The KAW TRACKERPerry-Lecompton High School Issue 6 April 09, 2008

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Courtney KassonStaff Writer

Senior Alex Hackathornis enjoying his well earneddays of R&R (rest andrelaxation) after hisphenomenal performance at4A State Wrestling in Salinalast weekend.

Hackathorn is your 2008Heavyweight StateChampion! He performed tothe max going 4-0 in the Statetournament last Friday andSaturday making his overallrecord 38-4.

“It feels unbelievable, nowords can describe how Ifeel. Last year I was therewatching the tournament inthe stands thinking ‘What ifI’m never able to do that.’And then to come out andwin state was just amazing,”stated Hackathorn about hisexperience.

The weekend beforeHackathorn took 3rd place atthe Regional Tournament. He

lost to Cameron Adcox 3-1 inthe 3rd round putting him inthe 3rd or 4th place position inthe bracket.

“Losing in front of myhome crowd was the worstfeeling ever. But getting 3rd

seeded me perfect to competein the State Finals, so it wasactually a blessing indisguise,” said Hackathornabout Regionals.

After his loss Fridaynight, Hackathorn didn’thave to compete all day untilSaturday night for 3rd placeagainst Holton’sHeavyweight DennisDevader. Alex won due toinjury.

This gave Hackathornhis shot at winning the Statetitle. He and three otherwrestlers made it to the Statecompetition with him,sophomores Colton Miller(125) and John Mehl (112)and junior Jacob Callahan(135). By Saturday nightHackathorn was the only guyleft.

Hackathorn Wins 4A State ChampionshipHackathorn Wins 4A State ChampionshipHackathorn Wins 4A State ChampionshipHackathorn Wins 4A State ChampionshipHackathorn Wins 4A State ChampionshipOn Friday in his first

match he pinned Clearwater’sSpencer Hilley, ranked 2nd,then Sam Belcha of Ottawawinning by injury default,moving on to beat 3rd rankedB.J. Finney of Andale bypoints 2-1 in the semifinals.

Two of the three winswere pretty big upsets in theheavyweight bracket. Thisleft Hackathorn to wrestlenumber one ranked BobbyDoxon of Goodland.

Then came Saturday.Hackathorn had to sit all dayuntil the Championshipround that started at 6:30p.m. His nerves were throughthe roof until he looked intothe stands.

“After most of the boysbasketball team showed upafter driving through ablizzard, I wasn’t going tolose no matter what,” saidHackathorn.

And win he did. By theend of the first periodHackathorn was on top. Bythe end of the 3rd and final

period Hackathorn was onhis feet pumping his hands inthe air waiting for the officialto throw his hand up. Thiswas a huge win forHackathorn, the final score7-2.

“The crazy thing waswhen I was taking mypicture, 30 seconds before Iwas thinking ‘Is this reallyhappening to me?’ and thenthe buzzer went of to end thematch. It was amazing,” saidHackathorn still in shock twodays later.

Hackathorn wasn’ttaking all the credit though,“There is no way I could’vedone it by myself. My dadgot me into wrestling when Iwas eight years old.

Then there were mycoaches who kept pushingme to be the best that I couldbe. And then there was thefact that I got to work outwith a past State Championevery day before state. Ireally could not done it without them.”

Senior, Alex Hackathorn After Winning At State. Photo by Lori Coyle

Pride pg.3

Highland pg.4

FBLA pg.5

Rescue Mission pg.9

Boy’s Basketball pg.11

The Kaw TrackerEditor-In-Chief

Jamie FullerMadison Horsch

Staff WritersShawny Blankingship

Aliza CaldwellAngelina CastaldiJessica ChristmanTyler ChristmanHayley ConeKatie Davis

Emily DurflingerTaylor Easum

Kourtney FoleyJamie Fuller

Courtney KassonZach Harwood

Madison HorschJordan Madorin

Brandon McMullinKristin RobbinsErin Sergeant

AdviserJeff Dickson

The Kaw Tracker is pub-lished 9 times a year. Subscrip-tion rate is $10 per year. Theadvertising rate is $3 per columninch.

Editorial PolicyEditorials reflect the opinions

of the writer. Staff editorials willnot be signed; they are to be astaff consensus.

LettersLetters are limited to 250

words. Letters will be printed withdiscretion. They must be signed.Send all letters through the edi-tors or the adviser.

Suggestions are welcomedby the staff. Please channelmatters through The Kaw Trackereditors or the adviser.

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Perry-LecomptonHigh School

404 N. Lecompton RdPerry, KS 66073

THE KAW TRACKER 22222News

Zach Harwoodstaff writer

JohnJohnJohnJohnJohnMcCainMcCainMcCainMcCainMcCain

BarackBarackBarackBarackBarackObamaObamaObamaObamaObama

Supports the war in Iraqand Bush’s plan to sendmore troop.

Opposed to the war, votedfor a bill that would havehad most troops out byMarch of 2008.

Opposes abortion exceptin extenuating circum-stances.

Oppose abortion morallybut supports a woman’sright to choose.

Opposes federallymandated Universalcoverage, instead want togive a tax dividend to lowincome families andnegotiate lower premiumswith private insurancefirms.

Would start a public healthcare fund allowing people tochoose between public andprivate insurance compa-nies, would require anyemployer who doesn’tprovide insurance to payinto the national health carefund.

Opposes a ban on samesex marriages, says statesshould decide the issuebut supports legalbenefits for same sexpartners.

Opposes same sex marriage,but also opposes a consti-tutional ban, supports civilunions.

Co-Sponsored Bush-backed immigration planthat would have increasedfunding and improvedborder security. Also votedin favor of a 700 mile fenceon the US/Mexican border.

Voted on Bush’s plan toincrease funding for bordercontrol, and would like toprovide a path to citizenshipfor most illegal immigrants.Also voted in favor of a 700mile fence on the US/Mexican border.

For many seniors theupcoming presidentialelections will be the first thatthey will vote in.

One of the mostimportant factors in voting isknowing the stances of thecandidates, not necessarilyjust their party affiliations. Inthe upcoming election thereare several areas that are the

most talked about andimportant to most voters.

These issues includeHealth Care, Immigrationsame sex marriage, the war inIraq, and abortion. There arefour candidates, tworepublicans, and twodemocrats who are mostlikely to win the primariesand then the election.

These four are BarackObama, and Hillary Clintonfor the Democrats, and Mitt

Romney, and John McCainfor the republicans.

Many of the candidateshave similar stances on manyissues based on their partyaffiliation, however in thiselection more than everbefore votes should not becast for your preferred partybecause many candidates onboth sides of the electionhave opinions that arealigned with their oppositeparty.

After Super TuesdayMcCain has a huge lead overRomney with 714 to McCainand only 286 to Romney.

While the democratic race isincredibly close with less than ahundred delegates betweenObama and Clinton. Clinton hasthe slight lead with 823 delegateswhile Obama has 741, makingthis one of the closest democraticprimaries ever. To win thenomination the Republicans need1191 delegates while theDemocrats need 2025.

Different Candidates With Different View Points

HillaryHillaryHillaryHillaryHillaryClintonClintonClintonClintonClinton

Voted for use of militaryforce but has said that itwas a mistake, votedform bill that wouldhave withdrawn troopsby March of 2008.

Supports abortion rightsfor women.

Mandates individualhealth care systems for allamericans, requires alllarge buisnesses to helppay for their employees.Wants to require allcompanies to insure allwho apply, paying apremium that is a percent-age of their income.

