January 1, 2011

JJaalleenn CCrreeeecchhfreshman staffwriter

Rembember the big newsback last April when the Billingscommunity passed a technologylevy for all Billings High schools?

What has West High donewith their money?

First, a portion of all of themoney from every school went tothe Lincoln Center where thedistrict decided to increaseinternet speed and upgrade theinternet infrastructure for thedistrict. Also, with the newGoogle email and documentservers for all students andteachers, the district needed to geta special filter for the studentemail.

This student email filter notonly helps avoid viruses. It alsokeeps all of the Billings k-12students email accounts free ofspam and other inappropriateemails.

But then, once West High gotits part of the levy, how did wespend it?

For starters, we “bought” Mr.Doug VanZee. Actually, he isnow our integration specialist.For two hours every day, insteadof teaching a class, he works withstudents and teachers ontechnology issues.

VanZee works with long-distance learning and helps theGenocide students Skype withforeign countries. He helpsstudents and teachers deal withissues with the new Google emailand document systems.

He has helped train WestHigh teachers on using theirElmos and interactive boards.

But other than training andhelp, what about the rest of themoney?

Well, a committee wasformed, the TechnologyCommittee.

The Tech Committee decidedthat it wanted to deal withtechnology in the whole schooland to upgrade as much of theWest High technology that itcould.

One major purchase has beento get new LED projectors forclassrooms. West spent over$5,000 in bulbs for LCDprojectors in the last school yearalone. With new projectors, thebulbs do not need to be replacedas often.

West has now also upgradedand put an Elmo in everyclassroom, giving teachers morethan just a new type of overheadprojector. Some teachers haveused the Elmo for video andpictures as well.

The main focus of thismoney, according to the TechCommittee, is to get as muchtechnology available for studentuse as possible.

The Freshman Academy gota new MacBook lab and a mobile

clicker interactive board system.We have purchased and

ordered new wireless laptop labs.One lab currently “lives” in the“Science Wing” (however, allteachers can use the lab if theywant), and the lab on order will“live” in the “Foreign Language”wing.

West has also ordered 40 new“all-in-one” HP computers. 24will go to the library, 4 will go tothe Tech Ed department, 6 will goto the Kodiak lab, and 4 will go tothe West Inc. Business classes.

The Math and Sciencedepartments were not left out.

We have 54 new TI Nspirecalculators – 27 live at West High,and 27 live at the West Academy.Additionally, they have 18 moreTI-84 graphing calculators forstudent use.

The Science department hasnew Explorer GLX probes withall-new sensors.

Biology teacher Gayle Lamexplained, “Data collection is themost important part of science.These new probes give us good,quantitative data. Kids love to usethem because they get increasedaccuracy and realistic, measurabledata. It is real. When they getinto the job market, they havereal-life experiences to drawfrom.”

The Explorer GLX can beand has been used by students inBiology, Chemistry,Environmental Science and even

Physics classes.As, essentially, a hand-held

computer, students can use one ofthe many sensors, and then thetool will graph the data from thesensor; then, students can connecttheir sensors and download theirdata to science departmentcomputers.

“These probes move beyondthe hypothetical ideas of lab to getreal information and data. Thatincreases the relevance of the datafor all students. They makeconnections,” Mrs. Lam continued.

The Health/PE departmentalso got 30 new heart monitors.

The Tech Committee alsodecided to order West High 9mimeo sticks which will maketeacher white boards interactive.

The Art department isreceiving a new laser printer forstudents to get gallery prints andportfolio-quality prints.

Not all of this new technologyis at West yet, but it has beenordered.

JANUARY 2011

BILLINGS WEST HIGH SCHOOL 2201 ST. JOHN’S AVENUE BILLINGS, MT 59102 Volume 51 Issue 3

A LookInside This

Issue

NEWS

FEATURESARTS

SPORTSOPINION

ON THELIGHTER SIDE

24

1215

16

KODIAKBillings West High School2201 St. John's AvenueBillings, MT 59102

KODIAK

Non-Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDBillings, MTPermit #88

SHOW ME THE TECHNOLOGYA look at how West has spent its TechnologyBond money

Billings Bullshockeypage 13

Movie Reviews pages 16-17

Freshmen getEPalspage 2

Sophomores Kailee Bauch, Aleah Skregergard and Tracie Bulkley work with the new mobile laptops on theirclaymation project showing protein synthesis using play-doh.

photo by Tawni Palin

Biology teacher Gayle Lamillustrates the new Explorer GLXscience probe as it measures theoxygen levels of her classroom.

photo by Tawni Palin

KKaattiiee PPaarriisshhjunior staffwriter

Have you ever wonderedwhat the dropout rate is? Or whypeople dropout? In the year 1980, the

national dropout was 14 percent. In the year 2000, it dropped

to 11percent.In the year 2007,itrose to 16percent,but went downto 8 percent in 2008. All of a sudden in 2009, the

dropout rate rose to 25 percent.West High’s dropout rate

for the years 2009-2010 was3.8%.Assistant Principal Scott

Lynch said, “[The] high school[in Billings’ dropout rate] is justover 5 percent.”The number one reason

most students claim for theirdropping out is boredom. Some other causes are

missing too many classes, beingpoorly prepared for teacherexpectations, not beingmotivated to work, failingclasses, jobs, teenage pregnancyand taking care of family.According to recent studies,

the top ten reasons why peopledropout of high school are lackof educational support, outsideinfluences, special needs,financial problems, lack ofinterest, drug and alcohol abuse,depression and physicalillnesses, teen pregnancy and thewish of alternative lifestyles. Is dropping out beneficial? Normally, it is not. Dropping out of High

school means not having a fulleducation which is notbeneficial because people whograduate from high schoolnormally are eligible for higher-paying jobs than those whodropout.However people can always

go back and get their GeneralEducation Diploma, also knownas GED. But getting a GED can help

a person get a better job. Junior Collin Fordham

commented, “High school isn’tfor everyone.”The dropout rate is higher

for males compared to femalesand is also higher for African

Americans and Hispanics thanany other race with the numberof forty percent.Junior Chantel Stank

explained “[I think] they getlazy and frustrated.”The overall dropout rate for

the state of Montana is 12.7percent. The dropout rate for the

years 2008-2009 for gradesseven through twelve inMontana was 3.6 percent. Thismeans that 68 thousand studentsdropped out that year.

RRyyaann KKlleetttteefreshman staffwriter

Epals is a project that isrun by Kami Bodine’s Englishclass at the freshman academy.

The Epals program isperformed over the internet ona web site up that allowsteachers to set their class upwith a fun activity to meetother students from differentcountries and learn about theircultures. The students areallowed to pick their Epal thenchat with them through emailover the Epals internet site.

“Some of the students talkto their Epal all the time,”Bodine said. “ Later in the yearthe students will be allowed tomake a new Epal from othercountries.”

“For our class, Epals hasmany different purposes,”Bodine said.

One of the purposes is toshed some light on realAmericans. Some peoplebelieve that people in othercountries believe thatAmericans are lazy,disrespectful, unintelligent andmany other untrue and negativecomments. So part of thisproject is to prove those beliefsand statements false.

Another reason for thisproject is to help preparestudents who want to travel todifferent parts of the world getto know different types ofcultures.

The program is also madefor the foreign Epals to practice

their English.“I thought Epals was fun,”

freshman Dexter Engen said. “Ithought it was cool because wegot to learn about their hobbiesand what they like to do forfun. But in a couple messages,it was hard to understand whatthey were talking about sincethey don’t know English thatwell.”

The freshman in Bodine’sEnglish class are now workingon an iMovie to show theirEpal things about Billings,Montana, and about the UnitedStates.

At the end of the year, thestudents will be given apermission form for theirparents to sign to continue theprogram over the summer.

NEWS

MMiicchhaaiillaa GGrraannttsenior staffwriter

On June 27, 2009 DeweyHansen passed away from naturalcauses. Hansen lived in Billingsmost of his life, attending SeniorHigh and graduating in 1942.

After graduating, Hansenentered the Air Force and servedin World War II. He then movedback to Billings and beganworking for the Gas Company.

After 10 years with thecompany, he decided he wantedto become a teacher and attendedRocky Mountain College wherehe got his degree for teaching. Hebegan teaching history at BillingsSenior High, retiring in 1981.

Last year at Saturday Live, itwas announced that Hansen hadleft a large donation of 2,710,389dollars to be divided between thethree Billings high schools—West, Senior and Skyview—andalso Laurel.

The money is going to be

placed in an account and will notbe spent; however, the interestthat is made on the money will bedivided amongst the schools tobe used to buy supplies andincrease the quality of their mathand science departments.

Sophomore Katelyn Hansenstated, “I am excited to see what

all the money will bring into theschool. It will be nice to havemore things for the math andscience departments.”

Liz Fulton, the person whomade the announcement atSaturday Live stated, “At onetime Dewey Hansen was actuallya board member of the EducationFoundation, and he had thevision to see the difference thathe could make in students’ lives.”

Many people are verygrateful about the donation. Oneincludes junior Mckayla Dundaswho stated, “I hope this moneyhelps [the schools] and allowsmany good things to come to themath and science departments.”

Jack Bayne, one of Hansen’sgood friends, said that Hansenbelieved that if students are tosucceed after high school, theyneed good math and scienceskills, which is why he chose tohave the donation givenspecifically to the math andscience departments.

KKaatthheerriinnee CCoolleesophomore staffwriter

At the Montanalegislative session, whichoccurs every two years, beganJanuary 3 and will last for anextended period of time, avariety of issues wereebrought up.

Legislator Kim Glonkypredicted bullying will be amajor concern this year.

Glonky stated,“[Bullying] has become a bigissue and right now everyschool district is supposed tohave a bullying policy butparents are concerned that theproblem continues.”

Recent statistics showthat a child commits suicideevery half hour due tobullying, and 33 percent ofAmerican children have beencyber bullied at least once.

Cyber bullying, theembarrassment of a minor byanother minor over electronicmedia, is also a majorproblem in Montana.Currently, schools do not havethe power to prosecutechildren for cyber bullyingbecause it happens off schoolcampuses. In this legislativesession, steps may be taken tochange this predicament andhopefully mitigate the cyberbullying crisis.

Junior Stephanie Eddystated, “Cyber bullying hasbecome more prevalent in thepast couple years becausepeople are jerks, and theyneed to be unjerks. I thinkeducation is the best way to dothis.”

Funding is another matterthat may be discussed. An

assortment of funding billswill come up includingscholarships for Montanastudents and funding forpublic colleges. Studentsplanning on attending stateuniversities should beinterested in whether this willrequire a raise in tuition.

Additional items includea proposed change in thevoting laws in Montana; somepeople may want to changevoting to all mail ballots.

Right now, anyoneregistered to vote has theoption of using an absenteeballot (mail in ballot) butsome people are resistant tothe change.

Although using mail inballots makes voting mucheasier and convenient,uninformed voting alsobecomes simpler.

Another bill that has beenintroduced is to change howminors who accidentally killsomeone in a car crash areprosecuted. Under this bill,minors would be prosecutedas adults for vehicularhomicide under the influence.

Health care will be apopular topic for this session,including providing foraffordable health care throughreimbursement and taxcredits.

Several legislators willaddress medical marijuana,attempting to repeal thelegality of medical marijuana.

Sophomore MariahWilliamson stated, “Itshouldn’t be allowed becausesome people will abuse it, justlike any other drug.”

Hopefully thissession will resolve many ofthe pertinent issues.

Money, Money,Money!Dewey Hansen donates $2.7 million

The percentage is risingWest High’s dropout rate increases

“I’m excited tosee what all themoney will bringinto the school.It will be nice to

have morethings for themath andscience

departments.”

Law and orderLegislators discuss variousissues in Montana

Freshmen make EpalsBodine’s English 1 class learns in a new format

SSaallllyy WWeeiinnaannddArts Editor

“We unloaded trucks andpacked boxes of meals to give

people. Then, the next day wehanded out the boxes to the peoplethat need them,” explained juniorAshley Sheehan of her experienceat Flakesgiving.

For the last 22 years,

Flakesgiving has been an annualtradition started by the BreakfastFlakes (two radio personalitiesMark Wilson and Paul Mushaben)from the radio station Cat Country102.9. The goal of the event was topackage food for those in need inour local area for theirThanksgiving dinners.

“I learned of this event fromEducational Talent Search [ETS].It was one of the community proj-ects that they have for us toattend”, mentioned junior CrystalScoles.

Senior Megan Mcnilley stat-ed, “I volunteered with BusinessProfessionals of America [BPA]. Iwanted to participate because Ithought it was a great project tohelp out our community and it wasa lot of fun to see how great of animpact we made with two semisfull of Thanksgiving dinners.”

Scoles commented, “Helpingin the community makes me feelgood. Plus, even though it wassuper cold, I was thinking aboutthe families that would be provid-ed a meal. On the other hand, Ialso did it because it looks good ona college transcript.”

“I chose to participatebecause it was something good todo in our community and it wassomething fun. I have done itbefore just last year, I just had somuch fun that I wanted to do itagain” said Sheehan.

Junior Karen Heser agreedwith Sheehan stating, “I participat-ed in Flakesgiving to give to theless fortunate in the community. Itfeels good to help others.”

The crew accomplished pack-aging about 1000 meals in onehour. Those students from Westthat participated believed that theymade a big impact on the commu-nity.

FEATURES

EEmmiillyy SSaammpplleeCopy Editor

The finale: the last three newteachers this year at West High.Krista Cunningham

In room 211, Biology istaught by Mrs. KristaCunningham. She has taught forsix years, two of which were inJapan teaching U.S. military chil-dren and last year she filled in asa long term substitute for Mrs.Kris Warren and Mr. Lawson.

