December 2009 - Brooke Point High School

The
Hawkeye
Brooke Point High School • Stafford, VA • Volume XVI • Issue 3 • December 16, 2009
Amy Wall Named Teacher of the Year
News »
By Joanna Newcome
CTE teacher Amy Wall is known
for being the face of many games
at Brooke Point High School.
Along with being SCA advisor,
Wall coaches JV field hockey and
varsity girl’s basketball. This
Washington, DC, resident juggles a varieties of responsibilities
but when asked why she takes
on all of the extra work plus the
lengthy commute to and from
Brooke Point every day as well
on some weekends, her response
is simple, “I’m a Black Hawk.”
Wall was recently named Brooke
Point High School Teacher of the
Year. The announcement was made
at the November faculty meeting.
Wall is currently in her seventh year teaching in the CTE
program at Brooke Point. She
did not always picture herself in
the technology department, however. Always talented at math,
Wall hoped to become a math
teacher but after discovering how
monotonous her college courses
were becoming, she decided math
wasn’t for her. A friend noticed
her talent at fixing broken fur-
As the decade draws to a
close this New Year’s, the
Hawkeye thought it would
be appropriate to compile
a list of the most significant
news events of the last ten
years. Read about it on
page 2.
Sports »
Read about Bridget McGlade, the sophomore
cross country runner in
this issue’s Athlete of
The Month on page 3.
Student Life »
.Amy Wall helps student Kyle Thompson with a project in Manufacturing Class
niture accumulated through the
semesters and encouraged her to
take interest in a CTE major. The
program matched her perfectly.
“I was raised by a single mother who always knew how to do
everything and wanted me to
know, too,” said Wall. “In college I was always the one fixing
everything, even for the guys!”
Through the diverse number of
Staff Person Of The Year:
Janice Hummer
How much do you really
know about the enigmatic ‘A-team’? Read all
about the academic team
and what it really does
on page 4.
Entertainment »
Aidan Stewart brings you
te weirdest in music and
instruments in a second
installment of his ‘Weird
Instruments’. Read the
article on page 5.
Exam Exemption Criteria
Changed
By Ciara Berg
By Joanna Newcome
Out of the 200 staff employed
at Brooke Point High School,
one has gained the distinctive
respect and recognition from
her colleagues and students.
Janice Hummer was named
Brooke Point Staff Person of the
year at a recent faculty meeting.
Administrative Assistant to James
Ralph, Hummer is known for her
positive, often “benevolent” attitude
by students like junior Stevie Hudson. To Ralph, she’s more than a
pleasant colleague. She’s a lifesaver.
“She absolutely keeps this office in order,” said Ralph.
“If
it weren’t for her, they would
have fired me a long time ago.”
Hummer, who is in her fourth year
at Brooke Point, is responsible for
the management of all the textbooks
in the building. Brooke Point was
the first to install the organizational
textbook program which has saved
the School System thousands of dollars and set the precedent for other
schools within the county. Hummer
also gets the opportunity to assist
with the annual academic awards.
“It’s rewarding to see how hard kids
leadership positions she holds,
Wall gets is exposed to different populations of the student
body. Her CTE classes allow
her to teacher primarily young
men and through coaching she
is able to mentor many female
athletes. Wall sees her coaching
responsibilities as another opportunity to teach not just how
to make a good pass or throw a
three pointer but lessons for life.
“For me it’s more about teaching
them how to be respectful young
women. Teaching them to play
a sport is secondary,” she said.
Homecoming and prom are two
of the most exciting weeks of the
year for the student body. Without hours upon hours of work
from SCA officers, class sponsors
and Wall the events would be impossible to pull off. Wall makes
it her mission to extend the vision
of the students and boost the morale of the school. “It’s important
to me that students are proud of
the school they attend,” she said.
“I want to help give them a voice.”
Wall’s impact on Brooke Point
is not just noticed by her colleagues but by her students as
well. “She’s one of those coaches
that you can be serious with but
at the same time still have a lot
of fun. I will never forget our season with her!” said junior field
hockey player Carmen Yourko.
Wall will now advance
in the running for Stafford
County Teacher of the Year.
The Stafford County School Board
has reached a consensus on the new
exam exemption policy. Effective immediately Stafford County Public
Schools have to abide by the new policy for semester and final exams. Students may earn exemption from final
exams if their performance reflects the
following criteria:
A.The student maintained an “A” average in a specific course for the entire
school year and has not been suspendMrs. Hummer keeps textbook numbers straight ed; or
B. The student in grades 9-11 who has
work to keep their GPAs up,” she said.
been absent from class two or less days,
Along with the positives of her pohas not been suspended, and has a “B”
sition Hummer also has to deal with
average; or
the task of discipline, one that she
admits she doesn’t enjoy. “Discipline C. The student in grade 12, who has
isn’t fun, but kids make mistakes.” been absent from class three or less
Despite the downfalls of the job, days, has not been suspended, and has
Hummer never loses sight of the maintained a “B” average; or
most rewarding part of her posi- D. The student in a course with an SOL
tion, the students. On any given test passes the test.
Students who have earned an exempday Hummer has students just
stop by to just talk and crack a tion in a course have the opportunity to
few laughs. Her positive demean- take the exams to improve their final
or turns the intimidating scenery grades with out risk. Principals have
of a principal’s office into a space the discretion to make exceptions to
that is truly about the students. the exam exemption guidelines based
on extenuating circumstances related
to attendance, grades and student behavior.
Middle school students taking high
school courses for credit will be entitled to exemption options (a) or (b).
Students who are enrolled in collegelevel courses will be required to take
final exams if required to earn college
credit.
Students Raise Invisible Children Awareness
Feature»
By Brittany Webster
Grab your hairnet and
take a tour of the school
cafeteria with Genevieve
Bee on page 6 as she
explains how the cafeteria runs.
Opinion»
.Tis the season to be politically correct? Read Shannon Boyle’s article about
keeping Christmas in the
Holidays on page 7.
Cafeteria
Countdown:
Civil war has raged in the African
country of Uganda for the past 23
years. The government of Uganda
has tried to end this war but has failed.
The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA),
a sectarian guerilla group, has been
kidnapping and killing millions of
children. The kidnapped children are
forced to fight as soldiers and help kidnap other younger children. According
to invisiblechildren.com, “It is estimated that more than 90 percent of the
LRA’s troops were abducted children.”
Mountain View’s Learn and Serve
teacher Nick Martino and his Learn
and Serve class visited Brooke Point
Wednesday November 18, 2009. They
came to educate students and staff on
the Invisible Children project in Uganda. Ninety-Five percent of the Invisible
Children staff in Uganda is Ugandan.
They focus on long term development,
such as rebuilding schools ruined by
wars, teacher support and much more.
In one situation a young boy was
kidnapped from his own village and
forced to kill his parents, so that he
wouldn’t have any emotional con-
tact with them while he was growing
up. This and many other stories have
been documented by three young filmmakers from California who went to
Africa looking for an adventure and
found they had a story instead. What
started as a fun trip transformed into
witnessing many grueling sights, from
seeing young children carrying weapons to hearing gruesome stories from
runaways themselves. Once back
home they produced “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” a documentary to
raise awareness about this tragedy.
Brooke Point’s Learn and Serve class
will be showing the video to all grade
level classes on Friday January 22, 2009.