Opposes same sexmarriages but supportscivil unions, opposesconstituational ban ofsame sex marriages.

Supported Bush’simmigration reform thatwould have increasedfunding and improvedborder security, andwould have provided apath for illegal immigrantsto become citizens, alsovoted for a 700mile fenceon the US/ Mexicanborder.

Candidates

War Stance

Ethics stance

Health Care

Civil Unions

Immigration

THE KAW TRACKERoPINION

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Kristin robbinsstaff writer

Throughout the last coupleof years Perry-Lecompton HighSchool has undergone severalchanges that have proven to bevery beneficial. With the middleschool addition and a new highschool gym, everything seemedto fall right into place and intoroutine for students and faculty;but why are there so manycomplaints?

The biggest complaint atPLHS is, hands down, THETEMPERATURE. Everyone inthe school has been a victim ofthe hot and cold drafts that seepthrough the rusted ceiling ventseach day, terrorizing all with theirextreme fluctuations.

Students have been seenwearing their warmest coats year-long, and in the winter wearingtheir coats AND covering up withfuzzy blankets.

While some may see theblankets as a sort of fashionstatement, decorating with printsand textures, the matter is moreserious than a runway show; thismatter concerns the learningcapabilities of the students.

According to The NationalAssociation of SchoolmastersUnion of Women Teachers, alsoknown as NASWUT, theclassroom temperature should be65 degrees Fahrenheit at thecoolest and 73 degrees Fahrenheitat the warmest. Under theseconditions, maintaining focus andlearning comes easier for all. Justimagine this: you are standingoutside with snow on the groundand the biting harsh wind iswhipping you in the face.

Right now, considering thetime of year, these weatherconditions are not hard toimagine as we have experiencedthis weather already. Now thinkabout trying to learn about thepotential energy of a spring andhow much force it exerts in thoseweather conditions. Most peoplecould not do it, and even thoughstudents are expected to learn inthese environments, they cannoteither.

When you are freezing thereisn’t anything you can thinkabout except warming up, whichis the usual thought of nearly allstudents at Perry-Lecompton.

Another detriment to theheating system is the leaky wallsthat surround the school whichhave been the outer, and

supposedly protective, layer sincethe 1970s. While the wallsprotect us from rain and othermoisture, they do not defend usfrom those harsh winds talkedabout previously. Just sitting by awindow you can feel the wind

oozing through the walls, comingafter you like that monster youworried about as a child.

The exterior walls aren’treally that noticeable unless youare sitting remotely close tothem, but the walls that areoutrageous are the ones thatseparate classrooms. Someclassrooms are divided by apartition that initially separatedone classroom into two, makingfour classrooms all together.

These walls have beenknown to fall down occasionallybecause they seem to be held uponly by a layer of black Velcro onthe top. However this problemcan be fixed quickly and almosteffortlessly, which is fairlyconvenient.

Not only do the temporarywalls have defects, but thepermanent ones as well. Each wallin every classroom is paper thin,and many have eroded over the

years. Ask any student and theywill tell you that voices travelwell through these walls; studentscan even hold a conversationbetween them.

In some class rooms thewalls have slanted to a point

where the space between the walland the ceiling is large enough foranyone to hold their ownSherlock Holmes investigation onthe class next door.

These problems haven’t justoccurred out of nowhere.Originally Perry-Lecompton wasdesigned to be completely open,in what was then called an “openclassroom philosophy”. Theclassrooms were all connected byone hallway that ran through theback, and students wouldn’t haveto travel through the mainhallways to get from one room tothe other. The glass that is nowabove the lockers was basicallyopen space, and the doors thatnow connect the classrooms wereopen walkways without anydoors.

“All the classrooms were thesame temperature,” said Mr.Floyd Morgison, former teacherand coach at Perry-Lecompton.

While it was primarilythought to be a “balanced”atmosphere and students would be“excited to learn” if they heardthe noise of neighboring students,this design was actually verydistracting and was noteducational.

“It was loud and there werealways disruptions,” said Mr.Wayne Ledbetter, who has taughtat Perry-Lecompton for thirtyyears. “Kids would throw thingsthrough the door way into otherclassrooms; it was just aninvitation to misbehave. It wasnot a good design.

“The architects who builtthe building knew nothing abouteducation; they were architects,”said Ledbetter. “They were justdoing their jobs and constructingbuildings.”

Since the atmosphere was sodisruptive and students couldn’tfocus, they closed the rooms offand filled the open walkways.

“That’s why we have the airproblems that we have today,”said Ledbetter. “Those classroomsweren’t designed to be closedoff.”

All in all, the air system is alot more complex than putting ina new system. Within the pastfive years the school board hasspent a good amount of moneyon attempting to upgrade andchange the system, but what hasbeen done is the only thing thatcan be done.

The air system we have canbe compared to the backbone ofour school; it’s in there for good.Mechanical problems are going tooccur, with certain units shuttingdown and other ones workingharder to compromise for themalfunction. There really isn’tanything else that can be done toimprove it any more.

“There’s different unitsrunning at different times andwhen one goes down it affectsmore than one room at a time,”said Mr. J.B. Elliot, principal ofPLHS. “In most cases they can befixed, but in the winter it can be achallenge to keep up.”

Being in this older facilityfor so long, people have takenthe nice things for granted. Thenewest addition to the highschool would have to be the gym,which is only two years old and isadmired by all who enter it.

Yes, the gym is a very nicecontribution to the high schooland everyone is thrilled that the

high school was remembered in atleast one part of the bond issue,but since it’s so nice no oneknows how to take care of it.Students treat the new gym justlike the old one; carrying chairsacross it, scratching it like a CDwithout a case, and scuffing theirshoes across it competing to seewho can make the longest blackmark.

“It might be awhile beforewe’ll get a new gym,” said Elliot.“If it gets torn up we’ll still bedealing with it years from now,and the students who play on itthen might be the children of ourstudents today.”

The gym is going to besanded and buffed this summer topaint new volleyball lines,accommodating for the newdirection that the nets will face.The scratches will be fixed then,but what really needs to bechanged will take more than asimple polish. Not really talkingabout construction any more, I’mtalking about the attitudes peopletake regarding the school itself.

A popular phrase heard toomany times to count, “We’re justPerry-Lecompton”, are wordsway overused. To fix this assumedposition everyone needs to worktogether. Students definitely needto start respecting theirsurroundings, regardless of theshape that it’s currently in.

“There are so many littlethings that need to be done. Justpicking up the trash around thehalls helps,” Elliot said. “Takesome pride in your surroundings.Employees, students, andeveryone else needs to have prideand want the school to look goodfor it to happen.”

Everyone needs to be proudof the academic merits we haveachieved together and the stellarathletic program we have. Weneed to be thankful for the smallchanges and the new technologywe’ve collected over time. If thiswere to be done, the older thingswouldn’t seem so bad anymoreand the newer things wouldn’t betaken for granted.

The conditions our thingsare in now are a result of theactions of the people before us.Rather than making our schoolworse for generations to come,we can make a differencetogether by taking action now.

Pride...Is It In You?

Taylor AkagiTaylor AkagiTaylor AkagiTaylor AkagiTaylor Akagi

THE KAW TRACKERFeatures

Shawny Blankingshipstaff writer

44444

Katie Davisstaff writer

Many seniors this year areworried about the years to comein their post secondaryeducation. For many, this meansgoing to college and a change ofpace in classes.

