Sexting Story
By Shelby Johnson 

Some teenagers do it as a joke.  For others it’s the new pick-up line.  Either way sexting—sending nude or semi-nude photos by text message or e-mail—has become a national problem among middle and high school students.

The disturbing new trend of teenage flirting is sexting from cell phone to cell phone.  Some youth think it is harmless, but it can be very serious.  Even though it doesn’t always lead to a physical act, it can emotionally confuse teenagers.  It can damage a person’s reputation and self-esteem.

Some teenagers would rather text message because they don’t want their parents asking them questions about who they are talking to and their conversations.  Teens might think text messaging is private, but many teens don’t realize how easily the picture and/or message can be forwarded to anyone.

Sexting has become a problem in schools everywhere.  If you like someone you shouldn’t have to take nude pictures of yourself to show them how you feel.  Telling that person face to face might be difficult, but he or she will have more respect for you even if they don’t feel the same way.

A recent study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com revealed that “20 percent of teens say they have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or video of themselves,” and “44 percent of teens say it’s common for sexting to be shared with people other than the intended recipient.”

According to the study, most teens are sexting to boyfriends or girlfriends, while others send to a person they want to date or to someone they only know online.  Girls don’t understand that guys gossip more than girls, so when a guy receives a picture message, it’s unlikely that it will stay between him and the girl. He will probably show the picture to every guy who knows the girl.  The girl will lose respect from those people.

Lisa Bloom from CBS News said that sexting is a serious felony and people who sext could go to prison for many years.  The consequences for the people who sext can range from humiliation, to not getting a job, to going to court.

It’s crucial for parents to talk to their teenagers about sexual relations and assist them in developing emotional and intimacy skills.  Parents should also discuss with their teenagers the serious consequences of sexting, which could easily come back and haunt them when they apply for a job or college.

Reported by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, 60 percent of teenagers who have sexted wanted to impress a boy or girl and thought photos were “fun and flirty.”  Peer pressure was felt by 23 percent of the teenagers.  More than 35 percent said they knew it was common for the photo to be shared with people other than the intended person.

Kids and parents need to understand that sexting is the same as sending pornography, which is illegal.  With this in mind, teens need to think before they take a picture and press send.

Jail Story
By Kaylea Kult

Two Yutan senior boys spent the night in jail March 20.  It may be surprising to find out neither of them was in trouble and they both went by choice.  It was merely a sampling of the real deal.

Saunders County is in the process of opening a new jail facility.  Before officials allow inmates to arrive, they want to make sure everything is properly prepared.  Sheriff Kevin Stukenholtz decided on a Student and Facility Orientation.

 “We kind of stole the idea,” he said.

Cass County previously tried this with its correctional facility and it turned out to be a success, said Stukenholtz.  The jail is opened for a night to select high school seniors of the county.  It is a time for the officials to see what adjustments need to be made and also allows teenagers to see what life is really like behind bars.

Principal Dan Schnoes approached a group of seniors with the idea of this Student and Facility Orientation.  Angel Hull and Ben Barnard decided they wanted to be a part of it.

“Why not?”  Hull said.  “It could be interesting.”

 When the boys arrived they met a few of the county’s officials.

Then Stukenholtz explained everything he wanted to do to test the new facility.

They were given weapons and walked through the metal detector to show what would happen.  They even got to test out the x-ray machine.  After that they toured the facility. 

Then they were assigned into groups of six and put into separate pods. Hull said things became more real at this point.

 “At first they were fairly nice,” he said. “It was more serious once in the cells.” 

They had the choice of whether they wanted an orange jumpsuit or not.  Both Barnard and Hull decided to wear them for the full experience.

Although Stukenholtz admits they didn’t have to go through things exactly as they would, (not having to go through an extensive interview) they did get fingerprinted and treated like inmates.  Around 7:30 p.m. they were fed.

 “It was alright food,” Barnard said. “Could have been worse, could have been better.”

They had to sit in their cell alone from around 7:30 until 10.  At 10 they were allowed to play basketball in the recreation room until 10:30.  Once back in their cells they then again sat alone until 11 and at that point they were supposed to sleep. 

 Barnard said that when they went to sleep the lights remained on all night.  He attempted to fix this problem by putting his blanket up on the wall to block the light.  The ‘inmates’ also had to deal with a thin mattress. 

Simply put, “I didn’t sleep well,” he said.

They woke up at 6 a.m., cleaned their cells and checked out by 7.

Overall, after sending a notice to every school in the county, 28 kids participated.  Students from Wahoo, Wahoo Neumann, Prague, Mead and Ashland were among them.

The jail is now officially turned over to the county.  Stukenholtz said no major adjustments were made, besides a toilet leak, but it was good to be able to check.

April 6 is the date set for the facility to be open for real inmates.

The boys admit that it wasn’t the best experience to be in jail.  Barnard said they were not allowed to talk in the hallway and had to walk with their hands behind their back.

“Now I know why I really wouldn’t want to go to jail,” Hull said.

What really goes on in the art room? If you’re not in one of the art classes offered at Yutan, you may have no idea. 

According to art teacher Dustin Nielsen, the number of students in art has increased in recent years. A lot of students are taking Art I this year, and many of them are upperclassmen. 

“There are quite a few talented students in Arts I-IV this year,” Nielsen said. “There are also a few talented upperclassmen in Art I this year, which kind of makes you wonder why they didn’t take art sooner.” 

A few new projects have been tried this year. The junior high art students started using paper mache to make sculptures of their hands. 

Some of the upper art classes did a project where they drew the heads of famous people or well-known characters. They did this by using only quotes said by the person being drawn. 

“It’s the same idea as dot-drawing,” Nielsen said. 

Using quotes instead of dots made the students dig deeper into the project. 

“It allowed us to learn about different artists and different aspects of art,” junior Steph Roll said. 

