…and LHS said, “Let there be light!”

September 21st, 2011LHS Students Pay Their Respect for 9/11 Anniversary

by James Henderson III, Beat Writer, james.henderson@lhsirish.net On September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked by a group of terrorists. One plane landed in Pennsylvania after being taken back by the passengers on board. The second plane, crashed into the United States Pentagon. The last two planes flew to New York City and crashed into the World Trade Center (Twin Towers). 2,987 people died in this horrible at-tack on our nation. Ten years later, people can still remember the sights, sounds, and exactly what they were doing when they heard the news of one of the most tragic days in American history. Three days before the ten year anniversary of 9/11, Lafayette High School held a Memorial Ceremony to remem-ber the innocent people that died that day. On September 9th at 10:30 a.m Lafayette High School went out to the Scott Marriot Field

at Alumni Stadium. Once they were there, each student took

off around the track. Each of the 900 Lafayette High School stu-dents got three small American flags and went up to the “The Hill”, stuck each of their flags into the hill, and went back to the bleachers to listen to Coach Russell Book give a speech about what had happened only

ten years ago. During the speech students, stood and listened in

almost com-plete silence. Alumni stadi-um and the stu-dent body that was currently inside of it had a moment of silence that followed Coach Book’s speech. 2,978 flags were placed in the hill that day; each one represented a

person that died on that devas-tating day. When asked what he thought about the ceremony, Coach Book said, “I thought it was awesome. It was well planned out by Mr. George and Coach Leake. The kids were great. They listened and were solemn

about the entire thing.” Coach Book was then asked how this was all put together and stated that, “Mr. George and Coach Leake started talking about it. They took the idea and it started to snowball.” Coach also said that, “Sometimes we forget that students were just 4, 5, 6 years old and didn’t know much about it. So, I wanted to make sure my class knows not only what hap-pened but why it happened.” This ceremony was sig-nificant not only because it has been ten years since 9/11, but because Lafayette High School was the only High School in the city to do a memorial service for 9/11 victims. The ceremony was so special that KQ2 and The Saint Joseph News Press both covered the story. It was a great way to remember those fallen, and a great way to bring into perspective how far our country has come since.

Field Dedicated for a Former Coachby Andrew Murphy, Beat Writer, andrew.murphy@lhsirish.net

Motivation Speacher at LHSby Amber Harrison, Beat Writer, amber.harrison@lhsirish.net

Every once in a while, some one comes along who makes a lasting impact on the lives of others. Coach Scott Marriott was one of those people. Coach Marriott came into a football program that was not very successful. The previ-ous year’s team went 0 and 10. In his first season as Head Coach of the Var-sity Football Team, they went 5 and 5. The next year’s team went to the State semifinals, where they lost to the Camdenton Lakers 3-0. Coach Marriott’s time at Lafayette High School was full of success. During 12 seasons as Head Coach his teams won five District Titles, three MEC Championships, reached two State Quarterfinals, and one State Semifinal. Coach Scott Marriott’s overall record was 74-50. Even more impressive was, the effect he had on many

student athletes. “Coach Mar-riott was the most influential football coach in Lafayette High School history,” said Coach Tim Nassen. “His leadership style of coaching had a positive effect on hundreds of student ath-

letes.” Sep-tember 9, 2011, Lafay-ette High School played Leb-lond High School. At this

game the field went through a name change. Coach Marriott had a large and lasting impact on the Lafayette High School football program. That is why it is fitting for the field to take his name. Scott Marriott Field at Alumni Stadium. The school, the stu-dents, and most importantly the athletes will always remember this amazingly influential man. Lafayette High School’s Foot-ball Team will always play in his honor.

Eddie Slowikowski is a motiva-tional speaker from Chicago, Illi-nois that came to Lafayette High School to kick off the 2011-2012 school year. This is the second year Lafayette has welcomed a motivational speaker for the Fin-ish Strong program. The speaker was brought in this year by Mrs. Terri Johnson and Mrs. Lisa Miller. Eddie Slowikows-ki caught the audience with his sense of humor, dancing, and overall performance. Though the Varsity gym was hot and stuffy, the assembly was still a big hit. Mr. Slowikowski has had a successful career of being an entrepreneur as a speaker and trainer for eighteen years and a world-class runner. He is known internationally for his speaking and dancing. Eddie lives by going the extra mile. He is a three-time Division 1 All Ameri-

can in Track and Cross Country. Eddie did not stop there, but also went to the Olympic Tri-als, and at Loyola University in Chicago he is in the Athletic Hall of Fame. A LHS student, junior, Eli Puett, said, “What I liked about him was that he put so much energy into everything he did.” Continued Page 8

Motivational Speaker: Eddie Slowikowski address LHS. Photo by: Terri Johnson

The Marriot Family and the new memorial.

Tevis Kurtiz pays his respects. Photo by Amy Ryan

…and LHS said, “Let there be light!”

