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Brookfield East High School
SPARTAN BANNER
Issue
October 2011
Volume 50
Introducing...The B’East Side!
The Spartan Banner debuts its online supplement
By HANNAH SHEPHERD, News Editor
It has often been said that we a replacement for the Spartan Ban- the articles that are published in the Side provides an increased opporare the generation of progress; we are ner; the paper copy of the Banner will traditional Banner; however, Guthrie tunity for student involvement. Unthe children of the technological era. still be distributed at the end of each envisions “see[ing] connections where like the Banner, which is an inflexThe world that we live in, the technol- month. Instead, the monthly B’East things will start in the Banner and, if we ible eight pages, there is no minimum
ogy and the resources that are available Side will be an entirely separate paper need more space or if there are different or maximum page number for The
to us were once deemed unattainable, that will be available only online and angles to explore, they would be contin- B’East Side, meaning there is infinite
but to us they are commonplace. How will not be distributed in hard copies. ued on The B’East Side.” This provides room for your ideas to be published
we connect
This fact has
to our world
been the driving
is changed,
force behind the
and now the
creation of The
world
has
B’East
Side.
been forced
Mr. Guthrie exto adapt its
plains: “One of
communicathe main reation in order
sons we wantto best reach The B’East Side masthead was designed by Robyn DiGiacinto, Managing Editor
ed to start The
our generation. Media has evolved The B’East Side will have no effect on students with the freedom to expound B’East Side is because we had such a
over the years to include the use of the traditional Spartan Banner but will upon articles that have multiple angles great turnout for our first two meettechnology; a recent survey conducted be a separate and independent element. and to cover topics that do not fit into ings and we didn’t want to say ‘no’ to
by Pew Internet and American Life Teacher advisor for the Banner, Mr. the traditional newspaper categories. anyone. By having The B’East Side,
Project showed that 61% of Americans Guthrie, explains that “I like to look at The B’East Side opens the we have unlimited opportunities for
use online newspapers to gain informa- it like the New York Times and New door for a new age of Brookfield East people to contribute to the Banner.”
tion. It is impossible to deny that media York Times Magazine. There are con- journalism. With The B’East Side, we An indisputable benefit of an online
has changed, and the Spartan Banner nections that carry over, but they have now have the opportunity to include paper is the ease with which an audiis now proud to announce the creation two distinct purposes and one is not creative outlets such as photojournal- ence can reach it, and The B’East Side
of a supplemental and entirely on-line above the other; they are different but ism, creative writing, and articles that is no different.
version of the Banner: The B’East Side! equal.” The articles published on The do not fit into the traditional Ban
The B’East Side will not be B’East Side do not have to pertain to ner format. Additionally, The B’East See B’EAST SIDE, page 2
Warning: This is not your average budget article
A student’s guide to the 2011-2012 budget
By ROBYN DI GIACINTO, Managing Editor
So how will decreased revenue
authority in relation to the equalization
of the long-term expenditures and
revenues of Fund Ten affect you?
If you can confidently answer
this question, then this article is not for
you.
Have you ever gone to a
district budget meeting and found
yourself in over your head? Chances
are, you are not alone. When it comes
to understanding the annual budget, for
many students, the heaps of figures and
subtotals and endless financial jargon
may as well be a foreign language. But
as dry and lifeless as these numbers
may seem, they can have a very real
impact on the everyday high school
experience. So buckle up, as the
Spartan Banner takes you on a crash
course on this year’s district budget,
and what it means for you.
important sources of income: state
Budget 101
Before we dive into how the aid and local taxes. The good news?
budget will affect the student body, The neighborhoods of Brookfield and
we need a little insight on the why. Elm Grove are relatively wealthy, so
Chances are, you’ve heard about a little Elmbrook isn’t as dependent on state
piece of legislation called One of the places aid as, say, Milwaukee
Public Schools. The
the Budget Repair Bill.
where these cuts bad news? We’re very
In the midst of massive
protests, state legislators are most apparent is dependent on local
passed a plan with in the classroom. taxes and are looking
at a loss of over $6
several
money-saving
measures—including slashing revenue million in tax dollars.
However, the new state
authority for schools across Wisconsin. Unfortunately, this caused a bit of a budget wasn’t the only controversial
dilemma for many districts, which bill that was passed earlier this year.
have had scramble to make up for lost The separate Act 10, which requires
funds. The Elmbrook School District teachers to pay a larger percentage
is no exception, and it has experienced of their healthcare costs and limits
collective bargaining, has also had
major cuts to its revenue authority.
“So what exactly is revenue a huge impact on the budget issue.
authority?” you might ask. Basically, Essentially, the money that the district
it’s what sets the limit on the two most saved not only offset the money lost in
tax revenue, but actually reduced the
five-year budget shortfall from $14.5
million to an estimated $11.2 million-leaving a goal of $4.2 million in cuts
for the 2011-2012 school year.
Classrooms: Blocking in
One of the places where
these cuts are most apparent is in
the classroom. While it isn’t exactly
breaking news, students have been
adjusting to the new block schedule for
the past two months. But beyond the
universal sleep deprivation, the block
has huge implications for the student
body as we begin to completely change
the way we learn, study, and balance
academics with the rest of our lives.
On the other hand, the new schedule
allows teachers to teach six out of eight
periods instead of five fewer teachers
See BUDGET, page 3
INDEX
NEWS - Pages 2 & 3
Homecoming photos
Musical preview
Invisible Children photo
FEATURES - Page 6
SPORTS Index
- Pages
5 here
will 4go&down
Girls’ tennis
AOTM: Sara Brzozowski
Baseball postseason
Homecoming football
A & E - Page 7
Carpe Diem: Ryan Hoaglund Indie film review: Like Crazy
New hit shows for fall
Susan G. Komen Race for the
Greyson
Chance CD review
Cure coverage
Top 5 albums for your iPod
EDITORIALS - Page 8
Block scheduling
Pep rally review
Sexist commercials
NEWS
Spartan Banner
STAFF
Jennifer Vosters
and
Hannah Cawley
Editors-in-Chief
Robyn Di Giacinto
Managing Editor
News Editors..........Katie Horneffer
Hannah Shepherd
Feature Editors...........Demi Korkos
Caroline Hildebrand
Sports Editors..............Tim Corwin
A&E Editor..............Lauren Morton
Editorial Editor..............Zack Vrana
Photo & Art Editor.....Stela Petkova
Advisor................Mr. Chris Guthrie
Staff Writers...............................
Monali Adhikari
Joe Bauer
Kehayr Brown
Ellie Glynn
Kyle Hicks
Andrea Lans
Josephine Mayhew
Sara Mihor
Manasi Mohan
Heather Patterson
Meredith Rix
Christine Shi
Aditya Trivedi
Alice Wang
Staff Photographers....................
