Volume 18 Edition 2 Waukee High School 555 SE University Waukee, Ia 50263 October 8th, 2012

ACT Prep Pays OffKatie Underwood

In high school, students start planning for the future and figuring out what college they want to go to. If students do plan on going to college, they must take the ACT tests. Some students study for weeks in preparation for the college test, but in Waukee, getting good test scores does not seem to be a problem. Last year students were tested over Eng-lish, Algebra, Social Science, and Biology. Overall, students scored better than the state and national average on each test. All the hard work and studying from our students has paid off. After seeing the test scores from last year, counselor Beth Lorentz said, “I think it shows Waukee performs well as students.” She also believes it shows that Waukee has quality educators. Most students are a little nervous at first and are not exactly sure what to expect when they walk in to take the ACT’s. Lorentz advises students to take the practice tests to prepare for the real thing so they know what to expect when taking the test as a junior. There are also many other ways to prepare for ACT’s. “There are many differ-ent ways to prepare, all ranging from free to expensive,” explained Lorentz. “I even recommend going to Barnes and Noble and getting ‘ACT’s for Dummies.’ It costs about 90 dollars, but I think it helps a lot.” There are also books that you can find in the office that will help you study. Or you can go on the ACT website and do the practice ques-

When the word “lupus” is said, many people don’t understand what’s being dis-cussed. But junior Sydney Kroska sure does. Both her older sisters, Hannah and Emily, were diagnosed with lupus. “Lupus is an auto-immune disorder where, basically, your immune system attacks your body. So, at any given time, either of my sisters’ bodies could attack their kidneys or their livers,” Kroska explained. “It’s not as ‘popular’ as breast cancer, but it’s still horrible,” said Kroska. Her older sister started the Team Lupus Advisory Board and her family’s connection to the lupus cause continued to grow until her mom became the Execu-

tive Director of Lupus Foundation: Iowa Chapter. When asked how she deals with seeing her sisters in pain, Kroska replied, “It’s just a matter of knowing that my sisters are stronger than their disease. It’s just a new normal.” On Saturday morning, the 29th of Octo-ber, more than 530 people from the metro area flocked to Merle Hay Mall to partici-pate in the Lupus Walk. Overall, the Lupus Walk raised more than $50,000. Kroska’s family and friends, along with many stu-dents from Waukee, made up the Inspire Team. By itself, the Inspire Team raised $13,532.70 and had 241 recruits. Kroska explained, “I just want people to know that this little, tiny walk, I mean literally, you walk around the mall twice – it’s not hard at all. I just want people to know that it means so much to those who have lupus. It’s amaz-ing.”

John Denton. This name conjures up flickering images of long dark swirls of hair surrounding a boy possibly wearing a football jersey and skinny jeans and often listening to music in between classes. John Denton had “the hair,” the hair that everyone knew. Now… that hair is gone. Maybe you noticed the extreme change in John. Maybe his head looked lighter, but have you both-ered to ask why? Why grow out your hair for two years, and then cut it? Well Denton had a very good reason for doing so. “Green Bay Packer AJ Stark cut his hair and gave it to a kid with cancer. I thought it was really cool and I wanted to do it too in a personal way like he did.” Mentioned Den-ton. By “personal” Denton meant he wanted to meet the kid to whom he was gifting his hair, a much more personal connection.

However, this personal connection be-came difficult to find.

“I made two or three Facebook statuses, asked teachers and friends, but everyone directed me to Locks of Love,” told Denton. After making the decision to donate his hair anonymously to Locks of Love, Denton was ready to cut the locks.

According to www.locksoflove.org, “Locks of Love is a public non-profit organi-zation that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diag-nosis. They meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.”

Next came the first steps of cutting his hair. “It wasn’t like she just snipped it and

“There are many different ways to prepare, all ranging from free to expensive.”

tion of the day. “I did my studying online, and I also bought books,” said senior, Allison Lovan. Being a counselor, Lorentz says “The most important part is making sure every-one who needs to take the test is signed up to take it.” Everyone can take the test, and it is definitely important to take if you plan on going to college. “Some students are always concerned about the cost. They should know we can always work some-thing out.” Students should talk to their counselor if they have questions about the fee or how to pay for it. Lorentz is happy about the scores from last year, but hopes we can keep improving the scores every year.

it was done. It was like twenty cuts. She put it in a pony and just snipped away,” remembers Denton, “I was a little sad, but I am happy with the choice I made, the whole time I was thinking, ‘Wow this is two years, gone.”

