Oct. - Limestone Community High School

Limestone Community High School
Bartonville, Illinois 61607
Editors: Sami Hubbard and Leah McElhiney
Volume 55, Issue 1
October 3, 2008
Locks of Love: Worth losing your hair over
Anna Coovert, daughter of French teacher Mrs. Coovert, proudly
displays her hair for the camera. Her golden locks were donated
to Locks of Love Thursday, September 10.
Photograph courtesy of Mrs. Coovert.
By Taylore Carr
Locks of Love is changing
lives more and more each
year by bringing out selfconfidence and self-esteem
in children throughout the
United States and Canada.
Locks of Love is a non-profit
organization that provides
hairpieces for children who
are financially disabled and
suffering from a medical hair
loss disease or disorder.
Locks of Love was first started
by Madonna Coffman back in
December of 1997. Coffman
herself had obtained the
disorder alopecia after getting a
hepatitis vaccination. She later
recovered, but fifteen years later
her daughter developed the
same disorder, which inspired
her to create an organization to
help other children with similar
disorders.
As of today, Locks of Love
has helped more than two
thousand children. Through
the help of the media and other
volunteers, this organization
is continuing to grow and
continuing to make a difference.
Locks of Love has been
featured on the “Oprah Show,”
“The Today Show,” “Good
Morning America”, and many
other
television
networks
because of its life changing
values.
Most of the children who are
given these hairpieces suffer
from alopecia areata. Alopecia
areata is a disorder in the
immune system that causes
the hair follicles to shut down.
According to the Locks of Love
website, about 4.7 million
Americans are affected by this
disorder each year.
The second greatest disease
that creates the need for Locks
of Love’s hairpieces is cancer.
The chemotherapy that is given
as a treatment to cancer causes
hair loss for a period of time
depending on the treatment
Page 3
Get with the times
Limestone
length.
Other causes for hair loss in
children are from accidents,
burns, dog attacks, and
many others. Children, who
need or would like hairpieces
from Locks of Love, fill out an
application, send it in, and the
Board of Directors look and see
if it can be approved.
If the child is approved, they
will receive a hairpiece that
is vacuum sealed, just like a
suction cup, so that there is
no need for the itchy glue that
irritates the scalp, and the child
does not have to worry about the
hairpiece falling off at any time.
They can just be regular kids
again, because the hairpieces
can be washed, swam with,
and even worn while doing any
active activity. The hair length
arrives long, so that the child
can cut and style it any way they
want, unlike any other kind of
wig which uses uncomfortable
glue and is styled for much
older people.
Children often stop going out
and doing activities that they
love to do, because they become
self-conscience about their nonexistent hair. Locks of Love
tries to change that outlook by
having people donate hair and
help out with the organization
and through fundraisers for
the organization.
To donate hair you have to
go by some guidelines so that
the donated hair can be used
for a hairpiece. You have to
make sure that the donated
hair is at least ten inches long,
in a ponytail to send off, and it
may be colored or permed but
not bleached. For complete
guidelines, please visit www.
locksoflove.com.
By donating hair, you change
a child’s life around. They all
of a sudden become a different
person all because of one single
hairpiece. You also get a feeling
that you will never get in any
Page 11
Page 8
Bailamos
Page 5
First of the Twilight
series book reviews
other way. As Sami Hubbard,
an alumni for donating hair
said, “Even though it took a
while to get used having short
hair, I loved the fact that I gave
someone else hair that changed
their life.”
When you do donate to Locks
of Love, you will receive a thankyou card within ninety days.
Mrs. Coovert, whose daughters
have donated hair, said that,
“Receiving the postcard made
my daughters feel appreciated
for donating and inspired them
to want to donate again.”
If you would like any
more information on this
organization, or would like to
get an application to donate,
volunteer, or apply for a
hairpiece please visit www.
locksoflove.com. Think for a
minute, if you could do one
thing in the world for a child
what would it be? Think of
someone else donate your
hair.
Major league baseball in
October
Page 10
Could the driving age
really go up?
2
Opinion
Editor: Taylore Carr
Disclaimer...
Limelight is the student newspaper at Limestone
Community High school. It is a laboratory for
journalism students designed to serve the entire school
community.
The newspaper provides staff members with
independent writing opportunities and individual
evaluation. Writing is based on a wide variety of research
for a broad and often critical audience. The experience
demands responsibility and cooperation.
Business skills are learned through the needs to sell
advertising and to remain financially solvent.
While the newspaper is responsible to the Board and
subject to state and federal laws, the contents reflecting
student thoughts are not necessarily in agreement
with administrative policy. An understanding of
administrative policy should be reflected in related
articles.
The primary audience for the newspaper is the
student body at Limestone Community High School.
However, the staff recognizes that the paper is read by
the faculty, the administrators, the parents, and the
community as a whole.
The main function of the newspaper in serving the
audience is to accurately report significant aspects of
school life and issues of concern to the readers. Due to
the fact that straight new stories are based on fact and
should be unbiased, they may not be signed.
Limelight should stimulate thinking and provide
leadership for the school. As an independent observer,
the newspaper should use its unique access to a new
and broad perspective to lead the school community
toward
constructive
accomplishment.
Editorial
comments reflect the thoughts of the editorial board
and are not signed. Reviews and opinion columns by
individuals must carry bylines.
Limelight provides its readers with a public forum;
students, faculty, administrators, parents, and others
in the school community are encouraged to react to
material printed through signed letters or articles.
Names will sometimes be withheld from publication
for a good cause. Outside contributors are subject to
the usual restrictions of libel, defamation, slander, and
obscenity and must conform to newspaper policy.
The newspaper need not agree with or endorse the
contents of outside contributions. Contributions may
be rejected if considered unsuitable. Any questions to
this policy should be directed towards the newspaper
adviser and/or the editors.
Feel shamelessly
By Tyler Owen
Greetings, Limestone. I’m
Tyler
Owen,
a
first-time
columnist for the Limelight.
As some of you may notice, I’ve
taken this little section of the
paper from Miss Dara Peacock,
just as she inherited it from
Mr. Kyle Hovey.
