thereporter

Paola High School • 401 N. Angela • Paola, KS 66071 December 2012

2 3 7(briefs)

Improv

(sports)

Guys vs. girls

(academics) 4-5 (features)

Balancing act

Principal Phil Bressler said lack of funds make students have fewer class options, which could make students lose interest in needed teaching careers. He said the recent financial recession is

the cause. Since 2006 the school has lost culinary

arts, photography class, a counselor, an administrator, and a teacher in every core department except math. Classes on average have also gotten larger and Bressler said these factors could result in a “burnout,” and students may choose more glamorous and higher-paying career options.Despite this, some of the clubs and

organizations have found ways to support themselves.Freshman Cybil Drummond helped collect

donations for band.

“We had a fundraiser to clean the uniforms, which is a lot of money,” she said. “We’re going to get a grant from the Panther Booster club so we can buy a new piano.”Senior Elizabeth Edwards said IHT gets

paid money from the people whom they create websites, videos and graphic designs for.Pam Fette, IHT, said the money goes for

senior scholarships.“It’s all distributed evenly for the seniors,”

she said.The journalism department pays for the

publication of the newpaper and yarbook primarly through ad salesNick Burdge, sophomore, sold “ACE,”

or Attendance and Commitment Everyday cards for to raise money for footbal. The ACE cards have a football schedule and

deals at local markets and restaurants.“I sat in front of Price Chopper for about an

hour and went up to people,” he said. Discounts include free small pizzas at

Casey’s and Price Chopper rewards points.Burdge said the money they raised went

toward their ACE program for equipment and medical supplies.Senior Rachael Ludwick said theater gets

funds from donations, improv fundraisers and ticket sales. The money goes toward buying the rights for shows, props and costumes.Bressler said the two homecoming dances

are run by Student Council and junior parents raise all the funds for prom and after-prom. Bressler said the school has two funds for

two distinct purposes: capital outlay and a

general fund.Capital outlay is $3.9 million. Capital

outlay is used for materials— desks, vehicles, and remodeling—not salary. The general fund is $11.5 million this

year. This is used for all things immaterial—salaries, utilities, etc.Both funds are separate, so the school can’t

use capital outlay for teacher salaries, which is why the school might have money for a new car, but might not have enough to hire a new teacher.Bressler said the one thing he wanted the

school to know is that it is not “rich.”“We figured out how to do what we’ve

been doing with less people and less resources,” he said.

lane harris reporter

Burdge raises funds for football, Drummond for bandBudget concerns

Rags performed

Students saw the movies Wreck-it Ralph and Bully Nov. 15 at AMC Theater. Students expected to arrive, see Bully and leave, but the movie’s film hadn’t got to the theater yet. AMC gave students free

popcorn and drinks after showing Wreck-it Ralph, then students came back to discuss bullying issues with a panel of community members. Seniors Cooper Sims-West, Christine Bessey, Samantha Smreker, and

Kami Crawford (far left photos) shared their stories of being bullied.

Then, students signed a banner to pledge to stop bullying that said “Niceness is Priceless.”

For a multimedia story about the bully project, see www.phsjournalism.com.

-Lane Harris

Movie with a message

photo by Mackenzie Getz

photo by Caleb Heckerphoto by Mackenzie Getz photo by Mackenzie Getz

Sophomore Jake Robison finds a seat before the Bully documentary on Nov. 15.

Lauren Frederick, junior, and hundreds of other students signed the poster to stop bullying after the student panel on Nov. 16.

The Reporter • December 20122(quick news)

The 4-foot-long by 2-foot-6-inch high bronze Panther statue is set to make its debut on the old planter—the raised platform near the entrance by the flagpole—shortly before May 201

Originally a student idea, this project is managed by

Principal Phil Bressler and designed by Robin Richardson, an artist from Kansas City.

Bricks will be sold to fund the project.

Buyers get their name engraved on the brick. Small bricks are 4 inch by 8 inch and are $75.

Large bricks are 8 inch by 8 inch and are

$150. Large granite bricks will be sold to higher donors for an undecided amount. T

he bricks will be placed in the circular space between the flagpole and the planter.

- Lane Harris

Panther coming

Celtic Tales was among those four and cast members will be attending the Kansas Thespian State Conference in Wichita from January 3-5. Celtic Tales will be part of a showcase of extraordinary Kansas high school play productions.

Coats said the play’s best strength was that “it is not like anything else”.

