The Miegian

Volume 57 Issue 4
December 2013
When I Was 17: Ms. Tucker p. 6 Coolest Miege Cars p. 7 Sporting KC Wins MLS Cup p.14

Facets Seeks Artists For Annual Issue

By: MaureenMurphy
staff writer

This year Facets is again working to publish
students artistic creations. The 20 members on the
team are making signs and gathering all manner
of art, including drawings, poems, photography,
paintings and more.

Mieges annual literary magazine is
moderated by Mrs. Paula Munro and led by senior
Emma Lambi. Facets will be in all color again this
year.

We really need submissions this year,
and we will take anything, says Mrs. Munro.
Submitting to Facets can be done in many ways.
Students can give their pieces of art to any member
of the staff, drop it off in room 141, or Instagram it

and tag it with the hashtag

#miegefacets.
Facets member Manion
Kuhn is one of twenty
staffers who work on
production of Mieges
literary magazine.
Photo by Aubrey Rumore

Flashback! 1990
Prices per gallons of gasoline
as of Oct. 25, 2013

Page 2

Excerpt from a feature done in a 1990 issue

of The Miegian by staff writer Joanie Reiser

Price per gallons of gasoline as

of Aug. 25 1990

And shell have fun, fun, fun til her
daddy takes the T-Bird away! These days,
higher gas prices rather than anyones daddy, are
more likely to keep a T-Bird off the road.

In the last month, gas prices in the United
States have risen an estimated 30 percent to an average of $1.33 per gallon with no end in sight. According to statistics in the Sept. 10 issue of Time,
however, the United States should count itself
lucky. The magazines statistics show that even
with this months 30 percent increase, U.S. gas
prices are four times cheaper than those of our
Western allies who are paying as much as $4.92
for a gallon of gas.

In the Kansas City area, prices at the
pump range from $1.17-$1.29 and Miege motorists dont see them as cheap. Reactions to the
sudden price hikes range from outright disgust to
resigned acceptance.

www.bishopmiege.com

The
Drowsy
Chaperone

1
1

Full houses on all

three nights of the
musical witnessed
the comical stylings of Nick Telep
as Aldolfo.

AJ Pope performed
as Robert Martin.
Due to the Friday
football game, the
last
Chaperone
performance was
rescheduled to Monday, Nov. 18.

Giving a voice
to the musicalwithin-a-musical
was sophomore
Jackson
Gress,
who played the
eccentric Man in
Chair.

Janet Van de Graff,

played by Mattea
Pezza,
struggles
with monkeys (symbolic of her husbandto-be)
throughout
the song Brides
Lament.

2
4

Photos by Kristen Agar and Jamie Franklin

The yearly cookie dough and
magazine sale kicks off on Jan. 10.
However, buyers can begin shopping now. For information, visit the
Bishop Miege website.

All orders count towards student quotas and prizes. Most magazines are at or below renewal prices
and shopping is available 24/7 on
the school website.

December 13, 2013

December 13, 2013

Dates to Know:

Dec. 16
Dec. 17
Dec. 18
Dec. 19
Jan. 2
Jan. 6
Jan. 10

www.bishopmiege.com

Semester Exams (1st, 2nd)

Semester Exams (3rd, 4th)
Semester Exams (5th, 6th)
Semester Exams (7th, makeups)
Faculty return
Classes resume
Magazine/Cookie dough sale
kick off

Page 3

CMT and NHS Members Serve Others Throughout the Year

By: AndrewGleason
staff writer

Every year as part of the
schools Christian mission, both NHS
and CMT engage Miege students in
various service projects. These range
from simple food drives to hands-on
volunteer work.

Ms. Clara George is the moderator of National Honor Society. She
told The Miegian that NHS members
are required to perform one service
project each semester.

For the last 4-5 years NHS
has partnered with CMT to help such
QUIZ BOWL
Quiz Bowl is in full swing. The junior varsity squad took third place
in their first meet. Mr. Dave Mitchell
said, We have been very competitive, but we have not had the results
we would like. In their last event,
Quest Super Saturday, at Washburn
Dec. 7, the varsity squad took second place in 4A.

organizations as Project Uplift and

Gordon Parks Elementary School,
said Mrs. George. Through the years,
NHS has collected everything from
clothing to food items to benefit local
organizations.

All members, current and
new inductees alike, participate in
the projects. For example, this year all
members were required to provide 2-3
non perishable food items for Johnson
County Christmas Bureau. The JCCB
serves serves 13,000 low income
residents in Johnson County, said
George.

NHS members worked to-

News
Shorts

gether; collaboration is key in their

projects. Mrs. George broke down the
responsibilities of the members: The
current members donated canned
fruit and vegetables and the inductees
contributed protein food items pasta, peanut butter, soup, tuna, etc.

The food drive this year
brought in about 400 food items, which
were picked up by a JCCB agent on
Nov. 21, when the four NHS officers
helped load the items. As always, the
drive had 100% participation.

NHSs second semester project is yet another way the organization
contributes to the Miege community.
It typically involves either volunteer
work at the Phon-a-thon or assistance
in setting up the annual auction.

Ms. Sonya Salazar is the head
of Campus Ministry Team and organizes service projects with students
who volunteer on a weekly basis.