September 21st, 2011

can in Track and Cross Country. Eddie did not stop there, but also went to the Olympic Tri-als, and at Loyola University in Chicago he is in the Athletic Hall of Fame. A LHS student, junior, Eli Puett, said, “What I liked about him was that he put so much energy into everything he did.” Continued Page 8

Page 02 The Light

September 21st, 2011 NEWS

The Lafayette High School Cheerleading Squad looks great this year! The girls have been

practicing hard every morning to perfect their school spirit. The cheerleaders are willing to make sacrifices for the team and do whatever it takes to bring pep to Lafayette High School. “This year,” Coach Jennifer Koch, says, “I expect great things out of the girls and Brian this year

and great attitudes. This year is going to be great!” The Regional’s Competition

this year went great for the cheerleading squad. They took fourth place out of 32 teams. They went up against, Odessa High School who took first, Ben-ton High School, and Green Val-ley High School. The Regional’s Competition took place at Lee Summit High School.

The Lafayette High School Cheerleading Squad is going to State in Columbia, Missouri. This year it is going to take place at the Hearn’s Center. The date they are heading to state is Sunday, October 2nd, 2011. The girls should do good this year because of how great they did at Regional Competition. The cap-tain of the cheer-leading squad, Aubrey Monical says, “We are an awesome, brand new squad, and we are all looking forward to beating Benton at State!” The roster for the 2011-2012 school year:

Faith Sybert 12Aubrey Monical 12Haylie Plummer 12Brain Lucas 12Haylee Nichols 11Emilie Lucas 11Emily Fauver 11

Taylor Guess 11Amber Hagey 10Morgan Early 10Annie Harris 10Sno Powell 10Megan Townsend 10 Ashlann Shroyer 10

In recent years the cheerlead-ing squad, poms, and flags have stayed divided. But this year they have been working together much better then before, and ev-erything is going great between the three groups. Also the three teams or squads are going to be doing something all together this year at homecoming. Coach Jennifer Koch says, “ It is going to be very exciting this year! I’m very excited that they [the spirit teams] are all getting along.”

Cheerleader Bring the Year in with a Shout! by Katie Bourne, Beat Writer, katie.bourne@lhsirish.net

LHS Class Newsby James Henderson III, Beat Writer, james.henderson@lhsirish.net

School has begun, and it is time to get back to business. Read the following article to see how your class is Starting Strong.

Senior (Class of 2012): The Senior Class is finally on top. It is time for them to start looking for their future college. They also need to begin finding scholarships. The Lafayette High School Seniors also had a college fair day at Missouri Western State University on September 18th. The college fair day is where Seniors interested in Missouri Western State University can go and learn more about their college of choice. For infor-mation on the Senior Class, contact Ms. Jeanie Benitz.

Junior (Class of 2013): The Junior Class has met to discuss concession stands, Prom, and class dues. Students signed up for football concession stands. Junior Board elected their of-ficials. For information about the Junior Class, contact Dr. M. Shane Heard.

Sophomore (Class of 2014): With a Class size of 235 stu-dents the Sophomore Class is ready for the new school year. The Sophomore Class will have a meeting announcing sign-ups for the Sophomore Board on Friday, September 30th. Sign-ups will then follow during the first week of October. Finally, on October 12th the Sophomore Class will be attending the My Success event at the Civic Arena. For information about Sopho-more Board, contact Ms. Selina Chappel.

Freshman (class of 2015): The Freshman Class is finally in high school and are ready for the new challenges that come with it. They have a Class size of 222 students. The Class of 2015 are getting used to the lifestyle of Lafayette High School. For information about the Freshman Board, contact Mrs. Tina Shaginaw.

It is that time again for a new all-school musical to come to Lafayette High School! This year the theatre department will be performing an old time favorite, GREASE. This musical is about teens falling in love during the 1950s. The Theatre Department hopes this will be as successful as last year and the year before that. Auditions will be held Tuesday, September 27th and Wednesday, September 28th from 3:00 to 5:30pm in the Lafayette High School Audito-rium. There are many students who are wanting to audition, but have not been in any musical or theatre production. That does not matter; anyone is welcomed. They hope to see you there! This year you can expect a stronger show and a change in the level of professionalism thanks to the new stage. Also, expect hard work from students, parents, and staff. The Lafayette High School Thespian Society program (TS) is in its planning period for the year’s needs. This program was created for stu-dents who love theatre and want to help raise money to improve things in the theatre depart-ment. This year TS is hoping

to have a great year with many fundraisers. The Stagecraft class from LHS will be in charge of building sets and making sure things are ready for the musi-cal. They have plenty of work on their hands, but they are used to the pressure from previous years. As for the actors and technical crew, they are hoping to have a great year with a lot of success and a chance of going to state for One Acts again or for Read-er’s Theatre. When asked: What do you think are the chances of them going to state again for

One Acts? Assistant Director, Ni-cole Shiflett responded, “We have awesome students with

talent overflowing and if we pick a piece that lets talent shine ... State here we come!” Most of the actors and technical crew are seniors, so this is their last year. When asked: How will los-ing most of your technical crew and actors affect the depart-ment? Director, Dr. Heard said, “It will be important to start training students, but you can never replace old ones.” A state-ment that is very true especially since things were so successful the past few years. Come see the show!

