NSLANCE.COM NORTH SCOTT HIGH SCHOOL 200 SOUTH 1ST. ST. ELDRIDGE, IA

THE LANCEA P R I L 26, 2012 VOLUME 58 ISSUE 3

FEATURES NEWS OPINIONSPORTS

2 The Lance 4.26.2012

CONTENTS

HOSA 3

Art Trip 3

Midwest Horse Fair 4

Mock Trial 5

Kellen Moss 4

Teen Utopia 5Allergy Season 9

Sporcle 9

From Homecoming Queen 10

Bullying 11Fad Diets 20

Hunger Games 26-27

HOT NOT 30-31

Baseball 22Iron Man 23Girls’ Track 24Boys’ Soccer 25

Not a teen mom 6Mom at school 7Self-discovery 10Supplements 14Let’s Chill 15Race 16-17Trayvon Martin 18-19Spring Break 20The Mayans 21Resident Evil 28

On the Cover:John KinneyPhoto by DrewGrunder

Girls Track:McKenna Belk clears the barin the high jump competition.

As the class walked down the ramp from TheArt Institute, taking pictures left and right, theycame to Millennium Park. Mr. Peeter's was soexcited to show everyone the architecturalstage in the middle of the park, and explainwhy it was made. He then showed the bean,and everyone was extremely excited to see it.Almost everyone had wanted to go see thebean. It looked like a gigantic fun house mirror,and it was so cool that everyone wanted to takepictures.

Mr. Bernie Peeters hosts an art field trip toChicago, Illinois every other year. Anyone cango on the field trip and visit the Field Museumand the Art Institute. The field trip is for onewhole day from 5:45 am to 11:30 pm. The busmakes two stops on the way there, one forbreakfast at McDonalds and one at the DeKalbOasis for a pit stop.

The Field Museum had exhibits for all agesand games all around. If you went to anyexhibit they would have little fact games thatstudents could play while others could take

time and read about the exhibit. The Egyptianexhibit was popular because the unwrappedmummies looked wicked. The Field Museumdidn't have a lot of security, so it was quiterelaxing. At the Art Institute, however, securityguards stood every 15 feet, which was a bitdaunting. The constant threat of alarms sound-ing if anyone got too close to the paintings kepteveryone on edge. The trip was planned out perfectly, and we hadplenty of time at each museum.

Total cost of the trip was twenty dollars, buteveryone brought a little extra for food andsouvenirs. You don't have to be in an art classto go, but you should take an art class just forthe background knowledge. You learn muchmore about history, and about one of the great-est wonders of the world.

The next time this trip is going to occur is theyear of 2014 around February or March. Besure to ask Mr. Peeters about this trip becauseit was a great experience for students and manyplan to go back.

BY GIANNA SANICOLA

BY CARLIE MULLINS

Peeters takes class toChicago for fun, education

HOSAearns tophonors

All of the North Scott Health OccupationStudents of America (HOSA) members havequalified for nationals to be held in OrlandoFlorida this June. To qualify, HOSA membershad to place in the top three for their division atstate competition on March 25-27 in DesMoines.

Breanna Worrall, Joe Erickson, A n n aMarceau, and Rachel Hebblen competed inCreative Problem Solving, with a topic of try-ing to get children to eat more nutritious foods.Hebblen and Marceau were double entered.Hebblen with Human Growth andDevelopment test and Marceau in a persuasivespeech; both took first place. Austin Griebecompeted in Extemporaneous Writing andplaced third. Kelly Kupris and Rachel Hoschcompeted in Forensic Analysis taking firstplace. Jessica Seibel and Kylie Dempsey pre-sented a Career Health Display on Nursing andreceived third place. Ashley Schabillion took aNutrition test and placed first place.

Eight out of the ten members will be attend-ing the National conference. The team needs toraise $8,000 to attend. In order to raise thismoney, the team plans on holding a garagesale, bake sale at prom, Gold card sale, anddonation requests from local businesses.

In addition to competing in various healthoccupation competitions, the team has alsovolunteered at Grand Haven and worked atSpecial Olympics. HOSA is always looking fornew members, so if you are interested in join-ing talk to Dr. Onken or any of the currentmembers.

HOSA is a fun way for people who want toget involved in health care to gain experienceand make memories. Vice President BreannaWorrall says, “We are excited to go to nation-als and excited to get new members.” HOSA isalways welcoming any interested people.

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Kellen Moss is one of the most well knownsingers at North Scott. He will go down in his-tory for being the second four-time All-StateChoir participant from our school along withNathan Meyer. That's no small feat. Kellen hasput in a tremendous amount of work to get towhere he is now; his success is a complimentto his strong work ethic.

Kellen's singing career began in sixth gradewhen he was a part of his church choir. That'swhen he knew that he had potential. “I realizedI had a special talent so I took advantage of it,”Kellen stated. Junior high came around and heparticipated in the normal choir as a 7th graderand the Ambassadors as an 8th grader. In highschool he joined the highest-level choir as afreshman, North Scott Singers. Kellen has sungthe National Anthem before basketball gamesnumerous times over the years, as well.

Along with being a four-time All-State choirparticipant, Kellen served as a soloist at theAll-State Music Festival his sophomore year.“I felt extremely honored to be chosen fromsuch a great group of singers,” Kellenexplained.

This past February, Kellen traveled toMadison, Wisconsin to participate in theNCACDA Regional Honor Choir. He sangwith 200 other high school students from theMidwest. There is no doubt he is among theelite in the area. “It was a great experience andI got to meet a lot of new people,” Kellen said.

This coming fall, Kellen plans on attendingBelmont University in Nashville, Tennesseejust as Nathan Meyer did. However, the accep-tance process took a little longer for Kellen. Heapplied to the school last fall. Then, he had totravel to Belmont for a choral audition where

he was scored based on his performance. InMarch, Kellen received a call from the directorof the voice department congratulating him onhis acceptance into the music program. “It wasa relieving feeling to finally get that call,”Kellen noted. It has taken many years of work, but Kellen

has made his dream come true. He's a phenom-enal musician and deserves every bit of hissuccess. There is no doubt he will go far withhis special talent.

Kellen takes a break from what he loves most, the piano, to smile for the camera.

Moss has talentCOLBY SORENSEN

BY LAKEN RINDLERFFA members and students in an agriculture

class at North Scott High School have theoption to attend the Midwest Horse Fair. Thefair will be held April 20-22 at the AlliantEnergy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

FFA is taking 40 students to learn about howto train, feed and ride horses. Not only is thisfair about horses, but there are over 500 vendorbooths to shop during the fair.

During the horse fair there will be exhibits,vendors and a rodeo after the horse fair toenjoy a night out. The fair is very welcoming toanyone, but people who own horses and ridethem primarily attend.

Attendees learn how horses are treated,trained and fed. They also to learn to brush andwash horses, so they are ready to show. Notonly are they groomed for show, but they arealso trained for barrel races and other perfor-mances.

They also show the horses, and there is anopportunity to buy horses along with otheranimals as well.

The rodeo is interesting for people whohaven't seen riders get bucked off, because if itis your first time, it's scary since some peoplerisk their lives to show off for the crowd.

The North Scott FFA recommends that stu-dents take an agriculture class, because notonly do you learn about horses but also allother of farm animals and its a really interest-ing class if you like working with animals inyour spare time

FFA Membersand studentsto attendMidwestHorse Fair

The Bookworm is a used video game andbook store located in Eldridge. The concept issimple, bring in old systems and books, andtrade them for store credit. The Bookworm isalso a great place to come and hang withfriends, and take advantage of free wirelessInternet. Two dollars is enough to play gamesand enjoy the atmosphere. There aren't manyplaces for students to spend time socializing inEldridge, but this is one place you are sure tocome back to.

“It's a cool place to hang out and chill withfriends,” says Dylan Stage, a customer and stu-dent at North Scott High. “They have greatgames and Internet for me to use.”

Parents are encouraged to come in with theirkids to see what the store is about. They can sitand talk to Dawn or Scott, the owners of thestore.

Scott and Dawn opened The Bookwormbecause they felt there was no true video gameor bookstore in town. “We don't really have abookstore in town except the library,” says

Dawn. “My husband Scott wanted a place forthe kids to hang out,” she says.

Teens are allowed to play any game they sellin the store for 2 hours for an affordable $2.You can also pay $15 to play for 30 hours andwatch movies and TV shows on Netflix. Pricesare reasonably priced for purchase; mostgames are between $15-20. “I use GameStopas a reference,” says Dawn. They are not onlylimited to video games but also movies andconsoles which range from old ones like theAtari to brand new systems like the Xbox 360.