I read their opinions religiously
as an underclassman, and I
can assure you that the overall
atmosphere of the column
will remain just as personable
and conversational as my
predecessors.
For those of you who need a
further introduction regarding
the nature of my column,
the title “Unspoken of the
Outspoken” is simply a catchy
way to say, “The previously
unsaid things from someone
who talks a lot.”
My friends and family are well
aware of my constant talking
and opinion-sharing, which I’m
actually guiltlessly proud of.
I believe it’s healthy to share
inner emotions with the
outside world, as if to maintain
a balance, if you will.
An outlet for your personal
feelings isn’t limited by any
means at all.
Personally, I
enjoy writing, while others take
solace in singing, drawing,
dancing, or merely talking
with someone else. No two
people are exactly alike, so no
two creations will ever be the
same as anyone else’s in the
Limelight
Limelight is the student newspaper of Limestone Community High School. It is published monthly by media methods students.
Limelight is a member of the Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association, and Illinois High School Scholastic Press
Association. Students are responsible for the content of Limelight. Views represented do not necessarily represent, in part
or in whole, those of the Limestone Community High School administration or faculty. Editorial policy is determined by the
Editorial Board of Limelight, and views expressed in editorials are those of the majority of the editorial board. Columns that
carry bylines are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent that of Limelight. The paper is distributed free to
students and staff. Subscriptions are available by mail anywhere in the US for $8 per school year. Contact us at: Limestone
Community High School, 4201S. Airport Rd., Bartonville, Illinois 61607. Telephone: (309) 697-6271. Email: limelight@
limestone.k12.il.us. Read us on the Internet at: http://limestone.k12.il.us/limelight. Printed by P&P Press, Peoria, IL.
Editors-in-chief: Sami Hubbard and Leah McElhiney
Page Editors: Chris Butler, Taylore Carr, Tyler Owen, Connor Webster
Chief Photographer: Danielle Webster
Business Manager: Liz Kelly
Reporters: Tony Azbill, Chris Bulter, Taylore Carr, Nick Hermann, Sami Hubbard, Nick Jones, Liz Kelly, Leah McElhiney,
Blake McWilliams, Jordan Miller, Tyler Owen, Connor Webster, Danielle Webster
Advisor: Rebecca Coovert
history of the world, let alone
the means of expression.
Some of you have caught on,
screaming, “That’s the textbook
definition of art!”
You’re absolutely right.
Any way you express your
innermost identity to the Earth
is art, regardless of how it is
done.
Simply put, Limestone, live
by way of your feelings and, in
order to do so, you must know
what those feelings are.
Do something you feel is
artistic to you, and don’t
consider originality. I’d love to
hear some responses and/or
stories in lieu of this theme, so
please feel free to write.
Until next time…
Opinion
3
Editor: Taylore Carr
I am sorry…
By Leah McElhiney
Forgiveness n. - disposition
or willingness to grant pardon
for or remission of (an offence,
debt, etc.); absolve.
All situations where offence
is taken call for an apology,
followed by forgiveness.
Although not everyone is
capable of apologizing or
forgiving.
It takes a strong person to
forgive, but an even stronger
one to apologize.
An apology calls for a bruise
to the ego and the pride. It
means admitting you were
wrong, most likely to the ones
you care about the most.
We like to believe that we do
not care what people think,
especially those who care about
us, but I think the opposite.
Our family and friends opinion
matter the most to us, why?
I think because we love them
and they mean the world to us.
Loosing them would be like
loosing a part of ourselves.
The people we care about
may be the hardest to apologize
to, because we care so much.
They are the easiest to forgive.
Although in some situations
it may be harder to forgive than
we want it to be.
I am the queen at holding
grudges, so I know how hard
forgiveness is to grant.
Though I do not really know
Photograph courtesy of Google.com
why, I do not know where the
line is between easy and hard
to forgive.
It seems very hypocritical to
me that we find it so hard to
apologize and so easy to forgive,
when in reality the go together
like peanut butter and jelly.
I know arguments with friends
should be easy to forgive.
However, if you find yourself
begging for forgiveness and it
will not be granted, take a step
back, you might find that you
were not the only one in the
wrong.
Sometimes it is a matter of
apologizing, then leaving the
ball in their court.
Friendship is something we
have come to know since
childhood, some cherish it
others just cannot see the
light.
I think that forgiveness
between friends comes easiest
when forgivee truly knows the
meaning of friendship.
We must all admit that we
were wrong in order to get
forgiveness.
A bruise to the ego is a small
price to pay for friendship that
will last a lifetime.
Keeping up with the times
Photographs courtesy of Google.com
By Sami Hubbard
It is well known that cell
phones and MP3 players are not
tolerated here at Limestone.
It can be understood why they
make these rules, but there
can be just as many reasons to
keep phones and MP3 players
with us.
To start off, with cell phones,
people obviously use them at
school and get into trouble.
This I can understand.
Of course you should be
paying attention in class and
not texting somebody who you
will see when the bell rings.
Yes it is true that cell phones
can be a distraction in class,
from people playing games
on them when they should be
listening, to when people do
not turn them off and then they
ring in the middle of class.
These are all the reasons that
the administrators do not want
us to have our phones with us
during school. Even with all of
this in consideration, there are
still some reasons to have our
phones with us and even ways
to compromise.
If there were to be a school
emergency it would take
considerable time to inform
every student’s parents what
happened, let alone who was
and was not safe.
For example, (and of course I
hope none of these ever happen
to any school let alone ours) if
there was a major fire during
the school day. It would take
a lot of time to figure out who
was missing.
If there were a fire the teachers
do have our information in the
folders they carry out. Even with
the folders it would still take a
considerable amount of time
and all the phones would still
be
inside
except the
d e a n ’ s
phones.
This would
cause panic
throughout
t
h
e
community
because
they would
not
know
if
their
student
made it out
okay.
Another
example
could be if there was a student
who was injured during the
school day.
It would be much faster to
take the students phone out
of their pocket or purse and
look for an ICE (In Case of
Emergency) number and get a
hold of a parent.
This way, while someone is
on the phone calling 911,
somebody can be on the phone
with the parent finding out
about allergies, illnesses, and
other complications.
