Titan Scroll February 3, 2012

Titan Scroll

lswestonline.comLee’s Summit West High School

2600 SW Ward RoadLee’s Summit, MO 64082

Friday, February 3, 2012Volume VIII, Edition 7

Future VotersGirls Swimming heads for conferencePg. 26 Pg. 7

Flag FootballPg. 27

As Valentine’s Day nears, teachers share stories, and students find ways to celebrate the holiday

2 • News • Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • February 3, 2012

On the Cover Editor in ChiefSydnee Owens

Assistant EditorsHaley Roach and Katey Stoetzel

Graphics Design EditorJesse Eiskina

Assistant GraphicsKylie Lanning

Photography EditorAriel Thompson

Assistant Photography EditorsJudd Kirn and Joey Franke

Copy EditorTaylor Jensen

Advertising ManagerGabrielle Hayden

Business ManagerNicole Conniff

Distribution ManagerAaron Brower

Nia AlexandriaNikki Andriano

Meg Britton-MehlischAnnie GreenwellClaudia GuthrieTiffany JenkinsRiley Manning

Elizabeth MosakowskiMeg PetersonAnna Poudel

Joe Snodgrass Abbey StoetzelKiersten West

Maddy ArsenaultEmily EverhartNathan FosterKathryn HilgerLydia Hunter

Morgan JohnsonThomas Langham

Hailee LongRyan MillerAlex PalmerBailey Romi

Hailey SkinnerMichelle StoutJade Thomas

Ben WelchMatt Welch

Writers Photographers

Merrilee BoughanLindsay BradyHayden HulverJustin HunleyNate MitchellCarlie NashJosh Noe

Tristan OwenDerec Owens

Danny PoeschlBrooks Rast

Page Designers

Staff ArtistMeagan Shanahan

AdviserCarol Ullery

Buisness AdviserKarrie Smythia

The Titan Scroll is a student publication of Lee’s Summit West High School. It welcomes all letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit for libel and

for space. No unsigned letters will be printed. Letters may be dropped off in Room 2048 or mailed to 2600

SW Ward Road,Lee’s Summit, MO 64082.

Volume 8 of the Scroll is published 12 times during the 2011-2012 school year. The opinions contained do not in any way represent the Lee’s Summit West

faculty, administration or the R-7 school district administration or school board.

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pg. 25 pg. 22

pg. 6Roses are red, violets are blue, Valentine’s Day is here, and love is too.

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Opinion

A & E

Feature

Sports

NewsWake up America

IB always studyin’

The pressure’s onMall shopper or thrift store hopper?

Staff Ed/Katey’s Conundrums

A Bug’s life/ Well...if you ask me

pgs. 10-11Living with Tourettes

pg. 28

pg. 13pg. 12Ohms: fully loaded

V-day Mad Libs

Marry me?

Courtwarming

“Fault in Our Stars” Review

“Foxy” Tunes

Superbowl: Predictions and Party Treats Joe Knows

Wrestling with Weight

Bonding Ballers

Freshmen hit the court

Swimmers: StateBound

Flag Football

Voters on the Rise

Courtwarming pg. 28

pg. 4

There are cycles to a year; winter, spring, summer, and fall, all of that is common knowledge. But as the days con-tinue to rise and fall like a roller coaster, so does the weather. In the last month alone this area ex-perienced weather far outside the norm. At a time when winter jackets were nor-mally broken out of hibernation, people are decked out in short sleeves and even shorts. Lee’s Summit wasn’t alone; NASA re-ported that not only is January outside of its normal weather patterns, but so was the entire year of 2011. Sophomore Ally Ralls said that she be-lieves she knows the answer to the weird weather and it’s right outside the window. “…we can see through the temperatures daily and the fact that we don’t have any snow yet, that global warming should be a well-accepted fact.” Ralls is one of many who chalk the up the unusual weather to climate change-a topic that has been creating controversy for years. The topic of climate change or global warming, as it’s more popularly known, always brings up a bucket load of questions and everyone has different an-swers. When it comes to the weather aspect, meteorology teacher Megan Mitchell said it will take more than one weird winter to fully convince her that it’s global warm-ing. “I don’t know if I necessarily believe

that global warming is going on,” said Mitchell. “Last year was just a weird year weather wise. We had a blizzard in Kansas City, which we like never have, so maybe

it was just one of those years, or it could mean that it’s getting warmer. It’s just hard for me to believe that it’s going to be glob-al warming when the last two years were so much colder than average.”

One piece of evidence that is often brought up is Earth’s patterns. All it takes is a look in a science book to see that the Earth has undergone many changes over

the years. From the Ice Age to the Pa-leogenic Period, Earth isn’t a new comer when it comes to changing climates. Sophomore Angela Becthold said, “I don’t believe in it [global warming], be-

cause I really don’t think the world is getting warmer, I think it’s going through a cycle.” While Ralls disagrees. “It is a well-accepted fact that the earth goes through heating and cooling periods. The fact is that this one has been ac-celerated through the fact that we have fossil fuels in our atmosphere acting as a greenhouse with our heat.” Becthold and Ralls may be sure in their beliefs, though others like Soph-omore Madelyn Cox-Guerra are still speculating. “I don’t enjoy the recent sporadic weather very much. I think it could have something to do with cli-mate change, but I think it’s also im-

portant to see that it could happen regard-less of global warming or because of other factors or things,” said Cox-Guerra. In the end though, there is much de-bate over who is to blame. Are humans destroying their own home, and planet Earth is reacting to pollutants. Some, like Becthold, don’t see much of a difference and believe that the Earth will go on just fine. Becthold said when it comes to future generations “it’ll probably be like the same.” While others like Ralls believe that the problem is a human one, one she sees every day. “I have watched several docu-mentaries that have shown what happens when we release greenhouse gasses in the form of fossil fuels and I myself drive a in-sanely ginormous truck. So it’s what I see every day when it comes to the exhaust that’s let go.” Even the scientific community is split. In a survey done by the Statistical Assess-ment Service at George Mason University, 489 scientists were surveyed and while 97 percent believed that “global average tem-peratures have increased during the past century,” there were only about 29 per-cent who were confident that “scientists understand the size and extent of anthro-pogenic [human] sources of greenhouse gases.” Five percent thought that humans had no effect on greenhouse warming. “I think that at this point we have to rec-ognize that it’s a theory and it hasn’t been fully accepted into the scientific world yet and I don’t want to base my beliefs on a theory,” said Cox-Guerra. Either way, whether speculators or firm believers in or against global warming, most agree environment should be pro-tected. “I’ve heard that by reducing our fossil fuels then we would be able to not just stop global warming and all the effects that are happening but also future effects,” said Ralls. Cox-Guerra agreed, “Regardless of if global warming is real or not, I think it’s important that the environment is kept safe and that we use reusable materials because whether you’re an environment freak or not, we can’t let our resources run out.”

February 3, 2012 • News • Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • 3

Global Warming Fact Or Fiction?

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IB benefits: bonus or bogus?Taylor Jensen

Being confused by the enrollment process is not something new, it was there in middle school and again in high school, but for many students the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is now being considered. IB, offered at West since the school’s opening, serves as yet another stepping stone to college, like the challenging advanced and honors classes. Typically, students who dedicate themselves to the IB Certificate or Diploma are students already taking advanced classes. West IB Coordinator Blake Little said, “There’s an adjustment. Kids in advanced classes are better prepared. I think sometimes the rigor is shocking and challenging.” IB classes can be taken at pick and choose, which makes for Certificate candidates, but those pursuing the diploma must take the four IB core classes, Theory of Knowledge, foreign language, and selected electives. Alex Katzfey, a 2011 West graduate, took four IB courses: IB Art, History, Spanish, and English. “Originally, I signed up for the IB classes thinking like ‘hey, why wouldn’t I try and obtain some college credit while still fulfilling my high school education requirements at the same time?’ It seemed like a great idea. I also had always taken the advanced classes before so this just seemed like the logical next step,” said Katzfey. That next step needs to be planned out though. IB classes are offered starting junior year and most require the dedication of both junior and senior year. Hannah Bowman, also a 2011 graduate, took IB History and Psychology. She said, “Try IB but only if you like the subject. If you don’t like history, don’t take two years of difficult history courses; take government instead. But it’s helped me a lot and it’s worth it.” Little said the basic skills students need to have in college in order to be successful are constantly stressed in IB: managing time, communicating effectively, working together, studying, and taking tests. Katzfey said, “The IB classes were a great deal of help to me, especially when studying for the history essay tests. Study and time management skills were definitely stressed in IB.” Little even goes as far to say that IB kids, especially Diploma candidates, are a lot more challenged in high school than in the first couple years of college. Bowman credits her college 4.0 GPA to her high school IB classes. Katzfey said, “Obviously the course workload is more

strenuous and demanding in IB, but I played sports, had a social life and took four IB classes, so it’s doable. I know how to take lecture-based notes now due to history, and writing English papers is a breeze compared to the papers we wrote for IB English.” Currently attending the University of Kansas, Katzfey benefited in more ways than just learning helpful habits. Receiving college credit is one of the main incentives for students to sign up. Little said the average IB Diploma Student gets 25-30 college credit hours. The most he has seen in the past three years was 46 credits. Bowman said, “I ended up with 12 IB hours up at