College classes hold manyopportunities. There is alsogoing to be a huge change in howthe classes are taught and howthey are structured.

“All of the note taking.”Belai Mills said about what shethought was most different fromhigh school classes. This wouldonly be one change for studentsgoing from a high school classstraight to a college class. Forsome, the change will be a hardone to make. For others, it isgoing to be something that ismore than natural and have noproblem adjusting.

Chelsea Cooley commentedsaying, “We have more freedomand time. The time the teacherslet us out differs.”

But a major change that nostudent is going to get past isthat, nolonger more willstudents know every person intheir class. The teacher will nolonger care if you show up toclass. You are paying for yourclass so you are only wastingyour time and your money.Students can no longer rely onan hour or so of homework.

Think two or three hours forevery hour you spend in class,when the average class is an hourand a thirty minutes.

“Sometimes the longlectures get pretty boring.” saidCooley. Each student takingclasses is going to have adifferent opinion on what theythink about the classes. Theclasses will do somethingdifferent for each student. Somewill think that it benefits themand others will be indifferent onhow they view the class.

This last year PerryLecompton High Schoolcombined with HighlandCommunity College Center inPerry. This gives students atPLHS a chance to gain collegeexperience and college credit.Classes were offered at the highschool for several years but thenabout two years ago studentswere presented the opportunityto drive over to the old PerryMiddle School.

Since the new middle schoolhas been added on to the highschool, Highland bought the oldmiddle school to extend thecampus area. Which theyachieved and they also gainedmany new students from thePerry Lecompton area and thesurrounding areas.

“It helps maybe a littlebit,” Mills said, explaining howthe classes help prepare her forher post secondary education.

“I’m just getting used tostudying on my own.”

Cooley added, “Somewhat.I believe that the professors willbe different though.”

One thing the classes dohelp is PLHS students lookingto get into gear for college. Thereare many classes offered atHighland for high schoolstudents. Some of these areIntermediate Algebra, CollegeAlgebra, Public Speaking,

Shorten schedule is alwaysan advantage that many seniorslook forward to all year. The joyof being able to sleep or leaveschool early is a thought thatlingers students minds rightafter first semester starts.

Many students at Perry-Lecompton High School havereceived shorten schedule thisyear. PLHS currently has about27 students who leave early orarrive late. It’s only availableduring second semester toseniors.

You also have to apply toget it. Mr. Elliot and Mrs.

Snyder have to give theirpermission, as well as thestudents parents. Along withgetting permission, you have tomake sure that you have therequirements for graduation andthat with shorten schedule youcan take the classes you need.

Shorten schedule wasstarted about 12 years ago, backthen it was called work release.When they started this programyou were only allowed to begone 6th and 7th hour.

You also had to have a 2.5cumulative GPA, as well ashaving all the classes you neededfor graduation requirement. Youalso weren’t allowed to leaveunless you were working. With

the years continuing on, theschool made the decision toallow more seniors the optionsto have shortened schedule.

One of the main reasonswhy students get shortenschedule is many have jobs. Thestudent(s) could potentiallyhave to stay late at work. Afterthey come home, they areusually exhausted and crash.

“I was really excited tohave shortened schedule at first,because I had to work. But Ireally didn’t want to be here if Ididn’t have to be. I like itbecause I don’t have to eatschool food. It’s reallyconvenient because I can dohomework before work since I

leave early.” said, AmandaOsburn.

Therefore, a benefit ofhaving shortened schedule isthat they can wake up early anddo their homework.

“It’s great. I get to sleep in.I also can do my homework inthe morning, which is niceespecially when we have a game,the night before.” said HollyFornelli.

Shortened schedule isn’talways a positive though. KoryRoberts spoke about his opinionon the issue. “It’s okay. I don’tlike leaving my friends at school.I like being out of school,because school really isn’t mything. I like being able to do

what I want after school. But, Ihate how much money I’ve beenspending. Dillon and I go out toeat everyday.”

Lastly, the main reasonswhy students get shortenschedule is because they don’twant to be at school. Manyhave senioritis and would muchrather sleep in or go do theirown thing.

Dillon Harrell, said, “I loveit, it’s the best thing about highschool. I wanted to be here aslittle as possible. I can go out toeat and not eat the school foodand play basketball whenever Iwant. It’s great.”

Seniors Opt for Shortened Schedule

Highland PrHighland PrHighland PrHighland PrHighland Prooooovides Opportunity Fvides Opportunity Fvides Opportunity Fvides Opportunity Fvides Opportunity For Studentsor Studentsor Studentsor Studentsor Students

Spanish, College English, andseveral others that many shouldbe excited to learn from.

With the rising cost ofcollege classes at universitiesnation wide, every year studentsare struggling to meet the needsto pay for all of their classeswith minimum loans. With thisopportunities presented to ourstudents, it is a major help.Students should grab thisopportunity to fullest. Students

can gain quality collegeexperience while still in highschool at nearly half the pricesyou would see at KansasUniversity, Kansas StateUniversity, or Emporia StateUniversity, just to give a fewexamples. Future seniors atPLHS and many students inother areas are lucky to be ableto have the chance that this offerhas been given to them.

Highland Community College Photo by Staff

THE KAW TRACKERfeatures

Kourtney Foleystaff writer

55555

Kourtney Foleystaff writer

As you probably know FBLAis one of the clubs our schooloffers. FBLA stands for FutureBusiness Leaders of America andit gives students a chance tofurther their experience in thebusiness world. The club goes onfield trips and competitions andthey also contribute in fundraisers and community services.

Mrs. Dugan has been theclub sponsor for twenty-fouryears. She began sponsoring theclub when she started teaching atour school.

Mrs. Dugan said “It exposeskids to things that happen in thebusiness world such as appropriateattire and etiquette. Students alsoget the chance to visit localbusinesses, go to competitionsworking as a team, andparticipate in fundraisers andcommunity service.”

Recently some of our clubmembers went to district, whichwas held at Jackson Heights. Thepicture is of most of the studentsthat went. There are manydifferent subjects that students aretested over ranging from abeginner level to an advancedlevel.

Each member chooses atleast four subjects to be testedover. If the student finishes inthe top ten, of a subject theyqualify for state.

After testing, some of ourstudents got the chance to tour anunderground tunnel located in thebasement of Jackson Heights.The tunnel was part of anunderground military base and was

used to provide shelter tocitizens.

Our club ended up fifth outof nine schools in thecompetition. The results werebased on a points system. Firstplace receiving ten points andtenth place receiving one point.Groups could also compete inteams on certain subjects.

Individuals that placed in thetop ten are as follows: PederFisher placed seventh in BusinessMath; Crystalyn Robinson placedseventh in Job Interview, sixth inBusiness Procedures, and secondin Personal Finance; Stephanine

Clark placed second in BusinessProcedures; Veronica Knudsenplaced ninth in ComputerApplications; Regan Burton andKristin Robbins placed third inDesktop Publish; Kayla Foleyplaced fourth in Global Business;Issac Fisher placed fifth in HelpDesk; Austin Naramore placedseventh in Intro to Business;

Stephan Rector placed sixth inMarketing; Kaylien Sieliet placedseventh in SpreadsheetApplications.

This year we had a lot ofmembers qualify for state.However, Mrs. Dugan is looking

for ways to increasethat number.

