Ronald Reagan Huskies -
Girls' & Boys' basketball teams 2k15-2k16
VIDEOS BY ALEXXUS HART
Above is a set of photos in video format, also referred to as a Flipagram, of action shots from previous girls’ and boys’ Reagan basketball games! Look at our peers go! To receive more information regarding JV boys and girls’ games, contact Mrs. O’Connor or Mr. Walker!
The Fight for February: Super Bowl 50
WRITTEN BY JULIO GARCIA
All over the world football fans are immersed in the journey of the NFL playoffs. The final twelve teams scraped their way to extend their season, only to face cutthroat situations on the road to the final game. Six teams from each conference started out in the beginning with the prosperity for the one goal that will solidify them and their names in football history - a Super Bowl Championship. This is the fight for February, and every team is in it to win it.
NFC:
The six teams to come out of the NFC were the Panthers, Cardinals, Vikings, Redskins, Packers, and the Seahawks, seeded in that order from first to sixth. In the first round, the top two seeds receive the first week in the playoffs off, thus leaving the Vikings, Redskins, Packers, and the Seahawks. The Vikings played a streaking Seahawk team, whilst the Pack played the Skins.
The Vikings and Seahawks played in the bitter cold of Minnesota. The temperature at kickoff was negative two degrees, which correlated to a lower scoring game. The game ended 10-9 after a shocking missed 27 yard field goal attempt by the Vikings kicker Blair Walsh in the last seconds of the game. This means that the Seahawks advanced, amd the Vikings got eliminated.
Our Green Bay Packers had a way better result than their rivals, the Vikings. Going into Washington D.C, they started off really slow, going down eleven to zero allowing a safety in the first few minutes; however they scraped back into the game, scoring 17 in the second quarter and never looked back from that. With the final score of 35-18, the Pack kept on rolling.
Now that left four. The Panthers and the Cardinals entered the picture, meaning that the Panthers played the lower seeded Seahawks, and the Cards played our Pack.
The Panthers being 15-1 as their record were the underdogs in this game ironically. The Seahawks were on a winning streak despite being the sixth seed. In spite of that, the game turned out completely different. The Panthers came out swinging taking a 31-0 half time lead. Thirty one is all the Panthers needed to win. Even with the scoring outbreak of the Seahawks, the Panthers won 31-24.
Our Pack traveled and played most arguably the game of the playoffs. Arizona had the previous week off, and came out rusty on the offensive end, only scoring seven points in the first half, but was saved by only allowing six points going into halftime. The second half was back and forth action that was capped off by an incredible two minute drive that resulted in the play that will be remembered for ages! With five seconds left, quarterback Aaron Rodgers heaved the ball 41 yards to a contested Jeff Janis for a touchdown and to force overtime. After the worst coin toss in the history of coin tosses, Arizona went down the field in three plays to end the game in overtime - an overtime where Aaron Rodgers didn’t touch the ball.
Now the showdown everyone expected-Arizona vs Carolina. The Panthers hosted the game and took full advantage of home field. Similar to the game vs Seattle, Carolina scored quickly and efficiently. This meant scoring 17 points in the first quarter, and leading at half 24 to 7. A major problem the Panthers had was holding the lead past halftime. Like Seattle, the Cardinals hoped that they could surge back and create a competitive contest. However, this was not the case. Arizona’s offense couldn’t get going, turning the ball over seven times. Four interceptions and three fumbles were enough to make sure they got eliminated. The final score was a gruesome 49-15 as Carolina advanced to the second Super Bowl in the team's history.
AFC:
The six to come out of the AFC were the Broncos, Patriots, Bengals, Texans, Chiefs, and the Steelers in that order from first to sixth. Since the Broncos and Pats were first and second, they got the first round off, meaning the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers played each other, and the Houston Texans hosted the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bengals and Steelers hated each other. Literally hate each other. During stretching and warm ups, they had referees at the 50 yard line to make sure the two teams don’t start any altercations. That didn’t stop them from fighting during the game. Most of the game was made up of antics that will be more remembered than the game itself. The game ended in a very controversial manner: two penalties in which allowed Pittsburgh to travel up the field and win the game 18-16.
