Staley Talon November 2014, Volume 7, Issue 2

Opinion

Volume VI Issue IV | Talon | 1

talontalonStaley High School | Kansas City, Mo. Volume VII Issue II | November 2014

2 | Talon | Volume VII Issue II

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

(2)Opinion Graduation Day

Tests

(8)

Guys & Dolls

No ShaveNovember

Fashion

(12)

All-DistrictOrchestra

Stagecraft (6)

The Layered Look (10)

Fall Sports Wrap Up (14)

(16)

Feature

Lifestyles

Sports

Feature

Feature

Design by Abbi Atwell

Photo byTiffany Thompson

Photo byTiffany Thompson

Photo by Marissa CassawayPhoto by

Tiffany Thompson

Cover Photo Illustration by Keirceten Nelson

Volume VII Issue II | Talon | 3

Staff Page

Dear Staley Thieves, Stealing is wrong. This principle, and law in case you

hadn’t heard, has been passed down through civilizations for centuries. The repercussions for theft in those ancient times were the loss of a hand, and many times death by impale-ment. Although the punishment is nowhere near as horrifying as sacrificing a hand for an extra two chicken strips, some students have seemed to ignore the fact that stealing is still illegal, even in a school setting. While you might not get thrown in the slammer for

sneaking past the lunch staff nice enough to make the food you have so skillfully stolen, the forfeit of your personal in-tegrity should be punishment enough for students who have actual values. For those who have deluded themselves enough to

think they will magically stop this habit after they graduate from high school, 55 percent of adult shoplifters say they started shoplifting in their teens, according to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention. We understand the creativity of secretly packing ice

cream into a coffee cup, but please try using your ingenuity for something other than selfish school lunch theft.

Sincerely, Talon Staff

TalonStaffEditor-in-Chief

Abbi Atwell

Managing EditorPaige Hawkins

MultimediaEditor

Bryttany Holovach

Lifestyles EditorSean Fender

Features EditorPaige Hawkins

Opinions EditorAbbi Atwell

Sports EditorSean Fender

Fashion EditorDallas Beaulieu

Photos EditorDestiny Wilborn

Copy EditorsMarissa Hubbard

Abbi Atwell

ReportersHafsa Sheikh-Hus-

seinHannah Crites

Adrianna McLeanAmber Engle

PhotographersBrad Smith

Tiffany ThompsonJamil Thom-

as-NunnLogan DawsonKaleigh BentzAlayna Lopez

Keirceten Nelson

Graphic ArtisitChase Vallejo

AdviserCherié Burgett

Missing: Lunch

Talon is published quarterly during the school year. Talon will accept letters to the editor in CR202 or at [email protected]. Before the letter is published, we will need to verify the writer’s identity with a photo identification. Letters may not exceed a length of 350 words. We will not publish letters that are libelous, obscene or that may cause a verifiable disruption of the education process of Staley High School. Letters must be signed. Anonymous letters will be discarded. Advertisers may contact the business manager at [email protected], (816) 413-4100 or at 2800 NE Shoal Creek Parkway, Kansas City, MO, 64156-1313.

Opinions expressed in Talon do not reflect the Talon staff’s endorsement of the products or services. Subscriptions are available, $20 for a mailed copy, $10 for an emailed pdf version, or $25 for both.

Talon is a member of NSPA, MIPA and Quill and Scroll. Talon is affiliated with JEA and JEMKC.

Photo by Keirceten Nelson

Staff Editorial

Opinion


As my, and many others’, high-school life comes to a close after four years, the impatience to finish exams and classes is making students eager for the day we can walk across the stage as a united class. This day, however, will not only be filled with congratulations and jade-colored caps thrown into

the air, but also mind-numbing tests for students thirsty for possible college credit. The day normally looked forward to by seniors is now being preceded by a stressful Advanced Placement exam both teachers and students have worked all year to be prepared for. Both parties deserve proper attention, as they both could be considered of the same importance. The attendance for the exam will likely be at an all-time low, only including

only those who are devoted enough or not attending graduation. Students who are brave enough to participate in both will still have to deal with the anxiety and restlessness that comes with these important events. This will result in inaccurate representation of test scores that will not portray the time and effort students spent putting into the class. With the new rotation of graduation between schools, it’s understandable how this is an

issue not easily solved. The change in venue for graduation last year was a step in the right direction and something I suggest not changing back to the location it was in past years. Seeing as we cannot do much to change a national test, the administration needs to take a look at some way to lessen the burden of exam day for the students and teachers who have devoted themselves to a rigorous course in hopes of gaining credit.