Food and drinks are also priced right for stu-dent, nothing over $5. “I mostly buy food anda pop when I'm there,” says Stage. They havegreat food choices with fun names like “TheDon Ho” or “The Yellow Submarine”. Theyeven make deliveries or you can call up anorder and pick it up and take it home. They alsoserve ice cream, which is amazing at $1 ascoop.

Let’s face it - food, free internet and low-costvideo games are all so many of us require to behappy.

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Dylan Stage using the free wireless internet at the Bookworm

Teen utopia nowopen in Eldridge

BY KAYNE SPEIRS

BY CARLIE MULLINSJens Kindarhaz fears returning to his home

country because the Knave government hasthreatened his life. Jens begs for asylum in theUnited States because he fears persecution bythe Knaves. He believes that Freedonia is nolonger free for the Spree and the Knave gov-ernment could possibly kill him. Is his life real-ly in danger or is he just making up an excuseso he can stay in the United States?

This was the basic point of this year's mocktrial case for North Scott TAG students.Although all the facts in the case are fictional,the case and the characters seem to come aliveon competition day. Dan Stutting played thepart of Jens Kindarhaz and even went as far ascrying on the stand while telling his story. Thejudges loved how he embodied his character.

Mock trial is not theatre, and there's not ascript. You interpret your character and comeup with what you think s/he would say. Notonly is it a good chance to act but you couldalso be an attorney. An attorney cross-exam-ines witnesses from the other team and defendsthe case.

Heidi Redmond teaches the TAG (Talentedand Gifted) class at the high school. She has 14students that spend the first semester dedicatedto working on the mock trial case. Along withMs. Redmond they have an attorney coach,Ryan Weber.After the students feel comfortable with all of

the materials and case facts it is time for themto become lawyers and witnesses. To them thecase becomes very real. The passion in theroom is extremely noticeable.

A normal case runs for about two hours butthe time seems to fly by when a courtroom isfilled with heated cross-examinations andarguments. There is of course order in thecourtroom and everyone is respectful to thejudge, but it's very easy to become lost in themoment.

If you were thinking about law as a career,mock trial would be extremely helpful. It givesyou the experience of an actual case. On com-petition day students perform in the ScottCounty courtrooms, and even though the caseis fictional, it comes alive and seems very real.

Order in thecourt, MockTrial is insession

Last week I was at the mall with some friends while babysitting mysix month old niece. As I walked past the food court pushing a strollerwith a baby, I could instantly feel a multitude of eyes staring at me.People around me automatically assumed I was the mother of my sixmonth old niece. Society saw me as a teen mom, but in reality I was justa sixteen year old babysitting for a few hours.

With all the teen pregnancies in the United States today, people jumpto the conclusion that a teenager with a baby is a teen parent, and not justa babysitter. What caught my attention most was when one woman hadto put her food down in order to stare me down, with disgust on her face.She looked so shocked to see a teenager with a baby. Without evenknowing me, this woman automatically assumed my niece was my baby.

Now, when I'm in public with my niece, I feel like I have to prove topeople that I am only her aunt. I now feel the need to point out that I amonly the aunt, when ever people come up to me and say, “Awh, cutebaby, how old is she?” I shouldn't have to clarify that I am not the moth-er of my niece. Adults shouldn't jump to the conclusion that a teen witha baby is a parent, and not just babysitting. I feel like some adults basetheir opinions on quick judgments. I feel like people view me different-ly if I'm walking the mall with friends, or if I'm in town with a baby withme.

Last year, a high school senior, Gaby Rodriguez, the author of "The

Pregnancy Project," tucked a fake baby bump under her shirt and wentto school. She not only received stares from her classmates, but alsomean gossipy comments were also spread around. She jotted down all ofher experiences during her fake pregnancy, and wrote a book about it,show casing the way different people treated her. Her experimentangered a lot of people because she lied to her friends and family aboutthe situation. The only people who knew about her plan were her moth-er and boyfriend.

Rodriguez addressed her teachers and classmates about stereotypingand teen pregnancy during a school assembly. She shocked them allwhen she ripped of her "baby bump," and revealed to them all that shewas never pregnant. Rodriguez's story became so popular, that Lifetimepremiered the movie, "The Pregnancy Project," on January 28th, 2012.The movie is based on Gaby Rodriguez's experiment. Alexa Vega (from"Spy Kids") plays the role of the brave eighteen-year-old, high schoolsenior, Gaby Rodriguez.

Rodriguez taught society a valuable lesson; that they should treat peo-ple fairly. Rodriguez wanted to make known how badly different peoplewere treated while going through the stressful pregnancy. I understandhow difficult it is for teen parents when people jump straight to judg-mental conclusions, and hopefully her story can continue to help stop theconstant criticism.

Adults Assume Female Teenagerswith Children are ParentsBY KILEY NEUMILLER

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The question always comes up. “What is itlike having your mom/dad in the high schoolevery day?” Many students that ask alwaysassume that it 'sucks' or 'isn't fun'. In all actual-ity, it is rather convenient. Students at NorthScott that have parents in the building willagree with this.

Everyone in the high school knows that mymom, Deana, works in the office. I will admitit isn't unlikely that I make a pit stop to heroffice once a day or so to touch base on myafter- school schedule and such. But for thoseof you that think I sit in her office all day andskip class are sadly mistaken. Trust me, I haveeven tried begging her in the morning to let mestay home 'sick' but somehow always end upattending school day in and day out even if Iam a little under the weather. Sometimes itmay seems that I leave class to go talk to mymom, but in reality I go to her instead of thenurse when I need cough drops or Tylenol. Andfor the record, I have gotten my phone takenaway and just like everyone else, I have had towait until the end of the day to get it back. Youmight say I get special treatment, but, surpris-ingly or not, I have to follow school policiesjust like everyone else. I'm not the only one with a parent in the build-

ing. Scotty and Rachel Edmundson have bothtaken their mom's health class. “It isn't weirdanymore,” Scotty said, “I'm just expected towork harder and not mess around in class.”And that's the expectation for every class, so inreality that isn't too absurd. Rachel agreed with

this as well. They both mentioned that it wasactually weird the first day but after that it wasjust another class.

Anna Schneider's mom is an art and Spanishteacher. (Students always forget that her momteaches both.) Anna usually gets questionsfrom her peers asking her if she wants to teachSpanish when she gets older. She quicklyreplies, “I don't have an interest to teachSpanish when I get older and many of peoplethink that I do.” “I didn't inherit some sort of knowledge about

Spanish from my mom,” Anna stated. She hasmuch more interest in art.

There are two other great mother-daughterrelationships in the building. Sarah Onken'smom (Dr. Onken) teaches classes such asAnatomy and Physiology and HealthOccupations. Dr. Onken has had Sarah in oneof her classes and said that, “Sarah has to be agreat student and I expect nothing less than anA in my class.” That may seem harsh but that'sthe truth when you have your mom as ateacher. However, Dr. Onken also said that shereally enjoys having Sarah in the building. “Ireally like it and I'm going to miss her nextyear,” Dr. Onken explained.

Emily Kolwey and her mother are no differ-ent. “It was weird having my daughter in classat first but I got used to it because we have aclose relationship,” Mrs. Kolwey stated.

These few cases exemplify that it isn't neces-sarily bad having a parent in the building. Andthere are many situations where it is rather con-venient.

Students with parents at North Scott do notexperience preferential treatment

Mom at school, it’s ok

Ashlee Webster (Sophomore)

“Yeah, because my mom’s really cool.”

Matt Sacia (Freshman)“I don’t think it would matter. It wouldn’t

really bother me.”

Aubrey Anderson (Freshman)“No, because she’s kind of embarrassingsometimes.”

Would you likeyour parent toteach at NorthScott?

BY COLBY SORENSEN

Dr. and Sarah Onken enjoy working together.

8 The Lance 4.26.2012

We believe the best people inthe world work here!

Part-time and career opportunities available

Learn life skills and earn extra money

Flexible scheduling in a great work environ-mentApply at the restaurant or online at McState.com

McDonalds Restaurant621 E. LeClaire Road

Eldridge, IA 52748(563) 285-6233

Why do yougive blood?

Lindsay Sandknop (Junior)“So I can eat food...and my mom makes me.”

Ty Williams (Sophomore)“It makes me feel good about myself.”

