the miner incidents - Beulah School District 27

THE MINER INCIDENTS
December 3, 2010
Page 12
Features
THE MINER
INCIDENTS
3 December 2010
Biel recommends National Public Radio to listeners
By: Nicholas Biel
From pre-dawn to post-sunset
hours, NPR educates and informs
its listeners beginning with the
early “Morning Edition” and
finishing with a block of soothing
yet stimulating classical music.
Although National Public Radio was
not officially formed until 1970, it traces
its roots back to the first public radio
broadcasts in the 1920s and ‘30s (www.
npr.org, 4/11/10).
Today, NPR is a nationwide consortium
of almost 800 independent member
stations with the goal of creating “a more
informed public.”
Indeed NPR fulfills this task admirably
with its five-hour long “Morning Edition”
each weekday morning and with other
news programs and periodic newscasts
throughout the day.
Although NPR has been accused of
partisan news coverage by people on both
ends of the political spectrum, few can
argue that its news coverage is not deep or
investigative. In fact, since 1971, NPR’s
journalists and programs have earned
over 53 Peabody awards for its quality
coverage of events around the world.
While news is a great part of NPR’s
daily schedule, its entertainment programs
are, in many ways, just as insightful and
informative.
On weekdays, NPR has a few
entertaining programs that analyze
music and the economy in interesting
and educational ways, but it is on the
weekends, when new weekly programs
air, that NPR really stands out.
Most weekend features are a smooth
blend of information and comedy. “Car
Talk” mixes good mechanical advice with
bad life lessons and terrible jokes.
“Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me” changes
the recipe a bit. They choose to substitute
news for mechanics and add a dash of
game show into the mix.
Other programs focus entirely
on entertainment. “A Prairie Home
Companion,” a two-hour variety show,
features live musical performances and
vocal acting. It is hosted by Garrison
Keillor, who gives life to Guy Noir:
Private Eye in “a city that knows how to
keep its secrets” – Minneapolis MN, and
presents The News from Lake Woebegone
every week in his signature calm and
lilting tone.
My favorite shows, though, are not
comedic, nor intentionally informative,
just philosophical and thought provoking.
“The Thomas Jefferson Hour,” featuring
humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson incharacter as President Jefferson, analyzes
today’s practices through the eyes of a
founding father and, often with special
guests, examines issues in a way that is
nearly unparalleled in is depth of analysis
and fairness to all sides of the argument.
“Krista Tippet on Being” focuses on the
philosophical aspects of issues facing us
today, from the idea of political civility (or
lack thereof) to the exploration of torture.
One recent show featured Tippet as host
at a summit on happiness with a Rabbi, a
Muslim scholar, an Episcopalian bishop,
and the Dalai Lama.
While radio broadcasts transmit
programming in an easy to receive format,
this medium is less than helpful for
listeners who are not near a radio at the
scheduled broadcast time. Furthermore,
no station broadcasts every available
program.
Fortunately, NPR has wholly embraced
the podcast system and allows users to
freely download its programs for future
listening.
Alternately, NPR condenses many of its
stories into written form on its web site,
for people who want to learn about the
day’s news, but can’t spare the time for an
entire broadcast.
Unfortunately, these luxurious features
come at a price: membership drives. These
periodic, weeklong events are capable of
making me avoid even my favorite shows
just to avoid the pitiful begging.
Donations are necessary, however,
because they account for over half the
revenue generated by local stations (www.
npr.org, 4/11/10).
This money is then used to buy the
rights to broadcast programs both from
NPR and from other sources such as
American Public Media, which produces
“A Prairie Home Companion” and
“Being.”
Fortunately, the cost of airing programs
is determined by the number of listeners,
so smaller stations can still afford to air
the most popular shows.
NPR then uses over 75 percent of its
total revenue directly in the production
of new shows. The balance is used to
maintain facilities, run advertisements,
finance special news coverage, and pay
salaries for NPR employees.
Though recent administrative decisions
have cast a shadow over NPR, its long
history of brilliant news coverage and
dazzling depth is more than enough to
dispel any temporary darkness. And this is
why NPR is always just a preset away.
Heller gives COD: ‘Black Ops’ explosive reviews
By: Andrew G. Heller
“Call of Duty” is one of, if not
the biggest first-person shooter
series in the videogame industry
right now. “Call of Duty: Black
Ops,” its newest installment,
has set new five-day sellthrough records according to its
publisher, Activision. According
to Activision, “Black Ops” have
generated over $650 million at $60
a game. Not wanting to miss out
on the fun, I begged my parents for
an early birthday present.
Before I say anything too specific, I
would like to mention that this REVIEW
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.
The campaign is set during the 1960s
with the player in the perspective of
Alex Mason, a member of the Studies
and Observations Group, or SOG, who is
being interrogated by unknown parties for
information he can’t remember. The game
plays out through a series of Mason’s
flashbacks.
The first mission is set during the Bay of
Pigs invasion of Cuba. Mason is part of
a covert team sent in to assassinate Fidel
Castro. My first few experiences with this
mission were frustrating, as the game had
numerous bugs. From excessive lag to
my A.I. allies running into walls, it took
several attempts to complete. At one point
the game crashed, causing me to start
over. Thankfully, this only happened once
and I was not forced to throw my mouse
into the wall out of anger.
To vary the missions, the player controls
multiple people besides the protagonist,
Mason. A few missions are played as
Jason Hudson, Mason’s CIA handler.
These missions disappointed me because
up until then, Mason describes him as an
“ice cube.” When playing as Hudson,
his character is given awkward lines that
don’t fit with his stoic character.
In one of my favorite plot-twists,
Treyarch, “Black Ops”’ developer,
includes a character from its previous
“Call of Duty” title, “World at War.”
As good as story telling may be, a
game is only fun if the gameplay is good.
Treyarch tried some new mechanics; some
were not as good as others.
The implementation of a helicopter
sequence was rather frustrating. In
previous “Call of Duty” games, players
acted as the gunner of vehicles, but this
part demands that the player pilot and
shoot. Confusing controls make for an
annoying dogfight. The final mission
involves attacking a boat with helicopters.
Most of the time I was flying into the
other helicopters while trying just to aim
at the boat.
“Black Ops” has a strong single-player
campaign, but the main draw is online
multiplayer. Changes have made for
better gameplay.
Killstreak rewards are a large part of
“Call of Duty.” With a killstreak of three,
players can call in a spy plane that shows
the position of enemies on their radar.
With seven kills a player can call in an
attack helicopter to circle the map and
shoot other players. My personal favorite
is the RC-XD; a remote-controlled car
rigged with explosives.
In “Modern Warfare 2,” kills obtained
by using killstreaks count toward more
killstreaks. In “Black Ops,” only kills
obtained using conventional weapons
count towards killstreaks.
Gameplay has shifted to make the player
focus more on using their one primary
weapon and customizing and perfecting it.
An array of sights, magazines, and special
attachments are available for each gun.
My personal favorite is the silencer, which
keeps the player from appearing on the
enemy’s radar when shooting.
Customization extends heavily to
aesthetics. Different camouflages can be
put on each gun. Sites can be customized
from the color of the lens to the color and
shape of the targeting reticule. If a player
wants a pink heart on a purple lens or a
blue smiley face on a green lens, he can
have it. I use a yellow X with a dot in the
middle on a clear lens.
In order to create a strong online identity,
players can design a unique emblem. I’ve
seen everything from medieval coat of
arms with dragons, to pokeballs, to an
octopus with eight AK-47s.
Everything in multiplayer is bought
using COD points. These are earned
from matches, along side experience.
Experience, or XP, is used to level up a
player. The higher the level he is, the more
purchase options are available to him.
Game modes remain nearly identical
to previous “Call of Duty” installments.
Team Deathmatch, Free-for-All, Capture
the Flag, and other game modes are
available.
“Black Ops” includes another game type
called “Zombies.” This involves up to
four players defending a stronghold from
an onslaught of undead. It’s one of the
best features in the game.
The first available map takes place in
an abandoned warehouse. But better than
that is a level in the Pentagon unlocked
after completing the single-player
campaign. Instead of anonymous soldiers,
the players get to control John F. Kennedy,
Robert McNamara, Fidel Castro, and
Richard Nixon. Characterization comes
through in the form of one-liners said
by each person. Nixon is my favorite
character. When I acquired my first rifle
with him, he gruffly said, “Give me a rifle
so I can shoot all the hippies!”
