THE SPARTAN VOICEVOLUME 5, ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

WICHITA COLLEGIATE SCHOOL

DIGITAL EDITION:WWW.THESPARTANVOICE.BLOGSPOT.COM

Spartan VoicesAs we transition into fall, students begin to acquaint themselves with new teachers, new classmates, and most prominently this year’s new technology. Wichita Collegiate continually updates its technological capacities, with each year being more sophisticated than the last. It can be assured that every new electronic installment is contributing in part, to an education that can be paralleled by no other.

This year, every teacher in the high school has been equipped with a new laptop/tablet. Also, most teachers now use projectors to present any given text before the class. This saves much time and energy when trying to get a message across, and has significantly reduced confusion of “is that a ‘Z’ or a ‘2?”

Word in the hall is that there is a great chance of integrating tablet technology into our school. Ideally, each student would have a tablet with which the teachers could remotely see their progress and insure that they are fully understanding the given material. I always tease my parents that their idea of tablet technology is more reminiscent of a slab of granite and a pick axe, but I know that if my mother can figure out how to work her iPad (which has done with the utmost ease) then the parents needn’t feel tentative about their students making the switch either.

Furthermore, the students continue to dazzle their teachers with their electronic savvy. I would consider myself a native of the technological revolution (Windows ’94, anyone?) but myself am amazed at the

degree in which students can be so “plugged in” and continue to put out so much for the school with just the click of a button. A good example of this would be sophomore Will Baltzer, who managed to create a Smartphone app that displays the high school’s intricate “Be Worthy” schedule in the palm of ones hand. Having been a new student this year, the schedule was a little difficult at first. I could empathize with Mr. Darmon, Collegiate’s new AP Government and Economics teacher when on the first day of school he happened to mention that instead of “Be Worthy” he felt rather “Be Wildered” by the rotating schedule. We will both be downloading Baltzer’s app shortly.      

One concern that students are expressing is that taking care of a school issued laptop or tablet in addition to a personal one would be hassle. Junior Sophie Beren stated, “…having tablets instead of our current laptops next year is a hassle for the many of us that already have laptops. As great as a tablet would be, I would much rather use my own laptop.” cont. p. 4

Meet the Staff: Seniors James Engel, Andrew Feist, Editor Serjay Sambros, Perri Fisher, Edgar Corrigan. Juniors, Elly Vosburgh, Bell Schwartz, Wynn Hukle, Riley Kemmer. The Sophomore, Jake Barrett and Freshmen Kara Maloney, Parth Khare & Christi Peterson.

Still Bewildered?By Wynn Hukle

“Neurochemicals released by probiotics in the gut may affect the brain

and influence the mood.”Nutra Ingredients.com

Trust Your Guts. I’m Serious.

By: Parth Khare

A crazy hypothesis always seems to lead to a crazy experiment, right? Well, this occurred with a research directed by Javier A. Bravo at the University College, Cork, during his experimentation with intestine dwelling bacteria. Recently published in the renowned scientific magazine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, his experiment brought a shocking yet fascinating subject to light; intestine dwelling bacteria can affect an individual’s mood and behavior. According to the Economist, Javier split these mice into two groups in which one of the sets of mice were given a large amount of a intestinal bacterium, [most commonly found in dairy products], while the other set of mice were fed a normal meal that lacked this bacterium. Javier and his team tested these mice by presenting them with a set of tests. One of these tests included a maze. The team noticed that the set of mice fed with large amounts of the bacterium dared to go out in the open twice as more as the mice fed with a normal diet which pointed to the fact that the bacterium boosted daring mice’s confidences. In another test, the mice were forced to swim in an enclosed container of water. The mice fed with the bacterium had a more positive outlook on survival and attempted to swim longer than the mice that were fed a normal diet. The team concluded the positivity demonstrated as a key sign that the bacterium affected the mice’s emotional status. Continued on other animals, measurements in the animals’ brains shows that stress hormones were significantly lower in mice fed with the bacterium compared to the animals’ who had a normal diet. The team states that other chemical differences existed between both sets of animals, but when Dr. Bravo cut the animals’ nerves, [the ones which transmitted signals between the gut and the brain], he found no difference between both sets of animals. Another research done by McMaster University had similar evidence that intestinal bacteria does affect an individual’s behavior and that gastronomical diseases and a few psychiatric disorders may be related to these bacteria. According to Science Daily, the mice that lacked the normal intestinal bacterial content, their behavior drastically changed with an increase in “brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), which has been linked to depression and anxiety.” When the bacteria numbers were restored to normal, the mice’s behavior and brain activity normalized. So far, it seems unclear whether this is applicable to humans, but still, that’s pretty cool.