Cunningham teachesbecause she has always loved sci-ence.

“After I got out of the AirForce Academy, I didn’t knowwhat I wanted to do. I volun-teered at a hospital and a school,and then I learned [that] I lovedteaching,” she said.

She said, “I look forward togetting to know West better andbeing part of the West High

team.”Cunningham’s approach to

teaching is to “try to make it asengaging as possible so that stu-dents are interested. I try to makeit relevant to their lives.”Christine Simonsen

Miss Christine Simonsenteaches Earth Science at theFreshman Academy in room 10and Biology at West High inroom 205. She taught at SeniorHigh for two years and took a tenyear break from teaching to beinvolved in pharmaceutical sales,to fundraise for MSU Bozeman,and to work in health insurance.This is her first year back.

Simonsen is involved on twostaff committees, is on the Boardof Directors at the Special KRanch, directs a K-6 sciencesummer camp and tutors in thesummer.

She wanted to teach because“[she] love[s] science and love[s]education and really enjoy[s]

working with highschool students.[She] liked moreadvanced science; itmade more sense.”

S i m o n s e nlooks forward todeveloping goodrelationships withstudents and instill-ing a general love of

learning in students.“The best part is when I give

extra help after school and thestudents actually understandwhat they really struggle with,”says Simonsen.

She tries to lead students tothe answers by requiring them toask questions.Cat Repnow

New Career VocationEducation teacher, Mrs. CatRepnow, can be found in room141. This is her twenty-ninth yearof teaching.

Repnow said, about why sheteaches, “My sister worked in astate hospital my senior year, andI visited and knew I wanted to goto school and work with special

needs kids.”Repnow stated, “When a stu-

dent comes back and says,‘Thanks, I’m doing great. Youwere the best teacher.’ Knowing Imade a difference in their life,that’s the best.”

Repnow really appreciateshow warm and welcoming every-one at West High has been, andshe enjoys being a member of theBear Family.

Her approach to teaching is“Open acceptance and toleranceand a huge focus beyond that. Toteach students to be sociallyappropriate and deal with theissues they can.”

Those are all the new teach-ers at West High, and a big wel-come to them all.

Educators New to West High School

KKaattiiee PPaarriisshhjunior staffwriter

Only a freshman andalready being inducted intothe Karate hall of fame,Ashley Kirby must havetalent.

Five years of being inKarate must pay off sooneror later.

Kirby explained, “Myinstructors nominated mefor the female competitorof the year.”

Masters Lori andMatthew Brown of PowerMartial Arts on ShilohRoad in Billings, Montanamust see potential in thisyoung competitor.

Kirby commented,“Sparing is the best.”

Some other studentsfrom West High who go toPower Martial Arts aresophomores Tracie Bulkeyand Tyler Groce, freshmanKara Groce and juniorMonica Wells.

Some of the movesthat Kirby is good ataccording to a few of herpeers are the All PurposeStrike, the Hurricane Kickand the Half-moon Kick.

Tyler Groce said,“Yeah, she’s amazing.”

Bulkey warned,“Don’t mess with herbecause she’ll break yourface.”

Tyler Groce contin-ued, “She’s been doing[Karate] for a while, soshe’s really good.”

Freshmangets Karateaward

KKeennddrraa SScchhaaffffsenior staffwriter

On December 16, Englishteacher Linda Maio had herneighbor and friend, DaveCaserio, come into her class andspeak. Caserio has a specialty inAnglo-Saxon Literature.

The Anglo-Saxons were aGerman tribe that lived inEngland for 600 years before theVikings and the French invaded.

Anglo-Saxon literature iswritten in what is now called OldEnglish.

“Beowulf” is one of the mostfamous and one of the few storiesthat society has from the Anglo-Saxon culture.

The story occurs in the city ofHeorot ruled by Hrothgar. Once abeautiful city, Heorot now isplagued by a monster namedGrendel.

Grendel kills many peopleevery night and Beowulf hears ofthe plague. He comes toHrothgar’s aid and kills Grendel,then Grendel’s mother then takesrevenge, and Beowulf kills hertoo.

After Beowulf becomes king

a dragon is plaguing his people.King Beowulf dies fighting thiscreature, and he is buried andremembered as a hero.

Caserio went on to describewhy Anglo-Saxon literature isimportant and how it relates tothis day and age. Words that wereused in Anglo-Saxon literature,such as “dreary”, have almost thesame meaning as they do today.

Senior Megan Forthun com-mented, “I now know that manycultures can relate to the Englishlanguage. He helped me under-stand the Anglo-Saxon periodmore and why they spoke the waythey did.”

Caserio had another surprisefor the classes. He has the abilityto speak in the Anglo-Saxon lan-guage. He spoke fluently, recitinga poem and telling a part of“Beowulf” in the foreign lan-guage. He was able to convey hismessages to the class, despite thelanguage barrier.

“It was like he was an actoron a stage. The emotion he putinto it demanded your attention,”said senior Thomas Mendenhall.

Senior Molly Ericksonagreed, “It was absolutely fantas-

tic! [Caserio] tells stories insuch a great way, and eventhough you don’t understandthe words, his tone and gesturesexplain everything. He’s awe-some!”

It took Caserio about amonth or two, working everyday, to memorize the Anglo-Saxon poems. He also had tochange the syntax (how the sen-tence is structured) of the sen-tences.

Caserio also had to pointout to the class that Anglo-Saxon poetry has the same beatas modern hip-hop and rap.

“Poetry and literature gohand in hand. Other than mymom telling me stories when Iwas young, it started my fresh-man year in history class. Therewas a girl who sat in front withme, and I had a crush on her, soI started writing poems to her tomake her fall in love with me. Itworked, though the love partcame much later,” Caserio saidabout why he got into literature.

Caserio stated that hisfavorite piece of literature is,“[Anything] but it has to betrue, pure, and passionate.”

Anglo-Saxon literature expertaddresses seniorsBillings native brings classic Old Englishpoem to life for West High students

Students help Flakesgiving

Zoey Eliasfreshman staffwriter

What is West High reading?According to Kitty Fields, WestHigh librarian, the ten most com-monly checked out books in theBillings West High library are (inno specific order) as follows:

The Rangers Apprenticeseries by John Flanagan: thisseries is about fifteen year oldboy named Will who lives in aplace where rangers protect thekingdom. Morgarath, who isexiled and also the lord of themountains, is gathering his evilforces to attack the Kingdom.Will has to join the rangers toprotect his home.

The Crank series by EllenHopkins: this is about crystalmeth and how it affected seven-teen year old Kristina Snow. Theauthor, Ellen Hopkins, wrote thebook based on her own daugh-ter’s addiction to the drug.

The House of Night seriesby P.C. Cast: sixteen year oldZoey Redbird has been markedas a fledgling vampyre (yes thatis the way it is spelled in thebook) and has to go to thevampyre school called House ofNight. She has also been chosenby the vampyre goddess, Nyx, tobe the eyes of the goddess intothe vampyre world.

The Percy Jackson series byRick Riordan: this series is abouta twelve year old boy that hasbeen to several different schoolsand has dyslexia and ADHD. Hediscovers that he is also a demi-god, which means that his fatheris a god and his mother is ahuman. His father is Poseidon.

The Hunger Games bySuzanne Collins: in the ruins ofNorth America, there is a nationcalled Panem. There are twelvedistricts, and the capital of thecountry forces each district tosend a boy and a girl between the

ages of twelve- eighteen to playin the hunger games. Thesebroadcasted tests are a fight tothe death and sixteen year oldKatniss Everdeen thinks of it as adeath sentence when she is sum-moned.

Hatchet by Gary Paulson:thirteen year old Brian Robinsonis the only passenger on a smallplane flying to visit his father inCanada. The pilot has a heartattack and dies so the plane veersoff course and crashes into asmall lake, but Brian survives.The only things he has to helphim is his clothes, a jacket andthe hatchet his mom gave him. Inthe end he survives his time inthe wilderness, which was 54days.

A Child Called It by DavidPelzer: this book is about theauthor’s childhood and how hewas abused by his alcoholicmother and neglectful father.

Gone by Michael Grant: inthis book, everyone over the ageof eighteen disappears, alongwith all the phones, internet andtelevision. Now the kids have todeal with hunger and bullies, theunknown creature that is huntingthem, animals are mutating andteens that are developing newpowers.

Alex Rider series byAnthony Horwitz: Alex Riderknows that his uncle did not diein a car accident like everyonesays; there are bullet holes in thecar. His uncle was actually a spyfor Britain’s top agency. NowAlex has to find his uncle’s killerand his last mission for the spyagency.

Naruto by MasashiKishimoto: this is a Japanesemanga series that is about ninjaswho live in clans and protectsecrets and the hidden powers.

Nikki Sandersjunior staffwriter

In case any West High stu-dents have been hiding under arock, the Foods Room hasmuch more to offer this year ascompared to the previous year.Posters have been put uparound well populated areas ofthe school and advertisementsrun on the hallway televisionsto encourage students to visitthe Foods Room.

The Foods Room is alwaysselling coffee blends such asFrench vanilla and hot choco-late, chips such as Sun Chips,Fritos and Lays, candies suchas Skittles, Airheads andStarbursts, gum, cookies and alarge variety of poptarts.

This year consumer sci-

ence teachers Kathy Anderson,Jill Miller and Mary McRaehave brought some new flavorsto the beloved Foods Room.The lovely ladies of room 164have added ice cream sand-wiches, ice cream malts andsundaes. Also they now haveramen noodle soup, cup o’ noo-dles and mini popcorn bags.

For all the caffeine lovers,they also have a new [Hi-Rev]coffee that has more caffeinethan the other coffee blendoffered. These new additionswere added to compete withWest Highs other concession,Guelff-Mart. The exact itemswere chosen because thesewere foods that Guelff-Martdoes not currently offer, whichincreases sales in the FoodsRoom.

“We really appreciate

everyone’s business becausewithout the funding, our stu-dents would not be able to cookas often.” said Anderson.

Without the funds from theconcessions in the foods room,the cooking classes would haveto be cut short. They would nothave the supplies to cook forthe last 5 weeks of school andafter all cooking is a hands onexperience.

The prices range from 25cents to $1.50. Room 164 hasevery snack you could possiblythink of and with a sodamachine on the other side ofthe room, everything is conve-niently close.

“The foods room [prices]smokes Guelff-Marts prices,”commented senior DillonRichardson.

JANUARY 2O11FEATURES 5

More Food Options AvailableWest High’s Foods Room makes a comeback


November 10 through the 21,West High School played host toa special visitor. GulnazKutubaeva, an English teacher,traveled from Kyrgyzstan whichis located to the West of China.She participates in a foundationcall IREX that allowed for her tocome over to the U.S. andobserve.

Founded in 1968, IREX hasa staff of over 400 professionalsworldwide. IREX employs field-tested methods and innovativeuses of technologies to developpractical and locally-driven solu-tions with their partners in morethan 100 countries.

All of the English teachers inKyrgyzstan applied to come toAmerica, and only three wereaccepted. One of the teacherswent to Florida, one to Missouri,and Kutubaeva came to Billings.

Kutubaeva’s favorite thingabout America is pizza, her hostfamily, and West High School.She also was treated with respectby the teachers of the classes sheobserved, which she enjoyed.

The cooking a sewingteacher Mary Mcrae said, “It wasa difference experience [for her]because they do not have thistype of class there. She could notbelieve how many boys were tak-ing the class. She also got toexperience the interacting of stu-dents and the variety of foods.She was also impressed with howthe class reinforced reading andwriting,” about Gulnaz observingin her class.

Her least favorite thing is thecold drinks, such as ice water andcold juice.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanton werethe couple to invite Gulnaz intotheir home.

Mrs. Stanton said,“Sheadjusted really well, but she didnot how to work the washingmachine, dishwasher, andmicrowave. She was more fasci-nated with the washing machinethan the T.V.”

One of the most interestingthings Kutubaeva observed was,“In the cooking class there wereboys who were interested andparticipating. [Also] in art class,there were girls making vases.”

Another interesting thingKutubaeva saw here was that stu-dents with special needs actuallygo to school, whereas inKyrgyzstan they stay at home andlearn from their parents.

Sophomore Beth Uthaug“She was very interesting personcoming from a fascinating cul-ture.”

Kutubaeva plans to take theidea of having Elmo projectorsback to her country, because shehad never seen them before andenjoyed how they work. She willalso take back some of thePhysical Education activities,such as the freshman learninghow to dance.

Kutubaeva really enjoys theidea of using white boards in for-eign language classes, and shethinks that they can help her inher own English classroom.

Two of the major differencesbetween the schooling in the twocounties are the students’ abilityto use technology. The students atWest High have higher computerskills than the students inKyrgyzstan. Also, schools in theU.S. offer more support, such asclubs and other activities.

Overall Kutubaeva had areally good time here and had anopportunity to present her cultureto the students and learn somethings about U.S. culture.

International Exchange isnot just for studentsWest High hosts Englishteacher from Kyrgyzstan fornearly two weeks.

What should I read for myIndependent Book for my class?An examination of what West High studentsand teachers are reading the most

FEATURES 6JANUARY 2011

KKaayyddeeee OOllddhhaammCopy Editor

Prom and TWIRP are the

two formal dances studentslook forwards to. It does notmatter if the person has a dateor not, students still have a fun

time with their peers. The first formal dance of

the year was TWIRP and itwas held at the Holiday InnConvention Center.

