The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Decks the Halls



Senior Rena Brainard and junior Bailey Pankratz rehearse for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which showed on December 13, 14, and 15.

              This year is the start of a tradition, one made by the Goddard High School theatre department. Mrs. Jamie Oettle, the director of the theatre department, chose The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for the winter play.

Oettle  previously taught at Goddard, and from then she put on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for the first time in 2005. During her first year back, she is reintroducing the play.

“I chose it to try to build to program back up, partly by getting kids interested at a younger age and by having a bigger audience because of the little kids,” said Oettle.

The majority of the actors in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are between ages three and middle school. Multiple high school actors performing this year also played parts when they were in elementary school.

“I think it’s great for them to come back because it lets them see it from a different perspective,” said Oettle.

The returning child actors are junior Bailey Pankratz, sophomores Amanda Brooks and Sydnie Randolph, and freshman Malori Bridwell.

“It’s weird as a high schooler because I have to take care of the little kids, and they had to take care of me,” said Bridwell.

Oettle chose this play for many reasons. For one, it was because it has a deeper, biblical message about Christmas. Secondly, it tells about how stereotypes can cause people to misjudge people. Lastly, because characters change from the beginning to the end.

“Anytime a director can get a character [to] change in a play, it’s always a good choice,” said Oettle.

 

Young Golf Team Struggles to Find Swing

By C.J. Hall

The Girls Golf teams are considered to have a rough season ahead of them. The only returning varsity players are senior Shelby Hooper and sophomore Taylor Schlyer. The lack of returning varsity players challenges the team and pushes them to achieve something good.

"The girls might look up to me more since I am the only senior," senior Shelby Hooper said.

This year is a rebuilding year for the team. This puts new expectations and goals in place for them.

"My expectation for the team is for them to get better at practice and get lower scores," Girls Golf coach Ms. Rita Smith said.

Along with a set of team goals, the girls also have their own personal goals.

"My goal is to get a college scholarship and go to State," Hooper said.

The team’s other returner, sophomore Taylor Schlyer, wants to see personal improvement in specific areas of her golf game.

"I want to get better at putting because I have bad eyes and cannot see the putting line," Schlyer said.

New freshmen players this year are Haley Bloom, Bethany Cocklin, Tiahna Hernandez, and Dakota O’Dette. There are only 6 sophomores and juniors. The 4 sophomores: Lauren Wedel, Riley Stearns, Morgan Shobe, and Taylor Schlyer and the 2 juniors: Amber Freemen and Tori Watkins have already had some chemistry together. Smith sees a bright future for Girls Golf.

"The loss of many varsity players resulted in the loss of team skill, but added things like better team chemistry," Smith said.

Soccer Makes Comeback

By Karina Medrano

This year’s soccer team is making a comeback with Mr. Ryan Rooney as its coach again. They have trained to be able to win for the Lions.

"The soccer team is doing good, inconsistent, but so far it’s been really good," said Mr. Rooney.

He said that last year he had trouble with the players needing to step up and be leaders, but this year, a lot of players want a leadership role in the team. Although it has been a rough start, he has confidence that they will get through all the hardships. He has high hopes for the team.

"If only the offense could score more goals," Mr. Rooney said.

Mr. Rooney also said that mental toughness was also a weak point but it will strengthen in due time.

Some have said that everyone is cooperating and that they all have fun, are laid back, and have alot of fun.

Cross Country Lacks Seniority

By Mandy Brooks

 

The Goddard High School Cross Country teams are finding themselves challenged with a startling lack of seniority. Young runners are being looked at to achieve more, push themselves harder, and be role models for the freshman this year and the underclassman to come.

"I think there’s going to be a lot of runners that find out they can do more than they ever expected," assistant coach Ms. Marylee Ramsay said.

Ms. Ramsay also said that she expects her runners to push themselves out of their comfort zones in order to grow as runners. The runners use goal setting in order to achieve the things that they wish to accomplish. Not only have they set individual goals, but they have set team goals as well.

"My goal for this season to go to state as a team," sophomore Austin Winder said.

By setting goals, the runners know what to work towards-along with what their coaches expect out of them.

With the lack of seniority, it is considered hard for the runners to have someone to look up to. Although senior Mackenzie May has run for four years in high school, he isn’t the only inspiration for these young runners.

"I look up to Kacey Duncan and Kendra Young because they’re really fast, really good, and have a lot of endurance," sophomore Alicia Dirks said.

"I looked up to Lincoln Lemon last year, because he always seemed to do well in Cross Country," Winder said.

