Issue 2 - Speedway High School

Transcription

Plugged In
March 20, 2014
In classrooms across
the nation, cries of “I’ll
never use this in real
life!” and “What’s the
point?” resound from
the mouths of
exasperated students.
continued on page 5
---
Right: Pondering a brave new world. Junior Andrew Strong studies
closely the opening lines of Aldous Huxley’s famous story, “A Brave New
World,” during Mr. Hoffmann’s junior English class. Photo by Megan Turk.
art
Creating beauty with one’s hands. Students like junior Adalid Morales have Ceramics as an art option during scheduling for 2014-2015.
athletics
Creating some fun. The varsity boys basketball team used a first-round win over
18-1 Cloverdale to continue a quest at a legacy. Turn to the back to see the challenge.
2
The people and stories that define a community • Plugged In
Trickle down psychoanalysis
Obamacare and the American superego
I have long held that Reaganomics
spoiled my parents’ generation— the bourgeois were allowed the plunders and pickings
of American capital without the supplication
that they should have faith in the structures
of capital; there were no demands to invest
in society (it doesn’t exist anyway, does it Ms.
Thatcher?). Social hierarchy had a new face
in the tax scheme: the rich got richer and
it was somehow widely contrived that this
benefited the poor along the way. There are
a million personal examples of how trickledown terror has ideologically perverted
members of my extended family and friend
clusters that don’t belong in this article. It
should be said, however, that these cases
inform nearly all of my intellectual obsessions, most of which are psychoanalytic as
opposed to political.
Recently I’ve been obsessed with the
Affordable Care Act’s philosophical implications on an American public that has spent
a very long time being told that a magic
market’s unrestrained commodification of
everyday life will be all the help they need in
catching that ever-elusive American dream.
Cadie Thompson of CNBC recently wrote
“How to Get Rich Off Obamacare” in The
Fiscal Times, an article which highlights the
concealed fact that the so-called left’s overendorsement of the bill has minimalized in
importance: stocks are up for private insurers like EHealth 50 percent since July.
There is little wrong with that in and
of itself, in fact, arguments could be made
that this arcade-synthesis of socialized medicine and traditional options is likely to prove
highly effective as we approach a post-ideological future. But this dialectic of Samuel
Brittan, this perpetuation of his “capitalism
with a human face,” begs an essentially different series of questions— questions of
intention. Do we want to extend healthcare
to millions of Americans or do we want
to strengthen the market power of insurance moguls, bureaucratic private-interest
groups? Do we want to make healthcare
more affordable or do we want to broaden
Mutual
the playing field for venture capitalists? My
contentions aside,
suspicion is that the American superego
it becomes obvious
would inflict massive guilt to our ego-social
that the benevolent
consumer factions if the answer was not
policies of our own
both; we want the system without the sysgovernment are not Quentin Ellett
tem, we want to work both ways. Americans always to promote Devout Matholic
are consumers of products deprived of their the public good as
natural components: coffee without the caf- much as they are
feine, beer without the alcohol.
to look like we’re trying. We’re all trying. It’s
Social Darwinists (let no one fool you, clear today that the policies of tomorrow
they’re still around) allude to the biological
aren’t about what’s realistic, but what’s better
principles of mutuality in ecosystems— this than saying we’re doing nothing at all.
bug eats that bug, everyone benefits, the
Grand Scheme prevails. The Affordable
Care Act situates itself in the American tax
The Mad Tea Party
grid similarly to this if we lend it a critical
eye. If people are forced to buy insurance
under penalty of annually increasing fine,
perhaps people will be incentivized toward
safety and public health. Even more speculatively, physicians and their workplaces become streamlined and more equitable. The
biggest back that is being scratched is that
of sick kids: insurers are no longer allowed
The disgruntaled public, held captive
to deny anyone coverage on the basis of a
by the Mad Tea Party
preexisting condition.
However, it is
no secret that most
companies can’t afford
the regulations (can’t
afford to insure their
Plugged In is an official publication of Speedway High School. The
employees, and that’s
newspaper is published by JS Printing Company and is created by the
the problem) and
journalism class at Speedway High School.
This publication is intended to be a public forum and letters to the
many in the medical
editor
are encouraged.
field resist changes
Some materials provided occasionally by ASNE/MCT Campus. The
that will drastically
staff would like to thank King Shots, Inter-State Studio, and the Chamalter the status of pa- pion photography team for courtesies extended throughout the year.
tient care costs as the
Adviser: Derek K. Doehrmann
Staff Directory: (please excuse our fun with the bylines)
regulations kick in
Emily Tucker: Little Fat Girl
over time, or how it is
Hunter Smith: The Old Sport
unlikely that medical
Will Harris: He’s a Jerk but he’s Our Jerk
professional fields will
Rikki Combs: 2 Real 2 Function
John Minniear: The French Assailant
develop new members
Josh Bedell: The New Kid
in training at the same
Alan Duffy: Twinkletoes
rate.
Quentin Ellett: Devout Matholic
Plugged In
3
Trouble in Terrorist Town:
What is a terrorist, a traitor, a saboteur? All these have rather convoluted definitions that change from person to person.
Therefore, I ask you take the following in
stride.
A traitor
is someone who
knowingly and
willfully harms
his sovereign
state or parent
Alan Duffy
nation. A traitor
Twinkletoes
is also someone
who attempts to
overthrow the government with no pressure of foreign power. The definition of a
traitor is simple enough, it is the same depth
of one’s definition of porn, “I don’t know
how to describe it, but I know it when I see
it,” (Supreme court Justice Potter Stewart).
The fact of the matter is that a traitor is
someone who defies a power above his own.
That is to say that only a citizen can commit
a crime, be it treason or espionage, or terrorism; but a government can’t (unless indicted
by other governments).
The truth, however, is that the government can overstep its own bounds. In
fact, the majority of governments knowingly
commit the crime of espionage even though
it violates international law. Why then do
governments get away with this crime and
not the citizens that voice their concern with
their government by calling her out?
At this junction, I feel it necessary to
define a patriot. A patriot is not someone
who blindly follows their country (shouting ‘Murica at the top of their lungs), but
someone who does the right thing- who tries
to make the world they live in fair and just.
The true patriot is someone who would give
their life for the cause of justice. People, like
martyrs, who would rather die than deny
their sense of morality.