High school are allowedto go to TWIRP and it washeld on November 20 and stu-dents from different highschools or a graduate youngerthan nineteen were welcomedif they had a guest pass.

Nearly the sameamount of students attendedthis year compared to lastyear.

Billings West HighSchool’s Dynamic DanceTeam puts on TWIRP. A singleticket cost fifteen dollars and acouples ticket was thirty dol-lars. Tickets could be pur-chased before or after schooland during both lunches.

Like most dances, eachyear, two seniors are votedTWIRP king and queen. Thisyear, Caleb Hamilton wasawarded king and FaithLeFevre was queen.

“This years [TWIRP] wasmuch better than last year! I

actually brought a date. I feelextremely honored and wouldlike to thank everyone whohelped me win royalty. Mymost memorable moment atTWIRP was when theyannounced the winners, Caleband I, and we tangoed acrossthe dance floor,” LeFevre stat-ed.

After high school,LeFevre mentioned she planson studying nursing or sportsmedicine, but is undecided onwhat college to attend.

However, absolutelyno one was ordered to leavefor dancing inapproiately, alsoknown as grinding.

“We really liked it. Theafter party was the best. The

food was good and it wasfunny when the DJ kept onmessing up,” sophomoresTyler McKay and Fred Petschcommented. Both said theydefinitely will be going nextyear because it was extremelyentertaining.

Teachers and deans chap-eroned the dance and volun-teers helped clean up after-wards.

“TWIRP was great!Really, everything went awe-some. The decorations weresweet and I will for sure goagain next year. It was ablast,” freshman BrockEllefson stated.

NNiikkkkii SSaannddeerrssjunior staffwriter

Every year, BearNecessities Club [BNC]holds a chair raffle. Thewinner of the raffle willreceive a soft and comfort-able chair delivered to allof their classes by a BNCmember.

“I think the chair raffleis really cool; everyone isalways jealous of whoevergets drawn from the raffle.I know I always buy a tick-et,” junior Ashley Daviecommented.

Ken Burke, the spon-sor for BNC, originallyscheduled to have the chairraffled off during theThanksgiving season, butdue to a lack of a chair, theraffle had to be put off untilChristmas time.

Usually, Burke firsttries to see if the local fur-niture stores would be will-ing to donate a chair toWest High for the raffle.The money and the chairwill be donated to TheMontana Rescue Missionafter the raffle. If stores areunwilling to help out WestHigh, the Montana RescueMission, then Burke willpay, out of his own pocket,

for the chair. This is riskyfor Burke because if theraffle does not raise enoughmoney, he could be outwhatever he paid for thechair. Fortunately BNCraised enough to donate250 dollars.

“The raffle is not tobenefit Bear Necessitiesbut to help out others bydoing something fun anddifferent to motivate stu-dents,” Burke emphasized.

As nice as it would befor a teacher to pay for astudent to study and workin comfort, Burke’s mis-sion every year for thisproject is to donate thechair and money to theMontana Rescue Mission.Without the money to reim-burse Burke, there wouldbe no money to donate.

“The chair raffle is oneof the best fund raisers theschool has,” senior ScottLaFountain declared.

The chair raffle willtake place from December13-21 and the chair will bedelivered to a lucky stu-dent’s classes on the 22.

This years lucky win-ners were senior RyanStryjewski and freshmanEmily Riley.

BNC raffles a chair Senior Ryan Stryjewski and fresh-man Emily Riley win recliner for aday before it goes to charity.

Girls take Boys to TWIRP

JANUARY 2011FEATURES 7

VViicckkiiee CCoonnttrreerraazzNews Editor

Whoa! My timer did not gooff!

This is just one of the thingsa person would hear if theywalked through the halls of aForensics tournament.

West High’s Forensics teamhas been on a roll since the sea-son started, progressively gettingbetter with each tournament.

Junior Danni Petak said thathis favorite thing about debatewas, “missing Fridays and mak-ing people cry.”

After their success inMissoula, the team endured thelong trek to Kalispell. The thirdofficial tournament of the seasontook place on November 19th

and 20th. This also happened tobe the weekend of the Cat-Grizgame and the premiere of HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows:Part 1.

West tied for third withSenior. Due to the fact that Seniordid better in the Finals round,West was listed in fourth place.

Senior Kendra Schaff andsophomore Natasha Halstvedtplaced 5th and juniors StephanieEddy and Petak placed 7th inPublic Forum Debate. SeniorElijah Lewis and junior DavidCulbertson placed 3rd in VarsityPolicy and junior Emily Sampleplaced 7th in Legislative Debate.

For the speech side, seniorAnna Kietzman placed 4th inOriginal Oratory and seniorsNathan Williams and Michael

Dunham placed 6th in Duo inter-pretation.

On the weekend directlyafter Thanksgiving break, a tour-nament took place for LincolnDouglas and Policy debate atCarroll College in Helena.

West placed third at Carroll. For the individual debaters,

senior Krista Bailey placed 4th inVarsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate,Tommy Marts broke to quarterfinals in Novice Lincoln-DouglasDebate and sophomore DavidLindenbaum and freshman EvanQuarrels placed 3rd in NovicePolicy Debate.

At Carroll, people do notonly receive prizes for winning,but for speaking points and nextout. Next out means that the peo-ple were the next people to breakto quarter finals in their event.Being as Carroll only breaks sixas opposed to the regular eight,this is also an honor.

West did very well in thespeaker point department,Quarrels received 9th in NovicePolicy, Marts placed 4th inNovice LD, Culbertson took 4th

and Cole 9th in Varsity Policyand Bailey also was ranked in thetop five speakers for Varsity LD.

Sophomores Riley Meisterand Garret Meier were next outin Novice Policy Debate andsophomores Katherine Cole andVickie Contreraz were next out inVarsity Policy.

At the Carroll tournament,there is another competition. It iscalled the Ugly Tie Contest.Sophomores Eric Mitchell andMeier had two of the top three

ugliest ties. Following the Carroll tour-

nament, it was back home for theBillings tournament onDecember 10th and 11th. Allthree Billings schools cometogether to host this tournamentand speech and debate are at sep-arate schools.

West did well at their hometournament placing 5th overall,which was better than all of theother Billings high schools.

Sample placed 6th inLegislative Debate, Marts placed6th in Novice LD, Lindenbaumand Quarrels placed 8th and theMeister-Meier took 6th in NovicePolicy and Schaff and Eddy wereone speaker point away frombreaking in Public ForumDebate.

Williams and Dunhamplaced 7th in Duo, senior JanRody placed 5th in OriginalOratory and 7th in ExpositorySpeaking and Senior LauraWilson place 8th in MPA(Memorized Public Adress).

Junior Colleen Powers wasthe only member of the team totake first at the Billings meet, anddid so in Original Oratory.

Debate coach Dan Johnsonmentioned, “I’m pleased withhow we did at both...I think tak-ing 3rd and having people breakwas cool. It has always been mygoal to have everyone on stageonce.”

For a Christmas celebration,the team went bowling and had aChristmas party together.

KKaayyddeeee OOllddhhaammCopy Editor

At Billings West HighSchool, the Key Club took upseveral challenges in Decemberto help the city and families inneed in the local community.

Advisor, English teacherLauren Zent, received calls fromdifferent organizations and pro-grams throughout the communi-ty, and she added any other eventshe hears about to the volunteerlist.

“When I find out or get a call

that someone or somewhereneeds help, I instantly let the stu-dents know because I feel it’simportant to help out the commu-nity and have students help peo-ple,” Zent mentioned.

During the holiday seasonstudents volunteered their freetime to help several families inthe Billings to have a betterChristmas through several differ-ent planned activities.

Activities students partici-pated in included wrapping pres-ents at Harley Davidson, Dress aChild, ringing bells to support theSalvation Army, helping atChristmas parties at the HolidayInn, caroling on St. Johns Avenueand Habitat for Humanity build-ing a house.

Sophomore Molly Petersontook part in Dress a Child andthought it was a very rewardingexperience to participate in. Shewould like to help again withDress a Child next year becauseof the great time she had. Dress a

Child was held every Saturday inDecember before Christmas.

“Dress a Child was so muchfun and I adored meeting the chil-dren. It was also nice knowingthey would get some clothes forChristmas,” Peterson said.

Sophomores Drew Carmanand Matthew Goodrich rang bellsfor the Salvation Army. Theywere given a location to meet atand received a bell and a contain-er to put money in. The two wererequired to ring the bell andaccept donations for theSalvation Army.

“I did bell ringing and Dressa Child and both were not onlyfun but also [gave] a nice feel-ing,” Carman stated.

Sophomore Zach Nellhelped with Habitat forHumanity at the beginning ofDecember. He went to the loca-tion of the house and helped buildthe home. After the house is com-pleted, it will be given to a localfamily in need.

West Speechies andDebaters continueForensics season

Key club helps Billings Communityduring Holiday Season

FEATURES 8JANUARY 2011


As Christmas rolled around,West High’s Bear NecessitiesClub [BNC] got in on theChristmas spirit of giving.

In November several of theBNC members attended a YouthDays Conference where theywere exposed to new organiza-tions that helped people inBillings.

BNC president senior KarinRaschkou commented, “BNCwill probably be doing differentvolunteer activities every other

weekend, as opposed to nowwhen we just do things occasion-ally, [doing things more often] issomething I’ve wanted to do sinceI got back from the conference.”

One of the nonprofits thatBNC hopes to help is theSalvation Army, a worldwideChristian charity. A project of theSalvation Army that BNC is inter-ested in is helping make sand-wiches for the homeless.

Another worthy program isHeadstart. In this program, forevery volunteer work hour,money is set aside for academi-cally challenged or low income

children to use later in life. BNCalso hopes to help Headstart reachtheir $761,000 goal.

Other programs includeComputers for Kids and a com-munity day care. Computers forKids receives used computers,fixes them and redistributes com-puters to needy children. Thecommunity day care offers freeday care for children whose fami-lies cannot afford regular daycare.

With the spirit of Christmasinspired gift giving, BNC madesure not to neglect some children.To meet this end they participated

in Toys for Tots and Angel Tree.People donate new toys to

these two programs, and Toys forTots gives them to children whoseparents cannot afford to buy themChristmas presents. Angel Treeprovides gifts to children with aparent in jail.

Along with helping the com-munity, BNC is also interested inimproving West High.

Pictures will be taken of theareas in the worst condition atWest, excluding the bathroomsand gym, and they will be shownto Principal Dave Cobb. With hisapproval, BNC will do their bestto fix the problem.

BNC has shrunk consider-ably as members graduate or suf-fer from senioritis.

Club advisor and Englishteacher Ken Burke said, “I wouldlove to see [BNC’s] numbers goup. [BNC is] a very small clubthis year. [BNC has] maybe tenpeople who regularly attendmeetings as opposed to last yearwhen [BNC] had 70 kids. Thisloss of students is rather frustrat-ing.”

Sophomore Tyler Hastingsstated, “BNC is great and I likehelping the school. It’s a positivelearning experience that everyoneshould be a part of.”

NNiikkkkii SSaannddeerrssjunior staffwirter

Hot Topic... Most peopleare either highly supportive ofthe store or are waiting forsomeone to demolish it.

Hot Topic is a store inmalls, including Rimrock Mall,that, to be honest, gives off anintimidating impression. Somepeople are offended by thestore’s dark lighting, iron gateentrance and loud music; otherpeople are indifferent to it; andstill others feel welcomed by thestrange change of scenery.

Do these different decora-tions affect what the consumersthink?

[“Hot Topic proves that

shock value can lead to stockvalue, with the company gener-ating revenue into the hundredsof millions of dollars after littlemore than a decade in business,”says fundinguniverse.com inregard to the history of the store.]

When Hot Topic firstopened in Montclair, Californiain 1989, Orv Madden “saw anunderserved market music-relat-ed t-shirts and apparel that tradi-tional mall-based retailers wereignoring, and I decided to pur-sue it,”.

The business boomed.For those who think

that Hot Topic only sells darkand scary stuff, think again.Their motto is not “We’re here

to scare” but instead“Everything [is] about themusic.”

Hot Topic sells a large vari-ety of music based items (most-ly band t-shirts) ranging fromMarilyn Manson and Metallicato Justin Beiber and Lady Gaga.

Hot Topic also sells moviemerchandise, including HarryPotter and Twilight, classicvideo game merchandise, suchas Pac Man and Mario and mostrecently merchandise with 90’scartoons on them such asFreakazoid, CatDog andRugrats. Hair dye, shoes, make-up and even jewelry can befound there as well.

“I think it’s a great store,they have really cool stuff inthere, they also have a lot ofvariety.” freshman Jordan Stiefcommented.

Hot Topic caters to aboutany style.

From feathers to glitter,skulls to peace s igns, and leatherto lace it really is all there.

“I’m not against Hot Topic,I don’t usually shop there, but Igo there for nail polish some-times. My favorite store rightnow is Colors & Origins.” jun-ior Kayla Kecskes commented.

BNC helps community with manyprojects

Hot Topic, a local storefor local teens

JJeessssiiccaa MMooooddyyjunior staffwriter

“Smash his head in!” wasone of the many commentsshouted by coaches at theBillings Invitational wrestlingmeet, where the West High Bearstook third place as a team.

The tournament started inthe afternoon on Friday,December 10, and lasted most ofSaturday. The West High Bears,

cross-town rivals the SeniorBroncs and the Skyview Falcons,Central Rams, LaurelLocomotives, Huntley Project,Charles M. Russell (CMR)Rustlers and Gillette High fromWyoming were all in attendance.

