Issue 4 - Speedway High School

Plugged In
Issue Four • the official school newspaper of Speedway Senior High School • February 3, 2012
Sluggish Teens
“It starts early,” states health teacher
Nancy Harrison. “You can’t blame a
school for a teen being overweight (or)
not in shape.” Exercising has been given
a stereotypical outlook from teens for
years: exercise equals
boring. This
can easily
be blamed
on the
technology
of social
networks,
hanna
videovongpraseuth
games, cell
--Plugged In Features Writer
phones, and
computers (i.e. Facebook, Call of Duty, and
texting). Thus, when these options are
chosen over exercise it’s no surprise one
can’t run or jog 2 LAPS around the track
without huffing, puffing, or walking to
finish. Thirty years ago obesity became an
awareness to the country and has repeatedly been brought to the attention of the
nation. You’ve seen the NFL Play 60
commercials, you’ve witnessed schools
restructuring their lunch programs, and
have experienced the President’s Fitness
Challenge in which schools across the
nation must participate to help improve
their physical activity. Sure, the government can inform the public, force programs, or create propaganda to reinstate
how important it is to exercise, but that
won’t reach the minds of generations
below them to carry out the action. The
commitment has to start at an early age
in order to fully develop these habits.
America has grown lazier and habits
are easily broken. Although these habits
might not start at home, at least they can
be introduced and reinforced in physical
education classes.
Physical Education classes do try
to encourage developing and continuing healthier habits, but they aren’t
exactly reaching that goal. “Students
simply don’t want to do anything. They
think they can come into class expecting to get an A,” said Harrison. In the
two semesters I spent in PE, I noticed
students slacking by not dressing, not
participating, or simply not enjoying the
activities available to them. “I don’t really like sports/physical activity,” Senior
2012
Josh Man: “To
go skydiving on
December 12th, at
noon!”
Plugged In Features Writer
Every year millions of people all
around the world make New Year’s
resolutions. A new year, a new you as it
goes. Many people make the “average”
resolutions for the year: lose weight, be
happier, watch less television; however,
in the past and present, numerous crazy
ideas have been tossed around. This year
is no exception.
Like any good little reporter, I did
some research searching for interesting
dreams that people are looking to
accomplish in the year 2012. After
sorting through the mass of comments,
I found that students here at Speedway
High school, no doubt, have some
unique, crazy, and inspirational ideas!
Crazy and Exciting!
Michelle Hay: “be brave and not
afraid of change!”
Ariel Faulkinbury: “To
finish my novel and send
it to an editor.”
AJ Tyring stated. “Especially in front of
others. The whole peer judging thing…
PE is basketball (hate it), dodge ball
(over competiveness), and swimming
Inspirational!
Noel Hiller: “Quit
Smoking.”
Jasmine Williams:
“To not freak
out over things I
can’t control.”
Patrick Tiffany: “Stop lying.”
Ellen Sauter: “To own a giraffe.
To name my real giraffe Gina.”
Jonathan Tinajero: “Get a job.”
Unique!
Cole Craney: “To make the best of any
college situation.”
Sabrina Eversole: “To learn at least
three more instruments!”
Tito Tinajero: “To become
a better soccer player and
person.”
Maddie
Stevenson:
“To lessen my
‘scenester’ness.”
(I wish you the best of luck)
J.T. Otte: “ I had one six years
ago not to have any.”
Scrambling for
the rebound.
Junior Bailey
Smith, a two
year starter
on the varsity
girls basketball
team, participates daily in
Advanced PE
classes with
other male and
female student
athletes. Photo by Hanna
Vongpraseuth.
(peer judging makes this rather unpleasant).” When asked “What would you
See FITNESS OPTIONS on page five
Change is in the air ...
well at least for a little while
Rain Pierce: “No sugar.”
katie mehrlich
---
Many young people struggle
with fitness challenges
Clayton Adams: “To become
less of a hipster.”
Kitzia Hernandez: “To always
have a smile on my face.”
Meg Ochs: “Stop saying bad
words.”
Jon Gregory: “To have a
better attitude towards life
and be grateful for what I
have.”
Conner Tiffany:
“To make someone
new smile every
day!”
Unfortunately the statistics for
keeping New Year’s Resolutions are
not promising. About.com claims that,
in previous years, a week into the new
year only 75% have kept theirs, after
two weeks only 71%, after one month
64%, and finally, after six months only
46% of people that made resolutions
have kept them. But, do not fear! The
website also offers some tips to keep
you in that 46%. Their list includes
these encouragements: be realistic, plan
ahead, outline your plan, make a pro and
con list, talk about it, reward yourself,
track your progress, don’t beat yourself
up, stick to it, and keep trying!
For all you readers who didn’t choose
to make a New Year’s Resolution or
simply forgot until the clock struck
midnight just remember…it’s never too
late to make a change for the better! Let
these crazy, unique, and inspirational
ideas be an inspiration to you!
2 Opinion
Til death do us part...
