Track team hosts Jaguar Invitational

The Jaguar Invitational track meet was held at Mill Valley High School on Friday, April 5. The boys team placed third overall with 108 team points, and the girls team placed first overall with 155 team points. Individual results can be found below. Head coach Chris Dunback feels that the meet was important in that it highlighted what areas and events the team still needs to work on.

“BLAH DEE BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH,” Dunback said. “BLAH DEE BLAH BLAH DEE DEE BLAH.”

Using the results from the meet, Dunback says that he will do something or other.

INSERT ANOTHER QUOTE FROM COACH DUNBACK HERE OKAY OKAY I’M DONE GOODBYE.

Sophomore hurdler Cody Deas said something else about the meet.

INSERT QUOTE HERE, Ford said. INSERT QUOTE HERE.

PUT IN ANOTHER LEAD OF SOME SORT FROM senior pole vaulter Emily Brigham.

AND THEN ANOTHER QUOTE. JUST FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES.

The varsity track team will compete at the Ottawa Invitational, which will be held at Ottawa High School on Monday, April 8. The events will begin at 3:30 p.m.

The team and individual results of the meet are as follows:

Boys – Team Standings:

De Soto High School – first place – 122 points

Ottawa High School – second place – 113 points

Mill Valley High School – third place – 108 points

Girls – Team Standings:

Mill Valley High School – first place – 155 points

Winnetonka High School – second place – 123 points

Lansing High School – third place – 97 points

Boys 100 Meter Dash:

Senior Kendall Short – fourth place

Senior Staton Rebeck – seventh place

Senior Logan Zavodny - eighth place

Boys 200 Meter Dash:

Senior Keenan Ford – seventh place

Boys 400 Meter Dash:

Ford – fifth place

Senior John Poorman – seventh place

Boys 800 Meter Run:

Sophomore Drew Nelson – second place

Boys 1600 Meter Run:

Junior CJ Meeks – third place

Freshman Derek Meeks – fourth place

Sophomore Kurt Loevenstein – fifth place

Junior Graham Wilson – sixth place

Boys 3200 Meter Run:

Senior Stephen McEnery – sixth place

Freshman Hunter Brown – eighth place

Boys 110 Meter Hurdles:

Sophomore Cody Deas – first place

Junior Tyler Hinnen – sixth place

Boys 300 Meter Hurdles:

Deas – second place

Freshman Christian Jegen – third place

Boys 4×100 Meter Relay:

Mill Valley – Zavodny, Short, sophomore Kyal Long and Rebeck – third place

Boys 4×400 Meter Relay:

Mill Valley – CJ, sophomore Teddy Gillespie, Loevenstein and Ford – third place

Boys 4×800 Meter Relay:

Mill Valley – Gillespie, Nelson, freshman Zac Korris and Brown – second place

Boys High Jump:

Poorman – eighth place

Boys Pole Vault:

Sophomore Colton Bray – third place

Senior Connor Hays – fourth place

Freshman Cooper Hutteger – eighth place

Boys Long Jump:

Hays – fifth place

Boys Triple Jump:

Junior JC Miller - seventh place

Freshman Michael Estell – eighth place

Boys Shot Put:

Senior Coleman McCann – fifth place

Boys Discus Throw:

McCann – fourth place

Boys Javelin Throw:

Junior Ben Carroll – second place

Junior Grant Reiner – third place

Junior Adam Willoughby – fifth place

Junior Jason Gramke – sixth place

Girls 100 Meter Dash:

Sophomore Dominique Hernandez – fifth place

Girls 200 Meter Dash:

Hernandez – sixth place

Senior McKenzie Schmitt – seventh place

Girls 400 Meter Dash:

Freshman Ellie Wilson – third place

Schmitt – fourth place

Senior Bailey Dollard – sixth place

Girls 800 Meter Run:

Freshman Ally Henderson – seventh place

Girls 1600 Meter Run:

Junior Maria Kalma – sixth place

Girls 3200 Meter Run:

Kalma – sixth place

Girls 100 Meter Hurdles:

Junior Mary Altman – first place

Senior Kathy Nguyen – third place

Sophomore Holly Webb - fourth place

Girls 300 Meter Hurdles:

Nguyen – second place

Sophomore Lauren Mansfield – fifth place

Webb – sixth place

Girls 4×100 Meter Relay:

Mill Valley - sophomore Whitney Hazlett, Webb, Altman and Schmitt – fourth place

Girls 4×400 Meter Relay:

Mill Valley – sophomore Emma Hansen, Schmitt, Dollard and Wilson – third place

Girls 4×800 Meter Relay:

Mill Valley – sophomore Devin Ristau, junior Holly Peterman, senior Josie Hanson and Wilson – first place

