Vol. 88, No. 9, May/June 2009

Past Times
at Lakewood High
Vol. 88, No.6 • May/June 2009 • Lakewood High School • 14100 Franklin Blvd. • Lakewood, OH • 44107
Staff
Graduating Times staff
rich in opportunities
The Times staff members have been
enriched this year in more ways than one.
Many have exchanged their work on the
Times and other extracurricular for dollars for future study.
Design Editor Thealexa Becker has received a STRIDE Scholarship for $46,000
a year from Smith College. “I don’t think
I was given the money solely because
I worked on the Lakewood Times and
Lakewood Observer,” Becker said. “However, I think that showing a commitment
to two organizations that not only promote civic activism and responsibility but
also promote the fine-tuning of writing
conventions was an influential factor in
my placement in the STRIDE program.”
Opinion Editor Sarah Jawhari received the Faculty Honors Scholarship
for $10,000 a year from Case Western
Reserve University. “The Times definitely
helped me attain a scholarship,” she said.
“The fact that the Times was on my list
of extracurriculars helped me look better
to colleges.”
Editor in Chief Rebecca McKinsey is
attending Ohio University with a free ride
in the amount of $30,000 a year from
the Gateway Excellence Scholarship and
the Dishon Journalism Scholarship to
study Journalism. “I have no doubt that
my involvement in the Times and other
journalism activities played a huge role
in the scholarships I received, especially
the journalism scholarships,” she said.
“Having the Times listed as one of your
accomplishments is impressive to any college admissions counselor, whether you’re
planning to major in journalism, premed
or cannibalism.”
Sports Editor Jacob Ott is receiving a
$17,000-per-year Founders Scholarship
from Denison University. “Obviously
colleges look at your extracurriculars,”
he said. “The time commitment for the
Times was most likely influential in my
receiving the Founders Scholarship.”
All of these seniors have achieved
numerous accomplishments, but there is
no doubt that working on the Lakewood
Times is an impressive addition to any
résumé. The possibility of scholarships
kept staffers going through the paper’s
rough patches, and this year’s seniors have
hit the jackpot.
2
Front Cover: LHS students enjoy the Times on a stairway in the
’50s. Back cover. Current students recreate the scene. Clockwise
from bottom left: junior Kyran Knall, junior Bo Jenkins, senior
Dani Gannon, freshman Jack DeBaltzo, junior Emily Jackson,
senior Kalie Balestra, senior Will Weible, junior Shayna Bluemlein, and senior Caitlin Link. Front cover photo courtesy of Bob
Hull Books. Back cover photo by Thealexa Becker, Design Editor.
News Editor
Rachel Kowalski is attending
Cleveland State
University, majoring in political science and human
services, pursuing
urban life and
doing absolutely
nothing.
The Lakewood Times
2008-2009 Editorial Board
Rebecca McKinsey Editor in Chief
Thealexa Becker Design & Focus Editor
Rachel Kowalski News Editor
Sarah Jawhari Opinion Editor
Isabella Zettler Lakewood Life Editor
Jacob Ott Sports Editor
Valerie Locke Names Monitor
Miranda Mave Art & Photo Coordinator
Adam Mihalski Public Relations & Pollster
Andrew O’Connor Advertising & Business Manager
Wilson Sackett Exchange Editor
Fiza Shah Future Book Compiler
Danielle Szabo Distribution Head
Karen Ballash Adviser
Lakewood Life Editor Isa Zettler is attending
Ohio Univerity and is undecided as to a major.
Staff Writer Josh
Watkins is attending Cleveland State
University to major
in Mechanical Engineering.
Editorial Board Member
Danielle Szabo is attending
Ohio University and majoring in Communications.
Editorial Board Member Evan Graves is
attending the Scripps
College of Communication at Ohio University and majoring in
Bobcat Pride.
Sports Editor Jacob
Ott is attending
Denison University
to major in Chemistry and run crosscountry and indoor
and outdoor track.
Editor in Chief Rebecca
McKinsey is gracing Ohio
University with her presence
and entering the Scripps
College of Communication
to major in Journalism and
Spanish.
The only non-senior on this
page, sophomore Editorial
Board Member Wilson Sackett
through the Rotary Program
is going to Bocholt, Germany
to learn more about saurkraut
consumption.
Staff Writer and Artist
Jordan Congeni is attending Cleveland State
University to study History and Education.
Opinion Editor Sarah
Jawhari is attending Case
Western University and majoring Chemistry and English with a Premed track.
The Lakewood Times
Staff
editors’ Notes
Hey, LHS!
I didn’t believe all those people who said
my senior year would fly by, but silly me,
they were right. Over this year, some of
the greatest experiences I have had were
with the Times, in our little green room
tucked away in the old building.
The Times staff set a goal at the beginning of the year. We wanted to begin
rebuilding the national reputation the
Times had enjoyed for so many years. I’m
very proud of the recognition the Times
received in the Ohio Scholastic Media
Association Convention at Kent State, but
Editorial Board Member
Editorial Board
Miranda Mave is attendMember Valerie Locke what’s truly amazing is the journey that got
ing the University of
is attending Tri-C and us there.
There were obvious changes made with
Toledo and is undecided
pursuing a medical
the paper this year, such as the new design
on a major.
career in California.
template and stellar photography, but
much more went on in the Times room
than these.
Those four green walls witnessed the
creation of great ideas – and the deaths of
a few of them; fights over everything from
missed deadlines to misplaced commas;
quirky jokes and pranks, the meanings
of which would never be comprehended
outside those walls; and most of all, coffee
– gallons and gallons … and gallons … of
coffee.
Design Editor Thealexa Becker is escaping the Times
Although this is the last year our green
and attending Smith College to participate in the
room
will be used, its memories will stay
STRIDE research program.
with us forever (although, hopefully, the
Staff Writer
recollection of that particular shade of
Shaina
green will fade). I am blessed to have
Switzer is
worked with this year’s staff, and am
attending
honored to introduce the next Times staff.
The College
Fiza Shah will be succeeding me as Editor
of Wooster
in Chief. She came to the Times a quiet,
to major in
friendly, well-mannered writer. After a year
English or
with us, she is an outspoken, opinionated,
Computer
in-your-face coffee addict – in short, she’s
Sciences.
perfect Editor material.
The rest of next year’s staff – Deven,
Greg, Al, Julia, Sam, the other Greg, Lisa,
Andrew, Katie, Hallah, Grant, and Haley –
Staff Writer
is an amazing group. They have brought a
and Artist Ryan
refreshing touch to the paper this year, and
Wood is attendI have no doubt the Times of 2009-2010
ing Cleveland
will flourish under their leadership. And
State University to major
of course, with Mrs. Ballash to guide their
in Mechanical
way, their year will be not only educational,
Engineering.
but entertaining as well.
I will always remember my years with
the Times, and now gladly pass it over to
the next group. Thanks for a great ride,
Staff photos by Evan Graves, Editorial Board Member;
LHS.
Rebecca McKinsey, Editor in Chief; Fiza Shah, Editorial Board Member; Jordan Congeni, Staff Photographer; and Lakewood City Schools.
May 2009
Rebecca
Dear Lakewood High,
Finally! The moment we have all been
praying for: the end of the year. The time has
come to start studying for finals and planning
for summer vacations. The end of this year
marks the beginning of many new opportunities and changes. Seniors are anxiously
anticipating the start of their college education
and a new phase in their life.
At the beginning of next year, the old building, with a history of 90 years, will be closed
for construction. While looking ahead at the
new and exciting possibilities that await us, this
issue of the Times is also dedicated to glancing backward at the enlightening past.
Look through the rest of the issue to find
a variety of articles that are sure to spark
your interest. Learn about teachers who were
students at Lakewood High School and about
the future of the beloved security guard called
Barbie. If you want to see a good movie, read
a review of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Also
check out the article about what we thought
was cool as middle school students.
I hope you enjoy this issue and have a
wonderful summer break. Come back in the
fall and join the Lakewood Times. Become a
part of the Times Staff and make your voice
heard.
Until Next Year,
Fiza Shah
The Lakewood Times
2009-2010 Editorial Board
Fiza Shah Editor in Chief
Deven Middleton Design & Focus Editor
Al Rodriguez News Editor
Julia Houska Opinion Editor
Sam Cross Co-Lakewood Life Editor
Greg O’Connor Co-Lakewood Life Editor
Lisa Kowalski Co-Sports Editor
Andrew O’Connor Co-Sports Editor
Greg Culley Copy Editor
Katy Eberl Advertising & Business Manager
Hallah Amawi Editorial Board Member
Grant Graves Editorial Board Member
Haley McGinty Editorial Board Member
Karen Ballash Adviser
3
Contents
Focus
5 – A look back at Lakewood High School
News
14 – RAD talks community
16 – Barbie departs Lakewood
Editorial
17 – What seniors will miss
Looking back at middle school
18 – Faceoff: grades vs. balance
Taking advantage of summer school
19 – Enjoy the finals schedule
11
Students lounge on the couches that filled the L-Room in 1956. Photo courtesy of
the Cleveland House Center.
Lakewood Life
20 – What we thought was cool in middle school
22 – “H.M.S. Pinafore” puts on a show
24 – “Wolverine” review
25 – “Star Trek” review
26 – A-Z: What has impacted Lakewood High
28 – What our summer reading should be
29 – Gaming’s evolution
New record company encourages artists
22
Juniors Greg Culley and Frank Blackman perform in the 1009 musical,
“H.M.S. Pinafore.” Photo by Evan Graves, Editorial Board Member.
Sports
30 – LHS Girls Rugby experiences continued success
32 – Boys’s Tennis dominates at championships
Nicaraguan baseball - a worthy cause
Ranger Report
33 - Editor’s Corner
Underclassmen Uncovered
34 - Sports Under Review
4
Student art like this will be transported when
construction finishes. Photo by Evan Graves,
Editorial Board Member.
The Lakewood Times
Focus
Focus
A ghost of high schools past
By Thealexa Becker, Design Editor
Lakewood High School wasn’t
always nestled in the block between Bunts and Blossom Park.
In fact, Lakewood City Schools
used to be known as East Rockport City Schools, a district that
voted to separate itself from the
Cleveland School District in 1871.
The original high school was
located where the Board of Education currently is. East Rockport
High School served the growing
student population for less than a
decade. A new and improved high
school called Wilson was then
erected across the street, where
the Post Office currently stands.
In 1917, construction began on
what is now known as Lakewood High School, a project that
was purported to cost over one
million dollars. The school was
scheduled to open in SeptemThe current old building of LHS that was once quite new when constructed in 1918. Photo courtesy of the Cleveland Press
ber of 1918, but an outbreak
Collection.
The construction of the “A” building. It finally opened in 1970 and was one of
many expansions in the latter half of last century. Photo courtesy of the Cleveland
Press Collection.
May 2009
of the Spanish Influenza in the
area delayed the start of school
that fall. In addition to the main
facility, there were separate men’s
and women’s buildings, which
are today known as the art and
science wings respectively. The
school was expanded over several
decades to include over sixty
classrooms, a library, an auditorium, a cafeteria, two gyms, and
the Briggs Swimming pool. In
1970, the “new” or “A” building
was erected.
Much like the general curriculum statements issued today, the
high school curriculum from 1948
put an emphasis on preparing the
students for whatever path they
chose after high school. An array
of classes was offered, including Home Economics, technical work, and foreign language.
As qualified staffers emerged,
the music and performing arts
developed into the formidable
and award-winning programs of
today.
Originally, the format for public education in the district was
called 8-4. The first eight years of
school were elementary education, and then the last four grades
were known as high school.
Before the construction of Lakewood High School, the district
voted to change the format to
6-3-3, where the six lower grades
were considered elementary
education, grades 7-9 were middle
high school education, and grades
10-12 were known as senior high
school. This plan remained dominant for several decades before
the current 5-3-4 system Lakewood currently operates under
came into existence.
Some other notable additions
to the Lakewood High School
campus were the new stadium
and the music wing, as well as the
regionally famous Civic Auditorium which is used by both the
school and the community.
5
Focus
Focus
A look back on old Lakewood High rules
By Isabella Zettler, Lakewood Life Editor
Times! Times! Lakewood Times! Read all
about it! Five cents an issue! Boys and girls in
separate buildings! German class cancelled!
When the purple and gold first bestowed
Lakewood High School in 1882, the times –
and the Times – were very different. The rules
and policies of our rich past were as rigid and
clean as a new pair of bloomers.
In 1921, there was little debate about the
need for a dress code. One student, Annetta
Gross, suggested that girls dress more appropriately so as to be more desirable.
“We, the girls of Lakewood High,” said
Gross in an issue of the High Times, “bar
from school dress the following…”
The long list of changes included no silk,
French heels, rouge, lipstick and eyebrow
pencil. It was believed that if women strove to
look better, men would naturally begin to act
more maturely.
During the two world wars, Lakewood
High fell into line with many schools across
the country as the school changed its way of
teaching.
