January 31, 2014 Volume 50 Issue 5 XchangePius X High School 6000 A Street, Lincoln, NE St. Patrick’s makeover - 2 St. Patrick’s Parish is in the process of building a new church to carry parish into the future. Senior Xposed - 4 Katie Rice is a happy, down-to-earth and one of a kind student and athlete. Unique students - 6-7 Pius students’ hobbies make them stand out among high schoolers around the state. PHOTO BY LAUREN SCHIEKE 2 News January 31, 2014 St. Patrick’s begins makeover United KingdomYouth LAUREN SCHIEKE Other important improvements that the Graphics Editor older church lacked are plans to have better parking, Parliament petitions for including handicap-accessible areas. They also plan for St. Patrick’s parish, located on the north more meeting spaces for church groups and functions. side of Lincoln, is a relatively small and quiet The church was originally built in 1908 as more younger voting age church and school. Its long running traditions of a temporary structure. Now, over one hundred years later, have made it a very tight-knit community. it has been deemed unsafe hence the plans for a completely Although it has been relatively unknown, new church. These plans have been 30 years in the making . in the past few months it has caught the attention of Main architect, Kevin Clark, was hired to create O LIVIA APPLEGET wins a debate from a young many members of other parishes and the local news and put the plans together, with the help of Schweiger Staff Writer age will continue to care. stations. They are building a completely new church. and the parishioners. In fact, their input was very Conversely, Ward Plans have been laid out, the ground broken important in planning the new church. 15 parishioner The United Kingdom states that those who do not Youth Parliament (UKYP) care about what is going on and all that’s to come is building the church itself. They listening sessions were planned, allowing the 750 announced their annual in their nation’s government are on their way still, of raising the 1.5 million needed to families that go to St. Pat’s to have a say in the plans. campaign for this year will continue not to care and build it. It is scheduled to be finished in the spring of 2015. Clark has had previous experience in these to be “Votes at Sixteen.” not make the effort to vote. “I’m looking forward to being able to see fields. He’s worked with the Newman Center on Members of the UKYP Being able to voice the it and go to Mass there,” senior Carl Endrulat said. the St. Thomas Aquinas church on the University of are debating to have the ability opinion that Ward had has not The new church is going to be built on the plot Nebraska Lincoln campus, as well as other Catholic to vote at the age of sixteen, as always been possible for the of land right next to the old church, where the parking churches and communities throughout Lincoln. opposed to eighteen, in public youth of the United Kingdom. lot used to be. The new parking lot, will be where These are not the first renovations that St. elections in their political region. Andrew Rowe, Member the old church was, practically flipping them around. Patrick’s parish has seen. The church was re-built in 1908 At sixteen in the of Parliament, started the UKYP The pews have been a focus of the after a fire. The new school was built in 1961, when their UK, one can get a job, leave in 1998 when he presented the parishioners, and of Fr. Troy Schweiger, the parish number of students peaked at 324. Most recently, the new home, get married, care for House of Commons with a bill their own child’s medical to create a parliament for the priest. The community came together to make the rectory was built across the street from the church in 2006. needs and enroll in the army. youth (any eligible 11-18 year- pew ends, made of trees they harvested themselves. Overall, the parish is very enthusiastic about their Members of the old) of the United Kingdom. They worked together to carve a cross into each one. new church to come. parliament are arguing that “I’m giving these kids a if a sixteen-year-old can chance to have a voice,” Rowe have the responsibilities said. “And why? Because they WV chemical spill contaminates water stated above then they should want one. They deserve one.” have the ability to vote. By 2004 ninety percent ABBY STONEHOCKER you could take all the proper regions affected in West Virginia. Every year, the House of of local authorities signed up to Staff Writer precautions,” Mikala Bradley said. The citizens of West Commons allows the UKYP to the UKYP and just five years Due to lack of information Virginia are not only wondering have an annual sitting in which later, history was made when On Thursday January 9, a about this chemical, there were when their water ban will be they can campaign against one Members of Parliament voted to chemical spill frightened the citizens many concerns with the fact that lifted, but also whether or not major issue that affects the youth allow select persons in the Youth of Charleston, West Virginia. thousands of gallons of MCHM were new regulations should be in government, the winning issue Parliament to sit in the House The chemical spill spilled just a mile and half upstream applied to protect the safety of gets to be debated in the sitting. of Chambers for the first time. “Votes at Sixteen” won Each of the nine English contaminated the water of the Elk from the city’s drinking-water plant. Americans in accidents like this. River. The company responsible for among four other debated topics regions within the UK national “I believe the people House speakers suggested to be this year’s campaign. boundaries has a coordinator that this incident is Freedom Industries. in charge should’ve researched the incident was not the result of a As said by youth represents them in the UKYP. The chemical in the a better place to put the plant. It lack of regulations but failure to representative Katie Ward The objective for this Elk River is called 4-methyl- was probably not the best idea enforce the existing regulations. from Yorkshire, “It’s not parliament is to ensure a voice cyclohexane-methanol, or MCHM. to put it one mile away from Nonetheless, lawmakers are as if you’re going to wake on issues that affect the youth, Most chemists and toxicologists the water supply,” Bradley said. pondering creating new laws. up on your eighteenth as stated in Article 12 of the have not heard of this chemical. All The contaminated The chemical spill has left birthday and magically know United Nations Convention that is known about this chemical is water supply across nine dozens of people in need of medical everything about our nation’s on the Rights of a Child. its use. MCHM is used to clean coals. counties resulted in the closing treatment, following the ban of government and politics.” To create a solely issue- “There was a huge gap of schools and businesses. water usage for a long time period. Ward goes further to based organization, the UKYP make the point that those who chooses to stay non-partisan. in the knowledge of what the Since there was a ban The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is care about whom and what chemical was. Before producing from using tap water to drink, bathe consistently running tests to ease the you should know about it, so and cook, emergency agencies minds of the citizens that in no time if you did have chemical spill trucked in clean water to the the water will be chemical free. “Bridge-gate” scandal leaves Chris Christie in tough position ANNIE ALBIN school buses and first responders. This fell through when texts and seventeen unnamed members of the government Staff Writer It was revealed that his staffer Bridget emails between some of Christie’s top aides and and to three offices. Anne Kelly and Port Authority David Wildstein Port Authority employees were revealed. In one Christie himself got a lawyer to The governor of New Jersey has conspired to shut down the lanes to get back sent before the lane closures, Kelly wrote, “Time respond to the two new committees that have recently been in hot water due to the actions of at the mayor of Fort Lee, who had supported for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” been formed to investigate the case. his staff. Christie’s opponent in the last election. Numerous other incriminating It has been speculated that this scandal Gov. Chris Christie says he had no While they were not the only staffers to messages were released; some said that they could affect Christie’s 2016 Presidential race, knowledge of the actions of his staffers, who in participate, they were key players in the closure. didn’t feel sorry for the children stuck in traffic, but some think this will soon become old news. an act of political revenge, mandated that several While Christie’s camp claimed the because they were children of people who voted “The presidential campaign isn’t for lanes of the George Washington Bridge would lanes were shut down for a traffic study, the for Christie’s opponent. Others made derogatory two and half years.