NEWSD. West Express

2March 4, 2008

May 16, 2007

by Eric Simmons

Generous Donation

A generous donation of$5,000 was made by ananonymous donor to bedivided equally between theDWHS Art/Drama Club andthe DWHS Band. The advisorsare carefully consideringoptions for spending themoney. The Art/Drama Club

gives their thanks to the donor.

ForensicsForensics has started up

and the team is ready andrearing to go! The firsttournament was held atHorton High School on Feb.11, 2008 as the DVLtournament. Matthew Henryplaced 6th in Humorous SoloActing and Eric Simmonsplaced 6th in Serious SoloActing. Congratulations to allthe participants!

On Feb. 23, 2008 the teamattended the JCN forensicstournament. Matthew Henry

Attitude Check“Attitude Check,” an assembly geared towards teaching

students how to have better attitudes was held in the D-Westgym on Feb. 11, 2008. Along with the D-West Middle Schooland High School students, Troy Middle School and High Schoolstudents also joined in this workshop. Rick and Mick Vigneulle,two twin brothers that have traveled all over the United Statestalking to students, presented information.

Spring PlayRomeo and Juliet simply

didn’t pan out this yearbecause of the lack of guys tofill the 19 male roles. Insteadof Romeo and Juliet, director,Michael Hill, has chosen to doLaughing Room Only by TimKelly.

The Laughing Room Onlycast consists of six females andfour males. It is a madcapcomedy about a woman thatis about to lose a dilapidatedhotel, the Whispering Pines,for back-taxes. Two stateofficials enter and plan tomake the hotel a base for astolen merchandise stingoperation. Pretty soon theword is out that the hotel willaccept stolen merchandise; theoperation is underway.

One funny complicationafter another lead up to theclimax when each visitor ’sreason for being at the hotelcomes to light.

Rick and Mick Vigneulle talk to the students from D-West and Troy Schoolsabout importance of having a good attitude.

The knowledge bowl team(junior varsity and varsitycombined) attended 10 ormore meets this season and aregional that took place atLyndon. The varsity placed3rd and the JV placed 4th atDVL.

At the regional, which tookplace Jan. 30, the team placed3rd in their pool. The studentswho participated at theregional meet are Josh Hargis,Jonathan Collins, Jake Rush,and Paul Johnson.

Coach Ron Shelton enjoyedhis first year coaching the quizbowl team and said, “Youlearn a lot because the kids aresmart, even though some ofthem don’t show up to themeets!”

KnowledgeBowl

placed 4th in Humerous SoloActing. Scarlett Davis andJonathan Collins placed 1st inDuet Acting qualifying forState Championship, and EricSimmons placed 1st in SeriousSolo Acting qualifying forState Championship.

by Cheyenne Davis

The Student Council is making plans to take students out of morning classesto pick up sticks for elderly people in the Highland area. Student that want tohelp with this effort can sign up in the office or talk to Stuco PresidentStephanie Schneider. Those that are chosen to participate will receivecommunity service hours for their time.

Senior Holly Norris sews up holes

left in her badger after skinning it.

This project is for the Natural

Resources class. Students bring

in animals to stuff for the taxidermy

project. Some of the other animals

brought in include deer, bobcats, a

fox, a raccoon, and a pheasant.

NEWSBRIEFS

NEWSD. West Express

3March 4, 2008

by Kayla Schmitz

The presidential elections arecoming up this year. So what,right? While students may notspend too much time thinkingabout who our new presidentmay be, it actually affects them alot. Even though most studentsat Doniphan West don’t have theright to vote, students do havethe right to know what’s goingon. Students need to know whateach of the candidates are for andwhat they are against so they candecide for themselves who theywant to win the election of 2008.

The Democrat andRepublican frontrunners areshown in the chart.

There are different times tovote in the election. The first timemost people vote is in theprimaries or the caucuses. Somestates have primary elections,some have caucuses, and somestates don’t have any at all dueto low population. The twodifferent types of elections

Death Penalty

Embryonic StemCell ResearchGuns BackgroundChecks

Torture

Citizenship forIllegal Immigrants

Border Fence

Iraq War Support

Troop Surge

Troop Withdrawl

Same-SexMarriageUniversalHealthcare

IssueHillaryClinton

BarackObama

MikeHuckabee

JohnMcCain

|------Democrats------| |-----Republicans------|Get with it: Presidential Elections 2008

Hunting is a way of life tosome people. They take off work,miss school, and cancel plans justto get the first buck of the season.

Many of the Doniphan Westpopulation goes hunting at sometime throughout a year.

Jessica Libel said her favoritehunting story is when she saw a13 point buck and her boyfriend,Cole Jarrett, shot at it and missed!She said she usually goeshunting alone, but sometimes shewill go with Cole.

Kyle Fitch said, “I was afreshman, and it was the last dayof the season and I really wantedto fill my tags so I chased a smalldoe for three fourths of a milebefore killing it. It was my firstdeer.”

Kelsey Jenkins said she huntsalone, and sometimes with agroup. Her most exciting story iswhen her step-dad took her andNate Reeves, out and her stepbrother saw a deer and didn’tknow they were sitting there andhe shot.

Chris Smith’s most excitingstory is shooting at a deer 10times and missing. Manystudents can usually tell whenChris has gone hunting from allthe recent injuries he has hadfrom the gun kicking.

Nick Dowell, teacher andcoach, enjoys coyote hunting. Theseason for hunting them arepretty much all year round, buthe said the pelts are only good inthe winter time. The cost of furwill depend on the quality of thepelt. The call he uses are mouth

most everyone wants to get thatbig turkey for their Thanksgivingdinner. The season begins Oct.21s onto November 27th. Theshooting hours are one-half hourbefore sunrise to sunset.

Exciting hunting stories of deer, coyotes sharedby Lindsey Kuhn

Jordanne Millershot a white taildoe on the lastday of openingseason with a 243rifle.

Supports Opposes

basically accomplish the samethings altlhough they are verydifferent. Caucuses are more likemeetings while primaries are a lotlike the final election. Theseelections decide who the finalrepublican and democraticcanidates will be. These electionstake place in January throughJune.

The final election is inNovember of this year. Thiselection decides just who ourpresident will be for the next fouryears.

calls that sound like coyotes andothers that sound like smallanimals that are hurt like rabbitand deer. He doesn’t like to useelectric calls.

One of the most popular birdseasons is the turkey season,

names

OPINIOND. West Express

4March 4, 2008

Gus Gustafsonassembly

Night of the Arts

Mustang Moments StaffThe content of this student publication does not necessarily represent

the views of the school board, the administration, the faculty adviser,

or the entire newspaper staff, but has been selected and determined

by staff members.