The Texans and the Chiefs was a no contest. The Chiefs blew them out in a very one-sided game. The Texans scored no points throughout the game, and the offense struggled to execute anything. On the other end, the Chiefs controlled the game from the start, starting out with a 106 yard kick return at the start of the game which Houston really never recovered from.
Now the top teams came to play-first the Broncos. They played the Steelers in Denver in which was a thrilling contest. It took a late drive by the hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning to seal the fate for the Steelers, who were without their leading receiver Antonio Brown, and leading rusher DeAngelo Williams. This meant the Broncos went of to play with winner of the Pats vs Chiefs.
The Pats vs the Chiefs game wasn’t as good as people thought it would be. The Pats started early in the game, scoring quickly and in a rapid succession. After two quarters, the Pats were up 14-6. After that Kansas City picked up the intensity, scoring more than a field goal in the third quarter. Kansas kept it close, but at the end it wasn’t enough as the grittiness of the Pats overcame the Chiefs in a game that ended in bad time management by the Chiefs.
The AFC Championship would once again come down to the matchup of the century-Brady vs Manning. The two quarterbacks dominated the NFL for the past decade played it out for probably the last time. However the headlines coming out of this game weren't about either quarterback. Instead the main stories came from the Patriot’s kicker, who missed an extra point. Though the blame was on the kicker, bad decisions were made throughout the game. The Patriots were behind the whole game, but trimmed the lead to two in the last minute of the game. This led to an onside kick recovered by the Broncos, ending the Pats season and giving Manning his one last chance for glory.
Super Bowl 50 is the First Super Bowl without roman numerals in its design, and it’s the first Super Bowl to have a thirty-nine year old quarterback starting. Peyton Manning shined throughout his illustrious career, and presuming this is his last season, it would be amazing to see one of our generations best quarterback to go out with the highest honor in the league. One the other hand, the young and poised Panthers are lead but the equally young Cam Newton-who looks to take the torch from Manning and start his legacy. Both teams come in with a top defense, and a very good offense so it’s bound to be a close game. The game will take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara California at 5:30 sharp on February 7, 2016. It will also be broadcasted on CBS, so even if you don’t like football, you can tune in for the amazing commercials that will air!
REAGAN DEBATE GOES TO STATE!
WRITTEN BY FREEDOM GOBEL
If one thing is true about the Reagan debaters, it’s that they are ready and excited to destroy the competition at this year’s State tournament.
Mr. Silva, Mark Suminski, and a team of qualified debaters prepare for their tournament this year in West Bend. “I spend more time working on debate than my actual school work… obviously,” said one of two varsity state qualifiers, Daniel Montalvo. “Win or go home.”
Debate coach, Mr. Silva said, “We had 76 students come to our informational meeting and 53 stick around past the first week. When we finally chiseled everything away, we ended up having 41 competitors. We had 18 novice debaters and 2 varsity debaters qualify for the state competition, and now we are down to 14.”
“Keeping morale up is the hardest part about coaching debate. At the beginning of the year it’s a party, and when we're doing well, we love it, but then handling that first loss, that first tournament that didn’t go well, is hard. But we win more than any sport at Reagan, and we obviously compete more than any sport. I think we deserve respect around here. This is a club that's only growing and getting better,” said Silva.
Though Daniel Montalvo was first motivated to join debate by his ex-girlfriend, many would agree that debate is what he lives and breathes. “Daniel Montalvo and Angela McGinnis (varsity debate partners) are going to do very well,” said Silva. McGinnis claims she couldn’t have been this successful without Silva.
One of Reagan’s novice debaters, Benjamin Michael, mainly joined debate to make friends, and is now preparing to debate in the State tournament. “I am not at all nervous to go to state. I’m prepared,” he said. “I care about debate and I like it, so I work hard at home a lot. I probably work a minimum of 10 to 12 hours a week on debate.”
