{missionNorth HS

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Vol. 88, Issue 8May 2010

SM North’s ROTC team’s overall rank at the National competition

2

Photo by Sam Slupski

Junior Sara Atwood stands during an an-nual ROTC Company

Inspection. “It’s good for the kids that aren’t on teams to see what it’s really like to stand inspection outside of doing it in class,” she said.Later, ROTC would take sec-ond place at the National competition in Pensacola, Fla.

PAGE 3 >> NEWS>> April 2010

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Cover- Photo by Samantha Slupski

News

Opinion

News

News

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Sports

Feature

Finals week schedule changedSchool will start, end two hours earlier due to bus conflict{By Kyle Milligan}

Most students haven’t noticed, but a change is being made in another school schedule. Don’t worry- the actual class schedule isn’t changing, it’s the finals schedule that is.

Associate Principal Brock Wenciker said that we would be starting finals at 7:40 rather than the original time.

“Well instead of starting at 9:40,” Wenciker said, “it starts at 7:40.”

Wenciker said the reason for the change was district wide, because there was a conflict with the buses being able to drop off the middle school kids and that relating to the benefits the change has on the students and school he doesn’t foresee it as having a negative impact.

“We had the make up time before,” Wenciker said. “I think it’s an improvement. A lot of kids would wait

around for the 9:40 to start. There’s still that time in the afternoon to meet with teachers and tutoring. Also, the students will actually be able to leave earlier than before.”

SM North F.A.C.S teacher Maggie Elder said that she think the finals schedule change will be good and that the new time will be better than the original.

“I do (prefer the new time),” Elder said. “Because teachers are used to the routine. It will also open up the afternoon for students to be able to study for the finals.”

Unlike the class schedule, this change will be starting this school year and is expected to last for the years to come.

“I don’t foresee a change in the near future,” Wenciker said. “I would anticipate next spring to have the same final schedule.”

North bands play at Spirit of MissionNorth teacher, father of Kelsey Smith proposes new bill{By Haley Zahnter}

Every year, Mission, Kan. hosts two annual festivals, the Mission Days in the fall and Spirit of Mission in the spring. Mission Convention and Visitors Bureau chair head Suzie Gibbs chooses the bands to play on Friday night and all day on Saturday.

“The Downtown Mission business owners asked the city to bring events to Mission so we listened to them and formed the Spirit of Mission festival in 2003,” Gibbs said.

This year the Spirit of Mission was held on May 6-9 with musical acts on Friday and Saturday.

SM North’s Combo Club played at the event along with Toms Karma a band led by seniors Spencer Coty and Brennan Pittman and 2009 graduate Miguel Roacho.

Combo Club, a 10-year-old SM

North band gets once every 3 months to practice and play, mostly for school functions.

Social Studies teacher and Combo Club sponsor Ned Scott said Combo Club has played at the Spirit of Mission for the last 4 years 2 times a year.

There has always been a music portion.

“I think the SMN Combo Club brings a good crowd of friends, family and other people, Gibbs said they seem to put their heart and soul into playing while having a great time.”

Gibbs added that Combo Club also gives students an opportunity to expose people the city of Mission.

Scott said he likes to play at the Spirit of Mission because Combo Club does have a good crowd. He likes the fact that Combo Club can pick bands to play from 1-6 p.m. for Saturday.

Summer Concerts>> Best picks by The

Mission staff

RockfestMay 15, $35

Liberty Memorial

Celebrate the end of the school year with an out-door concert featuring 15 different live bands.

Buzz under the Stars

96.5 The Buzz brings Weezer, Cohed and Cambrie and Manchester Orchestra to KC.

June 10, City Market, $35

Lady GagaAugust 3, Sprint Center,

prices vary by seatPop culture Lady Gaga is coming to Kansas City, and she’s expected to sell out.

Comments? Questions? We’d love to hear from our readers. Email Mrs. Tate at notate@smsd.org, or write a letter to the editors.