Leslie Coats wrote the play Celtic Tales after realizing that she wanted to do a piece on Celtic folk tales.

She began brainstorming and writing five years ago and the theater club has just

performed the play this past September.

After watching the production, visiting judicators recommended Celtic Tales to a panel. The panel then chose the best four plays in the state, with more than 50 schools eligible.

“Cast members are like one big family and they made the play whole. There is lots of cooperation between cast members,” Austin Smith, junior, said. “When I found out we had made it to state, I was overwhelmed with joy.”

- Camille Mars

Play goes to state

Photo by Mackenzie Getz

22875 West 255th StreetHillsdale, Kansas

Worship Service: 9:15-10:30 amSunday School: 10:45-11:45 amNursery Provided

www.hillsdalepresbyterian.com

Pastor Laurie Johnston

hillspres@mokancomm.net

Photo courtesy of Principal Phil Bressler

Yearbook is All-Kansas

Saul, played by junior Elijah Short, tries to convince Rebec-ca, played by junior Libby McCormack, to join the union. Rags was performed Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1 in the theater.

The Paola yearbook staff received All-Kansas by the Kansas Scholastic Press Association for its 2012 yearbook Shift.

This is the second year in a row the staff received the highest distinction by the journalism association.

Members of the staff last year were graduates Hannah McFarland, Jacinda Dent, Jenna Goodheart, seniors Journey Capettini, Ayla Fedor, Sam Wagner, and juniors Lexi Loya, Kenzie Getz, Lauren Wood, Natalie Franz and Tera Brandt.

Cans collection breaks recordStudents from Drama

Club, KAYs, Student Coun-cil and Developmental Leadership collected 5,625 pounds of cans during three fundraisers in October and

November. Leslie Coats, drama

teacher, said the record was also the top 10 in the country for the amount of cans col-lected. -Aly Johnson

The ACT is most commonly accepted by colleges in the Midwest.

Justin Elliott, counselor encourages juniors to take the ACT at least two times before senior year.

“For students in which there is a possibility they will be attending a traditional college, it gives you the opportunity to have more choices,” said Elliott.

The SAT has more emphasis on writing and is split up into three parts.

Both college entrance exams are used to determine college readiness and class placement. The ACT and SAT are also helpful when applying for scholarships.

“Scholarship and college application deadlines happen early senior year,” said Elliott.

For those who don’t quite know what they want to do yet, or get a degree in, Elliott advises taking the ASVAB test.

The military created it to identify a person’s strengths and what jobs they are best suited for in the military. However, the ASVAB is a great test to take regardless of whether or not you are going in to the military.

“It has a unique career exploration component,” Elliott said. -Katey Colwell

Juniors should start college prep

The Reporter • December 20123(academics)

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15 S Pearl, Paola, KS

Improving by improvSenior Zach Holtz has five minutes

to come up with a scene involving a mountain top, an exotic animal, and a doctor.

Holtz is involved in improv at the high school.

“Improv is on the spot acting with no preparation whatsoever,” said Holtz.

Sophomore Skyler Smith, also involved in improv, has a definition of his own.

“It’s unscripted acting in a way,” Smith said. “It’s whatever pops up in your head and you make it funny.”

Improv is a hobby well suited for those who enjoy using imagination or are good at thinking on their toes.

“I love it because you get to create it yourself,” Junior Sarah Phipps said. “You don’t have to use a script or anything like that.”

To practice improv, the group does multiple exercises of the mind.

“We do different kind of skits where we go around making up stories then we have to keep making up things and adding on to one another,” Smith said.

During performances, they get some help from the crowd.

“We get suggestions from the audience to make a scene out of,” said Holtz. “Different situations, characters, and places.”

For Smith, it’s the thrill of it that draws him in.

libby rayne opinion editor

“Improv is scary and it’s a challenge,” Smith said.

Phipps believes improv will be useful in her future.

“It’s fun,” Phipps said. “And it helps my acting.”

Holtz also sees the benefits of improv.

“Improvisational thinking is probably one of the most important traits in any job where there is critical thinking,” said Holtz.

Public speaking teacher, Duane Lintz said having an opportunity to be in front of others helps with public speaking.

“If you go into acting, it’ll help you be able to emote better,” Phipps said. “If you don’t, it still will help you get out of your comfort zone and make you more open to taking risks.”

GuysThe Reporter • December 2012The Reporter • December 2012

Girls

Freshman Alex Wilson said sports present more of a challenge for guys, but girls can be faced with the same challenges.