Not only do the runners have these current and previous Cross Country stars to look up to, they can also look to Ms. Ramsay for encouragement and tips for success.

"I started coaching in 2000, so I’ve been coaching for 12 years," Ramsay said.

Head coach Mr. Mel Hussey is also in his second year as the returning coach for these runners. Ms. Ramsay has said that although the two coaches have had different personalities, the transition from coach to coach has been fairly easy due to the fact that they both have similar coaching styles.

　

Is Sex Discrimination Justified?

By Houston Hilton

Whenever the topic of discrimination is announced, it seems to me that several people think of some of the most unoriginal words ever – namely racism. But if it is really thought about, discrimination does not necessarily pertain to stuff like racism all the time. In fact, discrimination can relate to many other factors, such as how rich somebody is – trust me, I have experience with that first hand. But perhaps one of the most prominent bases of discrimination today is sexism – discrimination based on either the sex or gender of person – and yes, there is a difference between gender and sex, technically. Don’t believe me? Well, gender is actually defined as the "role" of a person when comparing him or her to the rest of a culture or society. For example, if what many consider to be a man physically were to perform, say, raising his children and staying at home, he would be considered to have a gender of a female. Sex, on the other hand, is the factor that most of us consider the difference between a girl and guy as being…that physical distinction…need I go on? Anyway, getting back to the main subject, this sort of discrimination seems to have its own fair share of publicity these days. But is this publicity justified? In my opinion, it is not. Let me elaborate…

For starters, I don’t think that this new publicity about sexism is justified because there are still plenty of other modes of discrimination that still generally go about unnoticed. If it is really thought about, some of the most seemingly innocent happenings can technically be bits of discrimination – as known in that typical offensive sense. Take post-school systems, as an example. When someone receives a degree after completing a certain number of courses, they become eligible for more higher-paying jobs than someone who doesn’t have such a thing. As a result, there is discrimination on who can and can’t work in this respect. Some may rebut – arguing that this is not discrimination, but instead a reward system for achieving so much. But this probably isn’t so, as some of those ineligible people maybe had other reasons for not going into college besides effort – namely money. Sometimes people are forced to be inapt for acquiring a degree simply because they do not have money to pay for college in the first place! And where can that stem from? A lack of feasible, household income as a result of parents not having those higher-paying, "college only" jobs in the first place. Basically, it’s a cycle of keeping the "lower" members of that aristocracy at their current place – strikingly similar to how African Americans used to be considered lesser than White Man in the archaic Colonial American Era. But at the same time, similar to today, such discriminations pretty much went unnoticed as a political problem.

And speaking of the socially unnoticed methods of discrimination that happened throughout history, here’s another argument against the modern, comic exaggeration of popular feminine sexism: what about its opposite bit of discrimination that still widely goes out unnoticed? I mean, it is heard all of the time about women being denied jobs because, well, they’re women, but what about the men? Do not men, at times, be discriminated against for wanting to, say, do a girly job? And even if there’s not direct discrimination on the matter, there is still a general, societal conform that causes many boys to only do boy things much more often than girls - I am perhaps one major exception, as I deliberately to beat this conform by wearing pink shirt at least once every one to two weeks – anyways, getting back to the point, take Goddard High School as a local example for what I mean. Though GHS volleyball technically allows men to join the team, it still doesn’t seem to be part of GHS Volleyball culture to have some testosterone on the volleyball court - aside from managers. In fact, it wasn’t until quite recently that more estrogen was added to the, say, wrestling team was it?

So, with that said, it can be seen that sexism can, and does, go both ways. Furthermore, it can also be reasonably said that the exaggerated publicity of feminine sexism as a standalone mode of discrimination is essentially Ludacris. However, the possible publicity of that mode of discrimination, in combination with masculine sexism, and all other possible bases of discrimination is not ridiculous. I am not favoring either party on this matter. I am just stating my belief on sexism and discrimination in general.

Student Council Improves School

By Mandy Brooks

This year, Goddard High School Student Council is making numerous amounts of efforts to improve the school."Student Council is taking on new tasks, such as the Homecoming Dance, Class of the Year competition, and Crush Cancer competition," senior Jake Meister said.

This is just the beginning of what Student Council is doing to improve and help our school.

This was the first year Student Council was in charge of the Homecoming Dance

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"There was a good outcome; a ton of the students showed up," said Meister.

There was no DJ; members of the council went around at lunch and asked students what songs they wanted to be played. With all the effort from Student Council, the outcome was great. The Student Council put a lot of effort into the dance. They only found out they were in charge a month before.