Reporters and Photographers:Eric Simmons, Anja Kubeneck, Jordanne Miller, Danielle Rush, Morgan

Rush, Alesha Miller, Katylin Blevins, Taylor Twombly, Bethani Zeit,

Lindsey Kuhn, Kayla Schmitz, Jessica Rauch, Shayln Fritch, Brittany

Keever, Cheyenne Davis, Malia Sisk, Marijke Fox,

Savannah Stevens

Adviser: Marla Taylor

The D. West Express is published by the Journalism

class of Doniphan West High School, P.O. Box 8,

Highland, Kan. 66035

If you could be any kind of weather

what would you be? Why?

Cameron Twombly

“Snow because I’d like to

freeze people.”

Brandon Smith”A meteor shower because itdoesn’t appear very often butwhen it does it’s spectacular.”

Mollie Tharp

“Cyclone because I like to

dance to that song.”

“A sunny day becauseit’s warm.”

Stephanie Schneider

compiled by Taylor Twombly By Bethani ZeitTommy Hilfiger, Lucky, GAP, Gucci, Nike, Dolce and

Gabbana, Hurley, Adidas, Under Armor, Calvin Klein…….orhow about Wal Mart brands like No Boundaries or Levi’s? Whichone would you rather buy? Does the brand really matter?

According to many super stars or even regular people, brandnames do matter. But the real question is does it make peoplebetter if they have brand name clothes? What if they don’t havebrand name clothes? Does this make them unpopular?

I buy brand name clothes and off brand clothes as well. Tome, it isn’t that big of a deal. I shop at Wal Mart and it’s one ofmy favorite stores. Although, many others may have differentopinions. Some people judge others by the brand of clothing theybuy. A lot of people think that they are better than others becausethey have the latest Nike Shox or the new Gucci purse.

Also many kids are discriminated against because of the brandof clothes they wear. Although I don’t think it’s as big of a dealaround the small town of Highland, I do think the dilemma hascome up before.

Just because people won’t spend $150 on a pair of shoes doesn’tmean that they aren’t cool or that they can’t be popular. The brandof clothes that you wear doesn’t make you the person who youare on the inside; it’s just some lame stereotype that people haveabout each other.

Dobrandreally matter?

ExpressYourself

OPINIOND. West Express

5March 4, 2008

“

By Jessica Rauch

Just about everyday I hearpeople complain about their lifeand how bad it stinks. I didn’t getthat cool pair of shoes, my parentsare jerks. My parents wouldn’t giveme the money to go out the other daywith my friends. I got grounded fromeverything just because I told a littlelie! I hear those kinds of thingspractically everyday. Of courseI’m not going to mention names,but I do have news for them.Almost everybody in this schoolhas life a lot better than mostpeople in the world.

Many people in our school saytheir life is horrible or somethingsimilar to that when they getgrounded for a day, so now theyclaim their life sucks. People, it’sjust a day. It won’t kill you oranything.

We then have those peoplewho complain about not gettingsomething they wanted for theirbirthday, Christmas, or even justbecause they want it. They thencomplain on and on about how

they didn’t get it. There is nopoint in complaining. Instead,they should earn the money, andthen buy what it is they wanted.

There are also the people whoget into relationships.If their “love oftheir life” breaksup with them,they cry andwhine andsay theymight aswell die orsomethingb e c a u s elife sucksfor them.I’m notsaying it’sbad to cry for awhile, but thosewho can’t get over therelationship, well, obviouslydon’t understand the concept oflife. If someone breaks up withyou, then it’s time to realize itwasn’t meant to be and move on.

On the other hand, there arepeople in this school who seemnot to have the greatest life, yetthey don’t complain once.Something bad could happen to

them and youwouldn’t hear

them say aword about

it. Instead,they put ona smileand dealw i t hwhateverc o m e stheir way.

I’m notsaying to

keep the badthings that go on

in life bottled upand then turn yourself

into a nervous wreck. I’mjust saying people need tocomplain less and look on thebrighter side of things. Forinstance, think of that old saying,

If you had the option toattend high school wherever youwanted, would you go to a bigcity school or a small townschool? There are manydifferences between the two.Doniphan West High School, forinstance, is a small town schoolwith around 160 students. Bigcity schools have an average ofabout 1,000 students.

According to “Big schools canmean isolation, opportunity,” anarticle found on CNN.com,students in big schools have moreopportunities for specializedclasses and activities becauseschools have been getting biggerin recent decades.

Big schools can also mean

students feeling lost, frustrated,and isolated, which some saymay be partly the reason forschool shootings.

Larger schools also have ahigher crime rate and a lowergraduation rate. According toUSA Today’s website, an articlesaid that students in Detroit, NewYork, L.A., and Miami have lessthan a 50 percent chance ofgraduating while the nation’soverall graduation rate is 70percent. One DWHS student whohas attended a large school inCalifornia is junior JeremyMacardican. Macardican said, “Ilike smaller schools betterbecause I feel safer in a smallerschool than in a larger school, likethe ones in California.”

Small schools, on the otherhand, have a higher attendancerate with an average of 81 percentof students applying to collegeafter high school, according toSIRS (nwrel.org). Smaller schoolsalso have smaller classes withmore one-on-one attention from

teachers, which is a majoradvantage.

Since small schools are safer,districts all over the nation arestarting to embrace the smallschool notion. Parents findcomfort in small schools becauseof the advantage of knowingwhere their children are and whothey are with.

So, in other words, manydifferent issues come into playwhen it comes to how big a schoolis that students are attending.There is a bigger diversity ofpeople mostly associated withlarger school districts. Yes, thereare more opportunities, classesand organizations for students,but is attending a large schoolreally a wise trend?

“Look at the glass half full, nothalf empty.” If people think of theworst things going on in their lifethen it really will stink; butsurprisingly, when we look at thebetter things and what we have,it does tend to make a person feelbetter. At least from what I cantell.

When you get down and startcomplaining you should thinkabout everyone else in this world.Think about people who are poorand have no money. I went to LasVegas one time and saw an olderman begging for money on thestreets. Yet some of these people,like that man, probably don’tcomplain. You also have thepeople who use the stuff wethrow away and turn it intosomething useful. Yet you hear uscomplain about getting a newpair of shoes. Their shoes couldbe the ones we threw away. All Iam saying is people should behappy for what they get andcomplain less. It’s as simple asthat.

Look at the glass half full, not half empty

Is Bigger Really Better or is Small the Way to Go???Cheyenne Davis

”I like smaller schoolsbetter because I feel

safer in a smallerschool than in a

larger school, like theones in California.

– Jeremy Macardican

OPINIOND. West Express

6March 4, 2008

by Morgan Rush

Fans: Get Up or Hush Up

by Taylor Twombly

At almost every school

in the United States there is

a pep club or student spirit

club that travel to home

and away games. The point

of this group is to bring

spirit to the school by

planning activities, leading

cheers, and doing little

things that mean a lot such

as standing up at games to

cheer on their team.