German class was cancelled amidst the
fighting of World War II, although the students most likely didn’t complain – they all
received passing grades for the year.
In 1926, a request by Lakewood High
to perform military drills at the school was
denied by the War Department. More than
300 students had intentions of enrolling in the
program, according to Lakewood’s principal at
the time, Claude P. Briggs.
One thing that never changed was a study
hall period for studious individuals. However,
as we all know, some choose to use their time
better than others. The punishment for an
unruly student was working in the kitchen,
gardens, or any other sort of effort-exerting
work.
In the years of 1947, many veterans were
returning from the war, including the students.
Homeroom teachers allowed smoking in the
classrooms, and handed out rationing books
to the students. For some, the war marked
some of the worst days in their years at LHS.
“I remember Al Courtney’s brother was one
of those killed … and I remember Al sobbing
and sobbing and sobbing,” said Cassie Burrows, class of ’47. “They played taps.”
When the joyous weekends came and the
Friday bell rang, students prepared for their
version of Lakewood fun. They rode the
streetcars, hopped on their bikes, and took
their girls on dates. But come Saturday, most
students spent the day completing their early
morning chores.
“One of my personal assignments was
polishing kitchen silverware,” said Ruth Kloots
Hohmann, class of ’39. “And their prongs
would black and you would use scouring powder on those.”
On the first day of school, all students were
required to receive a mandatory physical. They
had a doctor at the school, and she would
check all the boys and girls for hernia.
Paul Revere Hinzmann, class of ’31,
recalled one occasion in which he removed
all of his clothes as the nurse entered the
room. However, he was completely unaware
of the fact that she had intended to sit behind
a screen as the boys removed their clothes.
Nevertheless, he lived through this minor
mortifying moment with a great story to tell
his grandchildren.
The nurse’s office wasn’t the only place at
the school where the boys bared it all. During
swimming class, they wore nothing but their
birthday suits.
Whether they pertained to dress code or
swearing in the hallways, remnants of Lakewood’s past rules still live on in the student
handbook. Although sometimes objectionable,
they provided a lesson in discipline for generations of students who walked these same halls.
A dodgy future for the home of the Barnstormers
By Greg O’Connor, Staff Writer
“Broken,” “torn down,” and “just plain disgusting” are some of the words that come to
students’ minds when they think of the Tryout
Theater. What many students don’t realize is
that the theater has done more than create
plays over the years. It has made memories for
those who work on, perform, and watch them.
These memories have helped shape the theater
into a place of greatness and history. English
and Drama teacher Dave Gannon has added
to these memories.
The first show in the “Gannon Era” was
“Tom Jones.” The play was a farce about a boy
who loves an upper class girl but is considered
illegitimate by others. Shows like these have
kept students entertained for years.
Not every show draws laughter from its
audience. One of the most controversial was
“The Laramie Project.” This play is about
Matthew Shepard, who was gay and was killed
for it. The show focuses on how one act of
6
violence can affect many people. According to
Gannon, picking shows with taboo issues isn’t
as hard as some may think. “When it comes
to picking these shows, we pick ones that are
educational, and the Board trusts our judgment,” he said.
The theater isn’t only used for shows. It’s
also used every day for Gannon’s drama class.
The video announcements are also filmed on
the Tryout Theater stage since the loss of the
studio. Faculty meetings are sometimes held in
the theater as well.
Though the theater is old, it hasn’t suffered
many major technical problems. However, it
has sustained some damage. If you go into the
theater today and look up, you will see a stain.
“One year, there was heavy rain and snowfall
and there was standing water in the theater
hours before the next show. We had to move
the entire set into the Civic,” Gannon said.
The Tryout Theater is going to stay open
for at least another year. When the time comes
for the theater to come down, Gannon plans
on ending with a bang. His plans: “For the last
show in the theater, I would like it to be an
musical.”
The LHS Tryout Theater is one of the many endangered species at LHS. Photo by Fiza Shah, Editorial
Board Member.
The Lakewood Times
Focus
Focus
Old pranksters still make us laugh
By Al Rodriguez, Staff Writer
In LHS’s past, there have been many notorious senior pranks that have made people talk.
While not every class was guilty of pulling a
memorable prank, some did go out in style
and mischief. Major practical jokes haven’t
been seen recently because of security and
tougher policies on student safety, but LHS
staff and alumni still remember some of the
most outrageous and crazy pranks ever pulled
in Lakewood High School history.
English Teacher Gail Meinke remembers
a crazy encounter with wildlife one year.
Seniors put some live chickens in the old West
Cafeteria, and panic ensued. “The birds were
terrified and pooping everywhere, and the
“city kids” of Lakewood were screaming,”
Meinke said. “This country girl – I’m from
Philadelphia – had to catch and carry
the chickens and take them over to Bio
where they had some cages.”
There have been other experiences with
farm animals at LHS, such as in 1971,
when a pig was let loose in the cafeteria.
Meinke’s husband Jim remembers that
back in the 1970s, somehow, a Volkswagen
beetle was found, fully assembled, in the
third-floor hallway. It mystified teachers and
students, as no stairs or elevators could have
gotten the car there. Best guess is that autosavvy students moved the car piece by piece to
somewhere where the car could be assembled,
and then moved in out into the hallway.
Another peculiar mystery prank involves
a theft. The class of 1961, unable to win a
regional sporting trophy, the Shaker Bell,
decided to steal it from a rival school. The
students, who affixed a plaque to the trophy to
note its thievery, “delivered it to the L-Room
and chained [it] there for all to see when they
came to school,” LHS Alum Fred Leick said in
an email. “By noon nothing was to be seen in
the L-Room but a chain that had been recently
sawed. We never knew what happened to the
Bell, and no mention of the event was ever
made by the administration.”
Art teacher Amy Sedlak has memories
of a prank involving plastic silverware. “My
junior year at LHS, some seniors waited until
the class change was over and dumped about
10,000 plastic forks, spoons, and knives down
from the third floor of the new building,” she
said.
This loud plastic disturbance of the peace
might have gone unpunished, as Sedlak
May 2009
is unsure if the students were ever apprehended. That food-themed prank was nothing
compared to a prank by a student who had
dreams of becoming something great: a hot
dog vendor. The student opened the back
of his locker, gained access to electricity, and
installed a slow cooker where he could grill
hot dogs, complete with condiments (he installed shelves for multiple types of mustards,
ketchups and relishes). An entrepreneurial idea
it might have been, but the hot-dog-loving student forgot to think about the smell. He was
caught and profiled in the school newspaper.
One prank Sedlak shared comes from 1981,
when two seniors decided to perform an act
that was
a bit
shocking to
everyone involved. They
ran across the
stage at their last senior assembly in the nude,
an activity known as “streaking.” The culprits
were caught and their punishment involved
not being able to graduate on stage with their
senior class. This story hits home for Sedlak,
as “one of the boys that ran across the stage
was [her future] husband, Mike!”
The Civic Auditorium has been the stage
for many other pranks. For example, years
ago, when Lakewood High School won a
radio contest, all the students crowded into
the Civic to hear the DJ announce their prize.
Some mischievous students, however, waited
until the right time and dropped a five-pound
bag of flour onto the aisle.
“It exploded like an atomic bomb, mush-
rooming over large parts of the audience,
turning them into ghosts,” LHS Alum Kathy
M. Walker said. The white powder prankster
was caught asleep on the job, however. The
locker in which he hid flipped over. Unable to
escape, he passed into slumber until he was
apprehended by school authorities.
Other tricks include some of the most
crazy and vulgar pranks in LHS history. Latin
teacher Laura Abrahamsen, or “Dr. A” for
short, recalls the prank the Class of 1976
pulled on the school.
“A pick-up truck full of my brother’s
friends drove down and loaded the structure
and brought it back,” she said, referring to
an old outhouse on a piece of farm property
owned by her family. “They set it up on the
front lawn, in front of the old West Cafeteria,
north of the driveway, with a big sign reading
“‘Mr. Myslinski’s Office.’” It is not known
whether or not the outhouse pranksters were
caught for their decorating of the lawn.
Science teacher Lynn Eckert remembers
some other crazy pranks pulled by seniors.
“One year, each member of the senior class
went into the library and put a deck of cards
with their class graduation number, card by
card, page by page, into as many books in the
LRC as they could,” Eckert said. “We found
cards for years after they graduated.”
Another library-related prank deals with
some students in the early 1960s who hollowed out a library book and replaced it with
mice instead of literary works. Librarians
and students were less than pleased with the
animals.
Some of the tricks, such as the cards and
the mysterious Volkswagen, are pretty harmless and done just to get a laugh or inspire
memories. Some just go over the line. Eckert
remembers when a senior class used paper
mache to make “Johnny Appleseed” anatomically correct in the middle of the night.
Other LHS alumni remember when “Johnny
Appleseed” was humiliated in front of all of
Lakewood by being diapered.
Mean spirited good-byes throughout the
years include putting bumper stickers on
teachers’ cars (in some cases causing paint
damage), false fire alarms, and cutting down
trees that were planted to memorialize Lakewood residents who had passed away.
Mean-spirited good-byes are quickly
forgotten, but a well-designed senior prank is
definitely the stuff of memories.
7
Focus
By, Fiza Shah, Editorial Board Member
Focus
Taking a Walk
The old building holds many memories for Lakewood High School students of all grade levels. This is the last year students, with their cumbersome book bags, will trudge up and
down the ancient stairs on their way to the scorching hot classrooms. This is the last year students will walk down the crowded and rustic hallways, scuffling past the hordes of students
to reach their next class. This is the last year students will obliviously stare at the windowless old building walls, grieving over the monotonous day.
However, some of the teachers these students blatantly ignore also spent many class periods, obliviously staring at the same wall as students. They, too, trudged up the same stair
cases, wrestling their way through a hallway full of students to reach their next class. The old building has built memories not only for the current senior class, but also for the teachers
who taught them.
Edward Holmok
Ed Holmok, who teaches woodcrafts
and Project Lead the Way, said he “discovered who [he] was” here. If it hadn’t been
for the classes offered here and the memories he created in those classes, Holmok
might have become a businessman, rather
than the teacher who has inspired many of
his students.
In June of 1988, Holmok received his diploma on the same stage this year’s seniors
will cross.
He created many memories in the hallways, classrooms, and unnoticed corners of
the old building during his four years as a
student at Lakewood High School.
“[During my time at LHS] I don’t remember a great report or a great test, but
[I do remember] a great class,” Holmok
said. He took advantage of the many “great
classes” offered here.
During the years Holmok attended
school, there was a small engines class in
the area that now houses the copy center.
On one occasion, Holmok needed to get
the transmission in his Mustang fixed.
Instead of taking it to a mechanic, he took
it to school, where he fixed the problem on
his own.
“I was appreciative of the opportunity
to do something meaningful for [myself] in
school,” he said.
Holmok said this is the difference
between school today and school when he
was growing up. He said that today, “teachers don’t have the opportunity” to involve
more hands-on-learning because everything
revolves around standardized tests. That’s
why, Holmok says, that these classes don’t
exist as much anymore.
“We live in a designed world. Everything we see was made by someone else,”
Holmok said. “Participating in hands-on
classes allows you to help create the world
around you.”
The Mustang, however, didn’t survive his
high school career. While driving to school
8
one day, Holmok totaled his car by crashing it into the car in front of him. Lucky
for him, he was wearing a seatbelt and
didn’t sustain any serious damage. However, his friend, who was in the passenger’s
seat, wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. He hit his
head against the windshield and had to go
“We live in a designed world.
Everything we see was made
by someone else. Participating in hands on classes allows
you to help create the world
around you.”
to the hospital.
“If there is one thing students take away
from this story, is to always wear your
seatbelt,” said Holmok.
After high school, Holmok attended
Ohio University with a business major.
However, he soon realized he wasn’t interested in business. When he looked back
at Lakewood High School and the classes
he took here, he realized what he needed
to do.
He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, having been inspired
by his Small Engines class. Later, he got a job at a
post-secondary school, where he helped to teach.
On one occasion, Holmok became sick and realized he couldn’t go to work that day. He thought, If
I’m not there, who is going to help those kids? That,
Holmok said, is why he decided to become a teacher.
He wanted to help young people.
“I try not to let [my students] quit, even if they
hate me for it,” he said. This is one of the many lessons Holmok learned from just one Small Engines
class.
“You can do whatever you want and get whatever
you want,” Holmok said. The trick, he says, is never
giving up.
“The time that you put [an engine] together and
it doesn’t start and the time that you put it together
and it does start are learning experiences,” Holmok
said. “The other side of learning that you can’t capture on a paper and pen is attitude.”
In the beginning, Holmok never imagined he
would come back to LHS to teach. He said he
“remember[s] graduating and saying [he] would
never look back.”
Nevertheless, he did look back, and what he
found changed the course of his life.
Terri DuPerow
Terri DuPerow is a current Spanish teacher and
former cheerleader.
