MORP returns to Leo through Interact - Leo Jr/Sr High School

the
Lion’s Tale
Volume LII
Issue VIII
Thursday, November 6, 2008 Leo Junior/Senior High School
Senior Keri Lencke works on MORP posters at an Interact meeting.
PHOTOS BY LINDSEY MOHLMAN
MORP
returns
to
Leo
through
Interact
Interact Club returns MORP dance to raise money for extracurriculars
By Madison Carroll
Special Editor
Interact
club
has
decided to bring MORP to
LHS, a casual school dance
considered to be the opposite
of prom.
MORP will be held in
the auxiliary school gym on
Saturday, Nov. 15. No dates are
required, and the invitation to
join the party is extended to all
high school students freshmen
through seniors.
“MORP was always
the fun dance in high school.
The girls bought the shirts and
paid for everything the guys
usually pay for,” said Dean
of Students and Interact Club
sponsor Mr. Houser.
Interact decided to
reintroduce MORP to raise
funds for all extracurricular
activities. The funding for
activities is running low,
and something needed to be
done according to the Interact
group.
Instead of cutting
any extracurriculars, the club
decided to raise more money
through a fun school activity
to make up for the lack of extra
funding. Interact is estimated
to raise around $1000, but it
depends on the amount of
students attending the dance,
according to Interact president
Chelsea Brune.
“It would be really
great if everyone could make
it to the dance. It is a good
way to contribute to the extra
curricular activities,” said
Brune.
If a student wants to
bring a date from a different
school, the guest has to be
under 21 years of age and have
a signed permission slip from
their school principal according
to Mr. Houser.
The dance will cost $7
for a single ticket and $10 for a
couple. It will start around 7:00
p.m. and end around 11:00 p.m.
The theme is to dress like one’s
date or group. For example, if
two students go to the dance
together, they could both wear
the same shirt or dress like
football players. The choice has
to be school appropriate.
“I think that MORP
is going to be great this year,”
said junior and Interact
member Lisa Smitley. “I’m
really excited for it, and it will
be a great fundraiser. It’s great
that we’re trying new ideas to
raise money. I think that all of
the extra curricular activities
will really appreciate it, but it
would even be better if a lot
of people attended with or
without a date.”
MORP is prom spelled
backwards, and accordingly is
the opposite idea of what prom
normally entails. MORP is held
in the fall, whereas prom is
held in the spring. Also, girls
are generally supposed to ask
the guys to MORP, like a Sadie
Hawkins style dance. MORP is
very informal; hence, the girls
treat the guys to a fast food
restaurant instead of a nicer,
sit-down restaurant.
of the district will be met.
The school board
currently provides full day
kindergarten in the schools
with higher percentages of
free and reduced lunches. The
possibility of expanding full
day kindergarten completely
rests on the amount of
reimbursement from the State.
“I support full day
kindergarten. Students in the
program have performed very
well and the benchmark scores
are higher,” said Novotny.
The district does have
diversity but some of the
specific schools in the district
do not. It is an issue that the
board is working on and will
continue to do so.
“Leo Jr/Sr High School
in particular, does not possess
much diversity most likely
because of housing costs and
employment opportunities,”
said Novotny. Recently, the
district took on a new challenge,
bringing Burmese refugees into
the school system. How to best
set up the Burmese refugee
students is still being decided.
East Allen County
Schools
offers
something
called the CHOICE program
to all students. This program
allows student to go to another
school in East Allen without
paying the tuition cost. Within
the CHOICE program, there
are two options. Students can
switch if they have a desire to
go to a different school than
the attendance area in which
they live, or there is something
called the “No Child Left
Behind” program. Students
attending schools not meeting
the required standards may
request to attend another
school in the district.
The CHOICE program
is not something where a
student can just go from school
to school when they please.
When the student decides to
leave a school, they cannot
move to a school and then two
months later decide to leave
again because they do not like
it. The board will not allow
students to take advantage of
the program, though.
Novotny along with
the school board hope to make
some pretty positive changes
for East Allen County Schools,
but as of right now, there will
be no dramatic changes for
students next school year.
Novotny addresses problems of EACS
By Rory Harris and Bailey Rosenbaum
Staff Writers
trimester schedule, Novotny
Bailey and Rory
participated in a listening
Dr. Novotny
After much debate, tour. She traveled to various
the East Allen County school schools around the district
board has officially decided to asking questions about ideas
keep the trimester schedule for and solutions for the district’s
issues.
It took place over
the 2009-2010 school year.
a
span
of
about 2 weeks as
Originally,
the
Novotny
traveled
to all five
board had been discussing a
high
schools
to
hear
ideas and
scheduling change to reduce
thoughts
about
the
fiscal
issues;
staffing and cut costs for the
unfortunately,
Novotny
and
the
schools. After looking into the
school
board
did
not
receive
tech education program and
other finances, they decided solutions but more preferences
that it would help financially from the district’s patrons than
to stick with the trimester anything else. The board does
promise, though, that the cuts
schedule.
“We are only going and reductions will stay as
to make changes if it’s going far away from the students as
to make a significant, positive possible.
One question that has
difference,” said Novotny.
been
brought
to attention either
As the idea of a
by
discussion
or by the board
possible
schedule
change
is
whether
the
district needs
became known across the
all
the
staff
that
it is currently
district, rumors circulated
employing.
According
to
around students, parents, and
Novotny,
as
of
right
now,
EACS
staff alike about what the new
schedule might be as well as the employs 1245. It is an issue that
possibility of a 4 day schedule. may have to be continually
Novotny said that a 4 day work brought up into discussion
week was strictly a discussion because of the district’s fiscal
topic and nothing else because issues.
Yet another issue that
it would require a waiver from EACS
is
currently dealing with
the state, and it would require
is
the
struggle
to reach adequate
changes with extracurricular
yearly
progress
for some
activities being much later in
schools
in
the
district,
which is
the evening since the school
mandated
by
the
No
Child
Left
TCID:PP
day would be longer.
Behind
Act.
Hopefully,
with
Prior to the final
decision to stay with the increasing learning, the goals
The EACS School Board listens to Dr. Novotny’s State of
the District speach.
PHOTO BY BAILEY ROSENBAUM
Page 2 • Thursday, Novemember 6, 2008 • News
Editors: Grace Crain and Brooke Markham
Higher Grounds owner faces a long journey ahead
so soon. I have regrets, like not
keeping up with friends or not
making my family a priority.”
Invasive
Ductal
Carcinoma is one of the most
common forms of breast
cancer. This type of cancer
develops in the milk ducts
and then forcefully enters
into the surrounding tissues.
Triple Negative Cancer is
rare but is most common
among
younger
women,
according to Kim Richards.
For this reason, the diagnosis
of a 38-year-old, mother of
two, is very devastating.
Breast cancer is divided
into four stages. Richards’
stage three diagnosis means
that tumors have been found
and lymph nodes have been
identified as cancerous. Six
lymph nodes in her left breast
tested positive for cancer.
The Richards and
their company have begun
selling “Brewing for a Cure”
T-shirts. The shirts are being
sold for $12-$14 at most of
the Higher Grounds Coffee
Shop locations. Profits from
the T-shirts are being donated
to
the
Triple
Negative
Cancer Research Foundation.
According to Kim Richards,
this foundation was chosen
over the rest because there is
little research being done on
this particular type of cancer.
As more and more
students find out about
Richards’ diagnosis, some
are changing their coffee
purchasing habits in an effort
to help, according to LHS
students.
“I go to coffee
shops a lot with my friends
and since Starbucks is close,
we just always go there,” said
sophomore Jenae Bennington.
“Now we all have decided that
we will go to Higher Grounds
instead to help out the owner.”
The fact that this cancer
is most common in younger
women worries Kim Richards.
Because mammograms are not
required until women reach
the age of forty, she finds it
extremely significant to get the
message out that breast cancer
can develop before a woman
reaches that age. She believes
that education and awareness
can minimize the number
of unknown cases. If more
women knew the symptoms
and what to look for, several
breast cancer cases would be
able to be detected earlier and a
number of severe or fatal breast
cancer cases may be prevented.
“This is not the way
I am supposed to die,” said
Richards as she remembered
the first thought that came into
her mind after finding out about
her diagnosis. “I appreciate the
community and how much
they are embracing us as we
go through this cancer thing.”
Kim Richards said she
did not think this would ever
happen to her. She did not
see cancer as something that
would take place in her future.
Richards
has
undergone two operations;
one mastectomy and one
lumpectomy. On Thursday
July 31, the lumpectomy was
done. This surgical procedure
removes the lump or tumor
from
the
breast
tissue.
According to wickipedia.com,
this action is considered more
practical because it “conserves”
the breast tissue better than
other possible procedures.
After the lumpectomy,
Richards was informed that
her “grape-sized” tumor in fact
turned out to be a “grapefruitsized” tumor. That was not
the end of the bad news.
More cancer was found in the
tissue surrounding the breast;
doctors determined that she
was in need of a mastectomy,
a surgical procedure that
removes the entire breast.
Richards entered her
last round of chemotherapy
on Tuesday October 28.
She requested that a faceto-face
interview
would
have to take place Monday
October 27 because it takes
a week to recover from the
chemotherapy each time. This
treatment is used to kill the
cancer cells using chemicals,
hopefully depleting the cancer.
The type of cancer Kim
Richards has been diagnosed
with is one that does not have
a cure, but she will continue to
fight and is now through with
all surgeries and chemotherapy.
Recovering from this severe
case of breast cancer will be
difficult and challenging. In
her online journal Richards
tells about her disease and
informs readers that she has a
30% survival rate. She writes,
“Yay for being in the 30%!”
R i c h a r d s ’
determination to overcome
breast cancer and her absolute
resistance to give up is
something that can be admired.
She is a good role model for
any person, but especially
those living with cancer.
Purchasing
the
“Brewing for a Cure” T-shirts
or stopping by Higher Grounds
helps support Kim Richards
and help her with the high
medical cost of treating breast
cancer. To learn more, her online
journal, acupforkim.com, or
highergroundsonline.com,
are both accessible for anyone
who wishes to lend a hand to
Kim and her husband as they
try to overcome this disease.
East Allen the opportunity to
easily transfer from schools
within the district, as well as
the distance learning class
opportunities from school
to school. Information from
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
The problem with
the
trimester
schedule
existed with more and more
vocational courses-like OSI,
ICE, Anthis and courses
on college campuses-being
EACS students’ priorities in
their junior and senior years,
the schedules can conflict
from their school to their out
of school site according to
EACS board observations.