According to Nielsen, there is an all-conference art show going on right now in Lincoln. Nielsen selected 10 pictures from the high school art classes for the show. This art show is judged by other art teachers from the conference. Ally Roth received a gold medal for her picture, while Katie Buhman received first runner-up, Amanda O’Malley received second runner-up, and Steph Roll received third runner-up. 

The art classes also showed their artwork at the Soup and Song concert. This wasn’t a contest, but most of the artwork shown had been to a previous contest. 

Art is usually a safe class to take, but there have been a few incidents, Nielsen said. One student was using an exacto-knife and it slipped, resulting in the student accidentally cutting his finger open. Other than that though, it has never been anything beyond paint spills.

Wii Music Review
By Lydia Ranard

Have you ever wanted to conduct a symphony? What about playing more than 50 instruments without actually taking the time to learn them all? If these appeal to you, then you should consider trying the game Wii Music.

Wii Music is a game that allows you to create music. It has a similarity to the games Guitar Hero and Rock Band in the fact that you select songs to perform. But it is also unique in the aspect that you can play such a variety of instruments and the game play is much simpler. While the game is fun for adults and teenagers alike, younger children will probably enjoy this game more due to its simplicity.

Wii Music lets you use the Wii remote and nun-chuck to play an instrument of sort. Depending on what instrument you are playing, you may use many hand motions.
The guitar and other similar instruments are played by simply moving the remote up and down just as you would if you were strumming strings.

More symphonic instruments such as the cello and violin are played by pressing buttons and moving the Wii remote back and forth over the nun-chuck as if drawing a bow over the strings. The percussion and piano instruments are played with both the remote and nun-chuck by moving them up and down just as though playing the instruments. Those who own a balance board have another drum option available by stomping on the board for pedals and using the remote and nun-chuck as drumsticks.

The wind instruments like flute and trumpet are played by holding the Wii remote to your mouth and pressing buttons. With these instruments, it is also possible to play louder or quieter depending on how high or low you hold the remote.
These controls are pretty easy to handle and are enjoyable; it just looks a little ridiculous to the people watching you.

Wii Music offers several ways to play the game. After you clear the first tutorial of learning to play the instruments, you will be taken to a menu where you are given the options of free play, watch videos, taking lessons or playing one of the three mini games.

During free play, you and three other players can use your Miis (the Wii’s creatable look-a-like Sims) and your Wii remotes and nun-chucks to play music with any of the 60 instruments. The list of songs you can play consists of classics like Mozart’s “A Little Night Music” and Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, traditional songs like Joplin’s “The Entertainer” and Los Lobos’ “La Bamba”, popular songs from different decades such as Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and Madonna’s “Material Girl” and lastly some classic Nintendo hits including the game’s own theme.

Free play also gives you the option of creating your own music video with your Miis that you can watch anytime with the “Watch videos” option.  The best part about free play is the many ways you can play it.

During Free play you and several others are given the options of playing any instrument for the parts of harmony, melody, chorus, bass and two percussion parts. With the options menu you can also choose to play with tutes (the game’s computer programmed sims that play the music along with you), change the speed of the song and what style you play the song such as Hawaiian, marching and electronic. The great thing is that Wii Music offers so many instruments from the expected guitar, piano and trumpet, to more exotic instruments such as the shamisen and sitar. It even gets crazy with the options of using your Mii as a cheerleader or even a beat boxer. The only problem is that the limited amount of songs to play makes it pretty redundant and easy to become bored.

When you are bored of free play, you can try out the three mini games: Mii Maestro, Hand bell Harmony, and lastly Pitch Perfect. During Mii Maestro you will choose a Mii to conduct a symphony of Miis by waving the remote as if it were a baton. In Hand bell Harmony you will use the Wii remote and nun-chuck as two hand bells in in a game similar to Guitar Hero.  During this mini game you will shake your colored bells (the wii remote and nun-chuck) when corresponding colored bell symbols appear on the scene.
The last game is Pitch Perfect which is basically a trivia game that tests your ability to find things like the highest pitch, a matching three-part symphony harmony, and discerning light music from intense music. These games can be fairly fun but the problem is that they are so short and only consist of five songs or a couple of levels.

Wii Music has fairly simple graphics but it is vividly colored, which adds to the game’s upbeat feel. The game of course uses Miis as characters, which are simplified versions of you or a person you know that you create. I personally found it amusing to see all the Miis you create show up in the game in unique ways. The quality of the sound is clear and smooth and the soundtrack is pretty catchy (heck, you’re the one who makes it!). But the most annoying sound feature of the game is its host, a conductor-looking tute that babbles on in high-pitched nonsense so often you’ll want to strangle him.

Overall, Wii Music is entertaining but it could only stay that way for a week or two. I wouldn’t recommend buying it because the music and games become old too quickly, unless of course you are buying for someone of younger age. Otherwise, I recommend playing with a friend who owns it or renting the game.

Prom Editorial

By Justin Wagner

A time for tuxedos and dresses, prom is an event cherished by all students, except those who have “better things” to do.  However, missing prom creates a void that is comparable to not celebrating a milestone birthday.  I believe that prom should be attended by all who are eligible to attend.

On a warm spring Saturday, around 6:45 in the evening, the juniors and seniors of Yutan High School begin to arrive at the elementary, which marks the beginning of prom.  After this, the grand march commences and then, finally, prom starts. 

The music blares, and a select few juniors and seniors step on to the dance floor.  Some of the students are too “tough” to dance.  However, I need to get my groove on, and most of the time do.  The feeling of a tuxedo (for girls, a dress) is one of the best feelings in the world.  Prom can be counted as one of the few times a tuxedo can be worn. 

To those who doubt prom, they must first experience the wonder of the beloved event.  I have been to prom twice before this year, and have thoroughly enjoyed both times.  Each prom I have been to was better than the last, and I am sure the same will hold through this year. 

Prom offers a vital experience of high school.  Many may say it is the same as Homecoming, but Homecoming pales in comparison.  Unlike Homecoming, no junior high students ruin the dance floor.  This alone is enough to propel prom’s greatness past other dances. 