Girls High Jump:

Sophomore Ally Shawger – first place

Freshman Katie Burke – sixth place

Girls Pole Vault:

Senior Emily Brigham – first place

Altman – second place

Freshman Taylor Corbitt – fifth place

Mansfield - seventh place

Girls Long Jump:

Brigham – first place

Altman – fourth place

Junior Jordan Townsend – eighth place

Girls Triple Jump:

Estell – first place

Nguyen – third place

Webb – fifth place

Hazlett – seventh place

Girls Shot Put:

Senior Joylyn Kennedy – sixth place

Girls Discus Throw:

Junior Hannah Krull – fourth place

Sophomore Madison Holland – fifth place

Junior Kellyne Weathers - sixth place

Girls Javelin Throw:

Junior Emily Rice – second place

Kennedy – third place

Senior Mallory Baska – fourth place

Junior Mary McDaneld – eighth place

Blog: Looks like Sweet Brown cleared her schedule

If you’ve asked someone to do you a favor or have irritated them for some reason, perhaps you’ve been told, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

The phrase was coined by Oklahoma City, Okla. resident Sweet Brown, who shot to fame immediately after giving a local news station an over-the-top interview regarding a fire. In the interview, which has garnered almost 19 million views on YouTube, Brown tells the reporter in hilarious detail her experience, making for an extremely entertaining news segment.

“Well, I woke up to get me a cold pop, and then I thought someone was barbecuing,” Brown said. “I said, ‘Oh Lord Jesus, it’s a fire.’ Then I ran out; I didn’t grab no shoes or nothing, Jesus. I ran for my life. And then the smoke got me. I got bronchitis. Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

Now, it appears that Brown has made some time for a Tulsa, Okla. dentistry firm. She recently starred in Shortline Dental’s commercial, where she starts with her famous catchphrase in regards to a toothache. Then at the end, after being treated for her toothache, she proclaims, “Now I got time for that.”

After months of knowing Brown as the girl that doesn’t have time for anything, this definitely threw me off. I suggest you watch it for a good laugh if you have a minute. And while you’re at it, check out this popular remix song the original video has spawned. It’s quite funny, although it will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

 

Although the original never fails to make me laugh, the video has spawned tons of funny remixes.

Swim team competes at Olathe South High School meet

The smell of chlorine and humid air filled the natatorium at Chisholm Trail Middle School on Monday, Jan. 14 as the boys swim team placed fourth against Olathe South, Shawnee Mission North, Shawnee Mission Northwest and De Soto High School.

“I thought [this meet] was a good challenge,” sophomore Teigan Brown said. “[We were against] 6A schools so it was good to see them at a competition.”

The results of the meet were:

200 free:  sophomore Callahan Eckardt, 4th place

200 IM:  senior Chris Stack, 1st place, junior Brendan Frieders, 4th place

50 free:  senior Alex Kain, 10th place

100 fly:  senior Aaron Akin, 2nd place

100 free: Chris Stack, 1st place and a state qualifying time

500 free:  Eckardt, 2nd place

100 breast: Akin, 1st place, Frieders, 7th place, sophomore Nick Stack, 8th place

“I like the challenge and how hard it is compared to other sports,” Brown said. “It’s a new sport to me so that’s kind of cool.”

 

Computer Integrated Manufacturing class competes in robot sumo wrestling competition

The song “We Are the Champions” played in the Computer Integrated Manufacturing classroom on Monday Oct. 29 as a sumo wrestling robot competition took place.

The students in CTE teacher Jason Smith’s class had two weeks to create a robot in pairs to compete in a robot sumo wrestling match. According to senior Hans Brown, preparation for making the robots was difficult.

“It was really challenging to brainstorm and start a design where all of our ideas could be put into one,” Brown said. “It was also hard to build or design with the limited parts we had available.”

According to junior Graham Wilson, the competition was also nerve wracking.

“The gear ratio on our robot keeps spazzing out, and I am afraid it’s going to fall apart,” Wilson said.

Brown, whose robot won the competition, enjoyed the project.

“It was fun to be able to drive the Robot and seeing our design’s end result,” Brown said, “competing and beating everyone else was good too.”

Mystery novel exceeds expectations

When I read author Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code a year or two ago, I didn’t think there were other books in the same genre that could match up to Brown’s incredible storytelling. And while I don’t think author Charles Brokaw is nearly as talented at the craft as Brown, his debut novel, The Atlantis Code, is about as close as an author can get. When I first bought the book, I was wondering if it might turn into a rip-off of Brown’s publications. It didn’t take long for Brokaw to lay that worry to rest.