Maybe you had no idea why John Denton cut his hair off. Maybe you had no idea why he wanted to grow it that long in the first place. He is a man of great mystery. So next time you see John in the halls of Waukee, wearing earphones and sporting a fresh new cut, give a wave to the man who sacrificed

Denton before the shearing of his locks.

Above Denton shows off his fresh cut look after donating his hair to Locks of Love.

Denton sports a bob in the midst of his hair cut.

The Man Behind The HairElla Gehrke

“At any given time, either of my sisters’ bodies could attack their kidneys or their livers.”

Walking For LupusMallory Gunther

Left: Hannah, Sydney, and Emily Kroska wear pink shirts in support for the Lupus cure. Hannah and Emily both have this disease and are very dedicated to being apart of finding a cure.

Right: People gather in Merle Hay Mall to take part in the “Walk for Lupus.”

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The Centers For Disease Control Estimate as many as 1.5 million Americans suffer from Lupus. Some estiamtes climb to up to 3 million.

SPORTSWaukee Baseball Kyle Kubiak

Coach Dave Dirkx came to Waukee knowing an unbelievable amount of talent awaited him on the diamond, but he didn’t expect a group of boys to buy into what he preached so quickly. Dirkx preaches hard work, hustle, and effort, and those are the three things that made his last school, Carlisle, have so much success. Dirkx has an uncanny abil-ity to take a group of men and have them buy into a system where they work hard for each other.“Put nine players on the field who buy in, field it up, throw strikes and you have a great chance at succeeding. You do that and you can win a lot of ball games,” commented Dirkx. That’s exactly what last sea-son’s team did; win. Dirkx turned a program around that was 18-22 a year before to an amazing 29-11 record. “The players were the reason for success, they bought into hard work,” added Dirkx, and that’s what this upcoming season’s team is continuing in

Senior Tyler Johnson playing 2nd base at Principal Park last season against the Ankeny Hawks. Johnson only made one error in 124 plays giving him the best field percentage on the team and 10th best in the state.

Coach Dave Dirkx coached at Carl-isle High School in Carlisle Iowa until last year when he changed the Waukee program around. As a coach, Dirkx ob-tained his 300th career win this season with the Warriors and hopes to make it to his 5th state tournament this season. Dirkx finished this season with 301 wins and plans for more to come with all the upcoming talent.

this offseason. “Coach Dirkx is a great coach. He has taught us to have a great work ethic while striving to become better every day,” stated senior 2nd basemen Tyler John-son. The baseball players that are not participating in a fall sport have been attending throwing work outs twice and lifting three times a week. Along with Dirkx, Johnson

boasts with excitement for this upcoming season and cannot wait until the other sports are over and everyone is together in the gym again. They both then commented on their dislike for the new conferences. “I’d like to play for a conference title, but with only two other teams this year, there won’t really be typi-cal conference feel,” commented Dirkx. Waukee will compete in a conference with last year’s state champions, the Ankeny Hawks, and also the Southeast Polk Rams. “Playing the top teams in the state a guaranteed four times each will be a challenge we as players embrace. We’re all really excited for it because we will be playing the best competition more,” added Johnson. Last season’s team started off their record year with two wins on opening night against the Southeast Polk Rams and Dirkx stated, “Those first two wins were huge for us and the fans, they knew from that point we had something special here.” With seven returning letter

winners, Dirkx and the rest of the team hope to not skip a beat from last year’s success and plan to win even more this season. “This next season you will see a stron-ger team physically while con-tinuing to handle adversity with winning a state championship being the ultimate goal” stated Dirkx. The excitement for the upccoming season comes with the high expectations that this year’s team has surpassed.

New Athletic Excitement Alex Hoffman

The new gym inside the Waukee Field House has finally made a complete public appear-ance. Throughout the summer, excitement ran rampant about the new gym, along with the rest of the major renovations done at the Waukee High School. Many people have finally seen the new gym during the pep assembly and open house, so what do people of authority think of it? “It’s a much nicer place for our athletes to play in,” said Jim Duea, the Waukee Athletic Di-rector. One of the nicest things

about the new gym: size. The gym allows more room for sup-porting fans. Nearly 1,100 more fans can pack Waukee’s new gym for sporting events. The number of seats available will jump from 1,500 to approximately 2,600. For this reason, Duea thought the new gym was necessary for success in the athletic depart-ment, especially with the growth of the Waukee school district. “So many more fans will come to the games,” remarked Duea, “we just have to have a place for them to go.” However, the old gym will still house some ath-letic events, consisting mainly of lower level sports. The gym’s features will create just as much excitement. “There are a lot of extra ameni-ties in there that make it a little more special than the average gym,” stated Duea. Some of these amenities include a video board, portable baskets on the main floor, volleyball nets that drop to the floor, spotlights, a new sound system and more. The new scoreboard features a video board and advertisements. Conveniently located in the center of the gym, the board in-creases its visibility to fans. Ad-vertisements posted on the board add another change from the old gym, which did not even have a video board. Duea believes all of these new additions will be a great attraction for Warrior fans.

