Cowboy Roundup

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen” -Winston Churchill.

The above quote was taken from Amanda Kindall’s speech given Tuesday, May 25th, in her run for secretary. This quote demonstrates the outstanding drive and bravery some students had at Meeker High School to stand up in a room full of people, deliver a speech, and hope their name will be checked off on the ballot.

For the past couple weeks, nine students campaigned for the student’s vote for them to either be parliamentarian, secretary, treasurer, vice president, and president; three of the students ran for president.

Charlie Adams, Leilani (Lani) Mataia, and Evan Jordan all campaigned for the privilege of being Meeker High School’s new student body president.  All three gave exceptional speeches, but one campaign stood out.

This race brought smiles, laughs, and to some, even tears when students at MHS “bullied” canadate Mataia.

Some students described Lani as “a lame-facebooker, a “hypocrite”, and some other words that should not EVER be told to anyone.  Incidents in the Lani’s race led to some of the following Facebook posts.

When Lani was told she was a “lame-facebooker” she posted the following:
LANI MATAIA -is apparently a “lame-facebooker”.
1) If you were trying to hurt my feelings: epic fail.
2) How about you say it to my face and not through an email
3) Am I that horrible of a person, that you can’t come up with better insults..sheesh.

Before the previous post, there was another, saying:
LANI MATAIA- Ok, so this is ridiculous.Because MHS’s favorite source of communication is the internet, I shall address the whole facebook community.If you have a problem with me, that’s fine .But I do not feel that it is necessary to constantly remind me why I shouldn’t run for president, whether those reasons be that I am a “wh…“, or that I don’t come to school.

This post had one person that “liked” it and 13 comments, all of which were “pro- Lani Mataia for president”.  After 11 of the comments said something along the lines of “Vote for Lani”, Mataia commented it herself and said, “please, dont feel obligated to vote for me…seriously”.

Some may agree with  high school rumors and name calling about the upcoming junior; but to me, Lani is the definition of determination.

After all these cruel emails and words that were said to Lani, she still ran for presidant, she still wanted to make this school better.

Lani moved from California a few years ago and ever since then, has boosted school spirit, even it was very little.  She decorates halls on special occasions and takes many candid pictures; some of which are going to be in this coming MHS Yearbook.

After not having a speech for Election Day, Mataia stood in front of a student body that some have not only been cruel to her, but have been unfair, and talked about the things she would do as a president.  After she was done talking about “pink passes” and how student opinions need to be heard, she smiled and said, “Remember Vote Lani”.

After the votes were counted, the winner was upcoming senior Charlie Adams, who by the way, deserves a congratulations.

Lani later posted the following on Facebook that night:

Before I begin my apology I would like to congratulate some of the boys on their winnings in their bets for who would lose the election…happy gambling mother*******:)
Continuing on:
First of all I’d like to offer my deepest apologies to some of the girls, who have so publicly expressed their anger towards me. I am sorry for being extremely promiscuous and talking to (this name was removed from the text) without your consent. I’ll be sure to ask you hoes before I befriend anyone else of the male population at Meeker High School. Sorry I’m such a wh….
I’d also like to offer my remorse to the entire student body, for wasting your precious ten minute Academic Intervention and having your class schedules modified with my horrid speech/public speaking skills. I apologize for “taking up your valuable education time”, considering I was the only one who spoke right? I hope you are all able to learn all that you could’ve learned in that hour, but didnt, because you had to attend the student council speeches.
Although the point of this note is to apologize, I will not apologize for voting for Charlie. He will be and is one hell of a president I wish him the best in everything he does next year, and I’m sure our school won’t suck as much. Contrary to popular belief, voting for Charlie whilst running for the same position does not make me a hypocrite. Running for a leadership role, whilst talking shit and being a hater would make me a hypocrite, kay?. Stop hating

Call me hypocrite, a “time-wasting wh…”, “the worst poster maker ever” or even a loser, but one thing you can’t call me: someone who hides behind a screen name.
grow a pair b….