PAGE 3 >> OPINION>> April 2010

{By Nathaniel Zoschke}As dissatisfied as I was with

George Bush’s disregard for fiscal responsibility, Barack Obama hasn’t proven to be a desirable alternative.

Americans have good reason to be angry, and they’re in good company.

The vocal Tea Party movement, an independent, anti-government “grassroots” effort has been making national headlines.

Some laud the Tea Party’s efforts. Others claim the party has a little more than an inkling of racism, citing media reports of angry protesters holding loaded guns and misspelled signs, some screaming racial slurs at black lawmakers.

A closer look at the Tea Party gives an ambiguous impression.

Demographically, Tea Partiers are wealthier and far more conservative than the American population as a whole, which explains their frustration with government spending. According to a recent Gallup poll, 55 percent earn over $50,000 a year and 49 percent identify as Republican, compared with 50 and 28 percent of the overall population respectively.

These numbers suggest that behind the vocal, far-right fringe of the Tea Party movement exists a large number of sane, logical-thinking Americans who have good reason to be protesting.

What I don’t understand is why the Tea Partiers weren’t protesting other presidents’ out of control spending and lack fo fiscal discipline.

The Tea Party’s problem is not unique. Americans live in a reality TV generation that has substituted drama and entertainment for critical thinking and logical reasoning.

We’d rather watch people scream at each other on a plasma screen than sit down and analyze a piece of legislation.

We live in a country where the bulk of the voting-age population is more concerned about the outcome of American Idol or a Big 12 tournament than an election where the winner can actually make laws that affect people’s daily lives.

Unfortunately, voter ignorance on both sides of the fence may very well be the only sign of bipartisanship in Washington.

It bothers me that hardly anyone in Congress has read through the healthcare reform bill. And it bothers me that neither party is committed to reconciling their differences.

Some say bipartisanship will never work because we’ve moved so far apart from each other. I believe it is essential for that very reason. We need to move back toward the center, not away from it.

Barack Obama is our president, and he deserves respect.

There was a time in history when Americans respected their elected leaders and were willing to work beyond their differences.

President Kennedy epitomized this spirit of Americans coming together and working beyond their differences with his famous quote “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

We need that spirit today, more than ever.

Senseless debate over Obama’s birth certificate is embarrassing, pointless and tacky.

Calling Obama a baby killer, socialist or liar won’t change his stance or mitigate his views on healthcare reform, regardless of such accusations’ perceived veracity.

The Tea Party movement isn’t the root of the problems in Washington, but it has certainly exacerbated them without offering a workable solution.

Mr. Teabagger, the finger’s pointed at you.

{By Ephraim Chaney}I have learned many things

I never expected to my senior year at SM North. For instance, Americans are adversarial by nature. We abhor others telling us what to do – we can take care of our own business, thank you very much!

Nowhere is our insubordinate attitude more evident than in the political sphere. Check out the current Tea Party movement. The Tea Party, an acronym for Taxed Enough Already, is fed up with the current state of government affairs. Much like the Revolutionaries of the late 1700s, these Americans are upset with the perceived usurpation of their rights by the federal government (then, the British monarchy; now, President Obama).

Whether or not you agree with Tea Party activists, a lot can be learned from the current political movement. Many of us, myself included, are coming of age where we can take part in the most basic form of activism – voting in elections. Contrary to what cynics say, every vote matters (especially in a country with a voter turnout as low as America’s), and it is to our own benefit to take action.

Voting in elections isn’t

the only way for your voice to be heard. Activist groups promote their causes by encouraging people to write to their legislators, making phone calls and simply raising one’s voice. It may not be the most interesting work, but the people behind the effort show zeal for what they do.

The passion of the Tea Party has earned the group negative publicity at times, but by and large, the vast majority of Tea Partiers are a responsible group pushing more people to take a stand.