The new gym excites Duea, but what about coaches? Boys’ basketball coach, Justin Ohl, stated, “The basketball team will really benefit from the new gym, not only the boys program but the girls program as well.” Ohl had much excitement about using the new facilities. However, Ohl reminded every-one about the transition period going into a new place. “It will take a while to get used to, being a new space, a larger space,” said Ohl. “We will have some adjust-ments, but hopefully with some practice time and everything, we will be okay,” he continued. Among the upgrades will be new locker rooms for boys and girls. According to Coach Ohl,

the players are eager to play in the new gym. “I think the play-ers are tremendously excited about getting in there,” offered Ohl. “They’ve been checking it out since the summer. [They have been asking] when’s it done? When can we get in there?” The time for this is com-ing nearer and nearer. Coach Ohl finished up by saying, “I think it is a great facility and we are for-tunate to have it here at Waukee.” The new gym has generated excitement around the athletic program. Capacity in the new gym has nearly doubled. There are also new amenities such as a new video board and spotlights. This will hopefully attract more fans to Waukee Warrior athletic events. Boys’ basketball coach Jus-tin Ohl thinks the new facilities will really help the well being of the basketball, as well as other athletic programs. The new gym will ideally equal victories for the Warriors, but if nothing else, it has brought much excitement. “We are just very excited to get it open and we are very excited for the fans to come out and watch our teams,” finished Duea.

One of the newest additions to the high school is the Waukee Fieldhouse. The gym will include a scoreboard above the floor along with a scoreboard and vid-eoboard on the northside. The new gym will also be able to seat more fans.

Waukee students are sent dancing the interlude dance at the homecoming pep assembly. All 1,300 students were able to fit in the home side of the stands with more room avaiable.

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Sign- InKeegan Hohn

The bell rings at eight o’ clock Monday through Friday morning to signify the start of another school day. Only sometimes people find themselves walking into Waukee High School past the bell, but for what reason are these students late? Do they simply not have enough time in the morning? Are they just lazy? Or is it more complex than that? Can some reasons be justified or should any late student be condemned?

The students of Waukee High School, like any other school, are not always on time. In fact, there are usually around twenty late students each morning. What is the reasoning behind this? “I just missed my alarm clock,” said sophomore Hannah Hunsberger when questioned as to why she had been en-tering the building a few minutes pasted the bell. “I missed the bus,” says senior Brit-tany Ramirez. Though these reasons may be consid-ered valid in the minds of students, the administration is not as forgiving. If you walk in after the bell then in most cases, you will be tardy. Though valid reasons can be found to avoid the pink slip, such as before school events and groups.

When asked why he was late, but excused, senior Malkan Pilipovic an-swered plainly, “I had Voices for Hope.” Students who find themselves in these types of groups often find themselves excused if caught after the bell. Though a few students are excused for this rea-son, it does not account for the average of twenty or more written late students. Some students blame the school grounds for being too large, such is the case of senior Tierre Kellogg. “Park-ing lots kinda big, takes time to walk it,” commented Kellogg. He explained the reason other students are late is that they “don’t have time for breakfast in the morning” because of the missing breakfast break. Then should breakfast break be reestablished to improve at-tendance? Is it necessary for the school to create more time in the morning because students cannot seem to make it on time? Quite a few Waukee students do not even have a first period but they still somehow end up late. Senior Sarah Vinchattle believes the simplest reason is “because they get lazy.” By having first block off, an extra hour and a half is free in the morning. Students end up getting up with the same time span as students with a first block. Is there any justified reason for these students’ lateness or is Vinchat-tle’s assumption correct? However you slice it, students come in late. Whether they have an extra 90 minutes or not does not seem to make the difference. Whether they take a bus or rely on a not-so-reliable alarm clock does not have any better of an effect either. All schools have late students. Even colleges have late students and no matter what you do to try and limit the tardiness, there will always be a few. The crusade continues.