She said,“Next year, we willlook at the eventswhere competitionis limited, meaningfewer than tenpeople in thatsubject, so we havehigher opportunityto make state.”

Kayla Foley isa Perry-Lecomptonstudent who went todistrict. This washer first year to gobut she has been amember for a fewyears. Shecompeted in GlobalBusiness, BusinessCommunications,Business Calculus,

and Marketing. Kayla said, “I think I did

ok. The tests were difficult andthe stuff we were tested over wehad never learned before.”

The tests were kind of whatshe expected them to be, “verysimilar to SAT testing,” she said.Kayla’s favorite part of the tripwas “a vanilla dipped cone at

The scholars bowl team hasbeen traveling all over Kansas tomeets and just recently went toRoyal Valley for regionals.Unfortunately, the team did notdo as well as they wanted.However, one of the rounds wasreally close and took five tiebreakers to declare a winner.

This year three sophomores,one junior, and one senior wentto regionals. Mr. Culvahousereferred to this year as a “buildingyear.”

He said, “As the year goeson we will get better. This yearsophomores had questions aboutthings that they haven’tcovered.”

The scholars practice twotimes a week and have the chanceto compete in mathematics,

science, social studies, fine arts,language arts, and sometimesforeign language. Usually at theend of the year students can alsocompete in a year end review.

Mr. Culvahouse said,“Mathematics tends to be thehardest for students because youhave to figure everything byhand.”

Although you may thinkquestions will relate to what youlearn in school, SamanthaClement said, “They don’t alwaysask school related questions,sometimes they ask questionsthat we have learned on ourown.”New scholars this year areMorgan Brown, Kyle Aldridge,and Maggie Kulhman.

Morgan said, “I joined theteam because a friend told me itwas a lot of fun!”

She has only been to twocompetitions and at those

competitions she feels she hasdone well.

Samantha Clement is anolder member of scholars bowl.She has been competing for twoyears and plans to be on the teamnext year as well.

This year she is on Varsity.According to Clement, Varsityquestions are not always harderthan JV.

She said, “Sometimes thequestions are harder, but notalways, it depends on what schoolis running the meet. At my lastmeet there were college introclasses, which were a lot harder.”Samantha would recommend thatmore people join the team.

She said, “Its fun and youget to show people how smartyou are.”

We also have judges fromour school! That’s right, Mr.Haggard and Mrs. Ward.

Mrs. Ward was asked howshe judges the competitions andshe answered, “We look forquestions answered correctly, ifthe team buzzed in right, or if aquestion needs to be skipped.”

Our judges don’t travel withthe team, they only judge whenthe competitions are at ourschool. Mrs. Ward has enjoyedher experience as a judge, and ifneeded she will continue to be ajudge in the future.

During a competition, teamsrotate through the building. Ineach room there are two teamsthat compete.

Teams are allowed to talkwith other team members todiscuss the question that wasasked.

However, once a teammember hits the buzzer, they canno longer talk. Usually scholarswill continue rotating until they

have competed with all the teamsthere.

The team competes withabout fifteen other schools. Onlyfour scholars from each schoolcan compete in a certain subject.

Mr. Culvahouse said, “Iusually take six students androtate them in as needed whichgives more people the chance tocompete.”

There are nine scholars onthe team this year including JVand Varsity, which is increasingeach year. The number of peopleon a team varies and there is nota limit on the members a teamcan have.

Interest in scholars bowl isall it takes to make the team.Just sign up and come topractices. You don’t even have todress up for competitions!

Dairy Queen!” She likes the cluband thinks it will be good on aresume.

Austin Naramore is a newmember to our club. He wastested over Parliament Procedure,Business Math, Intro to Businessand Intro to Business Concepts.Austin qualified for state in Introto Business.

He said, “It took me aroundthirty to forty-five minutes pertest.” The rest of the trip waspretty boring for him, probablybecause he had to wait in a lunchline for around three hours! Hisfavorite part of the trip was alsoDairy Queen. Austin is worriedabout competing at state, butwe’re sure he will do great! Heknows everything!

From personal experience Ithink district was fun, besidesgetting up at five in the morning.My favorite part was when agroup of us played the card game,cow. There was a lot of waitingaround but I got to meet a lot ofnew people from other schools.The school’s underground tunnelwas amazing! I could clearly hearsomeone at the other end of thetunnel talking. If I could changeanything for next year, I wouldlike to go somewhere else forlunch. Then there wouldn’t be somuch waiting around.

Congratulations to everyonethat made state and good luck!

FBLFBLFBLFBLFBLA Heads To StateA Heads To StateA Heads To StateA Heads To StateA Heads To State

Scholars Bowl Gets Intense

Group of FBLA Members. Photo by Staff

THE KAW TRACKERFeatures

Tyler ChristmanStaff Writer

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While many larger schooldistricts were out of session onMonday January 21st, alsoknown as Martin Luther KingJr. day, the student body andfaculty of USD 343 foundthemselves sitting in desks at8:20 a.m. thinking about howthey could be asleep in thecomfort of their warm beds,though unfair enough we werein school.

“It’s a holiday thateveryone celebrates, and theyget together and collaborate themeaning of a historical figure”said freshman Emily Durflinger

As I was walking throughthe hallways, sitting at the lunchtables, or even listening to the

fascinating topics of discussionin journalism, I heard numerousamount of times the reason thatwe were in school that day isbecause Perry was a racist town.

I would not quite agreewith this solution, I couldsomewhat understand why thiswould be said. So I decided toexplore the options available tomy knowledge.

Yes, Perry is certainlyknown for their shortage(consider rephrasing) in theAfrican American heritage. Ican see why students couldconsider or even believe that isthe reason for us having school.

But I have to ask, didanyone even consider from amore logical point of view thatPerry may not have had enough“free days” in our schedule to

not have school on MartinLuther King Jr. day.

Every year, a schooldistrict has to meet a certainamount of required school days.And the rest the district uses onbreaks, inservice days, andparent teacher conference days.This year, we had a 14 dayChristmas break instead of 13days as it should have been. Thedistrict decided to use the lastFriday of break as a inserviceday.

So I am not so sure whateveryone else thinks but I knowthat I would rather come backon a Monday then a Friday. Sobecause we had the luxury ofnot having school that Fridaywe had to make up for it on aMonday, which happened to beMartin Luther King Jr. day.

Megan Elder states, “Iwould have rather had MartinLuther King Jr. day off, mainlybecause I hate Mondays, and Iwouldn’t have minded comingback that last Friday ofChristmas break because breakwas already so long.”

After finding all thisinformation out I almost feltsilly for the result in the reasonof no school was racism. It justso happens that other smallerschools in the area had schoolas well. Sometimes peoplenever look at the more realisticside of the story.

Martin Luther King Day isa national holiday for the nationto celebrate the greatmeaningful life of a man whoshowed freedom for more thanone race in this country. He was

a man of great strength andability, who was not scared toshow his beliefs and stand upfor what he truly believed in.

I know that I personallyhold up most respect for a manwho can stand up for his beliefs.

So I leave you at this, inthe year 2009 when we are all atschool sitting in our desks onMartin Luther King Day, justthink that day we may be inschool but there are other dayswhere we will have out ofschool and you can spend thosedays sleeping in, in the comfortof your nice warm beds on achilly day.