Treyarch put a lot of effort into making
“Black Ops” an amazing experience. The
1960s conspiracy-laden atmosphere is
great. Multiplayer is now more focused
on the player’s abilities. It’s not the best
“Call of Duty” I’ve ever played, but it is
one awesome game.
Volume 59
Issue 2
Mock election echoes state midterms
By: Carson Reinhardt
On Oct. 26, the Miner Incidents
held a mock election to see where
students stood in this year’s
midterm elections.
Long-standing incumbent senator
Byron Dorgan’s announcement on Jan. 5,
2010, that he would not run for reelection
left an empty U.S. senate seat open for
fresh blood to represent North Dakota in
Washington. Three hopeful candidates
rose to the challenge: popular governor
John Hoeven, North Dakota Senator Tracy
Potter, and Keith J. Hanson, a Libertarian
party candidate from West Fargo.
In the North Dakota general election,
according to www.nd.gov, Hoeven won
by a landslide, collecting 76 percent of the
votes. Tracy Potter brought up a distant
second at 22 percent (11-9-10). BHS
students were in line with the sate on this
one, giving Hoeven over 87 percent of
their votes. Potter snatched second place
with 8.6 percent and Hanson brought up
the rear with 4.4 percent.
Sophomore Todd Richter was one of the
87 percent that voted for Hoeven. He was
impressed with Hoeven’s record of service
as governor and he hopes that Hoven can
continue to do North Dakota good in the
senate.
“Plus, he has an awesome mustache,”
Richter said.
Part of Hoeven’s success was due to a
campaign season rife with anti-incumbent
sentiments and it showed when Rick Berg
beat Earl Pomeroy, an 18-year veteran in
the U.S. Senate, 55 to 45 percent. Again,
BHS students were right with the rest of
the state, giving Berg 59.3 and Pomeroy
40.7 percent of the votes.
Senior Michael Bitz went against the
norm and voted for Pomeroy. He was put
off by what he said were Berg’s negative
ads against Pomeroy.
“I just didn’t believe Berg’s sincerity.
He said he’d stop putting up negative ads
and then he sends out those silly Pomeroy
finger-puppets in the mail,” Bitz said.
This year, North Dakota had two
propositions up for voting. Measure One
created a state-run Legacy Fund to save
30 percent of all income made from the
expanding oil industry. Officially, the
ballot explained that this money is to be
saved for future generations to use since
the state already has a $1billion surplus in
the budget.
Statewide the ballot was well-received
with 63.6 percent voting “yes” and 36.4
voting “no.” BHS students voted almost
exactly the same, voting “yes” 65 percent
of the time as opposed to “no” at 35
percent.
Junior Erik Ham was eager to show his
support for Measure One.
“When you look at it, it just makes a lot
of business sense to save all of that money
for future generations. We have plenty of
money right now,” Ham said.
The second measure on the ballot,
oddly enough called Measure Two, if
passed, would make it illegal for residents
to make money off so-called “pay to
hunt” businesses. Pay to hunt businesses
essentially are large farms where owners
field herds of various animals for
customers to shoot and kill. These animals
are fenced in and have no means of
escape. Supporters of the bill, like junior
Sarah Metcalf, feel that these businesses
violate the basic rights all animals
possess, and that real hunters would never
condone such actions.
See Election page 4
See also mock election results and other
voting statistics page 9
Beulah and Hazen hold
annual joint band concert in BHS
Gymnasium.
P5
T h e M i n e r I n c i d e n t s s t a ff
interviews foreign exchange
students Krug and Saengsia. P8
A La Carte was introduced
to give Beulah High School
students more options when
selecting their lunch. P9
Senior Chase Sailor expresses his political opinions during the
Beulah High School mock election held Tuesday, October 26.
(Photo by: Carson Reinhardt)
Testing provides measurement of skills
By: Nicholas Biel
Beginning in elementary school,
students are subjected to a variety
of standardized tests – starting with
the state assessment and NWEA
tests in elementary and culminating
with the ACT in the spring of
junior year.
In early November, this year’s juniors
finished the last of their state-mandated
assessment tests.
According to Gail Wold, BMS principal
and school improvement coordinator for
Beulah Public Schools, North Dakota has
long required its schools to take some
form of a standardized test.
“There was a form of testing in place
long before I joined the district 19 years
ago,” she said, “but the most recent testing
protocol – evaluating students in grades
3-8 and 11 – was only enacted when the
No Child Left Behind act went in to effect
in 2003.
According to the Department of
Education, NCLB requires states to set
educational standards which must be
measured by yearly state assessment tests
(11-29-10).
Schools, in turn, are expected to show
“Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP), which
is the predicted increase in the percentage
of students performing at or above grade
level in math, reading, and science.
According to the National Education
Association, schools that receive Title I
funds, (such as BMS and BES,) that fail
to make AYP face a ladder of corrective
actions according to the number of
consecutive years on the list (11-23-10).
“Though we have made the watch list
two times before [2003 and 2008], the
instances were not in consecutive years
and involved only a subset of students, not
the whole district,” Wold said.
Unfortunately, the severity of the
consequences for schools of not achieving
AYP forces them to push some of the
responsibility for success onto students.
According to the 2010-2011 student
handbook (pg. 37) students who are
consistently deficient in English or math
must take remedial courses and, in the
case of seniors, cannot enroll in senior
study halls, T/A positions, or Peer Youth
unless their GPA is above 86 percent.
“We just want to make sure students
try on the tests so they are an accurate
measurement,” BHS Principal Todd
Kaylor said.
According to counselor Wold however,
this “high stakes” testing adds another
layer of anxiety to the already stressful
atmosphere of exams, which has the
capability to influence scores.
Another problem with the state
assessment is the delay between tests and
results.
“We usually don’t see the results of the
tests, which are taken in the fall, until the
spring of the next year,” Principal Wold
said. “This delay makes the tests almost
useless from an education standpoint.”
For example, the results from the test
taken in the fall of a student’s eighth
grade year, which measures the student’s
proficiency in seventh grade standards,
are not available until the eighth grade is
nearly over.
According to Principal Wold, Beulah
became a pilot school of the NWEA/MAP
tests in the winter of 2003 to overcome
this data lapse. And, since NWEA tailors
its tests to the standards of each state, it is
a reliable stand-in for the state assessment.
Furthermore due to the electronic format
of MAP testing, results are instantaneous
and more precisely tuned to individual
student’s abilities.
This allows teachers to more quickly
See Testing page 4
Miner wrestlers prepare for season with gruelling work outs. P10
INSIDE
The Miner Incidents:
News ..................................1
Editorials ............................2
Opinions . .........................3
News ..................................4
Features .............................5
Miner Focus.....................6-7
Features ..........................8-9
Sports ..........................10-11
Features ...........................12
Beulah High School
204 5th Street NW
Beulah, North Dakota 58523
www.beulah.k12.nd.us
(701) 873-2261
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Page 2
Sports
Editorials
Page 11
3 December 2010
3 December 2010
Wrestlers hit the mats in Dec.
THE MINER
INCIDENTS
Staff
By: Megan Muscha
“Wrestling not only builds character, it also reveals it,”
After the Thanksgiving break, wrestlers jump
Voigt said.
right back in with a tournament at Sidney
According to wrestling statistician Marisa Kritzberger,
on Dec. 3 and 4. Beulah also hosts a home
along with the other team members, Kreb’s does well
triangular against Williston and Velva on Dec. 9. at “getting the team motivated.” Along with Sean’s
“I expect to have a good tournament with a few placers.
As for the duals, Williston and Velva always have good
teams, but I think we can give them a run for their money,”
171 lb. junior Isaiah Krebs said.
Head wrestling coach, Shawn Voigt, has great
expectations of this team as well.
“There will be a slight challenge because there are a few
open weight classes, but I think that we can overcome this
and we’ll just do the best we can,” Voigt said.
Veteran 130 lb. sophomore Logan Eisenbeis encourages
people to join this team of hard workers “because some of
the upper weight classes are still open.”
Leadership is a key ingredient to their success Eisenbeis
said.
