The Comet - Volume 5 Issue 7

Senior Jack Martin has earned a spot in one of the most prestigious institutions in the country. Martin received his acceptance letter to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. on Monday.

According to U.S. News, West Point had an acceptance rate of 10.6 percent in 2011, making it among the top 15 most prestigious schools to be accepted into in the country.

Going into the military has always been a dream of Martin’s, as it has been in his family from past generations.

“My grandpa was in the military, and he was going to teach at the Air Force Academy, so I guess it’s always been a part of my family,” Martin said.

Martin believes the military will benefi t him in a variety of ways. “I hope it helps me become a better leader and a better person, both academically and

physically,” Martin said. The application for West Point was anything but short. Martin had to take a physical fi tness test, a medical physical and a 45-minute eye exam.

He also had to submit his transcripts, ACT scores and a list of activities he is involved in, evaluations by three teachers of different departments and two places of employment and get at least one nomination from a congressional representative.

“West Point won’t even look at your application until you get a nomination from a sena-tor or a congressional member,” Martin said. “So to apply for each nomination is a whole other application process. I ended up with four because I got two from one person.”

After submitting his application in October, Martin had to wait approximately four and a half months to hear whether or not he got accepted into his fi rst-choice school. The wait was excruciating.

“I was checking the mail almost every day waiting to hear something,” Martin said.Martin said it was an honor to be accepted into the prestigious military academy.

“A lot of people apply each year, and I’m very happy to be chosen as one of the people that got accepted,” Martin said.

If Martin had not been accepted into West Point, he was planning on going into the ROTC program while attending Kansas State University.

“I knew it was a slim possibility of getting in, but I applied anyway,” Martin said.Martin looks forward to the discipline that will come along with attending the military

academy. “I’m looking forward to all the structure and meeting all the people I’ll be rooming and

training with for the next four years,” Martin said.There are also downsides to attending a disciplined academy.“Not getting to leave the base [is what I’m not looking forward to,]” Martin said. “The

total days that I get to leave the base on break the fi rst year isn’t even a month for the calender year after I begin there. It gets better over the four years, but it’s still not very much time off and I won’t have very much time at home. [My parents] can come visit almost any time, but there’s limited time I would be able to hang out with them if they came.”

Martin said he would not have been accepted to West Point without the many members from the community that helped him along the way.

“There are so many people that helped me,” Martin said. “The three teachers that wrote evaluations for me were Mr. (Derek) Liggett, Mrs. (Stacy) Henson and Mr. (Kevin) Blair. So I’d like to thank them, and Dr. (James) Hardy and some other people in the community wrote me letters of recommendation. All the teachers that helped me through the process [I want to thank], because I couldn’t have done it by myself.”

Chanute High School guidance counselor Jason Feeback noted all of the hard work Martin has done in order to be accepted.

“Jack put in a lot of hard work to get to West Point, and I think it’s a deserved honor,” Feeback said. “He’s done a great job here, and we’re looking forward to great things in the future from him.”

For the past three years Chanute High School has par-ticipated in Hoop-It-Up For A Cure. This event raises money for CHS’s Relay For Life team.

For the event t-shirts are sold and players and fans wear them for one of the home basketball games.

In the past years, according to StuGo sponsor Karen Gra-ham, Hoop-It-Up For A Cure typically raises around $1,500. This year Gra-ham said around $400 was raised.

Shirts were sold for $15 dollars, with $5 taken from each shirt to go to-ward Relay For Life.

Graham noted that the fi rst year the school did Hoop It Up For A Cure the seniors used the shirts as their class shirts for spirit week. That of course raised more money, but since then the school has still done a great job of raising money.

“CHS students and staff do such a great job raising money for different causes and organi-

zations,” Graham said.Hoop-It-Up For A Cure all

started because of former as-sistant boys basketball coach Eric Holmes. His friend makes the shirts and Holmes showed the shirt idea to Graham. She loved the idea and thought CHS should do it.

Despite raising less money than normal this year, Graham would like to see Hoop-It-Up For A Cure continue.

“I hope we will continue it. It’s for a good cause,” Graham said.

She also ex-pressed how as the program con-tinues there are possibilities for different shirt col-ors.

Hoop It Up For A Cure is for a cause that effects people all around us.

For junior Katy Batten, the cause behind Hoop-It-Up For Cure hits home for her as her mom has been battling with breast cancer.

“Before it wasn’t a big deal to me,” Batten said. “Now it hits me at home. I appreciate all of the donations people give be-cause I know how helpful it is.”

What’s Inside...

News..................... 2Opinion..................3Sports..................4Student Life.........5Arts......................6Entertainment.....7Feature.................8

Pro/Con: Should seminar

end?

Page 3

Page 8

Page 5

Chanute High School 1501 West 36th Street Chanute, Kansas 66720

thecometonline.com

Page 4

Weird Obsessions

Volume 5, Issue 7Friday, March 1, 2013

Page 6

ALEXIS THUSTON

JUNIORLife of a therapy dog is not

what we would consider “ruff.” Chanute High School therapy

dog Aldrin did not get his life of leisure free of charge. Aldrin, named after astronaut Buzz Aldrin, has been at CHS for six years.

At an early age, Aldrin possessed the 19 characteristics a dog must have to become a service dog. He underwent a two-phase training course at the Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services (CARES) training company located in Concordia.

CARES fi rst gets the dogs when they are puppies, then sends them to the basic training that is needed to be a service dog.

The second phase takes place at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility where they give the dog the fi nishing touches of training to become a therapy dog.

Together the phases last 18 weeks.

The primary purpose of a therapy dog like Aldrin is to calm students down and let them relax while with the dog. Grooming and combing Aldrin can be therapeutic for some students.

