October 30 2006
Volume 86 Number 1

Features

This year in Peer Helping By:  Elizabeth Johnson Peer Helpers:  Students willing to give up their free time to better the community, school, and individuals.  But what makes them different from everyone else?  What tools have they been given to help others? This year Peer Helpers have already attended two presentations.  At these presentations Peer Helpers have been given information on how to help people dealing with problems.  They have also been clued in on our new "Raising the BAAR" discipline program. A representative from the mental health division of Avera McKennan gave the first program they attended.  Wallace Jackman started out his career working the Charter organization.  His presentation focused on teaching Peer Helpers listening skills.  "Don't be a topper," was one piece of advice he taught to students.  This means that when another student is trying to confide in a Peer Helper, a Peer Helper should not respond with: "You think that's bad?  I..."  He emphasized that the student doesn't need that kind of negativity. The focus is supposed to be on the student with the problem.  He taught that it is important to make responses like:  "This situation makes you feel...?"  This helps the student feel non-threatened and more able to express his or her feelings. Jackman tried to emphasize how as a Peer Helper one might encounter people who don't want the Peer Helper to give advice but to merely listen.  Sometimes all a Peer Helper can do is listening, because the problem is too far outside of the Peer Helper's arena. The Peer Helpers also attended a lecture by the founder of our new "Raising the BAAR" program.  Her name is Shelly Freeman.  Her brainchild was "Do sweat the small stuff."  In her presentation she emphasized how students in the school system needed different means of discipline.  Her theory included a piece that clearly separated people into three groups. The first was "Red People."  These are people who take unnecessary risks and have no respect for authority.  The people sitting on the fence are called "Yellow People."  These people will take risks occasionally, and generally have at least a small respect for people in authority.  "Green Students" were the final group.  They were portrayed as students who rarely took risks, and if they got into trouble, "they'd probably start crying." Her perspective gave the Peer Helpers insight as to why Luverne adopted the "Raising the BAAR" discipline program. She was very delighted to actually see students at the presentation saying, "It is always a good thing when the students themselves come." All in all, the Peer Helpers are more than ready to start helping the community.  They've gone at it with gusto, too.  So far they've helped at several community events, such as working at the Palace Theatre, Prairie Heights Buffalo, Hinkley House, and the Carnegie Cultural Center.  There are few places in this community a Peer Helper hasn't left his or her mark.

School, family, sports, and friends.  Oh, yeah, Then there's work By:  Whitney Bremer There's just never any free time!  Between schoolwork, family business, extracurricular activities, and sleep, high school students don't have a whole lot of time for much else.  However, it's quite rare to meet a high school student that doesn't moan and groan about having to go to work. "I like my job, but it can get really stressful when we get bombarded by a huge group twenty minutes before closing-time," said senior Randi Fry, who works at Chit Chat's.  Amy Helle also nodded in complete agreement. There are many places that students can work in town, ranging from fast-food restaurants to retail stores, or even at places like HSI or the Mary Jane Brown Home. "I get to meet a lot of really neat people at my job.  I also like it, because I feel like I am given a lot of responsibility, which will be helpful when I'm finished with high school, " said senior Meagan Riddle, who works at HSI. "I love [working at Pamida]!  We always have a lot to do, but there's always time for a nice ride on the conveyer belt," said Stephanie Mark. It's clear to see that having a job in high school is a good learning experience, and it can help you learn responsibility for when you have to enter the "real world."  No matter what job you get, you will probably still moan and groan each time you have to work, but remember, it's a time to learn and definitely create awesome "maybe-you-had-to-be-there" stories.

Celebrity Look-Alike Kevin James Birth date: Apr 26, 1965 Height: 5'8" TV Spouse: Carrie College football player TV Job: Delivery man Todd Oye Birth date: Aug 25, 1971 Height: 5'9" Spouse: Carrie College football player Former Schwann's Delivery Man

How to Breathe Underwater A skill we all should have By:  Lexi Peterson Nine short stories slapped into a 222-page book?  NO WAY!  Yes, way, actually.  How to Breathe Underwater is the name; intense, emotional, gripping short stories are the game. Julie Orringer, a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and Cornell University, published this collection in 1998.  The book includes various characters, but all stories have a central theme of love and loss. In her story, The Isabel Fish, Orringer tells of a young girl named Maddy who was in a tragic accident that destroyed her courage to swim and killed her brother's girlfriend.  To get her bravery back, Maddy's parents put her and her older brother, Sage, in SCUBA diving classes.  Even though Sage is bitter toward his sister and blames her for the death of his girlfriend, he tries to help her overcome her fear and his own regret and grief. Some may remember that story from Ms. Geske's Foundations of Writing class last year. This book is recommended to those who enjoy tear-jerking and a good laugh all in the same sitting.  It can be picked up at Barnes & Noble.

