C Vampusiew

The

“Celebrating 50 years of Charger pride”

Topeka West High School2001 SW Fairlawn Rd.

Topeka, KS 66614

Vol. 51 Issue 3

November 2011

Dust in the Wind

Inside...

Co founder of the band KANSAS gets inducted to the Topeka West Hall of Fame.

3-D being Overdone?Has the era of the 3-D movie craze finally started to kill itself?

Sports Wrap-UpA visiaul wrap of Foot-ball, volleyball, and the rest of fall sports.

Photo By Shelbi Markham

While purchasing tickets for the Homecoming Dance students were handed a sheet describing Topeka West Dance Guidelines. Many students found this to be an infraction on their rights, whereas adminis-trators saw it as enforcing the rules students tend to forget. Rumors spread through-out the school causing a fiery opposition. Rumors that rules had been changed disallowing “fist pumping” or jumping. This turned into a massive game of telephone all due to, what some are citing as, incorrectly using “and” instead of “while.” The handout that came with tickets states: “...bending over with hands on the floor and feet off the floor.” Stu-dents saw this as disallowing hands on the floor and, in an unrelated note, removing feet from the ground, ergo, jumping. In actually it was meant to say, in a round-

about way, no “handstands.” The idea that came along with the fierce opposition is that the students are free to “dance” where students like. This prompted many to attend “Homecoming Part 2” at Pulse, a club for teens that opened this summer. Many teachers have expressed a favoring outlook on the idea of taking initiative and making dances other places allowing unopposed atten-dance. Others are unhappy because they feel the school is being too strict and almost kicking out students who want to dance. In C-Office there were no copies of either handbook. Seamans skimmed through folders on the servers meant for administrators and found at the bottom of one a Word document with a name suggesting dance rules. Upon opening it was found that it was a copy of the rules handed out when homecom-ing tickets were purchased,

as well as on the Socratic Di-alectic sheet. Fitze opened a cabinet under the main desk and opened a large box filled with the yellow 501 handbooks. I was also given a purple Topeka West hand-book. There was no mention of the rule in either. A Google search was done for the part of the text within our dance rules. Among the first few hits was a story Mi-chael Snowden posted in the online version of the Cam-pus View. The other impor-tant sites were articles from Southwest High School of Lincoln Nebraska, East High School of Lincoln Nebraska, and a mildly reworded docu-ment called “Dance Expecta-tions” from Southwest High School, a different hit than the article mentioned above from the same school. Both Lincoln School’s web-sites were modified by Brian Fitzgerald. Southwest’s article was undated, East’s had the date of October, 14. Snowden’s story regarding

this issue was posted on October 13. Teachers were asked where the dance rules were. One skimmed through say-ing he had no idea. Another walked passed suggesting she didn’t know either. Given both back and asked where the rule was; the teachers were surprised it wasn’t in either. In interview with an administrator moments before, she was presented with the dance policy copy, and the two books. She confirmed the policy was in neither book. She then quickly added with “it will be though.” A key idea in this article is that some teachers were told “it’s been in the hand-book before.” Some teach-ers cite that they were told in a faculty meeting. It was found that there was a wide range of ideas and emotions involved for teachers. Some teachers had an apathetic view, some had no idea, some faced our questions with intense opposition cit-ing that it is in the handbook and got very defensive when countered with the idea that is is not included. The teacher then added it was within an email that said the policy “has been added” The administrator ex-plained that of all the schools she has worked at, there has always been a set dance policy; but not at West. After witnessing the dancing at the Club Carnival Dance, Mrs. Carton, several parent chaperones, and oth-ers had asked administra-tors to write up some dance rules. The rules were taken from the alama mater of one of our division principals, by said division principal while searching for Hall of Fame ideas regarding accomplish-ment on more levels than athletics. This principals’

Free to DanceThe truth comes out about dance policy

ACT HELPSome quick and simple tips for Acing your ACT.

By MITCH MONTAGUE

Continued on page 9

Paragon SpringsA visual look at the fall production.