Have a great summer. <3
-Leilani Toivao Mataia

It wasn’t so long ago that Leilani and I were bitter enemies; we gave each other dirty looks, said smart alec comments to the the other, and soo many other mean things I cannot remember.  But this past year, I received a candy gram that said. “Sorry I hated you last year Katie Love, Lani”. It was sincere and I will always remember how hard I laughed when I read it.

So maybe some of you are agreeing with the cruel things people said, but Lani is an outstanding person, with the most caring heart that even after the election, and with less than two days of school left, she should walk down the hall and be proud of everything she has said and done during the election. Lani, if your reading, know that so many people that have your back, including myself.

A good amount of young people just like adults whether it’s their job, school, college, or anywhere they are, are most likely going through any sort of bullying; bullying is something that can’t be escaped! Bullying can be defined in many terms, it happens when someone hurts or scares another person intentionally. The person being bullied has a difficult time defending and trying to overcome this bothering to himself/herself. Usually, in most cases bullying happens over and over which brings people down, making them hurt themselves or committing a suicide for the consequences of being insecure. In some cases bullying can’t be ignored but there is always a way to fix things. No one is better than you when you think the opposite, you don’t have to bully to know your talents, achievements, etc. So if you’re someone that is going through this don’t hesitate into talking to someone near you or anywhere for help or advice. Don’t let anyone ruin your life for jealousy or because the bully thinks they have overpower on you, pass the word and make your own experiences an example to make our planet a safer environment.

More and more extreme sports are bec0ming as big as the NFL and other mainstream sports. Here is an example of some of the things that professional bikers can do. (This is why we watch them!)

Those are some of the most extreme things that can be done on a bicycle, and that’s not even close to the things that you can see while watching these guys on your television or computer! So remember, the next time you need some entertainment turn to extreme biking!

Student Council holds an election every year for the spots of President, Vice President, Secretary,  Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. There were several candidates for almost each spot but only one can win.

The candidate  for each place were; for Parliamentarian, Anna Elisen;for Secretary, Amanda Kendall; for Treasurer, Tala Atoafa and Sydney Boes; for Vice President Rebecca DeVirgie and Aubrey Walsh; and for President, Lani Mataia, Evan Jordan, and Charley Adams.

The winner for the position of Parliamentarian, our only candidate Anna Elisen. Congratulations to you Anna!

The winner for the position for of Secretary, once again our only candidate was Amanda Kendall. Good luck Amanda!

The winner for the position of Treasurer, up against our very own Tala Atafoa, is Sydney Boes. Congrats to you Sydney!

The winner for our Vice President selection was a very hard fought battle, up against Rebecca DeVirgie was Aubrey Walsh. Good Job Aubrey!

Last was the hardest spot for our candidates to get the guts to run for had the most candidates, the winner up against Lani Mataia and Evan Jordan was the one, the only, Charley Adams. Great job and good luck to you Charley!

The Student Council will be the leaders and event arrangers for the year 2010-2011. We wish them luck and hope our next year goes well!

Where did the word horoscope come to existence? Well, it was brought from a Greek word, meaning “look at the hours.” Referring to astrology, horoscopes are a showing of  movements and positions of the sun, moon, and planets depending on the birth of a certain person, therefore you can determine which horoscope sign you are. In other words horoscopes show a translation of understanding for an astrologer’s interpretation. Horoscopes are a method of regarding events that are occurring due to the present and future most of the time. Although a lot of people look up their horoscopes daily, there are no studies shown the accuracy of horoscopes. Here is an example of all the horoscope signs and the planets relating to that certain sign.

The candidates for the student council got hard at work on there campaigns. Some of the students even created facebook  pages for them. The halls of Meeker High School were lined with posters hand made by the candidates themselves. As election time rolled around the competition became more fierce. On May 25 during our 5th hour class the students were given the chance to vote. The teachers handed the students a piece of papers with names of the candidates on it,  for president  was Charlie , Evan  and Lani. For treasurer  was Tala and Sydney. For secretary  was Amanda. For parliamentarian was Anna. For vice president was Aubrey and Rebeca.