Northwest Missouri State. I got out of one of the most commonly failed classes with history hours and I got to register with sophomores because I was far ahead in credits.” Katzfey received a little over the average with 32 hours, but she knows from experience that if students don’t plan ahead, setbacks are bound to happen. “I didn’t really think out the whole situation of taking IB classes that wouldn’t transfer or would rarely transfer to the college of my choice. Because I chose KU over MU, I missed out on 11 hours of college credit due to the fact that KU only takes 6s or 7s in a lot of the categories. If I did get a 5 on my exam, all I got was an exempt from a certain basic level class,” said Katzfey. The exams are taken at the end of each IB course and costs money unless the student is a Diploma candidate (the school district covers the expenses). The exams are scored on a scale of 1-7, one being the

lowest and seven the highest. The results of the exams determine both the amount of college credit received through the high school and the credit the college of your choice will grant. “I just wish I would have known which schools I was interested in going to and what scores I had to make in order to get the most hours possible for my money,” said Katzfey. “Just make sure you look ahead at schools and what they accept before you pay for classes that will not transfer to your university.” Rachel Paddock, a 2011 West Graduate, had a less-than pleasant experience with her IB English class. “In IB you have to take the class and score well

enough on an exam to get college credit. I took IB English and had to take a test and get a certain score to get college credit, which I didn’t get.,” said Paddock. “I lost three credits for that, so I lost about $784.80.” Most colleges now have a section of their website explaining dual-credit and the scores needed to apply them. While IB is highly regarded at West, many are concerned with the recognition outside of Lee’s Summit. Katzfey said, “The only way they recognize IB is by giving you some credit. Some teachers don’t even know what it is to tell you the truth.” On the other hand, Little said that “at this point in time, IB credit is recognized universally” but he goes on to say it depends upon the classes and how the school transfers the credits. To be on the safe side, students should be sure to contact the schools they’re interested in and do their research to avoid disappointment later. Paddock said, “I was told by West that IB was the best option so I just went off of

that. I wish I would have known that if you aren’t doing the IB Diploma, then college credit classes are a much more beneficial choice for college gen. ed. requirements.” If a student is debating between sticking to their regular courses or attempting to tackle an IB class, both Paddock and Little have some guidance. “Unless you are doing the IB Diploma, I think that college credit classes are a much better choice. I took College Algebra which was just a college credit class through Longview and didn’t have to take a test. I just had to get a C in the class to be guaranteed college credit,” said Paddock. “I think college credit classes are a much better option because as long as you get a C in the class, you get the college credit.” Little said, “I don’t think there is a single reason a student shouldn’t take at least one IB course, especially if they’re college-bound. Students should take some sort of college credit in high school and IB is one of them.”

Seniors Anna Hunter and Megan McGehee remain focued during and IB Biology experiment, just as they must do in all their classes. The two are in the group of Titans working toward an IB diploma. Photo by Lydia Hunter.


Most students feel some form of pressure coming from a grown up figure in their life to make the right decisions in order to have a brighter future. As students reach their junior and senior years the pressure to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives increases. “My parents and people that I just see in general, pressure me. I’m laid back so the pressure doesn’t affect me, I’ll get to it when I get to it,” said Senior Aaron Van Wormer. “I don’t listen to what people say because I already know what I want to do in my life, and I know where I’m going, so I don’t let others influence me. If you want something and then people try to change your mind that’s bad because you’re not getting what you want,” said Senior Ashton Pickard “Some people are really positive and tell you to just go or it, but other people are just really annoying and are like, ‘oh you should do this’. You just have to keep going and tell them to stop,” said Van Wormer. The high pressure pressed upon the older students come from teachers, family, and even friends. Junior Jillian Lewis said, “It affects what college you go to and what college would best benefit your career. It hasn’t affected me yet but it could affect other people because if their parents have high expectations for them then they would be pressured to get a good career and succeed in it.” “Pressure to choosing college is you don’t want to make the wrong choice. You don’t want to get stuck somewhere

for a semester that you don’t like. With your career, obviously you don’t want to be unhappy for the rest of your life just because you settled for something,” said Pickard. Some high school students might feel so pressured that they would choose a career that would please their loved ones and not their own personal interest. “Family members might have certain school biases, so they want you to go to a certain school. With athletics it’s another thing to consider, and hard to choose where to go,” said Van Wormer. Parents’ pride is a huge aspect, and acceptance from family can either bring up confidence or completely discourage it. “I want to go into teaching, and major in special education. I think both my parents are proud of me for it, but sometimes they worry that that’s not a good career for me and won’t help me out in the long run,” said Pickard. “I don’t get pressured on a daily basis, and it’s never really that much. My parents don’t pressure me a ton, they are just very structured people who want to get stuff done,” said Van Wormer. Senior year many students would agree that teachers tend to nag about prepping for future and knowing what’s up ahead so preparation can be in order.

These pressures can cause anxiety for a lot of kids. “This is the first year I started to think about what I wanted to do. My parents have been on me about getting my grades up,” said Pickard “Ever since I entered high school the pressure started. What are you going do? Where are you going I don’t really know.” Some might say that going to a school like West means that the pressure to do well is even higher. Going to a school that has achieved such great recognitions and

has set the bar so high means students who go to West have to step up their game. “When you tell people you go to West, they automatically assume you’re good at everything, like high test scores and athletics. Yeah, it’s a pressure that you have to do well,” said Van Wormer. West students have been doing a great job earning the right credits, and following the right path. Teachers and staff would agree that many students have a bright future ahead of them.

Pressure to pursue perfection

West students, like many teens, are beginning to feel the stress of picking a ca-reer path in which to center their studies. As enrollment time nears for under-classmen, and graduation for seniors near, students are asked to think about their future. Photo by Kathryn Hilger.

Annie Greenwell

6 •News• Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • February 3, 2012

Nikki Andriano The mall, known as a teen hangout for decades and a destination for the pow-ershoppers, is not a first choice for some teens who are searching for a cheaper op-tion. Thrift stores are beginning to become more popular among West students. Junior Sydney Hochsprung is one of many who is familiar with thrift store shopping. “I shop at a lot of places,” said Hochsprung, “such as Target, Urban Out-fitters, Goodwill, and Family Thrift”. Shopping at thrift stores or second hand stores is very common among stu-dents who pay for their own clothes. Junior Logan Pierce and Sophomore Hali Ring also said they would prefer a thrift store. “I would go to a thrift store to save money,” said Pierce, “On average I would pay seven dollars for a shirt. I’m a saver”. Ring said, “Thrift stores are bigger and when you find something cute you get ex-cited”. Senior Clay Reynolds is also a big thrift store shopper. “A lot of kids from our

school buy clothes from thrift stores just to look cool,” said Reynolds, “I mean I work at HyVee, us poor kids have to wear clothes too.” Reynolds said that he pays no more than $10 on a shirt.