Tests or Graduation?Written by Marissa Hubbard

Design by Abbi AtwellPhotos by Keirceten Nelson

Seniors Scheduled to Take AP Tests on Graduation Day

Opinion


Recently, a new phenomenon has sprung about in pop-culture: skinny shaming. Songs like Nicki Minaj’s “Anacon-da” and Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” are catchy, but the lyrics defame skin-ny women. This is not an uncommon thing. Body sham-ing is becoming popular through-out all aspects of social media and entertainment. Our society has pro-moted thin, toned bodies for so long; is it really possi-

ble to promote a thick body without shaming those on the opposite end of the spectrum? On some level, everyone is guilty of degrad-ing someone else for their body; whether it’s our friends, family, people in public, or celebrities. We rarely stop and gage how harsh it is to not only the people being cri-tiqued, but also to us. Over time, we begin to think that it’s OK to skinny or fat shame oth-ers, resulting in self-scrutiny. Earlier this year, “Man Vs. Food’s” Adam Richman, who lost weight through healthy eating and relentless exercise, used the hash tag “#Thinspiration”

on Instagram. This is usually a term used to promote eating disorders. When confronted on the term, Rich-man used insults and offensive com-ments to defend himself, due to his lack of knowledge on the term he used. The “being skinny is better than being fat” motto is some-thing that is used a lot. Curvy girls have developed a new way of think-ing aimed at sup-porting a heavier frame, but this has led us to bash peo-ple for being “too skinny.” Beauty comes from differ-ence. This is the main issue with body bashing in pop culture. We have started to

alienate more people then we are trying to support with negative, pes-simistic views and remarks. It’s hard to live in a world where your body matters so much. It’s hard for skinny men and women. It’s hard for over-weight men and women. It’s hard for everyone in between. As a society, all we should pro-mote is a healthy body. You can be thick and be healthy. You can be skinny and be healthy. This is the only beneficial way to support some-body’s figure with-out causing detri-ment toward both women and men’s body image.

Body ShamingWritten by Adrianna McLean

Pop Culture Begins Notorious New TrendGraphic by Destiny Wilborn


Lifestyles

Dancer“I am a dancer in the night-club. I love performing. I’m just excited to be able to do it. This is the first musical I’ve done at Staley,” senior

Grace Carlson.

Nathan Detroit“I prepared by seeing the

movie and just thinking ‘If I were in this time, how would I react to being chased by the cops since I’m now an addictive gambler?’ I’m

looking forward to perform-ing it and showing off all of

our hard work,” senior Quinn Blades.

Skye Masterson“I play a gambler. He runs

the crap games. He’s kind of a ‘mob boss’ in his own way. He runs around places and is in charge. I got into it by re-sembling the time period of the 20s. How people work in the underground and such,”

senior Carson Bowman.

Nicely-Nicely Johnson“I’m looking forward to

showing people how talent-ed we are and all our hard work we’ve been doing and showing the audience. This

year, since Ms. Trebus is here I feel like the acting part of it is going to be a

lot better,” sophomore Tim Lawson.

MEET THE CAST

Behind the Scenes of Guys & DollsStagecraft Class Creates Set

Working with sophomore Trey Mabion to modify a bench, senior Jacob Smith drills a hole into the board. Smith said that teacher Steve Dains makes Stagecraft fun. “I think it’s fun, just being able to build stuff,” said Smith.

Written by Adrianna McLeanPhotos by Tiffany ThompsonDesign by Paige Hawkins

Students and staff have been working hard to get ready for the musical, “Guys and Dolls.” The Stagecraft class had a big part in helping with the show. “It feels great to be to be helping with the set,” said junior Anthony Liams. “We will be working up until the perfor-mance date.” The musical was on Nov. 20-22. The Stage-craft students learned building and painting techniques in the class. Most set pieces and props were cre-ated by students and staff. “We learned a variety of skills to help build the sets,”

said senior Bren-na Keeling. “Having 3-D pieces gives the musical a lively and realistic feel instead of using only drops that make the show feel 2-D and more like a portrait than a performance.” This year, organization was important to both teachers and stu-dents, according to Stagecraft teacher Steve Dains. “We spent a lot of time organizing work this year,” said Dains. “This is the first time in Stage-craft history that they have actively built the set.” Hard work was put into the musical by students.

