TROJAN TORCHFebruary2012

The

Volume92//Issue7JenksHighSchoolNewspaper

What women want senior bachelors step on the scenesenior bachelors step on the scene

read more on pages 4 and 5

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HEALTH: Relationships

Relationships have been known as hard to establish and even more difficult to maintain, particularly in high school. In response to this, www.psychologytoday. com wrote a lengthy list of advice for blossoming relationships and young couples. A condensed copy of the lists is as follows: 1) Know your needs and speak up for them clearly. Without knowing what is needed out of the partnership there is no true need for one. 2) R-E-S-P-E-C-T. A sense of respect towards each others’ boundaries and needs is key to any healthy relationship. Also, it is necessary to give each other the right to their independence. Being glued at the hip can be annoying and lead to greater problems. 3) Learn to negotiate. Life demands flexibility, and being able to adjust for the means of the relationships is important. Decide if some things are worth getting over, rather than giving up. 4) View yourselves as a team. That’s right- A TEAM- meaning two unique individuals with different talents, strengths, faults, and views. It is vital to remember the power and value in differences and to invest in them. Another tip is working together to preserve your relationship. Do not put off problems and know that fighting is a part of life, but so is forgiving each other. 5) Do not underestimate the power of spontaneity. Keep things interesting so the relationship does not get boring. Trying something new or purposefully changing a routine every now and then can be a great way to grow closer. 6) Never go into a new fling with the mindset that a relationship is the end goal; a relationship is a process, some lasting a lifetime. Like anything great, it does not come about without work. 7) Last but not least, realize that it is not always going to be perfect. Life has many ups and downs and so do relationships. By cherishing the good times and working through the rough patches together, a wonderful connection can be established and enjoyed.

-Andrea Mayes

Super Tuesday primaries

As the election season heats up, the re-publican presidential hopefuls are fighting for their chance to compete to live in the White House. The candidates are thinning out as the end of the primary season approaches and nomination day draws closer. The GOP frontrunner is Mitt Romney. After a caucus in Iowa that ended in a victory for Rick Santorum, a win for Rom-ney in New Hampshire, and a win for Newt Gingrich in South Carolina, the biggest primary day of the year is near. The phrase “Super Tuesday” originat-ed in 1984, with primaries being decided in South Dakota, New Mexico, West Virginia, California, and Virginia. Today the Super Tuesday primary de-termines delegates in ten states including: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee,

Vermont, and finally Virginia. Although these states are not often swing states the mere amount of delegates makes it significant. Over 30 delegates are up for grabs. This can often make the dif-ference between a first and second place finish when the primary process is over. The date for Super Tuesday this year is March 6, 2012. Last election cycle, Super Tuesday was on February 5. Should Mitt Romney score a decisive victory on this date he will coast to the nomination. Although he trails the incumbent President Obama by 1.9 polling points, Mitt Romney believes that he can make up the difference through the debates. The election season is just beginning and it is sure to be fun and heated. With the general election still yet to come, the attack ads and mudslinging is sure to get more intense as we inch closer to decision time.

Mock trial bangs the gavelBailey Fischer-Columbo

Reporter

An activity designed for students to participate in mock court cases, this year’s Mock Trial team’s compeition season has begun. Working for months hours in and out of school, the teams had their first scrim-mage Monday Jan. 16. Since it was the first scrimmage there were no announced winners but both teams put up a stong front aginst other school teams such as returning champs Christian Heritage Hall and Ada. In Mock Trial, a new year means a new case (which is decided by the national Bar Association), of which many are thrilled about. “ This year’s case is about death in ar-son which is a really exciting criminal case” junior Courtney Kayiza said. Re-enacting their hypothetical case al-most ver batam to that of a real court case, teams have attorneys and witnesses tried infront of real judges at the vaious court houses. Each trial takes approximately two hours and consists of an openin, three wit-

nesses-both directed and crossed, and a closing (presented by both the defense and prosecution sides). Lead by team captians junior Ashley Wilson and senior Thomas Rogers, every-one is excited for a new round of competi-tion with high hopes of making it further in competitions than last year. “I’m excited for state,” junior Court-ney Kayiza said.