“I don’t want to spend my own money on clothes. If I have to pay, I would prefer a thrift store because it is cheaper.” -Junior Sara Mather

“I pay in between 99 cents and two dol-lars on a shirt. I can get a whole outfit for under $10,” said Junior Sam Woiwood. Woiwood shops at many thrift stores around Lee’s Summit, including her fa-vorite one in John Knox. “The good thing about thrift shopping is no one else has it. You can go to the mall and buy a shirt that four other people bought that same day,” said Woiwood, “I love thrift shopping. When people look in their yearbook 10 years down the road, I

want them to look back and think ‘Man, that girl was cheap!’” Although thrift stores are becoming more and more popular, some students at West said that they prefer the mall over a thrift store. “I shop at the mall for my clothes,” said Junior Caleb Wilson. “I like my clothes new. I don’t want to pay for someone else’s used clothes.” Sophomore Dakota Moore and Junior Belinda Darkwah also prefer the mall over

thrift stores. “I shop at Buckle and Aero-postale,” said Moore, “I just don’t know where any thrift stores are.” “I shop at the mall just because it is more convenient for me,” said Darkwah. “It’s not about the name brands or any-thing. It’s just a convenience factor.” For some students though, it’s not about convenience. Junior Elias Duckworth said, “I shop at the mall because I don’t want other people’s dirty old clothes. I think hav-ing my own clothes that other people haven’t worn is worth the extra cost.” Junior Kiera Wollerman chooses to shop at the mall for a few different reasons. “It’s fun to go to the mall with friends. I mean, I’ve gone to thrift stores and bought things before, but I just like the mall. It’s more entertaining and fun to go there with friends, and while I’m there I just buy things,” said Woller-man. Freshman Megan Creek shared some of the same reasons for wanting to shop at the mall. “I just like going to the mall,” said Creek, “I buy most of my clothes there, but I have been to places like Ditto also.”

Woiwood defended thrift store shop-ping. “People think thrift stores are dirty, but they really aren’t. I mean, all you do is buy them, take them home and wash

them. It’s just like at the mall, you never know how many people tried on the clothes before you.” Woiwood also added, “I bought a dress, a pair of earrings, and a pair of shoes all under $10 for homecoming. I’d like to see someone do that at the mall”. The word “thrifting” is slowly creeping into the vocabulary, as more and more students are to save their money, and shop for originality.

Thrift store shopping vs mall shopping

Junior Sydney Hochsprung searches the rack at a local thrift store. Hochsprung shops at thrift stores because of the great deals on clothing. Photo by Michelle Stout

Sophomore Hali Ring con-templates what shirt best fits her style. Ring regularly buys clothes from thrift stores. Photo by Michelle Stout

It’s been four years since America’s first African American president was elected into office, and now, it’s time to go back to the polls. This time, there’s a new batch of 18-21 year olds. In 2008, the presidential election re-corded that the percentage of 18-24 year olds who registered to vote increased from 47 percent in the 2004 election to 49 percent, according to www.census.gov. Senior Ramsey Fowler, who plans to be first in line at the voting polls this year said, “Voting is one of the most sa-cred guaranteed rights that we as Amer-icans possess. Millions of people have sacrificed their lives in order to preserve this liberty. Elections are battle for the future.” Fellow Senior Maddie Mcknight

agreed. “I think it’s important for teens to vote to get life experience and to ex-press their opinions since teens always complain about not being able to,” she said. However, American Government teacher Stacie Myers is concerned about the education of teen voters. “It’s important to understand the is-sues and not just if the guy has a pretty face. Or if the person says they’re from this political party or that political party. You really got to dig in and figure out where you stand on the issues. And particularly the issues that are the most important to you. The perfect candidate probably doesn’t exist so you got to sort through and weed out,” she said. Another problem that comes with new teen voters is the influence by their parents. “Teenagers are almost always influ-enced by their parents. I urge teens to

not only listen to their parent’s side of the story, but also investigate the issues for them-selves so they can formulate their own opinions,” said Fowler. There are ways for teenagers to get ready to cast their own vote this year. Fowler suggested teenagers watch unbiased news on a regular basis in order for them to select the candi-date for whom they wish to vote. “An informed citizenry is the best citizen-ry,” he said. McKnight also has advice for those teens who are not quite prepared to vote this year. “Make sure you actually engage yourself in the

election and edu-cate yourself on the candidates’ views and future plans for

the country. Don’t just vote one side or the other because you are a Democrat. Know the facts. Watch the debates,” she said. But it’s not just the teenagers who may be uninformed about the issues and the candidates. Sometimes, the adults do not have a clue either. “The average American doesn’t nec-essarily know. The latest poll of why a person picks a certain candidate, they just remember the guy’s name. So just because a teenager doesn’t know the is-sue, doesn’t make them any different. ... I hope that they’ll take time to find that one thing that really is important to them, otherwise you’re voting but you’re kind of throwing your vote away,” said Myers. According to rockthevote.com, an organization focused on helping eligible

teens register to vote, “an estimated 22 million young Americans under the age of 30 voted in the 2008 presidential elec-tion–two million more voters than in the 2004. The youth voter turnout rose to 51%, an increase of two percentage points from 2004. (US CENSUS).” For 2012, the participation of the young voter population is estimated to raise to 24% and to 36% by 2020. McKnight said she believes every teenager should vote because it is their civic duty. “I will be voting this year in order to express my opinion and feel American. It’s just something you should do if you have the rights because some societies don’t,” she said. In order to be ready for the Presiden-tial election in November, teens should begin educating themselves now.

Seniors Gracie Wiberg and Alyx Newman work quietly in Ms. Myer’s class. As the seniors turn 18 this year, they will be able to exercise what they have learned from class and vote in the up-coming election. Photo by Hailey Skinner.

18th birthday means important responsibility

High school students are required to take Amer-ican Government to meet graduation require-ments, where they learn about how the govern-ment works and what candidates do to persuade the people to vote. Photo by Bailey Romi.

Katey Stoetzel


8 • News •Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • February 3, 2012

Staff Editorial:

Spoiler alert: we all die. I’m not going to apologize for my bluntness because if you didn’t know that yet then you would’ve figured it out even-tually. I mean, that’s what death is anyway, blunt. You’ll just be traveling along and bam! it takes you out of your life when you least expect it. No warning signs, no way to soften the blow. It just happens. It happens to the best of us, the worst of us, the stuck-in-the-middle-of-mediocrity of us. It happens, so get over it. Honestly I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ll just forget to live that way. Death is a circumstance. We go through many circumstances in life: awkward ones, happy ones, sad ones, tragic ones, mediocre ones, laugh-out-loud ones, playful ones, ones that mess with your head. The good ones you cherish. The bad ones you want to fix, but can’t. The only thing you can do is learn how to deal with it.

Eventually there will come a time in anyone one’s life where something is end-ing, a circumstance previously viewed as unfortunate. For argument’s sake, let’s just pretend I’m talking about high school. While you’re in high school, you want to get out. Straight and fast is probably what you are thinking. Then reality hits you and you realize the only way out is through, but still you fight. Oh, how hard you fight. Stop fighting. Fighting takes energy and makes you tired. And then, you become too tired to enjoy the good things in life. In the end, it doesn’t matter anyway. What matters is how you deal with it. Maybe you got injured, maybe you got your heart broken, maybe you lost some-one, maybe, maybe, maybe. There are endless possibilities. They might even overlap and walk all over you. They might attack you, sneak up on you, they might

be lurking around every corner, watching you, dangling a fat, juicy worm over your mouth, baiting you. No, no, no, don’t be scared. It just hap-pens, and you will get through it, that cir-cumstance of yours. It might end tomor-row. It might end in two weeks, or in three months. It will end. So don’t waste your time wishing it away, because it’s the only time you have. The most important thing to remember is to take control of your circumstance, otherwise it controls you. Embrace it, em-brace yourself. Now you’re living. In a world of many people with many circumstances, yours is special. No mat-ter what it is, it helps you grow, and when death does greet you in that blunt way of his, you regret nothing. So I send you forth, lost in your cir-cumstance, with just one reminder: Deal with it.

Katey’s Conundrums:Your days are numbered

What are you doing with your life? What classes are you enrolling in next year? What is your career path? What are your skills? What college are you going to? WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?! It’s only February and it seems like we’re being asked to sign our lives away. Whether it’s choosing the classes that will best prepare for the future or choosing a major, pressure is coming from every direction demanding a decision. For seniors, the pressure is ridiculous. People act like if you’re 18 and don’t have a detailed plan of what you’re going to do with the rest of your life then there is no chance for success. Okay, it’s not a failure to go into college with an undeclared major. There is plenty of time to decide. Those who choose their majors usually end up changing them anyway. So it’s not that big of a deal. And it’s not just seniors. Juniors, sophomores, and freshmen are getting their arms twisted to choose a career path. Most teenagers don’t even know what they are going to wear tomorrow,

let alone what to do with the rest of their life. Compare it to dating. No one expects people in high school relationships to get married and spend the rest of their life with that partner. In fact most adults often say things like “see what else is out there” or “you’re too young to make that kind of commitment” about serious high school relationships. So why s h o u l d teenagers make a commitment to the career they’ll be doing for the rest of their life when they’re only in high school?