The Greener Side of LifeCarson Thomas

Do you ever wake up in the morn-ing and ask yourself, “Wow, I wonder who takes care of the lawn at Waukee?” Well, it would not be a surprise if you did. Throughout the week, our lawn stays at a substancial length, a beautiful tinted green and what some might say has a feathered feel to it. So who is it that takes care of our lawn? The answer is: Eric Rose, a man with a pocket full of talents, the Pablo Picasso of lawn care. When questioned about Rose’s talents with the lawn, senior Kelsey Mcdonald shared, “I think our lawn looks beauti-ful. I love how it stays under a two inch median.” But, with praise also comes criticism. Others felt that, “Some areas could use some improvement, especially the west side of the building where the senior lot is.” A senior and huge parkour activist Malkan Pilipovic shared. When doing parkour one will do stunts and end up landing on the ground, so Malkan knows all about good lawn care. Although some spots could use improvements, the genral opinion is that the lawn “is good,” short words from Theodore Crites. So now, before you leave or step inside the bus, take a second and say, “Thank you Eric Rose for keeping our lawn at highest quality it can be.” While others see our lawn and think for the most part and decide whether or not it’s bad, some take a different approach. Some take a look and don’t necessarily see how nice it looks, but instead how much we care about upkeep at our school. It’s a lot like hiring some-one; you aren’t going to give someone a job if they look like they’ve never seen a shower. Our lawn at Waukee should always be at it’s highest level it can be, so we can continue to keep bringing in more and more students, making Wau-kee a more plentiful and diverse school.

Despite the hot weather and lack of rain, the Waukee lawn is still dutifully maintained by the staff.

Do You See The Cat?

Please circle your answer and rip out the square to turn into room 603. Put your name on the sheet somewhere for a chance to win a pizza buffet from Pizza Ranch in a drawing.

Yes! No.

Wake up to your alarm clock in the mornings!

Sustainable Energy RecapKayla Lovan What would you do for your school if you had $50,000? In 2009, the Earth Club had great determination to get an energy source for sustainable energy to benefit the community. As the fastest growing school district and community, the use of sustain-able energy is a practical way to keep up and maintain the community’s energy uses. In May 2011, the Earth club was deter-mined to get a wind turbine for our com-munity. To get a wind turbine, they would have to raise a lot of money. Luckily, the dedicated earth club found an opportunity through the Pepsi Refresh program to get the chance to win money for the school. Their goal was to get a wind turbine for the com-munity. At first, they wanted a huge wind turbine which cost more than they could ever afford so they ended up aiming for the smaller wind turbine worth $80,000. The members of the Earth club seized the oppor-tunity and made it happen. That year, Pepsi offered grants of multiple money offerings, and Waukee decided to go with the $50,000 grant. To win, we had to go online and vote for our school. Linda Kirkland, librarian and previous Earth Club advisor said, “Everyone in our community started voting and I cannot be-lieve how fast people got to know about it.” The Pepsi competition was not only with local schools, but with schools from all over the nation. “Not realizing how many votes we were getting we ended up winning the $50,000 grant! With the money our community decided to choose a wind turbine out of any other energy source like solar energy”, said Kirkland. The voting process lasted a month. Stephanie Groathouse was very proud and thought it was neat how, “the community came together to help vote.” The word about voting spread very quickly. The students

went around during lunch to tell everyone about voting and also used social network-ing sites to increase the word about what they were trying to do. Choosing the type of wind turbine was decided on what would be best for our local area. They thought it was best because we have a lot of wind and placing it somewhere would be easy. They wanted to put the turbine in a central location where everyone could see it. Getting and placing the turbine took a year to accomplish. The more you save, the better. Kirkland agrees that, “It is definitely helping us. “ It is reducing many costs and it is great to have an alternative source of energy. With the turbine, saving money the school district has more to help them build and continue the growth of our community. The wind turbine is currently helping save energy for all of the Waukee schools. With the success of the wind turbine the Earth club wants to continue to make aware-ness to save more energy and to be green. Sophmore Natalie Horton thinks that, “I think that it was a great idea to get it because not only is it helping us now, but is going to help us in the future.” “It saves natural resources,” Groathouse adds. It is definitely a great renewable resource and will help us in the long run.

The windmill bought with the Pepsi grant money.

People should drive by and be in awe when passing by our new Field House and new library surrounded by noth-ing else, but the most beautiful grass they’ve ever seen.