This is a standard courtroom that could be used for a the mock trial competitions.

by Cam Thomas

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Key Club extends a hand

Since 1994, the Jenks Community Food Bank has harbored the responsibility of supplementing the unfortunate lack of food for many local families. Assisting up to 70 households a month, the food bank’s efforts never cease. Relying solely on the selflessness of its volunteers, the food bank is a non-profit organization that has come leaps and bounds from its humble start in a mere closet of a church to its present location of a 700 square foot edifice. Even so, the food bank is still wishing to abound its premises to accomidate the growing cliental and improve current conditions. The current grim and inadequate work space of the food bank severely hinders their ability to aid the local families in need. Hoping to dramatically improve their facility, the food bank has drawn blue prints for an updated and larger framework consisiting of plans for a new 2,000 sqaure

Bailey-Fischer ColumboReporter

foot domicile, but of course these changes won’t come cheap. Estimated to cost nearly $200,000 all together, the food bank has only raised a small portion of the expenses, however, because of a good past and clean track record, they are able to have a loan approved rather quickly with only needing a $60,000 down payment. Wishing to combat the tradgic hunger epedemic on a local level, the high school Deca, Key Club, and Student Council organizations have come together to fundraise money to donate towards the $200,000 rennovation. Working days in and days out the clubs have met almost every other day to plan a 12-hour lock in. Scheduled for Friday March 9th (7 p.m.-7a.m.), the lock in will consist of live music, lots of food, and ongoing competitions between ‘teams’ to gain points. Do not miss the event of the year and sign your team up in Mrs.Langley’s room, room 216 in the Math and Science Center.

DECA:decking up for upcoming events

Emery SkeltonReporter

DECA is recognized school wide by all students. There are posters everywhere in sight and frequent an-nouncements of its events. DECA consists of fashion marketing, sports marketing, and general marketing, which are taught by Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Glidden. “The purpose of DECA is to show students what the real world of marketing is like and to give them the tools to use in life,” graduate of 2009 Kessanni Skelton said. DECA has a couple very important upcoming events. DECA state will take place on Feb. 14 and 15; the 23 par-ticipating students representing the school will compete in written events and presentations and role plays. Winners of DECA state will go to Salt Lake City, Utah, this year for nationals. By competing in such events many opp-portunites become available for students to visit different cities all around the United States. The purpose of state and nationals is to provide stu-dents with opportunities for a variety of scholarships. “By joining DECA, I was given opportunities to win scholarships, and I did win scholarships by taking first place at DECA state,” Skelton said. Shortly following DECA state to sum up the events of February is the Oklahoma City Thunder Career Day for DECA students on Feb. 17.

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Twelve football players, an extremely large number for one school to sign, are going to different colleges across the country. While some are staying close to home (NEO, OSU, and OU), others are headed to big names like Dartmouth. Many soccer and baseball players signed to vari-ous different schools as well.

Athletes sign with schools across the

nation

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, another wave of Jenks athletes pledged their allegiance to different schools nationwide. Among this group were twelve football players as well as multiple boys and girls soc-cer players and a few baseball players as well. While a few of the team members are staying close to home, many are headed for different states and universi-ties. Sam Laptap will be going to Dartmouth in the fall while Alex Ross is attending the

University of Oklahoma. The signings are far from over, however, as many athletes are still making their choice. “It was awesome to see a lot of my friends take this huge step in their lives. It’s a bitter-sweet time but I’m so proud of them and what they’re headed to do next year.” senior Andi Phillips said. All in all Jenks athletes are headed for great things all over the country next year in multiple sports.

Annie RoachLifestyle Director

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What is your most attractive quality?

DA: Deep blue ocean eyes.DC: My legs. I’m a runner. SD: My sexy hairBH: My sparkling personality... or teethJM: My hyper intelligence JR: My angelic and dominating, yet soothing tenor voice.AR: My handsomeness, dashing qualities, my rock hard physique, tricepsCS: My stunning good looks, athletic, and style

What is your idea of a perfect date?

DA: Start at Genghis Grill, hit up a movie, go to Six Flags, then head over to Orlando.DC: Walk the Mordor in New ZealandSD: Go out to dinner, go out to the movies, and then go from there.BH: Take her to the moon so we can be among the stars.JM: Go to the center of the because it’ll be so hot. JR: Eating dinner on the bow of a ship at sunset and then enjoying a nice, competitive game of mini golf that I win.AR: The passion of our eyes locking and the endless sea trapped by time. CS: First we would go to IHOP for breakfast, then to a professional hockey game in Dallas. Afterwards we would go skydiving and I would take her to a lake like they do in country music videos.