Now the question is whether a government that encroaches upon its citizens
(and the global markets) illegally should be
forced to change. The problem is that the
public has the power to change the government, but is not able to be represented freely
in that government. The problem is not the
manner of government but the cloak and
dagger work of the government and the
deals made behind closed doors (specifically bribes and classified information that
the public doesn’t know that inhibits the
process of government. The best way is to
dismantle the system and have direct elections and have the populous vote rather than
the congress, easier said than done). So that
I was not the only voice in this discussion,
I interviewed some voters. Their names are
not their real names.
The first man we will hear from is
Frank Corvette. Corvette told me that he
believes a government that doesn’t practice what it preaches is “hypocritical.” Is it
unfair, “Elementary no, but life is not fair
and not equal,” he told me. I asked Corvette
if he felt Edward Snowden (the NSA whistle
blower) was guilty of espionage (a traitor),
“Yes, but not of the most egregious level,”
he answered. I asked what he thought of
the NSA and the CIA (in this spying), “Big
Brother, who can stop them?”
I also interviewed Max Power, who
shared the same sentiment as Mr. Corvette
on the morality saying, “Is it moral? Not at
all.” He also shared this passionate sentiment with me, “Snowden is a wussy, by
definition yes (he is guilty). The people that
cry and are so self-absorbed, they think that
the government gives (now, I must cut out
the symbolism of Power, in essence alluding
to the proverbial two piles of excrement)
about it (the people who spout without posing a threat). I don’t care.” He also wanted
me to say that he has no moral sense if he
gets what he wants, “I am all for torture and
profiling- conform to the norms of society.”
I also interviewed Paco Scourge. He
felt that the nation could spy if it was for
national security purposes but that the NSA
was questionable in its intruding on the
communications of any person. In regards
to the Snowden leaks? “I am conflicted.
Censorship and
just representation
One, had he enlightened us to the excesses
of the NSA, but not for other nations to
have heard about it, I would think it menial.”
Scourge also told me that Snowden should
not be charged with high treason (guilty,
yes but he would not advocate the death
penalty).
All three or the men interviewed
agreed that the Patriot Act was unconstitutional or needed amending. This is the
true root of the argument. The Patriot Act
caused the government to be allowed to
do almost anything they would like to do
(the most alarming is that it gave them the
right to pursue for any offences committed
online, like minor piracy). As for Edward
Snowden, I should explain that the punishment for high treason is death but there are
levels below high treason. Snowden has been
indicted under the Espionage act of 1917
and could face up to the death penalty (some
have been executed by the electric chair).
The reason this is so important is
what Corvette eluded to earlier- Big Brother.
This is of utmost importance because the
principles of the United States are to give
the people freedom. Big Brother lends itself
to the censorship of a totalitarian state
(converse to the American principles). All
censorship is inherently wrong.
Censorship removes the visceral human nature of life. If life is censored, life
is devoid of personality. I share the sentiment of morality, but each person has their
own sense of morality and can choice for
themselves.
image from Fallout (credit to Bethesda Softworks.)
4
Subject matter vs. Grey matter
Perceptions of difficulties, simplicities, and indifference
The purpose of this article
is/will be to outline and share
the opinions and thoughts one
another fellow students; to lend
knowledge and recognition of
school subjects in hopes of
Hunter Smith
Old Sport
perhaps expanding our capacity
for patience in certain fields of
study, and see which subjects
are most preferred, and which
subjects are most despised.
I randomly selected two guys
and two gals from each grade
to interview and question about
their favorite and least favorite
classes. After the first few interviews I realized something: that
I could interview people all day
every day and love it. But this
is beside the point. Freshmen,
sophomores, and juniors all had
relatively standard answers.
Some said English was most
crucial while others sided with
math courses. A few had some
oddball answers like health or
art being the most fundamental classes, but my assignment
to find these answers had just
become routine before I began
interrogating seniors. I went in
anticipating the same results as
before with the underclassmen
and juniors but came out with
some heavy data. All seniors I
questioned (selected randomly),
answered in the same sense and
manner and gave me an answer
that I hadn’t even considered for
an option. What if there really
wasn’t any real necessary class?
These answers gave rise to
contempt in my heart and just
dared me to continue gathering
data, in an attempt to see if the
seniors chosen were just lucky
on my part. After ruthlessly interrogating another six students
from each grade, I still saw the
same results with the seniors.
These interviews were free from
bias, mind you, and were all
conducted professionally. After
a total of forty interviews, all
ten seniors still confirmed my
suspicion. All answered with
an open ended response that
warranted some serious wisdom.
All said that every person has
their own direction in life, so my
questions weren’t all that valid or
applicable from one person to
the next.
At the time I was given
my assignment, I didn’t give it
much thought. Interview people
and sketch out an article. The
answers I was looking for, in retrospect, were really basic. And
the same goes for the questions.
But after all of this, is it plain
to see that these classes we take
now aren’t just about the subject
matter and its standards, but
teaching students “street smarts”
and inadvertently teaching how
the answer isn’t always in bold
italics but sometimes just hidden
between the lines in plain sight.
The man behind the movies
Getting down to the short strokes of James Franco
Why is James Franco interesting? Initially, he is exceptionally
attractive. Secondly, in terms of
acting, he has a very interesting succession of protagonists.
Franco
has gone
from serious roles
such as
Emily Tucker the man
Little Fat Girl in 127
Hours, a
film in which Franco is exploring and gets trapped between
two large rocks in a canyon and
proceeds to break his arm and
saw it off with a dull knife, to
Pineapple Express, an “American stoner action comedy.”
The goofy James Franco
vs. the more sophisticated
James Franco. Photo on
left courtesy of theberry.
com. Photo on right courtesy of the Guardian.
1.What activity did James do to “escape” from the hardships of high
school?
a)Basketball b)Paint
c)Dance d) Chess
2.What senior award did Franco win in high school?
a)Best hair
b)Most likely to be on Hollywood
c) Best smile
d) Best car
3.Where did James work after dropping out of UCLA?
a)McDonald’s
b)White Castle
c) Wal-Mart
d) Humane Society
4.What is James’ birthday month?
a)January
b)November
c) June
d) April
5.What was James’ nickname as he was growing up?
a)Jimmy
b)Teddy
c) Frankie
d) Jed
5
Every song has a story to tell
Music plays an important role in the lives of teenagers today
Music plays a very big role
in today’s society. Influencing
people and how they act or
talk. Music has also drastically
changed over time due to the
culture changing and how much
better our
technology has
gotten.