From teachers to students, most everyone at CHS enjoys seeing Aldrin. Some students actually require they get their

“Aldrin fi x” every day before school starts so that they can have a good day. He is also used to reward students.

In 2006, CHS paid $500 for Aldrin’s training, vaccinations, his certifi cation as a service dog and also to train assistant principal Johnny Lawrence as his handler. Though Chanute Public Schools own Aldrin, when he is not at the school he stays with the Lawrence family.

“(Aldrin) comes home pretty tired on Fridays,” said owner Johnny Lawrence. “If you get to know him and hang around him you will get to see his personality.”

Lawrence said that Aldrin has a special connection with his daughter Jaymi, a sophomore at CHS.

“Having a therapy dog at home is fun because he doesn’t make noise or messes like most dogs do,” Jaymi Lawrence said.

Aldrin isn’t the only therapy dog in Chanute Public Schools, in fact there is a therapy dog at every school in our district.

For many, seeing Aldrin may be the high point of their day. According to Secretary Linda Uden, Aldrin’s favorite part of the day is when the UPS delivery man comes and gives him a treat.

on pointTARA GUINOTTE

SENIOR

STORME JONES

SOPHOMORE

Aldrin avoids the ‘ruff’ life

Piecing together your perfect prom

Look-Alike: Demetri Martin and Brady

Roush

Comet girls face Indy at sub-state

tonight.

Photo Illustration by Danae Decker

Storme Jones/ The CometChanute High School therapy dog, Aldrin, catches a quick nap in the commons area. Aldrin has been a part of CHS since 2006. He helps students in a variety of ways such as relaxing them when they need their “Aldrin � x.”

ham said around pressed how as

possibilities for

Hoop-It-Up For A Cure raises less money than in past years

The expectation of CHS Student Spectators at post season events would be that they comply with rule 52 (Sportsmanship Rule) as mandated by KSHSAA. The purpose of this rule is to encourage only positive behavior at these contests which is a refl ection on our school and its teams. Examples of appropriate behavior: Following the yells and timing of the cheerleaders and band, cheering for outstanding performance and supportive cheers and chants directed toward your team. Examples of inappropriate behavior: Yelling/making distract-ing noises during opponents’ free throws, chants such as “warm-up the bus,” “air ball” and “you got swatted,” rushing the fl oor and yelling players’ names or numbers.

NewsFriday, March 1, 2013

thecometonline.comwww.thecometonline.com Page 2

83days until the

last day of school

72days until graduation

68days until senior

checkout day

49days until

prom

30days until

Ecology Day

14days until

spring break

Comet Calender138 years ago today

1 March 1875: Congress passes Civil Rights Act giving African Americans more equal treatment. The law was invalidated by the

Supreme Court in 1883.

This date in history Ask anAdministrator

Each issue the Comet will ask an administrator a question. To submit a question contact Storme Jones.

Weekend Weather

What are the expectationsof students at post season

sporting events?

- Eric MethvinCHS Athletic Director

Friday

36°Partly Cloudy

20°10% chance of rain

March 3National Breakfast

Week

Saturday

39°22°

0% chance of rain

Sunday

47°36°

10% chance of rain

Counting Down

4

Mostly Sunny

Partly Cloudy

“

“

Word DayAnachronism

Of TheWord Day a·nach·ro·nismN. Something that’s old-

fashioned and maybe a little out of place is anachronistic, like a

clunky black rotary-dial telephone sitting on a desk beside a sleek

new smart phone

Word DayWord Day

BOE Meeting 5:30 PM

6-8State Basketball

8No School

Drama Play 7:00 PM

9Drama Play 7:00 PM

For the complete KSHSAA rule 52 visitwww.thecometonline.com

Linda Springer(620)431-4486

119 E. MainAdd on Facebook at

Merle Norman Cosmetics-Chanute.

12-13Parent-teacher

conferences

12Varsity Tennis

@ Independence 3 PM

14JV Baseball/Softball

@ Home vs. Iola 4:30 PM

JV Tennis @Pittsburg 4 PM

Varsity Baseball/Soft-ball @ Iola 4:30 PM

15-24Spring Break

25JV Baseball/Softball @Home vs. Pittsburg

4:30PM

26-27Spring sports pictures

28Varsity Baseball/

Softball @ Pittsburg 4:30PM

Varsity Golf @Inde-pendence 1 PM

Tennis @Coffeyville 3 PM

Varsity/JV Track @LCHS 2 PM

March/April

April 1Ecology Day

BOE Meeting 5:30 PM

2Varsity Golf @ Iola

3PM

Audrey Bolt/ The CometNewly standing in front of Chanute High School is the marble sign do-

nated by the class of 1984. This sign was once standing at the northwest corner of the location of the old high school. The Archives Committee identi� ed the sign as unique and of historical value. The sign has been waiting in storage for � ve years to be placed at the new high school.

C H S

Advisory takes up the last 25 minutes of school every Friday, every student goes to a teacher that they will have for the rest of high school.

In theory, advisory was a great idea with effects such as checking grades, discussing problems within the high school and being able to trust at least one teacher in Chanute High School.

However, advisory was proven itself to be a grave joke since an abundance of students dread going to advisory instead of the regular weekly schedule.

Are we really using the last 25 minutes of school to the best of its possibilities or has advisory been put forth to merely waste the time of students and even teachers?

Advisory seems to hold students captive in a class every Friday, with the same teacher for every year of high school, doing absolutely nothing. The main dilemma is that there is not a defi nite plan for every advisory

class.Instead of participating in

a productive activity such as discussing course choices for next year or colleges that fi t for the individuals, students sit in the class conversing u s e l e s s l y with each other, staring at their phones and checking the time every two seconds.

If advisory was ruled out of CHS’s schedule, students could fi nd more dynamic activities to join.

One idea is that instead of an advisory class every Friday, the schedule would go back to normal and electives such as art, vocal, and multimedia would get priority that day.