Not only is the dance portion of prom great, but the post-prom portion is also an amazing experience.  After prom, all of the students who attended prom travel to a pre-determined location.  Previous sites for post-prom have been Thunder Alley and the Amazing Pizza Machine. 

During the three hours of post-prom, the students can do whatever activities that are offered.  Post-prom adds another reason that prom should be attended.  At Thunder Alley last year, we were able to bowl, race go-karts, play laser tag and play arcade games for free. 

Prom, when all the parts of it are brought together, becomes one of the greatest nights of the year.  It is a night spent dancing and messing around with friends.  All students should attend prom at least once, just to have the experience.    

           
Death Penalty Editorial
By Emily Perkins

For more than 30 years, Nebraska has been carrying out 
its death penalties by electrocution. But on Feb. 8, 2008, Judge 
William Connolly ruled that electrocution is inhumane and banned the 
electric chair.

Electrocution was the only means of carrying out the 
death penalty in Nebraska. While the state still can give the death 
penalty, it doesn’t have any means of carrying it out. Nebraska 
currently has 10 prisoners waiting on death row. Nebraska is the only 
state out of 36 with the death penalty to not have lethal injection as 
a method.

I think it was a good idea to eliminate electrocution as 
the death penalty in Nebraska. Lethal injection is the best option for 
Nebraska. It seems like the most humane way, although there is never a good way to kill a person.

Lethal injection does have its negatives, though.  For 
instance, if one of the needles is in a muscle instead of a vein or if 
the needle gets clogged, the inmate can be in some serious pain. 
Sometimes it’s difficult to find a vein that can be used if the 
prisoner has abused drugs.
While these negatives can sound bad, keep in mind that 
these people were sentenced and deserve to die. Knowing these people  received the ultimate penalty, lethal injection is the best way to go.

The problem of electrocution was first realized when an 
inmate wrote a letter to the Nebraska Supreme Court from his cell on 
death row. A year after it was written, the court declared 
electrocution as unconstitutional. Evidence exists, it said, that the 
electric chair causes “intense pain and agonizing suffering,” along 
with proof that prisoners can sometimes keep enough brain function to  consciously suffer the high voltage electric current.

One man in particular, Allen Lee Davis, was still alive 
when the power was turned off. Witnesses said they saw his chest rise 
and fall about 10 times before he actually died.

The Omaha World-Herald surveyed the state senators and 
found that 29 senators either strongly supported or would consider 
having lethal injection as the next way to carry out the death 
penalty. Only 25 votes are needed to adopt a law.

Nebraska has attempted to replace electrocution with 
lethal injection in the past, but failed mainly due to the efforts of 
Sen. Ernie Chambers.

While Nebraska doesn’t have any means to carry out the 
death penalty at the moment, I definitely think we need one.

Testing Out- Editorial
By Kelsey Landgren

The end of the semester is winding down. Some students know that they will be attending semester tests, but others are hoping to get out of school two days early.

It should be a goal for all juniors and seniors to test out.

At Yutan High School   , juniors and seniors have the option to test out of their semester final. They are allowed to do this only if the teacher allows it and if they have maintained an A average, which is above a 94 percent, throughout the semester. Students must have their teacher sign them out and must turn their forms into the office the day before tests start.

If a student has tested out of a class, he or she is not required to attend that class during semester tests. Students must receive parent permission before leaving the building and must return to school before their next test starts.

Opinions vary on whether or not testing out is a good thing. Semester tests reward students for hard work throughout the semester and shouldn’t be needed in some students’ minds.  It can also be argued that it doesn’t prepare students for college where they will be taking finals. Most students who test out usually plan to attend college and semester tests in high school could benefit them.

Testing out may give a student the drive to do well in his or her classes. For students who want to test out, they usually work harder throughout the semester. 

Students may just wait until the end of the semester to see if they have maintained an A average. A few students start working hard to pull up their average as the semester winds down, especially if their first quarter grade was low.
Being able to test out I think is a good option. Its a reward for working hard throughout the semester. Students realize that by working hard it will pay off by not having to worry about tests.

Not every student and teacher agrees that testing out should be offered at Yutan. Students sometimes wonder: why work hard all semester when you’re only going to have two days off. They might maintain a B or C average, but never find that extra push to average an A.

Those students take the test, usually not caring how they do.

Semester tests shouldn’t be needed for students to do well. Students should just want to do well and shouldn’t need a reward.

Testing out has both positives and negatives. Students testing out usually like the idea, while a number of teachers and students find only the negatives in it.

Testing out should continue to be offered at Yutan. All students have the option to take the semester finals. Students who feel it will better prepare them for college can then take the tests.  

Low Highway Deaths
By Katelyn Landgren

Year after year Nebraska highway safety officials have seen traffic fatalities drop. This year the state saw highway deaths hit a 64-year low. 

Many factors may have contributed to the low numbers because the state has focused on lowering the number of highway deaths. State officials’ efforts have helped decrease the number, but in my opinion, more can still be done. No matter what the cause of the decrease, no one can deny the fact that it has been a good thing for the state.

According to MSNBC.com, the economy was just one reason for the decline in highway fatalities. With gas prices being high, people started driving less and going slower to save fuel. When drivers reduce speeds, the risk of serious crashes decreases. Drivers were also more selective on where they went and how frequently they would choose to drive. This may be a major reason for the decline, because fewer drivers were on the roads.

Drivers reported to MSNBC.com that they had seen more police on the roads, which would keep drivers from speeding and driving recklessly. If police officers continue to patrol the highways, drivers will become cautious of their actions. Omaha.com said that law enforcement officers spent more overtime hours on the highways this year. Traffic enforcement operations were held in places where many past accidents had occurred.

These operations helped the state set a record number of drivers wearing seat belts. Omaha.com reported 83 percent of drivers buckled up in 2008, compared to the 79 percent who did in 2007. The push to get more drivers wearing seat belts keeps them and their passengers’ safer if an accident would occur.