"Some of us got to school at 7 AM and did not leave until 12 AM," Meister said.

The Class of the Year competition is between all of the classes at Goddard High. You can earn points for your class by attending different school events. You can find out about different ways to earn points on the bulletin board. Keep your eyes open and help contribute to your class.

"The Class of the Year Competition is to see which class is the best in the school," Meister said.

The Crush Cancer competition is an all-year competition between Goddard High School and Eisenhower High School. It is to see who can raise the most money for the Cancer Research Foundation.

Teams are "Family"

By Jackson Koger

A group one would run sprints with until one’s lungs were splitting, a group you would stand up for against opponents twice one’s size, a group who one would give every last ounce of effort and determination for.

A select handful of people in their lifetime will experience an unexplainable commitment to a brotherhood (or sisterhood, ladies) of people who have no blood relation to them. These sets of people carry no obvious benefit of being loyal, but have something worth treasuring nonetheless.

The handful to be blessed by this are some of the luckiest in the world, and I am beginning to consider myself among them.

For years, I have played competitive sports and multiple other clubs’ activities involving the quintessential "teammates" that many of the students have all had; teammates so average that you barely remember their names a year after playing with them.

The people I met there were great and all, but would I go out of my way to sacrifice my time and energy for them? Yeah, no thanks.

As of late, my situation has almost felt movie-like to an extent.

Many of the students, even as outside observers, can see the strong ties in other team sports in our school.

Football is easy to notice. If one does not think they would defend one another proudly and want the absolute best for the team, then that person and I would have a slight disagreement.

Volleyball has had an extremely tough season, but I don’t think I have ever seen a group happier to be around one another than they are.

All of these great moments in team sports are built solely on trust.

Having to trust and depend on someone other than oneself changes such a person.

Your personality (if you let it) can be changed to a less selfish quality, and you can begin to experience the magic of camaraderie.

At the beginning of my soccer season, I felt there were many egos and attitudes that some of the guys had that I could never get along with.

That all changed the moment when I saw that they were willing to stand up for me, and they recognized I would do the same for them.

If one has not ever been a part of something like this, find it. If one never does, I honestly feel sorry for him or her.

It is the stuff great stories are made of and memories are cemented by.

Earlier, I said the brotherhood wasn’t blood, but in reality, they are about as close as it gets to family.

UNICEF Raises Funding

By Allie Craig

Can "pocket change" change the world? UNICEF could be the one way to find out. UNICEF is a great way to get involved. It stands for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. It provides medicine, food, shelter, and other utilities for third-world countries.

UNICEF itself isn’t actually a club; National Art Honors Society does various things for UNICEF throughout the year.

"I’ve just always done it, and I like helping out. I think it’s good to teach my students about it, too," said Mrs. Melanie Huffman.

UNICEF‘s next event is a fundraiser. From Monday, October 22nd to Tuesday, October 30th, students can bring in money to their 2nd hour class. It will be a contest between each 2nd hour class. The class that brings in the most money will receive donuts as a reward.

If interested in becoming involved in UNICEF, students should also be involved in NAHS. To be in NAHS, one must have taken at least one art credit and maintain a B average. Applications are available in Mrs. Huffman’s room.

Black Ops II to Come Out

By Joseph Newman

Activision will release their new Call of Duty: "Black Ops II", the sequel to "Black Ops", on November 18, 2012. Plenty of "C.O.D." fans are anticipating the release.

"I’m looking forward to the zombies," sophomore William McGuire said.

The zombie operation has been a continued trademark of the Activision game series. The upgrades to the op include 4 player co-op and a few different game modes.

The successor of "Black Ops" includes some old faces. The game is narrated by Alex Mason, who explains the Cold War segment of the game where he fights for the U.S. in proxy wars. The antagonist of the segment is Raul Menendez. Menendez is a Nicaraguan narco terrorist and leader of the "cordis die."

"I’m expecting great things, host switching wait time, ability to quick-scope reduced, improved weapons, kill streaks, and most of all zombies," junior Logan Talbott said.

The new game is expected to have several other upgrades as well.

Foreign Exchange Student Feels at Home

By Taylor Bulla

Different countries have different cultures, beliefs, lifestyles, and traditions. But there are many similarities.

Senior Robin Kerjosse is a foreign exchange student from Bry-Sur-Marne, France. He will turn 18 on February 19th. Robin is just like any other average teenager; he loves to hang with friends, listen to music, read books, and get on social networks.

"I love going to parties with my friends, but in my spare time I’ve read all the Harry Potter series," Kerjosse said.

Schools in France are very different than Goddard High with the class structure and schedules not being organized the same way.

