Phelps wins photo awards in first year competing, two with Courtney Randall ‘11

Page 9

On the Inside

Time for a Change, Outlet Mall

will beUpdated

Page 3

GHS Dances

Pages 12-14

Youth group trip leads Harpenau and Donovan to wholesome pasttime

Page 11

Courtney Randall ‘11

Lexi Busch ‘11

Morgan Harpenau ‘11

Hailey Anson, Katherine Bonn, Audra Keehn, Jessica Becker and Friends day 1- a picture of your day with 15 facts

GHS Photo Challenge

1. First building for Gretna Public High School was built in 1898 2. School colors are green and gold 3. Expan-sion will begin next fall 4. There are 189 students in the class of ‘11 5. One teacher has a doctorate’s degree 6. First year for GSA 7. Musical will be Beauty and the Beast on April 8th and 9th 8. There is one AP class 9. This was the first year English writing standards were computerized 10. GHS used to be GMS 11. Comp. II students read 26 stories 12. There are 60 faculty members 13. There are 2 foreign exchange students 14. GHS students won the 2011 sportsmanship award 15. Last day of school for seniors is May 18th and normal release is May 25th

Recently, it has become a popular trend on Facebook to tackle “photo challenges” complete with facts and photos that represent specific memories. This is one interpretation of what GHS’ page might look like.

Mr. Joe Marik day 2- a picture of someone that you’ve been friends with for the longest.

Swim the Fly day 3- a picture of your favorite book

One Act day 4- a picture of your favorite cast

2 newsmarch 2011

News Briefs

Prom Location

Briefs by Second Semester Journalism One Students

Hannah ApplegateStaff Writer

GHS has been around for many years, but it has not always the high school. In 1997, students moved into this school, but this was when it was the middle school. As Gretna grew, the administration gave the school a new look and in 2005; it became known as Gretna High School.

Gretna is growing rapidly because by the time the Gretna Elementary School kindergarten class reaches high school an estimated 250 kids from that class will be expected to be entering the high school. The school right now is meant to hold about 800 people comfortably. Which is currently not an issue because there are only about 740 students in the school. When the bigger classes, like kindergarten, make their way here, however, the school just won’t be able to accommodate the amount of kids that will be enrolled.

“In the fall of next year we are going to begin building another wing,” Princapal Roger Miller said. “It is going to connect the math hallway with the hallway by Mr. Haun’s room. It should be finished by 2013.”

By the time the wing is finished, GHS will go from holding 800 kids to 1,200 comfortably. However, the new wing will not be the only expansion.

“More parking will be added, but

not much,” Miller said. “It will be at the North West corner of the school. Parking is going to get tougher and tougher every year.”

Although the GHS student body is small right now, most people would consider our parking to be better than most schools.

“Coming from Omaha North the parking here is a dream come true.” Choir teacher Pat Ribar said.

Along with those two items, the commons area is going to be expanded as well. Although these new changes will add a little difference to our school, Miller says none of the “little” things are going to change.

“Our school is industrialized,” Miller said. “It’s a better deal to just go with one color of paint and one type of carpet, especially because money is so tight now.”

The “little” things may not be changed, but Miller is considering adding a few items, “I have considered buying a television or something that will run the announcements all day instead of us coming on after every period,” Miller said.

As stated earlier, even Mr. Miller will admit our school is industrialized. GHS does not need to change all the walls and carpet though. A few small items here and there could be an easy fix.

“Just putting up more pictures and colorful things would make it better,”

Taylor Lyons ‘12 said.Whether we are industrialized or

not, the administration builds our school to make life easier for them and the GHS students.

Josh

Rob

erts

‘11

“A third level to broaden our horizons”

Anna ElbrachtStaff Writer

Cold Temps Distract Students

With fluctuating temperatures in numerous classrooms at GHS, the severe cold and sometimes hot temperatures have many people wondering whether the heating and air conditioning are doing their job. Both systems are controlled from the administration building, making it more difficult to find a comfortable setting for everyone in the high school.

The core temperature is set at 72 degrees, according to Gretna Schools

Operating and Purchasing Coordinator Tracy Hines, and it still seems to vary from room to room. At the beginning of the day, classrooms tend to be warmer;

but as the school day goes on, the temperature drops. Hines

stated that the reason for the cooler

climate is

because of the air conditioning kicking on if it senses the temperature is above 72 by even just one or two degrees.

Students don’t particularly like the feeling of being cold when they are inside, especially when it’s already cold

outside. Some would consider creative measures to make the climate more comfortable for them.

“We should all wear Snuggies,” Tate Paulsen ‘13 said. “We’d be warm, plus we’d have our arms free to so we could get our work done.”

Because of the budget, the administration likes to keep the school at a constant temperature. Although

some classrooms have become so cold that the HVAC (heating,

ventilation and air

conditioning) has been looked at, the severe

temperature difference has been deemed: “normal fluctuations in the heating and air conditioning systems,” by principal Mr. Roger Miller.

As the weather warms up, sometimes the school feels colder than the outdoors.

“I wear my coat because it feels like Antarctica,” Maddie Shepard ‘13 said. “I would be warmer outside.”

Though some complain much more than others about the varying school temperatures, classroom climates remain fairly tolerable. If and when teachers experience uncomfortable conditions, they may opt to contact the administration building or head custodian, who can check to make sure everything is running smoothly.

What Does GHS Need Updated?

GHS Undergoes Updates

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“Wider hallways”

Prom 2011 is changing venues. “It was at UNO last year.” Nikki

Mickelson 11’ said. Now it’s at the Holiday Inn on

72nd and Grover. All the seniors are hoping that it will be a good switch.

“It’ll make it more fun.” Mickelson said.

The juniors and seniors are prepared to have the time of their lives.

Noontime JeopardyBeing able to show off mental

capabilities is always fun but it is especially exciting when sharing the success with teammates. The noontime jeopardy squad has multiple undefeated teams, “Da Getty Doin’ Work” being one of them.

“We are just proud of the things we are doing when it comes down to it. The boys are training hard, and after an off season trade everyone is pulling their share of the weight,” team member Brandon Schmit ‘12 said.

3newsmarch 2011

Nebraska Crossings Factory Stores AdditionAshley ZajacA&E Editor

“Attention shoppers, do we have a surprise for you! New expansions are soon to begin and we hope to see you in our new addition coming soon.”

About six months ago, the city of Gretna was contacted at random by Rodney Yates of OTB Destinations, about a possible r e d e v e l o p m e n t of the local outlet mall just off of Hwy 6/31. Frank Kejci, Nebraska Crossings owner, was also contacted by OTB. They presented the ideas to both the the mall owners and the city officials and communications between the city and a zoning person continued for weeks.

“OTB is in the business of redeveloping under-utilized places and thought the mall would be a good fit,” Mayor, Mrs. Sally McGuire, said. “In this case they came to the city for assistance with building infrastructure. In order to finance the request, we went to the citizens to use LB1018.”

As an act to make citizens aware of the idea of a new redevelopment to Nebraska Crossings, OTB held a breakfast at GHS on January 29th. Nearly 300 people showed up to listen and the meeting was covered by multiple news stations such as KETV Newswatch 7 and newspapers, The Gretna Breeze, The Gretna Guide and The Omaha World-Herald.

“We like to make ourselves accessible to everyone,” Yates said. “The meeting was the best way to communicate to the people so they can ask questions. It was also a way to get to meet all of the neighbors in Gretna.”

New developments such as this, come with a certain amount of money that is needed to finish the job. To earn the money, developers go to the public and ask for help to pay back the loan.

“This redevelopment has the price tag of around 60 to 70 million dollars,” McGuire said.

The response from the public was impressive, the change was highly supported with a 93 percent majority in

favor of the renovation. In confidence, McGuire stated that people knew LB1018 was good for the city.

“Anyone who just looks at it knows it needs redeveloped,” McGuire said. “I

was hoping the citizens would vote to use LB1018 as an economic tool. It’s not up to its potential.”

After the redevelopment is finished, the city will begin reaping benefits from the sales tax and new jobs will allow

citizens to keep busy. New retailers will also attract tourists who may end up visiting other businesses such as Pump and Pantry.

“Gretna is perfect for this, it’s half way between Omaha and Lincoln,” Yates said. “The redevelopment will allow for more opportunities to become a big tourist place for Nebraska. If we do it right with good brands it will [hopefully] bring in more shoppers.”

In order to begin building, OTB Destinations needs a commitment of 60 percent of the square footage from name brands looking to franchise. Without the 60 percent, building will not continue and the addition will not be built.

“There is a whole-sale sensitivity between retailers and their whole salers,” Yates said. “Stores don’t want to be too close to their whole sale accounts for example, Nike doesn’t want to be too close to Dick’s Sporting Goods.”

At the moment, no brands have fully committed to Nebraska Crossings but OTB is working hard, traveling from city to city, meeting with officials to better present the information. During March, eight brand names will visit Gretna to check out the area for a possible franchise. Developers expect to include around 50 new brands and hope to attract business like: Nike, Adidas, J. Crew, Gap, Under Armor, Banana Republic, Converse and Polo.

“We get out to meet the retailers to

get more emotion and to get on the radar screen,” Yates said. “It’s easier to form a stronger relationship with them than it is through e-mail.”