In 1976, when DuPerow attended Lakewood
High School , there were only two security guards –
one male and one female.
During that time, students were given the opportunity to leave during their lunch period. However,
due to the lack of security, many people also left
during their self-directs. DuPerow said that she
often went to her friends’ houses, to “eat and drink
coffee.”
During her time in high school, there was much
less drug and alcohol abuse awareness as compared
to now. For example, in English class, DuPerow and
fellow classmates were expected to do a demonstrative speech on a topic of their own choice.
One of her peers chose to demonstrate to the
class “how to roll a joint.” Today, this topic for a
The Lakewood Times
Focus
on Memory Lane
project would merit at least a suspension.
However, the English teacher sat in the back
of class, watching as she would any other
project.
Crowds of students stood on the sidewalk
of Robinwood Avenue to smoke. At the time,
students were allowed to smoke cigarettes.
However, these teenagers would also avidly
go to Robinwood to smoke marijuana and do
other drugs as well. DuPerow wasn’t one of
these students.
“Adults didn’t realize how bad it was, at the
time,” said DuPerow.
The gym classes weren’t coed during
DuPerow’s time as a student. They included
activities like archery, fencing, and swimming.
DuPerow recalled the swimming suits that
were used by the girls. The one-piece garments were given out by the school. The suits
were not made out of the same material found
in swimwear today, DuPerow says – when they
got wet, the suits sagged.
Also, when the girls attempted to use the
dryer, while standing in a puddle of water,
they would get electrocuted.
DuPerow said that school “was hard
emotionally” for many students because “all
kids wanted to be accepted, understood, and
valued.”
DuPerow was friends with students of all
different types. According to DuPerow, the
social groups during the time were not the
same as they are now. There were “preps,
jocks, geeks, and stoners,” but the “Goth and
skaters” groups are newer to this generation.
She was a cheerleader during her sopho-
May 2009
more year. There were not as many opportunities for girls to play sports. “We were kind of
expected to stand at the sidelines and cheer
for the boys,” she said.
There was a lot more school spirit during the time. The cheerleaders would call out
cheers into the crowd and receive a warm and
enthusiastic response, as the crowd chanted
the cheer back.
Along with being a cheerleader, DuPerow
was also on the gymnastics team.
For four years, students remained in the
same homeroom class with the same people.
This way, many students developed lasting
friendships. Here, DuPerow met Nadeem
Essi, who she describes as a “chubby, geeky
kid that no one really liked.” However, after
talking to him, DuPerow realized what a nice
person he was. DuPerow is still friends with
Essi, who is now “gorgeous” and lives in New
York.
DuPerow likes Lakewood because it “is a
perfect balance between Cleveland and Bay
Village.” The city houses, she says, a mixture
of “preppy, snobby kids and juvenile delinquents.”
Focus
showcase the daredevil within them.
On one such day, Boyd, along with the other members of the boys’ and girls’ gymnastics
teams, was practicing in the West gym before
the coaches arrived. Boyd and her fellow
gymnasts would jump off of the track around
the West gym to land on the trampoline. One
time a couple of boys grabbed Boyd and
swung her across the gym so that she could
grab the gymnastics rings that were hanging
from the roof. Suddenly, the coaches walked in
and saw Boyd dangling from the roof.
While the coaches stood on the sideline,
praying she didn’t hurt herself, Boyd slowed
down and jumped to the mats beneath her.
Luckily for her, and probably the school, she
didn’t sustain any permanent damage.
Boyd will miss the West Gym the most,
Stephanie Boyd
By the time Stephanie Boyd graduated from
Lakewood High School in 1981, what is now
known as the New Building had already been
built.
She spent most of her time in the West
Gym, where she would practice for the girls’
gymnastics team, which was a State Champion
at the time.
The boys’ and girls’ gymnastics teams
”I was the girl that the really
nerdy kid would ask out, because he knew I wouldn’t be
mean.”
shared the West Gym for practice. Because the
students usually arrived several minutes before
the coaches, Boyd said, she and her team had
a lot of fun. There was a trampoline in the
middle of the gym the team members used to
because it holds the most memories for her.
During her time at LHS, the student social
groups were very different. Today, students are
divided among jocks, preps, nerds, Goths, and
the thousands of other categories students
have invented. However, during the 1980’s,
according to Boyd, there were preps, jocks and
“freaks.”
Boyd was not a jock, but said she tended to
be friends with everyone. “I was the girl that
the really nerdy kid would ask out, because he
knew I wouldn’t be mean,” she said.
During that time, the L-Room was mostly
occupied by the jocks. So, Boyd and her
friends tended to spend their time in the east
end of the West Gym, which they called the
“Talking Commons.” Boyd recalls the jukebox,
which would always be playing the song “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf.
Boyd despised and continues to despise that
song. She said she used to push a friend into
the jukebox, causing it to skip the song.
9
Focus
Boyd admits she wasn’t really a “good girl.”
During that time, she and many other students
would smoke cigarettes next to the flagpole
on Bunts. On one occasion, she got caught
and was given an ISS. During that time, the
parking lot that now holds the modular classes
was for the Civic Auditorium. The auditorium
belonged to the city, rather than the high
school. Since the rule was that students were
“The toilets in an old building bathroom would always
freeze with the cold weather
and students enjoyed flushing it, watching the iced water
crack.”
not allowed to smoke on school property,
students would use that parking lot to smoke
and socialize.
Boyd also remembers the major drug bust
at Lakewood High. One day, as she was walking home, she saw Channel 3 News suddenly
pull up. Then, just as quickly, Channels 6 and 8
arrived. Following the news reporters, a “patty
wagon,” or police van, pulled in. The police
marched into the building. Moments later, they
walked out with, as Boyd recalls, at least 10
kids. They were charged of selling drugs in the
city of Lakewood, not at Lakewood High.
This drug bust was on the eve of Sheriff
McFaul’s reelection. Boyd said this was a ploy,
by McFaul, to win the election. Sure enough,
McFaul was re-elected.
Today, many students complain about the
old building either being extremely hot or
extremely cold. Boyd remembers one specific
effect of winter. The toilets in the old building
bathrooms always froze with the cold weather,
and students enjoyed flushing them, watching
the iced water crack.
Academically, Boyd describes herself as “an
average student.” She had a GPA of about 2.5.
Though she earned Cs in her math and science classes, Boyd loved English, Spanish, and
social studies classes.
Her favorite teacher was Mrs. D’Caprio,
who was “a petite, classy, Italian woman” who
taught Spanish. D’Caprio didn’t accept laziness. “She really cared,” Boyd said.
10
Focus
Marty Harris
Lakewood, in 1958, was not the Lakewood
we know today. According to Marty Harris,
Lakewood was more like Bay Village when
she was a student. It was not surrounded by
Cleveland, Rocky River, or any other cities.
Instead, it was surrounded by country. For
example, Westlake, at the time, used to be an
orchard.
“Things were much more black and
white then,” Harris said. “We would never
swear and would always obey our teachers. Today, it’s different. Today, almost everyone can
be seen swearing. We weren’t open sexually,
either.”
Harris went to Lakewood City Schools and
graduated from Lakewood High School . She
then moved to Illinois to attend University
of Illinois. There, she got a bachelor’s degree
in psychology and counselor psychology. In
1985, she returned to Lakewood with her
husband to claim her mother’s house after she
passed away. It has now been 25 years since
then, and she “[loves] being here.”
Harris acknowledges the strong difference
between then and now. While she was still
in school, a war was raging on in the world.
During 1950 to 1953, the Korean War was
being fought. Then, two years after Harris
graduated, in 1960, the Vietnam War was also
officially underway.
Harris remembers seeing kids from different countries in the hallways of Lakewood
High. In 1956, Lakewood welcomed Hungarian families during the Hungarian revolution.
“Lakewood has always been a community
that receives war-torn families,” Harris said.
The economic background of Lakewood
was also very different. Students could quit
school and still find a well-paying job. However, many students stayed in school in order
to avoid being drafted. If you did graduate
high school, it was almost certain that you
were going to college.
During this time, teachers were not allowed
to be married. This rule was put into place to
ensure that teachers were putting enough time
into the education of their students. Harris
says this extra time was evident in the many
late nights teachers devoted to their work.
It was unusual for married women to work
at the time. Harris said she “[remembers] running home during lunch, and [her] mother was
there to make her lunch.”
That’s not the only difference between now
and 1958. Today, social events for teenagers
mostly center around parties and the unacceptable behavior commonly associated with
these parties. Girls in the 1950s didn’t host
parties, but rather potlucks. At a potluck, each
individual makes and shares a different dish
with friends.
Besides socializing, school was also very
important to Harris. “My parents didn’t even
allow me to watch TV,” she said, “because
they didn’t want anything distracting me from
my schoolwork.”
Harris also enjoyed playing sports in high
school. Lakewood High didn’t have individual
sports teams. Instead, students participated
in sports through homeroom classes. Each
student participated in the sports, and the
best from each homeroom were chosen to
compete against other homerooms. Harris
enjoyed a variety of sports, including field
hockey, tennis, basketball, and softball. “
I feel like because I have lived in Lakewood
all my life,” she said, “I am able to help students here better.”
The Lakewood Times
Focus
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The
end
of an
era...
Images from
LHs’ past
Photo Story by Thealexa Becker, Design Editor
All images used courtesy of the Cleveland Press
Collection.
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May 2009
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The Lakewood Times
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May 2009
1. There used to be an impressive fountain located
in the old building that has since been covered over
by reconstruction. But in 1932, students used it to
socialize. 2. LHS is well known as the home of some
of the best vocational programs in the area, and
in 1943, one of those classes was Foundry, where
students could work with stone. 3. While Driver’s Ed
requirements may be changing seasonally, students
in 1965 could take their mandatory prep classes in
LHS on the slightly unrealistic car “simulators.” 4.
Another vocational class, Auto Mechanics, was a
booming trade in 1966. For many years, girls were not
allowed to take certain classes. This was one of them.
5. Despite its rather tame reputation, LHS was the
site of a few drug busts like this one in 1980 where
the police department removed several students near
the science building. 6. Some classes have been and
will remain in the curriculum, like Chemistry, which
these students from 1958 studied in the science building. 7. The Times and Broadcasting didn’t used to be
the only media programs at the school. Radio Club,
which was still operating in 1940, was a fun way for
students to communicate. 8. Musical students in the
1954 Marching Band gather around their director,
Arthur Jewell, to study some sheet music. 9. Girls’
basketball, in 1964, used to practice in the West Gym.
10. The swimming pool, circa 1928, was still the home
of the swim team.
13
News
Lakewood says,
“Not
In Our
Town”
By Fiza Shah, Editorial Board Member
Members of Lakewood’s Race and Diversity
(RAD) Club and Human Rights and Conflict
classes took a step toward a more tolerant
Lakewood on May 11.
For two years, the Race and Diversity Club
has met regularly to discuss racial issues most
people are afraid to talk about.
Social Studies teacher and RAD adviser Joe
Lobozzo was contacted by the Facing History
and Ourselves Group.
“They told me about The Working Group,
going around the country and making a documentary about how students face intolerance,”
said Lobozzo, “and I told them about Human
Rights and Conflict and RAD.”
According to Lobozzo, the group became
excited about coming to film at Lakewood
High.
The Working Group is making a PBS
special called “Not In Our Town II.” The first
part of this special, made in 1995, was about
how Billings, Montana responded to the hate
crimes in its community.
Now, 14 years later, filmmaker Patrice
O’Neill has decided to take on the issue of
race once more.
“We wanted to go to a diverse community
with a teacher that’s engaged in addressing
intolerance,” said O’Neill.
For two periods, O’Neill interviewed individual students and the whole class.
For the first forty minutes, O’Neill and
the camerawoman interviewed Lobozzo and
individual students.
14
Race and Diversity advisor Joe Lobozzo tackles
hard-hitting questions during a meeting. All
photos by Fiza Shah, Editorial Board Member.
With no cameras in sight, the 30 RAD and
Human Rights and Conflict students, in the
modular library, were quickly consumed in
their individual conversations about race.
Sophomore Samiha Abushaekh, with a
hijaab on her head and smile on her face, said,
“I love talking about things that are uncomfortable to talk about.” According to Abushaekh, “Once we become comfortable talking
about it, we can become comfortable standing
up to it. It’s when you shove it aside that it
becomes complicated.”
The students patiently waiting to begin the
meeting had several reasons for missing two
periods of class to take part in the meeting.
Senior Sam DeBaltzo said he had attended
several previous RAD meetings. DeBaltzo,
who described himself as a “white boy,” said,
“I don’t go through the stuff other people
go through. These meetings help me realize
how fortunate I am and what other people go
through.”
“People should take the time to understand
similarities and differences between people,”
senior Bless Warner said. Warner moved from
Cleveland to Lakewood at the age of 11. She
doesn’t look at Lakewood and see discrimination. She says she has only experienced
discrimination from Lakewoodites a few times.