The bachelors of JHS: most eligible seniorsFeaturePage4

Jeff Rogers

Justin Mitchell

Daniel Anderson

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What do you find most attractive in a girl?

What is your method to impress a girl?

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DA: Somewhere warm in the tropics, secluded but not too secluded, on the beach, spending time with celebrities and being fed ribs by an attractive girl. DC: A day outdoors in the moun-tains. SD: Go to the beach, play in the water, and check eachother out. BH: Anywhere warm with a beach. JM: Go to a beach in Europe and have a romantic dinner during sunset. JR: Go to disneyworld with my best friends over spring break. AR: Having massages by models. CS: Europe; Italy.

What is your idea of a perfect vacation?

DA: Smile, laugh, fun spirited. DC: Playing sports.SD: She has to be funny and athletic. BH: Good smile. JM: They have to be able to understand what I say. Physically and mentally attractive.AR: First their face, then their body, more their derrier area. JR: Low maintenance, not the jealous type, can make me smile with no effort.CS: Teeth.

DA: Give them a laugh and a smile. Be charming..DC: My dance moves. SD: Method? A girl has to im-press me. BH: Hit them with a flex. JM: It just comes naturally, I don’t have to impress girls.JR: Look. Smile. Works like a charm.AR: Serenade her with dreamy vocals, that only an angel could harmonize.CS: Stay confident, buy her something fancy.

Dancemomscapturesviewers Why is Dance Moms so enter-taining? The second season of this show has taken America by storm and kept viewers loyal while adding so many more! The show drew a series best 2.5 million total viewers and stands as the network’s young-est-skewing series. “We’ve conquered the world of competitive dance with our hit Dance Moms and have great plans to expand the franchise to Miami.” Said Life-time Networks Executive Vice Presi-dent programming Robert Sharenow said in a statement announcing to the news. The show first appeared on Lifetime on July 13, 2011. It is set in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and follows childrens early dance careers. With a new episode every Tuesday night, the show keeps viewers on their toes. In a nutshell, this series follows children’s early steps on the road to stardom, and their somewhat obses-sive mothers who are there for every

performance, rehersal, and bow. Witnessing the highs and lows of the various competitions this company attends, the audience recieves a taste of the cast’s suspenseful pursuit of the desired na-tional dance title. The characters include the notoriously de-manding Abby Lee Miller who is the head insructor at Abby Lee Dance Company. She has been cho-reographing since age 14 and later discovered that her passion was to teach instead of dance. Power hungry? Most definitely. Abby’s favorite student is Maddie which creates drama within the dance mom’s inner circle. Abby’s harsh personality anad strict dance schedules often cause tension betwee her and the moms, leaving the innocent students who are passionate about dance to simply watch the action take place. Maddie, 9 years old, is constantly

placed on the top of the “Pyramid” which is a ranking in the class acoording to previous performances. Maddie, although friends with all of the dancers, causes the dance moms to act on their envy and end up doing whatever it taken to promote their children. That could potentially mean threatening Abby Lee which always results in the same response, “Everyone is replaceable.” Not dramatic enough? Maddie’s mom Melissa has a knack for acting open minded to new moms coming into the group which can come across as “fake” to the fellow dance moms. They often think she uses men to help finance her dance school payments. Talk about scandalous! Side effects of watching this show are prevention of boredom, cause of inner anxiety and frustration, but most of all it will keep you extremely entertained. Girls may even find themselves talking or even yelling at the TV like guys do when they watch sports. Some believe this show has an odd appeal. However, all of the popular reality shows have some sort of unexplain-able power to capture America’s attention. So tune in on Tuesdays and check out the anticipated acton!

Maddy ReichertReporter

The Academy and Grammy awardsAmy PrittReporter

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It is that time of year for Hollywood’s famous actors and musicians to be rewarded for their diligent work in the past year. There have been other award shows in re-cent weeks, but this month includes the two award ceremonies that billions of people are looking forward to. The Grammy awards broadcasts live on Feb. 12. Then the famous movies and actors will get their chance to shine at the Academy awards on Feb. 26. People are gazing over their favorite artists and actors which builds anxiety about who will make appearances on the two eventful evenings. The Grammy awards contain a variety of artists from all genres to keep the viewers entertained. This is music’s biggest night of the year. From hip hop to country music, each unique artist will share this luxurious night together, all in support of one another. The artists that have received the oppor-tunity to perform are Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Minaj, Foo

Fighters, and Bruno Mars. Not only are they going to perform their hit songs, they are also nominees in a variety of differ-ent categories. They all have a chance to compete for the lustrous gold Grammy trophy.