Weekly projects include trips
to Harvesters Community Food Network, the only food bank in the Kan-

sas City area. According to their official website, Harvesters was founded
in 1979 and provides food assistance
to as many as 66,000 local people.
Miege students who volunteer with
Harvesters typically box food for distribution or help create packages for
area children who do not have consistent access to nutritious meals.

In the past, CMT volunteers
have visited Gordon Parks Elementary School, where they helped tutor the
students or played with them during
break times.

CMT has also recently begun
visits to Mission Springs, a local assisted living community. Students
who visit Mission Springs typically
participate in crafts or paint the nails
of the some of the residents.

CMT is always looking for
volunteers and participation in their
service projects, and according to
CMT, they are a great way to meet
the yearly service hour requirement,
while having fun helping others.

CHOIR
CMT
On Dec. 5 rosaries were prayed in This year the choir joined other area
the Chapel before school and each high schools to perform for the anclass hour to honor Mrs. Mary Per- nual Sound of the Holiday televirini on the first anniversary of her sion special. The show will air Dec.
death. Students joined together to 25 on KSHB-TV from 10 a.m. to
celebrate her life and remember all noon, on KMCI-TV from 7 p.m. to 9
she had done for the Miege commu- p.m., and Dec. 29 on KMCI-TV from
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
nity.

SISTER MARTINA

Sister
Martina is doing well and is having more energy day by day,

according to Dr. Joe Passantino. Sister Martina emailed that she has more
pep in her step and wants to wish all Miege a Merry Christmas. She also
requests that her Miege Family continue to pray that all goes well on Dec.
30. Sister will be busy in the weeks leading up to Christmas. She is at the
Motherhouse in Kentucky gaining strength for her surgery Dec. 30.

staff writer

The average Miege student feels little interest in reading Macbeth, let alone staging a two-hour
direct adaptation of the seventeenth century Shakespearian masterwork. But thats exactly what a particularly determined group of Miege students and
alums accomplished this summer.
Directed by 2013 graduate and current Columbia Chicago freshman Alex Murfey
and starring a number of current students, the
magnum opus was recently premiered in Mrs.
Mary Englers senior A.P. English class. This
served as a fitting showcase, since it was in this
class that the director had developed much of
his respect for the material.
I first saw Macbeth at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and was entranced by
Lady Macbeth, and she soon became my favorite character in all of literature, said Alex. I
wanted to do a big movie project with friends
before leaving for college, and when we read
Macbeth in Mrs. Englers class, I was inspired
to make it happen.
Murfey said, I invited a large group of
friends to audition and about 20 of them ended
up making the movie with me. We started filming on June 26 and finished up by early August,
then I edited it on Windows Movie Maker.
He had some advice for aspiring filmmakers; Never ever ever edit an hour and a half of
film on Movie Maker.
Distribution has been another issue. I used
copyrighted music without permission, so although
I love showing it to people, I cant put it on the internet or in any portfolios. There are quite a few DVDs

in circulation though. I could probably post it online

if I knew an easy way to post videos privately, but
Im an old man about technology. It perplexes me.
Thats why Macbeth is so low-tech and primitive.
That and Im cheap.
Alex says, I definitely grew closer with everyone involved. We had some stressful days on set
because I didnt do enough pre-production planning, and no one was prepared, but it only made
me proud of how everyones characters evolved on

the spot.
I was already close with most of them to begin with, but we spent an entire summer together,
and ticked each other off every day. I wouldnt trade
the cast I worked with for anyone! They brought

more enthusiasm than I ever could have hoped for.

Plus my one-woman crew was (sophomore) Rachel
Kauffman, who designed a bunch of beautiful, professional looking posters and helped with lighting
and camerawork.
The cast also had mostly positive things to say.
I didnt have a major role, so it only took me a few
hours a week, said senior Leah Brownlee. I dont
know how much filming time Nick Corkill (the lead)
had, probably a lot more. It took basically the whole
summer because we couldnt seem to get everyone
we needed at the same time, so we ended up waiting for weeks and weeks to do certain scenes. Alex
Murfey spent a long time editing, too.
My favorite part of making it was getting to
hang out with everyone. It was fun and silly, and it
was a fantastic excuse to see people and go out for
ice cream after filming. Also, the blooper reel made
it all worth it, according to Leah.
It was a bit hectic, however. The scheduling was
a mess. As far as someone who is accustomed to traditional theater and cinematic performance, I didnt
know what to expect as far as rehearsal time goes.
Turns out, we didnt have any. We would memorize
the upcoming scene, show up at the filming location,
hammer it out in a few hours, and leave; it made it
difficult to work on the characters, Leah said.
Leah also said that she knows this is super
shallow, but I didnt know what to wear for the filming. Part of the lack of character development was
I didnt know what Banquos (her character) style
would look like, and Alex didnt give me a lot of direction. That made me uncomfortable because styling is huge for me.
Despite all this, a group of teenagers came together and filmed a two hour adaptation of a Shakespearian play. How many high schoolers can say
that? The memories were epic, said Leah.

Six By The Numbers

1088
212

Number of students in this years freshman class.

76

Number of different types of Christmas songs &

carols. According to GuitarWarp.