Movies Coming to you soon

ReviewsScorpio Rising

Alex Rider enters in a final showdown with the criminal organization Scorpia in the final installment of his series, Scorpia Rising.

After two Scorpia missions botched by Alex Rider, Scorpia cannot afford another failure. The story begins with a clever plot to lure Alex to Egypt and kill him in an attempt

to discredit the British government for blackmail purposes (two birds with one stone). Unfortunately, the minds of MI6 fall for the ruse.

“This time everyone on your team was working in the dark,” a Kepler’s reviewer said. “This adventure is just as adrenaline-soaked, just as fast-paced as your previous esca-

pades, but darker, edgier, sadder.” Even after pledging to leave the MI6 for good in the previous book, Alex is neverthe-

less drawn back into the spy life as a sniper attempt on his life fails. Fleeing from the danger of his home, Alex agrees to go to Cairo for the supposedly low-profile mission.

“This book will see a major twist, Smither’s final shocking gadget, and a new side of Alan Blunt,” Guardian News said.

Obviously, Alex uncovers far more sinister motives than suspected, but it seems that at each further step, he is simply falling deeper into the trap. In this last installment, the

chances of his success seem to drop steadily with every word, for a shocking conclusion. “This is one of the best Alex Rider books. You don’t really notice how good it is until

you finish and you take in all that happened,” CBBC reviews said. The plotline of this book is a bit darker than its predecessors. However, it nicely ties up

loose ends while keeping an action packed tale that definitely lives up to the greatness of the entire series.

By HELEN SHENG

Movies Coming to you soon

EntertainmentParagon Springs...

It is 1962 in the American heartland, and the famed “healing waters” of Paragon Springs have been mysterious-ly poisoned. Now, the town’s foremost citizen-crusader, Dr. Thomas stockman, is deter-mined to know the truth be-hind this tragedy, no matter the cost. In this vibrant, often funny, and highly theatrical re-imagining of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, Steven Dietz puts the lure of capitalism and the greed of small-town self-inter-est squarely on trial. Laced with Dr. Stockman’s lasting cry that “the majority is always wrong!” This is an entertaining and il-luminating drama set amid the birth of radio and the final roar of the 1920s about the Human cost of our political gameship

Written by Steven Dietz

Based on Ibsens’s An Enemy of the people

Directed by Ryan McCoy

Photos By BILL BLANKENSHP

Jack & Annie

5

Drawn by SPENCER GUSTIN

For Kerry Livgren, music had always been a part of his life, starting at an early age with an electric guitar he built himself. Graduating in 1967, Livgren embraced music at Topeka West. In those days, the school sponsored dances every Friday night, including a local band. In later years, he found himself playing at a couple of those dances. “It was great fun, and some of those bands were powerful influences on me. Topeka West gave musicians a place to play,” Livgren said. At the time, his interests centered primarily around music, philosophy, and reli-gion. He also liked girls and motorcycles, but “rarely had time for those.” Music was his major obsession. Livgren said he brought “a unique perspective – a different

Kerry Livgrenpersonality” to the school, especially since he didn’t participate in most of the usual activities. “When I was in high school, I had a very small peer group because when everybody was chasing girls and playing football and stuff, we were reading Nietzshe and talking about the great philosophers,” Livgren said. Outside of school, his main influences were his parents and friends, as well as the music he listened to. However, the part he liked most about West was his community of friends and shared interests, again, mostly being musical. Livgren formed his first band, the Gimlets, at Topeka West with some close friends. They soon found themselves booked on weekends all through-out Kansas and along the border of Missouri. He said that in Kansas, the “heart of agricultural America…there was really nothing original going around.” Right from the very beginning, Livgren was the one to write music

for the band. “They were all doing cov-er stuff, so we stuck out like a sore thumb,” Livgren said. “I knew that the only way we’d get a ticket out of here to do something significant in the world of music was to be original.” Only three years after his graduation, the band “Kansas” was formed, with Livgren as its primary song-writer, lead guitarist, and keyboard player. The band soon became well known, often for its bizarre original-ity. “Topeka, Kansas, wasn’t known for turning out il-lustrious rock ‘n’ roll bands,” Brian Holland, music jour-nalist and author, said. “The fact that Kerry was bent on performing and record-ing original material set them apart from the rock music scene that existed in the heart of agricultural America.” Livgren finally left Kansas after 13 years because “at that time (1980’s), the band really wasn’t Kansas any-more.” This was after Steve Walsh, “the voice of Kan-