Bruno Mars and Foo Fighters tied at six nominations for the night which adds some competition for the artists. Fol-lowing behind with three nomi-nations is Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean. The artists this

year are extremely talented that any prediction for the winner of any category would be difficult to stay dedicated to. Any artist has the talent to win on music’s biggest night of the year. Last year the big win went to Lady Antebellum. The duo group won Best Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. This year Adele is predicted to go home with multiple trophies. After the Grammy awards are over, the next award show to look for-ward to is the Academy awards. This is the film industry’s biggest night. Actors, directors, writers, and movies will all be

honored for their diligence and dedications that they projected in the past year. The nominated films are War Horse, Hugo, The Help, Midnight in Paris, The Descendants, The Artist, The Tree of Life, Moneyball, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. These are some of the strongest and most rec-ognized films of the year. The Artist won multiple Golden Globe awards. The nominee is predicted for the spontaneously big win of the night in the Best Pic-ture category. Tune in on these sumptuous evenings to see who takes home the gold at this highly anticiapted an-nual awards show.

The reboot of Spiderman, also known as The Amazing Spiderman that has been announced to come out later this year is something that has come as a suprise to many people. This new rendition stars Andrew Garfield as he takes over Tobey Maguire’s role as Peter Parker, Emma Stone cast as Gwen Stacy, Sally Field as Aunt May, Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, Rys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors, Denis Leary as George Stacy, and Campbell Scott as Peter Parker’s father. Despite the skepticism that fans expressed at the announcement of a new film, the new cast has gotten support from most enthusiasts. The stars are already showing signs of getting into character as Emma Stone was forced to dye her hair from red to blonde in order to accurately play her role as Gwen. This new film will be under a harsh light considering all it has to live up to, but according to interviews, the cast is up for the challenge. No mat-ter what decade, it seems people will never grow tired of the story that is Spiderman. With well established actors making up the new cast, the characters of this famouse film seem to be in good hands. It will be up to the viewers to decide on the quality of this film. The movie is not scheduled to come out until July, so until then, the craving for a new successful Spiderman film will remain unsatisfied.

Moviegoers rejoice! The classic series of government agents working to monitor alien activity on earth will be revived on May 25 of this year. In this installment of the series, when Agent K is threatened by an unknown alien assassin, Agent J must travel back in time to the 1960’s to stop the threat at its source. While there, he meets a younger version of Agent K and tries to stop the assassin from changing the fate of history. Will Smith, in his first movie role since Seven Pounds over 3 years ago, plays the title character alongsideTom-my Lee Jones as they have since the beginning of the trilogy. But there are a few new faces as well. Josh Brolin plays the younger version of Agent K, and Emma Thompson plays Agent Oh, a MIB officer in the present day and a secretary in the 1960’s, whose past ver-sion is played by Alice Eve. Some other newcomers to the series include Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Rip Torn, and Nicole Scherzinger. Barry Sonnenfeld returns to direct, and Steven Spielberg co-produces along with Wal-ter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. David Koepp was hired to rewrite the segment of the script that Ethan Cohen wrote after Cohen decided not to par-ticipate in the project. Jeff Nathanson was hired to write the second segment of the script, in which the time travel takes place.

Batman is resurfacing its fame after the Oscar-winning performance that The Dark Knight gave a couple of years ago. The Dark Knight Rises is the third movie coming back for a strong battle. This is the last movie that will conclude the legend of the dark knight after many years and journeys that followed the first two movies. Christian Bale sticks with his gold-en performance for the movie, which is directed by the intelligant Christopher Nolan. Some of the legendary cast members are the same, but there are also new actors and actresses playing a part of the lead role in the film. In the previous film, The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger gave a suspenseful and an award-winning performance of playing the Joker. His role was so well acted that it sets expectations higher for the new nemesis in The Dark Knight Rises. The new antagonist is named Bane, who is acted by Tom Hardy. He will add a chilling new conflict for Gotham City. The Dark Knight Rises takes place after eight years of the events that oc-curred in the second movie. Nolan was hesitant to come back for a third movie until his brother introduced a story to conclude the Batman series. They agreed that it would end the movie on a satisfying note. This is the action-packed movie of the summer. The Dark Knight Rises will be released on July 20.