With the Falcons setting thestandards in the first roundamong the teams in West High’sgolden dome, the atmospherebecame intense due to beingsized up by fellow studentcompetitors. Blood, sweat, andunseen tears were not sparedwhen figuring this. Junior Gage

McCann set West High’s stage bygetting a 26 second pin, leavinglittle room for confidence in theother teams.

McCann said, “[I likewrestling because] of the thrill ofwinning a match.”

Junior Stephen Ferestadlikes wrestling because he’s, “interested in kicking butt.”

The final outcome resultedin West High snatching thirdplace as an over all team because

of these kinds of positiveattitudes.

Team member placementincluded: 98 – Junior SteveFerestad 2nd place, 105 –Sophomore Shylo Rambin 3rdplace, 112 – Freshman KobyReyes 4th place, 119 – JuniorDaniel Temme 4th place, 125–Sophomore Christian Duke 4thplace, 140 – Senior Dan Gordon– 1st place, 171 – SophomoreJake Leinwand – 4th place, and285 – Junior Gage McCann – 5thplace.

One of their next meets

was against cross town rivalsSenior High Broncs in a duelWest High has been unable towin for the past eight years.Many thought West was doomedfrom the start, due to sickwrestlers and uncovered weightclasses that caused the duel tostart out at 0-12 in favor of theBroncs.

Instead, the Bears decided totake the initiative into their ownpaws. By the end of the duel

match, the score was 33-38, withone match left to decide theverdict.

Senior David Kersten was inthe last match and had all thepressure thrown on him. Hecould either win points and tiewith Broncs or pin his opponentand win the duel. He made hisfellow Bears proud.

The final outcome was 39-38.

On December 14, Westdueled the Skyview Falcons witha turn out of 15-62.

Then later West High was

invited to Great falls on Dec 17-18. The top placers weresophomore Jack Leinwandplacing fourth and freshmanKobi reyes playcing sixth.

The next dual was againstSenior High. Leaving West in thedust with a 28 point lead.

Lastly was AA dual in Buttewith west winning 2 duals andloosing 2 duals.

SPORTS

Wrestling headed off in the rightdirection!West High Golden Bears are proving a point.


At the end of last November,Montana State UniversityBillings [MSUB] hired a newtennis coach, Lew Kosich, for thecollege team.

MSUB owns the only indoortennis courts in Billings calledThe Bubble, where only MSUBemployees are permitted to teachcommunity members.

When they lost their onlycoach, Jerry Peach, in October,West High tennis players wereconcerned that options forimproving this winter would befew and far between.

Luckily, with only a briefperiod of no instruction, Kosichbegan offering lessons to juniors,high school age and younger, onDecember 6. These are taught byboth Kosich and members ofMSUB’s varsity college tennis

team.Sophomore Kiley Keene

commented, “The coach is reallynice and has great tips. Thelessons are really fun anddefinitely precise. [Theinstructors] thoroughly explaineverything and help people withanything they’re confusedabout.”

Unfortunately, it is difficultto learn with a limited amount ofcourt space and an abundance ofpeople.

Sophomore Skye LaVeauenthusiastically said, “I reallylike the lessons, but with 47people we finally get to the frontof the line and only hit one ball.”

Each session of juniorlessons, which includes eightlessons with each lesson lasting 1½ hours, costs $96. Individualscan also schedule additionalinstructional times.

Kosich has coached tennis in

Colorado, California and Virginiaand led teams to victory, such asa Colorado team that placedsecond at state.

After playing tennis at theUnited States Naval Academyand tournaments in Annapolis,Europe and Asia, he became the5.0 Club Champion at the QueenCity Racket Club in Cincinnati,Ohio.

Kosich trained for four yearsat the United States Olympictraining center and co-holds theCivilian Team National Record inInternational Rapid Fire Pistol.

Having previously lived inBillings, he is excited to startcoaching here.

Kosich said, “I’m originallyfrom Billings, and I have beengone 40 years. I always thoughtthat I would come back and Ifinally did. I’m really glad I didand am excited to coach.”

These lessons are fun and a

great opportunity for players tocontinue to improve over thewinter. With sunny weather and alot of free time, many West High

players improved over thesummer also.

It is imperative that over themonths between summer andMarch, the start of the tennisseason, athletes do not lose theseadvances.

“Tennis skills are like highschool boys, easy come, easy go.So yes I plan to take lessons atthe Bubble or I will loseeverything!” stated seniorMakenzie Hintt.

Fortunately, these lessonswill provide a chance forcontinued development for thisyear’s promising West Highteam.

There is a new coach at MSU-B!New coach at MSU-B “tennis bubble” is making a lot of racquet!

Coach Kosich is playing tennis inThe Bubble, MSUB’s indoortennis court.

photo by Katherine Cole

During the final match of the dualtournament against crosstownrival Senior High, as senior DavidKersten faced his Broncopponent, the fire alarm went offbecause someone in GuelffMartburned the popcorn. As theGolden Bears and the Broncsawaited clearance to resume thecompetition, team membersjoked to wait for Kersten toultimately defeat his crosstownrival.

photo by Jessica Moody

A Preview

BBiillll PPllaasscchhkkeeLos Angeles Times(MCT)

Dance on a frozen tundra. Dress in your best Lombardi. Stick an absurd piece ofyellow foam on your head and shout into a chilled sky.

Cheesy Hallelujah, the Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl.The NFL’s throwback franchise will be crashing the league’s futuristic

championship, the Packers defeating their longtime rivals Chicago Bears, 21-14, to earna chance to reclaim the trophy named after Green Bay’s most famous coach.

The league’s smallest city is going to its biggest game, playing the PittsburghSteelers in Dallas on Feb. 6 for the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and earn the mostoutrageous of bragging rights.

Playing in a town of barely 101,000, the Packers can again become giants. Playingfor a team owned by ordinary citizens, the Packers can again become the richest story insports.

“Dallas, Super Bowl, Dallas, Super Bowl, amazing,” safety Nick Collins said, hiswords singing through a happily crowded locker room. “There have been a lot of legendsthat have come before us ... now maybe it’s our turn.”

Those legends from the league’s second-oldest franchise have won more NFLchampionships than anyone _ a dozen _ and won the first two Super Bowls in the late1960s. But they’ve only won one since, and seemed destined to endure another coldwinter earlier this fall when they lost five playmakers to injuries and dropped three oftheir first six games.

But then something happened, something that only seems to happen in magical littleplaces like Green Bay, unknown players making plays, an unsung quarterback making aname, two consecutive wins at the end of the season to sneak into the last playoff spot,two stunning playoff victories on the road ... and then, Sunday at Soldier Field, possiblythe ugliest, weirdest win of all.

“All we’ve been through, what happened today can only be called a blessing,” tackle

Chad Clifton said, and that’s certainly one word for it.The biggest touchdown of the game was scored not by

an offensive player, but by 337-pound nose tackle B.J. Raji onan 18-yard interception return midway through the fourth quarter,his enormous girth jiggling as he waved the ball at the humiliatedBears.

“One of my coaches asked if I wanted to be called, ‘The Fridge,’ “ Rajisaid, referring to the nickname of a former Bears giant. “I said, ‘Nah, man, I’mThe Freezer.’ “

The biggest tackle of the game was made not by a defensive player, but bythe quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who saved a touchdown in the third quarterwhen he somehow tangled up Brian Urlacher as the linebacker had broken freeon what would have been 94-yard interception return.

Finally, the clinching play of the game was not made by some veteran, butby an undrafted rookie free agent named Sam Shields, who picked off third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie on the Packers 12 with 37 seconds remaining.

The Packers are that kind of team, a buried backup named James Starksemerging to rush for 74 yards and a touchdown, the second-leading receiverbeing somebody named Jordy Nelson, who caught nearly as many passesthis year as in his first two years combined.

And, then, of course, there’s Rodgers, who spent his first three seasonshidden in the deep shadow of former Packers great Brett Favre, but hasemerged in his three seasons since, and is using his first playoff run to pushhimself into the same sentence with the league’s quarterback elites.

Rodgers just needs to get that “elite” part down a little bit more, ashe strolled into the interview room carrying a bottle of grape soda whiledressed in baggy jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt under a souvenir Packersshirt, and a souvenir Packers cap.

The honest truth is, the Super Bowl is better when the Packers arein it. They may not be the league’s most lucrative or star-studdedteam, but they are its most important franchise.

The Packers offer the eternal argument against those who saythe NFL is a league dominated by major markets and maniacalbillionaires. The Packers are the forever answer to why the NFL ismore intrinsically fair than baseball or basketball.

“We are unlike any other team in the league, and when wehave success, it shows the real strength of the league,” said MarkMurphy, the team’s president and chief executive who is--surprise, surprise--a former NFL player. “When we go to Dallas,the hopes of an entire community will be going with us.”

We’re talking about the hopes of far more than just acommunity.

Smile, America, and say cheese.

Superbowl time is here once again!BByy SSaamm FFaarrmmeerr

Los Angeles Times (MCT)

Super Bowl XLV: Pittsburgh Steelers vs.Green Bay Packers

Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m. EST at Cowboys Stadium,Arlington, Texas

TV: Fox (local channel 4 [704 FOX HD])It’s hard to imagine a Super Bowl matchup

between teams with richer histories.The Steelers and Packers are two of the NFL’s

cornerstone franchises, and their players line thecorridors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Therecent history has been lopsided, with the Steelers

winning seven of the last nine meetings.The teams played last season, and Pittsburgh

won a shootout, 37-36. In that game, the Steelers’Ben Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 503yards, becoming the 10th quarterback since 1950to throw for at least 500 in a game. The gameended with him tossing a desperation, 19-yardtouchdown pass to Mike Wallace on the final play.

The game wasn’t too shabby for Green Bay’sAaron Rodgers, either. He completed 26 of 48passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns.

One thing is for sure: Hairdressers will lovethis matchup—with the wavy locks of Pittsburgh’sTroy Polamalu on one side, and the Samson-likeClay Matthews on the other.

Green Bay Packers running back James Starks (44) finds runningroom against the Chicago Bears during the NFC Championshipgame on Sunday, January 23, 2011, at Soldier Field in Chicago,Illinois. The Packers won, 21-14. (Rick Wood/MilwaukeeJournal Sentinel/MCT)

Courtesy of McClatchy News/MCT Campus

Nothing cheesy about Packers going to Super Bowl

Superbowl time is here once again!The matchup

CCllaarreennccee EE.. HHiillll JJrr..McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

PITTSBURGH — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jonesdreamed that history would be made in Super Bowl XLV atCowboys Stadium on Feb. 6.

Jones will get his wish.Instead of his Cowboys looking to become the first team

to win a Super Bowl at home, it will be the hated PittsburghSteelers playing to christen Cowboys Stadium with theirNFL-record seventh Super Bowl title.

The Steelers got there thanks to a 24-19 victory againstthe New York Jets before 66,662 fans at frigid Heinz Field.

Pittsburgh jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead beforeholding on to qualify for its third Super Bowl in the last sixyears. They won titles following the 2005 and 2008seasons.

“It’s hard to rank them,” an ecstatic Steelerspresident Art Rooney II said. “We will take as many as wecan get. It’s great to get a chance to do this. Hopefully wewill finish the job.”

It was former Texas Longhorns nose tackle CaseyHampton, who grew up in Galveston hating theCowboys, who brought it full circle for Jones andCowboys fans, still smarting from two Super Bowllosses to the Steelers in the 1970s.

“This is a great franchise,” Hampton said. “This ismy third Super Bowl since I’ve been here and it’s morespecial going home to Texas. I never liked theCowboys. If (Jerry Jones) is going to be mad, that’seven better.” Adding even more mud to the eye of aCowboys franchise and its America’s Team moniker,which is next with five rings but none since the 1995season, is that the upcoming Super Bowl at Jones’$1.2 billion show palace will pit the Steelers againstthe Green Bay Packers.

In other words, it will be a classic matchup ofthe league’s greatest dynasty team against the NFL’s first Super Bowl

dynasty team. The Packers won the first two Super Bowl titles.Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is back in the Super Bowl for the second time in four

years asa coach. He is also looking to become the first African-American coach to win two titles.

Tomlin didn’t even want to think about what lies ahead, choosing to soak up theAFC title-game victory a little while longer.

“It’s so special because it’s the here and now,” Tomlin said. “It’s a unique group inthere that has had a unique journey, so it’s special. It’s awesome.”

The journey began with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suspended for the firstfour games of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The Steelersweathered the storm and now Roethlisberger is back, trying to become just the fifthquarterback in league history to win three Super Bowl titles. The others are Joe Montana,Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman and Tom Brady.

“We’ve been through a lot as a team and personally,” Roethlisberger said. “It justfeels good. Shoot, any time you get to a Super Bowl it feels good, I don’t care what youhave been going through or what is going on. We put a lot of stuff behind us early andfound a way to get it done.”

The Jets, led by their bombastic coach Rex Ryan, entered the game flying high afterwins at Indianapolis and at New England.

For them to beat Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Brady andRoethlisberger all on the road would have arguably been the greatest run to a Super Bowlin NFL history.

But it was not to be.It was the third straight title-game loss for Ryan, who lost to the Steelers as a

defensive coordinator with the Ravens in 2008 before losing to the Colts in his first yearwith the Jets. Though disappointed, the talkative Ryan promised to knock at the dooragain next year.