Shalynn Eldredge-McMillan (Senior)“Five minutes of discomfort is worth savingthree lives.”

Nate Rheingans (Sophomore)“To save lives.”

Many people have not heard of Sporcle, butonce they begin to play it, it can become a veryaddicting game. Sporcle is an online game thatquizzes you on certain categories that rangefrom Entertainment to Geography. Any certaincategory that someone is interested in theycould type in on Sporcle and there would mostlikely be a quiz on it. Sporcle allows a personto test their knowledge on what they think theyknow best and it can also prove a point to oneof your friends that you are smarter than them.

A man named Matt Ramme founded Sporclein July 2007. The main reason he actuallywanted to start the website is because he couldnot find a website where he could learn trivia.Ramme then decided to create a website wheresomeone could take certain quizzes on trivia ofdifferent categories, this is how his first idea ofSporcle came to him. When Ramme started thewebsite he chose to create fifteen different cat-egories ranging from Sports to Literature. Also,when he created the website he decided that thename should sound something like “oracle”,and this is how he thought of a name likeSporcle. The trivia website he made in 2007has slowly gained attention to many people andeven has gained popularity in North Scott.

Other websites have grown interest in usingSporcle on their websites. ESPN's websiterecently had a quiz on dunk contest winnersthat was verified by Sporcle. Sporcle can be agood tool to bring attention or interest to a cer-tain company or business. A long with that,Sporcle could be used to achieve many otherthings too. It could be a useful way for ateacher to entertain students and get them tointeract in trivia on something they haverecently been studying. Maybe once Sporclegets some more recognition teachers willdecide to start using it in classrooms.

Although Sporcle can be used for learning, itcan also be used to just do something when youare bored. It is a game that helps educate your-self, and also a game that can be fun along withthe learning. “Often when I have nothing to doI will get on Sporcle to play a trivia game usu-ally on either Sports or Entertainment,” saidJunior Noah Gumpert from North Scott HighSchool. Lately, students at North Scott havegrown interest in this fun trivia game and thegame has begun to spread to other students.

BY RYAN SCHELIN

BY JUSTIN KREITER

Sporcle:An Educational Game

This winter has been unusually warm andlacked the snow that many people were look-ing forward to. This could make this allergyseason one of the worst we've seen in a longtime. This year's allergy season is starting a lot ear-

lier than normal. Plants are blooming earlybecause of the short and mild winter. This iscausing the pollen counts to spike, leaving peo-ple very uncomfortable.

The pollen causes allergies from many kindstrees, flowers shrubs and grasses. Iowa is oneof the worst states for allergies as it is home tomany of the highest pollen producing plants.For example, the oak tree and the pine tree area couple of the worst and both grow in Iowa.

People have many different symptoms at dif-ferent severities. Some mild symptoms include

a rash and congestion while some people canget symptoms as severe as mental confusionand trouble breathing. Symptoms can start outmild but quickly become severe spreading toother parts of the body.

There are many options for allergy treatment.The most popular over-the-counter drugs areClaritin and Allegra. You can see a doctor foryour allergies and they can prescribe you med-ication like Clarinex to help with symptoms.To help with itchy eye you can buy eye dropsand there are nasal sprays to help with conges-tion.

Nobody can say exactly how this season willplay out, but many can predict by looking backat history. In history, the earlier the seasonstarts, the worse the season is. All we can do isprepare for the worst.

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Sneezing, coughing,scratching, it must beallergy season - already

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believein the beauty of their dreams.” It seems only yesterday I walked throughthese halls as a freshman. I was anxious to make new friends, and deter-mined to succeed in choir and theatre. Now four years later, I am just asexcited to be leaving. Earlier this year the thought of moving on was ter-rifying, but I've found reasons to accept this.

High school is what you make it. It may sound cliché, but being popu-lar doesn't matter. It seems that so many strain for it, and pray to be onhomecoming court. I'll admit, like many of the other senior girls, Isecretly hoped to make it too, but twelve places are not enough for allthe truly great and deserving people. Also, in elementary I dreamed ofbeing a silver shaker and wanted to date the captain of the football team.I looked up to silver shakers because their talent was a sign of power.However, in these four years, I've learned that that was not my destiny.

Along the way I've collected many geodes. To me, some of the mostvaluable stones are those ignored by the populous. The most genuinepeople are geodes, their exterior isn't superficial, and it's their inner core

that is a beautiful crystal. The most important lesson of high school is not to just find friends, but

to find you. This too may sound sappy, but looking back at my prior self,it's very true. I wasn't very self confident, but now I know my passions,and performing in Lancer Productions and Choir helped me developthese talents. Anywhere in life, you will meet those you like, and those who are nar-

cissistic. The only solution to this is to be true to you. Do not overexertyourself. Those who are worth being companions will value your pres-ence. When you believe in yourself, others will too. Having self confi-dence is to have success.

It was not till last year that I realized ones self power. It was then thatI started looking up to inspirational women such as Eleanor Roosevelt.One of the most important lessons to be learned, I read in her notoriousquote. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

High school can be a journey of self discoveryBY ANNA SCHNEIDER

Senior Kasey Dennison has had many achievements during her fouryears at North Scott; two of these include cheer captain and homecom-ing queen. On March 6 with Navall recruiter Alex Erlenson by her side, Dennison

signed on to begin two months of basic Naval training in Chicago,Illinois. Her actual training will begin Sept. 4 in Florida. Kasey plans to become an Aviation Ordnance man. Her course of study

will take five years. Aviation Ordnance duties include making sure that

all planes are in working order before going on missions. She will bedealing with bombs, missals, aircraft carriers, and many other types ofmilitary readiness issues.

Dennison says that ultimately she is trying to gain experience in cul-tural diversity, through seeing the world. The Navy offers life skillsunavailable in other post high school choices. She hopes this will alsohelp her develop as a well-rounded person.

For Dennison, the Navy will help her develop resilience; she says thatshe has been ready to leave for a while…she just didn't know it.

From Homecoming Queen to recruit,Dennison commits to military service

BY DEVIN NISTICO

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Maile Saterly (Freshman)“I don't see it happening often, but I don'tdo anything to stop it.”

David Long (Sophomore)“Yes I see bullying happening a lot, when

I see it I yell at the person or tell an adult.”

Colton Carlton (Freshman)“I recognize bullying happening. I feel likeI don't do anything about it, because it'snot my business.”

Do you see bully-ing happening,and if so, what doyou do about it?

“I didn't realize how serious it was until itstarted happening to me,” Mrs. Nikolopoulousexplains a recent case of bullying.

Cases of bullying can vary anywhere fromonce every few weeks to a a daily occurrence.“We get a lot of cyber bullying at North Scott,like Facebook and text messaging, but not veryoften do we get a lot of the “horsing around inthe hallways” type of thing,” she explains. Most bullying is under the radar, which means

the only person who understands the hurtfulactions is the person being victimized.

Students often do not do enough to stop bul-lying. Mrs. Nikolopoulos said, “I don't thinkkids recognize it as much as they could.”Doing nothing is only contributing to the prob-lem. Most teens don't do anything to stop thebullying simply because they don't want to bethe next target. Although, it isn't as bad as the“henchmen” as Nikolopoulos calls them.Henchmen are the ones who follow along.

They may not be doing the direct bullying, butthey're contributing in a way that is unaccept-able.

There are three main types of bullying: phys-ical, cyber, and verbal. Physical bullying istypically the most obvious and usually dealswith fighting to make the victim scared. Cyberis on the Internet, and is most common becauseit's easier to harass people especially with theways of doing it anonymously and without thefear of getting in trouble. Verbal is when some-one uses words to tear down someone else'sself image.

No matter how you look at it, bullying hap-pens and students need to be more aware ofways to stop it.

As Elie Wiesel says, “The opposite of love isnot hate, it's indifference.” So, take a stand tohelp put a stop to the madness once and for all.

The emotional impact of bullying is rarely seen, but has a lasting impact on students.

