Volume 88 Issue 6 Mar. 21, 2013

2012 Montana Pacesetter2012 CSPA Silver Crown Winner

1900 2nd Ave. S.Great Falls, MT 59405iniwa@iniwa.com

For more stories and coverage:visit us on the web at iniwa.com

High school students from the area gather for 9th annual Cascade of Talent.

CascadingTalent

News | 2–3

| DPS8–9

| Opinion4–5Life| 6–7

Life |10| A&E11–13

Sports| 14-15

Girls and Boys Basketball teams compete in the AA State tournament in Great Falls. Players reflect on the playoffs

after a climactic end to the

season.

State Basketball

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THE

AIR

by Shandon Bilbrey and Jordan PurintonDISTRICT BUDGET CUTS

“Our kids, our future, our commu-nity,” said District Director of Business Operations Brian Patrick.

Education funding is at risk once again with insuf f ic ient funds from the state leg-islature, as well as, fed-eral tax cuts. The district unfavorably is challenged with the task of staff cuts on a basis of elemen-tary and high school staff. “There will be 2.5 teach-er equivalent positions cut, however, the teachers may

or not be cut,” said principal Jane Gre-goire. Depending on a possible mill levy and funding from the state legislature,

many teachers may keep their jobs de-spite the district proposed reductions.

In present legislation, Senate Bill 175 proposed by Llew Jones assures re-vision of the acquisition and distribution for the funding of schools in Montana. The bill plans to balance the equity in school funding for all students on basis of distribution formulas.

The District is looking over a looming $1,000,000 that will be lost from federal funding this spring and next year ac-cording to Superintendent Cheryl Craw-ley. As a whole, the district has a total of $64 million in funding; however, in lieu of funding for the current education programs and instruction, the District needs $1.26 million increase in funding. Along with district-wide staff cuts, the schools in Great Falls will receive cuts in books and supplies, building repairs and maintenance and technical services.

SCHOOL ENHANCEMENTSDespite the stress of fairly distrib-

uting the District’s education funds, and cutting of staff, books and supplies, technical maintenance and repair; the District makes fitting enhancements to abide by the safety, academic achieve-ment and instruction of all students.

“Funding to Great Falls High will

provide for technology for the new CRT, special programs, keeping building in good repair and supporting every stu-dent,” said Gregoire. Over the 2012–13 year, Great Falls’ high schools received about $260,000 directed for the safety and academic achievement of students. The District developed safety academic achievement on the high school level by hiring a drug and alcohol counselor, two social workers and one instructional teacher for Common Core State Stan-dards.

On the other hand, elementary and middle schools acquired a little under $700,000 aimed toward safety, teachers and specialists, Success Maker soft-ware and academic progress. Funding for safety gave rise to an alert system, increased paraprofessional time for playground and supervision and anti-bullying efforts. The Gifted Education in elementary schools generated fund-ing for development and support for advanced students, while the middle school received funding for after school buses for all students.

PERCEPTION OF THE BUDGETAn aura of confusion is often consis-

tent when asking people about the state of our school budget. This notion especially

rings true when asking students. “I don’t hear much about our budget.

I only hear from random teachers about not having enough money to do certain things,” said freshman Taylor Lunn.

The proposed cuts at a national and state level have only reignited the debate over the funding of public education.

The fact that many students don’t understand or even care about the budget stems from most students not knowing the present state of our budget. Yet the question looms, “What should we do?”

“The District finds itself between a rock and a hard place. It’s like trying to talk about politics in government class. I have to be nonpartisan when teaching, when I may not necessarily be nonparti-san myself,” said social studies teacher Norman Anderson.

Many students value their education, and senior Cody Evans is one of those, and said that we need to make it more of a priority to pass a mill levy.

“The budget cuts are definitely affect-ing every person in the school, whether it’s for sports teams or music or science. Everyone is affected. A lot of kids will be going here in the future, so passing a mill levy is pretty important.” Polls distributed to 160 GFH students

Great Falls Public Schools face budget cuts going into the 2013-2014 school year

?

DWorld’sBest

Teacher

“When you start to pull funds out for our public schools, it makes it harder for us to do the job that we do.”– Social studies Teacher Norman Anderson

“Our kids, our future, our community.”

– Director of Business Operations Brian Patrick

“Education should be valued because we are the people of the future.”– Freshman Taylor Lunn

64%]Of students understand what the mill levy is

56%Of students think GFPS should receive more taxpayer money

23%Of students think Music should be prioritized first for budget cuts

UP IN

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@greatfallsiniwa| Moment16

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“The budget cuts are

definitely affecting every

person in the school.”

– Senior Cody Evans

2 NEWS March 21, 2013

by Andrew KromarekGreat Falls High will host

its annual Blood Drive today.Student government has

been working on the blood drive for nearly a month. They have been lining up locations, coordinating with the Red Cross, signing kids up during lunches, writing passes and collecting permission forms.

“The blood drive is very student-driven,“ said Christine Baroch. Baroch and French teacher Kathy Jackson have been the student govern-ment advisors for the past three years, and have helped

with organizing the drive. The payoff ultimately

outweighs the work. “It’s important because the

donators know that if they were in a situation where they needed blood, they would need some-one to help,” said senior Jackie Santin. She added, “Donating blood can really help a lot of people. Every little bit counts.“

This year, the Red Cross has opened up more spots than usual for students and faculty to give blood.

“There are nearly 85 peo-ple currently scheduled to do-nate their blood,” said Baroch.

March is also Red Cross Month, so it’s important to spread the word about the importance of donat-ing blood and the impact this cause can have.

“I hope I don’t faint!“ said junior Isaac Rider. This year is his first being involved with the blood drive. “I think its a good cause, because you never know when you’ll fall into a situa-tion where you’ll need blood.“

According to Baroch, Every two seconds in the United Sates, someone will need live-saving blood, and the Red Cross is the first to respond to any incident.

The Red Cross supplies blood to more than 30 local hos-pitals and is the organization that works to help keep people who have had accidents alive.

The average donor gives around one pint of blood, which is still less than a soda pro-vided from the schools vend-ing machines. Although a seemingly small amount, it only takes one pint to save up to three lives, and GFH alone is giving enough blood to po-tentially save up to 255 people with life threatening conditions.

This is a prime example as to how diverse a situation can be,

and shows it is very important that medical services be well equipped with enough blood.

It is important for those who decide to give blood to keep hydrated both before and af-ter the event. In the past, kids have had a hard time with the sight of blood, but Red Cross staff are quick to accom-modate as best as they can.

GFH has done a great job getting involved. “Over-all, I think GFH involvement in something like this is out-standing,” said Rider. “ Its like the Make-A-Wish foundation, which was pretty incredible.“

Stuco and Red Cross collaborate for blood drive

Photo by Dustin Senger

by Cilly GeraniosRows upon rows of hunched

backs and bent heads fill the old gym. The sound of pages turn-ing warn students of others’ progress as they slowly con-tinue to the end. Bubbles upon bubbles of answers filled in, ei-ther thoughtfully or in a hurry.

There seems to be a test every other day. Despite test-ing frequency, the anxiety that comes when an LXR sheet is placed on a desk has not subsid-ed. In fact, with all the empha-sis placed upon tests, students are either rewarded or quickly placed into remedial classes in order to test proficiently.

When faced with the daunt-ing standardized tests re-member the accessibility of resources. There are numer-ous testing booklets filled with practice tests. Math teacher Michael Lanier said, “For any standardized test there are books with practice tests.”

These tests not only allow you to review material but also inform you of question type that is likely to appear on the test. Lanier said, “These books are the best study aid to see what type of questions are on the test.” Studying for standardized tests helps prepare and reduce stress for the upcoming test.

One of which is to avoid cramming the night before. Cramming doesn’t actually en-sure the information will stay on

your mind. In fact, sleeping does more to cement newly learned knowledge. Rather than wait-ing until the night before test-ing to study, spread the study-ing out over a number of days.

When faced with an up-coming test, studying might not be enough to alleviate test nerves. However, exercising for a few days before testing may help reduce stress. No matter how long the tests, the urge to daydream an escape from the confining silence of test periods is difficult to ignore. Math teacher Beckie Frisbee said, “It is a long time to sit.”

When testing, don’t let the mind wander aimlessly. Rather than fidgeting in or-der to relieve some of the pent-up energy, chew gum and keep a water bottle on hand if it is allowed in the test.

When actually taking the test, skim through it in or-der to plan how to pace in order to finish the test in the given amount of time.

As the school year comes to a close, test days pop up more and more frequently until the final exams arrive. Regardless of test bombard-ment, the anxiety revolving around exams has not ceased.

If students are seeking further advice on coping with testing agitation, counsel-ors and pamphlets are avail-able in the counseling office.

Analysis of testing behavior aids success rate, decreases mistakes, anxiety

STUFFED Junior Matt McDonald and Jesse Saarela stuff bags full of helpful materials for the sophomores taking CRTs. The brown paper bags included high lighters, pencils, erasers, candy and/or gum and motivational notes from teachers. The bags were then labeled and given to the intended student before the test.