Nicholas Biel: News Writer,
Columnist, and Features Editor
guidance, the team leaders Krebs, Eisenbeis, and Hunter
Eslinger have their work cut out for them.
“I think we will have a lot of work to do since we have
a very young team this year,” Krebs said.
This group of men has high hopes for the season and is
even looking ahead to state. Some of the returning state
wrestlers are junior Krebs, who has been a state qualifier
every year since 2007; sophomore Eslinger, who placed
fifth in state last year; sophomore Eisenbeis, who placed
eighth in 2009 and was a state qualifier last year; and
freshman Sonny Herczag, who was a state qualifier last
year.
“I’m just anxious to get out there and see what we can
do, both as a team and individually,” Herczag said.
Junior Isaiah Krebs practices a wrestling stance.
(Photo by: Megan Muscha)
Lady Miners shoot hoops
By: Anika Jurgens
fall.
“I went to Hazen and Bismarck leagues
over the summer, which resulted in
Lady Miners face Bishop Ryan on
playing a lot of games and tournaments
the road on Dec. 10.
throughout the summer,” Schaper said.
“We do have a lot of experienced girls
With all the practice and time they put
coming back this year. They know how
into
the season, they hope to improve
to handle the ball well enough to be a big
their
scoring as a team and to stay in
asset to the team,” assistant coach Ryan
shape
all season.
Bodell said.
“I’m not
The Minot
“We do have a lot of experienced saying that
Ryan game
girls coming back this year. They we need
is always a
keep
physically
know how to handle the ball well to
running
a
rough game,
enough
to
be
a
big
asset
to
the
lot
through
but the ladies
the whole
know how to team.”
season,
play against
~ assistant coach Ryan Bodell but to keep
them to win.
running
About a month into the season, the
enough
to
keep
us
in
shape
to
play the
Miners play Beach, the Class B state
end of the season like the beginning,”
winners. The majority of the team has
Battest said.
agreed that this will be the hardest game
According to Schaper, the best part
of the season.
of the season will be the district and
“This year we have very skilled point
regional tournaments. That’s when the
guards who will make things happen for
whole season we just played through will
the team,” junior Meghan Battest said.
pay off; everything is just practice up till
The girls had to get ready for the season
then.
even with girls in other sports.
“Not being in the Hoopsters makes it
“I’m in volleyball so I’m in shape due to
so
we
don’t have pressure and hopefully
running and stretching during volleyball
push us to do better than expected,”
season. It helps so I don’t die the first day
senior Schaper said.
of basketball practice,” Battest said.
With hopes to improve, the Lady
Senior Alison Schaper put in the time and
Miners go into the season with
worked to get better over the summer and
expectations to exceed the last season.
After a week of practice, the
Carson Reinhardt: News Writer,
Columnist, and Opinions Editor
Negative campaign ads cause rage
Every two years, U.S. citizens
get the chance to democratically
elect who they feel are the most
qualified to run this country. It’s
one of the most basic American
freedoms we biannually utilize.
Anika Jurgens: Sports Writer, Features Writer, and Sports Editor
Andrew G. Heller: Cartoonist,
Features Writer, and News Editor
For most Mercer country residents, the
biggest hitch is just remembering to fill
out their absentee ballots and getting them
in the mail in time.
But, along with every election comes
enough mud-slinging to fill the two-year
gap between each election.
By mid-October, hopeful candidates
and desperate incumbents choke the local
network channels making their case to the
general public as to why we should vote
for them.
Although TV ads are legitimate ways to
reach many potential voters, the substance
of those ads have become giant fingers,
pointing accusingly at each candidate’s
opposition.
Political ads no longer build up
candidates or just explain a candidate’s
stance on hot issues, but rather tear down
their opponents.
Here in North Dakota, the race between
Republican Rick Berg and Democrat Earl
Pomeroy became increasingly nasty as
Nov. 2 drew ever nearer.
In the beginning of the campaign, both
candidates were equally guilty of bashing
each other. They not only attacked each
other’s voting records, but used out-ofcontext quotes from newspapers and
ridiculous animations with blurry, grayscaled images of their opponents. In the
late game though, Rick Berg pulled out
all of the stops and attacked Pomeroy’s
eighteen-year service head on by showing
his association with then house speaker
Nancy Pelosi.
TV ads should not be accusation
machines. Candidates should make a case
for themselves. As far as we’re concerned,
candidates shouldn’t even have to mention
that another candidate exists.
John Hoeven did an excellent job of
using TV ads properly. He used them to
explain what he had accomplished, his
standings on current issues, and what
he would do to realize North Dakota’s
interests in Washington. We cannot recall
Hoeven ever mentioning the other two
candidates or the even the unpopular
incumbent Democratic party. He simply
used the ads to build himself up.
Mud-slinging campaign ads could
be compared to school-ground bullies.
Bullies constantly put down others to
build themselves up. A bully’s self-worth
is founded upon how miserable other
people feel about themselves. In the same
way, negative campaign ads build their
foundations not on the candidate’s own
accomplishments or redeeming qualities,
but on the fact that voters should vote for
them because the opposition is horrible.
By the end of the campaign in
North Dakota, both candidates in the
representative race were saying, “vote
for me, I’m not that idiot Rick Berg,”
and “vote for me I’m not that Pelosiworshiping Earl Pomeroy,” instead of
simply making a case for themselves.
Take note though, smear campaign
ads are nothing new. All the way back
in the 1828 presidential election, John
Quincy Adams used a series of pamphlets
called the “Coffin Handbills.” In these
pamphlets, according to www.ncdcr.gov,
Adams openly called Andrew Jackson’s
mother a prostitute and his wife an
adulteress (10-30-10).
The difference in today’s smear ads
is that they’re right in your face, right
in your home. Ye olde smears were in
newspapers and flyers around town, not in
people’s living rooms.
Though we cannot make these ads go
away, we can choose to ignore them. As
young voters, we can chose to instead
educate ourselves about each candidate
and to ignore the hateful comments.
Letter to the Editor of The Miner Incidents
Megan Muscha: News Writer,
Sports Writer, and Features Editor
Contributors: Photographers
Jayme Pischel and Marisa Kritzberger, and artist Amber Hall.
Dear Editor,
It would appear that a portion of the student body of Beulah High School is not pleased with the amount of playing time some players
are receiving versus others on our sports teams. I would like to point out that there are reasons why certain individuals play more than
their teammates.
Some athletes are “new” to the game, or the coaches do not want to risk putting the kid in an environment like varsity football when
they might not be “mature” enough for it. Someone with more skill may have a better chance of getting playing time in the coach’s
interest to win. If we stopped caring about winning and competitiveness, and gave everyone the exact same amount of time in the game,
it would be similar to going back to junior high athletics. Not that there is anything wrong with junior high sports, but let’s face it, that’s
taking one step forward and one...two...three steps back for a high school athlete.
Then we have players that act like they “deserve” to play. There is one thing about that which bothers me. Did they work hard enough
to get it [playing time]?
Playing time is not rewarded to players; they must earn it. They have to challenge themselves to go above and beyond what their
coaches expect of them and prove that they should be out on the field or court. And if you think you can do a better job than one of our
coaches, I’ll bet they would let you spend some time in their shoes to see what they all have to put up with on a day-today basis.
Sincerely, Carson Simpfenderfer
The Miner Incidents is published six times a year by the Journalism Department by and for the students of Beulah High School and
does not necessarily represent the views of the administration. The Miner Incidents accepts signed letters to the editor, reserving the
right to edit them for grammar and profanity. Student submissions may be given to Mrs. Heller.
Anna Iverson goes up for a layup during a girls open gym to prepare
for the game on Dec. 10.
(Photo by: Anika Jurgens)
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Page 10
Opinion
Sports
Page 3
3 December 2010
3 December 2010
Miners start season at Washburn tournament
By: Anika Jurgens
The Miners start their season
on Dec. 2, 3, and 4 at a tournament
in Washburn.
The boys have been waiting for this
season ever since their chance at the state
title last year. Now with a fresh start and
higher hopes, they practice for the chance
to go back to state this year.
“Obviously expectations will be high
for this year; I hope that people don’t
compare this year’s team to last year’s
team, as they are not the same. This year’s
team needs to create its own identity,”
coach Jeremy Brandt said.
With the “Hoopster” ranking set high for
the Miners, they might feel the pressure at
the end of the conference games. Miners
are going into the 2010-2011 season
ranked 4th in state for the Class B title.