"I don’t find any of my classes here very difficult because I have already graduated back home, but our classes are much different in France. At my old school we weren’t allowed to pick our own classes. We also go by a week schedule, here at Goddard it goes by day schedule, and I got to pick my own classes," he said.

Each class was much longer than the typical seven-hour schedule at GHS - very similar to that of a block schedule.

"Back in my old school we would have two-to-three hour-long classes, but now I only got 52 minutes for each class," Kerjosse said.

Robin plays soccer for the Boys Junior Varsity Team and was invited to the team part way through the season by a handful of current soccer players. He never has played for an organized team or club before.

"I’ve never played on a competitive team. It has always been just kicking the ball around with my dad in the yard.But now that I’m on an actual team, it is super fun, and the pressure gets intense," Kerjosse said.

So far, all of Robin’s experiences in the U.S. have been positive.

"I really enjoy all of the people here; they’re super friendly compared to back home," Kerjosse said.

Robin has also enjoyed the very different cuisine he has been exposed to, but he found the fast-food to be less desirable.

"Outback Steakhouse was very delicious and I hope I go again before I leave, but McDonald’s in France is better and the menu is different from here," Kerjosse said.

Robin would like to continue with school and go to Paris Descartes VI Law School and become a lawyer when he goes back home June 24th, 2013.

　

Zombies Invade Goddard

By Darah Witherspoon

People celebrate Halloween differently. Some go trick-or-treating, some go to parties, and some people hand out candy to kids. This year, how about trying something new: running away from zombies.

On October 27, Consumer Credit Counseling Service will be hosting a 5K (3.1 miles) Zombie Run at Tanganyika Wildlife Park.

"Consumer Credit Counseling Service is a non-profit agency that councils people with financial issues," executive directer Mr. Jeff Witherspoon said.

The run is a benefit for Consumer Credit Counseling Service.

People can sign up to run in the race, to be a zombie, or to volunteer. Runners can expect obstacles and zombies throughout the course. The runners will be given a flag football belt before the race begins. The zombie’s objective is to pull as many of the flags from the runners as they can. The runner’s objective is to try and finish the race with as many flags as possible.

After the race, zombies and runners are invited to the after party at Tanganyika. There will be a DJ and three local bands. The after party goes from 12 PM – 5 PM.

Prizes will be given to the zombie with the best, oldest-looking, youngest-looking, and scariest costume. Runners will be eligible for prizes if they finish the race with at least one flag. The top three men and women in each age division will win prizes. The age divisions are 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, and 40+.

There is a $50 registration fee for the race. The registration fee will go up to $65 after October 12. The fee includes getting a t-shirt and medal, and admitting one to the after party. Zombies have to sign up, but do not have to pay a registration fee. However, zombies will have to pay to get into the after party.

The race is October 27. Registration begins at 11 AM .The first heat of the race will start at noon. Heats will run every 15-30 minutes. Awards will be given out 30 minutes after the last heat is finished.

Tradition Trots Forward in October

By Joseph Newman

"The Turkey Trot has been going on for about 10 years," Mrs. Crystal Schneider said.

The race usually involves 25 teams and each team has 4 or 5 individuals. The price has still yet to be determined for admissions. The prices might end up being the same as last year’s.

"We still have yet to hash out the prices; we don’t know what will happen," Schneider said.

The events of the race are never known until the day of. The Competitors’ goals are to outwit and outperform their opponents. The games require the competitor to think with an open mind in silly events.

These events are to test ones physical abilities and mental abilities. The individual must solve a clue and do what it says to do.

"We had to use a softball in a sock to hit a basketball around," said junior Morgan Bohanan

Individuals who are having difficulties with the clues can call the "King or Queen Turkey."

The King or Queen can give easier hints or slightly solve a clue, but he or she cannot directly give the answer.

"Students have to act pretty clueless to get help with a clue," said Schneider.

This being the second year for Mrs. Schneider to "run the show" has been difficult. Mrs. Schneider has been trying to get plans figured out with the other school. She has recently been talking with Eisenhower High School’s Outloud members to try and figure out if the turkey trot will be combined this year. This would make a tremendous difference for returnees from last year - whose majority consisted of Eisenhower students.

"We had to eat a cherry berry frozen yogurt with sardines," junior Morgan Bohanan said, whose team consisted of three Eisenhower students: Mikala Thomas, Marrissa Stubbs, Meggan Craig, as well as two Goddard students: Gabriella Casenove and Bohanan.