...or 72 days, whichever comes first
kacey ross
--Plugged In Opinion Editor
As a little girl, I was the type that
planned my wedding from the second
I stepped out of the womb. Most little
girls play dress up with old wedding
dresses and stage weddings with the
forced little brother and every stuffed
animal in the house, and I was definitely
one of those girls. I practiced making
flowers out of tissue paper, perfected
humming the wedding march, and
planned my “Happily Ever After”
meticulously. Young girls and boys
see the perfect wedding as the perfect
marriage and, apparently, so do some
celebrities. (Yes, I’m looking at you,
Kim Kardashian.)
Entertainment and the wedding
industry have been best buds from
the start. Shows like “Say Yes To The
Dress” and “Bridezillas” have taken off.
Personally, I cannot watch an episode
of a wedding show without letting out a
couple of “Yes, YES! Buy that DRESS!”
or “Oh honey, that color is not for
you.” This year alone, many celebrity
weddings have been broadcast for the
world to see. Nick Lachey and Vanessa
Millino tied the knot for all to see in
a mini-series on TLC. And who could
forget the infamous Kim Kardashian
wedding? The beautiful yet unrealistic
ceremony? I love the Kardashians as
much as the next soccer mom, but it’s
different when little girls and boys are
looking up to people like this. Will their
view of matrimony be skewed because
they watched a marriage last 72 days?
Plugged In
Adviser: Derek K. Doehrmann
Co-Editors: Casey Miller, Holly Scott
Opinion Editor: Kacey Ross
Features Editor: Haily Merritt
Staff Members: Sam Scott, Sam McGlone,
Jessica Mehrlich, Katie Mehrlich,
Hanna Vongpraseuth, Alex Lopez, Summer Morrison,
Dorian Outlaw, Jordan Carter, Hannah Hendricks.
The official school newspaper of Speedway Senior High
School is published monthly. It is produced by students enrolled
in the journalism classes at Speedway Senior High School. It is
intended to be a public forum.
Letters to the editor are encouraged. Drop your responses by
Room 240 during the morning or via email in care of [email protected].
Thanks to: ASNE/MCT Campus and Speedway’s Technology Department for professional courtesies. The printing of
Plugged In is performed by JS Printing.
I always viewed marriage as
something sacred. You fell in love with
your best friend and you lived happily
ever after, riding off into the distance
with Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always
Love You” echoing with you along the
way. Now that I’ve grown a little wiser,
I know that matrimony isn’t as clear
as that. Since my own parents aren’t
married, Hollywood has framed my
view of marriage greatly. With this, I
was extremely surprised when the three
people I asked said that the love life
of celebrities had no influence on their
view of marriage whatsoever.
“I think that, though I’m sure most
celebrities do marry for love, their
circumstances are different,” states
junior Ellen Trout. “I believe they’re
more pressured to get married and more
pressure is put on the relationship itself,
whether it’s traveling, stress of the job,
jealousy of success, rumors, or a mixture
of anything.”
I agree with Trout thoroughly.
Celebrities do have completely different
circumstances and different types of
pressure when marriage is taken into
account. Although celebrity marriage
may not be completely relatable, it’s
the basis for what a lot of people think
marriage is supposed to be like.
Picture it like this: a child with a
not-so-great parent situation will turn
on the television and see that the next
celebrity couple has broken up. I could
go on forever with how many famous
marriages have broken up in the public
time for the divorce to be final and were
eye over the last year: Russell Brand and basically looked at as outcasts afterward.
Katy Perry, Demi Moore and Ashton
Nowadays, we don’t even blink an eye
Kutcher, Jennifer Lopez and Marc
if someone says that they’re divorced.”
Anthony. I can count all of these famous Marrying over and over again has
breakups, yes, but how
many celebrity marriages
can I total up that have
actually lasted? A much
shorter list, that one is. And
when a child sees breakup
after breakup, will they
of first marriages
ever think of marriage in a
end in divorce
good light?
Divorce statistics have
stayed about the same over
the last couple of years:
50% of first marriages end
of second marriages
in divorce, 60% of second.
end in divorce
Out of the 53 Speedway
High School students I
interviewed, 22 students
had divorced parents, with
of marriages
only 23 having parents
that are married. That fits
are ending every year
the statistic perfectly, at
around 50%. Although the
same amount of people
seem to be divorcing, the subject of a
become more and more acceptable, and
marital breakup seems to have been
what do we account for this? I give the
more widespread and accepted. “I
media a part in the blame.
definitely think divorce is becoming
Marriage has been important to me
more and more acceptable in society,”
since I was a little girl practicing my
Junior Maddie Kenny says. “100 years
first dance. I begin to wonder, will kids
ago, divorces were almost completely
of future generations hold the idea of
unheard of. The couples who did
holy matrimony in the same light that I
divorce had to wait lengthy amounts of
did?
By the numbers
50%
60%
3.6 - 5%
Not your ordinary vacation
Mountains, cities, and southern comforts
It may seem a bit early, but it is already
time to start planning for Spring Break.
Most people will be thinking “Oh cool,
I want to go to Florida!”, but in my
personal opinion, that is a terrible idea.
During Spring Break, Florida is far too
overcrowded, hotel rates tend to sky
rocket, and most of the time, the water
is barely warm enough to comfortably
swim. I am here to suggest better options
s a m s c o t t for that week, unless you would rather be
--claustrophobic and chilly.
