Page 3 After not getting his Eagle Scout project idea of a 5K race approved, freshman Michael Gage is still choosing to organize a run for his cousin, a colon cancer survivor. The student section at the football games has been filled with more pep and enthusiasm than last year, and it is only the beginning of the season. With a variety of spirit groups, each one has put in a lot of effort to support our team at every game. Breaking down the student section Vol. 89, Iss. 2 • Salina Central High School www.chspylon.com • September 20, 2012 pg 10 pg 12 Homecoming photo spread Not just the ‘Boys Next Door’ Student organizes 5K for colon cancer Pages 6-7 What’s inside It doesn’t matter if you judge me... Things will be so much better It doesn’t matter what you think of how I look or feel... when you realize Page 4 front just this is a More than
Transcript
Page 3
After not getting his Eagle Scout project idea of a 5K race approved, freshman Michael Gage is still choosing to organize a run for his cousin, a colon cancer survivor.
The student section at the football games has been filled with more pep and enthusiasm than last year, and it is only the beginning of the season. With a variety of spirit groups, each one has put in a lot of effort to support our team at every game.
Breaking down the student section
Vol. 89, Iss. 2 • Salina Central High Schoolwww.chspylon.com • September 20, 2012
pg 10 pg 12
Homecoming photo spreadNot just the ‘Boys Next Door’
Student organizes 5K for colon cancer
Pages 6-7
What’s inside
It doesn’t matter if you judge me...
Things will be so much betterIt doesn’t matter what you think of how I look or feel...
when you realize
Page 4frontjust
this is
aMore than
2 the PylonSeptember 20, 2012
iTunes Top 10
“We Are Never Getting Back Together” Taylor Swift
1.2.3.4.5.
6.7.8.9.10.“Clique”
Kayne West
“Some Nights”F.U.N.
“One More Night”Maroon 5
“Whistle”Flo Rida
“As Long As You Love Me”Justin Bieber
“Too Close”Alex Clare
“Gangnam Style”PSY
“Good Time”Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
“Home”Phillip Phillips
ShamWows
Sham Wows are positive and negative words or phrases that describe the month. These were chosen by the Pylon staff for September. If you have a sham or a wow for the October issue, go to chsPylon.com and leave a comment to submit your suggestions.
Shams• 54 days until new “Call
of Duty”
• Colder Weather
• Construction hits the school
Wows• Boy’s soccer team mak-
ing a come back
• iPhone 5
• Theatre presenting “The Boys Next Door”
SudokuDifficulty: HardThe solution to this sudoku puzzle will be posted in the next issue of the Pylon.
The purpose of the Pylon is to relay important and interesting informationtothestudentsandadministrationofSalinaCentralHighSchool. Central’s newspaper, the Pylon, will cater to the interests and concerns of the student body. Outside concerns and activities will only be covered if they somehow affect the school or students. The Pylon is distributedonceeachmonth.WefirmlysupporttheFirstAmendmentand oppose censorship. The content of the Pylon is determined by our staff and editors.
Last Month’s Puzzle
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3News UpdatesSeptember 20, 2012
With scholarship deadlines, college admissions and
writing application essays, here are a few things you
should know.
By Sammy JordanThe Pylon
Running a race to raise awarenessBy Beth Cash
The Pylon
For freshman Michael Gage, a Life Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, the title of Eagle Scout is imminent. To reach this privilege, Gage planned on executing a community service project in the form of a 5K run in honor of his cousin, Tammy Thaxton, a colon cancer survivor.
“My cousin recently completed her radiation in June after suffering from colon cancer. I figured this would be a great way to not only reach my goal of becoming an Eagle Scout, but also to raise awareness for colon cancer,” Gage said.
However, fund-raising is not allowed in the Eagle Scout community service project, making it impossible to charge
admission to the race and sell merchandise for the benefit of the cancer foundation. Gage’s project was rejected by the Scout Committee, forcing him to start over.
“There would be no point planning a run for colon cancer if there would be no proceeds to go towards the colon cancer foundation,” Gage said.
Despite needing to create a new project to achieve the title of Eagle Scout, Gage continued to plan the run and create a website independently so fund-raising and admission charges would be allowed.
The Team Thaxton 5K Run for Colon Cancer Awareness will be held during the Assaria Fall Festival on Saturday, September 29 at 9:00 a.m. in Assaria, Thaxton’s hometown. The event will also
include a one mile fun run/walk and the opportunity to buy T-shirts and wrist bands. Proceeds from the event will be given to the Colon Cancer Foundation.
“I’m really looking forward to the outcome of the race and how many people attend,” Gage said.
Sarah Gage/ The PylonFreshman Michael Gage hangs flyers to advertise the Thaxton 5K.