Even if you disagree, it makes no sense to sit on the sidelines and complain. Yes, Tea Partiers complain quite a bit, but after airing their grievances, they take action. America would not have come into existence had the Founding Fathers stood by and watched as King George tried to bully the colonists.

It is in our American blood to be passionate about our politics. But lately, the energy seems to be lacking.

I think it is our obligation to follow in the spirit of the Tea Party. No, you don’t have to rail against the evils of Big Government or go rogue like Sarah Palin. But we shouldn’t take our powers of democracy lightly.

A look at the

TeA PArTyA series of recent, high profile protests have gar-nered national controversy. While not an actual po-litical party, Tea Party advocates say they are ordinary Americans fed up with big government bureaucracy. Critics say their intentions are otherwise, citing com-ments that some believe are racially-tinged. Here’s a look at what our editors think.

Focus should be on bipartisanshipTea Party protests add to the ugliness of Washington

Activism should be encouragedTea Party protests bring American citizens into the political process

{By Brandon Morrison}The SM North Knowledge Master Open

team scored a national ranking of 119 out of 622 on April 21.

“SM North’s KMO team got a score of 1,376, which placed us 119 out of 622 nationally,” said Seek teacher Cheryl Herrelson-Lewis. “We were 7 out of 26 in the state. The mean average for Kansas is 1,097, and the mean average for the nation is 1,158.”

The KMO team does no preparation beforehand, but instead tries to put together a team with the best chance of success.

“There are 14 people on each team,” Herrelson-Lewis said. “And the KMO team just has to kind of strategize, we’ll have a person who might be really good at art, or a person who’s really good at math, and we’ll have them work together.”

Each question has a time limit and the team of 14 works to solve it as soon as possible.

“There are just 200 multiple choice questions that you have a minute each to answer,” Herrelson-lewis said. “You get 5 points if you answer a question right off the bat, and as time drags on the score will be decreased like 4 points and so on.”

Teamwork was a large part of SM North’s success at the KMO according to senior Kalen Petersen.

“There isn’t any other competition that requires the level of teamwork that KMO involves,” Petersen said. “You have to coordinate everyone’s input to reach a final answer we can agree on.”

The competition was the last one for graduating seniors to participate in.

“The placing we got definitely spoke well for our team,” Abbott said. “I can only hope we can continue to do well long after they’re gone.”

Students compete in Knowledge Master OpenNorth team fares well in National competition

PAGE 4 >> NEWS>> May 2010

{By Kelsey Larson}On May 18 at 7 p.m., 358 seniors will walk

into the stadium as students and leave as SM North as 2010 graduates.

But what is graduation to seniors? Is it just a ceremony or is it something

bigger than that? “It means a lot to me,” senior Chris

Denmark explained. “ I’ll be starting my new life and my future career.”

Senior Adrianna Hernandez agrees with Denmark.

“It means everything to me, because you can’t really have a future unless you get your diploma,” Hernandez said.

As graduation approaches, seniors are busy mailing invites, making sure that all their grades are in order and preparing for what is to come next.

“I still have to do a lot before graduation,” Hernandez said. “I need to send my invites, make sure my classes are all sorted out and get my family to arrive on time.”

Hernandez, along with many other

seniors, is excited for graduation.“I’m so excited,” Hernandez said. “I’ve

been waiting for this since freshman year. It hasn’t hit me yet about how sad it’s gonna be leaving and starting on my own.”

Childhood dreams start to become reality as seniors prepare for college.

“My plans after high school is to go to Johnson County Community College for two years then to KU to study physical therapy,” Hernandez said.

Seniors anticipate graduationWhat graduation means for some seniors at SM North

{By Sam Slupski}The stage lights practically blinded

sophomore Leeanna Richardson. Their sweltering heat permeated the stage at Blue Valley North High School. The sweat dripped down her forehead, and all the foreheads of all the other band members.

“I felt like I was going to barf,” Richardson said. “I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to hit the high notes in my solo and I felt like I was going to pass out.”