Travel Guide Extraordinaire
My first trip suggestion would have
to be New York City. From museums to
parks to food, New York has something for everyone. Instead
of flip-flopping around through masses of people on the beach,
take the day to visit the different neighborhoods of the Big
Apple.
Take a morning walk through SoHo. If you’re lucky, you
could catch a glimpse of a celebrity walking down the street.
After that, I would recommend enjoying lunch in Little Italy.
For some authentic Italian cuisine, jump off the main drag of
Mulberry Street and go to Vincent’s Restaurant. Nobody could
resist their fantastic, and slightly sweet, original sauce. Spend
the rest of your day enjoy the various other areas, such as
Chelsea, 5th Avenue, and China Town. Then, finish off with a
walk through Times Square and prepare to be mesmerized by
the lights.
Personally, my favorite thing about New York is the
culinary aspect. My favorite place to eat in the entire city is
the Papaya King. Stop in for a piping Slawdog or Beefinator
and an original papaya drink, and stand at the window bar
watching people pass as you eat. As one of the cheapest
restaurants in the city, I can promise you won’t regret it. It
was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Anthony Bourdain: No
Reservations.” Being a local New Yorker, Anthony Bourdain
knows what he’s talking about.
For those who enjoy art, stop by one of the many
museums. The Cloisters museum has an awesome display
of various medieval art and architecture. If you’re a park
person, Central Park will shock you with its size and diversity.
Unfortunately, Spring Break is a little over a week early
to catch a Yankees game, but you can find just about any
Yankees souvenir you could ever dream of.
If you aren’t much of a city person, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
is a fantastic option. Now of course, many people go to
Gatlinburg and never leave town. If this sounds familiar,
shame on you. Being the gateway to the Smoky Mountains
National Park, you must escape town and head into the
mountains. The Smoky Mountains host some of the best
See SPRING BREAK on page three
3
Opinion
Theocratic Infiltration
And how the Church is crucifying the American Dream
“I contemplate with sovereign
reverence that act of the whole
American people which declared
that their legislature should make
no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof, thus building a
wall of separation between Church
& State.”
These words, written by Thomas Jefferson, are known to be the origin of the
phrase “separation between Church and State” but what do they truly mean? Let’s
take a minute to dissect them. “Separation” obviously implies that a divide should
be built between two things. Then we see the blatant input of the term “Church”
instead of any specific religion. This holds major importance in that Jefferson isn’t
cutting out any specific sect or belief but generalizing religion as a whole. After, the
term “State” is used. One could describe State in any number of ways. Jefferson was
referring to the government of any nation so we’ll stick with that.
These hallowed words, some of the most powerful in history, demand that the
rights of the citizens should not be directly impacted by any Church or religion,
seeing as religious oppression, one reason we left jolly old England in the first place.
Ok, now that we have that out of the way, I’ll get down to what’s important. The
separation of Church and State has completely and utterly failed, and now we are
left to deal with the consequences. At this point I can already hear the hate-filled
cries of “Blasphemer!” and “Atheist!”, but I can
assure you, dear readers, my religious beliefs made a
point to stay as repressed as possible whilst writing
this article.
As you may have noticed, the great state of Indiana
has made the sale of alcohol illegal on Sundays.
sam mcglone
Would you like to know why? Religion. Sunday is
--Hero of Stalingrad
commonly observed as a day of rest, and a long time
ago, a bunch of law makers decided “Screw American
liberties, we’re banning booze on Sundays!”. Yes my friends there is no greater
reason; people should be in church on Sundays and maybe if we ban alcohol, John
and Jane Citizen will have nothing better to do.
If this was the only major infraction, I could probably brush it off. It would be
mildly annoying, but I could manage. Unfortunately, it isn’t. The problem being,
around the 1960’s the gay community was becoming more and more prominent in
society, and with them came the ever-present blast of bigotry. The main problem
here was a specific verse of the bible Leviticus 20:13, “If a man also lie with
mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:
they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
Now, that’s the King James Cambridge Edition on the Holy Bible so I’m
just going to use it, but in summary, the verse states that if any person were to
engage in sexual intercourse with another person of the same sex, it’s a sin and
he deserves to die. Pretty harsh right? Well, bigots take heart, this verse has been
used as the weapon of choice for gay protest groups the world over since people
decided it looked nice on paper. It has been especially effective in the blocking
of gay marriage, which in my opinion qualifies as “the pursuit of happiness,” a
constitutional right.
So what can be done to stop a modern day variant of the Crusades? Well, you
could protest ‘til you’re blue in the face, but more than likely it will fall on deaf ears
and religions the world over will continue to worm their way into politics. The only
possible course of action is quite conveniently, action. Send a letter or E-mail to
your esteemed representatives; heck, send one to President Obama while you’re at
it. As a single person, very little can be accomplished, but as a group, someday you
can finish the great divider and, with any luck, dismantle the oppressive stranglehold religion has on our government.