“The competition for guys tends to be more ath-letic and physical, but girls usually aren’t as physi-cal as they can be,” Wilson said.

Wilson said guys face harder competition be-cause they have more opportunities to continue playing after high school.

“There is more competition for the guys because

if they want to go to the NBA,” Wilson said. “The NBA in comparison to the WNBA is an example.”

The NBA has 30 teams with a 15-player roster. The WNBA only has 12 teams with a 12-player ros-ter, according to the ESPN website.

Although, it may be harder for guys, Wilson said girls could still compete with the guys.

“It would be hard because guys are more physi-cal especially, but the girls could still compete,” Wilson said.

Freshman Taylor Williams said girls have to put in a lot more effort than guys do in sports.

“Girls have to work harder to get better because we aren’t born as ath-letic as guys,” Williams said.

Practicing every day is a way an athlete puts in time and effort in an at-tempt to get better. Williams said the

girls’ basketball practices consist of the same basic routine day-to-day.

“We do a lot of shooting, dribbling drills, and then we finish with condi-tioning,” Williams said. “A lot of the girls say conditioning is the hardest part, but I think learning the new plays is the most challenging.”

Williams said sports are easier for

the guys just because of the way they are born.

“Guys are bigger, more athletic, faster and stronger from the start,” Williams said. “Girls are athletic, but have to work harder to improve ath-leticism.”

Alex Wilson, freshman

Taylor Williams, freshman

Sophomore Lizzy Schroeder said theater is the place where guys and girls seem to have a level play-ing field.

“It all depends on what job you have, not whether you are a guy or a girl,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder said every actor faces the same struggles.“You have to find the role/character and you have to

get it right,” she said.Depending on the role, Schroeder said it can pres-

ent a different kind of struggle for guys and girls.

“Girls are better at the more dramatic roles and guys are better at more realistic roles,” Schroeder said.

She said guys would struggle if faced with having to play a more dramatic role.

“Guys would be too goofy to handle it,” Schroeder said.

Skyler Smith said the character you play shapes the effort you put in to theater.

“The level of work you have to put in tends to depend on what role you have,” Smith said.

He said rehearsals are the same for everyone night in and night out.

“We go through all the lines and then we go over the tech work,” Smith said. “Coats helps us improve at the end of every rehearsal.”

In every aspect of theater, Smith said guys and girls

are the same.“We are both given a certain amount of responsibili-

ties,” he said. “We are expected to be ready for the show when it is time for the big night.”

Smith said the only difference between guys and girls in theater is in the way they all act back stage.

“The guys all dance and have fun all the time while the girls just talk a lot,” Smith said.

Skyler Smith, sophomore

Lizzy Schroeder, sophomore

Kenji Brock said guys have more to worry about in school than girls.

“Guys always have to be on edge because they get bullied more than girls,” Brock said. “Guys get bullied in both a physical and verbal way.”

Brock said school is hard for ev-eryone and in general is just a lot to have to worry about.

“It is a lot of work and you have to listen to the teachers give lectures

all day,” he said. “I always get bored and fall asleep, which makes things difficult to understand later when you are trying to do your work.”

Brock said girls have it easier be-cause of their maternal instincts.

“Girls have it built in to care more than the guys do,” Brock said.

Brock said if girls had the same motivation as guys, they would not be able to do as well as they do now.

“Girls wouldn’t know how to deal with the lack of motivation guys face within the classroom,” Brock said.

Kenji Brock, juniorSenior Eli Robinson said guys make more work

for themselves.“Guys do jobs for the girls to try and impress

them,” Robinson said. “Girls also get the easier job, such as being s host instead of a cook.”

Robinson has worked his way to being a shift manager at Pizza Hut. He said he has a long list of responsibilities with the new position.

“I have to take inventory of all the food, make sure all the jobs are done, count money, clean, print reports and set the alarm at the end of the night,”

Robinson said.Robinson said most girls would struggle if put in

the same position as a guy.“They would have to work harder and they

wouldn’t like it as much,” he said.Even though girls are still held accountable to

the same rules as the guys, Robinson said they will always have an escape route.

“All they have to do is flash a smile and they can avoid trouble,” Robinson said.

Eli Robinson, senior

Nina Lopez, junior Mollie Hart, seniorAfter school jobs are one place senior Mollie

Hart said girls have to work harder.“Guys assume we can’t do certain things, but

usually we can do it better,” Hart said.Hart works after school as a teller at Citizen’s

State Bank. She said her daily routine is usually the same.