Natalie MillerReporter

Bethany MannAds Director

Amy PrittReporter

Spiderman sparks skepticism

Series is back in Black

The legend rises back in Gotham City

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Woman in Black chills and thrills filmgoers

Buy your tickets, grab your popcorn, and prepare yourself for a com-pletely sleepless night - James Watkins’s film The Woman in Black hit American theaters on Feb. 3, and the chilling story it tells is not for the faint of heart. Daniel Radcliffe, known worldwide as the title character in the Harry Potter film franchise, plays the role of a lawyer named Arthur Kipps, a wid-ower and father to four-year-old Joseph. Desperate to keep his job, Arthur takes one last chance and travels to Eel Marsh House in order to settle the finances of the estate of recently-deceased Alice Drablow, as well as attempt to sell it. Before arriving at the house, however, he is warned that he will not find a local buyer; some terrifying superstition connected with the house hangs over the town nearest to it. Legend speaks of a mysterious woman cloaked entirely of black who brings misfortune and death to the children of the town whenever she is spotted.

Things quickly spin out of Arthur’s hands when he begins to dig deeper into the paperwork that Alice left behind, becoming increasingly entangled in the affairs of Alice, her son Nathaniel, and her sister Jennet Humfrye. Before too long it is apparent that Arthur may not be alone in the house - ghostly footsteps, music boxes that play of their own accord, and ink-black footsteps that lead nowhere all play a role in the story that seems too nightmarish to be true. Based on Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name, the film also features the acting talents of Ciaran Hines (who has acted alongside Radcliffe previously, as Aber-forth Dumbledore in the Potter films) as Sam Daily, who assists Arthur in his investigations, and Liz White as the title character of the woman in black. The book has also been produced into a stage script, and the play, which opened in London in 1987, is still running in London’s West End theater district. It is the second-longest running play in England, only topped by Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. This film is not of the same caliber of horror that has appeared in theaters recently - blood and gore are all but nonexistent - and because of this, it stands alone. There are enough surprises to elicit gasps, and even screams, from the hardiest of moviegoers, and the ending is the biggest surprise of them all. The largely-anticipated film more than lives up to its high expectations, and is truly a film worth watching over and over again.

by Rachel Lampi

Chuy’s arrives in style Bethany Mann

Ads Director

Known as a famous attraction in many cities in Texas, Chuy’s Restaurant has branched from its Austin base all the way to its first Oklahoma location, Tulsa, at 10808 E. 71st Street. Home to “burritos as big as your face”, this Tex-Mex chain is known for its quirky and fun atmosphere, as well as great quality food and friendy employees who are not afraid to joke around with customers. Unfortunately, as of January 15, Chuy’s is not open yet. A trailer currently sits in the parking lot for applicants to apply for work in the restaurant, which is looking for about 150 hosts, servers, bartend-ers, bussers and kitchen staff ready to work hard and have a lot of fun doing it. The famous mood of the restau-rant will be recreated as accurately as possible. The story to the ec-centric decoration is that the two founders of the restaurant in Aus-

tin bought an old barbecue joint and spent nearly all their money on getting the basic kitchenware and tables, and had nothing left for decorations but a $20 bill. They decided to spend the rest on velvet paintings of Elvis and Stevie Won-der, and get the rest from different odds and ends around the house. This version of Chuy’s will have such curiosities as a shrine to Elvis Presley and a large storage bin for nachos in the dislocated trunk of a car. Chuy’s will open soon in New World Buffet’s previous location.

Photo courtesy of www.krmg.com

Murder mystery makes great fireside reading

Rachel LampiReporter

Winter weather has finally arrived, and there is no better way to celebrate the snow and biting wind than by curling up with a blanket, a huge mug of hot chocolate, and a good book. Murder mysteries are ideal reading choices for the fireside, and Stefanie Pintoff’s In the Shadow of Gotham is the way to go. The novel’s main character, police detective Simon Ziele, returns to Westchester County in New York after the death of his fiancée when the steamboat General Slocum caught fire and sank in a harbor. He is looking for quiet time, away from the bustle of New York City, to deal with his grief. Ironically, Simon is instead thrust into the most brutal case of his careeer when notable mathematics student Sarah Wingate is murdered while visiting relatives in the country. His investigations lead Simon to team up with prominent criminologist Alistair Sinclair in attempting to track down a former patient of Sinclair’s. But how they find the man - and the revelations that accompany the finding - is even more complicated than the murder itself. Pintoff’s novel is a captivating historical mystery, weaving in elements of women’s rights and early twentieth century criminology alongside a suspenseful and gripping tale. In the Shadow of Gotham even won the Edgar Award, a prestigious award for mystery authors, in 2010 for Best First Novel. Readers are sure to be turning pages until the end.