Freshman organizes 5K to honor his cousin, a colon cancer survivor
For more information or to register for the race,
go to www.thaxton5k.com
By Sarah GageThe Pylon
Sophomore Mikalyah Williams was sitting in the art room working on a collage when she heard Brittney Degraw’s scream. She turned in time to see a mouse scurry across the window ledge to its safe place behind a cabinet. She screamed in response, immediately lifting her feet from the ground and onto her chair. However terrifying this may have been, though, it was not the first mouse to show itself this year.
“We have a bunch of mice!” art teacher Mr. Cullins said.
Seeing mice has become a regular occurrence in several classrooms, including Mr. Cullin’s art room, Mrs. Hoff’s
classroom, the main office and the journalism room. Both the journalism room and Hoff fell victim to the mice because of the food kept in the classrooms.
“They took a bite out of six of my chocolates,” Hoff said.
Now, Hoff has gotten rid of all her candy and keeps her teas in a tin to prevent the mice from getting into them again, though they appear to still try, as as she has found mouse poop in her desk drawers several times. The art room is another story, though.
“Mice eat everything. They
truly enjoy the sponges in our sinks,” Cullins said.
In a room as large as the art room, it’s harder to catch the mice than it is in a smaller classroom. Sticky traps and
mothballs are being used, but they don’t seem to be making much of a difference in the mouse population.
The maintenance
staff became aware of the mice before school started, so they immediately thought, “we’ll just take care of it”. They placed traps in the infected rooms and the district plugged holes to prevent
mice or bats from entering the school. However, food in classrooms is not the entire reason that mice have become abundant.
“It’s something we deal with every year to a certain extent,” maintenance worker Frank Armes said.
Because of the extreme heat and dryness from the summer, the mice look for somewhere cool to go until the weather gets nicer. As well as being cooler, the school seems to have proven to be a nice food source for them.
“It’s just something we deal with. When a bat or a bird comes in, we just deal with it,” maintenance supervisor Kenny Vanauken said.
An abundance of mice and their droppings have been discovered throughout the school
M RK“Mice eat everything. They
truly enjoy the sponges in our
sinks.”
Mr. CullinsArt teacher
Skyward app a future possibilityBy Emily Wood
The Pylon
With the new Skyward online grading program, students and parents may soon be granted access to the mobile app version. The app is downloadable in iTunes and Android app stores; however, the district has not activated it yet, so USD 305 cannot log in.
“We just found out about this,” executive director of school management Dr. Corbin Witt said. “Right now we are focusing on getting students and parents access to the portal (online version).”
The app would allow students, parents, and even teachers access to their
Skyward accounts on their mobile phones, iPads or tablets. A few of the features of the app are: allowing the user to view student schedule information, finding health needs at the time of an emergency, checking students grades and attendance records, and finding food service information.
“This is something we will look at as we want to continue improving the Skyward system even more,” Witt said.
At this point, the district is still working on training teachers and has to focus on sending in state reports.
“We haven’t had time yet to look at the app,” Witt explained.
As far as activation is concerned, Witt does not yet know what it will require on their part.
“From a teacher’s perspective, I probably wouldn’t do anything more with it, but from a student’s perspective I can see it being very beneficial,” math teacher Josh Gooch said.
Gooch, like a majority of students and staff, was unaware that a mobile app version of Skyward was even available.
With the passing of the new cell phone policy, access to grades and schedule information would literally be at students finger tips at all times, should the district
permit access to the app. “I think it would be a lot
more convenient for students to check their grades and they could be more proactive because of the convenience,” junior Addie Justus said.
“Students or parents with iPads and so forth would be able to get it on the way to or on the way home from a game. I think it would make students more accountable,” Gooch said.
In preparation of the app being activated for our district, you can
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Leaving their What colleges REALLYlook for
• Grades DO matter.
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impressive if students
stick with one activity
and excel.• Try to be in the top
• The more years of foreign
language you have, the
better when applying for
out-of-state colleges,
four years is preferable.
• While dual credit is a
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• The essay is the most
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application.
• Thoughtful letters of recommendation. Give
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shows you off in the best
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• Service hours in
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• Your ACT and SAT
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4 Student LifeSeptember 20, 2012
“I know some girls do it for attention or to fit
into a ‘trend’ but I’m not doing this to be an
outcast.”
Naudia Carroll Senior
“I learned coping skills; how to say no to
drinking and drugs.”
Dante Peet Junior
“I am unique, but I’m just being myself and
it doesn’t matter what anyone else has to say.”
Sharon Jensen Senior
The first time I came across freshman Naudia Carroll, I heard her expressing her love for Spongebob Squarepants. I would soon come to find out that Spongebob is the only boy she will ever like.