More drunk-driving arrests were made in 2008. With these drivers off the road, it may have contributed to the low percentage of alcohol-related fatalities. MSNBC.com said that the low numbers may be the lowest since World War II. The State Patrol believes that an aggressive enforcement on DUI’s has been paying off.

The number of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in Nebraska dropped to five, which is the lowest since the early 1960s, reported Omaha.com.

Only 36 fatalities involving teenage drivers occurred in 2008 compared to 48 last year.  New legislation this year created restrictions on teens with provisional licenses. These restrictions have been put in place to try and keep teens concentrated on the road and not other passengers or electronic devices. Teenage drivers have a tendency to become distracted, but with the recent law, it will help them to stay focused and become safer drivers. The stricter the state enforces the new laws, the safer drivers will become.

Officials in Iowa have taken note of the decrease, but officials in both state still agree too many people die in crashes. Many things have contributed to the low number of highway deaths, all of which need to be continued to keep the numbers decreasing. The year-end numbers have kept the state encouraged.
     
                                                             
Movie Review- Saw V

By Justin Wagner

“I want to play a game.”

Since 2004, audiences have been enthralled by Jigsaw and his gruesome traps.  Every year, around Halloween, a new Saw movie is released.  This year is no different.  The series continues with Saw V. 

Saw V begins like the others with a trap scene.  In this trap, an ex-con, who was released from a life sentence on a technicality, is strapped to a table.  He wakes up disoriented and in pain.  A television turns on in a corner of the room.  The infamous clown puppet appears on the screen and tells the man that in order to save his life; he must destroy the tools that have killed, his hands. If he does not do so, he will be cut in half by a blade that swings over his body.    

The scene jumps to Agent Strahm (played by Scott Patterson), who we find in the room in which Jigsaw died in Saw III.  The movie begins where Saw III and IV ended. With the lights shut off, Strahm sees glowing paint and finds a hidden doorway.  He opens it.  Inside, he finds a tape.  The tape tells him that if he wants to live he must stay where he is.  If he goes any farther, he will die.  Strahm ignores the warning and continues into the dark hallway.  He comes to a door leading to a dark room.  He enters the room and is ambushed by a man in the Saw pig mask. 

Strahm awakes with his head in a large glass box.  He looks around the room and attempts to get out of the box.  He has been disarmed and cannot find a way out.  He starts to struggle, and the box he is in begins to fill with water.  He panics as the box becomes filled.  He feels around his pants to find a tool to escape.  He reaches in his pocket and finds a pen.  He thrusts it into his neck, unscrews the lid and pulls out the insides so that he is able to breathe. 

Meanwhile, Hoffman (played by Costas Mandylor) is found outside of the building with Corbett, Jeff’s (Saw III) daughter.  He is met by paramedics and a plethora of police officers.  He is surprised to see that Agent Strahm is being wheeled out on a gurney, still alive.  Hoffman becomes worried because he thinks that Strahm now knows his secret. 

This is one of the movie’s two story lines.  The second is the usual trap story.  Five strangers awake in a room with collars around their necks and large blades at their backs.  The key to their survival is teamwork; if they do not work together, they will all die.  The first room they find themselves in has five glass boxes spread out halfway in between themselves and the other wall.  If they do not get to the keys in the boxes within 60 seconds, they will be killed.  The timer begins and they await their pending doom.

Saw V is a great movie for Saw film fans.  However, the twist in Saw V, which the Saw series is known for, is not as large as the previous films’ twists. Also, in order to fully understand the film’s story, one must first watch all four previous movies at least one or two times.  If the viewer does not watch them, they will enter the movie blind and not know what is going on.  If gore is not on your menu for movie watching, Saw V is no different from the previous films.  It has the same amount of gore as the other films. 

The Hoffman-Strahm story line provides much more suspense than the other story line because it has better actors in it.  Many times during the Hoffman-Strahm scenes, I found myself wanting to yell at the screen for the actor to watch out behind them. Patterson and Mandylor give great performances in their roles.  The five strangers do not give a fantastic performance, but it is not the worst acting in a Saw film.

Overall, the film makes a great addition to the franchise.  Do not see the movie if you have not previously seen all four Saws.  If you do not watch them beforehand, you will be disappointed with your choice in movie.  Saw V is rated R for language and gore, exactly what you’d expect in a Saw film.    
                                              

What’s Really in Fast Food?

By Shelby Johnson

Eating out is an ancient tradition. In Egypt during the 500s BC, a restaurant offered a bowl of wild fowl, cereal and onions. Today there are more 500,000 fast-food restaurants in the world. The restaurants are fast, fun, inexpensive and can be found almost anywhere, even in school cafeterias. Americans eat out an average of four times per week, often at fast-food restaurants.

The Center for Young Women’s Health said, “fast food is any food that is quick, convenient and usually inexpensive.” Vending machines and drive-thru restaurants are probably the most common places to find fast food. It’s popular because you can buy a satisfying meal for $5 or less. Fast food is inexpensive because it is made with cheaper ingredients.

Some ingredients that health conscious people consider unacceptable are MSG (free glutamate or free glutei acid), trans fats, artificial colors, artificial flavors and most preservatives said Diet Blog.

Meats from any major fast-food restaurant have anything but a simple ingredients list. They add MSG, trans fats, artificial colors, preservatives, emulsifiers and hidden ingredients in spices or natural and artificial flavors. Some of these additives are chemicals that are generally recognized as safe. Most of them cannot be found at a grocery store because they aren’t foods, but some can be found at a hardware store.

Restaurants might say that the bread is “100% whole grain” when really there is other ingredients on the list as well. Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and McDonald’s are only a few examples of this.

Wheat bread at Subway has whole wheat flour, but closely behind wheat on the list is high fructose corn syrup. The color of the bread is from caramel color, which contains sulfites. There is also an ingredient called azodicarbonamide (a respiratory sensitizer- a possible cause of asthma).