After so long of campaigning, the results for next years student body elections are finally in.

Charlie Adams for President, Aubrey Walsh for vice president, Sydney Boes for treasurer, Amanda Kendall for secretary and Anna Eilisen for parliamentarian.

Congratulations to you all for you hard work.

From the start there has been a rivalry between Leilani Mataia, me, and Charley Adams for Student Council President. They have hung up posters, handed out stickers, and even given out candy.

I stepped up onto the stage, very curious about how I was going to follow Charley Adams’ fantastic speech, and stepped up to the microphone. I saw the gleaming faces looking straight at me, huh, they must have been thinking the same thing as me. So, I began with a little humor about my opponents speech, and continued on to read mine.

“Hi, my name is Evan Jordan, and I am running to be your Student Body President.  Look around, do you see anyone better qualified for this job than me? (ed. note–at which point there was a LOT of laughter.) I will listen to what YOU want, and will make this school a better place for all of us.  I am a reliable and trustworthy person, I have held down a job for a year now, and I work hard every time I go to work.  When I make a promise, I keep it.

The first policy that I would propose would be my anti-theft policy.  I would make it optional to have a lock on your locker.  That way, if you are worried about the safety of your belongings, problem solved.  If not, you don’t have to have a lock, but you do have the option.

I will let the students pick new, and improved school-wide activities.  The students get to vote on the dress up days for WACKO and Homecoming, and get to decide on the school-wide events that occur during the year.  That way, we get to do what we want to do.

I will work as hard as I can to change the drink policy, so that we can have soda in any hallway in the school during lunch.  That way, we can have the drinks where we want, and still not have a mess in the classrooms.

I will try my best to save the school money; possibly even by trying to cut us back to four-day school weeks.  I will push the school board to let us have our way.  I will let you decide what is changed, but I will make sure that it happens.

Also, I would make sure that the new student council used its power to the full potential.  We have a lot more power than most people think, and we can, and will fight for the good of the school.  We will change this school for the better, and would create an environment that we all loved.”

I stepped back from the microphone, was questioned by Morgan Nielson, and after making a complete fool of myself, I exited the stage.

The candidates for president that where running where, Charley Adams, Evan Jordan, and Lani. The candidate running for vice president was Rebecca Devergie, and Aubrey Walsh. The candidate running for treasurer was Sydney Boes and Tala Atoafa. The president is Charley Adams, Vice President is Sydney and the treasure is Aubrey Walsh.The candidates did a very good job about there speeches. Every one did a AWESOME job!!!! Charley Adams  mentioned at his speech that instead of a  paper survey he will try to come in and talk to the classes. He also said that he will not just have a week of Wacko  but the whole year!!! How much fun will that be??? Sydney said that she will help out and have fun things try to happen and as for Aubre,y she said that she will do something smart but fun with the money.

I think we are gonna have  a good year ahead of us.

The student council  elections were voted on in everyone’s 5thperiod class. As you probably know, you were given a ballot with  a list of names and the school’s fate in their hands. Some took the decision like it was nothing, while others bargained, made face book pages, and told every one that they could to vote for their favorite candidate.  When the votes were finally tallied and announced during sixth period, it was revealed to us that Charley Adams had won for president against Leilani Mataia and Evan Jordan. As soon as I stepped out into the halls, I heard the buzz of this new event every where. People were giving high fives and congratulating others, while some were frustrated that their buddy didn’t win. All together, any of the candidates would of been an excellent choice, but all for their own reasons. Each person had something different to offer and some different way they wanted to help their school. Each candidate also worked for it, as you could see by the posters all over MHS’s walls. I just want to take this chance to say what a good job everyone running did. I have to say that was one thing that happened at school that didn’t draw too much blood. Congrats to everyone!

After a long few days, here are the final results of the Meeker Cowboys at the Colorado State Track Meet.