After OTB reaches their goal, an architect will be contacted to redesign Nebraska Crossings, this will be sent out to contractors for bids as standard. The contractor with the lowest bid will be given the job and will report to the architect. According to Yates, construction of Nebraska Crossings should take around 180 days to build, taking 90 days for each store.

“We [OTB Destinations] will be pre-marketing and working with brands until fall and then start designing,” Yates said. “We plan to start construction in the first quarter [Jan-April] of 2012 and hope to be open in time for the holidays.”

As production slowly evolves for Nebraska Crossings, OTB and city officials are working together to complete their own duties to provide a competitive and good shopping experience to attract shoppers from all

around. Big expectations are to come from this renovation.

City officials and OTB Destinations went about other ways to inform the public as well. Superintendent, Dr. Kevin Riley, was also contacted by the campaign committee to help spread word to the citizens of Gretna about why LB1018 was good and why we need it to happen. Riley, who has experienced three successful school bond issues, was asked for his thoughts on the campaign drive and community presentations.

“Gretna voters are very smart and very sophisticated,” Riley said. “They respond to open, honest and accurate information. If Gretna voters are properly informed they will make a good decision.”

We plan to start construction in the first quarter of 2012

and hope to be open in time for the holidays.

-Yates

We fix what’s broken in the market.

-Yates

New Things to See at the Mall:

Fast Facts

One thousand full and part-time jobs

325,000 sq. ft. renovation

Attract close to one million shoppers a year

New entrance at the stop lights of Hwy 31 and Hwy 6

Existing main entrance will become a right turn only exit

Existing back of the mall will become the new front

4 newsmarch 2011

Not in school, we don’t have a parents per-mission than we consider you truant.

-Principal Mr. Roger Miller

If you’re not here you’re missing opportu-nities.

-Activities Director Mr. John Heckenlivey

The reason the state made this policy is because most schools weren’t dealing

with truancy. So this way the state makes sure [the schools are dealing with truancy punishments]. - Deputy Lance Schickert

Schools that have high truancy rates see change, but for our kids, they already go

to school.-Superintendent Dr. Kevin Riley

Truancy Talk

T he goal for this law is to keep students on track for graduating.

-Assistant Principal Mr. Todd Mueller

Q.What changes does Gretna see with the new Truancy Bill?

Q.What is the purpose of this Bill?

Q.What is the goal for this Bill?

My mom calls me out in the morning when I’m sick and I still get the same

punishments as people who would skip school and not call according to the state.” -Maggie Hobbs ‘11

Truancy Bill Takes EffectKelsey CharrlinNews Editor

Q.How does this Bill effect you?

“Before, Gretna and Sarpy County have always taken a strong stance on truancy,” Deputy Lance Schickert said. “If you started missing I would go pick them [students] up and tell them what the law states and what can happen to them. If I keep on having to do that, [picking them up] I’ll write a truancy ticket,” Schickert said.

Since then, the state has passed Legislative Bill 800 that requires the school administration to notify the county attorney once a student has missed twenty days of school. Along with LB 800, Gretna also has a set of truancy rules.

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Riley’s opinion is that the notifications should only go to the people that the letters are intended to go to (the students who are not ill) . Riley believes that in some way the state adapted Gretna’s law in deciding the Truancy Bill.

“If it’s a child that has a verified illness, we’re required ,no matter what, to send a letter. Before [LB 800] we probably sent three to four [letters] in four years,” Riley said. “I think that we’ve probably only sent about five to six letters to the county attorney.”

The first course of action is that after a student has tabulated five absences, Assistant Principal Mr. Todd Mueller mails out a courtesy letter to the parents of the students informing the parents that their child has begun to accumulate excessive absences for any reason and that it is the schools policy to contact the parent/guardian regardless of the circumstances of the absences. The letter informs the parent that if the student is absent for more than ten days or misses ten sessions of a specific class the student may face consequences.

“Ten to fifteen days is not a state policy but a school policy that we might

put you on an attendance contract,” Mueller said.

Gretna qualifies an absence as any non-related school activity such as having a sick day or skipping school. This letter does not qualify an absence if a student signs out to go see a sporting game such as state basketball.

“I don’t think it’s necessary, we already have punishments for people who skip school so for people who are legitimately sick, it’s not fair,” Maggie Hobbs ‘11 said.

The state can also put students on “Care Program,” which is similar to house arrest where students have to wear an anklet and they are not allowed to talk to other members of the program. If the student has a medical reason they can put their case on hold.

“We can charge you with truancy or your parents for child neglect if they’re not trying,” Schickert said. “It’s mostly a parent problem when the kids are younger and can’t drive themselves to school.”

It is a parent/guardians duty to care for your child both physically mentally and emotionally for their child’s basic needs. Parents/guardians can face charges if they are not living up to their responsibilities such as taking their child to school.

“The only thing that changed was we sent out letters to those [students] who we normally wouldn’t send a letter to,” Riley said “The law wasn’t really put in place for Gretna but for the schools that had a very high truancy rates.”

The bill was intended for the schools whose attendance rating is about 70% and less, about 96% of Gretna students go to school.

“The goal for this law is to keep students on track for graduating,” Mueller said.

Q.What does the Truancy Bill mean to Gretna?

5newsmarch 2011

Student Handbook Excerpt:

When a student’s manner and/or conduct at school or a school activity causes school personnel to suspect that a student has been using alcohol or drugs, that person shall be referred immediately to an administration and/or law officer. If during school hours, the principal may request the resource office and school nurse to assist in the observation of the student.

Any item recovered suspected to be an illicit drug will be turned over to authorities for analysis. Students who violate 2.8-1 could be referred to local, county or state agencies for alcohol and/or drug counseling.

On February 23, Gov. Dave Heineman signed a bill to ban K2. And as of March 1st, 2011, Spice, K2 and the like are no longer a legal alternative to marijuana in the United States, due to an at least one year long ban by the Drug Enforcement Administration going into effect. According to Omaha police, this is the same drug that was in Robert Butler Jr.’s system on Jan. 5, 2011, the day of the Millard South shooting.

K2 may be a mixture of herbal and spice plant products, but it is sprayed with

K2 Illegal in NebraskaMary YagerStaff Writer

Synthetic Drugs Rise in PopularityFaith CottonStaff Writer

As high school students, teens hear from our parents and teachers to avoid “peer pressure” and stick with the “right crowds.” But today it almost seems as if it does not matter what crowd teens hang around with because they are using drugs more than ever. In a poll by Teen Drug Abuse about drugs use among teens, 40-60% of high school sophomores to seniors have admitted to using drugs. Teens today are finding more ways to fall under the influence from substances that were unheard of 10 or 15 years ago.

The creative new alternative to a cheap and quick “high” is more harmful than the real substance. Many of the household items that teens use are items like aerosol spray, gases from anything as simple as whip cream cans, and household solvents.

These substances do not supply a long lasting “high” for the consumer. What makes them harmful is the continuous huffing or sniffing of the

substance. Affects from the substances will cause many negative effects on the body and create nausea, dizziness, unconsciousness and even hallucinations or delusions. Now to some students, this may seem cool until their body shuts

down. Inhalants can cause persistent nose bleeds, brain damage, depression, and loss of smell or hearing. These side effects are just a few of the many health issues a person can have if they abuse the

substance. “Fake pot products like K2 have

been linked through research to health issues, including schizophrenia,” executive director of PRIDE, Paul Carter said.

Studies show that the K2 products can be 5 to 25 times more potent than marijuana itself. K2 causes increased heart rate, loss of consciousness, hallucinations and psychotic episodes. Smoking small amounts of K2 is comparable to a large amount of marijuana. Because of the number of chemicals involved and no regulation of potency, consuming K2 is extremely risky and dangerous.

One of the popular ideas among teens is the use of artificial marijuana, K2, and the new craze bath salts. K2 was recently named illegal on Feb. 22. This synthetic marijuana is more dangerous than the original thing and has caused deaths in U.S.

“K2 was banned in Nebraska as of Feb. 22. The Governor signed

LB 19 into law banning all chemical classification of fake or synthetic marijuana products. The law prohibits possession, use and retailing of K2 type products,” Carter said.

“Bath salts” are also a new craze

among teens. This substance had been sold legally and is the equivalent to abusing methamphetamines. According to ABC News, law enforcement agents and poison control centers say the advertised bath salts with complex chemical names are an emerging menace in several U.S. states where authorities talk of banning their sale. The drug has its own nicknames like a real illegal substance such as; Tranquility, Zoom, and Hurricane Charlie. This substance is increasingly popular all because of its’ easy access for people 18 and over.

Although “bath salts” are thought of as actual bath salts, this not the case. This substance is a combination of the stimulants methylenedioxypyrovalerone and mephedrone and is known as “fake cocaine.”

Because teens start using these substances at such young ages the chance of withdrawing themselves from the drugs is more difficult. There are numerous treatments a person can go through but the temptation would still be there.

“Even youth and adults who go through recovery will never fully recover, never become who they were before substance abuse, and never regain full brain function,” Carter said.

