Support our Thunderbirds - Peyton Reynolds

Support our Thunderbirds

by Peyton Reynolds

“Let’s go Panthers, Let’s go Panthers, Let’s go Panthers!” This is the chant we hear at every sporting event from our fans from the community. However, I think sometimes we forget that we have two amazing schools in our community, CHS and CCCC. It is a blessing to be able to live in a town that not only has a great high school but also a great college. Our community is so supportive when it comes to supporting us, Panthers, but we need to give just as much support to our Thunderbirds also.

Having a parent that works at Cloud County Community College, I realize that Cloud needs just as much support from our community as our community gives the the high school. We have many students who attend CHS, but their parents are part of Cloud in some way. Some of you may have noticed that some of the CCCC students and athletes come to many Panther sporting events. It is time for us as Panthers to return the favor and support the CCCC students and athletes.

Kids from all over the world come to Cloud to participate in sports and other activities, but not all of them have their parents, best friends and family on the sideline or in the stands supporting them. We all know that everyone needs support.

Not only do we need to support the athletes and students but also the coaches, faculty and staff. Eric Gilliland, CCCC’s Sports Information Director, has set up Cloud sports pages. To keep up-to-date on Cloud athletics, go follow Cloud athletics twitter page @CCCCsports and go like their facebook page “Cloud County Athletics”. Also, CCCC has just gotten a brand new website, “cloudtbirds.com”. I would like to wish all Cloud athletes and coaches a big good luck this year! I’m sure they would love to see more of the community support.  Go out and support the T-Birds!

15 Reasons Why it is so Beautiful to be an Aunt - Allegra Giacomelli

15 Reason Why it is so Beautiful to be an Aunt

By Allegra Giacomelli

Being an aunt or an uncle is the best thing that you can be. When you become an aunt your life changes completely. Here are 15 reasons why it is beautiful be an aunt.

1. Being an aunt it is like being a child again. With your niece or nephew, you can do all the things that you did as a child or the things that you never got to do as a child.  In any case, everything with them is more fun.
2. No matter how often you see them, it is not enough, but you know that they love you anyway.
3. You are so proud of the progress of your niece on nephew just like they are your children.
4. When you go to see them and they run towards you with a big smile and open arms, you know that you cannot go anywhere too far away.
5. When they call you “aunt” for the first time it is the best day ever.
6. Even if you do not intend to you always pamper them. In every place you go there is always something absolutely too cute that you have to buy for them.
7. They view you as their heroes when mom and dad scold them.
8. When , they talk about their family, they also include their aunt.
9. Hearing their little voices on the phone is a beautiful thing.
10. They make you feel important when they want it to be you to put them to bed.
11. Those smiles and their laughter! They are the best ever.
12. The uncle and aunt are free to cultivate a relationship with them and become their friend.
13. You get a taste of what having a kid is like, but you get to sleep at night.
14. You can teach them anything.
15. You are the perfect combination of mother and friend!

What it Means to be a Middle Child - Kayla Dvorak

What it Means to be a Middle Child

By Kayla Dvorak

            Although I’ve gained a plethora of younger siblings through remarriage over the years, I spent the majority of my childhood as the middle child. Over the years I’ve also endured countless jokes about “Middle Child Syndrome” any time I declared unfairness over bedtimes, inconsistencies in money spent on birthday gifts, and more recently, curfews. Urbandictionary.com defines Middle Child Syndrome as, “A disposition that generally arises with the middle child of three children in a household. Middle children often lack the attention that the oldest (the most important child) and the youngest (the parent's favorite child) receive.” While that definition is fairly accurate, whoever wrote it neglected to mention some vital parts of what it means to be a middle child.

            They forgot to mention the hours a middle child will spend pestering an older sibling for advice. It’s almost unhealthy how dependent I’ve grown over the years on my sister’s wisdom. She’s a good sport, though.

            They forgot to mention the insane need you feel to protect and parent your younger sibling. I’d like to take a moment and reflect on the trip my family took to the Grand Canyon this summer. My eleven year old brother ventured out to a rock that I DID NOT deem safe. I grew hysterical, in front of dozens of tourists, and had to go back to the car. I simply could not bear the idea of my baby being in danger.