“I really like the class,” said sopho-more Zachary Fowle. “I’m excited for how ‘Guys and Dolls’ is going to come to-gether.” Some Stage-craft students and

teachers, like Dains, are happy with the hard work they have put in to the musical. “It’s going to be absolutely amaz-ing,” said Dains.

Photos by Tiffany ThompsonInterviews by Amber Engle


Lifestyles

Big Jule-Mob boss from, Chicago

“I walked into my audition with way too much confi-dence and nailed it. I’ve

been practicing my accent for a while,” junior Cole

Garner.

Actress, Gambler, Sal-vation Army Member“Our rehearsals are more

strict and more focused. We have a lot of practice outside

of practice. I’m looking forward to having everyone work together,” senior Haley

McDougle.

Pickpocket“The musical is a lot dif-ferent this year. It’s more

organized and focused. I ba-sically just go up to random people and steal things from

their pockets. I’m looking forward to putting on the

show,” junior Bridget Politte.

Stage Manager“The play is going really

well. Everyone’s putting a lot of effort into the musical. It’s nice to have people who actually want to work on it and make it a great show. The play is called ‘Guys

and Dolls,’” senior Rae Ann Roberts.

Showing sophomore Jerry Burks how to cut a stool, teacher Stephen Dains prepares the props for the musical. The Stagecraft students have been working on the set a month in ad-vanced. “We’re taking some of the old props that they had, and modifying them so that they work for what they’re doing this time,” said Dains. “We’re also building a few props from scratch.”

Working to get all of the props finished in time, seniors Anna Ohmart and Courtney Hittle paint one of the tables for a café scene on Oct. 28. Anna has been in Stagecraft for two years. “I was in Stagecraft last year. I really enjoyed build-ing sets and stuff,” said Ohmart. “I really like working with my hands.”

Behind the scenes of Stagecraft, junior Lauren Hamre sorts the shop’s supplies. A few students sat in a smaller room and helped the stage craft class to keep their supplies, such as nails, organized. “We’re just pretty much like the librar-ians for the shop,” said junior Lauren Hamre. “Last year, nothing was ever organized; we couldn’t find anything. Since Dains came in, he’s like, ‘Hey, let’s get this done. Let’s find stuff.’”


Feature

You may hear about a lot of men with itchy faces and women with itchy legs this fall season, but as they let it grow do they know what No Shave November is about? “I’ve always participated in No Shave November because I feel that it is my right as woman to freely do so. But after hearing about how everything originally got started, it just added so much more meaning to the cause,” said sophomore Leah Mosher. Letting hair grow has been a trending topic for quite some time now. Some people may do it to support women’s

rights; others may do it simply because they want an excuse to be lazy. Even Abraham Lincoln’s famous “Gettysburg Address” was originally named the “Gettysbeard address” because it was supposed to encourage all men to grow beards that were fuller and hairier than the beards of the Confederacy, according to no-shave.org. This phenomena has now advanced the tradition to help a cause. In autumn 2009, the founders of no-shave.org wanted to find a way that anyone—regardless of age, gender or income—could raise money. No Shave November was their

obvious choice. Since nearly everyone spends the same amount of money on grooming, why not use the current November trend to raise money for cancer? The founders understood the hardship cancer patients’ families and friends endure. In the spirit of the founders’ families, they started fundraising and made hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. In 2013, No Shave November partnered with the American Cancer Society to make sure all the funds raised in the annual campaign would be distributed throughout research, prevention, education

and continuing care. No Shave November helps embrace the hair that many cancer patients lose during treatment, and benefits finding a cure. They hope to not only raise money from the current participants, but to also use their cause to encourage other people to join in on the hair-growing fun. “I’ve never done it before, so this is my first year participating. I didn’t know the origins of No Shave November, but now that I do, it makes me want to do it again because it’s for a good cause,” said senior Jacob Pfender.

No Shave November Supports A CauseWritten by Adrianna McLean

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Feature

“My honest opinion is I’m lazy, and girls and guys can be hairy and happy.”

“It’s been fun. It’s aged me a lot, and I hope when I shave it off, I look young again.”

Who Wears It Better?

“I have had a full mustache since sixth grade and beard since eighth grade.”

Junior Jacob AvondetTeacher Scott AndersonJunior Mikayla Spears

Mark Mundell Clark Mershon Sharon Roberts Chad Brinton Fred Brouchard

Photos by Keirceten NelsonGraphic by Chase Vallejo

Graphics by Keirceten Nelson and Chase Vallejo


Fashion

The Art of

Start with a simple dress with ruffles on the end, and add a thick sweat-er that cov-ers to the edge of the dress. Fin-ish the look with tights and knee-high boots.