You don’t need to have a beach to
have fun on Spring Break
continued from page two
hiking in the country. There are trails for every level of hiker, from “never hiked
before” to “let’s do a weeklong hike.” Of course, the town is also cool, but mostly
from the culinary point of view. Some of my favorite restaurants sit in that valley,
including The Park Grill, No Way Jose’s, and the Cherokee Grill. All in all, if you
go, don’t be fat, go hike.
If you want to go somewhere hot, Florida is not your only option. The
Southeast has plenty of awesome places. My suggestion would be to drive down to
Charleston, South Carolina (not Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach is horrible) and the,
go down further into Savannah, Georgia. These two towns are very similar, and yet
completely different at the same time.
They are both very historic Southern towns. Walking around aimlessly is the
best thing to do while there. You can see the awesome houses and historic spots
around town. Again, the food in both of these towns is a major highlight. As a matter
of fact, Savannah is the hometown of none other than Paula Dean, so there are
obviously some buttery, delicious food choices. Moon River Brewing Company has
the absolute best hamburgers in the United States of America. Now I know that most
people are thinking, “Well that sounds really boring. What else is there to do?”
Well, about an hour’s drive from Savannah is the best beach I’ve ever been to.
Tybee Island is never too crowded, and you can always find a place to swim without
being attacked by small children and loud families from New Jersey. Best of all, you
can get amazing blueberry milkshakes at the Sugar Shack after you swim.
So, if you actually want to have a good time and not be forced to get one of
those stupid t-shirts that say “spring break” in bright letters, take my advice. I
promise that a good time will be had, and you will feel like a much more exciting
person.
4
Features
In favor of failure
Academic integrity compromised by hypersensitivity
Saturday Night Live
is not a show known
to inspire a scholastic
assignment, but their
satiric perspective of the
“YouTube generation”
carries some weight. The
Saturday, January 15
episode aired a sketch that
mocked the undeserved
confidence of my
generation.
The actors
insinuated blame should
be placed on overly
h a i l y m e r r i t t encouraging parents
--and society’s allowance
Plugged In Features Editor
of hypersensitivity. It
suggested children are
raised believing they are the best and deserve
the best, disregarding any shard of truth and
replacing it with motivational tools and quips
that blow hot air into the already too-hot heads of
those little angels.
My generation needs a wakeup call; there has
been enough “You Can Do It.” We need some
“Do It Right.”
Kindergarteners are given a pat on the back
if they “graduate” merely able to read a Dr. Seuss
novel, write their name, and tie their shoes. By
the time I was promoted to first grade, I could
recite a chapter of Harry Potter.
The gap has since widened.
A measly scroll through Facebook statuses
or Twitter updates could lead one to believe that
all my “friends” and followers have received
approximately a third grade education because of
their grammar usage and spelling. Surprisingly,
this is not so, but the common confusion between
“your” and “you’re” says otherwise. My
generation misuses and misspells words daily.
With such a push for students to attend
college to improve their chances at obtaining a
respected career, shouldn’t a push to improve
basic grammar back it up? By push, I mean pull
in the opposite direction. Students need to be
failed.
The American education system is failing us,
so why can’t we fail the students? Many teachers
pass students with a “Meh, good enough,”
which ultimately hinders the student. When the
common student realizes he can pass with only
subpar work, he will only do subpar work, but
the student expects success because he’s always
been told that he’s great and can be whatever he
chooses to be. Upon entering the workforce, he
already is accustomed to subpar performances
and will only execute thus. He is easily offended
by average critiques from his boss.
This student composes America’s backbone
and therefore should not be satisfied with “good
enough” if America is to get anywhere. We need
to create a more rigid and rigorous curriculum,
one that enforces effort and learning versus
escaping knowledge through cheating, laziness,
and exasperated acceptance.
My generation has been taught to be
politically correct, to avoid offending anyone,
and to treat others how we want to be treated. In
moderation, these are valid mantras, but people
should get what they deserve. Some students
What’s the work ethic required to succeed in challenging classes like Accelerated Algebra 2? Students like sophomore Jake Petercheff prove their diligence to teachers like Matt Riley every day but are all students motivated like Jake? Photo by Sarah Fiege,
courtesy of the Champion staff.
don’t deserve to be promoted to the next grade.
If by twelfth grade a student doesn’t realize that
there are three variations to the spelling of there/
their/they’re, someone’s fourth grade curriculum
included too much fluff.
We all know that repetition dramatically
increases the chance of remembering something,
so why not repeat a grade in lieu of boosting an
ego?
Beatnik Night a success once more
If you enjoy music, poetry, bagels, and
lava lamps, you would have enjoyed the
karma created at this year’s Beatnik Night.
Last Thursday, the cafeteria atmosophere
was transformed as students and parents
were treated to outstanding entertainment
created by Speedway’s finest. Photos by
Nikki Hunt and Molly Doehrmann.
Top Left: Aaron Wilson (12). Top right: Connor Tiffany and Amelia Berry (10).
Bottom right: Ellen Sauter (10).
5
Features
Just what is swag anyways?