That same day and for the remainder
of the next week, Learn and Serve will
be selling black and white bracelets for
one dollar at all lunches. The bracelet
symbolizes the support and awareness
for all children. All of the proceeds will
be donated to a school Learn and Serve
is adopting in Uganda. This will give
them money to buy books and help
the kids further their education. There
are many different things to help out
this non profit organization. Visit their
website at www.inivisblechildren.com.
http://www.dubaifilmfest.com
800-900 plastic trays used every day
875 servings of taco
1300 served lunches every day
280 servings of potatoes every
Monday
bar every Tuesday
260 breakfasts served a day
News 2
NEWSyears
December 16, 2009
This New Year’s it will have been ten years since we first stepped, wide-eyed and expectant, into the second millennium of the Common Era. Since then the United States has had two Presidents, fought a war, faced an economic meltdown and lost a planet. But
this New Year’s, as we watch the ‘00s become the new ‘90s, we are given an opportunity to reflect on past events and look toward the
future. The following is a recap of the major news headlines of the 00’s:
By Devin Kolb
2000
This New Year’s it will have been ten years since we first stepped, wide-eyed and expectant, into
the second millennium of the Common Era. Since then the United States has had two Presidents, fought a war, faced an economic meltdown and lost a planet. But this New Year’s, as we
watch the ‘00s become the new ‘90s, we are given an opportunity to reflect on past events and
look toward the future. The following is a recap of the major news headlines of the 00’s:
2002
2004
2006
Despite predictions of computers
shutting down all over the globe
upon entering the new millennium, nothing cataclysmic happens
on New Year’s Day.
U.N calls for Iraq to disarm or
face international retribution.
Power is handed to interim Iraqi
government in Iraq.
Saddam Hussein is sentenced to
death and is hanged in Bagdad.
U.S Arms inspectors begin to inspect Iraqi weapons.
Summer Olympics are hosted in
Athens, Greece.
Italy defeats France in a penalty
shootout in the FIFA World Cup.
George W. Bush is elected 43rd
President of the United States of
America after winning a narrow
victory over Democrat Al Gore.
Violence between Israel and Palestine escalates as suicide bombings increase.
Massive Tsunami kills 200,000 in
Thailand.
Steve Irwin is killed by stingray
off the coast of Port Douglas, Australia.
Scientists reveal a map of the entire human genome.
2001
On September 11th of this year,
two airliners crash into the World
Trade Centers in Lower Manhattan, another crashes into the Pentagon and a fourth crashes in a
field southwest of Pittsburgh. It is
quickly discovered that the disaster is an act of terrorism.
Osama Bin Laden is named the
prime suspect behind the 9-11 attacks and Afghanistan is invaded
by an international coalition led
by the United States.
Israel names Palestine a “terrorist supporting entity” and severs
all diplomatic ties with its leader,
Yasir Arafat.
Club News
By Molly McNulty
Civil war ends in Sri Lanka
Brazil defeats Germany 2-0 in
FIFA World Cup.
2003
Massachusetts legalizes same sex
marriage becoming the first state
to do so.
2005
Bush declares in his State of the
Union address that he is ready to
invade Iraq, with or without the
support of the United Nations.
Tony Blair is elected to third term
as British Prime Minister.
Bush invades Iraq.
Angela Merkel is elected first female German Chancellor.
Palestinian militant groups agree
to ceasefire, but suicide bombings
continue in Jerusalem.
Bush administration agrees to
transfer power to Iraqi government in 2004.
Saddam Hussein is captured by
U.S forces.
Pope John Paul II dies
Iraqis vote to ratify a new constitution.
Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf
Coast killing thousands and leaving thousands more stranded.
Full recovery is still not completed today.
Pluto is reclassified as a dwarf
planet.
2007
Russian President Vladimir Putin
suspends cold war treaty limiting
heavy weapon deployment.
Gordon Brown replaces Tony
Blair as British Prime Minister.
Democrats take control of both
houses of congress in U.S.
Three year study by the Panel on
Climate Change concludes that
shift in global temperatures is
likely due to human activity and
can be fixed with quick action.
American author Kurt Vonnegut
dies.
2008
In the historic election, Democrat
Barack Obama is elected 44th
President of the United States.
U.S swimmer Michael Phelps
wins 14 gold medals in Beijing;
the most any Olympian has ever
won.
Heath Ledger dies and is posthumously awarded a Golden Globe
and an Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actor for his role as
The Joker in ‘The Dark Knight.’
2009
Barack Obama is inaugurated, effectively making him the first African American President of the
United States of America.
Obama enjoys historically high
approval ratings: 68% upon taking office, 63% after first 100 days
in office and 49% near the end of
the year after approval ratings
drop over the polarizing Health
Care Reform bill.
Michael Jackson dies at rented
mansion in Los Angeles.
Congress passes controversial
stimulus package, economy creeps
towards stability and GDP experiences 2.3% in growth, but unemployment rates continue to rise.
Career Night Proves to be a Success
By Joanna Newcome
Latin Club
The Latin Club will observe
the Roman winter holiday,
Saturanalia. They will play
games, eat cake and “feast”
just as the Romans did. The
members will also be bringing canned food items to donate to the canned food drive.
French Club
The French Club will honor
the French holiday Noel.
They will eat the traditional
log cake while singing many
traditional holiday songs and
viewing French animated videos that feature Noel songs.
German Club
The German Club will observe the German holiday
Weihnacten which is similar
to the Christmas holiday.
They will play games and eat
traditional German holiday
food such as hot chocolate,
spiced cookies and the treats
from their homemade Advent calendars. Many of our
Christmas traditions follow
those of Weihnacten like the
advent wreath, advent calendar and many holiday treats.
Spanish Club
The Spanish Club will celebrate the Spanish holiday
Feliz Navidad by listening
to Spanish holiday music
and observing the traditions that are marked in
the Spanish holiday culture.
Senior Barry Lucero entered
Stafford County Career Night
with big dreams for his future, but an unclear path of
how he would carry them out.
“I want to join something that
is larger than myself,” said Lucero. “I want a job that will have
a big influence on the world.”
Lucero was one of the over 200
students in grades 7-12 encouraged to pursue their passions
during the November 19 event.
Over 50 local professionals from
sectors including nursing, culinary arts and cosmetology spoke
in 45 minute sessions. Students
chose three classes based on their
interests. In addition to career
information, students were able
to visit booths from the school
system’s Career and Technical
Education departments. Brooke
Point’s health assistant program
Barbie
sports
the
Burqa
Joanna Newcome
News Editor
Mattel’s Barbie has gone
through many makeovers
over the years. Her most recent transition to “Burqa Barbie” is turning heads and raising questions. Burqa Barbie is
equipped with the complete
head to toe garb including a
mesh covering over the eyes.
The doll is a part of an international collection set to
be auctioned off in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Barbie brand. It’s a common western misbelief that full covering of a
woman is a specific demand of
Islam. In fact, the Quran never specifically mentions the
Brooke Point health assistants Morgan Webb, Melissa Haslam and Yvonne Eber
provide information to prospective students and parents.
provided information for prospective middle school students.
“It [Career Night] gives students the chance to see what
we do in this career,” said senior health assistant Morgan
Webb. “Unless you take this
class, you never get the chance
to shadow nurses and doctors.”