This year, a student in Warner’s government
class makes constant bigoted jokes. “He says
things like, ‘Have you ever seen black people
in the Jetsons? Sounds like a good future to
me.’ It’s hurtful,” Warner said.
However, according to junior Jermeka
Jackson, this is quickly changing. Jackson says
the gap between minorities and the majority is
quickly evening out. number of minorities and
majority are quickly evening out.
As the students conversed in small groups,
Lobozzo entered to speak. “We want to
discuss how we build a community that truly
strives to integrate all newcomers.”
“Remember,” he said, after speaking for five
or ten minutes, “to speak your truth.”
And, with this inspirational saying adopted
by the RAD club, the camerawoman and
O’Neill entered the crowded library.
At first, the students welcomed the camera,
awkwardly inches away from their faces, with
complete silence. No one spoke.
Finally, Sarah Speice said, “We want to talk
about some of the challenges faced by those
that move to Lakewood ,” she said.
“I felt scared the first time I came here,
because I didn’t know anybody. But, after a
while, I felt more comfortable. It’s like the
real world, because there are a lot of different
ethnicities in the real world,” one student said.
And so it began. There were four students
standing at two large writing pads, on which
the group would generate ideas to better the
community of Lakewood . With normality returning to the situation, the camerawoman became easier to ignore, the students discussed,
as they do every week, the issue of race.
So, how do we help students who move
here? One student said, “It’s important to
think about how you would feel in that situation.”
Another student added that Lakewood is
historically known as being white. Now it is
diverse, but people are still being told that it is
still a predominantly white community.
With this, the conversation turned to the
word “ghetto.” Is Lakewood a ghetto? the
students asked.
Before addressing this question, the students brainstormed the different meanings of
the word “ghetto.”
“People say the east side of Cleveland is
ghetto and that Lakewood is ghetto. But, they
are completely different. So, what is ghetto?”
The word ghetto was originally used by Hitler, as the name of the neighborhood in which
Jewish victims of his discrimination lived.
This led to the question, “how can we stop
people from thinking this way and moving
away from Lakewood ?”
Silence.
The Lakewood Times
news
news
Then, one student spoke. “Everybody is
trying to run away from something. That’s
everywhere,” he said, referring to the increasing crime rate in Lakewood .
Then, all hands rose at once. CaNada
Tate-Griffin said, “I’ve been pushed here to
succeed and opportunities after opportunities
have been opening.”
Abushaekh recalled a specific event at the
grocery store. “I was shopping and this guy
just came up to me and started talking to me.”
Abushaekh said it made her feel welcome.
With the meeting drawing to a close, one
RAD member wrapped up the entire purpose
of the meeting with one statement, said, “We
need to start getting to know each other better. Then, show the community that we know
each other.”
A camera woman videotapes footage from a Race and Diversity Meeting.
Attentive students listen at a R.A.D Meeting
Sarah Spiece, Jessica Blalock and Bless Warner listen to one of R.A.D’s many topics.
May 2009
Artwork by Jordan Congeni
15
News
“Barbie” pursues career in law enforcement
By Rebecca McKinsey, Editor in Chief
Relentlessly enforcing dress
code. Stepping in front of cars
that refuse to stop. Providing
students with advice, support, and
a listening ear. This is the legacy
Donna Brown leaves at Lakewood High.
After two years at LHS, Brown
pursuing a long-held dream: she
is entering the Cleveland Police
Academy to become a police
officer.
Brown has always loved sports.
In high school, she was very
involved in softball, volleyball,
track, and martial arts. She continued to study the latter over the
course of eighteen years, earning a third-degree black belt in
hapkido, Tae Kwon Do, and judo.
For ten years, she taught martial
arts to people of all ages.
Working toward her goal of
becoming a police officer, Brown
received her Ohio Peace Officer
Training Academy Certificate.
However, her life soon took a
different turn. She married and
raised a family. When her kids
were older, she began taking parttime security jobs and coaching
varsity basketball.
She chose to come to LHS
because she wanted to work with
high school students. “I wanted to
try to be an influence in their lives
by being here,” she said.
During her time at Lakewood,
Brown established her reputation
as someone who will not skimp
on the rules. Many students
who skate on the edge when
it comes to dress code and ID
usage learned that if they passed
Brown’s station, they would be
stopped. “I always try to be consistent,” Brown said. “Some kids
like me, some kids don’t, because
I am consistent.”
Although there are a select few
students who resent this, Brown
says that for the most part, she
was impressed with the students
at LHS. “It’s an awesome school,”
16
she said. “The kids here are great.
The majority of the kids here
are very polite and very wellmannered, and do what they’re
supposed to do.”
Brown says she especially appreciates when students go out
of their way to be friendly. “They
would come up to me and ask
how I was. They really care,” she
said.
One of Brown’s favorite
memories of LHS stems from her
small, blond, friendly appearance.
“The kids cared enough to give
me a nickname, Barbie,” she said.
“That’s my best memory. That’s
always going to stick with me.”
The moniker became so common that few students even knew
Brown as anything other than
Barbie.
Many students have heard of
Brown bodily stepping in front
of a car that refused to stop when
students were crossing Franklin. This has actually happened
several times, but Brown brushes
aside any mention of heroism. “I
would do that in a heartbeat for
any of the kids. I wouldn’t want
to see them get hurt. I care about
those kids like they were my
own,” said Brown, who has two
teens of her own.
As she leaves LHS to finally
pursue her dream of becoming a
police officer, Brown wants everyone at the school to know she is
grateful for her experience. “I appreciate my time here at LHS and
will miss everybody,” she said.”I’ll
miss my coworkers, the staff, and
especially the students.”
The time she spent and the
things she learned at LHS helped
to ready Brown for her next step.
“Being at LHS got me prepared
for my dream,” she said.
Through her life experiences
and her time at LHS, Brown has
gleaned several lessons she wants
to pass on to students. Her plans
to become a police officer were
put on hold when she raised a
family and went into the security
field. Instead of giving up on her
dream, however, she kept it in the
back of her mind and continued
working toward her goal. Now,
years later, she’s going to do
what she always wanted. Brown
hopes her experiences serve as an
example to LHS students. “You’re
never too old to make your dream
come true,” she said.
Although she is no longer at
LHS, Brown wants her advice for
students to remain in her stead.
“Do whatever you want to do in
life. Start strong and finish strong
in whatever you do,” she said.
“Stay focused. Don’t stop until
you’ve pursued your dream.”
Popular security guard, nicknamed “Barbie,”, is leaving LHS. Art by Sarah Jawhari, Opinion Editor.
The Lakewood Times
Editorial
What we will (and won’t) miss
about high school
By Danielle Szabo and Valerie Locke, Editorial Board Members
When discussing with our fellow soon-to-be graduates about what we
will miss about LHS, a response frequently heard was “not a lot.”
This isn’t surprising considering seniors at this time of year have one
thing on their mind: getting out, and leaving the halls of Lakewood
High forever.
Generally, we will not miss: “IDs on, hoodies off,” “Every period,
every day,” security guards, hall freezes, hall passes, not being able to go
to the bathroom without a pass (even if it’s right there!), crossing the
street to get to class in the freezing snow or rain, and being late to class
because the light doesn’t change.
What are we going to miss about LHS? For one thing, we’re going
to miss the L-Room cookies (yes, the delicious chocolate chip cookies
served on Tuesdays and Thursdays for only 25 cents), and the “Apple
G-forces.” Where else will we find a deal as good as that outside of LHS
cafeterias? We’ll also miss the teachers who successfully accomplished
the task of making learning fun, and those who cut us some serious
slack and let us turn our project in late, for full credit.
Even if not everyone admits it, the majority of us will miss something about Lakewood High, whether it be the friends we’ve made, the
teachers who helped us out along the way, the clubs, the sports, and the
plays we have participated in (or viewed), or the building itself!
“Rangerettes, and being in the Lakewood Project. I’m going to
miss hanging out with all the people and all the performances.”
-Amy Nelson
“It’s going to be weird that the building will be gone after this
year.” -Jamie Gawlikowski
“I’m going to miss football
a lot, Friday night lights,
game time!” -Ervin Metaj
“I won’t miss waking up everyday, but I’ll miss the cool surveys
the Times passes out.”
-Katie Beckwith
“I’m going to miss knowing a lot of people. I won’t miss construction, being oppressed by the man, or the random smells in
the old LCA building level.” -Ryan Walsh
“I’ll miss the broken railing on the fourth floor, and being able
to walk through the halls saying ‘my brother broke that,’ because
the building won’t be here.” -Paul Staley
“The memories. This is where I met my boyfriend. Our first
hand holding took place in the hallways.” -Heather Norman
“I’m not going to miss all the drama, but I will miss my friends
and some of the teachers.” -May Muth
“I won’t miss people standing in the halls, blocking the way, or
constantly hearing ‘IDs on, hoodies off.” -Bethany Boughen
“I’m going to miss acting like a fool with my homies. I won’t miss
the cliques in the hallways.” -Christian Perez
Remember the “Tween Scene”?
By Gwen Stephen, Staff Writer
It’s the first day of middle school. You walk through the doors with
your book bag full of excessive, unnecessary locker supplies. Your
Converse, inked with quirky drawings and random words, step into a
whole new world. Your arms are filled with Livestrong wristbands, and
your beloved hoodie hangs off your small frame like a cloth parachute.
Middle school was full of memories. Drawing on your body and wearing comfortable clothing like pajama pants and athletic shorts were
only the beginning.
From the secret note passing to the texting takeover, many things
have changed since those days. High school forces us to mature quickly.
Staying out until 10:30 every Friday night, ice skating at Winterhurst,
trying your best not to get caught chewing gum, thinking getting an
ISS was such a big deal, doing the “Cha Cha Slide” at all the school
dances – yeah, you can’t deny that when you were in middle school,
you thought you were the coolest thing alive.
We’ve grown up a lot. We don’t spend all of our time making paper
fortunetellers, or looking forward to “library days” and scoping out the
latest issue of “Teen People.” We’ve also realized that prank calling the
cute kid you sit next to in science class isn’t cool anymore. Hopefully,
most of us have learned from our mistakes and foolish child’s play, and
understand that high school is a whole different world. Quickly, we
realize that using “yo momma” as the ultimate comeback and gossiping about the newest three-day-long relationship is just not important
anymore.
Even though we’re older and more aware of our future now, we
still can’t escape the humorous memories of the past: Bill Nye videos,
showing off your latest Game Boy, and not having to worry about losing our IDs all the time.
May 2009
Middle school was cool when we were actually there, but now we look
back and remember how corny all of our jokes were, wonder how we
walked out of the house with those ugly outfits, and think about how silly
our past crushes were. Those were the days – fighting over who was better, Fall Out Boy or Panic at the Disco, in-depth discussions about how
MySpace was the newest and coolest thing ever, and actually participating
in gym class.
It seems like high school students are more focused on what yesterday’s
English assignment was, where they will go to college, and maybe even
whose house they’re drinking at this weekend. High school students have
lost most of the innocence held in younger years.
What makes high school so different from middle school is who we
become. The people we hang out with, our personal beliefs, and what
we do in our free time – everything’s shifted from those long-lost middle
school days. . It’s upsetting to know that we will never go back to the
lenient dress code, the relaxing homebases, exciting Track and Field days,
and those awesome lunchboxes.
Remember when your first kiss spread throughout the school like a forest fire? Remember gathering in front of the building every morning in
cliques? Remember when your hardest decision of the day was what kind
of chips to pick up in the lunch line, or who to add to the “Hot List” on
the bathroom stalls? Those three years quickly zipped by.
The 2008-2009 school year is ending just as rapidly as it began, which
means seniors spend their last days in high school looking towards their
future and reminiscing about the past. Regardless of age difference, or
the year you walk across that stage, one thing all high school students
have in common was experiencing the riveting years of middle school.
17
Editorial
Editorial
It’s not worth working
for peanuts
FACE
By Kevin Finucam, Contributing Writer
As a senior in high school just weeks before graduation, it is hard not
to reflect back on my past four years of high school and think, “What
have I learned?” This thought, however, is not as rewarding as it may
seem. The fact is, most of the things I have learned that stick with me
did not originate in a classroom.
Now, I would never advise an incoming freshman to disregard
grades, because grades are important. They display your personal
abilities to the world in a recognizable way, but more important than
displaying those abilities is the acquisition of them in the first place.
Summer school offers
untapped opportunities
Times Staff Editorial
Spending an entire nine-period day at school can get aggravating and
even a little annoying. Imagine how it would feel leaving school right
after sixth period, or even seventh, for that matter. It’s entirely possible
for something like this to happen for all students. Seniors, juniors,
sophomores and even freshman are all capable of taking summer
classes. If students actually looked into taking classes offered in the
summer, there would be no hassle with them during the school year.