1.76 billion

Details about ad sizes and prices are available

on the Miege homepage.

www. bishopmiege.com

By: LouieLaFeve

All senior ad material & payments

are due to Mrs. Hartwig by 3 p.m.
on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.
Page 4

Miege Students Perform MacbethFor Fun!

December 13, 2013

Number of candy canes produced every year.

December 13, 2013

Number of career wins for volleyballs Coach
Gwenn Pike. She has coached 1289 games in 34 seasons.

12

Number of days until Christmas.

www.bishopmiege.com

Number of alligators Mr.Thomas has had.

Page 5

F E A T U R E S
When I was 17...

As Seen in the Back Parking Lot

By: LouieLaFeve

What was your dream job? To be a volleyball coach and history teacher.

staff writer

Most memorable moment from that time?

Going to Gilleys with my boyfriend. Its this bar in San
Antonio where they shot Urban Cowboy with John Travolta,
and it has a big floor for country dancing.

Ms. Fran Tucker

Year you turned 17?
1982

1. When in doubt, guess C.

What did you like to wear?

Jeans and a blouse.

What car did you drive?

Chevy Nova

What did you and your friends like to do?

We would go to country bars and dance or go to the drivein, then finish the nights in the Jack-in-the-Box parking lot.

Where did you attend high school (city and school)?

Started in San Antonio, Texas at Theodore Roosevelt
High School, and had my second semester senior year at
Leavenworth High School in Leavenworth, Kansas. As
part of a military family, we moved around a lot.

Did your family take any annual vacations/favorite

vacations? If so, where?
Our annual vacation was to come back to Kansas City
because this is where our family is from.

Favorite music at the time (artist, songs, genre...)?

Prince!

What were you looking forward to after high school?

Playing volleyball in college at Missouri Western.

What were your favorite school activities (sports,

debate, theater, etc.)?
Volleyball and Kiwans, which is like CMT. We would
raise money and give Christmas gifts to the needy, etc.

2. Waiting till the last day to

study is always best.

1. Chris Shea: The current King of the Parking

Lot, senior Chris Shea is known for rocking the
bright red 1984 Mercury Cougar, and rocking it
with pride. It was the same car that my mom
drove in high school, he said. Its pretty cool.
He also wins another award: understatement of
the century.

What was your favorite holiday?

Christmas!

1. Mackey Merrill: When pulling into

the Miege parking lot, it would be hard
to miss senior Mackey Merrills canary
yellow jeep. However, it has been a fixture
around Miege for longer than Mackeys
time driving it. It was my sisters before
it was mine. I actually wanted a different
color, but I just got this one, and my sister
got a new Jeep.

Did you and your family have any different Christmas traditions?
We eat Italian food every Christmas; pizza, lasagna, etc.

What was your favorite subject?

Historythat was my minor in college.

Compiled By Jennie Littleton

staff writer

This issues Ten Questions
candidate has interests The Miegian
has never encountered before in a interview. She is an amateur weightlifter
who enjoys Spanish. Thats right I said
weightlifter. I sat down with freshman
Chloe Tremain to learn her story.
1. Why was Miege your choice
for a high school? Ummmmm, when I shadowed here
I felt like it had a sense of community, and it looked like everybody loved each other.
2. Whats your favorite thing to
eat at lunch? Special Fries!
(Spicy Fries).

Page 6

3. When did you start weight

lifting? Probably two years
ago.
4. Why did you start weight lifting? My dad and I had been
going to the gym, and he had
talked about how much he
loved it. And I had friends that
were going to the same gym, so
I kinda decided I should go.
5. Whats your best lift? Its
probably the clean and jerk.
6. Have you won any awards for
weight lifting? Yea, I finished
the Iron Turkey a couple weeks
before Thanksgiving, and before that I did Kansas State
Championships getting 1st in
my age and weight category.
7. What are the best and worst

aspects of lifting? Its probably the fact that its fulfilling,

like to be able to know that
you can do something
that a lot of people cant
do. Something that
takes a lot of skill to
do. And that it takes
so much work. Its kind
of a love-hate relationship.
8. How did the other girls in
your P.E. class react when they
saw you stacking weights
on the barbell? We havent
been working that much with
barbells, but I dont know.
Theres somethings I can do
and some things I cant do.
Olympic weightlifting doesnt
require upper body strength.
I mean its important but not

www.bishopmiege.com

as important, its momentum

based so yea all the things that
require momentum I can do
really well. Im just not very
physically
strong, so
they might
t h i n k
thats
suprising.

1. Eli Gress: While it might not impress in black

and white, senior Eli Gresss silver Toyota is a
sight in real life. Seventy-five percent of the car is
all silver, nondescript rice burner, but both of the
bumpers are lime green, creating a contrast with
the rest of the vehicle.

9.
What
are
your other hobbies
or activities besides
weight lifting? I like
to watch Dr. Who, and
I like to read and listen
to music.

1. Conrad Fagan: Senior Conrad Fagans Saab

900 might not be the newest or fanciest car you
will ever see, but thats only part of its appeal.
Beat up and barely working with a soft top that
doesnt always convert, its ragamuffin charm
makes it all the more endearing. I dont know
why you think its cool, he said.