Aaron Gash
Katie Golab
Cartoonists and Artists.................
Katie Hartmann
The Spartan Banner, the official news
publication of Brookfield East High
School, is distributed during the last
week of each month, September
through May. The Banner’s average viewing count is 1,400 readers,
including students, parents, staff
members, and community members.
The Spartan Banner accepts “Letters
to the Editor” from any party, if received by the 15th of each month. A
writer may remain anonymous in print,
provided he or she submits his or her
name to the Editorial Editor, Editorsin-Chief, and Advisor. Letters may be
subject to editing. Submit letters to
the newspaper’s advisor at guthriec@
elmbrookschools.org.
Brookfield East High School
“Dedicated to Academic and
Human Excellence”
Mr. Dan Pavletich, Principal
Ms. Cheryl Schenk, Associate Principal
Ms. Darcie Fellmeth,
Associate Principal
Mr. Corey Golla, Athletic Director
3305 N. Lilly Road
Brookfield, WI 53005
Phone: 262-781-3500
Page 2
East welcomes new teachers
By ALICE WANG, MEREDITH RIX, and KEHAYR BROWN, Staff Writers
Mr. Teipel
and Madison, Ms. Blond returns home said. With her first teaching job in an
The opening of the 2011-2012 to become one of the new special edu- awesome high school, Ms. Blond is a
school year brings not only new sched- cation teachers here at Brookfield East. special education teacher that plans on
ule formatting and numerous new stu- When asked about her reasons for pur- helping as many of her students as she
dents, but also a number of new teach- suing Special Education, Ms Blond can through her time at Brookfield East
ers. One member of this gang is Mr. responds, “I’ve always wanted to be- High School!
Tanner Teipel, an art instructor making come a special education teacher since
his teaching debut here at BEHS. Mr. I was a little girl and working as a spe- Señora Hegelmeyer
Teipel has had quite an array of jobs, cial education teacher I get the best of “¡Hola!” to a new school year
ranging from working in restaurants, everything and interact with every stu- which brings new schedules, students,
to college sculpture
lockers, and even teachers.
labs, to lifeguardThis past summer BEHS
ing, to landscaping,
welcomed Joslyn Hegeland even to janitomeyer to the foreign lanrial duties. In the
guage department. Señora
end, Mr. Teipel was
Hegelmeyer will be teachcompelled to teach
ing Spanish 1 and 3 this
art at BEHS. He
semester and Spanish 3 and
says, “I was inter4 next semester. Graduatested in the school
ing from Shorewood High
because of its Art
School, Hegelmeyer went
History program. I
on to UW- Milwaukee
always wanted to
where she earned her bachteach Art History.” BEHS welcomes new teacher to the staff. From left to
elor’s and master’s degrees.
Teipel also “wanted
After twelve years
to take part in a large right: Ms. Blond, Señora Hegelmeyer, and Mr. Teipel
of teaching, Señora Hegelschool system.”
meyer concludes, “[I] love
In terms of Teipel’s reactions to dent one way or another.” Upon return- teaching high school because kids are
our school, he was very pleased. Teipel ing to Wisconsin, she sought a teaching at a point where their personalities and
says about the current art curriculum: job in the Elmbrook School District for intellects are coming together in a re“It’s really strong; it’s awesome… the her first teaching position. She’s only ally great way.” Entering her thirteen
students are very lucky to have such a heard great reviews of the Elmbrook year teaching, Señora Hegelmeyer
nice selection of classes.” Teipel feels District, and she knew that it was one now reflects on her six years at Pius XI
that both the staff and students are very of the strongest in the region. “During High School, then another 6 years at
helpful and courteous. He states, “[The the interview process, I could feel a Brookfield Central. Once a Pope, then
students] are very hard working and powerful sense of community and sup- a Lancer, Hegelmeyer is now a proud
they always want to try their best… So port from everyone,” she explained.
to be Spartan.
far, [my experience at BEHS] has been In addition to her outstanding
Ms. Blond is a busy bee when
great. It’s really enjoyable.”
it comes to teaching. She co-teaches professional career Señora HegelmeyMr. Teipel would like to bring American Literature I, co-teaches In- er has a personal life as well. Married
a few developments to the art classes. tro Writing for College, and teaches a to a history teacher, Hegelmeyer has
Although he is still getting familiar Guided Study Social Thinking Class.
two twin boys, William and Jason, who
with the curriculum, he claims that “If I could accomplish one are 5th graders at Atwater elementary in
“[there are] lot’s of untapped art proj- goal out of my entire teaching ca- Shorewood. Watching her kids play
ects.” He hopes to bring more sculp- reer, it would be to see as many stu- soccer, roaming around Target, enture, jewelry, and group project work dents, if not all my students, succeed abling her husband’s sports addiction
to the plate.
and move on with their education and and traveling with family are some of
goals in life after high school. I wish her favorite things to do.
Ms. Blond
Once a Pope, then a Lancer
that they will pursue their dream job
After 5 years of college and and turn it into a career,” Ms. Blond we welcome Señora Hegelmeyer as a
studying at both University of Kansas
Banner unveils The B’East Side
Continued from page 1
There will be two methods
for accessing The B’East Side, both of
which allow individuals that are not directly associated with Brookfield East
to access the paper. This will greatly
widen the paper’s audience to include
family, friends, and
the community at
large. This presents
the unique opportunity for the Elm
Grove and Brookfield communities to
receive information
about their schools
from a unique voice,
a voice that the news
rarely comes from:
the students themselves.
To access the paper, one must
simply enter the Elmbrook Schools
Website and find the section labeled
“Get Connected.” Under this label will
be a tab entitled Spartan Banner; this
link will take you straight to The B’East
Side. Another way reach The B’East
Side is under the Brookfield East Section of the webpage, where The B’East
Side will be under the main blog.
Once you have reached the
Spartan Banner page, you will find
links to both The B’East Side and the
traditional Banner. Although the Banner will still be provided in the hard
copy form, this
will increase the
audience
that
will be able to
access it. In the
early
months,
The B’East Side
will be a PDF
version of the
Banner format;
however,
Mr.
Guthrie asserts
that “I think it’s something that will
evolve over time as we figure out
what we would like it to be.” Over the
coming months, the editors envision
incorporating both audio and video
components into The B’East Side and
finding ways to help The B’East Side
grow and develop into the best that it
can possibly be.
WHAT’S GOING ON?
