News 1-11.qxd - MasonComets.org

William Mason High School
Mason, Ohio
The
Chron l cle
WMSN is on
the air, see
page 7
December 20, 2005
6100 South Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, Ohio 45040
NEWS Flash
masoncomets.org
undergoes overhaul
Mason High
School Web
Design and
Management students have concluded the complete overhaul of
the school’s student run and proMurnan
duced website,
masoncomets.org.
Led by instructor Mr. Craig Murnan
the students have been working on a
new design and layout for the website
for several months.
Layout and design are not the only
areas where web surfers will see
changes. The website will also have
a new server to allow more interactive and media oriented features on
the website.
Students will be able to access
many academic features as well as
news stories produced by MBC.
This is the third redesign that
masoncomets.org has undergone.
Chronicle
Should illegal immigrants
currently residing in the
United States be sent
back to their nation of
origin?
P l l 43%
no
46%
yes
11%
not sure
(Based on a survey of 200 students.)
INSIDE...
Volume 3 Issue 3
Mason High School soon to offer online courses
BY CAROLINE JOHNSON
Chronicle Staff Writer
MHS students will soon be able to take
courses online. Although plans are still
underway, MHS assistant principal
Shannon Trennepohl stated that this new
option was created to allow students to
gain more knowledge about a topic they're
interested in.
"I would love to see the opportunity to
have more courses offered here to students. Because we are getting so large,
maybe a handful of kids might be interested in [a class] and we can't offer that
course because [not enough students are
interested in it]. We could put it online,"
Trennepohl said.
Assistant principal George Coates and
Trennepohl recently visited Plano, Texas
to observe their online course program.
After extensive research on the topic, they
decided that the program to be offered at
MHS will be piloted this summer with a
Current Global Issues course instructed
by Micah Faler. The program is expected
to be six weeks long for original credit
through use of the computer and classroom.
"The students may come in once or twice
a week. I don't know what that is for sure.
It might just be to help assess that the
students are really doing the work or for
the students to give feedback on what is
working and what isn't," Trennepohl said.
Trennepohl does not know how the
online courses will affect the grade point
average and credits of students who take
advantage of such opportunities.
"It would have to be a central office decision. Do we count these courses in a student's [grade point average?] Do we count
these as elective credits towards graduation? Those are good questions we haven't
been able to talk about. We first want to
see if we can develop this at Mason High
School, then we will start to look at those
tough questions," Trennepohl said.
Taking a
stand on
decision
to dissect
BY SHARON STEWART
Chronicle Staff Writer
The class: Biology B.
Today's assignment:
Dissection. A sympathetic student breathes
in sharply. The sweaty
smell of Latex gloves
fills her nostrils.
Exhale. The condensation collects on a slimy
metal tray enclosing
what she feels to be
another amphibian
homicide. Standing up
for what you believe in
is difficult for everyone,
but in required science
classes, select Mason
students like vegetarian sophomore Lauren
Simendinger have broken down the barriers
by deciding to stand up
for animal rights and
refusing to dissect.
"I know it's supposed
to be a learning experience, but I was so
digusted with the dead
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7
see “I just can’t”
page 2
SPORTS
15
Faced with dissecting some students say
OPINION
22
CENTERSPREAD
SNEAK PEEK
Mason High School's Marching
Band takes a trip to
Grand Nationals in
Indianapolis.
Sophomore Lauren
Simendinger is one of
the students who
chose to do an online
simulated tutorial
instead of dissecting.
2
The
CHRONICLENews
“I just can’t:” Students feel there are
options when it comes to dissection
December 20, 2005
Closed for the holidays
continued from “I just can’t” page 1
animal in front of me that it was hard for me to focus and
learn anything at all," Simendinger said.
The dissection controversy began in 1987, when Jennifer
Graham, a 15-year-old California student, sued her school
district for not allowing her an alternative project when she
refused to dissect an animal. She argued that dissection projects were adding to the demand for needless animal killings.
When Graham stood up to the school in defense of animals,
the public supported her and lawmakers ultimately passed
legislation protecting students with similar views.
Similar to this demonstrated opinion, Mason High School
Sophomore Jenna Garchar advocates animal rights and is
one of many students who stood up for their right to decline
from the school's hands-on anatomy demonstrations.
“I just think it's ignorant of us to have to kill
thousands of animals when it's not that great
of a learning experience.”
"With today's technology, there's tons of programs online
that you can [mock] dissect on. I just think it's ignorant of us
to have to kill thousands of animals when it's not that great
of a learning experience," Garchar said.
Junior Jessica Mohr has found that the most efficient way
to get around having to dissect is to simply discuss her
beliefs with her teachers ahead of time. Mohr said that her
teacher was fine with her choice to abstain from dissection,
but it was still the principle of the matter that ultimately
influenced her decision.
"I like animals and don't feel like hurting
them for no good reason. There are better
ways to learn.”
"I like animals and don't feel like hurting them for no good
reason. There are better ways to learn. It's not necessary to
experience dissection firsthand. Last year, I refused to cut up
a frog because I thought it was nasty. No one else really felt
the same way, but it didn't matter because I felt like I was
standing up for what was right for me," Mohr said.
While some students are utterly appalled at the idea of
slicing and dicing a specimen that was living and breathing,
others, such as junior Courtney Reeves, just believe that
there should be more effective ways to learn the concept of
biology.
"I get queezy when faced with a chopped up animal. I don't
have a problem with the actual animal, I have a weak stomach. I honestly just wanted there to be a better way to learn
it," Reeves said.
Biology teacher Randy Hubbard believes that nothing can
top real life experience and thinks closed-minded students
who refuse to dissect are missing out on obtaining a valuable
understanding of anatomy.
"The hands-on experience of dissecting a real
specimen is one they probably won't get anywhere else. It's important to know how your
body is formed and how organs are made.”
"The hands-on experience of dissecting a real specimen is
one they probably won't get anywhere else. It's important to
know how your body is formed and how organs are made,"
Hubbard said. "[Dissecting] gives students a better understanding of how their body works if they really see it rather
than look at it on a computer. I believe students that pass
dissection by won't truly understand how living things work."
"This way, students can see real mammal
body parts so they can learn the 'inside story.”
Biology teaching associate Jatinder Kandah agrees with
Hubbard and jokes that "this way, students can see real
mammal body parts so they can learn the 'inside story.'"
She isn't as troubled by the dissection because she views it
as a more noteworthy point in a student's career.
"Some kids might go into the medical field because of this
experience, and for others, it helps them determine what
they can handle based on what's out there. It's a very useful
experience," Kandah said.
For those that refuse to dissect, Kandah respects their reasons and typically allows them to complete simulation labs
on a computer instead. However, she still stands strong in
her belief that nothing can replace the real thing.
"This is the beginning of a quest to learn. We have to begin
to learn somewhere. Learning is an all-around development
of our personality. That's what education is, and this is part
of the experience," Kandah said.
Chronicle news photo by Olga Borodulin
The 25,000 colored light decorations and radio broadcast of the Williams' family home was shut down on Wednesday, December 7. Carson Williams, an electric
engineer, spent over 50 hours on his decorations and more than $10,000 on the
display. The home broadcasted music by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but due
to a traffic accident on December 6 at 7:30 p.m. on Simpson Creek Drive, the
family decided to shut down the display for reasons of safety. Williams said that
he promised his neighbors that he would turn off the display if it caused any disturbances. The traffic caused by the immense amount of visitors for the
Williams' attraction had blocked off Mason Sheriff's deputies while they were
trying to reach the accident. The Williams decided that public safety came before
their display, and turned it off indefinitely. Williams’ amazing holiday light decor
had attracted national and even worldwide attention. Williams and his radio and
light display have been seen on many national television newscasts as well as
online. Visitors from all over the nation have taken the time to drive by the holiday display. Williams has not indicated what his plans are for the next season.
Voters say no to referendums, newcomer
Miller wins in bid for school board seat
BY RACHEL SLEZAK
Chronicle Staff Writer
After months of controversy and campaigning, all
eight issues on the November 8 ballot were defeated by
a 4 percent margin. School board candidates were also
elected, re-electing Marianne Culbertson and Connie
Yingling, and voting in new member Jennifer Miller.
The results were simple: the operating levy passed
May 3 will remain in effect, as well as the six continuing levies dating back to 1967.
According to Mason Public Information Officer
Shelly Hausman "the district did not have an expectation" concerning the results of this vote. However,
Hausman is pleased with the results.
"[The district] hoped that the community would once
again support the schools. We feel very grateful that
they did," Hausman said. "This means that the district
can turn its focus to education and make plans for the
future."
Mason School Board Member Marianne Culbertson
is also satisfied with the results of the vote.
"I believe this sends a clear message that once again
a majority of our voters support the way our district is
run and recognize the value of the education that is
provided in Mason," Culbertson said.
According to Culbertson, support from the community means that "drastic cuts to the budget" will be
unnecessary.
If the 2-mill referendum had succeeded, the district
would have lost $24.8 million. Attention will be paid to
the way the funds gained from the operating levy are
spent, hoping to make the May 3 levy last four more
years.
"In order to make the last operating levy stretch as
far as it can, the district is planning $4.5 million in
reductions over the next three years," Hausman said.
Other plans of the district include a bond levy in the
spring to add a new wing to Mason High School.
"After the first of the year we will be focusing on
informing the public as to the need for the bond issue,"
Culbertson said.
As the district continues to grow, the schools come
closer to being above capacity.
"MHS is currently at capacity with student enrollment, and enrollment will continue to grow as the
larger, younger classes come to MHS," Hausman said.
The district sees this bond levy, which would not
increase property taxes, as important to the future of
the high school.
"The bond issue will be critical to providing enough
space at the high school to meet the needs of our growing district," Culbertson said.
Mason High School Principal Dr. Dave Allen feels
the need for more space at the high school.
"Our district is growing by about 600 students per
year. With this growth, we must add additional classrooms to accommodate the growth," Allen said.
In addition to the district's finances, the vote also
affected the school board's personnel. Board member
David Lenert did not run for re-election and will be
replaced by new member Jennifer Miller.
"There will be a period of adjustment as we are
replacing a member who has earned the respect and
trust of the community with his 12 years of service and
leadership, with a new member with no experience
and a very different viewpoint," Culbertson said.
Though Allen understands that it will be a challenge,
he believes that the district has to work through these
changes.
"During this process we must remain civil and be
willing to listen to different viewpoints," Allen said.
Culbertson appears optimistic about how these
adjustments will affect the school board and the
schools. Of the potential changes, Culbertson said,
"time will tell."
The
December 20, 2005
What they have to
say about it
“A senior picnic or some type of
senior rewards day for good
attendance is a better alternative to skip day.”
Ken Whitney
World History Teacher
“Seniors deserve a skip day. It’s
a tradition in Mason High
School.”
Natalie Ernest
‘05 MHS graduate
CHRONICLENews
3
Skip day raises the ire of MHS administration
BY OLGA BORODULIN
Chronicle Editor
At 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1,
senior J.D. Kreps was sleeping in his
room. Although most students had awoken and rushed to school, blaming alarm
clock malfunctions for their tardiness,
Kreps, like most seniors that day, was
ailed by the senioritis epidemic, causing
169 senior to be absent from school for the
unofficial "Senior Skip Day."
The next day, the administration,
including Mason High School principal
Dave Allen, was swift to distribute In
School Suspension (ISS) to all students
who had unexcused absences, and spoke
to all senior class rooms about their decisions. The message they sent was clear:
truancy would not go unpunished.
"I would never endorse letting everyone
skip. [Organizing a senior skip day] really
goes against what [the administration]
feels Mason is all about, and what separates Mason from other school districts.
We always say that our students are what
make this a wonderful school district. But
when [students] do things like take a day
off school, then we're not separating ourselves from other school districts," Allen
said.
Allen’s concern was towards student
safety and keeping school excellence.
"I’m worried about the students being
out, unsupervised, and that they may get
in trouble and get hurt. They may have
the tendency to do things they shouldn’t
do," Allen said.
The effect of senior skip day can also
hurt the school's overall attendance rating, which is measured on the state of
Ohio report card, and resulting in a lower
school excellence rating.
Despite such repercussions, many students, including senior Adom Farmer, still
chose to skip school.
"I don't think it makes that much of a
difference if we're gone a single day. I also
don't think that anyone is getting hurt
just by skipping school," Farmer said.
Senior Andi Zeigler does not agree with
Allen on the dangers of a skip day.
"Although a skip day provides more free
time, whatever students can do during
that day, they can do after school," Ziegler
said.
Farmer believes skip day is a tradition.
"I think 'Senior Skip Day' is a rite of
passage and something that seniors
should be able to enjoy," Farmer said.
Farmer was one of the students who
received an ISS for his decision to skip.
However, Farmer considers his punishment to be excessive.
"It's not fair that the people who were
honest about skipping are getting in trouble and those that had their parents call
them in sick are getting off easy," Farmer
said.
Allen recognizes that there is an issue
concerning the parent's choice to phone in
fabrications relating to their children's
health so that their children would not
receive punishment for skipping.
"We're asking parents to partner with
[the administration] and send the same
message that we send to students that it's
important to be in school every day… It
bothers me however, that [the students
who faked their sickness] did something
wrong and didn't get in trouble compared
to those who did. However, ultimately, I
think coming clean is the best policy.
Standing up for your mistakes is more
honorable than lying," Allen said.
MHS Truant officer Rick Huff has seen
many students lie about their absences
and feels that the parents will ultimately
face consequences for lying for their children.
"Parents who called their students in
sick are sending the wrong message and
they're letting their kids control things,
but it will cost them in the long run," Huff
said.
Although the administration attempted
to stop senior absences by giving an intercom announcement, few took note of their
wishes.
"[The administrators] just indicated
that we were disappointed," Allen said.
The administration's message to attend
school may not have been heeded by some
seniors but was heard by other students.