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Eminem and Lil Wayne turn their swag on

by Natalie Miller Two of the most famous rappers of this generation have started a tour that definitely has people anxious to see it. That is right, Lil Wayne and Eminem have joined forces and are taking on the stage together as they both spark talk amongst hip hop lovers everywhere. The performances are rumored to be done in separate sets, with Eminem performing cuts of “Stan,” “Lose Yourself,” and “My Name Is,” and Wayne perfroming rendi-tions of songs like “How To Love,” “Drop The World,” and “Mirror”.

However, the rap duo does come together to give a performance of the song “No Love” as fans take in an excit-ing moment of getting to see two legends of rap combine talents. Whether people are more a fan of Eminem and his hard hitting lyrics, or Lil Wayne and his undeniable swag, this concert sets out to satisfy both types of fans. The two have kicked off their joint tour in Australia and are rumored to go to more places including Fiji and Africa. “My favorite artist is Eminem, his lyrics are very relat-able to me. Eminem and I have a reasonably similar back-ground, so when I hear him, I know where he is comming from,” junior Brent Pagett said. The combination of both of these artists results in som ething unique and exciting to fans. It is like having a birth-day on Christmas in NYC while having a parade conducted in your honor. Two crazy awesome aspects of life coming together to make one fantasatic experience! Don’t be afraid, to go outside of your comfort zone, because whatever weather, cold or warm, you will not re-gret it. This is a rare chance to see the real Slim Shady live with musical mastermind, Lil Wayne. If you had one shot, one opportunity, to see these two amazing artists perform together, would you capture it, or just let it slip?

Follies makes for five stars

Dallas ElmoreReporter

Oklahoma’s most famous son has a positively gleeful musical reincarnation in Will Rogers Follies, the performing arts departments’ ambitious musical about the life of entertainer Will Rogers. Rogers, the Oklahoma born Cherokee entertainer and cowboy, is regarded as one of Americas most valued and treasured names in entertainment. His ability to mix cowboy talk with political speak in his newspaper columns and vaudeville shows

endeared him to Americans in the 20’s and early 30’s until his tragic death in a plane crash with aviator Wiley Post in 1935. In a career that seemingly engineered quotes that were relevant then and remain relevant now, his most famous was “I never met a man that I didn’t like”. That same mentality translated to the 1991 production that dramatized his life and reintroduced a colorful character in American history to the stage. Follies picked up seven Tony awards and received nominations for four more, and after its initial showing ran until 1995, generating positive critical reviews as it traveled the nation north, south, east and west. The music department’s resuscitation of Follies has every intention of living up to its Broadway brethren. Stephen Week, the drama department's version of a sports Hell week or two a days, cost the cast the

Known by the “it’s The Cataracs” trademark in the background of their songs, The Cataracs are an Indie-pop duo and Hollywood’s newest producers. They are most recently known for their song “Baby, baby,” featured on Keep-ing Up with the Kardashians. After be-ing signed with Universal, the band has had major successs, and with different colaborative and networking efforts they have brought fame and fourtune to many young new artists. The band worked with several up-and-comers to produce a few chart-

toppers and current favorites. Most prominently know is the electronic party mix single, “Like A G6” with The Far East Movement. The Cataracs also produced and were featured in “Backseat,” with the NewBoyz. Yet their greatest endevour to date is with young new sensation Dev. The band discovered Dev over MySpace and worked with her to present her first hit “Booty Bounce,” and the album that followed. Her more current hits include “Bass Down Low,” and “Dancing In the Dark.” To see The Cataracs’ latest productions go to itsthecataracs.com.

by Andrea Mayes

Cataracs begin producing

last week of their Christmas holiday and demanded 8-10 hour days spent practicing choreography till the dances were more familiar to them than their own family. Following this grueling introduction to the play, the actors and choir are required to practice after school and during their respective music classes to fine tune the challenging production. "The play will take about 100 hours from myself before the production comes to the PAC in late February” says junior Kate Woosley. With such extreme dedication and a talented group of players, this year’s musical, premiering Feb. 23-6 promises to be a markedly extravagant and entertaining affair. The enjoyable recantatinon of the life of Oklahomas favorite son has audiences awaiting the music department's production.

