Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Student Council Workshop - By Kayla Dvorak

Student Council Workshop
by Kayla Dvorak    

     At the closing of my sophomore year, my Student Council advisor asked all the council members if we wanted forms for the Student Council Workshop in Emporia that takes place each summer. Having heard of the camp before, my interest was piqued. So, I took the forms, thought it over, and ultimately decided to go. Concordia High School had sent delegates to the workshop before, but at that time, nobody had gone in several years. I came to find out that our school’s absence from the workshop was a shame, because it was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. One person from our school who has been a consistent workshop goer for the last twenty some  years is Ken Meyer, one of the high school guidance counselors. Needless to say, after hearing Mr. Meyer speak so highly of the workshop, I was extremely eager to go myself. One other council member went with me, Braden Johnson, who was elected to be Student Council Executive President the following year. We sent in our forms, took the time off at work, and excitedly waited for July 19th.
    I’ll give you a play by play of what happens when you arrive at the workshop. When your car pulls up, the “JCs” or “junior counselors”- students who just graduated high school- wait for a safe opening, then sprint to your car and rip the door open. After tearing you out of the car, they grab your luggage and ask your name. They then set the tone for the entire week by screaming your name in a spirited mantra they’ve used for every single other delegate, “Kayla! Kayla! Kayla Kayla Kayla!!”
    After I was hurried inside by the JCs, I was given a room key and a name tag and was instructed to take my things to my room and come back downstairs IMMEDIATELY (!!!). Everything about the place was extremely high energy mind you. Once back downstairs I was guided through a tour of the building we’d be spending the week in. The end of the tour led us to a ballroom full of teenagers wildly running around, shouting and flinging around pieces of paper. I soon found out that this was a mixer, and they were doing a scavenger hunt. The object was to fill your entire sheet with signatures. The sheet was full of boxes that had whimsical statements or orders like, “has fallen asleep in a movie that they paid to see” or “run around the room, arms locked, with another delegate singing the intro to your favorite TV show.” After our sheets were filled, we played a few silly games, and then were ushered into yet another massive room, this one filled with chairs and a stage. This room would become very familiar to everyone attending the workshop. We spent a huge chunk of our time in there in what was called “general session.” General session was devoted to any and all things that involved all the delegates. While I took a seat, along with three-hundred-some other delegates, an energetic blonde man took to the stage. He introduced himself as David Cherry, Assistant Executive Director of KSHSAA, and welcomed us to the Emporia campus for what would be the best week of our summer and the most significant learning experience of our lives.
    There rest of the week was a whirlwind of activity. Immediately following David’s welcoming, we were sent to meet the rest of our “council.” Each council was composed of about twenty delegates, a JC, and an SC (senior counselor) and was named by a letter A-P. I was in Council N. Somehow, between oodles of fun and educational leadership exercises, the wonderful directors of the workshop managed to find timeslots to cram in separate council meetings every day. For that reason, each council was appointed a meeting room. In that first meeting, we all introduced ourselves and played some icebreaker games, not that we really needed them. That’s the best part of the camp. Every delegate is high energy, sociable, and loves StuCo.     
Despite the fact that the councils didn’t associate with each other much, we all became friends immediately and everywhere you turned was a familiar, friendly face. Some people, including me, started out with a goal to sit next to someone they hadn’t spoken to yet every meal, which was an easy goal to achieve. I, however, let go of that goal about three days in because I wanted to spend quality time with my council. Delegates within a council grow extremely close throughout the workshop.
    Sunday was devoted to settling in and getting introduced to the campus, your council, and just the workshop in general. Monday was filled with more general session and council meetings. Every day of the week had some big event, and on Monday, that event was the Indoor Olympics. Every single delegate was given a t-shirt, which were different colors for each council. Council N had stone blue. We paraded to a gym on the Emporia campus and spent several hours competing against other teams in intense team-building activities. I can honestly say that during the Olympics, I was the most pumped up, happy, and competitive that I've ever been.

