Trojan Trumpet

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Winter concert showcases performers December 2009 Volume LXXXIV Issue 3 Troy High School Troy, KS 66087

by Daniel Dominguez Recently, Daniel Dominguez and eight students from other county schools joined to compete in the Knowl-edge Master Open or KMO. What did all of these high school stu-dents have in common? They are all members of the Doniphan County Education Cooperation

Gifted Program. The students from Doniphan West, Wa-thena, Elwood, and Troy high schools all practiced sepa-rately with gifted program teacher Heather Yates and met for the first time for the competition at Pizza Hut in Wa-thena on December

the kids got to be to-gether and hopefully we will be more pre-pared for the quiz next time.” Dominguez is not the only gifted program team member from Troy. Steven Clary, a junior, is also on the team but was unable to attend the event.

by Mickayla Shelton

This year the band and choir kicked the season off with their winter program Mon-day, December 14. The high school choir

sang “My Favorite Things” “Down to the River to Pray,” and “Hallelujah” from Shrek with the middle school choir. The band played

2. This has been the first time that all of the county gifted pro-gram students have gathered together in several years. The international competition, a com-puter quiz whose scores are submitted via the internet, con-sisted of 200 questions requiring “higher-lev-

el thinking skills” or so said KMO’s web-site. Although Do-niphan County’s team scored below the 1200 average score, they will still have another chance in May and enjoyed meeting each other. Yates said of the ex-perience, “I thought that it was great all of

by Katie Smith Most people associ-ate the holiday season with giving. That is exactly what the Kay-ette girls are doing. This year they decid-ed to adopt a family and provide them with a holiday meal. The members used money out of their organiza-tion’s fund to covet the cost. The second project the girls are involved in is the NEK-CAP angel tag gifts. They

chose three tags to buy gifts for. Two tags were for little girls and one tag was for a little boy. The Kayettes had fun shopping for these youngsters. Last, but not least, the Kayettes are do-nating hats, gloves and winter clothing to NEK-CAP also. Giv-ing to others is espe-cially gratifying at this holiday time of year. Sometimes it is better to give than receive.

by Whitlea Klaus The “Pretty Young Things” of Troy Grade School danced at half time of the Wathena vs. Troy game Friday, De-cember 4. The girls danced to a theme of Michael Jack-son that they learned during a Saturday clinic November 28. The high school dancers have done this fundraiser for many years and love

working with the girls. K-6 graders took a break from their normal Saturday schedules to attend the dance clinic at the high school. A total of 44 girls participated. The kids were split into three groups: kin-dergarten and first graders, second and third grade, and four

“Rockin’” and “Win-ter Fantasy.” The highlights of the evening were “Run, Rudolph, Run” by the high school choir, and “Alvin and Chip-

munks” by the band. Brittany Clary sang a solo in “Down to the River to Pray.” Daniel Dominguez, Brittany Clary, Micah Bembrick, and Dil-

lon Simpson sang as a group in “Run, Ru-dolph, Run.” The director is Mrs. Leah Meek.

through sixth grade. During the two-hour clinic the girls had a few small breaks for Little Debbies, orange juice and some short games. The girls also received Trojan Danc-er shirts to perform in. “It was great work-ing with the little girls and dancing to a Mi-chael Jackson med-ley,” junior Macken-zie Clary said.

Area students compete internationally

Dancers sponsor clinic

Kayettes get Involved

Dancers pose for a picture after their performance on December 4. Photo by Laurie Simpson.

Editorial Trojan Trumpet December 2009

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Different pleases some; leaves others unsatisfied

The Trojan Trumpet

PO Box 160 66087 Volume LXXXIVIssue 3 December 2009

Editors in Chief:Daniel DominguezNews Page: Daniel Dominguez, Mickayla Shelton, Katie Smith, Whit-lea KlausEditorial Page:Whitlea Klaus, Ste-ven Clary, Daniel DominguezFeature Page:Whitlea Klaus, Dil-lon Simpson, Katie Smith