3NEWS March 21, 2013

News tidbits23%

Out of more than one billion Catholics world-wide, about 23 percent

of American adults identify themselves as

Catholic. (Gallup)

2.5 teachers positions will be cut at Great

Falls High. Although the positions will be cut the

teachers may not be. (Principal Jane Gregoire)

53%With the 10 year mark

since initial deployment of American troops

to Iraq, 53 percent of the American public

believes the war was a mistake. (Gallup)

57%Fifty-seven percent of Americans still believe

economic issues are among the top problems

in the U.S. The lowest since June 2010.

(Gallup)

2.5

by Michael GundersonThe following scholarships can be submitted online and by file due Mar. 28, 2013.

The Big Blue Scholarship is two $1000 scholarships for one male and one female who will be graduating this year. Qualifi-cations require students to have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, be involved in extra-curric-ular activities and contribute to the school or other students.

Sam’s Hope Foundation Scholarship is a $500 schol-arship commemorating Sam

Kolve who would have been a senior this year but passed away from a rare form of can-cer called alveolar rhabdomyo-sarcoma.

The Carl Straight Schol-arship is worth $2000 and is a four-year renewable schol-arship that will be given to a student who has a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and who also exhibits reasonable citizen-ship, diligence and hard work.

For more information and scholarships visit the coun-seling office or go online.

Scholarship submissions for March

by Cilly GeraniosIn the last Iniwa issue the

editorial had some inaccurate information and it came to the attention of the Iniwa staff.

The article accused the ad-ministration for the latest lim-ited access on campus. How-ever, this new policy came as a result of a meeting with home-land security, FBI, the sheriff’s department and the police de-partment. These officials met and worked with Officer Reeves in order to determine the best course of action in order to bet-ter regulate traffic on campus.

Associate Principal Brad Barringer said, “We can’t have half the student body driv-ing off campus when we have club meeting time.” The loss

of the interest-based con-nections meeting time was previously planned for the current school year before the administration arrived.

Principal Jane Gregoire said, “The clubs were re-ally struggling.” Clubs such as Student Government were finding it difficult to manage their event planning. These struggles were the main rea-son for the new ‘late-ins.’

Gregoire also emphasized that the high numbers current-ly shown for Great Fall High’s dropout rate is due to the fact that Paris Gibson Educational Center students were previ-ously counted among GFH stu-dents. The dropout rate for this year is as of now unavailable.

Administration clarifies statementPERFECT PITCH Seniors Jordan Jernigan, Emily Hatler, Haley Mills, and Jackie San-tin audition for a spot in the senior assembly. Their act consists of an acapella re-mix of popular songs mostly from the movie “Pitch Perfect”.

by Michael GundersonThe 2013 Senior talent show

has moved from an earlier date in the year to the senior class’ last day of school, on May 29.

“The faculty advisory board talked about the possibility of [moving] it,” said stagecraft and drama teacher Joel Corda.

The original date chosen for the talent show would interfere with English testing. “The idea of doing it the last day is a good one and we were just trying to figure out a way to make it happen,” said Corda, “but I’m always cautious

when trying something new.”There is always skepticism

about the behavior of the excited seniors acting out and present-ing inappropriate behavior, but Corda says that he is sure that the seniors will be able to han-dle themselves and finish the remainder of the school year.

“I always worry about seniors making a mistake right before they graduate which is why I liked hav-ing it earlier but I’m optimistic that the senior class is mature enough to pull it off and all be able to walk across the stage,” said Corda.

Senior talent show date changed

SUPREME JUSTICE While in Helena, the Pages for both the House and Senate toured various places around the Capitol including the Montana Supreme Court. They also toured the dome of the Capitol building where they met the Governor, Lt. Governor and Secretary of State.

A personal perspective by Ada KellyShowing up at 8 a.m. Monday

morning, I had no idea what to ex-pect. As I walked into the impressive Capitol building, I was excited to be a part of such an important purpose.

The typical day was from around 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. The week lasted from Monday morning to Saturday around noon.

In total, there were eight House Pages. As House Pages, our duties basically consisted of running errands for the Representatives and House staff mem-bers. I soon learned it was important to have good walking shoes. Not al-lowed to use the elevators, pages got their fair share of walking throughout the day. Constantly checking different desks for messages needing to be de-livered, running errands, etc., there was little down time. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes sur-prised and undoubtedly, impressed me.

It was fascinating to watch the po-litical process in action. Initially, I went into it not thinking I would like the Rep-resentatives that were across the aisle from me politically; but I soon learned that we are all very nice people wanting

to improve Montana. We simply have dif-ferent ways of reaching our final goals. Furthermore, as a member of the House staff, the pages were not allowed to express any personal political views—a rule that was at times challenging.

The first two nights after the workday was over, we all went home, ate and fell asleep quickly, exhausted and a bit over-whelmed. By Wednesday we all were get-ting comfortable with each other and went out to dinner. As the week progressed, we all grew to be close friends, and by Friday night we didn’t want to go home. Most of us still stay in contact with each other.

Because it was close to trans-mittal, the House had to push many bills through the floor. In the last two days of the week, many gun bills were brought to session. Dealing with guns in high schools and universities, I had great interest in the bills and the Legislature’s final decision on them.

The unforgettable week gave me an eye-opening experience into politics. While there, I further developed my own personal beliefs about government and its role in our lives. For all upcoming ju-niors and seniors, I would recommend being a page in the 2015 Legislature.

Page program teaches studentsTeen Pages gain real world job experience

POLITICS IN ACTION During session, the majority of the Pages sat in the front of the room prepared to run errands for the Representatives. Also at that time, one Page sat at the Lobbyist table and ran messages into the Representatives.Photos by Ada Kelly

Photo by Dustin Senger

4 OPINION March 21, 2013

[

Editorial

2001 marked one of the biggest years in education.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)was passed, an act that declares every school to meet a certain requirement in the proficiency of their students. If schools do not reach these unrealistic goals, budget and teacher cuts inevitably follow. In 2014, the act promises that every student in the public school system will be adept in math and reading in his appropriate grade level.

NCLB has been the kryptonite of every educator involved in the crippling standards it holds for the students. The act

reduces students to statistics by measuring the individual’s intelligence through standardized testing.

Great Falls High School has attempted to make standardized testing as painless as possible. Their methods include offering snacks and water during the test, along with allowing students to take extended lunches.

Many schools have resorted to unethical ways of meeting the expectations of NCLB. Select schools in Florida have asked for a waver, declaring that only a certain percentage of students of different races should be

required to meet the proficiency level.

Some schools have also turned to paying students cash in turn for good grades or better attendance in search for a higher percentage of students reaching proficiency.

NCLB entered the system as a wonderful thought. With a name like that, nobody would think to hate it. Who wants a child to be left behind?

As the months and years progressed, NCLB was quickly exposed to be much more than its name had suggested. Standardized testing became

The

LINEBOTTOM

by Katie Rider

The Great Falls School District has been battling with money quite steadily over the past few years. This includes numerous cuts in fields such as art, music, foreign language and gifted/talented education. Yet again, according to Superintendent Crawley’s Budget Message, the district will lose at least $1 million.

The district will face $1,053,536 in reductions this coming year, part of which will come from the high schools, although a majority of the cuts will be made at the elementary level. The district’s cabinet-level department leaders do their best to make such cuts without hindering the quality of education. Unfortunately, with such large quantities of money, this task is much harder to achieve.

Great Falls Public Schools have endured a decrease of taxpayer aid over the last few years. Ultimately, it is a necessity that the district look elsewhere for funds.

GFPS has granted $90,000 in “Discovery Grants” which go directly to classroom use. The money gathered in order to create these grants came from public donations. The donations have totaled around $800,000. This sizeable gap provokes the question, “Where is the remainder of the money being used?”

Are Great Falls citizens receiving a clear view of the need for this money? Are instances resembling such circumstances causing negative opinions of our districts imperative need for additional funding.

Due to the lack of communication between the district and community the districts actions may not appear transparent although they generally make a point to do so. However, with the complexity of the budget meetings the concept of district spending may appear difficult to grasp.

It has become clear that a majority of the community feels uninformed of the district’s intentions and is unaware of the state of the education after these large blows to funding. A majority of the public frowns upon actions of the district such as the purchase of expensive technology such as the iPads seen around the schools.

However, most of these extravagant devices are provided by grants and not by wasted funds. The community often times does not recognize the importance of this equipment or that the grants supplying it cannot be used elsewhere.

The public needs to re-evaluate the significance of public education and recognize the utter incapability of operation without a proper budget. The unclear information involving our schools’ money and the lack of communication between the district and the community will continue to hinder the functionality of our school system.

The GFPS budget will continue to be an issue directly related to the quality of education for community children and adolescents. To preserve the quality of our school system, it is crucial that citizen involvement and understanding increase.

No Child Left Behind faults revealed as

deadline approaches

by Sara MoltzanLetters are expected by parents on their

children’s behavior, attendance and grades. However, such letters have been replaced by “fat letters” in North Andover Massachusetts. “Fat letters” are letters sent to parents of overweight children or children at risk for being overweight.

Theoretically, this approach is perfect; stop obesity in grade school; prevent an unhealthy generation. However, due to the fact the system is utilizing the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale, it charts the child’s weight and height to a point on a curve determining whether they are obese or not. This is seemingly harmless, but the BMI system fails to account for muscle mass, so most, if not all, athletes turn up as obese on its reading.