If one is a competitive person or just someone who wants to have a good time, he or she should join and participate in the fun. And if he or she has any questions, be sure that he or she talks to Mrs. Schneider before the end of October.

"I’m definitely returning this year; last year was my first and it was awesome," senior Court Roland said.

Are Horror Movies Desensitizing Teens?

By Morgan Hart

 

October is a time for the late night horror flick marathons, but does anyone even know what horror movies do to people after that TV shuts off?

Unlike the horror movies from a few years ago, which were based mostly on suspense, horror movies today, like Saw and Scream, revolve around violence and gore to scare the audience. A Common Sense Media report shows that this may actually be desensitizing teens today. Teens realize that the screen is fiction, so they become used to it.

In 2004, Michael Hernandez, a fourteen-year-old boy, admitted to stabbing a classmate to death, and it was later found out that he used methods he had seen in American Psycho and Silence of the Lambs to try and become a serial killer himself . The 21^st century generation has to learn that even though the violence and crimes in movies are made up or dramatized, there are real things that happen in this world that should make them shudder.

Will death still be as shocking in the future? Or will people shrug it off, saying they saw that in a movie once? These are some things to consider the next time someone presses play.

Costume Shopping and Halloween

By Daniel Ramirez

The students of Goddard High are hurrying to get all of their costumes ready for Halloween. The costumes they are getting are from some of the most popular stores: Party City, Halloween Express, and Spirt Halloween. Party City is now selling costumes that are only $10 and lots of supplies for spooky parties.

"Once my Spiderman morph suit gets here, I’m going to be studding it up." Students are also planning to work for The Field of Screams.

"I wear whatever my work makes me dress up as," said sophomore Ashton Brown.

Lots of people plan to wear Hulk, Spiderman, and Iron Man masks for Halloween, too.

"It’s a mask that looks like a monster," said sophomore Brooke McBride.

McBride’s costume is considered to be quite common in Goddard.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

Students Plan for Holiday Off

By Kaitlyn Rucker

 

 

On October 31, students of the Goddard Unified School District will not need to attend school. Several students at GHS plan to celebrate Halloween by either trick-or-treating or just hanging out with friends. But some students have other plans.

"This year, I’m going to go to a haunted house with a cute boy and take my little brother trick-or-treating." sophomore Clarissa Smith said.

Smith is not the only student taking their relatives treating or treating.

"I’m going to be hanging out with friends, going to haunted houses and I’ll be taking my little cousins trick-or-treating." senior Rashaud Hayes said.

Other students had different plans.

Some students at Goddard High School won’t be doing anything whatsoever, because some don’t celebrate Halloween.

"I live in the country so I don’t have many kids nearby trick-or-treating. I haven’t handed out candy in 25 years.

Senior Court Roland said that he will be taking Hayes trick-or-treating this Halloween.

Halloween Holds History

By Karina Medrano

Halloween is a holiday that gets kids and teens out of their house to collect candy, but how did it all start?

Halloween, also named or called as All Hallows Evening or All Hallows Eve, has many stories - from the jack-o’- lanterns to the simplest of things like ghosts and costumes.

"All Hallows Eve was created with children going to peoples’ houses and asking for flower-shaped bread that kept away evil spirits. If the people refused, their house would be egged or stoned," sophomore Nancy Lartey said.

Some old habits have died or become safer - like how throwing rocks at houses has evolved to throwing toilet paper and eggs.

"Halloween was all about greed; just like Valentine’s Day" senior Lucas Hoskinson said.

"It’s so fun! The spirit to me is kind of like a role play, being someone you are definitely not, and also the best time to give yourself a scare and pig out on candy." Lartey said.

Some have gone to the haunted houses with their friends in Cheney and were scared from going there.

"They would lead their way through woods with cantaloupes and hollow fruits and put candles in them to light their way and also rid of evil," Lartey said.

"Halloween goes back to the Celtics and how they tried to ward off spirits." said Mr. Jim Bortnick.

Mr. Bortnick also considers Halloween is a neat break from everyday reality and has no religious tie - unlike Christmas and 4th of July.

There is a great number of haunted attractions available all over the Wichita area for the October 2012 timeframe - ranging from the Field of Screams to the Isle of Screams.

"Halloween is all based on All Hallows Eve. It’s a day in which I can have fun and be whoever I want to be," senior Crystal Frost said.

It was thought that all evil was out on the 31st and one had to disguise his or her identity with a costume so that ghouls wouldn’t recognize one as human.

　

　

New Leader Inspires Team to Believe

By C.J. Hall

The football teams started new with a coaching change. Mr. Scott Vang is the new head coach of the Goddard High School football teams this year.