“The words ‘I’m gay’ never came out of my mouth until seventh grade,” Carroll said. “But it’s not a big deal, I’m just like everyone else.”
While some people are quick to judge, Carroll is simply living her life.
“I know some girls do it for attention or to fit into a ‘trend,’ but I’m not doing this to be an outcast.”
Carroll learned at a young age that she wasn’t interested in dating boys, but that has only left more time for disapproval in her life.
“My mom is in denial,” Carroll said. “She just doesn’t support me.”
The only people in Naudia’s family to know about her sexuality are her mom, her mom’s boyfriend and her sister. Her sister, who is also
gay, is the only who supports her.
“I tried for the longest time not to like girls. I dated boys and stuff because I saw everything my sister went through, but it just wasn’t right,” Carroll said.
Even though she faces obstacles at home, Naudia finds calm here at school.
“Everyone at school is really chill; nobody really says anything. If they do, I’ve learned to shrug it off.”
Carroll is comfortable in her skin and she is not only happy with, but proud of who she is.
“Just because someone may not approve doesn’t mean they can put others down. God has a plan for you, so why would he put me down this road for nothing?”
Approaching junior Dante Peet during ELO, I found him sitting at a table by himself, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire freshly cracked open. This was not the Dante I expected to see.
It’s not weird to see Peet on my Twitter timeline or to run into him at a party on the weekend, but once school started I noticed I hadn’t seen or heard from him in what seemed like forever. I couldn’t help but wonder what he had been up to.
“Well… I got an MIC and the they sent me to treatment. I’ve been back for about two weeks
and I don’t have the urge to go party or anything; even though there have been plenty of opportunities.”
In previous months, Peet had been used to partying and
hanging out with friends, but he is thankful for the positive influence time in treatment had on him.
“There’s not a lot to do in
Salina, but there are always parties; people doing crazy stuff to make it interesting,” Peet said. “But in treatment I learned coping skills; how to say no to drinking and drugs. I really learned a lot about myself though.”
Peet accepted the fact that he wasn’t always making the best decisions, but after treatment he realized that what he really cares about now is going to school and working. He is ready to progress towards a brighter future.
“I’m mad at myself for doing stupid things, but I’m glad for the experience; I learned a lot. I’m a better person.”
I’ve gone to school with senior Sharon Jensen since middle school, but we’ve never engaged in a real, in-depth personal conversation before.
Last year it wasn’t hard to spot her pregnant belly roaming around the halls and now it’s not hard to miss the purple and turquoise hair on her head. It’s easy to make comments and assumptions about things that stand out so much about a person, but I wanted to know what Sharon was really like.
“When I was younger I really didn’t have many friends, but as I got older I started hanging out with more people,” Jensen said. “My friends kind of showed me who I am.”
You can see the influence Sharon’s friends have had on her; some also having bright hair, wearing colorful outfits composed of band tees, skinny jeans and Converse, but when Sharon isn’t supporting the local music scene at Indian Rock, you can find her taking care of her precious daughter.
“Lilium is adorable,” Jensen
said. “If I ever have a bad day or get upset I can look at her and she just brightens up my day. Other people even ask me if they can see her because she is so cute.”
Jensens had her daughter, Lilium Dark Star, during the second semester of last year. Taking care of her daughter has become a full time job for her, but expressing herself still comes as naturally as motherhood did.
“I am unique and people are going to bad mouth me, but I’m just being myself and it really doesn’t matter what anyone else has to say. I mean, my purple hair doesn’t mean anything, I just wanted to do something different. I’m just me.”
By Hayley HagerThe Pylon
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5Student LifeSeptember 20, 2012
Fall By MacKenzie MorrisThe Pylon
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A swaggy way of expressionBy Austin Huynh
The Pylon
The Polo and Frat look has been seen around the college scene, and recently it has been adopted by the high school population. From flat-front khaki shorts to short-sleeve polo shirts, this apparel is of high interest in high school males. There are many different reasons why the look appeals to guys.
“The look is super classy and it gives guys a good reason to dress nice,” junior Noah Hadnot said.
There are a lot of people that rock the Polo. Some people wear it to get the classy look.
“One of the big differences is the choice of pants you wear with your Polo swag. If you wear cargo shorts instead of flat front shorts, you’re trying to be swaggy with it. Also, footwear is key. If you wear Jordans, you’re not gonna come off with the classy look, but if you wear Birkenstocks or Sperrys, you’ll look classy, fratty and professional,” junior Kyler Bell said.
Some people, instead of going for the classy look, they go for the swaggy look.
“The way I rock Polo is different from the way the preppy people wear it,” junior Aaron Thomas said. You gotta button yo Polo all da way up. It’s gotta have a lot of color and you gotta match your Polo with your Jordans, Griffies, and Chucks. You also gotta have a nice pair of cargos to go with your Polo.”
