the plainsmen press€¦ · have you ever wanted to try and build a rube goldberg machine? have you...

Edition Six February 27, 2015

Basketball Winds Down By: Ashley Briggs"! What is your favorite thing to do on Friday nights? For a lot of people it is watching basketball. Sadly, the 2014-2015 basketball season is winding down. There was a lot of leadership shown during the season. Both teams were very young, but the younger players stepped up and helped make it happen. Coach Shawn Cole is very proud of his team for stepping up and being leaders. They have improved so much each and every game. and there is nothing that he would change about the season. Coach Cole has some wise words for his seniors this year. “Thanks for your hard work the last 4 years. You can be proud of what you have accomplished in basketball.” Coach Deanne Bishop is also very proud of her team. It has been a challenging season in terms of injuries and illnesses. The upperclassman have done a great job teaching and mentoring the younger players, and the underclassmen have gained extra time on the court. The seniors played an important role this summer leading their huddle groups. Coach Bishop

reflects,“I will remember this group for playing all-out, all game long. I will miss their enthusiasm, quick-wit, and laughter.”

Being a senior has its benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. How would you feel walking out on the court, knowing that it is the last time you will ever walk out on this court with your team? Mariah Curtis told me what she feels like now that her season is ending. “I feel like it went so fast and I can't believe it is already over. It is kind of bittersweet that it is over. I am ready to graduate, but at the same time, I have started to realize it is the last time I will play.”

Zak Kurkowski also shared his thoughts on the end of the season. “I've had so much fun with basketball throughout high school, it is hard to know that it's coming to an end. I just hate the fact that it's going to be over soon.”

What if you weren’t able to even finish your senior year? Amanda Osler almost didn’t get the opportunity to finish her final season of high school basketball. One of her goals for this year was to play the whole season, but when she tore her MCL and bruised her bone, all her plans changed. She was told that she wouldn’t be able to play anymore, but she fought through it and managed to heal enough that she could play the last few games of the season. What a tremendous battle she fought, and won! Amanda reflected on the importance of the whole team coming together and giving their all, “I’m really proud of the younger girls too, for stepping up and showing us what they can achieve.” Kaden Kammerer had some goals of his own for this season. Kaden said, “My two goals I had this year was to make varsity and to be able to help out the team and make them

better. I made varsity. and I feel like I did, in fact, make my team better.” There is no better feeling than meeting your goals. Way to go, Kaden.

Basketball means something different to each and every player that steps out onto the court. Whether you play for fun or you have other goals in mind, work hard and never give up, just as these Plainsmen have done this year. Great job to all of the players this season! You all showed great leadership. Way to end the season. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

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Inside this edition:

Basketball Winds Down_p. 1 Getting Science—p. 2 Valentine Faves___p. 3 Quotable Quotes_p. 3

Athletes of the Month p. 4 A Day in the life of__p.

5 Forever and Always__p. 6

Mysterious Happenings_p. 7 Valentine Opinions—p.8 Short Story——p.9

Words to Rest—p.10 Senior Spotlight—p.11-13

Sibling Tag—p.14 Coping with Stress p.15

THE PLAINSMEN PRESSHOT off the press!

Claire Maaliao defending her opponent

Christian White and Joshua

Johnston fighting for the ball

Riddle Me This

!On a microwave, because ‘99’ is 1 minute and 39 seconds,

while ‘100’ is a minute.!http://goodriddlesnow.com/good-riddles

By: Bailey Johnson

Q: When is 99 more than 100? A:

http://goodriddlesnow.com/good-riddles

http://goodriddlesnow.com/good-riddles


Getting Sciencey By: Ashley Briggs Have you ever wanted to try and build a Rube Goldberg

machine? Have you ever wondered how far away the earth is from the sun? In Science Club, you would get all of the answers to these questions, and many more! Other than just getting answers to life’s biggest questions, you also get to do many hands-on things to explore science: including competitions!

On February 14, 2015, Perkins County Science Club traveled to Wayne, Nebraska for a Science Bowl competition. The Varsity team placed 4th over all of the classes in the state! The JV team placed 18th in the state! Way to flex your brains, PC Science Club!

Why should you join Science Club, you might ask? There is a lot of bonding and fun that goes on during competitions, for one. Amanda Reichert was asked what her favorite thing about being a part of the Science Club was and she replied, “I love the time we spend together. I'm always with friends and we have a good time together. We have traditions like watching a scary movie when we get to our hotel. It’s always fun. The actual competition is fun, too!” Doesn’t that sound exciting?