The book follows Harvard linguist and archaeologist Thomas Lourds (similar to Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon from Brown’s novels), who has become involved with the discovery of an artifact covered with an indecipherable language. Soon after, a Russian archaeologist and friend of Lourds is killed due to her possession of a similar artifact. This leads Lourds into a quest for knowledge and discovery, following the mysterious trails of the artifacts while racing against killers hired by a secret Catholic society who want to use the artifacts to expose one of the Church’s most ancient secrets: the true history of the Garden of Eden.

There is no doubt that Brokaw did his research when laying down the foundation for this novel. The Atlantis Code is filled with historical information, adding to Lourds’ talents as a linguist. The vast amount of information supplied by the story does a superb job of bringing Lourds to life as a character, making him appear as a real professional in his job as well as adding an astounding level of mystery and intrigue to the plot.

The story’s adventurous plot packed full of action also kept me hooked all the way through, although not as much as the historical mystery did. Nevertheless, Brokaw succeeded in keeping the excitement fresh throughout the story instead of allowing it to become dry, dull and repetitive. Along his journey, Lourds is joined by the murdered archaeologist’s sister, who happens to be a police officer out for vengeance against killer’s who almost enjoy taking another human’s life. Brokaw successfully twisted these basic ideas into a well-woven plot that remained as unpredictable as the novel’s surprising climax.

The Atlantis Code is currently followed by two sequels: The Lucifer Code and The Temple Mount Code. Due to the excellence of the first book, I cannot wait to read either of them.

Technology serves as defining factor of generation

It is uncertain whether the effects of the technology that permeates the daily lives of most of the world’s population, especially the Millennials, or Generation Y, those born between 1982 and 2002 according to 60 Minutes, will offer more benefits or consequences.

The prevalence of technology today, such as teenagers’ use of social media, cell phones, and computers in school, raises the question of whether Generation Y will also become known as the over-stimulated generation.

Psychologist Dr. Tish Taylor, who specializes in the development of children and adolescents, holds concerns about the effects of too much time on the computer.

“My concern is when somebody’s in front of a screen or using social media…what they’re not getting is the actual personal interaction,” Taylor said. “So you can’t develop social skills, interpersonal skills, or close, more intimate, personal relationships…there can be a lack of close relationships which leads to a lonelier life.”

As well as affecting social development, too much technology can negatively impact physical health, especially sleep patterns.

“Too much blue screen time or screen time before bed does not allow a person to go to sleep as easily,” Taylor said. “If things aren’t turned off and allowing your brain time to put itself to sleep…that can be detrimental.”

Other effects such as childhood obesity and overstimulation were some of the reasons math teacher Kristen Chavez and her husband Michael Chavez choose to limit what types of stimuli their son, 4-year-old Elijah, is exposed to.

“Kids are just sitting in front of the TV or sitting in front of the computer or just sitting in front of the Xbox,” Kristen said. “We just don’t want that for our son. We want him to be active and to lead a healthy life.”

A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics or the AAP last year found that “preschool-aged children were significantly impaired in executive function” just after watching around nine minutes of television that was considered “fast-paced.” Executive function is defined by the AAP as a group of prefrontal skills necessary for goal-directed behavior, such as problem solving, attention, self-regulation and is considered to be highly important for “positive social and cognitive functioning,” as well as academic success.

“The first time he ever watched TV was when he was at daycare,” Kristen said. “He’s all about playing. He would rather be playing basketball or football or board games, things like that…”

However, she is not opposed to Elijah’s use of the computer because Michael and she believe he will need to learn computer skills.

The use of computers and other technology in schools can be problematic when it comes to students’ attention. Drafting teacher Helga Brown recently spoke to her classes about the boundaries when using technology at work and school.

“I do have a problem with students getting on websites that aren’t blocked anymore,” Brown said. “There’s a bit of an issue with them being online, being places they shouldn’t be.”

Brown broached the topic after a meeting with people in the professions taught by her and other technology teachers, such as engineering and architecture. At the meeting, the owner of a civil engineering company explained they had experienced problems with hesitating to hire younger, college-age individual because the employees were watching videos, checking social media outlets, or utilizing personal cell phones while on the job.

“The people coming out of college were so used to multi-tasking that…when they get into the workplace then they have real issues because their companies have policies against doing personal things on company time,” Brown said.

She believes these issues come from a lack of understanding that there are greater consequences than losing your cell phone for a day.

“Students need to understand that in the real world, you can get fired from a job for being caught on Twitter multiple times,” Brown said.

However, she feels that while young people need to adapt to a working environment, businesses may need to adapt as well.

“The students… need to understand that they have to adapt to today’s workplace,” Brown said. “But I also think the workplace needs to change. Multitasking would be amazing. I mean you could be a medical transcriptionist while you’re doing…accounting or something…I think your generation would flourish in that type of environment.”