Angelina CastaldiStaff Writer

It is often hard for peopleto fathom what it is going to belike out in the real world. Afteryou are done with high schoolwhether you go on to college ornot it can be hard to knowbefore hand what it’s going tobe like.

Many people wonder whathaving their first real job will belike and managing their ownmoney. Some of the things youmight encounter include livingon your own, buying your ownclothes and food and thedifferent necessities of life thesethings also include thepossibility of buying and sellingstocks. There are many differentways to prepare for the manydifferent obstacles you may facein your life.

In a few of our SocialStudies classes here at Perry-Lecompton teachers are using astock market game online tohelp teach students how to buy,sell, and trade stocks.

The website is called andis designed to let students buy,sell, and trade stocks. This gameis a valuable learning tool withthe world’s economy constantlychanging. It is a benefit for

students to learn all they canbefore hand

It is set up to givestudent’s points on how muchtheir stocks are worth. Thisstock market game is a way forstudents to experience a little bitof what it is like to buy, sell,and trade stocks.

It is a unique way forsome “interactive learning.” Theprogram as said before givesstudents points based on thevalue of there stocks. With thisand some other considerationsthe game tallies up points and

allows students to check and seehow their stocks are doingcompared to other students.

Some people may alreadyown stocks and haveexperiences dealing with them.But for those who don’t and forthose that do this is a fun way tolearn but also get away from thetext books.

Now the game isn’t likebeing on Wall Street buying andselling stocks. There are somedifferences between the two.For instance on Wall Streeteverything is hectic you are

frantically buying in sellingstocks based on if that stock isup or down.

If you were working withstocks on Wall Street the higherthe price of the stock is themore your going to make whenyou sell it.

It also works the exactopposite if a stock is down andyou sell it you are going tomake less because the stock isworth less.

This is one thing that theStock Market game teaches youin a less hectic manner. Another

Juniors Participate In Stock Market Simulation

What About Martin Luther King Jr. Day?What About Martin Luther King Jr. Day?What About Martin Luther King Jr. Day?What About Martin Luther King Jr. Day?What About Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

thing that this game teaches youis the value of money or thevalue of a stock. It does this thesame thing that buying andselling real stocks would exceptwith out real rewards or realconsequences.

This means that on thegame if you sell a stock while itis really worth a lot of moneyand your earn points instead ofmoney. But the other side ofthat is that is in the real world ifyou loose all your moneybecause you invest your moneyin the wrong stocks you aren’tjust playing with points and youdon’t get a do over.

Where as in the gameyou’re just playing with pointsand not real money so you dokid of get a do over. One lastthing that the game teaches youis that if you really are carefuland know what you’re doingyou can make money off stockand the stock market.

The game gives you achance to practice what you aredoing with points and notmoney so you can get anotherchance and not be in debt. Thestock market game is a greatway to learn while doingsomething other than just bookwork.

A man celebrates his success. Photo Courtesy of www.tradingsynergy.com

THE KAW TRACKERFeatures

Madison HorschEditor-In-chief

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The evening of WinterRoyalty was filled with hustle andbustle as everyone prepared forthe events to be held. Not onlywere there four games played butthere were also two importantevents that had brought out arecord crowd. The first Varsitygame of the evening was the girl’sgame against Santa Fe Trail HighSchool.

The Kaws battled hard andkept within reach the entire gamebut were not able to pull the winout in the end as many keyplayers were pulled from thegame due to injuries. Asdiscouraging as this was, theexcitement could still be felt allaround as the next anticipatedactivity of the evening startedshortly after.

Following the girl’s game,Coach Morgison was honoredwith a tribute for all he has donefor the past and future

generations of U.S.D 343. Amongattendance were all of his pastplayers and students that CoachMorgison has led and inspired.The ceremony ended with theunveiling of the newly named“Floyd Morgison Court.”

Senior Lance Morris-Bohannan was in attendance forthe ceremony, “I thought it waspretty honorable and a welldeserved achievement. I alsothought that it was amazing tosee how many of his players cameto show their respect for himafter all these years. It was and isvery obvious what an impact hehas made on so many people’slives. It really is amazing.”

Prepared to play on thenewly named court, the boy’sVarsity came out ready to defeatthe Chargers. Holding ademanding lead for most of thefirst half, the boys ended calmlyleading into halftimes. This iswhen the next anticipating eventoccurred.

The Winter RoyaltyCoronation ceremony was held to

crown the “Snowball” King andQueen. Jonathan Pogge came outwith the crown and Andrea Haneywas presented the tiara. As theexcitement from the halftimeshow wore down, the boys tookthe court and finished what theyhad started against the Chargers.

Winning by a significantamount, the young night wasgoing exactly as planned. It stillheld, however, one of the biggestsocial events of the year.

The “Snowball” dancetook many days and even weeksof preparation by the studentsand the student council. It wasapparent that everyone workedvery hard as the final result wasrevealed.

The commons was sparklingwith hundreds of snowflakesdangling from almost everysurface. The entryways werelined with paper cut-outs that hadbeen meticulously designed by thestudents. One student remarked,“The snowflakes Drew Pearce cutwere amazing, he just has thisspecial skill.”

Not only were the littlesnowflakes projecting the wintryatmosphere, but the giant snowflakes dangling from the “sky”held a luminous fluffiness thatshowed a lot of hard work.

Finally, the decorations wereconcluded with one massivesnowflake cut out that wassprinkled in glitter from the baseto the very top. Time, talent, andeffort were definitely utilized asstudents all combined efforts tomake it the best Winter Royaltydance possible.

The night was still youngwhen the commons was unveiledto the arriving students who hadnot yet seen the commons. Theline into the dance was quite longas all of PLHS clamored into thebeautifully displayed room, eagerto see what the display would beand ready to start the fun.

Once the students hadstepped inside the wintrywonderland the took to the dancefloor and moved like there was notomorrow. As each song wasprojected over the speakers the

students cried out the surprise tofavorites songs and many moregrabbed dance partners ready tomake something happen. Manystudents even displayedpreviously choreographed danceroutines or showed their talentwith swing dancing and hip-hop.

As the night drew to an endthe DJ announced the playing ofthe King and Queen song. Thecircle formed as the newlycrowned Pogge and Haney madetheir way to the center. FrankSinatra’s song “Can’t Take MyEyes Off of You” played over thespeakers and allowed the King andQueen to share the annual dance.

The evening may havestarted off quite hectically, butthe end result was superb. Onceagain Perry-Lecompton HighSchool put on a Winter Royaltyto be remembered. Thetemperature outside did not affectthe atmosphere inside the schoolas the students danced the nightaway at the Snowball.

Winter RWinter RWinter RWinter RWinter Royalty Hustle and Bustleoyalty Hustle and Bustleoyalty Hustle and Bustleoyalty Hustle and Bustleoyalty Hustle and Bustle

Winter Royalty Andrea Haney and Jonathan Pogge share the spotlight. Photo by Courtney Kasson

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Discounts for USD 343 students & facultyDiscounts for USD 343 students & facultyDiscounts for USD 343 students & facultyDiscounts for USD 343 students & facultyDiscounts for USD 343 students & facultywho bring their student I.Dwho bring their student I.Dwho bring their student I.Dwho bring their student I.Dwho bring their student I.D.....

THE KAW TRACKERFeatures

Aliza Caldwellstaff writer

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Christmas is a time thatmany visit old family andfriends to celebrate the holiday.Some travel, some stay home,and some take a winter vacation.Sherri Sutfin, a PLHS Senior,and family traveled to theirnative California for Christmasand ended up going through atragic event that almost brokeup their family.