The collaborative, definitive definition
A term used to describe how in style
your clothes are and how good you
dress
– Cole Craney 12th
How well you dress and carry
yourself
– Haley Bauer 12th
jessica mehrlich
--Plugged In Features Writer
Walking down the hall you hear
various pieces of conversations. One of
the reoccurring words you might hear is
“swag.” Urban Dictionary defines swag
as “appearance, style, or the way he or
she presents them selves,” or swagg as
“mostly known as style, unique part
of what makes you different than the
other players in a cool way. the way
you carry yourself (confidence), your
gear (clothes), and anythin else that is
pimpin!” (Apparently it can be spelled
two different ways, but I’m going to
spell it with just one g – swag).
After taking a survey of a few classes
in our school, it became pretty clear that
a large portion of students find this word
very overused, and I can’t say I’m not
one of them. However, I decided to see
how our school defines swag. Here are
some of the best
responses:
Somebody’s
own personal
style
– Amy
Young 9th
Your own self confidence
– Logan Austin 9th
Having confidence but not so much
you act stupid
– David Randall 9th
Saved With Amazing Grace… Boom!
I saw that somewhere…
- Sam Rusler 9th
Your style, how you present yourself
– Devon Gude 11th
Stuff We All Get. It used to be a term
for free stuff that rock stars would get,
but it has since then been diluted
– Anthony Crowe 10th
Looking fresh and having style
– Cody Fleener 11th
A boss at everything
– Tito Tinajero 10th + Sanni 10th
Always on point, attitude, style,
demeanor, everything counts
– Breana Brackin
Swag is the amount of coolness a
person is
– Devin Holtsclaw 10th
The
mojo that
one emits
into the
atmosphere
– Michelle
Hay 12th
Knowin’ how to dress; fresh!
– Brandi 12th
How a person goes about themselves
– Josh Man 12th
Swag is personality, originality, and
charisma
– Jasmine Williams 12th
When you have your own type of
dressing style that nobody else can copy
and not caring what anybody else thinks
– Michelle Washington 12th
A new type of saying cool, or tight!
– Jonathan Tinajero 12th
Personality
– Noel Hiller 12th
How you
carry yourself
and act
– Casey
Anderson 11th
Taking these
into consideration, this is what I came
up with for Speedway High School’s
very own definition of swag:
Swag- noun /’swag/ 1: the mojo
that one emits into the atmosphere.
This includes your style, your attitude,
and the way you carry yourself.
Everything counts.
What fitness options appeal most to teens?
continued from page one
about PE to make it more fun?” Tyring
replied, “I don’t think PE should be a
required class at all; PE should be an
elective only. But, of course, PE will
always be unpleasant with people. Over
competiveness, peer judging, grudges;
it’s a hostile environment of childish
emotions that are only activated with
physical activity.”
Many years ago Speedway High
School used to provide gymnastics,
archery, and even bowling to students in
PE classes. These have been eliminated
due to safety hazards. Now they offer
basketball, ‘softball’ games, tennis,
volleyball, swimming (which most girls
dread), and lacrosse. Most of the guys
participate in basketball, but most of
the girls only show interest in lacrosse
or tennis. Harrison would like to add
golf, a sandpit for beach volleyball, and
other water sports to the list of activities. Truly, most of our activities in gym
class have been sports based, resulting
in minimal to low participation from
students.
There have been suggestions of adding new activities, but, according to
Harrison, there are three major reasons
why it is hard to do: time, space, and location of facilities. “There isn’t enough
time for students to get dressed, get to
the area for the activity, learn how to
play it, and actually play the activity in
55 minutes.” The places the sports are
played at are not all in the direct vicinity
or the school. By taking time out of the
class to transport to the location, activity time is wasted. Also these facilities
are too small for both PE teachers to
play the activity for both girls and guys.
Another factor is the new assessments;
girls and guys are not able to compete
on the same level physically so, girls
must be tested for fitness separately
from guys. However, there are students
who participate more than their opposite
sex. Even though there are all of these
reasons I still believe there are different
physical activities that can be placed in
PE classes still meeting requirements.
This year’s physical forms turned in
before the start of the school year were
the following: fifty-eight freshmen,
fifteen sophmore girls and forty-three
sophmore boys, twenty-five junior
girls and thrity-two junior boys, twenty
senior girls and finally thrirty-two senior
boys.Most of the activities in gym class
are sports related. Seeing how there
are enough sports after school why not
incorporate other fun things for those
who aren’t athletic yet, want to be active. Dance classes or martial arts (i.e.
Zumba, Jiu Jitsu, etc.) are new popular
activities that could be possibilities for
PE classes. This will give a wider range
of activities to all students to really
participate and get active.
What if you really do like sports and
want to better your skills? What would
an athlete say if they could use gym
class time to improve? To use it as part
of their practice even? “The more you
practice the more you can improve so,
I would absolutely use PE as a practice
time,” says Bailey Smith, a junior varsity basketball player. “I get the chance
to work out in the weight room and
compete with guys so it would definitely
benefit me.” To some athletes, sports
are something they live, breath, and
dream about constantly. For them this
could impact them greatly. For swimmers, they must go to practice three
times a week in the morning, practice
after school, and if you dive, they return
at five to dive. Allowing athletes to
use PE as a different time to do morning practices or dry land would be a big
help. They could focus more on the
practice after school and properly rest.