“An analogy is the pickle: The dried out, shrunken pickle can go through recovery and maybe become a shiny pickle, but they will never return to being a cucumber.”

a potent drug and likely contaminated with an unknown toxic substance that is causing many adverse effects. K2 is often described as “fake marijuana,” but can be 5 to 25 times more potent than marijuana itself. Even youth and adults who go through recovery will never fully recover; never become who they were before substance abuse, and never regain full brain function. The drug is sometimes marketed as “herbal incense” to get around the laws that make regular marijuana illegal.

Contrary to popular belief, synthetic cannabis can be detected in a drug test, which is how police knew that Robert

Butler, Jr. had used K2 within the previous 24 hours before he fired the gun killing Millard South Assistant Principal Dr. Vicki Kaspar and then turning the gun on himself. Butler was regular K2 user and abuser and had that drug in his system when he died.

Proved to be Harmful as Well

6 opinion and editorialmarch 2011

Advisor: Gretchen Baijn-auth

The Voice

The Voice is a monthly publication sponsored by Gretna High School, with Mrs. Gretchen Baijnauth as the advisor. The office of The Voice is lo-cated in room 400. Reader response is welcome. Any student, faculty or staff member wishing to contribute materials will need to submit a letter to the editor within deadline restrictions; howev-er, final publication is at the discre-tion of the staff. Letters should be

Editor-in-Chief: Lauren SawyerPhoto Editor and Sports Editor:Lexi BuschFeatures and In Depth Editor:Kennedy HealyArts and Entertainment Editor: Ashley ZajacNews Editor: Kelsey CharrlinOpinion and Editorial Editor:Chelsea PoteArtist:Carissa Burkart

less than 400 words and signed. Editorials are solely the opinions of the authors and do not necessar-ily reflect those of The Voice staff or Gretna High School. Advertising will not be accepted for all products or for any services that are illegal for minors to pos-sess or utilize. Advertisers wishing to reserve publication space may call GHS’ office at (402-)332-3936 or e-mail gbaijnauth@gretnadragons.org.

Staff Writers:Hannah ApplegateJena BurnsFaith CottonAnna ElbrachtAshley JosoffMichaela KoteraRandi MatulkaGabriella MontemaranoTrey Russell Nicole SwansonAmanda ThammMary Yager

Photographer:Kristen Rozmiarek

Sometimes Change The Staff’s Opinion

Any staff member of The Voice could say that when the deadline for publishing pages rolls around for the month, people are pulling their hair out in frustration. One staff writer is sick so her story isn’t ready for publication or a camera lens breaks and we can’t get the shots needed for a design. Meanwhile, a card corrupts and pictures we actually captured are lost. Basically, it feels like life gets most complicated at the worst possible time.

And this is not GHS’ problem. But as a staff, we want still want GHS to know that what you see this issue was a product of long hours, some yelling and in the end, much teamwork. As it has become known, the student server corrupted on Wednesday, March 16 and our progress on this issue was vastly reversed for the worst.

No blame is meant to be placed here, but while flipping through these pages, we hope the reader knows that this is the image of what it means to be a team. We listened when you asked for more art, more of the school’s opinion and

overall, more creativity, then set a goal to increase space from 16 pages to 24 pages to try to make this a reality. We refused to abandon that aspiration, when the infinitely easier answer would have been to cut pages so we would have more time to work on them.

We would also like to commend Tech Coordinator Mr. Jerome Skrdla for being upfront about this issue and meeting questions with grace, not anger and frustration due to the situation. However, if there is a way that the school’s files could have an online backup or use a network storage device (NAS) because they are usually fairly inexpensive (NAS4TB usually runs around $400) and more stable than file servers, the staff would like to see that option be explored. This constituting the second major server error of the year does seem reason to reexamine the security of returning to server storage.

GHS, if you have any more ideas for what stories should be covered, we have eight new pages to make it happen and, hopefully, a new storage system in the works to secure the plans.

NOW ONLINE : The Voice at www.issuu.com/gretnamedia

is For the Better Thumbs Up

Thumbs Down“Security cameras don’t work and we can’t catch who broke into Nate’s car.” Jessica Grossman ‘13

“Our boys basketball did great at state this year.”Hayleigh Evans ‘14

“The school is getting a needed expansion because classes are too big.”Ryan Sump ‘12

“We need to up grade the server because it keeps crashing.”Austin Ehmke ‘13

“I got some sweet kicks.”Chelsea Shaffer ‘11

“Musical rocks.”Music Teacher Mr. Pat Ribar

“My car doesn’t have a radio.”Alexa Allgood ‘13

“School Lunches.”Jacob Beran ‘13

7opinion and editorialmarch 2011

“Don’t eat that! That’s bad for you!” is something people hear everyday from parents, the news and even teachers. Practicing healthy eating habits is hard in this day and age. According to Nation Master, the United States is the most obese country in the world with 30.6% of the population being overweight.

Practicing healthy eating habits is easier said than done. It is difficult to create a healthy mindset for yourself when you have homework to do every night, a job where you work over 30 hours a week, and McDonalds is right down the street and the pantry is stocked with processed foods like chips, candy and cookies. So how can we make our nation healthy? One person in particular is trying to make a change starting with the kids. Michelle Obama, our nation’s first lady, is teaming up with Wal-Mart to help healthy eating habits reach our families.

According to News One, Wal-Mart is making the change with Michelle Obama

to combat childhood obesity. Wal-Mart has claimed they will “reformulate thousands of products to make them healthier and push its suppliers to do the same.”

During Michelle Obama’s meeting with Wal-Mart executives, they announced that food will not only be made healthier but also more affordable. Wal-Mart is willing to lower their product price and even build Wal-Mart stores in poorer and rural areas.

“No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford,” president and CEO of Wal-Mart’s U.S. division Bill Simon said.

Wal-Mart’s manufacturers will be cutting down the amount of sodium and synthetic sugars they put into their products. Sodium will be cut down up to a quarter by 2015. That may seem like a long way away but the company’s manufacturers are making a slow change so its consumer get used to new tastes. Fruit will also be lowered in price by one billion dollars a year, according to News One.

Wal-Mart is not the only one making a

Michelle Obama Teams Up With Wal-MartFaith CottonStaff Writer

change though. Because of this partnership, other large companies have made changes.

“A number of food makers have made similar moves, lowering sodium in their products based on shopper demand and increasing scrutiny by health groups. Bumble Bee Foods, General Mills Inc., Campbell Soup Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc. all announced sodium reductions to their products last year,” according to News One.

Since other companies will be cutting down on the sugar, sodium and fats that they put in their products, I think it will beneficial since many people consume sodas, chips or candies everyday. Although eating these junk foods, even if they may have been cut down in sugars or fats, is not a healthy way to maintain good eating habits, it may start the foundation for healthier eating.

With this large change, our nation’s obesity percentage may drop making our nation more aware of this problem. Wal-Mart is a popular choice for many consumers, and now it will be easier to make the healthy eating habits change along with the company. This

will also help our nation’s kids with childhood obesity by supplying the appropriate foods for a balanced diet.

Wal-Mart should also team up with fitness facilities to promote commitment for healthy living. If Wal-Mart joined with companies like YMCA or Anytime Fitness, people may be more willing to participate in this lifestyle. If the companies joined together they could create some kind of reward program for members and benefits for joining their facilities or buying their products. They could also create a line of healthy foods, work out equipment and even exercise clothing which would be more appealing to consumers.

I believe that with Wal-Mart taking this large leap, it will help people realize that we have a problem. The reduced sugars, salts and trans fats in these foods will give hope to kids, teens and adults who suffer from the food addiction that we as Americans face. Eating healthy food is a great way to transform your body. This will lead to a better and happier life style.

A Very Special Thank You From the Cahill Family

Smiling for the camera Larry Jr (brother), Larry Sr (dad), Randy, Barbara (mom), Erin (Cahill) Christensen (sister) thank the GHS community for their generous dona-tion. From all of the donations the people of Gretna raised almost $3,000.

THE RESULTS OF YOUR GENEROSITY:

$1,160 Ticket Sales & Donations $ 500 GHS Student Council $ 372 Jean Day for Teachers

$ 125 Super Bowling $ 380 Book Fines $ 313 Bake Sale

____________________ $2,850 TOTAL

To The Students of Gretna High School:

On behalf of the entire Cahill family please accept our deepest gratitude for the kindness, love,and generosity you’ve expressed in so many ways during this most trying time of our lives.Your goodness has lifted our spirits, and strengthens us for whatever the future holds. Knowthat the Cahill family will never forget your love!

THE INTANGIBLE RESULTS OF YOUR EXPRESSION OF LOVE WILL TRAVEL THRUETERNITY!

I would like to leave you with this quote:

“There is within each of us a potential for goodness beyond our imagining, for giving without seeking reward, for listening without judging, for loving unconditionally. Thatpotential is our goal. We can approach it in large ways and small ways every minute ofthe day, if we try.”

I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!Randy is scheduled for an MRI on

April 1st. This exam is critical in that its result will give avery strong indication as to his future. We would ask you to keep Randy in your thoughts andprayers in the days ahead. I pray for a successful outcome of the April 1st MRI. I will keep youupdated on Randy’s results.