Even though Polo is worn a lot, there are some people who don’t believe in the look of Polo
and refuse to wear it. To some students, it’s a hassle to spend so much money on clothing, and Polo is not cheap to buy.
“It’s too preppy for my style; it also ain’t worth buyin’,” junior Dajon Samuels said. “One shirt is $40.”
In the end, Polo is seen from many different perspectives. Some people wear it to obtain a classy feel and look professional when they go to school, and others wear Polo just to express themselves in a swaggy way.
7:00 5:00 5:30 6:40a.m. p.m. p.m.The girls’ basketball team decorates the fences around the stadium with different words with paper cups.
The hour-by- hour of what students are doing on gameday leading up to the games at home on Fridays
Student-led tailgate begins in the south parking lot. Students also start painting their bodies and getting ready for the game.
Booster Club tailgate begins outside of the Stadium. $5 for a hamburger, chips, and unlimited soda.
The band and drumline come out and perform a pregame show on the field.
It’s been a while but the student section is back and better than beforeBy MacKenzie Morris
The Pylon
From the beginning of the school day to the final seconds in the fourth quarter
of the game Friday night, a wave of excitement and spirit crashed through our students. As painted black bodies and bejeweled overalls filled up the stands, it was soon clear that the student section had a very different look than the years before.
“I had heard from my wife and numerous others how incredible the student section was and that it was the best it had been in years,” football coach Mike Hall said, referring to the first home football game against Hutch.
In recent years, the student section’s main focus was usually not on how loud they could cheer on the boys to victory, but merely to see how many underclassmen could be yelled at for sitting in the wrong section that was “assigned” to their class.
While past years’ Friday night games were focused on drama, this season has been all about raising the spirit for our sports teams.
This change in spirit has not only affected our student body, but has also made sport’s players, especially the football team, feel appreciated
for their hard work to prepare for the season.
“It’s good to have the support of the students in the student section,” senior football player Luis Jimenez said. “With everyone there
and being that loud for our team, it makes you want to play better.”
While more students have been attending the games, groups like Overall Swag and Stang Nation have added to the immense spirit occurring throughout the student body.
“Before the first game, I had sent out a mass text to the numbers I had, asking if they wanted to paint their bodies black for our home games,” junior Treyton Hines said.
Students have been tailgating hours before the game: grilling food, playing games in the parking lot, and covering their bodies in black and maroon paint. One impressive factor of all this spirit is that the upperclassmen have been urging the underclassmen to join in on the festivities and fun to support our team.
“Having everyone join our groups has made our student section better,” said Hines. “People actually get crazy now and cheer loud.”
“With everyone out there and being that loud for our team, it
makes you want to play better.”
Luis JimenezSenior
Packed withPEP
Maggie Vernon / The PylonThe football team huddles inbetween plays during the home game against Hutch.
Maggie Vernon / The Pylon
In depth 7September 20, 2012
Do’s dont’s of the student section
Gameday rituals
Spiritgroups
& Do:
Don’t:
6:50 6:55 7:006:40 p.m. p.m. p.m.p.m.Students, VETS and cheerleaders go down on the field and form a tunnel for the team to run through.
The football team comes out of the locker room and runs through the helmet and line of people.
KickoffThe band and drumline come out and perform a pregame show on the field.
Get to know the outfits and styles of the student section
Be afraid to get loudWear skimpy outfitsDiss your own teamSit in front if you aren’t going to cheerStand in front of the front rowSitThrow things (except newspaper)
Filling the Firin’ up fence
Shredding the sky
the grillThe student tailgate begins in the field behind the south parking lot starting at 4 p.m. on game days. About an hour before kickoff, they begin painting their bodies or getting their outfits ready for the game.
Prior to the game, several students bring newspaper and start passing it around to rip up into small pieces. Students keep those pieces until the first Mustang touchdown of the game is scored and then they throw them all in the air to celebrate.
At 7 a.m. before school on gameday, the girls’ basketball team meets outside the staduim with nearly a thousand paper cups. They write different words and sayings in the fence to encourage the team and get the students excited for the game that night.
Bring newspaper to rip up and throw when we scoreWear maroon and whiteGo to the pre-gameBe on the field when the team runs outEncourage others to cheer Bring signs and posters to holdWear a shirt and pantsKnow your place to standDance to every song the band plays
Overall Swag“Overall Swag is a group of upperclassmen girls that get together and decorate old pairs of overalls to wear to the football games. We join the ‘Stang Nation’ group for their tailgates before the games. We hope to spread spirit through the student section and encourage other people to cheer. We want to be LOUD.”