1. Caitlyn Sutherlin: One of the more distinctive cars in

senior row is the newly-purchased property of Caitlyn
Sutherlin, the 2011 neon teal Prius mini-minivan. Its
great to watch her drive it since its a five-speed, and
she has no idea how to work it, said fellow senior and
friend Matt Caffey.

10.
How much
do you lift? 39
kilos
(85.8lbs)

December 13, 2013

3. Pulling all-nighters will help

your test taking ability the next
day.
4. Try to pay off the teachers for
answers.
5. If you finish the test first, you
are most likely going to make a
better grade than your slower
classmates.
6. Listening to music, using
Twitter, Facebook, and watching
TV while you study improves
memorization skills.

Ten Questions With Freshman Chloe Tremain

By: MarcoMarquez

Non-NHS
Ways
To Prepare
For Finals

December 13, 2013

www.bishopmiege.com

7. Frequent trips to Quik Trip,

the grocery store, Walmart, etc.
to break up study time will improve productivity.
8. Meet you-know-who by the
dumpsters after school for test
answers.
9. Study on a couch so you can
take frequent naps.
10. If you fail your finals, dont
worry about acceptance into college, mom and dad dont really
want you to leave home.
Brought to you by
Eric Buckles & Andrew Jezak
you can thank us when grades are sent
out next week...

Page 7

I'm Dreaming of a Red Christmas...

Plaza Lights Illuminate K.C. Holiday Culture

By: JennieLittleton
Editor-in-Chief

The Plaza lights are pretty,
its good to be in my hometown, sang
the late Brad Millison in the Kansas
City Christmas classic, Christmas in
Kansas City. He is, of course, speaking
of the beauty created after the annual
Christmas lighting ceremony
that takes place on Thanksgiving.

For many Kansas
City families, it is a tradition to go to the
crowded Country
Club Plaza and
witness the amaze-

ment of so many lights illuminating

the shops all at once. But the part of the
lighting that isnt so widely known is
the tradition behind it.

According to the Country Club
Plaza website, the Plaza lights started
on a much smaller scale in 1925, with a
string of 16 lights over a doorway. As
the tradition spread from store to theater to store with owners climbing up
on their ladders to hang the twinkling
bulbs, the first actual Plaza lighting ceremony took place in 1930.

The only year since 1930 in
which the Plaza hasnt been bedazzled
by the Christmas lights was 1973,
due to President Nixons call for
Americans to omit using them to
reduce dependence on foreign oil
imports.

Small traditions within the
lighting ceremony started popping up. Tower lights are always
lit in one solid color. A lights test
from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. the day before
Thanksgiving gives the
community a chance to
catch a sneak peek

of the Plaza lights before the ceremony.

As opposed to the store owners hanging their own lights, Capital Electric
has taken over due to the enormity of
the task.

The job is so massive that just
the installation of the lights starts in
early August to prepare for the end of
November. When the lights are finally
taken
down,
each one
is tested
individually on
a work
bench and inspected for damage. Each
string of lights is made to fit one exact
spot-the same spot every year. The
string is marked with a secret code
by Capital Electric crew members; the
code being a series of numbers corresponding to the building, the location
of the building and the height at which
to be hung. While the lights are up,
they are maintained daily to
keep all burnt
out bulbs replaced. These
bulbs are recycled

by Plaza Customer Service and turned

into souvenir bulbs used to top gifts.

The actual ceremonys culmination is when the big switch on the
stagewhich really does turn on the
lightsis flipped, illuminating the 15
blocks of the outdoor shops. This year,
at the 84th annual event, the person
to flip the switch was comedian, actor and KC native
Rob Riggle. After
the lights had been
turned on, three
simultaneous fireworks displays illuminated the sky. Before the lights, local choirs performed,
one made of finalists and previous
winners from the KC Superstar singing competition. This year, Miege alum
Abby Parra sang as part of that prestigious group.

The lights shine until midJanuary, when Capital Electric starts
to
remove them. By April,
they
have all been taken down,
ready
for the next Kansas City
Christmas season.

"Several thousand are

replaced annually."

Staggering Thoughts

by Maria Baska

What was the worst Christmas present you have ever received?
Izac Ungashick (10) backpack

Tony Arellano (12) Alli

Allie Strong (10) socks

Miegians
Are
Into the
Christmas
Spirit

Christmas registers as a favorite

time of the year for most people,
with Santa Claus and eggnog and
mistletoe. But everyone has his or her
own preferences about the Christmas season, and no two people are
100% alike. So here at The Miegian we
surveyed two homerooms from each
grade to create this poll so you can
see what your fellow Stags like.
Compiled by Maria Baska

Henry Gleason (11) stilts

Alli Audley (12) Tony

FAVORITE SONG:
"All I Want For
Christmas is You"

20%

FAVORITE PLACE TO
SPEND CHRISTMAS:
Mierya Mireles (11) a cookbook
Mr. James Wilcox coal

Mary Kate Rielley (9) a hat

Matthew Maurer (9) a banana

68%

At Home

FAVORITE MOVIE:
Elf

40%

FAVORITE COOKIE:

65%

Sugar

REAL OR FAKE TREE:

Fake

56%

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS
DRINK:
Stags crowded into the Commons last Friday evening to kick off the season
with the annual Christmas Mixer. Photo by Megan Smith