This would allow for the
emergency response team to
be prepared. Otherwise, they
would have to go to the office
pull up the records and hope
everything is there.
Even if they have a parent’s
number in the records, many
parents will not answer right
away because they either think
it is just a voice recording
letting them know their kid was
tardy or they are not familiar
with the number.
If they saw their child’s number
come up when they know they
are in school, they will most
likely know something is wrong
and answer.
An easy way to compromise
on this would be for the teacher
to have every student take
out there cell phones during
channel one and turn them off.
Sure there would be students
who would take advantage of
this and use their phones in
the middle of class.
Those students should get
punished, not the student who
have their phone shut off in
their purse/pocket.
MP3
players are
not
quite
as needed
but I do
not see why
we should
not be able
to
have
them. I do
understand
that
they
do not want
them to be
on during class.
I do think that there is no
reason they cannot be used
during times when the teacher
is not speaking as long as they
are not distracting others. I
am one of those people who
concentrate with music on.
A lot of teachers will play
some music during class but it
really is not the same.
When the class as a whole
listens to music you always
have different people with
different taste. When each
person has their own music, it
is what each person likes.
Also, with the class listening
to music, you are still aware
of everything around you.
When I listen to my Zune I am
not distracted by who ever is
sitting next to me tapping their
fingers.
I am sure that there are other
people in the school who would
agree with me that studying is
easier with their own music.
Just as with the cell phones,
let those who chose to misuse
this advantage be punished.
One of the main reasons that
we cannot have cell phones or
MP3 players is because people
lose and steal them.
Well, I think it should be a
“bring at your own risk” policy.
I am sure many of you could
think of other reasons why
we should have cell phones or
MP3 players, and we want to
hear it!
If you want to share what
you think with the school
please contact Mrs. Coovert,
the Limelight advisor, or Sami
Hubbard and Leah McElhiney,
the Co-Editor-In-Chiefs. Or you
can even email us at limelight@
limestone.k12.il.us.
Feature
4
Editor: Chris Butler
4
Dancing pays off
By Tyler Owen
With Kristen Lehman
Complied by Liz Kelly
Illinois Institute of Art
Location - Shaumburg,
Illinois
SAT - Score not required, but
may be asked for.
High School diploma REQUIRED or a holder of a
GED may apply.
Transcript of High school
record - REQUIRED
Student Body - 1,168
Degrees/Certificates Certificas, Associate’s, BachIllinois Institute of Art
elor’s
Photograph Coutesy of www.
Tuition - $29,700
stateuniversity.com
Fees - $1,990
Room/Board - $6,300 a year
Total - $37,990
Why did you pick this college?
I picked this college because it is smaller than the Chicago Art
Institute and that would give more one on one time.
What were your other choices?
Art Institute of Chicago, and Webster’s Publications College.
What was the deciding factor on moving away from home?
It is the closest art institue, and that none of the area colleges
could give me what an art institute could.
the profits from the twenty or
Looking for proof that diligent, so kids that are expected to
independent work can pay div- sign up.
HairCo has had Ledford do
idends? Look no further than
senior Travis Ledford.
Ledford began hip-hop
dancing at ten years old.
All his practicing paid off
when he met a girl at a local dance club who happened to be affiliated with
a dance studio in Chillicothe.
They swapped numbers,
and two weeks later she
asked him to dance for the
owner of her dance studio,
HairCo.
After the first dance, he
was asked to return, becoming sponsored after
that performance. Ledford
has his entire wardrobe
paid for by HairCo, from
his tricked-out St. Louis
Cardinals hat to his Nike
shoes. Along with that, he Travis Ledford dancing at the Variety
receives a monthly pay- Show.
Photograph courtesy of Amulet
check.
Ledford has also been
asked to teach a weekly dance two shows thus far. One was
class, receiving fifty percent of at the Relay for Life benefit,
and the other was a competition in Henry, Illinois, where he
placed third, winning a $150
prize.
His activities sparked
the interest of Adrenaline,
a local dance club where
he earned an advertising
sponsorship along with a
security and disc jockey
job.
The future is promised
to be bright for Ledford,
as he has already secured
trips to Las Vegas, Wisconsin Dells, and Myrtle
Beach for dance competitions and Orlando for
the Walt Disney National
competition.
He plans on attending
college in Orlando, Florida and eventually opening up a dance studio as
a means to support himself.
Ledford works at Adrenaline on Fridays and Saturdays, and he’s more
than welcoming to those who’d
like to see him dance.
A New Experience: Foreign Exchange Students
Carolin Flacke
Tracy Zheng
Country: Germany
Grade: Senior
Time Here: 1st Semester
Interests: drawing, reading,
shopping, swimming, music,
and singing in the school choir
Goals: Learn more about
American culture, people, and
the school system, and improve
her English
Country: China
Grade: Senior
Time Here: 1st & 2nd Semester
Interests: math, reading, and
traveling
Goals: Learn about the American culture, school systems
and students
Luiz Zomignani
Country: Brazil
Grade: Senior
Time Here: 1st & 2nd Semester
Interests: computer, reading,
school activities, soccer, volleyball, and math
Goals: Experience the culture
of America, share his traditions, and improve his English
Malte Hornbogan
Country: Germany
Grade: Senior
Time Here: 1st & 2nd Semester
Interests: sports, track, tennis, meeting friends, and listening to music
Goals: Become a bank clerk
and study also
Feature
Editor: Chris Butler
5
Meet The Press
Congratulation to the 2007-2008 Limelight staff
for receiving Honorable mention for the best High
School newspaper from the Peoria Journal Star.
A special congratulations to Jennifer Ding, the copy
editor, for received Outsanding staff member.
Name: Leah McElhiney
Grade: 12
Year in Limelight: 4
Role in Limelight:
Co Editor-in-Chief
Favorite food: lasagna
Favorite color: green
Favorite band:
Bridget’s Cross
Favorite childhood cartoon:
Doug Funny
Fun fact: I’m an Irish dancer
Name: Sami Hubbard
Grade: 12
Year in Limelight: 4
Role in Limelight: Co Editor-in-Chief
Favorite food: whatever she
can cook
Favorite color: orange
Favorite band: Insane Clown
Posse and Fall out Boy
Favorite childhood cartoon: Rainbow Brite
Fun fact: My boyfriend’s
name is Sam
Learning
by
dancing
With Aliex Bullock
Mr. Bell
Position: History teacher
and assistant coach for football & track
How long have you been
teaching?