Grease is the Word!by Paula Valenzuela Beat Writer, paula.valenzuela@lhsirish.net

Page 03 The Light

September 21st, 2011 NEWS/SPORTS

The Lafayette High School Student Council is a great way to be involved in school. This program is giving students the opportunity to learn many skills. This year our theme is “LHS is your Golden Ticket to a World of Pure Imagination.” According to our Pres-ident Benjamin Lo-tito, this means, “No matter where your interests lie, at Lafay-ette your free to follow your dreams and be accepted by all. Which in itself is a world of pure imagination.”Our officers were challenged to make “Every Monday Mat-ter” and sponsor events throughout the year encouraging students to make a difference. President Benjamin Lotito does a lot, but it can all be summed up into making sure things get done. He is not only an excellent role model to all the students but he is trying to improve Lafayette High School to set the classes below him up for bet-ter years than his own. When asked: What is something you can do to better Lafayette? He responded, “By far, I believe the biggest thing I can do at Lafay-

ette, is to be different.” Vice President Tyler Hurt aids our president in his needs and has his back on decisions. Many of you may know him, and some may not but he will be sure to be noticed with his surplus of spirit! When asked: What can

be expected from him? He said, “A lot of cheering and spirit!” Treasurer Talon Johnson makes sure the school runs well and everyone has Irish Pride. He helps with the Irish Mart and will bring new traditions, like O’Flannigan. When asked: What are some changes you

are making to better things? He said, “Include the silent major-ity. Everyone who never really gets the chance to be involved.” Secretary Morgan Brand types up agendas, brainstorms new ideas, and keeps the boys orga-nized! She has many new tradi-

tions coming, more community involvement, and of course, crazy Irish Pride! When asked: How she felt she was doing so far? She answered, “Really good! So far what we have orga-nized has gone really well, but now we are looking forward to the big stuff like homecoming.”

The Lafayette High School Student Council sponsors Mrs. Lisa Miller and Mrs. Theresa Paolillo have been super busy with the double sized leader-ship classes and 2011-2012 officers. So far they have had a leadership retreat, 13 students

attended STUCO camp, fresh-men frenzy, served lunch to our staff on August 14th, decorated the hall to welcome students back, made open-ing day fun for everyone, set up for the first home football game Friday, August 26th, and the Scott Marriot Field Dedication Friday, September 9th. They are currently getting several events ready during North Side Pride week and many more pep assemblies for the students to enjoy. Those are only a few of the things they will be up to. Mrs. Lisa Miller and Mrs. Theresa Pao-lillo both agree that Lafayette High School officers are do-ing a fantastic job so far! Mrs. Miller noticed that for the first time in years the 2011-2012 president, Benjamin Lotito, is

not an athlete but involved in many other things and draws more people. Mrs. Paolillo said, “One big difference this year is that Mrs. Terri Johnson is gone, and no one will ever be able to replace her!”

LHS Student Counsil Has the “Golden Ticket” by Paula Valenzuela, Beat Writer, paula.valenzuela@lhsirish.net

STUCO OFficers: Left to Right: Tyler Hurt, Ben Lotito, Morgan Brand, and Talon Johnson. Photo by: Theresa Paolillo

LHS Football Begins a New Season! by Andrew Murphy, Beat Writer, andrew.murphy@lhsirish.net

Lafayette High School Foot-ball is back for another exciting season. Talent is something this team does not lack, but talent alone will not win games. In order to go down as a winning team in the history books, they will have to overcome hardship and adversity. Plays will have to be made exactly when they are needed; everyone must step up and contribute. If they play as

a team and do what needs to be done then they will be successful. The Lafayette High School Foot-ball team needs to repeat and add to what last year’s team was able to accomplish.When key players graduate some may wonder if they can be re-placed. “I don’t know if you truly ever replace key players,” said Head Coach, Paul Woolard. This years team had to replace two

All News-Press first team selec-tions: Tim Nelson and Ian Toalson. The 2011-2012 Varsity Team will feature D’ Treal Stone as Quarter-back, as he

takes the starting job vacated by the graduation of Tim Nelson. D’ Treal is set to have a large impact on how this season goes.Giving the quarterback time to make the correct decision is a very big part of playing winning football. For instance, the New England Patriots of the National Football League have a good of-fensive line so that Tom Brady has time to make the big plays. Allowing pressure leads to the ball be-ing forced, and/or the quarter-back being sacked. Keeping the Quar-terback upright

this season will add a pass-ing element to complement an already potent rushing attack. Lafayette’s veteran offensive line should do well at this. Another key for this season will be, the defense. The old adage: “Defense wins championship” fits perfectly here. A successful defense gives your team the ball while limiting the opponents chances of scoring. Con’t Page 8

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NEWS/SPORTSPage 04 The Light

September 21st, 2011SPORTS

The Light Staff…and Lafayette High School said,

“Let there be light!”