“Obviously there is a huge amount of disappointment for us,” Ryan said.“But I got news for you, our goals won’t change. It will never change.We are going to chase that Super Bowl. We’re going to chase it until we get it. And

we’ll chase it after that again.” It was classic Steelers football at the outset as they playedsmashmouth football on offense and defense, outgaining the Jets 131-1 on the ground inthe first half.

And when safety William Gay returned a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown to makethe score 24-0 late in the second quarter, the game seemed over.

But the Jets got a field goal by former Cowboys kicker Nick Folk just before thehalf and then opened the third quarter with a 45-yard touchdown pass from MarkSanchez to Santonio Holmes.

They had a chance to make it 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter but runningback LaDainian Tomlinson was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

A safety and late score made it interesting, but the Jets couldn’t stop the Steelersfrom running out the clock.

Pittsburg Steelersshooting for their

seventh ring!

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley holds up apaper proclaiming his team's next stop at the Super Bowl.The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the New York Jets 24-19 towin the AFC Championship game on Sunday, January 23,2011, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (DougKapustin/MC T)

Courtesy of McClatchy News/MCT Campus

Pittsburgh Green BayPoints Scored 23.4 (12) 24.2 (10)

Points Given Up 14.5 (1) 15.0 (2)

Passing Offense 225.1 (14) 257.8 (5)

Rushing Offense 120.3 (11) 100.4 (24)

Passing Defense 214.1 (12) 194.2 (5)

Rushing Defense 62.8 (1) 114.9 (18)

Turnover Ratio +17 (2) +10 (4)

Penalties (yards) 56.4 (9) 38.6 (30)

Sacks given up 2.7 (25) 2.4 (22)

Sacks (defense) 3.0 (1) 2.94 (2)

JANUARY 2011SPORTS 12

TTaawwnnii PPaalliinnSports Editor

Despite ending in thirdplace in the AA StateChampionship Tournament lastyear, the Lady Bears basketballteam is driven to prove theirdominance to the state ofMontana as a whole, not just inthe AA Eastern Conference.

Currently undefeated withan 11-0 overall record and 5-0in the AA Eastern conference,the Lady Bears have proventhey are the team to beat thisseason.

After beating the LadyBison, the Lady Bears squaredoff against Great Falls CMRLady Rustlers on Jan. 22,beating the Lady Rustlers 47-38.

With 26 rebounds and only12 turnovers, the Lady Bearsshot over 35 percent from thecourt.

Senior Dani Muri toppedthe Lady Bears with hersecond-consecutive 20-pointgame, padding her stats with 7additional rebounds.

Senior Janiel Olson scored8, including one 3-point shot.

If Muri hadn’t shown upfor the game against the GreatFalls High Lady Bison on Jan.21, the game would have goneinto overtime. Lucky for theLady Bears Muri showed upand was on fire that night,because, instead of anotherovertime matchup, the LadyBears ended up beating theLady Bison by 20, 53-33.

With Muri’s amazingperformance, Robinson andNielsen each scored 10. Thethree combined to score 40 ofthe Lady Bears’ 53 points.

After the overtime winover the Cowgirls, the LadyBears had to prove theirdominance, and theircrosstown rival Lady Falconswere their target.

With 37 rebounds toSkyview’s 28 and only 17turnovers to Skyview’s 26, theLady Bears beat the LadyFalcons 49-30 on Jan. 18.

Once again, Olson and

Muri led the team in scoringwith 14 and 13, respectively.

Perhaps the Lady Bearsprepared to face Miles City onJan. 15 with a smirk, figuringthey would simply dominatethe class A Miles CityCowgirls.

Despite starting off withtheir 10 points doubled by theLady Bears in the first quarter,the Cowgirls came roaringb a c k ,s c o r i n gmore thanthe LadyBears ineach of thenext threequarters toforce thegame intoovertime.

The Lady Bears outscoredthe Cowgirls 12-1 in overtimeto come out with the win, 60-49.

Junior Kylie Nielsen andsenior Devan Dennehy led theteam with 13 each, and Muriand Olson followed closebehind, each with 11.

Junior Brianna Robinsonrounded out the top five with10 points, giving the LadyBears the knowledge that allfive scored in the doubledigits.

Olson had another double-double with 11 rebounds.

Overall, the Lady Bearshad 35 rebounds, but Murifouled out.

After beating the LadyFalcons on Jan. 6, the LadyBears faced another crosstownrival and Eastern AAconference team on Jan. 8when they faced the LadyBroncs from Senior High.

The Lady Bears schooledtheir crosstown rivals, beatingthem in the Senior High gym57-44. Despite the closest winof the season to date, the LadyBears had what it took to putanother notch in the wincolumn

Olson boasted her firstdouble-double with 13 pointsand 11 rebounds, and Muriwasn’t far behind with 9 points

and 10 rebounds. Despite alackluster rebounding effortversus the Lady Falcons, theLady Bears dominated theboards with 35 overallrebounds.

Dennehy led the LadyBears with 15 points, and theLady Bears shot almost 37percent from the floor.

The Lady Bearsstarted the new year strong,

facing their crosstown rivalLady Falcons and nearlydoubling the Lady Falcons 33points with 58.

Nielsen led the teamwith seven rebounds whileMuri, Dennehy and Robinsoneach scored a three-pointer.

Muri led the team with15 points while Olson scored10 (despite foul troublekeeping her on the bench formuch of the game), Robinsonscored 9, Dennehy scored 8,and Nielsen scored 7.

This was the first timethe Lady Bears faced a AAEastern Conference team.

After a successful two-daydomination of Missoula teams,the Lady Bears traveled to

Casper to face Wyoming teamsNatrona and Kelly Walsh.

Once again, the LadyBears showed theirdetermination to win a covetedAA championship, beatingboth Kelly Walsh (on Dec. 17)and Natrona (on Dec. 18).

The Lady Bears beat KellyWalsh 59-14.

Olson led the team with 17points and Muri scored 10

while seniorLaura Prosinskiand Dennehyeach scored 7.The LadyBears beatNatrona 64-48after scoring 46s e c o n d - h a l fpoints.Nielsen was a

new face leading the LadyBears in scoring with 17, andRobinson supported her with14. The two scored nearly halfof the points in the game.

After a season openingwin, the Lady Bears traveledfor a two-day trip across thestate to face the Hellgate LadyKnights and the Big Sky LadyEagles.

The Lady Bears put on ashow of supremacy as theybeat Missoula Helgate 65-27on Dec. 11.

After tripling the LadyKnights score in the firstquarter, the Lady Bears morethan doubled their opponentsscore output in both the secondand third quarters and doubled

the Lady Knights 3 points withsix points in the final quarter.

Robinson scored the onlythree-point shot, followingonly Muri in total points with14.

Muri led the team with 17points, followed by Robinsonwith 14 and Olson with 12.

Before beating the LadyKnights, the Lady Bearsdominated the Missoula BigSky Lady Eagles On Dec. 10,nearly doubling the LadyEagles 38 points with anoverall score of 72.

The Lady Bears more thantripled the Lady Eagles’ scorein both the first and thirdquarters.

The seven successful threepoint attempts padded theirscore as Olson and Muriscored nearly half the LadyBear points with 22 and 13,respectively.

The Lady Bears started outtheir season on Dec. 6 with aroad win against crosstownCentral High Lady Rams,beating the defending State Achampion Lady Rams 57-37 ontheir home court.

Sinking five three-pointattempts and shooting over 20percent overall as well as 40rebounds in the game helpedthe Lady Bears avoid a loss tothe Lady Rams.

Muri scored 13 with 7rebounds, and Olson scored 10with 8 rebounds.

DDaavviiss CCoonnnneelllleeyyjunior staffwriter

Can this year’s GoldenBear basketball team live up tothe high standards of recentchampionship quality teams?

If any answers to thatquestion can be gleaned fromthe early non-conferencesuccess of the team, thatanswer is a solid yes.

For a team featuring noreturning starters from lastyear’s squad, the only thing thisteam seems to lack isexperience, but they make upfor that with hard work, hustle,defense and team chemistry.

In the words of juniorDanny Robison, “We’re notvery experienced, but we havegood team chemistry.”

Head Coach DougRobison echoed this statement,saying, “They play very well asa team and they have goodsenior leadership.”

The Golden Bears startedoff the season the right way

with a resounding win overBillings Central. The Ramskept it close early, but could notkeep up with the Bears as theytook control. West won by ascore of 67-33 and earned thefirst win of the new season.

The Bears then hit the roadfor a pair of away games inMissoula and eventually madetheir way `to Wyoming.

In Missoula, the Bearscame away with a 3-0undefeated record.

But this luck ended in theCasper (WY) Natrona gym.With a win the previous nightagainst the Kelly Walsh (WY),the Bears had all themomentum they could havewanted, but after a closelycontested game, West lost 52-48.

But the common thread ofall these games is the defense,something that maybe theBears did not have in pastyears.

Throughout the fivegames, West has given up just

42.2 points per games, whilescoring, on average, over sixtypoints every contest, a statisticthat the Bears hope holds up asthey head into conference play.

In the first conferencegame of the season, the Bearswent downtown to face theSenior Broncs in a close game.

However, the Bearsemerged victorious by a scoreof 44-39, with junior BradyGustafson hitting a pair of freethrows to put the game out ofreach.

Gustafson said of thoseafterwards, “It was nice to putthe game away.”

The next game, the Bearsplayed up at Skyview foranother cross-town rivalrygame.

This game was close aswell, with the Falcons takingan early lead, but the Bearscrawled their way back,eventually winning 48-36 in aclose defensive battle.

West High’s Lady Bears mow down thecompetition

For a new team the Golden Bearsare showing the town exactly whatthey are made of!

The Lady Bears are driven to provetheir dominance to the state of

Montana as a whole not just in theAA Eastern Conference.

JJuussttiinn BBoonnaannnnoo junior guest sports writer

Entering their eighteenthseason, the Billings Bulls werelooking for a fresh start.

To start off the year,Billings Bulls owner DougStrong implemented a newcoaching staff, a new attitude,and a positive outlook on theupcoming season.

Such hope and prosperitydiminished, however, as theteam started the season withfour consecutive losses. For thepast four years the Billingscommunity had beenaccustomed to a losing season.

Entering their fifth game ofthe season, the Billings Bullswere desperate for a win.

On an electric Friday nightin October the Bulls were

looking to turn their seasonaround.

The Bulls foundthemselves in unfamiliarterritory as they jumped out to a3 to 1 lead over the YellowstoneQuake. Frustration set in,though, as the Quake battledback to take the lead late inthird period.

Fighting desperately fortheir lives, the Bulls pulledgoaltender Andrew Sherman tosend an extra attacker to the ice.With a minute left in the game,it looked as if the Bulls wouldsuffer another loss.

The Bulls found a spark asFinish player Jesse Kantanentied the game with twenty-fourseconds left.

The team erupted as thereality of winning overtook thebench.

The game continued intoovertime where the Finishphenomenon worked his magicagain, scoring the game winner.

The Bulls were elated asthey rushed to the ice tocelebrate their first win.Although optimism spreadthroughout the locker room, itwas still an uphill battle fromthere.

In the first ten games, theBulls had two wins and eightlosses.

Losing was no longeracceptable and winning becamethe norm.

In the next 27 games, theBulls made a completetransformation.

The Bulls won 20 of the 27games.

This tear included twodifferent winning spans, onefive- and one seven-game win

streak. The Billings Bulls were

turning heads around thecommunity and around theleague, which was onlyreinforced when they posted animpressive undefeated record atthe League Showcase inSpokane.

In the showcase the Bullsdefeated the Seattle Totems inthe last game of the showcase.

Seattle came to thetournament as the leader of theEast division with only one lossin their season.

Seattle had defeated Helenaand Missoula, yet the Bullswere victorious over Seattle.

The Billings Bulls arecurrently in third place, led bytop scorers Oliver Wong andJesse Kantanen.

Wong and Kantanen areboth European imports and

have been great additions to theteam.

Stellar goaltending byAndrew Sherman has allowedthe Bulls to compete for a winevery game.

The Bulls are six pointsbehind Missoula as theycontinue to battle for home-iceadvantage in the playoffs.

A winning record andcompeting for second place issomething this city has not seenfrom the Bulls in a while, andthus the league has seen thenew Billings Bulls.

Thirteen games remain intheir rigorous schedule, andtheir next home game is 7:30p.m. on Saturday, January 29 atCentennial Ice Arena as theytake on the Butte Roughriders.

Come join the Bulls andcheer them on to anothervictory!

Sub Varsity winter season is in full force.With Wrestling and Basketball up and running...let’s see how theteams are doing.


Boys BasketballThe JV West High Golden

Bears are 3-0 so far this season.Their first game of the seasonwas against crosstown rivalsthe Central Rams. GoldenBears rolled over thecompetition was anoutstanding score of 62-19.They went on to play the KellyWalsh Trojans with a score of81-43. The Bears played aclose game against CasperNatrona Mustangs, but theBears came out ahead with 56-41.

On Dec. 17 the GoldenBears sophomore team beat theKelly Walsh Mustang with anoutstanding score of 75-15.

Their latest game was againstcrosstown rivals SkyviewFalcons. The game was closebut the Bears came out aheadby four points, 39-35.

The Freshmen GoldenBears have been doing a greatjob this year. The Golden Bearsplayed crosstown rivals theSenior High Broncos, and itcame to a close call of 48-46with West in the lead. The lastgame they play was the againthe Kelly Walsh Trojans, losing63-32.