For
students
transferring in or out of other
districts, the school change
is not so easy because Fort
Wayne Community Schools
have always been on a semester
schedule. If EACS schools
were to have been on the same
semester schedule, they would
have seven class periods a day
at fifty-five minutes per class
for two semesters. Transferring
in EACS during the middle of
the year would be especially
difficult for students from a
semester school because their
classes end when those in
trimesters are still a few weeks
away from the end of a trimester.
The
strongest
controversy with changing
the schedule by next year for
the district was the financial
setbacks involved after the
change, according to Dr.
MacLean. Right now, EACS
receives state reimbursements
twice each year. If switched to
semesters, they would only be
reimbursed once a year, which
would result in losing about
$500,000, said Dr. MacLean.
EACS gets three Vocational
courses into each year with
the trimester schedule.
If
changed to semester, only
one Vocational course is
available, said Dr. Novotny.
“The
number
of
students
participating
in
these courses equtes to
additional revenue generated
back to the district,” said
Novotny. “Thus the decision
to remain with the trimester
seemed prudent at this time.”
On October 16, a survey
was sent by e-mail to district
teachers asking whether or
not they favored the trimester
change. Of the results, about
71% were in favor of not
changing the trimester schedule
by next year, according to East
Allen Educators Association
President Gregory Geise in
an email sent to the teachers.
When Leo High School
changed to a trimester schedule
in the past, the school staff and
teachers took a few years to
get ready for and evaluate the
change. “We studied the switch
for several years,” said Mr.
Rothert. “We visited schools
with different schedules, like
Columbia City High School,
and studied a variety of
schedules before picking the
5 period trimester schedule.”
It is a very high
possibility that the topic
will be brought up again
within the district in the near
years to come, according to
Novotny, but unlikely that
the change will be made in
the near future considering
the amount of negative
consequences
that
would
follow with a sudden change.
By Rachel Burtnett
A&E page editor
Many members of the
community may not know that
Higher Grounds Coffee House
is locally owned by a Fort Wayne
couple, John and Kim Richards.
The Richards founded
the Higher Grounds Coffee
House in 1996 and have
continued to expand their
business with partnerships.
According to Kim Richards,
the idea initially came from
her father-in-law. She said he
wanted a good cup of coffee
before work each morning,
and years ago there were not
many coffee houses open.
At the time, Kim
Richards was a human resource
manager and her husband
was in sales. According to
Kim Richards, she had to
depart from her profession
to establish the coffee house.
Together the couple
accomplished exactly what
they set out to do; however,
neither of them expected
what horrible misfortune
their future would bring.
Kim Richards first
noticed the lump in her left
breast on July 14, 2008. She
was immediately worried and
scheduled an appointment
with
her
physician
for
a
routine
checkup.
Two
weeks
after
originally detecting the lump
and going through a biopsy
and other examinations, Kim
Richards was diagnosed with
breast cancer. According to her
online journal, acupforkim.
com, she was told there was
one grape sized lump and
one peach sized lump located
in her left breast, neither
being related to the other.
Richards’ breast cancer has
been identified as Invasive
Ductal Carcinoma, Triple
Negative and is in stage three.
“Cancer has caused
me to reevaluate my life,”
wrote Kim Richards in her
online journal. “Something I
am sure I would have done. [I]
just wasn’t expecting it to be
Kim Richards and Higher Grounds employees fight for her life.
PHOTO BY RACHEL BURTNETT
EACS keeps trimester schedule for 2009-2010
By Sarah Boston
Staff writer
On Tuesday, October
21, the East Allen County
Schools Board decided not to
change to a semester schedule
for the 2009-2010 school year.
Board members, along
with EACS Superintendent
Dr. M. Kay Novotny and
Assistant
Superintendent
Dr. Janet MacLean, met to
further discuss the possible
change for next year’s school
year. District members were
discussing the issue of whether
or not to change to a semester
schedule by next school year.
There are reasons why
East Allen chose the trimester
schedule in the past, such as
number of courses provided
and hours of class per period.
The trimester schedule also
provides
students
within
Barack Obama
elected the
44th President
of the United
States.
Editors: Sarah Boston and Kristin Craft
Page 3 • Thursday, November 6, 2008 • News
Life is Good provides
positive life outlook
Mr. Harless passes out bracelets to his students.
By Katie Wertman
Jr. High Editor
Leo
Jr/Sr.
High
School kicked off the
“Life is good” campaign
on Oct. 9 with intentions
to help students handle
life struggles and remind
students that there is always
someone who cares for them.
The “Life is Good”
campaign was brought
to Leo for numerous
reasons. According to the
head of the campaign and
Leo Elementary teacher
Carrie
Shappell,
the
program is meant to help
promote building positive
relationships and loving life.
“I’m so excited
because I got a T-shirt that
says ‘Life is Good’.” said
teacher Mrs. Roth, “I found
one and I had to buy it. I’m
going to wear it on the day
we have our next [‘Life is
Good’] meeting. I really
do think ‘Life is Good.’”
Dr. Daniel, principal
at Leo High School, and
Mr. Diehl, principal at Leo
Elementary, accepted the
opportunity to support this
campaign with hope of being
able to reach out and help
students in times of need.
“It’s a way to build
PHOTO BY LAUREN DREFKE
a more positive, uplifting
community at school,” said
Shappell. “I want students
to know that someone
cares about them especially
in
challenging
times.”
The first “Life is
Good” meeting was held on
Oct. 7 at Leo Elementary and
on Oct. 9 at Leo Jr/Sr. High
School. All students were
called to their homerooms
to participate in activities
pertaining to the campaign.
Students were put into
groups of about five or six
and all the groups discussed
things that were different
and alike about all the group
members. After the group
discussions were done, every
student received their own
“Life is Good” wristband.
“I think this is a
good program for our
school,” said sophomore
Mackenzie Merkler. “I
think it will show kids how
good life really is and teach
us to be grateful for it.”
“Life
is
good”
will continue at Leo in an
attempt to help students
enjoy life and build
positive
relationships
with others. Students and
staff will participate in
meetings once a month.
Different
posters
popped up around the
school
with
simple,
colored pictures and short,
encouraging quotes such as
“Relax, Life is good.” These
posters are there to serve
as a reminder to students
that life is good and to
encourage
happiness.
“These encouraging
posters were hung up to
make people smile and
remind them that even
throughout life’s challenges,
‘Life is Good,’” said Shappell.
On the day of the first
“Life is Good” meeting, each
student and staff member
was given lime green, plastic
wristbands with “Life is
Good” imprinted on them.
Students and staff of Leo
High School are supposed
to wear these wristbands on
days when the meetings are
held but these wristbands
are allowed to be worn at all
times if the person desires.
Wristbands are available for
parents and people of the
Leo community to purchase
for $1. Shappell said that
in order to purchase these
extra wristbands, contact
should be made to her.
“Although the slogan
is a good reminder to us all,
it’s the students that I hope
will benefit through this
campaign,” said Shappell.
“My heart is in helping
everyone to know that they
are loved and important to
us and this community. I
hope it’s something we can
rally around- Love Life.”
“Ninety
percent
of life is attitude,” said
teacher Mrs. Brown, “so
[being positive] goes a long
way. Always be thankful.”
Senior athletes look to receive scholarships
By Dane Gerig
Staff Writer
Some
of
the
LHS
athletes
wish
to
continue
playing
their
sport at the college level.
Out of all the students
who play athletics in high
school, the majority of these
athletes will give up sports
once high school is over and
college comes around. Any
where from 3% to 13% of
senior athletes will continue
their athletics by participating
at the college level, according
to the Recruit-Me Athletic
Scholarship
System.
One
helping
way
for
these
competitors to achieve this is
through sport scholarships.
“I would enjoy playing
basketball [in college],” said
senior Jordan Bowerman.
Although Bowerman has
not looked for scholarships
for basketball yet, he plans
on searching more once
the season gets underway.
According to the
National Collegiate Scouting
Association, or the NCSA, one
of the top ten ways to achieve
an athletic scholarship is by
talking to the college coach for
which one would like to play
and keeping the coach updated.
Senior Trina Bauer
plans on playing softball in
college and has been looking
for scholarships. Bauer has not
Senior Zach Baron looks to pass to an open teammate.
been offered any scholarships
yet but has already been in
touch with some coaches.
This allows her to be known
in the schools in which
she would want to play.
Senior
Nick
McAbee would like to play
rugby at the college level;
unfortunately, colleges don’t
always offer scholarships
for rugby according to what
McAbee said. This would
be because most colleges
have rugby as a club sport;
it is only now just emerging
as an NCAA sport according
to the USA Rugby website.
“They do not offer
scholarships [for rugby],”
said McAbee, “but if you go
to an out-of-state school they
might offer instate tuition.”
With this McAbee has already
been offered instate tuition
to the University of Texas
A&M, but he will not be going
there. McAbee still has his
eyes open for his opportunity
to play rugby in college.
PHOTO BY BEN DILLON
Another student who
is in the similar dilemma is
senior Zach Baron. Baron
said that he has potentially
been offered scholarships to
play soccer but has not talked
specifics with any schools.
Senior Megan Kiley has
been presented a scholarship
for her performances in golf.
Kiley said, “I plan on attending
the University of Indianapolis
on an athletic scholarship.”
She was offered a
scholarship by a couple of
different colleges, but the
University of Indianapolis
was her first choice so
making her decisions was
not very hard to make.
According to NCSA
many high school athletes want
to play their sport in college but
do not apply for a scholarship
because they believe they are
not talented enough. NCSA
says that this does not matter
and that one should go ahead
and apply for one if they want
to play at the college level.
Page 4 • Thursday, November 6, 2008 • Sports
Editor: Stephanie Strang
Construction class remodels dugouts
By Ali Strang
Special Editor
Leo is completely
recreating the girls’ dugout
and remodeling the boys’ for
their next season in the spring.
Mr. Craig Hissong’s
construction process class
joined in on the project as well
this trimester. The assignment
started with Al Steury, who
is the self employed owner of
Custom Concrete, laying out
the foundation (40 feet by 10
feet of custom concrete). The
class’s tasks that need to be
done before the tri ends for
the dugouts include framing
and roofing. They need to lay
the shingles, rafters and soffits.
“The students really
enjoy the activity,” said
Hissong. “They are out of the
class and get to apply all their
math skills and figure out how
all of the basic processes fall Mr. Hissong’s construction class works to remodel the dugouts
together on the big project.
If they are off a half an inch new dugouts was Kim Hardly year because they needed to
on one rafter and a quarter of Bob Beuscher Homes. He tear them down to begin the
on another rafter, then the helped set the beams, which assignment. Before they started
whole project will be leaning is a very significant part of all this construction, their
towards to right; therefore, constructing the new dug outs. dugout was made out of tin
they need to be very accurate
The Leo softball team is and was falling apart because
on everything they do.” also very ecstatic about having it was so worn out and old
Another person who new dugouts for their field. according to the softball players.
was involved in creating the They didn’t have a dugout last
“By building new
.
