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‘Books to Movies’ Continue to Excite and Disappoint Viewers

No Comments 20 April 2012

By Emily Stahl

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of Visual Photos

For me, ‘books to movies’ always sounds like a good idea. However, they are sometimes a disappointment. I went to see the newest book to movie filmed, The Hunger Games, and thought it definitely lacked important details. It brings to mind how books translate to movies and how it’s sometimes a wonderful, or terrible, idea. Some well-known books to movies include The Hunger Games, the Twilight series, and the Harry Potter series. Sometimes books to movies work out really well, and other times it just gets lost in the translation.

The Hunger Games book was amazing. It was descriptive and it allowed the readers to get to know the characters “personally”. The two main characters’ (Peeta and Katniss) relationship was prominent in the book and was the main focus. However, in the movie, Peeta doesn’t appear to be in love with Katniss, and we didn’t get to know the other characters very well. I was also disappointed with the small amount of action they had in the film. In my opinion, they ruined their chances for the next movie as well.

The Harry Potter book series did not disappoint. For those who can get past the fact that it’s about wizards and witches, it’s a great story for guys and girls to read. The books show the troubles and triumphs of growing up, and the books have a lot of action. The movies were also well put together. They had action, portrayed the relationships in detail, and had an amazing cast. In my opinion, all the characters were spot on. There were some times when I was a little disappointed with how they did a scene, or excluded something, but for the most part I was impressed.

The Twilight series wasn’t a terrible read, but it was a little sappy. The main character, Bella, really infuriated me at times. She kept going back and forth between her two “loves” and came off as needy. Nevertheless, if you like stories about true love with a little twist, I would suggest this series. The use of mythical creatures, as cheesy as that sounds, didn’t come off as strange; we just got used to them that way. The movies weren’t terrible, but they weren’t amazing, either. The acting could’ve been way better; some of the cast just wasn’t made for acting. I have mixed feelings about the movies, but I definitely liked the books better.

All in all, books to movies is a hit and miss process. Everyone is going to have a different opinion on them. Someone may love the books but not the movies; others may love the movies but not the books, or they might love both! It’s really up to the reader and the viewer’s opinion whether it’s a disaster or a great production.

Art Student Creates Bright Future

No Comments 04 April 2012

By Brennan Ensz and Emily Stahl

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo By Brennan Ensz

West Central is home to many students talented in the arts. Jenna Lewis is one of these students. Ever since she was young, Jenna has drawn in her spare time. “I think I’ve always had a bit of a knack for it, but when I was a little kid, I was pretty terrible at art. At the time, though, I thought I was pretty good, but I kept drawing because I really liked it. Over the years, I’ve been able to get better and better.” Jenna has even been given awards for her artwork, receiving ribbons from the state fair.

Jenna grew up in an artistic family, so it’s easy to see where she got it from. “All my other family

members like to do one artistic thing or another. My little brother Will and sister Emma both like to draw, and my older sister Sara makes jewelry. My mom is really good at interior design and my dad at wood work. Even some of my aunts and uncles are really amazing, too.” Her favorite thing to do is go with an idea and see where it takes her. “It’s always really fun to watch my imagination come to life on a piece of paper.” Jenna finds art rewarding, and usually enjoys the outcome. “I love when I’m all done with a painting or drawing I’ve put a lot of time and effort into and I get to sit back and see the end result of my efforts.” In her free time, Jenna doodles, draws and paints whatever she wants. “I like doing a little of everything: nature, people, wildlife, abstract, buildings; whatever I feel like at the time. My favorite things to paint are probably abstracts and trees; that’s what I seem to end up doing the most.” When she feels stuck on a project, or can’t seem to get something right, Jenna takes a break and goes back to it later. Her advice to anyone having trouble with art is to find something you really like. “If you find something you enjoy doing, you won’t have as hard of a time with it, and the more you practice the better you’ll get.” Jenna also suggests starting with a sketch and to keep in mind that there’s no wrong way to do artwork. “It will look good when it’s done, so don’t give up.”

Apart from drawing, Jenna also loves to hang out with friends, fish, ski and much more. After high school, she wants to go into the navy and be in the nuclear field. Although Jenna won’t be doing much with art after high school, she still plans on drawing as a hobby, and may go to college for it. “I might get a degree in Graphic Design or the Fine Arts. I’m not sure though, since it’s still such a long ways away.” Nothing is certain, but Jenna has a bright future ahead of her.

Features

Juniors Announce Great Progress with Prom

No Comments 07 March 2012

By Emily Stahl and Jessica Brandt

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of The Telegraph

As April 21 comes near, committee leaders, recruits and volunteers work diligently to make prom out of this world. This year’s prom will be space-themed and is already well underway.

“We have a lot of stars made; also, the rocket ship that we will be walking out of for grand march is being built at the moment. We have strips of gossamer made, which will be hanging in the commons,” commented prom committee treasurer Jackie Bossman. Prom committee president Maty Skinner agreed, stating, “I’m confident that we will have the majority of the decorations done by the end of March.” Along with these things, the meal plan has also been announced: a buffet of pulled pork, pulled chicken, or chicken strips for the main meal with mashed potatoes or chips as sides. For the dance, DJ Kor, who also played at the homecoming dance, will be the entertainment. The committee will not reveal the plan for the commons, stating, “It’s sort of a secret; we want it to be a surprise.”