This idea was the schedule before advisory was put

into action. Another idea is to allow

students who have perfect attendance, good grades, and no academic detentions to leave school early on Fridays, while

other students would go to their advisory teacher to work on

fi xing their grades and other tasks.

The last idea is to have each teacher do a certain lesson or an enjoyable activity every Friday, such as board games, college

preparation, club meetings or assemblies. Students would have

to decide where to go before hand, and get stamped to go into said classroom.

This would provide students with

various productive activities to partake in.Although the concept

of advisory is fantastic, the action that takes place

for it is not up to par.

Opinion

The Comet is published nine times per year by the second, fi fth, and sixth hour newspaper classes. The Comet does not accept subscriptions and has a standard advertising rate of $5 per column inch. The paper is available free of charge at Chanute High School, at various locations in Chanute, and can be found online at thecome-tonline.com. The Comet, a four-time winner of the All-Kansas award, is a member of the Kansas Scho-lastic Press Association and Journalism Educa-tion Association. The Comet is printed by Kansas Newspapers LLC in Parsons in cooperation with the Chanute Tribune and is composed by the student staff on DakTech and Dell Computers using Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop software.

2012-2013 StaffCo Editors-in-Chief....Danae Decker and Tara GuinotteNews Editor...................................................Storme JonesOpinion Editor..................................................Jack Martin Sports Editor...............................................Meg LieffringCommunity Editor.....................................Madison WendtArts Editor..........................................................Katie LairEntertainment Editor.......................Sydney KochenderferStudent Life Editor...............................Megan Reeves Feature Editor..........................................Rachel TuckerAdvertising Managers..............Emily Lair and Katie Lair Photography Editor......................................Amy RoeckerGraphics Editor.....................................Madison DispensaOnline Editors..........Alexandra Gwillim and Emily LairReporters/Photographers........Regan Aylward, Mc-Kayla Barnow, Katy Batten, Audrey Bolt, Taylor Catterson, Lamisa Chowdhury, Ashlyn Cole, Macy Flowers, Tara Haight, Katie Martin, John Morris, Matthew Oliphant, Madison Richard, Kelsey Tal-lent, Alexis Thuston, Shelby Trout, Molly WardAdviser..............................................................Dustin Fox

Editorial Policy The Comet will report on and editorialize about controversial and crucial events in the school, community, nation, and world. School editors and writers will, however, observe the same legal responsibilities as those imposed on conventional newspapers and news media. Thus, The Comet will refrain from publication of material that is obscene, libelous, or creates a clear and present danger of the immediate dis-ruption of the school. In determining the type of material that violates the above restrictions, it must be noted that the discrimination of material that invites or simulates heated discussion or de-bate among students or in the community does not constitute the type of disruption prohibited.

The Comet will not be subject to prior re-straints or censorship by school offi cials, un-less material is considered obscene, libelous, or disruptive as previously defi ned. Commercial advertising will be printed, but items and/or ser-vices that are illegal because of age restrictions, etc., will not be advertised. The Comet is a public forum. Since school publications are designed as instructional instruments for students and as a vehicle for student opinion and discussion, the opinions, issues, or articles published shall not be construed as those representing the publica-tion adviser, school administration, or the Board of Education. The contents of The Comet are the responsibility of the student staff.

Get in Touch With UsEmail: [email protected]

1. Letters should be submitted to Room 106 at 1501 West 36th Street, Chanute, KS 66720, given to any staff member listed, or emailed to [email protected] no later than the Monday of the week of publication.2. All letters must be signed, even though the name(s) may be withheld upon request of the writer. Names will be made available, however, to the publication’s adviser, editor-in-chief, and necessary staff members of The Comet.3. A joint letter should not contain more than ten names. If more than ten names appear on the letter, only ten will be published. How-

ever, a complete list of all the other names will be available to the publications adviser, editor-in-chief, and necessary staff members.4. Each letter should be no more than 200 words in length and will be subject to edit-ing and/or cutting. Should editing or cut-ting be required, the writer will be noti-fi ed before publication. The Comet reserves the right to refuse publication. The writer, however, will be notifi ed of such decision.

5. Obscene, libelous, or other material that

might be determined to cause a disruption of the

normal school daily routine will not be printed,

and the writer will be notifi ed of such decision.

pinionFriday, March 1, 2013

Our school dance attendance has declined in the past few years. So what is causing people to not show up?

Some point to the music and say the music is not “dance worthy.” Others blame the lighting, because no one wants to dance in a bright area. But

most people say it is the strict restrictions on our dancing style.

In my opinion, these issues are just tiny issues that can be fi xed. In fact, these issues are currently in the process of changing. The junior class has taken it into their responsibility to create a playlist of appropriate music that people will most likely enjoy dancing to.

This list is posted at the dances and can be added to at any time. If a song is declined from playing, the reason is posted so students can see why. So the issue of no good music is being fi xed.

Our dancing limitations have been increased because our classmates taking their dancing to an overly inappropriate level. As long as students do not take our decade’s style of dancing to an unnecessary level, then our limits and guidelines toward our dancing would not be limited.

I believe that we can have fun dancing without having to be all

over each other. If all you want to do at a school dance is dirty dance then maybe you should consider that you’re the one with the problem, not the dance.

With a little effort, juniors have succeeded in decreasing the amount of light at dances. It is understandable that some students do not feel as comfortable dancing around people with lots of lighting. So turning off more lights is no longer an issue.

I believe that our homecoming dance improved in every one of these issues and more people had fun. Although the dancing limits and music had improved, we need more people to show up and enjoy the dance.

Students need to open up and try new things and give our school dances a try. Now that our dances enhanced you should try coming to our next dance and see for yourself that the dances are enjoyable.