Editor: Kelsey GardnerBusiness: Amber HarrisonWriters: Katie Bourne Keri Day DezStaney Felder Eternity Felder Georgia Gunter James Henderson III Legend Milbourn Andrew Murphy Alyssa Schmelzle Paula Valenzuela Kayla Wegenka Daniel Wooten

Supervisor: Dr. M. Shane Heard

The Lafayette High School Poms Team is a rump shak-ing, hip swaying, well choreo-graphed dance team. They get the crowd into the spirit at school pep rallies and sporting events. But sometimes it gets a little nerve-racking when you see the same rou-tines. But this year it will be different. When the captain of the team, Marisa Grayson, was asked if there were anymore routines in store, she answered, “Yes, every other Friday we will have a new dance for the home football team.” Miss Grayson also goes on to say that, “My favorite dance has been the Jamboree by far. It has been the highlight, in my opin-ion, for the whole squad so far!” The Lafayette High School population, as a whole, was

a little skeptical. Marisa was asked what was different about this year’s team from last year’s team. She responded with, “This year’s squad is really young. Last year was full of up-perclassmen, this year we only

have four returnees. Last year everyone kind of knew what to expect from the squad, whether or not they were on the team, and this year we’re trying something

new every chance we get.” Having new routines does not really matter if the team is not getting along, but Marisa quick-ly interjected, “I love the team this year! We all get along well and really like being around one another.” It seems like the poms team is going to be in for a great season this year.

Hands up, Get low! by Eternity Felder, Beat Writer, eternity.felder@lhsirish.net

Lafayette High School’s Vol-leyball Team is doing great this year. They are already off to a better start than last year. Varsity Head Coach Jodie Sipes said, “This year the vol-leyball team will be better than the previous years. The first game was a success, I loved it! The girls were very focused

and they worked hard. They also truly came together as a team.” Coach Sipes went on to say, “The team’s goals and the coaches’ goals are to win all home games, win conference, and to have strong team unity.” The Lafayette High School versus Savannah High School game went great. Even though the first set was very close at

25-23. The second set, Lafayette buried them with the ending score of 25-12! The tournament against Fairfax was rough for the team, but they still managed to place fourth in the tourna-ment out of around eight teams. Junior, Olivia Conant said, “I think we did pretty good, and we really did put up a good fight

with Maryville High School, but we will get them next time!” Also junior, Summer Berryman stated, “I think we are doing pretty good. I know we could have worked harder to improve in earlier games, but I’m satis-fied with how our season is go-ing so far!”

Volleyball Off and Jumpingby Katie Bourne, Beat Writer, katie.bourne@lhsirish.net

Page 05 The Light

September 21st, 2011SPORTS

Lafayette High School Phat Statsby: Amber Harrison, amber.harrison@lhsirish.net

Date Opponent Level Location Time LHS Vis Record

Varsity Football

8/26/2011 East (Kansas City) Varsity Home 7:00 49 0 1-0 9/2/2011 Odessa Varsity Away 7:00 45 6 2-0 9/9/2011 Bishop LeBlond Varsity Home 7:00 54 0 3-0 9/16/2011 Maryville Varsity Away 7:00 15 38 3-1

Softball

8/23/2011 North Platte Varsity Home 4:30 3 4 0-1 8/27/2011 Cameron Tourn. Varsity Away 8:00 AM 1-48/29/2011 Saint Teresa’s Acad. Varsity Home 4:30 7 2 2-49/1/2011 Maryville Varsity Home 4:30 0 4 2-59/6/2011 Smithville Varsity Away 4:30 2 3 2-69/7/2011 Mid-Buchanan Varsity Away 4:30 8 5 3-69/8/2011 Bishop Leblond Varsity Home 4:30 3 4 3-7 9/15/2011 Cameron Varsity Away 4:30 1 0 4-7 9/17/2011 Platte County Tourn. Varsity Away Cancelled

Girls’ Tennis

8/25/2011 Trenton Varsity Away 4:00 4 5 0-18/29/2011 Cameron Varsity Home 4:00 5 4 1-18/30/2011 Benton Varsity Home 4:00 5 4 2-19/1/2011 Maryville Varsity Away 4:00 4 5 2-2 9/6/2011 Chillicothe Varsity Home 4:00 0 9 2-3 9/13/2011 Savannah Varsity Home 4:00 1 8 2-49/15/2011 Maryville Varsity Home 4:00 2 7 2-5

Girls’ Volleyball

8/30/2011 Lathrop Varsity Home 5:00 25-22, 25-16 1-0 9/1-3/2011 Fairfax Tournament Varsity Away 4:00/9:00 4-3 9/6/2011 West Platte Varsity Away 5:00 19-25, 16-25 4-4 9/8/2011 Savannah Varsity Home 5:00 25-23, 25-12 5-4 9/13/2011 Trenton Varsity Home 5:00 25-13, 25-13 6-4 9/15/2011 Maryville Varsity Home 5:00 14-25, 15-25 6-5

Boys’ Soccer8/31/2011 Excelsior Springs Varsity Away 5:00 1 6 0-1 9/1/2011 Atchison Varsity Home 5:00 0 2 0-2 9/6/2011 Chillicothe Varsity Away 4:00 2 0 0-3 9/8-10/2011 Excelsior Springs Tour. Varsity Away 6:30 0-6 9/12/2011 Cameron Varsity Home 5:00 2 1 1-6 9/13/2011 Savannah Varsity Away 4:00 1 1 1-7 9/15/2011 Smithville Varsity Home 5:00 1 6 1-8