The rice at Taco Bell contains dimethypolysiloxane. This is normally used in silicone caulk, adhesives and as an anti-foaming agent.

Wendy’s low-fat honey mustard dressing contains titanium dioxide. This is used to manufacture paint, sunscreen, semiconductors and also food coloring.

Diet Blog hopes you will start taking your McDonald’s coffee without creamer. The creamer contains sodium phosphate, sodium polyphosphate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, sodium citrate and carrageena. Most of these ingredients are found in industrial chemicals.

According to the Center for Young Women’s Health, eating fast food every once in awhile is not bad for you. But eating too much fast food over a long period of time can lead to health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity.

Not only will making healthier choices at fast-food restaurants help you feel better about yourself, but it could also save your life.

Twilight Story

By Lydia Ranard

What’s the lastest craze invading the teen girl scene? One word, Twilight. All over the country girls are talking about vampires and characters such as “Edward,” “Bella” and “Jasper” from the books some people are calling the next Harry Potter. Stephenie Meyer’s new fantasy romance series is a definite hit.

The story starts out with a rather quirky character called Bella. In Twilight, Bella is moving to Forks, WA, to live with her dad. She leads a pretty normal life and thinks it’ll stay that way…until she meets Edward Cullen. The mysterious, dazzling Edward is unlike any boy she’s ever met. He’s incredibly gorgeous, intelligent, witty, and…he’s a vampire.

Bella’s world is turned upside down as she and Edward fall deeply in love with each other and Bella meets the Cullens, a family of vampires who don’t drink human blood. Can this forbidden love between human and vampire exist?

The book is often compared to Harry Potter due to it’s sudden popularity. Within a span of four years, the first Harry Potter book, The Sorcerer’s Stone, sold 5 million copies. Within three years the book Twilight has sold more than 50 million copies. Nowadays the number for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has risen to 120 million in 11 years. Will Twilight reach that mark? Only time will tell.

So what makes the series so popular? Meyer’s writing style is unique and enticing. Her writing style automatically draws you into the story and keeps you there until the end.
Another reason is that she creates the new-age vampire. No more of the coffin-hiding, garlic-hating counts people are used to; Meyer presents to us fairly normal teenagers with pale, stony skin. Her vampires won’t be burned to ashes by the sun either, but they’ll certainly sparkle. They also possess superhuman powers such as super strength and speed.

Twilight’s popularity has increased over the last few years and has now spread to Yutan. Shout the word “Twilight” in the cafeteria sometime and it’s easy to see how popular it is among girls.  Eighth grader, Kailey Heuertz started reading the books a little while ago, and has become a big fan of the book since.

“It was very entertaining,” Heuertz said, “I read it in two days.” 

Eighth grader Lydia Perkins is also a big fan of the book, “It was the best book I’ve ever read,” Perkins said. “I’m not even kidding.”

Most of the Twilight fans, known as “Twilighters” officially, learned about Twilight from their friends, but some of them are learning about it from a coinciding movie being released this Nov. 21.
The movie, based on the plot of the book, will feature Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Kirsten Stewart as Bella Swan.

According to a poll taken of the pre-ordered tickets on Fandango.com, 92 percent of the 5,000 people polled are going to see this movie opening weekend and 85 percent were going to see it more than once. About 95 percent of those polled were female and 97 percent have read the books.

Interested? Pick up a book at your local Wal-mart, or check one out at the library. One warning though, make sure when you pick it up you have a lot of free time; it’s nearly impossible to put down.

Homecoming Editorial

By Kelsey Landgren

What makes Homecoming memorable to you? Does it have to go exactly how you want or are you okay with other students’ ideas? 

Everyone has different opinions on what was fun during Homecoming 2008 and what needs to be changed. Some students enjoy having powder puff football, while others enjoy dodge ball.  Just as some enjoy the DJ not playing many slow songs, while others wish he would. 

Some students have their own thoughts on the theme, dress-up days, and even to how dressy the dance should be. 

In previous years, Yutan did not have powder puff football as part of the Chieftain Games. 

This was due to the underclassmen wanting dodge ball. 

A change was made this year because the senior class had always wanted powder puff football. The junior class, on the other hand, did not like the idea of powder puff football coming back.

When it came to signing up for those who would like to participate in the Chieftain Games, the junior class had no one interested in playing powder puff football.  One cause might have been the softball girls were not allowed to play.

As the week progressed, coaches decided that they did not want any more injuries to occur and requested there not be a powder puff football game.  So they came up with a new game, a balloon toss.  Only the junior and senior girls participated in it, while the underclassmen continued to have powder puff football games.

The balloon toss was a lot of fun to watch and people enjoyed participating in it.  In future years, I think that grade levels should take a vote on what they would like to participate in.  By doing this, it would satisfy everyone, not just the upperclassmen or the underclassmen.

Grade levels should also have a say in what kind of music they want the DJ to play.  All DJ’s are different and play different music. 

I think that the DJ should fit the needs of the students at the dance.  At this year’s dance, students would request songs and they wouldn’t get played for quite some time after being requested. 

The DJ did a good job of playing songs that students could dance to, but for the most part, they were older songs that students don’t listen to regularly. 
This year’s DJ did not play many slow songs.  He didn’t play any slow songs until after 9 p.m. except for the royalty dance.  When he finally played a slow song, he played two in a row.  After that he did not play another one until after 10 p.m. and some people had a hard time deciding if it was a song to slow dance to or not. 
It’s nice to take a few minutes to slow down from all the excitement of fast songs.  For those who go to the dance with someone, they enjoy being able to slow dance with that person.
The DJ did a good job, for the most part, interacting with the students.  He got everyone excited and most students would say they had a good time.
Homecoming will always be an exciting time of year no matter if it turns out how you want it to or not.  There will always be things you don’t enjoy, but you learn to make the best out of what is going on because you will regret it if you don’t.