“I don’t feel any pressure from the
rankings and I will go into every game
feeling like any underdog,” senior
Leighton Guthmiller said.
Coach Brandt said that the coaches
and players put a lot of pressure on
themselves; being rated gives the Miner’s
opponents an incentive to try and beat a
rated team.
“We lost some very good leaders-- on
and off the court-- who had very good
work ethics and really set a tone for our
team,” Brandt said.
Last year the Miners had five seniors,
each of them being an asset to the team,
this season will be a change. The Miners
will overcome the loss of height and
speed, and play on.
“We will be a different team, we will
play alike and we just need to find the new
leaders,” senior Skye Little Soldier said.
Guthmiller thinks the hardest game
of the season will be the Watford City
Wolves; the “Hoopster” has the Wolves in
the 5th seat for the state title.
“I hope to improve my post moves and
learn new tricks to them,” Guthmiller said.
Fundamentals have a huge impact on the
season.
“Rebounding the ball off the boards
is going to be a key asset to the team.
Everyone needs to put shots up and
rebound every shot,” senior Dustin Rueb
said.
Each one of the players have and
important asset to the team and everyone
needs to improve. Time, work and help
are how the players get better.
“I will mainly try improving our
individual skills because as that improves,
we will improve as a team and hopefully
be playing our best at the end of the
season,” Brandt said.
Sharing the ball and growing as a team
is how the Miners hope to improve and
how they are looking forward to the wins
of the season.
“We need to be physically stronger and
become a better rebounding team,” Brandt
said.
With high hopes for the season coach
Brandt will try to take the boys all the
way to uphold and exceed the “Hoopster”
rankings.
Casey Duppong and Trever Zacher push the ball up the court, practicing
for the Dec. 2 tournament.
(Photo by: Anika Jurgens)
Cheerleaders push for recognition as Title IX sport
By: Megan Muscha
Cheerleading: a sport or merely an activity
complete with pom-poms and high pitched
chanting? This has been a school debate at
BHS for years and now this controversy has
entered the court system. Whether cheerleading
should be considered a sport is a hard question
to answer. It can depend on one’s definition of
a sport. A sport is an athletic activity requiring
skill or physical prowess and often of a
competitive nature according to dictionary.com
(11-3-10). By this definition alone, it would
seem clear that cheerleading is a sport. But,
there are some that oppose this notion.
This debate can mean much more than just pride to a
member of the cheer squad. The outcome of the dispute
can result in more funding for their organization and the
aquisition of respect.
This controversial decision became a court case
involving Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut
and U.S District Judge Stephan Underhill. Quinnipiac
University describes itself as a private, coeducational
institution located ninety minutes north of NYC. The
average class size is under twenty-five and the student-
to-faculty ratio is sixteen to one. QU chose to cut their
volleyball team because of the lack of funding and
instead replaced it with the cheerleading squad. This
decision led to complaints that cheerleading wasn’t a
sport and that the replacement violated Title IX.
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is
the landmark legislation that bans sex discrimination
in schools, whether in academics or athletics according
to the United States Department of Labor (www.dol.
gov, 11-1-10). This source states Title IX as saying:
“No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex, be
excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of,
or be subjected to discrimination under any educational
program or activity receiving Federal financial
assistance.” It was argued that because of this switch
up in sports, there is now an unequal number of sports
offered to the genders at Quinnipiac University.
U.S District Judge Stephan Underhill agreed in
“Federal Judge: Cheerleading Not a Sport Under Title
IX” by Andrew Bluebond, by ruling that cheerleading
is in fact not a sport because he believes it is still
“too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated
as offering genuine varsity athletic participation
opportunities for students” (Campus Progress, 10-27-10).
An activity can be considered a sport under Title IX if it
meets certain criteria. It must have practices, coaches,
competitions during a defined season, and a governing
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organization. It must also have competition as its primary
goal, not merely be the support of other athletic teams.
Malia Soyland made an excellent point in issue four of
The Miner Incidents in Feb. 2008: “If the cheerleading
team is not a sport according to the BHS handbook, then
why do members of the squad have to get sport physicals
before they can cheer at any games or even practice?”
For the most part, cheerleading meets all of the
requirements to become an official sport other than the
fact that competition is not always its primary goal. It
has dedicated coaches, and the practices are filled with
stretches and exercises for these members to get in
shape for the lifts and tumbles they perform. It is not
that people disagree with the difficulty of cheerleading,
according to Underhill, it’s just not organized enough.
So along with several other schools, Quinnipiac
created the National Competitive Stunts and Tumbling
Association. Their goal was to finally develop
competitive cheerleading as a college sport, but their
efforts failed in the eyes of Underhill.
Although Underhill is still firm in his beliefs, he did
not rule out the possibility that in the future cheerleading
could in fact become a sport under Title IX. Maybe
one day, shaking pom-poms and doing flips could be
considered an official sport as long as it meets all of the
criteria under Title IX.
Carson’s Conundrums
Stem cell research: two thumbs up
By: Carson Reinhardt
The use of stem cells for their
medicinal properties and the
valuable research they can provide
has been under fire since they were
first derived from mice embryos in
1981. Not until 1998 did scientists
discover a method that allowed
them to use human embryos for the
derivation of stem cells.
I feel stem cells are one of the most
important discoveries of the 20th century
because of two reasons: 1. they provide
scientists with new mediums to test drugs
on; 2. they have amazing regenerative and
differentiation properties.
With stem cells at their disposal,
scientists will need fewer lab animals for
testing mediums, and since stem cells
are derived from humans, the research
scientists perform is more accurate.
Also, with their amazing regenerative
properties, stem cells (specifically
embryonic) can differentiate into any type
of cell the body needs. According to the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), an
agency of the Department of Health and
Human Services, “diseases that might be
treated by transplanting cells generated
from human embryonic stem cells include
Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, traumatic
spinal cord injury, Duchenne’s muscular
dystrophy, heart disease, and vision and
hearing loss” (11-4-10).
Today, three major types of stem cells
exist: somatic, embryonic, and induced
pluripotent.
Somatic stem cells are derived from
tissues or organs in an adult. Adults,
according to the NIH website though,
have few of these cells and they lack the
miracle-properties of embryonic stem
cells.
Embryonic stem cells, although the
most useful, are also viewed as the most
unethical. Embryonic stem cells are
derived from human eggs that have been
fertilized in vitro, or fertilized outside of a
woman’s body in a lab. They are not taken
from inside a woman’s womb. Scientists
obtain the eggs from consenting adult
women who have been well informed of
how their eggs will be used.
The biggest sticking point for people
is the fact that these eggs are fertilized,
which to them constitutes a life. Let
me be clear that I completely agree
that this constitutes a life. A fertilized
egg, or “zygote,” has the potential to
become human, and that to me definitely
constitutes life. I don’t consider it
completely “human” because it needs the
proper environment to grow. A zygote
in storage in a lab’s basement will never
develop into a human. The zygote has the
potential to develop into a human, but it
lacks the ability to do so on its own.
If I were to be one hundred percent
honest with myself, I do believe the ends
justify the means. The destruction of the
zygote to me does not constitute murder,
or the destruction of a human. Again, I
completely agree that the zygote has the
potential to become a human and that it is
some sort of life. But, I also believe that
destroying something that has potential is
not the same as destroying its real
See Stem Cells page 9
Awesome Sauce
Cartoons reflect, affect culture
By: Andrew G. Heller
Saturday mornings during my
adolescence were a magical
time. I would wake up before it
was light out (a ludicrous idea to
me now) just to watch cartoons.
“Transformers,” “Digimon,” and
“Power Rangers” all culminated
into a few magical hours that
sparked my imagination and
affected me in ways I still see
reflected in society today.
Like many adults, my parents were
concerned about the violent content of
some of these shows, specifically “Power
Rangers.” They feared that my brothers
and I would attempt to imitate the Rangers
and leap off furniture and try to spin kick
each other in the face while extravagant
explosions went off behind us. They
seemed to have grossly overestimated our
adolescent coordination.
Cartoons not only affected me, but also
the world around me. Because they are
based on the societyin which they are
created, they go on to influence the culture
of that society.
“Looney Tunes” are some of the most
famous example of classic animation.