Mr. King is the sponsor of the Science Club. He teaches science and he has always loved science. He says his favorite part of sponsoring the Science Club is “traveling with a group of individuals who share

many of my same interests. It is fun to listen to everyone talk about geeky things and for them to be truly interested in science topics. During our time together we get to discuss many topics in more depth than we have time for in class and they walk away from the competition rounds with pointed questions that we can learn about.” Science Club sounds like something that would be very fun to be involved in. You get to bond with a group of people who all love the same thing you do. You get to compete with them in competitions that involve science. Why don’t you join the Science Club?

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Congratulations Kiffen

Cook! On behalf of The Plainsman Press, we would just like to say congratulations to Kiffen for making it to State Wrestling!

Great Job, Kiffen!


Favorite Things about Valentine’s Day By: Lillian Kempf"! It’s that time of the year again when people’s thoughts turn to romance. Girls put in extra effort to be dolled up, and guys are busily buying flowers for their special ladies. A lot of people love Valentine’s Day because its a day of the year that you can spoil your special someone with a little bit of sweetness, and other people seem to like it because it breaks up the monotony of the cold, dreary winter. According to Perkins County students, here are the top 8 reasons to love this holiday. !1. The candy (especially the candy on sale the next day.) 2. The gifts you receive from your partner 3. The cheesiness of most things 4. The romance (especially the romantic movies that come out this day) 5. The engagements planned 6. Getting dolled up and going out with your partner 7. The creativeness people use to make this day extra special 8. Last but not least, the Chocolate! ! Valentine’s day is a great day to show people you love them by doing things you usually can't do or afford. It gives people a way of showing the ones they love how much they mean to them. Here's an idea, though: Maybe we should all just ‘show the love’ every day, and not just once a year? !

By: Alex Patten

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By: Kaitlyn Gamble

Sammy (left) and Kayla (right) during preschool graduation.

Quotable Quotes

Love doesn’t !

make the world!

go ‘round. Love!

is what makes the!

ride worthwhile. !

Frankin P. Jones


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Staff Spotlight By: Bailey Johnson Name Anna Deaver !Age 17 !Grade Junior !Birthday May 9, 1997 !Favorite Book The Fault in Our Stars by: John Green !Dream Vacation: To get out of Nebraska. :) !Favorite Quote: “”Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’is about learning to dance in the rain.” -Unknown

Athletes of The Month !This month’s boy athlete in the spotlight is

Christian White. He is 17 years old and is currently a junior in high school.

Christian is also a member of the boy’s basketball team where he plays the guard position for the varsity team. His stats for the season show that he has had 62 rebounds, 47 assists, 27 steals, and has played 472 minutes…wow!

He has been playing basketball since 4th grade, and it is his favorite sport! His favorite part of playing is hearing the crowd cheer after he makes a 3-‐pointer; who doesn’t love hearing the crowd, right?

This year’s season is almost at an end, and they have done pretty well with such a young team. Christian says that their team has gotten better since the beginning of the season, but it still has room for improvement. With the end in mind, Christian says that he will miss all the practices after school. Good luck next year! ! !

This month’s girl athlete in the spotlight is Andrea Brayton. She is a 15-‐year-‐old sophomore, who enjoys playing basketball for Perkins County High School. Andrea is a point guard with the nickname of ‘Andy’. Andrea’s basketball career began Sive years ago, because she has been playing since she was in 5th grade!

Andrea feels that this year, their team has really improved since the beginning. Andrea has played in multiple varsity games and her stats

show that she has scored a total of 34 points, 11 steals, 3 assists, and 21 total rebounds! Andrea says that she will really miss the seniors because they are the ones who make it fun! Her favorite thing about basketball is playing with her team. She says that her team has their ups and downs, just like everybody does, but in the end they’re family. I hope the season was full of excitement and that next year brings you luck! !

Random Fact:!

Baby elephants throw fits, just like human toddlers!


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A Day in the Life of…! by Anna Deaver !

This is a person that you usually see on the court for a volleyball game, or a basketball game, and even on the stage, during One Acts. Who is this I’m talking about? It’s Claire Maaliao. Claire is a sophomore this year, and about that experience she says, “I think that this year is a lot easier for me because I do know the teachers better, and I know where everything is,” she said with a giggle. Not only is she a talented athlete, and actor, she also is in band. Impressively, she doesn’t play just one instrument, but four of them!