Richardson was one of nearly 40 band members to compete at State.

Along with the band, SM North’s orchestra and choir also participated in the state contest, where they, along with other schools, went to a designated location to perform for a series of judges, who rated the performance.

These judges rate the groups on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the very best and 5 being the worst.

Band, choir and orchestra were all rated different ratings and each director had different opinions on how they performed.

Strolling Strings with Orchestra received a 1 and Chamber Orchestra received a 2, Symphonic Band received a 2, Choir received a 1 and 2,

“Musicians can always hear the flaws in any performance,” Orchestra director Karen McGhee said. “There is no perfect performance.”

Choir director Patrice Sollenberger said that a rating only reflects the outcome of one performance.

“I was very proud of the students’ performances and felt that the ratings reflected their work,” Sollenberger said. “But, in truth it is impossible to put a number on a performance. The judges do not know where the students began in order to know how far they have come through the year. You can’t

“rate” that growth.” It’s not all about the contest. Hours of

playing and rehearsing went into preparing for such an important competition.

“Picking the right literature that balances the ability of the students with something that they are interested in playing is probably the hardest part about preparing for State,” band director Chad Reed said.

McGhee thought that the hardest part about preparing for state was paying attention and knowing the details like dynamics and specific rhythms, that the judges would be looking at.

Overall, North teachers said they were satisfied with their ratings and they were all very proud of their music students.

The important part is the endless quest for playing perfectly,” McGhee said. “We are very happy with the rating, but that isn’t what is important.”

Choir, band, orchestra perform for state judgesNorth groups receive top ranking, teachers satisfied

Mr. SMith goeS to

WaShington

{By Ephraim Chaney}

greg Smith, an SM North social studies teacher, and his wife, Missey, traveled to Washington, D.C., this March in their effort to schedule a hearing to get national legislation passed to mandate cell phone companies’ cooperation with law enforcement.

The Smith’s daughter, Kelsey, had just graduated from West in the spring of 2007 when she was abducted and murdered by Edwin Hall. After her disappearance on June 2, 2007 her parents, police investigators and supporters of Kelsey’s Army began a search for her body that lasted days.

In an attempt to find Kelsey sooner, investigators contacted Kelsey’s cell phone company, Verizon Wireless, to get access to the location of her cell phone. For reasons that remain unclear, it took Verizon three days to turn over information to the police that helped locate Kelsey’s body.

“When Kelsey was missing, we could not get Verizon to release the location,” Missey Smith, Kelsey’s mother, said.

Kelsey’s body was found within 45 minutes of Verizon’s compliance with the investigators’ request. The Smiths and the police believe that, had Verizon responded faster to the request, Kelsey’s body would have been found in less time than the four days the search ended up taking.

All the trouble the Smith family endured motivated them to contact legislators to introduce a Kelsey Smith Act. The Act would require telecommunications companies to produce a “ping”, or the location of the tower the phone last came in contact with, for the police department making the request.

As of now, compliance with law enforcement is voluntary and requires the police to issue a subpoena, which is a time-consuming process.

It’s “totally voluntary,” Smith said. “With this law, it would be required.”

The Smiths have already worked with state legislators to pass a Kelsey Smith Act. Telecommunications companies are now required to cooperate with police requests for cell phone pings in Kansas and Nebraska, states that passed the Act in the spring.

Minnesota’s state legislature is in the process of passing the Kelsey Smith Act right now.

“[The Kelsey Smith Act has] gotten interest from other states, including Missouri,” Smith said.

Each legislature that the Smiths work with state congressmen to propose the Kelsey Smith, they have to testify before the lawmakers.

“It’s very nervous, it’s emotional,” Smith said. “You have to tell your story, and I had to tell Kelsey’s story.”

For Smith, the goal is worth more than the sadness that comes with each retelling of the tragedy.

“With law enforcement, this is a major issue for them,” Smith said. “It’s not all [phone companies]; AT&T and Sprint are usually pretty good.”