"I decided to coach the football team because I have been a high school coach for 13-14 years and a middle school coach for the last 2 years. I also decided to coach because my boys are on the team," coach Vang said.

Many of the players like having Vang as the head coach. They all find different qualities in him that make the team better.

"I think he is awesome and the best coach. He also knows how to play at top notch level," junior Gavin Craig said.

Vang also brings emotional qualities to the team. He brings the team together as more of a family than a team.

"He brought more [of a] family motto to the team, which brings the team closer together," Craig said.

Practice is considered different, too. There were more offensive plays run this year.

"We run a lot more passing plays because our quarterback is good," sophomore Jaron Palmer said.

Offense is not the only focus at practice; defensive plays are also drilled.

"We learn to squeeze down more and do different kinds of moves to get to the quarterback on pass plays," senior Brandon Girrens said.

The team also works on their conditioning in practice.

"We run more to stay in shape," junior Beau Fisher said.

Staying in shape is not the only reason that they condition. For example, running is the main reason for team member discipline.

"We do ‘razorbacks’ as a punishment, individually if we are late to practice," Girrens said.

Along with emotional qualities and unity of the team, Vang brings effort and the devotion to win.

"He is intense into the game, and he puts his heart into the team," senior Jose SanMiguel said.

Lions Come Home for Homecoming

By Jake Meister

 

 

Collin Nevil and Morgan Shepherd were crowned on Friday, September 21 on the football field just before the Goddard vs. Maize game. The two ran as a pair the week of Homecoming, and were crowned at 6:30 PM in front of the entire Goddard community.

 

The Student Council led the charge this year for fall homecoming and created a week of spirit. The planning for spirit week, the ceremony, and the dance were started just one month before the big game.

"Planning for the dance was definitely different since neither Jake or I have ever done it before, but we did a pretty good job," senior Morgan Anderson said.

The week included school spirit days like Pajama Day, Super Hero Day, Medieval Day, Class Color Day, and ultimate Spirit Day. The week went out with a bang with the Homecoming Dance following the end of the Homecoming game.

"I really liked the music choices at the dance, it was great," junior Nikki Marshall said.

The dance had some technical issues that put a damper on the mood in the gym late Friday night, but, overall, students had a great time. As Nevil and Shepherd danced to I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz, other candidates and students joined and ended the night on a good note.

"The dance wasn’t the most favorable outcome, but it wasn’t our worst nightmare. Hopefully next time we can get more people there," Anderson said.

Runners Return in Stride

By Kendra Reynolds

The cross-country team is starting off the season less than strong with only one senior, Mackenzy May, and one returning state runner, junior Jacob Newman.

The returning runners have to become leaders due to the lack of upperclassmen.

"The girls’ team is pretty inexperienced, only one returning from last year. The boys’ has more experience and are looking toward the top two, Jacob and Joseph, to lead the team with success," said head coach Mel Hussey.

Runners will have to be able to push themselves in training and practices with what little they have.

"The difficult part will be the top two runners facing each other without older ones to push them," said Jacob Newman.

Along with training, the leadership abilities will be put on the shoulders of fewer people.

"It’s weird that I am the only one, it’s hard but fun and I do have help from my juniors," said May.

The outlook on their chances of competing at state is still up in the air for the girls but a feeling of confidence for a few members of the boys’ team.

"It’s too early to say. I’m looking to the Newmans, but the girls’ team is too early to say," said Hussey.

All coaches have their reasons for coaching a sport.

"Seeing runners having individual success and finding out they can do things they never thought they could is amazing to see," said Hussey.

New Attitude Hits Gridiron

By Courtney Sanger

The Goddard High School football team has a new drive to win and a new head coach to lead them there.

They have less players which call for more effort.

"The split from Eisenhower has only hurt us in numbers." said Scott Vang.

New changes include new head coach, new practices, new attitude, and new overall goal.

They are practicing more to better improve the team. They have three-a-days, and padded camp that was held in June.

" There was a bigger emphasis on summer conditioning." said Vang.

New assistant coaches are Mr. Robert Rehse, Mr. John Burkhart, Mr. Todd Miller, Mr. Chris Westfahl, Mr. Tom Beason, Mr. Matt Gillmour.

All of the new changes will lead to the new goal, increasing the chances of going to state.

Two Varsity Golfers Return

By CJ Hall

 

The girls golf team has a challenging road ahead of them if they want to do as well as they did last year.

"This will be more of a rebuilding year because we only have one senior so we are just trying to keep up with what we did last year," said sophomore Taylor Schlyer.