Miss an issue ?Find us online!

like us on facebookspartanvoice

spartanvoice.blogspot.com

wcsvoice@gmail.com

wcsvoice@twitter

WATER IS EVIL

By Riley Kemmer

There is no point arguing the new "no food/drink" policy... It's not changing.

Once you step through those double doors the only thing allowed is anything nonessential to the good health and life of a human (excluding money, cell phones and clothes). Yes, that means that those delicious chocolate cookies that have something white in them, I still can't figure out what it is, must stay out of the hallways. Along with them, soda and water are prohibited! Yes, look deep enough and I'm sure that you could find a few reasons that this rule might be worth having. I can think of maybe two. Spoilage and spillage. This of course means that we will not repeat the chocolate milk incident of last year, when the sophomore hallway became uninhabitable by anyone except Patrick, who still denies it was his milk; even after it was discovered under his maybe worse smelling gym clothes! Also, no more edible projects made by Elliott will be left over spring break! Several sophomores had an unpleasant surprise upon their return. Despite these two occasions we might be in trouble says Brianna Lowden: "I read somewhere that you can't live longer than 7 hours without water.” Well... No Brianna that's not right, you can actually live for about 10 days. Although Brianna might not have a valid point, Sonny Frank brought to my attention a not so common accident can occur, that results in an entire class being trapped behind a wall of fire. Students would be able to save ourselves with our water bottles. This could not be accomplished without one key ingredient: WATER.

It’s a tradition now! Seniors join hands and sing “Dear Collegiate” as if it were their favorite song!Senior President Sydney Lower & Honor Council PresidentMichael Hull enjoy the Spartan spirit with Esther Cho.

Another thought before I drag this out any longer is that last I heard, or maybe I have just been wrong my entire life, water doesn’t leave stains, make smells, attract bugs, or leave a sticky mess! So right there I have banished one of the two valid points to the pro “no food” argument.

The other argument is about to be shot down right about...now! I don't know who, or how, or quite frankly why, but some person decided he wanted to seal off his water to the outside world and developed a lid, as of yesterday almost all bottles of water come standard with them attached! So, if you’re worried about “laptops” getting wet (?)well, use common sense and place your lid on your bottle, its what it was made for believe it or not.

Do you feel as if you are carrying

the weight of the world around to

every class?

No matter how big or how small, a woman can f

seemingly fit an endless supply of stuff in her purse. Of

course they have the necessities: phone, keys, wallet,

checkbook, etc. The there are the practicalities: Make

up, deodorant, lotion, and a toothbrush. But for most

women that is just the tip of the iceberg. Take Mrs.

White for example: her phone, her brush, her

daughter’s brush, tissues, lipstick, nuts, her daughter’s

sunglasses, her Ibuprofen, her daughter’s Ibuprofen,

wallet, sunscreen, a pen, chap stick, school key, and

gum all take up residence in her medium sized purse.

Even small purses can be misleading with the amount

of crap they can hold.

April Yu, for example: a planner, gel lotion, eye

shadow, oil absorbency sheets, band aids, a flash drive,

lip gloss, chap stick, a perfume sample, Advil, a ring, a

hedge hog magnet, a coin purse, an mp3 player, a

camera, a phone, headphones, and a book. In extreme

cases such as Tollie Rupe’s purse you can find: mouth

wash, shampoo, conditioner, a master key for a hotel in

South Dakota, socks, useless makeup, a lanyard, eye

drops, occasionally a change of clothing, miscellaneous

jewelry, food, trash, and several unidentifiable objects.

Many purses serve as a personal trashcan. For those

with fathomless purses, in many cases when looking

for a small object, you must dump the whole thing out.

Carrying so much stuff is obviously an inconvenience,

so why do it? Often it is for security reasons and many

times, the things found in your purse could be

lifesavers. After all you never know when you might

need a key for a hotel in South Dakota or even a pair of

socks. By Bell Schwartz and Elly Vosburgh

By Bell Schwartz and Elly Vosburgh

Hukle Cont. pg. 1

Baltzer, siding differently, said, “ I think switching over to a digital alternative could be very useful for the students at Collegiate. Almost everything thatis done during the average school day can be done electronically such as tests, notes,worksheets and quizzes.”Students seem to express great approval towards the handy Google calendars that the teachers are currently using. These help keep students up to date by being able to “subscribe” to whatever calendars apply to them (and even the ones that don’t!)The technology at Collegiate, along with anything else, is not completely flawless. However, continual strides are made in the right direction. After being asked on how he felt at the technology at the school, the enthusiastic Baltzer concluded, “Whether it be a tablet, or another device, I'm excited to see what Collegiate has planned for the next school year.”