11/4
Exams
11/7
Exams
11/13
FFA Craft Fair
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Brookfield East High
School
11/19
SABC Turkey Trot
8:00 am - 11:00 pm
Wirth Park
11/23-11/25
No School
Spartan Banner ~ October
NEWS
A snapshot of Homecoming Week
Photos by AARON GASH and KATIE GOLAB
Students see effects of district budget cuts
Continued from page 1
out of eight, so fewer teachers are
for national competitions. The same
declining enrollment, has lead to the
elimination of 15 full-time equivalent
(includes full time and part time)
teaching positions across the district.
after members of the Forensics team
voiced concerns at board meetings that
eliminating the budget might cause
students to miss out on a once-in-alifetime opportunity because of money.
“District-funded national
travel was a great way to support our
high-level groups, but most other
districts discontinued this funding
years ago,” explains Keith Brightman,
Assistant Superintendent for Finance
and Operations. The moral of the story:
if you really want to go to nationals,
you had better be ready to sell a lot of
baked goods.
For more Homecoming Week photos, look to The B’East Side! needed. This fact, combined with cut was narrowly dodged last year,
Invisible Children visits East
Photo by KATIE HORNEFFER, News Editor
On Wednesday, September 21st, the charity Invisible Children
spent a day at Brookfield East. “Roadies” Peter King, Raf Deza,
Laura Weldy, and Sunee Washom gave presentations during class
periods and sold merchandise during lunch hours.
Sports and Clubs: Hut, hut...(fee)
HIKE!
As the glue that holds together
our all-important social lives, activities and athletics have always been a
beloved staple of the high school experience. But soon, students may have
to consider how ‘priceless’ their clubs
and sports really are, due to an increase
in student fees. These increases are
predicted to generate $100,000 in new
revenues—which translates to $45 and
$85 to participate in clubs and sports
(respectively), up $20 from previous
years. When you compare them to fees
in nearby school districts, the increased
fees are still fairly reasonable; for example, each sport in the Menomonee
Falls District comes with a price tag of
$115. But in the midst of an economic
recession, this increase in fees might
pack a hard punch for some families.
“I don’t think it’s going to affect participation numbers...[but] I
worry that it could have an effect on
those families that are struggling,”
Athletics and Activities Director Corey
Golla admits. “I would hate to think
that kids can’t participate because of
money.” He then adds, “I don’t think
that it’s going to have an effect this
year, but I worry that over time, if we
continue to increase, it could have an
effect.”
National Travel: I hope you’re
champions at fundraising, too
Students who qualify for
national tournaments and competitions
will also face new obstacles this
year, namely the total elimination
of the national travel budget. To
those unfamiliar with the budget, for
many years, the district has provided
each high school with a budget of
$20,000 for students who qualify
In a nutshell:
So there you have it-- seventeen
pages worth of agendas, diagrams,
and subtotals, condensed into a halfpage of newsprint. Clearly, this years’
budget will bring some sizable changes
for the Brookfield East student body;
for better or for worse, only time will
tell.
“We work hard to keep budget
reductions as far as we can from
impacting the programs that benefit
students,” Brightman elaborates “...
However, any reduction in cost means
a reduction of something that has a real
impact.”
What’s that impact for you,
as an individual? I can offer you
generalized outcomes and reasonable
guesses, but at the end of the day, only
you can answer that question. True,
those confusing numbers and cryptic
terms can be extremely dull, but can
we really complain about things like
Block Scheduling and fee increases
when we don’t even take the chance
to fight them? When the next board
meeting rolls around, let’s take it by
storm; instead of letting other people
speak for us, let’s ask questions, get
our facts straight, and make our voices
heard about the things that really
matter.
For more information on Invisible Children and its
visit to BEHS, look to The B’East Side.
New directors prepare to wow
audiences with Grease
By JENNIFER VOSTERS, Editor-in-Chief
After the unexpected retirements of East’s long-standing musical
directors Ms. Linda Aeppler and Mrs.
Mary Bigus, the student body was left
more than a little apprehensive about
the state of the 2011 musical, which as
of last June hadn’t even been decided.
They needn’t have worried.
Mr. Corey Schneidewent, one
of East’s new English teachers, has
taken over as director for what is sure
to be a blockbuster production of the
universal favorite, Grease. With choir
director Mrs. Kari Doepke-Warnes
leading music rehearsals and Mr. Josh-
ua Konegni assistant directing, as well
as a new choreographer and costume
designer, the fall musical has received
a bit of a facelift, keeping with East’s
distinctive tradition of dramatic excellence while infusing a fresh and exciting new flare. So the new musical cast
and crew aren’t hoping for a recordbreaking year. They’re expecting it.
Look to The B’East Side
for photos, the cast list,
and more about Grease,
plus an interview with Mr.
Schneidewent!
Spartan Banner ~ October 2011
Grease is the word, the word that you heard. Musical director Mr. Schneidewent works with cast members on
a scene from East’s upcoming musical, Grease. It will run
December 2, 3, and 4 at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts.
Photo by Jennifer Vosters
Page 3
SPORTS
Varsity football in action
Photos by AARON GASH, Staff Photographer
A Brookfield East defensive end sacks
the Marquette quarterback.
For more sports
pictures and articles, please
visit The B’East
Side, your online
resource to all
things Brookfield
East!
A Spartan wide-reciever/defensive back celebrates
after East scores a safety against Marquette.
Girls’ tennis ends a smashing season
By ELLIE GLYNN, Staff Writer, and MANASI MOHAN, Staff Writer
The beginning of August was every week.
Varsity Head Coach Linda Lied
important for a lot of athletes, as it meant the start of practice for the fall proudly proclaims that the team’s greatseason. For girls’ tennis, more than 65 est accomplishment this season has
been degirls
arfeating
rived
at
Central
tryouts!
every time
However,
there was
less than
a match
15
girls
against
were chothem – a
sen
for
first for
the varsity
Brookteam. Befield East.
ing chosen
The team
for
varalso came
sity is no
in second
small feat.
The girls The girls’ team says good bye to eight seniors in conference this
must train from the varsity squad after an exciting final
all year to season.
year, as
well as in
keep
up Photo courtesy of Gracie Hernandez Engstrand
their sectheir game
and conditioning. The tennis season tional tournament on October 5th– an
has flown by, but the team has been impressive feat as this event included
hard at work, with 2-4 matches played four of the state’s top ten teams!
Bridget Noack held the number 1 sin- teams at the beginning of this season,
gles spot, and Sophie Carr and Simone which is something she usually doesn’t
Hussussian played number 1 doubles. do, and really enjoyed it. It is from
While these girls have made important these teams that most of the experience
contributions to the team this season, lost from graduation will be replaced,
Coach Lied also commented, “every- so she was pleased to see the talent and
one has had their moment and stepped enthusiasm oozing from the JV courts.
up when we needed them.”