Gymnasts excited
PHOTO BY ALI STRANG
dug outs, it will bring more
convenience for the coaches
and all the girls,” said senior
Trina Bauer. “In previous
years, it has been jam packed
and quite cloister phobic.
The dugouts should take
away distraction as well.”
Another
gift
to
the girls’ softball team was
a brand new scoreboard.
Their recent scoreboard just
happened to be the oldest in
East Allen County. It didn’t
score any higher than 25 runs
according to the softball team.
“The new scoreboard
should be tight,” said senior
Cherie Hiatt. “I am looking
forward to seeing more than
25 runs on the scoreboard each
game. Since it’s my senior year,
these changes will be really nice
to have for at least one year.”
The total cost for
all the softball and baseball
construction was 4,000 dollars
according the Mr. Hissong. By
having Hissong’s construction
class build the structures, they
saved money because the labor
is free. This also is a great
experience for the students.
According
to
Mr.
Hissong, the majority of the
project will be completed
by the end of the tri. Second
tri’s class will probably be
finishing up some minor tasks.
“Since it’s so cold
out right now, it’s difficult
to finish the project,” said
Hissong.
“Students
are
slipping on the roof and it’s
hard to see the lines but we’re
getting done what we can.”
for new practice facility Winter Sports Schedule
By Kristin Craft
News Editor
As the gymnastics
season prepares to get
underway,
there
have
been
a
few
changes.
In previous years,
practices and meets for the
gymnasts have always been
held at Leo. For this coming
year practices now have been
moved to Summit Academy.
Returning gymnasts
are excited about the new
facility but are not looking
forward to the drive and the gas
money they will be spending.
Summit Academy is located
in Industrial Park out by Lima
Road. The gymnasium is a
very large and has much better
facilities and equipment to
offer the gymnasts. Leo is one
of the few high schools around
this area that use Summit
Academy for their practices.
“I am very excited
about
the
move,”
said
sophomore Betty Graber. “It
is a great facility with great
equipment and I feel like it
will really benefit our team.”
The
returning
gymnasts are excited about
the move and think the new
practicing facility will benefit
the team, Graber and junior
gymnast Brittanie Barker.
“We
are
making
this move to expose our
gymnasts to more equipment,
better
equipment,
and
new and different training
opportunities,” said Coach
Rohrbacher. “We hope that by
practicing at such a nice facility
more girls will be willing to put
in the time and effort that it takes
to be a high school gymnast.”
The Leo administration
made the final decision to
move gymnastics practice
to a different facility. The
administration was hoping
to give the gymnasts a better
learning opportunity and
better training. They hope that
by this move in will make the
gymnasts more committed
and excited about the sport.
Although
practices
have been moved to Summit
Academy, the gymnastics
meets will all still be held
at Leo in the gymnasium.
Returning
gymnasts
are
glad that the meets will still
remain at the home gym.
“I am very glad we
are still holding the meets at
Leo because hopefully more
people will come and watch
our meets,” said Barker. “Also
I think it will bring more
school spirit to our team.”
With
changes
occurring this season, the
returning gymnasts are still
holding their expectations
high. Barker feels that the team
is going to come back strong
because it was worth keeping
gymnastics at Leo. Barker also
feels that this year will be very
different from previous years
because of the new training
the gymnasts will be receiving.
The team is ready to come back
strong and to promote Leo
gymnastics in a positive way.
“When I first found out
that gymnastics had been cut
from Leo, I was very upset,”
said Barker, “but because our
team is so close and loves this
sport so much, we got it back.
Because we have accomplished
this, I hope that our team comes
back really strong this year
with our high expectations.”
The gymnast’s first
practice is the 1st of November.
They will be conditioning
for two weeks. Their first
meet is January 8, 2009, at
home
against
Concordia.
“Because our team is so
close and loves this sport so
much, we got [gymnastics]
back.”
-Junior Brittanie Barker
Tuesday, November 11
Varsity Girls Basketball Jamboree
Home 6:30
Thursday November 20
Varsity Boys Basketball
Away (South Side) 7:30
Saturday November 22
Wresting Invitational
Away (Praire Heights) 9:00
Thursday January 22
Varsity Girls Gymnastics
Home 6:00
Page 5 •
Editor: Abby Reece
Thursday November 6, 2008
• A&E
Fall sports seasons
reach a sad end
From highlights to spotlights
By Stephanie Strang
Sports Editor
Leo’s
fall
athletic
seasons are wrapping up
with sectional play either
beginning or already finished.
Sectional play is crucial
because once teams lose,
seasons are completed, and
high school careers are finished
for seniors. Teams such as girls
golf, boys tennis, football,
volleyball, boys and girls cross
country, and boys and girls
soccer have unique turnouts
to the end of their seasons.
Out of all the fall
sports teams, the girls golf
team the most winning season.
Coming into sectional play,
the team’s record for dual
meets was an impressive 14-0.
The Lions were the winners
of New Haven, Northrop,
and Bellmont invitationals.
The
three
seniors
on varsity, Megan Kiley,
Alyssa Turney, and Lauren
McNiece, led their team to 2nd
in sectionals, 3rd in regionals,
and a 16th place finish at the
state level, beating 290 schools.
The girls’ overall record was
78-23 while over half their
losses were at the state meet.
“I was impressed
with the end of the season,”
said Coach Paul Newburg.
“The
seniors
play
and
leadership will be missed.”
The
boys
tennis
team ended their season
unexpectedly. The team drew
a by for the first round of
sectionals but lost to Dwenger
High School in the second
round of play. Even if they
couldn’t
advance,
seniors
Jordan Bowerman and Drew
Giant individually won their
number one doubles match
in the ACAC tournament.
“Losing to Dwenger
was a major let down
because Drew and I had
our eyes on state,” said
senior Jordan Bowerman.
The girls soccer team
finished their season with a
hard-fought battle. Leo drew
Dekalb High School for the
first round of the sectional
tournament, shutting them out
3-0, and beat Northrop 1-0 in
the second round of play. As
they advanced to the sectional
championship, a lot was on the
line since not one girls soccer
team in the history of Leo has
ever been sectional champions.
Carroll finished beating the
Lions 2-0; however, it was a
great accomplishment to make
it that far. Their final record was
15-3, the best record in history.
“We had a really good
season but wish it could have
gone longer,” said senior
Karissa Miller. “It’s hard to say
goodbye when you’re a senior.”
Leo’s boys soccer team
finished with a winning record
of 9-6-2 and an undefeated
record of 6-0 in conference
games. The boys soccer sectional
had a very competitive draw
consisting of Northrop High
School, Dwenger High School,
and Carroll High School.
Northrop beat Leo 3-0 in the
first round, ending their season;
however, many teammates
felt like they gave it their all.
“I felt that by the end of
the season we were beginning
to play as a solid team,”
senior Landon Oyer. “I know
we would have been more
successful if a couple of our
key players didn’t get injured.”
After
losing
four
talented runners the previous
year, the girls cross country
team ran a great season. Leo, as
a team, finished second overall
in the ACAC tournament with
two individual All-Conference
qualifiers: sophomore Emily
Johnson finished 2nd and senior
Chloe Morrical finished 6th.
In
the
sectional
tournament meet, the girls
team placed 6th as a team just
missing the top five cut off that
advances to regionals. Johnson
individually advanced onto
regional and then onto semistate. She didn’t finish high
enough for her to make it to
the state meet but has two
more years to prove herself.
“Our season went
well,” said senior Chloe
Morrical.
“Although
we
didn’t achieve our goal of
advancing out of sectionals, we
showed a lot of improvement
throughout the season and
became a lot closer as a team.”
The girls volleyball
team has had one of the most
successful records in the
history of Leo, 25-6. The girls
were runner-up in the regular
season ACAC
conference
and advanced all the way to
the sectional championship
game. In sectional play, Leo
defeated
Harding
High
School, Angola High School,
but lost to Dwenger High
School to end their season.
“This season was by
far my favorite season,” said
senior Danielle Gladieux. “We
always won as a team and
lost as a team. I became really
close to all my teammates.”
Football is the only
fall athletic season that has not
ended. Head coach Jared Sauder
has led his team to a winning
season of 7-3 and was runnerup in the ACAC conference.
Sectional play began Friday,
Oct. 24. Leo smashed their first
opponent, West Noble High
School, by a whopping 42-0.
The second round was Leo
Lions vs. Heritage Patriots on
Friday October 31. Senior Nick
McAbee believes that this is their
best chance to win sectionals.
“We
were
happy
with the end of the regular
season. We won three games
in a row,” said Coach Sauder.
“Hopefully we can continue
that streak through sectionals.”
“It was a great fall
athletic season,” said athletic
director Mr. Rohrabacher.
“The players and coaches
did a great job. Everyone
represented the school and
the community very well.
The results from the
sectional game on Oct. 31 were
not available at press time.
Winter workouts begin
Up and coming season stirs excitement
By Kristen Craft
News Editor
Now that the fall
athletes are wrapping up
their season, winter athletes are starting to prepare
for their upcoming one.
The boys basketball
team has started conditioning for their season. Conditioning has been taking place
Tuesday and Thursday after
school where they run and
also work on shooting drills.
“I am looking forward to getting hype with
all the superfans before the
games,
especially
Mitch
Meinholz,” said senior Jordan
Bowerman. “We have a good
all-around team with solid
players in every position.”
The basketball cheerleaders have started practicing as well to prepare
for the boys and girls upcoming basketball games.
“I am really excited
for basketball season because
there’s more crowd interaction and all the super fans get
into the games. It’s so much
fun to cheer when everyone
is pumped up,” said senior
cheerleader Alicia Christman.
The girls’ basketball
team is also looking forward to
another successful season. The
girls have started workouts two
times a week since the first week
of school. The tryouts were held
Oct. 27 and went until Oct. 29.
“I am extremely excited for senior year,” said senior Nikki Hill. “We lost four
great players, but we have
girls prepared to step up and
fill the positions. We are hoping to win ACAC and also to
have another sectional championship. Our goal is to have a
season just as good as last year
and hopefully even better.”
The gymnastic season is also
underway. The girls will not be
practicing at Leo but instead
will be at Summit Academy.
They will still be holding their
home meets at Leo’s gym. The
gymnasts will not be practicing
at Leo due to an adminstration
decision according to Rohrbacher. The adminstration is
hoping the new practicing facility will provide the girls better training and help them have
more commitment to the sport.