-Sydney Dauer, ‘12
Stang Nation“It is a group that starts tailgating at 4 p.m. every home game. About an hour before the game, we all paint our bodies (preferably black paint). Most of us have white masks as well. I try to get the student section to come alive and just get as many people as I can to have a fun night. Anyone in high school can be involved.”
-Treyton Hines, ‘11
Maggie Vernon / The Pylon Maggie Vernon / The Pylon Maggie Vernon / The Pylon
8 September 20, 2012
Athletes & Sports
Voted 2010“Best Dance Studio” by
Readers Choice.
141 S. Santa Fe. (785) 823 2625Next to Santa Fe Subs, and the Kanza Fencing Club
By Bailey DriverThe Pylon
After placing third last season in the state tournament, senior Gabby Briggs and junior MacKenzie Morris knew they would be back to finish on top.
“We have high expectations for this season,” Morris said. “This is our third season as partners and we’ve gotten much stronger as a doubles team.”
Together Briggs and Morris are working towards becoming league champs, regional champs, and making it back to the state tournament with a perfect record.
This will be the last season Briggs and Morris will play together as a doubles team, and they’re looking to go out with a bang.
“Our main focus for the year is to win state, or to place higher than we did last season,” Briggs and Morris said.
To reach this goal, Briggs and Morris have put in countless hours outside of school practice improving their game.
“Over the summer I played in a bunch of singles tournaments, and worked on finding little
parts in my play that needed to be tweaked and corrected,” Briggs said.
Morris also spent much of her summer on the courts working in individual lessons with a coach, while playing in
several doubles tournaments with her partner, Briggs.
“Overall, I just want to enjoy my last season together with my team, making it my best season,” Briggs said. “I just want to end the season on a positive note and leave it all on the court.”
Off to another strong startDoubles team of Morris, Briggs still undefeated
Freshman football dominates their opponents
Drugs have unfortunately become a popular part of high school life for many students and most are not seeing the direct consequences of their actions.
The same thing is true for the athletes who are choosing to do drugs during their sport’s season, or at all, for that matter.
Therefore, the school district should have mandatory drug testing for all athletes.
Random drug testing throughout the sports seasons would take care of the problem immediately and effectively. If a sport was important to an athlete and they knew it would be taken away completely should they be caught, then I am absolutely sure that they would be more conscious of their decisions off the field or court.
Several years ago, I recall occasionally seeing drug dogs sniffing up and down the lockers, looking for drugs in the building. Maybe that was not the most efficient or effective method, but it was still an effort to control the problem. What do we have now? What is stopping students from doing this?
Mandatory drug testing would hold student-athletes accountable. Sure, if the sport wasn’t that important to them then maybe it wouldn’t solve anything, but I don’t believe that that is the case. I think that mandatory drug testing would make most of the athletes with this problem stop and evaluate their choices, particularly during season.
Ideally, top athletes or leaders of the teams would choose not to do drugs or jeopardize their chances of being successful. However, that is not always the case.
Other schools in our league already require mandatory drug testing for their student-athletes.
Yes, it would be an expensive endeavor for our already limited district budget. However, I think that requiring mandatory drug testing for athletes would be an effective method of holding athletes accountable and maintaining a good reputation for our school and district.
Emily’s Extra PointEmily Wood The Pylon
Maggie Vernon/ The PylonDuring an early season match doubles partners junior MacKenzie Morris and senior Gabby Briggs prepare for their next point.
Maggie Vernon / The PylonThe freshmen defensive line prepares for a snap against Hutch.
buy your yearbook today
in the main office.
$70
Athlete drug testing should be mandatory
Interview with Coach Hall
The meaning behind the sledge
: The big hits from the previous week.
: No, I picked up the idea from a coaching clinic and thought it would help motivate the team.
: What do the sledgehammers represent?
: Is there a history behind it?
By Sydney DauerThe Pylon
The freshman football team could be classified as little boys with big dreams, but by starting out the season undefeated, their dreams may be coming true.
“I hope the upcoming seasons will be some of the best seasons in history, but I’ve always thought that dreaming is one thing, but making it happen is a whole ‘nother story.”, freshman running back Dalton Peters said.
Most boys on the team have been playing tackle football since fifth grade. Their chemistry on the field is evident to anyone
who watches them play together. Even newcomer Adrian Castelli was able to fall right into place with the boys after transferring
from Ell-Saline.“We all know how each other
plays the game. We have fun out on the field; and by fun, I mean
win,” Castelli said.“Our chemistry is like no
other. We have only been together for two years, but we all have each other’s back.” freshman Travis Bigler said.
All of the boys on the team have high hopes for the years to come. Castelli believes that with the addition of upperclassmen to their squad, next year will be even better than this one.
“Hopefully we can go undefeated this year. Next year I would like to do the same. Senior year, who knows? A state championship would be nice,” Bigler said.