Safe Haven Editorial    
           
By Kelsey Landgren    

Have you noticed that Nebraska has been mentioned on the national news lately?  Some may think that it’s a good thing, but in this case it’s not.

Recently, a new law has been passed in Nebraska.  A safe haven law went into affect on July 18. 

Nebraska was the second-to-last state to pass this law.  It states that someone can abandon their child at a hospital without facing any criminal charges.  Charges can be filed if signs exist of abuse or neglect of the children. 

This law was intended for parents to drop off infants.  Even though the law states that a child is anyone under 19 years of age, lawmakers did not expect to have so many teenagers dropped off. 

The first child dropped off was a 15-year-old boy.  He was dropped off by his aunt.  She said that she could no longer handle his unruly behavior.  Lawmakers soon realized that more teenagers would be dropped off for the same reason.

In most states, only infants are allowed to be dropped off.  With Nebraska making national news, parents from other states discovered that they could drop off their teenagers.  Parents have been driving to Nebraska just to drop off their child who they no longer want to deal with.  Lawmakers never intended for this to happen and think it might be necessary to revise the law.

It’s not right for someone to drop off their child because they no longer want to deal with them.  This law was created for young children to be dropped off so that they can have a better life. 

Teenagers being dropped off are heading toward a better life, but going into protective custody as a teenager would be exceptionally hard.  They no longer have their friends and family who care about them. 

Lawmakers need to make a change.  Nebraska should not have to be responsible for out-of-state children only because it is the only state that will take them without filing charges. 
I think it is a good idea to have a safe haven law in Nebraska, but it needs to be amended so that only infants or young children can be dropped off.  That was the true intent of the law.

If you’re going to have kids, you need to be ready.  They shouldn’t reach a certain age and all of a sudden you decide you no longer want them.  
There are resources available to help parents who are struggling to control their teenagers.  The safe haven law was not intended for parents to drop off teenagers who they no longer can control.
           
Man on the street

By Kyley Schroeder

What is your opinion about the new weight room and wrestling room?

Trevor Howe- I think it’s a good idea because we don’t have to worry about getting interrupted from people walking by in the halls. It’s more like a practice.

Megan Swanson- I thinks it’s a good thing because not as many people will be coming into the school at random times and wrestling has their own room.

Jake Koenig- I like it because it’s new but I don’t like that wrestling is in the winter and you have to walk out there. It would have been better if it was attached to the school. I do like it because there will be more room.

Glasses Versus Contacts

By Shelby Johnson

Morgan Davis, a freshman, played basketball with glasses in fifth grade. She was elbowed in the face and her glasses snapped in half, cutting her nose. After a couple of these incidents, she decided contacts were for her.

Contacts aren’t for everyone. Some people are involved in sports and wear glasses while playing. It’s their decision.

Glasses and contacts require careful handling and cleaning. Glasses must be cleaned several times a day. Contacts only need to be cleaned before they are placed on the eye or if something gets on the contacts while they are on the eye.
Daniel Trost, a sophomore, is active in sports. He must take off his glasses beforehand because he doesn’t have contacts.

“My parents won’t let me get contacts,” Trost said.

Wearing glasses in the rain or snow can be annoying because the temperature change makes them fog and become blurry. Contacts do the exact opposite of glasses. They don’t fog up and they don’t collect precipitation, which causes vision to blur.

“Contacts are easier to deal with. I don’t have to worry about fogging or smears,” Sara Timperley, a junior, said.

Timperley prefers contacts over glasses because they are more comfortable than glasses.

“I sleep with my contacts in,” Timperley said.

With glasses, the peripheral (side) vision is poor, but with contacts the entire view is in focus. Certain activities such as sports and driving require students to have perfect vision.
Abby Schnoes, a sophomore who has been wearing glasses for about one year, wears her glasses when she runs in cross country.

“You get your glasses tightened so they won’t fall off,” Schnoes said.
Glasses are fashionable because they complement an outfit and attitude. Contacts make the eyes like everyone else’s.

“They’re jewelry for the eyes,” Schnoes said.

Contacts are worn directly on the eye for a more natural vision. Since glasses cause space between the eye and the lens, distortion is sometimes created.

“I don’t like to wear my glasses,” said Angelina Olvera-Knigge, a sophomore who hardly wears her glasses.

Trost, Schnoes, Timperley and Olvera-Knigge chose what was best for themselves and their daily routines. They each chose between contacts and glasses, but their own perspective helped them decide which they would rather have.

Eagle Eye Review

By Justin Wagner

Car chases.  Explosions.  Government secrets.  One movie has all of this and more. 

“Eagle Eye,” an action thriller released on Sept. 26, is the story of a down-and-out young man.  The story begins on the outskirts of a small Middle Eastern town.  A convoy of vehicles heads toward the town.  One of these vehicles may hold a dangerous terrorist
and it is the job of the U.S. Defense Secretary to find out.  It appears that the terrorist is just attending a funeral, but the president tells the Secretary of Defense to take him out.  The Secretary of Defense’s risk simulator calculates a 51 percent chance of the target being the wanted terrorist.  The computer suggests that they should not fire upon the small city, but the president goes against the computer and orders the Secretary to bomb the city.  

With this scene, the movie begins.  We find ourselves with Jerry Shaw (played by Shia LeBeouf), a young man who recently dropped out of Stanford.  He receives a phone call from his mother informing him that his twin brother has died. Jerry’s twin brother, a member of the Air Force, was in a program that protects the U.S. from internal threats.    

At this point, we meet Rachel. Rachel, played by Michelle Monaghan, is a divorced mother whose child is a trumpet player set to perform at the president’s State of the Union address. 

 Jerry, after leaving his brother’s funeral, deposits a check into the bank and, expecting to find nothing, finds $750,000.  When he arrives at his apartment, he finds weapons, chemicals and other illegal things.  He receives a phone call from an unknown woman telling him to evacuate the premises.  He fails to do this and is taken into custody by the FBI.  