Four years
Where did you teach before
Limestone?
Astoria Community School
District
Where did you graduate
from?
Virginia High School, WIU,
and UIS
Favorite snack?
Popcorn with chips
Favorite color?
Blue
What was your favorite
high school memory?
Graduating then one week
later, joining the Military
Favorite quote?
“You see things and ask
why? I dare see things that
never were and ask why not?
– James Joyce
Favorite Cartoon?
Calvin & Hobbes
Mrs. Sheckler
Position: Art Teacher
(Ceramics)
How long have you been
teaching? Five years
Where did you teach before Limestone?
Four years at Richwoods
and one year at Notre
Dame
Where did you graduate
from?
I graduated from Limestone in 97’ and Bradley
in 03’
Favorite TV show?
Project Runway
Favorite place to travel?
Colorado
Favorite Candy?
Peanut Buttercups
What is your pet peeve?
Tapping pencils
What is your favorite
movie?
Any of the “Bourne”
movies
Do you have any hobbies
outside of school?
Painting, Pottery, and
Skiing
Two students learning to salsa in Mr. Horger’s Spanish one
class.
Photograph courtesy of Liz Kelly
By Taylore Carr
Mr. Horger’s first year Spanish students took a day and
devoted it to learning the traditional salsa dance in light of
homecoming week.
The Salsa dance is a type of
couple, sometimes solo, style
of dancing and has a lot of different influences like many of
the Latin and North American
countries, as well as Africa.
For Mr. Horger’s first year
classes, it was a different way
to spend the class and a way to
learn about the dancing styles
of the Spanish heritage.
“At first, a lot of the students
were apprehensive, but everyone eventually was smiling and
laughing,” stated Mr. Horger
on the students’ reactions of
learning the dance.
I got to talk to some of the
students and they said that
learning the dance was really
easy; you just had to be committed to learning the steps.
They also said that they would
love to do it again.
The Salsa was just another
way to find that learning a foreign language and country can
be really interesting, especially
when you get to physically do
something, like dance.
When learning the dance, you
have to really feel the rhythm
and move to it.
In other words, you have to
feel totally free and just have a
lot of fun doing it.
Chris Butler, one of the participating students said, “I enjoyed salsa dancing and had a
fun time.”
Over all, this was a very good
learning experience that the
students enjoyed and will take
with them for a long time.
What is your favorite high
school memory?
Senior soda party!
What are your plans for next
year?
Get into a four year college
and play soccer.
What teacher has made the
most impact on you?
Mrs. Warren, because she
has an outlook on life that everyone should have.
If you could trade places with
anyone past or present, who
would it be? Why?
Queen Elizabeth, because I
want to wear pretty dresses.
If you could travel to a foreign country, where would
you go and why?
England, because I would
love to visit all the castles.
What is your favorite kind of
candy?
Worther’s Butterscotch hard
candy.
What is your favorite food?
Pizza… or spaghetti…or Chinese…or pasta…
Which shoe do you usually
put on first?
Slip-ons I put the left foot on
first. Tennis shoes I have to tie
I put the right on first.
What is unique about you?
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE
BEING SHORT!!!
How do you eat Oreos?
I eat one chocolate side, then
the icing, and then the other
chocolate side.
If you had 12 days of Christmas what would you get?
Why?
Dr. Pepper. I would want it
every one of the the twelve days
because it’s awesomely delicious!
What is your favorite clothing brand?
Aeropostale.
6
Centerspread
Editors: Sami Hubbard & Leah McElhiney
Go green
About this page:
As you may or may not know, our environment is going through some
changes. These changes are due to our lack of caring.
If we all give a little, we might be able to save our planet. Here are some ways you can help...
Help at home...
• Adding insulation to your attic, basement,
or crawlspace will lessen the need of a
heater in winter and an air conditioner
in the summer. You will use much less
energy thus helping the environment.
•
Replace old light bulbs with the new
fluorescent ones. Over the course of its
lifetime, a single florescent bulb prevents
500 pounds of Carbon dioxide.
• Wrap your water heater. The water
heater loses heat to surrounding area,
by wrapping it, less energy will be
used. Insulating blankets or jackets
can be purchased at any home improvement store.
• Purchase energy efficient appliances.
These can also be purchased at any home
improvement store; look for the energy
star label.
• Make your own organic cleaner. Ingredients include vinegar, lemon juice, baking
soda, and corn starch.
• Turn off your computer any chance
you get.
• Save paper as much as possible. Instead
of printing off web pages why not save
them into Word.
• Buy a laptop. They are much more energy efficient and have a number of powersaving features built in.
Centerspread
Editors: Sami Hubbard & Leah McElhiney
big blue!
7
Help at school...
• Elephant dung paper – Since elephants defecate 16 times a day,
there is plenty to go around.
• Use recycled pencils- These pencils
write the same as regular pencils and are
made from recycled newspaper. They
also come in different scents including
bubble gum, cherry, root beer, grape,
peppermint, watermelon, pineapple, orange and fruit punch.
• Soybean crayons – yes, crayons made from
soybeans, yet they color like real crayons.
• Hemp sister’s backpack – A backpack
made for girls. It is cute and made from
organic materials.
• TEACHERS – Use refillable white
board markers. Think of the materials you will save!
• RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE!!
• After Channel One and Rocket One turn
off your TV.
• If you can avoid handing out papers
to each person in your class, why not
and save a tree?
• BUS DRIVERS – Please turn your engine off
when you are sitting in the circle drive.
All photographs courtesy of Google Images
8
Compiled by: Tony Azbill
This month there are some
interesting things going on.
Standup comedian Larry the
Cable Guy is going to be coming to the Peoria Civic Center
on the 24th at 8pm and tickets
will cost $43.20.
The Peoria Art Guild will have
an event called Pet Portraits,
which is exactly what it sounds
like. October 10th through November 15th they will have artists who specialize in painting
portraits of your pets. Admission will be a simple $2.