“I think our lawn looks beautiful. I love how it stays under a two inch median.” -Kelsey McDonald

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Another Homecoming has come and gone, but the highlights and memories made during the week remain in the minds of those who participated. Homecoming is the one week a year Waukee High School dedicates solely to showing school pride and support for our hard-working football team. During the weekdays, Waukee encourages students and teachers to go all out with crazy, fun, and inter-esting costumes for each day. Monday: Time-warp Day Students dressed up from different decades, ranging from the Stone Age, to the future. Kayla Hope and Tyler Jensen’s matching Cavemen outfits won best of the day for seniors. Tuesday: -ER Day and Picnic -ER day gave an opportu-nity for a variety of costumes. Anything ending with the suffix ‘-er’ was up for grabs. Plenty of the traditional farm-ers and golfers were found along with many more creative costumes. Elizabeth Smithson and Mickey Sundermann won Best Costume for senior for their outfits as ‘Snickers Bars’. The Community Picnic took place at Centennial Park, served free food, and featured Waukee’s own Reservoir Dogs, a band made up of Clinton Garlock, Logan Grote, and Peter Lemken for music and entertainment through the night. Wednesday: Imaginary Character Day Fairies, princesses, mon-sters, and TV personas flooded the hallways during Imaginary Character day. Joel Berner go-ing as the Monopoly Man won Best Outfit. Thursday: Go-Together Day, Parade, Coronation, and Powderpuff The parade gave students and community alike a chance

to cheer for their involved stu-dents, and probably score some free candy too. At Coronation, the 2012 Homecoming Court – Ko-muri Lejokle, Raina Bueno, Charlie Raike, Sydni Rowen, Riley Gray, Maddie Rouw, Tom Bean, Zoe Scheve, Andy Rushenburg, Rebecca Schrodt, Jordan Dean, and Tori Giudici - were announced on the field accompanied by their parents. After taking their walk on the field, Jordan Dean and Sydni Rowen were crowned King and Queen. The annual Powderpuff game took place just after. Juniors defeated Sophomores in the first game no problem with their usual energy. Dur-ing the game senior Allie Odor sustained a violent dislocation of her knee. This resulted in a draw between Seniors and Juniors. Luckily, senior Kellen Kollmorgen’s father, surgical oncologist Dr. Dan Kollmor-gen, watched the whole scenar-io from the stands and quickly popped Odor’s knee back into place. This injury sparked rumors and controversy on whether the Powderpuff tradi-tion should be able to continue in future years. Friday: Spirit Day and Homecoming Game Students were decked out in purple and gold for School Spirit day, and participated in the very first assembly held in the new Waukee Field House. Later in the evening, as expected, the Waukee Warriors brought home a ‘W’ by domi-nating the Roosevelt Rough Riders with a final score of 49-14. Saturday: Homecoming Dance Student Council did an amazing job transforming the West gym into a suitable dance floor. The DJ played popular hits for the well-dressed stu-dents to party out to for hours.

Homecoming Week RecapEmma Williams

Homecoming

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FeatureA Waukee MiracleBy Jack Rizzi “If this is the last chance I get to see my daughter, I’m not going to spend it freaking out and worrying, I’m going to embrace it,” thought Karen Bavender as she sat next to her daughter, Courtney Bavender, before being wheeled off to have brain surgery. Courtney Bavender is a mere 17 years of age and has already eluded Death’s grasp. It was Friday, June 22nd, 2012 -- just seven days after her 17th birthday -- when she received the most precarious surgery of her life. Bavender awoke at 7 AM to attend the Waukee Warrior fitness program run by strength and conditioning coach Chad Vollmecke. The work-out consisted of an initial 45-minute conditioning period, through which she felt completely fine, and a final 45-minute period devoted to weight training. Due to a back surgery in August of 2011, Bavender was unable to lift the free weights. She instead worked out using the weight machines. After completing just one set of the first exercise, a slight headache began to develop just above her right eyebrow. Deciding a little bit of sleep was needed to feel better; she left the workout early and went home. She woke up at 9:30 AM feeling regenerated and left the house for a 10 AM. The hour-long practice ended with a solo lesson for which Karen Bavender showed up to watch. Afterwards, Courtney men-tioned to her mother the headache she had felt earlier that morning, and added that it had subsided by this time and she felt fine. Karen didn’t think much of it at the time and left to go to her workplace at Principal Financial Group (where Greg, her husband, also works) downtown. Courtney was driving back to her house when, suddenly, a throbbing headache hit her like a train.

Courtney Bavender: “The pain was excruciating, 100 times worse than before. I was

screaming and crying in the car, and I had to actually motivate my-

self to try to get home.”