Girls BasketballWest High’s JV Lady

Bears are also undefeated sofar this season. They played thefirst game on Dec. 6 againstcrosstown rivals the CentralRams and came out with an

overwhelming score of 66-0.They also played the KellyWalsh Lady Trojans and won

with 39-35 and against Casper

Natrona Lady Mustang andended with a score of 46-31.

The sophomore LadyBears have gone this seasonwith a record of 5-0. Theirclosest game was on Dec.14against Laurel’s LadyLocomotives. The game’sscore was 45-43.They playedthe Skyview Lady Falcons onDec.11 and won, 33-27, and onDec.21 they won again with67-51.

The Freshmen Lady Bearsteam did very well forthemselves so far this season.Two of their latest games wereagainst crosstown rivals theSenior Lady Broncos and theSkyview Lady Falcons. TheLady Bears played a goodgame against the Lady Broncosand won 48-38. But they lost to

the Lady Falcons in overtimewith the ending score of 25-30.Wrestling

For our wrestling JVGolden Bears the team hasdone a fantastic job thissemester.

So far on top of thecompetition is FreshmanHunter Gerth is also doing verywell for the team this year hehas gathered 15 point for theBears and lost 9 as of theJanuary 12. Gerth had the 11wins to 7 loses. SophomoreTyler Bispo with a total of 9wins to 3 loses. He hadaccumulated 27 points for theteam. Shylo Rambin has 8 winsto 2 loses. Rambin’s over allpoint for the team was 24points.

Billings Bulls are charging their waythrough the competition!

Billings West Student Nick Nasby corrals the puck against the MissoulaMaulers.

submitted photo


Both JVbasketballteams are

undefeated sofar this season

with strongshowings fromall other sub-varsity teams

as well.

Billings West junior Justin Bonanno prepares for a face off at CentennialArena

submitted photo

MMaaddii MMiilllleerrCopy Editor

This year swimming is offto a fantastic start. The LadyBear’s team has had asuccessful couple of meets.The Golden Bear’s have notdone as well thus far in theyear compared to the girls, butthey are still kicking!

Swimming started mid-November with returningswimmers as well as severalnew ones.

Freshman Hope Wattsstated “Swimming has been soamazing so far. I have beenswimming for such a long timethat it is so comfortable. Thecoaches are great and there aresuper fun people.”

The West High swimcoach is Matt Santela. Heworks for School District 2 asa kindergarten teacher atBoulder Elementary School.

The swim team is judgedby the times they receive inlaps in the pool. Basically, inswimming you are competingagainst yourself to achieve alower time, and competingagainst others to place in themeets.

The first swim meet thisyear was located here inBillings at Rocky MountainCollege. It was called the

Billings Invitational. The meettook place on December 4,2010. The Billings West Highgirls’ teams got 97.5 pointsgetting first place. The boys’team, from the lack ofswimmers, got last place with21 points.

Sophomore JacobNeedham stated, “Swimmingis a lot of fun. The bus ridesare really chaotic, but it is stilla lot of fun!”

The next meet was onDecember 12, 2010 at theHardin Community ActivityCenter in Hardin. It was a verysuccessful meet for bothteams.

Junior Cole Krenick said,“It’s my first year swimming. Ireally like it. It’s a lot likecross country but you cantbreathe, you’re wet, and youhave to use your arms. I willdefinitely do it next year.”

The most recent meet wasin Great Falls and it was arelay meet. It was also verysuccessful for each of theteams.

On the 8th of January,there also a swim meet inBozeman. Bozeman has ameters pool so it was clearlyhard for both teams to adjustfrom Rocky’s pool that is inyards. Both teams were very

successful. There was another meet in

Billings on January 15, 2011.The West High girls team gotfirst again with the LadyBroncs right behind them.

Also on January 22, 2011,the team swam in Great Falls

pools. They swam against theGreat Falls teams Hardin andother Billings teams. The girlswere ranked very high for theirteam score and the males gotone of their best overall scoresof the year. This and the nextmeet decides the state team,

which is a very selective team. The State meet this year

will be in Butte, Montana inearly February and that swimmeet is for people who makecertain ridiculous times.


JJaalleenn CCrreeeecchh freshman staffwriter

The YMCA holds a programevery year called “Get Started.”

It is a class whereparticipants start a race to fitness,helping them lose the weight theyhave been trying to lose.

There are four classes aweek.

If participants are in the firstclass, they go on Mondays andWednesdays (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.).

A second class attends onTuesdays and Thursdays (4:30 to5:30 p.m.).

The YMCA also has otherprograms that students and adultsmay join to lose some of theweight they have wanted to loseor to just have a good time andexercise with friends.

During this program, the

trainer takes participants to otherevents happening at the YMCA,including a personal tour.

If people miss a class, theycan make it up easily by going toa group workout like spinning,swimming aerobics or turbo kick(this is like kick boxing exceptturbo kick is much faster).

If students or adults join the“Get Started” program, they arealways allowed to come on theirown time and workout bythemselves or bring a friendalong.

The YMCA also has thisprogram called DPP [DiabetesPrevention Program] that beginsbefore every “Get Started”program and is taught by a trainernamed Prudy.

The “Get Started” class andthe DPP class have their owntraining room for each of theirclasses.

The trainers pushparticipants hard enough,pushing them to the point wherethey want to quit. It may remindsomeone of Jillian off of TheBiggest Loser.

When participants work out,they work with many differentthings such as treadmills,ellipticals, shoulder machines,stepping blocks and so muchmore.

Trainers push participantshard enough that they know theyare making a difference in theirlives.

Trainers help participants. Ifparticipants need help withanything, the trainers tell themeverything they need to know.

The YMCA also has aprogram where members canrequest a personal trainer at anytime to take them and help themwith sport workouts and getting

in shape. After ending the 6-week

“Get Started” session, studentsand adults may join other classes.

The YMCA staff encourages

members to join some of themore fun classes such as turbokick and spinning because bothclasses get the heart pumping andare high energy classes.

Local YMCA helps residents “Get Started”

MMiicchhaaiillaa GGrraannttsenior staffwriter

Several seniors will beapplying to colleges withinnext few months; many othershad already started. It is astressful time of decidingwhere one will go and how onewill pay for it.

Some lucky seniors do nothave to worry about suchissues, including Jordan Denny.

Denny has agreed to go toThe University of Wyomingand swim for their swim team.She has been swimming forthirteen years and has hadseveral colleges offer herscholarships to swim for them,but decided on the Universityof Wyoming.

Denny hopes to studyphysical therapy and found that

the University of Wyoming hasa good program for that.

She received both aswimming scholarship and anacademic scholarship and isvery excited to start collegelife.

“University of Wyomingis a fantastic school!” Dennystated.

As a high school student,Denny has excelled atswimming all four years. She isa three- time state champion inthe 100 meter backstroke, andis the only female competitor inthe state to swim the 100 meterbackstroke in under a minute.

Now as a senior, Denny isthe captain of the girlsswimming team and said,“After thirteen years ofswimming, I am excited to takethe next step in my career.”

Along with swimming onthe West High team, Dennyswims for the Billings AquaticClub.

As if she needed any morecredentials to add to herresume, Denny was a U.S.Swimming Senior Nationalqualifier in the 100 meterbackstroke last summer.

Tom Johnson, head swimcoach for the University ofWyoming, stated, “Jordan is …untapped talent, I was veryimpressed with her swims overthe summer, and I feel she istruly a diamond in the rough.Jordan has tremendous desireto improve and a willingness tobe fast. She will also be anasset to our medley relays, andwe look forward to having herhere at Wyoming next fall.”

Senior Lady Bear swimmer signswith University of Wyoming

West High swimmers prepare for State

ARTS

Stand here, memorize,and break a leg


On November 15, 2010Eugene Friesen, a cellist andcomposer, preformed with theBillings West HighPhilharmonic Orchestra.

He was able to come to thesecluded area of Montanabecause of the Arts WithoutBoundaries Program (AWB).The Program enhances artsopportunities for students byfacilitating workshops,residencies, communityconcerts and lessons byperforming and visual artists.They believe that access to artsshould be available to allstudents with an interest, notjust those who can afford toparticipate.

The head of the program inBillings is Darell Tunnicliff. Hestated, “The arts have alwaysbeen very important to me and Iwant all students to have accessto music and art.”

Billings West High has hadmany opportunities to gainexperience from musicians whohave been playing for a longtime over the past few years.

The AWB facilitates fourmain programs in Billings.

The Guest Artist ProgramThey fund nationally

recognized artists, such asFriesen, that createsopportunities for students toexperience concerts andc l a s s r o omins t ruc t ionby. Studentsr e c e i v ei n d i v i d u a land groupins t ruc t ionfrom theguest artists.The concertsby theseartists arefunded byAWB and arefree sofamilies canshare them u s i c a lexpe r i encetogether. Guest artist concertsinclude student participation,like the one on November 5. The Mentoring Program

The Mentoring Program isin partnership with the schoolmusic program, funds aprogram in which high schoolmusic students are matchedwith grade school studentsoffering lessons. This programprovides quality; low cost

instruction and the high schoolstudents receive scholarshipsfor their effort. This programprovides a learning experiencefor the student instructors and arole model for the younger

students. Additional instructionand oversight is provided byexperienced teachers.The After School MasterClass Program

The After School MasterClass Program is to supplementexisting school programs and toenhance the experience ofstudents. Billings currently hasmany talented music teachersgiving one-on-one private

lessons. This program isintended to have more musicstudents being taught by theseteachers. In these masterclasses, professional instructorsteach a group of students.

Students areable todiscuss and toplay skillsspecific andstudents aredivided intosmall mixede n s emb l e s .The samegroup ofprofessionali n s t r u c t o r swill beworking withthe en-sembles. Thee n s e m b l e sconcent ra te

on concepts that are stressed intheir school band or orchestraclasses. Instruction is fundedby AWB providing access forall music students in the area. The Loaned InstrumentProgram

The loaned instrumentprogram is because AWBsupports the importance ofquality instruments forstudents. High quality

instruments are easier to play,sound better, and last fordecades. AWB funds theplacement of qualityinstruments in the schools’loaned instrument program.

The band director here atWest High, Steve Paton, says,“It is a phenomenal group thatstill amazes me that we havethis amazing group in Billingsthat wants to help art programsin the schools at a level that ishigh than I imagined. They areplanning on raising over$100,000 to put into thedistrict.”

David Green, the choirdirector had said somethingsimilar, “It is an amazingorganization. I don’t think thereare many cities where theybring in musicians to raisemoney for school music[programs]. Phillip Aaberg isamazing…I wish I had hisfingers.”

The students enjoy theprogram as well. Junior LexiEgale said, “[They] bring inguest conductors and preciouspeople and it is good to beexposed to those people.”

This program can only stayactive as long as the communitycontinues to support it.


“Remember, with a ‘thah’and a ‘pah.’ Thespians.” Thisphrase has been repeatedinnumerable times by anyonewho is a member of theInternational Thespian Society.The West High Troupe, Troupe5746, is working on its annualThespian Festival play.

First, what is a Thespian?Thespians are students in grades9-12 who have achievedexcellence in their high schooltheatre program, basically highschool actors. The word thespiancomes from Thespis, the firstactor to have stepped out of theGreek Chorus and deliver lines.

Every February the StateThespian Festival takes place inMissoula at the University ofMontana. This year it falls onFebruary 3, 4, and 5.

The International ThespianFestival takes place in Lincoln,Nebraska at the University ofNebraska-Lincoln every June.

The 2011 event takes place June20-25.

These festivals are acelebration of high schooltheater. Those attending preparebrief, one-act plays to perform infront of all those attending andthe judges. The judges critiquethem and face the difficultdecision, at the State level, todecide which school gets to go onto the International level andperform in Nebraska. They alsohost workshops, banquets andgive awards.

Senior Rachel Sample saidabout Thespian Festival, “I likethat it’s people getting together tocelebrate theater and all it meansto be a theater enthusiast nomatter if you’re in the audience,on stage, in the wings, in the lightbooth, or anywhere else.”

Senior Zack Aschim said,“Thespian Festival for me isreally awesome because youhave this group of people fromeverywhere that share the sameinterests you do that yougenerally get along with.”

Advisor Melinda Middleton

said, “We’ve done famously [inrecent years]! In the last fiveyears we have been selected twotimes to represent Montana at theInternational Thespian Festival.”Those plays were Drop DeadJuliet in 2007 and VictoriaMartin Math Queen in 2009.

The West High Troupe isworking on a play calledCommon Ground last performedby West High in 2005. The playis a collection of scenes fromhigh school students all talkingabout life while in a coffee shop.Common Ground tacklesrelationship issues, miscom-munication, misinterpretation,loneliness and change.

This year’s play is beingstudent directed by Sample andAschim.

Aschim said, “I am excitedfor rehearsals as a growingexperience with my peers and tosee them grow into thecharacters. I look forward to theprocess of directing, yet I alsofear the implications of directingour peers. I’m fully excited.”

Sample commented, “I think

I’m most excited for Missoula asa growing opportunity andexperience for the troupe and usas directors and also for theopportunity to interact with othertroupes in the spirit of truethespian-ism.”

When asked about whetheror not they feel that theater isignored, Aschim said, “Theater,when it’s supported, is supportedfully and there’s no group ofpeople I appreciate and respectmore than theater enthusiasts.But when it comes to schools, Idon’t think people realize what ittakes to do what we do.”

For the same question,Sample said, “It’sunderappreciated, and I concur[with Aschim].”

Middleton stated, “When Istart watching rehearsals, I getexcited because I like to seethings in progress.”

