THE TALON MAY LESSONS FROM HIGH SCHOOL What lessons have the Talon editing staff learned this school year? SENIOR DESTINATIONS Where is the 2018 class headed after graduation? MILITARY SENIORS Who is the military calling and which academy will they be attending? Volume 58 | Issue 5 | Severna Park High School | 60 Robinson Road | Severna Park, Maryland | SPTALON.COM TALON STAFF EDITORS IN CHIEF ALENA CARHART, MAXLEY KITTIVER INSIDE MAY JIMMY BURTON COPY EDITOR PAGE 4 - Promposals NEWS & OPINION EDITOR LOGAN WILLIAMS PAGE 6 - Prom spending FEATURES EDITORS CONNOR KILLEEN, GREER LONG PAGE 7 - Lessons from high school SPORTS EDITOR SHELBY CHASSER PAGE 8 - Lessons from the Talon ONLINE EDITOR CONNOR KILLEEN PAGE 9 - Graduation preparation PHOTO EDITOR RACHEL LOTLIKAR PAGE 10 - College advice MEDIA MANAGERS RACHAEL CRUMBAKER, COLIN DEFEO CAREY CAMERON, JULIA MYERS, MATT PAWLIKOWSKI, PAGE 11 - College advice, continued STAFF WRITERS MAURA REGISTER, CARSON WHITNEY MALLARY SELLARS, CELIA KROHN, BEAU GIEBELS, THOMAS PAGE 12 - Under the radar GUEST WRITERS DONEGAN, EMILY GEIS PAGE 13 - Where do you see yourself? ADVISER VALERIE EARHART PAGE 14 - Senior letters WHO WE ARE The Talon is the principle news publication and public fo- rum of Severna Park High School. ASSOCIATIONS The Talon is a member PAGE 15 - Senior letters, continued of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Quill & Scroll Internation- al Journalism Association. It has won Gold and Silver Medals from CSPA. PAGE 16 - Senior destinations DISTRIBUTION Staff members typically distribute 400 papers to our student body. Magazines are available to pick up in the hallways, the main office and PAGE 17 - Senior destinations, continued throughout the English department. Subscribers may pay $25 to have the pub- lication mailed to their home. OPINIONS Views expressed in The Talon do PAGE 18 - Senior destinations, continued not reflect those of the Severna Park High School administration or the Anne Arundel County Public School Board of Education. Signed columns or re- PAGE 19 - Senior destinations, continued views represent only the opinion of the author. EDITORIALS The Talon’s ed- itorials will reflect a consensus of the members of the student editorial board. PAGE 20 - Military seniors The subjects of the editorials will be determined by a discussion of the edito- rial board. The editorial board, which consists of the staff’s student editors, PAGE 22 - Dean Draughn will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. Editorial ideas may be submitted to the editorial board by all members of the staff. Editorials PAGE 23 - Jacy Kuhlman should be sent to [email protected] or dropped off in the publication lab, 245, during school hours. We will not publish any material for which there is evidence that the author is using the paper for inappropriate personal gain. ADVERTISING Any student, parent, staff member or organization will be allowed to purchase ads. Non-students, businesses or any person not currently TALKTALK TOTO USUS attending or related to an attending student may purchase ads, but the publi- cation asks that those ads be business-related ads or be used to congratulate student or school successes. No ads will be placed in any publication until sphstalon payment is made. Any business wishing to advertise in The Talon must meet district guidelines for obscene or offensive material. All copy or art will be judged by these standards. Any ad found to be in violation must be changed @thesptalon or it will not be published. The publication reserves the right to refuse any ad that is libelous, illegal, obscene, irresponsible, inappropriate or in poor taste. sptalon.com The publication also reserves the right to edit any ad before publication to ensure the standards and quality of our product. The publication may limit the number of type styles offered to ad customers and set guidelines for format and style. The publication reserves the right to edit all submitted copy or pho- tographs. BYLINES All articles, graphics, photos, art, columns, pages, reviews, Cover Photo and other material creatively conceived, with the exception of staff editorials, As their high school careers come to a close, the soon-to-be graduates are looking forward to graduation day. After four years of late nights doing homework, taking mug shots and cut-outs will be bylined with the producer’s name. All bylined AP tests and applying to colleges, it is finally time to say farewell. “I ate lunch writers will be held accountable for their work. When more than one person in the college career center every single day through December, and I spent the has contributed creatively to a piece of work, any person who has contributed whole time poring over and revising applications,” senior Matt Hall said. Graphic to the work must be bylined as a producer. by Rachel Lotlikar and Amelia