Although the team
This was a big season “The team’s greatest missed out on making
for the veteran team. accomplishment this it to team state (they
The varsity team will
season has been de- would have needed to
lose eight graduating
place first at sectionfeating Central three
seniors this year, so
als), it still sent six
times.”
Coach Lied is hoping
girls to the individual
that some of the girls ~Linda Leid, tennis coach tournament. Noack,
from junior varsity
along with Brigitte
will take the next step over the offsea- Potter made it in singles; Simone and
son and work their way to varsity level. Sophie were joined by Jessica Huang
The juniors from the varsity team this and Erica Engstrand in the doubles
year will also have to step up and take draw. All of the girls played well, but
the mantle from the girls who have the highlight of the weekend was unbeen carrying it so successfully for the doubtedly Simone and Sophie’s run to
past several years.
the quarterfinals, where they eventu
Coach Lied also wants to ac- ally took sixth.
knowledge her JV teams. She got the Congratulations, girls, on a
opportunity to work with both JV wonderful season!
Athlete of the Month: Sara Brzozowski
By CHRISTINE SHI, Staff Writer
How long have you been swimming/ I get really excited for any personal best
time that I can get but I guess there are
how did you get started?
times that I’m way more excited. When
I have been competitively swimming I broke the school record in the 500
since I was 8 years old. I started be- freestyle would be one of those times,
cause my sister was a swimmer before then last year
me and I really wanted to swim with getting first at
her so I begged my parents to let me sectionals and
join too. From the very beginning, I fell third at state
in love with the sport so I’ve stuck with in that event
it.
was
incredible. Outside
of high school
swimming, my
What do you love about swimming?
most exciting
My favorite thing about swimming moment was
would be the team. They’re like my s o p h o m o r e
when
second family. We spend a lot of time year
together and we’ve been through a lot, I first qualigood and bad. We’re always there for fied for Junior
each other no matter if the teammate Nationals as
had an amazing race or a bad one. I an individual
know I can count on them for anything c o m p e t i t o r.
This past Auso I’ll really miss them next year!
gust I finally qualified for the next level
of Nationals which takes place in December.
What are some of your overall proudest swimming accomplishments?
OCTOBER
SPORTS
SCHEDULE
Page 4
How has Coach Rose helped you over
your high school swimming career?
Coach Rose is a fantastic coach. In the
past four years that he has worked
with me, he
moved
me
from barely
making state
my freshman
year to getting
third [in state]
my junior year.
He works with
me to create workouts
that push me
to the limit. I
love that he
challenges
me at each
practice and
comes up with
interesting
sets because, as he knows, staring at
the black line on the bottom of the
pool for an hour-long boring set is no
fun at all.
How do you manage to maintain your
academics and still swim?
From the very beginning my parents
always made me put academics first.
As they said, professional swimming
is only a suitable job if you’re Michael
Phelps. If I couldn’t finish my homework or pass a class, then I couldn’t
swim. Since I wanted to swim, I learned
time management very quickly. Having
a lot of time consuming practices and
very little free time has also taught me
to prioritize and not waste any of the
time I do have. I’ve also found weekends to be very useful for catching up
on sleep.
Where do you see yourself in the next
five years?
Five years from now I’ll hopefully have
graduated from college and found a
job in nursing. Prior to that is still pret-
Spartan Banner ~ October 2011
SPORTS
Exciting Homecoming Game ends in heart-breaking fashion
By TIM CORWIN, Sports Editor
On Friday, October 7th, the
boys’ varsity football team took the
field against the Marquette Hilltoppers
in a battle for conference supremacy.
Not only was it a huge game on the
field, but it was also the Homecoming Game. Although the good guys
didn’t come out on top in the end, the
energy of the crowd and the emotion
from the team provided the perfect way
to head in to the big weekend ahead.
Many alumni showed up to
support the team and the raucous student section did all it could to will the
Spartans to victory. The theme was a
white out and the students certainly
delivered. The blizzard of Spartans
in the bleachers was crazed from the
opening kickoff. Their frenzied chants
were only bolstered by the jubilant
Brewers updates from their Game
5 victory in the playoffs. It made for
an electric atmosphere that could rival those die-hards down in Texas.
The Brookfield East team put
in a lot of hard work in the week leading up to the game. “Coach Swittel and
his staff do a great job of getting the
team prepared each week,” said senior
captain Michael Amato. The standout
wide-receiver also stressed the importance of not getting caught up in the
distractions of Homecoming Week.
“This game isn’t just important because
it’s our homecoming game; we have a
chance to win conference here. We’ve
been treating this as a must-win game.”
Although the players were certainly disappointed by the 22-16 loss,
they treated their faithful
fans to a brilliantly entertaining and heart-wrenchingly
dramatic game. The game
certainly had its peaks and
valleys. Coming out in the
third quarter, the Spartans
were trailing 14-7. Michael
Amato provided the spark
right away with a kick return
deep into Hilltopper territory.
That drive was capped by a
three-yard touchdown run
by junior running back Alec
James and the extra point by
junior Zach Schober to tie the
game at 14-14. The game remained tied until the fourth
quarter when the Spartans got Brookfield East Students “get down” a the homecoming football
a safety to pull ahead 16-14 game against Marquette on October 7th, 2011.
with the finish line in sight.
Photo by Aaron Gash
However, the pivotal point in the game for the
favor of the Hilltoppers. They quickly crowd, the emotion of the team, and the
Spartans came with about
excitement of the game set the table for
three minutes to go and with the ball on marched down the field and, in the blink an incredible Homecoming Weekend.
their own side of the field. Faced with of an eye, had scored and converted
a fourth down and one, Coach Swittel their two-point conversion to make it
showed great faith in both his offense a 8-point game at 22-14. The Spartans
and his defense, which had been utterly were unable to make the final rally
impenetrable through that point in the and the game ended leaving players, By KYLE HICKS, Staff Writer
second-half, and elected to go for it and coaches, and fans slightly unsatisfied. The 2011 Major League BaseDespite the disappointing retry to put the game out of reach. How- ball season was certainly a great one
ever, the attempt came up short and sult, the game could still be looked at but it came to a sputtering halt for the
the momentum was suddenly in the as a success. The enthusiasm of the Milwaukee Brewers. After making one
Late season push leads Spartan baseball to playoffs
By JOE BAUER, Staff Writer
While most East students
were sitting at home this past summer, the Brookfield East boys’ baseball team was having a season for
the ages. Under first-year head coach
Bill Woodring, the Spartans compiled an impressive 17-14 record.
The season was even capped off with
a playoff run; the first since 1988.
As junior second baseman
Nick Kanavas explains, “Towards the
end of the season, when it was all on
the line, everyone on the team had the
same ‘go big or go home’ mentality”.