A home production ofCommon Ground will beperformed in the West Highauditorium on Wednesday Jan.26, 2011

Arts Without Boundarieswelcomes Eugene FriesenMaster classes, Mentoring, and Loaned Instruments areavailable to music students

“It is a phenomenal group thatstill amazes me that we have this

amazing group in Billings thatwants to help art programs in theschools at a level that is high thanI imagined. They are planning on

raising over $100,000 to putinto the district.”

DDaavviiss CCoonnnneelllleeyyjunior staffwriter

With more than 400 millionbooks worldwide sold to date,seven movies and millions offans made over the course offifteen years, the wonderfullyimaginative Harry Potter movieseries is nearing its end.

On November 19th, perhapsone of the most anticipatedmovies of the decade, Harry

Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part One premiered.

And let me say, it is a filmthat is well worth the hype itgenerated. This movie lives upto expectations.

Some skeptics may pointout that almost no movie is asgood as the book that it camefrom, and this, as per the statusquo, holds true here, but thelatest installment in the HarryPotter franchise comes about asclose as a movie can get.

For those people who havebeen under a rock or on anotherplanet, the Harry Potter seriesfollows a boy who discovers heis a wizard and the mostpowerful dark wizard of alltime, the evil Lord Voldemort,tried to kill him when he was ababy.

Turns out Voldemort stillwants to kill Harry in order torule the wizarding worldbecause, hey, that’s what evilpeople like to do.

The Deathly Hallows picksup near the end of Harry’s tale,as Voldemort tightens his gripon the wizarding world and

attempts to locate Harry, who istrying to find a way to stopVoldemort’s reign of terror.

The acting in the movie isphenomenal, with the everimpressive Alan Rickman asSnape, Helena Bonham Carterimpresses as the evil BellatrixLestrange, and the three centricactors, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry),Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) andEmma Watson (HermioneGranger) have really grown intotheir roles over the past sixmovies and are the best theyhave ever been.

The music and locales in themovie are impressive andmoving which really provides agrand scope for the many placesHarry hides at, and for themovie as a whole and doing anexcellent job of it.

Overall, the 2 hour and 26minute long movie may seem abit lengthly for some viewers,but it is well worth the time.This movie does not disappointthe ever faithful fans and willmake fans out of anyone whohas yet to experience the HarryPotter movement.

JANUARY 2011ARTS 16

ZZooeeyy EElliiaassfreshman staffwriter

On December 16 and 21,Billings West High hostedtheir annual holiday musicconcerts.

At the first concert, theChantrelles, Cantus, andConcert choirs, the Concertand Chamber bands, and theChamber Orchestraperformed.

Chantrelles, which isan all girls’ choir group, sangThe Snow Lay on the Ground,arranged by John Coates,Peace Peace, written by Rickand Sylvia Powell, and Frostythe Snow Man, written bySteve Nelson and Jack Rollinsand arranged by Ed Lojeski.

The Cantus choir, whichis an all men’s’ group, sangStopping By the Woods on aSnowy Evening, written byRobert Frost and RandallThompson, Whisper,Whisper!, by Jay Althouse,and Variations on Fa La La,arranged by Chuck Bridwell.In Whisper, Whisper! , therewere soloists freshmen GrantLinde, Ryan Diehl, DylanPetit and Brandon Snedigar,and seniors Zach Moyers,Joe Frank, Garrison Hein.

Concert choir sangPersonent Hodie, which wasarranged by Andy Beck, Pat-a-Pat, arranged by MarkBurrows, and Way Down inBethlehem, which was writtenby Jay Althouse. In PersonentHodie, there were percussionsolos by senior James Rubichand sophmore Taylor Howell.In Pat-A-Pat, there was flutesoloist senior GenevieveSuwara and percussion soloistsenior James Rubich.

Concert Band playedCeltic Carol, which wasarranged by Robert W. Smith,and A Christmas Festival,which was written by LeroyAnderson.

Chamber Band playedWith Sweet Jubilation, writtenby James Curnow, andChristmas Montage, whichwas arranged by James D.Ployhar.

Chamber Orchestraplayed Trepak fromNutcracker Suite, written by

Tchaikovsky and Dackow, andMarch from Nutcracker Suit,which was written byTchaikovsky and Meyer.

To end the night, theChamber band, the ChamberOrchestra, and the ConcertChoir played and sang TheLittle Drummer Boy, writtenby Davis, Onorati, &Simeone.

At the second concert, theWestwinds, Bella Vace, ACafellas, Chamber choir, theMeistersingers, thePhilharmonic Orchestra andthe Symphonic Band allperformed.

Chamber Choir sangGloria, written by Ola Gjiela,and was also accompanied bythe Philharmonic orchestra,Ave Maria, written FranzSchbert and arranged byKirby Shaw, and LullayAlleluia, written by RuthElaine Schram, andaccompanied by orchestrateacher Harmony Hoover onthe cello.

The Meistersingers sangBeautiful Savior, arranged byF. Melius Christianson, withsoloist senior Anna Hovland,Lux Awrumque, written byEric Whitecar, with virtualEric Whitecar conducting,Candlelight Carol, written byJohn Rutter, and O HolyNight, written by PlacideClappeau and Adolphe Adam,also accompanied by thePhilharmonic Orchestra.

The PhilharmonicOrchestra Dance of the SugarPlum Fairy, Arabian Dance,Chinese Dance, and Waltz ofthe Flowers, which were allselections from NutcrackerSweet, all written by PeterTlyich Tchaikovsky. ThePhilharmonic Orchestra alsoaccompanied the chamberchoir on the song Gloria, andthe Meistersingers on the songO Holy Night.

The Symphonic Bandplayed Carol of Bells,arranged by Chip Davis, andSleigh Ride, written by LeroyAnderson.

To end the night, theCombined Band, Orchestra,and Choirs all performed thesong Three Noels, which waswritten by Clare Grundman.

Holiday MusicProgram Andrew Eagle

sophomore staffwriter

Venture Theatre is gettingfunky again.

The high schoolimprovisation troupe, the FunkyBunch has returned after asummer without shows.

The group is under newdirection and coming back afterlosing three members tograduation.

Four of the group hail fromWest High, sophomore BridgetMayer, senior Krista Bailey,sophomore Andrew Eagle andsenior Alex Bush.

The group resumed showsin November and holds a showabout once a month.

In total there are 9 membersin the group all from Billings.

Improv is a form of theatrethat involves acting out scenes,using mimes and coming upwith things on the fly. Usingsuggestions from the audience,the actors in the troupe create

short skits on the spot. Theyperform without any sort ofscript or preparation and noprops.

A schedule for the FunkyBunch shows can be found onVenture Theatre’s website,venturetheatre.org.

Although the group has noshow in January, there will beone held in February. There aremembers from West High,Senior High as well as a homeschooled member.

Each show begins with theMC introducing each member ofthe group that will be playingthat show and giving theaudience an introduction toimprov.

After that the MC wouldcall players to the stage and getsuggestions from the audienceto base the next game on. Afterhe has the suggestion he willexplain the game to the audienceand the actors preparethemselves for the upcomingadventure.

Some of the games that arein the Funky Bunch repertoireare scene based, whereas someare guessing based. An example of a scene basedgame is Adverbs. In this gamethe MC gets a list of Adverbsfrom the audience, ranging fromthe normal “quickly orstrangely,” to the bizarre “JetLi” (because it sounds like itends in “ly”).

A guessing based game isParty Quirks. In this game, oneof the actors starts to host aparty, but he cannot rememberwho he has invited. The hostleaves the room and the rest ofthe actors are assigned people orobjects to be. Then the host isbrought back in, the inviteesenter the room and chaosensues.

These games all requiregreat amounts of skill toperform in and the actorsparticipating in them practiceoften to maintain their skills.

Venture gets FunkyFunky Bunch is back and better than ever

Harry does not disappoint

KKeeeellyy PPaattttoonnjunior staffwriter

A very talented senior fromWest high shines again!

Pierre Hart attendsWest High and takesclasses such asgraphics, digitalillustration andanimation, along withnumerous art classes.Freshman year, Mrs.Dolan was his maininspiration to succeed ina life of art, and for a lotof things let alone art. Heventures into all directions withart and fashion, includingpaintings, and textiles.

When asked what is hisfavorite part about painting, hereplied, “[painting] It’s a zone

out, it is a chance to chill, and itkeeps me happy!” His paintingsexpress a kind of art that is ratherunique and magnificent. There is

an art gallery showing of hispaintings the week of January 3-7 in the West high Art Gallery.

Hart has made many outfits/accessories for some students andteachers here at West. For Mr.Catron, he made a hamster suit,

and Mr. Catron commented, “Itwas awesome, He is a verytalented and creative kid.”

He also ventured in to theplay roles, and made theMain Character sailor suitfor Megan Escene. Hartcreated a pair of pants for anArt institute in New York.Other things like exoticsweatshirts, casual wear andknitted socks can possiblybe created in the future.

Also, he stated, “Ifanyone is interested, I doclothing repairs with

various prices.” Painting and textiles are both

equally important to Hart; heenjoys them both and plans tocontinue with the art for a longwhile.


Gorgeous, geeky, yetathletic was well achieved byactor Garrett Hedlund whenplaying Sam Flynn, KevinFlynn’s son, in Tron Legacy.

Legacy is two thumbs heldup high.

Action, romance, danger,and neon lights are continuousthroughout the film. A moviethat is great for all groups ofpeople from families, geeks,guys, and girls looking for

everytyhing interesting of everysort.

It is a story of a virtualworld called “The Grid” thatwas originally created by AlanBradley and later enhanced byKevin Flynn, his partner incrime. While enhancing theworld of “The Grid”, Kevin goesmissing leaving his son Sam onhis own to own the company hehad built at the age of twelve.

Sam, fifteen years later,stumbles onto his father’s oldoffice under Flynn’s arcade andcauses him to come across a

program that leads into The Gridand the problems in it.

Legacy is the best visualdefinition of software upgrade.Time is easily understood whenwatching what Tron (1982)evolved into over the 28 yearsthat the story spans over.Someone who has not seen theoriginal movie Tron can get thebasis of the world of “The Grid”.

The thrill, loss, and heart arewell played by actors GarrettHedlund, Jeff Bridges (Tron andIron Man), Bruce Boxleitner,and Olivia Wilde who play the

main characters of Tron Legacy.3-D viewing is

recommended only for thosewho do not get vertigo whilewatching movies, because of themany chases on virtual vehiclesthat twist and turn in ways onlya virtual world would allow.

Some critics say that insome of the games first depictedin Tron have been ruined by thedirectors of Tron Legacybecause they seem too different.The intention is to be just thatbecause the film is to depict theupgrade of the program structure

over time. Other Critics give it great

rating due to great upgradedgraphic design of the world AlanBradley created in Tron.

“Tron Legacy boastsdazzling visuals, but its humancharacters and story get lostamidst its state-of-the-artproduction design.” SaysRottentomatoes.com.

“There’s interesting stuff inthis new Tron, particularly somesubversive jabs at the regressivesolipsism of computer games…”reviews The Guardian.

Tron Legacy: 2 thumbs way up


Master classes, what arethey? Do they make membersinto some super amazingmaster of a magical realmafter taking them?

These classes are taughtby masters of various musicalinstruments. The classes teachstudents how to improve amembers performance whenplaying a musical instrumentof preference, not a class thatmakes members into mastersof a magical realm withmythical creatures.

Starting on January 3,these classes will commencefrom every Monday 7-9pm.There will be approximatelynine total classes, dependingon the student turn out.

Signing up is notrequired, walk-ins are

welcome. Master classes areavailable to students whowould like to pursue thiermusical passions.

“Anyone in high schooland living within Montana isinvited,” remarks BandDirector of West High StevePatton.

The student turn out ishoped to be more than fiftystudents, now that there is nolonger any payment requiredfor the lessons. Now thatPatton is directing the masterclass project, he has, to thebest of his ability, gathered thebest instrumental teachers foreach instrument.

Each class will consist ofa single instrument class, suchas trumpet or clarinet, and willbe instructed by a teacher whoplayed the same instrument.The teachers will be showingtechniques to improve playing

quality and ability.Junior Jennifer Thometz,

who played tenor saxophonein a master class last year said,“I’m looking forward tolearning how to solo indifficult jazz pieces.”

Sophomore HannahKellinger, a bass clarinetplayer, recalls how she gotinterested in the classes; “[ Iremember ] Patton talkingabout it every day duringclass.”

Junior Lauren Mollin,member of West High’sUnofficial Clarinet League,says she goes to the masterclasses, “[Because] of thepeople and the music.”

Sophomore SkylarStaszak, another bassclarinetist, says, “I’m goingthis year [to master classes]because I get to hang with myfellow band geeks.”

Master ClassesMusic students attend an extraclass to improve band skills


“A hop, skip, and boatride away…” this is just howfar away Rapunzel’skingdom is.

I have been waiting sinceI first saw Sleeping Beautyand now Disney has finallycome up with an engagingstory based on the GrimBrothers’ fairytale Rapunzel.The princess with the longestset of locks anyone has everheard has finally come to thesilver screen.

Film critic Colin Covert,Minnesota Star Tribune said,“I don’t feel like writing areview of ‘Tangled’. I feellike throwing a parade!”Covert went on to say that hebelieved Tangled was thebest Disney movie since TheLion King.

This story has awonderful blend of romancefor girls, action scenes forboys, subtle humor forparents, and animal sidekicksfor kids.

The cast of voices areperfectly blended. MandyMoore, Zachary Levi, andDonna Murphy do all theirown singing in this film.

You have got melodiousvoice of Moore as Rapunzel.Rapunzel has been groundedfor life and is just dying toknow when her life willbegin.