In the previous article, it was mentioned that the boy’s 4×1 relay, consisting of Toby Casias, Ryan Wix, Colton Brown and Jake Nieslanik, made it to finals; the boys pulled through and received 4th place.  Kathryn Doll competed in finals for the 100 meter dash and after being seated 9th, ran a 13.33 (unofficial time) which got her 6th place. Doll also competed in the 200 preliminaries and got 10th, one away from running in finals. Colton Brown high jumped against rough winds and received a 5th place medal.

Good job Cowboys, you made us proud!

On May 19th,  a few Meeker Cowboys made their journey to Denver, Colorado to compete in the State Track Meet for 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A.

On Day 2, these are the results:
The boy’s 4×1 made the finals Thursday and will compete tomorrow against 8 other teams for the championship. Kathryn Doll recieved 5th place in the Long Jump Thursday and Friday competed in the Triple Jump  and recieved 2nd place. Kathryn also made the finals in the 100 meter dash and will compete tomorrow. Toby Casias competed in the 100 meter dash and PR-ed (Personal Record), but did not make finals.  Brock Campbell competed in the 800 meter run (which he got 9th in last year at the State Meet), and got 9th yet again.

Colton Brown will compete in the High Jump tomorrow at 9:30am.

The boy’s 4×2 and 4×4 meter relays competed, but did not make it to the state finals.

Good job Cowboys, and good luck tomorrow!!

With only a week left of school, families are getting ready for summer vacation.  Whether you are leaving for an exotic destination, or staying home for a relaxed break, there is one thing you should always remember: Wear sunscreen!

Studies show that of the hundreds of brands of lotions they tested, 54% of them have ingredients that break down in the sun.  So do some research before you buy!

Here are some tips on staying protected while in the sun:

• Use a sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection.
• Use a sunscreen of at least 15-30 SPF.
• Apply at least 15 minutes before sun exposure and let it dry.
• Reapply every 1-2 hours when outside.
• Reapply after swimming or exercising. (Water resistant is the best!)
• Make sure you use a chapstick with sunscreen in it. (Your lips can get burnt, too!)

So, remember to always where sunscreen when you are outside and have a great summer!!

Summer time is very close and im not so sure about you guys but im pretty excited about it!!! Sun is going to be shining, birds flying everywhere.

So what are your plans for this summer??

Leave your comments below and tell us what you are gonna do.

Teenagers need as much sleep as young children do most likely around ten hours,  while adults over 65 need less sleep most likely around six hours. Snoring happens when you’re non-REM sleep. During sleep your brain is being fed so that way  brain activity is well to function right. Irregular sleeping is caused during weekends, experts say.

Teenagers tend to stay up late and sleep in on weekends which makes a disfunction of the thier daily sleeping hours. Some teens experience sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, imsomnia, restless legs syndrome, or sleep apnea. Not sleeping well does not only affect how tired you are throughtout the day but a difficult time waking up in the morning, irratated in the morning, oversleeping on the weekend, having trouble concentrating or remembering important things, or just waking up during the night and not being able to go back t sleep.

So sleeping is very important.  Get some!

Jeff came to work as a journalist for the Rio Blanco Herald Times here in Meeker after several years of working as executive director the Kansas Press Association. Jeff was released from his previous job after embezzling over $25,000 dollars from the company. Around this time, he also went through a divorce.  Although Jeff Burkhead will be considered a felon for the rest of his life, the Herald times decided to give him another chance.

Jeff believes that it is much more difficult to work in a small community like ours than for a big press like the Denver Post. His reasoning behind this is because he  knows most of the people he writes about; whereas in a big city they are just other people whom the writer would not ordinarily ever see again.

Lately people from the community have been angry at Jeff for the Martin family article and a few others. His response was he is sorry about people being mad, but even though they are touchy subjects, it is still news. He also said he is very good friends with the Martin family that he cried on the phone with Mr. Martin while he was interviewing him.