Silva expects at least one novice team to make it to the top five out of 32. “These little quiet ones that are unassuming are killing it. You can see that the confidence is growing. We are more confident than at the beginning of the year. We sound really smart. It’s interesting... these are freshmen, and we talk about all these programs that most adults don’t understand,” he said.
Silva said, “We are the world’s most dangerous debate team. We are smart. We have fun. And we don’t take anything personal. We go in there to destroy. We look forward to giving Milwaukee something to be proud of.”
Unfortunately, despite their preparation, no team from Reagan made it to the elimination round (the last round). “We finished in the middle of the pack, and we are optimistic for next year,” said Silva.
Hello, Dolly! Well, HELLOOO DOLLY
WRITTEN BY MADI LARSH; PHOTOS BY CORI KRONSCHNABEL
As Reagan’s annual musical was just around the corner, the pressure to succeed built up and the workload intensified. With rehearsals lasting for three or four hours, four to five days a week, where did students, let alone a Full IB Diploma student, find the time to balance their education, and the arts?
“I do want to say that it was quite stressful, and I don't really know how the juniors and seniors who are full IB did it,” said freshman student, Alanna Bielawski. Alanna (Ermengarde), is not new to the stage, having been involved in her middle school productions in the past and was a member of her middle school’s forensics team - so she was ecstatic to be a participant in the musical.
“I'm really into acting and I love being on stage and being in front of people. So, the musical sounded something that was kind of absolutely perfect for me,” she stated. “I've been doing stuff like this for a really long time, and for most of my life.”
Hello Dolly! is Reagan’s sixth annual musical, co-directed by English and theatre teacher, Ms. Baker, and music/choir teacher, Ms. Brietbarth, who is the music director. Auditions were held in October, and rehearsals beginning with a cast of 34, in November. With a scheduled and structured rehearsal timeline, Ms. Baker stated that managing a cast that volunteered to be a part of this production, was way easier than managing and engaging students in a normal classroom, due to some students not wanting to be in class.
Ms. Baker stated that an obstacle of this production was the ensemble.
“Ensemble members need to develop their own character and tell a story without the benefit of having it written into the script for them. This year with so many new ensemble members, it was difficult for some of them to develop individual characters and stay in character while they were on stage.” She added, though, that once costumes arrived and the set pieces were completed and put into place, the cast members had an easier time developing their specific characters.
So how did the cast manage both their education and the play with the rigorous hours of rehearsals and memorization at home?
“I found if you could create a strong schedule for yourself, homework was not much of a problem. For me in those tech week rehearsals and very late rehearsals, I found that I worked myself into a routine,” Alanna continued. Although she said there were nights that she didn’t get all of her homework done, and she didn’t get much time for herself, she strongly continued that it was all worth it.
“Because of the experiences and relationships that I created in those late-night practices, it’s not something I would trade for anything in this world. That cast is my new found family and all the stress in the world couldn’t make me give that up.” She concluded that if you’re going to be a member of the musical, you have to be very concentrated and committed.
With a cast of 34, Hello Dolly!’s actors and actresses portrayed their characters very well, and really made them come to life. Every actor went in depth to empathize with their role. You could easily observe that the performers were hard at work during their rehearsals, because no actor messed up their lines. No stuttering, no asking for their cue, and the lines were carried out very naturally. As Alanna said, and as the audience could notice, the cast seemed very close and comfortable with each other. The only error I noticed was the articulation. The actors would sometimes get their words a bit slurred and they could have articulated and annunciated more. The acting was well executed and there was a lot of character development throughout the performance. Each character came with their own diverse and interesting personality.
The sets of the production, designed and built by Mr. Onorato and Reagan’s Stage Crew, were very well crafted. From Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed to the tables of the Harmonia Gardens restaurant, the set designs were simple, and not at all distracting from the performers, and still got the point across. The lighting was great as well.