Bullying hasreached epic proportions inhighs schools, and studentsmust do more to stop itBY STEPHANIE PETE AND LEXI ANDERSON

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Siblings: NoahFavorite Song: Somethin’ about a truckFavorite Quote: “I’m lovin it”Why do you deserve to be known at North Scott?: Doing wheelies down the hall.How would you stereotype yourself?: N/AYour peak moment at North Scott? Doing wheelies down the hall.Your pit moment? IDKActivities at NS?:Literally NothingMost Embarrassing moments at NS? Eating **** on my crutches.Your first high school crush?:Current GFYour most admired person? ParentsLast Saturday night I was... WorkingFavorite Movie: “Joe Dirt”Little known fact about yourself?: 10 plates, 10 screws and doner bone in ankleFavorite restaurant in the QC?: ArgoHow many questions did you lie on?: None

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Siblings: Courtney - 11 and Kaci - 6Favorite Song:”Starships” Nicki MinajFavorite Quote: “If you ain’t first ... you’re last” - Ricky BobbyWhy do you deserve to be known at North Scott?: Because I’m a really (insert adjective here) person.How would you stereotype yourself?: A one man wolf pack...Your peak moment at North Scott? Homecoming CourtYour pit moment?NA.Activities at NS?: football, soccer, underwater basket weavingMost Embarrassing moments at NS? Too many to remember.Your first high school crush?: Tori McCoyYour most admired person? Pat TillmanLast Saturday night I was... Literally doing nothing.Favorite Movie: “Top Gun”Little known fact about yourself?: I have had three concussions that I know of.Favorite restaurant in the QC?: Texas RoadhouseHow many questions did you lie on?: Maybe one or two

Siblings: Logan, 17 (twin) and Kaitlin, 20Favorite Song: “Good Riddance” by Green DayFavorite Quote: “Never louder than beautiful.” Why do you deserve to be know at North Scott?: For always sticking up for what I believein - no matter what.How would you stereotype yourself?: Giant choir geekYour peak moment at North Scott? All-State 2011Your pit moment? Blowing my knee out while winning the 1-mile at the Lance Invite.Activities at NS?: Choir, Band, 200 South, LP, Cross-country, NHSMost Embarrassing moments at NS? Andy tripping in the pit during pep band.Your first high school crush?: Eric GansemerYour most admired person? My dadLast Saturday night I was... Performing in Swing ShowFavorite Movie: “Tangled”Little known fact about yourself?: I know how to salsa dance and love it.Favorite restaurant in the QC?: Mongolian GrillHow many questions did you lie on?: 0

LINDSAYHEINEN

DEVINJOHNSON

AndrewLamfers

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

JuanEsqueria

SamHawley

Siblings: 2 Favorite Song: “Mi Hermano Y Yo”Favorite Quote: “Life is too short to be a serious man.”Why do you deserve to be known at North Scott?: The ColumbianYour peak moment at North Scott? Soccer moments Your pit moment? Basketball gameActivities at NS?: Soccer and Foreign ExchangeMost Embarrassing moments at NS? Confuse words and speak about other topicsYour first high school crush?:Your most admired person? My motherLast Saturday night I was... Sick, sleeping and skyping with Colombian friendsFavorite Movie: “Pena Maxima”Favorite restaurant in the QC?: Buffalo Wild WingsHow many questions did you lie on?: any one

Siblings: ThreeFavorite Song: “Where Are You?” - B.O.BFavorite Quote: “Would you like some OJ with that mayo?.” Your peak moment at North Scott? Senior Night for basketballYour pit moment? Contusion in basketballActivities at NS?: Basketball, band, tennis, cross country, and jazz bandMost Embarrassing moments at NS? Dropping my instrument in marching band.Your first high school crush?: Ellen JelinskeYour most admired person? Kurt WarnerLast Saturday night I was... Playing 2K with my friendsFavorite Movie: “Coach Carter”Little known fact about yourself?: I’m a CanadianFavorite restaurant in the QC?: PancherosHow many questions did you lie on?: One

4.26.2012 The Lance 13

Siblings: Bryce (20) Favorite Song: “Turning Tables” by Adele Favorite Quote: “I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13Why do you deserve to be known at North Scott?: Because I’m fun and outgoing!Your peak moment at North Scott? Winning MAC Champs in soccer my sophomore year for the firsttime ever!Your pit moment? Losing in the 2nd round of playoffs this year..Activities at NS?: Volleyball, track, soccer, FCAMost Embarrassing moments at NS? Falling off a box in lifting and having Scott Wood catch mebefore falling to the ground.Your first high school crush?: Ethan RusYour most admired person? My mom, she is always strong for me when I’m not.Last Saturday night I was... At Iowa State with Raegan and LaurenFavorite Movie: “Something Borrowed”Little known fact about yourself?: I am going to Africa this summer to build a school.Favorite restaurant in the QC?: Johnny’s SteakhouseHow many questions did you lie on?: Zero

BrittanyUitermarkt

Sports are very competitive at North Scott and always have been.Having experienced both success and failure, we as a school know whatit takes to win and we know we must stay on top of the best training andconditioning programs if we want to keep pulling championships. Butnow-a-days, it takes more than strenuous workouts to beat out our com-petition. Being at the top now means 100% dedication to proper diet,appropriate sleep habits, massive water intake, and the one we all won-der about: supplements.

What are supplements? The name pretty much explains them.Supplements are intended to take the place of specific aspects of one'sdiet. However, most athletes use them not to take the place of nutrientsthat aren't provided in their food, but to stack on additional amounts ofspecific nutrients, including specific vitamins, minerals, herbs or otherbotanicals, amino acids, and other substances based on what the recipi-ent is seeking.We've all seen them; athletes downing pre-workout shakes before their

workout or mixing them up and keeping them cold until the end of theirworkout. But one must ask the ques-

tion: what are these supplements really doing? Are they effective andhealthy?

During a recent visit to the doctor's office, I got curious and decided topop the question: “What are your views on supplements that promotemuscle increase?” With little to say, he handed me a white piece of papertitled “Sports Nutrition.” As I made my way back to school, I skimmedthrough the sheet at each stop light and was utterly amazed. On it werea series of columns that included the name of supplement, what peoplegenerally think it does, what it really does, and harmful effects. As I continued reading, I came to find that the sheet contradicted every-

thing that not only our training program promotes, but the views of anumber of professionals in the field of athletic training. So who is tobelieve...the doctor or the athletic trainers? As for me, reading the bla-tant lie proposing that increased protein intake is in no way linked tomuscle gain was enough for me to discredit the entire sheet completely.It would make sense that a doctor's office would promote proper diet andexercise rather than supplemental nutrients, but there are clearly twoseparate views on the case.

14 The Lance 4.26.2012

The skinny on supplemental nutrition BY BRIAN SPEER

4.26.2012 The Lance 15

School, work, sports, all make life seem toocrazy; however, there are ways to sit and feelrelaxed even though it seems like an overlycrazy day. Simple things like listening to yourfavorite music or just talking about your daycan help make your day feel a little bit lessstressful

One great way to relax is by listening to acalming radio station like Pandora. This is aninternet radio station that selects relaxingmusic for you. This soothing music will putyou in the right frame of mind to try medita-tion.

Anyone who hasn't tried meditation mightthink it is a very long and stupid thing to do,but it is neither difficult nor idiotic.

First, sit cross-legged and straighten yourback, then think of a phrase of encouragementand repeat it in your head over and over. Youcan also get a group together and have some-one say the words out loud while everyoneimagines something serene. This process takes only about 15 minutes. You

need to repeat the words 25 times, so findsomething with 25 beads on it or a lanyard with25 pop can tabs to help keep track.

Another way you can help relax is to justsimply take some time to watch somethingfunny on YouTube right before bed. This is agreat way to just relax your head after a longday, and you can do this with your siblings orfriends. This way you will have something totalk about at the lunch table. YouTube is onerecommended site because it is constantlyupdated and is most popular for its millions ofviewers worldwide. Some other sites that youcan look for some videos are upload videosonline, Tw i t t e r, video blog, and evenFacebook. These are just some examples, butthere are tons more websites out there so lookfor them and help your friends and familymembers unwind after a stressful day.

Even though life may seem like someone justhanded you the football and said run 50 yardswithout getting hit; try these relaxation tech-niques and you may just find life is a whole loteasier.

Let`s Chill BY KAYNE SPEIRS

Muriel Francis Hoyle and Annie DeVries(Sophomores)

“Listen to music”

Cortez Seales (Freshman)“Play basketball”

Rashad McClinton(Junior)“Go shopping for new shoes”

What do youdo to relax?

Ashley Raleigh takes time to “chill” before and after class.

C

Darian, 17I came here in fifth grade. I immediately felt unwelcomed becauseeveryone was white. My one connection was Hispanic; he and I werefriends because we could relate from our skin and dialect. In elementary,the kids knew I was different but in junior high the ignorance began. Myfriends started stereo typing me as their “little black friend.”