After arriving at her house, she immediately sprinted to the bath-room and puked. She then called her mother for help, and according to Mrs. Bavender, Courtney was “incomprehensible over the violent screaming and crying.” Courtney’s mother and father rushed home to take her to Method-ist West. “Courtney was extremely

lethargic. She was still in her dance uniform when we arrived at home so we asked her to put on some bas-ketball shorts and a t-shirt, but she couldn’t do even that,” Mrs. Baven-der stated. Courtney’s father carried Courtney to the car where she threw up once again, none of which she remembers because she experienced minor black outs. They arrived at Methodist West at about noon, put her in a wheelchair, and took her into the Emergency Room where Courtney blacked out completely. She received a CAT scan, determin-ing she had an AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation). This collection of blood vessels in the head is com-pletely harmless until one bursts, such as in Courtney’s case, which causes a hemorrhage. Paramedics promptly loaded her into an ambulance and drove to Blank Children’s Hospital. She awoke around 3:30 PM and felt such agonizing pain that her only desire was to be put to sleep. The doctors did so, and carted her into the oper-ating room to perform a craniotomy on the right side of her head. That is, they cut into her skull to remove the hemorrhage. Her mother and father waited anxiously in the waiting room where they met a couple of friends, some family of theirs, and many of Courtney’s friends, including Mad-die Clough, Charlie Raike, Komuri Lejukole, Raina Bueno, Sydni Rowen, Madison Miller, and Tyler Johnson. Mrs. Bavender stated she felt “relieved to see so many kids rather than a room full of adults. They expressed a ton of positive

energy and optimism; whereas [she] knew if only adults had been present the room would be full of ten-sion and anxiety.” Maddie Clough showed her positive attitude when (after finding out Courtney’s head was to be shaved for surgery) she made a list of 45 reasons why it is good not to have hair. The encouraging attitudes persevered for the next two hours when, at about 5:45 PM, the doc-tors came out and reported they had completed the surgery and Courtney had been moved to the recovery room where she would wait to come out of anesthesia. At 7 PM, she was moved to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Earlier that day, Courtney had planned to go to the College World Series with Maddie Clough, so Mr. and Mrs. Bavender (her first visi-tors) breathed a big sigh of relief when the first words out of her mouth were, “Does Maddie know I can’t go with her today?” She also insisted that her parents tell Steph, her dance coach, that she would not be at practice for a while. Charlie Raike was one of the

next visitors in to see her and stated that he was freaked out and expect-ed her (with her newly shaven head) to look “something like the cartoon character, Megamind,” but was amazed to find her looking the same as she did before surgery. He also worried that she would be incoher-ent, but, as he stood by the side of her bed, was comforted when she said, “Hey, Charlie. I can’t turn my head to see you right now, but I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me.” Courtney’s mother stayed in the hospital with Courtney every single night until she was released the following Thursday. Though not

bedridden in the hospital anymore, the doctors still do not want her do-ing any type of physical activity in fear of spiking her blood pressure. Courtney attended the homecoming dance but had to avoid the bright lights and pounding music in order to prevent an unbearable headache. Courtney and her mother both agree that many miracles occurred that day, such as Karen’s phone getting reception at work (it usually does not), Dr. Thomas Carlstrom’s (a top-rated neurosurgeon) avail-ability at the hospital due to the fact that he had performed a surgery earlier that morning, and the head-ache coming on Friday morning - a miracle because she would have been driving to Omaha later that day and to Clear Lake the following day. The Waukee community’s sup-port continues to overwhelm the Bavender Family. Courtney received countless amounts of cards, flowers, and candy. Many teachers expressed their sympathy including Kent Peterson and Judi Roland, who

showed up to visit, Carrie Manning who sent candy, and Principal Kirk Johnson who made a phone call to Karen and asked if anything could be done to help make Courtney’s senior year less stressful. Courtney Bavender continues to see this life-threatening experience as a positive one. When asked to explain, she replied with,

“I learned not to take life for granted because something like

this could happen to anyone at any given moment. I also learned not to stay mad at anyone because I don’t

know how long they’ll be here.”

She added that she also loves the frequent compliments she receives about her hair.

Courtney enjoying a summer day before the incident.

Courtney’s head was shaved for her sur-gery. Above, her impressive scar shows

across her scalp.

Courtney, awake after her surgery, already smiling for family and friends.

Wig shopping!

One of her beautiful senior pictures, embracing her new look.

Courtney’s friends made her a sign to show support and love.