“I have high expectations for this season,” said
junior Brittanie Barker. “This
is going to be a different year
for us but we are going to
come back strong as a team.”
The wrestling team is
also looking forward to another successful season. During
last year’s ACAC tournament
three individuals won titles.
Four wrestlers made it to semi
state: seniors Justin Woods
and Kade Hardley, junior Cam
Friend, and sophomore Justin Beck. After the semi state
competition Friend and Woods
were able to advance to the
state tournament where Woods
won a state championship.
“Even though we have
lost a lot of talent, I expect the
younger wrestlers to step it
up and fill the positions,” said
senior Nick McAbee. “We are
hoping for Cam and Justin
to make it to state this year.”
The winter season
officially begins Nov. 11.
•
Page 6 • Thursday, November 6, 2008
Special
Editor: Evan Delagrange
VS
By Evan Delagrange
Special editor
Throughout
the
centuries, mankind has had
many decisions to make: paper
or plastic, grilled or crispy,
McCain or Obama, the list goes
on and on. One crucial question
remains: Zune or iPod?
Each device has its
pros and cons, and advocates
for each can become quite
vicious when it comes to
defending the mp3 player of
their choice; however, in an
attempt to remain unbiased,
this article will merely evaluate
and compare features of both
devices to help consumers
decide which is best for them.
Through use and careful
evaluation, a list of the main
features of both brands has
been compiled. Since the Zune
is the lesser known of the two
gadgets, it will be the first to be
assessed.
Zunes,
produced
by Microsoft, have a variety
of innovative features the
consumer can make use of.
They come in the smaller sized
4, 8, and 16 gigabyte models
and the larger 30, 80, and 120
gigabyte versions. Zunes will
obviously play music, but they
can play videos, podcasts, and
show slideshows of pictures
as well. When watching
videos, the screen goes into the
sideways widescreen mode.
Users can also play games,
although only two, Texas Hold
‘Em and Hexic, have been
released so far. Users can set
pictures as backgrounds and
set an optional screen lock with
a four number combination
that must be entered in order
to use the Zune.
One of the most
inventive characteristics of the
Zune is its built-in wireless
transmitter/receiver.
This
allows Zune users to send
songs and pictures to each other
wirelessly as well as connect to
WiFi (wireless internet) zones
and buy songs directly on the
device.
Zunes also have an
FM radio and, when a user
is listening to the radio and
they hear a song they like, the
Zune will identify the song
and listeners can tag the song
for later purchase or, if they
are in a WiFi zone, buy the
song on the spot. The wireless
also allows consumers to sync
the Zune with their computer
wirelessly.
Zunes also have a touch
pad (deemed the “Squircle” for
its square/circular shape) that
can be swiped with a finger to
scroll through menus and also
serves as a 5-way D-pad, which
means users can press the top,
bottom, left and right side, and
center of the pad as buttons.
Apple, the maker of
iPods, has been putting their
mp3 players on the market
for seven years. IPod products
include the iPod Classic, Touch,
Nano, Shuffle, and iPhone. The
Classics come in 20, 30, 40,
60, 80, 120, and 160 gigabyte
versions. The Touch comes in 8,
16, and 32 gigabyte models, and
the Nanos and iPhones come in
4, 8, and 16 gigabyte versions.
The screenless Shuffle comes in
1 and 2 gigabyte versions.
IPods play music,
videos, podcasts, and show
pictures. The iPod Classic and
Nano both come with the games
Vortex and Klondike, but a
variety of other games can be
downloaded through iTunes.
Unlike the Zune, pictures
cannot be set as a background
but a screen lock combination
can be set on some versions of
the iPods.
IPods also come with
a variety of interesting features
the user can enjoy. The newest
generation of iPod Nanos
was recently released and
the player has many creative
characteristics including the
ability to switch the screen from
portrait to landscape mode
by simply tilting the iPod on
its side. This is accomplished
by using a piece of hardware
called an accelerometer which
also allows listeners to shake
the iPod to shuffle their music.
Both the iPod Touch
and iPhone are touchscreen
devices that can connect to the
internet, and the iPhone can
(obviously) make calls among
a plethora of other features
found on phones, like GPS,
games, and taking pictures.
There are, of course,
owners of both brands of
devices in Leo. Senior Sean
Bricker has been a fan of Zunes
since they first debuted.
“Zunes are pretty
much amazing,” said Bricker.
Being a long time fan, Bricker
has had the 30, 80 and 120
gigabyte versions of the Zune
and has been satisfied with all
three.
There are many fans of
iPods in Leo as well, including
senior Mitchell Horn. “IPods
are amazing; Zunes aren’t,”
said Horn, which is a classic
example of the rivalry that
exists between fans of Zune
and iPod.
As this is simply an
evaluation of features, it will
be left up to the reader to
decide which device better fits
their needs and wants and no
attempt will be made to sway
consumers one way or the
other.
The Super Handy-Dandy Chart of Features
Features
Zune
iPod
Music
YES
YES
Pictures
YES
YES
Videos
YES
YES
Games
YES
YES
FM Radio
YES
NO
Storage (Gigabytes)
1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 20,
4, 8, 16, 30, 80, 120 30, 32, 40, 60, 80,
120, 160
Online Service
Zune Marketplace
iTunes
Download Price
$14.99/month
(unlimited)
$0.99/song
The Zune 4/8/16 model and the iPod Nano
Advertising for Zune (above) and iPod (below)
Zune 30 menu with a customizable
background image
iPod menus have an album art display
Editor: Kassi Galbreath
Page 7 •Thursday, November 6, 2008
Disney Princess Fairytales
Their romantic adventures warm
the hearts of girls young and old
“As a little girl I fantasized
about being Ariel. I always
thought she was beautiful,
and I loved that she was willing to follow her heart even
when her father disapproved.
Plus, I always wanted to
swim with the fish!”
-Cherie Hiatt
“My favorite princess is Belle. I
admired the fact that she could love
and care for a hideous beast. In
reality, she’s a great role model.”
-Kati Boerger
“Belle didn’t care what someone looked like on the outside,
but truly found love from
inside that person.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM
By Kassi Galbreath
Special Editor
There is a part of every
girl who wishes and dreams
of one day finding her Prince
Charming and embarking on
a romantic fairytale to last a
lifetime. Perhaps that is why
the
blissful,
lighthearted
lives of Disney Princesses
are so appealing to us.
“I love the thought of a
fairytale lifestyle,” said senior
Kristin Craft. “It seems like
the lives of Disney Princesses
are so perfect and romantic,
and I’ve always wished life
could really be like that.”
From sparkling dresses
and glass slippers to talking
willow trees, underwater
castles, and magic carpets,
Disney Princesses have it all.
Their lives typically consist of
friendly fairies and creatures
that help them overcome the
evil powers at work in their
magical world, and usually
along the way, the princess
will defeat the odds and
experience an epic romance
with the man of her dreams.
“I think every girl
would love to be a Disney
princess and have a handsome
prince come sweep her off
her feet,” said senior Chelsea
Brune. “I think the appeal
is in the mere fact that real
life isn’t actually like that.”
As young girls, we had
several very different Disney
Princesses to choose from and
dream of being in some way,
shape, or form. There was
Ariel, a young mermaid under
the sea; Jasmine, the daughter
of a prestigious Emperor;
Cinderella, a servant who
triumphed over opposition;
Pocahontas, a Native American
who fell in love with an English
colonist; Belle, a girl who fell
in love with a hideous beast;
and Sleeping Beauty, a girl
with fairy godmothers who
helped her awake from a curse.
With
so
many
wonderful, magical stories to
choose from, it’s no wonder we
girls spend so much of our time
overusing our imagination,
hoping our Prince Charming
will suddenly appear and
sweep us off of our feet.
In The Little Mermaid, a
young, feisty mermaid named
Ariel disregards her father,
King Triton’s, orders that she
stop being so idealistic and
impractical about life above the
sea. Ariel cannot help herself;
she is fascinated by the lives
of humans on land and spends
most of her time collecting
and naming different human
trinkets. Her good friends
Flounder, a bright and bubbly
fish; Sebastian, a cynical yet
faithful little crab; and Scuttle, a
goofy seagull, all help her follow
her heart to the man of her
dreams, a human named Eric.
“As a little girl I
fantasized about being Ariel
from The Little Mermaid,”
said senior Cherie Hiatt.
“I always thought she was
beautiful, and I loved that
she was willing to follow her
heart even when her father
disapproved. Plus, I always
wanted to swim with the fish.”
In an Arabic city, there
also lived the beautiful and
majestic princess Jasmine of the
movie Aladdin, who meets and
falls in love with a rebellious
street rat named Aladdin.
“Jasmine was one of
my favorite Disney Princesses,”
said senior Craft. “She followed
her heart even though society
told her not to and was willing
to forgive Aladdin when he lied
to try to impress her. Plus, she
got to go on a date on a magic
carpet. Who gets to do that?”
Though
Jasmine’s
father, the Arabic Emperor,
wants Jasmine to marry a
prestigious prince, she chooses
to trust her heart and finds
a lasting love in Aladdin,
rather than love based merely
off of rank or reputation.
In Pocahontas, a strongwilled Native American girl
named Pocahontas accidentally
falls in love with an English
colonist, the very people she
is supposed to despise, and
is faced with the challenge
of choosing love or believing
the stereotypes her tribe has
believed for years. When the
members of Pocahontas’ tribe
and John Smith’s fellow colonists
discover their secret love affair
in a great story of perseverance,
John and Pocahontas must
come together and fight for
their right to love each other.
“I’ve always identified
with Pocahontas,” said senior
Megan Hevel. “I look sort of
like her especially since I’m
part Cherokee, and I’ve always
dreamed of having a willow
tree to converse with. She’s
basically amazing because
she had the courage to fight
for what she believed in.”
Then in the movie
Beauty and the Beast, the life
of a young girl named Belle
is turned upside down when,
in an attempt to rescue her
missing father, she is held
captive by a hideous beast. In
this endearing tale, Belle meets
friendly silverware and dancing
furniture and falls in love with
a beast who is gruesome on the
outside yet has a lovely heart
and charming personality.
“My favorite princess
is Belle,” said senior Kati
Boerger. “I admired the fact
that she could love and care
for a hideous beast. In reality,
she’s a great role model.”
Rather than judge the
beast based solely off of his
physical appearance, Belle digs
deeper and finds genuine love
in the beast and even fights to
save him when the rest of her
town tries to terminate him.
“I always thought Belle
was full of spirit and presented
herself very well,” said senior
Kaitlyn Alter. “She didn’t care
what someone looked like on
the outside, but truly found
love from inside that person.”