Summer gym, for one, is a breeze, and there’s no worrying about
what we have to go through during the school year. Walking across the
street with wet hair when it’s freezing outside, getting sweaty, and having to go through the annoyance of changing your clothes would all be
taken off of your shoulders.
“Taking gym class in the summer was definitely a relief off my
schedule for the school year,” sophomore Missy Richardson said. “Plus,
it was really easy, and I met a lot of cool people.”
Summer classes can also help students who want to graduate early. If
summer classes are being taken, we can have more electives or classes
that we can enjoy in our schedules. It would be easier to focus more
on other classes, and not have to worry about the semester classes we
already got credit for in the summer.
The people who take summer classes should even be rewarded.
A scholarship for enrichment during the summer is one option. We
shouldn’t take summer classes for granted.
“Taking classes during the summer should be something that looks
good on college transcripts,” freshman Celi Coleman said. “I would
definitely take a summer class, because it’s better than not really doing
anything constructive with my time.”
It’s a fast way to get classes out of the way while still getting the credits we need. So what’s the issue, and why are so many students waiting
so long to get started? Usually, the thought of waking up early on days
that you could be sleeping in doesn’t sound too appealing. However,
if the school would address the issue more, maybe students would be
learning about the many benefits that come with taking summer classes.
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English teacher Nancy DeCapua, when asked for her view, was
torn, saying that “obviously [personal development] is the one that
I consider to be most important … however, [grades] are important
in the eyes of the world … If you haven’t [gotten good grades], it
becomes an albatross around your neck in the pursuit of [personal
development].”
Seniors in high school who have spent the last four years working for grades in order to get into college seem less divided in their
views. “I think personal development [is most important] because
grades can be a really bad picture of how good you are … personal
development would mean a lot more in the future,” senior Jessica
Newell said.
Senior Alex Zimmerman agrees, stating, “Getting the grade is
important because it opens doors to college, but learning things for
my own growth is more rewarding. When you work really hard for a
high grade you aren’t learning as much … because [information] is
stored in short-term memory.”
From a superficial standpoint, grades matter. And in this superficial society, it is in everyone’s best interest to pay some level of
attention to them. However, in the end, out in the working world,
when people are living their adult lives, it will be what they have
learned that will make all the difference, not whether they got an “A”
in their ninth-grade German 1, or any other individual class.
Far too much of the work students do in a classroom is busywork. Students are made to do basic and mechanical assignments
that serve only to program all of the minds in a classroom to react
according to the exact same intellectual patterns. Assignments are reduced to tools to give teachers more points in the book rather than
learning tools for students to unleash creativity. Where the purpose
of education should be to teach students how to learn and problemsolve, it instead becomes a system of memorization of facts and
patterns that are largely useless when confronted with a unique
problem.
Lakewood High teacher Sean Wheeler has been known to compare students working for grades to “monkeys working for peanuts.”
Ultimately, the grade is secondary. All that matters is that a student
grows as a person, learns about what he feels passionate about, and
prepares himself for what awaits him in the future.
After all, as the famous saying by minister and author Robert
Fulghum goes, “All I ever really needed to know I learned in kindergarten.”
The Lakewood Times
Editorial
OFF
Editorial
Hoops are worth
jumping through
By Lindsay Allamon, Staff Writer
column, when starting high school, you must be prepared and have a
backbone from the first. After all, it is your education that millions of
taxpayers are supporting. Very few leave a legacy in the world, country,
or even their high school. However, many document it quarterly by
earning merit, honor, and distinguished honor roll.
It is your choice, and the time is now. Aim high for grades, intelligence, and respect, and more opportunities will follow.
An individual’s overall achievement is what matters in the end. If it
cannot be proven, then there is no reason that person’s “intelligence”
should be taken seriously. When a student says, “I’m really smart, I just
don’t care about grades,” as an excuse for his lazy behavior, the chance
of him actually being a pure genius is slim to none.
The only factor society can use to weigh a citizen’s importance is the
amount that citizen has achieved. Colleges look at grades, GPAs, test
scores, and the like. They will never bother listening to personal comments by teachers, family, friends, or the student about the applicant’s
exceeding brilliance despite his poor efforts.
Life beyond high school depends on the amount of work a person
puts toward making an improvement in the world. The better grades
one earns, the more influential his role in the world will be. It usually
follows that the more influential a person’s role, the better he is.
Rachel Niemi, a 2008 graduate from Lakewood High School and
current college freshman, has just returned from a prosperous trip to
India.
She says that “if it weren’t for [her] good grades in high school,
[she] wouldn’t be able to appreciate [her] own, personal choice of daily
education today.”
However, just because she went out of her way to make the grade,
she still “had the time and enjoyed other aspects of high school learning beyond the academics,” she said.
When asked if it is more important to have good grades or to have
acquired knowledge from the whole high school experience, Niemi
said, “It is more important to keep a balance between the two.”
She continued to weigh out the circumstances of the variety of
students at public school. “Everybody’s home situations are different. There are kids that don’t even have a permanent home to go to.
However, some in that place still find a way to achieve good grades, and
in this process they haven’t even realized what they’ve learned through
their struggles,” Niemi said.
Most adolescents who work hard to earn their grades have developed
a thinking process of their own. On the other hand, there are the few
who push themselves to the limit with note taking, cramming, and
multi-tasking.
Who’s to say you, or anyone else, is smart? In this life, there must
be proof to support every single statement, position, or thought. “The
teenagers that are proud enough to say they’re ‘smart’ can’t be taken
seriously if they don’t work hard and get F’s every quarter,” Niemi said.
If it has not been said enough by your parents, teachers, or even this
May 2009
Finals schedule offers
appreciated relief
Times Staff Editorial
Studying for finals? Same here, but instead of making us sit through
those test for hours on end, Lakewood High has given us the freedom
and privileges we deserve. Those lucky students who hand in a signed
permission slip get an open lunch and can leave school grounds when
they don’t have testing. We should appreciate this more, because it gives
us a chance to sleep in and more time to study.
The school has been flexible in letting kids leave, and if we lose this
privilege now, it wouldn’t be fair to the incoming students. The best
part of this scheduling is that if your schedule allows, you can have the
whole day off. Those lucky students earn bragging rights for the next
year.
The week of midterms is hectic, but also relaxing. The current
schedule allows students to sleep more, study more, and eat elsewhere.
We think that kids should enjoy school and have fun. Stressing over
midterms and finals is not fun. Kids here get the opportunity, freedom,
and responsibility of leaving school during this week – and only sometimes having to come back.
With this scheduling, however, there are also more opportunities to
break the rules. Don’t do something that might take away this privilege.
The administration has put a lot of trust in the students, and we should
do everything we can to keep it.
We would like to express our greatest gratitude to these
teachers and faculty, each of whom has made incredible contributions to Lakewood high school education. We wish them
the best of luck as they bid farewell to the purple and gold.
Barb Bowley, Joan French, Sandy Heffernan, Karen Liss Bob
Mason, Betty Minning, Marty Nagele, Shirley Pauley, Chuck
Poole, Andrea Sheppa, Ellie Sinkewich, Barb Sosnowski, Todd
Urban
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By Sarah Jawhari, Opinion Editor
Quite a few of us remember what was cool in middle school.
Whether you attended Emerson, Harding, or Horace Mann,
some things just never left your memory … even if they did go
out of style.
Pokémon: Boasting a range of creatures that went from cute
and cuddly to huge and dangerous, Pokémon was a hit with old and
young alike. This popular children’s series also sparked the creation of
cards, stickers, and collectibles. No middle school kid didn’t want to be
just like Ash Ketchum and his posse: Pikachu, Misty, and Brock.
Tamagotchi: With bad graphics but an adorable theme, Tamagotchi
games taught responsibility – though a considerable amount of middle
school students grew bored with their digital pets after about a week or
so. Tamagotchis were fun to play with, and twice as fun to collect and
show off.
Furby and Beanie Babies: Creepy monster “Furby” could talk and
blink and move his beak apparatus, while Beanie Babies stuck to real
animals. The best part? Both Furbies and Beanie Babies were considered collectables, and could be personalized to their owners’ tastes.
Yugioh: With an impossibly spiky hairstyle and a stack of cards, Yugioh and friends were a hit with middle school boys. Unlike Pokémon,
the monsters weren’t real and weren’t stored in Poké-balls.
SpongeBob SquarePants: First aired in 1999,
SpongeBob is probably one of the few middle
school trends that remain today—though a
large percentage of high school students
agree that the new episodes aren’t
half as nifty as the older ones.
SpongeBob carries his own
line of bedding, wall decorations, toys, computer games, and
clothes. The program may not
have a plot or a point, but the
cleverly disguised innuendo and
subtle jokes made the show an
instant hit.
Health Class: We all remember
that certain middle school student
who giggled at the exposed male/
female anatomy in the textbook.
Health Classes, which are taught to
fifth and eighth graders in Lakewood,
are definitely a big part of middle school.
And
they’re absolutely unforgettable. It is
perhaps here that middle school kids get their first taste of embarrassment, awkwardness, and confusion.
Game Boy: Now displaced with the Nintendo DS and PSP, Game
Boys had a long, proud round while they were still in existence. Poké-
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mon games were especially popular.
Nintendo 64: Now replaced with the Wii gaming systems and PS3,
Nintendo systems were the next step up after the Sega Geneses. Unlike the Sega, the Nintendo could handle one to four players, all with
clunky, three-pronged controllers. Some notable games were Donkey
Kong and Mario.
Old Nickelodeon and Old Disney: After-school hours were constantly consumed in the golden oldies: Pete and Pete, Ah! Real Monsters!, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Clarissa Explains it All, All That!, Rocko’s
Modern Life, Even Stevens, Angry Beavers, Doug, Lizzie McGuire, and
many others. Unfortunately, today’s generation has the displeasure of
growing up with iCarly and Hannah Montana – they have the best of
both worlds.
Disney Animated Features: Predominant throughout the ’90s and
beyond, Disney movies have diminished in quality and delivery. Some
notable old Disney movies include The AristoCats, Aladdin, Lion King,
Hercules, Peter Pan, Mulan, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty,
Beauty and the Beast, and Toy Story – to name a few.
Public Programming: For the select few of us who weren’t exposed
to cable, Arthur, Barney, Sesame Street, and Wishbone provided us
with our daily entertainment – and education, too! Wishbone reenacted
various pieces of historical literature, making them understandable to
the younger crowd. Barney and Sesame Street utilized puppets and
costumes to their full potential. And Arthur? That aardvark still graces
my TV screen every weekday at approximately 4:30 p.m. Does anyone
else remember Lamb Chop?
MySpace: While many students still own a MySpace, quite a few have
switched to Facebook or Twitter. MySpace boomed throughout the
end of middle school. Indeed, the idea of having a page with any music
you like and any background you like sounded like a fantastical dream.
Internet stalkers agree.
No IDs: Current middle school students are required to wear an ID.
Cool kids take the extra step to decorate said IDs with pins, buttons,
and stickers. Back in the day, IDs weren’t required in middle school.
Hoodies: No longer permitted in the high school or middle schools,
hoodies were a divine luxury throughout our middle school years. They
were large and spacey for the guys, and tight and form-fitting for the
ladies.
Password Journal: Middle school girls kept their secrets safe with
The Lakewood Times
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Title art by Sarah Jawhari,
Opinion Editor.
a voice-activated journal that would only open for you. Accessories
included a special pen that wrote in invisible ink, and a special light that
revealed the words. My only question now is, how many secrets can a
middle school girl have?
Breezy Relationships: John and Sally went on a date! John and Sally,
sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G … Breezy relationships were perhaps
the middle school trademark. Overreacting peers were another.
Harry Potter: If you asked most middle school kids where they
wanted to go to school, they probably would have told you about
the wonderful world of Hogwarts, where Harry Potter and friends
discussed muggles and did magic. Most middle school kids nowadays
would much rather become vampires and chill with the characters of
Twilight instead.
Now they seem like
ghosts from the past.
Art by Jordan Congeni,
Staff Artist.
May 2009
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“H.M.S. Pinafore” provides music, laughter
1. Senior Julian Ellins sings a captain’s tune. 2. Juniors Greg Culley and Erin Carney working
out their relationship issues. 3. Juniors Kelly Staskus and Frank Blackman sing a lovers’ duet. 4.
Sophomore Kevin Ritter, Blackman, and sophomore Chuck Kemp sing a song about equality among
sailors. 5. Blackman holds a gun and contemplates ending his life after being rejected by Staskus. 6.
Sailors hop and twirl as the crowd of admiring ladies looks on. 7. Senior Grace Elliot sits on sophomore Luke Fesko. 8. Freshman Jack DeBaltzo gazes out into the stars as he mops the deck of the
Pinafore. 9. Culley works to make a point through one of his songs. 10. Junior John Snyder leaps out
of the hutch to which he is usually confined. 11. Staskus frets as she tries to choose between luxury
and true love. 12. After finally reconciling, Staskus and Blackman share a kiss. 13. The crowd of
“sisters and cousins and aunts” that follows Culley wherever he goes. Photos by Evan Graves, Editorial Board Member.