Some
Rikki Combs people
2 real
like all
2 function
kinds of
music and other people can only
listen to certain genres or artists.
I love music, it helps me to become relaxed and to concentrate
in class. I listen to all types, but I
also believe music doesn’t influence you unless you let it.
Many students that I surveyed felt Miley Cyrus was the
person in the music industry
with the most power and the
most influence on our generation. I honestly believe that right
now, at this moment, I agree.
Miley Cyrus has drastically
made a big comeback and has
undergone a big change in her
music career. Many people say
she had fallen, but I honestly
believe she as become stronger
and more powerful than ever.
She has made an impact on
people our age and probably
has disappointed her younger
fans, but she wants to reach out
to the older generations. In an
interview movie called Miley
the Movement, Miley states that
“... I was stuck in that Hannah
Montana spotlight for so long
that now I finally get to be me.”
There are many people and
bands that have made an influ-
ence on a lot of people in our
generation, like Demi Lavato,
John Mayer, Coldplay, Katy
Perry, Florence and the Machine
and many others. Many of our
students said that they almost
always listen to music and that
their music is very important to
them. Surprisingly, music does
influence most people. Not
everyone said it did though,
some said that it
sometimes can
but not usually.
Being influenced
isn’t that hard, but
it’s also quite easy.
Students will easily
fall into what their
favorite artist or
band is doing or
saying.
Her new image.
Miley Cyrus has
a huge impact on
today’s generation,
especially Speedway students in a
recent survey.
Photo courtesy of
mileycyrus.com.
How important is school?
It might be as important as the rest of your life
continued from page one
I sat down with two teachers from Speedway
High School to respond to these questions, and
the answers I received revealed to me that this
wasn’t just a job for some educators, but a personal
mandate to chisel a sculpture of knowledge from a
stone block of ignorance.
“My ultimate goal is to teach young children to
live a life that is pro-active in the community, by
recognizing injustices and seeking to correct them
and just make the world better.” said Albert Hoffman, an English teacher at Speedway High School.
“The study of literature is the study of life, and
authors highlight the important moments of life,
its tragedies and triumphs. Reading, writing and
speaking are important no matter the field of life
you end up being in, no matter what job you’re in,
and no matter what school you go to.”
Hailing from a different field, E.M. Sieferman said that “I would like [students] to be able
to solve problems, cooperate with others, and for
them to be able to know where to find answers for
their questions.” Sieferman is another Speedway
High School educator who teaches multiple Science classes such as Biology and ICP (Integrated
Chemistry and Physics).
What’s an example of a skill that was learned
from his teaching? “I had a former student stop in
the other day and [although] I always thought he
was indifferent, he’s actually doing quite well in Ivy
Tech. He credited me with teaching him organiza-
tional skills, which helped him with the university
level classes.”
What does Sieferman enjoy teaching? “I most
look forward to the various dissections we do in
Human Physiology and Anatomy, especially the
dissection of the cow’s
eyeballs. There’s a great
line attributed to Darwin
about nature read in
tooth and claw, and a lot
of times we tend to treat
science as a very sterile
J.A. Bedell
topic, especially in a
The New Kid
suburban community like
this one. I grew up in a rural area, where people
would have helped deliver newborn calves and castrate pigs, but in the city it’s very different. So, the
first time that scalpel goes into the cow’s eyeball,
and the contents spill everywhere, it’s a revelation
that Darwin was right, that Nature is raw and not
as refined as we would like to think it is.”
Still wondering if your teachers are just trying
to bore you or steal your time away? Then rest
assured, because teachers like Albert Hoffman
and E. M. Sieferman have a purpose in what they
do. Education is more than just the process of
learning new things and being able to recall it later;
it’s the difference between being in the ocean in
a paddleboat or in a motorboat. For anyone who
would prefer to not be tossed about by the waves,
school can give you direction.
6
Cultural diversity and integration
Exploring the dynamic backgrounds of Speedway students
In the past, here at Speedway High School, right smack
dab in the middle of suburban
Indiana, we see all sorts of
people, but not too many sorts.
Looking through the yearbooks
Hunter Smith
Old Sport
of yesteryear, you’ll notice
the multitude of differences
between one student to the next
(most students were of a Caucasian ethnicity). And now when
you walk the halls of Speedway
High School, you’ll see Burmese
kids, African kids, and all sorts
of people. Once upon a time,
I even recall when there was
a German exchange student
walking these halls. Year by
year, from one semester to the
next, the student body becomes
increasingly diverse.
However, the diversity isn’t
coming from the most obvious
of places. With an increasing emphasis on the need for
students to learn Spanish to
accommodate the growing rate
of Spanish speakers in the US,
one would almost be caught off
guard to think that most of the
resent influxes of immigrants
have come from a Western
African country or East Asian
island.
Allison McKay, Speedway’s
ESL teacher, joined the staff
with advanced Spanish speaking
skills. Most days, she will only
work with a couple students
whose main language happens to
be Spanish. Today, there are an
ever increasing number of kids
who come to Speedway only
knowing French or some African dialect, or even just Arabic.
Freshman Josef Aziz moved
here three months ago, and
before coming here only knew
and spoke Arabic, but has since
then begun learning English. A
number of these students are
a part of an American refugee
and relocation program, like
those coming from Thailand and
Burma.
We grow up in an extremely
sheltered and nurturing environment without threat of oppression, something that many kids
around the world lack. We even
have a student from Syria, who
fled here because of the war in
the Middle East. “The [Thai]
The real iron patriot
The US Military now welcomes Private Tony Stark.
Yes the rumors are true.
The United States Military has
decided to create iron man
suits. Named with an acronym,
TALOS (Tactical Assault Light
Operator Suit), is now beginning its life in the defense of our
great nation.
The suit shall be constructed
by a liquid ceramic material.
Liquid
ceramic
is soft
until it
makes
Will harris impact.
he’s a jerk but This alhe’s our jerk
lows the suit to remain soft and
pliable until it needs to be hard
to repel projectiles are brace for
impact. Similar to the suit in the
IRON MAN movies, Talos will
have a HUD (heads up display)
which will display and monitor
the user’s heart rate. This suit
can also deploy foam that will
sterilize, medicate and bind an
injury to aid in both sealing and
healing.