Cross Country: 1. Platte City 9/15/11: ****Alex Rich-31st Place Time 18:25, 2. Maryville 8/30/11: VARSITY Boys: Alex Rich-13th place Time 19:57, Jordan Miller-18th place Time 20:27, Sno Powell-19th place Time 26:21. JV: Amber Hagey-7th place Time 16:52, 3. Chillicothe: 9/6/11: Varsity: Alex Rich-7th place- Time 19:12, **Jordan Miller-8th place-Time 19:14, Sno Powell-9th place- Time 23:29. JV: Amber Hagey-2nd place-Time 25:48, Eariana Stockton-3rd place- Time 29:02, Kylee Woodbury-4th place-Time 31:55, Ivy McClinitick-5th place-Time 34:07.

****Denotes Personal Record

“We won the district cham-pionship last year, without a senior on the team, so this year our expectations are, at the very least, to accomplish that again,” says Head Coach, Brad Spinner. This is the mindset of the Boys’ Soccer team for the 2011 season. With a quarter into the season, the team has had a rocky start. There have been six players out for injuries throughout the be-ginning of the season, and three of the games there was another person out for either an injury or prior academic engagements. Player number 4, junior, Spen-cer Neal had been out for an injury and is now back and said, “It’s good to be back.” The mo-rale is up and the team is ready to show what they are made of. The six players are finally get-ting back into the game, and the team is conditioning for the district championships. Coach Spinner said, “The pieces are in place to be very good, we just need to play to our potential.” All quotes from the coach and the players have something to do with districts and they are expecting a turn around in the season. “Our goal right now is to not win games, it is to prepare for the long stressful journey to the state championship,” say player number 22, junior, Ad-disen Hadley. The boys got a taste of districts last year, and they are ready for it again. There is a lot of work to do to get to districts, but they are ready for the challenge. Player number 20, senior, Tyler Hurt said, “We’ll be ready to defend our title.” At the games the spirit on the field is very high. Each player pumps up the next. Even if the game is more challenging, the players continue to boost each other’s morale. Player number 10 on Junior Varsity, sopho-more, Josh Moser said, “Our team plays hard and works well together.” The team shows so much team spirit that it pumps up the crowd to show the La-fayette spirit. There is a lot of effort in soccer and the Lafay-ette boys’ Soccer team shows that they have what it takes to be the best. Tyler Hurt is one to keep up the spirit on and off the field. He said, “ We are only going to get better.” This optimism is what is keeping the soccer team alive. Instead of making a foolish scene on the

Boys’ Soccerby Amber Harrison, Beat Writer,

amber.harrison@lhsirish.net

“We won the district cham-pionship last year, without a senior on the team, so this year our expectations are, at the very least, to accomplish that again,” says Head Coach, Brad Spinner. This is the mindset of the Boys’ Soccer team for the 2011 season. With a quarter into the season, the team has had a rocky start. There have been six players out for injuries throughout the be-ginning of the season, and three of the games there was another person out for either an injury or prior academic engagements. Player number 4, junior, Spen-cer Neal had been out for an injury and is now back and said, “It’s good to be back.” The mo-rale is up and the team is ready to show what they are made of. The six players are finally get-ting back into the game, and the team is conditioning for the district championships. Coach Spinner said, “The pieces are in place to be very good, we just need to play to our potential.” All quotes from the coach and the players have something to do with districts and they are expecting a turn around in the season. “Our goal right now is to not win games, it is to prepare for the long stressful journey to the state championship,” say player number 22, junior, Ad-disen Hadley. The boys got a taste of districts last year, and they are ready for it again. There is a lot of work to do to get to districts, but they are ready for the challenge. Player number 20, senior, Tyler Hurt said, “We’ll be ready to defend our title.” At the games the spirit on the field is very high. Each player pumps up the next. Even if the game is more challenging, the players continue to boost each other’s morale. Player number 10 on Junior Varsity, sopho-more, Josh Moser said, “Our team plays hard and works well together.” The team shows so much team spirit that it pumps up the crowd to show the La-fayette spirit. There is a lot of effort in soccer and the Lafay-ette boys’ Soccer team shows that they have what it takes to be the best. Tyler Hurt is one to keep up the spirit on and off the field. He said, “ We are only going to get better.” This optimism is what is keeping the soccer team alive. Instead of making a foolish scene on the

Page 06 The Light

September 21st, 2011 SPORTS

This year’s Lafayette High School (LHS) Softball Team is off to a rocky start. So far their record is 4-7, how-ever, their hope is to prove themselves as another great Lafayette High School sports pro-gram. When asked about her expecta-tions for this year senior, Onna Farris said, “I want to keep im-proving as a team and show ev-eryone that were dif-ferent last year.” Also, when asked how this year’s team compares to the previous ones she stated that, “We are all a lot happier, and we are more of a team than last year.” Despite their losses, the LHS Softball seems to be improving. In a game against Bishop Leblond High School, Lafayette tore out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Leb-lond later came back and tied the game in the second inning to bring it to 2-2. Leblond had another two run inning in the sixth which made the score