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By Thealexa Becker, Design Editor
There is nothing worse than going to see
a movie with a great cast, promising premise,
and a stinky story. Except when that movie is
supposed to be the first major blockbuster of
a slightly lackluster summer lineup.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is, aside from
being in desperate need of a better title,
somewhere in the middle of the pack of the
recent superhero films. While it is definitely
beyond “Daredevil” and “Superman Returns,”
it doesn’t quite measure up to its sequels, the
“X-Men” trilogy. It tells a story already told in
the second “X-Men” film, and it does so in a
completely predictable manner.
It is easiest to suggest that the film, which
lacks a dominant flaw, was made with the
intention of continuing the franchise rather
than adding to it.
Clearly, Wolverine is the most popular
“X-Men” character, and Hugh Jackman is
certainly a favorite with audiences, but those
factors alone cannot create a coherent and
engaging feature film. It is unfair to any actor
or cast to expect them to carry a movie with a
half-baked plot, which is essentially what happened to “Wolverine.”
The characters themselves were not the
issue, and the casting was dead-on for most of
the cadre of mutants dumped into the twohour spectacle. But the story was so typical
and predictable that most of the characters
were underused or misused. It was aggravating
that the writers felt the need to throw in so
many accessory and unneeded mutants just for
the sake of reminding us that they exist.
For example, Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) is one
of the most intriguing and popular X-Men.
Yet in the film, he has maybe ten minutes of
screen time if you’re being generous, which is
24
disappointing because not only is he entertaining, but his powers are really cool.
The story also suffered from a lack of direction and plot holes. Sabertooth was a major
example of both. Number one, Victor Creed
(a.k.a. Sabertooth, played by Liev Schreiber) is
not Wolverine’s brother in any capacity. Number two, he has blond hair. Number three, um
... wasn’t he completely different and unrelated
to Wolverine in the first “X-Men” movie?
Yeah ... that isn’t confusing at all.
And then there was the girlfriend who starts
the tragic cycle of revenge. She wasn’t worth
getting that bent outta shape for. There was
very little incorporated into the plot to show
why in the world Wolverine, who up to this
point was established was a killing machine
with minimal remorse, should give a crap if
she lived or died. Then suddenly, her brutal,
totally predictable and calculated murder sends
Wolverine into an irrational spiral.
Right...
In a case such as this, blame needs to be
dispersed on some party, and it is best suited
on the writers. The acting for the most part
was fine, but the writing reeked of apathy for
the integrity of the franchise. If a little more
time was spent developing the plot beyond a
clichéd revenge tale, it might have been more
compelling. Instead, the writers left us with a
skeleton of a story punctuated with random
bouts of inexplicable violence.
Sometimes I wondered, if these people sat
down and had a nice chat, would any of this
have happened? Well, maybe, but at least there
would have been a better reason.
Top: Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) unleashes his fury after gaining adamatium claws. Above: Gambit (Taylor
Kitsch) makes a brief, memorable appearance in the mutant packed film. Photos courtesy of Marvel Studios.
The Lakewood Times
Lkwd Life
An Enterprising new endeavor:
“Star Trek” cruises back into the mainstream
By Thealexa Becker, Design Editor
Yeah, it’s not my mother’s “Star Trek,” and
I’m glad.
I’ve seen enough “Star Trek” to know a
franchise reboot was in order. Not because the
series was bad, necessarily, or because there
aren’t enough rabid fans, but because it wasn’t
really accessible to this generation.
And it’s true, most franchise “reboots”
crash and burn in an epic fashion, but in
this case, despite the alarmed reactions of
hardcore fans, this movie made “Star Trek”
fun. Viewers of this film could say they like
it without being declared “Trekkies.” Besides,
any film that uses Saturday Night Live to
shamelessly and hilariously self-promote and
mock itself deserves the benefit of the doubt.
The new film starts with a revision of
“Trek” history by way of some fancy time
travel and a new substance called red matter.
Basically, an alternate “Trek” universe was
created so this franchise could grow independently of the original stories.
Thankfully, the origin story was not a
belabored one, with only the most relevant
snapshots of the young lives of Kirk (Chris
Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) embedding
themselves in an already ambitious project.
And while some aspects of the plot set-up
were a little hackneyed, they produced easily
the most entertaining aspect of the film: the
character interactions.
For those who are at least relatively familiar
with the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise,
you will undoubtedly know the trio of friends
– Kirk, McCoy (Karl Urban), and Spock – was
the biggest draw. And certainly the charm of
the original cast can never be fully replaced,
but the newest incarnations of the unlikely set
are just as energetic and produce just as much
chemistry. The acting, especially from the
leads, is solid enough to make audiences want
to see more of them in say, perhaps, a sequel.
There was a great deal of clever maneuvering worked into the script (much of it in the
form of pure coincidence) that aligned the
characters in the proper situations. Some of it
was overplayed, like Kirk and the older Spock
just happening to run into Scotty (Simon
Pegg) on a random ice planet, and some of
it was just right, like Uhura (Zoe Soldana)
demanding to be placed on the Enterprise
because she knew she was the best.
It is also worth noting that, despite the solid
nature of the movie, the trailer and ad campaign are highly misleading. There is no Kirk
and Uhura. There is Spock and Uhura, which
is an interesting pairing. And in the same vein,
this film wasn’t really “sexier,” as there really
wasn’t any sex to speak of. The one scene that
comes remotely close was in the trailer, so it
isn’t like there are surprises hidden in the film.
Although it’s hard to say anything ill of
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“Trek,” there were some flaws. Personal gripes
aside, there are a few universal issues. The first
is Chekov (Anton Yelchin), who is literally unintelligible with his thick-as-molasses Russian
accent. It took me five minutes to figure out
he was saying “victor.” That’s how bad it was.
The second is the villain, Nero (Eric Bana),
who did close to nothing for a majority of
the movie. Not that this was bad, per say, but
short of a diatribe on why he hates Spock, he
didn’t contribute much. He was just the man
to beat, which is unfortunate, because Bana is
a talented actor.
The last is something that could not be
avoided because of the nature of the film. In
the first of what is obviously meant to be a
series, it is impossible to develop more than
one or two characters adequately. “Trek” did
a better than average job in this case, but it
would have been more satisfying to have seen
more of some of the other crew-members,
specifically McCoy. But again, that’s surely
what the sequel is for.
So to parrot Leonard Nimoy, who admonished fans for boycotting the movie, to not
give this classy gem amidst the usual summer
rubble a fighting chance would be illogical.
The iconic crew assembles for the first time. Almost all (Spock excluded) members of the U.S.S. Enterprise decide to take drastic action to avert the threat of attack on
planet Earth. From left to right: Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Kirk (Chris Pine), Scotty (Simon Pegg), McCoy (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho), and Uhura (Zoe Soldana).
Photo courtesy of Bad Robot Productions.
May 2009
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Things that have shaped LHS:
By Rachel Kowalski, News Editor and Rebecca McKinsey, Editor in Chief
c
Apple G-Force - It is a proven fact that an Apple G-Force can be used as a replacement
for three meals at a time.
Bookroom - Who doesn’t love a trip to the bookroom?
Chipotle
- A.K.A. the “Default Dinner Plan.”
Deck the Halls- The once-a-year reprieve from blank white space
e
and neon signs that nobody reads.
Gym - Q: When will you need Gator Ball skills in real life? A: EVERY DAY.
IDs - Do you know who you are? Not unless you have a lanyard
around your neck.
Johnny Appleseed - He is always watching you...
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Keeping awake in class - By the time you’re a senior, you will have this down to a science.
L-Room - Where you can get away from schoolwork and recharge for the rest of the day.
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f
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Hoodies - The Forbidden Fruit of winter.
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Energetic Teachers - Without them, the Lakewood experience would be bland.
Fractions, Factoring, and all of the other wonderful things we learn in math.
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b
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Mods - Our home away from home ... away from home.
The Lakewood Times
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From
n
A-Z
Nineteen Action News Team - There is nothing like the relationship between the
NANT and Lakewood Public Schools. SCANDAL! Someone burned the popcorn in the L-Room! Let’s interview students who know NOTHNG about it!
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OGT Week- While underclassmen drain their brains, upperclass-
o
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Parking - Those of us who thought we’d save time by driving to school
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Rangerman - He may have lost his gun, but his
men enjoy the perks of passing the OGTs with flying colors.
actually have a longer trek than the students who just walk.
Quiet Zone - In Lakewood, there is no such thing as a “quiet zone.”
In fact, these signs encourage even louder behavior.
spirit still runs strong.
Senioritis - See Y. Homework gradually becomes less important than … doing nothing.
t
“Taking care of Business” - The only thing that kept us all going,
all year long.
Underclassmen - We have all been underclassmen at
v
some point. And, amazingly, we’re all still alive.
Vocabulary words- Every college-bound student knows all he
needs to do is visit dictionary.com.
Wednesday School - You swear to yourself that you are not a bad kid, but your
Wednesday school will make you feel like a common criminal. Maybe you should
try going to class sometime…
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Xtracurricular activities - A way to have fun… while we’re still in the
school building.
You think of your own. We have senioritis. Get over it.
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w
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Zoning out in class - Zzzzz. Sure, you can learn with your eyes closed...
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Students recommend lighter summer reads
By Deven Middleton, Staff Writer
The thought that comes to
mind upon hearing the words
“summer reading” is generally not
a happy one.
“I read year-round,” sophomore Jamie Kocinski said. “But
having reading assignments in the
summer can be a hassle.”
“I think summer reading can
take away from the freedom of
summer, “ sophomore Matt Majewski said. “Kids don’t want to
worry about doing work when it’s
warm. Reading is usually the last
thing on their minds.”
With a subject so dire it’s been
compared to the bubonic plague,
it is necessary to find a way to
change the system, or at least give
it an update.
“My favorite book is ‘Elsewhere,’” sophomore Haley
McGinty said. “The book taught
me that living your life to the fullest is the most important lesson.
It teaches about a new way of
looking at life, and I believe that it
Left to right: sophomores Jamie Kocinski, Matt Majewski, Emmalee Rinehart,Missy Richardson, Haley McGinty, and
Mick Wooley stroll with their preferred summer reading material. Photo by Deven Middleton, Staff Photographer.
could change the way people live
by helping them appreciate life
much more.”
“‘Dear Zoey’” helped me
learn about death, loss, hardship,
and being a teenager,” sophomore Emmalee Rinehart said.“I
think these are important lessons to learn, and that the book
is easy to relate to. Newer books
are more appealing to students,
and although I can enjoy the
classics, I think that incorporating new books can help teach
old lessons, but in a better way.”
Not only can the plot teach
lessons, but standout characters
also teach about human qualities.
“My favorite character in
“Siddhartha” is the old ferryman,” sophomore Mick Wooley
said. “The river he lives by is
always moving, but it stays in the
The above-named sophomores lounge under a tree and show they
same spot, and every drop of
would enjoy summer reading if they could choose the material. Photo the river is constantly new, but
by Deven Middleton, Staff Photographer.
recycled. The book enlightened
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me while reading it, and I think that students
should be exposed to different kinds of thinking through different books.”
In addition to wanting new material, some
think the process summer reading follows
needs an update.
“It’d be cool if we got to pick our own
requirements or number of chapters we have
to read,” Rinehart said. “I think if summer
reading was styled more openly, kids would
want to read more.”
Many still like to read during the summer,
but urge the need for choices.
“In ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns,’ the characters go through a country torn apart by war,”
sophomore Missy Richardson said. “I think
that the book can teach students not only to
learn about problems going on in other parts
of the world, but appreciate how good they
have it.”
Students stress it’s not the idea they object
to, but the current process. “Reading is important when it comes to learning,” Kocinski said.
“And if the requirements were based more
around enjoyment versus work, everyone
would be reading.”
The Lakewood Times
Lkwd Life
Gaming growing large in new tech age
Lkwd Life
By Andrew O’Connor, Editorial Board Member
As summer approaches, E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). This is a large conference
for gaming and computer publishers to come
together and show their ideas for the upcoming year. Every year, the industry expands
with new ideas from the three days of video
games and computers. In the past 14 years,
gaming has gone from little to large.
E3 had its first conference in 1995, and
that’s when gaming came to home TVs. During E3’s first year, Sony released the PlayStation. The first console of its kind, PlayStation
gave gamers the ability to play games at home.
After many years of selling, Sony stopped the
production of the PlayStation.
To keep up with the gaming industry, Nintendo created the Nintendo 64 in 1996. The
“N64,” as it is called, doesn’t show any records
of stopping production, but the 13-year-old
console isn’t easy to find.
It wasn’t until the new millennium that gaming took off. Sony, after the success of the first
PlayStation, released the PlayStation 2 in 2000.