One new trend is but-toning up a jean shirt with a sweater overlap-ping so that the collar and cuffs of the jean shirt show. Pair with black leggings and fin-ish with brown booties for a polished look.

For a chic, edgy look, match a plain white tee with a black jacket and a colorful flan-nel tied around your waist. For an even more layered look, add necklaces and rings.

The taller the boot, the better. The lean lines from the boot will give the look of longer legs.

Brow

n Boo

ts

TREND REPORT Fall Shoes 2014

These new tie-up shoes are the biggest trend. Whether they are styled as boots or booties, the more complex the bet-ter.


Fashion

TREND REPORT Fall Shoes 2014

Blac

k La

ce U

ps

Laced up to the toe or with thick straps around the ankle, these shoes add a spe-cial dimension to the overall look.

Strappy Heels

Written by Dallas Beaulieu Photos by Tiffany Thompsonand Alayna Lopez

Layering Fall Back Outfits

We all have those days where we are running late for school and can’t find anything to wear. Here are some outfits that you can put togeth-er easily with any basic clothing pieces.

The simpler the clothing pieces the better. Start with a plain shirt under a tex-tured jacket. Add dark-wash jeans, converse and a hipster-inspired beanie.

A plain shirt, army jacket, jeans and Converse are a good alternative to those who don’t want to wear too many sta-ple pieces together.

Throw on any over-sized sweater of any pattern or color. Match with plain leggings and fin-ish off with combat boots.

The easiest thing you can do as a guy is pick up any crew neck sweat-er, paired with jeans and Con-verse. This outfit can be put together easily and with any

sweater.


Lifestyles

Seven stu-dents have been selected for the Kansas City Metro All-District Orches-tra. They auditioned with hundreds of other students from around the metro area; it is a huge accomplishment for the students to have been selected, according to orches-tra teacher James Freise. After success in auditions, re-hearsing is not over. With so much competition, a sig-nificant amount of preparation is need-ed, Freise said. Extra time out of class was a major com-ponent; even tak-ing time during the summer to practice was asked of the students in order to make All-Districts, according to Freise. Junior Jenni-fer Whitehead made first chair cello in the string orchestra; she

said that she was surprised to have made it. The thing Whitehead worked the most on was the scales and excerpts. This is the first time that she’s placed as a lead, which makes All-Districts a new experience, for her, Whitehead said. In addition to White-head, Junior Hannah Reilly placed first chair in bass for the string orchestra; this is her first time as a lead. “I was really excited when I found out, because I got a lead this year,” said Reilly. Reilly also said that she tried to practice on a more regular schedule in order to improve at playing the bass. Another student who made string orchestra was soph-omore Gensis Cas-tulo, placing second violin and 15th chair. Castulo said she is

determined to reach mastery in order for the music to sound fluent. . Placing in all-dis-tricts takes on a new responsibility said Castulo. “I would say making all districts is a huge responsibility, be-cause practicing and trying to perfect it is quite a challenge,” said Castulo. When ask-ing students what it feels like to perform, many believe, like sophomore Brittani Lubeck, that it was honor. Lubeck placed second violin and 15th chair in the string orchestra; this is her first year earning a spot in all districts. She said she had to commit every day in order to make it. “Placing in All-Dis-tricts felt amazing; I achieved something I’ve always wanted,” said Lubeck.

Even though per-forming is some-thing, most of the students thrive for, nerves can be hard to get a grip of said Lubeck. Not only was the audition nerve racking, but now the students are preparing for an even more anxi-ety-inducing perfor-mance, according to Whitehead. The performance for all districts is here at Staley on Jan. 10th at 7 p.m. Freise offered some advice for the preparing students.“The best advice I could give them is to take deep breaths, not let nerves get to them and to also have fun while performing,” said Freise.

Student Musicians Prepare forKansas City Metro All-DistrictsWritten and Design by Bryttany Holovach

Photo by Abbi Atwell

All-District Band Results Student Accepted into Mis-souri All-State Choir

All-District Band: Xavier Munoz

All-District Band and Jazz Band: Anthony Kasper

Honorable Metions: Carissa Kasper, Lilly Loving, Rachel McLees, Natianna Ohmart, Starrla Smith, Mikayla Stupps

Photo by Tiffany Thompson Photo by Keirceten Nelson

Senior Carson Bowman made Missouri All-State Choir.