Leblond 4 and Lafayette 2. Then, after they held Leblond in the seventh inning, La-fayette came up to the plate. They planned to rally just one more run. However, they

could not bring another run in before the final out came across. The last out sealed the score at Leblond High School, 4 and Lafayette HIgh School, 3. When asked about the game, Coach Leake said, “Rough day out there. We had some tough breaks, but that’s how it goes some-times.” When Coach Leake was asked if any individual players have stood out to him and he stated, “Ashly Hamm has been playing great D for us at third,

Morgan Stanton has been hitting the ball really well, and McKenzie Jones has also hit the ball really well for us; she has been our strongest player.” He hopes to ,“Try to get better every game.”Below is this year’s Varsity and Junior Varsity roster: Varsity Morgan Stanton 12Cassidy Steltenpohl 10Kaitlynn Ellis 10Mckenzie Jones 12Ashly Hamm 12Jordan Montemayor 10Tanna Conway 11Danna Conway 11Lauren Grundberg 12Onna Farris 12Kelsey Williams 12Breanna Stevens 10Randi Mollett 11Ravyn Whisenand 9Head Coach: Jeff Leake Asst. Coach: Kenny

Softball Girls Fighting for Every Winby James Henderson III, Beat Writer, james.henderson@lhsirish.nett

The LHS Varsity shakes hands with Cameron after defeating them 1-0. Photo: Amy Ryan

Soccer Continuedby Amber Harrison,

dignity, self-control, and sportsmanship. They lift up one another with their great attitude and constructive criticism. The Lafayette boys’ Soccer team may have had a rough start, but they feel there is going to be a turn around now that their players are getting back in the game. As player number 16, junior, Juan Aranda says, “We are getting ready for districts!” They are working hard and striving for their place in the state cham-pionships. The morale is up and the team is pumped for a successful season.

2011 Boys’ Soccer Roster

Varsity1 John Lucus GK Sr.3 Romelo Clark M Jr.4 Spencer Neal M Jr.5 Slade Hummer M Jr.6 Darren Clark D Sr.7 Caleb Bates F/M Sr.8 Antonio Cristobal D Fr.9 Ismael Cristobal M So.10 Geovanny Parra F/M Sr.11 Carlos Aranda M So.12 Edgar Guerrero D Sr.13 Alfonso Rodriguez DMF So.14 Cody Harbrock D Jr.15 Jose Hernandez F Jr.16 Juan Aranda M Jr.17 Nick Lane D Sr.18/1 Taylor Wilson FGK Jr.20 Tyler Hurt D Sr.21 Craig Curtis D Sr.22 Addisen Hadley D Jr. Head Coach: Brad SpinnerAssistant Coach: Vince CrowleyTyler Hurt waits for the ball as

Taylor Wison keeps the goal

Page 07 The Light

September 21st, 2011 EXTRASDepartment News

by James Henderson III, Beat Writer, james.henderson@lhsirish.netCommunication Arts: Right now the buzz in the Communica-tion Arts Department is tests. The Communication Arts teachers are giving pre-tests to their students to judge were they are. The Communication Arts Department is excited for last year’s Ameri-can College Test (ACT) scores, and they are hoping to improve.

F.A.C.S: This year in the Family and Consumer Sciences Depart-ment, Lafayette High School has a new addition, Mrs. Virginia Stone. As the year begins, she is covering the basics nutrition sanitation and quick breads. However, during the week of Septem-ber 20th, the F.A.C.S Department will be making homemade pizza. Surely, the students will be thrilled with that.

Foreign Language: The Foreign Language Department is grow-ing. Between Mr. Ryan Madison and Mrs. Kassie Harshman the Spanish 2 and Spanish 3 classes have increased. During Mexican Independence Day, the students enrolled in class, learned how it was celebrated in Mexico, and made Mexican flags as celebration. When asked about French, the Department Head, Mrs. Harshman said, “Ms. Pevano, the French teacher, is great because she is a na-tive French speaker; so, that is really a plus for her.”

History: The History Department is trying a new teaching method called Project Based Learning. This means they will try to teach you with less lecture time and more hands on projects. Now, do not get too excited. They will still have to talk, but not as much as before. Also big news in the history department, Mr. David George and Mr. Bo Tillman have successfully gotten their Masters.

J.R.O.T.C.: The J.R.O.T.C. Department is busy and disciplined as usual. The LHS Color Guard will be seen at all major events and home football games. The J.R.O.T.C. Rifle Team has started with 15 members and will hopefully end with a few awards for Lafayette. They were present at the Saint Joseph 9/11 Ceremony. J.R.O.T.C. will be going to a NASCAR event October 7th. While there, they will meet the driver of the number 39 army car, Ryan Newman. Drill team started practice Monday, September 12th. The Drill Team practices five days a week at six am.