Sports Page:Steven Clary, Whit-lea Klaus, Dillon SimpsonPhotography:Mickayla Shelton and StaffAdvisor:Martha-Jean Rockey

by Daniel Dominguez

Due to this month’s weather conditions, it has sometimes been dangerous to venture out of the house and into the winter won-derland that awaits us outside. There are alternatives to ac-tivities that may nor-mally require you to traverse the snowy ground, though. Re-cently, in lieu of going to the movie theater, I brought the movie theater to my home. Renting movies is a “safer” way to view box office hits after the fact. Hastings in St. Jo-seph, MO claims to have the lowest rental rates in town but upon seeing a bin of $5.99 movies I decided to make one my own. I, of course, picked one I had never heard of on a hunch that I would like my selec-tion. My choice: Grey Gardens. Grey Gardens is a look at the eccentric lives of mother and daughter, both named Edie Bouvier Beale. The two relatives of Jackie Onassis were made famous in the

documentary made about their lives in 1975. Drew Bar-rymore, Jessica Lange, and Dan-iel Baldwin star in this colorful and sometimes shock-ing film. This riches-to-rags sto-ry made me laugh and shows (for the first time) Barry-more’s dynamic acting skills. I was definitely not disappointed in my purchase and I would recom-mend this film to anyone interested in United States aristocrats who is looking for some-thing different. Should you, however, feel the need to break your cabin fever, I ate at one of my favorite restaurants but one I feel is labeled as a “wing place” too quickly. Buffalo Wild Wings is a newer establish-ment on the St. Jo-seph dining scene so we chose to eat there. My two friends and I had all been to Buffalo’s before

but we decided to get something we had never had. Nei-ther of them ended up liking their new choices. The Parme-san Garlic Chicken Flatbread and Jerk Chicken Sandwich were not up to their standards. I am not usually a wing man so I had the 12-piece boneless wing meal and chose three sauces: Parmesan Garlic, Honey Bar-beque, and Asian Zing. I enjoyed all of them thoroughly. The three of us all ate for under $30 but perhaps Buffalo Wild Wings should stick to their name-sake. So whatever the weather, here are some tips to keep your winter season full of fun.

An original movie poster form the 1975 documen-tary shows “Little” Edie standing in front of her mother’s run down Hampton’s beach house.

Drew Barrymore portrays “Little” Edie Beales.

Editorial Trojan Trumpet December 2009

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How do you feel about the issue of PDA in Troy High School?

Students getting too friendly?

“I think they should keep their personal love life out of the halls,” said freshman Christo-pher Tharman.

by Steven Clary

In the past few years a change has been sweep-ing through Troy High School. I’ve noticed more cou-ples walking the halls, hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm, all the while displaying their affections for each other, and ev-eryone else, to see. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m all for dating and being in love or whatever, but I personally don’t want to see you and your other half showing your “love” in the hall-ways of the school. You may be won-dering, “What’s the

big deal?” or “So what?”…Well, there are many problems with public display of affections or PDAs, the largest problem being that it is happening at school. The school should be a place where students can learn without dis-tractions, a goal that is hard to achieve when dodging busy couples on the way to class. The school should also be an ally against this dis-grace. If the rules against PDAs were enforced as well as the “cell phone pol-icy” I doubt I would have to write this. Although this is

a large problem at Troy High School, not all couples have an issue with PDA. Only a few of these relationships display their emo-tions so strongly. These rogue couples should have enough respect for their fellow classmates to avoid the pub-lic displays, but if not, they should at least have enough respect for their teachers to abstain from the activities. Another problem I have with PDA is the timing. I notice a lot of affection usually seconds before the bell rings for each class. Each class is

only an hour long; I think you might be able to survive with-out each other. I hate to think how rough times must have been last year with 90-minute classes. There is no need to say good-byes and act like you’ll never see her/him again. Maybe a tardy could even be avoided if the parting were left to a simple, “See you later.” Here’s a tip for the guys: How do you think your girlfriend feels when you two are getting “inti-mate” in front of all your friends? Es-pecially in front of friends who are hor-

mone-driven with God-knows-what running through their heads. Mean-while your girl isn’t feeling too lady-like, and, girls, think about your friends and what they’re thinking. We all know how easily a girl can get a “name” in a small town. Hopefully after reading this essay, you realize public displays of affection have no place in Troy High School, and so I ask of you, please, refrain from public love.

“PDA is gross! There’s a difference between holding hands and being connected at the hip. People understand if you like each other, but you don’t need to have your hands all over each other all the time!” said sophomore Olivia Bennett.

Although PDA is against school policy, I feel that there are far, far too many violations of this policy, especially in the halls during pass-ing periods and after school,” said Mr. Matt Stevenson.

“It’s gross. Save it for your alone time. We don’t want to see the sex!” said junior Kodie Wetmore.

“It’s N-A-S-T-Y! I wish it would stop!” said senior Ross Libel.