I was “obese” as a child. Sure, I was slightly chunky, but it was almost solely based on my muscle mass. In the second grade, I was at the athletic standard of a fourth grader. Reports show that children are developing eating disorders and negative self image at younger and younger ages. Even so, most of society just shrugs it off as an unfortunate event;

something that could never happen to anyone they know.

I was told I was obese. While I was a little chunky, clearly my BMI was mostly a result of muscle mass. Later, I developed what some might call an eating disorder, but what I just called “dieting” in the third grade. Seeing no results, I didn’t try “dieting” again until I reached high school.

I am not an anorexic, nor have I ever been one. None-the-less, I do experience what is known as an “out of synch eating pattern.” This is where a subject experiences episodes where they are neurologically driven to eat more, or in my case, less than they are supposed to.

As a child grows older, she can dismiss this thought, but receiving an “obese letter,” or the less common “underweight letter” in grade school could only prove detrimental to one’s self image.

To this day, even though the BMI says I am “normal,” I still have a negative body image mostly rooted from being an “obese” child. So with all the pressure students will get from society to become skinny, do we really need the schools “helping” them in grade school?

Commentary Attempts to quell obesity backfires on students

Community unaware of financial strife

The Question of the MonthWhat is your opinion about all of the types of testing juniors will be submitted to this spring?

–Tara Clayton, 11

I feel like the tests are going to be really difficult, but we have gone through the rigourous AP courses [Clayton is taking two AP classes]. After that it will just be another test. A long test, granted.

I’m excited for the ACT because it is free, and it is good practice for the SAT. I am going to prepare through flashcards and through various ACT practice books. It is going to be a relief getting done with all of the tests,though.

–Hannah Good, 11

5OPINION March 21, 2013

frequent and difficult. With budget cuts surely to

follow, the pressure was placed upon the shoulders of teachers to reach the goal placed before them. Teachers turned to teaching the students exactly what was on the next standardized test, not wanting to be the next staff member cut. Few schools have met the requirements of NCLB, but the cuts continue to happen.

NCLB has also placed emphasis on the core classes. It has brought administrators to value these classes much more than electives. Elective class options are dwindling, as are the

teachers and the money going into those programs.

There is an editorial cartoon that shows a student standing and looking out a window at what the artist depicts as imagination. The rest of the students are seated, taking a test. The teacher taps the standing student and states, “Come on now, you don’t want to be a child left behind, do you?”

The act has left the arts stretched for cash and the money originally poured into those departments have been cut off and pooled into core classes.

The bottom line is that students can no longer reach the goals of

NCLB. Staff no longer deserve to suffer the consequences. Schools should no longer be ruled by standardized testing.

Districts should not have to stoop to disgustingly low levels to receive pardon from impractical goals. NCLB has caused administrators to clutch the edges of their seats as the deadline fast approaches and for students to run furiously behind, trying to catch up.

The bottom line is that not every student is going to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. And no standardized test will change that.

“I think they shouldn’t have to keep things to themselves and should be able to express what they want to.” –Amanda Williams, 9

THE PUBLIC OPINION Q/A

“Students should be allowed to say what they would like to. They should be taught not to be disrespectful about saying it.” –Tibor Stuver , 11

by Andrew KromarekThere’s an interesting phenomenon in America, where

young citizens are actually not guaranteed their rights as stated in the in the Bill of Rights.

This year marks the 25th anniversary since Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeier, the Supreme Court case where it was determined that students’ speech could be censored.

Definitely not everybody should be able to vote when they learn how to write, but what is the difference between a 16 year old high school sophomore and 18 year olds who dropped out in their sophomore years? What does the difference of a day truly make? None. So why do we still act like it does?

It is not fair that the few who have valid opinions and could be productive in the kind of opportunities that are limited to “adults” are simply out of the question because of a number. Age is becoming less and less of a reliable indicator to someone’s knowledge; a person doesn’t have to be 18 to discover how our political system or a physics conundrum, or whatever else.

The availability of knowledge these days is vast, so why not allow those who want to take advantage of it put what

they can learn to good use? The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights states these

45 words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The reasoning behind Hazelwood is that a student could do something that an administrator would find to be damaging to the school, whether it be offensive to the student body, hurt the school’s image or even rile a community member, so administrators are given the ability to limit the scope of what the students’ are producing.

Administrators are allowed to make the decision as to what students may create; Hazelwood gives them this right. But that does not mean they can simply stop a student from doing something without valid reasons.

That is where things gets a little scary. The power that Hazelwood gives to some over others can be an intimidating notion. And fear can be used as a very influential tool: fear of getting into trouble, fear of what someone may think, fear of losing your job.

Young Americans are not the only ones that have lost freedoms at the expense of fear. The Patriot Act, in a broad sense, limits any American’s rights in the ongoing fight against terrorism. The only problem is, the definition of terrorism is subjective; one man’s religion may be another man’s cult.

It takes knowledge to survive in life after high school. Hopefully students of the future will learn to succeed mostly through experience and not by being told how to.

Student censorship still persistent in school life

How do you feel about student censorship?

Sean WarnerAustin Mu

As responsible citizens who support the nation’s present and future success, it is imperative to maintain the existing economic flow, which means avoiding drastic monetary alterations like raising the minimum wage.

Especially as teenagers and young adults, raising the minimum pay wage appears to be the

way to approach our current economic struggle. It is very important to note that only a minority

of those earning minimum wage are supporting children. One can only assume that industries like fast-food would immediately benefit from the larger

wallets of us young people, even after compensating for increased prices of nearly every provided product or service.

However, it is no secret that America cannot survive solely off of its McDonald’s taxes and profit. This country needs a

strong foundation of local businesses, which would never be achievable if every 16 year old kid demanded nearly $10 and hour for washing dishes and wiping down tables.

In Great Falls, the economy is greatly supported by local businesses and much of the youth benefits from the employment by these businesses. If and when the minimum wage is increased, we will immediately see the youth lose their positions in large quantities. Consequently, many college part-timers would be laid off too—a pizza company can only support so many expensive drivers. To put it simply, if the average minimum wage were to be raised, prices for nearly all provided goods and services would rise without delay, America would lose jobs in large quantities and local businesses would be much more costly to run, giving more power to large corporations.

We shouldn’t selfishly induce these news measures for our own benefit, much like the past generations have done to the current. We should

provide a future and establish economic stability for our children and our neighbor’s children.

When the minimum wage was suggested to be raised from $7.25 to $9.80;the proposal was made by President Barack Obama; this happened because the minimum wage has been far too low for the de-manding lifestyle that is what we call, “The Ameri-can dream”. The wage increase is a necessary im-provement to the national work force since some of the work available is more dangerous than the normal job in available.

When asked why should the minimum wage be increased is because most citizens in either small towns or large cities still have to fight to earn a liv-ing; and while people are barely making it month to month some have chosen to go to college. The annual salary that minimum wage achieves is only $14,000 and then add a bill of $30,000 as a starting point. While the American society wants everyone to go to college if the average citizen is only making $14,000, college isn’t go-ing to happen for this poor student.

Although it doesn’t require a degree; a less com-monly known carrier, the mailmen also help run the country by delivering the mail. This may not be the ideal carrier it doesn’t involve thousands in debt. Although our country is turning more towards the internet for a reliable mail system; the traditional mail system is still being actively used for impor-tant documents such as tax forms, monthly bills, tax returns, and packages from online orders.

Lastly when the minimum wage was in-creased it was given to an abundance of deserv-ing families that have been devoted to the coun-try as a whole. The chance to make more money for these families will only strengthen how the country operates and ensure that the federal system receives deserving and hardworking people. This is why the minimum wage increase was important for the country and will ensure that we will have a self-sustaining system.

Increasing initial pay will hurt America Wage increase benefits the needy

the MINIMUM wage

] Visit us: www.iniwa.com

Published approximately every three weeks, the Iniwa is the public forum for 1,362 Great Falls High School student voices. The opinions and views in these publications are not necessarily those of the overall Great Falls Public School District or Great Falls High School administration, faculty, INIWA staff or student body.

Volume 88, Issue 6Mar. 21, 2013

Contact Information: 1900 2nd Ave. S. • Great Falls, MT 59405 • 406.268.6356 • iniwa@gfps.k12.mt.us

The journalism staff utilizes Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 to design and word process. The DIN family font is used

throughout the entire newspaper for all text and design. The INIWA staff reserves the right to edit all submissions in both the newspaper and iniwa.com.

The publication department members maintain membership in NSPA, CSPA, JEA and MJEA. The INIWA has

been awarded distinction as a National NSPA Pacemaker. In addition to being named the All-State Pacesetter

from the University of Montana’s School of Journalism, the staff has also placed in Best of Show for general

excellence from JEA, winning the 2008 Best of Show in St. Louis, MO. The INIWA was named a 2006 Silver Crown

Winner as well as the 2012 Montana Pacesetter and CSPA Silver Crown.