            They also forgot to mention the golden moments featuring the middle child as the most important sibling, moments that the middle child treasures for all eternity.

            The life of a middle child has been chronicled as a lonely, angry, and destitute journey. Well, I’m here to say that while it is frustrating at times, it is also incredibly humbling and has taught me untold lessons over the span of my life. For that reason and many more, thanks Mom and Dad.

Tough Mudder - Connor Reynolds

The Tough Mudder

By Connor Reynolds

     Last month I participated in an event called the Tough Mudder. It is a 10 to 12 mile mud run with all sorts of obstacles. Some of the most memorable obstacles were Mud Mile 2.0, Cry Baby, Artic Enema 2.0 and Electroshock Therapy 2.0. Now I’m going to go into detail about of these obstacles and you’ll probably think to yourself “Why would anyone want to do this?” Well, to answer that question I’m a little crazy and enjoy the thrill sensation.

     The Mud Mile is a bunch of these mud humps that you have to climb over. Sounds easy but it’s not. There are a lot of people and the mud humps are about 8 feet high, plus you’re standing in about two feet of water with nothing to grab onto.

     Cry Baby is like a “Tear Gas” simulation. You have to crawl through this chamber with gas (which I think was spearmint because it tasted like it) that makes it extremely hard to breath and see. Once you’re out of the chamber your body is just covered from the gas and it sticks to you keeping you cold and it SUCKS! Plus jumping in water doesn’t wash it off; you just has to let it wear off. 

     The Artic Enema is a giant ice bath that you have slide into. This will make your adrenaline go crazy. I was in and out of the ice in about three seconds. I also had to jump over a wall into more ice and climb out. My brother jumped over a girl to get out.

     Electroshock Therapy is probably why a lot of people would say I’m crazy because I did the whole race just to get shocked. At the end of the race there are all these wires dangling down. You have two options here. First put your arms over your face and walk slowly through and get shocked five or six times. The second option is to just run full force through. This is the option my brother and I chose because he tried to beat me at the end, but it didn’t happen. What happens when you choose this option is you’ll be running, and you get shocked once. It happens when your feet hit the ground and it just knocks you into the mud and you slide over these humps in the middle. 

     There are about 20 obstacles total and thousands of other people are also on the course. The greatest feeling is not finishing the race but the camaraderie that everyone has through the course, helping each other with each obstacle.

     Other great parts of the Tough Mudder were the warm up area where the guy leading was extremely motivating and got your blood pumping. Also the guy who gave another motivational speech right before we began the race was great. I’d recommend that everyone to do the Tough Mudder or any mud run at least once in their life just for the experience. If you say you can’t because of the distance you’re wrong. I saw a 70 year old man with a broken arm run the whole race, and I guy with a gas mask and chains complete the race.

Perks of an Elementary Teacher's Kid - Mallory Thompson

Perks of an Elementary Teacher’s Kid

By Mallory Thompson

My mom is a first grade teacher. Some people like to brag about their parent being a high school teacher. But, having an elementary teacher as a parent can have its perks too.

In the summer, my job is a daycare type job and I work with 4-6 year olds. Whenever my mom gets her class list for the school year I go through all the 1st graders I know, picking out the sweet kids and the trouble kids. I tell her anything I know about her kids. When the school year starts, she comes back with stories, and it’s nice to know who she is talking about.

Anytime I have to grade papers it’s really easy. There is lots of addition, subtraction, and matching. It does get a little boring because of all the repetitiveness, and sometimes I can’t tell what number they are trying to write. My mom has become a pro at reading that writing.

Her classroom is so fun to be in. Everything is mini and you can play with the smartboard. Added bonus- since my mom is a 1st grade teacher she got moved to the new fema shelter. I love her new classroom with all the space in it. If there is ever a chance that she is in school and I am not, I go there for a day and help out. It is fun to help the kids with whatever activity they are doing.

When I was in elementary school I was in Mom’s classroom before and after school. My friends and I would meet there in the morning and play games with each other. I have lots of memories from that.