But Smith stressed the need for everyone to cooperate for the sake of safety.

“I know it wouldn’t have saved Kelsey,” Smith said, “but we would have found her much sooner.”

The Washington, D.C., trip this spring

was the latest effort for the Kelsey Smith Act. The Smiths contacted their congressman, U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-KS, to try to get a hearing before the Congressional Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet (CIT).

When Moore didn’t act, they contacted by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-KS, from the Wichita area.

Tiahrt was instrumental in establishing contact with Rep. Rick Boucher, D-VA, the chairman of the CIT subcommittee.

“Rep. Tiahrt was the one who took action first,” Smith said. “We also contacted Rep. Moore and Rep. Jerry Moran, and neither responded. Moore didn’t take action until after Tiahrt did.”

“Tiahrt was able to schedule a meeting with Rep. Boucher,” she said.

The Smiths hope to travel to Washington, D.C. to share their story sometime soon.

“With each testimony,” Smith said, “I’m getting less nervous.”

Father of slain teen, teacher at SM North, travels to Washington to lobby for passage of Kelsey Smith Act

PAGE 5 >> NEWS>> May 2010

Kelsey Smith Act>> requires telecommunications companies

to turn over cell phone locations to law enforcement

>> Provides cell phone location in situation that involves the risk of death or serious injury to phone’s owner

>> Passed in Kansas on april 17; in nebraska on March 17; pending in Minnesota

>> Smiths traveled to Washington, D.C. to get a hearing before the C.i.t. Subcommittee

Greg Smith uses his Ford F-150 truck to promote the Kelsey Smith Foundation, a group he started to take a proactive stance against predators

PAGE 8 >> SPORTS>> May 2010

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We do catering!

10% off graduation special, present this ad

at counter to receive discount

IT’S COMINGIT’S COMINGThe Senior Issue will be distributed at graduation on May 18.

PAGE 7 >> FEATURE>> May 2010

{By Nathaniel Zoschke}

51 aspiring journalists crowded into the Knight Conference Center on the seventh floor of the Newseum in Washington, D.C. It was March 17.

The sun glistened off the dome of the capitol building, two blocks east of the Newseum. For six days, we had toured Washington D.C. and listened to top-tier journalists and business executives discuss the future of their profession. Now, our trip had finally drawn to a close. Al Neuharth, the robust, 89-year-old founder of USA Today, took the stand in front of our group.

For many of us, it was an emotional moment. This was our moment to shine, but it was also one of the last times I’d see many of my newly-made friends before we departed to our home states.

Being a newspaper editor at a high school isn’t exactly a coveted title. We don’t get the same recognition as StuCo, drama or athletics, yet we put every bit as much effort into our work, and do so year round. This was a rare opportunity where I saw my work commemorated and revered.

I felt good about my accomplishments, and for once, and most importantly of all, I saw the potential for journalism to reinvent itself and adapt to the 21st Century.

While newspapers continue to shrivel up and die in their print format, immense, untapped frontiers exist with technology.

The death of newspapers isn’t a reflection of the journalistic profession, but of the evolutionary nature of communications and technology.

In the mid-1800s, newspapers had a media monopoly, second-

to-no one. News traveled slowly. It took days for some to receive the news of Lincoln’s assassination.

By the early 1900s, radio had come into fruition, and by the mid-1900s, television had revolutionized the news industry. Nearly one hundred years after Lincoln’s death, Americans saw President Kennedy killed on national television shortly after it happened. Yet despite the advent of a new competitor, newspapers remained a viable media outlet.

Today, skeptics are proclaiming the Internet as the downfall of traditional media. While it is tempting to accept their line of logic, one must remember that newspapers endured radio and television quite well.

While print newspapers have become obsolete, many traditional newspapers have become viable, prosperous online media outlets.

Al Neuharth’s experience is a testament to the resiliency and ever-changing nature of the journalistic profession.