Among those include junior Cory
Richardson, who plans on not skipping.
"[Skipping is] not something I view as
essential, and I really think that the people who are doing it are just following the
crowd," Richardson said.
Senior Laura Klohe also heard the message and believes that Senior Skip Day
was simply students "conforming."
Last year, a solution to keep seniors
from missing school was a senior picnic
which allowed seniors to leave at 12:00
p.m. 2005 MHS graduate Julie Williams
believes that she "would've preferred a
senior skip day to a picnic, but it turned
out fun anyway."
Allen is hoping that seniors will come to
him with an idea of an alternative.
"We want the activities to come from the
students. We're willing to work on this. A
lot of good came from getting the seniors
to get together last year," Allen said.
Despite difficulties, Allen has faith in
this senior class.
"I think that the student body wants to
do the right thing. I feel they don't want
their senior class to go out being known
for doing something that is not in a positive light," Allen said.
Legislators may force teen drivers to
wait longer to get their license
BY STEPHANIE VISSCHER
Chronicle Staff Writer
Curfews, due dates, and after-school
jobs. For many teens it seems that from
the time they walk into school to when
they hang up their apron at the local fast
food restaurant their lives are controlled
by authority.
But come their 16th birthday, a small
victory is won. No longer completely
dependent on the "retro" rides of their
parents, licensed teens have the freedom
to drive themselves wherever the road of
life may take them. Freshman Mackenzie
Touby is eagerly awaiting getting her driver's license when she turns 16.
"I really would like to be more independent, in driving myself to drama practices
and other events," Touby said. "It would
be nice to just take myself to after-school
[events] and go to the mall."
Driving is also important to sophomore
Michael Weingand.
"I take many music lessons and I need
to be able to get there and back since my
mom is tired of driving me," Weingand
said.
However, if Ohio House of
Representative Tom Raga has his way,
Weingand and Touby may be spending
more time in the passenger seat than
expected. Raga has recently proposed a
bill to raise the age at which teens may
receive their temporary license from 15
and one-half years to 16 years.
Many teens, including Weingand, feel
the new law would be limiting to their
lives.
"Students have a lot of responsibilities
at our age and need to be able to get to
places they need to be without parental
interference," Weingand said.
Junior Brett Valls hopes to get his
license in February of next year. For
Valls, driving will help with time management and being at place on time.
"Being able to drive is very important
and with swimming [and] drama it's real-
ly important that I get [my license].
Even those who can drive will be affected by this bill, including parents and
peers of students without licenses. Junior
Gen Tripp cited it as “annoying” and “a
hassle” to be the carpooler.
“It would just be easier for them to be
able to drive by themselves,” Tripp said.
Senior Austin Bender knows firsthand
how important a license can be to teens.
"I am 100 percent reliant on my car and
license. Both of my parents work full time
jobs ang get home on average between 5
and 6:30 pm," Bender said.
Bender can see a significant difference
from his life before he received his license.
"As a freshman I was stranded at the
school for several hours. Now, as a senior,
I depend on it for work transport," Bender
said.
According to senior Hannah Lewis, more
experience, not time, is needed to bring
down teen driving accidents.
"Making the teens have more hours
behind the wheel would address the problems," Lewis said.
In Valls' opinion, teen accidents occur
because of problems experienced among
all drivers.
"A lot of time the accidents are the result
of dropping cell phones [and] speeding,
which are experienced by people of different ages," Valls said.
Weingand feels specialized classes will
also help.
"I took a very good car control class a few
weeks ago that teaches you what to do in
a disastrous situation," Weingand said.
Bender agrees that driving control clinics may help teen drivers.
"That would allow students to learn
their limitations," Bender said.
At press time, the bill has yet to be
placed on the House of Representative's
calendar for review.
Until the bill is passed into law, unlicensed drivers still have time to dream of
what they will do once they are finally
free on the open road.
Whether it’s a beemer or a beat-up,
“We’ll put you behind the wheel”
4
The
CHRONICLENews
December 20, 2005
News Notebook
World Perspective
MHS Math team wins titles
Bush seeks to cut down on illegal immigration
The MHS Math team visited the Rose
Hulman Institute for the Math Contest
held on November 12. Mason racked up
the highest titles including 1st place for
Zhi Yuan Lu, 2nd place to Ray Wang, 3rd
place for Tong Zhan, 4th place for
Raymond Tan, 5th place for Eric Wei, and
13th place for Kevin Zhang. Bonny Yau
also won 11th place in the 12th grade
female section.
Student aid forms
available
Students can pick up a Free Application
for Federal Student Aid in the Guidance
Office in January. All applications must be
received by June 30, 2006. Students are
also able to apply online at
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm.
Charlene Pelfrey elected
new Mason mayor
Charlene Pelfrey was elected mayor of
Mason on by Mason City Council on
December 1. Pelfrey, who was elected to
Mason City Council in 1999 is only the
second woman to hold the mayoral office
in Mason. The city council also elected
Tom Grossmann as Vice Mayor.
Calculator registration
Students can register Texas
Instruments calculators on Naviance.com.
This allows supervisors to trace them and
return them to you once you have reported them lost.
Mason Skatepark website
created
Students interested in the construction
and layout of the skatepark can visit
www.sitedesigngroup.com. The username
is mason. The password is available on
Edline.
- compiled by Stephanie Visscher
BY MATT PARTINGTON
Chronicle Staff Writer
In a recent tour through Texas and
Arizona, Bush focused on his plans to try
and reform immigration policies within
the U.S. The announcement comes at a
time of political division among
Republicans, some who are calling for
stricter code, and others who want to
grant illegal immigrants permission to
stay as citizens.
"Illegal immigration's a serious challenge," Bush said at a Tucson Air Force
Base on October 29, 2005. "And our
responsibility is clear. We are going to
protect the border."
The rise in illegal immigrants entering
the U.S. has become an increasingly troublesome problem in the last decade for
Border Control agents.
Estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center
show that the number of illegal immigrants currently in the United States has
doubled in the last nine years to more
than 11 million, and more than 4.5 million
have been caught attempting to cross the
border since 2001.
Since the terrorist attacks on September
11, 2001, the government has attempted
to dissuade illegal immigration. Although
more Border Patrol agents have been
hired and newer technologies are being
used, such as sensory camera lenses, the
number of immigrants entering illegally
per year has not swayed.
"Heightened border enforcement has not
deterred would-be immigrants from entering the United States, nor has it reduced
the size of the annual inflow. What it has
done is channel migrants away from traditional crossing points to remote areas
where the physical risks are great but the
likelihood of getting caught is small,"
Washington Post columnist Douglas
Massey said. "As a result, the number of
deaths has risen to around 460 people a
year while the probability of apprehension
has fallen from a historical average of
around 33 percent to around 10 percent."
Bush's proposed plan attempts to find
middle ground in the debate over how the
United States should deal with illegal
immigration.
A bill was signed last month which gave
$2.3 billion to Border Patrol and $3.7 billion to the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Agency, and Bush has said
that more agents will be hired to watch
the borders and hopefully deter illegal
immigration.
"We're going to secure the border by
catching those who enter illegally and
hardening the border to prevent illegal
crossings," Bush said.
Bush has also advocated the passing of a
temporary worker program. Such a program would aim at allotting visas to illegal immigrants already residing in the
United States. After a three year period ,
the permit would expire and they must
return to their rightful country for one
year, whereupon they could request a new
permit.
"There's a lot of opinions on this proposal,"
Bush said. "But people in this debate
must recognize that we will not be able to
effectively enforce our immigration laws
until we create a temporary worker program."
The plan intends to appease both Bush's
conservative base, which is pushing for
reformation of lackluster immigration
control, and the large business sector that
relies upon the hiring of undocumented
immigrants. The way in which the government should reform immigration policy,
however, has become the biggest debate in
Washington.
Senator John McCain, Republican from
Arizona, alongside Edward Kennedy,
Democrat from Massachusetts, is
attempting to persuade his congressional
counterparts to support a bill which will
allow illegal immigrants to be granted
working visas valid for up to six years, followed by either a return to their home
nation or registration for a green card.
McCain's Arizona counterpart in
Congress, Republican Jon Kyl, has recently supported a bill with Texas Senator
John Cornyn, also a Republican, that supports the deporting of illegal immigrants
to their respective nation of origin whereupon they can request a temporary work
permit for reentry into the United States.
Some, however, such as Republican
Representative Marsha Blackburn, doubt
the viability of these proposed policies if
the problem is not first fixed at its core.
"We have no business discussing guest
worker programs until we can actually
prevent illegal entry," Blackburn said.
Angela Kelley, assistant director of the
National Immigration Forum, thinks that
it is unfeasible to expect illegal immigrants currently residing in the country to
willingly exit.
"They're not going to leave," Kelley said.
"They would go back to an undocumented
state, and we would end up with an even
bigger illegal immigrant population than
we have now."
Most debate is expected to take place
within the Republican Party, being that
the overwhelming majority of Democrats
support a bill which will give illegal immigrants a green card, as long as they have
lived in the US for more than five years
and have worked for more than two years.
Bush's plan, however, does not supply
illegal immigrants with citizenship but a
temporary worker permit.
Mexico's President Vincent Fox endorses the bill supported by Bush.
The implications of this debate are
expected to be felt in next year's mid-term
election, and potentially in the next presidential running.
The Hispanic population has turned into
a sizeable demographic to electioneer for,
and many of those voters are residing in
swing states such as Nevada, New
Mexico, and Florida, meaning illegal
immigration could become a central political topic inside, and outside, party lines.
The Hubley Driving School
Student of t he Month
Hubley Driving School & The Chronicle are proud to honor
SUSANNE MARTIE
Grade: 12
In school accomplishments:
Captain of the Tennis team
Member of NHS
Participant in Ski Club and Lacrosse
team
4.0 Honors GPA past three years
Out of school accomplishments:
Volunteer at Cedar Village
Tutor at the Intermediate School
Volunteer at Sheltie Dog Rescue
Favorite Class(es):
Math
Science
School Bank
Future Plans/Goal:
Attend College
Major in the field of math, science, or
business
Teacher Quote:
"Susanne is an outstanding all-around
young lady with a very bright future
ahead of her. She is as genuine a young
adult as I have ever seen in 15 years of
teaching. She is caring, kind, and compassionate and knows what is important
in life."
-Ms. Carol Lehman, Science Teacher
Personal Quote:
“Be true to yourself.”
-anonymous
Chronicle photo by Michelle Rotbart
5606 Tylersville Rd
Mason, OH 45040
754-8652
H
U
B
D r i v i n g
L
E
Y
S c h o o l
5606 Tylersville Rd
Mason, OH 45040
754-8652
The
December 20, 2005
CHRONICLENewsFeature
5
Teachers prepare the material, do the research, and
look for exciting ways to present the
information. But after all this preparation, they’re still
asking students...
Why won’t
you read?
BY MATT PARTINGTON
Chronicle Staff Writer
Irony of ironies: You're
reading an article about
teens not wanting to
read. Yes, the activity
you're doing right now,
the one that was invented more than 4000 years
ago and has been the
sole influence in designing the human thinking
mode, is becoming dated.
It should not surprise you
that aliteracy, or lack of
interest in reading, is
quite prevalent within
teenage demographics.
One does not have to go further than the halls of Mason
High School to hear such declarations as "I hate reading," or "I never read," and according to many this attitude poses a great threat to our culture and society.
"About 100% of first-graders walk in on the first day
and are interested in this thing called reading,"
University of Yale Professor Kylene Beers said. "Eighty
percent of graduating high school seniors tell us they
will never again voluntarily read another book."
The controversy concerning literature's demise and
television's rise has been long argued-over in past
decades. Some say that print itself only serves as a
transitional medium anyhow and will eventually, and
fluidly, become less depended on in future centuries as
other forms of media take form. Others, however, think
that the lack of reading within our culture is a reflection of a larger and more alarming problem, one that
could threaten the wellbeing of mankind to its very
core.
"Its decline, many theorists believe, is as profound as,
say, the fall of communism, and some have taken to
prophesying that the downturn in reading could result
in the modern world's cultural and political decline,"
Steinhardt School of Education professor Mitchell
Stevens said.
Neil Postman, former Communications Professor at
New York University and social theorist, declared in his
book Amusing Ourselves to Death that "a mode of thinking is being lost."
Statistics both support and detract from these theories. No precise calculations exist concerning reading
habits of those living in past centuries, which makes it
difficult to assess any historical decline in reading interests. One merely has to ask a teenager, however, to
grasp a hint of indifference towards reading.
"Some of my friends read in their leisure time," senior
Brandon Lutz said. "But most of my classmates don't."
The distancing from reading within the last half century, particularly among younger demographics, has made
an impact on American society.
"This loss is now being felt in our cultural activities
and in our politics, as well as in our children's SAT
scores, and it could get worse," Stevens said. "But of
course such prophecies are delivered in print, so no one
pays much heed."
Average verbal SAT scores plummeted 22 percent from
476 to 415 between 1952 to 1995, when the College
Board changed the way the test was graded in order to
eliminate the statistical drop.
"The decline in SAT scores has a lot to do with not
reading," College Board President Donald Stewart said.
"The ability to read is linked to the ability to process,
analyze and comprehend
information. I guess that's
called thinking."
A recent survey of more than 2,500
young persons in America (13-24
years old), conducted by Carat
North America, discovered that on average only 6 hours
per week are spent on recreational reading. This is compared to 16.7 hours spent online, 13.6 hours spent
watching television, 12 hours listening to the radio, and
7.7 hours talking on the phone. Furthermore, a Gallup
poll revealed that the number of people who admitted to
not reading a book within the past year doubled from
8% to 16% between the years 1978 and 1990.
Mason English teacher Tim King feels that aliteracy,
or the lack of interest in reading, is slowly becoming
more prevalent among students.