Giants win Super Bowl

The biggest sporting event in America has taken place and the team from New York are again world champions. The game took place on February 5 in In-dianapolis, Indiana, Lucas Oil Stadium. In the house that Peyton built, another Manning, Eli brought home Super Bowl glory. Along with leading his team to a 21-17 victory, Eli Manning was named the Most Valuable Player. To the victor goes the spoils; Manning received a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. As with any great sporting event there is a winner and there must be a loser. In this great American spectacle the loser happened to be the New England Patriots. The Patriots were the favorites to win the game, but just as happened in Super Bowl 42 the New York Giants again proved that records do not matter in the Super Bowl.

The Giants were down heading into the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and having blown two of their time outs, their situation was becoming dire. Tom Brady lofted a ball to Wes Welker, who was wide open, but he dropped the ball. This forced the Patriots to punt and allowed the Giants to drive down the field for the game win-ning touchdown. Ahmad Bradshaw scored the winning touchdown, and may have been coached not to. The Giants could have taken a knee at the one and ran the clock down until the Patriots had no time left for a comeback. The crowd held its breadth wondering if Tom Brady would engineer another miracle comeback. However, the Hail Mary failed. The clock hit zero, the confetti fell, and the New York Giants were Super Bowl Champions.

Members of the New York Giants football team hoist the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 21-17.

Track and Field flies into season Championship athletics have found a hopeful home on the track for a high school hungering for even more state titles to swallow in a seemingly never-ending happy hour of pure dominance. Track and field has just entered the beginning of its five month season, which stretches from the indoor meets in January and culminates in the outdoor state meet in mid May. Expectations are high for a program back under the tutelage of legendary head coach Steve Patterson, and a promising season seems to be in the works for what looks to be a hotly contested field come state. The strength of the men's team lies in sprint and field events. State champion in the 200 meter dash, Alex Ross, looks to another victory in 2011 while field athlete Dillon Lookout continues to surpass his 16 foot pole vault mark that won state by a full foot. Encouraging signs also lie with the team's distance side, as freshman Chris Staub and seniors Kevin Diaz and Meshach Adams continue to progress in the 800 meter and mile runs. The women’s side continues to progress,

mirroring the forward thrusts of the boys unit. Jessi Martin and Lottie Dungan return from a 4x400 team that placed fourth at state with a squad completely filled with sophomores. A shot at victory seems more complete when considering the distance pedigree of the girl’s team. Senior Paige Barnes heads an experienced senior class, while sophomore Maddie Brown and freshman Grace Barber are fresh off top five finishes at the state cross country meet. While Jenks fields a strong team this year, other schools look to pounce on the first place spot with talented squads of their own. "Edmond Memorial, Broken Arrow, and Edmond Sante Fe look to be the team to beat this year. Our stong suits against these teams are going to be our field events and relays” head coach Steve Patterson said. With a season as long and as grueling as tracks, motivation becomes key. "Track is a measured sport. By measuring athletes against the clock or the height, it serves as a focusing tool to keep our athletes movtivated" Patterson said.

Dallas ElmoreReporter

Cam ThomasReporter

Jenks Hockey Schedule:

Saturday February 11thVs. Tulsa Varsity

Wednesday February 15th Vs. Union Varsity

Wednesday February 22ndVs. BA Varsity

Wednesday February 29thVs. Tulsa Varsity

3:00 PM 7:15 PM 8:45 PM 7:15 PM

SportsPage10

BOK Center Oilers Ice Center Oilers Ice Center Oilers Ice Center

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Live.Laugh.Love.For anyone

that knows me, they know that I am a huge sports fan. Although I don’t consider myself an expert by any

means, I can still enjoy the excitement of a close game. I think more girls should try and pay attention to sports because they would probably end up enjoying them as much as I do. My two favorite sports that I feel deserve to be discussed are football and hockey. The thing that I love most about football is the fact that it is so easily understandable while at the same time maintaining its competitive nature. After only a couple of games even the simplest

mind can understand the strategy and formation of the sport.