With this said, I will now

make the point of this

article. When the pep club,

or student section, stands

up at home and away

games the older people

sitting IN the STUDENT

section should NOT tell

them to sit down.

This leads me to a second

point I have to make. The

past couple years we have

been questioning if our

school and students have

pride because of the way we

act at games and pep rallies.

I believe our school has

spirit and pride both. From

the way some non-

enthusiastic parents and

fans at games have been,

for example, not standing

up at timeouts to cheer

along with the cheerleaders

and telling us to sit down, I

now have to ask the

question – are they the ones

that are holding us back?

We, as students,

understand that when we

get out of control it is the

job of our teachers and fans

to tell us to calm down. But,

when the team needs the

pep club to get them going

and the pep club is getting

crazy (yet not out of

control) and is still using

good sportsmanship, then

why tell us to stop? I’m not

saying that we don’t want

the fans to stand up with

us, but if you’re going to

complain about us standing

in OUR section then we

would rather you move.

OPINIOND. West Express

7March 4, 2008

by Eric Simmons

by Jessica Rauch

In many small schoolsaround the country, studentsparticipating in sports and afterschool activities are left nochoice but to drive to schoolevery day. Some students liveup to thirty miles away, whileothers live right across the street.So, the question is why do

students that live in town insiston driving to school when theycould walk? This mentality ispuzzling to me so I decided tosearch for the underlying reason.

A January 2008 survey of 55students showed that on average85% of the student body drives toschool on a daily basis. Of thosethat drive, 5% live in the citylimits of Highland.

“The bus comes too early, andwalking isn’t an option…I’m notwalking 20 miles to school!” saidjunior Alesha Miller.

Could driving to schoolsimply be a form of socialdetermination, or is it a way toflaunt off a hot car?

“I started driving to school myfreshman year— it was cool, andfor me, it was mainly because Iwas the only freshman with aconvertible,” said senior JackieDenton.“Even though I only lived a

few blocks away, why would Iwant to walk when I could drive,especially when it’s coldoutside?” said Denton.

It has always amazed me howpeople insist on driving to schoolwithout having any solid reasonto do so. I have often wonderedif those students have to pay fortheir own gas or if mom and dadpick up the tab.

“I have never paid for my owngas, are you kidding?” said

Denton. “Because of that I’venever had a reason not to drive.”

I have attended DoniphanWest High School all four yearsof high school, and in that time,I have never driven to schoolwithout a reason. For me it isnever been a matter of socialstatus or boasting, it’s always beena matter of necessity. When Ihave needed my car, I havedriven, and when I have not, Ihave not. It is that simple!

If there isn’t a need to drivethen don’t waste the gas! Notonly is walking healthier for thebody, but it also minimizes fuelconsumption. For those thathave the ability to walk, take theoption, it will be morerewarding.

“I just think that it doesn’tmake sense to start the car, waituntil it’s warm, drive to school,find a parking space…. It wouldtake me longer to get there, so Ijust walk!” said senior AnjaKubeneck.

To Drive or Not to Drive

Will Smith stars as the militaryscientist Robert Neville in the hitmovie “I am Legend.” It’s theyear 2012 and a plague, causedby what was supposed to be a“cure for cancer,” has struck theentire world, killing many peopleand turning the others intoblood-thirsty zombies.

Due to the plague’s strikemost of the world has become aruin. Now Neville and his onlyfriend, a German shepherd by thename of Sam, live in the desertedcity of New York. Immune to the

plague, Neville has to find a curefor it before the zombies andhuman life becomes extinct. IfNeville can find the cure he canturn the Zombies back intohumans and save the world.

To find the cure for thisdisastrous plague, Neville sets upa lab in the basement of his home.In this lab there is a room filledwith over fifty rats in cages thathave been struck by the plague.He uses these rats for the testingof the antidotes.

Despite the tragedy that goeson in the movie, “I am Legend”does have a few humorous parts.

One is where Neville beginsreciting the words to “Shrek”when he sees it on the television.Another odd thing that takesplace due to Neville’s isolationfrom all humans, he has manikinsset up throughout New York,which he names and talks withon a daily basis.

People who enjoy thrillerswould love to see “I am Legend.”It’s not exactly scary, but plentyof things do cause you to jump.This movie is currently intheaters and is rated PG-13. Itwould probably not be suggestedfor younger kids.

I Am Legend: Robert Neville is not alone

Robert Neville and his dog, Sam, goout on a walk in the abandonedstreets of New York City.

Walking is an option...

Senior Jackie Denton’s Mustang Convertable parked in the High School lot.

OPINIOND. West Express

8March 4, 2008

loving Anja Kubeneck Savannah Stevens

PRO CONAnother “lovers” holiday has come and gone. What

is running through your mind? As the old lady with20 cats would say, if you‘re single it’s way overrated,but if you’re in a relationship it’s probably the bestholiday to go out and flaunt what others don’t have…arelationship. Yes. The topic of today is Valentine’s Day.The most romantic day of the year…and you’resingle…great.

Valentine’s Day is overrated because it’s just anotherreason for candy companies to make extra money. Forexample M&M’s make pink red and white candies forthat day. Okay that’s cute but a little excessive. Don’tget me wrong, the chocolates and stuffed animals arenice but when all of them say “I love you,” it doesn’tmean as much when it’s said too often. That phrase istoo commercialized during this holiday.

Another reason Valentine’s Day is overrates is guysthink things “mean” more on this day, Feb. 14. Yourguy makes a jerk move like standing you up one weekand buying you flowers the next it’s suddenly all okay?No, that’s just a cover up on a holiday. It wouldn’t beokay any other time of the year, right?

So you’re single and you decide to turn on the T.V.Around Valentine’s Day all you find is mushy, lovey,dovey stuff about how happy couples are and howthey’ll be together forever. Yeah, that lasts for about aweek then reality hits and the honeymoon period isover. Then what are you left with? A bunch of wiltedflowers and stale chocolates. Sounds so romantic.

So if you and got down about not spendingValentines Day with someone just think, it wasoverrated and expensive. So instead of fretting nextyear, take a shopping day and have fun.

Love is one of the greatest things on earth. It bringspeople together and makes them happy. It’s importantto have a “holiday” for- love. On Valentine’s Dayeveryone has the chance to show their love to thepeople that mean the most to them.

Valentine’s Day is especially a day for couples toshare their love and spend a unique and romantic day.Couples might start to think about their relationshipand how much they mean to each other.