Disney princesses offer
girls a magical, romantic world
separate from reality—a world
full of perseverance, spirit,
and true love. Perhaps that is
the primary reason why it’s so
easy for girls to aspire to have
the lives of Disney princesses.
-Kaitlyn Alter
“Jasmine was one of my
favorite prinesses. She followed her heart even though
society told her not to and
was willing to forgive
Aladdin when he lied to
try to impress her. Plus,
she got to go on a date on a
magic carpet. Who gets to
do that?”
-Krstin Craft
“I’ve always identified with
Pocahontas. I look sort of
like her, espeically since
I’m part Cherokee, and I’ve
always dreamed of having a
willow tree to converse with.
She’s basically amazing
because she had the courage
to fight for what she believed
in.”
-Megan Hevel
“Cinderella was my all time
favorite princess! Every time
my parents would make me
clean or do chores I would
always think of being her and
how a prince would rescue
me. I always wished it would
have happened!”
-Alexis Meeks
“Sleeping Beauty is my
all time favorite Disney
princess! I always
fantasized about being
her. Like being raised by
fairies and then finding
out I was a princess.
I always thought that
would be really cool!”
-Daneille Gladieus
Page 8 •Thursday, November 6, 2008 • Feature
Editor: Jill Peck
OSI brings a way for students
to figure out life occupations
By Lauren Drefke
Staff Writer
An
Out-of-School
Internship (OSI) is a workbased learning program in
which students engage in
learning through practical and
relevant experiences at various
internship sites. OSI is open to
juniors and seniors.
OSI is a program that
allows students to explore
different career opportunities.
Students wanting to take part
in this should know that this is
an unpaid internship.
“An internship is a
work-based learning program
that is distinctly different
from traditional educational
programs,” said Internship
Coordinator Mrs. Estabrook.
“Students participating in an
out-of-school internship should
understand that the emphasis
of the experience is on exploring
career opportunities at the
internship site – not solely on
getting out of school.”
There
are
many
benefits of participating in an
OSI. Students explore future
career choices, businesses
and organizations are utilized
for special training, and job
experiences are supplemented
with technical information
and encounters that cannot be
simulated in a classroom.
“Interns will get the
greatest benefit from their
internship experience if they
take it seriously and work closely
with the Career Development
Center to find a placement that
is ‘a good fit’ for their interests,
aptitudes, abilities, and career
aspirations,” said Estabrook.
Interns
will
also
develop work habits and
attitudes, as well as a sense
of responsibility, even an
opportunity
for
possible
employment. Senior Allison
Troutner was one of those
students who was given the
opportunity to become hired as
an employee after completing
her internship. She interned
at the Grabill Veterinary Clinic
first trimester of her junior year
and then became one of the
staff at the clinic. Troutner has
been an employee there for a
little longer than a year.
At Leo High School,
the medical and educational
sites are the most common.
Many students first look
toward the hospitals in the
area such as Parkview, Dupont,
and Lutheran. Dupont offers
more general departments
for students to explore, while
Parkview offers more specified
departments.
Lutheran,
though
farther away, has a unique
way of allowing students to
intern. They offer a rotation
of their different departments,
meaning that each day the
student is there will be in a
different department.
This
gives students who are unsure
of what field they want to go
into a chance to try different
things.
Throughout the
internship if the student finds
a department they enjoy, they
may decide to stay in that
department for the rest of the
trimester.
Though Dupont
hospital is a favorite for Leo
interns, choosing between
the hospitals for an OSI site
all depends on the students’
interests and what they are
looking to get out of their
intern process.
“This opportunity will
give me a better idea of what
Senior Nikki Hill poses with 4th grade students.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NIKKI HILL
kind of counseling I want to go
into in the future,” said junior
Sarah Boston. “I may not want
to be a doctor or nurse, but I
want to council families that
are dealing with medical issues,
and by interning at the hospital,
it can give me a first hand in
that sort of environment.”
For many of the
medical internship sites that
are visited by Leo students,
they have an early decision
process. This process begins
in May and gives students the
head start on acquiring a site.
Principal’s Corner A Day in the Life of a Nurse
By Dr. Daniel
Principal
2008 National Model High
School
Best practices presenter at
16th Annual Model Schools
Conference, June 22-25 in
Orlando, Florida
Leo Junior Senior High
School was selected as one of
23 model high schools for 2008
by the International Center for
Leadership in Education. The
chosen schools shared their
best practices at the 16th Annual
Model Schools Conference,
June 22-25 in Orlando. The
Model Schools Conference is
the nation’s premier event for
K-12 education reform.
Each year, the Conference
attracts thousands of educators,
who come to learn about
exemplary elementary, middle,
high schools and career and
technical education programs.
Model schools are selected
annually based on providing
all students with a rigorous
and
relevant
curriculum,
personalized
instruction,
increased student learning
time, parent and community
involvement, use of data to
make instructional decisions,
and other best practices.
Case studies prepared by the
International Center on Leo
Junior Senior High School
and the other model high
schools serve as a resource for
educators and policymakers.
“We are delighted that this
exceptional school will be
sharing its best practices,
which mirror the International
Center’s mission of providing a
rigorous and relevant education
for all students,” said Willard
R. Daggett, President of the
International Center.
As a model school, Leo
Junior Senior High School
becomes a member of the
Successful Practices Network.
Through the Network, Leo
Junior Senior High School’s
professional staff will exchange
best instructional practices,
successful
methodologies,
and peer support with other
member schools. More than
over 600 schools from across
the nation currently belong to
the Network.
The International Center for
Leadership
in
Education,
established in 1991 and located
in Rexford, N.Y., is one of the
most influential education
consulting
companies
in
America. It is best known for
identifying and disseminating
successful
practices
and
techniques to assist all students
in achieving higher standards.
Dr. Daggett and his team of
consultants
have
assisted
numerous state education
agencies and hundreds of
schools and districts in their
improvement initiatives. For
more information please visit
www.LeaderEd.com.
Students spent a Saturday at Dupont Hospital too see what it was like to be a nurse
By Amanda Overholt
Editor
Dupont
Hospital
hosted “A Day in the Life of a
Nurse” on Oct. 18.
This program was an open
house for all students from
schools all around the area
interested in nursing.
Some Leo students
were informed about the event
from careers class and from
Mrs. Dick.
Students were
encouraged to participate if
they are interested in pursuing
a career in nursing.
Upon
arriving,
students were asked to sign
in and then were given
information regarding nursing.
This information included
different nursing opportunities
and nursing facts.
After signing in and
obtaining Dupont bags full of
candy and papers, participants
were encouraged to get
refreshments and then walk
around to several stations that
had been set up concerning
many different types of nursing.
Some of the stations included
pre operation nursing, neonatal
nursing, chaplains, ER nursing,
pharmacists, dieticians, and
many others. The program
lasted three hours, from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m.
“‘A Day in the Life of a
Nurse’was very informational,”
said sophomore Miranda Beck.
“I learned a lot about nursing
that I didn’t know. The free
food was a plus too.”
Bulletin boards and
different displays had been
prepared to help with visual
ideas about each nursing field.
At each station, one or two
nurses would give a short
summary of what they do,
talk about their jobs, and then
answer any and all questions
students had. Bulletin Boards
included pictures and blurbs
about what was happening in
the photos. On tables near the
stations there were different
types of nursing equipment
that could be experimented
with and asked about.
“‘A Day in the Life of a
Nurse’ makes me think of fun
times,” said sophomore Janna
Parke. “I loved learning on my
open Saturday. We should all
be required to go.”
After going around
to all the different stations
and learning about the types
of nursing, participants were
put in groups and given tours
of the hospital. Students
were permitted in areas that,
generally, are only for staff. The
tour was given by a nurse who
gave important information
about the different areas of
the hospital and answered all
questions students had.
“My mom wanted me
to see what it was like working
in a hospital,” said freshman
Kacie Klopfenstein. “It was
really cool learning about
what the nurses do and how
important they are.”
“I heard about [‘A Day
in the Life of a Nurse’] from
Janna Parke,” said sophomore
Chandler Salway, “In careers
we had to do an interview
and a job shadow so it was
the perfect set up for me. I
had a really good time and
did something that counted
for my job shadow. I’m really
interested in neonatal nursing
and going taught me so much.
There was also pretty good free
food there, so that made me
pretty happy.”
The variety of students
who attended had different and
multiple reasons for going to
“A Day in the Life of a Nurse.”
Page 9 • Thursday, November 6,2008
• Feature
Editor:Elliot Adams
“Grade Inflation” raises questions throughout school systems
pressure by students, parents,
and administration standards
along with other factors, or that
students are simply generating
better work.
“I think teachers are
grading to their content area,”
said history teacher Mr. Koester.
“Specific classes prepare students
for college, while other classes
prepare students for different
pathways. Those students who
want to be successful will work
harder to be successful, which
is reflected in their quality of
PHOTO BY ELLIOT ADAMS
By Elliot Adams
Feature Editor
Some teachers and college
professors are arguing that the
grade of A does not require the
same amount of hard work and
diligence that it once did.
Phil Primack, a journalism
professor at Tufts University and
a contributor to Globe Magazine,
believes that the letter grades
A and B have lost their value in
today’s society of complaining
students and nagging parents.
More students than those who
should are getting very good
grades in high school these days.
His explanation for this dilemma
is grade inflation.
“At a national level, there
is research to suggest that grade
inflation is present in the school
system,” said Assistant Principal
Mr. Smith. “If C is average, the
majority of the school should be
getting a 6 on a 12 point scale; this
Spanish dominance
becomes apparent
in curriculum as well
as American culture
By Chessie Worman
Staff Writer
The only foreign language
available to Leo students is
Spanish due to the high demand
for the class.
“When
the
German
teacher Mr. Lutz retired, the
demand for the class dwindled to
a point where it wouldn’t make
any sense to hire another German
teacher,” said Assistant Principal
Mr. Smith. “However, the number
of students interested in Spanish
was so high we needed to hire on
another teacher.”
Learning the Spanish
language is prevalent in the United
States because of the increasing
Hispanic population according
to Smith, but in a global view, the
actual world power language is
Mandarin Chinese.
In the 2002 Census,
Latinos represented the largest
minority in the U.S. Learning the
language of that minority will
help ease communications around
the United States.
According to Spanish
teacher Mrs. Daugherty, to
develop the Spanish language it
takes six years in classes. If one
would go to a Spanish-speaking
country, it could take one to two
years to become almost fluent in
the language.
“Other countries learn
English at an early age as a way
to prepare for global success,
especially
for
commercial
reasons, however, there has been
shift in power and English is no
longer the ‘power’ language of
the world,” said Daugherty. “I
think we should learn Spanish,
or any other language, starting at
kindergarten so that Americans
can be competitive with the rest
of the world.”