It’s not that thinking about what kind of career might be suitable is a bad thing, that’s fine to think about it, but why set it in stone? And people always promise,

“Oh, you can always c h a n g e your mind, this isn’t a p e r m an e nt decision.” Well they say that and then they want you to start mapping out all these d i f f e r e n t courses to take and majors to choose from and cookie cutter job

options and all the sudden it’s too late to turn back and explore a different path.

High school is supposed to be a place where a general education is established and different opportunities are available to try and people can figure out what they like and what they don’t like. That way when college comes around it won’t be like ordering a whole meal that was only selected because the waiter and everyone else at the table was annoyed waiting on the decision. Nothing is worse than paying for an expensive meal isn’t even good. Same with college. It’s not cheap so why waste money on classes that may or not be beneficial? It’s more like taste testing. There are so many different opportunities to get involved in high school so that it’s easier to find things that are enjoyable without making too big of a commitment. Choosing a career should not be a split decision, it should be chosen without any doubts. It’s not something to just pick so people will stop nagging. The results will be long lasting, it should be a long decision making process.

Commentary by Katey Stoetzel

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oach Valentines Day happens, get over it

Valentines day, you love it or hate it. Usually you fall into one of these two scenarios: “Ohmigosh, I can’t believe I am single on Valentines day AGAIN, so what else could I possibly do besides sit in my bed watching Taylor Lautner rip

his shirt off in Twilight???” Maybe, You are spending this Valentines Day with the love of your life and as you sit under the stars, holding hands with your cuddle bug, (or any sick pet name of your choosing) you marvel at the fact that you found the love of your life, and blah blah blah, and you cannot wait to get home so you can write all over their Facebook page how magical the day was and how their eyes remind you of rivers or whatever else, and maybe you can load a new profile picture that you will hastily delete next week when you guys break up. So here is a suggestion, this Valentines Day let’s make some changes. I am not saying that

Valentines Day is stupid, because I think you can actually make it a really fun day for you and your boyfriend or girlfriend. And I am also not saying that I don’t enjoy watching Taylor Lautner rip his shirt off.

But, instead of just thinking about that boy you sit across from in Algebra I, think of all the other people in your life that you love. My family has a Valentines Day tradition that makes this holiday one of my favorites. My mom decorates the table, and sets out nice dishes and a cute table cloth, we have sparkling grape juice, and my dad usually buys us flowers. And my whole family sits down for a super fun Valentines Day Dinner, and afterward we usually have cup cakes from Cold Stone and we get to open a Valentines day present. It’ great because they are the people I love most in the world. Another fun thing is having a Valentines Day party! Last year my best friends and I did this. We all brought some cute Valentines Day snacks and decorated boxes and then exchanged homemade Valentines like we did when we were five. (Also, sorry to be sexist but I am assuming boys don’t care about this

day. Sue me.) So maybe you are one of the lucky ones who is spending this holiday with that special someone... Okay boys, I know it’s cliche, but girls love flowers. They are so pretty and they smell good and they just make us happy. And, If you really want to impress your girlfriend, do something sentimental-A handmade card, with a heartfelt note or maybe decorate a picture frame and give it to her with a picture of the two of you, something that you took time creating, that says “for this one day I don’t care if my guy friends call me whipped,.” When it comes to girls getting presents, most boys probably would not appreciate something so mushy, so maybe something personal but practical at the same time will do. It’s your boyfriend, not mine so you can figure that one out. Valentine’s Day is going to come every year, so no matter what your relationship status is, suck it up and enjoy the day as best as you can.

You spend 12 years of your life with these people and you build a friendship that is inseparable no matter the circumstances. But what happens when “friends forever” turns into “strangers with memories”? Ever since elementary school, you are surrounded by people your age. In the early stages, you are forced to be friends with each other and when confronted with an argument, teachers would always be there to make you hug it out with your “buddy.” As middle school goes on, you realize that people have a certain style or way that you can’t keep up with. “Cliques” or “groups” are formed and everyone hurries to fit in with the best fitting crew according to their personalities. You start to notice a separation between classmates that

can be hard to understand. As the

school year goes on, some friendships grow while others cease. By the time high school shows up, everyone is familiar with who their close friends are and who the everyday faces are. It can be a difficult time for some to fit in and an even worse time to be forgotten.

Unplanned things happen between people that force them to go separate ways. And most of the time, it doesn’t end very well. The friendship lingers in your mind, but your heart is filled with anger. I guess it’s just hard to understand the way people work, but one thing is for sure. People will change. So, sometimes

you learn to trust no one but yourself, and good friendships fail so better ones can be created. Another thing is also for sure: you will always make new ones. Don’t let anything get in the way of who you are and creating friendships that are more fitting to you. Some people may fail you and knock you down, but only you can pick yourself up and move on. Yet, it’s never a bad thing to get in good terms with the people you used to be so close too. Even if things will never be the same between some people, deep inside, you will always remember them. It’s like the Portuguese word: SAUDADE, the sadness we feel for all the happy memories. Don’t let the past control your future. Be humble and don’t forget that God is in control and he has a plan for all of us. Things may not go our way sometimes, but He knows better than us.

Well if you ask me...Unexpected things DO happen for a reason

Guest Commentary by Estsvan Mota

“But what happens when ‘friends for-

ever’ turns into ‘strangers with

memories?”

10 • News • Opinion • Feature • Arts & Entertainment • Sports • February 3, 2012

Tourette’s Syndrome made national headlines recent-ly when 15 girls at one New York school began showing signs of the neurological disorder. The condition, how-ever, affects boys 75 percent of the time–boys like Junior Justin Haddock and Senior Nick Gordey. Haddock was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome at age eight or nine and Gordey was diagnosed when he was 15. A repetition of involuntary vocal noises or muscle movements, called tics, is Tourette’s characteristic symp-tom. Tics can sometimes be suppressed, but the feeling of needing to perform them grows until eventually they are performed. The CDC website likens tics to hiccups. Often, a person with tic-disorders like Tourette’s will be unaware when a tic happens. “It’s just something that happens. Whenever I notice it, it’s not before it happens so I can stop it, it’s like, ‘oh, I just did that.’ So, I’m aware, but it’s not preventive aware-ness,” said Haddock. “It’s like breathing, you can notice it if you think about breathing but if not, it’s just kind of auto.” Sometimes tics can be felt coming on, but only when concentrating, said Haddock. Habit reversal and behav-ioral therapies teach people to sense this pre-ticking, or prodromal stage and replace a tic with a new habit. In this way, tics can be made less severe and more manage-able. What can be challenging about this type of approach to treatment is that each time they develop a new tic, people would have to retrain themselves. “The problem with Tourette’s is that the tics are always morphing. So you might get control over that one but then a new one pops up. So it’s a constant mastery over a changing behavior,” said Risa Stein, who is a clinical pediatric health psychologist and Haddock’s mom. Another drawback to the therapy, said Haddock, who has tried habit-reversal therapy, is it requires a lot of focus to sense the prodromal stage every time he tics, which can be as often as several times a minute. But ther-apy doesn’t carry the risk of side-effects, unlike medica-tion does. Since his diagnosis, Gordey has been taking medi-cation to suppress his tics. He takes this in addition to his medication for his Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). These disorders are very common in people with Tourette’s. He said that the medication has helped lessen his symptoms. He hasn’t experienced any side-effects and his tics have become pretty infrequent, one occurring every couple days. “It’s going away but not really fast enough. I want to have it gone before college, though, next year,” said Gordey. “At this rate, if it’s going like this, I’ll probably get them gone end of first semester in college or begin-ning of second.” Tics do usually diminish with the onset of adulthood,

and they can completely go away, never to bother the person again. This is not always the case, though, and many adults with Tourette’s have life-long tics. Gordey started displaying tics when he was 13, but wasn’t diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome for a couple more years. “We had taken him to the doctor before and they said that some of his twitching and things like that was nerve-related, sort of like he was anxious or nervous; that he would kind of make those movements. And then it just, it progressively got worse,” said Gordey’s mom, Lori Booth. “I couldn’t stop blinking, my shoulder would move out of nowhere. Then I’d start grunting. That’s when I knew I needed to go to the doctor and find out what was wrong,” said Gordey. After being diagnosed with ADHD and OCD when

he was five, going through the diagnosis process made Gordey nervous. “I didn’t know what’s going on, what was wrong with me. I didn’t know if I’d need mental help or physical help…didn’t know if I’d need therapy or anything like that,” said Gordey. He wasn’t kept in suspense long. One week after visit-ing his family doctor about his progressing tics, he was referred to Children’s Mercy Hospital. “By the time we got there, it was kind of funny, it was just, we went back to the neurologist and he just kind of

watched him and, of course he was nervous so he was ticking a little bit there, and he knew right away what it was,” said Booth. Getting the diagnosis came as a relief for both Gordey and Booth because it provided an answer as to what was causing Gordey’s symptoms. Knowing it was Tourette’s let them look for treatment to relieve these symptoms. “I think it was a relief to him, as heartbreaking as it was…because that has to be scary when your body’s do-ing things you can’t control,” said Booth. “It’s treatable but it’s not curable...you know, it’s just one more obstacle but we’re just so thankful that it’s not debilitating, there are plenty of people who have it worse.” Some of the symptoms of OCD can be very similar to those of Tourette’s. This made the diagnosis easier to deal with. “It didn’t really make a difference. It isn’t much differ-

ent,” said Gordey. “I think his Tourette’s and his obsessive-compulsive kind of overlap, like sometimes he’ll say something and he’ll say he knows he has to say it twice. You’re not really sure if that’s a tic or if it’s obsessive, so he’s kind of got little quirky things like that,” said Booth. “I don’t envy him. He’s a trooper but I would not want to spend a day in his head. I think it would be very hard…you know, with the ADHD his mind is always just going and he handles it well, very well, much better than I would’ve,” said Booth.