Gratefully, Your Custodian/Friend;Larry B. Cahill, Sr. (and Family)

submitted photo

8 opinion and editorialmarch 2011

Senior Prom—one of the best nights of your life to date. You spend hundreds of dollars on your outfit and several hours getting ready and taking pictures. You ride to the location, enter, and there are all of the people you’ve known since Kindergarten. You start walking around the room, taking pictures with everyone and laughing as much as the boning in your dress and buttons on your shirt will allow. You see one group off to the side--they’re all sophomores… You waited 16-18 years of your life to be here with sophomores and freshman? Last I checked, this was the “Junior-Senior Prom.”

Prom is a privilege long awaited; I remember being in grade school and buying Seventeen Magazine to look at all of the beautiful dresses. I could not wait to go to Prom and be a princess for a day, but I managed to do it up until my junior year and it was fantastic! There are things that you just can’t appreciate until you are of a certain age, and I believe that Prom is one of them. As a junior, you sell magazines to raise money for your classes Prom, just like the seniors did the year before. It’s not fair that the two classes that are invited to Prom work to raise the money and someone just gets to come and reap the benefits.

When you become a senior, you start to think about the fact that Prom

and graduation will be some of the last times you’re under the same roof with the people that you’ve spent the last several years with. Some juniors and seniors are really close friends with underclassmen, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of Prom attendees would rather be with just their class for this monumental night.

In addition, one of the things that makes Prom what it is is that you have to wait so long to go. You only get two Proms in your life and it makes you cherish them so much more than if you had attended all four years- you can have too much of a good thing. Prom can cost $300 on a low budget and upwards of $1000. For underclassmen, their parents typically end up paying for all of this. If your parents pay for every Prom that you attend for 4 years just at your own school, the least amount they would pay is $1,200 and if you want a really nice dress, up to $4,000. In addition to the cost that could be detrimental to your parents, someone at prom is responsible for carting you around from place to place.

Prom is a privilege, not a right--a privilege reserved for juniors and seniors or underclassmen in long-term relationships with upperclassmen.

Kristen RozmiarekPhotographer

Textbooks are not cheap. This year the Spanish rooms purchased new- as in tightly bound, straight-cornered, unmarked easy-to-read- books for the students to use. The t e a c h e r s dec ided to use o n l y

“classroom sets” to “lighten the load” on students. Unfortunately, some students decided to take advantage of the teacher’s good will and have begun vandalizing them.

Writing dirty names in the books is very disrespectful. Students take a foreign

language class to learn about the language and

culture. Even though some students are only there because the

coarse is required, this is not an excuse for writing i n a p p r o p r i a t e

words and pictures in the books. Not

Nicole SwansonStaff Writer

Textbooks Are Being Vandalized

Wait Your Turn

every book the class open needs to say something stupid “just for laughs.”

Also, I grabbed a book of the shelf during class one day and a piece of gum was stuck in the middle of the book page. That is just plain gross; respect would be nice. The school doesn’t want to replace these books every year. We should try to keep them as new as possible. I sure don’t want to have to carry one more book around from class to class just so they can keep track of who writes in and ruins the textbook. Let’s all work together to keep all school textbooks as nice as possible. Then maybe the school can spend less money on new books and put it towards other technology that are more fun. Please do your part and help keep out textbooks in good conditions.

your papers

Art by Carissa Burkart

in room 400!

9featuresmarch 2011

Phelps Wins Judge’s Hearts

Lauren SawyerEditor-in-Chief

It was the last night before the Senior Portrait Artist (SPA) contest deadline and Courtney Randall ‘11 was posing for a quick head shot at photographer Cherie Phelp’s house and she was racing through paperwork to try to beat the cutoff. The pair had forgotten about the proposed idea of entering the competition and at the last minute but still wanted to take their chance at winning. After hitting submit, they forgot about the competition

once more.“I thought, ‘I might as well enter,’

but I wasn’t confident that I would get anything out of it,” Randall said.

Little did they know, Randall was making cut after cut in the SPA model competition and eventually did reach finalist status. When the news reached Randall, she was in shock and made her mom pull up the contest results on the Internet.

“I was really happy for Cherie,” Randall said. “She says I’m the one who won, but I think it’s all her photography. I couldn’t do it without her.”

Randall and Phelps Share SPA SuccessLauren SawyerEditor-in-Chief

First-Time Model Striking a pose for Phelps, Courtney Randall ‘11 enjoyed her trip to California. During this shoot, it began to rain. photo by Cherie Phelps

Taking the Top Title Accepting the award of Best Senior Photographer in Neb, Cherie Phelps (left) stands with the Professional Photographer of Nebraska Association’s representative. She was also a SPA finalist. submitted photo

Perks of winning the contest included a free round trip to the Riveria Resort and Spa in California, learning how to walk down the runway and a chance to just relax poolside.

It wasn’t all fun and games though, Randall put in 14 hour days between hair, makeup and shooting, and she had to shoot through freezing rain because the photographer- not Phelps- thought it would enhance the photos.

Randall has never modeled before and was the first SPA model winner from Neb.

After Capturing Senior’s Spirits

“Is that really me?”These words aren’t uncommon in

photographer Cherie Phelps studio as students are regularly amazed that after just a bit of hair and makeup before shooting, their senior pictures could look so flawless.

“It’s really you; you were behind the lens,” Phelps reassures each one.

From that moment, the “senior session” becomes more animated as students realize that this day is going to be exciting, not filled with awkwardly posed photos.

Cherie Phelps’ studio, C. Phelps Photography, was founded in 2003 and since then she has shot a variety of photos such as family portraits and models. But above all, her favorite sessions are working with seniors. This tradition of shooting seniors even started with a Gretna student.

Gretna ‘06 graduate Ashleigh Winje, then a barista, and frequent Beanery customer Cherie Phelps bonded over her orders of low-fat lattes. Winjie described Phelps as “one of those customers you were just able to smile and laugh with.”

After enough drive thru runs, Winje discovered that Phelps was a photographer and brought up the

fact that she was looking for a custom experience. Happily, Phelps accepted.

“I wanted something unique, rather than the usual ‘rustic’ backgrounds and Grecian pillar look that Mr. Arnold Clark likes to use... therefore, Cheri was my

girl,” Winje said.Phelps admitted that she was a bit

apprehensive about the shoot herself because a photographer she had previously worked with as a corporate assistant had long-projected his dislike for senior portraits, saying students were too picky and concerned about looking perfect.

“That one experience with a senior ‘for real’ changed my outlook,” Phelps said. “Ashleigh was so versatile and had such a great personality.”

From there, Phelps never looked back and was excited for each new chance to guide students who are, as she puts it, “on the cusp of life.” As seniors work through the transition from student to adult, Phelps wants to be their cheerleader, saying everyone needs a “biggest fan” and she would be honored to be that special someone. It seems she has succeeded in this goal since the beginning in Oct. 2005.

“She made that day my day,” Winje said. “It was so much fun, despite it being a windy and cold fall afternoon. I was still in the awkward braces phase; however, she made me so comfortable and made me feel beautiful.”

Phelps does, however, have a 55 senior per year limit due to her desire to connect with each senior individually. (There are open spots currently, and each consecutive year on.)

“There is a company in Omaha that photographs over 1,000 seniors a year; I want to know how they can know the individual,” Phelps said. “If we get done with a session and I feel like I can’t be that person’s Facebook friend, then I’ve done something wrong.”

Phelp’s attention to each person has won her the title of Nebraska’s Senior Photographer of the Year, a 2nd place finish in the Professional Photographer of Nebraska’s single female category with a photo of Courtney Randall ’11 and a 1st place finish in children’s folios.

Without any formal photography training, except in the US Air Force, Phelps had no expectations of beating out Omaha’s biggest names in photography for the coveted awards. In fact, when her name was called, her husband had to reassure her that it was really happening. Even the announcer admitted that as he read the name, “Who in the world is Cherie Phelps?” crossed his mind, Phelps said.

The seniors that work with Phelps aren’t surprised, however, they have witnessed the animated, excited photographer and know that she is truly a gem in her field.

“Cherie made me go from being nervous when I first came for my photos to being relaxed,” Chelsea Leudtke ‘11 said. “She is a natural, wonderful photographer.”

10 march 2011features

Griev

ing in

Diff

eren

t Way

s hanging out with friends keeps me distracted and not having to think about it,” Sorrentino said. “They’ve provided a lot of food for me to eat; they have kept me very entertained. They have been very helpful in helping me get back to normality.”

She did leave some inspiring words for others though. She has learned to have a positive outlook.

“It’s the hardest time ever, and you think you’re never going to get through it, but you do,” Sorrentino said. “Time will carry on and they will remain forever in your heart. It’s always okay to laugh about it-- you don’t always have to grieve because that’s one lesson my dad has taught me.”

Taylor White ‘11 lost her uncle to suicide when she 13 years old. Although devastating, the situation had a positive.

“It made me grow up really fast,” White said.

It was important for her to have friends and family there. Madison Healy and Jenna Hannibal went to the funeral to support White.

“It was nice to have support from friends, but a lot of people didn’t understand, so I didn’t get a lot of support,” White said. “When it happened, my family all stuck together and tried to face it. Stay close to your family

and be willing to accept support from your friends.”

Because her uncle committed suicide she had a different grieving process.

“You find yourself thinking of all the things you could have done to save him,” White said.

Her mom is a chair member for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). The organization has helped White with the situation.