Sherri flew to California onDecember 22nd while her father,Craig Sutfin, and stepmothermade their trip to the sunnystate by vehicle on the 23rd.

During their stay inCalifornia Sherri stayed in herhometown of Redding while herparents visited family andfriends in Portland, Lake Tahoe,

and Sacramento. After twoweeks of family and Christmasactivities the Sutfin familyfinally started to venture back tooz.

Sherri flew home on the3rd, and then on the 6th herstepmother flew out and herfather, stepbrother Timothy,and their two Chihuahua’s, Parisand Nolla, started their drivehome.

Due to the danger theweather had threatened theydecided to drive south throughArizona to avoid the snow andice. As they made their journeythey hit a patch of bad luck.While trying to steer clear of theweather by going throughArizona they did exactly whatthey were trying not to do.They hit the weather that theywere trying to miss.

With Mr. Sutfin behind thewheel the continued to maketheir journey home but insteadhit ice. The roads became icedover and dangerous for allmotorists on the road. Theslickness caused Craig to losecontrol and flip the truck.

Luckily Craig was the onlyone injured, breaking his wristand hand. Other than that allpassengers, including the dogs,made it out safely.

While waiting for theemergency personnel to arriveParis got scared and ended upfleeing from Craig’s arms and ranoff into the Arizona wilderness.Craig and Timothy thensearched for six hours and cameup with their hands empty. Dueto the loss of their precious pupthe men stayed in Arizona thatnight as to search for her thevery next day.

Overnight Arizona receiveda snow storm which ended upbringing 18 inches. When themen awoke the next morningthey found that all of theground around them had a footand a half of snow. Thisaddition to their chain of eventsmade the hope of finding Paristurn towards the worst.

Because of the weatherand the amount of predators,such as coyotes, in the Arizonaarea they were informed thatthere was little to no hope thatParis would be returning backwith them. Although it lookedlike all hope was against them

they couldn’t give up hopejust yet.

They took the initiativeto take business into theirown hands and began callingnewspapers, radio, andtelevision stations within atwo hundred mile radius tosee if here was any news of afound dog. When there turnedout to be no news of Parisbeing found they turned tothe last resort and called inArizona’s finest, the PetDetectives.

The Detectives broughttheir search dogs out to thesight of the wreck and thedisappearance. They gotParis’ scent and sniffed forfifty miles until they lost thesmell. They then continued totry and find her but as theday was drawing near an endtheir hope came to an ultimate

Jordan Madorinstaff writer

As most of you know,MTV’s “Made” came to ourschool. “Made” is a self-improvement reality televisionseries that is broadcasted onMTV. The series follows teenswho wish to be “made” intosingers, athletes, dancers,skateboarders, etc.

The teens are joined by a“Made Coach”, an expert intheir chosen field, who try tohelp them attain their goals overthe course of several weeks.

Made documents the processthe teens undergo as they try toachieve their goal.

According to the producers,you are more likely to be pickedif you pick a goal is thatattainable in a six to eight weekperiod and if you choose to bemade into something original.

Some students in ourschool tried to be made intosomething totally original andnever-before done in the historyof made.

Brock Harden, for example,wanted to be made into a pilot. Idon’t know if that is attainable

in six to eight weeks but hey, atleast it’s original!!

There were many otherstudents who wanted to beMade. Junior MarkWeatherford, for example, wouldlike to be a great singer. “Itwould be awesome if I could bemade into Frank Sinatra” saidMark.

There were several otherstudents that tried out too.Sherri Sutfin wanted to be madeinto a figure skater, MorganBrown wanted to be made into aballerina, and Chelsea Cooleywanted to be made into a skater.

When asked how the wholeprocess was, Chelsea Cooleyresponded “the whole processwas really easy and I felt reallycomfortable talking. The guywho interviewed me let metouch his hair!” The majority ofthe kids interviewed agreed thatthe guy who interviewed themlooked like Jimmy Neutron.

Jessica Miller on the otherhand wanted to keep hers asecret. Hmmm? I wonder whatshe wants to be made in to? Iguess we’ll find out if she wins!

There is a rumor goingaround though. Students and

teachers seem to think that ifMTV’s Made picks someonefrom our school, they are goingto humiliate them. For example,if someone looks or acts like anerd or dork, they are going tomake them look even dorkier. Ifsomeone seems to be a jock,they’re going to make them lookself-centered.

The TV show will bechoosing from a few schools inthe area. A lot of students willbe interviewed but only one willbe made. Good luck to all thosewho tried out!

PLHS Students TPLHS Students TPLHS Students TPLHS Students TPLHS Students Trrrrry Out For MADEy Out For MADEy Out For MADEy Out For MADEy Out For MADE

PuPPy Detectives Rescue PaRisPuPPy Detectives Rescue PaRisPuPPy Detectives Rescue PaRisPuPPy Detectives Rescue PaRisPuPPy Detectives Rescue PaRis

low and they decided to goahead and call it off.

Just then Paris stuck herlittle head out of a burrow. Shehad been hiding there for threeand a half days and luckily itkept her safe from the coldbitter weather and the coyotes.

Craig then informed thefamily of the news. “None of uscould believe it. It was a truemiracle!” said Sherri.

“I went from the mostdepressed state a person couldbe in to the most happy state aperson could be in, in less than asecond,” said Craig on thefinding of Paris.

After three and a half daysof hiding out in the cold Paris isback at home and happier thanshe has ever been!

Paris lays down, glad to be home. Photo by Sherri Sutfin

Paris at home after days in the wilderness. Photo by Sherri Sutfin

THE KAW TRACKERsports

Erin SergeantStaff Writer

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Perry Lecompton girlsbasketball teams worked hardand created long-lastingmemories during this year’sbasketball season.

“Emma Gantz driving intothe lane and scoring in the landof the giants!” is one of CoachArmstrong’s favorite memoriesthis season.

Other memories included,“Jamie and Holly showing up tojust about every open gym andweight training opportunity thissummer. Taylor Akagi’s hugesmile after making her firstvarsity field goal! Katie Vollebeing the only other carnivoreon the team. Katie Davis’ blackand blue knee. Shelby Ericksonswishing a two point shot onchannel 27 news sportshighlight. Megan Elder’s firstdouble-double of her career andKatie Hirsch dribbling through apress and scoring on a lay up!There are many such memories,all of them good.”

The girls also havememories from the season.Shelby Erickson, sophomore,said, “The game going to BishopWard with Holly and KatieDavis. We played games topass the time away.”

Kristen Boleski,sophomore, remembers,“Overall, the bus rides to thegames because we would all sittogether and have a good time.”

Now that the girl’sbasketball season is coming toan end, Coach Armstrong giveshis opinion on how the seasonturned out, “I think all of usassociated with the girl’sbasketball team are disappointedthat we didn’t win more gamesthis year. This just seems to beone of those years that thingsdidn’t translate into victories forus. That doesn’t mean wedidn’t work hard, didn’t havegood attitudes, and didn’t hustleall the time. Because we did.”

The girls on the team alsoshared their thoughts on thisyear’s season.

Shelby Erickson said, “Thisseason was a lot of fun. I like ita lot better this year. We haveimproved better by every gamewe played, and we workedhard.”

Boleski, explains, “I thinkthat as a team we’ve gottenreally close and worked reallyhard.”