Gl
requirement of women to be
covered from head to toe. It
simply instructs women and
men to “lower their gaze and
guard their modesty.” This
is interpreted by differently
by the various populations of
Muslim women worldwide.
Unfortunately, the Taliban
in Aghanistan tainted the
name of the Burqa by making
it the law for women to wear
one. It soon became a symbol
of oppression for millions of
women who watched the regime beat Afghani women by
the ankles, take away their
right to health care and restrict them from attending
school.
After the fall of the
regime in 2001, many women
emerged from their homes
and returned to work and
school. Many revealed their
faces and chose to wear a hijab or headscarf instead of
the concealing burqa.
For
once they had a voice in
making their own choices.
Here’s where the market-
Career Night has been held
at Brooke Point for two consecutive years.
With positive
response from the community,
the program continues to reach
out to all of Stafford County.
“This evening [Career Night]
provides a necessary spark to ignite the students’ curiosity about
be
ing factor comes into question
with Burqa Barbie. To whom
are they trying to appeal?
Barbie is primarily sold in
the western market. In fact,
the revealing dressed doll is
banned in Saudi Arabia and
other Arab countries for its
threat to morality. But modern western Muslims aren’t
usually flaunting the latest
burqa of the season. Many
Brooke Point Muslim students
wear regular, fashionable
clothing and some even choose
not to wear a head covering.
careers,” said Dr. Marialena
Bridges, Director of Counseling.
One of the more popular sessions of the night was conducted
by Yori Escalante on the armed
services and state department.
Escalante gave insight on jobs performed behind the scenes of government including humanitarian
aide and weapon displacement.
“I definitely got a lot out of
the government [sessions]. It’s
given me more focus in what
I want to do,” Lucero said.
With success stories like Lucero’s, Career Night has become
a major resource for Stafford
County Public Schools. Meghann
Cotter, Executive Servant Leader
of Micah Ecumenical Ministries,
summed up the main lesson of the
event in her presentation. “Where
your passion belongs intersects
with the world’s greatest need.”
Ignorance and fear have
caused the western world
to misunderstand Islam. Extremism and terrorist regimes are not a part of this
peaceful
religion.
Mattel
could take a step to inform
America and the world on
Muslim culture, but instead
is focusing on the surface of
this topic. Burqa Barbie fails
to show the choices and opportunities Muslim women
possess. It does little to represent the modern Muslim girl.
Photo by Babble Blogs
Sports 3
December 16, 2009
Running to Success: Senior Katherine Walker Climbs to the Top
By Yvonne Eber
Strolling through the halls of
Brooke Point calculus books in
hand and bows in her hair, Senior
Katherine Walker looks the picture of peaceful, intellectual congeniality. Little do most people
know that she spends her time
running up mountains splashing
through rivers, and battling for
state titles in mud soaked fields.
Walker started running during
the spring of her freshman year.
Although she made varsity all
three years however, she truly realized her potential indoor season
her junior year. “ My biggest turning point in my career would have
been junior indoor season when
I missed the state qualifications
in both my events by one seed.”
After that race, Walker worked
harder than ever. “After regions
indoor I can remember sitting
in the hallway with my mom incredibly upset. She gave me a
choice: to continue down this
road , missing state by one seed
or I could work harder than ever
and accomplish my goals, So I
did.” Walker started by adding
time to her distance runs, then
gradually increased them by up
to five miles on the weekends.
Walker’s work truly started to
shine her junior outdoor track season. She finally broke twelve minutes in the two mile and ended up
exceeding her goal and running a
11:23.82 at the outdoor regional
race. After the state race Walker,
instead of taking her summer as a
break like most kids her age, increased her workouts and turned
her entire focus to running. In
order to beat the heat, Walker
would wake up at 6:30 a.m. at the
latest, rain or shine and run typically between 8 to 10 miles every
day totaling in 55 miles a week.
Her running became a family effort, training with her
brothers, and parents. “ I’d
run with my older brother and
my younger brother, My dad
would follow me by bike and my
mom would follow me by car.”
Walker’s work paid off as she
ran across the finish line placing first in this years regional
race and two weeks later second
in the state as state runner up.
Last season Walker placed 23rd
in the region with a time of 20:15.
In just one year Walker dropped
over two minutes off her time.
Walker verbally committed to
UVA in early November and will
be signing with the running team
on February third. She received a
full scholarship for her running
career with the school and plans
on majoring in systems engineering. “The University of Virginia is
my dream come true for a college
education. I love the school and
what makes it even more lovable
is being able to run there as well.
The UVA coaching staff and team
are a wonderful group of people
and I look forward to being part
of the Cavalier running family.”
2009 Black-Hawk Football Season Cool-Down
Compiled by Krystin Marshall
The Brooke Point Varsity football team finished with a 7-5 record for the 2009 season.
The Black-Hawks defeated William Flemming High School to claim their first Regional Quarter-final game victory since 1996.
The team put forth a valiant effort against
Massaponax High School in the Northwest Region, Division 5 championship, but
fell short when Massaponax scored a last
minute touchdown in overtime. Congratulations, Black-Hawks on a great season!
“We had a few ups and downs, but I was
really proud of how the team responded. We grew up a lot. This was on of my
proudest moments coaching-wise.”
- Varisty Football Coach Jeff Berry
Bridget McGlades On the Track
By Brittany Webster
Blonde hair flying and feet sprinting, the face
of Bridget McGlade is a common sight on Brooke
Point’s track. A year-round runner, she is the
fourth in the lineup of the McGlade family athletes. Meet this funky, spontaneous runner.
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Q
What’s the best part of running?
Going on long runs with the girls’
team
Greatest moment so far?
I got to run Varsity for Districts.
Why do you run?
I enjoy the team aspect and how we’re like a
family.
If you could have any special talent, what
would it be?
A
Compiled by Yvonne Eber
I would want to be a motocross stunter because
they’re crazy, not afraid and go with the flow.
Q
A
What’s one thing you have overcome in high school?
To relax a bit more and to be
more open and meet new people
Q
A
One interesting fact no one
knows about you?
Q
A
What’s your favorite football
team?
Q
A
How do you describe yourself
in three words?
That my number one fear is
being kidnapped by a man
named Otis
When I’m with other people
and they say they love that
team, I’d say “did you see
their last game?” and act like
I loved that team, too!
Spunky, Spontaneous, Smiley
Weird Sports Trivia
•The Longest undefeated streak in football history was
held by Washington University was from 1907 to 1917,
with a record of 59 wins and 4 times.
•The record for the fastest 5k ever run by a women was
set in Oslo, Norway on on June 15, 2007. Meseret Defar of
Ethiopia had a winning time of 14:16.63
•In Golf lingo, Barkies means to win a bet for making a par
after hitting a tree.
•Toe wrestling is an actual sport. The national championships are held in Derbyshire, England each year.
• After climbing the flagpole at the Emperor’s Palace in Tokyo, Japan in order to steal the flag as a souvenir, Australian swimmer
Dawn Frasier was banned from the city for ten years. The ban was
later reduced to only four years.
Student Life 4
We
Are BP
Each individual in this school
makes up the student body. We
are all equal, but unique. We
are teenagers full of passion
and goals. These passions that
drive us are plagued by stereotypes that keep our minds and
other minds closed to possibility.