Junior Justin Haddock focuses on his work in his Industrial Tech. class, blocking the out-side distractions. Haddock was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome when he was a child, after he displayed tics of excessive blinking and noises. Photo by Alex Palmer.

Teens optimistic aboutAnna Poudel

February 3, 2012 • News • Opinion • Feature • Arts & Entertainment • Sports • 11

future with Tourette’s

For Gordey, the worst part of having Tourette’s Syn-drome is people’s reaction to his tics. “It’s pretty embarrassing in public when out in the middle of nowhere you start making noises and ticking, people asking you, ‘What’s going on?’ ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Are you having a seizure or anything?’” said Gordey. “’No, I have Tourette’s,’ and they go, ‘Oh,’ and they’ll walk away.” Haddock said that the social effects of Tourette’s have bothered him the most of all the parts of his disorder. “When I was little, I used to be really antisocial and like really awkward, and cry a lot and stuff; so I matured at a much slower rate,” said Haddock. “So, that was stunt-ing for social life and stuff.” Gordey and Haddock both said they were laughed at

by peers because of their tics. “I’d get made fun of; I did a lot when I first got it. But no one does it to me anymore,” said Gordey. “A lot of them would mimic me and

they’d laugh and stuff…I don’t think they understood that it’s not something I can control,” said Haddock. They agreed that being made fun of is no longer an issue, though. Haddock began displaying tics when he was six. For him, it started with exces-sive blinking. When he developed a high-pitched squeaking tic a couple years later, his mom realized he had Tourette’s and took him to Children’s Mercy to confirm the diagnosis. In addition to having the tics, Haddock was easily upset and frustrated. This was a result of the delayed neurological devel-opment, said Stein. This he grew out of, though. “It’s not seriously life-altering anymore, so I don’t feel the need to stop it or any-thing. When it was severely affecting my personality, making me more reactive

and crazy when I was little, that obviously needed to stop. But now, I guess I fit in more and I have people I hang out with and stuff and I’m just happy with what’s going on now,” said Haddock. The tics in general have not bothered Haddock much, though he still experiences them. Now, though not having OCD, he experiences more obsessive-compulsive tendencies. “I have to walk in patterns or I have to touch things a certain number of times. If I don’t, it will just, like, bother me. I won’t be able to not think about it,” said Haddock. Haddock has short-term memory problems as well as a symptom of his Tourette’s. “Sometimes he has trouble with some short-term memory like someone with ADD will have. It won’t get caught in his brain like it should,” said Stein. “On the oth-

er hand, because of the way his brain is wired, he writes incredible songs, he picks up music incredibly quickly, and he can do a lot of math that I could never do.” “There’s some things, like math and grammar and stuff, I can do really well, but I can’t process like history or any of those at all., like dates and people’s names,” said Haddock. In retrospect, said Stein, the signs of Tourette’s were nearly always present in Haddock. “He was somewhat unusual as a child, even when he was two or three, where he’d read or play computer games all day long. I think one of his first words was Pachycephalosaurus because he was so into dinosaurs. He was just really precocious and extraordinarily smart. He couldn’t throw a ball, would trip all the time. A lack of coordination is pretty common in kids with Tourette’s too,” said Stein. “I don’t know what life would be without it, so I don’t know if there’s something to miss or want. Sometimes I wish I was more, I guess, normal in a way, but oh well. A lot of people aren’t,” said Haddock. For both moms, they see in their sons a tremendous amount of strength. “He’s just such a special person because he has just en-dured a lot through his life with all of these and he’s just such a great kid to go through it and not be bitter, you know, he just kind of takes it all with a grain of salt and just does what he needs to do…I don’t think I could do it,” said Booth. “I’m really proud of him,” said Stein of Haddock. The fact that he never let it get to him... He takes things in stride now a lot more than most people do. So it’s kind of like he swung his pendulum in the opposite direction; where he used to be so frustrated with everything, now he’s relatively laid-back about a lot of stuff. He pretty much accepts things the way they are and doesn’t worry about it and he focuses on his strengths. I’m pretty proud of him for that and the fact that he’s been able to accommodate and face what his challenges are with creative solutions, on his own,” said Stein.

64% have ADHD43% have

behavioral problems

40% have anxiety36% have

depression

28% havedevelopmental

learning issues

79% of those with Tourette’s have at least one additional condition

Information from cdc.gov Graphic by Josh Noe


Senior Stephanie Ohms received a coveted appointment to West Point Military Academy. She is to report to the academy in New York this August. Photo by Emily Everhart.

Meg Peterson As many seniors make their final deci-sions on where they would like to go to college, Senior Stephanie Ohms got the news that she has been accepted into The United States Military Academy at

West Point. Ohms has been interested in attending a military service academy since the beginning of her freshman year. “Only about two percent of appli-cants received an appointment for the class of 2016. From a practical perspec-

tive, no applicant with an ACT score of a 30 were considered,” said Ohms.“The academy is about 50 miles north of New York. ... The campus overlooks the Hudson River and has all the look and feel of an Ivy League campus,” said Ohms.

In or-der to re-ceive this honor a lot of work had to be put into it. “To be c omp e t i -tive for an appointment to West Point I had to build a well-rounded resume that in-cluded demanding academics, leadership, physical fitness, and civic service,” Ohms said. Ohms has taken on a big leadership role to make her-self well-known. “I was last semester’s JROTC Corps Com-mander. I led the corps leader-ship by helping set and achieve

goals and by mentoring younger cadets. Additionally, I command one of our competition color guards,” said Ohms. Once Ohms arrives on the campus she will undergo intensive training. “All oncoming cadets go through Plebe Sum-

mer or “beast”, which is essen-tially the acad-emy’s boot camp. I will most likely end up perusing a major in Chem-istry and Life Sci-ence,” Ohms said.

Support has played a major role in Ohms success. “I have had con-tinued support from my family and friends, as well as all of the help I re-ceived from my teachers,” said Ohms. “Balancing school work with mul-tiple extra curricular activities is always bound to be stressful, but through my past experiences I have learned how to manage my time quite efficiently which made the added work of applying to the academy much easier,” said Ohms.

“Only about two percent of applicants received an appointment for the class of 2016.”

-Stephanie Ohms

West student earns her way into the military

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It’s February 14; Valentine’s Day! Today is a special day for you and __________(person). Today you will celebrate your love for each other. You want to make __________’s (same person) day better than any other. To make the day great, you decide to buy them something special. So you go to __________(place) to look for something __________(adjective). While walking around the store you see a bunch of ___________(plural noun), but you decide those aren’t good enough. You finally decide to buy them some ___________(plural noun). Along with the gift, you want to give them a card. You want it to be very __________(adjective), so you write:

Dearest ___________(same person), I __________(feeling) you. You are the most _________(adjective) ________(noun). I remember the first time I saw you at ____________(place). You immediately caught my ____________(part of the body). I leaned over and whispered to _____________ and ______________(two different people) and told them that you were ___________(adjective). I wanted to talk to you and use the classic pick up line, ___________________________________________________(pick up line). Instead, I asked for your _________(noun). Now, after _____________(period of time), I am the ______________est (adjective) guy/girl in the ___________(big area). Happy Valentine’s Day!