The musical aspect of the production, directed by Mrs. Wylie and Ms. Breitbarth (both choir and music teachers), and sound technicians run by Mr. Murphy (band teacher at Reagan), was wonderful. The actors and the chorus sang very well, and were always on key. This production had a pit orchestra of twenty students that accompanied the performance, and they were excellent as well. The only issue present with the live orchestra, was that in certain songs, the instrumentals would become louder than the vocalists, and it was a bit difficult to hear. Although the protagonist, Dolly (Shyanne Pryor), had a prominent, powerful voice, it was disappointing that the orchestra’s volume was at times, a bit louder than her own. The choreography, choreographed by students Tatyanna Melendez (a junior at Reagan), and Gabrielle Sustache (a senior at Reagan), was simple but elegant, and once again, not at all distracting from the plot of the play.
Overall, I was impressed with the actors’ abilities to both sing and do the choreography of every number at the same time. The scene that stood out most, was the one in which Minnie Fay (portrayed by Amber Weissert), was chasing a hiding Barnaby Tucker (Victor Montanez), and Cornelius Hackl (Emmanuel Rodriguez) out of Irene Malloy’s (Julia Radomski) hat shop. This scene was both comical and choreographed excellently, and the most memorable one.
The performance in its entirety was well done and kept me engaged. It was both funny and entertaining, and left the auditorium happy with the performance, and found myself wanting to go back to see the performance again the next day.
Ms. Baker was very pleased with the cast’s performance as well.
“I am always amazed by the talent of the students with whom I work. Honestly, each year I think ‘This is the best it will ever be!’, and so far, each year it has managed to get better. While there are always little bubbles in live theatre (a mannequin head fell off when it wasn't supposed to), the cast, crew and pit did an amazing job. I couldn't ask for anything more. I'm extremely proud of them!” she exclaimed.
“I do want to say that it was quite stressful, and I don't really know how the juniors and seniors who are full IB did it,” said freshman student, Alanna Bielawski. Alanna (Ermengarde), is not new to the stage, having been involved in her middle school productions in the past and was a member of her middle school’s forensics team - so she was ecstatic to be a participant in the musical.
“I'm really into acting and I love being on stage and being in front of people. So, the musical sounded something that was kind of absolutely perfect for me,” she stated. “I've been doing stuff like this for a really long time, and for most of my life.”
Hello Dolly! is Reagan’s sixth annual musical, co-directed by English and theatre teacher, Ms. Baker, and music/choir teacher, Ms. Brietbarth, who is the music director. Auditions were held in October, and rehearsals beginning with a cast of 34, in November. With a scheduled and structured rehearsal timeline, Ms. Baker stated that managing a cast that volunteered to be a part of this production, was way easier than managing and engaging students in a normal classroom, due to some students not wanting to be in class.
Ms. Baker stated that an obstacle of this production was the ensemble.
“Ensemble members need to develop their own character and tell a story without the benefit of having it written into the script for them. This year with so many new ensemble members, it was difficult for some of them to develop individual characters and stay in character while they were on stage.” She added, though, that once costumes arrived and the set pieces were completed and put into place, the cast members had an easier time developing their specific characters.
So how did the cast manage both their education and the play with the rigorous hours of rehearsals and memorization at home?
“I found if you could create a strong schedule for yourself, homework was not much of a problem. For me in those tech week rehearsals and very late rehearsals, I found that I worked myself into a routine,” Alanna continued. Although she said there were nights that she didn’t get all of her homework done, and she didn’t get much time for herself, she strongly continued that it was all worth it.
“Because of the experiences and relationships that I created in those late-night practices, it’s not something I would trade for anything in this world. That cast is my new found family and all the stress in the world couldn’t make me give that up.” She concluded that if you’re going to be a member of the musical, you have to be very concentrated and committed.
With a cast of 34, Hello Dolly!’s actors and actresses portrayed their characters very well, and really made them come to life. Every actor went in depth to empathize with their role. You could easily observe that the performers were hard at work during their rehearsals, because no actor messed up their lines. No stuttering, no asking for their cue, and the lines were carried out very naturally. As Alanna said, and as the audience could notice, the cast seemed very close and comfortable with each other. The only error I noticed was the articulation. The actors would sometimes get their words a bit slurred and they could have articulated and annunciated more. The acting was well executed and there was a lot of character development throughout the performance. Each character came with their own diverse and interesting personality.