“It helps to know that there are other people out there who are dealing with the same things as me,” White said. “When I speak at AFSP events I’ve hoped that I’ve reached at least one person.”

Carole Carraher deals with students who grieve. She explains what her role is and how it is different for everyone.

“I think grief is a very individual experience, and we all grieve differently and on our own timeline,” Carraher said. “To say we can fix grief is not an accurate statement, all we want to do in the counseling office is be a support.”

Kennedy Healy Features/In-Depth Editor

Grief can knock someone to the ground. It is up to the person to get back up or stay down. Everyone grieves differently. Many GHS students carry grief with them or have gone through the process at some point in their lives.

Jordan Meadows ‘12 recently lost her uncle to cancer. Her situation was special because they knew it was coming.

“My uncle died in a slow process, we knew he was going to die so we got our closure,” Meadows said. “We got to say goodbye. He got to arrange his funeral and say everything he wanted.”

Although death is usually perceived as sad, Meadows and her family tried to take a positive approach; they wanted to honor all of his wishes.

“The way we celebrated his funeral was a celebration of his life,” Meadows said. “We grieved and mourned, but we tried to make it a celebration for the sake of his family. We didn’t focus on ‘Oh my gosh he’s dead’ we tried to focus on all the great memories he brought us all through our lives.”

Even though Meadows knew the situation, she still had to accept it. For some, this can be the hardest part.

“We were mentally prepared for it, but I think it really hit me when we saw the body,” Meadows said. “I thought seeing him for the last time was good, but people don’t always want to see him or remember him that way.”

Through the family’s positive outlook, she was able to look at the bright side.

“It’s never goodbye; It’s always ‘see you later’,” Meadows said.

Vikki Sorrentino’s ‘11 father recently died of a heart attack. The shock of having an immediate family member die is something she has been working through.

“You pretty much do nothing because you don’t believe it,” Sorrentino said. “I cried a bazillion times. I find myself like spacing out a lot and I always want to be alone, but people are always there because they think I need support, but I don’t.”

Certain helpful actions have helped her cope with the situation. Her friends helped her get through it.

“Being alone helps sometimes; also,

It’s the hardest time ever, and you think you’re never

going to get through it but you do.

-Vikki Sorrentino ‘11

In Loving Memory To remember her uncle Taylor White ‘11 tattooed his name on her foot after he committed suicide. “It’s a constant reminder of him and it keeps him close to me even though he is not here,” White said. The stars represent her three uncles who committed suicide; the other two died before she was born. photo by Kennedy Healy

A Final Memory This program was from Jordan Meadow’s ‘12 Uncle’s funeral. The quote was a friendly reminder to her and her family of how he will be remembered. “Throughout his life he helped our family never forget his loving spirit aand it will always be with us,” Meadows said. photo by Kennedy Healy

submitted photo

Always in her Heart Vikki Sorrentino ‘11 lost her dad, Raf Sorrentino, to a heart attack in Feburary. Her father passed away while on a business trip.

11featuresmarch 2011

When Sarah Donovan ‘11 and Morgan Harpenau ‘11 go to Gretna

Assisted Living every week, they’re not just there because they have to, they go because they want to and that’s how they choose to spend their Wednesday afternoons. After Ann Cockerill of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church introduced the girls to Elton, an elderly, gray haired man in a wheel chair living in the facility, they choose to visit almost every week since.

“Morgan and I go to see him and knit to keep him company because he doesn’t get many

visitors,” Donovan said. “We just kept going because we

knew he enjoyed having us there.”

Many students would probably rather be out with friends or playing sports, but Donovan’s

reason for

volunteering is one that not many students may be able to say.

“It makes me feel good that I am making a difference just by showing up,” she said. “When we leave, he is always asking if we are coming again next week.”

Harpenau has a similar reason for going, but both girls feel like volunteering is important.

“Volunteering makes me feel like I have an impact on society,” Harpenau said. “I like going to visit Elton because he enjoys it and he always asks us when we will be coming back. I love doing things in the community.”

Even with few words being exchanged, content smiles and focused eyes on kitting, it’s not as boring as some may believe. Donovan said her favorite moment visiting Elton was the first time the girls went.

“He was teaching us how to knit hats and I kept on messing up,” Donovan said. “I could tell he might have been a little frustrated, but I think he was happy to be teaching us.”

Mary Yager Staff Writer

Nursing Home KnittersGHS Students Make a Difference

Morgan H

arpenau ‘11

Sarah Donovan ‘11

Photos by Mary Yager

1312 in-depthmarch 2011

Dancing to some people might mean homecoming, prom or the half time show at a football or basketball game but for senior Natalie Miller it’s a passion. She has made it a hobby, a summer job and hopes to turn it into a career some day. For Miller her summer job has allowed her to continue dancing.

“I taught dance classes at Lifetime Fitness, creative dance and hip hop are the dances I get to teach there,” Miller said.

Miller describes creative dance as a ballet and jazz combo that is fun and easy for the students to learn. Although she enjoys teaching creative dance, hip hop is her favorite to teach.

“I like teaching hip hop because the kids don’t get as bored as they do with ballet because hip hop is a more upbeat style of dancing,” Miller said.

Natalie’s love for dance has lead her to take this summer job teaching dance classes to make extra money. She teaches children from ages 3 all the way to ages 12. With the wide range of ages, Miller always has intense experiences

Teaching

Lexi BuschSports Editor

Riding Solo Hannah DeRouchey ‘14 competed with her solo at the University of Nebraska at Omaha dance competition. DeR-ouchey placed 1st in her category.

DANCE“All I ever needed was the music

and the mirror” - A Chorus Line. A quote that Hannah DeRouchey ‘14 says she can often relate to.

DeRouchey is currently on the dance team here at GHS, but she is not new to the sport. DeRouchey has been dancing for about 11 years and dancing for a competitive team at Fusion Dance Omaha for six years and is currently taking on a new style of dance: solo.

This year she competed with a solo to the song By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North, spending about three hours a week practicing outside of Gretna dance. One of her classes to prepare for the solo is Strength and Stretch.

“We spend lots of time during this class strengthing our muscles and loosening them out so that we will be able to do more and more tricks in the future,” DeRouchey said.

Although her solo is a Contemporary piece, she is also in a

Jena BurnsStaff Writer

Taking Center StageJazz class. That works on the technique focusing on different dances the team is perfecting.

“We work on everything that’s in my solo like turns, leaps and jumps,” DeRouchey said.

DeRouchey explains that when doing a group performance there is the worry of how the rest of your team looks, but this is the opposite when doing a solo because there is only one dancer.

“In my first competition, I got high gold, 1st in my category and 3rd overall,” DeRouchey said.

DeRouchey has competed her solo at four competitions so far this year. Her last competition was the Celebrity competition on the weekend of March 12th in Aimes, Iowa. She placed first out of her category and first over all and is planning on going to nationals, this year in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I love dancing with all the girls at Fusion,” DeRouchey Said. “But between all my extra curricular activities a solo was all I had time to do.”

to keep her on her toes.

“One time I had a girl bite another girl and I got in trouble with my manger because I guess I didn’t handle it right,” Miller said.

Miller’s adventure of teaching, it has justified her decision to minor in dance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also desires to be on the UNL dance team.

“UNL has a really good dance program and I want to be a ‘scarlet’, Miller side. “If I get to school and hate what I’m doing, then I can always have dance to fall back on.”

Miller is t r a n s f o r m i n g from a teacher to highly-respected college dancer who is m a k i n g all her dreams come true. She has the integrity and power to make her way in the world of dance, however big that goal might be.

More than a job

Natalie Miller ‘11

Hannah DeRouchey ‘14

14 in-depthmarch 2011

“That was my life,” Katie Harrison ‘13 said. “That’s all I did. Now, I have nothing to do.”

Sadly, Harrison’s most admired pastime, dancing, has been put to a temporary hault because of an injury. She tore ligaments in her ankle but continued to dance for two months, despite the pain. This, in turn, caused the bones to separate. Katie was told not to dance for six months, which will hopefully come to an end around April.

Before her injury, Harrison spent almost all of her free time dancing.

“I miss it so much, it’s ridiculous,” Harrison said. “It’s really weird to have to sit and watch other people dance because I want to be up there so bad.”

In addition to being a two-year member of the GHS Dance Team, Katie attended studio classes at Rennae’s School of Dance. She practiced at the studio Monday through Friday nights and also Saturday mornings. And as if that wasn’t tiring

enough, Katie also practiced for dance team three mornings a week at 6:30 a.m.

Gabriella MontemaranoStaff Writer

Minor Setback

For science teacher Mr. Douglas Bertelsen, his only focus is not on learning his subject, he also practices ballroom dancing. It all started when his wife Cindy Bertelsen received a phone call advertisement concerning the class.

“First we signed up for a class, five more, ten more then a year and it just went out proportion very quickly,” Bertelsen said.

Bertelsen and his wife started ballroom dancing at the beginning of September 2009 and have continued ever since. The couple practices every Sunday night at the DC Centre located in West Omaha along with other couples between the ages of eighteen to eighty years. They received the names, “King and Queen of Hussle and Swing.”