“I got emotionally involved. I could put myself in that position as a father. I remember interviewing Paul and crying on the phone with him.” This is why he believes working in a small community is harder then bigger cities.

Because of all these situations going on, earlier this year Jeff decided it was time to come out to the community and let everyone know about his past. After its release, he has had nothing but positive feed back from the people of our community.

Meeker High Schools’  Band and Jazz Band show off their skill on the night of May 18th at 7:00 pm, and the Middle School Bands and Elementary School Band gets to show off what they have practiced for, their concert is on Thursday night May 20th at once again at 7:00 pm. All concerts will take place at the Meeker High School Auditorium. We hope to see you all there!!!!

In 7 months, members of the ERBM Dance Team will go to San Diego, California to perform in Holiday Bowl Halftime Show.

The Holiday Bowl is one of the many College Bowl games in the country, and some Meeker dancers along with many dancers and cheerleaders from around the country, will be performing in the halftime show. The dancers will also be attending a dance and cheer convention and will in the nationally televised parade before the game.

We cannot forget the woman who helped get this opportunity for these dancers.

Kari Jo Stevens has been dancing since she was little.  She grew up in Oklahoma and when she turned 18, she decided to teach a dance class during the summer here in Meeker. Kari Jo came back every summer to teach until she graduated. After graduating college, she moved to Meeker and became a seasonal dance instructor. For ten years, she has been working with kids and teens on their dance technique and also helping them become better performers by putting them on stage in front of a crowd of Meeker locals.  This year was the first dance recital that was sold out. All the seats in the high school auditorium were full, people were sitting on the floor, and the two double doors were propped open for more spectators to enjoy the performance. Kari Jo now has around 90 dancers.

Meeker may not have a varsity cheer squad, but it does have a dedicated group of dancers, with an amazing teacher.

NOTE: Fund raising will begin at the end of this month, and any amount of donation or sponsorship is greatly appreciated. For more information on when and where fundraisers will occur, contact Kari Jo Stevens at the Rec Center.

In the United States there is no place that is safe from bullying.

The bullying statistics in 2007 say that the top five worst states in which bullying occurs is 1. California 2. New York 3. Illinois 4. Pennsylvania and 5. Washington

In most of the schools throughout the schools in the U.S 77% of kids are bullied mentally, physically, and verbally, daily and Cyber Bullying isn’t too far behind.

One of five kids in a school setting admit to bullying or being the bully.

43% fear the bathroom for harassment.

Each day 160,000 kids in the U.S stay home due to fear of being bullied.

Each day 100,000 students carry a gun or weapon to school and of those 100,000 28% experience violence at home.

282,000 students are attacked off school grounds after school each month.

Every 7 minutes a child is bullied and only 4% of the time an adult helps, 11% of the time peers help and 85% of the time nobody will help.

46% of males and 28% of females reported that they have been in physical fights with the bully. Between kindergarten and grade 6 there are more physical fights than there are in grades 7-12.

Bullying in schools showed that many of the kids go through more than we want. Should we trust our school districts to be safe for our children?

Texas High School Orders Prison Jumpsuits for Offenders of Dress Code. Is MHS Next!?

On July 31 the Texas high school deputy shows a jumpsuit that will be given to students who violate the dress code. The jumpsuits don’t just look like prison clothing they are made by Texas inmates.

Kids wearing spaghetti-strap tank tops, extra baggy pants, cargo pants or T-shirts may find themselves finishing the school day in the drab one-piece outfits. Boys with earrings or facial hair, girls in miniskirts and anyone in clothes that show underwear face the same fate.

“They’re not little prisoners,” said Mary Helen Douglas(a concerned parent), who has a 17-year-old son starting his senior year.

The jumpsuits aren’t the only option for dress-code violators from fifth through 12th grade. School board President Glenn Menking said parents can still bring a change of clothes, or they may request that the student go to in-school suspension instead

So before you say that Meeker High School has a strict dress code think how it would be to be a student at that high school.