In 1980, Neuharth, already a highly successful newspaper CEO, endured harsh criticism for founding USA Today. Skeptics claimed the idea would never work and that a national newspaper would fail miserably. They were quickly proven wrong. USA Today is now the top-selling newspaper in the United States. Innovation and risk paid off.

Likewise, there is room for experimentation and growth in today’s newspaper industry. Neuharth’s matnra is “Dream. Dare. Do.,” one that can just as well be applied outside of the

journalist profession.My experience in D.C., has reinvigorated

my interest in journalism and cautioned me against short-sighted, narrow-minded

skepticism.

As part of the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Journalism Program, a college-bound senior from every state and the District of Columbia is selected to participate in a seven-day conference. Nathaniel Zoschke, senior, was selected to participate. Here’s what he found.

Reflections from DC

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MATCHING GAME

A. Washington MonumentB. Jefferson MemorialC. U.S. CapitolD. Iwo JimaE. Lincoln Memorial

1- D. 2- B. 3 - E. 4 - A. 5 - C.

Photos by Nathaniel Zoschke

Match the monument with the name.

A{By Ross Lubratovic}

SM North NJROTC has once again returned home from the Navy Nationals Championship in Pensacola, Fla., as the national drill champions and second place overall in the nation.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of our kids this year,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dennis Grayless, the Senior Naval Science Instructor at North.

Finishing first in Drill, second in Athletics, third in Personnel Inspection and seventh in Academics, this was the best that North NJROTC has ever done at the Navy Nationals competition.

“We did more sit-ups, more push-ups, we ran faster,” said the unit’s Executive Officer, senior Matt Carlyon. “We just did better overall.”

This year was also by far the closest competition to take place in years at the competition.

“We finished the year with 73 wins and one defeat,” Grayless said. “That is a great record.”

With a total of 5,500 points possible in the entire competition, North was defeated by only a three-point margin by Centennial High School from Las Vegas, Nev.

“They were able to retain their national drill championship in a convincing manner and finished with our highest overall placement ever in the overall championship,” Grayless said. “Second out of 626 schools isn’t too darn bad.”

North improved greatly this year in the more challenging areas of the competition such as Academics and Personnel Inspection, jumping as many as four places forward from last year.

“We did so much better this year, especially in Academics and Inspection,”

Carlyon said. “We actually placed [in the top ten] in both.”

Some of the top-placing individuals include sophomore Jesse Morgan and senior Bethany Krzesinski.

“The sit-ups felt harder this time,” Morgan said. “But with push-ups it was totally random.”

Morgan broke the national record for push-ups with 171 push-ups total and also finished second in male sit-ups with 316. When doing push-ups and sit-ups, cadets have to do each one in a measured cadence of 50 reps per minute for 5 minutes with 1 free minute at the end.

“I normally get right around 100 or a little more,” Morgan said. “But getting that many was unexpected. I really surprised myself.”

Krzesinski, the unit’s Commanding Officer, placed first overall in sit-ups with 324 and third in female push-ups with 94.

“I did a lot better than I expected this year in push-ups,” Krzesinski said. “I didn’t even compete in push-ups last year and I did just as well in sit-ups this year also.”

Also of note, SM Northwest senior Greg Wynn finished first in male sit-ups with 320 and senior Aaron Patterson got the top academic test score for the team and finished tenth overall.

Grayless believes that this is one of the best teams he has had to date and expresses his gratefulness to be part of it.

“Our kids have been the embodiment of what it takes to be a champion: selflessness, commitment, and dedication to one another and our school,” Grayless said. “I’m blessed to be a part of this team.”

WINNERin the making

PAGE 8 >> SPORTS>> May 2010

>> SM North’s NJROTC team ranked second at National competition, marking the fourth consecutive year of winning at Nationals

ROTC practices a routine in the field-house at SM North. Photos by Bradley Sanchez

ROTC members do push ups in the multi-purpose room. Photo by Bradley Sanchez