Hockey on the other hand is a little more complex, but still extremely entertaining. It combines the precision of soccer, with the agility of swimming, and endurance of basketball, all on ice! And because it only lasts for 3 periods, there is never a dull moment.

With any sport, there is nothing more exciting then a tied score in the last minute of the game. Everyone’s adreline is pumping as they cheer on their team.

I love sports for the friendships and the rivalries. I love sports for the victories and the triumphs. Whether you are a coach, an athlete or a fan, sports are never just a game, they’re a passion, a craft, and for some, an obsession. -Erica Engelby

Editors-in-Chief: Rachel Campbell Erica EngelbyLifestyle Director: Annie Roach

Copy Editor: Cam Thomas

Ad Director: Bethany Mann

Advisor: Daniel Manley

Staff: Dallas ElmoreBailey Fischer-Columbo

Rachel LampiBethany MannAndrea MayesNatalie Miller

Amy PrittMadison Reichert

Sarah RicheyEmery Skelton

Staff Box

OpinionPage11

Don’t wake me if I’m dreaming As a girl, I can always appreciate a good romantic comedy or other love stories. However, nothing is more detestable to me than mov-ies that have a forced side romance. When I pay $7.50 to see an action movie, I’m not ex-actly thrilled when a cliched, unwarranted miniature love plot stumbles onto the scene. I want to get the most out of my ridiculously priced ticket, not be forced to en-dure the awkward atempts at a “multi-genre” fi lm. There’s nothing unique or interesting about the half-formed, for-mulaic romance that appears as if it were dropped in the

movie at the last moment in an endeavor to appeal to a teenage female audience. The moment I spot such gaudy and ,frankly, pitiful violations against the fi lm industry, I condemn a movie to immediate failure. Although they are not typi-cally transgressors, novels can be just as guilty as any movie when it comes to use-lessly artifi cal romances. In order to purge this epidemic, directors and authors should possess enough confi dence in their work to stand alone, rather than adding superfi cial sub-stitutes. In direct opposal to their intentions, these dis-

tract from the heart of the plot and the natural fl ow of the fi lm. For now, I’ll sit back and hope that after sa-batoging themselves and their work, directors and other artists will have an earth shattering epiphany to the errors of their ways and create stories indepen-dent of such trifl es. -Rachel Campbell

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Y Side- Singles Awareness Day

There are those who rejoice on Valentine’s Day, those who dread it, and those like me who have created a new holiday out of it. Singles Awareness Day is the time of the year when those of us who are not tied down by a signifi cant other can rejoice in our independence.

Yes, while some girls are depressed and alone on this day, choosing to mope and buy themselves a box of chocolates, there are those of us who jump for joy in the fact that we don’t have to worry about impressing anyone. Guys out there can keep up their player ways while girls don’t have to deal with the stress of watching their man stress out about it.

Sure, we don’t get presents or a bunch of roses, but who really wants a giant stuffed dog and some dead fl owers a week later? Valentine’s Day is just another excuse for people to show off their relationship. I’ll be skipping down the hallway whistling “Ain’t gonna tie me down.”

X & YAnnie Roach

X & YX Side- Valentine’s Day

Valentines Day. The day reserved for showing off your signifi cant other and the special bond you share over all those poor, hapless single souls out there. Go on, enjoy it. Let the lonely hearts wail about the commercialism of love and the false fl irtations of suspected crushes. Go ahead. Blow a hundred on dinner, drop twenty on movies, and another weeks worth of minimum wage work on a necklace. Your high school lover will feel warm and fuzzy in a blitz of teenage emotion, and a classic Disney-esque kiss will ensue.

As you watch the unfortunates troll the hallways searching for a connection in a distant world, you can take comfort in your nearby beau. The bond you two share will survive high school through the way you handle Valentines Day, in the sweet nothings you exchange, the silly notes rendered, and the explicitly beautifi c text messages sent. Your love will thrive with cupid’s coddling.

Dallas Elmore

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The Jenks High School Newswriting class publishes The Trojan Torch. Editorials, staff opinions, reviews and letters to the editor are the opinions of the indi-vidual writer and not necessarily those of The Trojan Torch staff, its advisor or the administration. The Trojan Torch reserves the right to edit any signed letter sub-mitted to the paper for publication. All letters become property of The Trojan Torch.