The Hawkeye presents a column
giving the students of Brooke
Point a challenge. Anonymous
students will write, without
judgment, about their passions
or lifestyles. In doing so they will
become free to speak their minds
and have a chance to break the
stereotype. The challenge? To
listen with an open mind. Individuals are the student body, but
together we are Brooke Point.
How come anyone who fishes or
hunts is always a redneck? I’ve
spent some time in the woods
chasing both whitetails and small
game and that changes people’s
perception of me and people like
me. Everyone assumes hunters are cretin hill folk who chew
tobacco and listen to Alan Jackson. Sure there are people who
fit the profile, but those who
don’t are still looked down upon.
When I’m introduced to someone by my friends it’s always:
“This is my friend, the redneck.”
They might as well be saying,
“Yeah, he’s the stupid one.”
Hunting and fishing have become a rarity in current generations. But the truth is hunters are
the only ones preventing the overpopulation of wildlife. The belittlement of a dying sport only adds
insult to injury. Hunters are still
seen as uneducated savages. The
sport will taper off to a minimal
but probably never go away in a
predator-less state such as Virginia lest we have a problem such as
New Jersey. The state cancelled
bear hunting. Bear sightings, attacks and destruction of property
have increased. But I digress.
I myself have a B+ average in
all advanced classes and a reading level above most in my class.
I have no trouble reading works
such as Paradise Lost By George
Milton or Heart of Darkness by
Joseph Conrad. I enjoy reading
of man’s follies, accomplishments and how accepted interactions with other peoples have
or haven’t changed over the
years. I am critical. I am cynical.
But above all, I am intelligent.
Bottom line: Those who continue
to hunt are not the uneducated
woodsmen we are thought to be.
Signed,
The Hunter
December 16, 2009
Deployed for the Holidays
By Joanna Newcome
Guest Columnist
Ryan Artze
Patrick, Jay, Erika and Julie Bienline last year before Jay’s deployment.
Every year sophomore Erika
Bienlien’s father, Lt. Colonel Jay
Bienlien, carves the Thanksgiving
turkey for his family. This year
however, his son Patrick served in
his place. The change of scenery
was different for the family of four.
The normally smoothly sliced bird
was replaced with a novice attempt at Thanksgiving butchery.
“It turned out really bad. He [Patrick] had no idea what he was doing!”
said sophomore Erika Bienlien.
But more evident than the less
than glamorous main dish on the
table was the empty chair at it. Lt.
Col. Bienlien is currently serving
his first tour of duty in Iraq with
the US Army. He deployed for a
year long tour on February 7, 2009.
Since deployment he has returned
for a two week period of rest and
relaxation, but is not set to return
home until February 14, 2010.
The Bienlien siblings and their
mother Julie get to talk to their father and husband weekly through
e-mail and are able to send care
packages often. They send gifts
months in advance to ensure their
arrival in Iraq in time for important days like Christmas. Even
though Erika has open lines of
communication with her father,
she finds it hard to explain what
everyday life is like without him,
especially on big family gatherings
like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Like all military family members,
Erika always has the unthinkable
on her mind. “There’s always that
chance that they won’t come back.”
War, now waging in the Middle
East for eight years, is no stranger to the Stafford County community. Hundreds of families have
gone holiday season after holiday
season with an absent soldier,
sailor, marine, or airman. With
President Barak Obama’s recent
announcement of a troop surge in
Afghanistan set to begin by Christmas, that harsh reality seems
unlikely to change anytime soon.
Families of armed service members realize the true meaning of
the holiday season. They treasure the value of family and time,
not just on December 25th, but
everyday of the year. A phone
call home replaces iPhones in
their letters to Santa. E-mails
are more valuable than the Black
Friday sales at Target. Every
moment together becomes a reason for celebration. Thankfulness takes on a new meaning for
families like the Bienliens. As
Erika puts it, “You take things
for granted till they aren’t there.”
1 ¼ cups of lukewarm water
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons shortening
4 ¼ cups of flour
1/3 cup dry milk
1 ½ teaspoon salt
District
schools:
Albemarle,
Brooke Point, Colonial Forge, Riverbend, Massaponax, Mountain
View, North Stafford, and South
Stafford. Each meet has two
matches which are just as nerveracking as any football game. The
questions can be on any subject
including literature, calculus, or
even World of Warcraft. A round
consists of four players who listen
carefully to each question being
asked and can buzz in at any time
if they think they know the answer to it; it’s a lot like Jeopardy.
Unfortunately the cutoff date
has already passed but if you
think you know at least one
of these questions than you
should definitely join next year.
Just don’t say “What is” before
you give your answer because
we will make fun of you for it.
Test Your Knowledge!
1.This war broke out in part due to reaction against the actions of
General Weyler. Pulitzer and Hearst’s yellow journalism is often
credited with bringing one side into this war. Ended by the Treaty
of Paris, this war included Admiral George Dewey’s victory at Manila Bay. This conflict was sparked in part by the sinking of the USS
Maine in Havana Harbor. Name this war which led to the transfer
of control of the Guam, which also included the exploits of the Rough
Riders at the Battle of San Juan Hill.
2.Whose namesake cage is a device that uses the property of static
electricity that the charge resides only on the exterior of a charged
conductor?
3.Which man, once the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has suffered falling approval ratings as the leader of the Labour Party and the Prime
Minister of Great Britain?
*Questions courtesy of the Virginia High School League
Hold the paper up to a
mirror to reveal the answers!
raW naciremA hsinapS ehT .1
yadaraF leahciM .2
nworB nodroG .3
By Krysten Marshall
The Brooke Point Learn &
Serve classes hosted its annual
Hawk-N-Lotta Turkey food drive
for the Fredericksburg Area Food
Bank on November 17, 2009. Altogether, the group raised 1,500
pounds of turkey, surpassing
the collections of previous years.
Thanks to the generous donations of the Brooke Point students
and staff, families throughout
the Stafford and Fredericksburg
area were able to enjoy a hearty
meal this Thanksgiving season.
Philanthropic Holiday Gifts
By Genevieve Bee
If you’re like the rest of America, and you probably are, you really like Christmas. If you don’t, you probably enjoy some other holiday in December that involves the giving and receiving of gifts. If
you are like me, there is one part of your holiday of choice that you
don’t enjoy. I have a terrible time picking out gifts. I have spend
hours surfing Amazon.com and wandering around Target, looking
for a bright star or some other sign marking the location of the perfect gift. That has not yet happened, and so my father has gotten a
new tie to add to his collection every year. This year, everything is
going to be different. I am going to take gift giving to a whole new
level. I am going to give the gift of giving. You, too, can give philanthropy this holiday season, just take a look at the buying guide below.
Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, stir the water and sugar until the sugar has
mostly dissolved.
2. Stir in the yeast, then drop
in the shortening (I usually use
Crisco, but you can use another
brand or even butter).
3.In a separate bowl, mix the
flour, dry milk, and salt.
This recipe comes straight from
the BPHS cafeteria. Originally,
the recipe made 150 rolls, so
with the help of an online cooking conversion calculator I cut
it down to 12 servings.
My greatest experiences in high
school have been on the Brooke
Point Academic Team. We have
traveled across the state defeating team after team but still, nobody knows who we are or what
we do. Allow me enlighten to you.