“It’s a good exercise and good time to spend with your spouse, you get along better because you have to fight for a common goal,” Bertelsen said. “It’s also a great chance to go out and meet new people.”

Kelsey CharrlinNews Editor

Dancing BecomesA Hobby

Dancing the Night Away Mr. Douglas Bertels-en and his wife, Cindy, took up ballrom danc-ing in 2009. The couple enjoyed the type of dance so much they have taking weekly lessons ever since.

Paige Arden once said, “Dance isn’t something that can be explained in words. It has to be danced.” Many would believe this to be true. Thomas Olk ‘11 definitely has a unique way of expressing himself through dance.

Olk’s style of dance is called Schuhplattler. During the German folk dance, Thomas performs acrobatic displays, stamps his feet and slaps his hands and body. He dances at the German American Society in Omaha.

“My grandpa started the group, and my dad kind-of forced me to do it when I was younger,” Olk said. “Then it kind of grew on me, and I liked it.”

At the young age of four, Thomas started dancing. Now, he practices once a week for three hours. Olk’s group competes across the country twice a year. He went home from the Bezirksfest competition with a first place win when he was only 15 years old.

Olk sees dance as a hobby, and he enjoys meeting new people from Nebraska as well as Germany. He said he even met half of his friends through dancing.

Gabriella MontemaranoStaff Writer

A Different Style

Jumping for Joy At a photo shoot, Katie Harrison ‘13 “C-Jumps” in the air. Cherie Phelps took took the dance team photos and individual shots of the team members.

15featuresmarch 2011

Puppies“Free puppies to good home!”

Signs were posted around GHS advertising the Staffordshire Lab mix. Samii Frederick ‘12 had a litter of ten puppies, six of which were given to students here at Gretna. They were originally given to Jon Miller ‘12, Kory Hurtz ‘11, Faith Sorensen ‘14, Sarah Asche ‘14, Tanner Smith ‘11 and Grant Dreyovich ‘11.

Frederick was told to find homes for all of the puppies when they were about four weeks old because their mother died.

“I was given two days to find them homes otherwise my mother would take them to the pound,” Fredricks said.

The dogs were all given homes, but some traveled around more than others and one was eventually sent to the pound. The puppy that was originally sent home with Hurtz was

Students FindHomes for DogsJena BurnsStaff Writer

given to Emma Connelley ‘12, then sent to the home of the Pote sisters, Chelsea ‘12 and Jenna ‘14, and is now currently living with the Potes’ friend. Asche took one of the dogs home but soon after it was taken to the pound, because expenses were getting too high. Sorensen, however, has kept her dog from the first day she got it.

“Dakota [Sorensen’s dog] is really playful but can be sleepy at times,” Sorensen said. “I love having him around.”

Sorensen took her dog home when Fredricks had brought them after school so that students could see them. “I figured that if people saw the puppies they would want to take one home,” Frederick said.

Even though getting all the dogs homes took a lot of work, Fredericks explained she wished she could have kept one. But when all the puppies had homes she was glad the majority didn’t have to go to the pound.

Faith Sorensen

‘14

Kory Hurtz

‘11

Emma Connelley‘12

Chelsea& Jenna

Pote

Sarah Asche

‘14

Tanner Smith

‘11

Pote’s Family Friend

Grant Dreyovich‘11

Puppy For a Day The Pote sisters kept a dog overnight before their dad gave it away. “It was really super adorable but it whined all night when it slept in my room,” Jenna Pote ‘14. photo by Chelsea Pote

all art by Carissa Burkart

16 arts and entertainmentmarch 2011

Upcoming Events For April 2011

Recently, the set for the spring musical “The Beauty and the Beast” seems to be on the mind of cast members. This set is larger than previous ones in the past. “I’ve seen some of it, there is a huge staircase and even a bar area,” Lindsey LaMountain ’14 said. Another piece of the set is a bookshelf, that was hand painted by Mr. Michael Moore, art teacher, and several other students.

Musical Stage Craft

According to Mrs. Kate Bulgrin, GHS librarian, over 200 students attended Library Latte during their school lunch period during the week of February. “I liked how you could watch entertainment while enjoying coffee,” Sarah Zeleney ’14 said. They raised $10 and the money raised went to improving the library.

Library Latte

The GHS Dance Team placed fifth at state on Feb. 19 in Grand Island. The ladies practiced every morning before school for 3-4 weeks and on Saturdays for 2-3 hours each time. “The girls worked hard and deserved it,” dance coach, Mrs. Kristy Schweitz said. Tryouts for the coming year will be in April.

GHS Dance State

Briefs by Second Semester Journalism One Students

A & E Briefs“Green and minty yogurt. I put gummy bears and sprinkles on it.”Zachary Spale‘13

“Vanilla, Original and either raspberry, strawberry or tangerine yogurt. For toppings, I put raspberries, strawberries,

kiwi, pineapple, granola, M & M’s and three gummy worms.”Jenna DeRosa ‘11

“Vanilla yogurt with Butterfingers, heath, pretzels, strawberries and caramel.”Shelby Rust ‘12

“My favorite thing to get is Fruity Pebbles on pomegranate.”Megan Kruse ‘13

What’s Your Red Mango?

17arts and entertainmentmarch 2011

It’s the latest fashion craze to hit GHS. What is quick, convenient and a grooming necessity for many GHS students? A chapstick necklace.

This clever idea was contrived by Kelsi Kuhn ‘11 and Kory Hurtz ‘11. Kuhn thought of the idea in PreCalculus when she looked at Hurtz and mistook his pen necklace for a chapstick necklace.

“Kory and me kept talking about how cool it would be and one day he actually decided to make one,” Kuhn said.

Hurtz and Kuhn were not the only ones that thought this was a great idea, soon other GHS students were asking for one. The two entrepreneurs thought they could make some extra cash; however, students were not willing to pay to have a necklace made. So Hurtz decided to make them for free.

“Kuhn and me have a patent on them so if anyone decides to take our idea they can expect a lawsuit,” Hurtz joked.

Some students, like Logan Henning ‘11, thought that it was a great invention and that they should be sold in every store. He even went as far to say that Hurtz is a genius. It’s not just the convenience that students like, it’s also the fashion statement the necklaces make.

Michaela KoteraStaff Writer

The lesson to be learned in the new movie Beastly, is that beauty is not everything. Kyle played by Alex Pettyfer learns this the hard way as he transforms from the most popular guy in school into a monster. This oc-curs after he has a run-in with a witch who is played by Mary-Kate Olson who did a excellent job of portraying a supernatural character. A curse is put onto Kyle, and he has a year to break it. In order to end the curse, he has to find a girl who will love him in his newly tattooed form. Kyle ends up saving Lindy who is played by Vanessa Hudgens and tries to figure out ways to win her over. I believe director Daniel Barnz did a great job of turning infa-mous story of Beauty and the Beast into a modern day movie. Many of the parts in Beastly reminded me of the Disney classic, such as Kyle’s be-haviors as he attempts to make Lin-dy fall in love with him. Some of the lines in the movie were really cheesy, including the moment where Lindy tells Kyle, “You’re the most beauti-ful man I’ve ever met.” Besides the corny lines, the movie is great for a girls night out.

ReviewBeastly

“Leave Your Comfort Zone”Due Date Review

Quirky Fashion Trend Hits GHS

“I have a white chapstick so that it matches all of my outfits,” Sarah Warren ‘11 said.

Nolan Schmid ‘11 has taken the idea one step further. He incorporated the necklace onto his keychain.

“I actually figured out that you can tie it to your keys, and I always have my keys, so I always have my chapstick,” Schmid said. “It’s great because you’re driving around, your lips are chapped and ‘boom!’ there’s your chapstick.”

Students that have a chapstick necklace say that they are life-altering.

“ C h a p s t i c k necklaces are a great idea,” Joey Roxburgh ‘11 said. “It’s heaven on a string.”

Chapstick Necklaces

Art by: Carrisa Burkhart

Chapped LipsSeniors Kory Hurtz, Sam Soupir and Kelsi Kuhn show their feelings for Chapstick Necklaces with a quick pose. Hurtz and Kuhn are noted for being the true inventors of the new trend. Photo by: Ashley Josoff

Chelsea PoteOpinion and Editorial Editor

Michaela KoteraStaff Writer

“Everything’s uphill from here,” stated by Ethan (Zach Galifianakis) is not an accurate quote to describe the events that happened in Due Date, which was recently released on DVD. Peter, played by Robert Downey Jr., is on a wild voyage across the United States to arrive home in time to see his wife give birth. He stumbles into trouble at the airport when he meets Ethan. After the two land themselves on the “no fly list” at the airport, they reunite at the rental car store. Peter has lost his wallet and is left with no choice but to drive from Atlanta to Los Angeles with Ethan.

Ethan and Peter’s clashing per-sonalities create an interesting and hu-morous plot. While Ethan is a wannabe actor, Peter is a conservative architect. The pair is left with hardly any money after Ethan spends the majority of it on illegal substances and soon their prob-lems increase as Ethan falls asleep at the wheel and crashes the rental car. The experiences Ethan and Peter encounter make Due Date hilarious. It is a comical movie, but would not com-pete with other great movies such as Step Brothers and the Hangover because a majority of the humor has been done before. Due Date on can be purchased on DVD for about $15 and on Blue-ray for about $25 at Wal-Mart.