AdviserLinda Ballew

PrincipalJane Gregoire

Editor in ChiefJordan Purinton

Executive EditorAda Kelly

Opinion Editor Katie Rider

News EditorKristen Hanning

Sports EditorAda Kelly

Advertising EditorSara Moltzan

Copy/Caption EditorCilly Geranios

Web MastersGrey Osment

Andrew Kromarek

PhotographersDustin SengerDavid Ashby

Alysha CamachoSean Warner

Feature EditorAustin Mu

CartoonistColt Tronson

A&E EditorShandon Bilbrey

Associate Editor Kristen Hanning

JournalistsJosh Byron

Breanna SandersonMichael Gunderson

Taylor AlbrectAlison Lee

Samantha CoryConnor Dennis

Delanie FergusionCraig GarfieldMegan GoodKayle Jessee

Kristina KnudsenJules Lucero

Levi Mael

F A C E O F F

6 LIFE March 21, 2013

Zombie psuedo-crises ariseDeficient range of security raises false panic among citizens

by Cilly GeraniosWhat would you do if

you discovered the world was being overrun with su-

pernatural characters and your town was among the first to be attacked? Many Montana citizens dis-

covered their reactions to such an unlikely occurrence.

February 11, the KRTV Emergency Announce-ment System (EAS) an-nounced “dead bodies were rising from the grave” in many Montana counties.

This announcement was false. Yet despite the slightly ridiculous nature of the news, concerned citizen reacted to this reliable resource and called the police in or-der to verify whether zom-bies were attacking or not.

The EAS coder, which receives the messages to broadcast the emer-

gency announcement, was hacked. This system has been around since the 1950s and therefore required some adaptations as tech-nology progressed. Radio host Skip Walters said, “As the EAS system has made the transition to a more automated and computer-ized system, that’s what opened it up for hacking.”

This prank not only oc-curred in Great Falls, MT but in four or five other news stations across the nation. However, the event was so compartmentalized because of the nature of the program.

The system is set up so that the stations received the message but did not pass the announcement to other news stations. In-stead, the KRTV station was the only one affected and as such the incident was not as widely seen as if this

fail safe had not existed.This broadcasting sys-

tem is a part of their li-cense by the federal com-munication service to serve the public interest.

Radio host Skip Wal-ters said, “It appears the reason that they were sus-ceptible is they all have the same brand of EAS coder and they did not change the password from the decoder from the factory preset.”

As a result of this in-cident the most immedi-ate consequence was the creation of a new pass-word for the EAS coder.

The KRTV News Director Heath Heggem had no com-ment when contacted for more information. The situ-ation is being investigated at this time and as such the KRTV station was not com-menting on the details of the Zombie announcement.

Compromise in privacy, security

Extravagant smart phone technology may jeopardize private information

causing concerns regarding security levelby Kristen Hanning

Checking your phone under the desk in class, or blatantly on the table—phones have become an integral part of everyday life. When this sacred tool is violated, we suddenly transform into detectives. Perhaps an application, the internet and an E-mail account or a tracking device; what is compromising this private information?

Information linked to cellphones can be quite personal and smart phones run like a

handheld computer. Therefore the information has the ability to be jeopardized. However, Verizon Wireless employee Jodi Gordon reassures, “Verizon is very secure, we have our own network. The only thing that will compromise information is if the phone is stolen.” Although the network is secure there are still some circumstances that can corrupt a phone. Gordon said, “An app can bug up the phone but not always.” There are few instances with actual problems or

hackings resulting from an app. However, more phone

hackings can result from the online use of a cellular device. “E-mail can be hacked from a computer which in turn can hack the phone because they are both the same account,” said Gordon.

The security of cellular information should not be a major concern. Gordon reassured that problems should not arise from location trackers and phone records are kept private unless there is a court order.

App Store

Mail

Applications with bugs can Corrupt a cellular device

If an E-mail Account is hacked, the phone linked to it can also.

Cellular networks are secure preventing hacking

LIFE March 21, 2013 7

by Jarom VaughAnOn Feb. 12, sophmore students

enrolled in Great Falls Medical Prep Classes were invited to participate in a Healthcare Career Fair at the Great Falls College-MSU C.O.T. campus.

A select number of students were selected to participate in the hands-on opportunity which included a variety of healthcare career activities such as intubating an airway, performing ECG (Electrocardiograph), Setting up IV’s, and Performing Gallbladder surgery.

Sophomore Jacob Druell stated that the “Medical-Field is a Path in his life that he was seriously considering.” Most of the students that attended would say the same but, not all would agree.

Sophomore Tierney Wienholz said she “was intrigued with the medi-cal field and all of its endeavors. Even though [she] really enjoyed the simulation hospital and does en-joy learning new things about health. [She does] not want to go into the Medical field when [she] grows up.”

Some students that went, were not aware of what really was going to happen. One of which was Sopho-more Jordan Wanago said “I went to the Health Care Expo expecting to be lectured the entire time but, I ended up learning a lot about the different types of medical careers there were, The Expo really helped to open my eyes to some of the health risk and medical careers that are out there.”

The Health Care Expo helped a lot of

students decide what part of the medi-cal field they were looking to go into.

Over the years, the College of Tech-nology has set up a simulation hospital in the lower level of their building. In this simulation hospital students at the Col-lege who are studying Pre-Med can gain practical experience without actually working at a hospital with real patients.

At the simulation hospital, they show students what it feels like to operate un-der stress, as opposed to teaching them purely out of a book. This way, when they graduate they can find a job more easily with the understanding of what they need to do in real life situations.

The goal of allowing the high school students to walkthrough the simula-tion Hospital was not only to show them the different medical fields but was also to show them what they would have to do in those fields and see how difficult the field was and whether or not they would still be interested in it.

Sara O’boyle said “There were jobs that I was really looking forward to but now that I saw what I had to do I don’t really want to do them, but I also saw careers that I wouldn’t have thought about doing, that I started to look into”.

Students learned a plethora of new information about medical ca-reers at the Healthcare Career Fair and a vast majority of the students enjoyed it. Sophomore Markaela Francis said, “All in all I had a re-ally great time and I would definitely do it again if given the opportunity”.

Students look toward

futures in health careers

Health Care Expo allows pupils to explore potential medical careers

OPERATION Sophmore Jacob Druell was taught how to perform a Gallbladder surgery by current COT Students and is now putting sutures in the foam Patient to close the surgical opening.

by Josh ByronGreat Falls High established an in-

formal Med-Prep Academy at the be-ginning of the 2012-2013 school year.

Great Falls High Med-Prep Acad-emy is not a strictly medical curriculum as perceived by many people. Instead, it is a generalization of possible medi-cal oriented courses such as Biology ⅚ Honors, AP Biology, Honors Chemistry and Honor’s Human Anatomy. Not only are there medical oriented courses, but History and English teachers are pre-determined in a collaborative effort.

CMR implemented a Med-Prep Academy at the beginning of 2011-2012 in an attempt to give students an op-portunity to gain more knowledge and possibly make decisions regarding fu-ture health or medicine related careers. CMR has done so by implementing med-ical oriented curriculum into core class-

es such as English and government. CMR’s Med-Prep Academy survived

the school year and continued on to the 2012 school year. Although the CMR Academy was relatively successful, GFPS had no plans for another academy.

Great Falls High Med-Prep stu-dents recently had the opportuni-ty to visit the Great Falls College of Technology to explore careers in the medical field. “It was pretty cool.” said sophomore, Hanna Graybill.

Those who attended were able to ex-perience a variety of things such as a sim-ulated hospitals and operating rooms.

Attendees of the event had the op-portunity to inquire medical career information from a variety of occupa-tions. “My favorite was probably the physical therapist or nutritionist. At the nutritionist booth they gave us a five pound bag of fat and made us do jump-

ing jacks to simulate gaining weight,” said sophomore, Brandon Bilbrey.

“I also looked at respiratory ther-apy. I put the stethoscope on the lungs and got to diagnose one sick one and one healthy one.” Bilbrey said.

Students also were given the oppor-tunity to participate in a simulated hos-pital including a laparoscopic surgery.

Graybill said, “I used to be re-ally grossed out by that, but then I started watching the television show Grey’s Anatomy and I started re-searching medical fields but now I’m really interested in it and think it would be cool to help people.”

Students who plan to pursue medical careers start with Health Occupations and progress to classes such as Biology ⅚ Honors, AP biology, Honors chem-istry and Honors Human Anatomy as well as field experience by job shadows.

Med Prep becomes dual credit next yearMedical students able to earn college credit during the 2013-2014 school year

CLEAR THE AIRWAYSenior Jarom Neil-son practices clear-ing the airway of an unconscious per-son. It is important to make sure a per-son does not choke on his tongue while he is unconscious, or they will choke or suffer from a blocked trachea, also preventing res-piration.Photos by Jarom VaughAn

BREATHE Sophomore Sara O’Boyle practices resuscitating adults on a dummy in the simulation hospital.

Photo by Jarom VaughAn

8 2nd Amendment Perspectives March 21, 2013

THE FIGHT TOby Andrew Kromarak

From universal background checks to allowing teachers to carry their own guns, the United States is in a tug-of-war with their second amendment rights.

Recently, the Missouri House of Representatives voted on a new bill that would allow teachers to carry concealed weapons onto school grounds. The teacher would first need a concealed weapons license, and the school would have to have special permission from the state to allow faculty to be armed. Missouri isn’t the only state to do this, however.

In fact, South Dakota has become the first state to carry out a law that gives teachers in public facilities the explicit right to carry a firearm onto school grounds and into the building.

It is up to the school district if they wish to allow this to happen, and before anyone can bring a weapon near a school, local law enforcement must approve of the school district's decision. The option is there for the school if they wish, which is what supporters believe to be important.