The sets of the production, designed and built by Mr. Onorato and Reagan’s Stage Crew, were very well crafted. From Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed to the tables of the Harmonia Gardens restaurant, the set designs were simple, and not at all distracting from the performers, and still got the point across. The lighting was great as well.
The musical aspect of the production, directed by Mrs. Wylie and Ms. Breitbarth (both choir and music teachers), and sound technicians run by Mr. Murphy (band teacher at Reagan), was wonderful. The actors and the chorus sang very well, and were always on key. This production had a pit orchestra of twenty students that accompanied the performance, and they were excellent as well. The only issue present with the live orchestra, was that in certain songs, the instrumentals would become louder than the vocalists, and it was a bit difficult to hear. Although the protagonist, Dolly (Shyanne Pryor), had a prominent, powerful voice, it was disappointing that the orchestra’s volume was at times, a bit louder than her own. The choreography, choreographed by students Tatyanna Melendez (a junior at Reagan), and Gabrielle Sustache (a senior at Reagan), was simple but elegant, and once again, not at all distracting from the plot of the play.
Overall, I was impressed with the actors’ abilities to both sing and do the choreography of every number at the same time. The scene that stood out most, was the one in which Minnie Fay (portrayed by Amber Weissert), was chasing a hiding Barnaby Tucker (Victor Montanez), and Cornelius Hackl (Emmanuel Rodriguez) out of Irene Malloy’s (Julia Radomski) hat shop. This scene was both comical and choreographed excellently, and the most memorable one.
The performance in its entirety was well done and kept me engaged. It was both funny and entertaining, and left the auditorium happy with the performance, and found myself wanting to go back to see the performance again the next day.
Ms. Baker was very pleased with the cast’s performance as well.
“I am always amazed by the talent of the students with whom I work. Honestly, each year I think ‘This is the best it will ever be!’, and so far, each year it has managed to get better. While there are always little bubbles in live theatre (a mannequin head fell off when it wasn't supposed to), the cast, crew and pit did an amazing job. I couldn't ask for anything more. I'm extremely proud of them!” she exclaimed.
BOYS' SWIM AT REAgan
WRITTEN BY BASHIR ADEN
“Swim is different from every other sport here [Reagan], the thrill of getting in the water is entertaining and challenging,” said Coltrane Verban, a varsity swimmer for two years. The boys varsity swim team has had an amazing run this season.
The team has placed second after Rufus King High School in almost all of their meets. Exemplar swimmers on the team include seniors Simon Kronschnabel and Diego Vega Rivera. They are also the captains of the team and have led the swimmers in every meet so far. “My favorite thing about swim is that it is really fun. We get to challenge ourselves while having fun and doing something we love,” continued Coltrane. |
The two schools go in a head-to -head match of different swimming styles. The races include a Medley Relay, Freestyle, Intermediate, Butterfly, and Backstroke. Each swimmer is a allotted to four of 21 events that occur at the meets.
There are dual meets, invites, and MPS conferences. The dual meets are just two teams, while the invites are chosen by the school hosting. There can be 6-8 different schools swimming during the invites. The MPS conference is all the MPS teams face off and the school hosting doesn’t choose.
The Ronald Reagan team co-ops with the Milwaukee School of Arts. The captain from Arts is Will Fendt. Will is an important part of the team and gives the swimmers do a better job at working with each other.
There are dual meets, invites, and MPS conferences. The dual meets are just two teams, while the invites are chosen by the school hosting. There can be 6-8 different schools swimming during the invites. The MPS conference is all the MPS teams face off and the school hosting doesn’t choose.
The Ronald Reagan team co-ops with the Milwaukee School of Arts. The captain from Arts is Will Fendt. Will is an important part of the team and gives the swimmers do a better job at working with each other.