It was the first console of its kind to support
online gaming, as well as the first to support
backward compatibility. Backward compatibility means the console can play and run a game
that was made before the console was. Sony
did not offer a server, so online gaming was
done over third-party servers.
In 2001, Microsoft stepped into the new
generation of gaming and took it to a new
level. Microsoft’s Xbox was the first console
that used online gaming through its own
developer. The online gaming service is called
Xbox Live and was released in 2002.
Three days after the release of the Xbox,
Nintendo released the GameCube. The
GameCube only had four games available
for online play, and they could only be played
through third-party servers. The GameCube
also didn’t support backward compatibility.
The GameCube only sold 21 million consoles,
contrasting with 136 million PlayStation 2
consoles and 24 million Xbox consoles sold.
After the four years of success for the
Xbox, Microsoft released the Xbox 360. Xbox
Live was already in full swing, and has been
recently updated. Over 300 Xbox games are
“Live”-enabled and have backward compatibility. There are three different kinds of Xbox
360 consoles available.
In 2006, Sony released its PlayStation 3. The
PlayStation 3 supports backward compatibility
on all PlayStation games. Sony stepped into
the online gaming community by creating the
“PlayStation Network” or “PSN.”
A week after the PlayStation 3 release,
Nintendo released the Wii, which created
a new style of gaming. The whole body is
used in playing a game. This feature has been
especially popular due to the recent obesity
epidemic in the United States – so popular
that the Wii Fit was created. While the Wii is
a major step up from the GameCube, it hasn’t
caught up with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox
360. Nintendo’s online gaming system, Nintendo Wi-Fi, is still behind because of its lack
of a chat system and the fact that not all of its
games are available for online play.
Over the past 14 years, gaming has developed into its own culture. With so many options, gaming fits with any crowd. For family
gaming or those looking to get in shape, there
is the Wii. For those looking for free online
play, there is the PlayStation 3. For those
seeking the most advanced online gaming,
there is the Xbox 360. E3 is approaching. In
fact the dates have been set: June 2, 3 and 4.
Without a doubt, gaming has developed into
its own culture, and it’s only growing larger.
Our Label Records brings new face to muic production
By Brian Brink, Contributing Writer
The weather is perfect, tucked in between
days during which the climate will drop twenty
or so degrees in a span of six hours. This
laid-back atmosphere is the perfect environment for an interview with co-founders Our
Label Records. This company is different from
typical record companies that tend to be very
strict and scheduled. The founders themselves
also do not fit the classic record executive stereotype. Ryan Bader sports multi-colored hair,
and tattoos weave up Ben Slowic’s right arm,
making the two look like rockers themselves.
“We wanted to start a band,” Bader said,
“but we decided to skip the band and just
take it to the next level.” With that, Our Label
Records was born.
The idea “was planted in 2008,” Bader
said,, but only this year has Our Label taken
off with artists such as Jim From Portland,
an up-and-coming LHS alternative rock band,
and Missiles Missiles Missiles, a band already
making its mark on the Cleveland music scene.
Bader and Slowic are sick of the ways of
modern record companies. “Record labels
should be a community, not a corporation
that steals your intellectual property,” Slowic
May 2009
said. The main difference between their record
company and others is that Our Label’s main
goal is to promote the artist.
“We try to create opportunity,” Bader said.
“I grew up and matured in the local music
scene, so I’ve developed many relationships
with many people in it.” He rattled off an impressive local list of friends, including contacts
at The Agora Ballroom and Peabody’s.
The pair cites online sources as valuable
tools for promotion. “One of the best tools
[to expand a band’s network] is MySpace,”
Bader said.
“I’ve found out about many good bands
through [social networking sites],” Slowic
added.
Bader and Slowic want it to be known that
this is a team effort. “Bands will have to take
on an effort to promote bands,” Slowic said.
“You will be expected to promote every band
in the Our Label family as best as possible. In
return, you will be given the full support of
every artist [in the Our Label family].”
However, Our Label will not drop the entire
workload of promoting bands on the artists.
“What we do is we take 90 percent of the
work away that normally you would have to
perform in order to promote yourself, so you
can concentrate on making music,” Bader said.
“And promoting other bands can be as
simple as posting a bulletin on MySpace,”
Slowic added.
Our Label is accepting of any type of
music. Bader states that he does not want to
automatically eliminate a band from Our Label
just because of its genre. He talks about the
importance of diversity in a record label. “If
I wanted to change your music, I’d be in your
band,” he said.
Bader and Slowic are very enthusiastic
about the future of Our Label. They love
music and are encompassed in the local music
scene. They want to change the modern definition of a record label.
Any band wishing to contact them can visit
their MySpace page at www.Myspace.com/
OurLabelMusic. Bader adds that a website is
“under construction.”
Slowic and Bader want to meet new bands
and help them out and said, “If you’re an
artist pouring your heart and soul [into your
music], I want to be doing what you’re doing.”
29
Sports
Gunning for number one
By Shaina Switzer, Staff Writer
It’s a frigid spring afternoon in
Northeast Ohio, and Lakewood
is being blasted by hail and a
whiteout of snow.
The majority of residents are
home seeking shelter from the
icy wind. Others clutch steaming
mugs of coffee in local cafés, trying to fend off the creeping chill.
Even the boys’ baseball and rugby
teams have cancelled their practices rather than risking exposure
to such nasty weather.
Forty-odd girls and their two
coaches, however, are defying
the elements. Clad in sweatpants,
team jerseys, and hoodies, the
members of Lakewood High
School’s Girls’ Rugby Club won’t
let something as trivial as bad
weather stop them from training.
As the girls perform their
warm-up stretches and listen to
Coach Andre Bruwer’s and Coach
Alison Breckel’s instructions,
there is a sense of familial ease
and camaraderie as they joke and
tease one another. Although there
are plenty of complaints about
their arctic surroundings, the team
is ready and willing to do what
it takes to continue its reign as
National Champions.
Last year, Girls’ Rugby made it
all the way to the National Division II Championships held in
Pittsburgh. “Our second to last
game was intense,” said Senior
Kourtney McKnulty, one of
three captains and a four-year
member of the team. “We faced
a team from California who were
honestly the biggest team I have
ever met. They were a bunch of
Samoans and Tongans.”
Lakewood defeated the aptlynamed Sacramento Amazons
15-5. “It took a lot to beat them,”
McKnulty said, “but I guess being
on those fields, surrounded by all
the branding and TV crews really
pumps you up.”
In the final, Lakewood was
pitted against Wisconsin’s Divine
TV cameras … We were given intrying to avoid kicking or stompSavior Holy Angels, a team
ing on an opposing member’s
structions on where to stand and
that had won four consecutive
hands and feet so as not to get a
what to do with the singing of the
National Girls’ Invitational titles.
penalty.
National Anthem as it was being
“We went into the half winning,
Practices will often end with a
aired live. Even the coaches were
but just couldn’t hold it together
given instructions on where they
full-contact scrimmage. “We end
enough,” McKnulty said.
with what we call “kopperstump,” could and could not stand.”
Reflecting the team’s deterBruwer said. “This is an AfriCollege scouts also made an
mined spirit, McKnulty added,
kaans word basically meaning full
appearance at Nationals. “Some
“But we are working hard to
contact: no pads, no helmets, just
were already talking to parents
hopefully get another shot at it
before the game began,” McKguns blazing.”
this year.”
nulty said. “Several of us who
At Nationals last year, the
At the beginning of the season, rugby team got a taste of fame.
are seniors this year have plans to
over 100 faces showed up at
“Being at Nationals was amazplay during college, including me
tryouts. “Guess it must have been ing,” McKnulty said. “Being at
and my fellow captains Danielle
all the hype over our second-place an event with the top teams from
Foster and Kayla Bell.”
finish in the National Tournament around the country and all the
Rugby has provided college and
last season,” Bruwer said.
“However, it wasn’t long
before they realized we are a
serious team,” he said. “We
train hard and play even harder,
so now we are down to 40 girls
that have been training since
October with the sole goal of
going all the way again this
season.”
The journey to Nationals
has been filled with a high level
of commitment. “We practice
three times a week for two
hours,” McKnulty said.
After a light jog and stretching, the team works on conditioning. “This is the truly tough
part,” continued McKnulty.
“Coach [Brewer] is like a rugby
dictator out there. He works us
really, really hard. We normally do some skills and drills
before splitting into backs and
forwards and working on our
individual set plays and other
responsibilities that we are each
tasked with.”
Team members practice kickoffs, tackling, and “rucking.”
Rucking refers to a play in rugby
during which a mass of players
gathers around a dropped ball,
each trying to gain possession
of the ball by kicking it to a
teammate. Players will also be Rugby girls battle it out in a lineout at home agsinst Mayfield. Lakewood won 77-10.
Photo by Silvija Zvirblyte, Contributing Photographer.
30
The Lakewood Times
Sports
Sports
Lakewood Girls’ Rugby
career opportunities for many of
the girls on the team. Because it
has kept her out of trouble, given
her a sense of family, and kept
her in shape, rugby has become
a passion for McKnulty. “I truly
cannot imagine life without rugby
and will play it, coach it, ref it, be
involved in it till the day I die,”
she said. “In fact, I think my
tombstone might just be a rugby
ball!”
Rugby has often been overlooked as a sport when compared
to American mainstays like football and basketball. “I don’t think
we get proper recognition, and
always seem to play second fiddle
to the boys,” McKnulty said.
Senior Lydia Burke concurred.
“I was on the team for a while
and it was great, although training
was rigorous,” she said. “I just
wish more people paid attention
to [girls’] rugby, because they’re
our best sports team.”
Despite the lack of attention
from some of the local media,
Lakewood’s School Board and
others are continuing to show
their support. “The local school
board did honor us at a board
meeting, and that was really cool,”
McKnulty said. “The school and
the school board are starting to
2
push for us in a big way, so that is
really exciting.
Support is coming from
other areas as well. “The National
Guard has donated over $4,000
worth of uniforms and equipment to our team, so things are
on the up and up,” McKnulty
added.
Lakewood’s Girls’ Rugby has
been labeled a club rather than
a team, but that hasn’t affected
its players attitudes. “You know
what? It really doesn’t worry us
what we’re classified as,” McKnulty said. “We are getting more and
more recognition by the school
and the board and the people that
matter, so call us what you want,
but always remember, we are
winners.”
As the end of the school year
approaches, so does the Girls’
Rugby Club’s second straight
appearance at Nationals. After
training long and hard in all kinds
of conditions, and after defeating
so many other teams, how will the
team fare this year?
“The girls have the training,
they have the skill, and they
certainly have the heart,” Bruwer said. “We are not only good
enough to play in the final, we are
good enough to win it.”
“So, what may stop us?” continued Bruwer. “To get through
to the final we have to take down
some very tough teams that have
also qualified for the Elite 8
before. Yes, we can do it, but the
problem we have is that by the
time we get to the final, we are
so banged up and physically sore
that we just can’t play at our peak.
Although our girls do get approached by many college scouts
to come play for some of the top
teams from around the country,
and Lakewood Rugby Girls do get
to letter, we just lack the depth
of some of our private school
competitors. So, when they get
to the final round they have fresh
legs ready to go, [but] we don’t.
That being said, we have the talent, we have the skill, we have the
heart and the desire, and if our
bodies will allow, then Lakewood
Girls could very well walk away
with the number one spot in the
country,” Bruwer said.
“The game is now in their
hands.”
1
3
(1) Freshman Lexi Getz runs away from defenders in Lakewood’s blowout win against Mayfield. (2) Coach Andre Bruwer presents the game plan to the team before the
game aginst Mayfield. (3) The team circles up for a pre-game cheer against Mayfield. Photos by Silvija Zvirblyte, Contributing Photographer.
May 2009
31
Sports
Coach helps
third- world kids
get to first base
By Grant Graves, Staff Writer
Imagine your friends and yourself, not running gleefully in Lakewood Park, but getting
your kicks rummaging in a landfill.
Pretend that instead of playing baseball
with the latest Easton bat, you used a piece of
wood.
For most teenagers in the Central American
country of Nicaragua, this sort of life is a
reality.
Joe Trela, a baseball coach at Hiram College, decided to do something about this.
In conjunction with Lakewood High, he is
sponsoring a drive to collect equipment for
the kids of Nicaragua, such as bats, helmets,
and gloves.
On a recent study-abroad trip to the country, Trela witnessed firsthand the povertystricken neighborhoods.
Nicaragua is the second-poorest country
in the Western Hemisphere, so these efforts
could do wonders for the children.
Trela said that even though the kids were
playing baseball with only three gloves and
using crushed cinderblocks for bases, they just
enjoyed being out there and playing a game
they clearly cherish.
Trela conveyed the passion and enthusiasm
these kids possessed for the game of baseball,
saying they deserved the proper equipment so
they could enjoy the game even more.
LHS students can aid Trela in his quest to
help these Nicaraguan kids by going to the
H2O office for more information.
