Homecoming Candidate Profiles!

Emily

1. What do you think is special about homecoming at Smoky Valley?

Well... the parade and pep rally were always fun and special but now WE AREN'T HAVING THOSE. So the most special thing is that I'm a candidate =P

2. What are your plans for next year? 

Major in athletic training at either the University of Montana or K – State

3. Who's your favorite band?

HOT CHELLE RAE

4. What's your dream car?

Black Chevy Silverado =)

5. Who is the hottest guy you've ever seen?

Can I put a real person? Hopefully he won't see this... ever. Tyler Roberts. Mmmmmmm =)

6. What is your favorite TV show? 

Spongebob Squarepants, Jersey Shore, and Dexterrrrrr!

Callie

What do you think is special about homecoming at Smoky Valley?

It's a grand ol' time! It's nothing too special, but it's still fun.

What are your plans for next year?

Going to college, probably to KSU. GO CATS!

What's your favorite movie?

She's the Man

What's the most random item in your car?

A red reverse uno card 

Who is the hottest guy ever in your opinion?

Josh Turner

What's your favorite cartoon?

Go Diego Go 

Dani

What do you think is special about Smoky Valley?

Homecoming is my favorite football game of the year because we get to see and visit with all of our friends who have graduated!

What are your plans for next year?

I will be attending KSU and following the pre-med curriculum.

What's your favorite quote?

I wanna see you out that door, baby, Bye bye bye!

What's on your iPod?

everything? Nsync, Hilary Duff, Summer Set...and the song Shake Senora.

Who's your childhood hero?

Hilary Duff...a.k.a. Lizzie McGuire!

What's your favorite coffee drink?

The Frosted Pumpkin...created by yours truly ;)

Taylor

1. What do you think is special at homecoming here at Smoky Valley?

I get to see all of my old friends that graduated.

2. What are your plans for next year?

Well I’m undecided about college so far.

3. What’s something that makes you angry?

Psychics

4. What would you do if you were an actual king?

I would make nap hour legal in school, make everyone have to have a big stuffed banana, and make everyone bring me peace tea.

5. Who’s more excited for you to be nominated, you or your mom?

My mom, she says its a privilege.

6. What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you all week?

Seeing Tyler’s pants fall down in gym


Lars

1. What do you think is special about homecoming here at SV?

I think our homecoming is special because it's nice to see old friends who come back for the game. 

2. What are your plans for next year?

I plan to attend K-State and major in Engineering.

3. Who's your favorite singer/band?

Eric Church

4. How do you and the rest of the Kilt Krew come up with all those ways to pump up the crowd?

We generally just think about what gets us fired up at games.

5. Whats the funniest or craziest thing you've ever done?

Once i wrestled a giraffe to the ground with my bare hands. Also, i ran a marathon. 

Greyson

1. Whats special about homecoming here at SV?

Its awesome

2. What are your plans for next year?

To attend college, maybe bethany

3. Whats your favorite sport and why?

Basketball because I have always played it and my whole family has.

4. Do you like your chicken fried and jeans that fit just right? 

Heck yeah

5. What do you think of Ms. Lysell?

She is legit and I LOVE HER

6. Would you rather get rid of Justin Beiber or Rebecca Black?
Beiber

School is what you make of it

            A majority of our school has had Mrs. Krehbiel in one math class or another. Have any of you ever looked above her chalkboard to see some very true words? There it states: “school is what you make of it.”

            I have gotten to the point where I am sick of people complaining about having to go to school. I’m not trying to be hypocritical, because sometimes I catch myself complaining, too. It can be a pain to wake up 5:30 for some of you, or waiting until 7:50 for others, five days a week, and staying up until midnight trying to finish homework. I understand.

            Can you honestly say you hate school? We live in an extremely privileged country where we have an education that many kids around the world would love to have. You probably wouldn’t want to go to school in Europe either, where they have 2-3 hours of homework every night. Be thankful for what has been given to you.

            For those of you that don’t even come to school…why? I know you want your freedom, and you’re just absolutely sick of high school (trust me, I am too), but just hang in there until graduation. I’m not going to be the one to call you a failure for not getting into college or even wanting to go, because I don’t think it’s for everyone. Do what you feel. Whether it’s starting work, joining the armed forces, or going to college, just keep in mind that you’re building your foundation here in high school. If you’re finding it difficult to have a good attitude here, then you’re probably going to find it difficult to have a good attitude wherever your life takes you.

            I don’t think happiness comes from getting everything you want; it’s from changing your perspective on what you have. Try your hardest to be happy here. You may be fighting your own battles at home or wherever, but be thankful that you do get to come here and have a chance to be someone. Like some cheesy Miley Cyrus lyrics say (because sometimes I like to be cheesy),

“Caterpillar in the tree,

how you wonder who you’ll be,

can’t go far, but you can always dream.

Wish you may and wish you might,

don’t you worry, hold on tight.

I promise you that there will come a day.

Butterfly fly away.”

The world’s a big and crazy place. You can do whatever you want, but for now, stick to being a kid. And with that, I leave you. But remember: school is what you make of it. 

SVHS vs. Sterling pics!

Aaron Evans, sophomore, anticipates the kick-off to start the game.

Spencer Bird, sophomore, and the rest of the players meet in between plays.

The student section supporting the Vikings against Sterling.

Nick Deterding, senior, runs the ball.

A viking dives forward for extra yardage.

Touchdown!

At half time, Dani Rome, senior, performs the Wildfire's routine to Party Rock Anthem.

Poor Image

By Katie Kisor
People travel in a pack looking for their next victim, willing to stomp on anyone who gets in his or her way. They are called the wolves of the great wilderness, starving to get that next juicy story. But are they out of control?