Rachel also receives a call from this woman who tells her that in order to save her son, she must follow rules set forth by the woman on the phone.  

Jerry, in police custody, is allowed one phone call, but when he makes the call, no one answers.  However, when Jerry hangs up, the phone rings.  It is the woman calling again telling Jerry to get on the floor.  When he does this, a crane crashes through the window.  Jerry escapes and finds his way to the car in which Rachel is waiting.  Jerry and Rachel escape and start their journey to save the lives of themselves and their families. They soon realize that they are entwined in a plot to overthrow the president of the United States.

Eagle Eye is a great example of an action thriller.  From beginning to end, the movie is an adrenaline-soaked roller coaster ride.  No part of the story drops the ball on the overall intensity of the movie.  It keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, waiting for what is to come.  One particular scene in the movie, the escape scene, is one of the most action-packed in the entire film.  Jerry and Rachel speed down a busy city street, dodging gunfire and evading police officers.  Cars crash around them as they listen to the directions that the mysterious woman gives them. This is just one of the fast-paced scenes.    Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Chiklis add to an all-star acting line-up. 

This PG-13 movie is a must-see.  If you don’t go see it in the theatres, pick it up on DVD.  It is a great addition to Shia LeBeouf’s acting career. In any case, this movie should been seen by everyone.       

Dream Story

By Kaylea Kult

Dreams. Everybody has them.  You may not remember them or understand them, but nonetheless they do occur.

Not much is known about dreams.  What is known is that dreams happen when your eyes are in a state of R.E.M. (rapid eye movement) while you are sleeping.  You enter this state of R.E.M. every night.

It is not known for certain why dreams happen, but many theories exist.  The physiological theory states that dreams occur to exercise the pathways between brain cells, and that dreaming takes over where the active, awake brain leaves off. 

One theory explains that dreams tell of things to come.  It was once thought that dreams could be interpreted to inform of things that will happen in the future.  Although this was more popular in biblical times, it is still amongst today’s theories.

Carl Jung’s theory is that dreams offer solutions to problems faced in the awake life.  On the other hand, Frederick Perls believes that dreams contain the rejected, disowned parts of oneself.  He believes that every character and object in the dream represents an aspect of oneself.

Another theory as to why you dream about what you do is the psychological theory.  This says that dreams deal with concerns in one’s life, such as unfinished business during the day or even what you were thinking about before you fell asleep.

One of these cases comes from freshman Kelli Fisher.  Fisher states that she only remembers the scary dreams that she has.  One instance is her ‘grasshopper dream.’

“I have a huge fear of grasshoppers,” she said.  One day at a game one jumped on her. 
“I screamed really high like a little girl,” she said. “It must have been on my mind that night.” 

She had a dream a grasshopper the size of her obese wiener dog had her cornered and it was talking to her, telling her not to be afraid. 

“It kept making the scary grasshopper noise,” she said.  She tried to escape out her window but there were a bunch of obese grasshoppers there so she had no escape. 

“Then I woke up,” she said. 

Unlike Fisher, who only remembers the scary dreams she has, junior Jake Vencil says he only remembers the good ones.  Likewise, junior Sara Timperley says she remembers many of her dreams. 
“I remember them more often than not,” she said. 
Why people remember dreams or don’t remember them is unknown.

True/false Sleeping Quiz

By Jessica Peavler
           
  Questions

1. You can cheat on the amount of sleep you get. True   False

2. Turning up the radio, opening the window or turning on the air conditioner are effective ways to stay awake when driving. True   False

3. Teens that fall asleep in class are lazy. True   False

4. The older you get the fewer hours of sleep you need. True   False

5. During sleep your brain rests. True   False

Answers

If you answered any of these true you are wrong because all of the answers are false.

• Some sleep experts say that teens need 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep every night for optimum performance, health and safety. When we don’t get the recommended amount of sleep, we acquire a sleep debt that is difficult to pay back when you miss an excessive amount of sleep.

• Turning up the radio, opening the window, or cranking up the air are ineffective and dangerous ways to try to stay awake while driving. If you are driving long distances and feel tired pull off to the side of the road and take a 15-20 minute nap. Caffeine can help overcome drowsiness for a short period of time, but it usually takes 30 minutes before it helps.

• Teens’ biological clocks keep them awake later in the evening and keep them sleeping in later in the morning. But school begins early in the morning when the teen’s body wants to be sleeping so they come to school too tired to learn and it’s not their fault.

• Experts recommend 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep for teens. Sleep patterns change as you get older but the amount of sleep your body requires does not. As you get older you tend to not sleep through the whole night so your body makes up for the lack of sleep during the day.

• Even though your body rests during the night your brain doesn’t. But this doesn’t mean that you don’t need sleep. At night your brain gets recharged and still controls body functions. There are two types of sleep that you drift between at night. REM (rapid eye movement) is an active sleep when dreams occur, breathing and heart rate increase, muscles relax and your eyes move back and forth under your eye lids. Non-REM has four different stages. Stage one is the stage where you can easily be awakened and in stages three and four its more difficult to be awakened.
  

Feature Story on Ryan Knippelmeyer

By Katelyn Landgren   

As you walk down the hallway of the elementary, you will a see new face. You may stop and wonder who it is and why is he here at Yutan. This face is more than likely Ryan Knippelmeyer.

Mr. K, as the students call him, took the job as the new elementary principal. As a first-time principal, Knippelmeyer looks forward to the leadership responsibility he will receive in this position.

“It has always been a professional goal of mine,” Knippelmeyer said, “and when the opportunity arose in Yutan, I felt that it would be a good spot for me.”

Knippelmeyer was already familiar with the area through teaching and coaching at Elmwood-Murdock and he had heard good things about the Yutan community.
Along with teaching and coaching at Elmwood-Murdock, he also taught at Tri Center Community School in Iowa, and Papillion-LaVista. Knippelmeyer spent last year as an instructor at Peru State College.