Movie Review Little Miss Sunshine By:  Becca Sandager "Oh my God.  I'm getting pulled over.  Everyone, just... Pretend to be normal!" Little Miss Sunshine is a dark comedy about the Hoovers, a dysfunctional American family on a road trip to the ultra-competitive "Little Miss Sunshine" beauty pageant. Seven-year-old Olive (Abigail Breslin) is a four-eyed, plump, wannabe beauty queen who has one wish in life:  to be considered for the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.  When her big chance comes at the most unexpected time, it's up to her family to pull themselves together and make it happen for her, no matter what it takes. What it takes is a sad, tender, tragic, and yet unendingly hilarious trek in a barely-operational VW bus from Albuquerque, NM to the pageant.  Greg Kinnear portrays Olive's unendingly optimistic father Richard as a failing motivational speaker attempting to sell his nine-step program for success--unsuccessfully. Olive's mother, Sheryl (Toni Collette), is constantly trying to pull the family together but is plagued by her family's eccentric problems, one of which is her brother, Frank.  Frank (Steve Carell) is a suicidal scholar, who has just been released from the hospital after breaking up with his lover. The Hoover's song, Dwayne (Paul Dano), is an angry teen, who has taken a vow of silence until he gets accepted into the Air Force Academy.  Topping off this motley crew is the foul-mouthed Grandpa (Alan Arkin), who was recently kicked out of his retirement home. Although getting there is only half the fun and family drama, you have got to see what happens to believe it when they finally arrive and Olive gets to "do her thing." Little Miss Sunshine is a moving film that looks at the surprising rewards of being losers in a winning-crazed culture and is a fresh ray of sunshine that hits home to anyone who has ever been fascinated by how their muddled families seem to make it after all.

Music by John Mayer Is this really a Continuum? By:  Whitney Maine Listening to John Mayer's new release, it's not clear that there is the continuity the title suggests.  His first single, currently ranked 20 on Billboard's Hot 100, Waiting on the World to Change, is very different from anything he has ever put on an album.  However, even the rest of the CD varies greatly from that track. Of course there are still your breakup songs:  Dreaming with a Broken Heart and In Repair.  There are still songs about his constant struggle in finding love:  Slow Dancing in a Burning Room and Gravity.  The difference is this time around, there are tracks that hold political meaning.  You can hear this blatantly in Waiting on the World to Change, but track three, Belief, has an even deeper view of what's going on in our world. The sound on this CD has older roots than Mayer's previous two.  The songs have more of the 70's Stratocaster sound than his usual electric pop or acoustic sounds.  In the back of the lyric book, he also adds a comment in the "Things You Should Know" section:  "Eric Clapton knows I steal from him and is still cool with it."  The Clapton influence is especially noticeable on the track Gravity, with its old-school harmonies and guitar licks. On Mayer's first release, Room for Squares, most of the songs he wrote about his life seemed a little more sugarcoated in humor and pop sounds.  Not even his sophomore release, Heavier Things, can compare to the strides he has made with his new release.  This album is much deeper lyrically with his struggles in life.  The track Vultures has this great old-school 70's sound, but he also writes about trying to live without the influence of other people picking you apart and trying to make you something else. When listening to Continuum, be ready for a new side of John Mayer and a "newer" sound.  The real continuum with Mayer's music is his continual progression into deeper lyrics and style.

Restaurant Review Tailgator's in Brandon, SD By:  Lindsey Olson "Alligator, alligator...eat it up, eat it up!" Fifteen minutes down I-90 is a great sit-down restaurant that is "high school friendly."  The service is great, and the food is fantastic. Tailgator's provides a fun atmosphere compared to any sit-down restaurant in Luverne.  Might I suggest an amazing appetizer?  Con queso dip!  For anyone who does not speak Spanish, that can be translated to "cheese dip!"  This appetizer is a bowl of cheese, salsa, and meat, which comes with tortilla chips for dipping. What about a main dish?  Tailgator's has everything from popcorn chicken and shrimp to buffalo burgers!  Everything tastes awesome and is well-priced. I give Tailgator's a rating of four out of five stars and highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for fun dining any day of the week!

Coaches Corner "J" By:  Seth Goembel Pete Janiszeski, Cross Country and Track coach, grew up in Canby, Minnesota.  He went to school there until the sixth grade, at which time he moved to Minnesota and finished out his high school career. While in school he actively compete in Cross Country, Wrestling, and Baseball up until 10th grade.  In his junior and senior years, however, he switched his focus to Track. After graduating high school, Mr. Janiszeski went to college at SDSU, where he majored in mathematics and graduated with a teaching degree.  During his college years Mr. "J" did not compete in any sports but concentrated on his academics. After graduating from SDSU, Mr. Janiszeski student-taught at Canby High School, where he also volunteered his time as a Cross Country and Track coach.  While coaching in Canby he coached his two younger brother, both who made it to State during that time. Mr. Janiszeski has taught Math and coached Cross Country and Track at LHS for five years; Four of the five years he was a volunteer coach for both sports. He has a wife, Angie, a two-year-old son named Camden, and a newborn baby boy named Owen. The Cross Country team is off to one of their great starts this year, and hopefully they will keep it going.

Teacher Feature Mr. Sichmeller By:  Erin Ernst John Sichmeller grew up in Sioux Falls, SD with his father, mother, and one older brother.  He went to school at Sioux Falls Christian. He was involved with sports, participating in Baseball, Basketball, and Fast-Pitch Softball.  When he was in school, he was friends with almost everyone. He went to college in Bethel University in St. Paul, MN.  There he participated in Football. He has an apartment in Luverne.  His brother's name is Bret; his mother and father's names are Bernie and Rose.  They currently live in Sioux Falls, where his father works as president and his mother as office manager of the Sioux Falls Stockyard. He has filled the position as middle school computer instructor, replacing Mrs. Schrantz.  He is also going to be coaching middle school boys' Basketball and Baseball. So far he has said that he likes Luverne and that the students are nice, and the staff is helpful.