Amazingly, Spanish is
expected to be the first language
of 50% of the population of the
United States by as soon as 2050
according to language advantage.
com. This predicted statistic
means that much of the world’s
economy and business ventures
will be handed in the Spanish
language, like English has been
for other countries over the past
years.
“I think part of the reason
that other cultures learn to speak
English at an early age when we
didn’t learn it until a later year
is that they understand that they
are going to have to learn the
languages of countries that they
interact with and become more
globally minded,” said Spanish
teacher Mrs. Miller. “They also
have to learn different languages
for business and tourism.”
In other countries, foreign
languages are taught at an early
age so that they will learn that
language more efficiently.
“The benefits to learning
Spanish earlier are that it is easier
to learn while you are learning
your first language because your
brain is still forming language,
said Miller. “Kids retain it better
when they are learning their first
language.”
Spanish teacher Mrs.
Raggio, raised in Spain, explains
her countries belief of the
importance of learning language
at a young age.
“Other cultures learn to
speak English at an earlier age
for several reasons,” said Raggio.
“In my culture, we think that it
is better for the brain to start at a
young age because your brain is
still forming and you are learning
new things all the time.”
For now, Leo High School
will offer Spanish only as early as
eighth grade. Students are required
to take a foreign language class in
order to graduate, but Spanish is
currently the only one offered.
Administrators are looking into
giving students the options to
take classes at IPFW in Chinese
and Arabic according to Principal
Dr. Daniel.
Spanish
is
spoken
by almost 400 million people
worldwide and is the fourth most
widely spoken language in the
world after Mandarin Chinese,
English and Hindi, according to
spanish-school.com, which is a
strong reason in itself to begin
or continue learning the Spanish
language.
is obviously not true.”
With all of these rumors,
it leaves Primack to believe that
students are regarding a B as a
transcript wrecker and a C as a
disaster.
Colleges, according to
msn.com, are seeing a significant
increase in GPA over a period
of time without the difficulty of
courses changing. This would
either mean that teachers are
giving better grades due to
work.”
When Stuart Rojstaczer
a professor of Duke University,
admitted in 2003 that he no longer
gives a grade lower than a B, it
shed some light on the issue of
grade inflation. Colleges and
universities are not the only ones
being questioned.
According to a study by
the University of California at Los
Angeles, high school students
who are going to college show
significantly higher grades than
that of 30 years ago.
What makes high school
grade inflation complicated is the
competiveness that comes out of
it. Top students struggle to get
higher in class ranking because
of the mass amount of work to
average over the competing high
grades.
“We have such smart
kids in our grade and the
competitiveness is at a really high
level,” said sophomore Brennan
Seevers. “The top kids are
averaging A’s so it is hard to rise
above that. Plus some students
are taking certain classes to raise
their GPA.”
According to Melissa
Donnely a writer for www.
fsunews.com, the opponents of
grade inflation think that, in the
end, grade inflation hurts students
the most because it leaves them
with an inaccurate evaluation of
the quality of their work that will
likely hurt students.
“There are so many
factors in this issue and the bigger
question now is how to fix it,”
said Smith. “Schools will always
be competitive.”
This
alleged
grade
inflation isn’t the answer for
students who desire to enter
college because universities use
other guidelines to evaluate
student progress and mastery.
“Colleges are much more
concerned with your SAT and
ACT scores than your GPA,” said
Smith.
Students and teachers share obsessions
Obsessions are a part of daily thoughts and activities
By Alyssa Turney
Staff Writer
Everyday, people are
confronted with the ideas of
different obsessions. Although
the definition of an obsession
according to dictionary.com states
that they are unhealthy, people
would not file their “obsession”
under being unhealthy.
The official definition
of an obsession, according to
dictionary.com, states that it is a
compulsive preoccupation with a
fixed idea or an unwanted feeling
or emotion, often accompanied
by symptoms of anxiety. A large
majority of people would argue
that their own obsession is far
from unhealthy.
Junior Bailey Rosenbaum
denies that her obsession is
detrimental. “I have Hannah
Montana/Miley Cyrus jewelry,
clothes, posters, I am a member of
Mileyworld.com, I have sunglasses
from dresslikemiley.net, school
supplies, and I’ve watched every
show and recorded them,” said
junior Bailey Rosenbaum. “I am
100% obsessed, but it is not an
unhealthy obsession.”
Hearing people talk
about supposed obsessions and
addictions to silly things on a
daily basis is not uncommon.
When talking about things that
are greatly treasured, using the
word obsession might be a little
bit of an exaggeration.
The reality is that serious
obsessions are diseases that affect
many people negatively in the
United States. The most common
reason for obsessions branch from
depression according to www.
wrongdiagnosis.com.
Other things that can
cause obsessions are obsessivecompulsive
disorder
and
schizophrenia. There are two
types of obsessions that are
very common, and those are
contamination obsessions and
symmetry, order, and exactness
obsessions, according to www.
psychcentral.com. Contamination
obsessions cover things from
germs, blood, and dirt; symmetry,
order, and exactness obsessions
cover everything from exactness
in dressing to exactness and/or
symmetry in grooming.
Fetish, attraction, passion,
and compulsion are words that
may be linked with obsessions.
It is not unusual for people to
refer to their simply liking of
something as a serious obsession.
The difference is whether the
obsession is a productive one or
an unproductive one.
An
unproductive
obsession serves no good purpose
and deletes mental energy,
according to www.ericmaisel.com.
These are things like obsessing
over a plane crashing or worrying
about heights constantly. These
inconvenient
thoughts
rule
everything a person does, says,
and thinks. On the other hand, a
productive obsession generates
mental energy, according to
www.ericmaisel.com. Productive
obsessions tend to accomplish
something, while unproductive
obsessions do not.
“Ever since 1967, I
haven’t missed more than 30 days
of exercising,” said teacher Mr.
Gabet. “I just think it’s a lot of fun.
learn
You feel yourself getting stronger
and I love the sun on my body.”
This is an example of a healthy,
productive obsession.
Even though most people
with fixations for certain things
would say that their “obsessions”
don’t cross the line of being
unhealthy or unproductive, some
may have already wandered onto
the path of a harmful and very
time-consuming obsession.
“I play Guitar Hero
for at least two hours a day,
and sometimes I play for 6 to 7
hours a day,” said senior Gabe
Richardson. “I would say that
my addiction is very unhealthy
because I sit there and waste a
lot of time playing a game that is
getting me nowhere.”
Giving up an obsession
may be a difficult thing to do.
The best way to quit an obsession
is to stop cold turkey and get
rid of everything that has to do
with the obsession. This may be
difficult, but it will surely cure the
obsession.
laugh
live
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IPFW
TODAY!
www.ipfw.edu/admissions
260-481-6812
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I N D I A N A U N I V E R S I T Y – P U R D U E U N I V E R S I T Y F O R T W AY N E
Destructive decisions
As abuse sky rockets, teens learn the severe consequences and punishment
By Lindsey Mohlman
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Destructive and harmful
decisions made by teens are often
the result of impaired thinking
caused by involvement with either
drugs or alcohol.
As teens grow into
themselves, adolescent years
play a key role in their social and
mental development. Exploration
of varied friend groups and
lifestyles is a natural part of this
phase of life, but too often this
experimentation leads teens into
interaction with drugs or alcohol.
Keisha Thierry-Mildor,
drug addictions specialist who
works with drug and alcohol
counseling at Allen County
Juvenile Center, reported that 54
percent of teens who have been
brought into the center just this
year have had some involvement
with drugs and 80 percent have
had alcohol at least one time.
This high number of involvement
with these substances can be
referenced back to many different
factors such as peer pressure, a
need for acceptance, a form of
self-medication for difficult or
stressful life situations, or an
unstable family life.
“There absolutely has
been an increase in the amount
of underage drinkers from past
years,” said IPFW professor and
psychologist Dr. David Utesch.
“Peer development is based on
a solid home connection, which
many families are now lacking.
This makes it easy for teens to feel
the need to find self-acceptance
among peer groups.”
Though it may seem
harmless at the time, this
experimentation can bring serious
consequences. For student athletes,
use of drugs or alcohol violates
the code of conduct and brings
varied forms of punishment. A
first offense results in an athlete’s
suspension of eligibility for a
third of their sports season, but
repeated violations bring more
severe penalties ranging from loss
of eligibility from a whole sports
season, a full calendar year, or
even an entire high school career
in East Allen County Schools.
While there are always
the risks of harm these substances
can do physically to the body, they
also negatively affect the mind
by impairing teens’ thinking and
judgment skills, often causing more
problems. More and more teens are
finding themselves in trouble with
the law from this poor decision.
Officer Litzenberg of Allen County
Sherriff’s Department attributes
this rise of negative police/student
interactions to the fact that alcohol
and other related offenses are
being taken much more seriously
than in previous years.
“Since more students are
being involved in alcohol-related
crashes, law enforcement officers
hope by stepping up enforcement
they can help protect both our
local students but also others who
travel the road.” Litzenberg also
explains that more arrests are
probably because there has been
an increase in the amount of law
enforcement presence in the Leo/
Cedarville/Grabill area.
When these teen/police
conflicts occur, they often result
in the teens being taken to Allen
County Juvenile Center. Here,
teens must deal with the legal
consequences of their actions.
Anyone taken to ACJC for any
reason is immediately tested
for drug and alcohol use and
the results play a large role in
determining the severity and type
of sentencing. Drug and alcohol
counseling is an essential part of
almost all the types of punishment
issued. Also, the education of
the individual is evaluated, and
if it seems to need improvement
there are options offered of ways
to receive high school educational
services and G.E.D. programs
through the center.
While there is a mandatory
schooling program for individuals
being detained in the center, there
is also a free society school that is
available to those on probation who
have been kicked out of school or
are on no track to graduate. This
free society schooling program
is very successful at producing a
90 percent pass rate of the G.E.D.
compared to the 62 percent
national average.
“Through this program
we are able to arm these young
kids with something other than a
gun,” said Superintendent of Allen
County Juvenile Center Joseph A.
Brita. “We help them in every way
we can and give them as many
options as possible, but then it’s
their own decision on what do
with what they have been given.”
For the individuals who
are brought to ACJC, it seems to
be lately that drugs are affecting
teens more so than alcohol is.
“Marijuana is definitely the most
commonly abused substance
by teens,” said Brita. “While
marijuana used to be the drug of
choice, however, there has been a
huge jump from this to the abuse
of prescription pills.”
Teens lately have fallen
into the trend of abusing all kinds
of medications ranging from
antidepressants to painkillers and
even ADD or ADHD medications.