Schlyer and senior Shelby Hooper are the only people returning from last year that played holes as a varsity member.

The graduates leaving and one senior who decided not to return vacated a large portion of the roster.

"All the seniors are gone so most of the jv will move up to varsity," Schlyer.

With so many underclassmen moving up to the varsity squad, the opportunity for a great team in years to come is something to look out for.

The girl’s golf team opens up their season on August 28^th for jv against Nickerson and varsity on September 4^th against Andover Central.

Young Team Serves Up Confidence

By Jackson Koger

The Lady Lions volleyball team’s varsity experience heading into this year’s season is despairingly low.

Most of their leadership and varsity time will come from junior Morgan Bohanan.

"Morgan is a hard worker, has a lot of skill, and brings competitiveness to the team," varsity coach Tish Dimick said.

Another shining spot of knowledge of the varsity game comes from junior Emily Rausch who was able to experience limited time on the court last season.

"Emily has set a good example in practice through sportsmanship, hard work, and a nice work ethic," Dimick said.

This year has been viewed as somewhat of a rebuilding year for the team but that does not mean there are not expectations for the group.

"I want us to compete at a high level against other teams in the league," Dimick said.

A certain mindset needs to be instilled in a team that has little experience in a year of rebuilding.

"We need to be working hard, trying to work on their skills and improving as a team to be competitive," Dimick said.

The next few years look to be strong for the team due to some new incoming talent seen at practice.

"We have strong freshman coming in and some strength in some of our sophomores," Dimick said.

The volleyball squad opens the season in a match against Hutchinson on August 25^th.

New Year Brings New Teachers

 

August 2012

 

 

Mrs. Jamie Oettle

 

By Allie Craig

The new theater teacher this year, Mrs. Jamie Oettle, is one of two new teachers that have taught at GHS in the past.

She left Goddard in 2007 for Los Angeles, California. Her husband is an actor, and he got a job there. They stayed there for five years, and now, she is back.

Oettle will be teaching communications, advanced acting, stagecraft and theater arts.

As many teachers in the building do, she has her pet peeves.

"Premadonnas really get on my nerves. I believe in well-rounded actors. I hate it when someone thinks they’re too good for something," Oetlle said.

 

 



Mr. Dane Danielson

 

By Darah Witherspoon

Mr. Dane Danielson is the new band director at Goddard High School.

He comes to the school with two years of teaching experience from Hugoton High School, and one year at Kansas State University as a graduate Assistant.

"My ultimate goal for the band is to improve each and every day and to reach the potential this band has," Danielson said

He is also excited for the marching band competitions this year, which include Putnam, Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, and a trip to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

 

 

Ms. Ashley Hinton

Duties: Science

From: LeToreneau University

Longview, Texas

Experience: 9th Year, Taught

in Texas, Arizona & Oklahoma.

Pet Peeves: People who wear

sunglasses inside, people who

won’t text, really loud rap

music.

Mr. Mark Rosenhagen

 

Duties: Auto Shop

 

Experience: Previously taught in

Andale, Kansas.

Why did he choose Shop: "It’s hands on, I used to be a diesel mechanic, and I enjoyed it."

Ms. Desiree More

 

 

By Darah Whitherspoon

The new librarian, Ms. Desiree Moore, comes to Goddard High School with ten years of experience in education.

She spent two years teaching English at Dodge City, two years at Wellington High School, and five years at Kingman as a librarian.

Mrs. Moore also brings a fresh new source of energy and interest in the faculty and student body.

"I’m really excited to work with the teachers and students in this school," Moore said.

Ms. Moore is also on the Public Library Board and Theatre Board in Kingman.

 

 

 

Mr. Derrick Birdsell

 

 

Duties: Inter-related

 

From: University of Kansas

Experience: Previously taught at

Gossel High School.

Activities: Scholars’ Bowl Coach

Little Known Fact: KU Marching

Band Member - 3 years.

Pet Peeve: Students who don’t give 100%.

Mr. Michael Bruce



Duties: Inter-related

From: Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

Experience: 32 years of teaching experience in the Wichita School District at the middle and high school levels.

Pet Peeves: People who don’t return a "hello.".

Mr. Roy Schoonover

By Joe Newman

Roy Schoonover, the new technology specialist, hopes to be an asset for Goddard. His responsibilities include keeping the computers running at four schools.

"My main goal is to keep the users happy," said Schoonover.

After his last job at Benecor Inc. (an aircraft and satellite company) and training from WTI, his choice for work at Goddard was job security.

"Schools don’t seem to be going out of business," said Schoonover.