On October 11th the Peoria
Civic Center will have Its Only
Make Believe, which is a tribute to American Music Icon
Conway Twitty, whose untime-
Entertainment
Editor: Tyler Owen
Book Review - Twilight
ly death left the world of country music in shock. It will start
at 7pm and tickets will cost
$29.75 and $19.75.
Bringing back an age-old
tradition to Downtown Pekin,
there will be an all age’s costume judging contest with cash
prizes, parade down Court
Street, and downtown businesses, will provide treats for
the kids. This will be held on
October 25th from 3pm to 6pm
and will be free of charge.
The Peoria Rivermen will be
playing the Milwaukee Admirals on October 17th; tickets
will cost $12, $15, and $20.
That’s just some of what’s going on around Peoria for the
month of October.
LCHS Presents...
To Kill A Mockingbird
By: Tony Azbill
This year’s school play is
from a book that most of you
may have read or seen the
movie, To Kill a Mockingbird.
If you haven’t read it yet, trust
me when I say, you will before
you graduate!
The play is being directed
by Mr. Zack Binder, as usual.
It will be playing in the auditorium on Friday, November
7 and Saturday, November 8.
Tickets will cost 5 dollars to
get in the door.
The cast is listed as follows:
By: Nick Jones
For the first edition of Taste
Buds, I decided to go to T.G.I.
Fridays located at 5300 W. War
Memorial Dr. I brought a few
friends with me: Juniors Jordan Miller, Akil Watkins, and
Sophomore Amber Beeler.
We went at about eight o’
clock after the blue and white
football game. There were a
lot of people there and I knew
it was going to take a while to
get a table.
I liked the way the restaurant
was set up. It was very clean
with decorations all over the
walls. They also had sports on
all of their televisions.
We got up to the counter and
had to wait a half hour. When
we were seated, we ended up
right next to a vent, so it was
freezing.
Our waiter got to our table
Atticus Finch - Kipp Burroughs
Scout Finch - Cydney Moody
Jem Finch - Dane Georges
Dill Harris - Robby Hurst
Calpurnia - Asia Harris
Adult Scout - Dana Fulton
Miss Maudie - Marissa Reynolds
Miss Stephanie Crawford Jordan Barnes
Tom Robinson - Tod Daniels
Sheriff Heck Tate - Tyler
Mcintyre
Mr. Ewell - David Mooney
Mayella Ewell - Kayla Hislope
Reviewed by: Liz Kelly
Bella Swan, an awkward
teenage girl, has made one of
the hardest choices in life: to
leave sunny Phoenix, Arizona
and her mother to move to the
dreary town of Forks, Washington with her father.
Dreading the move and
the alone time she will have
with her somewhat estranged
father, Bella finds Forks to be
the place her mother always
claimed it was: a black hole
that will suck you in and never let you go. Little did Bella
know that she would never
want to leave after meeting the
‘outsiders’ that will change her
life forever.
Soon, school starts for
Bella and her new found stardom draws in some of the best
friends, and even some enemies, as she tries to adjust
to her new life. Befriended by
some of the school’s most popular students, Bella’s attention
is soon drawn by the inhuman
radiance of the Cullen family.
Little is known about the Cullens except that the five children are adopted by the town
doctor, Carlisle Cullen, and his
wife, Esme. The family is more
concerned about their privacy
than intimate relationships
with others, leaving the town
in the dark about their strange
neighbors.
Looking forward to meeting
the strange yet intriguing Cullens, Bella finds her new biology partner to be none other
than Edward Cullen. His hostility and bitterness toward
Bella pushes her away slowly,
only to draw her into a world
where creatures go bump in
the night. Edward’s hostility
soon transforms into undying
love…with a little catch.
quickly. He got our drink or- it cheaper.
ders and was back within a
Overall, I think T.G.I. Fridays
few minutes. It took us a while was a good choice. It was an
to figure out what we wanted excellent place to hang out and
because there were so many get good food. It did, however,
things to choose from on the have its downfalls.
menu.
We ordered potato
For one, there was a ton of
skins as an appetizer.
people there and it was hard to
I ended up ordering the Jack get up from the table for anyDaniel’s Burger, Jordan and thing. Also I think the backAkil both got a
ground music
steak and Amber
was way too
got a salad. We
loud, making
definitely got our
it kind of hard
money’s worth.
to hear.
The
portions
If I had to
were huge and I
rate T.G.I. Fridon’t think any
days, I would
of us ended up
give it a four
Photograph courtesy
of peoriarestaurants.com
finishing.
out of five beAfter we finished we got our cause our food and service were
checks and they weren’t bad. great. I’m glad we went there
Mine came out to $8.15 includ- and I recommend everyone else
ing tax. Instead of ordering so- to make the trip. I know I will
das, we ordered water, making go again!
Photograph courtesy
of freewebs.com
When some of Edward’s
family members disagree about
their untimely romance, Bella’s
future is taken into account
and things get a little out of
hand. While the Cullens and
Bella are out enjoying a night of
fun, three dangerous strangers
enter Forks and crash the safe
environment they are used to.
As the Cullens band together
to protect Bella, will her love
for Edward and their families
be her demise?
The book in itself is well written and has great descriptions
of the characters and surroundings. Mrs. Meyer’s writing style is easy to read, yet it
captivates your imagination in
ways unlike anything else you
have read before. Description
of the surrounding and characters makes it easy to picture
the settings and why Forks is
so captivated by the Cullens.
The fact that the book was an
easy read yet did not make me
feel like I was reading a second
grade book, really appealed to
me. With the great descrip-
tion of the characters, mentally
seeing the story unravel in my
head grabbed my imagination
and kept me intrigued until the
end of the book.
Relatable characters fill the
pages of this book, giving it dimension and a sense of reality. The characters deal with
real life problems such as self
esteem and, of course, teenage
romance. Even with the supernatural powers some possess,
the characters are just like
you, the reader. What I especially liked about the characters were their personalities.
None of them were alike; each
of them is as unique as you
and me. Another great thing
about the characters is that, as
you got to know them, a part of
them always remained a mystery, pushing you to read the
book until the end.
The story line is detailed and
intricate without getting messy
or confusing to the reader.