The Upper Class ladies of the 2011-2012 Dance TeamMolly Haines, Grace LeMaster, Lindsey Wells, India Cohlmia, Hayley Cusick & Lily Shawver.

The Catch Phrase of the Year.

By Andrew Feist

"You just got Googled!" A common phrase, you might hear around the school or other social events, but what does it mean? Where did it come from? Most importantly how can I learn to use it appropriately?

I will begin by explain its proper use, to better put it in perspective. I think the best explanation of this catch phrase, is in the words of its creator, Mr. Andrew Myers (the polite gentleman working in the college and career center), who told me: "if someone, in a casual conversation, says 'I don't know, just Google it' and like many of you, I was already looking for an opportunity to use it. But it is of the utmost importance, that it is used in an appropriate time. So to help you learn how to use it correctly, I have made a list of rules/guide lines.

Rule 1. The suggestion for something to looked up on the internet search engine Google, must be made. Here is an example of its proper use.

Person 1: "Hey, do know what the seventh amendment is?"

Person 2: "Um, no, not of the top of my head, you could Google it though."

Person 3: "You just got Googled!"

Rule 2. As displayed in the example, the catch phrase is reserved for a 3rd party. It can neither be the person who suggested to Google it (Person 2), nor can it be the person that googled.

Rule 3. Do not abuse it like the catch phrase "your mom." The more often a catch phrase is used out of context, the more meaningless it becomes.

Mr. Myers created this ingenious catch phrase, "You just got Googled!" while on an airplane; and like that airplane, his catch phrase will soar, but rather than through the air, it will elevate to national recognition, and be the coolest and most hip thing to say. So say it loudly and say it proudly, but most importantly, say it only when it is appropriate.

An Interview with NEWSenior English Teacher

Mr. DeVries.

By: Perri Fisher

Spartan Voice: What are you most excited about this school year?

Mr. DV. So many things…the people at WCS are really great and I’m enjoying the atmosphere.

SV. How do you feel about the senior class?

Mr. DV. So far so good. They are all very happy people, I think this year is going to be really great!

SV. Who’s your favorite author and why?

Mr. DV. Neil Gaiman, his book “American Gods” is amazing.

SV. Where do you like your coffee best? Why?

Mr. DV. In my backyard because it’s quiet.

SV. Does anything freak you out about WCS?

Mr.DV. The humidity level. Every morning I come into my classroom the windows are dripping wet.

SV. Why did you decide to become an English teacher?

Mr. DV. A short term teaching start in South Korea convinced me it was the right choice.

SV. What’s your favorite activity to do on the weekends?

Mr. DV. Swimming with my kids.

SV. Where do you get your hair-cut?

Mr.DV. Sport clips. You can watch ESPN as they cut your hair, and don’t have to make small talk.

SV. What’s your favorite quality in a student?

DV. Enthusiasm.

SV. Do you think the U.S dollar will lose its reserve currency status?

DV. Bernanke asked the same question, I wouldn’t tell him either.

SV. If you had one wish, what’d it be?

DV. The ability to manipulate time.

d

TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITYSeptember 12

PRINCETON UNIVERSITYSeptember 16

VILLANOVASeptember 13

Coming Soon to a College & Career Center

Near YOU!

COLLEGE ANYONE?

STUDENT SURVEY By James Engel There are many new changes this year. The new track and football field, the new dress code, the new teachers, and the one that most people are talking about is the new schedule. The new schedule has many new features, some good, and some bad. A poll was conducted that asked the students if they like the new schedule or not. Sixty percent of the students said yes they liked the changes. We also asked the students what they liked or hated the most about the changes, and we received many interesting answers. When responding to the question “of what you liked or disliked the most” someone simply responded yes. Whoever did this I ask you to read the question next time. Another weird answer we received was turn off the air it is (fill in the blank) cold. As true as this may be, it does not have to do with the schedule. The most common answer I received about disliking the new schedule is that the passing periods were too short. Everybody wanted five minutes instead of the change to four. We also received the times were too confusing and there needs to be a break in the afternoon. When people liked the new change, we received one answer on almost every survey, there are no eighty minute classes. Yes there are some changes that are better than others but overall the new schedule is better than it has been in the past.