"I think of my kids who used to read a lot more than
they do now, and they [now] spend their time watching
TV and playing video games," King said, adding, however, that he does not believe the popularity of reading is
an "alarming" matter.
Fellow Mason English teacher Ann Helwig believes
that much of the student resentment towards assigned
reading comes from an overarching distaste for education.
"Here's how I think most teenagers look at required
reading: It's just school. And school is boring, and school
is something you're supposed to rebel against," Helwig
said. "That's part of growing up."
Statistics refute claims that books are becoming less
popular. The number of "books in print" last year
reached 133,196 new titles, approximately 16 times the
amount in print 40 years ago. The number of books
bought per year is also on a steady incline, particularly
during the holiday season.
"When I go to Border's or Barnes and Noble I see a lot
of college-aged students or young adults in their 20s
and they're looking at books. Based on the success of
those big book stores, somebody's reading," King said.
Despite increased sales, however, no legitimate information exists which proves that people are actually
reading the books.
According to author DeAnn Welker, reading habits
have shifted in order to coincide with the disposition of
a television-driven society.
"The biggest concern I have is that, as a nation, we
seem to want to feign reading instead of doing it,"
Welker said. "We would rather read a 30-word blurb in
The Week about the news that's happening in the world
than the lengthy account of it in Newsweek or the analysis of it in The New Yorker."
Senior Keil Weimer agrees with Welker's sentiment.
"I think television has made us more impatient, so sitting down and reading books seems more like a chore
and less like having a good time, and I'm all about having a good time," Weimer said.
Although reading remains as one of the most unpopu
Chronicle photo by Danielle Williams. Photo art by Matt Partington
lar recreational activities among teens, most will not
deny its importance. A Gallup poll found that 61 percent of those asked felt that reading was a "more
rewarding" experience than watching television, and 92
percent confided that reading is a "good use" of time.
Most, therefore, respect the benefits of reading but are
not doing enough of it.
"I think reading is important," Lutz said. "But I just
don't like to do it."
King feels that students are reading, although not on
their own leisure time.
"For the most part, it seems as if [students] are reading just what they're assigned," King said. "I think it's
hard for something so passive to compete with all the
activities that are available and all the glittering
images that are on TV and in the movies."
Steven Johnson, media theorist and author of
Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular
Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter argues in his
book that television, and video games in particular, are
actually advancing human cognitive thought by
demanding great intellectual aptitude from the viewer.
"Think of the cognitive benefits conventionally
ascribed to reading: attention, patience, retention, the
parsing of narrative threads," Johnson says. "Over the
last half-century, programming on television has
increased the demands it places on precisely these mental faculties. This growing complexity involves three primary elements: multiple threading, flashing arrows and
social networks."
Some, however, regard this transition with reluctance.
"We are losing a sort of psychic habit, a logic, a sense
of complexity, an ability to spot contradictions and even
falsity," Postman said.
For many apart of Generation X, reading has simply
been redefined by new mediums, precisely the internet,
that require them to read on a different analytical level.
"Say, for instance, they read the lyrics of some group
they're following, and it's poetry," Helwig said. "People
aren't going to pick up Tolstoy in high school."
Another potential cause of reading's gradual demise
could be due to the fact that the world, and America in
particular, is experiencing a transition from a print
based culture to a visual culture, similar to what was
seen in the initial change from an oral culture to a print
culture more than 2000 years ago.
"Students have had to learn to be savvy with gaining
information from visual material," Helwig said. "And it's
a whole new kind of reading."
6
The
CHRONICLENews
December 20, 2005
Words from the Wild students turn class
project into real life nature experience
BY CAROLINE JOHNSON
Chronicle Staff Writer
A new path stretches from the Grassy Knoll
to the White Oak Circle in Pine Hill Park.
Seniors Andrew Moore, Tom Burnett, Mike
Charnay, Kyle Colliatie and Mike Gardner
built The Walnut Trail for a project in English
teacher Tim King's Words from the Wild class.
Although the project was counted for a grade,
the seniors feel the path is an asset to the
school and community.
"We decided that the school has given so much
to us. We decided to give something back to the
school so that it would last forever," Burnett
said.
Although Charnay had some previous experience in building, neither Moore nor Burnett
had ever completed a project similar to the
trail.
"This was a one of a kind [project] for me,"
Burnett said.
The group of seniors chose to work together,
and were pleased with each member's effort,
believing the project caused them to "bond."
"It was definitely a good group with good
teamwork," Moore said.
Before beginning construction on the trail, the
team consulted King about what was expected
and what he wanted to see done. King asked
the boys to put a curve in the path for more
character. The planning may have been slightly difficult, but the team quickly began construction.
"As we got the ball rolling, it was pretty easy,"
Moore said.
The trail took three days to complete by working three to four hours each day. The first day,
the team cleared the path of all the honeysuckChronicle photo by Michelle Rotbart le. The second day, they laid down the mulch,
Pictured left to right: Seniors Tom Burnett, Kyle Colliatie, Andrew Moore, and the last day, the group lined the sides of
the trail with heavy black locust logs. The team
Mike Gardner, and Mike Charney on their trail in the Pine Hill Park.
S ENOUR F LAHERTY
I NSURANCE
A GENCY
7451 Mason Montgomery Road
found some of their supplies in the woods, but
for tools they looked to their teacher.
They believed all their hard work to be well
worth the effort. Once the path was completed
,the team reaped the benefits.
"The best part about the trail is that it is really wide. You can sit on the trail without being
in the way [of other people using the trail,]"
Charnay said.
The seniors began to see use of the path
directly after they finished it.
"Ever since we put the mulch down people
started to use the path," Burnett said.
The team recognized that the path was not
only helping the high school, but the community as well.
"We saw people walking on the trail with
dogs, which was cool, and they talked to us
about it. They told us what a great job we did
and how it was a really nice trail," Charnay
said.
Even after the trail was completed, but not
officially opened, the team took pride in their
work and tried to preserve it as much as possible.
"[At first] we tried to keep it to minimal use
because we wanted to keep it as new as possible. We hadn't really opened it yet, and we
wanted Mr. King to cut the rope," Moore said.
The group took pride in their work, and
placed two sticks with a walnut on top on either
side of the entrance, putting their final creative
touch on the trail.
"We want people know it is the Walnut Trail,
because it is our pride sitting out there," Moore
said.
The seniors have no current plans for similar
projects in the future but are open to ideas.
"As of right now we are not planning any
future projects but if Mr. King would need us, I
would be more than happy to help him out,"
Moore said.
Jack’s Driving School
It’s almost the start of a new year...
(513) 398-6966
Agents
Jack Flaherty
Duke Flaherty
Let us help you start your driving career.
Classes @ Mason Community Center
Weekdays 2:30 - 5:00 pm
Register @
www.jacksdrivingschool.com
or call 398-1
1999
December 20, 2005
Phantom of the Opera at
the Aronoff
Classic musical by Andrew Lloyd
Weber "Phantom of the Opera" will be
performed at the Aronoff Center for the
Arts located on 650 Walnut St. Cincinnati,
OH 45202. Performances are from
December 20th to the 1st of January. For
times, visit
http://www.cincinnatiarts.org/tickets/.
Tickets range from $17.25 to $70.25. For
ticket information, call: (513) 621-2787 or
visit [email protected].
Dance Revolution at
Symmes Township Library
A Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) program will be held at the Symmes
Township Library on Wednesday
December 21st from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
Program is for ages 10-18 and you must
register. To register, call: 369-6001.
African Culture Fest at
the Museum Center
Passport to the World: African Culture
Fest is exhibited at Museum Center
Grand Rotunda located at Cincinnati
Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301
Western Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Exhibit is open January 14, 15 and 16
from 12-5 pm. Event is free. For more
information visit www.cincymuseum.org.
Album cover exhibit at
Cincy Art Museum
"Borrowed Time: The Photograph as
Music Album Cover" includes photographs from photographers that have
been used for various album covers;
including musicians such as Bruce
Springsteen, the Beastie Boys, Philip
Glass and Miles Davis. Exhibit is located
at the Cincinnati Art Museum and open
for viewing until January 29th. Tickets are
$8 for adults, $6 for seniors and college
students, $4 for children 6-18 and children under 6 are free. For information,
call (513) 721-ARTS.
Holiday exhibit at
Cincinnati Art Museum
Attend "Family First Saturdays: Holiday
Xtravaganza" at the Cincinnati Art
Museum the first Saturday of every
month to create art, explore galleries,
watch performances, and more.
December 3rd and 4th from 1-4 pm and
January 7th from 1-4 pm. Admission is
free.
Christmas Carol at
Playhouse in the Park
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
will be performed by the Cincinnati
Playhouse in the Park at the Robert S.
Marx Theater from December 21 to
December 30. For show times and ticket
information call 513/421-3888 or visit
www.cincyplay.com.
Rock and Roll photos
on display
First 50 Years of Rock and Roll
includes photographs of the Beatles,
Rolling Stones, Jim Hendrix, Elvis
Presley and more. Exhibit is located at
Art Design Consultants Inc. located at
1310 Pendleton St. Cincinnati, OH
45202. First 50 Years of Rock and Roll
can be viewed Dec 20-23 and 26-29 from
9am to 5:30pm. For more information call
(513) 723-1222.
- compiled by Sarah Fukatsu
The
s
i
N
S
M
W
CHRONICLEArts&Entertainment
7
"Lakota has a
radio station, and
my freshman year
I wanted to start
one because their
radio station
broadcasts out
into the
community and
with Mason's
stature, I thought
we should be able
to have one too.”
Rebecca Ziegler
president
Sophomore Jenna
Garchar works the
sound board in preparation for an upcoming
WMSN broadcast
Mason radio station prepares for first broadcast
BY DANIELLE WILLIAMS
Chronicle Staff Writer
High-tech equipment, web designs, frequencies, regulations, fees, and recordings
are among the few challenges and priorities included in the process of becoming
an established radio station. WMSN
Radio Club members must take on these
responsibilities as they vigorously prepare
for their momentous radio debut. After
two long years, the dream of Mason High
School broadcasting via radio is soon to be
a reality.
Junior Becca Ziegler, the founder and
club leader for three years, has watched
the major development of WMSN in the
past two years, and understands that
after all the hard work and time put into
this endeavor, it all comes down to the
first word spoken and broadcasted into
the ears of the community.
"We've made so much progress in the
past two years," Ziegler said.
Senior Allison Hodson, who has also
been a member for three years, agrees
that, "it's been a long time in the making.
I want to come back after my senior year
to see the progress and changes."
The interest of having a broadcasting
radio at MHS was first sparked when
Ziegler was inspired after hearing of
Lakota High School's radio station. She
then followed through with the idea of
having a radio at school when she requested the establishment of Radio Club and
became the club leader. After she was
approved, meetings began and word got
out. Radio Club then emerged.
"Lakota has a radio station, and my
freshman year I wanted to start one
because [their radio station] broadcast out
[into the community] and with Mason's
stature I thought we should be able to
have one too. It would be a good step for
us," Ziegler said.
However, the process of creating a radio
station is not easy. In fact, it is an
extremely thorough process.
"We have to look for ways to raise
money, pay for frequencies, [then] they
have to approve it, money for the equipment, other important approvals. It takes
a lot of time; a lot more than you would
think," Ziegler said.
In actuality, because the process is so
extensive and money is a huge factor,
Radio Club must find ways to fund raise.
Members of the club went to Lakota radio
station and inquired about their methods
of success in fundraising. The club then
took on the Battle of the Bands in the
springtime of 2004 and the vintage clothing sale.
What is that?
Here’s a quick glimpse of the some of
the equipment you will find at WMSN.
This is called a
Tele-Link
Computer. It
uploads Radio
Shows and
assigns times
and dates for
the shows to be
played.
This is an E/V
Large Diaphram
Studio
Microphone. After
speaking into the
microphone, it
transfers your dialogue to be
recorded.
This is an AirWave Digital Console
Mainframe Soundboard. It controls the
volume for microphones, music,
recordings and broadcasts.
After the club began to raise money,
they became one step closer to having the
ability to broadcast. Also, Harris, a radio
broadcasting company, donated equipment to Radio Club after the members
took a tour around the company grounds,
in order to become more familiar with
radio equipment. Radio Club is closer now
than ever to coming on air.
Although, the club does not have a station they will be able to broadcast through
Windows Media Player with the use of a
URL (Uniform Resource Locater). The
student body can always be tuned in for
their broadcast 24 hours a day. With the
help of donations, WMSN will be able to
have its own tower and be closer to having
their own radio station.
"We hope to have it next year. I'm really excited for people in the community to
hear different genres of music and to be
able to say their community has their very
own radio station," Ziegler said.
As Radio Club members are waiting for
the affirmation of when they can broadcast, they are already recording ahead
with aspirations for the future.
"I have big hopes like Lakota's radio station. I want us to be able to broadcast out.
I hope freshmen will want to join and who
have the same mindset to want the radio
to go far," Hodson said.
According to the Radio Club advisor, Mr.
Colin King, "establishing a radio station
has been a learning experience [for him]
as well as the students involved."
"Students will now be able to express
themselves through the interviews they
may make, songs they choose to play, and
their opinions," King said.
WMSN has given its members experience in all aspects of life.
"The experience of learning about equipment, learning about jobs that are offered
in the field, also like I learn about new
local bands I didn't know about. [Radio
Club] just exposes me to a lot of new
stuff," Hodson said.
In the future, students may expect to
hear broadcasting of school games, a dedicated hour to listen to local bands, music
of all types, talk shows where teachers
can relay messages, and even more is
being brought to the table.
"I want everyone to have apart of something they like. If they like certain shows
[on the radio] I want them to tune in to listen to them. I want everyone to be able to
participate," Hodson said.
8
The
CHRONICLEA&E
December 20, 2005
New form of literature gives
insight into Japanese culture
BY SARAH FUKATSU
Chronicle Staff Writer
Teens occupy themselves with different
types of entertainment. Internet. Game
systems. Music. But a different type of
entertainment
unknown
to
most
Americans is becoming more popular in
Mason. Manga can be educational but at
the same time provide the same thrills.