Pro: Seminar helps kids feel connected

thecometonline.comwww.thecometonline.com Page 3

Should we keep Seminar the same at Chanute High School?

Con: Give the time back to the electivesCommentary

Do you think that we should continue to have Seminar at CHS?

Comet Commentary

Jordan HartmanSenior

“No, because it is a waste of time and we never do

anything.”

“No, because I think seniors should get to leave and not have to go to

seminar.”

Beth Ungles Junior

“No, because we basically just sit there

the whole time and don’t

go over our grades.”

“Yes, because it is a nice

and easy way to fi nish the week and sometimes

we get out of school early

because of it.”

Kaley Umbarger Freshman

LAMISA CHOWDHURY

JUNIOR

COMPILED BY JUNIOR MOLLY WARD

MOLLY WARD

JUNIOR

Every Friday we Chanute High School students go to our seminar class or advisory; many have asked what the point is. Does it really better us or should we just get rid of it? I think we should keep seminar on Fridays.

The main point of seminar is to help those kids that are behind or in need of help. National research also shows that every student should have at least one teacher that they can trust, according to Principal Kent Wire.

“Fewer students will drop out when they have at least one teacher they know and trust,” Wire said. “That’s the premise of having an advisor.”

Not all students have an adult friend that can guide them through high school. With high school being very tough and stressful, all students need to have someone that has been through high school, and even college, to help them.

Also, there are over 600 students in CHS and only two guidance counselors. When it comes to enrollment there is no way that our counselors could

deal with all 600 students on their own. Just image that. It would take weeks to fi nish. It would be impossible.

Since we have seminar we are able to have teachers talk to students about enrollment without having to take out class time. This not only saves the counselors some stress, but it also makes the enrollment p r o c e s s go much faster.

Seminar allows students that need guidance in decision making. A student’s seminar advisor allows the possibility for students to form a personal relationship whereas not having seminar would make it less diffi cult to form one.

There’s too many kids to have a personal relationship with enrollment where the counselor just specially helps just you If you don’t take care of it yourself by setting up an appointment it’s hard for them to see all 600 kids.

The other goal is for the seminar teacher to be able to advise the student to do the best

thing for them. We get to have our pep rallies

during school and not cut out a lot of class time. That is a big

bonus. We can have fun but not at the sacrifi ce of

our afternoon classes. Seminar also

allows teachers that need to go work home track meets or the Ralph Miller tournament to go without

h a v i n g to make s e p a r a t e

lesson plans for their seventh hour class.

If we did not have seminar certain teachers would have to miss that last class to help with

events.While I

understand how Friday seminar can be inconvenient at times, it is the

best solution to help kids with enrollment, decrease the dropout rate and make it so kids do not have to miss class or their teachers for special events.

Courtney Dillow Senior

It is well known that our country has a serious issue with obesity. More than one third of American adults are obese. Approxi-mately 12.5 million U.S. children and ado-lescents between the ages of 2-19 years old are obese.

Obesity may lead to heart disease, stroke, type two diabetes and certain types of can-cer. These are some of the leading causes of preventable death. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) found that the medical costs for people who are obese were on average $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.

So what can we do about this? Michelle Obama has improved our diets in the school cafeteria through her “MyPlate” nutrition campaign. However, only having good eat-ing habits is not enough.

Exercise is a vital part of living a healthy, balanced life. When good habits are learned early, it is more likely they will be continued into adulthood. Most doctors suggest thirty minutes of physical activity that gets your heart pumping per day.

The majority of children and teenagers don’t get enough exercise at home to make up for the lack of gym class at school. They

tend to prefer watching television or playing video games inside to taking a walk outdoors or going on a bike ride with friends.

To eliminate the obesity issue, we need to make gym class a requirement in all states. In Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Caro-lina, Illinois and Iowa, physical education is mandatory for all high school students.

These states are the only ones to follow the standards set by the National Association of Sports and Physical Education, which says that school children need to partici-pate in a hundred and fifty minutes a week of physical activity. Twenty-four states and sixty-seven percent of school districts have no P.E. policies.

We at the Comet believe that physical ed-ucation should be a requirement for all high school students. It would improve the health and lifestyle of our student body, and ensure everyone grows up to be healthy adults as well.

Obesity needs to be a priority in schools

ALEXANDRA GWILLIM

JUNIOR

FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Editorial

ALEXIS THUSTON

JUNIOR

KELSEY TALLENT/SOPHOMORE

Dances have improved after complaints discussing course choices for next year or colleges that fi t for the individuals, students sit in the class conversing u s e l e s s l y with each other, staring at their phones and checking the time every two

If advisory was ruled out of CHS’s schedule, students could fi nd more dynamic activities to

One idea is that instead of an advisory class every Friday, the schedule would go back to normal and electives such as art, vocal, and multimedia would get priority that day.

This idea was the

attendance, good grades, and no academic detentions to leave school early on Fridays, while

other students would go to their advisory teacher to work on

fi xing their grades and other tasks.

The last idea is to have each teacher do a certain lesson or an enjoyable activity every Friday, such as board games, college

preparation, club meetings or assemblies. Students would have

to decide where to go before hand, and get stamped to go into said classroom.

provide students with various productive

activities to partake in.Although the concept

of advisory is fantastic, the action that takes place

impossible. Since we have seminar we

are able to have teachers talk to students about enrollment without having to take out class time. This not only saves the counselors some stress, but it also makes the enrollment p r o c e s s go much

Seminar allows students that need guidance in decision making. A student’s seminar advisor allows the possibility for students to form a personal relationship whereas not having seminar would make it less diffi cult to form one.

There’s too many kids to have a personal relationship with enrollment where the counselor just specially helps just you If you don’t take care of it yourself by

lot of class time. That is a big bonus. We can have fun

but not at the sacrifi ce of our afternoon classes.