On the other end of the spectrum, a Minnesota Senate panel has passed a bill that would force universal background checks on all transactions regarding firearms. The bill would require background checks on both the private and commercial scale.

The bill still has a long way to go before becoming a law, but to its supporters, the first step has already come and gone. It is now heading to the full Senate for a vote.

On a more local level, the Montana legislature is currently hearing multiple bills that will effect guns in our state.

House Bill 304, for instance, is currently being heard in the legislation, and is proposing some general changes to our current concealed weapon laws.

On a more controversial note, House Bill 205, which removes the state prohibition on sound suppressors for firearms, was voted on and is now out of the committee, making its way to the second house.

Supporters of this bill state that the hunters using high-powered rifles are too harsh for their ears, and using a suppressor would decrease the chance of them damaging their hearing. Others believe that it is unethical, taking away the challenge from hunting, since a missed shot could potentially be quiet enough to not spook the animal.

Although the United States may be up in arms with the second amendment, progress is slowly being made.

Which side pulls the hardest, however, is still yet to be determined.

THE LEGAL BATTLECongressional opponents and proponents remain up in arms

by Dustin SengerIn America, insane asylums fill by

the dozens; guns are sold by the thou-sands, and from sea to shining sea, shoot-

ings are happening by the hour.In many different American polls done

by national news stations such as Fox and CNN, about 90 percent of Americans ap-prove of background checks before some-one can buy a gun.

Meanwhile, nationally we just had our first vote on gun legislation, specifically background checks. You would guess when 9 out of 10 people want something that the Congress would be forced to act upon it, right? Actually, the first reading of the

bill failed miserably, and not a single Republican Congressmen on the

committee voted for it. Of course it is a bit more compli-

cated than what it seems on the outside. Mental standing isn’t supposed to be pub-lic knowledge. We have a right to privacy. Background checks could unintentionally release a ton of information into the hands of public for all to see.

“Usual background checks only con-sist of criminal history,” said Officer Cory Reeves, “but I’d take it even further to say that their mental history should also define whether or not a person is suitable to have ownership of a firearm.’’

We can’t wait for too long because day by day another person gets shot and an-other child massacred. Whatever we do, it needs to be done, and fast.

Safety reinforces need for background checks PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION

U.S. Stats

May 18, 1927

Aug. 1, 1966

Jan. 17, 1989

April 20, 1999

Oct. 2, 2006

Apr. 16, 2007

Dec. 14, 2012

Major school shootings in the U.S. over the decades

Andrew Philip Kehoe kills 44 and injures 58 in Math Township, Michigan, marking the largest school shooting in the history of the United States.

Former marine Charles Whitman kills 13 and an unborn child at the University of Texas.

At Cleveland School, 5 children are killed and 30 are wounded by Patrick Purdy.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 12 and injure 24 others at Columbine.

10 Amish girls are taken hostage by Charles Carl Roberts. He later takes 5 of their lives.

Seung-Hui Cho kills 32 and wounds 17 in the Virginia tech massacre.

Adam Lanza fatally shoots 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Compiled by Levi Mael

Info from inquisitr.com

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92nd Amendment Perspectives March 21, 2013

Q/A

What are your thoughts regarding the permitted use of silencers for hunting?As long as you're following the laws, it shouldn't be a big deal. It doesn't make the gun silent, but it does benefit the hunter.How do you feel about the current na-tional conflict regarding gun control? It’s never a good idea to go against responsible citizens because the actions of a few. If an evil person wants to do something bad, they’ll find a way to do it. Would gun control make the U.S. safer?I think it would change, but i doubt it would pass, it sounds good on paper, but it would be hard to implement. It doesn't have the political backing it would need.

Students weigh in on firearm regulationsLy

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GFH POLL RESULTSBEAR ARMS

What are your thoughts regarding the permitted use of silencers for hunting?I think you’d definitely have to go through a permitting process for them, and one that should be difficult. How do you feel about the current national conflict regarding gun control? I feel like we need way stricter laws on gun control. It's obvious with everything that has been happening that our current gun laws aren't effective at protecting the general population, as well as the people that use them. Would gun control make the U.S. safer?Yeah, I think it would be much safer with less guns out there.

+16%

Of students personally own three or more guns

39% Of students support the limiting of gun clip sizes

70% Of students think the government

should prioritize mental health

96%Of students feel a sense of

safety at school

GREAT FALLS HIGH

Compiled by Levi Mael

What are your thoughts regarding the permitted use of silencers for hunting?Personally, I think it would take the fun out of it because it is kind of a sport where you have to be quiet on your own. Even if they did let silencers be used, I would probably not use them.How do you feel about the current national conflict regarding gun control? I am against the bill being passed. I think people should have the right to protect themselves without going through the extra trials. Would gun control make the U.S. safer?I think it will be safer, but people will still be able to get guns and the people who want to use guns to do harm will still get them.

160 GFH students were polled by the Iniwa staff

What are your thoughts regarding the permitted use of silencers for hunting?It sounds completely unnecessary and could cause more hunting accidents. I wouldn't use it because I love hearing the gunshots. How do you feel about the current national conflict regarding gun control? I don't think they understand that getting rid of the ability to buy a gun won't fix the problem. In Montana, the number one killing weapon is knives, so guns are not the problem.Would gun control make the U.S. safer?No, if people really wanted to injure others or harm them, they would find some way.

LIFE March 21, 201310

Minor In Possession rates decrease, police remain active in countering underage drinking Q: Is there anything in particular

you’re going to do to crack down underage drinking?

A: We have zero tolerance for underage drinking. You will be charged with minor in possession of alcohol.

Q: Have you seen any change in percentages of underage drinking?

A: It has gone way down. The MIPA percentage for 2012-2013 has been zero, but for 2011-2012 nine students were cited with alcohol.

Q: Does the usage of alcohol impact students’ grades?

A: I think it impairs their judgment. Whether its driving, school work or even relationships.

Q: Does the usage of alcohol increase as spring and summer come along?

A: Summer months are the busiest months for underage drinking because

they feel there is nothing to do in Great Falls.

Q: What kind of programs are there for people that want help with the amount of alcohol they consume?

A: We have several programs for drinking around Great Falls. Inpatient facility, Rocky Mountain Treatment Center, Benefis, Gateway,counseling and the schools offer help to students as well.

Q: Why do you think students tend to start drinking when spring and summer comes along?

A: They are bored. There is nothing for them to do. Drinking to all of them seems to be an acceptable “norm.”

Q: What are alternative resources for kids to be involved in to have fun and not drink?

A: Getting involved in a non profit organizations. People should get

involved with their community. There are ways to stay busy and have fun with that doesn’t include drinking.

Q: What are the biggest issues with drinking?

A: Almost 80 percent of the sexual assaults for boys and girls that are reported are involving alcohol.

Q: Any advice to students about underage drinking?

A: I realize we will never cut out underage drinking all the way, but if you’re going to drink don’t get behind a wheel. There is nothing worse than having to go tell a parent their kid is dead because of drinking and driving.

by Breanna

Sandrson

by Josh ByronSix Great Falls High faculty mem-

bers are due to retire at the end of the 2013 school year. Among those leav-ing are Maxine Farrell, Norm Ander-son, Brian Birkenbuel, Joyce Risko, Susanne Plavonic and Steven Grout

Retirement numbers in the Great Falls Public School District has decreased this year falling from 40 to 32 scheduled to retire.

These six teachers collec-tively have a combined 175 years of teaching experience in Great Falls Public School District.

Teachers cited a variety of reasons regarding their departure ranging from dissatisfaction with the overall state of education to health issues. “I knew I would have to retire eventu-ally. It takes a lot of energy teaching and my reserves are running low. I want to make sure I’m still doing my students justice,” said Steven Grout.

Others feel their teaching ca-reers have run their course. Brian Birkenbuel explained tiredness played a factor in his retirement. “Be-ing frustrated and tired is not a good thing in this profession,” he said.

Those retiring have a variety of interests that range from photog-raphy to fishing. When asked what he would do with his time during re-tirement Grout said, “I’m going to do all the fishing I thought I would do when I first started teaching.”

Birkenbuel also shares the same passion for fishing. Plavonic and Ris-ko plan on spending time with their family and reading. Norm Anderson plans on doing things such as taking photographs, traveling and possi-bly continuing to attend college level classes. Several teachers expressed

the excitement they felt of not hav-ing to engage in things such as com-mittee meetings, district mandated professional development courses and hours, and district testing. They also expressed their excitement in devoting more time to hobbies.

The retirees have said they will miss their students as well as their colleagues. “I’m going to miss it ter-ribly. I’m going to miss my friends that I’ve had through the many years. The kids too. The kids keep me go-ing; they keep me young. They really make me enjoy life” said Plavonic.

Birkenbuel had similar feelings saying, “I will miss it. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since my young-er years and I’ve really enjoyed it but it does have its downsides.”

Though some agree that they will miss aspects of school, some argue the reaction will be delayed. Academic literacy teacher Joyce Risko said, “I’m sure I will miss it, but not for a while.”

Retirees will be sorely missed by fellow teachers and students. “I will miss Farrell a lot. She was very giving and supportive. She was there for me whenever I needed her,” said sophomore Cory Beattie.