Many people say that the paparazzi are out of control. They say that they are monsters when it comes to people’s private life. Do they even know the boundary to respect the privacy of the people they use as their victims? Do they understand the hurt that they can cause?

Why should we care about Charlie Sheen’s latest breakdown? Or what crazy stunt the celebrities are pulling now? Did the paparazzi cause the death of Princess Diana?  Shouldn’t a reporter respect the privacy of people and even the safety of those people, even if they are a public figure?

In my opinion there are certain stories that a reporter should write and there are those that they shouldn’t write. There are certain boundaries that should not be crossed, certain ethics that should be followed. Taking a picture of a celebrity out doing there daily lives out in the public. Trying to take pictures of them doing things on their private property now that is over the line that is privacy and that is a line that reporters should not pass another example of a line that should not be crossed is would be the death of Princess Diana in Paris.

According to consortiumnews.com Princess Diana’s death that occurred when her car swerved trying to avoid a group of photographers on motorcycles.  I think that the photographers should have known that they had passed the boundary lines and then maybe it wouldn’t have caused such and ugly mess, and have taken an innocent life.

Reports must be responsible for their actions and they must know the boundaries into what is private and what is publicity. They must the difference between to much and just enough other wise. They are just the wolves of the great wilderness. 

Lessons Learned…Or Not Learned

By Dani De Vore


                The European colonists of the 1600s brought with them the beginning of the end to the Native Americans. Within 200 years, the native people of the New World had been all but massacred and depleted to nearly nothing. If only they had known from the beginning that these settlers would eventually bring strife and violence into their lives, then perhaps they would have fought a little harder to keep the colonists off their land.
              Yet, after centuries we see a similar scenario paralleled in today’s politics. The great country of America has blindly welcomed a likely foreigner into its embrace. This man whose politics and ambitions threaten the wellbeing of American citizens (and most assuredly benefit the wellbeing of illegal immigrants) has taken a role of leadership meant for someone officially born on American soil. We call this man President Obama.
              Although we certainly don’t expect a massacre any time soon, America should definitely take into account the story of the Native Americans. We have already seen what a supposed foreigner can do to a country. Across the country banks, automakers, and the housing market have been nationalized, causing the downfall of the free market. This has allowed the government to push its own agenda and spend other peoples’ money instead of its own.
             In addition to this, Obama has increased the national deficit more in two-and-a-half years than have all the previous presidents combined. He refuses to address energy problems. He also will not allow American oil companies to drill for oil on our land. Insisting upon purchasing oil from foreign countries, Obama himself has caused gas prices to skyrocket in the U.S.As if these problems aren’t enough, the unemployment rate has increased dramatically, leaving families without income. Is this the kind of leader we want in our country? We have elected a man who cannot technically prove his own citizenship. As ABC television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel puts it, the only difference between Obama and his dog Bo is that Bo has papers.
            Hopefully in the upcoming election America will not make the same mistake once again. Let’s all learn a lesson from the Native Americans and keep the foreigners out of power.

Gone Fishin'

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to have a fish bite your hand? No? Perhaps watching a fish bite someone else’s hand is more to the taste of most people. The recent Animal Planet show “Hillbilly Handfishin’,” first airing in 2010, has inspired adventurous hearts across the country to try their hand—literally—at this odd technique of fishing. 
Also known as “noodling,” this adventurous sport uses the fisherman’s hands and feet to catch the fish. A popular sport in the South, noodling has gained national attention through this unique television show. Viewers can expect a few good laughs as veteran noodler Skipper Bivins takes city slickers out in the water to try their luck at handfishing. Imagine the shock these folks must experience when they feel the mouth of a 70-pound catfish clamp down on their hand!
First-time noodlers can usually get quite the scare when they stick their hand down into murky water and feel the slimy skin of a fish waiting to chomp down. According to those who’ve tried this odd genre of fishing, a bloody hand or foot isn’t all that uncommon; you’ve just got to toughen up and stick with the fish, much like Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” 
Unfortunately for some noodlers, encounters with the cottonmouth snakes that frequent the same holes as the fish have left some fisherman with the jitters. To remedy this problem, spotters are often used to alert the noodler of any slithery predators lurking in the murky water.
Although only a small percentage of the states allow handfishing because of environmental reasons, many noodlers throw back the fish they catch. Noodling is seen as a sport in the South, not as a main source of food.
The record catch for handfishing in the U.S. was a 123-pound flathead catfish, set in Kansas by Ken Paulie. In 2001 during the filming of a documentary on handfishing, it was brought to attention that there were no official contests for the sport. As a result, the First Annual Okie Noodling Tournament was held in Oklahoma that year.
Although this sport might not be for the faint of heart, hillbilly handfishing is a technique gaining attention and popularity nationwide. So if you ever find yourself bored with a regular old fishing pole, you might want to have a go at this bizarre form of fishing.

By Dani DeVore

Fighting the Freeze

Is it just me, or does it feel like Jack Frost has descended upon our school?

Our halls are filled with an abundance of students wearing heavy sweatshirts and bulky overcoats.  With temperatures hitting record highs outside, it’s hard to believe that people are dressed in fall apparel during summer!

Personally, I feel like I’m going to school in a refrigerator.  I dress almost everyday in the warmest clothes I can find in order to combat the sub-zero temperatures inside our school.  On the few days I do dress like its summer, I freeze, shivering throughout the entire day, and living with permanent goose bumps. Sometimes, I go outside during lunch just to warm up!

I would think with the massive budget cuts we’ve had to endure teachers wouldn’t mind turning the thermostats up a little.  My question is: wouldn’t it save us more money?

I understand that some people like being extremely cold, but I personally can’t focus on what my teacher is saying when I’m focused on how cold I am! My plea is this: please warm up the school! The students in jackets will thank you.

By Megan James and Abbey Bengtson