Manga is a graphic novel and is different from western comic books. Western
comic books depict superheroes and their
missions defeating evil, while in manga,
readers gain knowledge of the characters.
Each book has realistic characters that
grow and mature like a typical novel and
plot lines are written specifically to help
the reader sympathize and connect with
the characters. Readers discover the characters' goals, dreams and challenges
throughout the story.
Sophomore Rina Nagai, who was born in
Japan, is a big fan of manga.
"I love them because they're fun. I can
laugh and forget everything else. Plus,
there is a lot of art," Nagai said.
There are two divisions in manga: shojo
and shonen. Shojo in Japanese means
girl, meaning they're written for girls and
shonen means boy, which are written for
guys. Mangas are also divided in categories such as comedy, action, sci-fi,
romance and fantasy. But besides the category differences, all mangas can provide
an insight into the Japanese language.
Junior Amie Byrd has picked up some of
the Japanese language from reading these
graphic novels.
"A little of the language isn't in
English. Sometimes there are subtitles,"
Byrd said.
Sophomore Lee Philips reads manga for
fun, but decided to learn Japanese in the
process.
"After reading some manga, I asked two
of my friends to start teaching me
Japanese. It's a very cool language,"
Philips said.
Sophomore Alli Emlinger has also read
many manga books and is continuing to
learn more about the Japanese culture;
including, honorifics. Japanese honorifics
are used for respect and to determine your
placement in the hierarchy.
"They are used by adding "chan" at the
end of a child's name, "san" at the end of
someone who is older than you or an
Providing the gift of warmth
What started out a few years ago as a service project when she was in
middle school has turned into an annual campaign for sophomore Logan
Bright. Bright is once again working on
a service project know as Mountains
of Mittens where she collects winter
accessories such as mittens,
gloves, and coats for families in
need throughout the community.
You can make donations at the
front office. The drive will conclude
on December 22.
DNANGEL is form of Manga that is distributed in the United States and Japan.
adult's name, and "sama" at the end of a
person in high authority," Emlinger said.
Reading manga has given Philips
insight into the Japanese school system.
"Education is very important to the students and their parents," Philips said.
Philips also noted from the manga that
students must wear uniforms. Uniforms
usually follow the sailor design for girls
and a collared shirt with dressy pants for
boys. These styles are something that
mangas use as the attire for their characters.
Senior Josh Bonomini feels the uniforms
are far different from the attire of
Americans.
"Their clothing is more presentable and
conservative. You don't see many band
shirts," Bonomini said.
Even though freshman Diana Wu is
Chinese, she also loves to read Japanese
manga.
"There is a genre for everyone," Wu said.
Many mangas typically portray food as
an art form to entice readers.
"Their food looks very pretty and very
tasty in the drawings. It's always so
attractive," Wu said.
Mangas portrayal of Japanese culture
allows high school students who have not
left stateliness to experience a new culture while reading a graphic novel.
"It's not Americanized. It has its own
unique culture," Byrd said.
Leet Speak, online gaming language,
gaining popularity among students
BY CANDICE PHILPOT
Chronicle Staff Writer
It’s about time to start thinking about your class schedule for next
year. If you’re interested in becoming a member of
The Chronicle staff, you must apply for acceptance into
Journalism I. If you’re interesting in applying stop by room c110.
The Chronicle is always on the look-out for new talent.
"1 4/ \ / \ 3|_173: I am Elite"
Contrary to the way it appears, the
above "words" are not just a random compilation of symbols, but a complex online
culture and language code called Leet
(1337) Speak
Leet is defined as an internet code that
is formed by replacing letters with numbers, symbols and other letters that look
or sound the same. The language known
as Leet originated in the 1980's by hackers who used it to communicate between
themselves but has now spread to the
online gaming community.
Although years have pasted since the
birth of Leet, students at MHS are able to
recognize how different it is from the
English language. Leet does not always
follow a set convention, which is one of its
challenging aspects.
"I heard it from my friends. It was confusing, so they taught me how to use it,"
freshman Anupama Joseph said.
Unlike those who learned Leet during
high school, junior Eric Ditzel learned
about Leet at a young age.
"[I learned about Leet] the moment I
started playing video games," Ditzel said.
The popularity of Leet is on the rise with
high school students, according to junior
Ben Brown.
"It's definitely more popular with online
video games and in video game chat
rooms," Brown said.
Senior Eric Grimmer agrees with Brown
on the popularity of Leet in chatrooms.
"I play games online. [Leet] is not popular with everybody; but it is with the
online gaming community," Grimmer said
Although many gamers enjoy the complexity and challenge of reading and writing in Leet, others, like freshman Sam
Rutherford, dislike the language.
"[Leet] is really annoying. Most people
who use it lack intelligence, and it's only
popular if you play video games,"
Rutherford said.
In the past decade, Leet has also evolved
into other forms of online languages.
These include Greeklish in Greek and
Kushachu in Japanese. Leet Speak has
also formed what Leet speakers call AOL
Speak, a more simplified language that
replaces words with shortened writing
expressions. AOL Speakers would replace
the word "at" with "@", "be" with "b", and
"you" with "u".
According to English teacher Kyle
Warren, AOL Speak may appear in student papers, and causes complications.
"You don't see it all the time, and you
can understand what they are saying, but
it deviates from standard English guidelines," Warren said.
Leet Speak may be confined to the gaming world now, but as any language, it's
bound to spread.
"It's not so much important as it is fun.
It's just a lingo or another type of talk,"
Ditzel said.
The
December 20, 2005
Sam
Goldsmith
Music Review
“Confessions on a
Dance Floor” proves
to be combination of
dance and disco
Madonna has always been a fascinating persona. She's exciting, controversial, and always fun to dwell upon. For
22 years she has come out with lots of
impressive and artistic music. From the
great albums such as “Like a Prayer,”
“Ray of Light,” and “Music,” to the great
singles “Like a Virgin” and “Vogue.” She
amazes, and with her new album
“Confessions on a Dance Floor,” she
proves she's still got some great vitality
left in her.
The album plays like one continuous
track, making a true commitment to
dance and disco. Madonna describes this
album as a kind of "future disco," and
she is correct. The production always
brings you into the vibe, but still lets you
have space to chill out.
It starts with a big bang. With songs
like Get Together and the first single
Hung Up, this album will assuredly be
played at almost every dance from now
on. And just when it starts to get a bit
boring and a few clunkers start to creep
in, the album makes a surprising switch
in focus. It becomes self-reflective and
meditative in tracks like Forbidden Love
and How High. The most impressive
meditation is in the song Isaac, which is
dedicated to the Kabbalah master Rabbi
Isaac Luria. It involves an actual
Kabbalah chant as one of its main samples. For years, Madonna has been a
student of Jewish mysticism, and it is
truly brilliant how she incorporates her
studies into the track without getting
preachy or ponderous.
We all kind of forget that artists that
push our buttons before, still push them
now. With this album, we know that
Madonna's not going anywhere for a
while without a good fight. I mean, as
she says herself in Like It or Not: "You
can love me or leave me, cause I'm never
gonna stop."
Editor’s Note:
Sam Goldsmith, Eric Ditzel, and
Wendy Wei are contributing
writers to The Chronicle.
Eric Ditzel
Video Game
Review
Wendy
Wei
Book Review
CHRONICLEA&E
9
Matt
Partington
Movie Review
Shadow of the
Colossus is truly a
work of art
Eragon is nothing
Capote proves to be
more than low-quality a powerful tale
fantasy
Every once and a while a new game
shows up which is genuinely different.
Shadow of the Colossus (SOTC) one of
those games. From the minds behind
ICO, this is a gaming experience no avid
gamer can go without.
From the desolate landscapes to the
few splashes of lush forest, this deserted
world will pull you in for an adventure of
discovery and wonder. You have but one
living companion: your horse, Agro. In
the course of your journey you encounter
sixteen Colossi ranging in size from a
Hummer to an Akula class submarine.
Each one is distinctly unique and has a
personality all its own. Each Colossus
has weak points which you must attack
with your sword. Finding these points is
no easy task. You also must find a way
to reach and scale each giant; in many
cases, this is half the battle. Your sword
will guide you.
The art direction and the storytelling
of this game are remarkable. My only
complaint regarding visuals is the quality of the graphics. While they are hindered by the PS2, they do not detract
from the overall look and feel of the environment. The environment is the perfect
blend of deserted landscape, abandoned
buildings, and eye-catching nature.
When mixed together you gain a feeling
of intense loneliness and curiosity. Above
all, the story of SOTC will draw you in
unlike many shoddy game stories.
While there is little dialogue, you still
get a good feel and understanding of the
characters.
The story begins with you taking a
dead girl to a temple where the gods of
the land command you to defeat the
Colossi for a chance to bring the dead
back to life. They make it very clear that
this may not be possible. Throughout the
game the story is slowly revealed and in
the end the final cut-scene will wrap up
the tale.
SOTC has one of the most touching
endings I have ever seen. It can only be
described as perfect.
To wrap up, you must play this game.
Whether you are a FPS junkie or a
Madden wiz, this is a benchmark in
gaming you need to experience.
I admit it, I read Eragon because of
the hype. ("A book written by a seventeen-year-old! A bestseller! An exquisite
read praised by your favorite authors!")
It lived up to none of it. It is the literary
equivalent of eating a bucket of chocolate-dipped slugs. You're not supposed
to, they taste disgusting, but you can't
resist biting into them in the hopes that
there will be at least one that's entirely
chocolate. But so far, there's nothing to
justify these hopes.
Christopher Paolini reads like a
teenage boy's remix of Lord of the Rings,
Dragonriders of Pern, and Earthsea
crossed with Star Wars. If you don't
fancy reading twelve series in one weekend, he might still sound pretty good. He
summarizes all of them and dumps them
in one book, right? But classic fantasy
not all that Paolini's shaken out. He's
also helped himself to a large amount of
words from the depths of the thesaurus.
And there are only so many gushing
descriptions of coruscating sunsets and
mountainous crenellations that the average reader can take before throwing up
their hands and shouting "I give up! At
least my vocab book doesn't pretend it's
a work of fiction!"
The Inheritance Trilogy follows the
adventures of a fifteen-year-old boy
named Eragon through Paolini's fantasy
world of Alagaesia, when he discovers a
peculiar blue stone in the mountains by
his village. When it hatches into a dragon that promptly bonds its mind to his
own, he is thrown into more trouble than
he can imagine with the Empire, and is
forced to go on the run with Brom, an old
storyteller who is more than he seems.
In short: A farmboy with no idea of his
parentage, an old mentor-figure, and an
empire run by an evil ruler. Of course,
none of us has ever heard of Star Wars,
right?
But it's his utter refusal to allow character development that makes Paolini's
Inheritance Trilogy a slow read. The
majority of his characters' personalities
can be abridged in two words or less:
Dim Hero, Beautiful Damsel, Wise
Mentor, Betraying Friend and so on
without missing a nuance of their character.
In short: do not buy this book unless you
enjoy low-quality fantasy. Or, if you need
a doorstop.
If you're up on your movie gossip, then
you probably have heard the superlatives
surrounding Philip Seymour Hoffman's
portrayal of legendary author Truman
Capote in director Bennet Miller's
Capote, based on the book by Gerald
Clark. Hoffman, in my humble opinion,
has been perhaps the most underappreciated actor of the last decade and is long
overdue for the accolades he has received
as of recent. A stark, fascinating film,
Capote gleams with insight about the
eccentric writer whose nonfiction novel In
Cold Blood thrilled the literary world.
On the night of November 14, 1959, two
men walked into an unsuspecting rural
Kansas home, tied down all four family
members living there, and proceeded to
kill them with what was seemingly no
motive. The movie initiates on the morning of November 15 with a series of long,
bleak shots. Out of sheer interest,
Truman Capote, a writer for The New
Yorker, travels to Holcomb, where the
murders took place, with his childhood
friend Nelle Harper Lee. Capote's focus
on the story adjusts from not the event
itself, but in the amateur robbers who
committed the crime, Perry Smith and
Richard Hickock.
Capote investigates the four years that
the author spent writing In Cold Blood
and the fascinating relationship he established with Perry Smith, someone who
Capote seemed to relate with ("It's as if
Perry and I grew up in the same house.
And one day he went out the back door
and I went out the front," he says).
Capote is praised in the movie for his
sheer brilliance but also shown in a spiteful light. He seeks fame and declares that
Smith's story is a "goldmine," all whilst
building a relationship with the man and
raising his hopes of one day escaping execution. It becomes increasingly different
to distinguish whether the words from
his mouth are sincere truths or calculated lies, and to an extent this is left for
the viewer to decide.
In Cold Blood became one of the most
revolutionary novels of the 20th century,
and by showing murderers in a humane
manner, as lonely simpletons rather than
savage killers, Capote helped transform
investigative journalism. Certain images
and conversations from the film will
remain ingrained in your mind. Capote
claims greatness in the same way In Cold
Blood managed to: by immortalizing
those who would forever be judged
wrongly otherwise.
The
CHRONICLEFeature
After 25 years on the
force, former Mason
police officer begins
‘Private Eye’ business
and investigative supply
store
BY REBECCA ZIEGLER
Chronicle Staff Writer
Wig? Check. Dressed in black attire? Check.
Briefcase full of cameras, fingerprint cases, surveillance video equipment and microphones?
Check. These may seem like unusual items to have
in a briefcase, but for local private investigator
Robert A. Jack, it's just another part of his job.
After serving the Mason Police Department for
25 years, Jack retired and wanted to find a job just
as fulfilling as law enforcement. Knowing that
applicants need a grueling 4,000 hours of investigative experience, letters of recommendation, and
a written test for the state, Jack still decided to
become an investigator. He opened his own business in the community that he named Innovative
Services in April of 2001.