Claire is a pretty quiet girl, so there are probably things about her that many people don’t know. For example, she has not always lived here. When she was 6 or 7, she moved to the United States from the Philippines. Cool, right?

Now that you know more about Claire, maybe you have learned about something that you might have in common with her. She is a very kind, caring person. No matter who you are, she always has a smiling face. One thing is for sure, if you see Claire in the halls, and you throw a smile in her direction, you will surely get one back!

Everybody knows how hard being a freshmen in High School can be. Luckily, it seems like it’s not as hard for Eric Sandberg. He shares, “being a freshman can be exciting, but its also nerve-‐wracking, as well.” Eric is just like most freshmen boys: He loves to play video games when he gets out of school. Another thing he likes to do with his free time is to watch wrestling. In fact, he loves it so much that he doesn’t just watch it on TV, but he was lucky enough to be able to meet a professional wrestler in real life!

Turning towards school subjects, Eric explained, “I like history the most. There’s not really an explanation, I just like to study the past.” Unlike a lot of people these days, Eric also likes to Sind out how things really work. As he Sigures out how things work, you probably want to know how he remembers all of the steps? He said that he has a great memory, and that helps him to remember everything.

While having a great memory and being awesome at video games are some great characteristics that Eric has, he has another trait that is even more valuable. That trait is being a very kind person. So, if you ever see Eric around, don't be afraid to say hello! !

Claire Maaliao

Eric Sandberg

Random Fact: Brad Pitt’s first job was dancing in a chicken suit to draw in customers at El Pollo Loco.


Random Fact: Brad Pitt’s first job was dancing in a chicken suit to draw in

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Staff Spotlight By: Bailey Johnson Name Alexandria Patten !Age 16 !Grade Sophomore !Birthday November 19, 1998 !Favorite Book The Divergent Series by: Veronica Roth !Dream Vacation: To go to Italy. !Favorite Quote: “Where ever life takes me, you’ll find me with a smile.”

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Forever & Always… By: Kaitlyn Gamble !

Friendship is something special: they’re the people that make your life a little better, they make you laugh a little harder, and most of all they’re the ones who accept who for who you are, while helping you to become who you need to be. So, what is friendship all about? Around Perkins County High School, there are tons of friendships, but one that deserves our attention this month is the friendship between Sammy Snogren and Kayla Woodmancy. These girls truly have a special friendship because of not only the quality of their time together, but also the longevity of it. In fact, Sammy and Kayla have been best friends since birth because their moms were friends. That’s close to 18 years of friendship! They both agree that friendship is about having someone you can be

weird with and when you spend the day together, they won’t judge you! Also, friendship is being able to walk into their house without knocking because you are just that close, and best of all…friendship means having someone that you can sing old Miley songs with! Having a close friendship comes with many beneSits, such as sharing a part of yourself with someone else, but the best part is the memories that they have together. The girls’ favorite memory is when they pretended to be a dentist for Mariah. They were using cheap scissors in 7th or 8th grade,

and actually ended up pulling out 3 of Mariah’s teeth! Ouch. Talking about the future together can be pretty scary, but they seem to have it all planned out. Although they may be going to different colleges, these girls plan to stay in touch and maintain their friendship over the miles. Always remember, friendship is something to cherish. Hopefully, these girls can have their dreams come true, and their friendship last for the rest of their lives. Then, they can sit in beauty parlors together when they are old ladies, and gossip about being “Grand-‐swag-‐moms”.

Sammy (left) and Kayla (right) during

their junior year.

Random Fact:!

Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Sammy (left) and Kayla (right) during

their preschool graduation.


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Mysterious Happenings, Worldwide By: Lillian Kempf"

! Despite amazing advances in technology that make it much easier for the human race to do, well, everything, there are still some things that happen which defy logic, reason, and all of the technological advances that we have made. These are classified as ‘mysterious happenings’, and leave us scratching our heads in wonder. This installment features mysterious plan crashes. !

AirAsia

! Near the beginning of the year, a plane from Air Asia calls in asking for permission to ascend above nasty looking clouds, but was denied. Minutes later, they lost all contact with the plane. Only less than half way through the two hour flight from Subarya to Indonesia, the plane plunged into the Java Sea, killing all 162 passengers inside. Nobody is sure why the plane crashed, but one thing is for sure, there were no distress signals. Right now, divers are looking for two black boxes that are supposed to tell them what went wrong with the plane. So far, they have found one black box in a piece of the tail of the plane. The biggest questions right now are why the plane crashed, and was it sabotage since

there were no distress signals?!