Seminar also allows teachers that need to go work home track meets or the Ralph Miller tournament to go without

h a v i n g to make s e p a r a t e

lesson plans for their seventh hour class.

If we did not have seminar certain teachers would have to miss that last class to help with

events.While I

understand how Friday seminar can be inconvenient at times, it is the

Concluding its season with a 50-39 loss to the El Dorado Wild-cats in the fi rst round of substate, the Chanute Blue Comet boys basketball team fi nished with an overall record of 11-10.

“Any time a season comes to a close it’s frustrating,” head coach Max Ruark said. “You always look at things you could’ve done differently.”

In the game, the Comets stayed close with their tough defense, but struggled on the of-fensive end with turnovers and missed shots.

Despite the tough loss, the Comets had some high points in their season.

“We were picked to fi nish sixth in the league and we beat every team at least once,” Ruark said. “We also fi nished second in the league which is a pretty excit-ing thing.”

Ruark also commented on the accomplishment of fi nishing the season with a winning record, which is a big step up from last year’s 3-18 record.

Along with their accomplish-ments, the Comets faced some adversity throughout their sea-son.

“We had a lot of things hap-pen outside of basketball that were tough,” Ruark said. “Those things actually brought us closer together and our guys were pretty resilient.”

Ruark mentioned that the low-est point of the season was the 39-37 loss to the Parsons Vikings on homecoming night.

“It was a team that we had beaten at their place and it was not one of our better games of the year,” Ruark said. “That was

a game that we would probably take back for sure.”

The Comets will be losing four seniors: Kody Chase, Brock Gilmore, Jack Martin, and Nick Pryor.

“We’re going to miss all of those guys and what they brought to the table,” Ruark said.

To prepare for next season Ruark said that the team will be getting into the weight room to “put on pounds” as well as look-ing to fi nd younger kids to step up and fi ll roles.

SportsThe Comet

www.thecometonline.com Page 4Friday, March 1, 2013

Junior Katy Bat-ten and senior Madison Richard will have their hustle on full dis-play as they take on Independence tonight at 7:30.

ATHLETE

SPOTLIGHT

B OS

SF

S

How do you feel knowing this is your last year of high school basketball?

“It’s a sad feeling, but I’m ready to move on to college and move on with my life.”

Who do you want to beat the most?

“Labette, because it might come down to that game for who wins sub-state.”

What goal would you like to accomplish this basketball season?

“Become sub-state champs and place at state.”

Do you plan on playing basketball after high school?

“No, I plan on attending Pittsburg State University to further my education.”

How do you feel about having an injury your last year of high school basketball?

“It’s disappointing, I always seem to be getting injured. I was looking forward to this basketball season with the team and having a good year and all.”

How excited are you to continue your football career at Coffeyville Com-munity College?

“Very excited, I have a good opportunity at Coffeyville and am looking forward to seeing what I can make of it!”

What’s your most embarrassing sports moment?“In fourth and fi fth grade my traveling basketball team coach restricted me from dribbling the ball, every time I did it re-sulted in a turnover.”

Girls Basketball

REGAN AYLWARD

JUNIOR

Wrestlers conclude season with top-10 fi nish at state

WrestlingBoys fall to El Dorado in fi rst round of sub-state

Boys Basketball

Friday, March 1, 2013

Seeking to repeatComets’ sights set on return to state tourny, face Independence in sub-state semis tonight

Meg Lie� ring/The CometSophomore Chase Cole looks to the referee for an explanation during one of his state matches. Cole was one of eight Blue Comets to qualify for the Class 4A State Wrestling Tourament. Cole failed to place, but picked up some valuable points which helped the Comets � nish ninth as a team.

SHELBY TROUT

SENIOR

Madison Richard/The CometSophomore Derek Sharp rises for a jumper against Fort Scott earlier this season. The Comets won the game. With the loss of four seniors, including two starters, Sharp will be counted on to take on even more of a scoring role for the team as one of the top returners for the Blue Comets next year.

With a ninth-place fi nish in Class 4A at the state tournament the Blue Comet wrestling team wrapped up a successful season that included the school’s 11th SEK title.

Senior Jared Fiscus and sophomore Adam Cole led the way for the Comets with third-place fi nishes at state, while senior William divine and freshman Nick Ornelas earned medals with sixth-place fi nishes.

Divine was the fi rst Chanute wrestler to place in heavyweight since 1988, and Ornelas was the third freshman to ever place in school history.

Coach Andy Albright said the contributions of his senior class which included Divine, Fis-cus, state qualifi er Cody Howell, Bobby Allen, Josh Smeed and Abron Weaver, were invalu-able.

“I was real pleased with the seniors all year; they defi nitely helped us get better and get our program going in the right direction.”

Overall Albright was very proud of the over-all season.

“Not a lot of headaches” Albright said.The Comets were in third place after the

opening day of the state tournament.“Day one was great, defi nitely pleased that

the boys that made it to state, they wrestled tough, everyone improved, we lost some close matches on Saturday but that is just part of it.”

Sophomores Chase Cole, Alex Son and Ethan VanAnne also competed for the Comets at state.

With the return of fi ve state qualifi ers next year, the future is looking brights for Albright.

“I am really excited about next year and to start working harder,” Albright said.

KATIE MARTIN

JUNIOR

A After tearing her ACL on senior night last week, senior Darian Rubow (left)

had to be carried off the court. On Wednesday, in the Blue Comets’ 68-44 fi rst round sub-state victory, Rubow was all smiles as she got one fi nal opportunity to take the court for the Blue Comets.

Head coach Dustin Fox came up with the idea to have Rubow enter the game if the Comets had the game in hand after learning of the ACL tear.