18 arts and entertainmentmarch 2011

Gretna High School’s VocabularyAshley JosoffStaff Writer

“Not a Bad Ball”According to Derek Hill ‘12, ‘not a bad ball’ means that something isn’t a bad idea.“Me and Jared Blum came up with ‘good ball’ for Bo Shepard in football,” Hill said. “It just transformed into a bunch of different sayings, like ‘not a bad ball.’”Other ways this saying could be used is if a teacher doesn’t give one homework, the team they are rooting for wins, or the cafeteria is serving something delicious. Basically, anything you can get excited about could be considered “not a bad ball.”

“Sketchy” If something is described as

sketchy, it typically means the

situation is risky, or that one is unsure

about it. “I never use it,” Kyle Rhodes ‘13

said. “It’s annoying and overused.”

Of course, there are still GHS

students who frequently use it.

“I like to say sketchy when a

situation is awkward,” Abby Fogle

‘13 said. “I also do when you have

no idea what you’re doing and you

just go with what you feel.”

Some of GHS students’ favorite slang words

“Clutch”Clutch is said to be a word that can be

used to describe the best possible outcome in a situation or something that is simply cool.

“I came up with clutch, but Robert [Schram-Martin] spread it,” Sam Stoltenberg ‘11 said. “For example: Sam Stoltenberg is CLUH-LUH-LUTCH!”

‘Clutch’ has become so popular lately, there is now a Facebook group called “The Art of Being Clutch.” Created by Stoltenberg, Robert Schram-Martin ‘11 and Jed Derr ‘11. It is a page whose sole purpose is to discuss recent clutch or not clutch situations. The page now has 529 followers, but even with everyone who is a fan of it, there are still some students who feel the word is meaningless.

“I think clutch is really stupid because no one understands what it even means,” Amanda Thamm ‘13 said. “Except for Robert [Schram-Martin] and Sam [Stoltenberg].”

“Dunks”The word ‘dunks’ refers to the

shoe Nike Dunks, and the company Nike has started using it as an alternate way to say ‘thank you,’ and GHS students are following the trend.

“I have a shirt that says dunk you,” Tate Paulsen ‘13 said. “I think it sounds cooler than just saying thanks.”

Some, however, feel the word is overused and annoying.

“I hate the word dunks so much,” Alyssa Kozak ‘14 said. “It doesn’t even sound like thanks so I don’t know why people use it.”

“Ahh yeah”A relatively new phrase that can be heard throughout

GHS halls is ‘ahh yeah.’ Many people use the term in front of just about anything, but it actually does have a meaning.

“It means that whatever someone is saying is really stupid,” Zach Stover ‘13 said. “You can use it when you’re being sarcastic, or when you act like you know what someone is talking about when you really don’t.”

Student’s don’t say the phrase quickly, but as if they’re deep in thought, pondering the meaning of what’s been told to them.

“I don’t really like it,” Gym teacher Matt Bruggeman said. “It’s too many words. Why can’t you just say yes?”

19arts and entertainmentmarch 2011

difficulty sleeping, anxiety and even bone loss. When consumed in moderation, however, caffeinated coffee is a valuable staple some students look to to get them through the day.

“I drink coffee because I love the way it tastes and it gives me tons of energy,” Jenna Hannibal ‘11 said. “I wouldn’t say I’m a coffee addict because I don’t need it, but if I get the chance I will have some.”

While the energy that the beverage provides is a plus, one negative point to drinking coffee is the cost. As told by USA Today, the average price of a cup of brewed coffee at Starbucks is $1.40,

while mocha and latte based drinks are more pricey, at $2.70. As

the amount of money spent adds up, consumers try to find an easier way to obtain their daily cup of java.

“I usually make coffee myself because in this economy you just

gotta do what you gotta do,” Colin Vipond ‘11 said.

Whether coffee is looked to as a quick energy boost or

just a morning accessory, this drink serves its purpose. By making

those who drink it more enjoyable to be around, coffee can, in a way, be called an unproblematic addiction.

“Coffee is really good for when you’re tired or in a bad mood and need some cheering up,” Emily Rickers ‘13 said.

Satisfying the craving for a morning pick-me-up has its benefits. As long as drinkers don’t go overboard, this caffeinated drink is great for both young and old.

“I wouldn’t really consider myself a coffee addict because it’s not like I go through withdrawal and have to get my next fix,” Vipond said. “I can quit when I want to, but I don’t really want to.”

Coffee- a caffeine lover’s pathway into a world of bliss. To many, this beverage, served hot or cold, acts as a morning burst to drinkers who rely on its ‘peppy’ qualities to get them through the day. Although flavored coffee contains many additives such as milk and sugar, the ingredient that often gets the most attention is caffeine.

According to cspinet.org, in a 16 ounce brewed cup of coffee at Starbucks, there are 320 milligrams of caffeine. For so-called addicts who aim to have their caffeine fix each morning, this high amount of the bitter substance can become problematic. Caffeine has been known to cause

Pouring Freshly Ground HeavenAnna ElbrachtStaff Writer

Espresso has 1/3 the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee

Over 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year

Approximately 42 coffee beans are used in a shot of espresso.

First hour would be horrible without it

[coffee] because I’ve got to have my choco-late and caffeine in the morning.

-Bailey Zych ‘13

20 sportsmarch 2011

After a great season full of high expectations, the smallest margin of error made the biggest difference for the Girls Basketball team this year. The girls missed out on the wild card and a free ride to state by just .0000001 of a point. After running up the score against almost every team, the Lady Dragons were shunned from the state playoffs. All because of what some consider an unfair points system. The girls were ranked in the top five the whole year and finished the year with only four losses yet they were forced to watch the the playoffs from the stands with everyone else. It is a crazy thought: how does a team with a record of 21-4 (all to top teams) not make it into the tournament?

It was a very close story for the boys team last year having a great regular season but missing state by a similar margin. The points system would be the most acceptable way to pick the deserving teams, but in cases like these maybe there should be some changes

made. I believe that with the girls regular season record that they should have ended up going to state. Some of the teams at state had worse records than ours, but still got the chance at winning the state championship. Last year our girls had the chance to go to State and their record was worse than the one they held this year. This just doesn’t seem fair.

The system they used to choose the teams was ridiculous. Our girls went from going to state with a worse record last year to not going this year with only four losses is beyond me. The girls had one of the best seasons I have ever seen and seeing their hope of making it to state be shut down by one game against Norris crushed many peoples state dreams around Gretna. The girls had a great season and hopefully they will not be forgotten from next years tournament field. Its been a good couple of years for the girls, hopefully they will contuine their winning traditions next year.

Trey Talks

Girls Basketball Points Away From State

No. 2 Seed

Boys StateBasketball

Dragons Take Second Place Zach Huber ‘11

Mitch Drey ‘13 Cole Spurgeon ‘11

Jared Blum ‘12

Robert Schram-Martin ‘11

With Determination Jordyn Wollenburg drives past her apponents. The lady dragons had a record of 21-4 and lost to Norris in the final game at districts.

21sportsfebruary 2011

One minute and nineteen seconds into the first round and a knee to the face, that’s all it took to knock out his opponent. Fighting can be brutal, but it’s one of Meeko Spainhower’s ‘12 favorite sports and his passion.

Spainhower practices mainly in two areas: Muay Thai and Brazilian Jui Jitsu. Muay Thai is a type of kickboxing. It is Thailand’s national sport and incorporates kicks, punches, knees and elbows to take out the opponent. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a form of grappling, which uses techniques and maneuvers to gain a physical advantage over the opponent. The fighter wins when he catches his opponent in an arm bar, leg lock or a choke and he is forced to quit.

Five years ago, Spainhower started kickboxing with his dad’s friend, who is now one of his trainers. He trains at Mid America Martial Arts Training Academy in Omaha and practices six or seven times a week after school, totaling about 20 hours.

Dedicating a majority of his time to practicing boxing, he has an impressive record. He practices and competes often with a 35-7 record in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a 5-2 record in Muay Thai.

“I’m not much of a partier after a win; I just have a fun night out and go to IHOP then it’s back to the gym,” Spainhower said. “After a loss, I watch the fight to see where I messed up and try to fix it.”

Win or lose, he goes into the fight with a “ready-to-go” attitude. Usually listening to music gets him pumped before a fight to lessen nerves.

“One ritual I have is kinda gross but I make myself vomit right before the big fight,” Spainhower said. “It gets all my nerves out for my fight to help me focus on what I have to do to come out on top and defeat my opponent.”

Spainhower’s friends frequently come to watch and cheer him on when he has a Ring War, which is a competition for Muay Thai. Riley Smith ‘12 goes to watch Spainhower on a regular basis.

“It’s pretty cool to see Meeko win,” Smith said.

Injuries are a part of any sport and kickboxing is no different. Spainhower has had his fair share of injuries in his kickboxing career. He has broken his nose, ribs and fractured his sternum. Even though he’s had all the injuries, he doesn’t consider this sport to be dangerous. He thinks it’s no more dangerous than football.

“Things can happen in any sport that are unexpected,” Spainhower said. “Boxing can be less dangerous than football at times, and other times it’s more dangerous.”