They are also classic examples of
programming trends reflecting current
events.
The “Censored Eleven” were withheld
from syndication by United Artists (UA)
in 1968 because of their horridly racist
depictions of African Americans. The
cartoons, originally created in the 1930s to
early ‘40s, were deemed too offensive for
contemporary audiences of the time.
At the same time as the decision was
being made, the Civil Rights movement
was making large strides in America to
gain basic civil rights previously denied to
African Americans.
Not wanting to be associated with the Ku
Klux Klan of the Jim Crow South or other
white supremacist groups, the UA banned
the cartoons, never to be seen again.
The most prominent leader of the Civil
Rights movement, Rev. Martin Luther King
Jr., was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the
same year the cartoons were banned.
Not all “Looney Tunes” are notorious
for their infamy. Some are famous for
their classic literature references. Several
episodes pay homage to John Steinbeck’s
“Of Mice and Men.”
Steinbeck’s novel is set in Depression era
California and follows two companions: the
average George, and the incredibly strong
but simple minded Lenny. The two dream
of owning their own farm were Lenny will
get his very own pet rabbits. He constantly
asks George, “Tell me about the rabbits.”
In one episode of “Looney Tunes,”
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are being
chased around a castle by the abominable
snowman. When he catches them, he starts
hugging or choking them while saying, “I
will name him George, and I will hug him,
and pet him, and squeeze him.”
In the 1986 “Transformers” animated
movie, Grimlock, a simple-minded Dinobot
who transforms into a Tyrannosaurus
Rex, asks another character, Kup, to “tell
Grimlock about petro-rabbits again.”
Cartoons are as adept at taking on real
See Cartoons page 9
Biel’s Bias
Megan’s Mind
Blue collar work deserves respect
Students: fight for sleep
By: Nicholas Biel
On a cold, blustery day in early
October, my uncle bids a sad
farewell to his favorite tractor, a
machine that he has spent many an
hour maintaining and upgrading.
As he prepares to send it off with the
new owner, he describes the purpose of
the attachments he has built over the years
to meet his varied needs – from snow and
dirt buckets to hydraulic grapple forks and
even a plow.
It is then that I realized that the skills
required to make such equipment, gained
from constant tinkering and upgrading, are
at least as vital to our county’s future as
knowledge gained from attending college.
Unfortunately, many Americans do not
feel this way. We have this deep-seated
belief that college is the only avenue to
a bright and successful future. We tend
to look down on those who start careers
straight out of high school, or who
(heaven forbid) don’t even make it that
far.
This type of thinking makes no sense.
A degree in engineering should merit
no more prestige than the mastery of a
craft like welding or plumbing. Likewise,
trade schools should not be compared
unfavorably to other educational
institutions simply because they offer no
formal degrees.
Advancing through the apprentice and
journeyman stages to become a master of
a trade can take just as long and require
as much intelligence as achieving a
bachelor’s degree or higher in college.
The two routes are essentially equivalent,
with one important caveat: apprenticeships
and vocational training cost much less per
year than college education.
Mentally demanding or high demand
blue-collar work earns much more than
the average bachelor level job. Elevator
installers, who have to know some
engineering and be skilled with electricity
and computerized controls, typically spend
about $16,000 on a four-year education
and earn an average of $67,000 per year
according to www.forbes.com (11-102010).
The accomplishments of blue collar
work are just as fantastic as any marvel
of engineering. While engineers and
architects are responsible for the design
of such wonders as the Hoover Dam and
Golden Gate Bridge, it is the construction
workers and maintenance staff who built
them and keep them intact.
In fact, qualities of blue collar work often
best those of white collar employment.
For one, the work of tradesmen, like the
wiring of houses or installation of indoor
plumbing, has had dramatically more
influence on raising the quality of life than
the work of accountants ever will.
Second, the nature of this type of labor
requires more creativity than white collar
jobs. Since every project differs, a typical
welder will learn to apply his skills in a
variety of ways, which fosters a sense of
invention that has great potential to benefit
society.
College degrees even have the potential
to limit creativity. A person going into an
engineering field, for example, might be
See Blue collar page 9
By: Megan Muscha
It’s a bright sunny morning, or
in North Dakota’s case a random
snow storm blows on through, and
I’m heading to school in a hurry
because I missed my alarm and my
toothbrush suddenly decided to
play hide-and-seek.
I race to my locker going full speed
because another tardy in the books could
possibly result in thirty-four minutes spent
in an extremely quiet room with a camera
watching my every move…also known as
“noon detention.” The fifty some minutes
sitting in a less than comfortable desk
seem to drag on when thoughts of sleep
and a comfy pillow enter the mind. When
suddenly the bell rings to exit class, I
realize that nothing homework related was
comprehended…and this cycle continues
throughout the day.
A good night’s sleep could have easily
prevented this. The average teen should
get about nine and a half hours of sleep
per night because growth hormones are
released mostly during sleep, according to
the American Sleep Disorders Association
in “Teenagers and Sleep” by Denise
Witmer (10-29-10).
While a person’s body is resting, it
is recharging and healing itself. It is
working to fix chemical imbalances and
ensuring that your blood sugar levels are
proper for the following day according to
LackOfSleep.com (10-30-10).
With activities such as texting,
Facebooking, and playing “Call of Duty,”
sleep seems like such a minor issue.
Because these activities sometimes take
precedence over sleep or even homework,
they can result in late nights finishing
homework or possibly blowing it off
completely.
Weekends can turn into two days spent
catching up on the “ZZZs.” A common
misconception is that it’s easy to make up
lost hours but this can turn into a viscous
cycle that can have harmful results. Lack
of sleep can lead to a groggy state of mind
and the inability to retain information
easily. So staying up late studying for
a major test the night before, like yours
truly, is actually doing more harm than
good. It can mix up simple information
such as Latin vocabulary terms and I’m
not even going to mention what happens
when I cram for two tests in one night.
Lack of sleep can also affect an
athlete’s abilities on the field or on the
court. If a body is sleep deprived, it can’t
be expected to perform at top quality.
Continually pushing the body beyond its
limits is only going to run it down more.
The physical effects from a lack of sleep
can result not only in lethargy, but high
blood pressure, weight gain, and other life
altering situations.
While resting on a comfy pillow, much
more is going on in the mind than just
dreams or the occasional nightmare.
The body experiences REM (rapid eye
movement) cycles. This is done in five
stages that repeat throughout the night
according to “Sleep Stages Overview,
Sleep Cycle” reviewed by Stanley J.
Swierzewski, III, M.D.
See Sleep page 9
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Page 4
Features
News
3 December 2010
3 December 2010
A La Carte provides alternative for students
Election continued from page 1
“I don’t feel it’s right to trap animals for
sport like that” Metcalf said.
Measure Two was comfortably beaten
with 56.6 percent of North Dakota voting
“no” and 43.4 voting “yes.” At BHS,
students went right along with state voters
voting against the proposition 52 percent
to 48 percent.
Up until Measure Two, the mock
election was a perfect picture of general
consensus among the masses. Every
grade, despite their differences in age
and both genders voted to send the
same senators and representatives to
Washington and voted “yes” on Measure
One. Only on Measure Two did the
mock election show any great rifts of
disagreement.
Female students voted 54.5 to 45.5
percent for the proposition. Although
the disparity between the females’
percentages was much less, there still was
a considerable majority for the passage of
the bill.
Male students voted 71.8 to 28.2 percent
against the proposition.
Sophomore Braden Dschaak wasn’t
worried that the bill violated property
rights, but rather that it violated basic
hunting principles.
“It allows people who didn’t get
anything to have the opportunity to still
fill their tag. Hunters should have the right
to hunt fenced-in game,” Dschaak said.
Testing continued from page 1
evaluate the strength of their curriculum
as well as the proficiency of their students.
“Because of the focus on meeting
AYP, I have seen teachers make more
and more use out of the testing results to
make curriculum decisions,” Principal
Wold said. “Fortunately, we don’t have to
choose which test to measure ourselves to,
since the tests are so similar.”
Unfortunately, one of the MAP test’s
greatest strengths is also a weakness. The
variability of the tests makes it difficult to
see the overall well-being of the school.
For this reason, the state assessment,
even though the lag makes it hard to
use, is still a valuable tool for measuring
educational health.