Math: The Math Department is getting geared up to prepare Lafayette High School for the American College Test (ACT). Mrs. Sheila Weed and Mr. Richard Shaginaw are going to be participat-ing in the Saint Joseph School District (SJSD) ACT training pro-gram. The June ACT and April ACT scores were excellent.

Physical Education: The Physical Education Department is experiencing some changes. This year they have a new gym teacher, Coach Eric McDowell. Coach Paul Wollard is also teaching Physi-cal Education. The Boys’ locker room is receiving new lockers. Although the Physical Education Department is changing this year, they are still the best place to get Irish Strong.

Science: The Science Department has really hit the ground run-ning. First off, in Biology the students took a Pre-End Of Course exam to see where they started and where they need to go. Ms. Tarla Leeson’s Chemistry classes did their first lab on physical and chemical changes. They went into the Lab and did a number of different experiments to see the difference between chemical and physical change. Dual Credit Chemistry is registered and has al-ready done the first of four experiments with coffee. They also are studying for their first exam. Finally, Science Club met for the first time on Thursday, September 8th in Ms. Leeson’s room. For infor-mation about the next meeting see Ms. Leeson or Mrs. Elizabeth Jones at Lafayette High School.

I.T: The IT Department is ready for another productive year. Last year in the I.T. Department, 16 students went to state. This year department head, Mr. Tom Toalson, is hoping for 25. The I.T de-partment will be creating an I.T club. No word yet on when it will have its first meeting, but if you would like more information on it contact Mr. Toalson at Lafayette High School, (816) 671-4220.

Opening Day Assemblyby DezStaney Felder Beat Writer, dezstaney.felder@lhsirish.net

As students wait anxiously in their previous seats from last year, catching up with their friends, and trying to keep cool, they finally hear “Seniors, take your spot!” The Lafayette High School 2011-2012 Seniors,

Juniors, and Sophomores ran over to their section to the song, “Movin’ On Up”. Some Juniors were so excited that they did not wait for the Se-niors to make it over to their side of the Varsity Gym. At last they hear the music play-ing, which is their cue to move, and they run over to the Junior section. Then the Previous Freshmen run (some walk) over to claim their spots in the Sophomore section. Next, the Lafayette High School up-perclassmen line up to make the proverbial tunnel that the Freshmen walk through. This is a way to welcome the upcom-ing students to Lafayette High School. The Freshmen walk through the tunnel to get to the bleachers. During the pep assembly, one of the activities was a race to find five gummy worms in chocolate pudding (which se-nior Craig Curtis won). There also was a panty-hoes relay race (which the Sophomores won). The poms and cheerlead-ers performed new exciting routines. The Lafayette High School students all showed support for the spirit squads by crowding the gym floor to get good views. The cheerlead-ers did awesome; they opened

with their, 4th place winning, Regional routine. Senior, Brian Lucas had the whole crowd standing when he did his double back flip. The Poms team also did amazing. This was the first time Lafayette

High School had seen the new and im-proved team. Their kicks were pre-cise as usual and all the moves fluent and grace-ful. After the Lafayette High School

students and faculty became rowdy the new teachers were introduced. Last, but not least, Dr. Shane Heard introduced the “Jersey Shore” cast: Johnny D, a.k.a. Mr John Davis, Timmy, a.k.a Mr. Timothy Nassen, K Woww, a.k.a. Mrs. Compton, and Tookie, a.k.a. Dr. Tyran Sumy. When asking freshmen, Alia Irvin, what she thought about the Jersey Shore cast, she said, “It was funny and interesting to see the teachers dressed up as my favorite characters!” Lafayette High School ended their first pep assembly off with the Victory cheer; a pro-verbial start to the 2011-2012 school year. Going through a trial run of the victory cheer, the freshmen did not know what to expect, but the second time around, they got the hang of it. Even though they knew what to expect, the seniors and sophomores tied and were brought back up to go head to head. This year La-fayette has a new device that can read how loud something gets. So senior, Tyler Hurt had the sophomores scream into the device, and then the se-niors screamed into the device (Seniors won!). This was an ex-emplary start to a fresh school year.

Opening Day Assemblyby DezStaney Felder Beat Writer, dezstaney.felder@lhsirish.net

Page 08 The Light

September 21st, 2011Back Page

Motivation Speaker Continuedby Amber Harrison, Beat Writer, amber.harrison@lhsirish.net

He has been a huge success in both those areas, but he also finds ways to serve oth-ers and empower his life. Mr. Slowikowski has done many projects for helping others over the years. His mission is to go the extra mile for others and himself. Mrs. Christine Pruss-man, Language Arts teacher, said, “He is a prime example of how you can take your talent and turn it into a success.” The assembly for Lafayette was about having greatness within us. Eddie started off by painting a picture of his life and how he got to where he is today. He had a high school level of energy and that made it easier for him to relate to the students and to keep them intrigued. When asked what he thought about the speaker, Mr. Bo Till-man, LHS History Teacher, said,”He was very energetic and entertaining and had a unique method of getting his point across while keeping the stu-dents interested in his overall message.” Eddie was taught at a young age that he can do any-thing he puts his mind to and that is what he was trying to get across to the Lafayette students. During an interview with Mrs. Miller, she said, “I think he is an excellent speaker with a great message.” The audience really got into the message and there was plenty of participation from both the students and staff. “He was interesting and thoughtful and I learned a lot,” said senior,