Twists and turns lead you
down many different paths,
keeping your mind occupied
and unaware of how the book
will end. The only problem I
had with this book is the first
one hundred pages started
slowly. It was not that it was
hard to follow, but the first
one hundred pages are more
about Bella’s background and
feelings toward her new home.
When she starts school and
the Cullens are introduced, the
book picks up and becomes a
must-read.
I loved Twilight. It is one of my
all-time favorite books. It is
great because it is a book for
all ages and generations. It
keeps you entertained until the
surprising conclusion. I truly
enjoyed it and hope you do as
well.
Entertainment
Editor: Tyler Owen
9
Gavin DeGraw, Gavin DeGraw
Jane, Maroon 5, and Jason gether through thick and thin,
Reviewed by Taylore Carr
Gavin DeGraw was born on Mraz. DeGraw also recorded no matter what.
February 4, 1977 in South a second album which was an
Some of DeGraw’s fan favorFallsburg, New York. DeGraw acoustic version of his first re- ites from the self-title album
started singing and playing lease, Chariot, called Chariot are, “In Love with a Girl,” “Let
piano at eight years old and Stripped. DeGraw’s second al- It Go,” and “Cop Stop.” “In
in high school, he learned how bum featured the same songs Love with a Girl” is about findto play the tenor sax. He also just in an acoustic version.
ing that one person that you
September 1, 2006 was when are totally comfortable with
scored several lead roles in the
DeGraw started recording his and who is also confident in
school plays.
DeGraw’s career started with third self-titled album, Gavin you. You both love each other
in every way, and
playing in Manhattan
you know every good
clubs,
restaurants,
and bad thing about
and anywhere else life
each other and yet
took him. The year of
you both work well
2001 was when his catogether.
reer hit off. He would
“Let It Go” is tellbe playing for larger
ing everyone to let all
and larger audiences
that is bugging you
each time he went up
out and tell the peron stage.
DeGraw
son you love. This
eventually
recorded
song is a slower yet
his own CD, which he
really good love song
sold out of every night
which is different
he performed.
than the song “Cop
DeGraw signed with
Stop.”
“Cop Stop”
J Records in 2003,
is a song that Gavin
and released his first
DeGraw has been
album, Chariot. With
singing on the road
the help of his growfor years, and he fiing career, “One Tree
photograph courtesy of soundbase-online.com
nally released it on
Hill” picked his song,
CD. It is at a faster
“I Don’t Want to Be”
for the television series’ theme DeGraw. It was released on May speed, and it is through the
song. This same song has also 6, 2008, reaching #7 on the US words of a guy who likes this
been performed several times Billboard Chart in a matter of girl and wants her to just come
by American Idol contestants weeks. This success may be be- to him so they can be together.
I highly recommend you check
and played on the radio. “I cause DeGraw tried something
Don’t Want to Be” is about be- new -- he put a rock-oriented out this CD because, unlike
ing satisfied with yourself, and feel to most of the songs and many other artists, Gavin Deyour whole being. This song wrote most of the songs by his Graw tries and succeeds with
is just about someone looking life experiences and feelings. writing from the heart. He is
around the room and trying to Along with the outstanding rec- loved by so many fans because
decide who they want to be. In ognition through the CD, the he writes songs about the love
the end, they realize that they single “We Belong Together” and trials of his life, yet it ties
are at peace with just being was featured on the major mo- so well to many things that his
tion picture film, Tristan and fans are going through. The
themselves.
From 2004-present, Gavin Isolde. This song is one of my sound of the CD is contempoDeGraw’s fame has risen to personal favorites. I love the rary yet spiced with some rock.
a household name. He has whole rhythm and tune to it, Just go check it out and then
toured around the country and what it is about. It simply you will know what I am talkwith artists such as Saving is about a couple belonging to- ing about!
Disaster Movie
photograph courtesy of flickr.com
By: Jordan Miller
On August 29th a movie
called “Disaster Movie” came
out in theaters. I went to go
see this movie at Rave Theaters
on Saturday, September 6th. I
went to go see this movie with
some of my friends; Juniors
Akil (Durst) Watkins and Nick
(Stanley) Jones. Also, sophomore Amber Beeler came with.
Before I went to the movie, I
did not really know what to expect when I watched “Disaster
Movie.” Many of my friends
had recommended it to me and
others told me it was a waste
of my time. So I wanted to find
out for myself. “Disaster Movie” was decent but, overall, I
would have to say that “Disaster Movie” is a bad movie to see
and a waste of money.
There is no real plot in this
movie. Everyone is just “wandering around.” Characters in
this movie include: Iron Man,
Batman, Hellboy, The Hulk,
Beowulf, the “Superbad” guys,
Juno, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Indy, Sex in the City,
the Kids from Highschool and
many more. Justin Timberlake, Amy Winehouse, American Gladiators, and Hannah
Montana are in this movie too.
All of these people are in this
movie and it’s still not funny.
Now, I will tell you the worst
part of this movie. When Alvin
and the Chipmunks came in
the movie, everyone thought
it would be funny. At first,
it was hilarious. Then, 10
minutes later, they were still
on the screen doing the same
stuff. I could tell that everyone in the movies was getting
tired of it and just wanted to
leave. This part lasted about
15 minutes of the same thing.
The chipmunks were attacking the main characters while
they were trying to end their
adventure.
Overall, I recommend you
save your time and money
and do not go see “Disaster
Movie.” There are two main
reasons why. One is because
“Disaster Movie” does not
keep your interest and you
get bored easily while watching it. The second reason is
that “Disaster Movie” is kind
of hard to understand because a lot of dumb things
are happening all at once.
“Disaster Movie” is the latest
movie from Jason Friedberg
and Aaron Seltzer. This movie
is rated PG-13 for crude and
sexual content throughout,
language, drug references
and comic violence. Running
time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Find the following words:
Puzzle courtesy of:
http://sunniebunniezz.com/
APPLES
BAT
BROOM
CAT
GHOST
GRAVE
HALLOWEEN
MASK
MOON
MUMMY
SPELLS
TREAT
TRICK
WITCH
Sports
Editor: Connor Webster
10
Hunt for October
By Connor Webster
This year’s major
league baseball season
has been a good one
for most baseball fans
to watch and enjoy.