Feature Trojan Trumpet December 2009

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Letters to SantaDear Santa, I would like a brand new Chevy Silverado 2500 4x4 with chrome dual exhaust, tail pipes, and four inch lift kit. Oh, and one million dollars. Thanks, Jared Meng

Brad has four sisters. Krys and Liz are bio-logical sisters. Megan and Diana are both ad-opted. His sisters do not go to Troy. Brad was also adopted.

Learn about Laflinby Dillon Simpson Do you know much about new student Brad Laflin? Brad is seventeen; he is a se-nior. Brad moved from Atchison, where he went to Atchison High, a 4a school, a much larger school than here. Brad said, “ I liked

Atchison High; it was a larger school.” So far he has liked Troy, He said, “It's a smaller school, but it's still fun.” Brad plans on going to college, but he is not sure what college he wants to go to yet. His major will most likely be in forensic psychology.

Dear Santa, I would like some very cute clothes and money for my Jamaica trip. Oh, and of course, a pony! Love, Haley Whetstine

Dear Santa, This year I’m asking for a lot of things for Christmas. First I would love for each and every child on earth to have its basic needs met. Next, I ask for our world leaders to come up with solutions to help reduce carbon emissions to a safe level. Finally, world peace. Love, Mrs. Jene’t Brown

Dear Santa,I would like to get the full se-ries of the Twilight books. I would also like a new car stereo with new speakers. The last thing I want is a new stereo for my room. Love, Millie King

Dear Santa,I would like the book Dating for Dum-mies for Christmas. I would also like to have plastic surgery to correct my face. A cool car or truck would be nice so I will look sexy. Thanks, Anonymous

Dear Santa, The first thing I want is a new Hot Wheels car set. I love playing cars with my buddies. I also want some new un-derwear; mine are starting to get little holes in them. I don’t know why they are getting holes. I also want some money; everyone needs money and I can’t buy anything without money... I would ask for a new girlfriend but I like the one I have now. So don’t get me a new girlfriend. And if it isn’t asking too much, could you get me a brush? From Dillon Simpson

Dear Santa, The main thing I want this year is an IPod Nano. I want the newer version so I can record and take pictures with it. I really need it because it will help me get through my homework faster! Sincerely, Jackie Mott

Dear Santa, This year for Christmas I would like this new perfume called Viva las Juicy from Sephora, some jeans from American Eagle, and tops from Aeropostle, and a can of pink paint for my bed-room. An iPhone and a new car would also make me very happy. In addition to all of that, a Juicy Couture charm bracelet and necklace from Nordstom and a ring from Kay would be nice. I would also like some hair stuff, makeup, pretty clothes, and other things, and a poster of Zac Efron. Love, Erin Clary

Feature Trojan Trumpet December 2009

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where they sing Christ-mas songs in Spanish and talk in Spanish the whole class. As soon as they step in the room, they are not allowed to speak English. Tues-days, they have kinder-garten day where they bring food and read sto-ries. Wednesday, they write short stories in under eight minutes, and Thursday they partici-pate in skits. Finally, Fri-day they read more sto-ries. Ashley explained to me how this was a fun way to learn and has made it much easier to pick up on language. Horton was a great experience for me and made me learn not ev-ery school is the same. As you walk through Troy’s hallways, be thankful for the friendly faces you see, because although we aren’t “high-tech” and burst-ing at the seams with students, we are Troy High School, and our school is unique to us.

etry, child development, drafting, and civics. As I shadowed my cousin, we went to her first hour class, biology. There, they studied to prepare for finals at the end of the week. Each class is only 45 minutes long since they have eight periods a day, so students defi-nitely have to use their time wisely. As the bell rang, students flew through the halls to get to their next class on time. Next, we went to ad-vanced com-puter applications, where each student was working on the final semester project. Each student was assigned to pick a place where they would like to travel for seven days. In the proj-ect they had to include a two-page paper, a spreadsheet of expenses,

and a brochure. A ra-dio had country playing while students worked quickly in hopes they would get finished on time. Before I knew it, we were in the hall hus-tling to another build-ing for the next class. As Ashley and I went to other classes, like ad-

vanced choir and hor-ticulture, many more things became obvious that are different from Troy. I noticed instantly that teachers are pro-vided more money for things such as over 200 plants in their green-house. The teacher ex-plained how having that

many resources would give students the oppor-tunity to partner up and they are assigned to take care of a certain amount of plants, which is a big part of their grade. Horton has three lunches, which has three bells within a 10-min-ute increment, so that

lines are shorter. About 50 people are in each lunch. Like Troy, they too only offer a cer-tain meal for lunch. Candy and pop machines are turned off during the day, to keep students in class. They of-fer regular pop, Gatorade, and in

cans. Students can buy snacks before and after school or during their 35-minute lunch break. The last class that I was able to attend with Ashley was Spanish II, which was one of the most interesting classes I went to. Mondays, they have chat day,

and gloves, or winter ac-cessories are easy gifts for girls. As you finish your last-minute shopping, take these items into con-sideration to make your shopping quick and easy this year!