Another great thing is she has information. When there is stuff going around the school district, she usually knows about it so I know the truth to all the rumors. When there is anything going on in high school she somehow finds out about that too.

Even though there are some downsides to my mom being a teacher, like knowing everything about my school work, there are way more perks.

Irrational Fear? - Allison Redmond

Irrational Fear? No.

By Allison Redmond   

I would venture to say that everyone has some sort of phobia that they struggle with. The fear of heights, spiders, snakes, or tight spaces are just a few. Some come from traumatic life events, and others can’t be explained. The phobia I struggle with is Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. I have been terrified of clowns ever since I was a baby.

This fear first developed in my life from a traumatic event when my parents were attending a convention. As part of the convention, a clown troupe was performing and one of the clowns knew my parents. My dad was holding me and the clown came up behind my dad to surprise him. As soon as I saw him I began screaming in horror, and I have never been the same.

This same man came to visit our church in Concordia a few years ago. Thankfully, he was not dressed up as a clown. However, as soon as I saw him, I wasn’t sure who exactly he was, but I knew that I recognized him and had some sort of negative memory associated with him. This was a good sixteen years after the initial incident, but I was still terrified. I began to hyperventilate in the middle of our church fellowship area. Eventually, my dad reintroduced me to him, I calmed down, and I figured out that he is actually a really nice guy.

Some people think that it is funny to tease me about my fear. By this, I mean dressing up as a clown and scaring me, saying, “Hey, Allie! Look at this picture on my phone!” and instead showing me a picture of a clown, or many other creative, horrific ways. IT’S NOT FUNNY. They simply do not understand.

So the moral of the story is that this is actually a serious phobia of mine. If you use this fear against me just to get a good laugh, I will cry. It has happened before. So please, save me the emotional turmoil, and yourself the guilt of making me cry, because it’s not worth it.

Cool & Fun Halloween Costumes - Connor Reynolds

Cool Halloween Outfits/Costumes

By Connor Reynolds

Every year on October 31st the spirit of Halloween is reawakened. We get to dress up, hoard lots of candy, scare people and even pull pranks. Each year though we see those same costumes: zombies, witches, hobos, football players, ghosts and cowboys. Here are some cool and different ideas for people of all ages. Use ideas from this blog and you’ll be the coolest adult at your kid’s Halloween party or the coolest person at a normal party. I don’t really know you, so just keep doing what you want to do.

#1. The Transformer

This can be a great (but expensive) costume for anyone. You won’t have the hassle trying to drive somewhere; you just roll up in this awesome costume, transform and get your candy and leave or in the famous words of Optimus Prime, “Autobots, Roll Out.”

#2. The Silverback Gorilla

You’re at party, but not in a great mood. All you want is that Snickers bar that everyone is getting, but you’re at the back of line. Well, no one is going to fight such a realistic looking 400 lb. ape. So you go ahead and take all those Snickers by force.

#3. Luigi and Mario

Here’s an adorable costume scheme to for little kids or dogs. It’s simple, all you need is overalls, some red and green shirts, drawn on mustaches, and some hats with an “L” and “M”.

#4 Shadow (Black) Morph Suits

This costume set up might make you to spend a little bit more and you’ll need sets of two, but it’s perfect for anyone. So what you have to do is have two people dressing up as the same thing, say football players. They both will wear their football player costume but one will have a black morph suit over his. This will make the person look like a shadow. With the right costume this could turn into a creepy and scary get-up, especially at night.

#5 French Kiss

A great couples costume is the “French Kiss”. No they aren’t just to people making out the whole time. You wear clothing the stereotypical French person wears, a black and white striped shirt, a beret, maybe a scarf if your girl. Then you paint your face with white and black face paint to look like a member of the band KISS.

#6 Mean Girls

A great costume for a group of three girls is dressing up like the popular girls from the movie Mean Girls. Now let me give you some reasons why this a great idea. First, who doesn’t love Mean Girls? (If you don’t I’m going to assume you are crazy.) It’s HILARIOUS! Second, it’s pretty simple, but reason one is the only important reason.

If you get stumped this Halloween keep these cool costume ideas in your head. Because being the person(s) that stands out the most is always enjoyable.