Girls are always seen as easy targets; that's why we're treated differ-ently than black boys. Last year, one boy would on a daily basis makeracial jokes. He said, “My grandpa was racist, so I guess I am too.”

I'm not harassed for being mixed, but in Spanish, another boy suggest-ed that I should already know the language because I'm part Cuban. I'mproud of being tri-racial. I was raised a little bi-lingual.

The prejudice of how the other minority students are treated here is

based upon athletic involvement, what clothes you wear, and how we

should style our hair. I don't feel any differentbecause we're all human. I focus on personal-

ities, not color.

Is it a question of race?Racism is a war our world has been fighting for thousands of years. Tobelieve one is superior due to a difference of melanin in their skin is igno-rant. Unfortunately, this is a problem at North Scott. Here are some testi-monies and views of fellow students.

BY ANNA SCHNEIDER

16 The Lance 4.26.2012

Cortez, 14

I'm new this year. My old school was very different than here. The

black population was about seventy percent, and the whites only made

about thirty. I haven't faced any harassment here, or in my life. Idon't see any prejudice of howwe're treated here. I don't feel any different than

anyone else.

Brandon, 15

I came here in fifth grade. My old school in Rock Island was the

polar opposite. There was also a high population of Hispanics. I've

never had any problems here. The only time I hear the “n” word, is

when my friends are joking around. I don't mind that. I ' mhappy with the way I am. I don'tview myself as being different.

Brittany, 16I arrived at this school in second grade. The ethnicity population at

my old school was more balanced. I've felt left out in elementary

because I was new and different. Over the years, people decided not

to try being friends with me. I've lived here for nine years, so I don't

feel different from the other students. I don't look at my arm and think,

“Oh, I'm black.” No one thinks of me beingmixed, they only see me as black.I'm proud but I don't feel like I'm a different race.

Rashad, 17

I was new here, February of last year. At my Chicago school, there

weren't many Caucasians. I've never had any problems with racism

here or in my life. Racial jokes from my friends don't bother me.

I'm proud. I know I'm different but itdoesn't bother me.

Dante, 15

I was new here in the fourth grade. My old school was a total reverse;

there were more black students than white. Only my friends like to

make racial jokes. Sometimes I feel out ofplace here, sometimes I don't. I haven't

faced any harassment. I've been here a while so I don't notice any dif-

ference in how I'm treated from anyone else, or how the other black

students are treated from me.

Taylor, 17I'm new this semester from Yermo, California. My school was small-

er than this one, but it was very multi-cultural. No race outbalancedthe other. It had White, Black, and Hispanics of all kinds (Ecuador,Puerto Rico, Mexico, ect.) all different types of Islanders. There wereno race wars. Some students were even first generation immigrants.To become closer with my Puerto Rican friends, I wanted to learntheir language and culture. I love it!

Everything seems socially different here. At my oldschool, all the cultures were opento each other, but people here staywith their own colors.I think black girls are treated differently than guys. There's the stereo-type that we have bad attitude and are ignorant. Everyone keeps a dis-tance from us, but they want to be friends with the boys. The onlytime in my life that I've been harassed was by a darker girl. She pickedon me for being lighter skinned. I've never had problems with beingpart Korean.

I've grown to love who I am, and I love all my characteristics thatmake me stand out in the crowd. Being different has helped me expe-rience other parts of culture. I embrace diversity in all ways.

Dasia, 16

I've been here since second semester of last year. Blackguys get more attention becauseof the popularity they get frombeing athletic. It's dumb how white girls play up how

cool black guys are. Why aren't they like that with us? They don't try

being our friends. I didn't have trouble at my old school, Davenport Central. Here I've

heard every derogatory word. In class, the teacher turned off thelights, and someone asked, “Where'd Raynesha go?” I laughedbecause I knew she gets really offended by this. One of the times wewere going to the busses after school, and we overheard students say-ing that they needed to, “get rid of us.”

Deedee, 17I used to let it get to me. Hallways and classrooms are where we get

the most harassment. We usually work by ourselves in class, unlessour friends are there. One time I was all by myself because everyonepaired up without me. I know the teacher could see that I literally satby myself in the middle, but they didn't say anything. Teachers don'tknow what to do, so they don't usually try.

Supposedly all black girls have attitude, weaves, and “nappy” hair.

People don't think we can run a hair brush through our hair! Wedidn't hear anything about BlackHistory Month in any of our class-es.

4.26.2012 The Lance 17

Background

Zimmerman called the police that night due to Martin's supposedsuspicious behavior. He claimed that Martin looked drugged and wasprowling around looking in windows. While listening to the dispatchcall on UTube, it seemed evident to me that Zimmerman was the oneunder some sort of influence. It was very easy to detect in his slowslurred speech. Against the order of the 991 dispatcher, he decided topursue the teenager. “These a-holes always get away,” he told the dis-patcher.

Stand Your Ground Law

According to Wikipedia, “A stand-your-ground law states that a per-son may use deadly force in self-defense when there is a reasonablebelief of a threat, without an obligation to retreat first. In some cases,a person may use deadly force in public areas without a duty toretreat.” However, this law does not permit a duty to pursue. Floridaand thirty other states in America have some form of this law. Due toloopholes Sanford Police tried to make for Zimmerman, there needsto be an amendment.

ShootingTrayvon was on the phone with a female friend during the time he

was being stalked. He was aware that Zimmerman was following, buthe refused to run, so he threw his hood up and walked away quickly.She heard Trayvon ask the man, “What are you following me for?”

MY TURN

BY ANNA SCHNEIDER

Will there bejustice forTrayvonMartin?

18 The Lance 4.26.2012

On February 26th, seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin lost his life.Trayvon was walking home on a rainy evening when he crossedpaths with George Zimmerman, age twenty-eight. Zimmerman wasa neighborhood watchman for the Retreat at Twins Lake commu-nity. Trayvon was walking from a seven eleven store with only hisphone, an Arizona Iced tea, and a bag of skittles.

4.26.2012 The Lance 19

Zimmerman asked, “What are you doinghere?” The witness says there was then astruggle but she lost contact with the boywhen his headset fell.

Several residents of the community wereeye witnesses to this fight. Zimmermanclaims that Trayvon jumped him, but theneighbors' say that it was Trayvon crying forhelp. There is audio evidence in several of the911 calls. Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother,told the Miami Herald, “I listened to the tapesand it just broke my heart again to hear himscreaming out for help and pleading for hislife, and he was still murdered. There is noquestion in my mind that it is his voice.”

PoliceWhat's more disgusting about this case is

how the Sanford Police tried to hide the evi-dence. Due to Florida's Stand Your Ground,the police accepted Zimmerman's plea ofself-defense, and he was sent home that verynight. He was never arrested, nor was he test-ed for drugs. That is the very most standardtest performed in an investigation! Instead,they tested Trayvon's body. They also claimthat there is lack of substantial evidence toarrest Zimmerman.

It is not standard procedure for neighbor-hood watchmen to carry weapons.Zimmerman claims that he felt endangered…When he was sitting in a car, with a KelTecPF-9 gun. Trayvon never approached thisman who was eleven years older, and esti-mated 100 pounds larger. He decided to pur-sue Trayvon, Zimmerman was the only threatthat night.

ReactionThe Zimmerman family states that since

their son is part Hispanic, and not just white,it's impossible for him to be guilty of racialprofiling. However, between January 1, 2011and February 26, 2012, Zimmerman calledpolice 46 times while on patrol. Many of thecalls reported sightings of black males in thepredominately white gated community.

Leonard Pitts, a columnist with the Quad-City Times, states in his article, “Race is acruel fraud that plagues America”, that“Hispanic' is not a race, but an ethnicity.” Healso noted that in 2010, the U.S. CensusBureau Overview of Race and HispanicOrigin states, “People who identify their ori-gin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may beany race.” According to him, race is a termthat can be used to “organize our biases, andfears.” Pitts says that Zimmerman is “white”,for American Immigrants learned, “white' [is]the identity that conferred status and privi-lege and that it was defined by distance from,and antipathy toward, black.” Due toZimmerman's obvious show or racial profil-ing, I concur with Pitts' viewpoint.

JusticeTrayvon’s death is not the first case of racial

tension within the department. The formerPolice Chief, Brian Tooley, resigned in 2011after a video of his twenty-one-year old sonwas leaked on UTube. His son was shownbeating up a homeless black man. In 2005,

another son of a police officer fatally shotTravares McGill. The African boy was six-teen years old, and the police's son fired in“self-defense.” Supposedly Travares wasthreateningly driving towards the officer’sson. He defended himself after Tr a v a r e sdrove in the opposite direction! Obviouslytheir fathers demonstrate the ignorance thesesons practice.