Lifestyles


Sports

Fall Sports Wrap UpDesign by Sean FenderInterviews by Logan Dawson

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Taking on, and beating another player, senior Tony Varela looks up the field on Oct. 8. At the home game, varsity plays North Kansas City High School in a conference game. “The season went pretty well. We could have done better, but overall it was good,” said Varela.Photo by Lauren Hudson

Varsity beat Park Hill South High School to win section-als at home, which is a ticket to the state quarterfinals. Seniors Adam Pruitt, David Bodenheimer and Tony Varela led the team as captains on Nov 4. “I thought it was re-ally good that we made it to quarterfinals two years in a row,” said Pruitt. “We made it far, it’s just sad that it had to come to an end.” Photo by Logan Dawson

Staley Cross Country had 6 people go to state and everyone who did, placed. State was in Jefferson City, Mo, Oct. 8. “The season was very successful because we focused more on training for state versus training to place well in other meets,” said junior Mikay-la Spears. Photo courtesy of Mikayla Spears


Sports

This year, the girls made it to state, and it’s the farthest they’ve ever been. Junior Deanna Mace gets ready to serve the ball Sept. 8. “I think it went well that we won conference and had two girls go to state,” said Mace. Photo By Marissa Cassaway

Junior Connor McCullough completes a pass on Sept. 26. In the conference game, Varsity beat North Kansas City 55-18. “I think we had a lot of success, but unfortunately we came up short,” said McCullough. Photo by Brooke Bannister

Senior Ana Doval Rodriguez tees up and hits a shot on October 6th. Sectionals took place at Paradise Point, where Sta-ley placed 5th. “I had so much fun,” said senior Doval Rodriguez. “In Spain you don’t get to practice as a team.” Photo by Brad Smith

Boys swim went to state at the St. Louis Rex Plex on Nov. 7 and 8. Junior Collin Duffy swam in the 200-medley relay, 200 freestyle relay and also the 100 breaststroke. “The whole team was awesome, and we had really great seniors,” said Duffy. “State was amazing. We went in seeded seventh, and everyone swam really well and dropped time.” Photo by Madi-son Lott

Softball went to districts, and lost, but they had a successful season as they undefeated and ended with a record of 21-4. Senior Peyton Herman winds up for a pitch on Sept. 8. “I am so proud of the girls and all of their hard work,” said coach Andrea Holmes. “It was by far the best softball season in Staley History.” Photo by Hannah Mountz

In the midst of blocking the ball, junior Breana Kamaka jumps into action with the help of another player on Sept. 11. The girls played North Kansas City High School in a conference game. “We started out rough, and then stared to finish strong and jelled together and helped our play,” said Kamaka. Photo by Christina Chau

Performing a duet, se-niors Liz Pace and Carson Bowman sing about love. They were both singing about how they thought the love of their lives should be. “I was trying to establish my idea of the perfect man, and he was telling me, ‘Well, here’s what I think it should be,’ and we end up kissing in the end,” said Pace. “We sing at each other, and then we sing with each other.”

Singing with senior Liz Pace, senior Carson Bowman practices a duet for the musical, “Guys & Dolls.” Bowman says that another male character bets him that he can’t take Pace’s character to Havana. “I spend all of the scenes trying to get her to go with me. She’s trying to play it off, and she tries to ignore me, so that’s when we start singing together. I make the move, and she backs out,” said Bowman.

Appearing on stage after senior Chris Skram’s introduction are the Hot Box Girls, freshman Ava Delsemme, juniors Hannah White and Alayna Dick, and sophomores Valerie Chandler and Michelle Williams. While performing on stage, they were being watched by male characters. Their roles called for them to act flirty.

Photos by Tiffany Thompson

Hosting the Hot Box, senior Chris Skram prepares the crowd for the oncoming dancers. Skram said that he made his costume out of two parts of another costume. “I am the master of ceremonies in the Hot Box,” said Skram. “I come out there and announce the ladies.”

Talking on the phone with another character is se-nior Quinn Blades. Blades plays Nathan Detroit, one of the lead male char-acters. “I was talking to Colton Carter’s charac-ter, Joey Biltmore, about having my illegal crap game,” said Blades. “Joey needs money for it, but I don’t have the money.”

Guys & Dolls

Documents

Staley Talon November 2014, Volume 7, Issue 2