“I arrive at 3:30, get out my drawer and then log on to my computer,” Hart said. “I will usually help around 20 customers until five and then between five and six I will help about 15 people.”

Hart said nobody really has it harder than an-other.

“Everybody faces their own struggles,” she said. “You just have to try and stay positive.”

Hart said dealing with people who get angry over certain bank rules require a girl over a guy.

“It takes a lot of patience to deal with upset peo-ple and some guys can do it,” Hart said. “But, some situations just need a female’s touch.”

School poses different challenges to everyone. Junior Nina Lopez said girls face more challenges than guys.

“Most girls are more sensitive than guys and it affects our mentality,” Lo-pez said.

Lopez said her day gets really hec-tic after the school day ends.

“Once school is over I have to go to dance practice, then I go to Improv,

then I go to Madrigals and I finish the night out with play rehearsal if it is production time,” she said.

Lopez said guys attitude’s make school easier for them.

“Guys are really arrogant and just don’t care as much as girls do,” Lopez said.

If a guy was put in the same posi-tion as a girl, Lopez said they would

have a hard time dealing with it.“They would freak because they

would have to deal with all the sensi-tivity girls have to deal with,” Lopez said.

In the classroom:

In the theater:On the field:

At work:

caleb hecker editor-in-chief

Photo by Journey Capettini

Photo by Katey Colwell

Photo by Hali Wimbush

Photo by Lyndsee Johnson

Photo by Caleb Hecker

Photo by Caleb Hecker

Photo by Whitney McDaniel

Photo by Journey Capettini

w

Normally, when I tell my parents “Well when I have kids…” it’s to make them feel guilty about the punishment they have just handed me or to manipulate the situation. Fortunately, I have been given the opportunity to actually be honest about how I would parent. No manipulation. No guilt. Pure honesty from a teenager’s perspective.

First of all, I would like to say I am very lucky to have loving parents so actively involved in my life. They are great people and from a personal stand-point, they’ve done a great job raising me.

I know I give them hell. I do things they tell me not to do. I say things that I know will get to them. Sometimes I’ll even pick a fight with them for my own pleasure.

Neither of my parents deserve any of these behaviors that I bring to the table. Right now, though, it’s my nature to do these things; just like every other teen out there.

Parents forget we are growing up. We aren’t children anymore but we aren’t adults. We are at that awkward stage between trying to find our place in the world.

We are no longer children. We shouldn’t be told or reminded to do everything like when we were little. It’s time to stop holding our hands and worrying about everything we do. It’s time for our parents to go out and get their own lives and their own friends.

Lectures, excess attention and what parents think is helpful advice is a waste of their breath. It goes in one ear and out the other. I’m being completely honest when I say we don’t care.

We know drinking, smoking, stealing, lying etc. are wrong. We are told every day from different authoritative figures.

But just taking their word for it isn’t enough; at least not for us. We want to know why our parents lecture us about the things of this world.

Parents need to pick battles with their kids. Yelling, or whatever you wanna call it, at teenagers about EVERYTHING is pointless. If they get on our case all the time, we will think ‘nothing is going to please them so why try?’

They should pick their battles wisely and choose to fight about the important things while sticking to their guns. Being overprotective and not letting us go places because the bed isn’t made or they think we spend too much time with our friends are not good enough reasons for making us stay home.

If we have an F or have been in trouble with the law, those are pretty good reasons to keep us from having a good time.

Give us the freedom to stay out a little later. Give us the responsibility to make our own choices, whether they’re good or bad, and learn from them.

Let us be teenagers and enjoy our youth. We’re at crossroads in our lives, trying to figure out who we are and who we want to be.

It’s not easy and we know all of our parents have been there. So here’s the reminder.

The Reporter • December 20126 (opinion)

Volume 88

The Reporter is for the students, by the students. The goal of the Reporter is to give the students a voice, and provide an open forum of ideas while maintaining an ethical publication with unbiased coverage.

mission statement

It is the policy of the Paola Re-porter, to provide a forum for stu-dent expression, voices in the un-inhibited, robust, free and open discussion of issues. The Reporter encourages students to write let-ters to the editor or submit articles for the editorial page. We reserve the right to edit content. Material that contains libelous or obscene information will not be published. Material that will cause a disruption of school activities is also prohib-ited. Authors must provide their full name. No articles will be published with an alias.

editorial policy

Editor-in-Chief: Caleb HeckerDesign Editor: Hali WimbushFeature Editors: Katey Colwell, Aly JohnsonOpinion Editor: Libby RayneReporters: Tristan Barnes, Natalie Ep-pler, Lane Harris, Camille Mars, Whitney McDaniel, Chase Mercer, Brooke Prothe, Jackson SetterAd Manager: Marissa BergmanAdviser: BriAnne Chayer

thereporter

Issue 3

the staff

Kids these daysParenting from a teenager’s perspective

A damsel in distress is trapped in the tower of an evil emperor’s castle. Her only hope for survival is the prince, her knight in shining armor, who will climb up the tower and rescue her and carry her off into the night.