Maggie Vernon/ The PylonThe football team runs onto the field with sledgehammers before the Hutch game.
Q
QA
A
“This is our third season as partners and we’ve
gotten much stronger as a doubles team.”
MacKenzie Morrisjunior
9September 20, 2012
Athletes & Sports
19The number of years the doubles team of junior
Mackenize Morris and senior Gabby Briggs have been
playing tennis.
275The longest drive by a girls’ golfer this year, shot by
junior Alissa Kim.
253The number of assists junior setter Emily Wood
has had so far this season.
12The number of black pentagons on a soccer ball.
By the numbers a quick look at numbers and stats
about the fall sports season
20
92The number of miles the cross-country team runs
during practice in one week.
The number of yards freshman Dalton Peters
ran for a touchdown in the Newton game.
Athletes inthe mix
On the Spot
Jack ShetlarCross-Country
Erik Arias Boys’ soccerKylee Campion VETS
Quintavian Hill Football Nicole Morgan Volleyball
Our school is most like what reality TV show
There is nothing I hate more than
Favorite athlete
“The Office, because the most random stuff happens”
“Fake people”“Brian Cushing”“True Life”
“Stupid subtweets”
“Crusty school lunches”“Neymar da Silva”
“Man vs. Food... JK we don’t get food”
“Jersey Shore, with all the Grenades”
“Collin Klein”
“Vince Johnson”
“Cocky athletes”“Candace Parker”“Jersey Shore, with a whole bunch of Snooki’s”
“When people complain about school for no reason.”
358The number of kills the volleyball team has had in
the first fifteen games.
By Chandler BurrisThe Pylon
The soccer team had a slow start to the season with a record of 1-2 before winning the last three games they played. Their latest game consisted of a five to nothing win over Newton. The team hopes to win league, regionals and state.
“It feels good to come back from some tough losses; our defense has really stepped up their game and are making sure the other team doesn’t get a chance to score,” senior Preston Gapter said.
“The key to winning our matches to come will be to continue the synchronization between every player on the team and work to push the ball forward on the field. Also to keep on going out and supporting the team in any way possible.”
“I like soccer here. The support for the team is amazing,
and the amount of fans that show up to games is unbelievable. In Italy you do not have soccer teams for your school, you would have to join a club and no one would ever show up to the games,” junior Umberto Rossetto said.
Last season’s record was 17-2, the second best record in school
history. The team made it to the quarter finals and lost to the team that would go-on to take the state title. Expectations were high
coming off a season performance like that. The 1-2 start was not ideal, but things are looking much better.
“Assisting the forwards in getting the ball up the field is a large priority for me, and I hope that we can have a great season this year. I am really enjoying my time playing for Central; there is a wonderful soccer program here and the players are very good too,” Rossetto said.
Soccer starting to look like themselves again
Cross country different than in years pastBy Carson Jett
The Pylon
With new coaches and more runners out for cross-country, this year has a slightly different feel than years in the past. There are some major, physical changes to the cross country team like changes and additions to the coaching staff. With these changes came changes in the team and the goals for the cross-country team this year. Last year the team only had 14 runners, while this year there are 20.
“The head coach is in the building this year, and I’m able to promote the sport. Also, having younger coaches helps us get more students involved,” Coach
Gooch said. Not only have the numbers
gone up, but the expectations of being competitive in practice and in meets are stressed.
“So far this year is going pretty good. The kids are reaching their goals or getting closer to their goals. We had three individual medals at Heston and we will be running with a full varsity squad for girls and boys at Hays,” Gooch said.
This year, one of the goals for the team is to get runners ready and in shape for other sports. Many athletes are running cross-country in order to get in shape for winter sports like basketball and swimming. But this isn’t the goal of everyone.
Senior runner Courtney Olson has more serious goals for herself throughout her last year of cross-country,
“This year I am going to try and get to state and have a good season,” Olson said.
Eli Berner / The PylonSenior defender Barkley Edison gets ready to boot the ball to the forwards up the field during one of the home soccer games.
Emily Wood / The PylonSenior Courtney Olson competes in the Manhattan meet.
“I like soccer here. The support for the team is
amazing.”
Umberto Rossetto Junior
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@chspylon
The number of boys on the team
The number of returning lettermen
The number of girls on the team
The number of new runners
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10 Fine ArtsSeptember 20, 2012
‘Boys’ are ready to take the stageBy Hayley Hager
The Pylon
The Fall play ‘Boys Next Door’ explores the everyday lives of four mentally chal-lenged men living in a group home.
Characters include senior Joe McKenna as Barry, senior Eli Beery as Arnold, junior
Malik Grassity as Lution, junior Shekinah Jones as Norman and senior Trent Brown as their care taker, Jack.