Of course, for girls it’s sometimes a lot more excitingand they are anxious to find out what their boyfriendhas planned for that day. What girl does not start tofeel giddy if her boyfriend picks her up on Feb. 14, togo on a surprise date? Isn’t it amazing to know thatyou are a special to someone and he shows it to you?Who doesn’t want a candle-light dinner with a sweetguy who takes you on a walk after the dinner? It’s justgreat to feel extra special for one day and get flowersand cards. Valentine dates are more romantic, specialand considerate.

But besides, it’s not just a day for couples. Not beingin a relationship doesn’t mean that Valentine’s Daysucks. It’s a day where everyone just shows friendsand family that they are important to them. In the dailyroutine it sometimes gets forgotten to tell people thatthey are special and likeable.

Valentine’s Day is a day to remember the importantpeople in a person’s life.Valentine’s Day is definitely aspecial day that shouldn’t be forgotten!!!

What age d id you have your first kiss?

12-15 58%

16+

Idk

8-11 27%

5%

10%

93%

7%

Yes

No

Have you had your first kiss?

“Valentine’s Day isa day toremember theimportant people ina person’s life.”

“What are you leftwith? A bunch ofwilted flowers andstale chocolates.Sounds soromantic.”

of my

Yo u ’v e go t th e

best loveBaby you’ve lost that

feeling

OPINIOND. West Express

9March 4, 2008

by Bethani Zeit

byMorgan Rush

Ever since we can remember February 14 has been known as

Valentine’s Day. Almost everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is the

day that you send cards, flowers, balloons, candies, stuffed animals

and other gifts to your loved ones and friends. We have celebrated

this holiday for centuries, but how many of us know the real story

behind Valentine’s Day?

Along with any story or legend there are several

different opinions about how the first Valentine’s

Day got started. Valentines History on

infoplease.com says that in the early 19th

century numerous early Christian martyrs were

named Valentine. A martyr is a person who

is killed because of his or her religious

beliefs.

Until 1969 the Catholic Church formally

recognized eleven days out of the year as

Valentine’s Days. There were at least three early

Christian saints by the name Valentine. One

was a priest in Rome, a bishop in Terni (a

city in Rome), and of the third Saint

Valentine nothing is known except that

he met his death in Africa. The ironic thing about

these three saints is that they were said to have all been martyred

on February 14.

One of the legends says that a priest by the name of Valentine

attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II around 270.

According to the legend Claudius II prohibited marriage for young

men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers, but Valentine

continued secretly performing marriage ceremonies. Valentine was

eventually apprehended by the Romans and put to death

(www.wikipediea.com).

Another legend has it that Valentine was imprisoned by Claudius,

and he fell in love with his jailer’s daughter. Before

he was executed, he allegedly sent her a

letter signed “from your Valentine.”

Valentine became Saint Valentine with his

fame extending to England and France.

After his death he became known as the

“Patron Saint.”

A festival in which young Romans

would distribute cards of affection to those

they wished to formally see took place

every year in Valentines honor

(www.infoplease.com).

February has been the month to celebrate love

ever since the Middle Ages. Valentines Day was

introduced to the United States in the 1800’s and has been

celebrated annually ever since.

There are many legends of how Valentine’s Day was started it is

hard to believe just one. So for those of us who never really knew

why Valentines Day was celebrated, I guess we get to pick what

legend we want to believe, and as they say, “there is always some

truth to a legend.”

Best & WorstValentine’s Day gifts

chocolateflowersballoons

teddy bearjewelry

cardno love

get ting dumpedflowers from a disliked person

expired chocolate

BEST WORST

Historical Valentine’s Day...How it all got started

OPINIOND. West Express

10March 4, 2008

What’s NOTo Knee length dresses with tightso Better parking facilitieso Layering topso Ugg bootso Getting your hair cuto German exchange studentso Girls basketball team winning their first

round of sub-state

What’sby Katylin Blevins

by Marijke Fox

Country Life or City Life...Which do you prefer?Under the stars or under the

street lights, either way you haveto chose to live somewhere.Thirty-six DWHS studentsparticipated in a recent poll abouttheir living preferences, countryversus city. Forty-five percentresponding currently live in thecountry while fifty-five percentlive in town. Sophomore MaliaSisk, a resident of Highland, said,“I like how it is a smallcommunity and how everyoneknows each other.”

Thirty-one percent of studentssurveyed said that they wouldlike to stay in the country andseven percent said they wouldlike to stay in the city. JessicaLibel, senior, said, in capitalletters, “NO!”, when asked thequestion about moving to thecity.“I can go outside and wearmy underwear.”

“I like to live in the country.I’ve lived in a city before and I likethe country a lot better… lessparties get busted”, said AnnaCaudle, junior.

Some students would like achange of scenery. Thirty-threepercent said they would like tomove from the country to the city.Some want the best of bothworlds, like Amanda Pickman,sophomore, who said, “No, Iwouldn’t like to live in town, butmaybe close to one that I do now.”

Some have strong opinionsabout where to live. Libel wantsto live in the country for the restof her life. She wants to live nearHighland or Troy. “Because I cando anything I want.” Somedayshe wants to live on her ownfarm.

Two pros of country life fromLibel are, first, the atmosphere.She likes the outdoors. Second,the smell of horse manure. “It’sgot that farm-smell.” Two consare, first, it uses more gas, goingto and from town. Second, whenbad weather hits, like snow orrain, the roads get really bad andit’s hard to get out of the house.

Someone who can’t wait to goto the city is Jennifer Larson,senior. Larson wants to live inKansas City this summer or at theend of May 2008. She wants tomove to the city because,“Country is too boring. I have todrive long distances to getanywhere.” She wouldn’t mindliving in a house or an apartment.

According to Larson, two prosof city living are, first, you can gowhere every you want, wheneveryou want. Second, you’d neverhave to cook, because there’sabout 100 different restaurants inKansas City. Cons are, first,traffic, and second, robbers andgangs.

But this isn’t all about thegirls. Brothers Jake Simmons andEric Simmons, have different

opinions. Jake, sophomore, wantsto move to the mountains ofColorado a couple years afterhigh school. He would like tomove into a log cabin with afarm.

Two pros about the countrylife from him are, first, freedomto do what you want. Second, it’speaceful by yourself. Jake couldonly come up with one con, it’s along way to travel to town, buthe couldn’t think of anything else.“There’s nothing bad to say aboutthe country!” said Jake.

But his brother Eric haddifferent opinions. Eric Simmons,senior, would like to move to asuburb near Kansas City. Hewould like to move to New YorkCity, but that’s down the road.First up is college for 4-5 yearsand go whereever that takes him.“Even though there’s morepeople in the city, there’s more

privacy. No one cares about you,they care about themselves,” saidEric. He wants to eventually havea house of his own, but if hemakes it to the city, he willprobably start out in anapartment.