Kanavas is referring to the Spartans
late season state playoff push, that come from behind victory as “just
was to be decided by a Sectional Fi- magical, when we needed to play,
nal versus cross-town rival Brookfield we played. We worked as a team and
Central. The Sparscored when we
“Although
it’s
tough
lostans, who had a
needed to. It’s defing, the experience of go- initely one of the
1-2 record against
Central up to that ing to the playoffs will only most memorable
point, got off to a strengthen our passion to do moments in my
slow start. Trailing
playing career.”
the same next year”
by four runs going ~Nick Kanavas, second baseman Even with a
into the sixth instory-book
vicning, East rallied,
tory over Central,
scoring five runs to gain the victory in the Spartans weren’t done yet. With
fashionable style. Senior catcher Drew the victory, East had qualified for the
Kehoe explains his feelings on the State Tournament and was set to face
local powerhouse Marquette. The
Spartans played hard, but ultimately
were defeated in a heart-breaker by a
score of 3-2. A controversial reversed
call at home plate only made the loss
tougher. However, the team was able
to move on. As senior catcher Andy
Weisen stated, “Although it’s tough
losing, especially to a rival like Marquette, the experience of going to the
playoffs is something I’ll never forget,
and will only strengthen our passion
as a team to do the same next year.
Looking ahead, the Spartans
have high hopes for the future. As Junior DH Mike Eberle explains, “Even
with the loss of some great seniors
from last season, we still have plenty of
good players returning and some hopeful newcomers from JV.” Kanavas adds
that he has high hopes for the season and
that East can do as good, “if not better,”
Photo courtesy of Matthew Schroeder
than the memorable season of 2011.
Spartan Banner ~ October 2011
Brewers: The End
of the deepest post-season runs in franchise history, they seemed to have a
date with destiny, and the World Series.
After a dramatic first round
series with the Arizona Diamondbacks
where they walked-off in a do-or-die
Game 5, they rolled in to the League
Championship Series on a high note.
They appeared in the NLCS to face
their bitter rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. After going up in the series 1-0
with a 9-6 victory at Miller Park in the
first game, things quickly turned sour. They quickly collapsed to a 1-2 series record and only
achieved one more win for the rest of
the series. The team that Milwaukee
fans had come so accustomed to seeing
rally from deficits in the most dramatic
of fashions was unable to comeback
one last time. The Cardinals face the
Texas Rangers after beating the Brewers four games to two, including the
final two games at Miller.
Despite this catastrophic meltdown to close out the season, the Brewers achieved phenomenal things this
season. They set a new franchise regular season record, going 96-66 before
the playoffs. Along with the numerous other individual records that they
achieved along the way, they brought
a kind of authentic energy to the MLB
that couldn’t be matched anywhere
else.
Now, Brewers must face that
dark cloud that had hovered over them
all season: superstar Prince Fielder’s
free-agency. Although this may have
been Prince’s final season wearing the
blue and gold, it was certainly one that
won’t be soon forgotten.
Page 5
FEATURES
Carpe Diem: East senior “livin’ the dream” overseas
Ryan Hoaglund experiences Russian and German culture firsthand
By JENNIFER VOSTERS, Editor-in-Chief
While it’s not unusual for col- skills and the only way to experience
lege students to study abroad for a se- foreign cultures is to study abroad.”
mester or two, it’s considerably rarer Having taken five years of
for a high schooler to do it. And how German, it wasn’t hard for Ryan to
many teenagers you know give up choose Germany as the place to spend
their summers to go study…in Russia? his school year. But when it came to
Meet Brookfield East senior Russia, Ryan picked it among seven
Ryan Hoaglund, now a student living options partly because he “always
and learning in
thought it would
Germany until late
be cool to learn
July. Ryan applied
Russian just beto and was secause it sounds
lected for two full
awesome and the
government scholalphabet looks craarships for two
zy.” While living
separate
studyin Gatchina, a city
abroad programs.
right outside of St.
Last June, he left
Petersburg, Ryan
the United States
enjoyed firsthand
for Gatchina, Rusaccess to some of
sia, and then—
the world’s most
without returning
breathtaking hishome—took
a
toric sites, taking
plane to Germany
weekend
excurin August, where
sions to visit the
he’s been livfamous
Winter
ing ever since.
Palace, which is
Downtown Linz, Germany.
“I’ve althe residence of
Photos courtesy of Ryan Hoaglund
ways been interformer czars, and
ested in foreign
the Church on the
languages
and
Spilled Blood (the
cultures,” he says.
famous
church
“My sophomore year I took three lan- with multicolored spires). He took
guages and I would have last year if I a boat tour on St. Petersburg’s main
had had room in my schedule. Obvi- canal but unfortunately couldn’t take
ously the best way to improve language pictures because his camera ran out
Race for the Cure: An insider’s perspective
By JOSEPHINE MAYHEW, Staff Writer
The morning was cold, wet,
and cloudy. Still, at 7 A.M. on Sunday,
September 25th, I could see hundreds of
participants and volunteers already arriving at the 13th Annual Susan G. Komen Southeast Wisconsin Race for the
Cure. For the second year in a row, I
was one of those volunteers along with
several of my friends. As we made our
way to the lakefront, we received various items to add to our already pink
attire: Warriors in Pink scarves, which
we tied around our heads, and pink
stickers
to put under our
eyes. We
were assigned
to
the
first water table
and split
into two
groups of
people:
t h o s e
who set
d o w n
es. Shortly after the race started, there
were few cups left on the table, so we
sent back reinforcements to fill more.
We were all cheering and rooting everyone on, handing water to people
who looked in need of a refresher (and
occasionally spilling it on them). The
runners were men and women, young
and old. There were survivors and fighters, as well as those walking in memory
of breast cancer victims. Yet they were
all supporters of finding a cure. One of
the things I always enjoy is seeing how
people
dress;
I
saw many
pink wigs
and outfits. When
the race
was over,
the lakefront and
streets
were littered with
thousands
of
paper cups,
which I
cups and Students volunteer at the Susan G. Komen Race for h e l p e d
t h o s e the Cure. Photo courtesy of Josephine Mayhew
pick up.
who filled
W h e n
them. Our goal? To fill as many cups as we were finished, the lakefront
possible before the beginning of the race. looked as if nothing had ever ocAt 9:15 AM the 5K run began. curred there. However, we all knew
First came the “serious runners,” not that another small but important step
even slowing down when they saw the was taken toward finding a cure for
water. A variety of people came after, breast cancer. A total of 19,400 peorunning and walking at different pac- ple participated, and officials esti-
Page 6
of battery. He went to Peterhof, which hosted last year; Pablo, another past
he says “is comparable to Versailles in foreign exchange student to East who
France (the Russians say it’s better),” lives in Spain; and some of his Russwam in the Gulf of Finland in the sian friends he met over the summer.