are many items that are great for Christmas gifts at reasonable prices. Boys, boys, boys! It is always hard to buy for teens, especially the picky ones! Gas cards are an easy gift that boys can always use. Boys never have too many t-shirts. Rue 21 sells all types of graphic tees at great prices, al-ways having new sales. Outside of school, it

by Whitlea Klaus Every school is the same. No matter where you travel near Troy, you will find exactly what you left behind. This was my opinion un-til I had the opportunity to find out for myself. As I traveled in the freezing rain, I wasn’t expecting Horton High School to be much dif-ferent than our small school at Troy. They dismiss at 3:25, just like Troy. They have every class, every day, just like Troy. So what is so different between Troy and Horton? I learned quickly that the size of a school is just a number. Although Horton High School isn’t too much larger than Troy, more oppor-tunities are available for their students. For example, Horton of-fers a total of 27 more classes than Troy. This astounded me. Some of the classes included con-struction tech, trigonom-

Size is just a number...

by Whitlea Klaus Whoosh! This is the sound of our holiday season as it flies by! Is it possible to get all of our Christmas shopping done in time? From basketball games to snow days to home-work, there is hardly any time to sleep, let alone shop for friends and fam-ily. As students ponder over what to purchase, little do they know there

isn't unusual to see a guy with a hat on. Lids sells all types of hats, no two hats being similar. They also sell gift cards, al-lowing you to put any amount of money on them. Girls love things that smell good! Bath & Body is the perfect place to find numerous types of lotion, body wash, gift baskets, or gift cards. Blankets, scarves

Ashley Dishon, Emily Becker, and Paige Gasper work on their final for Advanced Computer Applications.

Last-minute gift ideas here

Lotions (above) and gas cards (left) can be perfect gifts for shoppers who have waited until the last minute.

Sports Trojan Trumpet December 2009

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by Steven Clary Basketball for the Trojans began Thursday, Decem-ber 3 as Troy hosted the McLouth Bull-dogs. This game was to decide seed-ing in the annual, preseason Delaware Valley League tour-nament. Poor shooting was the story of the night as the Trojans went 14 of 55 from the field and shot 55% from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs had bet-ter luck. They fin-ished the game with shooting 33% from the field. Turnovers also proved to be an important factor in the Trojan loss. A total of 21 lost pos-sessions didn’t help Troy at all. At the end of the fourth quarter the score was 43-35, in favor McLouth. Leading scor-ers for the Trojans were Eli Smith with 23 points and Ross Libel who had 5 points. Steven Clary, Garrett Masters, and Peter Masters each had 2 points. Ken-

neth Tharman also helped the effort, chipping in a free throw. The next game the Trojans played was against neighbor and rival Wathena. This game had no affect on league or tour-nament standings but was still impor-tant to both teams. Wathena came into the game a heavy favorite as they were coming off a win against Valley Falls the night be-fore. Looking like a well-oiled machine, the Trojans racked up 17 points in the first quarter while holding Wathena to a mere 7 points. In the second quarter the Wildcats kept the Trojan offense in check, allowing them to score only 4 points. The Tro-jan defense was also present, holding Wathena to 6 points. The score at the end of the first half was Troy 21, Wathena 13. After halftime, of-fensive production increased by both teams. Wathena

scored 13 points, their scoring total in both the first and second quarter com-bined; meanwhile the Trojans extended their lead to 16. The score at the end of the third quarter was 42-26 in favor of the Trojans. Troy con-tinued to flex their defensive muscles, never allowing the Wildcats to come within 8 points of the lead. The game ended with the Tro-jans in front, 49-36.Troy’s leading scor-ers were Steven Clary, 18; Eli Smith, 13; Peter Masters, 6; Ross Libel, 5; Gar-rett Masters, 5; and Kenneth Tharman, 2. The Trojans com-bined for 55% field-goal shooting and 88% from the free-throw line. The second round of the tournament began December 11, after three snow days and being post-poned twice. The Trojans were set to take on the Chargers of Jefferson County North. The Chargers had won their previ-ous contest against

Maur Hill but had lost the tournament pigtail game against Oskaloosa. JCN came out firing, scoring 16 points in the first quarter. Troy failed to get anything go-ing on offense and came away with 4 points. After a slug-gish first quarter, Troy was beginning to come around as they outscored the Chargers 11-10 in the second quarter. The score at half-

time was 26-15 in favor of JCN. The Trojans re-sorted to their old ways in the second half as they were outscored, 10-8 in the third quarter and 11-7 in the fourth. The final score was 47-30, JCN. The Trojans’ first league game came in the form of the Immaculata Raid-ers. Troy won the game 43-29.