TransAsia

! ! A plane in Taiwan had just taken off, when suddenly one of the engines went out. “Mayday! Mayday Mayday!” yelled the pilot as the plane of 58 passengers plunged into Keelung river. This horrific scene was video taped by one of the passing cars.The cab in front of it got clipped by the plane before it crashed. Out of the 58 people aboard, 23 died during the crash, and 17 people are missing. No one knows why the planes engine went out or why the pilot cut the other engine, too. Some people say it’s because they were never trained for events like this.!

Girl who survived Kentucky Plane Crash

! The most heart-wrenching plane crash would be of a family of a mother, father, two daughters, and a cousin. Nobody knows what caused the plane crash, but the saddest thing about the crash is that only one daughter survived. Sailor Gutzler is the seven-year-old girl who survived the crash. She suffered from minor injuries like a broken bone in her wrist. She had then left the crash sight and walked 15-20 minutes towards a light in dense woods. When she had arrived to the house, she was shoeless and in shorts in 38 degree weather. When asked what happened, Sailor said she had no idea why the plane crashed. The saddest thing she had told the police was that she knew her family was all dead, but she was hoping that they were just asleep. The authorities are now trying to get ahold of other family members to care for Sailor.!

Random Fact: The fear of vegetables is called lachanophobia.


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Valentine Opinions By: Alicia Hastings Is there that one holiday that you just absolutely feel amazing about? Or maybe, you feel

the opposite way, like there is no point in having it and it shouldn’t be considered a holiday, at all? Valentine’s Day seems to be one of those holidays that causes mixed opinions.

Valentine’s day, to Caden Picquet, means enjoying the people around you and being thankful for who you have in your life. He also thinks that Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be the only day that you would tell the person that you care for how you feel about them: That should be an everyday thing.

Another person that agrees with that opinion is Hannah Beck. She says that it’s a little bit pointless. She believes that if you love someone, you probably would tell them every day. Why, one day out of the year, would you state your feelings for someone when that one day shouldn’t be different? “I do love cheesy Valentine’s day cards, though,” she says. Renae Goodwin feels the same. She feels that Valentine’s day means nothing to her. “It is just an excuse to say you love someone, when you should love them every day of the year.”

Is another reason to love this holiday the candy or special foods? Sipatly Reyes says that she likes it because she thinks it’s a day of love and getting free food.

What makes this day special to others? It could be a birthday. Kadie Hanson has a birthday on this day. So, she likes it because of her birthday and that means that people will give love to each other.

Reggie Deaver’s response was unique. She said it’s “ridiculous.” She thinks that it’s stupid because all that she’s seen on Facebook lately is “Got my Valentine and feeling loved” or “No valentine. Any takers?” She explained, “First, you’re literally asking strangers to be your valentine. Second, you don’t need a man or woman to eat a box of chocolates with. Go buy yourself a nice little rose and a box of chocolates and get on with your fantastic little life. You can even watch a little bit of The Notebook and cry. Hear me out on this one, tissues can be more comforting than a guy. Like, you don’t have to argue about where to go out to eat with a box a tissues. Am I right?” We hear you , Reggie, loud and clear.

Do you just like Valentine’s day for the chocolate? Or is it because the chocolate goes on sale the day after? Dylan Malmkar is all about the sales. He prefers the chocolate that is hollowed out and not solid. Of course, everyone agrees that chocolate is the one candy that is like heaven in your mouth!

Kaden Kammerer’s perspective is that Valentine’s day means expressing your gratitude to someone that you care about. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a boy or girl friend but just to someone close to you.

So, whether you’re spending time with that special someone, avoiding all people around you, or just plain doing nothing on Valentine’s Day, one thing is for certain: You should tell the people you love how you feel every day, not just once a year… and also, that you should snag as much clearance Valentine’s candy as possible-‐just in case of an emergency.

Random Fact: Before sleeping, 93 percent of your mind begins to imagine stuff that you

would like to happen.