Baltic Sea, and—while right next to Like many East students back
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s resi- home, Ryan is also busy applying to
dence—ate shashlik: Russian barbe- college, saying that if he ends up at
cue. “One of the best days of the trip, UW-Madison he wants “to major in
however, was when we had a free day Russian and enroll in the ‘Russian Flagand a few friends and
ship Program,’”
I went to Petersburg “Small details...have made through which
on our own,” Ryan me come to realize bit by bit he would be able
adds. “It was re- what American culture...re- to study twice
ally cool to be able
more in Russia,
ally means.”
to just hang out in
and also to “ma~Ryan Hoaglund
such a beautiful, hisjor in German,
toric,
and
active
city.” given that I should be pretty much flu
After taking a direct flight ent by the end of the year.” After colfrom St. Petersburg to Frankfurt, lege, he’s interested in the State DepartRyan prepared to begin the year he ment and a career in foreign service.
will spend on German soil. Unlike his “The biggest lesson I learned
Russian program, where he was with wasn’t from the intensive language
twelve others from the U.S., Ryan classes I took in Russia or my math
was the only American in this new course in Germany, but from the peocity. “Probably the most challenging ple I’ve met in both countries,” says
part was adjusting to a new school in Ryan. He goes on to say that the typical
a foreign language,” he says. “Even stereotypes for the cultures are mostly
though I’ve had 5 years of German, it untrue; there was no midday yodeling,
was a little overwhelming at the be- beer-spouting fountains, or vodka at
ginning to sit in biology or a history every meal, and most people weren’t
course at about the same level as AP anti-American. “In Russia I had dinEuro and receive all instruction and do ner with a neighbor who was 90 years
all coursework in German.” For exam- old and had lived through WWII when
ple, he and his German classmates take the city of Gatchina flew a Nazi flag,
quarterly essay exams—but no regu- the Cold War, when America was his
lar tests, like most American students country’s arch enemy, the dramatic end
do. But he adds, “Already, though, of the Soviet Union, and the establishI’ve noticed a lot
of improvement.” ment of Russia as a capitalist country.
But beyond school, Ryan has He told me that he still disagrees with
our governalready expement,
but
rienced in his
it was clear
first few months
from his dinthe richness of
ner invitation
German culture
that he had no
with his host
problem with
family. He visitAmericans
ed Koblenz and
themselves.”
saw an 800-per
Even
son orchestra,
though Ryan
which included
still has about
his host dad,
nine months
perform live in American students in Russia this past
summer.
left in Gera special church
many,
he’s
service. This was Photos courtesy of Ryan Hoaglund
already aware
held in a medieval fortress overlooking the city on of the impact his travels have had and
the other side of the Rhine River. With will continue to have on him and his
his host brother and sister he went to perspective of the world. “So far I
the Haus der Geschichte (House of think the biggest impact is that I have a
History) in Bonn, which was “actu- much better idea of what the world really very interesting.” He also has seen ally thinks of America,” he says. “I also
the cathedral in Cologne, toured Ham- have a new view of my own on what
burg during his orientation, and eaten it means to be an American. Small deWiener Schnitzel in the city of Linz. tails in every part of life, like how only
But even for someone as men shake hands in Russia and how
culture-savvy as Ryan, he admits he almost no one drives to school in Germisses some things about the U.S. “I many, have made me come to realize
miss the people most of all,” he says. “I bit by bit what American culture, or at
guess I also miss being able to drive to least Wisconsin culture, really means.”
To keep tabs on Ryan’s
school. I take the bus here most days.” adventures
abroad,
To keep in touch, he uses Facebook, continued
Skype, and his newly created blog, the check out his blog at hoaglundlink for which will be posted on The l i v i n t h e d r e a m . b l o g s p o t . c o m .
B’East Side. Also, Ryan is looking for- ward to visiting some friends living in
Europe, like Julian, the German foreign
exchange student Ryan and his family
Spartan Banner ~ October 2011
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Indie flick Like Crazy a tour de force of first love
By ROBYN DI GIACINTO, Managing Editor
Have you ever been in love?
Not the crush-love you’ve had on
that guy in your math class for all of
two days, and not the gushy kind you
see every time you text “I <3 U” to
your significant other and don’t really
mean it. Real, genuine, bonafide first
love. For some, the phrase never fails
to conjure vomit-inducing images
of flowers, sparkles and ridiculously
sentimental chick lits (i.e. Twilight).
However corny it may sound, when
your first romance is the real deal,
you get so wrapped up in each other
that you feel, well...Like Crazy.
In the opening scenes of the
new indie flick Like Crazy, American
University student Jacob (played by
Anton Yelchin) and British exchange
student Anna (Felicity Jones) meet for
the first time; sparks fly, and they find
themselves falling madly, hopelessly,
head-over-heels in love. In fact, they
become so caught up in the sweet world
of their budding romance that Anna playing a broad spectrum of ages and
decides to overstay her student visa, emotions with an ease and authenticity
a trespass not easily forgotten by the well beyond his years. For the other
U.S. Immigration Department; she is half of the leading couple, Felicity
promptly banned from ever returning to Jones adds a refreshing new spin on
the States. The rest of the film follows the young heroine in love, with an
their lives both together and apart, intriguing mix of naiveté and maturity.
Given its indie
and everything
that comes in Like Crazy takes the viewer film budget, you
between. A tour on an emotional roller coast- might expect the
de force of ill- er, as its characters navigate other elements of
fated first love, the waters of love and loss. Like Crazy to be
underwhelming
Like Crazy takes
at
best—but
the viewer on an
emotional roller coaster, as its characters then again, you’d be dead wrong.
navigate the waters of love and Combining cross-continent scenery,
loss—all while an ocean-width apart. from cool college campuses and
Without a doubt, one of the stunning Los Angeles beaches to
best aspects of the film was its stellar chic apartments and the bustling
cast. To his credit, I’ve been a huge streets of London, Like Crazy creates
fan of Anton Yelchin since he starred a spectacular image of two clashing
in the mainstream comedy Charlie worlds. Breathtaking cinematography
improves
the
aesthetic.
Bartlett. But since then, he’s grown only
Meanwhile,
the
original
into a truly talented young actor, and unconventionally chic costume
design is complimented by a thoughtprovoking indie soundtrack. Another
outstanding ingredient is the script,
which is refreshingly real and raw
in capturing the bittersweet rollercoaster of first love, as compared
to the sugar-coated fluff of
romantic comedies (and Twilight).