Now it’s time to give your special someone the gift and card. They _________(feeling) your gifts and _________(verb) you. Surprise! They have a gift for you too! He/she pulls out a __________(noun). You’ve always wanted a __________(noun)! You guys are both very ___________(feeling). Today is the perfect day! Tonight you are both going out to _____________(restau-rant) for a _____________(adjective) date. You will probably order ___________(food) and they will probably order __________________(food). Then you will talk about old memories and fall in love, again.

At dinner, you decide to read your loved one a poem that you wrote, it goes something like this:

Roses are __________(adjective),Violets are __________(adjective),I __________(feeling) you.Do you__________(feeling) me too?

Please say __________(yes/no).The End.

They _________(feeling) your poem and you two live _________ly (feeling) ever after.

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February 3, 2012 • News • Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • 1514 • News • Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • Titan Scroll

Making Her Heart Melt Communication arts teacher Jennifer Bailey met her husband during her freshman year in high school, but it wasn’t love at first sight. “We were in a musical together and I actually didn’t even notice him at all. We met after the play at the cast party when we were both playing indoor football.” Bailey and her husband had known each other for six years before he finally popped the question. “It was my 21st birthday and he had set up a spa day for me and my best friend. When he showed up to pick me up, he was in a tuxedo and he was holding a dress that he and his sister had picked out for me.” She quickly got changed into the dress and the couple went out to the Melting Pot for a romantic dinner and it was there that he asked the life-changing question. As much of a surprise as it was for Bailey, her family was even more baffled. “When I came home and told my family about it they didn’t believe me. My grandma, when I told her, she was like, ‘No you didn’t.’ and I said, ‘No really, I have a ring!’ I don’t know if they thought I was too young or something.” Despite her family’s disbelief, Bailey and her husband were engaged and have now been married for four years.

“Royal” Proposal Athletic director Debbie Katzfey had just finished shopping at Oak Park Mall and she and her husband decided to stop and eat at a nearby Houlihans. The Kansas City Royals were playing out of town and Katzfey and her husband were watching them at the restaurant. It was during the game that her husband raised the courage to ask for her hand in marriage. The proposal had a lot of meaning to Katzfey about the fate of she and her husband’s marriage. “I knew, at that point, that our relationship was destined to be revolving around athletics for the rest of my life,” Katzfey said about the moment of the proposal. This has been proven true with all three of their kids in sports and with Katzfey having been the Athletic director here at West for eight years . Katzfey and her husband have been married for 21 years.

Teachers can fall in love too...One Step At A Time

Math teacher Jeff Nevinski met his wife when the two were both working at Raytown High School. They were friends for several years before they dated one another. And, once they did start dating, they knew they were meant to be together. Only a month after starting to date, the two had already begun to discuss marriage. “We talked about where and what date. We looked at rings together and Kristy [Nevinski’s wife] picked out the perfect ring, something unique.” Nevinski called the ring store and reserved the ring that his wife had picked out earlier that day. On Sunday, when Nevinski and his wife revisited the ring store, she was upset to discover her ring was gone. When she asked the clerk, he told her a couple had already purchased it. “Kristy did not know WE were the couple. With the ring bought I knew my next step was to properly ask her father for permission to marry his daughter.” When Nevinski met his wife’s parents at a restaurant, he was given plenty of one-on-one time with her dad, as her mother was aware of his intentions. “Kristy’s dad is a large man – he is commonly mistaken for The Jolly Green Giant because he stands over 6 foot 6...I looked him in the eyes several times before working up the courage to ask this giant of a man if I could marry his daughter. He said yes.” With all things out of the way, the only job left was to figure out how to ask the question. “Before we were dating, Kristy took me to a praise night at her college...I remember hearing her beautiful voice while singing ‘Fly Away’ and thinking, ‘I am really in love with this girl. I think I could marry her!’ Each year since then, we had put together our own Praise Nights...The next was a few days away, my birthday. That would be the night.” The couple arrived at a church members’ house and sang a few opening songs including “Fly Away”. After Nevinski asked his wife if she wanted to go on a walk but was turned down – she argued it was too cold. An hour later, he asked her the same question and, in the end, she reluctantly said yes. “Beneath the stars, among God’s creation, I bent down on one knee, talked about how together we would have good days and inevitably some bad days, but I would always know my day would be complete and filled with love if I got to spend it with her. I offered her a shining ring and said, ‘I want to spend all my days with you. Will you marry me?’ She said, ‘Yes, of course.’” Nevinski and his wife have been married for four years now.

Four Words For You After a long day at the plaza, FACS teacher Ellen Plemons had almost lost hope that her boyfriend would propose. She was in for a surprise. “We were driving back toward my house and he just started bringing up, in a casual conversation, different memories we had had since we started dating. One thing he brought up was this one night when we were in college and we were listening to music in a parking lot, just hanging out, and he had asked me if I wanted to dance. I asked him what made him think of that and he said, ‘I just remember that was the night I fell in love with you.’” On the drive back home Plemons’ boyfriend asked if she wanted to stop at the park. She was baffled by the idea of visiting a park at near midnight, but said yes anyways. “So we stopped at this park next to my house where we used to go when we first started dating. We just sat there for a while, talking and listening to music and he asked me if I wanted to dance with him, again.” At this point, Plemons was still oblivious to any thoughts that her boyfriend was going to propose. “I thought it was sweet so I got out and he turned on some of our favorite music and we were just dancing. Then this song came on that we had always considered being on of our songs, it’s called “You and I” by Michael Buble- it’s actually going to be our first dance at our wedding. When the song came on he said, ‘I have something for you.’” As he pulled out a card, he explained how he had bought it a long time before knowing that one day he would give it to her for something special. “He gave me the card and inside it said, ‘I’ve been holding on to this for a long time now and I know that you’ve seen it and you probably were wondering what it was for too. I’ve just been waiting for the right moment. I’ve always been better with written words than spoken ones and right now only four come to mind.’ Then, I realized what it meant and I started crying. I turned around and he was on one knee and he asked me if I would marry him and I said yes.” Plemons and her fiancé plan to get married on June 30 of this year.

Man With A Plan “We had been dating a really long time so she knew we were going to get married but she didn’t know when I was going to propose.” Math teacher, James Asher, had a plan when it came to his proposal. “I lived in Bolivar and she lived in Colombia, Missouri. So we both lived like two hours away from each other. And her best friend, Melissa, also her roommate, was gone on a mission trip to

Honduras for like 6 months.” Asher had talked to Melissa about how he wanted to propose to Jenna, his wife, and together, they used the mission trip to their advantage when creating the proposal. “I sent a package to Jenna that had a big wedding planning binder in it, and a wedding book, and all wedding stuff. But, it was sent as if it was from Melissa, not me.” When the package got to Jenna, Melissa made sure that Jenna was informed not to open it until the two girls could talk to each other over the phone. With Melissa being in Honduras, this was a rare occasion. Finally, Melissa informed Jenna of the details. She was told to open the mysterious package on Saturday at a park where she and Melissa had often run together. She was told to open it where they usually hung out after their runs. “It was a cliff that overlooked this huge greenery and since it was the fall all the leaves were all changing colors.” So Jenna went to the cliff on Saturday and waited for the call. “She was on the phone with Melissa when she opened it and she was like ‘Melissa, why in the world did you get me all this wedding planning stuff?’ Then, I walked up to her, and she hadn’t even known I was in town, so she started crying and I asked her to marry me.” Asher and his wife have been married for three years.


“The Fault In Our Stars” sheds a new light on life People hear Cancer Book, and the first reaction is ‘Oh great, this can only have one ending.’ But even so, that thought should not keep anyone from reading “The Fault in Our Stars.” Written by John Green, TFIOS is, at its most simplistic truth, a book about a teenager with cancer. Hazel, the teenager in question, suffers from Stage IV Thyroid cancer with bad lungs, and is Green’s first female narrator. But never fear, she is just as witty and likable as Green’s other characters of Pudge (Looking For Alaska), Collin (An Abundance of Katherines), and Quentin (Paper Towns). The story follows Hazel’s journey as she discovers what it means to be dying, and ultimately what it means to be living. Aiding her in this adventure is Augustus Waters, a smart, handsome

17 year old in remission from osteosarcoma. Green writes with witty, sarcastic flare, and makes me laugh as he introduces me, and everyone else, to the

core of the sometimes bizarre, and sometimes heartbreaking human soul. The book is filled with laugh-out-loud moments that balance out the cry-into-your-pillow moments. These moments are also joined with all-I-want-to-do-right-now-is-throw-the-book-across-

room-who-cares-if-it-gets-damaged moments. It’s a Cancer Book not unlike any other Cancer Book. Green foils his own book with a fictional cancer book called An Imperial Affliction, Hazel’s all time favorite book. Like Hazel explains of An Imperial Affliction, TFIOS is different from all cancer books. Hazel does not become her sickness, but instead calls herself a ‘side effect.’ Throughout

the book, the reader realizes that Hazel is not the only side effect, but that we are all side effects in this world. As the story goes on, Hazel and Augustus ultimately wonder, along with the audience, what kind of mark can I leave on this world? As Hazel said, “Some in infinities are bigger than other infinities,” and it’s important to understand that you should take advantage of the time you have, because it is the only time you have. No matter if it’s a longer or shorter time than someone else has, it’s your time.