Obesity is not to be taken lightly,
but it should be approached with our
generations’ perspectives. We should
be looking at how younger generations
prefer to get active and adapt new fitness
ideas to those ways.
A new fad in the fashion world
Owl jewelry makes a big splash this spring
Fashion has always played a huge role in our society, who dressed the best and
who had the cutest jewelry. Back in the day diamonds were all the rage, and yes they
are still quite popular but a new exotic type of jewelry has swarmed the world by
storm, owl jewelry! Literally little owl metal, plastic, or jewel bodies and or heads
are turned into rings, necklaces, bracelets, and even shirts! Owl jewelry has become
quite a desirable want among many teenage girls and many others! Miss Anna
Lottes says that, “Everywhere she goes and shops has some sort of owl type jewelry
or clothing item, anywhere from stores like Forever 21 to Kohls”. The fad came to
be in the winter of 2009 but really started breaking out in out in the autumn of 2010
and winter of 2011. You see owl jewelry everywhere, from the girls at your schools
to the girls strutting their stuff on the run ways. I called a sales lady at For Love 21
and this is what she had to say about owl jewelry where she works, “‘owl jewelry is
really big right now! Especially owl pendants, we sell owl jewelry in our store very
quickly’”. No matter who you are owl jewelry always looks beautiful, it can dress
up or make an outfit look absolutely fabulous and unique. Many people find the owl
a very nice thing to be associated with because of its deep symbolic meanings of
great wisdom, intelligence, and its sense of self awareness and all that is around it.
The bird may be wise but its beauty is stunning and also incredibly unique to many
people because of its large eyes, fluffy feathered bodies, and its dead on stare, which
is a huge reason why many find owl jewelry to be fascinating and stunning.
by Hannah Hendricks
6
Features
The ACA’s (Alex Choice Awards)
Lopez’s list of lucrative listening breaking barriers
Every year there’s a new batch of artists that hit
the music scene with either some real impact, or just
a one hit wonder. Nowadays it seems like bands come
and they go, never sticking around for more than a few
years. Still, there are some bands and artists that have
a sound that’s unique to the mainstream stage. Here
are some artists that I believe deserve some awards,
or at least some gratification and notice for their sweet
tunes.
The nominees for Best Male Artist are:
alex lopez
---
Plugged In Entertainment Writer
•
•
•
•
Bruno Mars
Justin Bieber
Drake
Tyler, the Creator
Regardless of the people
who may utterly oppose
Tyler for the things he says
and what he stands for, he
is one of, if not, the most
creative and unique artists
out today. Tyler’s hit Yonkers,
at some 35 million views
on YouTube, showcases his
individualism not bound by
any standards. He actively pursues the things he loves and works hard to make his
sound stand out amongst the crowds of other mainstream artists. Along with the
fact that Tyler hasn’t been signed to any major record labels yet, he still has major
features with some major hip hop heads like The Game, and Pusha-T. He’s also
won Best New Artist at the VMA’s, the underdog among other popular artists.
The nominees for Best Female Artist are:
•
Adele
Adele deserves best female
artist. Of all the women out there
on the mainstream stage, Adele has
the best vocal chords and dispite
her British background she has
that classic American sound. She’s
been nominated for three Grammy
Awards and she represents the last
of the radio stars not slaughtered by
television. She’s won Billboard’s
Top Artist award and to be frank,
any award that she could possibly be eligible to win, she should hands down with
no competition.
•
Taylor Swift
•
Beyonce
•
Lady Gaga
The nominees for Best Hip Hop Artist are:
•
•
Lil Wayne
Drake
• Kanye West - Kanye is certainly the best hip
hop artist alive today. Though his career has had
its ups and downs, he’s still one of the best musical
producers the music industry has ever seen. Rolling
Stone gave Kanye’s most recent album My Beautiful
Dark Twisted Fantasy five out of five stars. I’ve
been listening to him since College Dropout and as
a fan it’s been interesting to see Kanye really stretch
his musical horizon. He may open his mouth when
it’s completely unnecessary and he may make wild
statements, but make no mistake, he puts his heart
and soul into his music and you can hear it whenever
you listen to him.
• Jay-z
• Wiz Khalifa
The nominees for
Favorite Indie Band are:
•
Foster the People
•
Local Natives
The Local Natives are one
of the very few bands that I
actually listen to every song all
the way through consecutively
and love every song even more
than the last. This LA based
group has an upbeat, very
calming, and smooth sound that seems to sync with the vocals perfectly. They are
also a band that I would love to see live before I die. Their live performances are
spectacular from what I’ve seen on YouTube, and they are very rare talent that most
bands today don’t seem to have.
•
Phoenix
•
This Town Needs Guns
The nominees for Most underrated Artist are:
•
•
Lupe Fiasco
Earl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt is a lyrical
mastermind at the young age of 17.
Competing with some of the big
names in the industry, Earl is certainly
someone to not be ignored. Earl’s
self titled album found its spot in
Billboard’s best albums of 2010 placing
24th and while that may not seem
like much Earl was announced as a candidate for XXL’s 2012 Freshmen List. Earl
Sweatshirt’s YouTube video Earl was filmed when he was only sixteen. It has more
than three million views and continues to rise every day. His style of rapping and
with his unique Tyler, the Creator type documentary is what makes Earl such a great
artist. And the fact that he’s not even 18 yet says a lot about his talent.