Sophomore Prosper Anderson spoke very highly of Grout and his approach toward the students. “He cares a lot about the students and has their best interests in mind when working with them. He interacts ev-ery day with his students on an indi-vidual level. I’m going to miss him. He is one of my favorite teachers.”

However, they go out with a great impact on the Bison fam-ily such as the creation of the Food Pantry and the coaching of state championship sports teams.

RETIRING TEACHERSBeloved faculty, staff members depart after countless years of memorable service

Officer Reeves monitors students’ underage drinking

“My room caught on fire once during homecoming. It could have ended badly but it didn’t so it’s kind of a funny story.”

“I enjoyed participating in the academic dinner videos and working with such neat kids every day.”

Photo by Michael Gunderson

As a true philanthropist, Farrell started the Food Pantry and assists students in any way possible.

“I enjoyed working with all the great people here: the staff, engineers and the office assistants.”

“Being an alumni, I always loved the school; it has a lot of memories and a lot of tradition.”

“Being part of the Bison family, knowing they were always there for me was memorable.”

Photo by Jordan Purinton

Photo by Jillian WiggersPhoto by Michael Gunderson

Photo by Michael GundersonPhoto by Michael Gunderson

11ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT March 21, 2013

Urban Art Projectby Josh Byron

The Urban Art Project is a local art exhibit showcasing 11 art pieces done by local artists around the Great Falls area in the downtown parking garage located at 315 1st Ave. South.

The Urban Art Project is coordinated by local artist Jean Price, the Business Improvement District, City of Great Falls , Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art along with various local businesses such as Bert and Earnies, Wells Fargo in the down-town area who make financial contributions that provides a small stipend for all artists and helps with the upkeep of the venue that may include things from lighting to utilities of the venue. The ini-tial concept of UAP was to enhance the downtown environment by featuring installations from 11 artists from around the Great Falls area.

The Urban Art Project has four seasonal rotations a year with the current rotation open from Feb. 5–May 5. Previous Great Falls High students and teachers have been featured multiple times in the past with this seasons lone featured member being current Great Falls High art teacher Mary Schneider.

Each piece is featured in one of 11 windows in the parking ga-rage with a variety of styles ranging from paintings to sculptures. Artists are limited to space provided in the window. Schneider’s piece was a combination of styles. It was a cardboard sculpture on which she painted on. The space confinement proved to be an issue for as she had to cut it into three pieces and reassemble it in the window space provided.

Artists who wish to be in future rotations need to contact Jean Price and submit a portfolio.

From dark to lightby Colt Tronson

This spring, the Great Falls High Drama depart-ment is putting on the play “Sleeping Beauty.” This is the fourth play that the department has put on this year, including the show they took to Thespian Festival in Missoula earlier this year.

Last night March 14th was opening night for the play. Lead actress Freshman Catrina Babinecz stated that, “We had a few hiccups, but all in all it was a great first night.” This is the first play that Ms. Babincez in asking her if she’d try out for any other plays she stated, “Yes it’s a very fun process, but it can get extremely stressful at times.”

Upon asking the who her character was and what role she played in the story Babinecz said,”My character was Briar Rose, she’s the princess that Modron tries to kill, she’s put into an almost coma-tose state but is awakened by the prince’s kiss near the end of the play.”

Junior Brandon Taylor, who plays said prince stated that,“This play is a kind of weird interpre-tation of the average Sleeping Beauty story.” He played the role of Prince Owain, who kisses Briar

Rose (Sleeping Beauty) at the end of the play, to awaken her from Modron’s curse.

When Taylor was questioned about this produc-tion as opposed to the last play he was a part of, “The Diviners” Taylor professed ,”This one was really fun, it’s catered more towards children so we got to go more wild with it.”

Great Falls High Drama Department Director Krystina Thiel also chimed in on doing a children’s play as opposed to plays aimed more towards the teen age group in saying,”This play took a lot more energy from the actors.” In the stages of pre-production Thiel stated that,”There were still a ton of last minute details, and last night (Opening Night) was our first dress rehearsal.”

Thiel had a lot of fun working with this cast but said that,”We had a lot of kids who wanted to lead, which made for a hard time getting everyone to fo-cus in and work, but there were a lot of very inven-tive ideas, and everyone got along really well.”

Sleeping Beauty opened on Mar. 14 and will have five more showings including Mar. 15, 16, 21,22 at 7 p.m. as well as Mar. 16 and 23 at 2 p.m.

Great Falls High drama department puts on a comically driven inter-pretation of Sleeping Beauty directed towards young audiences

Current art gallery features high school art instructor’s sculpture

THREATENING DRAGONSophmore actor Alek Ray plays the half-dragon Gryff, who’s servant of the good witch Branw-en, played by sophmore Elizabeth Carey. The play has planned on attracting small children and their families.LEAP OF FAITHFreshman Catrina Babi-necz leaps in the air during the performance of “Sleep-ing Beauty.” This was Babi-necz’s first performance in a Great Falls High’s produc-tion and she says she plans to continue to perform.

Native Heritageby Dustin Senger

Brightly colored skirts, beads shining under the lights, and faces intent upon sharing the culture of their Tribe. Art students experience fresh inspira-tion, under the direction of nationally renowned Native American artist Kevin Red Star. This art-ist visited Great Falls High to share his vision for art.

The students spread out across the old gym and were given a simple challenge. They were instructed to watch some old style Native American dances and use the in-spiration received from it to create their own piece of art.

“I like to share my passion and vision for the arts. I like to do these types of things with students and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to do so,” said Kevin Red Star.

The art students learned about the culture and tradition of the Salish tribe. They also learned the sto-ries behind the traditional Salish Indian dances that inspired their art, along with the spirit of the drum, and the tradition of the drum keeper. Performer Kaelena Gilbert said, “Drumming really gets the en-ergy out and letting the people hear you is fantastic.”

Gilbert not only enjoys drumming, but also performs as a jingle dancer. She said, “It’s pretty awesome when people are watching you,” The traditional performanc-es allow Gilbert many feelings other than the euphoria of performing. She gains the satisfaction of spread-ing her heritage, “It gives you more pride and makes you hold your head up a little bit higher,” said Gilbert.

Students discover inspiration with native dance, tribal art speaker

STAR OF THE SHOW Famed Native American painter Kevin Redstar speaks during the recent festival held at Great Falls High.

Photos by Alysha Camacho

Photo by Josh Byron

ART GALORE Current Great Falls High art teacher Mary Schneider is featured in this season’s Urban Art Project

Photo by Michael Gunderson

Photo by Jordan Purinton

Music festival gathers students for an unforgettable live experience

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three day festival over two separate weekends in the second and third week of April. The festival features a large va-riety of artists deriving from rap, rock, electronic, indie and many other genres, as well as, installa-tion art and sculpture. Coachella features a lineup of commercially successful artists, such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pheonix, The Postal Service and Wu-Tang clan. The festival takes place at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Cali-fornia. Tickets for Coachella are sold out, however, are $450 at ticket selling websites, StubHub and Vivid Seats.

Kicking off the summer, Bonna-roo celebrates its 12th year in running with legendary artists Paul McCartney, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker. The music festival takes place in Manches-ter, Tennessee and features ris-ing artists The Lumineers, and Alt-J (∆), while reminiscing with musical acts from Billy Idol, and David Byrne. Bonnaroo also fea-tures comedic acts from Daniel Tosh and “Weird Al” Yankovich. Bonnaroo tickets are selling rap-idly for the four day music festival that occurs over June 13-16, with final general ticket prices selling for $269.50, not including camp-ing or RV prices.

12 ENTERTAINMENT March 21, 2013

by Shandon BilbreyThrough the mystical forest and out into the

Gorge Canyon, Sasquatch! Music Festival emerges in one of North America’s most scenic music venue’s, the Gorge Amphitheater.

“Although I haven’t experienced many other music festivals, I’m under the impression that Sasquatch has the best audiences which makes great live perfor-mances,” said senior Austin Mu. The Gorge Amphi-theater is located on the Columbia river and previews the foothills of the Cascade Range.

Sasquatch! Music Festival is more than a bunch of intoxicated hooligans dancing around, it is an experi-ence of a lifetime with the opportunity of seeing an enormous amount of artists. Sasquatch features a variety of music acts, such as indie, folk and alterna-tive rock, as well as, electronic, dance and rap artists.

The 2013 lineup for the memorial weekend music festival will include Grammy award winning folk band Mumford & Sons, the cult classic indietronic artist The Postal Service, Australian Beatle-esque artist Tame Impala and many more. New additions have

been made to the Sasquatch lineup, with the addition of dubstep artist Rusko, oldies pop artist Elvis Costel-lo & the Imposters, and lo-fi artist Cody Chesnut.

It is the 12th year of Sasquatch and the music festival is long known to feature artists from the early generations of music, such as Built to Spill and Dropkick Murphys. While the festival features modern day pop artists, such as last year’s performance of the commercially successful band fun. and the over-crowded performance of Foster the People.

Many students from Great Falls High have attend-ed Sasquatch! Music Festival, and over the years has created a strong following from students. This year ten to fifteen students will be attending the festival. “I’m excited to go to Sasquatch to see bands that I’ve grown to love over the years, such as Earl Sweatshirt, Tame Impala, Youth Lagoon and Empire of the Sun,” said senior Colt Tronson.