Perhaps the best part of
Like Crazy is its ability to really
paint a picture. Through moments of
passionate dialogue and utter silence,
for a brief instant, we are offered a
glimpse into what it’s like to be two
young people not just in like, but in love.
Two people giving up everything—
their futures, their happiness, the best
years of their lives—to stay together
despite everything keeping them apart.
‘Like Crazy’ made its
Milwaukee debut in the Milwaukee
Film Festival this September. It’s set for
limited U.S. release on October 28th.
Fall TV shows deliver surprises
By MONALI ADHIKARI, Staff Writer
Teens, get ready: the makers of
Pretty Little Liars have created a new
drama full of mystery, thrill, mean girls,
and of course, cute boys in ABC Family’s The Lying Game. This show, based
on the novel by Sara Shephard, follows
Emma, a foster-child who finds out
she has an identical twin sister, Sutton,
who was adopted by wealthy parents
and lives a glamorous life. After they
meet, Sutton talks Emma into stepping
into her life for a few days while she
goes to find their birth mother. Excited
to do this, Emma takes on Sutton’s life
and pretends to be her while Sutton
goes on a wild goose chase in hopes
of finding their real mother. Emma
soon begins to get close with Sutton’s
parents and friends, falls in love with
Sutton’s real boyfriend who was hidden from everyone, and finds herself
in a life that she’s always dreamed of.
The Lying Game is a mustwatch show filled with drama and suspense. It’s great for anyone who has
fallen in love with the Pretty Little Liars series. The characters are perfect
accompaniments to the suspension and
teenage-drama that captivate the viewers into watching every week. Each
episode uncovers a new mystery both
shocking and mysterious. For the girls,
there are many cute male roles, who can
act as good as they look. It’s a great fall
show that is definitely worth watching!
New Girl is the newest comedy from Fox starring Zooey Deschanel of 500 Days of Summer. Her unusual personality is the driving force
behind the show. Zooey stars as Jess, a
girl who surprises her boyfriend Spencer one afternoon only to find out that
he’s flirting with another girl. So, she
answers a Craigslist advertisement
for three guys that are looking for a
roommate: Schmidt, the wannabeplayer, Wayans, the basketball player,
and Nick, the recently-dumped bartender. Jess decides to move in with
these men, who immediately take an
interest in her. Jess’s character would
be described as a fun, dorky, smart,
but also quirky person. Bottom line,
she is an “adorkable” gal who learns
life lessons from her three male
roommates after a terrible break-up.
New Girl is a humorous, captivating show—it’s filled with comedy,
romance, and always keeps the audience wanting more. Zooey Deschanel
is charming and handles the comedy
well, giving the viewers some very
hard laughs. Thanks to the deepening
of the characters, plot advancing, and
constant humor, New Girl is an awesome show to watch this fall. Check
it out on Tuesdays on Fox at 8pm!
Photo courtesies of abcfamily.go.com/shows/lying-game and fox.
com/new-girl.
Spartan Banner ~ October 2011 By SARA MIHOR, Staff Writer
When people first hear about
a fourteen-year-old singer, they might
immediately assume that he is just a
teen fad. In this case, that’s not true.
Greyson Chance might be young, but
his voice is much more captivating.
Greyson Chance was thirteen
years old when he and his mother posted a video on YouTube in April 2010
of him playing the piano to his own
version of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.”
Thanks to Chance’s YouTube
video, television show host Ellen Degeneres discovered him and proceeded
to host Chance on her show eight times.
On his second appearance she signed
him to her record label, eleveneleven.
Chance comments, “Without Ellen,
none of this would have happened.
She’s been so supportive of me and my
music from the very beginning, and
has also become an amazing friend.”
Greyson Chance’s debut record, Hold on ‘Til the Night, came out
August 2, 2011. He received 4.5 stars
out of 5 on iTunes, but many say he deserved a full 5 stars. His music is inspi-
rational and easily relatable for people
of all music tastes. “I’ve put so much
hard work into it and I can’t wait for the
world to hear it. It’s about overcoming
fears but always powering through, and
I think it’s a message my fans will really relate to,” he posted on his fan site.
Greyson Chance’s album contains his hit songs, “Waiting Outside the
Lines,” “Unfriend You,” and “Hold on
‘Til the Night”. One of his songs “Heart
Like Stone” is a favorite of many people, including me. These songs are the
types of songs you can listen to over
and over again and not get tired of them.
I, for one, definitely did not get bored.
Greyson Chance will go far in
life, the debut of his CD Hold on ‘Til
the Night being one of his first steps toward success. Don’t miss your chance
to enjoy Greyson Chance’s album.
In my opinion, Hold on
‘Til the Night deserves a perfect rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
By ANDREA LANS, Staff Writer
Calling all bass drop lovers! music, you should listen to this al“Divergent Spectrum” is Bassnec- bum. It’s pretty loud, but also a fittar’s latest work. This epic album is ting album for all rock music lovers.
Death Cab for Cutie is a very
filled with mind-blowing bass music. If you don’t already listen to dub step talented alternative band. Their album
music, it won’t hurt to try this CD. “The Open Door EP” is filled with
“The Black Parade” is by far consistently upbeat songs. Although it
only includes five
the best album by
the popular rock Check out these five fan- tracks, it is still
band My Chemi- tastic bands and their new quite
appealing
cal Romance. It’s albums to add some great for the alternative
filled with diverse
music
audience.
songs to your playlist!
Iron & Wine
songs, so you sureis an alternativ
ly won’t be bored
after putting it on repeat. Although this music group. Their album “The Shepis a rock album, it does have some soft- herd’s Dog” is one to look out for.
er tunes that are also quite enjoyable. My personal favorite song, “Flight
“Selfish Machines,” by the less Bird, American Mouth,” is a
band Pierce the Veil, falls into the soft, uplifting tune that allows listenpost-hardcore genre. If you like rock ers to lose themselves in the music.
Page 7
EDITORIALS
Letter to the Editor:
A chip off the new block
A few weeks ago, the new block
scheduling system gave us a progress
report only three weeks after school
had begun. Now, during the week students would traditionally receive the
old “mid-nine” reports – at least at
the time of this writing – it’s time to
return the favor. So, what grade does
the new system receive? The answer
is simple: block scheduling is failing.
Now, before I go any further,
it’s worth mentioning that I am a student that has greatly benefited from
the new system. My AP classes are
spread out across both semesters and
I did not have to resolve any scheduling conflicts. The new schedule even
makes traditionally hard-to-plan Youth
Options classes a breeze to schedule. However, I count myself among
a fortunate few. On the whole, students and teachers must unnecessarily struggle to adjust to a system that
has so far seen few tangible benefits.