By: Bailey Johnson Joy and Jenna write feverishly during Mr. Chester’s review. He is the history teacher for Westmen High School. He is the strictest teacher and the most loved, because of his sassiness and humor. Jenna is the best at history and Joy, not so much. Joy spent all week trying so hard to keep her grade up, and this is her chance. “Tomorrow is your test. If you do well on the test, you will get to go to the history museum. If not, you will have to write a three page essay about how and why you failed,” Mr. Chester’s deep voice Silled the room. His eyes locked onto Joy’s. The bell rang and the girls walked to their lockers. “I hope I pass tomorrow. I have been on the waiting list to the museum for three months,” Jenna told Joy. “You will,” Joy encouraged. “Me, on the other hand, will not be passing unless I study all night.” Just then Lou walked by. He bumped them, causing their papers to go everywhere. “Ugg, that guy makes me so angry.” “Joy, don’t worry about him.” Jenna told Joy while helping her pick up papers. The girls went home, not noticing the paper that had slipped behind the trashcan.

—————————————— The next day, Joy didn’t see Jenna until the beginning of Mr. Chester’s class. Joy had her book open, speed-‐reading about the war. Jenna sat down and joked, “Didn’t you study?” Joy glared at her friend, “Someone stole, or I lost my notes. I’m going to fail this test.” She slammed her head on her open book and let out a whispered cry. Just then Mr. Winn came in. “Excuse me, Mr. Chester, can I talk to Joy and Jenna?” He asked. “Of course. Girls?” Mr. Chester said. Out in the hall Mr. Winn told the girls that he heard and saw what happened to them yesterday with Lou. He pulled out Joy’s notes, “I have already talked to Mr. Chester, and he has agreed to let you study in my ofSice and take the test after school today.” So the girls sat in Mr. Winn’s ofSice and studied. After school, they took the test and passed it with the highest marks, while Lou didn’t pass, or go to the history museum. The End. !Mind=Blown. !By: Hailee Fraizer"Okay, so honestly, if you are not a freshman that has taken a math class with me, you wouldn’t expect a genius like me to be horrible at math…but I am awful at that subject, so it is pretty great that this was discovered by yours truly, not too long ago. So, math time: If you take 14, which is the numerical date that Valentine’s day is on, and add 14, you get 28…which is the date of the end of the month! Unless, of course, we’re on a leap year, and then the date would be 29, but that’s not relevant right now.!!*Drops mic.* !

!Put These Words To Rest

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Random Fact:!

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up at the sky.


By Alexandria Patten !Have you ever heard of a saying or phrase that should not be said anymore? How about a

word or phrase that just should have been left in 2014, and never brought up again? Well, in my opinion, there are a lot of words that should stay in 2014. Here are a few of them.

Bae, the word (or person) is Sirst on my list. The word Bae is rumored to mean “poop” in Danish, or more commonly, “before anyone else”. Before anyone else uses this word again, let’s think again.

Another wonderful phrase that should have been left in 2014 is “or Nah”. That phrase, in my opinion, was and still is used way too much. There was a point in time that I couldn’t even walk down the hall without hearing it, two or three times; now that is a problem! Surely there are other ways to express your opinion.

Swag or Swagger. Please, oh please, put that saying to rest. It was and still is way over used. Did you know swag is “a curtain or piece of fabric fastened so as to hang as a drooping curtain.” This does not mean that something is cool, or awesome. It just means curtains. Close the curtains on swag, people. Twerk or Twerking. Thank you, Miley Cyrus, for making this famous to teenagers, and even adults all over the world. Let’s try to forget this ugly phase in our generation, and Sind some new dance moves, too.

#Hashtag, I remember when a hashtag was called a pound symbol that you press in your phone. Now it’s a twitter phenomenon, that people use all of the time. Using it for twitter is one thing, but what you are saying out loud is obviously not a tweet. Enough is enough! This whole hashtag thing is #Annoying!

Now boys and girls, this year, let’s try to use more of our vocabulary, or maybe invent some better words. #RealStuff #SoVeryTrue #SoMuchSwag #Bae #TwerkingWithMiley #SwaggerJagger #PoundSymbol #ImOut.

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Seasonal Poem: February By: Bailey Wood Around, above the world of snow The light- heeled breezes breathe and blow; Now here, now here, they wheel the flakes And whistle through the sun-dried brakes, Then, growing faint, in silence fall Against the keyhole in the hall.

Random Fact:!

If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.