The intentions of the suit
are to increase safety and ability. The suit is bulletproof and
greatly increases the strength of
its occupant. With all of these
feats, the suit doesn’t need much
power which means a soldiers
need for batteries are minimized.
The suit will add support to
soldier’s weaker
joints; however they have
yet to announce
whether the support is generic or
individualized.
Some enlistees don’t approve
of the TALOS
suits however.
They believe that
it will turn war
into more of a
“game” to the
public. First, vid-
government…they take our
money, our rice, our cows!” says
Rubi Myah.
Whether or not these kids
come in war or peace, most ESL
students cite the educational
system as a huge improvement
and a reason why they’re here.
All of these students love it
here, despite possible homesickness; they appreciate and take
full advantage of opportunities
presented here in America that
they cannot have anywhere else
in the world. Eh The Ger Sher
grew up in a forest village in rural Thailand that lacked even the
most basic necessities of life like
running water and electricity;
the obstacles people overcome
are just mind boggling.
We who grow up here are
desensitized by the freedom and
See Culture on page 8
Iron Man
Roars To Life
eo games presented fast paced
shooters as a form of entertain-
See The Real Iron Patriot on page seven
7
The people and stories that define a community• Plugged In
What films inspire our readers?
Taking a deeper look within the films that mold our own mortality
Movies and
television programs
allow for people to
escape the crazy and
insane world in order
to live on achievJohn Minniear ing our immersive
French Assailant goals throughout.
Our perceptions of
Hollywood are like none other, with the
prospects of individuality, fame, fortune,
and of course love most of all. We aspire to
understand and acknowledge more from the
propriety of restriction and that of offense
which leads us to believe in the acute nature
of Hollywood and its desirable connections
with repressed emotions. So what do the
students of Speedway High School watch
from time to time during their valuable free
time? Some would say existential nonsense while others would want to dive right
under the deep skin of their fellow sisters
and brothers. I aspire to the more is more
efforts while some friends of mine would
rather say that the less is less method works,
particularly better in advance. Yet when I
look closer, there is a fearful and dreading
reason of emotion that acquaints us with the
extremely talented and lonely.
Now some offerings of film and television inspire our readers to watch Disney
or maybe something more morose such as
Melancholia, yet with a poll the record could
be set even and assured for years to come.
Our students also admire a little show titled
American Horror Story: Coven which has
been a personal favorite of mine for what
feels like a lifetime. The overall effect of
this show comes from creator Ryan Murphy
who has concocted programs such as Nip/
Tuck, The New Normal, and of course Glee
with its never ending popularity. I know
quite a few who would record their detailed
and reasonable discussions of this grandiose
show which some may find either pathetic
or quite simply amazing. While Coven
aspires to the over the top method of direc-
tion, it very naturally works well with the
rest of the program and even passes other
shows in the dust. I understand that this
show inspires such viewers as outcasts or
freaks but it sets the record for otherworldly
happiness with its substantial amount of
dread, fear, and fearless innuendo.
Now with this, I stand on the brink of
despair trying to grasp the thought process
of every viewer or film and television, yet
this only brings me to believe that movies
are the perfect escapism for people everywhere. Its resentment of facts and politics
leads us to believe that excellence can only
be pursued by pure determination. The
thriller and horror genre tears our very soul
apart and throws around the very essence
of disgust and repugnant retaliation. When
someone watches action, they think of Die
Hard or Transformers, yet they convey
terrorism as a piece of entertainment and
respect the fact that people want to feel safe
by watching the “good guys and the bad
guys” pummel each other senselessly without ever really dying until maybe the very
end or the inevitable sequel. Now when
we think of romance, the feeling of endless
love has us believe that we will find that special someone, but when the screen fades to
black we are left with hopeless wonderment
about true love while the producers feed off
of our box office receipts and quiver with
success. As always we come down to the
never-ending war between fiction and nonfiction which never ceases to stop and the
disaster catapults us to treacherous proportions and beyond.
Finally it is believed that when we view
any kind of program, it reaches within our
hearts and minds and overcomes us with
expired doubts of fearful determination.
Listen to detailed depictions of love and
despair with music if you will, read a tumultuous novel with its pages inked out in style,
watch television in all its glorified teachings
of drama and comedy which never seem to
love us in return, or watch that of a motion
picture which tantalizes the mind and sense
for periods of time and allows for those
who wish to become the next American
Psycho. We understand the resentments of
failure and success and it is balanced out
with the acknowledgment of good and evil
while they play out hastily. In the end, we
are ultimately found out by our compressions of endless love and fear, yet the overall
society wants to compromise with us all. We
know we can succeed throughput life with
both at our side, yet entertainment will follow us no matter what we do.
Cybernetic soldiers
Sounds like a cool idea to me
continued from page six
as a form of entertainment. The war
games seem to have desensitized people to
the horrors of war and there is a strong belief that the suits will only increase that view.
Others say that whatever connotation
the suit carries is more than worth it. The
suit will save not only save lives, but should
increase a soldiers quality of life. The suit
should theoretically put an exponential
increase on human ability, like strength, as
newer generations of the suit are engineered.
The military is trying to have a prototype of their “super suit” by next, and have
an advanced model out two years after.
Someday soon you will have to decide if you
believe in having a cybernetic faction of our
military.
8
Zen and the art of high school
How Valeria does it (or what she doesn’t do)
We prefer
stories to equations, or rather,
we learn equations through
stories. This is
Quentin Ellett
Devout Matholic the wisdom of
journalism, and
it is also its judgment: that there is a story to be told.
How heavy that judgment is and how
inexplicably hard it seems to tell anything
were the two disquieting concerns which
held me as I talked to someone both as
sincere and as beautiful as Speedway High
School Senior, Valeria Ortega. She exists
as good journalism as she doesn’t merely
report the facts; she doesn’t tell— she
shows, with a gentle wit and a peerless
depth of awareness. My interview with
Valeria was as natural and engaging as any
I’ve ever attempted, her organic temperament demonstrated that our stories are
not merely our own: we exist in the lives
and imaginations of others. She spoke to
this intuitively:
“I’m surprised that I get out there
with the smart kids,” says Valeria, everhumble, though she couldn’t quite tell me
why. “It’s not all it’s made up to be […]
everyone thinks it’s easy for some reason.” she says, and of course, she’s talking
about her accomplishments— she’s an
honors student, an athlete, and an adolescent. She’s in the top ten of our graduating class, but you wouldn’t necessarily
know that; she isn’t in to obsessive talk
of percentile averages and you’ll never
see her trying to get a leg-up on someone,
trying to push her way to the top. What’s
more is that you don’t see her complaining, even though she averages four to five
hours of sleep each night because of the
two to three hours of studying.