Katey Stoetzel

“The Fault In Our Stars” is an inspi-rational book. Every pre-ordered copy, John Green signed. Photo by Justin Hunley

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Claudia Guthrie Following their 2010 self-titled al-bum, Foxy Shazam’s fourth studio al-bum, “The Church of Rock and Roll”, hit record stores last week. Frontman Eric Nally has described Foxy Shazam as sounding like a mix-ture of “Evel Knievel; Bruce Spring-steen; my childhood; Van Morrison; my old friends from high school I don’t talk to anymore; Elton John; the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and beyond; Iggy Pop; and my first kiss.” “The Church of Rock and Roll” more than lives up to the elaborate de-scription. The record opens with “Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll”, a wel-coming into the world the band have created. The album hits the ground running with classic rock-esque songs, ballads filled with gospel-like backup vocals, and the sense of humor which is to be expected of a band named Foxy Shazam. Such humor can be found in the lead single, “I Like It”, which is

reminiscent of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”. Despite the obvious absurdity, “The Church of Rock and Roll” also touches on close to home issues faced by the band. Particularly in the song “To-gether Forever”, which brings depth and darkness to the album. “The Church of Rock and Roll” is laced with Foxy Shazam’s key elements of horns, Nally’s incredible vocal range, and a diversity of music styles which grasp the listener from the start. The band successfully provides a refresh-ing originality throughout the album’s 11 songs. There is no denying that “The Church of Rock and Roll” defi-nitely beats to its own drum.

February 3, 2012 • News• Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • 17

Foxy Shazam’s newest album released Jan. 24 creates a lot of funk. Photo by Ryan Miller

Foxy’s bringing back the classicsCD Review


Freshman Connor LyonPredicting that the Giants will win by 7

Senior Boston Woodworth

Predicting a w

hopping 72-1

0 win for the Giants

Superbowl XLVI predictionsSenior Hannah Eckles

“Doritos commercials are the best”

Junior Zach Swinford Shared his excitement over the nachos he plans to indulge in, Feb. 5.

Sophomore Josh Brown“Tom Brady’s a stud”

Sophomore Nate Timmons

“With the inspiration of his wife (Giselle) Tom

Brady will lead the Patriots to the win”

Sophomore Blake Kobel“Eli Manning is a true leader on the football field and the defensive line will rip Tom Brady apart”

Sophomore Maddie Huffman

“Justin Tuck will sac Tom Brady every play”

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February 3, 2012 •News• Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • 19

Simple snacks spice up SuperbowlMini Pigs in a Blanket

1 14 oz. pkg Little Smokies2 cans crescent rolls¼ cup butter or margarine (melted)

1. Open crescent rolls and remove two of the rolls. Lay each roll flat on cutting board,next to each other so that they create a rectangle.2. Pinch the dough together so that it is one solid rectangle.3. With a knife, cut across the long side of the rectangle, to create four even pieces ofdough.4. Wrap each piece of dough around one little smokie sau-sage and place on baking sheetwith the seam side down.5. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes, or until browned.6. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter before serving.

Stuffed Mushrooms

16 oz. fresh mushrooms16 oz. sausage8 oz. pkg cream cheeseDash onion powder, salt and pepper

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Rematch from Superbowl XLII

Well, here we go again: Patriots vs. Giants in a rematch of Superbowl XLII. We all remember the Giants’ amazing upset victory of the almost perfect Patriots in 2008. Now they meet again in what looks to be another great match-up. The Giants with a great defense and the Patriots with a great offense. Of course there are going to be people

complaining about how terrible of a game this is going to be, but aren’t there always?

I mean it would have been great to see the Harbaugh brothers

square off and it might have been interesting to see two great defenses go against

each other, but sorry folks, it didn’t happen. Then we have the people who hate the Patriots because they

win (or maybe just because of Tom Brady),

but doesn’t everyone hate the teams that win all the time? I mean no

one can stand the Yankees, no one enjoys watching the Lakers, Roger Federer needs to stop winning Grand Slams, and Duke makes everyone want to puke. This is just the way sports work. No one likes it when someone wins too much. Then we go to the other sideline where we have good old red faced Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning who whines about pretty much everything

just like his brother. None of this really matters because in the end these are the two teams in the Superbowl and to be honest they are the teams that deserve to be there. It’s just like the BCS National Championship, no matter how much you complain it will not change who will be in the game. This game will be a good one and it will be back and forth all game. In the end, it will be the New England Patriots hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the 4th time in 10 years. I mean how

was I not supposed to pick the Patriots? Tom Brady is 16-5 in

playoff games and 3-1 in the Superbowl. Then you have Bill Belichick who is like the brains of everything

football. The final score will be Patriots 23 Giants 17 and Tom Brady will get the MVP of course. The

Patriots’ offense will play very well and their

defense will play good enough to get

Commentary by Joe Snodgrass

Joe Knows

Cheer on your Lee’s Summit West

Girl’s Swim and Dive teams!


Wrestlers work hard to weigh-inRiley Manning

Weigh-in. It’s the part of the wrestling meet or tournament that wrestlers dread. The time when they step on the scale and see if they “make weight” and are under or at the weight limit for their class and are allowed to wrestle. “There’s a few differ-ent ways to do it,” ex-plained Freshman Lo-gan Roach, “Since my normal weight is 135 and every time we have a duel or a wrestling tour-nament I have to drop to 126 pounds. So before that most of our guys will have to eat lighter a few days before. Some people don’t even do that; they’ll just eat normal, but the day be-fore they’ll do a bunch of run-ning. And some guys when they get close to weight, they’ll just spit into an empty water bottle just to lose the weight.” These aren’t the only methods though. Roach elaborated, “Some people have

these suits you can run in that are pretty much insulated and you run in them and they keep the sweat in. Some guys have to keep weight down until the next year they wrestle so they don’t go up classes. I don’t cut as much weight as some people.

My friend will even go to saunas and try to lose all the water weight, be-cause that’s mainly what we try to do.”

Senior Evan Boehm goes to saunas. “I lived in the sauna and lived by running. I watch what I eat and drink,” he said.

Some wrestlers simply choose to keep a consistent diet. “I basically just maintain a good diet,” said Freshman Matt Petruci. “I watch what I eat and make sure I don’t eat too much junk. And I basically just go hard in practice.”

However, there are times when these methods don’t work. Roach explained, “If you don’t lose the weight then you can’t wrestle in the tournament. If you don’t make weight, then usually like say you’re half a pound over, our coach will make you lose the weight before you leave the tournament. ... You just have to be smart about it and know how much you weigh before you go. It’s not good when you don’t make weight. It’s worse than losing all your matches.” Boehm said that has never happened to him, but he still gets nervous before weigh-in. “That’s when the stress comes

in,” Boehm said. “When there’s an hour before weigh-in and you check your weight and you’re over.” Having to focus on losing weight while surrounded by food

at lunch may seem like a difficult task. Roach said, “It’s tough sometimes, but I would rather be losing the weight and go hungry than be in a higher weight class where people are stronger, because it’s worth it when you win. Sometimes it gets

hard when you’re really hungry, like the day before and the day of. You feel weak until you start eating after a weigh-in. At the weigh-in, when you get on a scale, you can’t be .1 a pound overweight or you can’t wrestle that day. After they weigh you, five minutes later, people are eating as much as they can because they have been starving themselves. I don’t mind it too much because I think it’s worth it.” Junior Elias Duckworth said, “The way I do it is kind of jacked up. I eat whatever I want but I don’t eat a couple of days be-fore the tournament.” However, at multiple-day tournaments, the wrestlers get a little leeway. For every day added on, they can be an additional pound over. For example, if they go back the second day, they can be one pound over the weight class, and if they go back a third day, they can be two pounds over the weight class. Roach said, “It’s a big relief once you step on the scale, because then you can go eat.” After dealing with the stress of losing weight, the guys are happy to be under the weight limit.