With her mobility limited, Rubow entered the game in the fourth quarter and stayed on the offensive end of the fl oor. Rubow scored the Comets’ fi nal four points, much to the delight of her teammates, including freshmen Kaley Umbarger (13), Sierra Thompson (12), Paige Kidwell (25), Madi Rollins (32) and Anna Bagshaw (11), pictured above.

“It was absolutely amazing,” Rubow said. “The feeling is almost indescrib-able. It was a mix between being super nervous, excited and a little bit sad that it was my last time on the court with these girls. It’s defi nitely going to be a memory that will stick with me the rest of my life.”

Coming off a 68-44 fi rst round sub-state victory over the Parsons Vikings, the top-seeded Blue Comets girls basketball team is one step closer to a return to Class 4A State Tournament in Salina.

The Comets will face the fi fth-seeded Independence Bulldogs tonight at 7:30.

Chanute and Independence has met twice already this sea-son, with the Comets winning both games, 49-25 in December and 47-30 in early February.

The early matchups mean little according to Blue Comets head coach Dustin Fox.

“Those games are over and done with. We know they were be motivated to get us this time, and we expect a competitive game,” Fox said.

The Bulldogs are led by junior standout Anna Hignight.

“She’s an excellent player, and we know we have to contain her,” Fox said.

If the Comets win they will face the winner of the Labette County and Circle semifi nal matchup on Saturday at 6 p.m.

The team is excited about the opportunity to potentially play in a second-straight state tourna-ment.

“I excited to beat Indepen-dence so that we can contend for a sub-state championship and have a chance to go back to Salina,” senior Shelby Trout said.

When senior Shelby Trout’s dad passed away in October of 2010, her life was changed im-mediately. Because of the sud-denness of her dad’s death, Trout found it challenging to cope with the situation.

With many loyal friends and supportive family, Trout had many people to talk to.

According to her, getting into the daily life activities after the tragedy was diffi cult, but once she got the hang of it, she felt like it was a lot easier to deal with the situation.

“I feel like I came out stronger after it happened,” Trout said.

Starting the support group, Good Grief, did not immediately come to mind after the death of her dad. But Trout strongly felt like the support group was needed at Chanute High School in order to

help other students who had also lost close family members.

“It does make it a lot easier, just getting it all off of your chest with people that actually understand you,” Trout said.

Unlike most kids over Christ-mas Break who were sleeping in, Shelby took an online class with her mom through a program called Rainbows. The class consisted of three days, and an exam at the end of the program.

Trout found the class a little bit diffi cult, but interesting at the same time. She found that there was a lot of information about the griev-

ing and coping process she didn’t realize was there until she took the class.

“Being able to see it fi rst-hand has helped me out a lot,” Trout said.

The group started meeting every Wednesday during Comet Time since the beginning of sec-ond semester.

Every Wednesday, the group has a different topic they talk about. Some of the subjects dis-cussed have been who a person has lost, what happened to the person, and emotions, and anger.

Trout believes that talking about these things has defi nitely helped her, as well as the other stu-dents that can relate.

“It is really cool to see how other people have felt after their parent has died,” Trout said.

Other members of the group include freshmen Kylie Hand and Dylan Carry, juniors Alexandra Gwillim and Lamisa Chowdhury

and senior William Divine.Trout’s main goal is to be a sup-

port system to her fellow students that need someone to talk to when no one else can, or when no one else understands.

Trout defi nitely wants to keep the group going for many years to come, even though she is leaving for college next year.

“I just hope that we can keep it going in the school,” Trout said.

Not only does Trout want to keep the group going within Chanute High School, but also in Royster Middle School and Cha-nute Elementary School.

Trout believes that younger kids need a strong group of peers that can relate to each other, just as much as high school students do.

Trout says that anybody that has lost a parent or loved one, is not pressured to come, but should come to a meeting and try it out. Anybody that can relate to the loss of a loved one is welcome.

Student LifeFriday, March 1, 2013

thecometonline.comwww.thecometonline.com Page 5

TARA GUINOTTE

CLUB FOCUS

FBLAMCKAYLA BARNOW

FRESHMAN

STAR STUDENT

MOLLY WARD

JUNIOR

Proud supporter of the Chanute Blue Comets

(620) 431-60702103 S. Sante Fe

Chanute, KS 66720

Please Recycle

I feel like I came out stronger after it

happened.”“I feel like I came “I feel like I came

- Shelby Trout, Senior

Shelby Trout

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is an organization sponsored by teacher Sherri Bagshaw.

The mission of FBLA is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.

The student leaders of FBLA are seniors Shelby Trout, President, Madison Richards, Vice President and Mallory Flowers, Treasurer.

The students of FBLA sell Comet apparel at all home athletic events. The proceeds go to whichever charity they choose to participate in on Ecology Day.

Currently, there are around 25 students involved in FBLA. Any student, of all four grades are welcomed to join.

FBLA gives students an opportunity to learn what it is like to run a business.

“I try to just provide them with opportunities to see what responsibilities it takes to run a business, and the hard work it takes to be successful,” Bagshaw said.

The star student for this issue is Tara Guinotte. Gui-notte’s GPA is 4.0. She tries her best to be a leader and role model for others.

Guinotte participates in many school activities in-cluding Spirit Squad, NHS, newspaper, StuGo, Junior Lions and Junior Rotary.

In these activities she holds three offi ces: KFEA offi cer, NHS president, and is co-editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

Guinotte enjoys AP calcu-lus because they get dessert every Friday. Guinotte also enjoys Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Future plans for Guinotte consists of graduating and going to college.

Guinotte plans on go-ing to Washburn University and pursuing a career in the medical fi eld. She looks for-ward to the new experiences college will bring her.

As leader for our com-munity, Guinotte has done many volunteer activities such as bell ringing, the blood drive, pancake feed, Cherry Street gift wrapping and little girls’ cheer camp.

