[10] Features the Network [jaNuary 2015]

erincarollo

The morning walk down senior hall is often a grim one. Girls

have their noses stuck in textbooks, backpacks double as pillows and everyone’s eyes are half shut. There is, however, one consistent exception: Katlyn Martin.

Amidst sleepy murmurs about yesterday’s math homework or what went down over the weekend, Martin’s cheerful “Good morning!” is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. She says getting to greet her classmates each morning is one of her favorite things about attending Marian.

“I just try to remember that no matter how bad my day might be, there is always someone who is having an even worse one and probably has a very good reason to be upset,” Martin, or as she is commonly referred to by her classmates “Kmart,” said. “My bad days usually revolve around little things that aren’t a big deal. As long as I’m not starving, or homeless, or dying, there is always a reason to be happy. I always try to be cheerful in the morning and say hi to everyone because someone might be having a bad day.”

Martin’s optimistic mindset isn’t just limited to the halls of Marian. “I want to be the governor of a state, or an ambassador, or part of the UN until my kids go to college and then

I’ll run for president,” she said when asked what she wants to do later in life. She explains that she’ll wait to run for president because she wants to take the interests of her future family into consideration. “From what I understand, the president doesn’t have a lot of free time. So if my kids are out of the house then I don’t have to worry about not being there for them.” (Read more about Katlyn’s ambition to be president through Journalism 1 reporter Ally Kmiecik’s story found at mariannetwork2015.wordpress.com)

Martin’s inclination towards a career in politics becomes obvious as soon as her almost four years of

involvement on Marian’s speech team is examined. “She’s developed leadership skills on the team to help with the novice teammates,” Mr. Luke Ostrander, Marian’s speech team moderator, said. “She’s really our head person in charge of extemp.” Extemp, or extemporaneous, is a particularly challenging public speaking category that requires the speaker to come prepared to write a speech on any given current event topic in 30 minutes or less. “She’s kind of our extemp guru because she’s had such success after winning State last year,” Ostrander elaborated. “She helps the novice girls learn how to do them, how to organize things, file things, [and

she] runs practices with them over lunch sometimes or before and after school.”

On Jan. 17, Martin had the chance to present her informative speech about the Constitution to the American Legion, a group dedicated to serving veterans. “She’s been able to use things from speech to help her get scholarships and to go places, other than just tournaments,” Ostrander said. “She’s really developed her tone and her ability to be informative, persuasive or inspiring.”

Through her talents in speech, bubbly salutations and constant flow of fun facts, Martin definitely brings something special to Marian. When asked if she had any advice for underclassmen looking to be as successful, she said, “Try to get to know all of your classmates as soon as possible; it has been one of the most rewarding things for me to be able to go up to anyone and talk to them or feel comfortable sitting at any table during lunch. Also, keep an open mind; that’s a big one. The best way to lose friends is to be so set in your opinions that you aren’t able to even listen or consider different options. Oh, and Sour Patch Kids will, more often than not, come out in two’s in the vending machine.”

Selfies, throwbacks and hashtags, oh my!Instagram has changed the game

when it comes to sharing and editing photos. The app offers 24 different filters that users can choose from to make their photos turn pro. Instagram was introduced in October of 2010, and now has more than 300 million users.

Unlike Facebook or Flickr, Instagram allows users to follow their favorite celebrities to see what they are up to.

Keep in mind that these celebs who are Instagram-ing every second of their lives also have access to

professional hair and makeup, which totally defeats the purpose of a filter.

Chances are, looking at Kim Kardashian’s latest selfie isn’t going to do great things for one’s self esteem.

Despite these high standards that teenage girls face, only 11 percent of 132 surveyed Marian girls said they consistently edit their photos.

“Kelvin is my favorite because I have sunglasses that make everything look like the filter,” senior Julia Tatten said.

Now the question of whether or not photo editing is appropriate has risen. Hashtags such as #nofilter and #beoriginal were created to empower

Instagrammers to not edit their photos.

Freshman Molly Miller is one of the girls at Marian who commonly uses filters. “I use filters because I’m pale in the winter,” Miller said.

To others, adding a filter is never an option. Out of the 132 Marian girls surveyed, 15 percent or 23 girls said that they don’t use Instagram filters.

People don’t need to edit their photos to be beautiful. Lots of Marian girls seem to agree that a filter is unnecessary when posting a picture on social media. More than 71% of surveyed students say that a filter on pictures is unnecessary.

This percentage poses the question of whether or not girls think filters actually are necessary or if they are simply following a social trend.

Marian alum Conner Rensch ‘07 started her own social trend on Monday Jan. 6 when she came to speak to Marian girls. She challenged students to post an Instagram picture with no makeup, no hairstyling and no filter. Join the movement to prove that Marian girls are beautiful without photo editing. Post an all-natural selfie with #Iamenough in the caption and tag Conner (@crensch). Then challenge five friends to do the same.

Katlyn Martin brings ambition and smiles to hallways

Extemp guru Katlyn (“Kmart”) chats with junior Emily Mckenna during speech class. Katlyn has become a mentor for her younger teammates, especially in extemp. Photo by erincarollo

emilybashus & blairkellner Models identified online. Photo illustration by sarahmullen

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Graphic by kaylasullivan

Marian girls show off unusual pets“We got him a month ago from Petco for $21. He belongs to my brother but my whole family likes him — sometimes he scares me. He eats seeds and drinks water. His wings are clipped so he can’t fly away. My dog tried to eat him.”-Lauren Klingemann ‘18

“They can go in the barn during bad weather. It is connected to an outside aviary (through a doggy door) where

they can stroll around showing off their tails and flying up onto perches.”

-Abby Drobny ‘15

“I got her from my sister’s friend for $50. When my sister’s friend originally got it, it was about $200. She eats cat food, is nocturnal and can roll into a

ball. [The quills] spike up when she is scared.”-Katie Swett ‘17

Fiji the parakeet Romeo, Juliet and Kevin the peacocks

Elsa the hedgehog

Emily BashusOmaha Marian ANewspaper Layout