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Logan Roach goes for the take down against his opponent. He must maintain a weight of 132 lbs to wrestle in his class.

Photo by Sydney White

schedule: 3/3 - Shawnee East

3/8 - Park Hill South 3/22 - Jr. Blues

3/31 - St. Thomas Aquinas 4/5 - Blue Valley 4/12 - Liberty

4/21 - Park Hill 4/26 - Shawnee Northwest

5/5 - State Tournament - St. Louis

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22 • News •Opinion • Feature • Arts&Entertainment • Sports • February 3, 2012

Joe Snodgrass

Titan Basketball has gotten the attention of many in the Kansas City Area. As they have built a near perfect record 18-1 record. The Titans may be on their way to the best season in Lee’s Summit West school history. There are many reasons for this incredible run, but one of the main reasons is the teams depth. “Our team feeds off of our bench I feel every player has a role on this team to help this team win and each night we go out there and do the best we can to fill our role” said Senior Guard Robbie Jarrett. There are many g o o d players on the t e a m that all get s o m e playing time. “Practice is very competitive. You have to fight for a spot in each game and it comes down to who is performing at the time” said Junior Forward Trevor Gregory. This competition has also brought the team closer together. “The team is more of a family this year. We’re having fun and playing as a team” said Sophomore Thomas Ganaden. The team has also relied on their bench in late game situations this year with a few of their games coming down to the last possession. “Our bench has been

very important” said Gregory, “We have guys that can go in and keep the same energy as our starters.” Those close games sometimes caused anxious fears. “I have to admit at certain times I was pretty nervous” said Ganaden. The depth that this team has leads to some very tough decisions on who should play and when. “I Feel like there are some players that are more talented than others on the team, but each player is given a chance to earn minutes on the floor” said Jarrett. “Coach Schieber puts us in the best position to win. If it is me playing I’m going to do the best I can” said Ganaden. The team looks to keep their winning form the rest of the season. “If we can keep playing as a team and not as individuals we should be successful” said Ganaden.

Boys basketball bounces back

Boys Basketball Win/Loss Record 18 and 1

“The team is more of a family this year. We’re having fun and

playing as a team.”- Thomas Ganaden Sophomore Monte Harrison assists in a lay up. The Titans won

against Raytown South which led them to win the Culvers Classic 58-56 Photo by Joey Franke Senior Shaquille Har-

rison goes in for the dunk. The boys beat Ray-Pec Tuesday 58-46. Photo by Joey Franke


Freshmen earn recognition Abbey Stoetzel If one were to watch the girls Varsity basketball team on the court, they might no-tice the younger girls out on the court. “We have very talented freshmen,” said Coach Darian Hall. Five girls have raised the bar this year. Kelsey Shanahan, Allison Finneseth, Taylor Jackson, Madeline Bra-dy and Samaria Smith have proven themselves during this season. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to play at a high level and get experience early,” said Finneseth, who has played all varsity games this season. “You take on a lot more responsibility and it’s more intimidating but it’s exciting espe-cially playing with seniors,” said Bra-dy, who has played two varsity games this season. In the beginning of the season, Brady was injured and was out for four weeks. “It was really tough. I came into freshmen year with high expectations with playing the whole season and being good. And then I got hurt before the sea-son got started and it was extremely disappointing,” Brady said. But after hard work, Brady was able to pull through. “I was surprised. I planned on playing JV and looking up to varsity, not playing

with them,” Brady said. Brady and F i n ne s e t h both said that the up-p e r c l a s s -men have been very helpful this year. “They all have high e x p e c t a -tions but are very un-derstanding and help coach us,” F i n ne s e t h said. B o t h Brady and Finneseth agreed that the upper-classmen are supportive and are willing to help out when they do something wrong. Senior Danielle Crawford said the freshmen are continuing to improve. “I think they are getting a lot more comfortable with us and they will tell us if we’re doing something wrong. But I also show them what needs to be done and I encourage them to be better and if they do something wrong, I show them the right way,” said Crawford. Finneseth and Brady also have high standards for the next three years of high school. Finneseth is looking forward to gaining more experience and helping the up-coming freshmen. Brady is looking forward to playing her junior and senior years. “I expect the girls to be good leaders and positive role models and help younger ones.” Crawford said. So far, the Lady Titans have pulled off a 6 and 9 record. The team has big games coming up on Monday and Tuesday, playing Lee’s Summit North and Lee’s Summit High School. Senior night is Thursday against Ruskin.

Senior Emiah Bingley covers her opponent in an attempt to prevent the North Kansas City Hornets from scoring. Photo by Matt Welch

Freshman Kelsey Shanahan assists Junior Kate Bernhard in guarding the Hornets. The Titans maintained their lead the entire game against North Kansas City. Photo by Matt Welch

“I was surprised. I planned on playing JV and looking up to varsity, not playing with them,” - Freshman Madeline Brady

Wins-Losses 6-9



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The Lee’s Summit West swim team takes a dive into a pool of dedication as they prepare for conference. “I get so nervous when I’m standing behind the block. My heart is beating so fast and my stomach filled with butterflies! Winning a race is the best feeling! You feel on top of the world,” said Senior Lyndsey Sherrow. The team has finally begun to come together as a whole, helping to motivate one another at practice and at swim meets. “Swimming is an individual and team sport; you’re there to help your whole team,” said Coach Jennifer Ailshire. Ailshire, having swam in high school and in college, is very committed to the sport and believes a great coach should be respected by athletes, knowledgeable of the sport, and understand the athlete as an individual. “I would have to say Coach Ailshire motivates me the most,” said Senior

Rachel Winter. With a strong group of 13 senior leaders the girls understand that working hard means improvement, and taking constructive criticism the best way possible. “This year has been a lot more relaxed. I don’t feel like there is any pressure. Last weekend I went my best time ever in back stroke which was a huge accomplishment! All the hard work in two days has definitely paid off,” said Sherrow. Two divers, Nina Privitera and Delaney Pummil have made a significant impact on the team and score. Privitera leads the school to state in diving for the second year in a row. She said that the hardest part of diving is the mental part and overcoming fear. “I have never wanted to quit. The pain is only temporary, and it will always pay off in the long run. You have to put in hard work to win,” said Privitera.

Girls swim team glides into end of season

The girls swim team celebrated Senior Night Jan. 17 to commemorate their final season at West. The girls compete for Conference at Gladstone next week. Photo by Bailey Romi

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Haley Roach Most people assumed that when the senior football players walked off the field after their final game, they were done playing together; but some boys just did not want that to be the end. “We couldn’t let the Staley game be our last so I called Luke and told him about it,” said Senior Brandon Smith, referring to their flag football team. Flag is very different from contact football, “but it is a fun way to get back on the field and toss the old pigskin around with the boys every week,” said Senior, Andrew Volz. Now every Tuesday night the boys go to KC Sports Lodge to play. “A lot of us football players missed playing so we decided to join a league for fun, just to get out on the field again and keep us active,” said Senior Luke Knott. The team has six seniors that played for West, and three others that just have some football experience. Together they make up “Team #DoDat.” Even without practicing, the boys are

having success on the field. Smith said, “We don’t practice, we just show up and show out.” The boys do not feel like practicing is necessary because “we just got some chemistry with each other so it usually works out pretty well.” So far Team #DoDat are undefeated. “It’s primarily guys in their upper 20s or low 30s, they take it a little over the top but it’s funny seeing a bunch of 18-year-old high school kids play adults when they have their wife and baby in the stands,” said Knott. After that game Volz said, “The old

men started to talk crap for a while. I could easily see some fights taking place, if not with our team then between other teams before the season is over.” The team won their first game 65-18 against the best team. Their second game, which was this Tuesday, ended with a score of 68-36. DoDat’s game are usually pretty late at night and they have been pretty quiet about the team, “but if we could get the word out we could probably get some kids to come out and show us some love,” said Volz. “We are pretty good, so it is fun to go out there and mess around and play,” said Senior Cole Plumlee.

Titan football goes flag

Photo Left: Senior Cole Plumlee goes up for a pass, but misses the catch. Tam #DoDat went on to win the game. Senior Brandon Smith (right) warms up for flag football. Photos by Judd Kirn


Courtwarming

Queen: Lauren Feekin

King: Jon Gibson

Students dance to one last song as the Courtwarming dance neared an end last weekend. Moving to the music of Mix 93.3 DJ Steve Serano, were around 500 students last weekend. Photo by Maddy Arsenault.

Titan Scroll February 3, 2012

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