The block was creating trouble
before the year even began. Scheduling conflicts are an inevitable part of
the scheduling process, but the block
has created more problems than it has
solved. Advanced Placement and Music classes have caused most of the
trouble. Several AP courses are only
offered one term or one semester, making it difficult to take several courses at
once. What’s more is that the AP courses with more material are scheduled
for the first two terms. Add this to the
fact that these same AP courses have
enough material to last three terms,
and the result is overworked students
that are forced to scale back extracurricular activities just to finish all their
homework. The problem of music
classes is just the opposite. The alternate scheduling of music puts students
in the awkward position of having
to find a course to fit on the opposite
days. While students are often able to
take required courses in this odd class
slot, some are left with undesirable and
frankly unchallenging options. It goes
without saying that we shouldn’t discourage students from taking challenging and enriching courses like chamber
orchestra and AP Chemistry. But that’s
exactly what the new schedule does.
Curriculums, too, often fail to
distill neatly into half the number of
class days. Teachers, too, are scrambling with the new schedule, in many
cases more than students. Says one
teacher, “[These teachers] are staying
up until midnight” trying to maintain
the changed pace of courses. While
many teachers can simply cover twice
as much of the textbook or the lecture, others do not have it so easy. In
cruel irony, the teachers of more open,
discussion-driven classes are most affected. Labeling the problem as one of
lack of experience ignores an important component of the concepts in these
classes: they take time to understand.
Reading twice as much of Beloved or
A Scarlet Letter per night doesn’t necessarily translate to twice the amount
of understanding. So, teachers are
forced to constantly rush to keep up.
To be perfectly clear, I am not
trying to make a political point about
the workload of teachers. All I’m saying
is that, just as with students, constant
stress is never a good thing, and can only
lead to disillusionment and exhaustion.
So block scheduling is well below the
sixty nine percent threshold. It is harming education on all levels by poisoning the learning environment. Needless
to say, the transition to The Block has
been less than smooth. However, that
does not mean that we are doomed to
suffer forever under the tyranny of the
term. I understand that any new system
takes time to adjust to, and that time will
at least partially heal these wounds. But
in order to design a dynamic and appropriately rigorous program, the district’s
leadership has to radically change the
way the system works. The term system must be reexamined to account for
more difficult classes, and district administrators need to work with teachers (especially in classes without linear
curricula) to make the new schedule
viable. Remember, it’s only been four
and a half weeks. Block scheduling
still has until the end of the semester
– or should I say term? – to improve.
~ Aditya Trivedi, senior
By KATIE HARTMANN
Spartan Banner ~ October 2011
Where was the “pep” in this rally?
By HEATHER PATTERSON, Staff Writer
Homecoming Week rolled were kept busy trying to stop them.
In the beginning, we started
around once again. After a week of out
with
one big cheer, and I assumed
some crazy costumes (see the top of
page three), you could feel the antici- the class cheers were coming later on. I,
pation for the traditional pep rally on for one, feel the traditional class cheers
Friday. Students walked through the were sorely missed. It was regrettable
that
it
halls in their
was derespective
c i d e d
class colors;
that we
freshmen
couldn't
wore navy,
handle
sophomores
the class
red, juniors
cheers
white,
and
because
the seniors
of
the
dug all the
negative
black
they
reactions
could
find
(people
out of their
Photo
by
Aaron
Gash
booing,
closets. When
the time came, the students assembled turning their backs, etc.) they have
on the bleachers, solid masses of color caused in past years. I have nothing
buzzing excitedly. However, this year, against a little class competition; in
not much "pep" was felt at this pep rally. fact I believe it is one of the biggest
A pep rally is defined as "a ways we boost school spirits. When I
meeting, especially of students before was a freshman, I was warned before
an interscholastic athletic contest, to even actually starting high school that
stimulate group enthusiasm by rous- we WOULD be booed at the pep rally,
ing talks, songs, and cheers." No- as had the freshman classes before us.
where in this definition does it say a I expected it, it was traditional, and
place for classes to fill the field house I didn't take it personally. When the
with angry booing and chants of "go teams had done their dances and the
home." Unfortunately, this is a large homecoming king and queen were
part of what took place, and we were announced, the student body left the
warned against it before the pep rally field house feeling that the pep rally
and when it started. The traditional was incomplete. It is sad that the bedances done by the sports teams were havior of a few groups of people
often drowned out or ignored by the with bad attitudes could ruin a long
unfriendly chants, and administrators standing tradition for the rest of us.
Commercial sexism? No, thanks
By JENNIFER VOSTERS, Editor-in-Chief
I’m not a militant feminist
by any stretch of the imagination. In
truth, I’m a feminist only in the sense
that I support women’s equality with
men; I’m not president of the local
chapter of NOW or a devotee of Gloria Steinem. But there are certain circumstances that make my feminist side
growl, and I encountered one while
watching television this weekend.
It seems to be the new trend
in commercials to differentiate between “men’s” and “women’s” products. Not just the usual things, like
cosmetics and clothing and shampoo, but otherwise gender neutral merchandise. Like...beverages.
Dr. Pepper shocked me with the
tagline for its newest 10-calorie soda,
Dr. Pepper Ten: “It’s not for women.”
Well, thank you, Dr. Pepper,
for making my choice for picking a
soda a little easier, because I have
successfully eliminated one unconditionally off my list. You obviously
don’t want my money, or my patronage, because I’m female. Your obviously indifferent lack of respect for my
sex is nothing short of charming, and
I’ll gladly show my appreciation by
wholeheartedly obeying your wishes.
I’ll even go above and beyond and say
I won’t buy any Dr. Pepper products.
Because that’s what you want, isn’t it?
And thank you for successfully alienating one half of your potential
consumer population with a statement
as insensitive and politically backward
as this one. There was once a time when
Dr. Pepper would have fit right in, a
time when there were lots of things that
weren’t “for women:” like pants, and
jobs, and legal status, and voting rights,
and governance over our own lives.
Miller Brewing Company
has adopted a similar vibe with its
ads boasting of the “manliness” of its
products. If masculinity is one of your
selling points, then what do you think
of femininity? Obviously, not much.
These tactless and offensive
promotions not only are painfully
old-fashioned, but they cross a line
that generations of women fought to
make recognized: a line of mutual respect between the sexes. Whether intentional or not, “It’s not for women”
is inappropriate and unprofessional.
We’ve come a long way
since women were kept out of the
“man’s sphere” and all that came
with it. Let’s keep moving forward.
Do you have an
opinion to share? Are you
a good writer? Submit
a Letter to the Editor to
Zack Vrana or Mr. Guthrie to voice your opinion
and be published in a
future issue of the
Spartan Banner!
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