There are a lot of teams
than haven’t quite done
what was expected of
them.
The Arizona
Diamondbacks are one
of them, even though
they’re still only in
second place in the
national league west.
They started out as
the hottest team in
baseball for the first
week of the season,
then their star Eric
Byrnes got hurt and
everything started to
go downhill from there.
The Dodgers were a
team that started out
slow. They had a good
offense by picking up
Andrew Jones but he
has been a bust this
season.
They were
one team that made
alot of moves at the
trade deadline. They
made one of the most
surprising trades this
season by getting the big
bat of Manny Ramirez
from the Boston Red
Sox
for
practically
nothing. He has given
them a big surge.
The Cubs were one
of those teams that was
expected to make a run
for the World Series
this year.
The Millwaukee
Brewers had a surge
when they picked up
C.C. Sabathia from the
Cleveland Indians. In
the A.L Central there
is a race between the
Chicago White Sox and
the Minnesota Twins.
The White Sox have
a strong offense led by
Limestone alum Jim
Thome who passed
Micky
Mantle
in
homeruns this past
month.
The Twins
are led by catcher Joe
Mauer and home run
derby winner Justin
Morneau.
The Tampa Bay Rays
haven’t finished higher
than fourth place in
their division and are
now in front of the Red
Sox and Yankees.
What would you do
if the White Sox and
Cubs both made it to
the World Series?
Chicago would be a
mad house and it is a
possibility that it could
happen.
The White
Sox are a strong team
but can be inconsistent
at
times.
When
healthy, they can be
deadly offensively and
defensively.
For the Cubs, it’s
just a matter of staying
healthy and keeping
their past behind them.
There is a chance that
their so-called curse
could be broken.
College Football
Kicks off
By Nick Hermann
The 2008-2009 college
football season started
off with a bang! There
has been a couple
major upsets already
including
the
East
Carolina Pirates versus
number 17 ranked
Virginia Tech Hokies.
In the end of the fourth
quarter, The Pirates
own T.J. Lee returned
a blocked punt 27
yards for a touchdown
to potentially win the
game. Following that
week, the Pirates were
at it again against
number 8 ranked West
Virginia Mountaineers.
The Pirates demolished
the
Mountaineers
with
a
whopping
score of 24-3 and held
the
Mountaineers
to only 251 yards of
total offense and no
touchdown.
Many players have
a chance to win the
Heisman
trophy.
Quarterback
Tim
Tebow, from University
of Florida, is one of them.
He won the Heisman
trophy last season and
only 1 player, Archie
Griffin, has won the
Heisman twice in the
history of the award.
Last season Tebow
had 55 touchdowns,
32 passing and 23
rushing. This year he
has a passer rating of
148.80.
Also, running back
Knowshon
Mereno
from the University of
Georgia has a chance to
win the Heisman. Last
season he had 1,334
rushing yards and
14 touchdowns just
as a freshman. This
season he is projected
to have 1,362 rushing
yards and 36 rushing
touchdowns.
This
years college football
season is shaping up
to be good one.
Football Rockets Blast Off!
The football team started off the season
with a 27-25 win over Notre Dame.
They
look to go to the playoffs for the first time
since 2003. They will be playing on October
3 @ Morton, October 10 vs. Metamora,
October 17 @ Dunlap and round off the
regular season on October 24 vs. IVC.
Senior among best
in conference
Senior Colton Test scores four goals in 8-1
victory over Peoria Central High School. The
star performance leaves Test tied for second in
goals throughout the Mid-Illini Conference.
Limestone Golf Tees Off
The golf team has started on the right foot
this year. The team is lead by seniors Aaron
Lorentz and Cole Johnson. Juniors Seth
Lunsford and Sam Crandell have played well
so far this season. Come out and watch the
boys play at Newman Golf Course.
Softball
This past year at LCHS our softball team
had a great season. We went all the way to the
IHSA State Softball Championships, and we
won. We beat East Peoria, Metamora, La Salle,
Free Port, and Marengo before finally making it
to the State Championships.
We then played Mattoon for the championships
and after seven innings, we beat them 3-0.
Senior Mackenzie Foiles made 3rd team All
State and senior Mackenzie Camp made 1st
team All State. “A team does’t just need skill to
win a state championship, it needs chemistry
and friendship, and that is exactly what
we had,” said Mackenzie Foiles. This is the
first time LCHS softball has ever won State
Championships. Congratulations girls, hope
this season will be as good as the last.
Danielle Jepson, left, and Kim George, right, embrace after the
softball state tournament.
Photograph courtesy of the Amulet
News
Editors: Sami Hubbard and Leah McElhiney
Limestone becomes a
college campus
By Tony Azbill
This year LCHS has a new
opportunity for our seniors.
We now have an Advanced
Placement expository dual
credit class available for them
to take. Mrs. McAfee is the
teacher that got this class approved for us.
A dual credit class is simply a
class you take where you have
the opportunity to earn college
credit for ICC while you are still
in high school.
The only requirement for this
class is that you are a senior.
A regular expository writing
class is almost the same thing
except, it is less intense than
the dual credit class.
The dual credit class, on the
other hand, gives us actual college material. You will use ICC
books and you will be writing
an immense amount of papers.
In this class you will write
“around 4000-6000 words” according to Mrs. McAfee.
She says she is expecting
“students to gain a better understanding of what college is
all about and how intense a
college English class really is”.
She is trying to make sure
that we don’t end up like so
many other college students,
thinking that it is just going
to be a breeze and that we will
barely have to put forth any effort.
“LCHS had wanted this class
for a long time and no one had
the education required to teach
this class” says Mrs. McAfee. “I
had to go to school to get my
masters degree before I could
incorporate this class into the
LCHS curriculum” said Mrs.
MacAfee when asked how she
was able to get approved to
teach this class.
Mrs. McAfee has been teaching for 6 years now and is still
doing a great job. When asked
how long it took her to get approved, she explained that
once she got her masters she
almost immediately was able to
get the class.
All she had to do was talk
to Limestone and to ICC and
prove that she had the requirements to teach the class. Then
the class was approved.