What to donate:
•uniforms
•helmets
•bats
•pants
•belts
•gloves
•baseballs
•bases
32
Sports
Ranger Report
Compiled by Andrew O’Connor, Editorial Board Member
BOYS’ TRACK: At the Bell Invitational in Rocky River, Senior Gabe Williams finished third
in the long jump, second in the 400-meter dash. The 4-by-100-meter team consisting of Williams,
Joe Young, Faaress Parham and Eli Carr finished second as well. Seniors Matt Miller and Pat Joyce
finished in the top three of the 3200-meter run. Freshman Nick Jackosky finished sixth. The boys’
team finished fifth.
GIRLS’ TRACK: Also at the Bell Invitational Freshman, Kelly McKee finished third in the high
jump. Taking the bronze was sophomore Monika Virag. Virag also finished second in the discus
throw. The 4-by-400-meter team consisting of Melanie Shestina, Sam Cross, Cecily Rus and Kyra
Nall took third. The girls’ team finished sixth.
SOFTBALL: During the week of May 4, the girls’ softball team won two games by one run. In
the first game, Lakewood edged out Brunswick by scoring the winning run in the top of the ninth. In
the next game, the Rangers held an easy one-run lead against North Royalton.
BOYS’ BASEBALL: The baseball team held on in a game against Bay Village. The Rangers were
up 3-1 going into the bottom of the final inning, and held on to win by one run.
The Lakewood Boys’ Varsity Tennis team celebrates the NOC Championship. Left to Right: Cristian
Perez, Alex Mihas, Evan Graves, Will Weible, Alex Mezin, Jerry Jancik, Connor Meehan, and coach
Chris Johnson.
Boys Tennis takes Division
Perez, Mihas win individual title
By Wilson Sackett, Editorial Board Member
The varsity tennis squad went undefeated in
the Lake Division of the NOC, and went on
to win the NOC championship.
“Going into the tournament, we knew we
had a very good chance of winning. If we
took care of business we would be unstoppable,” said fourth-year veteran Will Weible,
who finished second in first doubles with
Junior Jerry Jancik.
First-year senior Christian Perez won in
Third Singles play.
Following was the Second Doubles team
with senior Evan Graves and junior Connor
Meehan, who claimed second place. Firstyear freshman Alex Mihas clinched the First
Singles title, and was named the Lake Division’s Most Outstanding Player.
Coach Chris Johnston won Coach Of The
Year, and all seven varsity players achieved AllConference honors.
The Lakewood Times
Sports
Sports
Editor’s Corner:
Jacob Ott
Sports Editor
Run, Lakewood, Run!
I am a runner.
I talk running, I think running,
and most importantly, I run.
When I wrote the article
about George Corneal several
issues ago, I intended for it to be
inspiring. I wanted to make LHS
students realize that Lakewood
used to be good – world-records
good. I could have written about
how Lakewood won the first
two state championships in cross
country, or a profile on Lakewood’s only Olympian, Dave
Mills. I even overlooked the fact
that at one point our track team
was so good, it was the best in the
nation and set the world record
for the two-mile relay at the Penn
Relays in 1930. The profile of
Corneal highlighted what I think
Lakewood does best: run.
Cross Country is one of the
best sports programs at this high
school. The team goes to the
state meet, on average, every two
years. For three of my years at
LHS, I went down to the state
meet: twice to watch Lakewood
compete, and once as the team
alternate.
The success seems to go unnoticed. The only people who come
to cross-country meets are parents. More students skip school
on an average day than show up
to a cross-country meet.
I personally have no clue why
people don’t go to meets. In the
past 10 years, Lakewood has
produced one college national
champion, Michelle Sikes, and
one college All-American, Aaron
Johnston-Peck.
Last year, Lakewood produced
two all-state runners, Makorobondo Salukombo and Nick Meeson.
Very few teams in this school can
say they had any all-state athletes
in the past ten years.
Every weekend that we compete, especially this track season,
I notice that currently, Lakewood
simply does not have the depth
and talent of other teams. Our
team is half the size of many others we face.
A lot of people in Lakewood
run, some to stay in shape and
others for enjoyment.. It is a great
thing that teenagers view running
as an essential way to get in shape.
But only a select few, those on the
track and cross-country teams,
actually run competitively.
“Running is stupid” is a
common statement I hear from
people who don’t run competitively. I’m tired of hearing “Run,
Forrest, run!” It seems people
don’t understand cross country, or
they just don’t care to learn anything about it. To me, that hurts.
I started running to get in
shape and lose weight. Now, I’m
going to run in college. If you are
not being challenged by the Elliptical at the Y, then you should
consider running track.
Teams like baseball and
basketball don’t share the same
problem as cross country. As early
as kindergarten, kids are being
inundated with Coach Argento’s
style of basketball and fluent
in the skills of T-ball. Not until
freshman year does anyone know
what cross country is.
I remember a student in my
freshman gym class who broke 5
in the mile. I don’t remember his
name, but why didn’t he run? This
aggravates me to no end.
With over 51 state champions
in our school’s history, chances
are that at least one student who
doesn’t run at Lakewood right
now is talented enough to win the
state meet.
I may seem self-serving and
trying to push my opinions, but I
really want to get my point across
about something that I truly enjoy. Lakewood used to be on the
map as a running school. I hope
that someday Lakewood will once
again be at the top of the high
school running world.
Underclassmen Uncovered
Danny Harrington
Sophomore
Baseball
Danny plays on the Lakewood High JV baseball team, and is also a
competitive eater. His favorite trio of teachers is Ms. Puff, Mr. Belding,
and Mr. Feeny. In his spare time, Danny prefers Chipotle to all other
food and enjoys dominating Mario Kart. He enjoyed all six “Rocky”
films, and says that if they made a seventh one, he would definitely
watch it. His favorite book is his geometry textbook, and his favorite
shows are “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Sports Center.” Danny
would like to letter in baseball next year, but more importantly, he
wants to beat Coach Chris Lamphear in Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Lauren Szabo
Freshman
Swimming
Lauren Szabo is a swimmer who enjoys hanging out with her friends,
along with visiting her favorite vacation destination: Hilton Head,
South Carolina. She enjoys spending time in Mrs. Olear’s class and
reading about the exciting adventures of Harry Potter. Lauren’s favorite
athlete is Michael Phelps, and her favorite color is green. She loves
listening to Coldplay and watching her favorite movies “Dumb and
Dumber” and “Baby Mama.” Lauren is also an avid watcher of both
“Jon and Kate Plus 8” and “The Hills.”
Interviews and Photos by Lisa Kowalski, Staff Writer and Photographer.
May 2009
33
Sports
Sport
Under
Review:
Frisbee Golf
Think: the vision of Tiger Woods, with the upper body strength
of LeBron James – well, sort of. Frisbee golf is a competitive sport
often played by men who drive overly large station wagons, are
closet Fanilows (fans of Barry Manilow), and wear mango-colored
cardigans around their necks.
Often dubbed “Frolf ” by the locals, Frisbee golf has taken off in
the sporting world and shows no signs of slowing down. The sport
has adopted the same scoring system as golf, but instead of a cup,
tin or hole, there is a box formed out of metal chains that is elevated
from the ground. The player must hit or land in the box with as few
throws of the disc as possible.
George Sappenfield first brought about this sport in 1965 as an
extension to the Frisbee lifestyle. The sport was originally mastered
by the “Average-Joes” of America, who didn’t have enough time to
play real golf, or simply lacked the athleticism. The most famous
and skilled Frolf player was Edward Headrick, who modernized the
sport and brought it to the world’s attention. Unfortunately, “Steady
Ed” passed away, but Frisbees ingrained with his ashes are available
for large sums of money.
Though the Frolf bunch may be a bit off-the-wall, the sport still
takes some athleticism and skill, and in that case, the Sports staff
is approving Frolf as a sport. So let the positive winds carry your
disc, my friends, and try not to get your hands on the “Steady Ed”
remains disc collection – unless you’re into that sort of thing.
34
Sports
Students Speak
Sophomore Missy Richardson: “Yes, it’s a sport because it
is very similar to golf and that’s a sport.”
Freshman John Vincent: “Yes, mainly because it requires
athleticism and skill.”
Junior Bianca Beltran: “No, it seems very inclusive.”
Senior TJ Grane: “Frisbee golf is the king of sports, with
the athleticism of frisbee and the relaxation of golf.”
45%
55%
Poll taken from 60
LHS students, 15
from each class.*
Picture taken from www.discgolfstore.com.
The Lakewood Times
By Rebecca McKinsey, Editor in Chief
Final Word
The hot, smelly hallways that never have
no matter what the number.
quite enough space. The L-Room that, for
One of LHS’ hidden gems is the Tryout
some unknown reason, has always been such a Theater. There is a strange phenomenon about
popular hangout. The Tryout Theater with its
this room, and I’m not the first to point it
chairs that feel like rocks. The leaky, outdated
out. Despite the lack of temperature control
classrooms that are burning hot when it’s 80
and the ridiculously hard chairs, whatever is
degrees outside and freezing cold the rest of
going on in the room tends to make you forget
the year. And, of course, the bathrooms: wet
about anything else. Whether it’s the many
floors, broken doors, sinks that won’t turn on
plays the Barnstormers have produced there,
– or off – and empty paper towel dispensers.
the speakers who have come to visit LHS, or
While we’d all like to forget the less-thanthe early-morning, fun-filled National Honor
ideal characteristics of LHS, there are many
Society meetings, the goings-on in the Tryout
memories that have been created in these very
Theater are an extremely memorable aspect of
halls. When Lakewood
High loses these memorable features – as well
as the ones we’d all like
to forget – the history,
the memories, and the
lessons learned in each of
these rooms will remain.
Over the past four years,
I’ve had some amazing
times in these locations,
and it is my hope that
recalling them here will
serve as a pleasant reminder to those who have
shared this space.
No one thinks much
about the hallways, but
some of my favorite
memories of LHS have
occurred in its crowded
corridors. For instance,
there’s a student in one
LHS graduation in 1932. Photo courtesy of the Celveland Press Collection.
of the special education
classes on the third floor
that loves to give hugs in the hallway. He has
student life.
a select group of people whom he greets,
Lakewood High is a school, and as such, we
and for whatever reason, I have been blessed
can’t forget about the classrooms. LHS teachenough to be in that group. I’m not even sure
ers are amazing, because they never just teach
what his name is, but whenever I see him in
one thing. In addition to textbook materials,
the hall, I can be certain to receive a big, sunny my various teachers have taught me random
smile and a hug. It’s amazing how he seems to
trivia, interview tips, the best ways to subtly
know just when that gesture is most needed.
insult someone, and more. Plus, teachers never
The L-Room holds fond memories as
run out of funny stories. It’s like they’re given
well. For me, the most vivid are the times
an anecdote pill before they start working.
orchestra students would gather there after
At least once a day, students in any class can
state orchestra contest to await our scores.
expect an amusing, relevant tale. Whether
The air is filled with a mixture of tension and
all of these stories are true or not is another
excitement as we wait to see the outcome of
question altogether, but they’ve always kept us
months of work, and I’ve rarely felt a greater
entertained.
sense of camaraderie than during those times.
If there is one amazing, stellar, infinitely
Although the scores have always been good,
memorable aspect of Lakewood High, it is the
I’ve always felt during those times of waiting
restrooms. And no, they’re not memorable bein the L-Room that we would have celebrated
cause of their stellar facilities. The restrooms
serve as a catalyst. The conversations that go
on within their hallowed walls – or at least the
walls of the girls’ restrooms – would never be
heard anywhere else in the school.
Not only that, but the bathroom walls
practically beg for you to tell them your secrets. What better way to let out your pent-up
feelings, sometimes in very artistic ways, than
to scribble them on the bathroom wall? Some
of these artistic renderings are truly meaningful. The bathrooms served as an outlet for
students to remember the friend they’d had
in Denzel Douglas after he died last year. The
walls and mirrors
of the bathrooms became
home to some of
the most heartfelt, poignant
tributes made to
Denzel.
Many LHS
students can
attest to the fact
that, during the
course of the
year, they build
up a “bathroom
schedule.” Many
of the most
memorable
conversations
and the best
friendships
created occur
between people
who share a bathroom schedule.
Between the secrets told and the memories
shared, Lakewood High students would not be
the same today if not for the bathrooms.
The renovation of LHS will only mean
good things for future students – bigger,
better facilities and more opportunities. The
younger students may celebrate (or gloat),
and the seniors may grouse about how it’s not
fair that the freshmen will have a state-of-theart new school while we were stuck with the
mods and the old building.
However, let’s not forget the rich history
that is present within these venerable – albeit
crumbling – walls. This year’s seniors are the
last ones to be able to identify with the classes
of the past. We are part of the last generation that utilized crowded hallways, freezing
classrooms, and smelly bathrooms to glean a
lifetime of memories.
Fast Times
at Lakewood High
36
The Lakewood Times