PAPER TWEET: Featuring Coach Fiegel. By Jake Barrett Q: How much have you missed me asking you questions?A :Jake, one of the most disappointing

things of the summer was not having those questions from you. It’s a whole new year and I can’t wait for the uniqueness of each question you ask me.

Where is this on Campus?

BEFOREWhatever Happened to . . .

Not many of you have had the opportunity to fall off a cliff never to be seen again, but the same can’t be said for a few musical artists, actors, and shows. Steve from Blue’s Clues, Aaron Carter, Lizzie McGuire, and many other names that everyone in our generation would know would not ring a single bell to any kids in middle or lower school. So what happened to all of them? The rumors surrounding Steve from Blue’s Clues, whose name is actually Steve Burns, are that he went to college, got addicted to heroin and over dosed, committed suicide, or that he died in a car crash. Only one of these is true. Steve did, in fact, go to college. He even started his own indie band. Steve has an album out called Songs for Dustmites. All of the songs can be found on Google videos (enter Songs for Dustmites), and no, I haven’t listened to it, but I hope it isn’t reminiscent of a repetitive jingle for getting the mail, sitting in a chair, or jumping into a painting. Another great show that was cancelled is Even Stevens. This is where our generation knows Shia La’bouf, not from Transformers (there is even a Facebook group dedicated to this). But the problem is that this show was cancelled. The show was scheduled to end after 65 episodes, which is the typical life span of most Disney shows. Poor Shia La’bouf. Two more shows that were popular several years ago but disappeared with Even Stevens are Lizzie McGuire and Phil of the Future. Lizzie McGuire ended because Hilary Duff decided to try to become a music star after her performance in the Lizzie McGuire Movie, even though Disney wanted to do a bit where Lizzie and her friends were in high school. Hilary was an airhead by this point and the show faded into the background. Phil of the Future ended because for a variety of reasons. All of the main characters had one problem or another so they all split up and the show just fell apart. Luckily for Disney, though, High School Musical showed up. Then there is Aaron Carter. This picture was taken only one year after his career declined with his final stand on Dancing with the Stars in 2007. If you don’t remember him, he was a teen pop star back in 2000ish. His hit song that almost everyone has heard of is “I Want Candy,” (which I thought was about actual candy, not a girl named Candy). He was arrested for possession of marijuana, then he went to Johnny Wright’s compound, (the Backstreet Boys manager) “to train his mind, music, and body for a new album release!” according to a tweet from him. Aaron tried to make a comeback and regain his fame, but . . . didn’t. Last, but not least, is the once-famous singing group N’Sync. Many of you maystill have one or two songs on your iPods as a reminder, or as a joke, of them. The band stopped performing in 2002 because Justin Timberlake wanted to work on his solo career. They released a late album of their greatest hits in 2005 and another album in 2010. They appeared in a popular show called Robot Chicken in 2005, and two of the members even voiced themselves in the parody. The band fell apart, Justin’s had his solo music career and he got into acting, ( SNL, anyone?), JC Casez went solo then did nothing of importance. Chris Kirkpatrick went into a TV series that nobody has heard of. Joey Fatone featured in a few shows that you may know: Kim Possible, Robot Chicken, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Big Fat Greek Life, Red Riding Hood. The most exciting post-career may have been Lance Bass who went solo, then acted in several TV shows, voiced a number of cartoons, voiced a few video games (Final Fantasy XII and Kingdom Hearts(series) are the notable ones), became a philanthropist, and even trained to be a cosmonaut, though he planned to go to space, the mission never got dispatched. Shame! By: Jake Barrett WATER

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

9/11Maybe you were in kindergarten or even second grade, but ten years ago America, and what American stands for, was attacked. On September 11, 2001, over 3000 people perished in New York, Pennsylvania and D.C., and now over 6000 US soldiers have died with at least 10 times that many injured. So where are we now? It is difficult to say, “9/11” is bundled in a emotional/political/cultural/quasi-religious framework that it has become difficult to talk about simply. But avoidance is not an appropriate recognition of this important anniversary in American History. It is the freedom to debate and hold differing opinions that we cherish and continue to keep fighting for. Here at the Spartan Voice we wanted to acknowledge the importance of this date so we have provided these links and pictures. We hope you take the time this weekend to reflect upon this moment in our history to realize that it is a shared event in our nation, no matter how old you were ten years ago.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/remembering-9-11/

http://lightbox.time.com/category/the-backstory/?iid=lb-backstoryUnpublished 9/11 photographs from Time magazine

history.com/videos/911-timeline#911-timelinehttp://www.socialstudies.org/resources/911commemorationresources

http://www.archive.org/details/911

http://newyorkwtc.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14750251Memories from the wreckage.