Levi, who is also known

as Chuck from the TV seriesChuck, plays the antiheroFlynn Rider. Rider is themost wanted thief in thekingdom. And while he wasrunning, he came across a talltower and made the bigmistake of climbing it.

Murphy, a Broadwaystar, plays the maliciousMother Gothel. This selfishvillain is unlike any otherwicked mother for she is ableto twist guilt andmanipulation together to holdRapunzel to confinement.

Then like every goodDisney film there are theanimal sidekicks that makethe film. For Tangled theycome in the form of achameleon named Pascal,and a palace horse known aMaximus.

Pascal is Rapunzel’sonly companion, and isextremely protective of her.He keeps her for losing hermind when she couldn’tstand her surroundingsanymore.

Maximus is a superhorse, with the characteristicsof a hound dog. He stays onRider’s tail throughout thefilm as they play cat andmouse.

This film gets a four starrating. It is the must seeDisney movie of the year,take you brothers and sistersto enjoy this delightful laughof the season.

Rapunzel hasescaped to thesilver screen

West High Senior PierreHart Shares His Talents

JANUARY 2011ARTS 17

“[The hamster suit]was awesome., He is a

very talented andcreative kid.”

Andrew Eagle and AshlynnAndersen

sophomore staffwriter andOpinion Editor

There is a pressing andimmediate threat to our countryand our world. We must preparefor every eventuality and defendour shores against the impendinginvasion. This inevitable dangerhangs over us everyday, ignoredand ridiculed by society and thegovernment.

Those who do not accept itas a threat will surely perish. Likean infection it will spread acrossthe lands, leaving nothing but anempty and desolate wasteland inits wake. We must recognize thisdanger for what it is and takeevery precaution against it; wemust remain vigilant and wemust remove the threat before itconsume us and our foreignbrethren.

The threat we speak of is…ZOMBIES!!!

They may someday be outthere, they could possibly be athreat in the future… sometime.We should be prepared for theirpotential attack.

How does one prepare forthe eventual possibility of a zom-bie apocalypse? Do not answerthat, we won’t hear you because

this is not a spoken piece, it is infact written. For realsies though,zombies could really happen.Diseases and the possibility ofchemical warfare are both capa-ble of creating mass zombifica-tion.

If the zombie apocalypsewere to happen, there are severalmeans of protection you shoulduse. There are three strategiesthat will most likely get youthrough the apocalypse and onesure-fire way to go out with abang (or more bangs if you’re agood shot).

Although there are manytypes of zombies, we will be cov-ering only two of them. The firstare the traditional, run-of-the-mill, walking dead corpses thathave returned to feast on the fleshof the living. The second andmore likely type would be thevictims of a vicious plague thatleaves nothing behind except anempty, ultra-aggressive shell(think rabies or grumpy old peo-ple). Zombies of the first type canonly be killed by destroying thebrain, whereas the second typecan be destroyed through normalmeans, although they feel nopain.

The lucky ones who diewon’t become zombies; insteadthey will be completely con-sumed. The only way you willnot be ingested entirely is if thezombie eating you gets distractedby another source of food. Itmight return in an hour or two,but zombies only like fresh fleshand therefore will not consumewhat is left of you. (Or otherzombies).Think of it like KRAFT™Macaroni and Cheese. It’s greatfresh, but in an hour or two, whatwas once food is now a small liv-ing creature that has no desireother than to live in harmonywith the mer-people.

OPTION ONE: RUN TOTHE HILLS!

This option is best for any-one not prepared for everydaycombat against the undead. It isfairly self-explanatory: youspend a few days or a week at themost gathering supplies andpreparing to head out of town.

Stick to the rural areas and avoiddensely populated zones. Duringthe beginning phases of the zom-bie invasion, there will most like-ly be a rash of lootings and theft.You must be wary of uninfectedpeople as well as the undeadbecause people tend to do stupidstuff when they are in a panic.Try to think of places that otherpeople would not try to gathersupplies from so that you do notget swept into combat with theliving; they can be much worsethan the undead.

OPTION TWO: HOMEDEFENSE! (for realsies)

This method is for the morezealous individuals. Arm yourselfwith silent weapons (like base-ball bats, axes, crowbars, poolcues, tire irons, hammers, spears,bayonets, swords, knives,scythes, hedge trimmers, maces,flails, tridents, pick axes, bowstaves, slings, bows, crossbows,silenced .22 pistols, etc.) Keep afew firearms as well, but usethem only as a last resort. To real-ly reinforce your home againstzombie attacks you must remem-ber a few things. The undeadzombie cannot climb at all, so thebasement is the weakest point ifyou intend to reside there.Destroying stairs connecting thebasement to the ground level willnot stop all of the zombies, butyou can trap many of them wherethey cannot reach you to bedestroyed later. Also, it is a goodidea to prepare a second floor (ifthere is one) as a fall back pointand prepare to destroy the stairsto that floor as well.

Before boarding up all ofyour doors and windows, youshould stockpile food, water andfuel. Always have a planned wayout. If you seal all of the doorsand windows, and then yourstronghold is infiltrated, you’retrapped and dead, well, undead.

The windows are the weak-est points, so secure them withboards and screws or nails. Oncethe windows and doors aresecure, the main thing to remem-ber is remaining quiet so that theundead outside do not target yourhouse. Also, you should havecoverings ready to throw over

windows to prevent light fromescaping through to the street.Zombies would be attracted tolight or sound so if you must uselight, keep it dim and especiallyrefrain from using lights at nightwhen they are most noticeable.

OPTION THREE: HAVEAWALK-ABOUT

Become a walker, (the livingkind) and head for the hills atfirst. Now this may seem a lotlike OPTION ONE: RUN TOTHE HILLS! but in reality thewhole point of this OPTION is toleave society behind when theriots and looting and robbery andbanditry and death and murderand panic and arson and anynumber of other unpleasantthings happen and find yourself anice fortress to wait for the zom-bies. After things have settleddown, you can travel about theworld, as long as you remain alertand prepared to fight, travelingcan be one of the best options.

Be cautious when choosing astronghold, as many people willprobably have their eyes on thesame location. Military bases areusually the most obvious (forgood reasons) but prisons wouldwork, as well as tall buildingsthat have upper floors isolated.

Barricading your fortress isexactly like barricading yourhome; you secure the windowsand other entrances, you makesure there is an escape path, andyou do EXTREMELY THOR-OUGH searches of the placebefore you settle down. It is nogood to fall asleep safe andsecure but wake to your throatbeing torn out.

OPTION FOUR: GOOUT WITH A (MANY)BANG(S)

Buy guns. Lots of guns. Youthen take these purchased gunsand begin slaying the undead at ahigh rate. This is definitely a wayto get yourself killed becausezombies like noise and willapproach the loud sound pro-duced by a gunshot.

In the event of a zombiethreat, now you are fully pre-pared to defend yourself, yourhome, and your country againstdeath from the undead. And sonow, armed with the most dan-gerous weapon of all, knowledge,you as citizens are prepared forthe defense of our land, our gov-ernment, and our internationalfamily. These foul creatures are agreat threat and we must be pre-pared to fight the undead for ourlives. So go, plan your defenses,prepare your homes, and save ourworld.

OPI

NIO

N

KODIAK

ARTS EDITOR

Sally Weinand

FEATURES EDITOR

Kelsey Munsell

NEWS EDITOR

Vickie Contreraz

OPINION EDITOR

Ashlynn Andersen

SPORTS EDITOR

Tawni Palin

COPY EDITORS

Madi MillerKaydee OldhamEmily Sample

WEB EDITOR

Kelsey Munsell

PHOTO MANAGER

Katie Parish

BILLINGS WEST HIGH SCHOOL 2201 ST. JOHN’S AVENUE BILLINGS, MT 59102

The Billings West High Kodiak is an open forum for studentexpression that aims to publish information suitable for WestHigh students of all ages.

Letters to the editor must be signed; the Editorial Board reservesthe right to edit letters for length, accuracy and repetition.

ADVISER

Caaren Cerise

PRINCIPAL

Dave Cobb

STAFF WRITERS

Angelica BauerKatherine ColeDavis ConnelleyJalen CreechAndy EagleZoey EliasMichaila GrantRyan KletteJessica MoodyKeely PattonNikki SandersKendra SchaffGus Sloan

Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT CampusHigh School Newspaper Service

Don’t be left fordead!Learn to protect your home, your loved ones and yourself against thelooming threat of a Zombie Apocalypse

The second and more likelytype would be the victims of avicious plague that leaves noth-ing behind except an empty,ultra-aggressive shell (thinkrabies or grumpy old people).

From Beethoven to Bieber: Themusical decline

Michaila Grantsenior staffwriter

What has happened tomusic in this day and age?Instead of mainstream musi-cians having real talent wherepeople write their own musicand can actually sing, thereare people who just takeother’s songs and cannot singwithout the help of excessiveuse of technology to modifytheir voice.

We now have Auto- tune,which allows anyone tobecome famous without hav-ing any semblance of talent.Examples A and B: JustinBeiber and Ke$ha.

Justin Bieber is a little 16year-old boy who sings songsabout his life and losing lovewhen he has not lived longenough to go through puberty.Little girlsand highschoolers allover theworld fallover them-s e l v e sscreaming ateverythinghe does when he does notactually possess real talent.

Ke$ha modifies her voicewithAuto-tune so that she willsound good on her albums andthen when she tries to sing live

you can tell that she is not asgreat as when she is on youriPod.

There are many singersnow who are like this. With

technology there is no way tokeep the talentless from thespotlight, and the talentedfrom getting overlooked.

Why do people insist onbuying these artist’s albums

and feeding the fire? Peopleinstead should be listening toreal music such as The Who,The Beatles or anythingbesides the lame music of

today thatmakes ourears bleed.

The socalled “greatmusicians” oftoday evenrealize thatsome older

music is better, and that is whymany of them are taking oldsongs and using them in theirnew songs. Some includeEminem using “What is Love”by Haddaway for his song

“No Love” or Flo Rida using“You Spin Me Round” byDead or Alive for his song“Right Round”.

When artists have to startusing other’s songs so thatthey can come up with some-thing new, we have a problem.There is no way that all theoptions for a song have beentaken, and if these artists trulyare good, they should be ableto come up with somethingoriginal by themselves.

The music of this day andage is slowly getting worse, soplease go on to iTunes orwherever you get your musicand find something actuallyworth listening to.

When artists have to start using other’ssongs so that they can come up withsomething new, we have a problem.

New literature is the answerStudent seeks modern literature on Englishreading lists


I often hear “I read thatbook” from my parents andmy grandparents. Many ofthe booksthat weread inE n g l i s hclass arethe sameones thathave beenread forfifty yearsbefore us.

B e c a u s ewe readonly thes a m ebooks, weare miss-ing out on good, modernnovels and authors.

Regardless of whatadministrators, curriculumdirectors, and teachers con-sider to be great classics, notall students enjoy those nov-els.

The likelihood of a stu-dent deriving a new point ofview from a novel aftertwenty years of teachingfrom the same book has thepotential to be mind numb-ing for the teacher.

Most likely, not allteachers are content to teachfrom the same literary works

year after year. If students do not enjoy

what they’re reading, thenthey are less likely to learn.That proves to be a detriment

to thegoals ofour educa-tional sys-tem.

A l lof the nov-els that weread areheavy andd e p r e s s -ing. Veryfew of

t h e ma r eremo-t e l yuplift-ing atall.

N o v -e l sabou tt h eHolo-caust,boys trapped on an island, ateenager on the verge of anemotional breakdown, slav-ery, racism, war and death

are our primary options.It would seem that we

are incapable of learningfrom positive experiences.

But there are also manynovels written with hope inmind. Novels do exist aboutfriendships, overcomingadversity of all sorts and rel-ishing in newfound strength.

Well researched histori-cal novels are now moreavailable and would supple-ment our understanding ofthe significance of key his-torical events that haveshaped our nation and world.

Where are these novels?Not in ourschools.

If the novellists from whichteachers choose

student reading were tobe updated, studentscould actually readauthors who have writtenstories more relevant towhat the students in classface on a daily basis.

Students could getthe tools to recognizeoptions available to themfor any kind of situation.

And students couldactually try to corre-spond with the authorsto learn more about thethemes and informa-tion that they were try-ing to communicate.Overall, I believe

that literary classics aremuch like the musical

classics. There is value in beingaware of them and con-tinuing to study thesenovels, but it would be ofgreat value for the stu-dents of our time to beexposed to a newer gen-eration of authors andworks that are positiveand uplifting as we learn

the mechanics of literaryanalysis, punctuation, struc-ture and form in language asit has evolved.

JANUARY 2011OPINION 11

National Change Your WindshieldWipers Day – Feb 2

Bob Marley Day (Jaimaca) – Feb. 6Boy Scout Day – Feb. 8

National Buy Something Dead and Give it to YourGirlfriend Day – Feb. 14

National Random Acts of Kindness Day and PublicScience Day – Feb. 17

International Mother Language Day – Feb. 21Admire Famous DeadWhite Men Day – Feb. 21

World Thinking Day – Feb. 22National Anthem Day – Mar. 3

International Women’s Day – Mar. 8Harriet Tubman Day – Mar. 10

Pretend You’re Irish Day – Mar. 17

ONTHELIGHTERSIDE

Crazy Holidays that are actuallycelebrated...

January 1, 2011

Documents

new probes

new projectors

tothe west

west academy

west high gotits

new ti nspirecalculators

new type of overheadprojector

kodiak lab