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Silver Cord: Teaching Good Things?By: Holly Byrkett Silver Cord is the great achievement that some Waukee high school students strive to attain. 150 hours of pure volunteer work to get the cord around your neck and the recognition that the few deserve. Though, this poses a question that has been raised. Are kids just doing it for the whole reason of just getting one more thing that would look good on any college or job application? If that is the case, then what really is the point of Silver Cord if that is all that it teaches us? The program is one that aims to recognize the students that give their time to volun-teer to help those who need it. It also helps students to hopefully experience what a pro-fession would be like for them. Whether it is helping in a clinic or at an animal shelter, to give students chances and to help someone in need is what the Silver Cord Coordinator Sally Housholder hopes.“The purpose is to instill the values of community service,” Housholder said during an interview about what Silver Cord was. Housholder and Mr. Fleming, one of the Assistant Principals at Waukee High School, cannot deny that Silver Cord looks wonder-ful on a resume. There will, of course, be people with just the mindset of getting the cord for that purpose. But as Mr. Fleming said, “It helps the people who are receiving the work.” And with that mindset it seems that whether or not there is an endgame, it does not really matter. Housholder said during the interview that if someone is serving other people then it does not really matter if one is working to-wards something or not, as long as someone is being helped then that is what matters. With 451 students in the silver cord program with an hour or more of service, Housholder is sure that a difference is being made. Some of those students have been as dedicated to go to other states such as Arkansas, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Some have even went to other countries such as El Salvador and South Africa. “I really feel blessed to be a part of that.” Housholder stated with a smile as she was talking about heading the Silver Cord program. Whether or not the program is helping to teach students could very well still be under debate. Helping the community seems to be good enough for the people that support it all the way. And they seem to be sure that change is happening. With 159 seniors, 184 juniors, and 108 sophomores that are help-ing with that change, they have good reason to say that.

Sophomore Spots: Fair or Unfair?By: Lauren Vespa

Parking. Every high school student who has a car has had to deal with this issue. However, for sophomores, the predica-ment was a tad more complicated. Gabby Duncan, a sophomore at Waukee, said she was required to, “fill out a sheet, give them twenty-five dollars, and show [her] permit and registration,” in order to apply for a parking spot. All of the steps Duncan took were what the upperclassmen had to do as well. But, Duncan was not guaranteed a spot to park. Kirk Johnson, Waukee High School’s princi-pal, said the choosing of who got a spot was, “random.” According to Johnson, there were fifty five to sixty applicants for the thirty-two available spots. “[They] had to eliminate people without payment, and then people without registration, and then [they] picked randomly,” stated Johnson. All thirty-two spots are now filled, and Duncan did

Student Questions

Football players volunteering at Meals for the Heartland.

Waukee’s silver cord logo.

The grain portion being poured into the mixture.

Kaci Schneiter helping out with her fellow classmates.

Madison Flesch and Amelia Rinker volunteering with the cross country team.

A whole group of students volunteering.

receive one of the spots. She stated that having a spot is beneficial, “because it’s very convenient and closer than the stadium.” As of now, sophomores are still allowed to park at the stadium, but “as we grow, the number of sophomore spots will decrease,” stated Johnson. With more and more kids enrolling at Waukee, by the next school year sophomores may not have parking at the school. “It all depends on how many juniors and seniors enroll,” said Johnson. So, those sophomores who did receive a sport this year, feel lucky. Johnson said, “we knew there would be a small chance they would get parking, and a small chance they would not.” Therefore, as the winter months begin approaching, you may want to befriend one of those thirty-two sophomores, or be will-ing to walk.

Spots near Prairieview were up for grabs . Thirty-two were give to sopho-mores.

Spots located close to the fieldhouse and beyond are mostly for ju-niors. Seniors have parking closer to the school. Pg. 6

Pop CultureMovie Review: the House at the End of the StreetBy: Bailey Smith

The House at the End of the Street. The title of the film is a generic one, but it keeps you guessing what will happen, just as the movie does. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, who is best known for playing the legendary Katniss Everdeen. It also stars Max Theriot , Elisabeth Shue, and many more. The cast is per-fect for the story line and makes it enjoyable to watch. Warning: the acting is a bit below par for such a great cast. The movie was released on Sep-tember 21, 2012 - just in time for autumn and the spooky Hallow-een spirit that comes along with it. If you are looking for hardcore Halloween horror, this movie may not be for you, but if you are bored on the weekend and in the mood for a movie with a twisting plot, jumpy moments, and little gore, go see it.

The House at the End of the Street immediately comes off as a cliché horror movie with flickering lights, a scary girl, and of course, a love interest. However, the “horror” aspect is very mild – except for the sudden loud noises that have the audi-ence jumping out of their seats… literally. Otherwise, the gore and violence are pretty mild, making it something that even the most squeamish of people can enjoy. The film also gives off the predictable vibe. It is al-ways obvious as to what will happen next, but that does not stop any one from jumping with fear. If you are looking for a cliché, generic, and mildly scary movie – this would be the one to see. With both weak and strong points, the movie is worth watch-ing at least once, but may not be quite worth the money to see it in theaters.The best part of the movie is the fact that for each predictable mo-ment, a twist comes along with it.

Jennifer Lawrence as the main character in the new movie House at the End of the Street.