Page 8

www. bishopmiege.com

December 13, 2013

December 13, 2013

www.bishopmiege.com

68%

Hot Chocolate
Page 9

O P I N I O N

Christmas Doesnt Grind My Gears

By: MarcoMarquez

staff writer

Do you know what doesnt
grind my gears? Christmas! I mean
come on, people, can we all agree that
Christmas is the best holiday listed on
the calendar? Christmas makes me feel
like a little kid again. There is no other
holiday like it. The movies, music,
decorations and memories are what
makes Christmas so special.
Here are some of the little
things that I enjoy during the season.
Hot chocolate (sometimes Ill even
add the marshmallows and whipped
cream), Mrs. Hartwigs vanilla scent
spray in 5th hour, Christmas movies
(Home Alone is my all-time favorite),
putting ornaments on the tree, snow,
and of course, Christmas break.
But long before break Im in
the spirit. Almost everybody hates

lights is one of the greatest things you

hearing Christmas music before
can witnessbuilding after building
Thanksgiving. They all think its bad
brightly outlined in colored lights.
to listen to it early. Well, since Im difCandy Cane Lane is also a very popuferent and weird, I start early because
lar site. Ive gone every year since I
you can never have too much Christwas a kid. Just the slow drive down
mas spirit. When the radio isnt playthe street and seeing every houses
ing the holiday tunes yet, I just go to
Pandora. I have about every Christmas decorations is great. At the end you
encounter this huge
station. But as soon
DOESNT
tree that amazes you,
as Bing Crosby, Josh
especially if youre a
Groban, Mariah Carkid.
ey and all the other
I especially
favorites hit the staenjoy church during
tions, Im turning the
the month of Decemradio in my room on,
ber. Church brings a
and itll be on 24/7. I
good vibe; the songs
dont care how much
that are sung are
it annoys my brother.
more joyful. Count
I also love
ing down the weeks til Christmas with
going places that are just covered in
the Advent wreath is something else I
decorations. Lights, trees, and a big
like to do. Christmas Mass is beautiful.
ol Santa Claus show Christmas is
The nativity scene is placed out with
here. As soon as the Plaza lights turn
lights, white banners are hung, there
on, then everybody follows. Walking
are poinsettias arranged on the altar,
around the Plaza and seeing all the

Staggering Thoughts
Roses by OutKast

Caitie Furlong (12)

Dont Let Me Fall by B.o.B

Robby Redmond (10)

Page 10

I Will Always Love You

by Whitney Houston

Matt Conaghan (12)

and the choir sings those beautiful

holy Christmasy songs.

If youre still not excited, I can
persuade you that Christmas is the
best holiday with one word presents! If someone wanted to come up to
me and give me free stuff, I would be
stupid to say no. When I was a kid, it
was all about the toys. Ripping off the
wrapping paper to my first ever Playstation 2 is probably the best memory.
I remember running around the house
yelling Holy Squirrel! And yes there
is video evidence. So youre telling me
to go make a list of everything I want,
and youll buy it? HEY, GET ME A
PAPER AND PEN, AND WE HAVE A
DEAL!
Well, I hope I didnt freak
out any of my readers by changing
things up a little. Dont worry this is
only temporary. My irritation will be
unleashed again next issue. For now I
wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Emily Flack (10)

Waterfalls by TLC

Jessica Plake (11)

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Jamil Lamarty (9)

www. bishopmiege.com

By: JennieLittleton
Editor-in-Chief

There is one act in the world of
sports that can crush great rivalries and create a spark that turns into a fire of back-andforth negativity; bad sportsmanship. The act
completely takes away from any game in the
sports world, putting the focus on the people
involved instead of the game or the talent
being displayed.

Miege has faced its share of bad
sportsmanship this year, especially in foot-

Good sportsmanship is the only
way to combat the bad. If Miege were to
have returned the bad sportsmanship they
received, there was no way people would
have walked out of the gate thinking about
the game, or the successful season overall.
It would have been easy to return the rude
remarks and gestures, but its the hard part
the crowd and players succeeded in taking
on that made the night special. What shined
that night was the camaraderie among the
players and the crowd and the good Miege
sportsmanship despite the bad on the other
side.

by Andrew Jezak

What is your favorite song to sing in the shower?

Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus

Miege Displays Sportsmanship;

Stags Strive to Keep it Classy

Set Fire to the Rain by Adele

Carrick McCall (11)

Somewhere from West Side Story

ball. Has anyone yet to forget the Twitter war

that emerged the night before the big Blue
Valley West game? The profanities and other
inappropriate gestures thrown at the Miege
crowd over Twitter or otherwise could have
easily sparked WWIII, especially after the
loss.

No one in the world of sports can
disagree with this statementlosses are
much harder to deal with than wins. Its obvious, but it needs to be stated. The losing
teams crowd that night could have very easily taken their hurt and anger and thrown it
back at BVW. Instead, as they received more
negativity from the winning teams crowd
as it walked by, Miege stood strong, there to
support their team.

Every team has had to deal with bad

sportsmanship, and most teams have dealt
bad sportsmanship out at one time or another. A game played with bad sportsmanship on both sides is clouded in the negativity, and is only memorable by who did what
to whom when.
There is no longer the passion for the
game present, and isnt that what sports are
all about? The camaraderie and competitiveness are stripped down, lost in the thick
fog that has nothing, really, to do with the
game. The only way to make the bad sportsmanship not matter is to stay classy, and
stay classy is exactly what the Stags did.