His pros were, first, easyaccess to everything and secondthe atmosphere. “Between thebusy-ness, the people, and thenoise, there’s so much diversity.”But with pros there’s cons. Theliving expenses are much higherin the city. On his second con, Erictook some time to think and cameup with a great topic. “You don’thave that same support system asa small town. In a small town,everyone cares about you andtreats you like a family. When mymom was going through herbreast cancer, everyone in thecommunity helped out.”

So eventhough you don’t wantpeople in your business, it’s niceto have them around.

HOT

Big red barns or big city buildings?

o Drinking/ Smokingo Snow/ Cold weathero Security cameras/ Buzzer system/ Locks

on the doorso Senior projecto Trash in parking loto Heath Ledger dyingo New bell schedule

OPINIOND. West Express

11March 4, 2008

cDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Taco John’s andApplebee’s are just a few names of several fast foodrestaurants. The colorful advertising signs and sloganspop in people’s eyes everywhere they go. It’s

understandable that thousands of Americans eat in fast foodrestaurants daily. Their delicious offers drag people in to stop and eat.

About half of all restaurants inthe United States are consideredfast food restaurants and thereare so many different ones that itwouldn’t be a problem to eatevery day of the week in adifferent one. What most of thefast food eaters don’t even knowis what exactly they are eating. Itjust counts that it’s fast and tastesgood. They are not aware of thefact that one typical single fastfood meal has more than 100% ofthe recommended intake of fat,cholesterol, salt and sugar.Instead of continuing thisunhealthy style, people definitelyshould start thinking about whatthey eat.

America and the world getsfatter and fatter from day to dayand fast food is one of the mainreasons for it. It’s not unusual tosee people that weigh more than250 pounds and shows like “TheBiggest Loser” show that it’s amajor problem. According to thewebsite www.worldwatch.org,65% of adults in theUnited States areoverweight. That’sthe reason why itcomes to an annualloss of 300,000 lives in1999 and the numberis increasing.

It’s not a nice feeling

to feel like a mass of fat that canhardly move. Besides that, itneither looks good nor isattractive not to fit through a dooror for a person not to be able tosee his or her feet. And mostimportant, it is dangerous to beoverweight.

The way people eat has aninfluence on their health.Furthermore, it can end deathly.People don’t get enough essentialnutrients if they just eat fast foodthat mainly consists of fat,cholesterol and salt. Where arethe vitamins and healthycarbohydrates like can be foundin an apple? The tiny piece ofwilted lettuce on a b u r g e rdoesn’t cover aperson’s dailyneed of healthyn u t r i e n t s .Addi t ional ly,

the fat people add to their bodiesclog their veins, and it is commonthat people with weight problemshave heart problems as well andcan suffer a heart attack easilyand so die more easily as well.There are lots of other healthproblems like diabetes, and theunhealthy and additional weighta person carries around can hurtthe person’s back, spinal columnand knees.

The existence of fast foodrestaurants also makes peoplelazy. They don’t cook anymoreand rather go to the drivethrough and order a meal thatjust takes them five minutes oreven less. They don’t care whatexactly they are eating and whatthe companies put in their food:

It tastes good, so they eat it.The tradition to be at

home with familyand cooktogether gets

forgotten. It’simportant

FAST FOOD FATNESSPoor eating choices lead to consequences

by Anja Kubeneck

to spend time with family, sittogether at the table, talk aboutthe day and eat a meal togetherthat hopefully is not a fast foodmeal daddy brought home afterwork. If people cook their ownmeal they have the choice todecide what they put in theirmeals, they know what they eatand they have the chance to makehealthy decisions.

Of course, fast food tastes andlooks delicious and as it’s namesays it is fast. When people are ina hurry, it’s the easiest way to getsomething to eat and on top of allit is cheap. But it still can get quiteexpensive to eat out regularly ata fast food place. Even so,homemade and healthy dishescan taste good too. It doesn’t haveto be fast food to be enjoyable.Isn’t a person’s health worth it tospend some time on it and to cookwhat maybe takes half an hour ormore instead of rushing to a fastfood place and getting food in thenext five minutes?

Going out to eat at a fast foodrestaurant should be somethingthat just happens every once in awhile. What are you putting intoyour body with eating fast food?This is a question you shouldsometimes ask yourself. Peopleshould realize what they areeating and start thinking furtherthan just about the fact that it istasty.

Think about it the next timeand be aware of what youare doing to your body andyourself when you’re at afast food place and areabout to order the biggestburger with the largefrench fries and a largepop. Make gooddecisions and care about

your health.

M

FEATURE/NEWSD. West Express

12March 4, 2008

by Trevor Saunders,guest editorial

In today’s society whilewalking through the mall, somepunk with spiky green hair, ringsof all sorts protruding from hisface, tattoos scarring his body,and a studded collar choking hisneck would tend to cause amajority of people to walk a littlemore carefully farther away.“What a freak” most peoplewould say, but what do theyexpect? I’m more than willing toput money on that most of societythinks that everyone should be“perfect.” It’s really easy to findwhat society thinks what“ p e r f e c t ”should be: Justlook on thecover ofalmost anym a g a z i n e .What all ofsociety shouldknow is thecost of whatb e i n g“perfect” entitles.

The covers of Glamour, TeenVogue, Latina, Sports Illustrated,(and some of the most popularamong men of almost any agethat don’t necessarily need to bementioned) all have one thing incommon… stunning gorgeouswomen. Standing beforephotographers are women whoare skinny, young, and veryattractive with the perfectcomplexion, usually wearing thenewest revealing apparel (orsometimes nothing at all). Whatmessage does this have on itsreaders? “WHAT GUYS REALLYWANT” says the cover of CosmoGirl advertising with AmericaFerrara in a kinky revealing dress.

With all this kind ofpropaganda getting spreadaround, it’s no wonder girls andwomen are having health issuesin today’s society. Women intoday’s world are anorexic/bulimic suffering frommalnutrition and have become

addicted to this unhealthylifestyle to become “perfect” insociety’s eyes.

There are products on themarket today that can drasticallychange the outward appearanceof anybody and any body. Thereare thousands of diets that can domore damage than anything.

Anyone who is big in sports orphysical activities knows that toget ahead, you need to get the“edge” above competition. Howdo athletes get the “edge” insports now days? Simply turn onyour TV and watch as famousathletes’ names are criticized andbroadcast over ESPN, the

Internet, and, depending on howbig they are, the covers of popularmagazines. These famous athletesoften have one thing in commonother than being great in theirathletic events: they all have usedor are using a “performanceenhancer” or something in whichthe world knows as steroids. Theathletes who use steroids putthemselves ahead of their gameand often suffer effects from theuse of the steroids.