Sasquatch! Music Festival is one of a kind. With the beautiful scenic view and bulk of artists varying in genres from electronic to soul , Sasquatch provides for a once in a lifetime experience.

SOCIAL INTERACTION Over the four days of camping, and barely managing to scrap in time for a cold shower, campers come to-gether despite their differences for the free spirited festival.

SCENIC SUNSETS Aside from the immense beauty of the Gorge Amphitheater, the festival offers a once in a lifetime experience of seeing over thirty artists in short of four days.

Located in Boise, Idaho, Treefort Music Fest is on its second year as a music festival. Treefort showcases a large amount of Idaho artists, as well as, popular artists, such as Animal Collec-tive, Built to Spill and YACHT. The second an-nual Treefort Music Fest is a four day festival that occurs March 21 through 24 throughout various venues in downtown Boise. Many head-lining artists derived from Boise, such as Youth Lagoon and Built to Spill, while also previewing artists from Missoula, Montana and Portland, Oregon. Tickets are sold by the day or for the four days, as well as, VIP passes that guaran-tees a spot in the crowded downtown venues.

In the last days of the summer, Bumbershoot springs into action with a festival of music, film, visual arts, live performances and comedy. Attracting about a 100,000 people, Bumbershoot leads North America in the largest urban arts festival. In its 42nd year, the music and arts festival takes place in Seattle, Washington. The festival’s lineup of music, comedy and film acts is released in the summer, however, the tickets are presently for sale at $99 for advance tickets, and released for regular price when lineup is announced for $150 a ticket. Bumbershoot often features various genres of music, such as rap, grunge and electronic.

In the famous Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois sparks the three day hot summer festival Lol-lapalooza. The festival has past featured Jack White, Bloc Party, The Black Keys and many more. Lollapalooza takes place over August 2-4 this year and although the lineup has not been officially released there are artists that have been leaked. Music acts such as The Cure, Mumford & Sons and The Flaming Lips have been leaked. The lineup release is usually set out around April and the tickets are $200 for early bird tickets, which sell out in minutes and the regular pass priced at $230, however, tick-ets are bought up fast and they sell for double.

Any Latté or LunchSpecial

Buy One, Get One Free!7 a.m. to 4 p.m.406.727.5910

112 Central Avenue

Photo by Steve Leonard

Photo shared from WikiCommons

13ENTERTAINMENT March 21, 2013

by Jordan PurintonFor one night on Mar. 3, students from Great Falls and

the surrounding area were able to showcase their artis-tic talents for a crowd of over 300 at the Great Falls Civic Center.

In what was the 8th annual installment of the Cascade of Talent, the event’s aim is to promote some of Montana’s prominent artistic talent that would otherwise not have a chance to perform, according to Director Paulette Walk-er, “This is one of the few opportunities to showcase in a venue like this. There have people who performed in this event in the past that have gone on to make albums and other projects, we’re just trying to provide students an outlet for performing.”

Six of the eighteen acts performed during the course of the night were executed by GFH stu-dents, including Mekka Herrera, a freshman who wrote an original instrumental piece on the piano. The song entitled “Raging Fire” was just one of the many songs that Herrera has written in the 12 years she has been playing piano, but this was the first time she had played for such a large audience.

“I was kind of nervous when I first got on stage and my hands were shak-ing, but when I got into it, the whole thing just kind of felt natural.”

Members of the recently defunct GFH Color Guard squad also had the chance to do a dance number at the Cascade of Talent. Despite being disbanded, the group of girls is still keeping in high spirits and partici-pating at other events.

“We were upset that we were

told we couldn’t perform for the school anymore, but our coach Mrs. Mader said we could still perform outside for things like the Cascade of Talent and other competitions,” said sophomore Hayley Letcher.

The members of the former Color Guard team are thinking about making plans for next year’s show, but that isn’t their primary focus right now, as they are mainly just happy to be performing together.

“They’re like my family,” said Letcher.In addition to musical acts being showcased, students’

dancing skills were on display, and in multiple acts. One of these students was junior Lauren Schroer, who has spent the bulk of her life immersed in the arts, dancing since the age of three. Schroer works with Miss Linda’s School of Dance and performed three of her dance numbers at

the Cascade of Talent and one at the first annual Junior Cascade of Talent.

“I was a lot less nervous than I was last year, and the numbers were memorized in my head already, so the competition came naturally and gave me a

reason to practice.” Schroer plans to return for a third year in the installment in the Cascade of

Talent.Sophomore Kaitlyn Taylor was another

participant who played in multiple acts. As a second year performer, Taylor felt confident enough to audition to perform two singing acts. “It put extra pressure on me because I had to balance the two acts and worry about them sounding equally as good.”

Taylor opened the show with her rendition of “Sweet Honey” by Lady Antebellum, and

then sang a duet of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” later in the show alongside CMR’s class presi-

dent, senior Braden Murphy.

STRFKR Youth LagoonDevendra BanhartMiracle Mile Wondrous BughouseMalaBand matures to new sounds as Josh Hodges collaborates with the beguiling funk of his band

Group presents the finely crafted psychedelic pop intertwined with mental affliction and dystopia

Alternative Folk artist Deven-dra Banhart releases the as-tonishingly dark album “Mala”

by Austin MuAt some point after composing his three major

synth-pop records, front man Josh Hodges must have decided to embrace his ‘80s funk-pop roots when releasing “Miracle Mile.”

For the first time in STRFKR history, Hodges composed the works of his album with the help of his fellow band mates. Building the record with hints of beach grooves and ‘80s funk, this hipster group faintly resembles the dance-band they used to be.

Despite the repetitive riffs and a bundle of lyrics lacking depth, “Miracle Mile” is nothing for the band to be ashamed of. When it comes down to it, this album appeals to an entirely diverse fan base, and synth-loving dance freaks would get their kicks from the commanding keyboard-buzzes of “Leave It All Behind” and “While I’m Alive.”

Without giving a listen (and becoming overly attached) to the band’s passed works, like “Reptilians,” perhaps the presentation of this album would appear more majestic, rather than the foot of STRFKR’s potential.

by Shandon BilbreySomewhere between Alice in Wonderland and the

land of Oz lies Trevor Power’s psychedelic dream pop in sophomore album, “Wondrous Bughouse.”

Since Youth Lagoon’s debut “The Year of Hiber-nation” the band has explored the themes of psycho-logical dysphoria and mental affliction. Youth Lagoon dives deeper into the human psyche with the release of “Wondrous Bughouse.”

“Wondrous Bughouse” previews front man Pow-ers’s obsession with the spiritual world and associat-ing it into reality. Powers has long been described as a loner and he develops his personality into his songs.

The first single “Mute” that arrived from the fine crafted hands of Youth Lagoon develops into a bizarre and dream pop single, while single “Dropla” dives into a soothing psychedelic ballad. Breaking into his stan-dard themes of psychological dysphoria and mental distress with “Sleep Paralysis,” “Through Mind and Back” and “Daisyphobia.”

Youth Lagoon sunk into its comfy shoes in the bed-room pop album “Wondrous Bughouse.”

by Colt Tronson“Mala” is the eighth studio album from Venezuelan

American folk artist Devendra Banhart. On this album Banhart brings a sort of eerie tone to the table, along with a much more subtle feeling in terms of instrumen-tation comparatively to his studio release from 2009 ti-tled “What Will We Be” more of a band effort consisting of a large range of members.

This release’s first song is titled “Golden Girls” in this song he softly sings “get on the dance floor” in less of a suggestive tone rather threatening in a repetitive manor. In one song specifically, “Mi Negrita” Banhart uses the Spanish language to convey love and beauty in a more traditional technique.

“Your Fine Petting Duck” and “Won’t You Come Over” are just a couple of the more pop influenced songs on the album with bleeping lo-fi arpeggiators and rattling drums.

In conclusion, Devendra Banhart’s new album “Mala” is worth listening to all the way through at least once, there are bound to be a few songs you have a preference for.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES Junior Brandon Taylor announces to the crowd the next performer. Taylor served as the emcee for the night and said, “I hope to do it again next year.”

DANCING ALL NIGHT Junior Lauren Schroer dances with her longtime partners from “Miss Linda’s School of Dance.” Schroer was involved in three acts during the night.

BREAKING A LEGFormer GFH stu-dent Ethan New-man performs a dance routine that he and current GFH student junior Lauren Schroer performed together. The pair have been dancing together since a young age and have performed in multiple competi-tions as a pair.

Photos by Jordan Purinton

CASCADE OF TALENT Local competition gathers youth

for annual musical showcase

14 SPORTS March 21, 2013BL

UE

ALE

RT Softball Track Tennis

by Katie RiderAs winter sports come to a close and days grow longer, spring

sports come to the forefront. TRACK is a combination of brute strength, for things such as pole

vault and discus, and lithe speed , sprints and long distance. Senior Bailey Brady said, “I have been participating in track for as

long as I can remember. My dad was really good at track and he is the head coach here, at GFH. I can remember doing hurdles with him when I was little.” Brady participates in hurdles and pole vault and is excited for this season to start. “I want to make it to State. I’ve made it in the past, but I would love to go again for hurdles.