"I put [Innovative Services] in the area to be a
business partner for the community. Most private
investigators are one-man operations, but I want to
grow and offer additional services, and not just be
known as an investigator," Jack said.
Jack began Innovative Services investigating
cases mainly regarding workman's compensation
(money paid to employees by businesses from
injury within the company), attorney support, and
domestic cases such as marriage infidelity and
custody. However, Jack is trying to expand his
company through providing classes for all ages in
women's self defense, child protection, firearms
classes, fingerprinting and CSI-type workshops.
"We provide so much more than investigative
services. Originally, my hope for this business was
for people who love spies and their investigations
to come in and enjoy our store. We're more than
people hiding in the bushes; we want to provide indepth services for the community," Jack said.
One of Jack's goals for Innovative Services was
to start interacting with young adults who have a
passion for forensics, law enforcement and spy
careers.
December 20, 2005
"I think that if young adults have a fascination or
love for this type of work, there is a definite place
for them [in the field], and I encourage them to
stop by," Jack said.
Jack encourages espionage fans, but does not
want to give people the wrong impression about
his career. Television shows and movies create
stereotypes for businesses like Jack's that can be
false in the real world.
"Shows like Cheater's have contact with clients
during surveillance, while we feel that our mission
has been accomplished if we have validated client
suspicion without people even knowing we were
there," Jack said.
According to Jack, a common misconception is
that investigators are police officers, but in reality
they do not handle criminal cases.
"We can use basic fingerprinting and investigative techniques, but we mostly aid in cases that
were wrongly investigated. We are not around for
the purpose of prosecution, we are used strictly for
the validation of suspicion," Jack said.
Jack's business is run with the help of his son
Rob who is also Jack's lead investigator. Rob will
take over the business when Jack decides to retire.
Jack's other son, Joey, is currently a junior at
Mason High School and helps with some of the fingerprinting work on weekends and in the summer.
Jack's wife, Darlene, can also be found lending a
hand by completing many of the administrative
responsibilities. Although Jack does not want all
employees to be family, Innovative Services was
started with their help and they continue to fight
through the challenges of peaks and falls of the
business.
"The most exciting moment in investigating, for
me, is that I have been able to start my own business and grow it to the level that it is at now.
There's just something about private investigating.
I love my job because it is not limited and I get to
do all kinds of things [at work]," Jack said.
Until Jack retires and his son takes over, his
heart is in his work and he will continue to provide
for the community, not only keeping them safe, but
interested in his work.
"I love this type of work because it's a challenge.
There is opportunity to help people, and it is
extremely personally rewarding. I wouldn't trade it
for the world," Jack said.
photo art by Matt Vollet
10
December 20, 2005
The
CHRONICLEAds
11
12
The
December 20, 2005
CHRONICLECenterspread
The
CHRONICLECenterspread
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13
14
The
CHRONICLEAds
December 20, 2005
The
William Mason High School
Home of The Comets
Chronlcle
Serving up
some table
tennis, see
page 17
DECEMBER 20, 2005
SPORTS
Shorts
SPPOORRTTSS
S
SPECIAL REPORT
Junior Katie Fischer
laces her skates to
play with the boys.
See page 17.
V OLUME 3 I SSUE 3
Eighty percent of all high school and college
coaches are male, leaving female athletes asking...
Bizzarri, Rapp place at
state cross country meet
Bizzarri
Rapp
Senior Angela
Bizzarri finished 2nd
at the cross country
state meet by one
second. This was
Bizzarri’s fourth
appearance at the
state meet.
Senior Chris Rapp
finished 6th at the
cross country meet
with a time of 15:56.
Rapp was the first to
qualify to the state
meet since 1987.
Fairbanks signs with
University of Dayton
The number of consecutive winning
seasons the varsity boys basketball
team has captured.
Did you know?
Current varsity
boys head basketball coach and
Mason alum Greg
Richards, who was
a multi-sport standout while playing for
the Comets, played
minor league baseball in the Montreal
Expos’ organization.
The Expos are now the Washington
Nationals.
8
Mason
Sycamore
Lakota East
Male
Female
Male
Count them. Seven out of the twelve female varsity sports
6
at Mason have men that hold the position of head coach. High
schools throughout the Cincinnati area predominatntly have
male coaches presiding over female varsity sports.
5
Combined, Lakota East and West have nineteen female varsity athletic programs that are coached by males. Moreover,
Mount Notre Dame, an all female high school, has ten varsi- 4
ty sports that are currently being coached by males. After
reading this, one can't help but ask the question, "Where 3
have all the female coaches gone?"
In 1972, the Title IX amendments were put into affect in
intercollegiate athletics. The overall goal of the amendments 2
was to provide women with as many equal opportunities as
men. Since the Title IX amendments were established, many
people believe they have provided females with more oppor- 1
tunities at the collegiate level.
"A lot of possible high school coaches that are graduating
from college choose to stay at the college level because of Title
IX," Mason Athletic Director Rod Russell said. "If coaching
ranks are being gobbled up at the collegiate level, then it's
harder to get them here at the high school level."
While Title IX has played a strong role in providing females
Female
7
Male
BY JOEY D'AMICO
Chronicle Sports Writer
Female
15
9
Male
PORTS
STATS
10
Female
Current Mason Resident and Former
Bengals wide receiver Tim McGee
opened his new athletic complex,
Courts 4 Sports, on Friday, December
2. It includes two outdoor fields, two
NCAA length indoor courts, and four
regular indoor courts, food, arcade
games, an apparel shop, and an
observation deck. For information,
contact (513)-770-0667.
Local high school female sports’
programs dominated by male
head coaches
Male
New sports complex
opens in Mason
Chronicle Sports photo by Joey D’Amico
Mason head girls’ basketball coach Rob Matula confers his team during a time-out in their game against the Princeton.
Female
Fairbanks
Senior Denise
Faribanks recently
signed with
University of
Dayton. Fairbanks
received a full
scholarship to play
baskebtall for the
Flyers next year.
Lakota West Mount Notre
Dame
- Information provided by Ohio High School Athletic Association
High schools sports programs across Cincinnati, whether
public or private, are dominated by male head coaches.
!see High School pg 16
Athletic programs influenced by a woman’s touch at collegiate level
BY BROOKE BARIA
Chronicle Sports Editor
Poise. Elegance. Grace. A woman's duty
in society is stereotyped by tradition. That
tradition is not different in coaching, a
profession dominated throughout history
by men. According to the Acosta, Women
in Intercollegiate Sport, an organization
of women and sports studies, two percent
of the coaches of men's teams and less
than half of the coaches of women's teams
are female. While men still coach the
majority of male and female college
teams, an increasing number of women
are becoming involved in college coaching.
These women enter a field dominated by
men. Their motivation roots from the idea
to not only disprove today's culture, but to
be the best of the best. To be the best,
women surpass the high school level and
attempt to make a name for themselves at
the collegiate level. These women seize
every opportunity to stand apart from the
norm, yet men still predominantly hold
the desired position as a collegiate coach.
As the popularity of collegiate women
sports has grown, more opportunities are
available.
According
to
Megan
Chawansky, a Sport and Exercise
Humanities professor at The Ohio State
University, and former women's basketball coach in Vermont, men are mainly
seeking these opportunities.
!see College pg 16
16
The
CHRONICLESports
High School: Male
coaches abundant in
area high schools
!from High School pg 15
December 20, 2005
Tipping the
scale...
with more opportunities at the collegiate
level, the field of study an individual
chooses to pursue as a career can also
affect coaching availability at the high
school level.
"I would guess the majority of female
athletes coming out of college aren't
choosing the field of education. However,
a lot of men go into education and they
want to coach," Russell said.
With the local area having an abundance of male coaches involved in female
athletics, female athletes admit there is a
difference in having a male coach as
opposed to a female coach. Mason varsity
swimmer Amy Bland is one athlete that
notices a style difference based on the Male head coaches of female
sports at Mason include Brian
gender of a coach.
Castner (softball), Rob Matula
"Females are more understanding to (basketball), Tony Affatato
problems," Bland said. "They are willing (track), Fred Reeder (golf),
to help make things better, but some- Mark Sullivan (swimming), Paul
times that can get in the way of an effec- Reedy (soccer), and Paul
tive practice. On the other hand, males Limpert (lacrosse).
focus more on production."
Athletes aren't the only individuals that woman need that," Mason
notice change between a male and female senior basketball player Lauren Gentene
coach. Coaches themselves have to make said.
Some females feel they perform better
adjustments depending on the gender
under a male coach because of the aggresthey are coaching.
"For me, who has been coaching 18 sion they bring to the game, but for other
years with boys, the most difficult thing female athletes, they feel gender shouldhas been knowing what the "limit" is in n't affect one's performance during pracregards to the physicality of the sport," tice or competition.
"I feel I perform the same under males
first year Mason varsity girls basketball
coach Rob Matula said. "There is no doubt as I do females. I don't think gender
that the boys’ side of basketball is more affects your performance," Mason varsity
physical, so I am struggling with how swimmer and softball player Colleen
Casey said.
physical the girl's game can get."
Most head coaches are accompanied by
When males coach females, slight
adjustments in their personality may be their assistant coaches. For most male
made, but most males insist their coach- coaches that coach females, they prefer to
have a female as
ing
philosophies
their assistant in
don't change based
order to provide the
on the gender they
female
athletes
are coaching.
with someone they
"Athletes are athcan relate to and
letes. I don't think
connect with.
coaching
philoso"My wife (Kelly
phies change at all,"
Affatato) and Coach
Mason varsity girls
Ullom are great role
track coach Tony
models. I think they
Affatato said. "The
are tremendous role
way males handle
models for other
females becomes diffemales. It's good to
ferent because it is
have them with me.
difficult for a male
They can relate and
to relate to a
connect with the
female."
athletes because I
While most male
don't know what it
coaches will admit it Provided by Acosta Women in Intercollegiate Sport
is like to be a
is difficult to relate The national average of male and female
female,"
Affatato
to a female because coaches at the high school and collegiate
level.
said.
they are emotionally
Though it can be difficult for a male
and physically different than males, they
do agree that coaching them has been coach to relate to a team full of females,
the male can bring a sense of demand and
nothing short of a great experience.
"I love coaching girls. I think they work anger that may be hidden in the calm
really hard, they are very good listeners demeanor of female coaches.
"The [males] are not afraid to say what
and they don't have any egos. They are
very curious and attentive to what is hap- they are thinking and sometimes teams
pening and what is going on in the pro- need to be chewed out to do better and
improve their performance," Casey said.
gram," Affatato said.
As coaches try to keep their coaching As females continue to be coached by
philosophies consistent between males males, the performance and outcome durand females, a female athlete might ing competition takes precedence over the
respond differently to one gender as emotional side of the sport.
"Males understand females more
opposed to the other.
through
a work ethic point of view," sen"Performance-wise, I dropped four seconds under Sullivan, which is more than ior swimmer Emily Kelch of Lakota East
I have dropped my entire life," Bland High School said.
As the number of male coaches in
said. "In practice he won't let you quit, he
will yell at you and tell you to keep going, female athletics continues to remain
but at the end of the year, it's well worth high, there isn't a definite answer to what
seems like a "decline" in the population of
it."
Performance in competitions and in female coaches. On the contrary, some
practice can be directly related to the people refuse to acknowledge it as a
coaching styles that males bring to their decline.
"I really don't know there is a decline,"
sport, which in the long haul, can help the
female athletes perform to the best of Matula said. "What I will say is that I
think most people hire coaches on their
their ability.
"Men know how to push you, they are abilities and not their gender. That
upfront when it comes to communication, should be the way it is in any occupation.”
and at times, all athletes, including
Female head coaches at
Mason include Julee Hill
(volleyball), Kelly Affatato
(cross country), Carol
Lehman (tennis), Beth Bell
(gymnastics), Andrea
Castner (cheerleading).
College: Male and
female coaches seek
the same success
!from College pg 15
"As women's sports gain popularity,
more men are seeing coaching women and
girls as a viable career option for them,"
Chawanksy said. Because of this, she
said, men attempt to make a name for
themselves by building women's programs.
University of Kentucky women's volleyball coach Craig Skinner, who was recently named Southeastern Conference Coach
of the Year had coached both men and
women's teams in his eleven year career.
Prior to this season, Skinner was the
assistant coach of the two time national
champion women's volleyball team at
Nebraska with a 154-11 record in five
years before accepting the head coaching
position at UK.
In his first year as head coach, Skinner
led the Wildcats their first NCAA
Tournament appearance in twelve years.
But just because he is a male does not
prove his philosophies are any different
than a female.
"We all want to be successful whether
male or female," Skinner said. "I believe
any coach's goal is the same and that is to
instill pride, passion and love for the
game. With this said, all coaches want to
be successful in everything we do."
Like Skinner, many men are looking for
a career in coaching women's teams, but
why are male coaches so drawn to coach
women?
Dennis Craddock, the men and women's
track and field coach at the University of
North Carolina, sees a great difference
between men and women athletes.
"Females in general cannot handle the
workload physically day in and day out as
much as men," Craddock said. "Females
let their emotions take over at times
when men don't. Females will give up
their identity easier than a male in social
settings. Females will bond easier than
males, are more organized than males
and are more coachable than males, once
you have won over their trust and respect
as their coach."
Skinner is in agreement that there are
vast differences between coaching men
and women. Skinner returned to his alma
mater to coach the men's volleyball team
at Ball State before leaving for Nebraska
in 2000.
"I enjoy both sincerely,” Skinner said,
"but men have energy all over the place
which you have to channel into a common
theme or goal, whereas women have energy but are more about talking reason on
how to get things done."
Since many male coaches see female
athletes as more approachable and coachable, they grasp any chance to coach
women's teams. To the contrary, it is very
rare to see women coaching men's teams.