“Since every student takes the same
test, we can use that data as a measuring
stick to compare our school to others in
the state as well as to ourselves in past
years,” Kaylor said. “Furthermore, we
can compare data from both types of
tests as well as the ACT to give ourselves
a very good idea of where we stand
educationally.”
One thing to remember though, he said,
Page 9
By: Andrew G. Heller
According to Food Service Director
Janet Dschaak, A La Carte was created
fourteen years ago in an attempt to keep
students in school for their lunch hour.
While Beulah High School maintains an
open-campus policy for lunch that allows
students to go home to eat or visit a local
restaurant, the school encourages them to
enjoy the meals offered in the cafeteria.
A La Carte “gives kids choices” Dschaak
said.
In order to accommodate federal
regulations that stipulate the components
of a school lunch, almost everything
on A La Carte can be made into a meal
component. Guidelines stipulate what
constitutes a meal, ensuring students will
receive a balance of healthy food groups.
Aside from extra goodies like Rice
Krispy Bars, the main purpose of A La
Carte is to provide students with a full
meal option other than Main Line. This
comes in the form of a reimbursable meal.
A reimbursable meal consists of a milk,
up to two vegetables or fruits, and one
other choice according to junior Brittney
Segroves, who frequents A La Carte. The
other choice comes in the form of a piece
of pizza, turkey wraps, peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches, or a daily option.
“When I choose A La Carte, I get a
reimbursable meal every time,” Segroves
said.
The daily option is determined by
what new items the cooks want to try.
Sometimes these are promotional items.
A La Carte offers “more flexibility” than
Main Line. If the items are well received,
these options are provided in Main Line.
Certain options, such as pizza and
turkey wraps, are offered everyday
because they have become favorites.
Junior Tanner Dolbec and senior Frank
Smith both said they enjoy a slice of pizza
and chocolate milk whenever getting a
reimbursable meal.
“Over the years, kids have decided what
they like,” Dschaak said.
Dschaak said she would like to see
students choose less pizza because it is
high in fat. She said a higher amount of
food is specifically offered on Main Line
to pull students away from A La Carte
because the meals are healthier. Whether
kids choose one or the other “depends on
the menu” and “what kids want.”
Something else kids want are snacks.
This is the second half of A La Carte. For
an additional cost, students can purchase
cookies made by the cooks, bottles of
Powerade, and Fruit Roll Ups, among
other things.
Cookies are the most popular treat
offered. Junior Katlyn Dschaak said
they are her favorite “because they are
delicious.”
“My favorite is the cookie because it’s a
cookie, duh!” junior Taisha Bauer said.
A La Carte offers students healthy
options too. Choices of two vegetables or
fruit to go along with their reimbursable
meal include carrots, apples, pineapples,
and sometimes bananas.
“My favorite is the fruit boat because
it’s healthy and delumptious,” junior
Nicole Stadick said.
Students’ opinions are heard. A La
Carte offers cooks the chance to see what
kids’ tastes cause them to choose. They
can see if students like a new option or
not. Still, students would like to see other
options implemented.
Sophomore Jordan Bauer said he
would like to see brownies added. Bauer
said she would like non-watered down
marinara sauce because the normal kind
“is nasty.”
Another choice students would like to
see offered is pop. Smith dramatically
emphasized that he would like Mountain
Dew. Dolbec’s preferred choice is Mug
style rootbeer. Due to school health
requirements, pop is not a choice. It does
Blue Collar Continued from page 3
so caught up in the ways engineers think
(solving problems mathematically using
physics and statistics), that he or she may
neglect to just experiment and solve things
that way.
I intend to get a college degree not
because of some perceived collegiate
superiority, but because I don’t believe
that I have the patience or tenacity to
build a career from nothing the way my
uncle and so many others from previous
generations did.
I only hope that I can mix the
specialized knowledge that I will
gain from college with the blue-collar
ingenuity of my ancestors to have a
successful and productive career.
Sleep continued from page 3
(healthcommunities.com, 10-30-10).
Stage one is drowsiness, where the eyes
are closed but if woken up from it a
person may feel as if he or she hasn’t slept
a wink. Stage two is a period of light
sleep. Muscles go from toning to relaxing
and as the body temperature decreases and
the heart rate slows, the body prepares to
enter into a deep sleep. The deep sleep
occurs during stages three and four. Any
intervening in these cycles can cause them
to go unfinished. By going to bed late and
only getting, say, six hours of sleep, the
last part of the REM cycle is not going to
be completed.
So the next time 9:35 pm rolls around
and homework still isn’t finished or there
is a big test the next day, put down the
controller or the cell phone. Even though
you might be really close to the next
level on “Call of Duty,” in the middle of
the latest drama-filled story via texting,
or simply checking out new statuses on
Facebook, just tell yourself all of that stuff
will still be there the next day after you
wake up from a nice, long, much needed
sleep that your body deserves.
La Carte offers students the
chance to enjoy some chips, raise a
toast over juice boxes, or munch on
a cookie lovingly prepared by the
Beulah High School cooks.
is that tests are just tools to be used to take
the guesswork out of education.
“It is ultimately up to the teachers to
provide the great learning environment
that we see today,” he said.
Cartoons continued from page 3
world issues as they are classic literature.
In September 1992, “Batman: The
Animated Series” premiered on Fox. The
animated show was immediately critically
acclaimed for its mature tone and artistic
ambition.
“Batman” also caught attention for
being one of the first cartoon shows on a
major network that specifically targeted
children that depicted actual firearms
and realistic gunfire. Before then, most
successful cartoons had used laser guns
for battle scenes.
The series’ premiere coincided with
the 1992 presidential election between
incumbent George H. W. Bush and
Bill Clinton. This race marked the
first instance of Democrats using gun
control as a political issue. Until
then, Republicans had usually accused
Democrats of being “soft on crime.”
One of Clinton’s first actions as
president was to lobby congress for
passage of the Brady Bill. The bill, named
after press secretary James Brady who
was injured in an assassination attempt on
President Reagan, put restrictions on the
purchase of handguns. It was signed into
law on Nov. 30, 1993.
A year later, the 1994 Crime Bill,
which included the assault weapons ban.
The law banned certain semi-automatic
firearms. These types of weapons and
handguns were both features prominently
in “Batman.”
Animated shows can be targeted at adult
audiences and be successful. Both Fox
and Cartoon Network have created blocks
of programming of animated shows with
18 - and - older target audiences, called
Animation Domination and Adult Swim
respectively.
Animation Domination has been built
around “The Simpsons,” the longest
running sitcom in American history.
Although the series has been met with
criticism for the “bad example” it sets for
children, the show has won 27 Primetime
Emmy Awards, 27 Annie Awards, and
a Peabody Award. In 1998 “Time”
magazine named “The Simpsons” the
century’s best television series.
Adult cartoons are known for testing
the limits of acceptable content and also
for pushing the boundaries of Freedom of
Speech. In recent years, “South Park” has
attempted to offend everyone possible all
in the name of freedom.
In a post-9/11 world, pressure from
radical Islamic groups has made depicting
images of their prophet Mohammad a
social taboo. Depicting him is a horrid
action in the Muslim faith.
In 2006, the two part “South Park”
episode “Cartoon Wars” aired, with the
main intent of showing a depiction of
Mohammad on television. Althought the
episode was created with Mohammad
in it, Comedy Central, the network
that broadcasts “South Park,” censored
it. Intead they showed a black screen
with the white words “Comedy Central
has refused to broadcast an image of
Mohammad on their network” for the
duration of the time Mohammad was
supposed to be on screen.
In 2010, for their 200th episode,
“South Park” attempted again to show
Mohammad. They were again censored
after the shows creators, Matt Stone and
Trey Parker, received death threats from
radical Islamic groups. The network also
censored the character Kyle’s speech at
the end of the episode that summed up the
message. It allegedly never mentioned
Mohammad, but instead talked about
Freedom of Speech and not giving into
fear.
Many fans were upset by this and
pointed to a 2001 episode entitled “Super
Best Friends” which depicts and mocks
religious figures of many faiths including
Mohammad. After attention was brought
to this, the episode was removed from
“South Park”’s website.