Nevertheless, there is still much to do for prom. The rocket ship that students will walk out of for Grand March and the star decorations still need to be painted. Student name cards are currently being cut out and decorated, and will soon be handwritten. There are many other tasks to be done before prom, and Skinner encourages juniors to help out: “Every Sunday at 1 p.m., we meet at Brandon R’s house to build things and I usually cut out stars and stuff, so ANYONE who is willing to come can help!”

Dance Explosion Seniors Leave with a Bang

No Comments 24 February 2012

By Afton Johnson and Emily Stahl

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of Harley Bauman

A mix of excitement and sadness filled the minds of the senior girls on Dance Explosion as they performed for the last time. “I was happy, but of course I was sad too because it was our last one,” said senior Angie Ewert while remembering her last dance. However, all five seniors–Angie Ewert, Payton Steen, Danielle Eldredge, Harley Bauman and Melinda Knuth–remember their last season fondly.

Eldredge has been a part of the West Central Dance Explosion all through high school. She is proud of all that the dance team has done and believes they’ve had a great year. Her favorite memory is having all the seniors over to Angie Ewert’s house to practice. “We blocked Staci Johnson’s car so she couldn’t leave and sent pictures to her,” Eldredge remembered. The things she will miss most about dance are her fellow dancers and being on a smaller team.

Steen has been with Dance Explosion for three years. She has no regrets about joining and is proud of what the team has done. “I have enjoyed it very much this year. We did a lot of cool dances!” Steen’s favorite dance was the country girl dance the team performed. She would love to continue dance after graduation, but is not sure if she will in college.

Ewert has also been on the team for three years. She started in her freshman year, and then continued on Dance Explosion in her junior and senior years. Ewert’s favorite memory was the year their coach, Mrs. Rhodes, was pregnant: “When Mrs. Rhodes would do something physical, McKenzie would freak out because Mrs. Rhodes was pregnant.” She is happy she joined this year, but claims learning to be a base for stunts was difficult to learn. Ewert will miss all the girls on the dance team when she graduates; however, she will not continue dancing through college.

Bauman has been on Dance Explosion for two years. “This is my second year. I was on the team my sophomore year, too.” She has enjoyed her time on the team, but feels like the season has been too short. Bauman is proud of what the group has done this year, claiming, “We have expanded the variety of dances we do.” She is glad that she joined Dance Explosion for her senior year, and she plans on trying out for the dance team at the School of Mines & Technology next year.

Knuth, the newest senior to join the team, has been on Dance Explosion for only one year. She enjoyed her year, exclaiming, “It has been so much fun!” Knuth is proud of what the team has done and is happy about their accomplishments. “We tried harder things than in past years, and we did the splits a lot. Stretching for your splits every other morning at 6:30 a.m. makes you appreciate when you can pull them off.” She will miss the excitement of learning new dances the most, but does not plan on continuing dance in college.

The Dance Explosion had a great year, which would never have happened without great senior leadership. The girls will be missed by their teammates and will miss their teammates alike. Each one has a fond memory of their senior year on the dance team that they can carry with them throughout their lives.

Columns

Is Stressing About Grades Worth It?

No Comments 31 January 2012

By Emily Stahl

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of Examiner

High school is stressful. At least for students who actually care about their grades. It’s surprising that we don’t all come out of it with gray hairs, with all the future planning we have to make. Sometimes it feels like we need to get everything figured out: college, a career, living situations, etc., before we even walk out the door with our diploma in hand. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like 24 hours in a day is long enough. However, one big stress-point for students, their GPA, might not be as essential as some may think.

Sure, grades are important. You can’t fail every class and expect to get into a top-notch school that will prepare you for your dream career. Maybe I’m wrong and you can. But let’s just say, for this article, that you can’t. However, you shouldn’t kill yourself over getting all A+’s and a 4.0 GPA. Most colleges don’t even count half the classes you take in your GPA. They strip it of all the electives and focus on the core classes: math, science, English and social sciences. Plus, they would prefer you take harder classes and get, heaven forbid, a B, rather than take classes a toddler could pass and get an A+.

I’m not saying grades don’t matter at all. I’m just saying that you need to be a well-rounded student. People skills, communication skills and experience are essential, too. If you want to have a job or go to a college badly enough, they will more than likely want you over the other guy with good grades who’s not willing to go the extra mile. You need to go the extra distance, do job shadows, go to beneficial camps, volunteer, intern, do whatever it takes to make yourself an asset to society. You’ll find that these things are much more important than a good grade and no social life or experience.

News

Dreaming of a white Christmas

No Comments 16 December 2011

By Emily Stahl

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo by Krista Jacobsen

During the Christmas season, it’s easy to find oneself wishing for some snow, if only on Christmas Day. However, tragedy has struck for those of us “dreaming of a white Christmas”. Weather forecasts show no major precipitation between now and Christmas, with only slight snow flurries and no major snowstorms in our future. This news is disheartening for those of us wishing for a winter wonderland before December 25th.

From September until now, Sioux Falls has had a dry spell, getting only 14 percent of its normal precipitation in the past three and a half months. It’s two degrees warmer than usual, making a white Christmas seem impossible. Because of this trend, weather forecasters predict less than an inch of snow, if any. Those of us hoping for our Christmas to be white find ourselves anxious for the snow to start falling, and soon. It seems that it will take a “Christmas Miracle” for this one to happen, but snow lovers should remain hopeful, and remind themselves that strange and wonderful things happen around the Christmas season!

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