Senior Spotlight By Korey Lake" Well, ladies and gentlemen, February is here and almost over. Before we know it, May will be here, and it will be time to say goodbye to the seniors. In particular, Dylan Malmkar will make his way into the world, and that might be a little scary for him, because he doesn’t really know what he plans to do after high school. Let’s focus on what his years of being a high school student have given him. Dylan’s favorite memory in high school was when the football team beat Creek Valley. “It was a lot of fun because it was my first time winning a football game.” Dylan said. His worst memory was taking Terra Nova tests, NESA tests, the ACT, and any other standardized test he had to take. For anyone that has been through them, I think we can reach a high level of understanding on that. If he were to change anything, it would be some of the wrong answers on his tests. During his time at Perkins County, Dylan has been involved in FFA, Quiz bowl, and has also participated in Football. What he knows now, is how to block on a 23 option. That’s handy right? He has learned that he has procrastinated a lot, though I don’t think he is very regretful about it. He doesn’t have a favorite subject or class, because he has enjoyed parts of all the classes he has taken! Next year, he is going to miss being with friends the most. His advice for the underclassmen is that having phones in class isn’t worth it. Dylan adds, “Especially if Mr. Boldt catches you…it might not end well!” If anything has changed for Dylan throughout his years at Perkins County, it’s that he has stopped carrying around a book bag. Baby steps. Dylan doesn’t give himself enough credit. He has accomplished quite a bit and has much to be proud of. Even if he doesn’t know what he will be doing, I wish him luck in his future plans. He wants to personally thank the cooks here for all the lunches they have made, especially the desserts.

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Random Fact:!

If you search 241543903 in Google images, you will find a lot of pictures of people putting their heads in refrigerators.

By: Alicia Hastings

Comic Corner

Dylan Malmkar

Photography by Val Jantzen


Senior Spotlight, Part Two Everyone has something that they’re talented at. Everyone is interesting and unique in their own way. One certain person who takes both of these to the extreme is Dayna Dudden. As my second feature in the Senior Spotlight, let me tell you more about her future plans, her high school experience, and who she is individually. In 10 years, Dayna hopes her life will be good and that her plans work out successfully. After high school, she would like to attend a beauty school and minor in cosmetology as well as esthiology. That would take about two and a half years to finish. When she’s done, she would like to major in business, because someday she wants to own a salon of her own! She wants to do this second, because she can work while being in school with her cosmetology minor.

Dayna’s favorite high school memory was in her sophomore year during band and choir, when a lot of funny things would happen. She will always remember how Ty and Cole would always drive Mrs. Kurkowski up the wall, whether it be by shoving a pencil in the ceiling, or never being quiet. She won’t forget all the good memories with Tate, and Mr. King carrying her out into the hallway while she was still sitting in her chair. Many things have happened during these four years, and she said she couldn’t possibly write them all down. Her worst memory though, also happened during chorus. One day, she couldn’t find her Powerade. She looked around the room, and found a bottle that looked exactly like hers. She thought it was, so she went to take a drink, and as she started to drink it, she realized that it was not HER Powerade, so she ended up spitting it all out over the floor. Drinking someone else’s Powerade simply was not an option. A large part of Dayna’s life is involved with art. That is her favorite subject/class in school! She loves art because it frees her mind and makes her feel like herself. She can relate to it because it is creative. She can put her mind into it and forget about all the problems in her life, or surroundings. When she makes a new piece, she feels when her hand flows on the paper that that was what she was meant to do. If there is anything she will miss from high school, it is sitting in art all the time making things, and also her friends that will still be here. She will also miss the experience itself. High school is a one-time thing, and it’s crazy to know that it’s already coming to an end. Some of the extracurricular activities she has been involved in include: Concert Band, Marching Band, Choir, Swing Choir, Yearbook, Art, Speech, Spring Plays, Cheer, and Flag Corps. These activities helped her to have an open mind to the things that are offered in this school. She found that being involved with these activities is the best way to meet new people and to make friends. If there was anything she would change, it would be, “I’m satisfied with what life has thrown at me. I’ve become the person I was meant to be, whether it is good or bad. Life throws out challenges, and each person has their own obstacles. You can’t change what is destined to happen, you can only make the best out of it.” Dayna has shown a lot of growth and individuality in her time here at PCS. May her journey after high school be an amazing and memorable one, with high hopes that her plans are a huge success and fate leads her in all the right places.