Rozear Every year, the Severna Park stage company attends the Cappies Gala at the Baltimore Hippodrome. Last year, “School of Rock” received 14 nominations and won three awards including “Best Ensemble in a Musical” awarded to the “Students of Horace Green.” “It was nice meeting so many people from other schools and seeing them all come together NEWS IN BRIEF to cheer one another on when they won awards,” senior Grace Atkinson said. Photo courtesy of Myra Carhart by Greer Long | Features Editor GRADUATION REHEARSAL WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS MONTH MAY 11 Interims sent home Graduation rehearsal is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22. All seniors are required to report to the cafeteria at 2:15 MAY 12 Cappies rehearsal p.m. The actual commencement will take place at Univer- sity of Maryland, Baltimore County on Tuesday, May 29 at 10 a.m. Doors will open at 9 a.m. and all guests are to MAY 12 Prom be seated by 9:45 a.m. Each senior will receive five tickets at rehearsal, but students may inquire through their class- MAY 17 SP Cares tech rehearsal mates for extra tickets if needed. The graduates will wear navy blue academic gowns and mortarboards for men and MAY 18 SP Cares gold for women, respectively. MAY 20 Cappies Gala CAPPIES GALA MAY 22 Graduation rehearsal The annual Cappies Gala will take place on May 20 at the Baltimore Hippodrome. It gives schools the chance MAY 23 Thespian induction to compete for awards such as "Best Orchestra" and "Best Ensemble," along with individual awards including "Best Last day for graduating seniors Female Actress in a Musical." “The gala is a celebration MAY 24 of full-length high school productions that occurred throughout the year. In the Baltimore chapter, all schools MAY 25 & 26 Varsity track & field state championship have the opportunity to perform in a professional space, which is the Baltimore Hippodrome” Cappies Chair, An- MAY 28 Memorial Day: all schools closed drew Parr said. MAY 29 SPHS graduation FEATURES PERFECTPERFECT PROMPOSALSPROMPOSALS Seniors are asking their dates to prom in flamboyant ways. by Carson Whitney | Staff Writer In preparation for prom, se- niors will attempt to find a date through promposals. These are typically funny puns about what their date likes, balloons and streamers, or even just a sign to Junior Matthew Bateman asked senior Ella Collings to Senior Connor Becker surprised senior Kelly Kazmarek by ask in a creative way. prom during Rock and Roll. Members of the cast had writing PROM in lights outside her home, he even had her One of the most popular PROM written on their chests. Photo courtesy of Ella favorite song playing in the background. Photo courtesy promposal is getting dates with Collings of Connor Becker their favorite food and making up a creative pun about it. Whether the promposal is flashy and requires month of prepa- ration, or is just a random idea, se- niors are excited for the opportunity to finally ask their dates, and, most- ly importantly, go to prom and par- ty with their high school friends one last time. Senior Bobby Ruppert and Maddie Lenhart are very close Senior Jessica Giblin and senior Timmy Lentz are excited friends. Ruppert asked Lenhart after school with a car to be able to go together, as bocce inspire their great themed pun. “I can’t wait for a great night,” Lenhart said. friendship, Giblin asked Lentz during a bocce match. Photo Photo courtesy of Maddie Lenhart courtesy of Jessica Giblin Senior Andrew Kilenstein and junior Emme Ray have a strong relationship and they became closer during this school year. Kilenstein asked Ray with a picture collage in her room. “I was surprised to come home to this from school. I can’t wait to have a fun night with Andrew,” Ray Junior Cam Caouette and senior Selah Tatem’s friendship is Senior Joseph Johns and junior Maria Still are two years said. Photo courtesy of Emma Ray very well-known. Caouette asked Tatem in his house after into a relationship. Johns asked Still to prom by ringing school. Photo courtesy of Cam Caouette. on her doorbell. “I rang the doorbell, and I had my friends line up,” Johns said. Photo courtesy of Joseph Johns 4 MAY OPINION BREAKBREAK THETHE BANKBANK OROR Seniors tally up their receipts for their big night. BANGBANG FORFOR YOURYOUR BUCK?BUCK? by Julia Myers | Staff Writer difficulties may arise. Plus, seniors are looking to save for Senior Week and summer vacation to try to make their time before heading to college the best that it can be. Maeve Register spent $475 on her dress, plus an estimated $200 on alterations at Synchronicity. This cost, plus the cost of a limo, roughly $1200, leaves Register with an ex- pensive senior prom. “I fell in love with my dress the moment I tried it on, and even though the cost wasn’t ideal, there wasn’t anything else I could picture myself wearing,” she said.