Valeria was almost astounded that
I thought this remarkable; there’s “no
point” she says, in creating a neurotic
stress-bubble to rock in and attack others from. On this we agreed (my grades
reflect my no-stress policy), but how could
she maintain her Zen with all the tasks she
pushes herself to be successful in? Quizzically, she stared off a few times before
telling me, “I don’t do it for recognition,
I do it because I have to.” And she’s not
talking about being accepted to an excellent
university (something she most surely will
be) or being pressured by family or friends
(her mom doesn’t hover), she’s talking about
what I determined must be exactly what she
said: a matter of utmost self-necessity.
There are things, she told me, that you
must “prove to yourself.” As a competitive
long-distance runner, Valeria likes a challenge and is able to keenly manage herself
in one— something we both agreed was
unique in the over-stimulated, abrupt, and
spastic world that seems to eat so many
students whole.
But (but!) how does she stay motivated?
“Regardless if I’m motivated or unmotivated, I have to keep my grades up and
not fail,” she then grins at me, “so I don’t
become a hobo.” I began to realize that
motivation, the sub-Nietzschean will to
study, had little to do her actual drive to be
confident, studious (“Studying?” she asks,
“You mean procrastinating.”), graceful and
fun. Valeria told me that her accomplishments had a lot to do with claiming a voice,
authentically facing her world. When you’re
learning, she says “you’re not completely
ignorant to the rest of the world. You can
have opinions and back them up with facts.
That’s important.”
That is important.
Valeria continues to show us that it is
not always success that is key: it is a dedicated enthusiasm for that self-proof. She’s
not only connecting us to our goals, but to
our immediate efforts too. It’s not all about
some glimmering future, Valeria proves; it’s
about the felt presence of direct experience:
the days of our lives are contained in this
Here she is. Senior Valeria Ortega is characteristically at ease with her friends, inside and outside of
school. Photo courtesy of Kylie Strong.
very moment. How we see ourselves and
how we treat others might just as readily dictate how we learn as the amount of time we
spend studying and winning at sports— my
friend Valeria seems to be doing a great job
at both. She’s showing herself, too.
Culture shock
continued from page six
opportunity we are given by birth right.
For example, Josef Aziz just moved here
and had no previous records of schooling in
his home country of Syria, so he has to start
from the bottom and work his way back up,
despite being 17, and he’s not even worried
about it. Something that we American students don’t get is criticism; when someone
redirects us on an error and tries to help us
learn and move on, for the most part we will
greet this constructive criticism with spite.
We Americans neglect to take advantage of
our opportunities here in America. And we
can learn an invaluable lesson from these
kids.
9
The Breakfast Club of Speedway High School
Is it necessary for a Speedway student to fit a stereotype?
When one thinks of high
school groups, the Breakfast
Club may come to mind: the
jock, the princess, the criminal,
the basket case, and the brain.
However, not everybody fits into
these groups. What happens to
the kids that don’t conform into
a basic group? What happens to
those that fit into every group?
A single person may be both a
princess and a basket case. They
may be a mix of a brain, a criminal, and a jock. There are some
students who fit no ‘category.’
Not smart enough to be a brain,
not preppy enough to be a princess, not athletic enough to be a
jock, not mischievous enough to
be a criminal, not crazy enough
to be a basket case. Does this
mean they are nothing? Or are
they everything?
I don’t
think a
single person could
Emily Tucker conform
Little Fat Girl
perfectly
into one
of these emblematic high school
groups. So why do we stick high
school students into certain
groups? Maybe because it makes
everything easier in a broader
perspective. It creates more
perfect matches and not as many
“others.”
Not only are people classified
in groups based on character,
they are also classified in groups
based on the color of their skin.
There is one student in particular at Speedway High School,
Manuel Ipina. He is 100% Mexican, yet has been to Mexico just
four times. Manuel was born in
Houston, Texas and lived there
for about a year before moving to Indianapolis. Manny has
gone to Speedway Schools his
entire life, so he has gotten used
to the Indiana lifestyle. Manuel
told me, “The Indiana lifestyle is
hospitable, and I do enjoy living
here.” When he gets older, he
wants to move to California and
go into the mechanical engineering field. “I like building
stuff using my hands,” he says. I
asked Manuel if he would classify himself into one of the five
groups, and he could not.
I interviewed Andrew Moore,
as well. He is a senior at Speedway High School, although he
went to Avon until 5th grade.
Which five Speedway students would comprise the Speedway Breakfast Club?
He is Caucasian and Italian,
Photo courtesy of Google Images.
sprinkled with Native American.
I asked him which group he
would choose if he had to fit
into one, and he chose prindoesn’t really fit into any of the shell, there are a select few that
cess. I asked him why, and he
stereotypical groups.
would actually fit into just one,
responded he chose “princess”
These are only two examples if any, of these categories: the
because it is the only one out of
of students being in the “other” jock, the princess, the criminal,
the five that is royalty. However,
category; however I am positive the basket case, and the brain.
he followed with the fact that he there is an abundance. In a nut-
The Ukraine Then and Now
Unaltered protest photos. The Russian reads, “Ukraine leaves the USSR.”
Left: property of the Kyiv Post. Right: property of The Guardian.
10
An extremely talented quartet
Jazz Band talents never stops displaying creativity
In high schools all around the world
there are so many different types of groups
and people. Some people fit onto more
than one group and other don’t, that’s
okay though. It’s nice to just be a part of
something because regardless if you think
you’re making impact
or difference in your
school or community,
you really are. Not all
of us feel important
Rikki Combs at times but when
we’re in our group we
2 real
2 function
feel like we mean so
much more.
Recently I talked to four wonderful students that are a part of our Jazz band here
and Speedway. Our Jazz band is a relatively
small band, but is taught well and loves the
kind of music they play. Mrs. Mohl is a great
teacher and dedicates the majority of her
time to her students, whether it be for Jazz
band, choir, guard, or band. She even stays
after school to work with lots of kids on
many different things.