Cartoons can be targeted at five-yearolds or college students. They can star
superheroes of foul-mouthed fourthgraders. Whatever their premise, they
affect our society. They are based off
the culture they are created in. This
causes a circle of influence and creation
between the two. Maybe “The Spongebob
Squarepants Movie” isn’t this generation’s
Odyssey, but these characters a plots
have a strong impact on us, whether we
acknowledge it or not.
Zap Sportmens’ Club
Membership Fees:
Single: $20
Family: $25
Students
Sakakawea Medical Center
wishes luck to all the
Beulah Miner athletes.
Noon Buffet & Pop
510 8th Ave. NE
Hazen, ND 58545
(701)-748-2225
$6.00
Hours
Dr. Jackson, DO
Brian Cooper, PA-C
Target Fees (25):
Adult: $3.50
Youth: $1.75
League Card Fees:
Adult: $45
Youth: $22.50
Winter League starts in
February.
Shootoff is May 14
not meet the nutritional standards.
Instead, the students can purchase
bottles of water, Powerade, and other
healthy drink choices like juice boxes.
Dschaak said she gets a juice box every
morning.
“Something I would like to see added
would be more variety on fruit because
it seems there are only apples or orange
colored fruit. Or those fruit ‘bowls,’”
Segroves said.
No matter what their choice, students
are appreciative of the cooks and the
options they provide with A La Carte.
“I love our lunch ladies. They do a good
job and are always smiling,” Smith said.
Lunch Server Karla Ripplinger offers students optional food items.
(Photo by Andrew Heller)
Stem Cells continued from page 3
incarnation. No one is killed when the
embryo is destroyed. That zygote was
made in a lab for the express purpose
of healing someone in either a direct
or indirect way. I would take issue if
the zygote was taken directly from the
mother’s womb, but it is not.
Soon, though, the entire argument
surrounding embryonic stem cells may
become a moot point.
In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka’s team at
Kyoto University, Japan made a massive
breakthrough when they were able to
genetically reprogram somatic stem
cells to an embryonic stem cell–like
state in mice. Late in 2007, the same
scientists successfully reprogrammed
human somatic cells. These new types of
stem cells are called induced pluripotent
stem cells, or “iPSCs” for short. In
preliminary testing, they have shown
similar characteristics to embryonic stem
cells. It is yet to be determined whether
or not they act exactly the same as
embryonic, but I’m hopeful. I welcome
the replacement of stem cells if it means
more people will embrace it.
Stem cells should continue to be
used and tested on as they may one day
enlighten us even more. Stem cell research
is progress and, like nature, progress will
find a way.
Michael J. Hammerschmidt
O.D.
Doctor of Optometry
Beulah Vision, P.C.
Advanced Eyecare for a Lifetime
204 West Main
Beulah, North Dakota 58523
(701) 873-5251
1-888-873-5251
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Features
Page 8
Features
Page 5
3 December 2010
3 December 2010
Foreign exchange students come to Beulah High School
Saengsia excited to be in the U.S.
An exchange student is a good
thing for every school to have.
Juthathip Saengsia, from Thailand,
discusses her experiences at BHS.
Q: What was the most stressful part
about coming to the U.S.?
A: I think I am not good at speaking; I
want to speak more, sometimes I don’t
understand what they are saying to me,
that make me want to learn about English
more.
Q: What do you hope to learn while
over here?
A: I hope to speak English better than I
do now. I hope to learn about USA culture
and hope that everyone likes me.
Q: Is it hard coming to a new country
and school?
A: Yes, because everything here is
different with the country. EX. The
weather is so different but it isn’t hard
coming to a new school because everyone
is friendly and they are nice people.
Q: How long did it take you the settle
in?
A: About nine months
By: Carson Reinhardt
Patrons of the fine arts and
parents alike filled the high school
gym on Nov. 4 for the 18 annual
Beulah-Hazen joint band concert.
Q: When do you go back?
A: June 2, 2011
By: Anika Jurgens
Q: What are a couple things that are
really different about school?
A: In my school in Thailand, we have
uniforms for students; we have to wear
them every day. We can’t choose the
subject to learn; we all have the same
schedule.
Beulah opened the night with a fastpaced overture called “Sunburst.” The
song starts out soft and slow, to mimic the
rising sun. As the song goes on though,
it becomes louder and more majestic to
paint a picture of a fully risen sun in all its
glory.
Beulah band director Pam Ham said
this song went well and had an “overall
lovely sound to it with a warm lower brass
rumble that could make women swoon.”
Beulah finished its turn with “Lest We
Forget,” a large compilation of Civil
War era songs such as “Dixieland” and
“Goober Peas.” The song also featured
Loy Ham, Beulah’s American history
teacher, dramatically reciting a quote
from Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural
address during the song.
Beulah then handed the floor over to
Hazen’s band, under the direction of their
long-standing director Chris Harvey.
Hazen began with “Earthdance,” a song
with hard-hitting, primitive sounding
percussion accompanied with other earthy
Q: What are some things that are
different about life in general?
A: In Thailand we eat rice with every
meal, and most students in Thailand have
special classes on Saturdays.
Q: Does being a foreign exchange
student affect you in school in your
home country?
A: No, it’s good to learn about your
country, language, and everything else.
Now I can speak English.
Q: What’s one thing you see in the
U.S. that you can’t see in your home
country?
A: Snow: because Thailand is a warm
country, we don’t have snow so I’m
excited to see snow.
(Photo by Anika Jurgens)
Kung experiences ND differences
By: Anika Jurgens
Vanessa Kung, a foreign
exchange student from Germany,
is staying with Haugans for her
remaining time in America.
Q: What was the most stressful part
about coming to the U.S.?
A: The organization before the flight and
the flight itself.
Q: What do you hope to learn while
over here?
A: I hope to learn more about the
American culture and the high school.
Q: Is it hard coming to a new country
and school?
A: At first it was really hard, but I got
used to it after a while.
(Photo by Anika Jurgens)
Beulah-Hazen combine musical forces to entertain
Q: How long did it take you the settle
in?
A: It took me about 2-3 weeks.
Band director Pam Ham conducts students in musical harmony.
(Photo by: Andrew Heller)
rhythms. Before the song began though,
Hazen had the crowd create “jungle”
noises by snapping their fingers and
patting their thighs to create the proper
atmosphere.
Next up was “Saterjentens Sontag,”
an old and beloved Norwegian tune.
Although short and slow, it had powerful,
deliberate, and robust chords that Hazen
pulled on expertly to create an emotional
Black brings experience to Beulah School Board
By: Anika Jurgens
A supervisor at DGC and a school board
Q: When do you go back?
A: Probably on January 27.
member, Jim Black is not new but wants to
bring new ideas to the board when the times are
right.
Q: What are a couple things that are
really different about school?
A: The classes, schedules, the meals they
serve for lunch, the size of the school
Black was educated in education and wanted to be
involved in education again in some way.
“In order to make a difference in our school system a
person needs to step up when the time is appropriate. I
had taught special education in Columbus, Ohio before
entering industry.”
“My children were out of high school and in college and
I had some free time. Little did I know that being on a
school board would be so involved. However, I have
come to enjoy it,” Black said.
As a supervisor at DGC, Black has to wear many hats;
he needs to be a time keeper, a planner, a disciplinarian, a
coach and teacher, as well as a friend.
“It’s a lot like teaching only with better pay,” Black said.
Black brings experience and honest judgment to the
school board. He realizes he’s not always right, but his
intentions are always for the good of the school and
district.
“I have three daughters. All three of them are teachers
and it keeps me connected to them,” Black said.
School is something no one will never forget, the first
day, the last day, pictures, and teachers, it’s all about the
Q: What are some things that are
different about life in general?
A: The food, the language, the weather.
(It’s getting colder here in the winter)
Q: Does being a foreign exchange
student affect you in school in your
home country?
A: No, the grades that I get here won’t
count in Germany.
Q: What’s one thing you see in the
U.S. that you can’t see in your home
country?
A: Poptarts!
experiences that will stay with people their whole lives.
“The one experience that I will never forget is when
one of my core teachers expressed disappointment in me
because I failed to follow through on a project. He gave
me constructive criticism, and I think it was the first time
I realized that I must have worth because someone cared
what I had or hadn’t accomplished,” Black said.
Every student needs to learn the difference between
criticism and constructive criticism. When they do, they
will realize how many people actually care about how
they do in school and life.