sas”, and Robbie Steinhardt, the violinist who “kind of gave the band its distinctive flavor” had already gone. Just prior to leaving Kansas, Livgren converted to Christianity after reject-ing “Urantia.” When trying to convert a Christian lead songwriter to Urantian, he himself adopted Christi-anity. This was partly his reason for leaving Kansas, and launched a ten year solo career. “I had these two parallel goals,” Livgren said. “One was to make it big as a rockstar, the other was to find the meaning of life. I’d tried all the major religions, so I was really scraping the barrel when I came to Urantian.” On Sept. 1, 2009, Kerry Livgren suffered a stroke that he is still recovering from. He underwent surgery and received two stents in his carotid arteries. Shortly afterwards, his wife, Vicci Livgren, factured her spine, and they were back in the hospital again. Luckily, she made a full and quick recovery. Kerry Livgren may

also be making a full recov-ery despite having “as bad a stroke as a man can have,” though he probably won’t be able to play guitar with his original skill. Being the primary song-writer, lead guitarist, and keyboard player for Kan-sas, Kerry Livgren played a major part in propelling Kansas to worldwide fame and critical acclaim after penning hits such as “Dust in the Wind” and “Carry on My Wayward Son”. He is listed as a Famous Kansan by the Kansas State Histori-cal Society, with many gold and multi-platinum albums. He is still attempting to find another Urantian, or some-one who has been a Uran-tian, besides himself.

By HELEN SHENG

3

Kerry Livgren

Kerry Livgrin as a Senior at West in 1967. Livrgin’s senior picture.

FeatureA Nice Little Story

One of the biggest worries of students when junior and senior year rolls around is the ACT exam. The ACT college entrance exam tests students’ devel-opment and abilities for college. It is composed of a reading, math, science and writing section with an optional essay. It contains 215 multiple choice ques-tions and takes just over four hours. “I took it before, and it’s really not that hard,” Scot Corzine, 12, said. In 2011, 25% of gradu-

ates met all four College Readiness Benchmarks. The national average score for that year was 21.1, out of a possible total of 36. The reg-istration fee is $34.00, and includes score reports for up to four college choices. The fee for the ACT with the writing section is $49.50. “You should eat a good breakfast and get a good night’s sleep. It’s what I didn’t do, but it really works,” Alfonso Gonzales, 12, said. The ACT is offered for six different days throughout

the year. According to An-gela Seamans, Curriculum Coordinator, the best time for juniors to take the ACT is during April. “If you’re a senior, hope-fully you took it once as a junior and then you can re-take in Sept., Oct. or Dec. if you feel the need,” Seamans said. Unlike the SAT, there are no penalties for incor-rect answers. ACT scores are more common in mid-western states as opposed to the coast schools; however, all four-year colleges and

universities accept the ACT. Different institutions will put different emphases on test scores, compared to other variables such as extracur-riculars and grades. “I have read that the SAT is more reasoning-based and the ACT is more straight-forward analytically. Both exams require an equal amount of studying and effort,” Seamans said. You should take practice tests of both to see which one you do better on.”

Overall Test Tactics:

1. Learn the section direc-tions now. They are always the same.

2. Answer easy questions first. Mark skipped ques-tions in the exam book and return to them later.

3. Guessing is better than leaving the answer blank—there is no penalty for wrong answers.

4. Write in the test book: cross out wrong answers; do scratch work.

5. Avoid stray marks on the answer sheet. A machine scores the test and can’t dis-tinguish between a correct answer and a doodle.

6. Keep checking that the answer is in the right num-ber in the right section.

7. Take practice tests before-hand.

8. Keep track of the time; bring a watch to the test center.

9. Review English grammar and usage, punctuation, parts of speech, sentence structure, and word parts (Tracy Schnacker, English teacher, has many fun prac-tice questions).