While the boys must find comfort in taking on these difficult roles, director Chad Nulik says that time has been the biggest challenge they have had to overcome.
“The show happened so fast
and we had to get everything together in a short amount of time,” Nulik said. “But the guys are doing really well and I think we’re ready.”
Ready and eager, Nulik looks forward to the opening of the show tonight.
“I’m very excited for the boys. I think we’ll be in great shape.”
By Genna SalstromThe Pylon
Although the drumline lost its star, David Weiner, to college, and a few others for various reasons, the general consensus is that this year will be even better than last.
The bass drums are more organized, according to Mr. Rohrer, the instructor, and they have a gig on October 13 with local band Joe’s Pet Project.
“So far we’re doing even better than last year and we’re learning more. Losing David
wasn’t even a factor because we gained me, and he and I were on the same level last year,” junior Aaron Thomas said.
With 7 of the 19 drummers being freshmen, all of the older talent on the line makes it intimidating for them.
6 of the drummers are girls, which makes the line not only freshmen dominated but also female. Since a lot of the girls haven’t played before, the boys have to teach them the tricks of the trade.
“We call ourselves the DLW’s: Drumline Women. I try
to encourage the freshmen and girls to play their drum as loud as humanly possible,” senior Beth Cash said.
In order to raise money for transportation and new drum equipment, the drumline puts on shows after every game. The after-shows are extremely loud and highly intense, and everyone always has a great time.
While they’ve made a lot in the past, their show after the first football game against Hutch didn’t bring in as much as usual.
“The after-show is where you go to get enjoyment out of the game. They’re hype,” Thomas said.
Senior Spencer Schrader has been on the drumline since freshmen year, but made the decision to do football this year instead.
“It sucks because I wish I could be there, but I trust the other guys, and I know they’ll be fine without me,” Schrader said.
“Spencer, we made it without you,” junior Aaron Thomas said.
Since the expanding of the Center for
Theatre Arts, the Salina Community Theatre
offers classes for people of all ages.
Vocal& acting
Creative drama
Acting classesGrades 1 - College
Dance
BalletGrades 7 and up
Advanced BalletGrades 8 and up
Musical TheatreJazz
Grades 7 and up
Tap (beginner)Grades 7 and up
JazzAges 15 and up
Intense Hip HopGrades 7 and up
Vocal classesGrades 1 - 8
Brianna Chora / The Pylon
Brianna Chora / The PylonThe drumline makes some noise as they cruise down the street during the Homecoming parade.
Drumline prepares for strong year
OCTOBER 9 9:00-2:00 IN THE SMALL
GYM.
Fall play dominated by experienced male talent
Maggie Vernon / The PylonThe cast of ‘Boys Next Door’ runs through the set in preparation for opening night.
When:
Aboutthe show
Where:
7:00 tonight Sept. 20-22
Salina Central Auditorium
$6 Adults$5 Students & Senior Citizens
Cost:
The following are situations in which our students and faculty deserve praise for a job well done or to be called out for dropping the ball.
&Kudos
Call outs
-Hayley Hager. You go girlfriend.
-Cinnamon rolls are served at lunch. They’re healthy? Okay.
-”Yoga pants,” -Kamen Kossow.
-Senior boys for their mad dance skills at the homecoming parade. Grant Dodge, you owned that field.
-Chandler Bryan for following his dreams and meeting Victoria Justice. #yngluv
-The football players with sledgehammers...What?
Kudos:
-The kitchen is literally collapsing. This construction is about to blow
-You rachet if you use the word “rachet.”
-Seniors didn’t win with their REAL nice float. Come on. Who is judging?
-Black body paint girls, Y U NO WEAR CLOTHES?
-Don’t block my overall swag at games.
Call outs:
Versus- Is the cost of college worth it?By Sammy Jordan
The Pylon
The cumulative student debt in our nation is exceeding $1 TRILLION in student loans. Colleges are sitting on millions, sometimes billions in endowments. If they aren’t going to cooperate and adjust their prices according to inflation, then the scholars of our nation need to retaliate.
According to the pew Research Center, 57 percent of Americans feel that higher education fails to provide students with good value for their money spent. This is because the threat of unemployment and unreasonably high debt students face out of college can be higher than the annual income of a college graduate. The average student loan debt right after college ranges from $950 to over $55,000, according to The Project on Student Debt survey.
Colleges know that they can charge whatever they want because the government ensures that everyone can get a government loan. But the students have to pay that back, as they can not default on student loans.
Our lack of knowledge with how the free market system works, is going to be detrimental to our generation, as there is no incentive for universities to lower the prices without competition.
The government and universities alike need to be called out, or the price will
continually be driven skyward. The solution? Self education.