Drum roll please, here he comes gallivanting his way towards the castle. Jumping over the moat, he climbs the tower, lifts his princess onto the horse, slays the dragon and they live happily ever after.

Nowhere in this magical fairy tale did the princess say, “I can get onto the horse myself, thank you very much” nor did the knight say “Hey baby let’s go back to my place and have some fun.”

This fairytale analogy isn’t intended to be nostalgic, it’s meant to show the difference between old fashioned days of chivalry and how it has evolved today.

Chivalry is simply respect. Respect for others, by showing simple means of courtesy that can set you apart from the rest of your peers.

Chivalry isn’t about getting things in return. It’s about having respect for others and actively showing that respect towards them.

Perhaps the best place to start is with the gentlemen’s counterparts: the ladies. If it is expected for men to act chivalrous, shouldn’t

women exhibit ladylike behavior and qualities as well?

Feminism has brought many good things to women, such as the right to vote, owning property, etc. But it has also imposed a new standard of conduct. In looking for equality, women seem to have lost the conduct that once seemed to separate genders.

Of course one must not place the demise of chivalry all on one gender. Laziness is a large reason that gentlemen today are rare. Laziness is not meant to insult anyone, but to explain. Men have the duty in their families to be the example for both their sons and their daughters.

If Dad shows Mom respect at home and to the women he comes in contact with, his daughter will grow to expect nothing less than that level of respect from her husband and men she comes in contact with. Likewise, his son will see how he acts and emulate it.

Therefore, laziness is the chosen word because our culture lives at a very fast pace. Taking time to eat with our family is something of the past. We rely on fast food restaurants and eating in the car to suffice for the lost family meals.

Technology also plays a large role in the demise of chivalry. The days of personal letters scented

with your lover’s perfume, are long gone. Rather than greeting new students, talking to new teachers, or smiling towards strangers in the hallways, we walk with our heads down, avoiding the world. The fact of the matter is, we are allowing technology to take over the world in which we live. The more technology we have, the less we began to personally reach out to others.

Here’s the solution: act normal. Men, don’t try to be overly chivalrous or women will see right through your act. Make an effort to treat women as ladies. Keep in mind that if she isn’t grateful, she probably isn’t worth your time. If you really care for her, you will automatically put her on a pedestal without realizing it.

Ladies, if you wish to be treated like a lady, you need to act like one. Hold yourself to higher standards than society expects of you.

Once you’ve increased your self-respect and standards as high as the castle tower, you are sure to find your fairytale prince.

Gentlemen, once you’ve shown that you can treat women right, they will see the knight in shining armor in you.

The demise of chivalry is caused by both genders.

staff editorialChivalry is a

two-way street

katey colwell feature editor

The Reporter • December 20127(sports)

1009 Baptiste Dr.

Balancing actaly johnson feature editor

Multi-sport athletes keep busy year-roundFor freshman Morgan Laudan, sports

are her passion.Laudan plays volleyball, basketball

and softball. She began playing sports as young as kindergarten, and since then, her love of sports has flourished.

“I started playing as a young kid and I just grew to love it,” Laudan said. “I love competition.”

Laudan said one downside to playing multiple sports is that it can become hard to manage.

“It is overwhelming sometimes, especially when you get home late at night and still have to do all your homework,” Laudan said.

Sophomore Derek Weaver agreed that playing multiple sports can be overwhelming, but overall he said staying busy with sports is beneficial.

“It helps me stay out of trouble and stay away from the bad things I could be doing if I weren’t playing sports,” Weaver said.

Weaver is involved in football, wrestling and tennis. He said he would like to continue playing football in college.

Senior Josiah Hadle said he has played

football all four years of high school and plans to run track in the spring for his fourth year. He said that over time, balancing school, sports and everyday life has become manageable.

“You learn how to organize your time because, to be able to do it all, you have to,” Hadle said.