    We woke up sore from the Olympics on Tuesday and had more general session and council meetings, and the big event was the Sunflower Derby. The Sunflower Derby was actually kind of awful. It was incredibly educational and useful, but still awful. It was basically a huge scavenger hunt. One in which we had to find things and do tasks. Keep in mind, this was mid-July. Try to picture 300+ sweaty, frustrated teenagers racing around a college campus, building human pyramids and playing an odd version of Jeopardy as fast as they could. Lots of friendships were tested that day, and I think that's the point of the whole activity. The hardest part of the event was that everyone there was a leader and wanted to take control, and that resulted in a lot of disagreements and mistakes.

    By far, the best thing at Student Council Workshop is “Voices in the Hall.” Council A&P, the advanced council, puts together the production every year. My second year at workshop, I had the privilege to be involved and it was amazing. A&P works together to compile a list of types of students that they feel are misunderstood at their schools. About twenty members of A&P write testimonies for these made up people, and become their “voices.” Then, on Wednesday during general session, all of the lights are turned off and the entire workshop listens to A&P read the stories. The readers stand at the back of the room so nobody can see them, and they use a microphone. My first year, it was a very emotional experience. It gives you a look into the mind of students at your school that you otherwise wouldn't get. As student council representatives, it's our job to understand and accept every student and their struggles. To be a part of it my second year meant a great deal to me. I was the voice of the foster kid. “Voices in the Hall” takes place in the morning, and sets a solemn mood for the day. While the workshop is meant to be a fun and energetic learning experience, the directors also made sure to give us some time for deeper reflection, and it was a great thing. You learn a lot about yourself as a leader and as a person at the workshop, and it is necessary to do some thinking while there. Also on Thursday fell one of the most important general sessions of all, the one when we learned about Dr. Earl Reum. Dr. Earl Reum is the reason the workshop exists, and he was an incredible person. I wish I could recount everything I learned about him, but this blog is already long enough, so I'll just leave a link for any readers who are interested so they can learn about him.
    Friday is spent preparing for the banquet. The banquet is kind of a last hurrah at the end of the workshop. Each council is assigned a table at the banquet. They spent the day making decorations and preparing the table. Some of the other kids in the council will work on the presentation that will happen later Friday night, and some others will create a banner out of felt material, glue, and any other craft materials they need. The presentation, the banner, and the decorations all tie into a theme that the council comes up with. Through the presentations, each council presents a “gift’ to the workshop. Just kind of a message to leave them with. Also during the presentations, the JCs and SCs hang up the banner on a large sheet. By the end of the night, the sheet is a huge quilt of banners. They make one every year and hang them in the huge room used for general session.
    On Saturday, everyone wakes up, packs, and prepares to cry their eyes out for a few hours. It’s very emotional saying goodbye to the camp and to the friends you’ve made over the last week. Throughout the morning everyone does activities and the councils meet to say goodbyes. By noon, everyone leaves, taking with them the memories of the week and all the lessons they’ve learned.
    I’ve been to the workshop twice, and I could recount every single detail, but that would take a while. I know that I’ve missed a lot of things in this blog, so odds are I’ll end up writing another one to cover the things I’ve missed, because there are so many important things. It was, after all, the most significant learning experience of my life.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Why Rodeo Isn't Just a Sport - By Taylor Lagasse

Why Rodeo Isn't Just a Sport
by Taylor Lagasse
            "So you like, play with horses in your spare time," and, "Why do you travel so far every weekend to go to a rodeo?" are two questions every die-hard rodeo kid gets asked frequently. Maybe it is just me, but it drives me CRAZY. I know the concept of rodeo and roping is not something everyone fully understands, but it is not like every other sport. It is a lifestyle.
            Everyone has that one special talent and a lot of them show that talent throughout their high school years in school sponsored sports. Only a few kids actually continue past high school with their obsession with the sport they play, and even fewer past the college level.  I guess my parents must have known I would never be coordinated enough to hit a volleyball or dribble a basketball. They have always pushed rodeo, and I ate it up right from the start. I still can't decide if my obsession with expensive head horses and traveling all over the country "chasing white lines" to the next roping is a blessing or a curse, but it is something I will have for the rest of my life.
            In high school sports you learn all about the concept of teamwork, but until you have tried, failed, and tried again to make something happen in sync with a thousand-pound animal, you don’t know the first thing about teamwork. If I had had $5 for every time I heard someone say, "It can't be that hard," I would probably be able to enter twice as many events as I usually do at a roping. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
            Even though my dad refers to rodeo as "legalized gambling" and says it is probably the worst addiction we could have, there is nothing as a family we would rather invest our time into. Growing up around horses has taught me responsibility and most importantly the value of hard work and dedication. Rodeo is not just a sport or hobby I will grow out of, it is a way of life and something I intend to pass on to my children.


Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Champlin Theory - By Allison Redmond

The Champlin Theory
By Allison Redmond
The second semester of senior year has begun, and seniors are already experiencing severe symptoms of senioritis. We are always tired, our effort to look nice every few days is dwindling, and the amount of work we put into our assignments is decreasing (assuming we are still turning in the assignments). Some have done their best to fight of this malady, but most are simply ready to move on with their lives.

However, senioritis affects a part of life that isn’t mentioned much: friendships. Many of my closest friends are underclassmen who are anywhere from 2-4 years younger than I am. While I love my friends, there is an age gap between us that has become more obvious as I prepare for the next step in my life.
Now, I present what I call The Champlin Theory. The Champlin Theory was created by my close friend, Janae Champlin. It simply states that a senior and their underclassmen friends are on different wavelengths, and the difference in “frequencies” puts a strain on the relationship. The senior’s wavelength is thoroughly focused on next year: what college they will go to, what they will major in, who their roommate will be, etc. However, underclassmen are on a completely different wavelength. Because they are not seniors, college is barely on their radar.These different wavelengths create a gap in the friendship, causing the friends to grow farther apart. While neither friend necessarily wants this to happen, it is almost inevitable.


Luckily, this difference in frequencies does not have to be fatal. Friendships can survive being on separate wavelengths, because as the underclassmen get older, they come to realize why their senior friend became less concerned with high school and more obsessed with the future. I have no doubt that my friendships will make it through my case of senioritis, and that we will have many more years of memories to come.

Living Inside my Favorite Book - By Connor Reynolds

Living Inside my Favorite Book
By Connor Reynolds

Have you ever wanted to live a different life? Was there ever a time you were so bored that you just could not figure what to do? Well this occasionally happens to me. I get so bored and I can not find a single thing to do. So I’ve decided to imagine what my life would be like if I lived in my favorite book or series of books. I would live in the “Game of Thrones” series. Here is a brief synopsis of what “Game of Thrones” is all about. It is a medieval fantasy that takes place mainly in Westeros and Essos. A lot of conflict take places among three main family houses. The big houses are the Starks, the Lannisters, and the Targaryens. Each group has separate conflicts. The gist of the whole series is everyone wants to rule Westeros on the Iron Throne.
I would chose to be part of House Stark. Although they go through a lot of hardships they still overcome their problems. Being a child of  the Stark family means I would bear the family Wolf sigil. Also, would have the ability to tame a direwolf ( a heavier built greywolf) to be my companion. Having a pet wolf would be amazing in a few ways. First, no one would ever mess with me because they would probably in up severely hurt. Another reason is because IT IS A WOLF! In the “Game of Thrones” world I could choose several different paths to follow. I could join Rob Stark and fight a war against the Lannisters for killing my father. I could go to King's Landing and live the lavish style of a high lord or try to assassinate the king to become king myself. I could venture north to “The Wall” and become a brother of the black. Here I would devote my life to defend the realm of Westeros. If I became a ranger I could travel beyond the wall and fight wildlings and even giants.  I could travel east to Essos where all sorts of possibilities await me. I could meet the Dothraki, a group of horse riding barbarians who travel in tribes by the thousands.  I could travel to Valyria and destroy cities. I could travel to the Shadows Lands and discover a variety of monsters including dragons that I battle.