George Zimmerman was being held in pro-tective custody in the Seminole County Jail,but he was released on a $150,000 bail. Hisnew lawyer was also Casey Anthoney’s. He'sbeen charged with second-degree murder.His formal arraignment is set for May 29th.The judge will either condemn or dismiss thisas a case of self-defense. George Zimmermanwill testify as “not guilty,” however if he isfound guilty, he may potentially serve a lifesentence.

ImpactTrayvon will never be forgotten. In NYC,

the Million Hoodie March was held onMarch 21st in protest for justice. Across thenation there have been candle vigils placed inhis honor. The African Methodist Episcopalchurch held service in hoodies, andBaltimore's Empowerment Temple has astaircase by their altar that was filled withskittles and iced tea. There, Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant declared that any of theyouth in the congregation, “Could've beengunned down on their way home from schoolor on their way home from a friend's house.” Trayvon Martin was only a teenager!Imagine going to school tomorrow, to learnthat one of your friends was shot in the chestfor walking late at night in a hoodie. I don'tcare if North Scott is a predominately whitecommunity, or that this happened in Florida.Florida is part of America. America is sup-posed to be the land of the free and equal jus-tice for all. Trayvon was one of us. The onlydifference is that he'll never turn eighteen,and he won't be going to prom this year.Because of Zimmerman, Trayvon was unjust-ly given a death sentence.

I may only be a teenager, and even thoughmy race is white, that does not grant me theright of ignorance. Nor should you turn yourback on our fellow citizens. Coe-existence isvital for the future of America. When I go toUNI next year, I plan on joining their AfricanUnite club. On a campus visit, I met Vincentfrom Nigeria, and he explained what a richexperience I could gain from the acceptanceand diversity shown in this cultural club.Nevertheless, even though this is only a highschool paper, I hope telling Trayvon's storyhas made some of you realize that there aregreater goals that need to be achieved.

Eric Gansemer (Senior)

“He should get a fair trial as long as the

judge does his job correctly.

Brandon McBride (Freshman)

“Yes, I do believe he’ll get a fair trial but

he’ll most likely be put in prison because

its still murder.”

Lizz Barnes (Freshman)“No, because too many people are onTrayvon’s side without knowing all of thefacts.”

Will GeorgeZimmermanget a fair trial?

20 The Lance 4.26.2012

BY NICK WARNER

Leaving Iowa for an exotic location for

spring break sounds like an awesome timeand a terrific idea. But there are some aspectsof returning home from the trip that made meslightly regret leaving. When I returned homefrom Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, I realizedhow much of a dream lifestyle I was living inCabo. Upon returning to school and the real-ities of life, I discovered that my week spentin Cabo with eight of my best friends wouldmore than likely end up being the best weekof my life. While staying at a five star resort,having all inclusive privileges, and havingflawless weather combined with beautifulscenery I realized that nothing in Iowa couldduplicate the pure enjoyment of Mexico.

The trip made my already severe case ofsenioritis ten times worse. I dreaded headingback to school more than normal and home-work seemed increasingly unimportant.Everyone I have talked to that went some-where exotic for spring break has had thesame reaction. We all experienced the highlife and coming back to the reality of Iowaand the hardships of life is quite troubling.Even the people here, the majority, seemmuch more immature and selfish. While inMexico, my friends and I met tons of peopleand all of them seemed so happy because wewere all in paradise having the time of ourlives. However, back in Iowa, there is drama,fighting, and just being bored.

I would still advise people to go on a springbreak trip because I have memories with myboys that I will never forget but I would alsotell them to realize how bad leaving sucksand the problems it does create. I wouldn'ttrade my senior spring break memories forthe world, unfortunately, living such a perfectlife for a week makes everything else seemdepressing.

Spring breakcreates morep r o b l e m s

Today Carlee Haigh's diet has consisted of abaked potato, carrots, broccoli, and othervegetables she has chosen. The reason forthis strict vegetable only diet? A new way tolose pounds while cleaning out your systemcalled the Cleansing Diet. Many teensthroughout North Scott High School areattempting this diet for the idea that theycould lose a few pounds before summer.There are a variety of diets and different

workout methods all over the media thatpromise a better looking body and healthierlifestyle. Americans are easily sucked intothese advertisements all for the hope of look-ing like the super models they see on T.V.

The Most Popular Fad Diets of 2011-2012Cleansing Diet also called The Cabbage

Soup Diet. This diet last 7 days. Each dayconsists of different foods you can eat andthroughout the whole week (you may eat thecabbage soup as much as you please). Thefirst day is only fruits but (excludingbananas), second is vegetables, third is fruitsand vegetables but (excluding bananas),fourth is as many bananas as you please aswell as much skim milk, fifth day you mayeat 10 to 20 ounces of beef and 6 tomatoes,sixth day you can eat to your hearts contentof beef and vegetables and day seven you'relimited to brown rice, unsweetened fruitjuices and vegetables. After these seven days

experts say that you should have lost up to 10pounds. “It was a lot harder than I thoughtand made me realize how much I like realfood,” said Lindsay Puls after partaking inthe 7 day cleansing diet. “I was hungry..it wasawful,” says Marybeth Cunningham who cer-tainly agrees with Puls's opinion.

The Atkins Diet is also a very popular faddiet that encourages dieters to focus on eatingmainly high protein and high fats and todecrease the intake of carbohydrates.Because the human body's main source ofenergy is carbohydrates, eating only proteinsand fats forces the body to burn off left overfat.

The Lemonade Diet has been around forthe past 50 years but recently has becameincreasingly popular. Only fluids may bedigested during this diet. According toWBmd.com the lemonade diet will “help youlose up to 20 pounds, look younger, easechronic pain, cleanse your body of internalwaste, and boost your energy levels in 10days.” The lemonade juice conjunction con-sists of 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemonjuice, 2 tablespoons grade-B organic maplesyrup, 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 10ounces filtered water. Throughout the diet thelemonade juice, 2 teaspoons salt mixed in aquart of water in the morning, and an herballaxative tea at night is all you are supposed toingest.

Fad Diets take tollon health, sanity

Mary Cunningham, Nicole McCombs and Lindsay Puls suffer the consequences of dieting.Photo by Drew Grunder

BY NICOLE MCCOMBS

The Mayan Calendar--and therefore the world itself--ends in 2012.That's right, through the magic of gullibility; mankind has convinceditself that an ancient and primitive tablet is an accurate predictor ofsuch a cataclysmic event. However, if society were to learn the fate ofall similar prophecies to date, they wouldn't have bought into this soeasily.

The PropheciesProphecies generally fall into two categories: Type A or Type B.

Type A prophecies list specific dates, places, and events in theirdescription. One recent example of a Type A prophecy would beHarold Camping's prediction that the world would end on May 21,2011. After that had failed, he moved the date to October 21, 2011...which again, failed miserably. Due to the fact that everyone is stillhere, every single Type A prophecy that has ever existed has utterlyfailed. To buy into these would be like trying to bet on a football teamthat is 100,000 years old, has played millions of games, but hasNEVER won.Type B prophecies, on the other hand, do not give specifics and have

the advantage of the reader's subjective interpretation as their defensemechanism. To demonstrate, here is a mock-example of a Type Bprophecy made by yours truly: “A bearded giant will kill manydescendants of the great nation, raining fire, death, and decay acrossa large area of land.” Within the example are a lot of different vari-ables that have the potential of being abused. The “bearded giant”could be a name attributed to a tall bearded man, a regular-sizedbearded man with a lot of power, a large country, a country with a lotof power, or even a large business.

The IssueThe prophecy does not give any sort of criteria for determining what

exactly a “great nation” is, so it is only subject to the reader's idea ofwhat constitutes such. Fire, death, and decay could be a variety ofthings including anger, literal fire, a “burning” emotion, literal death,heat death, death of plants, death of social order, decay of material,radioactive decay, or perhaps even symbolizing something worndown by age. Regardless of the interpretation used, this serves todemonstrate that as long as nothing is clearly given, people will finda way to make it fit current or past events.