After being here for a little over a month, Knippelmeyer sees Yutan as a progressive school district that looks out for what is best for the students. He feels that the staff at Yutan tries to develop and encourage programs that will benefit all of the students.

“I like to go into each classroom once a day so I can start to interact with the students and teachers on a more personal level,” Knippelmeyer said.

He also tries to spend time before school with the kids and he can often be found in the lunchroom with them.

“We like the fact that Mr. K doesn’t allow trading of food anymore in the lunchroom,” said fourth graders Ellie Petersen and Kelsey Edwards.

Knippelmeyer said that he would like to try and keep life at the elementary school the same as it has been, except for a few minor changes.

“The weekly newsletter is now called the Chieftain Chatter instead of the Tattler,” Knippelmeyer said, “but other than that I’m still waiting to learn about all the programs that are going on before I can decide what major changes are really needed.”

He sees that the need to build on the programs that are already established at the school will be his biggest challenge as principal.

“I am also going to start to introduce the RTI program to students,” Knippelmeyer said, “which is a general education program that will influence all K-12 education.”

Knippelmeyer hasn’t had many opportunities to work with the high school staff or community members, but doesn’t think that he will have any problems with them. He has attended some of the fall sporting events in order to interact with the community outside of the school atmosphere.

Knippelmeyer enjoys outdoor activities and sporting events, which has given him many coaching experiences. Knippelmeyer said he would consider any opportunity that would come up for a coaching position, but he doesn’t necessarily have to coach.
Now if you see this once unfamiliar face walking down the hallway or sitting at a sporting event, you may know a little more about him and what he thinks about Yutan.  You will also know it is Mr. K, the principal at the elementary.

Bond Issue

By Cheyenne Nelson

Changes are on the horizon at Yutan Junior-Senior High School. For the first time since the school was built in 1975, a major construction project will take place.

On Sept. 9, voters made their way to the Yutan Country Club to mark their ballots for or against the school bond issue. When the polls closed and the votes were counted, results showed that it had passed, with 237 votes for and 127 against.

All this talk about the bond issue may make students wonder what exactly a bond issue is. When a building project or finances are needed by a school district, the school asks the patrons of the district to approve a bond issue. In order for the issue to pass, more than 50 percent of the district’s registered voters must vote in favor of it, according to superintendent Kevin Johnson.

This isn’t the first time the school has proposed adding on to the school, though. In 2002, the school board considered building an addition on the east side of the school by the gym, but there wasn’t enough money.

“Fund costs were quite high, so we shelved the idea for a couple of years,” Johnson said.
The idea to add on came up again after going through a facility comprehensive plan, which was developed by the community. Johnson said architects, school board members, school staff and community members gathered to create a long-range plan for the future growth of the district. The results indicated that something needed to be done to improve the school in the near future, and the bond issue was the answer.

According to information supplied to voters, one of the main aspects of the $2.995 million bond issue is to renovate the library. As many students can recall, the library was reduced in size to create two classrooms because more space was needed for students and teachers.

“We didn’t want to do it, but we had no choice,” Johnson said. “Now that the bond issue has passed we can build more classrooms with additions and take back the library space.”
In addition to remodeling the library, the bond issue will create a new music room, a new computer lab, junior high locker rooms, several classrooms and storage, as well as relocate the administrative offices.

Not only will the bond impact the school, but it will also affect the community.

“First of all, it will affect the pocketbook,” Johnson said.

The bond issue will increase taxes for the community. According to Johnson, an owner of a home valued at $100,000 will have to pay $59 more per year in taxes.  While taxpayers may grumble that their taxes will go up slightly, several positive aspects outweigh the negative.

The school is the first thing people see when they come into town. Johnson said a better, more progressive-looking school will draw families to the Yutan community.

“Families bring with them new businesses, which helps the community,” Johnson said.

A renovated school will also instill a more profound sense of pride throughout the community.

“This community really cares about the education of their children,” Johnson said. “Pride is not found only in our school but throughout the entire community.”

The project will start in 2009 after a contractor has been selected and is scheduled to complete in 2010.

2008 Pre-School Addition       

By Nicole Karloff

Do you live in Yutan? Do you have a pre-school age child?  Are you questioning if you want to drive a ways to take your child to a pre-school that is far away? Well, now you don’t have to worry.  Yutan has now, just this year, introduced the new pre-school at the elementary.

“The pre-school addition was an outstanding decision,” new elementary principal Ryan Knippelmeyer said.  Knippelmeyer said that the 20 new students and the two new staff members are helpful to have in the school.

The state limits the pre-school class to 20 students and Yutan utilizes the maximum number.  Knippelmeyer does not consider the current situation as ideal, but he complimented Craven and Thomas.

 “A job like that requires special individuals and they handle the students well,” he said.

Many people may not know, but the pre-schoolers have activities during the day, just as the older kids do.  They all participate in the library events, art and physical education.

The kids’ day starts right when the bell rings in the morning and goes until 11:30 when they are released to go home.

 Having this pre-school at the elementary helps the kids in many ways, Knippelmeyer said.

He believes that having this new addition to the elementary will have positive effects on the kids.  Hopes for the kids include being exposed to the school environment prior to kindergarten; this will better prepare them for their future years.  He also hopes that the new addition will help the children be more mature from experiences.  Social behaviors and working successfully with others will be major goals during these first few years.

“I believe the kids will be more prepared and ready for kindergarten now,” Craven said.  She said they will know more of what to expect in the future.

The pre-school, as well as being an addition for the elementary, adds a change for the people in and around the school as well.  This change affects both the staff and older students.  Knippelmeyer said the older kids are doing a good job with having the pre-schoolers around. 

As of now the interaction between the older kids and the pre-schoolers is not as often as we would like it to be, but hopefully as the year progresses this can change.  A goal is to possibly have some of the fifth and sixth graders mentor the youngest members of the school and for them to be more involved with these pre-schoolers.