Sophomore Matthew Wyman will be entering his fifth year of track this season, “I think it is fun because I can set personal achievements, but still participate with a team.” Wyman explained, “I really want

to make it to divisional for a second time. I would also like to beat my personal records in my events, pole vault, high jump and long jump.”

Wyman said, “I manage to stay motivated throughout the season be cause I have a very competitive attitude. I want to do well.”

SOFTBALL returns this season with high spirits after making it for the first time in six years to the State Tournament. Junior Brooklyn Wilson has been playing softball since she was four years old. Wilson said, “I like the sport. it is a fun and competitive activity to do in my spare time.” To keep her mind and body in the sport, Wilson has worked hard during the off season by going to open gyms and participating in a Results program. Wilson was very excited about last season’s accomplishments and is hoping to make it to State again. “If we carry the energy that we had last year into this season, nothing can stop us.”

Junior Mikaela Kynett is excited to start the new season and to help out her team. “Everyone was shocked when we made it to State last year. I want to make it back there again,” explained Kynett. “My favorite sport is softball, and I’ve been playing it since I was young. The whole team has fun together, and it is a great sport.”

TENNIS players soon begin their season with standout individuals and a strong team spirit. Junior Josh Haagenson has been playing tennis since his freshman year and is ready to start the

season with senior partner Nathan Sheffels, “My partner, alumnus Sam McCormick, and I were one win away from going to state last season. I think Sheffels and I can make it this year.” Haagenson started playing tennis because many of his friends persuaded him to join. Haagenson said, “I enjoy the game. It is fun, but not too intense.”

Last year, sophomore Abigail Davidson made it to State and lettered as just a freshman, “Last season was a lot of fun. The people were great, and I have been very anxious for the season to start,” said Davidson. “I’m really excited to compete with Molly Crum. She inspires the whole team,” Da-

ASpring arrives and ushers in final prep sports season

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Senior Kelsey Devlin bats during an indoor practice for softball. “So far I am working on having a better hitting average this year and hoping to be back in the state championship in May,” said Devlin.

Junior Alissa Perkins practices jumping exercises for hurdling in Track and Field. In track Perkins is participating in high jump, long jump and the 200-sprint. “Last year I got injured and have been trying to get my right leg up to clear the bar,” said Perkins.

Freshman Taylor Lunn swings for the ball during an outdoor tennis practice. “I like that it’s not a huge team so you can have more of an effect on the outcome of the game,” said Lunn.

vs. Flathead & Glacier at CMR

Saturday March 30 at 12 p.m.

vs. West & Helena High at GFH

Thursday March 28 at 12 p.m.

Jamboreeat GFH Friday

March 29 at 11 a.m.

Photo by Sienna Cobell Photo by Michael GundersonPhoto by Luisa Reinhardt

If we carry the energy that we had last year into this season, nothing

can stop us.– Brooklyn Wilson, 11

““

15SPORTS March 21, 2013

by Jordan Purinton The Bison Girls Basketball squad

did not expect to be in the position they were in this season. Coming off a dismal 2011–2012 season, once again lacking a playoff berth, critics didn’t give the Bison much standing in the preseason rankings.

But then there they were. Sitting at a 17–3 record, the Bison

Girls were seeded first in the Eastern Conference and felt confident about playing in their hometown.

“We were excited and ready to play on the first day and more so that we were playing in front of our big, sup-portive crowd,” said junior Mikaela Kynett.

The fact that the team was ranked first also put additional pressure on the team, “We went in as the one seed, and as the one seed you’re expected to win by a lot,” said senior Callee Rem-sen.

The Bison had good reason to be confident too, blowing out Flathead in their first game by a score of 58–36. Despite the large margin of victory, the Bison knew that the next day’s game would not be a walk in the park.

“We knew that the next day was going to be a completely different ani-mal. We just tried to keep our nose to the grindstone and to stay together coming off the win,” said Coach Gregg Dart.

What happened the next day was nothing short of an emotional roller coaster.

The Bison were matched up with the Helena Capital Bruins, a team that had lost a mere two games through-out the course of the regular season, and the Bison knew they had their work cut out for them.

“We knew Capital was going to be tough and we knew that we had to play harder than the night before if we were going to beat Capital,” said junior Taylor Kumm.

The game remained close throughout and ultimately came down

to the final seconds in the fourth quar-ter. The Bison found themselves down three with seconds left and tossed it to senior Callee Remsen who netted the three as time expired to send the game into overtime.

The Bison ultimately wound up tragically losing the game in overtime by a two point margin, which took a huge emotional toll on the team.

“The loss was big and definitely had an affect on the team. It was pret-ty upsetting for everyone, and getting up the next morning and forgetting about it was very tough,” said Kumm.

Many of the girls were up into the wee hours of the night reflecting on their loss.

“Most of us didn’t even get to sleep until 4 a.m.,” said Remsen.

After playing the latest game of the night, the Bison Girls then had to get up early the next morning in order to play Billings West.

“It was difficult going from a point where everything you thought you could possibly achieve was right there, only to have it taken away. To turn right back around and show up at Great Falls High for a shoot around at 9 a.m. and the process of trying to get ready to go was tough,” said Dart.

The emotional hump proved to be too much for the Bison the next day as they lost to Billings West by a score of 45–40.

Overall, the girls cite this season as one of the best seasons in a long time for Great Falls High, “We were all really happy about how we came together this season and we all played well as a team,” said sophomore Liz Klinker.

The seniors hold optimism for the future of the girls basketball program at Great Falls High. “I’m excited for the future of the team, and especially with the younger girls. The strong season we had means a lot for their confidence. They understand what needs to be done and what needs to happen in order to win,” said Remsen.

THE ROAD TO

STATE by Ada Kelly

Despite the disappointment of losing out in the first round, the GFH boys basketball team left the State tournament with a positive outlook.

Senior player Larance Racine said, “Making it to State was defi-nitely an achievement.” At the State games last year, the boys lost both of their games, but this year they won one.

Overall, the sentiments of their accomplishments at State remain positive. Senior Kolby Sukut said, “We were a little disappointed with the end result, but we are glad we made it to State.”

Anderegg added, “The fact that we made it to State and that we beat CMR in the playoff game was pretty cool.”

The players agreed that the team dynamic was strong through-out the season. Sukut said, “We

played really well as a team. I think that led to a lot of our success.”

Racine also said, “Our commu-nication was really good with each other. We were all really close and were all on the same page.”

The boys lost their first game against the Helena Capital Bruins 53–61; won their second against Big Sky 57–44 and lost their final game to Glacier 68–52.

In all, attitudes of the season remain optimistic, but disappoint-ment still lingers for some of the team members. Racine said, “To make it to State and lose in the first round sucks.”

Anderegg said of his personal experience, “It was my best year of basketball ever. It was really great that we made it to State, especial-ly because this year is my senior year.”

The team overall felt positive about their experience at State.

Boys stay strong against tough competition at State

DRIVING DOWN LOW Sophomore Liz Klinker drives past Capital Bruin player during the neck-and-neck game. The girls wound up losing 38–40 in overtime. The girls had lost to Capital twice before in the season. The loss put the girls against Billings West where they lost in another overtime game 40–45.

Photos by Jordan Purinton

TATARKA FOR TWO Senior Dylan Tatarka fends off a Capital Bruin player during their first game in the State tournament. The boys lost to the Bruins 53–61.

Girls finish playoff run in dramatic fashion

16 MOMENT March 21, 2013

STIRRING SPIRITRepresenting positive

attitude, sportsmanship and athletic ability, Great Falls High School showed their class to the community at various state sports events. According to Principal Jane Gregoire, the executive director of the Montana High

School Association, Mark Beckman, was compelled to note the excellent behavior and positive attitude of the Bison. “He said to me, ‘Your kids get an A+ for sportsmanship and spirit—an A+ school,’” said a very delighted Gregoire.

STATE CHAMPIONSAfter investing hours

in intense conditioning, Bison wrestlers

brought home the state championship title. Coach

Steve Komac earned his first state win after

13 years as head coach. Junior Austin Shupe

takes the championship. Wrestlers celebrate as

fans cheer while walking through the school. Sophomore Jarren

Komac hugs his father as he earns his first state

title. Sophomore Casey Dobson takes down an

opponent. Freshman Tommy McMillan claims

a victory.

BOYS BRING THUNDER The Bison Boys finished

a tentative season full of pep and flair at the

state tournament. Senior Stan Gopher pivots

around opposing Big Sky defenders. Senior Dylan

Tatarka makes his way to the basket. Senior Jace

Anderegg busts through the Bruins. Junior Bryce

Clark looks for an open teammate to pass to.

LADY BISON DYNAMOSAn impressive 17–3 season run brought the girls basketball team to state as the number one East Conference seed. This year marked their first state appearance in seven years. Senior Callee Remsen put up the ball as an anxious audience looked on. Coach Gregg Dart and assistant coaches evaluate their team’s performance. Senior Kelsey Devlin dribbles the ball through a crowd of Flathead defenders.

THE CHEF IS IN Senior Nathan

Sheffels utilizes his last name

and plays the role of chef as he whisks the air during an

opponent’s free throw.

Sheffels additionally

packed several

other kitchen utensils,

from basters to graters

among other

things.

up

Photos by Rion Sanders, Tribune

Photos by Jillian Wiggers, Sean Warner and Jordan Purinton