"The idea [that men are coaching
women's teams] in itself is not necessarily a problem except when we consider
that women are not being seen as candidates for coaching and leading men's and
boys' teams," Chawansky said. "This combination limits women's opportunities for
coaching."
Chawansky also sees a problem in the
hiring process.
"Another factor for [it] is the athletic
directors who are doing the hiring,"
Chawansky said. "Most athletic directors,
at least at the collegiate level, are men
and tend to hire those who resemble them
in terms of class, race, gender and
approach to sport. Attracting a more
diverse pool of qualified candidates must
be a goal when hiring for a new coaching
position."
Bob Scalise, director of athletics at
Harvard
University,
disputed
Chawansky's claim. Scalise said he hires
the best coach for the job, regardless of
gender.
"There are many factors in hiring a new
coach," Scalise said. "The major ones
include: their knowledge of the sport,
experience coaching at the collegiate
level, ability to recruit, ability to embrace
the academic educational standards of
Harvard and abililty to work in a collegial
environment."
Scalise said he sees many applications
from men for women's sports but rarely
receives any applications from women to
coach men's sports.
Scalise and Craddock agreed that, while
men earnestly seek and take advantage of
the opportunity to coach women's teams
at the collegiate level, very few women
look to coach men's teams.
"I'm not sure that there is a lack of
female coaches [in men's athletics]
because they are coaching women's teams
but rather women themselves having
other priorities than entering the coaching profession," Craddock said. "It is a
very demanding profession that takes a
great deal of time away from family life."
As family life provides another possible
reason for the lack of women coaches,
senior Ashley Antony, a member of the
Harvard University lightweight crew
team said the lack of women coaches may
come from the overwhelming pressure a
coach endures.
"Being a minority in the arena of sports,
every action a female takes is judged and
weighted by the media, sports enthusiasts, and fellow coaches, and being judged
for being female, in addition to being
judged by the results of her team, may
deter many women from coaching,"
Antony said.
However, in an epidemic of equality, it
is essential that men and women of today
are treated fairly. Therefore, the federal
legislation developed, Title IX, a law to
govern the equality of men and women
involved in intercollegiate athletics.
As a result of Title IX, athletic departments must spend an equal amount of
money per individual on men's and
women's sports teams. Because of this,
many men's athletic programs have been
cut in order to compensate for the amount
of money spent on each individual, and
many male coaches have shifted their priorities to women teams.
With men still seizing the field of coaching, the experts agreed that women must
step up to the challenge to change the
stereotypes of the sports world.
"It takes both men and women a long
period apprenticeship before they can be
considered for a head coaching position,"
Salise said. "There also may be some biases in society about women who are coaches. Most people, when asked to picture a
great coach, have their own biases about
who and what they picture. My guess is
that many people envision a male coach.
Women entering the field need to continue to help change this misperception."
The
December 20, 2005
CHRONICLESports 17
Table tennis craze hits Mason with new ping pong club
BY MATT SCRUTA
Chronicle Staff Writer
In American culture, ping-pong is well
known as an activity of recreation. The
ping-pong table has become a staple in
many American basements, as it is a relatively affordable hobby. The fast-paced
game play and basic rules of ping-pong
make it an exciting game to play, as well
as an easy game to learn. Even the musical connotation of "ping-pong" suggests an
aura of congeniality and simplicity.
Ping-pong, however, is not only a game
for leisure. In other parts of the world,
there are well-disciplined athletes who
have evolved as masters of the game of
ping-pong. Professionally, the game is
known as table tennis. This class of players has impeccable hand-eye coordination
and flawless mechanics, and they practice
their mechanics relentlessly. Table
tennis
Chronicle Sports photo by Matt Scruta
Sophomore Tian Xu Zhao (Jared) practices ping-pong every Monday in the
commons.
was only first recognized as an Olympic
sport at the Seoul Olympics of 1988. But
even with such a brief professional history, fans of the sport fill arenas to see the
professionals play table tennis. A match
commences, and fans are then mesmerized, as what was once an orb is now a
blur hurtling methodically between the
players. The players react with sub-conscious ease to volley the ball that is tearing and spinning maliciously at them.
Table tennis is not just the mildly competitive hobby that is to the common
American; it is a worldwide conglomerate
like any other professional sport.
On the International Table Tennis
Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour, no country in
the world dominates the international
rankings like the nation of China.
Currently, five of the top ten table tennis
players in the world are Chinese.
Growing up in China, Sophomore Tian Xu
Zhao was exposed to the sport early and
often.
"In China, they don't dominate a sport."
Zhao said. "America has famous athletes
such as [Michael] Jordan and [Pete]
Sampras, but China isn't good at anything but table tennis. It is a symbol for
the Chinese people."
Zhao recognizes the professional aspect
of table tennis, and he is already a seasoned veteran at the sport. He was only
seven years old when he first picked up a
paddle. While most kids that age might
struggle with their basic hand-eye coordination, Zhao was working on skills well
beyond his years.
"My dad started me from scratch," Zhao
said. "First he worked on developing my
forearm muscles, then taught me little by
little my skills and basics."
Zhao's knack for table tennis was influenced heavily by his father who, like
Zhao, had taken up the sport as a youngster. Zhao moved to America when he
was in third grade. With the move, Zhao
acquired the American name "Jerry". As
Zhao grew older, he was able to challenge
and compete with his father. He enjoys
playing and learning, except one night a
feeling of monotony became hard to quell.
"My dad and I were getting into it, playing the best of five games, but it got old
after a week," Zhao said. "So my friends
and I got together and said, why don't we
start a club at school?"
The idea was feasible enough, so he
began looking for an advisor for the club.
"I had a hard time finding an advisor,"
Zhao said.
But Zhao eventually found the right person, as history teacher Ken Whitney
stepped up.
"I talked to Whitney and he was interested," Zhao said. "He thought it would
be fun."
Whitney taught Honors World History
to Zhao last year.
"Jerry came to me, and we talked about
the club at the end of the year," Whitney
said. "We saw it as something we could do
this year."
The idea of the club has become a reality. Currently there are forty people in the
club, and Zhao is the integral reason the
club has developed.
"He's done everything," Whitney said.
"He made the permission slips, the
PowerPoint on the rules of table tennis,
and it was totally his ideas. Without him,
we wouldn't have a table tennis club."
As with any pioneering venture, there
have been growing pains for the table tennis club.
"We need more tables," Zhao said. "We
don't have the money to get more tables,
so it's limited to the number of matches
everyone plays."
On a tight budget, it has been
difficult to amass multiple tables.
Furthermore when they are able to come
across the tables, storing them away represents another quandary for Whitney
and Zhao.
"Hopefully, we can grow by two or three
tables each year," Whitney said. "Then,
maybe we can play with other schools
that have a club. Right now, we focus on
playing amongst ourselves."
Hockey provides outlet for many Comet athletes; Fischer has something to prove
BY MATT HUNTER
Chronicle Sportswriter
Unlike the typical screaming of crowds and rallies of supportive teenagers, the hockey rink is filled with empty
space, coke cans on the ground, and two teams ready to
play.
The only sounds that fill the rink are the sounds of bodies slamming to the glass as those few dedicated fans stand
cringing at the pain right before their eyes. Although the
rink may be a dismal arena of play, there are those few
players that will dedicate hours of their weeks and continue to lace up their skates and endure the pain of play each
weekday simply to earn the title of a hockey player.
Senior Kevin Nichols has been playing ice hockey for 14
years, and has endured his fair share of bumps and bruises. Nichols plays for the Cincinnati Cyclones, who compete
in the AAA ice hockey level, which is the highest form of
amateur hockey. Despite the possibilities of broken bones,
lifetime scars, and stitches, he continues to gear up and hit
the ice.
"I've gotten stitches in my chin from getting hit with a
stick, and a lot of scars from being slashed, but I haven't
broken a bone yet," Nichols said.
Traditionally, hockey has been a sport dominated by male
athletes. Only recently has the sport seen an increase in
participation on the part of the females. In the past 10
years, participation for women's hockey has skyrocketed by
400%. The highest level of women's hockey was established
in 1999 by the National Women's Hockey League that is
based in Canada.
Junior Katie Fischer became a part of this statistic ever
since the seventh grade. She was also influenced by her
brothers who play hockey. She is currently playing roller
hockey for Mason's club team and is also playing for the
Cincinnati Swords.
"[My brothers] made fun of me because I played soccer,
so I started to play with them because it was fun. My best
friend played, and that helped me get started too," Fischer
said.
Although Fischer plays for fun, she has future aspirations
to play hockey at an even higher level. Currently on the 16
and under girls USA team, Fischer plans to try out for the
Junior USA girls’ team next year.
Some girls who play with the guys are welcomed while
others are treated as if they don't deserve a spot on the
Chronicle Sports photo by Matt Hunter
Junior Katie Fischer (33) skates her way toward her future goal to play for the Junior USA girls team.
team. Whatever the case may be, girls do play hockey with
boys.
"I know a lot of [my teammates] from school, and they
thought it was cool [when I started playing]. The guys you
play against are a little different; some are nice and some
guys are jerks," Fischer said.
Fischer's former teammate Timmy Bryant agrees with
Fischer.
"Playing with Katie [Fischer] was just like playing with
another guy, but there are guys we played against who
were jerks," Bryant said.
After lining up across from Fischer for the first couple of
minutes, her male defenders learn that the saying "plays
like a girl" is a huge understatement.
"Some guys underestimate me at first, but they get mad
because I might score on them. Then they start playing for
real," Fischer said.
Bryant notices the same things Fischer notices during
play.
"I feel more defensive if the girl is on my team; I kind of
look out for her," Bryant said.
Not that he has to. Fischer can handle her own in the
rink.
"I've been kicked out [of a game] before for fighting. I hit
a guy in the leg with my stick, but he hit me first," Fischer
said.
The brutality of hockey is always present to any player
that steps in the rink, no matter which gender. With a
sport that allows constant hits and hard checks, brutality
is just second nature to these athletes who participate in
relative obscurity.
18
The
CHRONICLESports
December 20, 2005
Sports Notebook
Athletes often motivated by inspirational movies and music
Wrestling team looks to
experience this season
BY MORRISON TRACY
Chronicle Sports Writer
The wrestling team is coming off on
one of the most decorated seasons in
school history. Heavyweight Zach
Marshall won the state championship for
his weight class. Another state qualifier,
Dan Mizener, was a key leader of the
team. Both Marshall and Mizener won 30
matches last year. Marshall, however, is
now studying at the University of
Maryland on a football scholarship, and
Mizener is studying at John Carroll
University.
Despite having both wrestlers moved
on to college, this year's team depends
on their experience to make yet another
run to the state tournament. Under firstyear coach Craig Murnan, the Comets
bring back a number of varsity wrestlers,
including several with experience at districts.
The feature grappler of the 2005-06
season looks to be senior Brain Porter,
who qualified for the state meet last year.
Porter finished 1-2 at the state meet, and
finished the season with an overall record
of 35-9. He will wrestle in the 189-pound
weight class.
Many other wrestlers look to be factors
of the team, and possibly wrestle their
way to state competition. With Marshall
gone, sophomore Josh Kline occupies
the heavyweight spot. Senior Jamie
Morton returns to the 215-pound weight
class. Morton tallied 24 pins last season,
and is a wrestler to watch. Junior Wes
Kana will wrestle at 171, and senior
Steven Yost at 160. Senior Ben Villanyi
is penciled in at 152, and junior Chad
Kline has the 145-pound weight class
locked up.
Kline is a two-time district qualifier.
Another junior, Brian Hyland, returns to
the 140-pound weight class. Senior Joel
Cooperstein will wrestle at 135, and fellow senior Eddie Suess will wrestle at
130. Both Cooperstein and Suess are
district qualifiers, and have moved up one
weight class from last year. Junior
Ahmed Kamel, a first-year varsity
wrestler, takes over at 125. Senior Nick
Ford was another district qualifier last
year, and returns to wrestle in the 119
pound weight class. Two brothers, senior
An Nguyen and junior Duy Nguyen will at
the 112-pound spot. Freshman Josh
Artrip will wrestle at 109.
Adversity, pain, triumph, and victory are the energizing
series of events that define athletes. The powerful scenes portrayed in inspirational movies such as Miracle and Coach
Carter bring athletes ecstasy for life on and off the court.
The influence of movies and music is seen in locker rooms
and weight rooms for teams across the country. Images are
painted on the walls as murals for everyone to look up to. As
athletes prepare for competition; scenes from movies and the
lyrics of songs become engraved in their minds. Senior
wrestler Brian Porter reminisces back to Rudi before every
match and begins to focus.
"When I am sitting around before I wrestle, I always think
about the movie Rudi," Porter said. "When Rudi stands up in
the locker room and repeats that speech to the team, it just
makes me want to get up and be a leader."
In addition to the inspiration for every match, classic sports
films instill life lessons. Life outside the competition deals
with family, love, and adversity.
"No one supported Rudi, and he was able to rise above all
the challenges. It's a rags-to-riches story to me. When I live
my life I try to do the same. I want to always rise above the
difficult tasks ahead of me. The movie Rudi was able to teach
me that lesson, and I value that every single day," Porter
said.
In addition to Rudi, other athletes may be inspired by the
story of Coach Carter. The 1999 Richmond High School Oilers
were made up of a group of disobeying, poor attitude, rebellious young men. Their coach, Ken Carter, immediately put
the boys on a strict academic rule requiring the athletes to
carry a 2.9 grade point average. Unlike Mason, Richmond was
a school where less than 50% of the students graduate high
school. The newfound focus on academics and diligence motivated the boys on and off the basketball court.
Because of Coach Carter's motivation, Mason boys varsity
basketball coach Greg Richards, took his team to see the
movie. Junior forward Matt White was in question on why
Richards had taken them to see the movie.
"When [Richards] took us to the movie, I figured this must
be pretty important if our own coach is taking us to make
sure we see this movie," White said. "The boys from Richmond
really inspired me to put in the extra effort. We have everything here in Mason and watching what the Richmond boys
grew up with makes me want to give everything I have and
appreciate all I have been given."