We have this thing, it’s called the google machine with information for days. I’ve become the master of locating answers on the internet, cranking out an entire work sheet in about four minutes. We live the the most technologically advanced period where self-education is not only possible, it’s free. Soon companies are going to realize they can hire students right out of high school who express interest in their field, enthusiastic to begin training instead of spending their time and money taking classes such as “Survey of Art History” or Anthropology.
Although it is true that unemployment rates are higher for high school graduates to those with bachelor degrees, a college education does not always ensure financial stability. Almost 10 percent of students out of grad school are facing currently facing unemployment.
I’m not trying to dissuade everyone from attending college, as even I’m not brave enough to stand up to the man. I will be attending college, no doubt. But if you are considering a career in a field such as business, personal research, grit, and real life training could be enough. In many cases, the cost of college simply outweighs the benefits.
“Companies are going to realize that they can hire students right
out of high school.”
Sammy JordanOpinion Editor
Homecoming candidate catastropheStaff Editorial:
11September 20, 2012
Editorials & Opinion
Does the cost of college outweigh the benifits?
9 out of 17 staffers voted yes
By Bailey DriverThe Pylon
No one wants to be that stereotypical high school drop-out that ends up spending the rest of their life slaving away at McDonald’s. The solution to this problem isn’t rocket science;
graduate high school and go to college!
Although the overall cost of college can be a lot, there are steps to take to
ensure that you’re not a part of the 8.7% of unemployed after you receive your high school diploma. Financial aid, student loans, grants, and scholarships are all there for a reason. Take that opportunity!
The average college graduate makes $46,000 annually, while other high school graduate averages only $28,000 annually.
To some, that may not seem like much, but it is. I mean, who wouldn’t want to make $18,000 more in just a year?
Without a college degree, your career options will have already decreased significantly. Receiving your college degree could be the difference between a professional and successful business hiring you, instead of that other guy who only received his high school diploma.
Now don’t get me wrong, graduating high school and walking across that stage to receive your diploma is a huge accomplishment and a great step in the right direction, but once you obtain a college degree, your benefits increase dramatically. I t sets you up with better access to employer-paid health insurance, and decreases your chances of unemployment and poverty. Studies have also shown that a college degree is good for your health and the future of your children’s brainpower.
So, go to college.
By Sydney DauerThe Pylon
With parade rain-outs, gym pep rallies replacing actual parades and unreliable nominations the weeks leading up to Homecoming, have been a complete mess.
Ok, so there isn’t much the school can do about rained out parades, but voting mishaps are easily handled.
Administrators need to take time and think about how the decision will affect everyone in
the long run, instead of trying to cover their mistakes quickly.
Last year, candidates that had borrowed fancy cars for the parade didn’t get to show them off.
Students that worked hard on class floats didn’t get to present them to the public. Why would we be celebrating football season in the basketball gym? Was rescheduling not an option?
Voting for homecoming is not that hard. Send a piece of paper including the voting instructions on top of the ballots to all of the
teachers and this crisis could’ve easily been averted (see the rules at the bottom).
The student body also needs to be aware of the days they are to vote. An announcement in the morning would’ve alerted students who could’ve reminded the forgetful teachers.
There are several easy fixes to this voting problem, but I feel the administration’s attempt was unsuccessful.
Allowing the students who didn’t vote to place a ballot may even out the numbers, but this
doesn’t fix the fact that there are juniors votes in the mix.
With our anonymous voting system, there’s no way to weed out those votes and take them out. Whoever was in charge of counting the votes had to know that something was wrong when the number of votes didn’t match the number of senior students.
The nominee results shouldn’t have been released until all votes were accounted for.
The only way to have reliable numbers is to hold an entire re-vote, but our administration is too kind-hearted to crush any of the nominees dreams. I say crush them.
Will things continue to go wrong? Hopefully, the administration learn from these mistakes so that future students don’t have to deal with a frustrating Homecoming season.
8 out of 17 staffers voted no
Upperclassmen get the privilage of nomination.
Only SENIORS vote on the final ballot.
Seniors cast ballots during lunch.
Seniors make up voting in ELO.
Sydney’s rules for voting
21
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12 the Pylon September 20, 2012
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Tiffany Richard, BS ‘95 Olathe East High School2012 Kansas Teacherof the Year
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Homecoming; a week to remember
Brianna Chora/The PylonThe defensive line gets ready for a play against St. Thomas Aquinas.
Paige Johnson/The PylonJuniors Jeffrey Michael and Shekhinah Jones get in a conga line with sophomore Christian Jacobs at the homecoming dance.
Brianna Chora/The PylonMr. Finch rides his motorcycle with his “Finchy baby” t-shirt in the homecoming parade on Wednesday, September 12.
Maggie Vernon/The PylonSenior Hayley Hager is overjoyed when she is announced as homecoming queen.