11
Limestone student
travels to Germany
By Chris Butler
Germany is 4,447 miles from
Peoria, Illinois. That is a long
way from here, but Sophomore
Brayden Sweeter made the
trip.
Sweeter went to Germany as
a foreign exchange student.
He left July 10th, and returned
July 30th. Sweeter stayed 27
days.
Sweeter stayed in the city of
Friedrichsafen, Germany. He
was able to go to Germany by
the help of the Peoria Youth
Exchange. The Peoria Youth
Exchange has been sending
students to Friedrichsafen,
Germany since 1978.
This
year was the thirtieth anniversary of this exchange.
The Peoria Youth Exchange
sends about twenty students
every other year for three
weeks. They join in on daily
life of their host families and
learn German culture. They
also get to participate in local
activities.
While Sweeter was there he
learned about German culture.
He learned with twenty other
American students. He was
also taught in a German family’s home.
In the German society, after the age of ten students can
choose to go to one of these
five schools: short-course secondary school, intermediate
school, high school, comprehensive school, or a school for
children with special educational needs. At about age fifteen, students choose among a
variety of vocational, technical,
and academic schools. Higher
education consists of many
kinds of technical colleges, advanced vocational schools and
universities.
The experience of visiting
Germany is different for everyone. For Sweeter it was a great
experience. “I thought it would
be a good experience,” said
Sweeter on why he wanted to
go to Germany.
Going to Germany would be
a one in a life time experience.
Not only did Sweeter have a
great time he also had a great
learning experience. Sweeter
would like to go back if he had
the chance.
teen Driving Guidebook to help
parents observe and instruct
their teen drivers during the
nine-month permit phase. The
32-page guidebook offers parents a blueprint to follow when accompanying their teens as they
log the required 50
hours of practice driving. The guidebooks,
which also contain a
voluntary parent-teen
contract, are being provided to those parents
that have teens enrolled in driver education classes. For more
information on the
guidebook, please visit www.
cyberdriveillinois.com.
In addition, White’s office ini-
tiated another key law effective
this year that allows parents of
teens under age 18 to view their
teen’s driving record free online
at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
“By giving parents access to
these driving records, we are
helping them stay even more involved in their teenagers’ driving patterns as they proceed
through the GDL program,”
said White. Parental involvement is a key component to
any successful GDL program.”
White stressed that while he is
pleased with the results of the
new law, his work is not done.
“My mission is to make Illinois roads as safe as possible,” said White. “If we
find we can improve upon
the new law, we will do so.”
Brayden Sweeter
Photograph courtesy of
Mrs. Coovert
Illinois battles over driving age
from Jesse White
Secertary of States office
Secretary of State Jesse White
Reaffirms his opposition to raising the driving age in Illinois.
Secretary of State Jesse
White reaffirmed today his
opposition to rising the driving age in Illinois. Earlier today the Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety announced
it supports rising the driving
age nationwide to 17 or 18.
White emphasized the answer to reducing teen fatal
crashes lies not with raising
the driving age, but rather
on working to better prepare
young, novice drivers, regardless of their age, and increasing
parental
involvement.
“This is why my office initiat-
CreatingOriginality
from Art Club
Mrs. Bentley’s graphics and illustration classes are getting
a chance to see what it is really like to design something
in a real-life instead of it being
just a class assignment. The
second year photography students are taking pictures of
Limestone’s sport teams and
other Limestone activities.
Then the graphics and illustration classes are coming up
with unique designs for the
pictures and placing them on
an 11’’X 17’’ poster with the
game schedules.
Boosters
club will be making these posters available to the Limestone
community by selling them at
all home games for $10.00.
ed a new teen driver safety law,
effective January 1, 2008, that
gives Illinois one of the strongest graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs in the nation,” said White. “The
new law better prepares
teen drivers by tripling
the length of the permit phase, increasing
parental
involvement,
limiting in-car distractions, and strengthening
penalties.”
The early results of
the new law are encouraging. In the first seven
months since the law
took effect, teen crash
fatalities have declined by 47
percent. This has resulted in
44 fewer teen deaths on Illinois
roads in 2008 when compared to
the first seven months in 2007.
“This law is working as intended,” said White.” “Teen
lives
are
being
saved.”
To further bolster the impact
of the new law, White’s office
has developed a GDL parent-
News Notes
Go for the gold
Foreign Language club
Foreign Language club is
planning a pot luck dinner for
the foreign exchange students;
Malte
Hornbogan,
Carolin
Flacke, Luiz Zomignani, and
Tracy (Zhichun) Zheng. The
dinner will be Wednesday October 8 at 6:30 PM in the cafeteria. The Club hopes it will
be a big success. Look for pictures in next month’s issue.
Just as the Olympics have
ended, you are going to be
able to be a part of an Olympic
event called Snowflurry. The
Student Prevention Team (SPT)
will be putting it on and, this
year the theme saying will be
“Go for the Gold.” The event
will be held on October 10th for
students in the surrounding
area in second through fifth
grade. Snowflurry is going to
be from 5 – 9pm and will be
an event full of fun activities
to help keep kids off and away
from drugs and other bad influences. If you are interested in
having another event to put on
college resumes please contact
Mrs. Fiddes in the guidance office to help out!
Helping serve for dinner
Mrs. Belsly’s food classes
helped set up and serve at the
mid-illini dinner for about 260
coaches and other administrators last month. Mrs. Belsly,
as well as Limestone, would
like to congratulate them on
their hard work to make the
dinner another positive event
held by Limestone.
2008-2009 speech team
The speech team is very excited
to start their season. The team
is starting out this season with
nineteen people and a variety from each grade. The Senior team mates are Stephanie
Copeland and Sami Hubbard.
The Juniors are Dana Fulton,
Laura Loyd, Sam Misagaro,
Chris Hetzel, Megan Swanson,
Sharina Welch, and Christy
Bradshaw. The Sophomores
this year are Alexy Allen, Max
Look, Tayler Singley, Mariah
Harris, and Megan Larimore.
The Freshman speakers are
Robby Hurst, Eric Kokalski, Torye Heller, Lori Burke,
and Max Callear. Congratulation to all who made the
team and good luck this year!