Basketball stories like Coach Carter are usually magnified
over the less celebrated sports like hockey. The lowly underdog 1980 Olympic hockey team had moviemakers looking to
put hockey into the mix of inspiring sports stories. The movie
Miracle hit theaters everywhere in 2004. Hockey players like
senior Kevin Nichols skate onto the ice with the mentality of
those on the 1980 Olympic team.
"Miracle was amazing," Nichols said. "The best movie ever
made, and I'll say that with no doubt in my mind."
The gold medal by the U.S. hockey team provided hope for
America, and it showed that athletes can overcome the impossible odds.
"When you watch the sports’ movies of today, you always
seem to leave with the simple feeling of never giving up on
your dreams," Nichols said. Always strive to be better, and I
Boys’ basketball returns
three starters
While the team lost All-FAVC First
Team member Jack Brown and secondteam member Mike Decker to graduation,
the team returns much of its core from
last years 14-8 campaign. Leading scorer
Travis Brown, who averaged 20.9 points
per game last year, returns to guide the
Comets through another season. Also
returning are seniors Matt Hunter and
Tyler Lyon for the Comets this season.
Through the first three games of the
season, the Comets stand at four wins
and zero losses, with wins coming
against Kings and Lebanon in the Union
Centre Mortgage Tip-Off Classic at
Lebanon High School. In the first, Mason
defeated Kings, despite a poor offensive
output, by a score of 36-19. Stifling
defense that allowed zero points in the
second quarter allowed the Comets to
pull away for the win. In the second game
of the tournament, the Comets defeated
Lebanon 46-30 for the tournament title.
Travis Brown led the way with 14 points,
while Tyler Lyon contributed 12 additional
points to help the team pull away from
Lebanon in the second quarter. In the
third game of the season Mason stifled
Amelia 57-38, with Brown scoring 20
points and Hunter scoring 12 points to
guide the team to victory.
- compiled by Matt Scruta and Drew Allen
personally think that Miracle, Rudi and
Coach Carter all have a lasting effect on
today's athletes."
In addition to movies, today's media
has promoted music to be inspiring as
well. Before the game begins the fast
paced, motivating beat playing in the
background, sends the athletes adrenaline into an uproar as they mentally
prepare for the intensity of the game.
Lady Comets junior guard Kristen
Lamotte believes that music keeps everyone elated yet calm before their games.
"Before every game I listen to my rap
music, and it's usually not the same
song. Whatever is my favorite at the time;
I usually listen to that song," Lamotte
said. "Any rap music is motivating for
me."
Lamotte attributes the beat and quick
rhythm of the rap music as the reason
that she enthusiastically anticipates the
game.
"When I hear the beat turn up I just
want to get up and dance," Lamotte said.
"In this case I don't dance; I just go to
play basketball. The music relaxes me
and gets me focused on the game ahead.'
When Lamotte listens to a song, she
usually hears it throughout her game.
"The last song I hear before we have to
leave the locker room is usually the song
I continually think about and replay in
my head during the entire game," Lamotte
said. The music clears my mind and makes
me less nervous during the game."
Brian Porter also listens to music for
relaxation.
"I like to listen to Metallica or P.O.D.
before I wrestle," Porter said. "The volume helps me get rid of the noise of the
crowd. I stop thinking about everything
and just clear my mind of all troubles and
worries."
Porter says he uses music as a distraction.
"The lyrics or beat never get to me at all,"
Porter said. "The music to me is just there.
It's like I'm not even listening to it. I could
have Mozart playing for all I care. I just
want to be away, and the music makes it
so I can't hear anything. I put on whatever
will drown out the noise from the crowd."
In some cases, music defines a portion of
who you are, whereas for others, music is
their life.
"Chaos," Porter said. "That is my life in
music. I am chaos. It's simple as that."
"Hard work does pay off and you realize
that when you watch a film that is based on a true story.
Every single story teaches you a lesson," Nichols said.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Lauren Gentene
Basketball
Senior
Denise Fairbanks
Basketball
Senior
Tyler Lyon
Basketball
Senior
Chase Conn
Basketball
Junior
Senior Lauren Gentene
returns as the Lady Comets'
floor general this season and
has played quality minutes for
her team this season.
Senior Denise Fairbanks has
picked up where she left off
last season. The University of
Dayton bound center scored
12 points against Cincinnati's
powerhouse Princeton and 21
points against Amelia.
Second year varsity player
Tyler Lyon has scored a season high 14 points in the
Lebanon Invitational
Championship game, earning
him 1st Team All Tournament
Honors.
First year varsity player junior
Chase Conn has come off the
bench and added a spark for
the Comets offense this season, adding two of the six
threes in the Comets' opener
against backyard rival Kings.
The
December 20, 2005
Gameday Rituals
“
Eddie Suess ,
Senior
Varsity Wrestling
Gatorade never tastes as
sweet until Suess cuts ten
pounds in one week
I always have Subway
and a Gatorade after weighins. I have a pair of lucky
socks that I always wear and
I ll listen to the Red Hot Chili
Peppers before I wrestle.
Everyone on the team gets
around the person that is
about to wrestle and starts
yelling at him. It definitely
fires me up.
”
Senior varsity wrestler Eddie Suess ended last year with a record of 2111 and wrestled at 125 pounds. Suess had six pins last season and won
the Fort Ancient Valley Conference.
- Compiled by Matt Scruta
How I got Started...
The Chronicle wants to know how you got started playing your sport...
"I started playing basketball when I was seven
years old. My dad bought me a hoop when I was
little and that was the first time I was ever able to
Matt White, Junior
Varsity Basketball
play. My dad and being in competition influenced me
to continue playing.”
Junior Matt White returns from last year’s junior varsity team and is now
starting for the Comets. White is a forward for the varsity basketball
team this winter.
- Compiled by Morrison Tracy
What’s Your Take?
Who is your favorite Bengal?
CHRONICLESports 19
Campus Scene
Fall Sport Stars
In this month’s College Watch we are checking
out two former Mason High School students. Both were stars for the
Comets during their days in high school and are continuing to see
success at the collegiate level.
Nicole Britenriker: Class of 2004
Currently in her sophomore season at The Ohio State University, Nicole
Britenriker has experienced great success on the volleyball
court for the Lady Buckeyes.
This year, Nicole has played in 107 games and has posted 294 kills which is good enough for the third highest total
on the team. Throughout the season, Nicole has posted 97
blocks which has put her in second on the team in that category.
This season,
Ohio State University
Nicole has helped
lead the Lady
Facts
Buckeyes to a 22Nickname: Buckeyes
8 overall record
and a 14-6 record
Britenriker
Conference: Big Ten
in Big Ten play. The
14-6 record in the conference was good
Famous Alumni:
enough to earn the Buckeyes a tie for third
Vince Doria (VP of ESPN), Joey Galloway
place in the Big Ten with the Minnesota
(NFL Wide receiver), Eddie George
Golden Gophers.
(Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL Football
Recently, Nicole was named athlete of
player), Patricia Heaton (Actress on
the week by Ohio State. She was the
Everybody Loves Raymond), Bobby Knight
team's top scorer against Michigan and
(Basketball Coach), Clark Kellogg (TV
Michigan State where she scored 17.5 and
sports analyst),), George Voinovich (U.S
19.5 points respectively. Against Michigan
Senator), Archie Griffin (Two time heisman
State, Nicole posted a team high in blocks
trophy winner), John Havlicek (NBA Hall of
with 14.
Famer)
A 2003 graduate of Mason, Nicole was
named to the second team all state team
her junior season and the first team all state team her senior season. Nicole was
also named the player of the year in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference during both
her junior and senior seasons.
Nicole was also a member of the girl's’ track team where she competed in the
high jump and long jump. While at Mason, Nicole received Academic Athletic
Honors and was an FAVC All-Academic Athlete. Nicole is currently undecided on
her major.
Matt Owens: Class of 2004
A 2004 graduate of Mason, Matty Owens is currently a sophomore at Capital
University in Bexley, Ohio. As a member of the Crusaders men's basketball team,
Matty is the team's sixth man and usually finds his playing time at the shooting
guard and point guard positions where he is averaging 23.1 minutes and 5.6
points per game. Matty has started in three of the seven games the Crusaders
have played.
While at Mason, Matty was the first freshman to play on the varsity squad under head coach
Capital University
Greg Richards. Not only did Matty play on the varFacts
sity team as a freshman, he made an impact by setting the school record for the most points scored by
Nickname: Crusaders
a freshman with 132 in a single season. Matty was
also named a first team all Fort Ancient Valley
Colors: Purple and White
Conference selection both his junior and senior
seasons and was an honorable mention nominee in
Affiliation: NCAA Division III
the city his senior season.
Conference: Ohio Athletic
Conference (OAC)
100 students surveyed
- compiled by Joey D’Amico
Jennifer
Flaherty
Photography
398-1428
Quality Senior Portraits at affordable prices
The home of Mason Comet Bowling &
The Mason High School Fun Bowling League
20
The
CHRONICLESports
December 20, 2005
All I want for
Christmas is. . .
photo contributed
Randi Rowlett sits on her champion horse Dynamic Sportsbuff.
Forget about Freddy Adu, this MHS
junior turned pro when she was ten
BY DREW ALLEN
Chronicle Sports Writer
Mason athletes have accomplished
a lot in the schools long and storied
history. With several state championships having been claimed since
2000 and countless league championships, success is not something
new. Few, if any, however, have
claimed as much national recognition and accolades as one Mason
junior.
Since turning pro in the sport of
Equestrian at the age of 10, junior
Randi Rowlett has taken home
some of the most coveted trophies in
the sport, including the American
Quarter
Horse
Association
Congress. That event is the largest
of its type in the world.
"Ever since I went pro, I've won the
Dixie
nationals,
East
Coast
Championship, placed 3rd at the
Youth World in Fort Worth (Texas),
the Wilmington Finals, Southern
Ohio Circuit Championship, the
Boystown Gateway classic and
Gordyville finals, " Rowlett said.
"When I was nine, I won the AQHA
Congress, which is the largest competition in the world." The AQHA
Congress is held annually in Texas,
and each year features over 10,000
riders in several different age
groups and competitions.
But what exactly is equestrian?
Equestrian is a sport with multiple
events including Dressage, Jumping
and Eventing. Dressage involves
horses performing set movements
based on subtle aids from the rider,
while jumping involves the horse
and rider jumping a series of 15
obstacles.
Eventing combines the first two
disciplines, and adds a third competition of riding a cross-country
course on horseback. All three are
Olympic competitions, Rowlett, however, does not participate in any of
these events.
"I participate in an event called
Western Pleasure. During your time
the judges will call out certain commands for you to make your horse
perform. You have to make the horse
perform only with your legs, by
CHECK OUT THE NEW
either squeezing your thighs or by
using your spurs," Rowlett said. "It's
very meticulous."
Besides the necessary mental focus
and concentration, other elements
make the sport both physically and
mentally demanding.
"You usually have to get up
between three and four in the morning," Rowlett said. "Competitions
are usually very far away, for example, the Dixie Nationals are in
Mississippi. You also have to practice a lot to be able to make the horse
perform. At least a few hours a day."
Because her horse, Dynamic
Sportsbuff, is in Indiana, Rowlett
must travel a few hours just to practice.
"Since my horse is in Indiana, I
have to travel a lot," Rowlett said.
"But I still practice multiple times
during the week. I also stay there
sometimes on the weekend."
While equestrian can take a mental and physical toll, it also can take
a hit on the wallet, too.
"My horse cost $80,000," Rowlett
said. "Then you have to pay for feed,
trainers
and
transportation.
However, a horse can eventually pay
for itself. I won enough competitions
with my horse that we eventually
resold it for $125,000."
With all of her success in equestrian, Rowlett has had to practice for a
long time. She started riding at a
very young age and has continued to
this day.
"My mom rode and she's the one
that encouraged me to ride," Rowlett
said. "When I was four I got a pony,
and then I started 4-H. I used to
sneak to the barn when I was five or
six and ride with one of my friends.
Since youre not allowed to ride in 4H when you're 10years old, I turned
professional. I then traded in my 4H horse for a show horse and began
riding professionally."
Even though Rowlett has been riding since her early years, she has no
plans to stop.
"I love riding, and I want to do it
for the rest of my life," said Rowlett.
I'm going to get my own stables, get
my kids involved and train show
horses.
masoncomets.org
“I hope we get a state title, for the team
or individually, but preferably
for the team.”
Wrestling coach Dino Davis
“I hope we become the
conference
champions.”
Varsity basketball player
Jordan Heatherly
“I want to beat Lakota
West and for the varsity lineup to be healthy
all year.”
Varsity football player
Chad Kline said.
“I want to beat
Lindsay Grasley
from Kings in the
breastroke.”
Varsity swimmer
Amy Bland
“I want a huge
win over
Sycamore.”
Varsity soccer
player
Ali Bagley
I want to beat St.
Xavier and become
the state
champions.”
Varsity swimmer
Michael Whipkey
“I wish for good
fortune, good
health and another
trip to the state
tournament,”
Wrestling coach
Craig Murnan
“I want to
dominate on the
offensive glass.”
Varsity girls basketball coach Rob
Matula
“I want perfect
health and
happiness for
our team.”
Swimming
head coach
Mark Sullivan
“I want to win the
Mason Holiday
Classic.”
Varsity boys
basketball coach
Greg Richards
The
December 20, 2005
CHRONICLEAds
21
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TRAVIS BROWN, SENIOR,
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After averaging 20.9 points last season as a junior, Travis Brown has led his
team to 4-0 start this season. Last year, he was named the Fort Ancient Valley
Conference Athlete of the Year and selected first team all conference. Brown’s
name was known throughout the southwest district as he made third team All
Southwest Ohio and to the District 15 Underclassmen squad. He was also named
to the Cincinnati Enquirer All Stars. Brown currently holds the single season free
throw record at Mason. Brown hopes to lead the Comets to a second consecutive
FAVC title.