“The problem of drug
usage has moved more from the
streets to inside the medicine
cabinets at home,” said Brita.
Brita also explains that
this involvement with illegal
substances often comes from low
self-esteem and an older peer’s
influence on younger students
searching for acceptance. Being
involved
in
extracurricular
activities and sports through school
are healthy ways for students to
find peer groups that are less likely
to be involved with these types of
activities. Surrounding oneself
with a positive environment is
essential in maintaining healthy
and safe teen years.
“Being young involves
making mistakes,” said Litzenberg.
“The idea is to limit those mistakes
and to learn from them. You don’t
want the decisions you make
today to affect the way you or
someone else has to live the rest of
their life.”
Litzenberg, Brita, and
Utesch agree that parents having
an honest and open relationship
with their children and being
involved in their lives during
these vital developmental years is
the best way to deter teens from
getting caught up in drugs, alcohol,
or any other sort of destructive
behaviors.
Prevalence of Underage Drinking
- 11.2% of 12th graders surveyed drank alcohol 40 or more times in the
past year.
- 18.4% of 12th graders surveyed drank alcohol 40 or more times in their
lifetime.
- 18.3% of 6th graders surveyed drank alcohol at some time in their life.
- 29% of 8th graders surveyed drank alcohol in the last year.
- 28.7% of 12th graders surveyed binge drink.
- 17.4% of all of those surveyed say the age of their first use of alcohol was 7 years or younger.
Most abused drugs by teens in Allen County
Destructive Behavior• Thursday, November 6, 2008 • Page 11
Editor: Lauren Thoman
Students atempt to discover why self-harm has become such an epidemic
Drug and alcohol
abuse increases
Editor: Lauren Thoman
a •buse (e-byooz’) tr.v. a •bused, a• bus •ing, a •bus •es. 1. To use wrongly or
improperly; misuse. 2. to hurt or injure by maltreatment; ill-use. 3. to assail with contemptuous, coarse, or insulting words; revile. -n. (e-byoos’). 1.
Improper use or handling; misuse: drug abuse. 2. Physical maltreament. 3.
A corrupt practice or custom. 4. Insulting or coarse language: verbal abuse.
[ME abusen < OFr. abuser < abus, improper use] -a •bus’•er
Self-harm becomes a major problem in teens
Misguided, mistreated, misunderstood
Page 10 • Thursday, November 6, 2008 • Destructive Behaviors
De• ci •sion (di-sizh’ en) n. 1. The passing of judgment on an issue under
consideration. 2. The act of reaching a conclusion or making up one’s mind.
3. A conclusion or judgment reached or pronounced; a verdict. 4. Firmness
of character or action; determination. 5. Sports. A victory in boxing won on
points when no knockout has occurred.
dis •or •der (dis-or’der) n. 1. A lack of order or regular arrangement; confusion. 2. A breach of civic order; a public disturbance. 3. An ailment that affects the mind or body. -dered, -der •ing, -ders. 1. To throw into confusion
or disarray. 2. To disturb the normal physical or mental health of; derange.
Self-de •struc• tive (self ‘di-struk’tiv) adj. 1.Tending to do harm to oneself.
2. marked by an impulse or tendency to harm or kill oneself. -self ‘ -de
struc’tive • ness• n.
By Allison Troutner
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Some people choose to
cry, some choose to yell, and some
choose to cut. When stress and
pain become too much to handle,
some troubled people turn to a
method of self-harm that’s serious
and potentially life threatening.
One of these methods is cutting.
When people hear the term
‘self-harm,’ they commonly think
of cutting. Many think of young
girls, tear stained cheeks and red
scars etched haphazardly across
the pale flesh of arms; however,
this
common
misconception
attached to cutting is that it only
affects young teenage girls. This
is a myth. According to licensed
marriage and family therapist
and mental health counselor Dr.
Utesch, there is no demographic
for people who cut; guys and girls
from age 13 to age 53 can and do
cut. Cutting is obviously a
physically destructive form of
self-harm, but it’s more destructive
to the mind of the one with the
scars. There are multiple reasons
and triggers for those who cut. In
order to help those who suffer, it’s
vital that some understanding is
reached.
The refrigerator broke.
The dog is sick and too much
homework to do. Everyday there
are challenges, or conflicts at
home, daily stresses everyone
experiences, but the mindset of
someone who cuts can’t seem
to handle the constant influx of
stress. A stress that one person
may simply overlook, a “cutter”
may dwell on the event, and the
only way they can be relieved
of the stress is to slice into their
own flesh. In some cases, it’s
not daily events; it’s one single
triggering event such as a break
up or an intense fight with Mom.
For either type, cutting comforts
them in a way that nothing else
can. Painful? Yes. But cutting
releases endorphins into the body,
a natural painkiller; it allows them
to push past the point where most
would choose to stop.
Traumatic experiences are
sometimes the catalysts for cutting.
Serious trauma that happened
in any stage of life can lead to a
mental state called dissociation.
This state induces a feeling of
numbness, like being outside of
your own body. A person would
be watching their own body
perform something and it doesn’t
seem real. Cutters aren’t ignorant
to their actions. Some justify the
situation with excuses. They
deserve it, or they aren’t worth
anything. They lie to themselves
to find a reason to continue on
with the self-mutilation.
Like geeks find geeks
and preps find preps, cutters
sense similar vulnerability and
find each other. In certain cases
Teenage bulimia and anorexia gain weight of concern
Disorders prove to be more of a lifetime problem than a short term fad
By Chloe Morrical
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Eating disorders come in
all shapes and sizes, but the most
common types are anorexia and
bulimia. Although they can affect
anyone, eating disorders are most
common among teenage girls.
Like any destructive
behavior, eating disorders are
either derived from a control
issue or from stress. They are
usually found in female athletes,
gymnasts, ballerinas, cheerleaders,
dancers, and male wrestlers.
Although eating disorders can
become a lifelong problem, they
are most often a problem for girls
ages 14 to 20.
Anorexia is one of the
main types of eating disorders,
in which lack of eating causes the
victim to become underweight
and malnourished.
Anorexics
are usually dealing with a control
issue and trying to achieve
perfection, losing sight of their
real body image. Often when
they look in the mirror, they see
someone who still needs to lose
weight, even if they are down to
just skin and bones.
It is common for the family
to be a major factor in the cause
of anorexia, usually involving a
family with high pressure and high
accomplishments or expectations.
Sometimes, a controlling mom
can be the reason for a girl to feel
the need to lose weight.
The anorexic begins to feel
as if they are never good enough
and views losing weight as their
one way to gain perfection. They
begin to feel that staying thin is
the one thing they are good at.
Sometimes, a reward and
punishment style of eating becomes
the problem for an anorexic. The
person starves until they feel like
they have done something good
enough to deserve to eat. In some
cases of anorexia, over-exercising
and purging become methods
to keep the caloric count low.
Anorexics are constantly keeping
track of how much they’ve eaten
and how much they need to burn,
ensuring that they
maintain
or
drop weight.
Bulimia
is
another
serious eating
disorder, but varies greatly from
anorexia. Bulimia is derived from
1. Alcohol 2. Marijuana 3. Ecstasy 4. Cocaine 5. Mushrooms and other hallucinogens
self anger and depression, rather
than family problems. A bulimic
is not dysmorphic, but instead
is concerned about maintaining
their current weight. When they
feel bad about themselves or are
undergoing feelings of anger, they
binge eat to make themselves feel
better. After the binge, they purge
to prevent weight gain.
Although most bulimics
control their weight by purging,
some instead over exercise or
restrict their eating for several
days after the binge. Others use
laxatives to move the food through
their system more quickly. All of
these actions are detrimental to
one’s health, but the purging has
particularly harmful effects. It
causes a bulimic’s tooth enamel to
decay and burns their epiglottis,
exemplifying that a body is not
made to purge.
The amount or extent that
a bulimic throws up is directly
related to their self talk and
attitude of self loathing. They can
go on long breaks but fall back
into the habit rather easily by
either an external or internal event
retriggering the practice.
Both of these disorders
can cause long term health effects
and need to be treated as soon
as possible. Anorexics suffer
from severe malnutrition, while
bulimics can begin to tear their
esophagus. They are not simply
health disorders, but also severe
psychological disorders and need
to be treated by a psychologist or
licensed mental health doctor.
Although it is often
hard for a bulimic or anorexic to
discuss their problem, both are
psychological as well as physical
disorders. Therefore, therapy is
usually an intricate part of the
healing process. Anorexia
and bulimia are often
misconceived as vies
for attention, but the
disorders are much
more complicated
than that.
Those suffering from these
disorders usually do not want
others to know they have a
problem and instead are
dealing with internal
troubles that others
cannot understand. Immediately
inform a trusted
adult if someone
seems to be suffering
from any type of
eating
disorder.
Often times, friends
notice these problems
before the parents and
are vital in the victim’s
seeking help.
of cutting, they manage to form
a group of poeple who all agree
with thius method of stress relief.
This is a cultural type of cutting. It may not be a mental disorder;
it could just be an “everyone else I
know is doing it” mind-set and the
circle of friends encourages it. Just
because they don’t have a mental
condition, it doesn’t mean this case
isn’t just as serious as the others.
When stress or anger comes to the
point of self-mutilation, it’s serious
and its wrong.
According to Dr. Utesch,
those who begin cutting because
it’s accepted in a circle of friends,
can usually be treated quickly
and safely. The scare tactic it can
be called is where the cutter is
confined in a hospital with the little
white gown, a scene that could be
pulled straight from a movie. This
treatment is usually tense and
angry, but it’s necessary to slap
some reality into the patient.
For patients with a mindset
more serious, it might take several
months of therapy and support
from family and close friends to
help them see the worth in life
and their importance in the world.
Comfort should never come in the
form of pain. Comfort and relief
from stress should be found in the
arms of family and friends.
Cutting is self-mutilation.
Not only does cutting tear pieces
of flesh away, it tears pieces of their
personality away.
To whom it
may concern :
I am a recovering
bulimic.
My
serious
addiction
started
the
summer of my eighth grade
year. I believe that this
addiction started for a
number of reasons, but it was
mainly because I thought I
was ugly and overweight.
Whenever someone would
say something mean to
me purging was my way
of alleviating the stress. I
know it sounds wrong but
it progressed because I felt
like I was releasing pain
and it made me feel more
comfortable
with
myself
when I threw up. After a
while it made me feel good
but there were a few times
when I felt like I was lower
than dirt for doing this
to myself. But I couldn’t
stop. My daily routine was
every meal, I would eat it
and then throw it all up.