10. Use the context clues for unknown words.

11. Examine each underlined portion with care.

12. Beware of obvious an-swers! They may be mislead-ing.

13. Base answers solely on what is stated or implied in the passages, not previous knowledge.

14. Read any introductory text.

15. First and last sentences of each paragraph are criti-cal.

16. Read the passages before reading the questions.

17. Learn in advance all of the definitions, formulas, and concepts.

18. Use the test booklet for scratch work, or to mark up graphs and charts.

By HELEN SHENG

5 tips for eating off campus.

5) Try to use any spare change that you have that is just collecting dust in your home or in your car.

4) Don’t always offer to be the one to drive. If you have a friend who has a car, then take turns driving that way you both save gas and you both don’t have to drive every time.

3) Go to places that give student discounts, for example, CiCi’s Pizza gives a discount to stu-dents at lunch and only charge 3 dollars for the buffet and a drink. Qdoba offers a free drink if you have a student ID.

2) Stay away from places that you know many people are going to go. Not to say you have to be antisocial when going to lunch, but just go somewhere that will be fast so you are not late to class.

1) Use the dollar menu. Many places have an awesome dollar menu that give you a lot of bang for your buck. Use these places wisely.

So just remember these things and you’ll be sure to make the most out of lunch.

By SPENCER RAYMOND

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3D MoviesThe Rise and Fall of the 3-Dimensional EmpireBy JAMIE LADNER

Dance Cont.

While 3D movies have made a comeback over the past two years, they are starting to become unpopular again. When “Avatar” came out in 2009, 80 percent of the revenue came from people who watched the movie in 3D. One year later, only 45 percent of revenue from Disney’s “Despicable Me” came from the 3D showings. A big problem with 3D movies is the cost. The majority of 3D movies are geared towards families, and with the higher price for the 3D showing, most parents would prefer to pay the price for 2D mov-ies. “I would go to the 2D movie because the 3D movie isn’t worth the cost and it doesn’t change the overall effect of the movie,” Josh Stegman, 10, said. “They are going to make classics 3D, such as Star Wars, which I believe is idiocracy.” Another problem with

3D movies is the glasses. It is difficult to persuade young children to wear them, and they aren’t comfortable for people with glasses.

school and area were facing a similar issue. East High School is that school. South-west High School, of the same city of Lincoln Nebraska, had more stake in outsider conduct than simply rules. Mrs. Carton found the article regarding how Southwest handled their issue; it can be found on the obverse of the Socratic Dialectic sheet deal-ing with dance policy. Currently the Student Council and Mrs. Carton are deciding on the word-ing and structure that would best push the idea of what is correct and appropriate at a school dance. The final policy they agree on will be published in next years West (purple) handbook. There have already been several drafts sent between the two

parties and they are quickly finding what the other ex-pects to see. This story has turned from the idea of infringing on student’s rights and what is acceptable in a public school, to unmasking a massive game of telephone that both faculty and students participated in. Interviewees across the board put in their two-cents regarding how the informa-tion was dispersed. Most are unhappy that information has been misconstrued; undoubt-edly due to the hasty push for rules to be in place. A major factor of this, as it turns out, is that the new policy has been added to next years student handbook that was emailed around and is also on the Topeka West Website. Mrs. Carton saw a problem,

and resolved it to the best of her ability. In the end, the article is about if students like the policy. In short, yes. Most students say they want it in place when faced with the idea of telling their parents “can you believe they wont let me grind and simulate sex with my boyfriend/girl-friend at a dance.” Or, if they are faced with the thought Melanie Ralston put up of her husband and herself grinding at a dance. The rules all revolve around the idea that, as two princi-pals put it, they cannot stop you from doing anything if it isn’t expressly defined by the handbooks. It’s hard to define what is wrong about the way some of the people of this generation dance, and therein, hard to stop some-

one without cause. As one of the principals put it “when faced with a student saying ‘well it’s not in the rules’ I just reply ‘well, the rules also state that you wouldn’t ride a horse, naked, through the school either.” What is now in

“Sometimes I don’t get the whole effect because I have glasses,” Amanda Conrade, 11, said. “The 3D glasses are some-times difficult to put over

my glasses.” Some people aren’t fans of 3D in general. “The directors and producers rush the mov-ies so the action scenes

fit the 3D effect, and they care more about that than the storyline and meaning of the movie,” Stegman said.

place is simply a definition to help faculty stop what is go-ing on. Those also said “after Club Carnival and Homecom-ing, we don’t really need to worry about dance conduct. They just don’t do it at Winter Formal or Prom.”