This season Brown was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the Lebanon
Holiday Classic. He scored seven points in their victory against Kings, 36-19. In
their second game, Brown scored 14 points defeating Lebanon 46-30.
The Comets recently beat the Amelia Barons 57-38 with Brown leading the team
with 21 points. Recently Brown contributed 18 points to their 59-49 victory against
Anderson. After four games, he is averaging 16 points per game.
Off the court, Brown carries a 3.67 grade point average and is undecided where
he will attend college next year. Because of his early accomplishments this season, The Chronicle and Aponte’s Pizzeria are proud to present Travis Brown as
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22
The
CHRONICLEViews
December 20, 2005
STAFF POLICY
The Chronicle is the official student
newspaper of William Mason High
School. The Chronicle is produced by
students enrolled in Journalism I, II, and
III.
Editorials reflect the staff’s opinion
but do not neccesarily reflect the opinions of the school administration or the
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The Chronicle
William Mason High School
6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd.
Mason, Ohio 45040
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THE CHRONICLE STAFF
Editor
Olga Borodulin
Sports E ditor
Brooke Baria
Business M anager
Kelsey Flaherty
Editorial C artoonist
Peter Springsteen
Logistics M anager
Michelle Rotbart
Staff P hotographers
Michelle Rotbart
Josh Geiger
Sarah Fukatsu
Rebecca Ziegler
Sharon Stewart
Technical a nd G raphic
Assistants
Matt Vollet
Josh Geiger
Sarah Fukatsu
Staff W riters
Drew Allen
Joey D’Amico
Stephanie Visscher
Caroline Johnson
Sarah Fukatsu
Matt Hunter
Matt Partington
Candice Philpot
Matt Scruta
Rachel Slezak
Sharon Stewart
Morrison Tracy
Danielle Williams
Rebecca Ziegler
Business S taff
Sarah Fukatsu
Danielle Williams
Michelle Rotbart
Adviser
Mr. Dale Conner
STAFF EDITORIAL
Founding fathers would have taken the time to write a letter to the editor
When the founding fathers began writing the U.S. Constitution, they probably
envisioned a nation filled with U.S. citizens who would be compelled by freedom
of speech to always state their opinions
to the world, whether through text or
speech. The students at Mason High
School, however, are apathetic to this
freedom.
While there are those citizens living in
poverty-stricken nations with corrupt
governments, where stating your opinion
can lead to your death, the students at
MHS sit quietly in their seats. But not
out of fear. No, it is a far worse reason
why they sit silent. They sit in their
seats, counting down the minutes till the
end of the day, because they do not care
about their education, something taken
for granted daily.
They sit in their seats, watching the
minute-hand of the clock, groaning about
the grievances of the day, and although
we all know that MHS is filled with controversy and complaints, The Chronicle is
yet to receive a letter to the editor. Yes,
after over 50 articles written this school
year, after all the controversy over tests,
punishments, news, elections, and random student opinion, we have yet to
receive just one.
The most disappointing part of all of
this is that we hear so many complaints
in the hallways. Some of the most controversial articles in our newspaper are yet
to be addressed by our readers. After listening to your opinions we try to bring
you the news we feel will affect your
lives.
At this time in history, our country is
struggling to find its moral code. Will we
allow homosexuals to marry? Should
abortion be legal? What are the limits of
separation of church and state? You may
not want to deal with these issues, but
whether we want to or not, these decisions will be decided in our lifetime. You
have the power to determine the outcome
by using your freedom of speech to
express what you think is right. There
are few better ways to do this than to
write to The Chronicle.
However, after each issue, we come to
an empty mailbox. We open our newspaper to publishing everyone's opinion,
including that of staff members, commu-
nity members and students. We may not
agree with what you have to say, but it is
our duty as journalists to print it so that
the community can decide.
Our hope is that by bringing the community an objective, unbiased newspaper
the readers may be informed of issues
important to them, and in turn be
inspired to express their opinions. When
our mailbox stands empty, without any
input from students or even a letter from
an angry parent, we feel The Chronicle
has failed to bring you news that is
important to you. We could write the stories recommended year after year by
judges at national contests and exchange
the respect we receive from the student
body for plaques and certificates to
mount on the wall. But to the staff of The
Chronicle, your response to our paper is
the best accolade we could receive.
Our challenge is for you to no ony tell
us what you think of The Chronicle, but
the school, state, and even the world.
Should you feel compelled, letters to the
editor can be dropped in the mailbox on
the door to room C110.
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cover them.
The
December 20, 2005
Nation blind to atrocities
January 30, 1933 marked a pinnacle day in history.
Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany, and
he would soon cause the death of over 6 million victims
of the Holocaust.
Many students have scanned over such lines multiple
times, and have read it as they have read every other
line in a history textbook, like an insignificant piece of
information. This attitude is exactly what will bring
about another string of horrors in our future.
In seventh grade, I was given a project: create a documentary on the horrors and propaganda of the holocaust. After hours of research, and scanning through
photographs, I realized that I was connected to it. We
all were.
I had decided to call my grandmother, a 68-year-old
Polish Jewish woman who had fled during the raids of
1939, for an interview. I began by simply inquiring
what the Holocaust meant to her. Instantaneously, she
began giving me memories of hers, scared responses,
and before I knew it, my strong grandmother was crying on the other end of the phone. And as I heard her
talking about all of my little great-cousins, my greataunts, and my family being massacred, held without
food, beaten, stabbed, and left in ditches, I struggled for
the right thing to say. Why was it so hard for me to say,
"It's okay grandma, it's okay"?
After our conversation, I stared into my computer
screen and all the photographs of the victims. Their tattered clothes, undernourished bodies, the heaps of dead
masses, the dark images of gunmen. Out of all these,
the one object that truly solidified the importance of
this event was the victims' eyes. Their gleaming, inquisitive eyes burned through my soul, sending me into
tears. All of these people were related to everyone. They
were once daughters, mothers, sons, and students. They
once dressed up for dates, talked about boys, laughed at
jokes, and had their embarrassing moments. It soon
became evidently clear why I couldn't force myself to
spit out the words "It's okay." Because it wasn't okay,
and it never will be.
We've all heard the saying by Rev. Martin Niemoller,
"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't
speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they
came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I
wasn't a Jew…Then they came for me, and by that time
there was no one left to speak up for me."
Yet even 60 years after Niemoller's thought, we're
still silent and blind to these travesties while we live
them. The question comes "When will we be taken?"
68 year old Boston University professor Elie Wiesel,
author of Night, a critically acclaimed novel about his
personal experience at an internment camp at the age
of 15, gives insight into a life of unbearable atrocities he
endured. One of his more memorable experiences since
the Holocaust was when he visited Cambodia, and journalists inquired about his presence, asking him, "What
are you doing here? This is not a Jewish tragedy."
Wiesel responded, "When I needed people to come, they
didn't. That's why I am here."
Yet some people still don't get the message. After
having editing my documentary and seen it numerous
times, I still watched it with such emotion and a quivering in my lips. However, the classroom of intelligent,
diverse, talented individuals sat looking lazily around
the room, and occasionally peeping up the screen. I
watched my documentary once again in the small classroom in my middle school, and wondered," Is it okay
that so many people aren't watching? It's just a small
seventh grade documentary. Who cares?"
But now, older and wiser, I know. It's not okay.
Because as those 24 students in my classroom demonstrated, we are sitting blind and deaf to the atrocities.
So now, the question still comes, "When will we be
taken?"
For surely, no one will miss the silent and blind.
Sleep achieved through time
management
Doesn't waking up at 6:00 a.m. or earlier on the weekdays totally bring you down? Don't you wish there was
still naptime or you had appreciated naptime as a child?
How about less homework so you can have more time for
your friends and yourself? Well, we're all in the same
boat, but we're also in a situation that's never going to
change.
We will always wake up at 6:00 a.m. or earlier because
we need time to be ready for school before 7:15 a.m., so we
can get out at 2:15 p.m. because of sports and conflicting
bus times. Naptime is over and in the past; we're grownups! We won't get less homework because it's a part of the
curriculum and it has always been that way.
If you're upset with waking up so early in the morning
on weekdays because of school or having so much homework, why don't you do something about it other than
complaining? Manage your time to lessen the stress
caused by homework and get to sleep earlier, maintain
your sleep schedule even on the weekends, and make sure
you're not overdoing it.
First, you shouldn't leave your homework for the night
before and have to stay up until 1 o'clock in the morning
finishing it. I know that most of the Mason students participate in after school activities and sports, leaving less
time to complete homework assignments. That makes it
even more critical to plan ahead. So, put it into portions.
Homework wouldn't be such a problem if it were managed.
I am aware that there are occasional exceptions where
you have to stay up later, but most of these stressful situations can be fixed with planning and organization.
Besides, if you do end up staying up really late (which
should only be a once in awhile thing) make sure you get
a good night's rest the next day.
Now, on the weekends, most see Friday night and
Saturday night as a time where you can stay up all night
because you have nothing to do the next day. But you
should be concentrating on regaining some of the sleep
you lost over the span of the week.
For instance on the weekend, you stay up late Friday
night, and then you sleep in Saturday morning. Then, of
course, you stay up late Saturday night too, thus, you
sleep in past noon Sunday morning. Sunday night rolls
around, and you realize that you have school the next day.
So you either stay up late cause you're not tired and then
face a very difficult Monday morning, or try and go to bed
early and just end up lying there for hours because you
can't fall asleep and still face a difficult Monday morning.
Sleeping in extremely long on the weekend and then
continuing an erratic sleep schedule during the week puts
a lot of stress on your body. You're more susceptible to
getting sick and you are prone to more stress which
makes it tough getting through the week in one piece.
Doctors suggest that you maintain the same sleeping
cycle that you practice during the week, i.e. waking up
early and going to bed early and getting at least 8 hours
of sleep a night, even during the weekends. It's healthier
and creates less stress for you during the week.
There's one final point that you might want to consider.
Have you ever thought that you might be doing too much?
Are you rushing from activity to activity? Do you feel you
have no time to breathe? Have you ever stepped back and
looked at your schedule and thought about what was really important? Are you participating in activities not for
your own enjoyment but because it's supposedly going to
make you look better on a college application? Or are you
doing an activity even though it's not your choice?
It's your time, and if it's filled to the brim, you might
want to fix it. Find out what you really want to do. As
Billy Joel says in his song 'Vienna', "Slow down, you're
doing fine. You can't be everything you want to be before
your time."
CHRONICLEViews
Students should become
aware of their contribution
to animal cruelty
Everyday it passes by us unnoticed. We see it
everywhere. Whether it be in classrooms, the cafeteria or students walking the hallway. This is something that is not only ignored on a local level, but in
many situations on a State and National level as
well: animal cruelty.
With organizations such as People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (Peta) and the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) leading the way in protecting animals
around the world, knowledge about the arrocities
committed against animals in the meat, fur and gaming industries seems to be lacking in students.
When I take a look at a day in Mason High School,
examples of animal cruelty jump out at me. Most students can agree that our cafeteria offers a variety of
lunch options; everything from taco salad to pepperoni pizza. But what expenses are taken to enable you
to eat that hamburger? According to www.peta2.com,
the average vegetarian saves 95 animals per year.
One person can spare the lives of 95 innocent animals that would have otherwise died a cruel, tragic
death.
Most people are unaware of the mistreatment done
to animals in the meat industry. Cows, pigs and
chickens are kept in small cages and pens, deprived
of sunlight and fresh air, and fed growth hormones to
make them reach a maximum weight. At this point,
the animals are usually unable to walk or stand
because of the increased weight bearing down on
their limbs. They are then forced into the back of a
semi-truck and taken to the slaughterhouse; where
their throats are slit, and they are hung from their
feet until they die from blood loss.
Think about the heinous acts you are supporting
everyday by eating meat. As a vegetarian of two
years, I am not satisfied with the food offered in our
cafeteria. It is my hope that as more vegetarians let
their voices be heard that maybe more menu options
will eventually be offered.
Vegetarians can also have an influence on issues
as they relate to the academic curriculum. Last year,
as a sophomore taking Biology, I learned that we
would be dissecting not only a fish, but a grasshopper, frog, crayfish and rat as well. For a whole week I
spent 5th period in the library filling our worksheets
as an alternate assignment and listening to my classmates tell me how "cool" it was to cut open a frog and
poke at its insides.
Why do we dissect? What is the purpose of it?
Please don't tell me there aren't any other ways to
learn about animal anatomy. Alternatives, such as
virtual dissections are more humane and more cost
efficient. I personally think it is ridiculous that our
school and science board support the dismemberment
of what were previously happy, alive animals living
in their own environment.
All I want is for the students and staff of MHS to
react in this manner as well. I want everyone to
know the cruelty we have supported in our everyday
lives, and I want everyone to know that animals have
rights too.
Overall, it just makes me sad to see students of
Mason High School totally oblivious of animal cruelty. They walk down the hallway in leather boots, eat
their cheese coneys for lunch and they have no idea
what they are contributing to.
Feedback Question: What was the last book you read for pleasure and what did you like about it?
"Vanishing
Act. I thought
it was
intriguing
and a
relatable
story."
Caitlin Snyder
Freshman
“Bourne
Supremacy. I
liked
reading
about the
assassins
and the
dark side of
politics."
Kyle Haver
Sophomore
"The Five
People You
Meet in
Heaven. I
enjoyed
reading it
because it
was about
heaven."
Leanna Staley
Senior
23
"Harry
Potter and
the Goblet
of
Fire
because it
was a
good
read!"
Nick Ford
Senior
"The DaVinci
Code. There
was a lot of
action and it
was interesting
and I like mystery books."
Ruby Kandah
Junior
Compiled by Michelle Rotbart