The Academic Team, or A Team,
is a group of kids whose job is to
know every abstract fact imaginable. We meet every Tuesday
in room 323 and hone our skills
by answering past questions or
just take it easy and play Trivial Pursuit all day. Our coach is
the unforgettable Mr. Walters
and we’re lead by two more than
capable captains: seniors Zeke
Gonzalez and me, Ryan Artze.
We compete in one of the most
arduous competitions known
to man, The Scholastic Bowl.
The Scholastic Bowl lasts for
three months and consists of seven
meets plus a District tournament
between the eight Commonwealth
Black-Hawks Lend a Hand to Fight Hunger
Cuisine avec Genevieve
Genevieve Bee
Staff Writer
Better
than
Football
For this next part, use an electric mixer with a bread hook if
you have one. If not, you can
mix in the ingredients by hand,
but I would recommend having
a friend take turns mixing with
you if you do. Your arm will get
really tired after a while.
4. Turn your mixer on, and start
adding the dry ingredients into
the wet ingredients a
¼ cup
at a time.
5. Hopefully, the mixer will do its
job and you will have a big lump
of dough in the middle of the
bowl and just a few floury crumbs
around it.
6. Dust your countertops with
flour, then take the lump of
dough and crumbs and start
kneading; approximately 50
times.
7. After you have kneaded the
dough, put it back in the bowl,
cover the bowl with a damp cloth,
and let your dough rise in a
warm place for about 30 minutes.
8. When your dough has risen,
take it out and knead it about 10
more times. This will give your
rolls a smoother texture.
9. Cut up the dough into 12
pieces, and then knead these
individual pieces into round roll
shapes.
10. Put them on a baking sheet,
cover them and let them rise
again until they have doubled in
size.
11. Spray the tops with cooking
spray, then bake at 325 degrees for 12-17 minutes or until
the tops of the rolls are golden
brown.
Learn & Serve students collect turkeys for the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank.
For Moms:
For Dads:
Hand Carved Salad Server and
Apron set
This product supports two charities: The Rwandan Virunga Artisan Cooperative, a community
of refugees who’ve devoted their
livelihood to gorilla conservation
programs and the Bombolu Workshop in Kenya where adults disabled by violence sell handmade
crafts to support their community.
$38; womenspeacecollection.com.
Orvis
For every shirt sold, this outdoor
outfitter makes a donation to the
Malpai Borderlands Group, a
group dedicated to conservation
along the New Mexico- Arizona
Border.
$79; orvis.com.
For Kids:
TOMS Shoes
For every pair of shoe sold, TOMS
Shoes donates a pair to a previously unshod child.
From $34; tomsshoes.com.
For Boyfriends:
Livestrong
Nike and the Armstrong Foundation have been raising money to
fight against cancer since 2004.
Even if your significant other has
no appreciation for philanthropy,
this sweatshirt is still made by
NIKE, so he’s sure to love it.
For Girlfriends:
UNICEF
All of the proceeds from this leopard print bangle go to support
children in inadequate living conditions.
$10; www.unicefusa.org.
$40; nike.com.
Entertainment 5
December 16, 2009
Weird Musical Instruments Part 2
Aidan’s Elitist
Music Reviews
By Aidan Stewart
Nyckelharpa
www.commons.wikimedia.org
Hurdy Gurdy
The hurdy gurdy is a string
instrument that originated in
western Europe prior to the 11th
century A.D. It operates by cranking a rosined wheel that operates
similar to a violin bow: rubbing
against the strings to create a
tone. The hurdy gurdy also features a set of keys (usually 24)
that let the musicians play scales
and tunes. The sound of the
hurdy gurdy is strangely similar
to a bagpipe. It can be found in
the traditional music of Scandinavia, France, and many other
European countries. In today’s
music, artists such as The Decemberists, Led Zeppelin, Loreena
McKennitt, and the Swedish folk
group, Hurdy-Gurdy incorporate
the instrument into their music.
Sea Organ
The Nyckelharpa, which is
Swedish for key harp, is a variation of the violin. It features keys
to change the pitch of the strings
instead of using a finger on the
instrument’s neck. The nyckleharpa dates back to the 14th century where it can be found in images from Sweden, Germany and
Italy. It sounds almost exactly
like the violin except for the distinct clicking sound of the keys
changing. The instrument has not
been used in any of today’s popular music. It is used almost exclusively in Scandinavian folk music.
Chapman Stick
The Chapman stick is a stringed
instrument invented by Emmett
Chapman in 1969. It resembles
the neck of an electric guitar but
features anywhere from 8 to 12
strings. The Chapman stick is
played using the two handed tapping technique of parallel hands.
It can be found in many styles
of contemporary music, usually
in jazz and progressive rock Notable artists include Kind Crimson, Dream Theater, Blue Man
Group, The Weather Report,
and The Dave Matthews Band.
www.mmonla.wordpress.com
www.mamut.net
The sea organ is an architectural object and experimental instrument located on the coast of Zadar, Croatia. It is played by ocean
waves rushing into tubes under
a set of marble steps and playing
random notes through whistles on
the top step. Its eerie, harmonic
tones make this “instrument” a
highly visited tourist attraction.
www.cavesofice.org
Black-Hawks Take Center Stage
David Hall: Rocker
“Poverty becomes a word
even children can define. Recess recession they all sing, recess recesion they all scream…”
Senior David Hall sings in
regards to the world today in
his original song, “The Working
Poor.” This singer-songwriter
graces the ears of anyone who will
listen with meaningful words,
catchy melodies, and altogether a
phenomenal musical experience.
Hall began writing about three
years ago with the intent to simply get the words he wants to say
off his chest. “Whenever I need to
I write. It’s my brain and audio
playback” he says. “I’ve always
liked poetry; it’s just good for me. I
try to have a good poetic flow in the
way I write. I try to have the words
mesh with the melodies to the
point where people enjoy them.”
From playing at cafés to big
venues, campfires to park benches,
Hall enjoys playing everywhere. “I
just love playing for people. Espe-
cially when people know your music
you can just feed off their energy.
You can see the impact your words
make on people. It’s a good feeling.”
The lyrics, the music, the ideas;
where does Hall get his inspiration for all these elements? “I don’t
write anything that hasn’t happened to me or that I’ve watched
happened. If I have a line that
says something that hasn’t happened to me I’ll wait a month
and it seems to happen to me.”
By writing about life experiences,
every song Hall plays is heartfelt
and meaningful. Such an example
would be his original, Orchestrated. “Orchestrated is definitely
one of my best songs to play around
people. It’s easy to relate to. It’s
kind of an anthem of our age.”
With about ten songs finished
and written, Hall plans to record
a self titled EP sometime within
the next few months. Halls music
can be found on myspace/davidhallmusic and on purevolume.
Jenny Hajduk: Acoustician
“It’s hard to be satisfied.” Senior
Jenny Hajduk says, generalizing
her songwriting. With a whole
book of unfinished songs Hajduk
has written that statement is not
surprising. These songs may be a
single sentence, or a full page of
words, but they all mean something to Hajduk, as she holds on to
them until they take their shape.
“I’ve written three complete
songs.” Hajduk says. “I’m really
proud of two of them called, ‘Moving on’, and ‘Rush’. They mean a
lot about certain things to me.”
Hajduk is a regular at local coffee
shop, Bella café and has been playing there for almost a year. “I’m
most comfortable playing at Bella.
I go there almost every weekend.