Opinions

Seasonal Fashion

By ARIONA ZAMORA

1. Savannah Hays modeling some fall/winter friendly fashion.

2. The very fasionable Uggs.

3. Thats a blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah bal.

Sports

As the weather changes and gets colder, the time has come to put away our summer dresses and shorts and change our wardrobe. Fall is here, along with fall fashion trends.

Fall trends for girls include those cute little feathers clipped to hair, bright bold crop tops, sweaters, and cardigans. Sweatsuits and hoodies from Love Pink’s Victoria’s Secret brand are trending right now.

Teen boy fashion tends to be more laid back and athletic with such things as hoodies, sweats, and sneakers. As for headgear, snapbacks are the big thing right now. Such things as sweaters and cardigans will be something to look for in fall fashion.

As for footwear, Sper-rys are in for both girls and guys. For a more comfy ca-sual day, you could always wear warm, fuzzy mocasins. To go along with the guys’

athletic look, shoes worn could be Nikes and Jordan along with Nike socks. For girls, suede boots go along with almost anything, not to mention they complete the ultimate look.

The time has come to switch our wardrobe into more appropriate clothes for the upcoming season. As we say goodbye to sum-mer and welcome in the fall, it’s time to embrace the new trends this new season brings.

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11Sports

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1) The Cheerleaders Janell Bridgforth, Melissa Clark, Jessica Davis, Ana Chavez and Marie Fraise, 12, holding hands at the scrimmage.

2) Varsity tennis player Jill Siebert, 12, serving up the ball at practice.

3) Korissa White,12, stricking the ball during a vollyball match.

4) Varsity soccer player Samuel Velasquez,12, getting the ball away from the opposing side.

5) The varsity football team playing against Topeka high.

6) Jared Scrinopski, 10, running during Cross Country.

Editorial Policy

Campus View is an ac-cessible public forum for the publication readers. Editorials represent the collective opinion of the publication staff. Other opinions expressed in any Topeka West stu-dent publication are not necessarily those of the Campus View staff, the student body, faculty, administration or school district. Signed columns and letters to the editor represent the view and opinions of the writer only. The publications are subject to state and fed-eral laws, and the content reflects student thinking and is not necessarily in agreement with adminis-trative policies. The Campus View newspaper will act as an open forum for public dis-cussions and field letters for all of the journalism publications. A forum, by

definition, is “a market-place of ideas”, or “a public meeting place for open discussion.” Letters will be edited for content and length as well as spelling, grammar and other considerations. Let-ters will also be edited if the letter is in poor taste, and letters will be edited to fit space requirements. Letters that are libelous, obscene, or are an inva-sion of privacy will not be printed in the paper. All letters must be signed and verified before pub-lication. The number of letters included will de-pend on page space that is available. The Campus View will not directly answer letters, unless a question is posed. The opinion pages are a forum for the exchange of comment and criti-cism, and they are open to students and others interested in Topeka West High School. All letters to the editor must include

the writer’s name, signa-ture and class position or role in the community. Typed, double-spaces let-ters are preferred, but leg-ible, hand-written letters are acceptable. Emailed letters to the editor WILL NOT be accepted (since no signature will be in-cluded.) Letters should be limited to approximately 300 words, or about one-and-a-half double-spaced, typewritten pages. Poetry is not accepted for publication. Some information used has been provided by MCT Campus.

HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE at Perry and Wamego

Spring 2012 ClassesOnline registration available at www.highlandcc.edu

Final site registration day is January 12, 2012Classes begin January 17, 2012

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