�12THERE ARE OVER 87,000 DIFFERENT DRINK COMBINATIONS AT STARBUCKS.Random Fact:

Dayna Dudden

Photography by Anna Deaver


Last but not least, Amanda Osler is my final interviewee for February’s Senior Spotlight. Amanda has been very successful throughout her four years at Perkins County High. She has also learned to ignore those that are mean, how to fight through bad days, and how to stay on track with her homework. Extracurricular activities have played a large role in Amanda’s high school experience. She has been involved in: Band, Chorus, Musical, Speech, Basketball, Volleyball, and Track. They have all helped her to work with others better. Her way of trying to understand other peoples’ ways of doing things differently changed through so many different activities. Just being in sports has changed the way she looks at leaders, and how people may or may not give up. Activities have allowed her to grow with other people similar to herself. “Stay true to yourself and keep pushing forward, no matter what happens now or later, you have to keep your head held high and keep moving forward, it makes things so much better that way,” Amanda said as some wise upperclassman advice. So the big question for every senior is—what are your plans after high school? Amanda has an answer! She is going to go Mid-Plains Community College to Major in Art. She would love to become a well-known and great photographer in the future. With that, her favorite class in high school was definitely art with Mr. Wurst. “You get to learn so much in that class and get to test your abilities with different types of artwork” Amanda said, “Plus Mr. Wurst is a great and fun teacher to be around!” The biggest change Amanda has gone through during her four years is that she looks at herself differently than she used to. She feels the same but in a way, she doesn’t. She feels that she has stopped judging others for whom they are as well as herself, which is a great barrier to overcome. Here at PCS, she will miss the teachers and the sports the most. If there is anyone she wants to personally thank it is the teachers that helped her get to where she is now and to where she is headed, as well as the friends that always stuck with her no matter what. I hope that her plans exceed her expectations, and that she becomes a big time photographer! ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— February Chocolates By: Bailey Wood "! Since the month of February reminds most people of yummy chocolate, I thought I would do a survey on which chocolate is most popular. After surveying randomly selected Perkins County High School students, I came to the conclusion that milk chocolate was the best. Yum!

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Senior Spotlight, Part Three Amanda Osler

Photography by Makenzi’s Photography

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By: Amanda Stearns

Do you go to school with a sibling? How do you feel about it? I talked to Emily and Nathan Kemling about what they think about going to school together.

Emily explained, “It doesn’t bother me going to school with my brother because he is younger than me, but it’s just the after school things such as taking him somewhere, or picking him up

somewhere that I have to worry about. Other than that, it’s not really different, or a bother.” “My favorite memory with Emily is when we went to California for vacation, and went swimming on the beach,” recalls Nathan. Emily could not think of her favorite memory, but I’m sure she has plenty to choose from! If Nathan could describe his sister in one word it would be “ascetic”. In case you are wondering what that means, exactly, it is deSined by Webster’s dictionary as “characterized by or suggesting the practice of

severe self-‐discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence.” Emily explains that Nathan is, “very smart”. After the word he chose to describe her, I would have to say that I agree completely. They both admire quite a bit about each other, “She is cool and she doesn’t get angry quickly,” Nathan says. Emily explains, “I admire Nathan because he never gives up. It takes a lot for him to quit doing something he loves.” Having a sibling in school could be very fun, annoying, or not any different. At least there is someone you will always know and able to go to! ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The next set of siblings that we are featuring in this month’s edition of sibling tag is Renae and Justin Goodwin. Renae thought about her current experience with going to school with her brother, Justin, and explained, “It

doesn’t bother me going to school with him, because I never see him.” You can tell that these two are related,

because Justin said exactly the same thing! “My favorite memory with my brother would have to be playing Halo 3; that is major bonding time,” shares Renae. If you could describe your sibling in one word, what would it be? Justin and Renae both had great answers. “I think Renae is very smart, and strong emotionally,” Justin explained. Renae shared, “Justin is deSinitely someone who doesn’t dwell on the small things in life. His ability to move on is great, also.” Having siblings in school could be a good thing, a bad thing, or

something in between, but one thing is for sure—it’s always nice to have a familiar face around when you are having a bad day! !

�14!An eccedentesiast is a person who hides their pain behind a smile.