I’ve played at a few different
places, but I don’t really expand
my locations that much. I don’t
like leaving my comfort zone.” Said
Hajduk about the shop. Hajduk often finds comfort in playing in front
of her friends there, where she
can get feedback on her writing.
Hajduk often turns to her friends
for feedback and opinions on her
music. “Sometimes I want to know
what people think about something
[in a song]. But I don’t like when
people try and help point a song in
a certain direction. I do like feedback on unfinished songs though,
it motivates me to finish them.”
“I know nothing lasts forever and
that I can’t stay here captured anymore.” Hadjuk writes. “That’s one
line I’m really happy with,” she says,
“it just really stands out to me.”
Sarah Kaplan: Lyrical Storyteller
Aidan Stewart
Entertainment Editor
If you’re a friend of mine,
you may know my obsession with
world music. It’s one of my biggest
interests. Of all the many cultures
in the world, my favorite is the
Scandinavian culture of Sweden,
Norway, Finland, and Denmark.
Scandinavian folk music is
some of the most interesting music
in existence. It is often mistaken
for Celtic music because of its many
similarities. One of the things I
love about it is the influence of experimental music infused within it.
This leads me to my latest review. If you read the weird
instruments story to the left of
this one, you read about an instrument called the hurdy gurdy.
One of my favorite albums of all
time is by a group actually called
Hurdy-Gurdy entitled Prototyp.
The entire album, from the bass
lines to the drum beats, is created by the instrument. The two
members of the project, Stefan
Brisland-Ferner and Hållbus
Totte Mattson are members of the
Swedish Folk groups Garmarna
and Hedningara, respectively.
The two artists recorded all of
the percussion by beating on the
instrument and processing the
sound on music softwares. All of
the sound effects throughout the
album were created by tinkering
with the instrument, recording
every sound possible with it.
If you ever are interested
in listening to a truly unique album, check out this one. I’m sure
you will find it at least interesting.
“New Moon” Phases out “Twilight”
By Skylar bartley
For such a small person, freshman Sarah Kaplan has a very
big voice. Kaplan approaches
songwriting as her own version
of storytelling. Whether it is her
story, someone else’s, Kaplan
writes about what inspires her.
“The way I write always depends on what kind of mood I’m
in. I sit with my guitar in hand
and a pencil and paper in front
of me. I just think of a way to
feel about the situation.” From
crushes to tragedies, Kaplan
just waits for the words to come.
Kaplan began writing sometime
this summer. With about seventeen original songs she’s written,
Kaplan plays regularly at Bella
Café. “I usually introduce my new
songs there.” Kaplan says her
favorite song to play her original,
“I need you.” “It’s just a song I’ve
worked really hard on.” She said.
“I guess my favorite line of any
song I’ve written would be, ‘They
put her in her place and it wasn’t
too pretty, but this isn’t a fairytale.
It’s reality.’” Kaplan states her
influences Haley Williams and
Christofer Drew inspire her to write
and sing. Though her biggest motivation, she claims, is her friends.
“My friends have told me
the more I write the better
my lyrics get.” Kaplan says.
“There’s always something to
write about, so I just never stop.”
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” broke
a groundbreaking opening day record of
$67 million set by “The Dark Knight”
back in 2008 with a whopping $72.7 million on Friday, November 20. The movie
was much better than its predecessor
“Twilight” in all aspects. It follows the
book closely and the special effects, and
acting all improved immensely in this
film. Chris Weitz, the new director of
this film, brings the intertwining worlds
of vampires and werewolves to life.
Many “Twilighters” were angry that
the previous movie did not closely follow the book upon which it was based.
Many important scenes and aspects
weren’t portrayed on the screen. This
is not the case with “New Moon.” The
film follows the book almost to the
letter. Every crucial detail from the
book is included into the movie. There
are minor fine points that needed to be
left out because they were not in the
previous film. Other minutiae details
were not incorporated simply because
they were minuscule and unimportant
to the plot line. The end of the film has
been tweaked a little with cut down
dialogue to make the plot flow well on
screen. Overall, the close proximity of
the movie and the book is remarkable.
The special effects are spectacularly
executed. In “Twilight,” the special effects were centralized in the final scenes
of the film causing the rest of the movie
to crumble. In “New Moon,” the budget was larger so it allowed for more
elaborate special effects. The manner
in which the vampires’ superhuman
speed is portrayed is more authentic.
The wolves transforming from human
to wolf form was visually appealing
and genuine. Bella’s dreams look wistful. Edward’s sparkling skin really does
look like cut diamonds and the fight at
Bella’s birthday party is menacing but
tastefully executed. The only problem
with the special effects is the final
fight scene with the vampire royalty
The Volturi. This looks unrealistic at
various points and overdramatized.
In “Twilight,” the actors weren’t
completely comfortable with each
other yet and countless scenes seemed
forces and unrealistic, especially when
it came to the more romantic scenes.
In this film, the actors seem a lot more
comfortable with each and in their own
skin, making it a lot more enjoyable.
I give “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
three and a half stars for wonderful special
effects, breathtaking scenery, improved
acting, and an awesome soundtrack. It
wasn’t as bad as “Twilight,” promise.
Feature 6
December 16, 2009
Cafeteria: Behind the Double Doors
By Genevieve Bee
Where does the taco meat
served in Brooke Point’s cafeteria
really come from? Why does the
sour cream now come in packages? Is there a reason there
are three taco bar lines instead
of one? In my quest for the answers to these questions, I passed
beyond the swinging double
doors across from the gym, into
a foreign world of hairnets and
stainless steel counters. I went
where no student has gone before: inside the school cafeteria.
Before I was allowed to take
my tour, Brooke Point’s cafeteria manager Michelle Bresnahan
and assistant manager Martha
Tolson stuck the requisite hair
net on my head. After we established that I presented no Health
Code violations, they set me loose
to wander around. During the
course of my wanderings, I saw
a ridiculously huge 30 gallon pot
used to cook soup, sauces, and
the infamous taco meat. I was assured that the taco meat does really come from cows. It’s actually
a high grade of beef provided by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I then moseyed on over to
the ovens where I talked to Becky
Jett while she was cutting cakes.
Jett and cafeteria staff member Kathy Credit make all of the
The cafeteria staff prepares lunch for Brooke Point students.
cakes, cookies, and rolls served
in the cafeteria from scratch.
It’s very important to everybody
who works in school nutrition
that all the meals served are as
healthy as possible. The cafeteria
staff will often sneak whole wheat
flour into many of the cakes and
cookies. According to Bresnahan
so far no one has complained. In
addition, all of the cakes are cholesterol free and are made with
applesauce instead of oil. The cafeteria serves French fries twice a
week now because of health concerns. When they are served, they
are fried in pure soy oil. Because
nutrition facts for all the items
served in Stafford County Schools
are available online, the cafeteria
follows a strict set of guidelines
when they cook or bake. Nutrition
guidelines for some foods come
straight from the U.S. government. Everything else is covered
by the Stafford County School Nutrition Office. Chapman Slye, the
Director of School Nutrition, creates the monthly menus for Stafford County Schools, making sure
they fulfill all the requirements of
the food pyramid. A county school
nutritionist periodically comes to
the school cafeterias to test the
foods served and make sure that
the nutrition facts are accurate.