Shaquille Nance. While Mr. Slowikowski had the floor, he impressed the audi-ence with his dancing skills. Ed-die had the chance to perform the Dance Revolution of which he is the creator. Ever since he was young, he loved dancing and became so good by teach-ing himself and practicing. Ms. Nicole Shiflett said, “My favor-ite part was when he said that dancing will put you into a bet-ter mood because I agree with that, just ask my students.” His dancing got the audience roar-ing. Teachers and students were joining in with their favorite dance moves. When asked what she thought about the speaker, sophomore, Emily Riley said, “ I thought he was really funny and entertaining.” “I thought he was really enter-taining and had a great mes-sage,” said Mr. Daryl Williams, physical education teacher. Eddie Slowikowski left an impression on Lafayette High School. Not only will everyone remember his dancing skit, but they will remember the message he brought. Eddie got his point across by keeping the audience interested and because of that the students and faculty held on to his message. Freshman, Doshanique Jones said, “ He motivated me to try harder.” This type of enthusiasm is what is changing Lafayette High School.

LHS Gets a New Stageby Paula Valenzuela Beat Writer, paula.valenzuela@lhsirish.net

Every year Lafayette High School has the opportunity to have an all school musical, SRO, concerts, guest speakers, and fashion show in the auditorium. This year is no exception and Lafayette High School has a brand new stage to make the experience better and comple-ment their fairly new seats.The new stage was repaired by Sam Church and his team of contractors who installed the new flooring, stained the wood, and finished the stage during the summer. The Saint Joseph School District (SJSD) Carpen-ters framed and sheeted the pit area, built a piano garage, and made repairs as necessary for the successful completion. The SJSD Electricians made revi-sions and took care of electrical needs. The District’s Painters did touch ups and painted Lafayette High School’s back-stage area. They spent a little

over $20,000 on this entire project. Lafayette’s Stagecraft class helped with any needs. The students cleared the audito-rium, cleaned what was neces-sary, and put everything back at the end. Everett Weed commented that, “The staff and students worked really well with them during the project.”Vice Principal, Mr. John Davis, stated that, “It seemed like we had been in need of an upgrade, and for it to be repaired.”According to many sources, the old stage was unsafe and unattractive. Everyone that has seen the new stage so far thinks it is absolutely beautiful. Dr. M. Shane Heard commented that, “I have been teaching at Lafayette for fifteen years and the stage and auditorium have never looked so good.”Senior, Kaitlin Bunse has been

involved in theatre, choir, and band all four years so she no-ticed that, “It does not creek, we have more room, and finally no one will fall through it!” Junior, Brandon Landers has been involved in theatre and competitive drama andin his opinion, “It is the nicest stage he has seen in years.”When asked how hard was it to repair the stage, Everett Weed said, “As to the level of difficulty in the repairs and remodel, many people are unaware of the magnitude of properties main-tained and the vast areas within those structures and the scope of work that has to be per-formed, often in short periods of time. It is for that reason that the coordination of the crafts is sometimes a challenge be-cause of the many simultaneous demands. Having well trained men on staff is a blessing, men that are capable of completing

work in a satis-factory and timely man-ner. The actual work, though physi-cally chal-leng-ing at times, is what the

men prepared themselves for as they trained in their trades. Knowledge, and the wisdom to apply that knowledge makes the tasks easier. Considering the many demands for maintenance and improvements, scheduling is the greatest challenge.” Everyone seems to be super excited about using it and how gorgeous it looks. There are some major changes caused by the new stage are the fact that, the whole backstage had to beredesigned and the level of professionalism has changed. Now, Stagecraft students have the big job of making sure the stage is protected and mak-ing the investment they made worth it. To all Lafayette High School students who have the opportunity to use or be in the auditorium with the new stage needs to be careful and follow the rules!

LHS New Stage! Photo by Paula Valenzuela

Football Continuedby Andrew Murphy, Beat Writer, andrew.murphy@lhsirish.net

This puts pressure on the quarterback and causes him to make mistakes. “I hope we can take advantage of those mis-takes,” said Coach Woolard.For every new season there will be new expectations. Coach Woolard has his own expecta-tions for this season. “My expectations are for us to improve every week and play hard every game.” Learning from mistakes is a major part of being successful. Another key, is being able to block out the past, and focus on the present. Mental toughness is a major part for success for this team. Mistakes serve as a learning tool. Improving ev-ery week will lead to the best

Varsity Team Lafayette has had in awhile. In the latter part of the season, the games mean the most. This is when all that hard work and dedication will come into play. As stated before, talent is something this team does not lack. “This team has a lot of tal-ent; they can do what last years team did,” said Coach Woolard. Last years team went 7-3, The football program’s first winning season in years. If this team plays like it can, then there is nothing stopping them from making it to the top.