•
Tyler, the Creator
•
Common
Mister Sparkplug
Speedway guys compete for title
Fame. Glory. Prestige. One man from Speedway
High School will experience all of these things during
this month’s Mister Sparkplug Competition sponsored
by Men’s Wearhouse. As a part of the Student Council’s
campaign to revolutionize the way that Speedway
students celebrate school spirit weeks, the Student
Council will host the inaugural contest to find out which
SHS guy has the swagger to represent the school.
casey miller
On February 13th, men from each class at Speedway
--Plugged In Co-Editor
High School will take the stage in Jordan Auditorium
and vie for the right to be called Mr. Sparkplug. The
victor will also receive $50 gift card courtesy of Men’s Wearhouse in Avon. To
do so, they must participate in three rigorous rounds of pageantry. They’ll have to
impress the most difficult panel of judges assembled in competition history: the
fierce Michelle Jackson, the bizarre T.R. Kennard, the serene Denise Phillips, and
the pretentious Robert Lindhorn. It will also be important to swoon the audience,
because their opinion also carries weight.
To Ms. Jackson, the most important feature to her is to find someone who
“adheres to the Speedway way.” She’s looking for someone with a positive attitude,
a fun and helpful personality, and a desire to make someone’s day. Lindhorn is also
looking for similar characteristics. “I’m looking for an all around impression that
the individual will be an outstanding representative of Speedway High School.”
Sparkplug aficionado Lindsey Tucker mentioned funny and confident as
two of the most important traits.
continued on page seven
7
Features
Daniel Radcliffe
“moves away”
from Potter with
The Woman in Black
Harry does horror
“During afternoon tea, there’s a shift in the
air, a bone-trundling chill that tells you she’s there.
What she wants is unknown, but she always comes
back. The specter of darkness, the woman in black,”
says a little girl quietly. I watch the Woman in Black
trailer with increasing apprehension as it opens on a
bedroom filled with cobwebs and cymbal-clashing
monkey toys. It’s basically silent, yet your ears cannot
deny that there is definitely a soft humming noise, like
a constant wind. “The most chilling ghost story of our
time,” the trailer claims. I can believe it, I think as
images of dirty Victorian dolls and clown toys, a crude
grave marker and little girls, and a vintage family
photograph with the eyes torn out flash onto the screen.
Wait a minute…is that…yes it is! It’s Daniel Radcliffe!
And suddenly, there is no doubt in my mind: get over
your fears, because this movie is a must-see.
The Woman in Black officially premiered in
theaters everywhere last night at midnight. Deemed
by producer Simon Oakes as a “classic British ghost
story,” The Woman in Black is adapted from a novel
by Susan Hill and
follows the story
of a young lawyer
(Radcliffe) who
travels to a small,
rural, and supposedly
cursed town in
England where
he encounters the
ruthless spirit of a
holly scott
woman and must find
--out how to help, let
Plugged In Co-Editor
alone, survive. It is
also part of a revival
of legendary British film company, Hammer Horror,
which has released such Gothic monster films as
Dracula (1958) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957).
In an interview with Cineplex.com, Radcliffe called the
film a “thriller with promises of lots of twists and turns
and things to make you jump out of your seat.”
Sparkplug sectional feats
Athletes aspire for greatness this winter
Sparkplug girls from taking the ICC title outright. On
Tuesday, the girls travel to Cascade to take on the hosts
in the opening round of the IHSAA sectional.
Tomorrow, Cole Craney, Robby Sears, Kevin
Lonzo and Jared Schall will participate in the IHSAA
wrestling regional at Parry Meridian. Craney, Sears,
and Lonzo earned fourth place finishes at last week’s
Washington sectional while Schall finished third. The
team finished eighth overall out of fifteen teams that
included defending team champion Perry Meridian.
Earlier in the month, the boys finished second to Lapel
at the ICC meet.
The girls swimming team began sectional competition last night at Ben Davis. Results from that meet
will appear in the next edition of Plugged In. Last
weekend, the girls capped off regular season competition with a strong third place finish at the six team
Beech Grove Invitiational. The team earned a second
place finish at the ICC meet in early January.
Radcliffe, as Arthur Kipps, in The Woman in Black set for release today. Photo courtesy of Womaninblack.com.
This film will be Daniel Radcliffe’s second
major step away from the world of Harry Potter, after
ending his How to Succeed Broadway regime on New
Year’s Day. “This is the time of my life where I have
to be, and want to be, as busy as I can in terms of
doing other projects. That’ll be the start of not shaking
off that image, but moving away from it,” he claimed
(The Showbiz 411 by ITN). But why choose a film so
different from Harry Potter?