The freshman players alsohave positive things to say.

Taylor Easum, freshman,states, “Over the season, wehave improved. We still have along way to go. It wasn’t awinning season.”

Coach Armstrong adds histhoughts about the team’s win/loss record this year, “I thinkone of the characteristics of ourLady Kaws teamsthis year wasthem beingscrappy. We wereundersized anddidn’t have a lotof girls out. Inaddition, we hadseveral keyinjuries that keptkey people off thefloor. These areNOT excuses forour win/lossrecord. They arejust facts. Wehave to face up tothings, recognizeour strengths andweaknesses, andjust work thatmuch harder fromhere on out.”

By the end ofevery season,there has beenimprovement.

CoachArmstrongexplains the LadyKawsimprovements thisyear, “I think wegreatly improvedin our overall hustle and scrap.We pressed the other teams a lotand never gave up. Many of ouropposing coaches madecomments referring to those twothings. One opposing coacheven stated that they didn’t liketo play us because they had towork hard all the time againstour presses.”

“I will NEVER forget howwe fought so hard to beatIMMAC on their home courtand how our girls did NOT cavein during the last final twominutes of the game when it gotreally close,” remembers CoachArmstrong.

Even though the teamimproved a lot this season, thereare still things for them to workon. The Lady Kaws still needto work on their defensive andoffensive skills. Some examplesare blocking out, rebounding,and making better overalldecisions.

“Overall we have madebetter strides towards thephysical and mental goals wehave,” said Coach Armstrong.

But there is still work to bedone to reach all these goals.

Coach Armstrong explains,“Part of that is because we allhave set higher goals forourselves and our team.

“Coaches are alwaysplanning for the next year.Coaching high school basketballhas become a year-roundprofession. The season doesn’tend after the last game, onlybecause that is when the nextseason begins,” said the Coach.

The summer is the besttime to prepare for the nextyear’s basketball season. Thereare open gyms and weighttraining four days a week.

There are also opportunities toparticipate in summer camps.Examples are Baker League, NWMissouri State’s Team Camp,and the PLHS Basketball Camp.

“I can only offer theopportunities,” said CoachArmstrong. “The girls mustdecide how much they want todo and how hard they want towork.”

Coach Armstrong agreesthat playing over the summer isthe best way to improve yourbasketball skills, “We don’t have

big/tall girls, but only small andquick girls. They must be ableto shoot the ball better and beable to recognize scoringopportunities. And they mustlearn to be more aggressive. Theonly way to do those things isto play in the summer.”

Shelby Erickson said, “Iwill hopefully make it to thecamps and open gyms, and justshoot around, working on myshot.”

This year the PLHS girlsbasketball team has threeseniors: Jamie Fuller, HollyFornelli, and Katie Davis.

Basketball Season Comes To An EndBasketball Season Comes To An EndBasketball Season Comes To An EndBasketball Season Comes To An EndBasketball Season Comes To An EndCoach Armstrong has words ofencouragement for the seniors asthey move on.

He starts off with Jamie,“Jamie Fuller has been the gluethat has bonded this teamtogether. She has been the leaderthat has done all the right thingsin order to become acontributing member of theteam. She is the girl that otherslook up to, to gain some type ofinspiration from. She is one in amillion. She will be greatlymissed as she goes forward inlife. I would hope that shekeeps her smile and herwonderful personality.”

The next senior he talksabout is Holly, “Holly Fornellihas been our ‘go to’ girl. Whenthe chips are down, we look forHolly to do something on thefloor. Whether it is scoring orforcing our opponents into aturnover, she is the one thatcould turn the game around. Iwould hope that she continuesin education—perhaps evenbecome a coach. She is the typeof person that you want othersto hang around. We will all missher greatly.”

The last senior CoachArmstrong talks about is Katie,“Katie Davis has provided theteam with stable play. Hergreatest desire was to go andplay basketball at the collegiatelevel and I hope that she getsthat opportunity. I hope thatshe finds what she is looking forin a college atmosphere. Shewill be missed also.”

At the end of each seasonsome girls move on, and theywill be missed greatly. CoachArmstrong explains, “As acoach, I always view the end ofthe season with mixed emotions.You always want to win asmany games as you can, andyou want your kids to workhard and finish the season. Butespecially with this group, I willmiss being around the girls everyday. They are a wonderfulgroup of kids that work hardand listen. They have tried toimprove their game and areproud to put on a Kaw uniform.What more can I ask of them?”

Emma Gantz Drives Past Her Piper Opponent. Photo by Courtney Kasson

THE KAW TRACKERSports

Jamie FullerEditor-In-Chief

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Boy’s Basketball Has Best Season In 27 YBoy’s Basketball Has Best Season In 27 YBoy’s Basketball Has Best Season In 27 YBoy’s Basketball Has Best Season In 27 YBoy’s Basketball Has Best Season In 27 Yearsearsearsearsears

One would have to go backpretty far in Perry-Lecomptonbasketball history to find a teamor season that came even close towhat the 2007-2008 edition of theKaw Boy’s Basketball teamaccomplished this season.

19-3 season record, 11-2 vshistorical Kaw Valley Leagueopponents and a 2nd place finishin the Kaw Valley League whichtied for the highest in schoolhistory and those statistical tidbitsbarely scratch the surface to thekind of turnaround the Kaws haveexperienced in the last 3 years.

“Our program is movingforward. A lot of time and effortfrom our kids and our coaches hasbeen invested in turning this thingaround. The team has had toovercome a lot of adversity andnegativity to achieve the thingswe have achieved. I am so proudof all of my guys and our coachesand they have a lot to be proudof”, said Head Boy’s Coach JeffDickson.

2006-2007 Kaw team’s 12-9record and 7-6, 5th place finish inthe Kaw Valley League signaled achange was in the making atPLHS and when asked whatwould the Kaws do for an encore,Coach Dickson promised that “You haven’t seen anything yet!”And the Kaws responded with oneof the very best seasons in schoolhistory.

The Kaws returned 11 oftheir top 12 players, losing onlysenior Brian Hastert to graduation.But early on the Kaws were dealta tough blow when senior starterCaleb Denton went down with abroken hand and had to miss thefirst 5 games of the season.

“Losing Caleb wasdisappointing and frustratingbecause he is one of our leadersand he had to deal with so manyinjury issues. Caleb could havehung his head or quit or been woeis me, but that is not what he isabout and that is not what ourprogram is about. We don’t makeexcuses, the next guy has to stepup and do the job. Fortunately forus, we had a talented sophomoreBrad Phillips who stepped into thelineup and did an outstanding jobfor us. And once we got Calebhealthy we were that much betterbecause of the depth andexperience we gained while Calebwas hurt “, said Dickson.

The Kaws wontheir first 7 games ofthe season, many ofthose game were close,tough battles that sawPLHS time and timeagain making plays atcritical times to pull outa close victory.

“I know that it ishard on some of thefans, but I don’t thinksometimes peopleappreciate the toughmindedness and heartof our kids and ourprogram that the boyswere able to have theconfidence and thebelief in each other andour coaching staff tocome together, makeadjustments and winsome of those games.We had several youngand inexperiencedplayers makingimportant plays andhelping this team besuccessful. Noteveryone can stayfocused and givethemselves a chance towin every single timeout”, said Dickson

After a tough loss atTonganoxie, the Kaws rattled offanother 11 straight wins setting upa league championship match up vsthe Lansing Lions. The 5A Lionsjumped out to an early leadreaching 21 points before holdingon to a 63-55 victory, locking inBasehor-Linwood as the KawValley League champions for the2nd straight year. The Bobcatsfinished 13-1 in league play withtheir only league loss in the last 2years coming at the hands of theKaws.