THE MIEGIAN STAFF

Editor-in-Chief Jennie Littleton

Staff Members Maria Baska
Eric Buckels
Andrew Gleason
Andrew Jezak
Louie LaFeve
Marco Marquez
Maureen Murphy

Photographers Kristen Agar
Brenna Albritton
Jamie Franklin
Lauren Lanter
Adviser - Mrs. Phyllis Hartwig

The Miegian is published monthly by the newspaper staff of Bishop Miege
High School. It is a student-produced
newspaper. The editorial board decides
the content of each issue. Opinions expressed are the views of the writer and are
signed.

The Miegian welcomes material
(letters, guest columns, feedback) from
faculty, administrators, students, parents
and community members. This material
will be reviewed by the editorial board and
published based on the publications letters policy criteria.

Material can be dropped off in
the journalism room (144), or mailed to
the newspaper in care of Bishop Miege
High School. All letters and columns must
be signed. The staff reserves the right to
edit letters for length, language or potential libel, and to refuse any articles or advertising submitted.

All opinion pieces submitted
should contain an address and a phone
number where the writer can be contacted,
because the staff will confirm all letters.

Bishop Miege High School

5041 Reinhardt Drive
Shawnee Mission, KS 66205-1599

Audrey Parra (9)

December 13, 2013

December 13, 2013

www.bishopmiege.com

Page 11

IEGE SPORTS
An Unbelievable Loss Ends
An Unbelievable Season
By: LouieLaFeve
staff writer

On Nov. 16, the Stags season came to an
unexpected and rather heartbreaking finale with
a 38 to 24 loss to EKL rivals Blue Valley West.
The deciding factors in the game were five turnovers by the Stags, four of which were turned into
touchdowns by the Jaguars.
I dont want to sound arrogant, but we were
the better team. They just scored more points,
said senior lineman Jake Grohmann. According to
him, we had a great season, it just didnt turn out
the way we expected it to.
Miege had beaten the Jaguars earlier in
the season, and the game was preceded by a large
amount of hype and a miniature Twitter flamewar. At the time of the game, the Stags were
ranked fourth in the state and West was ranked
sixth.
For the seniors, it was agreed that it stung

not to have a chance to

win a State championship. Coming in to the
locker room for the last
time and seeing everyone I
worked with for the past four
years was really emotional, said
senior kicker Collin Carter.
Collin said that Miege football
was one of the best experiences of my life.
I played with some of the best athletes in the
state for the past four years, and its exciting to
see what they will do at the next level. Senior
year was the best though. It was fun playing
with all the other seniors on varsity, and I will
always remember beating Aquinas.
This season brought everyone closer since
we were doubted from the start, but we ended up
one of the top teams in the state. The underclassmen have a lot of returning starters, so I cant see
them being unsuccessful. I feel confident leaving
the team in their hands, Collin also said.

The joy shown by

junior Keegan Wilson at the Aquinas
victory was more
representative of the
spirit of the season
than the loss that
ended it.

Photo by Lauren Lanter

Girls Show Promise Boys Fall to BVNW

In Season Opener
Miege varsitys young, strong team starts off with a win

By: JennieLittleton




Editor-in-Chief



The girls team this year will
be much different than last years, that
is for sure. Four occassional starters,
three of whom had a sizeable presence
in the paint, were lost as they graduated last year, causing Coach Terry
English and his staff to be creative.
The first game this past Tuesday was
the test to see if that creativity worked.

Not only does this varsity
team lack height, but there is only one
senior to carry the leadership expectationsLexie Villegas. She has played
club ball for years now, and seems up
to the job. She has played varsity all
four years at Miege.

Dec. 10 brought the Blue Valley Northwest Huskies to Bishop
Miege. Starters senior Lexie Villegas,
junior Kelsey Wolfe, sophomores
Shelbey Piggie and Tristen McFeders,
and freshman Hunter Bentley stood
waiting anxiously for the starting
whistle.

McFeders faced off against a
BVNW player at least a foot taller than
she is in the tip off. BVNW took first
possession, but losing the tip off is a
problem that will most likely come to
the team many times this year.

Miege was on the attack from
the very beginning. The game was
filled with numerous foul calls on both

staff writer

Coach Dave Eller and the
wrestlers are looking forward to a
tremendous season. Having already
competed in two events on Dec. 4 and
7, varsity has done remarkable individually, but our team score does not
show that, according to Coach Eller.
A lack of wrestlers for lower weight
classes is putting us 30 points down
before we have even hit the mats.
www.bishopmiege.com

Miege put up a good fight, but came

out behind, losing 71-39.