As I was talking to Sydney Judge, Ivie
Hiller, Chris Williams, and Anthony Crowe,
I soon realized that these kids are so proud
to be a part of jazz band. That is their
group. They make a difference to stand out
in their music. There are other gifted students in the jazz band that have wonderful
musical talents, but I unfortunately couldn’t
talk to everyone. Jazz band stays after school
on Mondays and Wednesdays until 4;30 to
practice.
I first asked all the students about how
long they practice their jazz band music and
if they take it home. Sydney Judge answered,
“I take my stuff home at least twice a week.
Total I practice about 30 to 40 minutes twice
a week.”
“I don’t practice jazz band music but
I take my horn home every day and play.
I’m going to college for music education.”
–Chris Williams
“I play music all the time.” – Anthony
Crowe
“I give about an hour, hour and a half a
week.” – Ivie Hiller
I then asked them all how has being in
Jazz band impacted them. To my amazement, all of them gave me a different unique
answer. Some of them also hope to play in a
Jazz band in college or for the state. Sydney
Judge says, “it personally helped me with
scales and intonation. Switching to a different instrument helped me to appreciate other sections of the band.”
Chris Williams loves learning the
different styles of music.
Anthony Crowe said something
that most people don’t realize while
singing or playing with an instrument, “it helps us to flow with everyone and listen to their mistakes,
and for them to flow and listen to
mine.” Jazz band gave Ivie Hiller a
new appreciation for Jazz music.
Many groups like band, choir,
jokes, artists, smart kids, etc, all
want to somehow further their
career or their passion as they get
older and go to college or start their
People with great personalities always play in the jazz
band. Senior Ivie Hiller, senior Anthony Crowe, senior
Chris Williams, and sophomore Sydney Judge bring fun
leadership to the jazz band according to director Amy
Mohl. Photo by Rikki Combs.
own family. Just like Sydney Judge “I want to
teach my kids Jazz music and how to play. I
wish my parents would have taught me.”
Ivie Hiller and Chris Williams both want
to further their Jazz careers in college and
play in a Jazz band there.
“I’m always going to play the guitar and
music. Even when I go to college I’m still
going to play Jazz music.”
I honestly learned a lot from these
students. Their dedication and love for not
just Jazz music but just music in general is
truly inspiring. Their group is like a family; they are small but mighty and they will
rock the house any night at a concert. These
students are all extremely talented and I
wish them all nothing but the best on their
journeys outside of high school. Being in a
group is helpful because you have people by
your side who have the same qualities and
the same interests as you. Sometime you just
couldn’t ask for a better place to be than in a
group of friends.
11
The Religious and Irreligious Students of SHS
A dialogue about the most important aspects of many people’s lives
The topic of religion is often contentious, subject sometimes to violent
dispute in history and the world today.
Thus, discussion of religion in public
schools is less common than it could
be, as most students remain oblivious to
J.A. Bedell the beliefs of anyone but their closest
The New Kid
peers. Several students at Speedway High
School, both religious and irreligious, are
helping break the quiet by sharing their personal beliefs.
“My religion has helped me through a rough time,” notes
junior Sarah Tavis. “I was at the end of my rope and I discovered a quote that helped […] ‘Hope anchors the soul.’ –Hebrews
6:19. This quote [has] helped me to remain positive and hopeful.
It pulled me out of my personal darkness. The most important
Students ponder their beliefs and values; no matter if students are religious, irreligious or
somewhere in between, it appears civility and understanding are cardinal virtues they keep with them.
religious belief I have is that hope anchors the soul.”
“The religious belief that people should love and respect
everyone is important to me, even though I don’t believe in God,”
Through a self-imposed isolation from religious topics, students
“Our God does not discriminate, so why would we?
may be deprived of the opportunity to recognize the diversity of
Who am I to judge another person?” - Dominik Garcia opinions that exist around them, inhibiting meaningful conversations
that could develop their most valued beliefs. From these interviews
with students in this school, it is evident that both these faithful and
states sophomore Denise Nelson. What fills Denise with hope and
skeptical students value open-mindedness, thus allowing the civility
wonder? “Something awe-inspiring to me about the universe is that
necessary to have an informed dialogue with one another. But if no
it is infinite,” she reflects, “It holds so much that we know of, but
one is speaking, how can anyone listen?
what about the things we don’t know of? There could be another
species like us farther away than we could imagine.”
One student has contributed anonymously, in order to
participate in the discussion without sacrificing any privacy. “I don’t
have a religious belief, because religion to me is just another thing
for people to argue about, and it’s just a way of fooling ourselves
into thinking that there’s more to death than darkness. [But] I’m
very open to other people’s opinions and their religious views. I
have met some friends in religious places, and our friendship is still
strong despite our religious differences. Remaining open-minded is
important because it expands your knowledge. If you keep relying
on only the facts you know, you would never see the other side of
things.”
“As a Catholic, one of the biggest religious beliefs I hold
is that God loves you no matter what or who you are,” states junior
Dominik Garcia. “Many people forget this and judge others for
their race, education or even sexuality. Our God does not discriminate, so why would we? Who am I to judge another person? They
are allowed to have their own values and beliefs. My beliefs get me
through life many times a day. When faced with a difficult situation,
I remember that God allows it because he knows I can face it. My
beliefs give me hope as they give me something to look forward to.”
12
Glory be to the workhorses
Scout teams are important means to the success of many Speedway sports programs
The 2013 football season was a dramatic
one, a lot of internal issues and successes
transpired. Spearheaded by stars like Justin
Brent, Shannon and Jefferson Hall, as well
as Jordan Furlow and led by a quarterback,
Nick McCormick, who performed well and
escaped the shadow of his predecessor.
However there are heroes on the team
who don’t get the glory on Friday nights.
The scout team is a rag tag group of second-string and junior varsity players whose
sole purpose is to go
out every day and let
players like Bobby
Spears hit them as
hard as he can. These
glory less players
Will harris tend to be some of
he’s a jerk but the hardest workers,
he’s our jerk willing to risk injury
to prepare for a game
they likely won’t play in.