The MediaMajor contributors to the spreading of this hysteria are media outlets

that are somehow still respected as a sort of intellectual authority. TheHistory Channel provides a great example of this because it was orig-inally strictly factual, but over the past few years has become morefictional. The Channel now frequently airs shows about conspiracies(“Conspiracy?”), pseudo-historical opinions (“Ancient Aliens”), irrel-evant shows (“Ice Road Truckers”, “Pawn Stars”), and finally…Armageddon (“2012,” “Armageddon,” “Nostradamus”). Given TheHistory Channel's status as being “educational”, some might thinkshows like Armageddon or Nostradamus actually belong in the non-fiction section.

The SaneAlbert Einstein had once defined insanity as doing the same thing

over and over again expecting different results. By this definition,expecting all of these Armageddon prophecies to hold any merit isinsane. We live in an age that's supposed to go against superstition,and not endorse it and sell it off as the scare-propaganda it is now.Some people take these things so seriously that they kill themselvesthinking Armageddon is coming, which really goes to show the dam-age superstition can do. Besides, if the Mayans are so correct, thenwhy isn't everyone worshipping Ixchel, Kauil and Qaholom?

BY SEAN ALLCHIN

What did the Mayans know?

Sean Allchin holds Mr. Peeters’ authentic Mayan pot that has captivatedhis attention. Maybe the Mayans knew pottery, but not the end times.

Photo by Drew Grunder

22 The Lance 4.26.2012

North Scott baseball is just around the cor-ner and the Lancers are looking to haveanother good season. The team has manyexperienced players from last year and lots ofyoung players also will help out this year.Along with this talent, North Scott added anew player from Davenport North, Tr e yOgden.

Ogden will provide good pitching for theLancers this year, along with other pitcherslike: Nick Wa r n e r, Jordan Arp, and EricHuber. The Lancers already have a very goodpitching staff and now with the addition ofOgden it will provide the Lancers with a solidrotation of pitchers. “I think I can be a strongaddition to the pitching rotation and I will beready whenever Coach Hanna needs me,”says Ogden on how he will affect the teamthis year. Also, the Lancers have good defen-sive players to back up their pitchers.

Ogden used to go to school at DavenportNorth High School and was brought up hisfreshman year and last year to pitch for themand help out Davenport North's varsity team.However, Ogden could only do so much forthe team last year and the team ended theyear with a 2-8 conference record, along withan overall record of 13-9.

When Ogden's family moved to Park Viewhe had to make the choice between staying atNorth and making the drive everyday toschool, or just transfer to North Scott. “Idecided to choose North Scott because Iwanted to play baseball for a school that hasa winning history and is known for winning,”said Ogden on his decision. Although the Lancers were viewed as a topteam this year in the MAC, Ogden now helpstheir chances even more to win the confer-ence and even possibly head to the StateTournament. There is no doubt that with thenew addition to the Lancers they can be tar-geted as one of the best teams in the MAC.

BY RYAN SCHELIN

North Scott Baseball gainstalent, expects to win

Coly Sorensen waits for the pitch to come in.

Brady Shively sets up to catch an inside pitch.

Devin Guererro watches the ball cross theplate.

4.26.2012 The Lance 23

BY BEN IHRIGFor those who don't know, an Iron Man is an

accomplishment in track when you run 4 spe-cific races, a 2 mile, 1 mile, 800 meter, and a400 meter run all in the same track meet. Notonly are these considered the longest racesone can participate in, but also the most phys-ical bearing on one's body.

I know for me, it's rough enough to run one800 meter run during a track meet. I can'timagine running almost 5 times that; many ofour track runners can barely stand running afew 200 meter dashes. Most of us complain ifwe run over 2 races total, that is, if I don'tbring the distance runners into the equation.

The majority of sprinters workouts are pret-ty easy compared to a distance workout. Wethrow a fit if we have to run six 200 metersprints during a practice, while the distancerunners are doing sixteen, or running an IronMan. Now, in practices these races are obvi-ously a little more laid back but when meettime rolls around we all go “balls to thewalls.”

As for Drew Wilson and Josh Pestka, “ballsto the walls” is an understatement, as theyboth accomplished the dreadful Iron Manduring Friday's Pleasant Valley Track Meet.These runners work extremely hard for theterrible races they have to run, I would trustany of them to participate in any of oursprinter's races for us. A majority of the dis-tance runners could beat a majority of oursprinters in a 100 meter sprint anyways.

I try to do a distance workout once a week,and usually those days are the worst. And itjust so happens that that day I choose is usu-ally the easiest workout for the distance run-ners. As I'm complaining and gasping for air,the distance crew is thanking CoachSchroeder for giving them such an easyworkout. That just proves how much harderthey work.

Distance runners arehard workers

Drew Wilson strides with strength after receiving the baton.

Ben Ihrig hands off the baton to Drew Wilson. Pat Cotti keeps a steady pace.

Girls track makesplans for Drake

BY NICOLE MCCOMBSThe gir ls' track team has been traini ng

hard through the beginning and middle ofthe season in hopes of maki ng a big bangat the end of the season. Coach Nemmers-Skarich has hop es of sending several gi rlsto State.

Coach “Crazy”, as the team call s her, hasfocused a lot on traini ng each speci ficgroup of runners. Before each practice thegir ls are put int o groups depending on thedistance or special event they will run inupcoming meets. Normally hurdlers, longdistance runners, sprint ers, and jumpers allhave separat e, spec ially desi gned work-outs.

Start ing t his season, t he team only l ost afew runners due to seniors graduating, andfortunately, thi s year’s freshmen havealmost taken over the team. Freshman run-ners Katie Conne r, McKenna Belk, HaileySaladino, and Abby Gainer have al lsho cked the team wi th t heir 400m and evensome 800m times ran at recent meets.

This year the team has the golden opp or-tuni ty to send relay teams to Drake. The4X100 team is hopi ng to qualify for a spotat the Drake relays with sprinter s, AbbySaladino, Mckenna Belk, Katie Swoboda,and Sierra Gothard. The team, in fact, ishoping to send multiple events to State. With only four meets left , the g irls pl an to

train hard and hope for the bes t, squeezingin some last minute qualifying times.24 The Lance 4.26.2012

Emily Hermiston clears the bar moving on to the next height.

Abby Saladino leads the way in 100m hurdles

4.26.2012 The Lance 25

The past few years have been rough for theNorth Scott boy's soccer team. They have hadboth on and off the field controversies thatstopped them from reaching their full poten-tial. This year, underneath Coach MikeHarrington, the Lancers are looking to start anew era of North Scott soccer.This will be Coach Harrington's second time

coaching the Lancers. He was originally sup-posed to be the assistant coach until headcoach Jeremy Miller stepped down shortlyafter being hired. Adam Lacey, a formerNorth Scott soccer player, will assistHarrington.

There are few seniors on this very youngand talented Lancer squad. Kellen Moss willreturn after taking two years off to focus onbaseball. He is expected to play outside mid-fielder most of the time. Also, DannyPercuoco looks to bring leadership to theteam. Foreign exchange students JuanEssguerra and Mmiguel Bardajilzard havealso decided to play.Harrington will have the pleasure of dealing

with a young and experienced group ofjuniors. Ryan Dreschler, Jacob Haan, TomAllen, Brett Gallens, and Andrew Larsen aresome of the juniors with varsity experience.Unfortunately, Dreschler went down fifteenminutes into their first regular season gamewith an ankle injury. Dreschler is expected tomiss 2-3 weeks with an ankle sprain.

Fortunately, there are many strong juniorsand underclassmen that will pick up theslack. Andrew Larsen will lead the defenseafter spending a lot of time back there lastseason. Haan, Gallens, and Allen will bringall types of skill to the field. These players allhave skills that will mesh well together whenthey take the field April 3, 2012 againstWaterloo.

The good news is that North Scott is look-ing to start a new and more successful era ofLancer soccer. The talented juniors have twoyears to start the trend until a skilled group ofunderclassmen take over. The Lancers shouldbe a MAC title contender along withMuscatine, Pleasant Valley, and Bettendorf.Lancer fans should be excited about thisyoung squad and what they have to look for-ward to the next couple of years.

BY NOAH GUMPERT

North Scott boys soccer lookingtowards new direction

The Lancers break it down before their game against Davenport West.Photo by Abby Kerling

Above: Jacob Haan looks to retain possession.Right: Defenseman Brett Gallens clears theball.

Photos by Abby Kerling

Players on the Boys Basketball team arebeing rewarded for a successful season.Freshmen Cortez Seales and Grant Grahamreceived the highest honors. Seales earned aspot on the second team, while Graham wasselected to the third team.The Lancers had a season that many peoplebelieved they wouldn't have. The Boys wereranked sixth in the MAC at the beginning ofthe season, but ended up finishing fourth.Many people thought that the Lancers weretoo young of a team to have the kind of sea-son they had. The loss to Dubuque Senior was not the way

the team wanted the season to end. TheLancers would have moved on to the statetournament with the win. Just getting to thatpoint was a great accomplishment for a teamnobody thought could do it.