Head coach Mr. Fred Turner
staff writer
says the team

As the
so far is lookwinter season
ing strong. We
begins, so does
are a real quick
another great
team and well
sports season
be using lots of
for Miege. The
pressing
and
boys basketfast breaks, he
ball team has
said. We do
practiced hard
not have much
and are preparsize, but we do
ing for some
have speed.
tough compe Guards Lutition. Thirtycas Franco, Regfive boys tried
gie Byers, Brenout for varsity
nan Dial, Alston
and JV, and the
Jones and Kevin
teams made no
Kellerman are
cuts.
just a few play T h i s
ers to watch this
past Tuesday
season. Junior
was the seaBrennan
Dial
son
opener
says that the
against
Blue
teams chances
Valley Norththis year are
west at home.
looking good.
This team was
Things
are
Mieges
big- During Tuesdays first game at home, senior slowly starting
gest competi- Lucas Franco shot over his BVNW defender. to fall into place
tion with three Photo by Lauren Lanter
for the team. I
of their players signed to D1 schools think we have a good chance of takand one player signed to a D2 school. ing home a State championship.

By: MaureenMurphy

Wrestlers Already Finding Success in Young Season

By: AndrewJezak

Page 12

sides, and both teams were in double

bonus a little more than halfway into
the second quarter.

Hunter and Hope Bentley,
freshman and junior, respectively,
showed how well they could jive
together on the court, and the game
flowed better than past early season
games. Coach Jeff English can see the
difference, good attitude and work
ethic, stand out in the players.

The score was 24-20 at the
half, with the Stags in the lead. Junior
Abbie Hair started the third quarter
in the place of Piggie, and played
with a quiet strength that is unique in
a player.

Up by only three in the third
quarter (29-26), the Stags were ready
to fight. BVNW lost any chance they
had as the home team found the
holes in the Huskies offense. After
a double-technical against BVNW
with four minutes to go, it would take
something drastic to knock the Stags
off of their pace.

Though starting point guard
Piggie fouled out at 2:45 to go, the
players left on the court took care of
it. Junior McKenzi Weber may just be
the most improved player at the moment, having a tremendous height
and rebound ability, no matter who
she is matched up against.

The final score ended with a
53-38 win for the Stags, who show
much promise for the season ahead.

December 13 , 2013

December 13, 2013

Nevertheless, the experienced varsity

has shown real hard work. Their next
match is the
Miege Invitational
at
home tommorrow.
S e niors Ryan
Madrigal,
Sean Maxwell and Jacob Belfield have led the
team from day one. Practice started
on Nov. 18 at North Campus. Rough-

ly 30 wrestlers came out to prepare for

the season. Even with 30 showing
up, we need more
kids, especially in
the lighter weight
classes, said Eller.
Sophomore
wrestler
Jake
Shriver
stated,
Its a tough sport,
but once you finish your first match, its all worth it.

JV and freshman teams have
only faced off in one tournament so

Its gonna be a
great season.

www.bishopmiege.com

far this year. Being led by sophomores

Jake Shriver and Mark Muraski, the JV
has the same issue as varsity, stocked
with upper weights, but lacking in the
lower weights. JV wrestled on Dec. 7
and had a great start to the season at
the Blue Valley North
Invitational
with excellent personal results.

The freshman team is headed
by Walker Graham and Brett Bailes.
Their first match was at St. Thomas
Aquinas on Dec. 7. As sophomore
wrestler James Gilliam simply puts it,
Its gonna be a great season.
Page 13

Sporting Acquires New Hardware in Remarkable Fashion

but the players as well. Soon regular time ended
probably laugh. You could see the emotion in
and the game went into overtime. In the 105th min- Jimmys eyes has he looked at the cup then brought
staff writer
ute Sporting had faith on their side. Real Salt Lake
it down for a kiss. This trophy here means a lot to
forward Alvaro Saborio thought he had a go-ahead me, said Jimmy to Mellinger. As Jimmy hoisted
header but was waved offsides.

For only the second time in its 17-year histhe trophy over his head, the fireworks and con
The 2013 MLS Cup came down to
tory, the MLS Cup was played in Kansas City last
Photo by www.sportingkc.com
Saturday as Sporting KC faced Real Salt Lake. Each 10 sets of PKs, the most in MLS Cup finals
history. Sporting was up first when Claudio
team had already won one championship.
Bieler shot a rocket to the opposite side of
Sporting KC came out on top in probably
Reals goalie. Sporting went on to make the
the most exciting MLS game ever played. They
won their 2nd cup as a franchise team but their first next one, and they were up 2-0 after Real
with their new name in its three year history. It was missed their first two. Graham Zusi had a
chance to close the game out, but the ball
long awaited but felt incredible, and Dec 7, 2013, is
shot over the goal. Real had the same oppora day that no Sporting fan will forget.
tunity, but the White Puma, Jimmy Nielsen,

Two Major League Soccer officials disguessed the right way and blocked it. The
played the cup before the match, and the crowd
two teams went back-and-forth making
of 21,650 (stadium record) went nuts, proudly flag
their PKs. But on the 10th set Aurelien Collin
waving and chant shouting. We were hungry,
stuck one right past the keeper, and Reals
said Miege fan and crowd member Nico Marquez.
next shooter felt the pressure as his shot hit