The job of a scout team member is best
put as emulating their counterpart on the
teams they shall face in the future. Rather
than worrying about the plays that their own
team may or may not run, players must learn
another teams plays quickly and well enough
to execute them against the starting eleven.
Scout team member of the Speedway
Sparkplugs, Nick Smith, has spent this past
season working to make his team better.
When interviewed one might imagine there
would have been a bit of bitterness on his
part, due to the spotlight being shined upon
other people when he works equally as hard.
However this is not the case, he was more
than happy to do this service for the team,
knowing that his time is fast approaching.
Will Harris: What is your primary job as a
member of the scout team?
Nick Smith: We prepare the varsity team
for Friday Nights.
Will Harris: Do you enjoy your work on
the scout team?
Nick Smith: When everyone knows what
they’re doing and I don’t have to move them
around, yes.
Will Harris: Is it a matter of putting in
your time or paying your dues before your
turn to be a star?
Nick Smith: It is definitely putting in time.
You don’t need to jump through hoops. Just
earn it.
And it truly is that simple. It is a rarity for
a player not to put in the time in the scout
team. It is like the sports world version of
the “coming of age story”, putting in your
work to reap the rewards in the future.
Coaches say that the scout team is where
men are made and they are correct. The
action of putting the team before yourself,
accepting injury and the task of forcing
players twice your size to improve, and more
important than anything else is to be ready
to step up when your team needs you most.
Adam Scheck was put in this position when
starting Middle Linebacker Jefferson Hall
was stricken with an ankle injury.
Will Harris: So Mr. Scheck, how do you
feel about your performance as a temporary
The years that we used the scout
team happened to be the years we
won championships. - Jordan Dever
Employment of the Scout team however,
is not limited to football teams. Two years
ago, our own Coach Dever brought in a
group of male students to play against their
girls’ team. “They played fast, slow,” said
Dever. He would have them emulate the
upcoming opposition, a simulation of what
they were going to see. The sectional and
ICC championships both coincided with the
use of the scout team. During the interview
with Coach Dever, he expressed great appreciation for his scout team players. They were
a great aid in the development of his teams.
Unfortunately, many of those players are
either graduated or preoccupied with taking
the next step in their education.
It is safe to say that without players like
Nick Smith and Adam Scheck, Speedway’s
football team would be a shell of what it
truly is, as if molted due to the absence of
the workhorses and true spirit of the team.
The basketball team is not the same without
out the boys they ran with. The scout team
is so much of a necessity to a successful season. When you see a scout team participant
say thank you.
starter this season?
Adam Scheck: Well, all
things considered, I think
I did well. I had to step up
and fill in for Jefferson which
was not easy, but it had to be
done.
Will Harris: Was there any
sort of learning curve, did
you struggle to get to the
Friday night level of competition?
Adam Scheck: Having
been on the scout team I was
used to playing against better ASU FOOTBALL SCOUT TEAM
players, bigger players. I am Taking a knee, the next generation watches intently in anticipaan under sized player for the tion of taking the reigns in the future. Photo courtesy of State
position but I was willing to Press.
put in the work to help my
team.
13
Independence Unknown
The French Assailant reviews his favorite underrated films of the century
What films describe our lifestyle as
a complete and divine
sanctuary of absolute
tranquility while being within a stasis of
John Minniear machinery? Whether
French Assailant it is romance, drama,
sci-fi, or what have
you, there are films quite unknown to those
who don’t wish to seek them out. We
all wish to succeed throughout the usual
point system of said society while trying
to out limit our own ambitions across the
stars which fault or hinder those who seek
peace. Presented below is a list of motion pictures plucked from the hen of the
industry while being slated as a form of
unordinary merriments abound. Thus we
are introduced once again to that phrase of
fire heard around the world: underrated/
not mainstream for lack of a better word.
To start off, we are brought into
the fantastical world of Pi circa 1998
when the time was redefined as true noir:
filmed with inky black and white toner
while trying to keep the spirit of filmmaking alive from within. It deals with our
protagonist Max who has lived a life of
absolute deadening silence while keeping
up with his medication, he is a more than
determined mathematician who seeks to
understand the calculation of 3.14…. or
pi. He decides that it’s his decisive goal in
life to unveil the hidden mysteries of the
stock market and maybe even that of God’s
existence, yet he is utterly hunted down by
Wall Street bulldog executives, hired killer
hackers, and even a rabbi who, along with
his fellow Jew gang, decide to rid our Max
of his purpose involving the Torah’s code
from within. This is a masterpiece dark
thriller in all of the consents, a provocative and modern take on society’s overall
obsession with the very idea of money and
power put in simple terms.
Next up is a classic tale of deep
morality involving that of a creek, revenge,
and Josh Peck. It’s a
little film appropriately
titled Mean Creek circa
2004 which revolves
around that of a lonely
and desperate boy
named Sam (Rory
Culkin) who is beaten
and ridiculed by a
school bully, dyslexic
George (Josh Peck).
Sam later recalls these
events to his older
brother Rocky (Trevor Max (Sean Gilutte) observes his chaotic work in silence within the confines of his
Morgan). With a few desolate home. Photo courtesy of e-u-l-mk2.blogspot.com
more flawed humans
backing him, he ultimately devises a rot
Thus we conclude with that of
ten plan to get back at George. Sam and
Dogville (2003) circa 1930s which states
Rocky invite their friends and George
the very tale of Grace Margaret Mulligan
along for a boating trip, yet just when you
(Nicole Kidman) who is residing within
thought that everyone was having supreme
Dogville, Colorado while remaining hidden
fun, Rocky sets his plan into place. George
from the mafia that ran her out of town.
frantically reacts negatively towards this
The film is set upon a stage-like theater
and is eventually beating Sam to a bloody
with actors wandering and wondering
pulp. However, when Rocky is angered by
throughout reciting their various lines with
this, he thrust George into the creek while
such elegance and grace that it seems as if
throwing the camera at his head……thus
we have been transported to a completely
morality has shifted fates. George never
unknown world of dreams. Set within the
returns and when Rocky rushes in, it’s
standards with that of Anna Karenina with
simply too late for he dies instantly from
Keira Knightly, we are shown this world
drowning.
with the eyes of extreme tenacity and racial
The group (especially Sam and Rocky)
indifference. Grace ultimately finds her
show extreme expressions of shock and
way in life and even takes down the mafia
awe while being terrorized by the fact that
one by one, but it is her utter courage and
a fellow human being has died right in
complete responsibility to take on the exact
front of them. No one could do anything
corruption of evil, and its deadly ways.
to help him. Thus the group devises a
She succumbs to the disputed morals of
purely flawed plan that instructs them all to
those around her, yet she divides within her
keep the death a secret yet of course Sam
consciousness of absolute hope.
determines his moral ambitions and rushes
Within the futile efforts of her big cast
to the police about this crime of fate. He
colleagues, she rises above the ashes to line
has come to terms with this death yet he
on for another day. Finally these films remust also face the consequences of his
sult within the details of tenacious elegance
purpose. This film is expertly made while
and that of grouping mechanisms which
being identified as a cautious tale for the
upheld the greater glory of those around
modern ages to be held and grasped with
us. These motion pictures are engineered
such care as to never break one’s spirit of
See Divine Sanctuary on page 15
hope and faith within life.