Steroid effects in both maleand female can be “acne,baldness, a slow down in growthfor athletes who are donegrowing, high blood pressure,unhealthy cholesterol changes,heart disease, blood clots, strokes,liver damage, jaundice, livercancer, headaches, aching joints,muscle cramps, nausea, diarrhea,sleeping problems, and anincreased risk of ligament andtendon injuries which can endyour athletic career” (AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics).

In several sports are weightclasses which segregate thelightweights from the heavies.Almost all athletes cut weight toa smaller weight division, whichis almost always unhealthy,whether or not a diet is beingimplemented.

Genesis 1:27 from the Biblesays, “So God created man in hisown image, in the image of Godhe created him; male and femaleHe created them.” Would you goto God and tell Him He needs adiet or a change in apparel?Perhaps you could tell Him thatHe needs some steroids to helpHim show off His almighty and

p o w e r f u lm u s c l e s .C h a n g i n gyourself orothers tos o c i e t y ’ sviews ofbeing perfectjust seemswrong.

It’s wellknown in life that to get ahead,one must get the edge, whetherthe edge is losing extra weight tohave the perfect body or usingperformance enhancers to be thesport machine with the bestrecord. Being perfect atsomething gets peoplerecognized in this world ofcompetitiveness. My onlyrebuttal is… if you need drugs orunhealthy weight loss tactics to beperfect, are YOU really perfect?Whether people believe in theBible or not, if people aren’t whothey truly are, then how can theybe perfect? Who they may thinkthey are may be perfect, but that’snot them being themselves.

People can be who they areand can choose to be the best thatthey can be, but if they are goingfor society’s idea of perfect, theyshould know the consequences of“perfect.” Perfection is for peopleto be themselves, not whateverybody else wants them to be.

Imagine being a child age sixand having your family taken bysoldiers invading your country.For many, this kind of tragic eventwouldn’t occur in their lifetime,but for the Lost Boys of Sudan, itdid.

The Leadership class andPrincipal Joe Sailors have beenlearning about these boys andhope to have a group of them visitthe school.

They’re a group of orphanedrefugees forced from their villagesby war, to travel over 100 miles inthe African wilderness to safety.They endured a long trip withoutadults to help them. Thousandsdied from being eaten by wildanimals, drowning, being shot bymilitary forces, and suffering fromstarvation and dehydration.

The U.S. government allowedsome of the Lost Boys of Sudan tomove to America for a better life.Some are located in St. Joseph,Mo., Omaha, Neb., and KansasCity.

“I don’t worry now that if Isleep people are going to shootme,” said Abraham Maker, whoarived in the U.S. in 2001.

For many of the Boys, life inAmerica can be overwhelming.They’re used to living in villagesin huts where there is notechnology. They have to learn anew culture. For example, theboys often live and work as agroup in Sudan. In the U.S. theyhave to survive without the helpof friends. They have tounderstand the ways Americanslive on a daily basis too. Theybegin without knowledge oftechnology or how to live in anAmerican home.

The Boys of are working hardin the U.S. so they can earn moneyto send to their country. They wantto be educated and to learneverything that they can from theU.S. while some of them havehopes of returning to their countryone day to help others. Yet thereare some who plan on staying.

Would you go to God and tell Him He needs a diet

or a change in apparel? Perhaps you could tell Him

that He needs some steroids to help Him show off

His almighty and powerful muscles.

by Alesha Miller and Malia Sisk

Lost Boys discovernew lifestyle in U.S.

Those who strive for perfection need reality check,should ignore false ideals and unhealthy standards

FEATURED. West Express

13March 4, 2008

High school studentstoo tired for school

Six, simple tips for better sleep

by Malia Sisk

tiresome because the subjectmaterial is irrelevant.

Many students preferinteractive classes where there aremore hands on activities. “Iwould like to see more hands onactivities and less lectures so classwould be more fun,” seniorBrittany Crossland said.

Many students also believe thecause of sleep deprivation is theabundant amount of homeworkgiven to students and late gamenights during the school week.“Students are overloaded withtoo much homework and gamenights are often late causingstudents to be tired the next dayat school,” sophomore KristyDenton said.

Sleep among teenagers isessential and is important to thehealth of young peopleeverywhere. When students tendto stay up late at night playingcomputer games, talking on thephone, or watching television itaffects their focus at school.

“Sleep deprivation might beundermining teen health,”

according to anarticle on theA m e r i c a nP s y c h o l o g i c a lAssociation website.It also reports thatteenagers needabout 9.2 hours ofsleep each night,compared with the7.5 to 8 hours thatadults need.“Almost allteenagers, as theyreach pubertybecome walkingzombies becausethey are getting fartoo little sleep.”

The halls of Doniphan WestHigh School may be filled withwalking zombies, according toresearch. Are you one of thosewalking zombies? If so, you couldbe suffering from sleepdeprivation.

Lack of sleep is a commonissue for many students and isbecoming a widespread problemamong teenagers everywhere;many students agree that sleep isone of the things they don’t getenough of, and it can lead to someserious consequences. Problemswith memory, judgment, andverbal learning are a few of theeffects of sleep deprivation. All ofthese things are needed to be agood, functional student duringschool. There are many effectsand reasonable solutions for whyteenagers need more sleep tofunction properly every day.

The needs of sleep amongstudents have been known tocause difficulties in school, andamong those are sleeping in classand poor concentration. Somestudents think school is too

Tip 1. Go to sleepand wake at the sametime each day.Keeping a regular sleepschedule, even onweekends, may helpdevelop a sleep-wakerhythm that encouragesbetter sleep.

Tip 2. Avoidcaffeine late in theday.Caffeine-contained intea, cola, and chocolate,as well as in coffee- is astimulant and causeproblems for people

trying to fall asleep.

Tip 3. Watch yourdiet.A heavy meal or spicyfood before bedtime canlead to nighttimediscomfort. A lightsnack, however, canprevent hunger pangsand help your sleep

better.

Tip4. Exerciseregularly.Regular exercise hasbeen shown to improvesleep. Exercising in themorning or afternoon-at least three hours

before bedtime, so youwon’t be to “revved-up”- may help you get adeeper, more restfulsleep.

Tip5. Create arelaxingbedtimeroutine.*Read a book* Listen to music*Take a warm bath* Keep the temperaturein your bedroom at acomfortable level:extremes can disruptyour sleep*It also helps tominimize distractions,such as noisy clocks,bright lights, anduncomfortable clothingor bedding

Tip 6. Get out ofbed.If you don’t fall asleepwithin 15-30 minutes,get up. Get back intobed when you feelsleepy.

http://www.ambiencr.com/Trouble_sleeping/sleeping-tips.aspx?s=sleeping&c=tips

Pretending to sleep during class, Ashlie Witham,freshman, poses for a brief picture relating to studentsfalling alseep during class .