Black enjoys working on wood projects and he loves
golfing with his wife. His favorite NFL team is the
Pittsburgh Steelers. On his quiet Sundays, he likes to sit
and read comic books.
“The fast growing world of technology and keeping up
with the changes may be a hard issue that faces students
today. When I was in school, we had transistor radios and
were amazed with a calculator,” Black said.
His school life was nothing like today’s but some things
never change. While lunch may have got healthier in the
last couple of years, the favorites never change.
“My favorite school lunch was pizza,” Black said.
Black wants students to keep learning and stay abreast
of the world.
“You can’t control the world but you can contribute to
it,” Black said.
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effect.
Hazen concluded their turn with the
Hungarian folk song “Csardas,” a song
with many variations in tempo by starting
off slow but ending blisteringly fast.
“Csardas” literally means “tavern” in
English, but, historically, the song was
used in the 18th century to recruit men for
the Hungarian army.
As is customary, Beulah and Hazen
combined to create one cohesive band
under the direction of a guest conductor.
This year, Dr. Boyd Perkins from
Northern State University in South Dakota
took the opportunity.
Dr. Perkins sent the crowd into the sky
with “Where the Black Hawk Soars”;
a song with a mixture of fast, soaring
eighth-note scales to create the feeling of
flight, and contrasting “andante,” or slow,
phrases to reinforce the majesty of flight
compared to terrestrial transportation.
The last song of the night was “The
Great American Frontier.” True to its
name, it had a galloping beginning with
traditional cowboy-esque rhythms and
melodies followed by a slower, “lonely
cowboy” middle.
Unlike many other activities that involve
Hazen and Beulah, this one was not a
competition.
Eighteen years ago, according to Ham,
then Beulah band director Brad Bernson
and Chris Harvery simply thought it
would be a novel idea to not only have
both bands play together, but hear each
other.
“By hearing each other, we learn from
each other. I can talk about dynamics until
I’m blue in the face, but actually hearing
the dynamics in action can teach students
much more effectively,” Ham said.
We are open Mon-Fri
6:00AM-8:00 and
Sat 8:00-12:00PM
(Photo courtesy of Jim Black)
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Miner Focus
Page 6
Miner Focus
Page 7
3 December 2010
3 December 2010
Voting rights arrive witth onset of adulthood
Female students voting on Measure Two
at BHS
By: Andrew G. Heller
Important voting demographics, or sections of
the population with a uniting characteristic that
tend to vote similarly, can include the elderly,
religious groups, and minorities. For the
students of Beulah High School, it is a right of
passage to enter the ranks of what is known as
the “youth” demographic.
Students who have turned 18 are given this
right by the Twenty-sixth Amendment. It states,
“The right of citizens of the United States, who
are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States
or by any State on account of age.”
According to “Public Papers of the
Presidents,” President Dwight D. Eisenhower
became the first president to publicly support
lowering the voting age to 18 in his 1954
State of the Union address. In it, he called for
“prohibiting age-based denials of suffrage for
those 18 and older.”
In 1979, President Richard Nixon signed the
Voting Rights Act of 1965, which required the
voting age to be 18 in all federal, state, and local
elections.
“Despite my misgivings about the
constitutionality of this one provision, I have
signed the bill. I have directed the Attorney
General to cooperate fully in expediting a swift
court test of the constitutionality of the 18-yearold provision,” Nixon said.
Oregon challenged the law in 1970. In
Oregon v. Mitchell, 400 U.S. 112 (1970), the
Supreme Court ruled parts of the law that
required states to register 18-year-olds for state
and local elections unconstitutional.
With the advent of the Vietnam War,
Congress felt mounting pressure to pass the
proposed constitutional amendment that would
officially lower the voting age to 18. Many
Americans were angered by the fact that they
were old enough to be eligible for the military
draft, but not old enough to vote.
On July 5, 1971, Nixon signed into law the
Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States
Constitution. Because of this, a select number
of BHS seniors were able to participate and
voice their opinions in the 2010 Midterm
Elections. Oddly, North Dakota has not ratified
this Amendment according to law.emory.edu.
A key factor of voting in the U.S. is the choice
of abstaining, or not voting. Although they
were given this choice, all students interviewed
opted to cast their ballot. Blake Smith said
he did it simply “because my parents told me
to.” Most others cited a sense of obligation as
motivation. A desire to express his opinions
through his voting rights motivated Alex
Gunsch.
“I felt obligated as a citizen of the United
States. I want to help maake an influence in the
leadership of this countryy,” Lucas Schnaidt said.
Since Schnaidt was votting in North Dakota,
the process was relativelyy easy. According
to Secretary of State Alvin A. Jaeger’s Web
site, nd.gov/sos, North Dakota
D
is the only
state without voter registtration. Several states
practice same-day registrration, which requires
voters to register on the day
d they vote, but ND
doesn’t even have this reestriction.
Precincts in ND maintaain records of voters
who have voted in previoous elections. But for
BHS students, this was thheir first election. For
them, the process was as simple as verifying
their address and residenncy within the state.
This could have been challenged
c
at a polling
station. Charles Mattheis, who voted at such
a place, did not meet with any criticism when
casting his vote. This is typical. If he had
What most influences your vote?
Melanie Pulver, science teacher:
“I like to consider
myself
an informed voter. I
look at the candidates’
voting history more than
anything because, let’s
face it, politicians tend
to tell voters what they
want to hear, not
what they plan to do in
office.”
Rachel Funkhouser, freshman:
“My parents have probably
influenced me the most in
the way I base my political
beliefs. I personally think
campaign ads, constant
coverage of the same thing
on multiple channels, and
all the negative ads are
very annoying. My parents
influence me because
they include me in their
conversations, ask me for
my opinion on things, and
teach me things I don’t quite
have the experience to
evaluate myself and things I
don’t understand.”
challenged, he would have to sign an
affidavit swearing to the fact that he is a
qualified elector. After signing it, he would
have been allowed to vote.
Jaeger attributes this to North Dakota’s
status as a rural state and the close ties its
communities maintain.
“Establishing relatively small precincts is
intended to ensure that election boards know
the voters who come to the polls on Election
Day and can easily detect those who should
not be voting,” Jaeger said.
Another voting method, chosen by all those
interviewed except Mattheis, was absentee
ballot. According to longdistancevoter.org,
every North Dakota resident can choose an
absentee ballot. This is a mailed-in vote
that does not require the person to visit
any specific location. It’s stereotypical to
consider high school seniors lazy, and the
large percentage chose a mailed ballot might
reflect that.
Something that does not reflect the
lethargic stereotype is the research they claim
to have done.
Both Smith and Schnaidt were informed
through their parents. Smith also listened
to the radio for information and Schnaidt
looked at “some flyers.”
Aside from candidates, they also had the
opportunity to vote on several proposed
measures. BHS students were eager to vote
on these. All said they understood the
measures.
Whether voting for a person or a piece of
legislation, the experience is riveting for the
first time. This can present its own unique
set of surprises. For these students, most of
the surprises were pleasant ones.
Other students were in awe of the electoral
process. The ways people have different
opinions on certain issues struck Smith.
Gunsch was surprised at what the delegates
are going to try to do to make the state a
better place.
“All of the positions we were able to vote
on, some that I didn’t even know existed
were shocking,” Schnaidt said.
A select few Beulah High School seniors
have taken the messages of the U.S.
government to heart. It invites them to
participate, and North Dakota makes it easy
to do so. This is the first time they were
given such an opportunity, and they did not
want to miss out. They urge their peers to
participate when given the chance as
well.
Male students voting on Measure Two
at BHS
What will the issues be in the next election?
Greg Yale, math educator:
“I think health care
and social security will
be major players in the
next election, along with
the battle over whether
global warming and
changing weather patters
have been created by
us. For education, with
republican control now,
I think “Charter” shools
and vouchers could
become huge problems
for public schools.”
Brooke Renner, Senior:
“I think that healthcare will be
a big issue. Someone is going to
have to step up and fix Obama
care. Another issue will be social
security and what will have to
be done to get it back on track
so our generation may have it
in the future. Also, hatred and
disapproval will play a big part in
the Democratic Party. [Obama’s]
performance will affect how
many people vote. Finally the
war in Iraq and the War on Terror
will be an issue as it has been for
the last few years.”