Hadle enjoys being a multi-sport athlete because it helps him stay in shape, keep busy and meet new people.

Hadle said having multi-sport athletes is beneficial to the school’s athletic programs as a whole.

“It makes our teams better when we have good, well-rounded athletes,” Hadle said.

Michelle Abshire, varsity volleyball coach, said there are benefits to both being a specialized athlete and being a multi-sport athlete.

“If you specialize, you definitely have to keep playing it year-round and you have to be getting trained [for] 12 months,” Abshire said. “Otherwise, I do think being a multi-sport athlete is very beneficial. Different sports train different muscles and you become a stronger athlete all-around. You also get

to experience different coaches, which is good for an athlete.”

In high school, Abshire said she played volleyball and basketball, ran track and did cheerleading. She continued playing volleyball and basketball in college.

Abshire said the key to being a multi-sport athlete today is to continue training in the off-season.

“I think athletes have gotten so much better at what they do that it’s necessary to keep playing in the off-season,” Abshire said. “When I was in high school you could get away with not doing things year-round, but now you can’t do that. You can still play multiple sports, but it’s so necessary to train.”

To manage having to double-up on sports in the off-season, Abshire said it is important to have good communication with your coaches.

“As long as you communicate with all of your coaches and make the school sport your first priority, it shouldn’t be a problem if you’re playing something else at the same time,” Abshire said.

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Regan BoyerGrade: Junior

Involved in:Cross CountryBasketballSoftball

Started in:Cross Country - 9th gradeBasketball - 1st gradeSoftball - 2nd grade

“Without sports I wouldn’t know what to do. I feel like they give me a purpose.”

-Regan Boyer

“Regan is someone that I know the team can count on. She competes 100 percent every single day. She ran in the State meet with one shoe for two miles and got her career PR, so if that doesn’t tell you what Regan Boyer is about, I don’t know what would.”

-Lesley Wilson, cross country coach

Photo by Whitney McDaniel

www.rockerspharmacy.com

The Reporter • December 20128(features)

Homecooking

Sweet E’s Treats“I’m in love with it,” in reference to her

Kitchen Aid Mixer, junior Erin Brown said. “I’m going to marry it.”

Brown has been baking since sixth grade. She became interested by watching TV shows about baking. Brown was also influenced by her grandpa who always used to bake. Even though Brown rarely has the chance to bake with her grandpa, he helps her by giving her advice she said.

Recently, Brown baked a two-tiered wedding cake and 200 cupcakes for a friend’s wedding using 22 bags of confectioner’s sugar.

Brown isn’t limited to baking just cakes and cupcakes.

“I make anything and everything all of the time,” Brown said.

Brown prefers baking cupcakes. Because of the assortment of patterns that can be made with the frosting.

“It’s idealistic and free,” Brown said. “People have different tastes and styles.”

Since others have such different styles,

Brown said she feels her baking has its own personal style as well.

As much as Brown enjoys baking there are times when baking isn’t as enjoyable [as it typically is for Brown]. Such as when the deadline is fast approaching. This causes the stress to increase for Brown.

“I feel very rushed if the cake is needed the next day. If there’s a deadline, it’s hard to [bake] and is very stressful,” Brown said.

Sometimes Brown displays that stress more. “I can get really moody when I bake,”

Brown said. Even though it causes her stress, Brown still

wishes to turn her hobby into a career. “I like it a lot and it makes me happy,” she

said. Brown has a piece of advice for aspiring

bakers.“Follow your dreams and do what you love,”

she said. “Be creative and step outside of your comfort zone.”

Photos by Caleb Hecker

Photos by Hali Wimbush

hali wimbush design editor

Brennan Haley, junior, began cooking a few years ago.

“My dad got me started,” Haley said.

Haley prepared chicken with rice the other evening.

He cut his own chicken and seasoned it the way he liked it.

Haley’s favorite kitchen utensil is tongs.

Haley was inspired most by

his father.“I want to be as good as

him,” Haley said. Hayley typically cooks

around dinner time. Haley, like Brown has a favorite item to cook with.

“Chicken,” Haley said. “Be-cause there are so many things you can do with it.”

Want more?To see videos of Erin Brown and Brennan Haley

cooking go to phsjournalism.com. Brown bakes

a vanilla cake with buttercream frosting while

Haley cooks chicken with rice.

Gimme some ovenBrown, Haley show off their tal-ents in the kitchen and the inspi-ration that got them there