FEATURED. West Express

14March 4, 2008

by Jordanne MillerParking Lot Survey: Vehicles by the numbers

7

13

20

38

15

Most common color

Trucks

Cars

by Alesha Miller

Teenage years can be tough forstudents, but it can be eventougher for teenswith asthma.Some think thathaving asthma isan embarrassmentbecause it makesthem different thantheir friends.

Asthma affectsthese teens in variousways. For example,some feel they mighthave to avoid physicalactivities and miss outon fun even though theirdoctor says they are okayto do what they want.Some do the opposite of thisand deny the fact that theyhave asthma and refuse to usetheir medication that could helpthem manage it better. But thenthere are those who find theirasthma as a loophole to get out ofdoing things like chores andexercising.

Its been said that the best way

to take control of asthma is to dowhat the doctor says at all timesand remember to take themedication so asthma doesn’t getthe best of the person who has it.Several people think they canstop using their inhalers afterthey start feeling better, whichcan set them up for a potentiallydangerous asthma attack.

In the article, “Myth, facts,statistics about asthma” frommedicinenet.com, theinformation shows thatpeople have a 6% chance ofhaving asthma if neither oftheir parents has the

condition; a30% chance ifone parent hasit; and a 70%chance if both

parents have it.Also, the myth about being

able to outgrow asthma is nottrue. In about 50% of youngpeople with it, the condition maybecome inactive in the teenageyears. Symptoms, however, maycome back at any time later on in

Jonathan Collins and Holly Norris demonstrate how to use theirinhalers when they cannot breathe easily without the medication.

life. Symptoms usually includewheezing, shortness of breath,and coughing. Most asthmaticsare triggered by tobacco smoke,exercise, and allergens.

“It’s not as bad as it used tobe,” said Brandon Colborn.“Indoor dogs and cats bother me,but dogs outdoors don’t andoutdoor cats do really badly.”

For some, different seasonsaffect them more than others. ForChelsea Diveley, the worst timefor her is during the summerwhen it’s hot.

While summer is bad forDiveley, winter is the worst forseveral others. Korey Martin saidthat winter and fall bother him

the most because of harvest.

RED: 11WHITE: 14GREENISH: 10

Chevrolet

Pontiac

Sampling done on Jan. 28, 2008.Ford

Cars vs. Trucks Most common manufacturer

Young lungs cope with breathing condition, symptomsCoughing, wheezing . . .finally breathing

FEATURED. West Express

15March 4, 2008

by Kayla SchmitzSo many girls are out there right now

looking for the perfect prom dress and promis only about two months away. But there’sso much at stake: the color, the style, the type

SlenderCharacteristics: You havewide shoulders, straightwaist, narrow hips, andlong skinny legs.Dresses that Work: Shortdresses accentuate leanlegs, and droppedwaistlines emphasizeslender hips. Simplenecklines minimize

shoulders.

CurvyCharacteristics: You havea full bust, curvy hips,larger butt, and definedwaist.Dresses that Work: Stayaway from bold patternsand try to find fabrics thatdrape over curves(nothing stretchy).Strapless dresses orspaghetti straps workwell on your body.

Pear-ShapedCharacteristics: You havea small, slender waist andwide hips and a largerbutt.Dresses that Work:Dresses with fitted topsand A-line skirts workwell. If you like your bigbutt, then go for more of atight fitting dress.

PetiteCharacteristics: You arevery short with smallfeatures and bonestructure.Dresses that Work: Showa little leg and try anunbalanced hemline tomake your legs appearlonger. Do not wear a floorlength ball-gown becausethis tends to engulf yourfigure.

HourglassCharacteristics: Youhave broad hips and abroad bust andshoulders and a smallerwaist. You’re hips andshoulders are alignedwith eachother .Dresses: You have anaturally goodproportioned body soany dress will work onyou .

Ci nderel la’s Closet 2008

HELP GIRLS STRUGGLING TO AFFORD ADRESS AND ACCESSORIES FOR PROM.

**Dresses and accessories will be collected at anyDoniphan county high school and then sent to the

YWCA in St. Joseph, Mo.**

Donation days: Feb. 27-March 28

of fabric, etc. While all of these things are veryimportant, the most important factor inpicking out a prom dress is if it is good foryour body type. It all starts there.

Certain styles of dresses flatter certain

types of bodies and other dresses just plainruin certain bodies. It doesn’t matter if as youare tall or short, wide or thin, busty or flat,you can find a dress that will highlight all theright spots.

Donate new/gently used formal dresses,high heels, and other prom accessories!

*No cash donations please*

A perfect fit: Prom dresses that fit your figure

This page is modifiedfrom the original. Theempty spaces representpictures that wouldn’t

convert for this file type.

FEATURED. West Express

16March 4, 2008

by Danielle Rush

by Danielle Rush

Starting the new year out rightis important… to some people.Some people set New Year ’sresolutions to make themselveshealthier or just to makethemselves better people. Whenmaking a resolution one has toremember to make it realistic andto make the resolution in steps heor she can reach gradually.

At Doniphan West, 34students were polled to find outabout their resolutions for thenew year. Surprisingly, 21 of the34 students asked don’t have aresolution. Most of the studentspolled must not feel a need forimprovement. Among thestudents with resolutions, somewere as simple as be a better

person, don’t procrastinate, exercise,and graduate.

For those students that maderesolutions for the new year,remember, if they mess up, theyhave to keep trying. Make a planfor each resolution and write itdown in three to six steps to reachgradually.

Everyone must forgivethemselves if they mess up, andalways remember to congratulatethemselves with a reward whenthey reach in-between goals.

When a resolution givespeople something to lookforward to, they are more likelyto stay on track. Good luck to allpeople with a resolution andhopefully everyone has a great2008.

A New

Year Brings

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions

Volunteer to

Help Others

Get Fit

Lose

Weight

Popular

Resolutions!!

new rules...for some people

Save

Money

said, “I liked the snow in thebeginning, but now I’m reallygetting sick of it!”

Junior Cody Weilandagreed. “I don’t like thisweather. I’m looking forwardto the summer. I’m ready to bewarm again.”

Carl Swendson, mathteacher, then added to theconversation. “I think thisglobal warming thing shouldspeed up a little bit so thingswould warm up!”

It can be concluded thatmost students don’t like thiswinter weather even if it doesget them out of school. I thinkthat the majority of studentsare ready to be warm and seethe sun again.

This winter weather hasbeen rather wild. During theDecember ice storm, somestudents were without powerfor a few days or even longerthan a week.

Since then, the weather hascontinued to be freezing withsnow and ice everywhere.Even though students enjoybeing out of school for a while,it is getting really old and withall this ice no one can doanything anyway.