“The character was somebody that was very
appealing because it was playing a father, playing
older than my actual age, which is something I’ve not
done before,” he admitted. “I’m very rarely excited
to see stuff that I’m in, and I’m actually very excited
about seeing this…It’s a big step forward for me in a
lot of ways, so I hope that it will be successful” (MTV
News). Interestingly enough, the character played by
Radcliffe was, in the 1989 version of The Woman in
Black, portrayed by Adrian Rawlins, who played Harry
Potter’s dad in the series.
“I want to make scares that really linger with
people – real chills that when they walk out of the
cinema, they stay with them slightly,” said director
James Watkins in an on-set interview, “It’s about
what’s in the corner of the eye – what you can’t quite
see.”
“It’s the kind of film that I probably wouldn’t
see if I wasn’t in it…because it does look really, really
terrifying,” admitted Radcliffe in the MTV interview.
“It’s not gory and disturbing in the sense that some
horror movies are, but it’s the kind of film that should
give you nightmares and when you walk around you
house and there’s that room that’s dark, it will make
you walk past that room a little bit faster. It should
make people a little bit nervous when they’re on their
own (Cineplex.com).”
A new era begins
Speedway guys compete for the title
continued from page six
The first aspect of the competition will reveal a little
bit of information about each suitor and set the stage
for the remaining rounds of the competition. Each guy
will dress in attire that embodies their spirited passion
for Speedway High School. Basic information about
each participant will be shared with the judges and the
crowd. It will be critical that candidates make a good
first impression because this is the time to win over
some fans.
During Round Two, the participants will dress
casually. They will attempt to show off their sense
of style to the judges. This round will definitely be
the most dynamic, as each contender shows off their
best talent. The talents will encompass all ends of
the spectrum, from surprising abilities to musical
performances. Round Two promises to be the most
exciting round of competition.
“Talents should be original and creative,” said
Jackson. “If you’re going to do a musical talent, you
should write your own song.” Not just anything will
impress this panel of judges though. Robert Lindhorn
is looking for an athletic ability to be showcased at
the competition. He’d be unimpressed with a musical
talent because it’s “too American Idol.”
In the third and final round, contestants will be
re-introduced to the audience for a third time. Clad in
their best formal clothing, they’ll take turns answering
questions from competition host yours truly which
have been generated by the judges and the Student
Council. In a close competition, this all-important
round could be what separates one man from the
rest of the competition. It’s make or break time as
answeringthe questions could prove to be the Achilles
heel of some participants.
Who do you want to represent your school?
Be sure to be at Jordan Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.
on Monday February 13th to support your favorite
candidate. Admission is just $1 and will support the
American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Speedway.
8
Sports
Super celebs and a rematch
Giants and Patriots renew Super Bowl rivalry Sunday
It is finally here
folks: Super Bowl time,
this is something that the
Indianapolis area has been
anticipating for a long time
now. Football fans from all
over the United States have
arrived for this prestigious
event. There will even be
some big name celebrities
in town:Shaq, Snoop Dogg,
P. Diddy, Wiz Khalifa, Mike
Epps and many more.
Since both teams
participating in the Super
Bowl are so far away from
Indiana, it really will bring
out people from all around.
I feel that this will be great
D o r i a n Ou t l a w for the city, because people
--would truly understand that
Plugged In Sportswriter
Indianapolis knows how to
hold big events. I mean we do host the Indy 500 don’t
we? Both the New England Patriots and the New York
Giants are big name franchises full of diversity within
their fan base.
The story for the playoffs for the AFC this year
is how well the tight ends for the New England Patriots
have been playing. Both Rob Gronkowski and Aaron
Hernandez have performed exceptionally well for
the Pats scoring 4 touchdowns in the postseason and
averaging over 10 yards a catch. Tom Brady proved his
tight ends have become his favorite targets, and it helps
significantly that both of them are as athletic as the best
wide receivers in the league.
Speaking of Brady he has played very well
this post-season throwing over 600 yards. Brady has
thrown six touchdowns this post-season as well. Every
year he is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
In the NFC there is the New York Giants a team
that has been a big name contender in the NFL for
some time now. They have some of the best players in
the league. One of those players is Hakeem Nicks. He
caught four post-season touchdowns and is averaging
18.6 yards a catch. I can’t forget Eli Manning, he
has been playing absolutely brilliant this post-season
throwing over 900 yards and 8 touchdowns. His QB
rating is 103.1 that is pretty good. The New York
Giants have been on top of their game this year and are
striving for a victory.
As you all know, many in the Indianapolis area
can’t stand the New England Patriots. There is going
to be a lot of people rooting for the Giants especially
since Eli Manning is Indianapolis Colts star Peyton
Manning’s little brother. This should overall be a great
game to watch so be ready for an exciting game of
football!
Winter wrap
Speedway teams at top of ICC races
As the winter sports season draws to a close,
Speedway athletes have helped the Sparkplug athletic
program move at or near the top of the all-sports standings for the Indiana Crossroads Conference.
The girls basketball team clinched a share of first
place in ICC play by defeating Lutheran last week.
Only an opening night loss to arch-rival Ritter kept the
see Sparkplug Sectional Feats on page seven
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady leaps over the goal line against the Baltimore Ravens for a 4th-quarter touchdown in their AFC Championship game in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Sunday, January 22, 2012. Patriots won, 23-20. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/MCT)