The BPHS cafeteria staff doesn’t
actually have any control over
the menus, except on manager’s
choice days. However, that doesn’t
mean they aren’t looking out for
our taste buds. She also said that
on days when the staff knows the
menu may not be “taste bud approved,” they will break out the
“Big Daddy” pizzas, those yummy
round pizzas with the thick crust,
as an alternate entrée. The lunch
ladies (and gentleman) know
what students like and are com-
mitted to feeding it to them. Theresa Hoffman, who is in charge of
serving breakfast, has such a good
memory of the regulars, she will
hand students their breakfasts
before they even have to ask for it.
During my visit, I discovered
the reasons behind many of the
recent changes that have taken
place in the cafeteria. Since the
demand is usually so high, the
number of taco bar lines has increased from one to three in effort
to speed things along and make
sure everyone has enough time
to eat. The sour cream comes in
packages now because it’s quicker
than scooping it out of tubs. Never
fear. The new sour cream is not
only as good, but better quality
than the old stuff. Speed is one of
the biggest concerns for the cafeteria staff. Bresnahan is pushing
for a second breakfast line so that
the wait for breakfast won’t be so
long. According to Bresnahan,
students can help speed things
along by using their ID cards to
pay and having them ready when
they reach the cash registers.
The Brooke Point cafeteria employs sixteen people. All sixteen
of them are serious about feeding
over a thousand hungry teenagers on a daily basis. “Nobody
realizes it’s a job. We’re not just
cafeteria people. We’re all moms
who care about what we do,” said
Bresnahan. According to Jett,
the lunch ladies do have favorite students, just as I’ve always
suspected. “Sometimes I start
crying when I see them graduate because I’ve seen them since
they were freshman,” she said.
Bresnahan agrees. “I love it.
I enjoy what I do. My ultimate
satisfaction is when a child grabs
and hugs me and asks me to take
a picture or sign a yearbook.”
Spotlight On: Manufacturing
By Bailey Sergent
Brooke Point’s manufacturing program run by Amy Wall,
teaches students the basic concepts of manufacturing, production and automation including
the processes and management
used in the manufacturing industry. Students develop leadership
skills and the concept of entrepreneurship in these activities.
“Whenever people or classes need
things built the class works with
the buyer and mainly learn hands
on knowledge about tools, whereas
in my advanced class they get more
in depth and learn things such as
furniture building, “this teaches
the kids proper skills and knowledge they will be able to use when
they are on their own,” Wall said.
The manufacturing students are
hard at work refinishing all of the
art tables and building ten benches
for the theatre. They just finished
building a stage for video productions. They have also been able to
make teacher plaques that are displayed outside of the classrooms
around Brooke Point. “We got a
new laser engraver last month
and I wanted to show the kids
what all it would do, so we started
making plaques for the principle,
then teachers started coming to
us asking for them so the kids
wanted to do more,” stated Wall.
Students have also made restroom passes that are color
coded by floor. 1st floor is white,
2nd floor is red and 3rd floor is
black. “The students love seeing
their work displayed throughout the school, they definitely
take great pride in what they
build and they love being able to
hear feedback about their work.”
Ms. Wall instructs students in her manufacturing class.
Student
Expression Night
Is Back!
Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2,
Taking Over Lives?
By Bailey Sergent
The popular video fame “Call
of Duty 6” or “Modern Warfare 2”
was released worldwide on November 10, 2009. It is the sixth
installment of the Call of Duty
series. The action in this game
occurs five years after the end of
Call of Duty 4, where task force
141, the new counter-terrorist, must encounter a Russian
invasion of the United States.
While the game has received
many positive reviews and has sold
approximately 4.7 million copies in
24 hours worldwide, some critics
say this game is taking over lives!
Sophomore Matt Choy, a
“Call of Duty” fanatic, shared
his experiences with the game.
Q: Why do you think boys in
general are so obsessed with
“Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2?”
A: Mostly because of the game play,
graphics and because it’s so fun.
Q: Has this game affected
your daily life in any way?
A: Yes, I didn’t go to sleep for
3 days straight one time because I was up playing it. I
also stopped eating dinner.
Q: Did you buy the game
the day it came out?
A: I bought the game a couple days
after it came out because I wasn’t
playing x-box at the time but then
I played it at a friend’s house.
December 16th
Tickets are 5$
6PM-8PM
Q: If your parents took away
your x-box and “Modern Warfare
2” game what would you do?
A: I would be really mad
and I’d probably just go to
a friend’s house and play it.
Poetry
Song
Q: What level are
you at in the game?
A: I’m at level 70 because I
didn’t want to prestige.
Original film
Q: What is the longest you’ve
played “Call of Duty” in one sitting?
A: Probably 20 hours straight.
Q: What is the longest you’ve gone
without playing “Call of Duty?”
A: Whenever I’m in school so 7
hours.
Q: Do you think this game has
affected your grades in anyway?
A: Yes because I have straight Fs!
Piano
String Quartet
Choy proudly desplays his “Modern
Warfare 2” game.
Acoustic
Guitar
December 16, 2009
Question
of
the
m o n t h
When did you stop
believing in Santa
Clause? Why?
“I was around
7 years old. My
presents had
to be returned
to the store because they were
stolen.”
Alex Goodman
Senior
“I think it was
around 7th grade.
It was weird
because a year
later on Christmas Eve, I heard
something on the
roof and a bunch
of other shenanigans.”
Suzanne Lavoie
Junior
“Never ever stop
believing...”
Trevor Harold
Sophomore
“Never stopped
believing, man.
I heard stuff on
the roof!”
Kendall Clay
Freshman
The Hawkeye
Staff
Brooke Point High School
1700 Courthouse Rd. Stafford,
VA 22554
Devin Kolb
Editor-In-Chief
Chris Baire
Asst. Editor-In-Chief
Joanna Newcome
News Editor
Brittany Webster
Senior Editor
Bailey Sergent
Feature Editor
Krysten Marshall
Student Life Editor
Aidan Stewart
Entertainment Editor
Opinion 7
The Pledge of Allegiance Causes Controversy
By Skylar Bartley
Every morning after the announcements are read and every
student is settled down in their
seats, The Pledge of Allegiance
is recited. Students rise, putting hands over hearts simultaneously saying The Pledge.
When finished, they sit down
for The Moment of Silence. This
ritual is performed every morning in schools across America.
Doing this routine at the same
exact time daily is tedious and
redundant. Saying The Pledge
also can go against the beliefs of
many. Pledging allegiance to my
country is not a bad thing. However, doing it over and over again
is useless. The country should
know by now that I am loyal. I
needn’t repeat this fact every day.
Since kindergarten, we have
been performing The Pledge like
good little lemmings, thinking we
would get in trouble if we did not
do so. I, however, stopped saying The Pledge in middle school.
At that time I was on the road to
self discovery. I changed drastically throughout these years. In
this journey, I began to recognize
my religious beliefs and rights.
I do not believe in God. I am
an athiest. I refuse to recite The
Pledge because the mere phrase:
“One nation under God...” violates
my personal beliefs. I am glad that
in this day, I don’t feel obligated
to say The Pledge in fear because
I realize that no matter what is
said to me, I will not stand down.
No one should be obligated to
recite the pledge or do anything
that will violate their personal beliefs no matter the ritual.
Schools should not have The
Pledge mechanically chanted every morning either. The church
and state are separated, so why
should we be worried about
this simple pledge in school?