Guinotte has liked be-coming a leader because it allows her to be a role model for underclassmen.

“I think leadership will help me out in my future career as I work hard to ac-complish my goals.” Gui-notte said.

Good grief: Senior fi nds comfort in helping others deal with loss

EMILY LAIR

JUNIOR

Danae Decker/The CometWith the passing of her father in 2010, senior Shelby Trout has created a support group at Cha-nute High School called Good Grief. Good Grief is focused on helping students who have lost loved ones cope with their loss. The group meets on Wednesdays during Comet Time. Any student is welcome to attend the meetings if they can relate to the loss of a loved one.

Alexis Thuston/ The CometFreshman Trey Eustice practices on his tuba during band class. The band

played at every home basketball game during the winter. Their songs, including the Comet � ght song, got the crowd on its feet while the cheer-leaders cheered along with their tunes creating an upbeat atmosphere.

P M P

One can hardly go a full day of school here at CHS without hearing the word; prom.

And why not? It’s a fabulous night where nearly every girl is subject to dress to the nine’s. To go all-out. To create a memora-ble night with all of your friends and classmates.

After all is said and done, memories and pictures are all that remain. The focal point, of course and most obviously, be-ing the dress. Not just any dress, THE dress.

And naturally, a perfect dress leads to a perfect prom.

Every girl puts (or should put) in full effort in the hunt for THE dress. This year, what is going to make what you wear the night of prom stand out from everybody else’s? It’s up to you.

Will it be because of your statement shoes or your state-ment jewelry? The dress because of its simplistic style, or the dress because of its avant-garde fl air.

The dress with such fl air, it

pushes to the boundaries... to the limits of all things prom that no-body will ever forget it.

One may wonder who they will take with them, what their price-range is, when they are go-ing shopping, or where they’re going to buy it.

First, make a date to go shop-ping. It’s a full day extravaganza especially if you’re planning to go to further destinations such as Kansas City, Wichita or Joplin.

Know what you want, but still go in with an open mind. Re-search a little bit and casually fl ip through some prom magazines. to spark your imagination and catch up on the trends of 2013.

Prom dresses should be care-fully selected for quality and fi t. Make sure you have your exact, recent measurements on hand if you’re ordering it in.

It is also important to know this when altering your dress,

which will most likely need to happen.

Sew Simple is a great solu-tion in town to have your dress altered to absolute perfection. (See ad below)

It’s essential to try on a vari-ety of styles, shapes, colors etc. Although it may look silly on the rack, a dress can completely transform once it’s actually on a fi gure.

Note: Putting on a pair of

heals also can aid in the visual perspective of a dress for the full effect.

Create a price range before you go shopping.

Seventeen magazine poll found that 94 percent of girls plan on spending more than $195 on a prom dress prior to shoes and ac-cessories.

Department stores such as Dillards, Macy’s and J.C. Pen-ny’s offer dresses at lower prices while specialized prom stores with higher-end dresses tend to be more expensive.

There are pro’s and con’s for both. While department stores are cheaper, the quality can slack and the odds of somebody else having your dress can rise.

Specialized prom stores are more expensive, but the dresses tend to be more elaborate and detailed.

Altogether, it doesn’t very well matter where you buy your dress, how much it costs and other details.

Surely everybody’s dress will be absolutely, remarkably fabu-lous. As long as it’s not camo. Kidding, but seriously.

ArtsFriday, March 1, 2013

thecometonline.comwww.thecometonline.com Page 6

Singer/Songwriter

The reason a song is written has a lot of different elements of how it happened.

Usually when someone wants to express themselves, sometimes they turn to writing some kind of poem or story

There isn’t an offi cial way to write a song however, but most people who study and major in music may insist that there are defi nite directions of how to.

Different styles of music obviously have completely different structures. I believe everyone has their way of appropriately doing what they like to do.

It is a natural process. Songs aren’t just something a person can churn out easily. There should be an organic component in the fi nal product, something that has some sort of meaning.

But what draws the line between the good and bad? To truthfully say, there isn’t really a “best” type of music out there. It would be like trying to argue over whose opinion was better. In reality, neither opinion is actually correct, it can’t be proven.

Most traditional folk songs, for instance, have basic or general structure of a chorus, verse and an occasional bridge.

There are many ways to help and inspire different methods of looking at songs. Some of the famous musicians such as John Lennon and Paul McCartney turned to drug use (which is something I don’t condone) to get their inspiration.

Another writer, Bob Dylan, focused on his journey describing the major events of his life. Some of Dylan’s songs revolved around his recovery from a motorcycle crash and eventually converting to Christianity.

Mainly, folk songs have taken the role of storytelling of the tragic lives of the poor and rich. They have also been used as past-times, jobs and even protesting.

Songwriting, in conclusion can be a fun and interesting hobby. It only takes a bit of practice!

Commentary

KATIE LAIR

JUNIOR

MATT OLIPHANT

JUNIOR

The Comet

is onlinewww.thecometonline.com

Fashion

Sophomore Alex Mo-ran is the featured Creative Comet. This was a class assign-ment called “Circle/Square.” Moran drew classmate Devin March in his project. The piece of art was created with pastel.

A perfect dress leads to a perfect prom

Scouting

out the shopsScouting

WatercolorsKansas City, MO

Great because you can order in your dress in the exact

style, size and color of your choice through the store.

-Regan Aylward, Junior

Talk of the TownChanute, KS

Betsy (owner) is great! And if your date gets his tux there you can

receive 10% off. Tons of different dresses both long and short.