Even with all that I mentioned, there is still plenty of different possibilities for me. Living in the “Game of Thrones” world be a new way of life not obtainable in the real world. It has much more risk, danger, and thrill involved. It would be a unique life to experience and would be a nice change for a short period of time as long as I did not die while I was there because that could be a little too gruesome.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Wisdom Teeth Experience - By Mallory Thompson

Wisdom Teeth Experience
By Mallory Thompson
You hear a lot before you get your wisdom teeth out. People tell you wild stories, and you watch crazy videos. But it’s not always like that. Every person reacts differently to getting their wisdom teeth out. My experience was awful, but in its own way.
My friends and I thought for sure I would be crazy when I woke up from the surgery. But I was the opposite. I don’t remember waking up, but somehow I ended up in a different room with my mom then all of a sudden in the lobby throwing up. My sister said I looked really tired and sad. The one possibly weird thing I did was when my sister tried to put her coat on me and I wouldn’t keep my arm up long enough for it to go through the coat sleeve. I lifted it up then snapped my arm back down. Of course I don’t remember this. On the ride home from Salina I was completely out of it. When we got back to Concordia, we had to stop to get my medicine and I started feeling better then. My best friend also went with me, and she watched movies with me for about three days afterwards.
People always complain about the pain too. That’s not what I felt like complaining about. I ended up realizing two days after that both of the pain medicines made me sick. Being that sick was probably the worst part. After that I just took normal pain medicine and it worked way better than the prescription.
Of course eating mashed potatoes and applesauce every day for a week isn’t actually as appealing as it sounds. Not being able to eat anything is one thing that is almost the same for everyone.

Overall the experience was terrible, but I really appreciate the people who helped me. My family and friends took care of me very well.

Stupid Questions That Americans Ask Exchange Students - By Allegra Giacomelli

Stupid Questions That Americans Ask Foreign Exchange Students
By Allegra Giacomelli

Being an exchange student means traveling, learning about new cultures, seeing new places and meeting new people. When you are one of them you get a thousand questions from everyone you meet. They are are curious to know about your culture. Some well-meaning Americans think they know about your country, but It is not always so. Now it is six months that I'm here in the US, and I have to say that they asked me many questions and make many assumptions. Some of them really...well...stupid.

Here are just a few:
  1. Italy is in Spain, right?
  2. How do you say “wedgie” in Italian?
  3. What language do you speak in Italy, Spanish?
  4. I wanna go to Italy! I wanna see the Eiffel Tower!
  5. Do you have the sea in Italy?
  6. How did you get to the US? Did you drive up here?
  7. Do you guys celebrate Thanksgiving in Italy?
  8. American 1: Do you guys have this in Europe?
    American 2: She is Italian! She is not from Europe!
  9. When are you going back to Mexico?

That are many question that make me laugh a lot. And this is nothing! Here the worst of the worst:

  1. American: Where are you from?
    Me: I’m from Italy.
    American: Oh, Asia!  

Pros and Cons of Being Single on Valentine's Day - By Peyton Reynolds

Pros and Cons of Being Single on Valentine’s Day
By: Peyton Reynolds
    First, if you are single and failing to mingle, Valentine’s Day is not for you. Obviously, Cupid forgot to hit you with the love arrow, but I’m sure he hit your friend. You might not think there are advantages of being single on Valentine’s Day, but there are a few.
  1. Save all the money for yourself.
Couples spend a ridiculous about of money on Valentine’s Day for each other. Look on the bright side, you don’t have to spend the money on anyone else but yourself.
     2.   Your parents are likely to give you something.
Your parents know that you are single, therefore, they will feel bad for you. That means they will send or give you something that is sure to cheer you up, right?
    3.    You can celebrate it however you would like.
           You can go out by yourself or mingle with the rest of the failing-to- mingle people. You could also get some food or you could just curl up and watch a sappy love movie. IF your friends are single, you guys can go out together and have a great time.

On the other hand, there are more disadvantages than advantages. Honestly, sometimes being single on Valentine’s Day is not a bad thing at all.
  1. You have to listen to all the sappy love music and ads.
All the ads and music are playing on the radio or on your TV days and even weeks before V Day.
  1. You get asked, “What are you and your significant other doing on Valentine’s Day?”
Employees, family and friends don’t mind asking about your plans for Valentine’s Day. It will just remind you how single you are.
  1. If your friend is taken, you might have to be lonely on Valentine’s Day.
If you have a dog or cat you might not be lonely. Chances are your friend has a date, and you will be at home alone. Just remember It will also remind you of how single you are.
  1. You get to see all the sappy couples, smiling and being happy.
Walking down the street, on TV and even in a restaurant, you will get to look at all the happy, smiling couples, that probably spent a lot of money on each other for this holiday. This will definitely remind you why you are happy you’re single on Valentine’s Day.