Looking back on it now I
did it because I had no
confidence in myself and
no other way to channel my
emotions. My friends always
knew something was wrong
and had even encouraged
me to talk to my family
but I would just push them
away when I really needed
them. I finally talked to
my parents and I have
made great progress even
though I still have my ticks.
I have been through a lot of
counseling and whenever
I feel that I need to throw
up I try to sit down and
talk myself out of it. I am a
better person than that and
have learned through this
experience that I can push
through hard times and to
love myself for the person I
am but most importantly for
the person I am not. I don’t
point out all the bad things
about
myself
anymore
because I have come to
accept that everyone has
their faults. For others who
are struggling through this
I would say if your friends
notice something and try
to help you, let them. Tell
a trusted adult so you can
get help. Without my family
and friends I believe I
would still be doing this to
myself. Love yourself for who
you are. Purging is never
the answer.
-Anonymous
Page 12 •Thursday, November 6, 2008 • Feature
Editor: Rachel Burtnett
New intern learns in guidence office Rants Raves
Michelle Harris works on a graduate degree in school counseling
By Beth McManus
Staff Writer
This year, Leo High
School welcomed an intern in
the guidance office, Michelle
Harris. Harris is currently
working on a graduate degree
in school counseling at the
University of St. Francis.
Harris knew that she
wanted to work with kids in
whatever career she chose to
pursue. “My bachelor’s degree
is in psychology, but I’ve
also always been interested
in
teaching/education,
so
I decided to combine my
two interests, which led me
to my choice to be a school
counselor,”
said
Harris.
“Mrs.
Smeltzley
is
a great mentor and
I’m learning a lot.”
-Michelle Harris
According to guidance
counselor Christi Smeltzley,
Harris’s
responsibilities
include “just a little bit of
everything.” She is able to
counsel students for personal
reasons as well as those who
have scheduling problems.
“I really liked being
able to sit down and actually
be able to talk to her,” said
senior Becca Hill. “This year
is very stressful with applying
to colleges and everything
and being able to ask random
questions about college was
nice. Mrs. Smeltzley is a really
good
guidance
counselor
but she is super busy doing
everyone’s forms for college,
and it was nice being able
to sit and ask questions.”
Harris’ responsibilities
also
include
sending
college
applications,
helping with scholarships,
answering questions about
Michelle Harris interns for Mts.
Smeltzley
PICTURE BY SCOTT SMITH
diploma options, and other
organizational tasks.
Dr.
Daniel has also given her
a
long-term
project
to
be
completed
sometime
around
Christmas
break.
There are 81 nationally
recognized career pathways,
according to Daniel. Harris’s
new project is to find an
example of each one and
chart out the classes that a
student who was interested
in pursuing that career would
want to take. This pathway
would contain not only Leo
High School courses but would
also show options for postsecondary education. Harris,
who is working alongside
Mrs. Kyler for this project, will
also work on putting these
pathways on to the Leo High
School website. “What I want
is for parents and students to
go online and be able to look
at courses and colleges for
specific careers,” said Daniel.
According to Daniel,
having an intern is strongly
encouraged because of the
shortage of guidance counselors
at Leo High School. Because
the ratio of guidance counselors
to students is 600:1, there can
sometimes be a lot of pressure
on the guidance counselors that
Leo employs. “We are hopeful
that the assistance of an intern
will help our department
run more proficiently,” said
Smeltzley. “With only two
counselors on staff, getting
things done can be a struggle.”
“So far my internship
at Leo has been a great
experience,”
said
Harris.
“Mrs. Smeltzley is a great
mentor and I’m learning a lot.”
Harris is in her last
year as a graduate student
and will receive her Masters in
School Counseling in May 2009.
This is not the first
time that Leo has had an
intern. Current Leo teacher
Mrs. Dick started at Leo as
an intern a few years ago.
TCID:BW
: to speak or declaim
extravagantly or
violently; talk in a
wild way
: an extravagantly
enthusiastic
appraisal or review of
something
“When people drive
slow.”
-senior Kyliah Noe
“When the Bears beat
the Colts.”
-senior Kyliah Noe
“I hate mayonaise.”
-sophomore Taylor
Harter
“I really like movie
nights with Kara Collier, Damon Mericle,
and Andrew Lohser.”
-sophomore Taylor
Harter
““Losing at the McDonalds monopoly
game after spending 25
dollars.”
“Seeing the Bears win
-senior Jordan Bower- on Sunday!”
man
-senior Jordan Bowerman
“When Lindsey Mohlman throws chocolate “Sitting next to Jordan
milk on my white
Bowerman while leavshirt!”
ing notes on yearbook
-junior Samantha
avenues calender that
Hauschild
no one sees.”
-junior Samantha
“When there is nothing Hauschild
on Ala Carte.”
-junior Kody Davis
“Spicy chicken day.”
-junior Kody Davis
“I hate sorting pictures
for yearbook!”
“I pretend I hate get-senior Ben Dillon
ting lost, but I secretly
love it.”
“People that are too
-junior Bailey Rosemserious...they need to
baum
chill out.”
-senior Kyle Holley
“Two trimesters left of
high school!”
“The Colts playing like -senior Kristin Craft
crap this year.”
-senior Kristin Craft
“I heart senior year.”
-senior Chelsea Brune
Page 13 •Thursday, November 6, 2008 •Jr High
Editor: Katie Wertman
Students aim for good grades to participate in flying aces
Students work for A’s so they have more planes to fly during flying aces
By Grace Crain
News Editor
With the first trimester
coming to an end, the
junior high students will be
participating in flying aces. This
activity, which was started at
Leo Elementary, gives students
who work hard for their
grades their chance to shine.
Each year, seventh and
eighth grade students make a
paper airplane for every “A”
that they receive in a trimester
and one plane for perfect
attendance. Each student then
has the chance to win prizes by
flying their planes into a kiddie
pool in the middle of the high
school gym surrounded by a
ring of soda cans. The prizes
from the past have been movie
tickets or gift cards. This year
the prizes will be the same.
The students whose
planes make it into the kiddie
pool will be become the
finalists. Once the finalists are
recognized, those students will
have the opportunity to fly
their planes towards the kiddie
pool once again at a chance to
become the grand prize winner.
The grand prize winner will
win a $50 gift card to Best Buy
and the finalists will receive
movie passes, according to
technology education teacher
Randy Robison. The students
who did not fly their plane
into the kiddie pool but got
Student flies his airplane for practice
One A = one plane
it into the ring of soda cans,
will receive a can of soda to
enjoy after the event is over.
Flying aces gives many
PHOTO BY GRACE CRAIN
students motivation to do well in
school, said Robison. The more
“A’s” a student receives during
a trimester, the more planes
they are able to fly in the event.
“About each year, we
usually fly over one thousand
airplanes and have about ten to
fifteen finalists and one grand
prize winner,” said Robison.
“It encourages the students
to do well and flying aces
rewards them when they do.”
The goal of this event
is to provide students the
opportunity to be rewarded
for their hard work and
good grades, said science
teacher Richard Flickinger.
Flickinger
said,
“Flying aces is beneficial in
the fact that it does reward
success, which needs to
be rewarded continually.”
“Flying aces is the
one of the things that I look
forward to each trimester,”
said seventh grader Holden
Pier. “I am trying to do the
best I can with my grades.
Flying aces keeps me on track.”
The first Flying Aces
event will be held following
the end of the first trimester.
Four A’s = four planes
Two A’s = two planes
Five A’s = five planes
Three A’s = three planes
Perfect attendence = extra plane
Junior High spellbowl team
prepares for state finals
By Scott Smith
staff writer
The
junior
high
spellbowl team, now being
lead for the second year by Mr.
William Valley, will compete in
the state competition on Nov. 15.
With the state finals
rapidly approaching, the team
is diligently working with their
coach, Mr. Valley to be prepared.
“Students prepare from
the beginning of the school
year once or twice per week,”
said Valley. “They always go to
Indian Springs Middle School
in Columbia City to compete
in the spell bowl finals.”
The students must
spell preselected words from
a 7 page list of words. These
words range from easy ones
like “pilot” to more complex
words like “imperturbability.”
“At first we just
practice 2-3 times a week, but
as the spell bowl tournament
came closer we practice 4
times a week,” said seventh
grader
Jenna
Raspiller.
By practicing twice a week,
these students who participate
are excelling when it comes
to spelling. These students
have a passion for spelling
and the spellbowl gives them
a chance to face off against
students from different areas.
“[Students] learn a lot
of words that will help [them]
in their communication and
thinking ability,” said Valley.
“They will have an advantage
in the written and speech area
to be better at articulating what
they are trying to say or write.”
Not only does the
spellbowl give students a
much larger vocabulary but
it also helps them when it
comes to communicating with
people outside of school. By
practicing these words, they
begin to stick into the students’
heads and allow them to
expand
their
vocabulary
in real world situations.
Last
year
the team didn’t do as well
as they were planning, so
this year they are planning
to practice harder and see
how far in the competition
they can get. “Last year we
started late into the season
and met 6 times,” said Valley,
“at the spellbowl competition,
students had practiced nearly
every day and during school
time. Needless to say we
did not do well the 1st year.”
This is Mr. Valley’s
second year coaching the Spell
bowl team. “Mr. Valley was an
awesome coach,” said seventh
grader Jenna Raspiller. “Mr.
Valley was very supportive,
energetic, and always wanted
the best for our team. Mr.
Valley was open to new
ideas as a coach should be.”
With a fresh team of
students eager to learn, Valley
is very confident in the abilities
of his team and what they will
be able to do at the state finals.
PHOTO BY SCOTT SMITH
Mr. Valley helps a Spellbowl member practice
Editors: Ali Strang & Madison Carroll
Page 14
•
Thursday, November 6, 2008 • Special
HALLOWEEN RECAP
I was playing an amazing football game. It was worth missing trick or treating to beat
Heritage.
-Mitch Meinholz
I went to my church carnival and helped little kids
have fun and get candy
S
-Luke Pepple
L I P K N O T
ROOLZ!!!!
Sophomores Lauren Hoops, Alexis RamosSweeney, Dan Wickey, and Daniel Swinney
rejoice with their prize for winning the scavenger hunt.
I loved Halloween this
year because i loved
watching horrow movies.
Melanie Matteson, Autumn Leininger as an indian,
Tyler Heath, Rory Harris as a Bob Evans employee
and Anna Thompson as a cowgirl, got together for
Halloween night.
I went to a party, it was full of
colorful and imaginitive costumes
-Seth Gullet
TCID:PP
Chloe Morrical and Kristin Craft, wear
a pirate and firewoman costume on
halloween night.
I was at home sick,
throwing up
-Ryan Bollier
Stephanie Strang and James
Wadsworth dress up as new
metal kids for Halloween.