Despite being aware of the prevalence of technology that surrounds the Millenials, Brown doesn’t feel overstimulation is a problem.

“It’s not necessarily that you’re over-stimulated,” Brown said. “It’s that in the classroom you’re used to that outside of the classroom, and when you come in, its difficult to make that transition.”

Isn’t “Birthday Cake” supposed to be celebratory?

If caps lock was journalistically acceptable, I would use it on the following: What are you thinking, Rihanna? On Monday, Feb. 20, the singer’s birthday, she engaged in public interactions with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the 2009 domestic violence incident in which Brown brought upon himself a disgraceful reputation.

Scrolling through my Twitter timeline, I was baffled when I came across a happy birthday tweet to Rihanna from Brown in which Rihanna replied “Thanks!” The media has portrayed their relationship as nonexistent and frowned upon, so I was shocked when I discovered via Twitter that Rihanna and Brown had collaborated on each other’s songs. Brown features himself on a remix of Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake” while Rihanna makes an appearances in a version of Brown’s recent “Turn Up The Music.” These collaborations caused a stir on social networking platforms upon their release, taking in to consideration the fact that both remixes leave questions regarding their current relationship.

My thoughts? I’m in no position to criticize their relationship nor is anyone else. It’s likely that Brown hasn’t changed much, but it’s also likely that he has proven himself worthy of Rihanna behind closed doors. The only concern I have is Rihanna’s reputation. While it was definitely an applaudable publicity stunt, the attention might only be negative for Rihanna. What kind of message could this be sending to victims of domestic abuse? Figures like Rihanna are incredibly influential and I worry that those who have experienced a similar situation will find it justifiable to put themselves back in a dangerous place.

Regardless, at least Rihanna got her “Birthday Cake.”

Architectual Design II students design dream homes for final

Three story aquariums, pools in the backyard and trampoline floors. These are just a few things Architectural Design II students are incorporating in their dream homes, a semester final project. The project started with designing a floor plan, planning stages of a real construction project and concludes with a 3-D model. Students were required to draw out parts of their homes, including the electrical and plumbing plans.

With no size limit and very little criteria, junior Hadley Tharp decided to re-create her old home.

“For my dream home, I designed the house I used to live in,” Tharp said. “We moved because we needed a bigger house, so I decided to make it bigger in my project.”

Architectural design teacher Helga Brown anticipates seeing original and creative designs.

“These are dream homes so I expect to see some mansions with pools in the backyard and aquariums that go from the basement to the top of the second floor,” Brown said.

Sophomore Blake Bunner took advantage of the free reign of the project and created an innovative dream home centered around technology. This project helped Bunner better understand the fine points of architecture.

“It deepened my knowledge of how important all parts of a house are,” Bunner said.

Tharp has benefited from the project by learning about many valuable skills.

“[From this project] I’ve learned how architecture works and what goes into building a real house,” Tharp said.

There have been complicated parts of the project that Tharp has been experiencing.

“The most difficult part of the project was building the foundations on the bottom level of my home,” Tharp said. “The walls have to be the right thickness in the software we use on the computer.”

Overall, Bunner thinks the designing process was fun.

“[My favorite part of the project was] designing the layout of my house,” Bunner said. “I enjoyed using the computer.”

New York Dawg Pound brings a twist to the traditional hot dog

The thick New York accent of co-owner Sal Frustaci greets you as you walk through the door of New York Dawg Pound. The ambiance continues with walls lined with graffiti and simple tan tables that create an open and low key atmosphere. Frustaci and his partner, Will Brown, man the front of the restaurant themselves, and it reflects in the quality of the restaurant’s signature hot dogs.

I got the Bulldawg and the Ol’ Blue. The Bulldawg comes sopping with warm chili that could have been a meal of its own, cheese, onions and mustard. The chili had a small amount of spice to give it a kick without overpowering the hot dog. The chili and bun combined to make a hot dog so big that I had to try and angle it to get it in my mouth. Once I finally did, the chili and onions came pouring out the side and got everywhere, but honestly that was half the fun.

The Ol’ Blue was topped with barbecue sauce, onion straws and a pickle, making it a dog that lacks the safety of a simple chili cheese dog and is definitely for the more adventurous eater. The barbecue sauce, like the chili, had just enough flavor to give the hot dog a unique taste, but the true star of the Ol’ Blue was the onion straws. Piled high, they had a light taste that was almost sweet, not to mention completely addicting.

The only faults I could find in the restaurant were that my shoes stuck to the floor and the women’s restroom door didn’t lock, but after a great hot dog, it did not bother me much.

Overall, the New York Dawg Pound is a unique and worthwhile dining experience. Visit them at 7702 Shawnee Mission Parkway .

Overall score, four out of five stars.