The first half ended 0-0, but was full of
the crossbar.
aggressive physical play from both sides. Just a
fetti went bursting behind the players. (above)
Sporting Kansas City had just won the 2013 Nielsen, age 33, retired Monday after a 19-year
few minutes into the second half at the 52nd minMLS Cup!
ute, Real Salt Lake scored and took a 1-0 lead. The
career.
After the past two years of heart-breaking
crowd was stunned, except for the Real fan base.
The players all huddled around the trophy
playoffs, Sporting had finally climbed the mounSporting was 35 minutes away from a heart-breakfor pictures, then took it for a victory lap. Jimmy
ing loss. Then in the 76th minute off a Graham Zusi tain of champions. Sporting is the first Kansas City
was lifted up to the wall where he painted the
corner the later named MVP Aurelien Collin scored professional sports team to win a home championwall. Literally, he spray painted the vacant spot
ship game since 1985 when the Kansas City Royals
on a header. Not only was the crowd back into it
2013 in silver paint under 2000 the last time in
beat the St. Louis Carwhich the franchise had won a MLS Cup. Aurelien
dinals in game 7 of the
then was lifted up as well, and he signed his name.
World Series.
The players continued their celebration with the
A championcoaches and executives as they all showered in
ship full of drama
champagne.
and some of the best
It was a record cold 20 degrees. Peter Vermoments in soccer is
mes sent a message in the Star to all the fans who
a way to finish the seacame out in support of their beloved soccer team
son and something that saying. For those fans to sit out there in those
fans will never forget.
conditions was incredible. This city and those fans
As the owners were
deserved this championship.

and were all on the same page.
presented with the cup,
Defender Matt Besler, a native of Overland
By: LouieLaFeve
Unknown official results not the first player they
Park, also sent praises, saying, There are a lot of
withstanding, one thing that is for handed it to was the
people (in Kansas City) that deserve a championstaff writer
sure about last weeks meet was that captain, Jimmy Nielsen, ship. I honestly feel like Im a part of the fans. Im a

Boys swimming kicked off at least one record was broken; the
a player who has expeKansas City guy. I feel just like they feel. Im proud
its season with a meet last week on 100 meter backstroke. We should rienced an all time low
we get to bring the MLS Cup home back to Kansas
Dec. 3 in which they placed second honestly break every single record on
in his life, who suffered City.
overall. However, the scores needed the board this year, said Mackey.
problems with gamCaptains are seniors Mackey
to be counted manually and will not
Collin celbling and bans, is now
be available to the public for around Merrill, John Pawlewicz, and Jack at the all-time high in
ebrates with
a week. Im not even entirely sure Wirtz, but Mackey explained that sehis new gem.
his life.
of them myself, said coach Dennis niors Joey Parisi and Adam Brown
He was
Sam Mellinger
are also assuming leadership roles of The Kansas City Star
Mueller.
named MVP
What is not in doubt though this season. Theyve both been on the
and scored
mentioned in the pais that they performed at a high level. team for a while.
the game
per the next day that
I enjoy the team. I love the
We did really, really good, said sewinning PK.
Jimmy was so happy,
Photo by www.
nior Mackey Merrill. I think this sea- meets and the practices, and I think
Heck, at this point,
sporting.com
son will go really well. We have a lot we have a great group of guy. This
you could club him
of swimmers with a lot of experience, will be a great year, he added.
in the shins, and hed

By: MarcoMarquez

Boys Swimming
Dives Into Season
of High Expectation

Page 14

www.bishopmiege.com

December 13, 2013

Outstanding Fall Athletes

Created by Andrew Jezak

Sport: Volleyball
#11
Senior
Position: Setter
Nickname: KaliSwagg
Grade School: Home-schooled
Number of High School State Titles: 3
Signed with Kansas State to play volleyball
2013 AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches
Association) Under Armour 1st Team AllAmerican
2013 EKL MVP
2-time All-State All Tournament Team
MO-KAN All Tournament Team
MO-KAN All Star Students Sports Top 25
Seniors
National Overall Rank: 14
Kansas Rank: 3
2013 Evelyn Gates Award Finalist
Max Preps Pre-Season All Finalist
Prep-Volleyballs National Sophomore of

Sport: Soccer
#21
Junior
Position: Defender
Nickname: Wham Bam
Grade School: St. Agnes
Number of High School State Titles: 2
3-time First Team All-State member
3-time First Team EKL member
2013 EKL and State of Kansas Defensive Player of the Year
3-time All Northeastern Kansas Soccer Coaches Association Team
2-time All Northeastern Kansas Soccer Coaches Association Defender
of the Year
2012 and 2013 NSCAA Region VII Team (includes 6 different states)
2012 and 2013 NSCAA Honorable Mention All-American

Kali embraces her

coach of 4 years after
winning State.
Photo by Kristen Agar

Brandon happily
accepts his State
medal and a hug
from cheerleader
Maxie Dennis.

Photo by Lauren Lanter

December 13, 2013

the Year Finalist

Invited to play in the AVCA Under
Armour All-American Game in Seattle on
Dec. 20.

Ranked 3rd best player in Kansas by NSCAA

(National Soccer Coaches Association of America)
2012 1st team Kansas City All-Metro Team

www.bishopmiege.com

Page 15

Ugly Christmas Sweater

hall of fame

Joey Parisi

Rachel Ogren

Merry Christmas
from your favorite
newspaper staff!

Jack Wirtz

Nate Mohler

Mackey Merrill

Michael Needham

Sweater photos by Brenna Albritton

Andy Ritz

Gina Avita

Abigail Tuttle

Madison Killeen

Photo by Phyllis Hartwig