“It was very tough to lose theleague championship because weknow we are one of the best teamsin the league and we definitelyproved that this season. Lansingcame ready to play and outplayedus. We fought back and gaveourselves a chance and I am veryproud of that and our kids. That isalways our goal to put ourselves inchampionship situations and themore of them we can get to, moreopportunities we will have to winthem” said Dickson.

From the disappointment ofthe Lansing loss, the Kaws hadlittle time to recover for their firstround sub-state game vsHiawatha.

PLHS had not won a sub-state

game since the 1996-1997 and thatlack of experience certainlyaffected the Kaws a year earlieragainst a much more experiencedJeff West team, but this year’ssquad was not about to let thathappen again.

The Kaws jumped all overthe Hiawatha Redhawks anddefeated them 64-34, breaking thelong postseason drought for PLHS.

“The best part of the win wasthat everyone got in that game.The kids played well and playedtogether and were able to onceagain to do something that no onearound here has done in a longtime and they were able to do it athome in front of a great crowd. Ifwe could get crowds like that atevery game we would really havesomething special going with ourfans,”said Dickson.

Next up for PLHS was a sub-state matchup at Holton vs theWildcats. The Kaws got off to ashaky start, turning the ball over14 times in the 1st half ,beforesettling down and playing some oftheir most inspired basketball ofthe season before losing aemotional contest 58-55 to Holton.

“We came out a little morenervous that I would haveanticipated and it is certainly

understandable. But in thisprogram we do not make excuses,we have to step up in big gamesituations and do the things we arecapable of doing. It was a toughlearning experience for us and onethat probably needed to happen forus to be able to take the next stepas a team and a program. The losswasn’t as disappointing as the factthat we don’t get to keeppracticing and working togetherthis year. The guys may not agreebut I could have keep coming topractice and enjoying this groupfor another six months, they are avery special group, “ said Dickson.

The Kaws will be losinganother pair of fantastic seniors inCaleb Denton and MitchO’Trimble to graduation but willreturn 10 of their top 12 for the2008-2009 season.

“We love our seniors, all ofthem, from David Foltz, ChrisKetter, Cory McPherson, GabeGantz from year one to BrianHastert from year two and nowMitch and Caleb in year three. Wehave had so few because we onlykeep the very best! The hardestworkers, most unselfish, the mostcoachable and the toughest kids inour school. So far that hasamounted to 7 kids, without those

kids and especially the first fourwe absolutely would not be wherewe are right now. They are theones who bought in first andworked the hardest and build thefoundation of this program and arethe biggest reasons why we areenjoying success now. From therethe work of the kids and thecoaches in the weight room and inthe offseason has pushed ourprogram forward and we have somuch room for improvement thatit will be exciting to see how farwe can collectively go. Our firststep is to not be satisfied, behumble but hungry and I will tellyou this, we have a very hungrygroup of kids that are alreadyanxious to get back to work, soyou know that is what we will do.We may bring back 10 of our top12 but there no guarantees thatthose 10 guys will be the same tenguys who make the team nextyear. Competition is so high rightnow, we have some guys thatcould get passed by younger guysif they are not working as hard asthey can. It is going to be alot offun to watch and be a part of, “said Dickson.

Photo By Courtney KassonThe 2007-2008 Kaws finished 19-3 and 2nd in the Kaw Valley League.

Sports1212121212THE KAW TRACKER

Courtney KassonStaff Writer

Wrestling Team Tastes SuccessWrestling Team Tastes SuccessWrestling Team Tastes SuccessWrestling Team Tastes SuccessWrestling Team Tastes SuccessThe team had a three day

weekend of rest and relaxationbefore hitting the mats hardduring practice before theirnext tournament. This wasdefinitely a well earned breakfor the boys. Over the pastthree weeks the boys have beencompeting well with highplacements in two of their lastthree tournaments.

On January 11th and 12th

the team traveled to Wabaunseewhere they placed 3rd out of 22teams. Finalists included JohnMehl, Colton Miller and TrentRobb took 2nd place, DennisMartins placed 3rd and AlexHackathorn captured 1st.

This has been one of thebetter tournaments for the boys,but sophomore Colton Millerdisagrees, “There was nocompetition and Jeff West wasthe only good team there.”

Freshman Trent Robbthought that the team competedreally well, “We had fourfinalists; three out of fourfinalists took 2nd place. We allkind of choked in the finals,except Alex.”

The next tournament on thelist was at Holton where the teamplaced 7th out of 18 teams.Finalists included John Mehl 3rd

place, Neng Artwichal 4th place,Trent Robb 2nd place and AlexHackathorn 1st place. Some ofthe wrestlers agree that this wasnot the best tournament for theteam.

John Mehl stated, “Theteams weren’t that tough, we justdidn’t compete well.”

Senior Alex Hackathornagreed by stating, “We had acouple of really big let downs,losing our number two seed earlyand we should’ve had a couplemore guys in the finals.”

The team then traveled toAtchison for their last

tournament before the KVLTournament at Lansing and theRegional tournament held hereat PLHS. They had aphenomenal finish of 2nd out of14 teams! John Mehl placed 1st,Neng Artwichal 4th place, ColtonMiller 2nd place, Jacob Callahan2nd place, Dennis Martins 2nd

place, Drew Pearce 3rd place andAlex Hackathorn 1st place.

Colton Miller said, “It wasmy first time going, because Ididn’t go last year. I guess wetook last place last year, so wedefinitely improved.”

This tournament was thethird tournament in a row thatAlex Hackathorn has captured1st place.

When asked about hisamazing performancesHackathorn had this to say, “I’mfeeling confident, but I will havea tough finals match at theleague tournament. I havewrestled Adcox four times andbeat him three times.”

The KVL Tournament wason February 9th at Lansing HighSchool. The team didn’t competeas well as the last fewtournaments but still had astrong finish at 5th out of nineteams. Finalists included AlexHackathorn League Champion,Trent Robb, Colton Miller, andJohn Mehl 3rd place and NengArtwichal 4th place.

Over the past week the boyshave been training hard for theRegional tournament hosted byPLHS.

“I had been watching filmsof my previous matches to pickout mistakes that I needed towork on,” said Trent Robb.

Alex Hackathorn said “Iwas just trying to step it up everyday in practice and get mentallyprepared as well as physically.”

The Regional tournamenttook place on February 15th and16th and the boys did really good,placing 6th out of 15 teams.Individual stats and State

Tournament finalists includeColton Miller 2nd place, AlexHackathorn 3rd place, and JacobCallahan and John Mehl 4th

place. The boys traveled toSalina on Thursday 21st for the4A State competition. “As ateam we could’ve wrestledbetter, but everybody wrestledwell,” said Hackathorn aboutRegionals.

“It was so cool because wehave never done it before,”stated John Mehl about hostingRegionals. “We had a goodcrowd, but I felt more pressurewith everyone there,” saidColton Miller.

The boys also agreed thathaving so many people therereally helped pump the guys upfor their matches.

There was a great turnoutand the team thanks you all foryour support!

John Mehl wrestles at regionals. Photo by Courtney Kasson