 

 



 

By Kaitlyn Rucker

 

The opportunity for freshman to ask questions, learn names and be aware of their surroundings at Goddard High is important. That is why the counseling office and GHS Ambassadors organized the "Movin’ On Up" program.

It took place August 13^th at the Goddard High School. Of the 187 incoming freshmen, 139 attended Movin’ On Up.

"Movin’ On Up was helpful for me because I am a freshman. I felt welcomed and my ambassador was extremely helpful. The teacher that I liked the best that I met was Mr. Rooney because he’s funny," said Michael Sanger.

Students participated in activities that taught them to ask for help and to recognize color personality types.

Nearly all of the freshmen who participaed said that their ambassador made them feel welcomed. Most of them said they had a good time and were more excited about the new year.

Go Green

 

By Houston Hilton

When it comes to transportation, it seems that a person has many options for getting from A to B – especially to Goddard High School. Students can walk, ride a bike, scooter, or motorcycle, or even drive a car. Then, there is the question of which type of car or motorcycle or bike to ride.

"Many teens don’t want to ride a bike or walk," Ms. Ramsay said. "They see it as an ‘image issue’, and many are also very excited about learning to drive a car, too."

But is this mode of embarrassment really justified when compared to the numerous advantages of most alternative and eco-friendly transportation?

"Biking is the most efficient exercise," Ramsay said, "there is also less where and tear on the roads if people biked, as well as less pollution."

Some may still argue that GHS isn’t that "Bike Friendly," but in reality, that’s actually not the case.

"There are blue bike racks located near the entry doors on the side of the school near the OWLS area," Ramsay said.

Though bikes and other modes of eco-friendly transportation do come with such advantages, there still are a few disadvantages.

Ramsay also said that some riders may not want to use such transportation during the dead of winter. But during more comfortable seasons, it still is quite easy for someone to ride a bike and never have to pay for gas while the grass is still green.

The old retro-style mode of transportation is still out there, guys, and with the ever-increasing gas prices, it seems more and more tempting to go back to those old days – even in high school.

New Lunch Menu Introduces Healthier Lifestyles

By Jake Meister & Houston Hilton

 

Because of new federal mandates, there will be more restrictions posed on what is sold to students from the Goddard High School Food Service.

Chips sold to the public lunch line are to be a bit healthier as a general selection. Already, in previous years, there have been similar changes. The option of "baked" versions of certain chip brands were added. Now, some chip products that are considered "unhealthy" will be removed altogether.

More whole grain food options will be implemented as well, for the same reason.

But for those who seemingly cannot live without at least one meal that is morbidly unhealthy, there will still be options available. There will still be recurring "Pizza Hut Days" with the choice of Pizza Hut pizza as a main course lunch.

 

Blue Ribbon Awarded to GHS

By Kendra Reynolds

Goddard High School has always taken pride in making itself a prestigious and highly thought-of school. When Principal Mr. Doug Bridwell found out that Goddard was nominated for a Blue Ribbon Award, he spent endless hours perfecting the application.

A committee that works for the Blue Ribbon Award nominated over 400 schools across the country for one of the two categories: Exemplary Improving and Exemplary High Performance.

Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, notified Bridwell in January of 2012 that Goddard was nominated.

 “It’s a tremendous honor and a great way to recognize the hard work of the staff and students,” said Bridwell.

Bridwell put in over 40 hours of work over the previous school year, filling out stacks of applications about Goddard’s achievements and why Goddard deserves the award.

“The most outstanding feature was the continuous success in assessments; we have been in the mid to upper 90% in reading and math,” said Bridwell.

Goddard has consistently scored above the state and national average. The school also offers support services for the students over a wide range of needs.

The applications were due at the end of February to be judged. On September 7, Bridwell found out that Goddard won Exemplary High Performance, which is the top category for the Blue Ribbon Award.

 “I was extremely excited. It was a great honor, and I am very proud,” said Bridwell.

 Out of over 400 schools, 269 earned the top category, five being in Kansas.

 Bridwell had to choose one staff member to accompany him to accept the award in Washington D.C.

“I chose Ms. Cross because she has done a lot of work with the curriculum development; she served on many committees as chairperson and representative,” said Bridwell. “I thought all her work made her deserve to go.”

On November 11, Bridwell and Cross will flew to Washington D.C. and attend many award ceremonies and banquets. They will return on November 13.

“I was surprised. I didn’t imagine that they would ask me to go to the ceremony,” said Cross.

Bridwell would like to thank everyone. The students and teachers were the key to the success for Goddard High School.