Interested students may check out Spainhower’s athletic page on Facebook. He hopes with this page he can get his name as an athlete “out there” for bigger promotions and sponsorships.

Some athletes may not enjoy pressure, but Spainhower thrives off of

Spainhower Kickboxes to the Top

Nicole SwasonStaff Writer

it. For him, the pressure makes winning worth while. He knows that when he wins all of his effort was put into the fight to come out on top.

“I love that Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu puts all the pressure on me,” Spainhower said. “If I succeed, it’s because of me. If I fail, it’s because of me.”

22 sportsmarch 2011

Spring sports have begun which means being outside for practice as much as possible. This year, like last year, has started off with cold temperatures and snow on the ground. Along with this, there is only two gyms and the soccer and baseball teams had to share the new complex. The coaches for soccer, baseball, track, and tennis had to sign up quickly to get time in a gym and at the complex.

“Our coach just made sure it was planned out,” Abby Allgood ‘11 said. “We

just got gym time and practiced in the morning.”

The track and tennis teams seemed to get first dibs on the gyms because soccer and baseball had the new complex in the beginning. Once there sessions were up, getting gym time was tougher.

“It was harder to get a gym because the track and tennis teams were both trying to get time too,” Kade Hollendieck ‘12 said.

The girls soccer team on was making sure that they used there time wisely because of the shortage of gyms.

“Rumor was that we only had two

sessions payed for at the complex,” Allgood said. “So our coach made sure that we used them right.”

Every team there did only have two sessions there. The weather was cold and the snow made the teams need to use them up right away. This meant that five sports teams were fighting for time between our two gyms. For baseball though if they couldn’t be outside, in the complex or in a gym they always have one more option.

“We practiced there twice and they were both for tryouts,” Kevin Anderson ‘11 said.

“So now if we can’t be inside we

just go and practice at Hagge’s indoor shed.”

The baseball team still thinks it was pretty easy to get a gym time though.

“Since basketball was over with, we found a time to get into gym if we needed too,” Anderson said.

As much trouble as there was in the beginning, the weather has warmed up for now. So teams have been going outside and getting what they need to done without a problem. Lets all just hope that this beautiful weather sticks around so spring sports can have a better year than they did last year.

Hannah ApplegateStaff Writer

As a child, everyone dreams about being the next president of the United States, an astronaut, a princess or a famous athlete. As people grow older, the cold reality sets in that not everyone becomes what they aspire to be. By the time most kids reach middle school, they know that their dreams are just that: dreams.

This is not true for everyone though, there is that rare handful of people who do reach their life long dream job. Those people are blessed with exceptional voices, great leadership or phenomenal athletic abilities; but more importantly, their great work ethics. That is what truly makes all great people great.

“I would not say that I made any sacrifices for baseball,” Mr. Brendan Raybourn said.

“However, others would probably say I did. I think it all has to do with how I look at it. I loved playing baseball and I wanted to play for as long as I could. In my mind I did not feel like I was missing anything when I was spending extra time working on baseball. I would spend countless hours working on my game. I would get to practice early and stay late to work on my fielding or my swing. I even remember times in college when I would stay in my dorm room and just swing my bat.” Raybourn finished high school and decided to attended Peru State, there he pursued his dreams in baseball. Raybourn had the work ethic needed to make it big as he wasn’t ever satisfied to where he was at.

“I wanted to be the best baseball player that I could be and I was never satisfied with myself,” Raybourn said. “I am not saying that I got down on myself or thought I would never reach my goals. I was never satisfied with myself because I did not want to stop getting better. I always thought I could do better and this drove me to work harder and do things to improve that not everyone was willing to do. If I could do it all over again, and have the same result, I would not change a thing.”

After finishing his college baseball career Raybourn kept working hard to pursue his dreams. During this time Raybourn could only work part time so that he would be able to keep training for all the tryouts he would be partaking in.

“I guess I did have to sacrifice some income during that time; but in my mind it was all worth it,” Raybourn said.

During this time of Raybourn’s different tryouts he was selected to represent his country overseas for an all-star team and play in a tournament. He travelled with his teamates to the Czech Republic where they went on to win the championship.

“My experience playing in tournament in Europe is one of my fondest memories from my playing days,” Raybourn said. “We were in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague is a beautiful city. It was a blast playing over there. I got to play with some really good players from all over the country. We had a lot of fun playing together and also going around and seeing all the sites in

the city.”Raybourn ended up playing for an

independent minor league team where he continued to improve his game in any way he could.

“I wanted to be the best baseball player that I could be and I was never satisfied with myself,” Raybourn said. “I am not saying that I got down on myself or thought I would never reach my goals. I was never satisfied with myself because I did not want to stop getting better. I always thought I could do better and this drove me to work harder and do things to improve that not everyone was willing to do. If I could do it all over again, and have the same result, I would not change a thing. Even though I did not quite make it as far as I wanted to in baseball, I am happy with what I did because I know that I did everything that I could. When I look back on my baseball career I have no regrets. I do not have any “what if” thoughts because I know that I did everything that I possibly could.”

Eventually, Raybourn decided to pursuing teaching instead. Professional sports is what almost everyone dreams about as little kids. The cold reality is, not everyone can get there.

“I played with several really good baseball players over the years,” Raybourn said. However, none of them went on to be well known professionals. That is the nature of professional sports. Very few people get the chance to play sports for a living; there are a lot of really good athletes that do not make it to that level.”

Raybourn Follows his Dreams in Attempt to Make it BigTrey RussellStaff Writer

Fighting for Practice Times

check us out we’re online!

www.issuu.com/gretnamedia

sayin’ it againwe’re online!

Checking Work Math teacher Bren-dan Raybourn left the diamond for the classroom. Submitted photo

23sportsmarch 2011

Psychological Reasons Why We RunAshley Zajac Arts and Entertainment Editor One foot in front of the other is how the saying goes. One lap after another around that course, steamy black top leaves one in a trance. Breathe in, breath out, pace oneself.

Running is an activity that every student has taken part in at some point in life, whether it is for gym, track or even to “get some air.” A question arises from some about why people put themselves through the muscle-aching, long distance running that most chose not to endure. What makes people push themselves harder to run farther and farther? There are multiple psychological answers to this question. According to Psychology Today’s website, people run for numerous reasons and have categorized them into three groupsFEAR MOTIVATOR People sometimes run for a desire to keep a healthy lifestyle and to avoid weight gain. Also, running can lead to a healthy heart to avoid heart disease. Someone may also run to blow off steam that has possibly built up from an argument. These kinds of actions are referred to as being “Chased by the Dog” because one is trying to run away from the unpleasant and uncomfortable moments in life. This has picked up the name the Fear Motivator due to the fears that have one running away. “I run to get out my anger and frustrations so I can calmly talk to people without blowing up. It helps relieve my stress.” Kathrine Reeves ’12 said. ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATOR Another reason for running is known as the “Brass Ring.” This type of running is all about setting personal goals like personal records that one wants to beat. It can even include goals such as wanting to be able to continue on to a certain distance or to lose an certain amount of weight for a big event. Also, this includes working to beat other competition in marathons and to earn a status of value. The Achievement Motivator outlines the ideal hype for a teenage track star who wants to be the best. “Running keeps me in shape for soccer and it makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something.” Emily Roll ‘13 said.

FLOW MOTIVATORThe last reason that psychologytoday.

com states people run is for the joy. The Flow Motivator is the time when people leave their home and every electronic tool behind to take time and relax by going for a jog. Through this type of running, one forgets about the time, the length of the run and even the life they live just to collect some thoughts from their day. At this time one gets in their “zone” and just runs for the fun of it. “I run because I’m addicted to it. There’s something so true about a runner’s high, so I run to reach a runner’s high. Running for me equals winning.” Mrs. Martha Omar said.

Beware of dehydration during running

Be sure to wear proper running shoes

Wear bright clothing when running at night

Attempt to get eight hours of sleep

Sunburn can easily occur during a run longer than 60 minutes, be sure to wear sunscreen

Pay attention to aches and pains in the legs and always make time for relax-ation to avoid injury

Nate Olsen ‘13

24 photo storymarch 2011

GHS Photo ChallengeMrs. Amanda Siemers and Cassamdra day 5- a picture of someone you can’ t live with outSiemers helps base room students fill out March Madness brackets

Mrs. Carol Doolittle and Jamie Carlson day 6- a picture of you worst habitCarlson signs in with Mrs.Doolittle for a morn-ing tardy

Mr. Todd Muller and David Jones day 7- a picture of the person you get in trouble with the mostJones checks in with Mr. Miller for afternoon detention

Kristen Rosmairek day 8- a picture of something that makes you smileWatch ticks until 3:21 p.m. and then school is out for the day

Gretna Band day 9- a picture of your favorite bandGHS band plays at the home football game

Gretna Sign day 10- a picture of yourselfThe Gretna sign standing next to the railroad tracks

Mr. Larry Cahill day 11- a picture of someone that impacted your lifeMr. Cahill’s speaks at the Veteran’s day pro-gram about his son he lost in the war

Pass day 12- a picture of something your afraid ofThe yellow passes scare GHS students because it tells them to go see one of the adminastra-tion

Basketball day 14- a picture of your biggest accomplishmentGHS teams compete at the state level