Boys Basketball Underway

From top to bottom: Peter Masters shoots the ball. Eli Smith dribbles looking for an open teammate.

Sports Trojan Trumpet December 2009

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by Whitlea Klaus

Lady Trojan bas-ketball started with a bang against the Valley Falls Drag-ons December 3 when the girls took home a victory of 44-35. Hana Speaks led the scoring with 17 points, followed by Bailey Morgan with 10. Hannah Simpson had four assists and four steals against the Dragons. The girls’ victory over the Dragons guar-

point at the end of the game, and var-sity took home the winning score of 48-16. Speaks led the scoring with 14 points followed by Kia Grable with 10. The Trojans trav-eled to Oskaloosa December 7 to take on the defending DVL champions, the JCN Chargers. The girls played an ex-cellent game, show-ing their tenacious defense. Speaks and Grable

led the scoring with 11 points, followed closely by Morgan, with nine. In the end, the Trojans fell short of a victory with a score of 44-40. “I though we played great. We played like a team. We just ran out of time,” Morgan said. Next, the Tro-jans played Jack-son Heights, Satur-day, December 12, where they faced a lot of adversity due

to sickness and ab-sences. The Cobras defeated the Lady Trojans, 36-59. The Trojans var-sity teams took home a clean sweep against the Immacu-lata Raiders Tues-day, December 15. Come support all of the Trojan basket-ball teams in their upcoming games!

Leslie Ostertag, De-siree Weatherford and Haley Whet-stine. The boys were Peter Masters, Dillon Simpson, and Gabe Marti-nez. The managers were Olivia Ben-nett, Kayla Hixson and Ashley Miller. This year’s foot-ball letters went to Ross Libel, Gun-nar Huss, Jordan Thornberry, Peter

Masters, Eli Smith, Jacob Stock, Steven Clary, Jesse Masters, Garrett Meng, Ken-neth Tharman, Brent Schultz, Cody Ben-nett, Jared Meng, Aaron Shelton, Ja-cob Clary, Kaeleb Zeltwanger, Brady Adams, Justin Mess-inger, and Randall Baskins. There were five special awards given out by coach Tod

Warner also. Most Valuable Player was Kenneth Tharman. Most improved player was Randall Baskins. Special Teams Player was Jesse Masters. Most Valuable Lineman was Jared Meng. The Tom Keller award for most tack-les went to Garrett Meng. The volleyball team this year let-

by Dillon Simpson

The fall athletic awards banquet was Tuesday, November 24; the cross coun-try, football and vol-leyball coaches rec-ognized those who had lettered. This year’s cross country team let-tered eight runners, and three manag-ers. The girl runners were Hannah Simp-son, Hana Speaks,

tered 10 players. Seniors were Han-nah Simpson, Kia Grable, and Bailey Morgan. Juniors were Mackenzie Clary and Whitlea Klaus. The soph-mores were Jessica Weatherford, and Millie King. Fresh-men were Tanner Weishaar, Paige Fenley, and Kelli Marriott.

anteed the Trojans a spot in the winning bracket of the DVL tournament at Oska-loosa. “We knew we had to play tough in order to win and we came together, played tough, and it brought us a vic-tory,” Speaks said. The first home game of the season, December 4, the girls made a clean sweep. The JV took a victory over the Wildcats by one

Fall Athletic Banquet rewards athletes

Girls basketball begins with league tournament

Pictured right are the seniors rewarded at the Fall Athletic Banquet November 24. Photo by Laurie Simpson.

Pictures Trojan Trumpet December 2009

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You’ve been spotted

Clockwise from top: Freshmen Thomas Hagerty and Sammie Whetstine pose for a picture in their agriculture class. Juniors Steven Clary and Kaeleb Zeltwanger work on a project together in science. Ashley Dishon sings in her advanced choir class. Braun Huss defends a Wathena basketball player. Dylan Norris and Preston Foley converse during class. Micah Bembrick, Daniel Dominguez, Dillon Simpson, and Brittany Clary perform at the winter music concert. The Trojan Dancers perfom to a Michael Jackson medley at the basketball game agaist Wathena.