Click on the mementoes to hear the stories about the items.

http://pentagonmemorial.org/

“Queen G6, checkmate, good game.” You may have heard this or similar phrases tossed around if you have spent much time in the library. Chess has only grown in popularity, and this is the optimal time to form a Chess Club to establish a proper position for the game in the upper school.

Chess has been a popular past-time in the Upper school for quite some time Senior Andrew Elkouri comments, “Our library chessboard has seen pretty consistent play, starting from my freshmen year.” Even the unlikely duo of Riley Kemmer and James Engel play a game of chess during Spartan Voice downtime, with Jake Barrett and others commenting.

And even during study halls, lunchtime, or breaks, the chessboard is always in use. Even with the bright computer screens just paces away from the chessboard, the computers remain abandoned and the chessboard occupied. “Chess is fun and intelligent and I can play with my friends” says Senior Huy Tran.

But playing with friends can be an issue with one board. Chess overflow results in audience spectating and commenting on a game, hoping perhaps that they will reveal a move that will deftly end the game so that they soon play. While players are annoyed that their opponent is not the person across the table but everyone surrounding the table as well.

The solution would be rather simple: form a group, organization, or perhaps Club, that addresses the issues inherent to chess players at Collegiate- a good portion of the student body. A club that would provide those with a surplus amount of chess interest an outlet through intense club meetings, but would also help to provide additional chess supplies to the library to let even the average chess player release their chessual energy.

Luckily a motivated Spartan has already set the gears into motion. Andrew Elkouri, who has been pondering the creation of such a club since “the beginning of Junior year,” has stepped up as founder

and president of Collegiate Chess Club. Interested readers should speak to Elkouri and be on the lookout for a Chess Club signup sheet.

Serjay Sambros

Introducing the Class of 2015By Kara Maloney & Christi Peterman

As an incoming freshman, what would you expect? To learn more about the freshmen class, we have asked them various questions about their experiences in the Upper School these past two weeks. Not only have we interviewed freshmen themselves, but also the siblings of new freshmen.

Parth Khare (Also known as Parth Vader)What is your favorite part of the Upper School?“Interactions between students and teachers, definitely, and friends, too.”What were you expecting from the Upper School?“A serious, closed environment and a great year!”What is your favorite class?“That’s a good question. I like all of my classes!”What’s your IQ?“I don’t know.”

Caroline GoWhat were you expecting from the Upper School?“I was expecting to be pretty confused, but it’s not that bad. I also expected more homework, but lots of fun.”What is your favorite part of the Upper School?“Activities and driving.”

Patrick MaloneyHow do you feel about having a sister in the Upper School?“It is the single most awful event that has occurred in my entire life, second only to seeing the faces of Riley Kemmer and James Engel everyday.What are your thoughts about this year’s freshmen?“They are extremely dramatic and immature. Mostly dramatic.”Do you have any advice for freshmen?“Watch out for Riley Kemmer. He will get you when you’re not looking. Also, listen to your mother.”

Generally, this year’s freshmen class has come with high expectations and plenty of excitement. We are all ready for this school year. Freshmen: be prepared for new experiences that await you in the Upper School!

THE SPARTAN VOICE ACCEPTS THE FOLLOWING RESPONSIBILITIES:The Spartan Voice is a newspaper operated by students at Wichita Collegiate School. Content in the Voice will consist of articles, editorials, letters, and any other material pertaining to the Wichita Collegiate community.

The Spartan Voice was founded in the principle that all students should have an equal opportunity to share their opinion in an open, unbiased forum of discussion.

Students, faculty, administrators, and parents make up the four fundamental parts of the Wichita Collegiate community. Although controversial subjects maybe featured in The Voice, no part of the community will be discriminated against.

The views expressed in printed material do not necessarily represent the views of The Spartan Voice or Wichita Collegiate School.

SPARTAN VOICE STAFF Serjay Sambros, Editor

Wynn Hukle, Jake Barrett,

Edgar Corrigan, James Engel, Andrew Feist, Perri Fisher, Bell Schwartz, Elly Vosburgh, Riley Kemmer, Parth Khare, Christi Peterson, Kara Maloney,

spartan

FOOTBALL

Game

TONIGHTpatriotic theme

BACK to SCHOOL BASHTonight

After the GameUntil 11pm

Middle School Parking LotGlow Sticks $1$3.00 Entry

For All Collegiate Upper School Students