Eric Huber, Ben Wilson, Jordan A r p ,Creighton Claussen were all named honor-able mention this season. All of the playersthat received post-season awards will be backnext season. With only one senior graduatingand all of the starters returning, the Lancerscould have a great season. Arp said “Theteam got a lot better as the season went onand I am looking forward to next season.”The pick for MAC coach of the year went to

Head Coach Joe Barrer of A s s u m p t i o n .Assumption was undefeated in the MAC thisseason. Player of the year went to Joe Scott ofDavenport West and Billy Daniel ofAssumption. The Sophomore MAC title wentto Bettendorf.

Lancer boysbasketballreceive postseason honors

BY JUSTIN KREITER

Girls’ Soccergoes for the win

26 The Lance 4.26.2012 Photos by Abby Kerling

4.26.2012 The Lance 27

2011-2012

Lance

StaffEditor:

Brian Speer

Assistant Editor

Nicole McCombs

Photographer:

Drew Grunder

General Staff:

Alexis Anderson

Darian Bade

Leigh Cawiezell

Patrick Costello

Noah Gumpert

Ben Ihrig

Justin Kreiter

Mitchell McCombs

Erik Melchert

Carlie Mullins

Kevin Nelson

Kiley Neumiller

Devin Nistico

Stephanie Pete

Sohvi Pihlajamaki

Laken Rindler

Lauren Salas

Gianna Sanicola

Ryan Schelin

Anna Schneider

Colby Sorensen

Kayne Speirs

Nick Warner

New books to check out

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New books to our library include; Beneath a Meth Moon- Jacqueline Woodson, Open an

Autobiography- Andre Agassi, The Lemon Tree- Sandy Tolan, Unbroken- Laura

Hillenbrand, Don’t Put Me In, Coach- Mark Titus, The Final Four- Paul Volponi.

Let the ‘Hunger Games” begin

“Happy Hunger Games and may the odds beever in your favor!” The movie the HungerGames, starring Jennifer Lawrence asKatniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson asPeeta Mellark was an action-packed thrillerwith a twist of love. This movie was based ona series of novels written by Suzanne Collins.It started by the Nation of Panem. They forcea boy and girl from each of the twelve dis-tricts to participate in The Hunger Games asa punishment for an ongoing government tac-tic. Only one person or one district can sur-vive.

Katniss Everdeen a brave young woman,volunteered as tribute to save her sister Prim.The director, Gary Ross, did a great job withcharacter development. The Hunger Gamesbrought in $155 million with its debut week-end, whereas Twilight brought in only 69.6million with its debut weekend. Althoughlong, this movie was definitely worth it andwe recommend it to everyone.

BY LEXI ANDERSON AND STEPHANIE PETE

Trent Dailey- “I thought the book was bet-ter because it has more details and moreinteresting parts along with some differentparts that weren't”

Do you preferthe book or themovie better?

Taylor Lilly and Kaci Yost- “The book was

better in my opinion because you could put

your own imagination into it.”

Katie Jelinski- “The movie was better inmy mind because it came to life and thatwas a dream come true.”

Check out ‘Hunger Games,’a thrilling story of survivalIt has been a good while since the last time I picked up a book andread it from cover to cover. Most of the time I find a book, but amediocre plot is a quick turn off and halfway through the book I real-ize that the story holds no real interest to me.

Finally I became across a book called “The Hunger Games”. It iswritten by Suzanne Collins and it is the first part of a trilogy.

I had seen it often in library, but truly, until it became a movie thebook held no interest to me; I hadn't even bothered to pick it up. Whata surprise did I have coming… After constant nagging from friendsand family to read “The Hunger Games”, I finally picked up the bookand began to read it.

The more I read the more I began to love it. Following the journeyof Katniss Everdeen, through an thrilling journey to survive kept meglued to the book.

Katniss is a 16 year old girl who lives in district 12. In her world(called Panam) there are 12 districts, each specializing in a differenttrait. Some mine, some handle agriculture, etc. Every year, somethingcalled the hunger games is held.

Hunger games are a simple concept, every district puts their chil-dren's names in a bowl, (12-18yrs old) and then they draw one boy

name and one girl name. After all districts have chosen their boy andgirl tribute, they are taken to place called the capitol. Capitol takescare of everything and runs the country.

These children are dressed up, fed well (food is often scarce, espe-cially in district 8 and up) and then they are evaluated and inter-viewed. Then these children are put into an arena with only onethought. Survive or die. The point of the games is for the children tokill each other until only one is left. Through these games the childrenare followed on T.V. and people take bets on who will survive.

The story is breath taking and completely grabs the readers mind.One can almost feel as if they were watching the games, flinching,swearing, crying, laughing…and most importantly hoping the best forthe lovable characters. It has been considered that this book should be banned from schoolbut I don't think so at all. People should read this, it is a fantastic burstof imagination and creativity, the plot is entertaining and keeps thereader on their toes, holding their breath even. It is not too graphic interms of violence, at least not any more than what is shown of T.V.every day.

I truly recommend reading this book to anyone who just can read,and most importantly…Let the hunger games begin!

BY SOHVI PIHLAJAMAKI

Maddy Ion prefers “Hunger Games.”

4.26.2012 The Lance 29

“Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City” is the newest installmentin the “Resident Evil” video game series. This game features a brandnew type of game where sneaking isn't the only way to get the jobdone and ammunition is plentiful. Operation Raccoon City (or ORC)is a big shoot-em-up type of game with a “Left 4 Dead” game playstyle instead of the series standard over the shoulder aim-fire gamingsystem the series is famous for.

In this game, you play as one of 6 different characters, all with theirown special abilities and customizable weapon selection and upgradesystem. The player goes into the game with a squad of 4 characterswho get to choose who computers are and their own character andweapons as well. The game tells the story of Umbrella Medical Co.'s“clean-up crew” who is sent in right before the events that led up tothe first movie. As you finish the first mission you learn that the T-virus has been let out of Raccoon City and you must get rid of all evi-dence of Umbrella's involvement in the virus that has spread through-out Raccoon City. With the game playing in straight-forward pathsand easy to follow instructions, you may find the game to be fairlyeasy since the game tells you exactly where to go. However, the ene-mies are tough and you may find yourself overwhelmed constantly.

The game comes up with many ways to challenge the player intofiguring out whether they should stay and fight or run to the end(which is a very rare option so get used to being a sharpshooter). ORCalso brings in a co-op mode which was never brought up in any of theother games. You may now have up to 4 players in a co-op game.They also bring in a new versus mode that has up to 8 players in onegame, an unheard of amount for a “Resident Evil” game. In this mode,

you and a team must try to survive

a free-for-all match. However, only for the Xbox 360, there is aNemesis mode which allows one person to become Nemesis, which isbasically a super soldier, and Nemesis' goal is to eliminate everyoneelse while all the other players' team up to take him down.

You and your group must clear almost every room in order to pro-ceed to the next, but there are many different ways of doing it. Youcan just run in and shoot everything or you can try to take an easierapproach with trying to avoid the enemies entirely. Unfortunately, thisdoes not work very well, because the computer AI (or ArtificialIntelligence) is pretty bad. The computer players always choose to runat the enemy and attack, regardless the situation, but they will alwaysheal you or use an anti-viral spray on you if they have one and youneed it.

“Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City” may have its glitcheswith AI but makes up for it a little with class customization. After thecompletion of each mission, you get experience points which can beused to either upgrade class stats or unlock weapons to start out with.The game allows you to share the experience points with all the selec-table characters and every weapon you buy is able to be used for anyclass/character you choose. You cannot, however, select your com-puter counterparts' weapons or special abilities so you will get com-puter players with random weapon sets.

The game may have its faults, but don't let them make you thinkthat this game isn't worth playing. It's upgrade system and varyingmodes definitely make up for the slightly off computer AI and com-puter customization. “Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City” maynot be the best designed game on the market but I can assure you it'sa fun one to just sit and play for a while.

Resident Evil increases UmbrellasBY KAYNE SPEIRS

28 The Lance 4.26.2012

4.26.2012 The Lance 31

Yoga Pants or 

Short Shorts?

iPhoneor 

Droid?

Temple run or 

DrawSomething?