Sibling Tag

Random Fact:

Emily Kemling

Nathan Kemling

Renae Goodwin

Justin Goodwin


!! “I…I just don’t know what to do anymore…I have so much on my plate…” Yes, this is what most people are tending to say most often in the middle of the school year. When you Airst started school it was pretty easy, a breeze, as most people would say. You loved getting to see your friends everyday, getting to chill, not having much to do. In every class they were still introducing the subject to you, so you didn’t really have to do anything but listen. Now, we have hit the middle, close to the end of school year where so many people are going, going, going, almost gone. Students are stressing about college, tests, ACT’s and much more, or are maybe even about passing a certain class. Don’t you fret, though. There are many different ways to cope with stress so it doesn’t keep building up inside you to the point where you are about to explode. Stress is inevitable. It walks in and out of our lives on a regular basis. It can easily walk all over us, unless we take action. The Airst thing to do is Aigure out where your stress is coming from. Once you Aigure out the source of the feelings (usually having too many things to get done) you can start completing each one, one step at a time. Second, look at everything you could do better and take control of the things that you can do well. Then, give the rest in other peoples’ hands. You don’t have to do every single thing, all the time! Sometimes, when coping with stress, we tend to lose interest in the things we love doing. Let’s not. Instead, remember that you don’t live forever, so make the most of what you can, while you can, where you are. This can help you with coping with stress, because there will still be parts of your life that you Aind enjoyable. This will stop you from walking around like a zombie, and it will give you a healthy, meaningful feeling, and a reason to not stop trying. Make sure that you manage your time well. Homework can really add up, especially if you don’t stay on top of it. Once you have an assignment, try to get it done. Don’t wait until the last minute, because almost 100 percent of the time, there will be other things you have to do, too. If you follow this advice, you might just end up enjoying the rest of the year, and more of your life. Good luck to you and the rest of your school year, and remember: just breathe, and take things one step at a time!

Info: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/coping_with_stress_tips.html

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Coping with…By: Bailey Wood

Random Fact:!

If you smile, even if you’re in a bad mood, it will IMMEDIATELY improve your mood, because the simple action of thinking about smiling and using the muscles is enough to trigger happy chemicals in the brain.

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/coping_with_stress_tips.html


I interviewed two seniors (Dayna Dudden and Amanda Osler) and a wild Mr. Wurst to get the inside scoop on the art program here at PCHS. Being seniors, these girls have had several years to develop their skills. When they thought about what they have improved on the most so far, they both could see a definite area of improvement. Dayna says she has really improved her painting skills. I've seen her paintings, and they are primo pieces of work👌 . Amanda says she has improved most in shading, and that’s a hard thing to accomplish, my friends. Amanda told me in an all exclusive interview that her most favorite part about art is being able to test her limits and pushing herself to do better. Dayna said that her favorite part about art is doing independent projects and doing what she wants to do, coming up with her own ideas and projects. I also asked Dayna and Amanda what their upcoming projects are going to be and they sounded like really neat ideas. Amanda is doing a three-dimensional kind of design and Dayna is doing a water color landscape design. I cannot wait to see their final products! After spending so much of their high school careers working with Art, it seemed like a good idea to ask them about how art has impacted their lives, beyond the classroom.

“It has definitely made me more confident,” Dayna Dudden explained. “Art in general does that for me.” Amanda Osler explains, “It influenced me so much already that I’m going to college for it.” Mr. Wurst has done an exceptional job of creating a program that really impacts the lives of students, and gives them a chance to be who they are and try new techniques for expressing themselves. The art program is very beneficial to our school, and I see that art really seems to reach out and touch the students that invest themselves in it. When discussing the program, Mr. Wurst explained that as he teaches, the projects that the students do are things that he would enjoy doing himself. I think thats nice, throwing a bit of his favorite things into the things he teaches. Upcoming projects for his classes are already planned out. For example, the freshman are doing “lights and darks”, and the sophomores are going to be doing watercolor. The juniors are working on product design, and the seniors are just doing their independent projects. You’d think that if someone has been teaching art to people since 1983, that they would have quite a few accomplishments, and you

would be right…especially when it comes to Mr. Wurst. Despite many awards and features in interviews and invitations to show his work, he said that he has had many students, and his main goal, and his biggest accomplishment is teaching them to do well, and having them succeed. Art is an important thing to learn, and very hard to do well, so let’s give a big shout out to all of the students in the art program at PCHS, and to their incredible teacher, Mr. Wurst, for being patient enough to teach it to us.

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By Hailee Frazier

Get Art Smart!

Art by: Dayna Dudden

Art by: Amanda Osler

the plainsmen press€¦ · have you ever wanted to try and build a rube goldberg machine? have you...

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