Religion is not taught in public
schools and should not be forced
upon any individual. Yet, when
we recite the Pledge, we must say:
“One nation, under God, indivis-
By Shannon Boyle
Are Jews truthfully offended
when someone wishes them a
“Merry Christmas?” As a Christian, I certainly wouldn’t take
any offense if someone were to
wish me a “Happy Hanukkah.”
Whenever anyone mentions
Christmas in a public forum, they
quickly follow with mentions of
Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, for
fear of exhibiting anything less
than equality among the holidays. But holidays are not people. Not all were created equal.
Is faith so fragile that it can
be threatened by a thoroughly
benign greeting? I find it preposterous and nearly insulting that
someone would think Christmas recognition could lessen a
person’s Jewish faith. It’s going
to take a little more than a few
“Merry Christmases” to stifle a
religion that has been around
for more than 3000 years. Judaism managed to make it through
genocide and complete racism.
I think it can remain standing through the holiday season.
The overly cautious American education system prevents teachers
from having exclusively Christ-
By Devin Kolb
mas celebrations or even decorations. A red-and-green ribbon in a
classroom during the month of December can be called into question
and quickly removed. If anything,
this behavior hinders the full embodiment of the holiday spirit.
What happened to majority
rule? America is undeniably an
overwhelmingly Christian nation.
How have we successfully stamped
out every vestige of Christmas
spirit to service the minority? I’m
all about freedom. Democracy’s
mantra is “the will of the majority without sacrificing the rights
of the minority.” Do a few Christmas songs “sacrifice the rights of
the minority?” I hardly think so.
Every holiday season, television
networks broadcast various specials with Christmas in the title,
written in four months without
being scrutinized by the media?
What’s wrong with this country?
Her latest media gaffe involved
a picture in which she posed in
booty shorts next to an American flag for the cover of Runner’s
World Magazine. The photo was
recycled by Newsweek, who
printed it as the cover of their November 23rd issue along with the
title ‘How do you solve a problem
like Sarah?’ Yes, it was irresponsible on Newsweek’s part, but
Palin wasted no time in throw-
ing around accusations of sexism.
The fact of the matter is that,
like so many female politicians,
Palin loves to paint herself as the
victim. She does things like attribute butchered Native American
quotes to UCLA basketball coach
John Wooden, and then throws a
tantrum when someone calls her
out on it. She may whine and complain all she wants, but at the end
of the day, she loves the attention.
She profits from the attention.
Her book sold thousands of copies
in advance and sat at Amazon’s
With the release of her new book,
‘Going Rogue’, everyone’s favorite
maverick is back in the media
spotlight and she’s soaking in the
rays with characteristic relish.
But it’s not all smooth sailing for
the Alaskan hockey mom, because
apparently she’s drawn some
negative criticism for her advertisement campaign. Can’t a girl
drive across the country in a big
bus with her face plastered along
the side, take jabs at the president and pander an autobiography that she may or may not have
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best seller spot for 46 days. Now
Amazon can barely even sell a
copy for 9$, less than half of what
the book was originally priced.
With a 40% approval rating and
vicious attacks on high ranking
GOP officials, it’s not likely that
Palin will be able to field any sort
of viable presidential bid in 2012.
But who cares? As long as she
continues to capitalize on people’s
blind allegiance and gullibility,
she’ll continue to make money
for essentially doing nothing.
buyyouryearbook
Skylar Bartley
Mary Catherine Hornung
and every year such specials are
met with complaints. “Where’s the
12 nights of Hanukkah special?”
“What about Kwanza? Everybody
forgets about Kwanza.” No, we
can’t forget because that argument
is made by hysterical reactionaries every single year. It is hardly
mentioned that Kwanzaa is only
celebrated by 2% of Americans.
If you ask someone about the origins of Kwanzaa, they’re likely to
claim it came from Africa with a
heavy religious base. They aren’t
likely to know the truth about the
holiday. It was invented by a professor in the ‘60s with the sole purpose of giving African Americans
a holiday that’s exclusively theirs.
Kwanzaa has no religious base.
It barely has a cultural one. It’s
essentially a fake holiday, something akin to Valentine’s Day.
This is a statement you probably
wouldn’t hear outside of a private
conversation, because an attack
on Kwanzaa would be read as an
attack on African Americas. How
many African Americans do you
know celebrate Kwanzaa? Your
answer is probably none because
most are celebrating Christmas.
Sarah Palin: America’s Joke
Sports Editor
Genevieve Bee
Josh Herron
America is a melting pot of culture and religion, but it seems
there isn’t a choice for some in today’s society no matter how “religiously tolerant” some claim to be.
Everyone else in the world does
not need to witness me pledging
myself to my country to prove
my loyalty and love for it. In my
mind, our nation in not under
God and I do not wish to say that
it is. Many criticize me for this
decision, but I stand by what I
believe. People don’t wish for
others to criticize what they believe, but when they come across
something they disapprove of,
none of that matters anymore.
The world is full of hypocrites.
I still stand for The Pledge
when instructed. I do not place
my hand over my heart, though. I
fold my arms respectfully behind
my back and wait for it to be over.
I should not be scrutinized for my
beliefs, but it happens all too often. I am loyal to my country. I
don’t need to prove that to anyone.
And a Happy Religiously-Neutral Holiday to You
Yvonne Eber
Staff Writers
ible, with liberty and justice for
all.” It may be unbelievable, but
many teachers will force a student
to say The Pledge of Allegiance in
the morning, no matter their beliefs. I even wish not to stand, not
because I am lazy, because I believe that strongly in my personal
rights. I do not remain seated
though, for I am unsure of what
type of reaction would ensue.
“In God We Trust” is also printed on every single piece of United
States money ever made. It seems
to me that Christian beliefs are
being forced on all immigrants,
children, citizens, etcetera. Yes,
the central religion in The United
States is Christianity, but that
again brings up the issue of separation of church and state. Beliefs
are forced on people in many social setting and many are afraid
to stand up for what they believe.
Well, I did take a stand. I will not
give in to pressure. What about
Jewish people, Muslim people,
Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists?
Letters
to
the
Editor
To the editor,
Fear tactics have been used
throughout history by dictators
like Adolph Hitler and Joseph
Stalin to scare their people into
compliance. We Americans have
rightfully dismissed this method
of intimidation as antidemocratic. Sadly, fear tactics appear
to have come to Washington.
Politicians who cannot defeat a
piece of legislation on the House
floor are all too happy to appear
on MSNBC or FOX News and
denounce it as “socialist.” People
like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore have polarized the
argument by saying things like
“Barack Obama is socialist” and
“Capitalism is anti-Jesus.” Amazingly, Americans actually believe
Doth thou havest an opinion?!
them! The rhetoric has gotten so
bad that the President can’t even
encourage students to do well in
school without being accused of
indoctrination. The fear tactics
must stop if we ever want to have
a calm and civil debate once again.
Ryan Artze
Senior
Then submit a letter to the
Editor to rooms 220 or 213!
X-Page 8
December 16, 2009
X-Posed:
Ugly Holiday Sweaters!
The Hawkeye staff conducted a search for Brooke Point’s ugliest holiday sweaters. Only one adult took on our challenge. See if you can
spot the administrator in the sea of ugly sweaters.
Happy Holidays, Brooke Point!