-Lacey Backes

Natalie M. BoutiqueKansas City, KS

Lots of bigger sizes. Discount rack option. Somewhat out-

dated gowns and messy.-Emily Lair, Junior

T.J. FormalJoplin, MO

Wide variety of designer dresses. Can be pricey, but there’s also bargain room

-Molly Ward, Junior

The Gown GalleryWichita, KS

Nice lay-out for the store, the dresses can satisfy almost any one’s style and the people there are nice

without being pushy.-Katie Martin, Junior

PARROT-fa-NALIAWichita, KS

Lot's of dresses, great styles. It may overwhelm you due to the fact it’s unorga-

nized-Tara Guinotte, Senior

CamilleKansas City, KS

Have tons dresses at reason-able prices, helpful service and

really nice dressing rooms.-Meg Lieffring, Senior

Lorees Bridal & FormalPittsburg, KS

Nice service. Instead of a gi-ant store they have a quality selection of dresses verses a

quantity-Madison Richard, Senior

Visit us atthecometonline.com

Good Luck Comets!

Visit us atthecometonline.com

Creative Comet

>Ladies, step back. I know my belt buckle is huge, but I gotta go do cowboy stuff.

That awkward moment when you’re goal is to go tree camping in Germany (but you keep thinking its in Europe).

Brady Roush Senior

Demetri MartinComedian

Look-alikes

Really?

Guess Who! Entertainment

Friday, March 1, 2013

thecometonline.comwww.thecometonline.com Page 9

Ruzzle, Waleno latest crazes

Tweet

For

All

My Goal: to go tree camping in Germany.

Top Apps

Aca-Awkward Babbles

SYDNEY KOCHENDERFER

SENIOR

AUDREY BOLT

JUNIOR

• There are more chickens than people in the world (at least before that chicken-fl u thing).• Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.• Nutmeg is extremely poison-ous if injected intravenously.• John Lennon’s fi rst girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles.• Chinese Crested dogs can get acne.• A cat’s jaw cannot move sideways.

I think I seriously might become a secret agent after today.

I’m so comfortable. I’m born to be a cowboy.

Greater Than, Less ThanTAYLOR CATTERSON

JUNIOR

Bear-y Clever!

Fruit Humor

Upcoming Movie Releases

• Oz: The Great and The Powerful

• 21 and Over• The Croods

• The We and I • Love and Honor

• Admission

Audrey Bolt and Molly Ward/Juniors

Alexis Thuston and Matt Oliphant/Juniors

Everything’s funnier when you’re supposed to be quiet.

Finding old pictures of your parents>

The fact that spring break is 16 days away.....including weekends ! >>>>>>>>

Walk-in closets > Normal closets

Waking up in the middle of the night and real-izing it’s way earlier than you thought it was>>

Peanut butter girl scout cookies << thin mint girl scout cookies

FLOWERS!!! (except when you’re allergic to them)>>

I’m not late, everyone else is early.

Clues:• Her last name is a brand of candy.

• Her hair is curly.

• Her fi rst name is not spelled the way you’d think it

would be.

Let’s face it; all it takes to get me to go some-where is the promise of food.

It’s senior Ally Russell!

That awkward moment when Fox thinks you could be a librar-ian.

That awkward moment when you try to imitate rage comics.

That awkward moment when your friends are all missing during lunch, and you’re forced to awk-wardly sit there by yourself while others stare at you with sympa-thetic eyes.

That awkward moment when you are offi cially a curling champ.

That awkward moment when you fi nd your dad watching “The

Bachelor” by himself. That awkward moment

when a guy knows more “Pitch Perfect” songs than you.

That awkward moment when your phone is dead by third hour because of Waleno and What’s The Word.

That awkward moment when you just feel awkward for other people.

That awkward moment when someone asks is you want to feel their ‘dog jaw’, then at-tempts to bite you.

“I’m smoother than warm peanut butter!” “... what?”

• a brand of candy.

• Her hair is curly.

is not spelled the way you’d think it

Our generation has become The Technology Generation. Elders have always gotten onto us for staring down at our phones, tablets, and computer screens instead of interacting the way they used to.

They question us, “What are you doing on those devices you crazy kids?”

The answer is simple, using addicting apps! There is an endless range on apps available to

us, no wonder why we are on our electronics all the time.

There is an app to appeal to any kind of person, ranging from virtual cooking to word games.

One of the most used apps that many of your peers are caught on during class is a word game called Ruzzle. In Ruzzle you challenge your friends to see who can fi nd the most words out of a selected group of letters in a limited amount of time.

If it is not that app, then surely for the girls it is Wanelo. It is an app that shows every shop-ping addicted girl everything they never knew they wanted. They show shirts with witty movie quotes, hamburger beanbag chairs, and so much more!

A popular one that has been one of the most used apps for quite some time would be Instagram.

Instagram lets you share the photos you take. The pictures range from a night out with friends to different views of the work of art. You can like

pictures of your family or even your favorite ce-lebrities too.

An app that has really made a big splash would be Shazam. Ever heard a song on the radio and you search like a maniac but still can’t fi nd the informa-tion on it?

Well, BOOM! With this app you simply hold your iPhone to

the music source and wait while the app listens and fi nds the information on the song playing.

So if you have not already, download these apps. We want elders to keep wondering what we are doing on those electronic devices of ours!

The Comet’s Top Apps of March

• Ruzzle • Waleno • Instagram • Shazam • Flashlight • Transparent Screen

NEED COMET GEAR?

WWW.GTMTEAMSTORE.COM/CHANUTEGEAR

PLEASERECYCLE

Feature thecometoneline.comFriday, March 1, 2013 Page 8

Answer: The Chanute TribuneBack to School Subscription Special:

New Subscribers, 9 Months for $40.00*

To subscribe, call: 620-431-4100* New= Expired for 60 days or more. Total includes tax

310 W. Cherry • Chanute, KS 66720 • 620-431-4100 or 1-800-794-9392

GRAPHICS BY SENIOR RACHEL TUCKER

Strange Obsessions

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Most people have at least one obsession with something, and here are a few found here at CHS.

.