The ending is the least bit predictable and answers all the questions the audience has. It is safe to say you will never see it coming. On a scale from one to five, with five being best, the House at the End of the Street would be rated three; not bad, but not so good either. It will not be a complete waste of your time, but do not set your stan-dards too high.

Final LunchesBy: Bailey Baldock

“Ridiculous.” That is what Tierre Kellogg, a junior at Wau-kee, called the price of school lunches. The price of a full lunch is $2.30 for students but when it comes to extra things, like chips or a beverage other than milk, the prices vary. Kellogg said he does not bring his lunch, mainly because he does not have time to make it. He also stated that on average, he probably spends around $60 on school lunch alone, each month. “It’s prob-ably cheaper to bring lunch,” he said. But due to lack of time, he does not. After stating his opin-ion on the lunch prices, he said that for example, “One can of apple juice is $1.25. I could go to Hy-vee and get a two-liter for much less.” Kellogg also said that he probably spends around $4 a day on his lunch. He usually buys a regular lunch with maybe an extra bag of chips or a drink of his choice. “It’s better this year with more choices,” he said, “but it could be better.” From a different perspective, there are those who bring their lunches nearly every single day to school. When asked about the prices of school lunch, Taylor Schleis-man, a sophomore, did not have much to say. “I bring my lunch every day,” Schleisman said, “So I wouldn’t know much about the prices at school. I probably spend about 15 dollars a month to bring my lunch.” In comparison to Tierre Kellogg’s average of $60 a month, $15 is clearly the cheaper option. The results of a situation like this may vary from this one. It depends on what the student gets for lunch or how often and how much. But in this specific case, it is obvious that bringing your lunch versus purchasing one from the school is the much cheaper route.

The 64th Emmy AwardsBy: Lexi Ridout

The 64th Emmy annual award ceremony occurred on Septem-ber 23rd where manyactors, actresses, and tv shows were awarded for their perfor-mances of the previous year. Emmys are given to those nomi-nated in drama, comedy, and reality shows on tv. This year, the comedy awards were given to Jon Cryer in “Two and a Half Men” for lead actor in a comedy series and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “Veep” for lead actress in a comedy series. Supporting actor and actress roles for a com-edy series were given to Julie Bowen and Eric Stonestreet in “Modern Family.” Awarded outstanding writing for a com-edy series - Louis C.K, “Louie”, and finally outstanding comedy series and directing comedy series was awarded to “Modern Family” and the director Steven Levitan. In the drama category, leading actor and actress were awarded to Damian Lewis and Claire Danes in “Homeland.” Supporting actor was awarded to Aaron Paul in “Breaking Bad” and supporting actress was awarded to Maggie Smith in “Downtown Abbey.” Directing

Most of the controversy about the awards this year was online. Jimmy Kimmel planned this idea for the people who were watching or at the Emmys to post on Twitter, or Facebook saying, “OMG! Tracey Morgan just passed out on the Emmys. Turn on ABC!” then Tracey Morgan laid down on the stage and was carried off after 5 minutes. This “prank” was to get people talking about the Emmys and to get more view-ers. Jimmy Kimmel went on with the awards even though Tracey Morgan was “passed out” on the stage. After people turned in and found out it was a joke they would hopefully stay tuned to the awards. Over all, the Emmys re-sulted very successful and they always know how to keep everyone entertained - 64 great years, and 64 or more to go.

a drama series was awarded to Tim Van Patten for “Boardwalk Empire”. The writing a drama series was awarded to Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, and Gideon Raff for “Homeland” and Drama series of the year was also awarded to “Home-land.”For reality-competition pro-gram awarded host was Tom Bergeron from “Dancing With the Stars” and top reality-com-petition program of the year was “The Amazing Race”.Awarded writing for a Vari-ety Special was Louis C.K. in “Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre” and Directing, Vari-ety, Music or Comedy Special was awarded to Glenn Weiss, 65th Annual Tony Awards. Last but not least, Variety, Music or Comedy series was awarded to “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”

People do not realize how much lunch food actual is. They just care about how the food tastes.

Emmys are given out for multiple tele-vision programs each year.

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BEARDS

My fellow Warriors, Beards. Waukee High School, this is something we lack. Where are all the beards? Pictured above are the few and the proud facial hair sporters. Payton Minear, Keegan Hohn, Carson Thomas, Cole Griess, and Chris Grow are the only students I could find. I am dissappointed. Hopefully November will be more...furry. Men and women of Waukee High School, we must come together in mutual acceptance of facial hair. Be honest, who doesn’t love beards? With lots of love and hope that there will be more beards this fall, Adian Sisco P.S. I took the liberty of giving a few Warrior’s mustaches. You’re very wel-come.

What Waukee’s Missing