Even though a few studentsseem to like this wild weather,the majority of students aresick of ice and cold and readyto be warm again.

Senior Brittany Schmitz

winter weather wears at nerves

Danielle Rush’s sister, Rachel, created this snowman following aDecember storm. In the background the trees are covered with ice.

SPORTSD. West Express

17March 4, 2008

by Katylin BlevinsWith the last year of high school sports nearing, some

of the seniors are going to miss time on the field, mat,course and court.

High school is supposed to be the most memorablefour years of a person’s teenage life. Some people havememories of high school sports that they will neverforget. Some of those memories are funny and someare serious.

Caleb Sellers is one senior who participated infootball for four years and his favorite memory fromhigh school sports is beating Troy twice two years ago.Sellers said he is going to miss the football games andhis teammates.

Another senior, Jordanne Miller, participated in crosscountry two years, basketball four years, track twoyears, and dance two years. The best year in high schoolsports was her sophomore year when the girls’basketball team went 18-5. Miller said that the funniestthing from high school sports is when she and Bethanicame up with the Tator Hater Club (no one can join theclub).

A track and cross country participant throughout

high school Nicole Diveley. Diveley’s favorite memoryfrom high school sports is when the cross country girls’team made it to state her freshman and sophomore year.Her funniest memory from high school sports is whenshe and Katelynn Fitch got lost on the cornfield routeand ran a few more miles.

Dustin Winters is a senior that has been involved inwrestling throughout high school. Winters said thathis favorite memory from high school sports is his veryfirst wrestling match ever. He will miss the fun theteam had before and after the meets.

Allison Thompson has participated in volleyball fouryears, track three years, and basketball one year. Herfavorite memory from high school sports is going towatch the KU vs. KSU volleyball game, and going andgetting Silas & Maddy’s afterwards was pretty cool.Winning was also “freakishly amazing”, saidThompson. Thompson also stated that senior year wasthe best year in high school sports because it is alwayscool to be the top dog!

Even though seniors’ high school sports careers arecoming to an end, they will never forget the memoriesfrom the time they spent in high school sports.

Senior year was

the best year in

high school

sports because it

is always cool to

be the top dog!

Allison Thompson

UNFORGETTABLESeniors enjoy fun times during sports

volleyball: Tasha Martin, Brittany Schmitz, AllisonThompson, Stephanie Schneider, Anja Kubeneck, KaleyWitham.

cross country: Laurence Dickson, Nicole Diveley, AmandaHalling, Jenna Scherer.

football: Paul Johnson, Jonathan Collins, Josh Hargis, DanFreeman, Jake Rush, Caleb Sellers.

basketball: Jonathan Collins, Paul Johnson, Jake Rush,Bryan Hamilton, Josh Hargis.

wrestling: Dustin Winters, Coach Carl Swendson, ElijahDunn.

basketball: Jenna Scherer, Tasha Martin, Jackie Denton,Jordanne Miller, Brittany Schmitz. Not pictured: AnjaKubeneck

SPORTSD. West Express

18March 4, 2008

Dunlap takes fifth at state wrestling tournament

The lower left hand picture shows the D. West dancers performing a pomroutine to a Groovy Mix at the home game against Jackson Heights. This wasthe last routine of the year. The costumes were put together by Lee Fritch andKelly Twombly. The above pictures show the D. West dancers performing to“Walk It Out.” This routine was performed at the home game versus Troy.Throughout the dance the girls did cool moves such as the worm and they gota chance to show of their “ganster” sides. The costumes reflected the hip hopattitude of the song and gave the girls a little attitude as well. The costumeaccessories were made by Lee Fritch.

D. W

est Dancers

Sophomore Brett Dunlap placed fifth in his class at the statewrestling tournament at Hays on Saturday, Feb. 23. Making his waythrough the bracket, Dunlap defeated Tad Miller of Stockton (Sr.) byfall in the quarterfinals, lost to Logan Numerich of Scott City (Sr.) 6-2in the semifinals, lost to Ben Brown of Leoti (Jr.) 4-1 in the consolationsemifinals and defeated Frankie Martin of Hillsboro (Sr.) 3-0 for 5th

place.Coach Carl Swendson said considering Dunlap faced mostly

seniors in his bracket, he was able to “hold his own.”When looking at the entire season, Swendson commented that there

were several season-ending injuries suffered by Dakota Zeit, TrevorSaunders, and Jeremy Macardican. “However, the remaining wrestlerswere able to pull together and be very successful.”

above: Brett Dunlap attempts to turn his opponent at the Waubansee meetusing the hammer move.

left: Elijah Dunn uses a double grapevine and a bar arm to break down hisopponent at the Waubansee meet.

SPORTSD. West Express

19March 4, 2008

team unity, senior leaders importantpart of successful girls season

Night of the Arts

by Shayln Fritch & staff

hoops season comes to an enddespite record, boys still winners

Bethani Zeit, junior,wears her hair the same wayeverygame along with thesame Aeropostale stripedunderwear.

Taylor Twombly, junior,wears the same Nike tube socksevery game.The sock with thehole is always on the left foot.

Morgan Rush, junior, wearsthe same hot pink sports brafrom Target every game.

Just because the varsity boys’ basketball team ended with an over-all record of 4-16, doesn’t mean the season itself was a loss. There areother benefits of playing a sport than just winning the games.

Head coach Nick Dowell, praises the hard work and attitude of histeam. “This team was filled with winners because they never quit, nevergame up and improved the entire year. These young men played theirhearts out every night, and that is how you play the game.”

Dowell also said the team gained respect from other area teams. “Ihad many coaches come up to me after the game and tell me they hopethey didn’t have to play us again this season because that was one ofthe hardest game they ever had to play. That is respect.”

After getting off the game schedule due to inclement weather, thevarsity girls’ basketball team was swamped with makeup games aswell as regular season games. Some weeks had as many as four nightsof games.

The busy season came to an end for the girls in the second roundof sub-state with a loss to Frankfort. Their final record is 10-11.

Naturally, everyone hoped for a better record, but sticking togetheras a team was far more important, said junior Taylor Twombly.

“Our team had a lot of challenges to face just like every time withcancellations and sickness,” said Twombly, “but we all stuck togetherand made this season one of the most fun I have ever had just becauseof the friendships I have made on and off the floor.”

“Most people would think that a team ending with a 10-11 recordwouldn’t have been the greatest year,” said Bethani Zeit, “but itactually was. We had awesome senior leaders who kept the teamtogether and made the games fun no matter the outcome.”

The girls form a unitycircle during pregameto get themselvesfired up.

Senior Joshua Hargisshoots one from 3 pointrange during the ValleyFalls game.

Squaring up to shoot orto make a pass duringthe Elwood game issenior Bryan Hamilton.