14
Speedway’s Dark Knights
The people Speedway deserves, and the ones it has
What makes the world run? No
matter whom you will ask the answer is
never the celebrity or the leaders of world
powers. Nay, the answer that is always given
is someone behind the scene (be it a god,
deity, or cabinet members and representative who are known less than the one they
work for). This is
the case at every
level, world down
to the genetic level.
So, by extension,
Speedway High
Alan Duffy School is no different.
Twinkletoes
Now the question is, ‘Who does run this institution?’
Many would say Mr. McRoberts or perhaps
the school board. To this I must diverge.
The ones who do run this school are not the
policy makers. The smooth and streamlined
system that Speedway prides itself on is due
simply to the group of the incognito- the
guidance office, the teachers, and the janitorial staff. The environment created is wholly
dependent upon the things that the aforementioned people do. What do they do?
Allow me to begin with the most
obvious, the teachers. Many of us know the
teachers, this much is true. But how many of
us know that many of them stay hours later
and arrive hours earlier than any of us can
comprehend? Yet, the most thankless task is
that of those teachers we hardly hear of, the
teachers who see the left behind.
The subject of my first interview
was the primary teacher for the special
education program. Dana Ramberg stated
that the focus of her enrichment class was
to help those who are going directly into the
work force. She began her career at Speedway High School, the same day as her interview! She has 7 years of experience in IPS
schools and 26 years of service at Speedway.
She has an impressive amount of education
for what most people think she does; she
has a masters from IU. The end goal of her
work preparation program is to make her
students an asset to employers by being hard
workers.
The subject of an article by a
contemporary of mine is about the new
wave of immigration in our school. The
person in charge of this group is one that
we may not see often, Allison McKay. She
teaches our newest citizens how to speak
enough English to get by and follows them
to make certain that they understand what
is happening in their classes. She got her
job at Speedway because she heard about
the opening from her friend and college
neighbor that the position had opened.
Once again she too is highly qualified. She
has taught in Columbus, IN; and has 3 bachelors, speaks 2 languages fluently and can
speak in about 10. She felt that she would
not teach when she was in school and was
undecided until she was told to pick a major
(she had taken many different subjects and
had a lot of credits but needed to declare).
She says that her goal for teaching was, “to
help other kids have positive experiences by
becoming a teacher.” Her favorite part of
being a teacher is helping he special cases.
She credits her father with the success she
has (he told her to keep taking Spanish)
when she says, “Listen to your parents.”
Some of us know the next group,
the Guidance office. This is a more obvious
section of the unsung. The guidance office
does more than most people can often
imagine. They manage grants, grades, graduations, and the student.
Mr. Borum is one of the people
many of us know. But most of us don’t
know the scope of his work. He does all
of what was mentioned above and resolves
student disputes (parents, teachers, and
other students), coordinates the AP Tip
grant, works with Mr. Acton on the Graduation Rate (grading schools [last year was
99%]), and still wants to see kids. He was
born and raised in Gary, IN and was in the
Gifted and Talented group. He has a bachelor in education (originally wanted to be
a lawyer) to become a teacher. He decided
that he should go back to school and get his
Masters and E.D.S. (the E.D.S. is a degree
just above a masters but not quite a doctorate) in Counseling psychology. He never
taught (he had student taught) but felt he
could do more by helping one on one. He
interned for both a mental health (institution
[Bloomington Juvenile Correctional Facility])
and at Bloomington South. He managed all
this within 2 years after his bachelor’s (for
those of you counting at home: he was 24
years old). He says that he loves the many
facets of the school job; he can see all of us:
gifted, average, and the in danger.
The last group could possibly be
the least thanked staff members of the entire school. Least loved by the students who
gripe about menial things, only trying to
make the job harder; the least pleasant job,
by standards of many; and least acknowledged, by the people they serve. Who are
these unfortunate souls, the Janitorial Staff?
I managed to interview one of
the former custodians of Speedway High
School, his name Robert Bothwell. The job
of janitor was one that presented itself by
luck. He was 61 when he applied to our
school. He had already worked as a mechanic at Naval Avionics and as a privet contractor (he began to think of his customers as
friends and was worried if something would
go wrong on the homes he worked on). He
elaborated on the “benefits” of being a janitor (they are benefits) such as, the ability to
See Respecting on page 15
The Bat Signal
photo property of Warner Brothers Studio.
15
The Contest of Julian
“Nature loves to hide her secrets, and she does not suffer the hidden truth about
the essential nature of the gods to be flung in naked words to the ears of the profane…”
-Flavius Claudius Julianus
From Sire to sonnet-taught student:
here is the trap of the visual;
here is the concave, the abscesses of reason,
here is a door closed
to beguiled prompters, chairmen of the shore:
a stirring realism will molest the landscape,
a lulled bulge will approach.
No trumpet will announce its founding, disturbance,
but trumpets are suggested
like the contours of coming spring
are suggested. Ballads in the freezing rain:
sequestered, contained—
springtime will come, burst
at and in the nationed frequency:
a kiss. Convolvulus,
apparent, shaking— Spring will shiver out.
From Prince to poem-drafted image:
here is the treacherous auditory,
here is a priested problem: the confessional.
Tack the seasons to the altar,
let the I emerge.
For I have been Spring’s catamite,
an acolyte of its varied fortune;
I have known its wetness, its fury
suspended in the Sempiterne’s wake.
The contest of Julian forsaken,
I’ve a thousand gods to guard, to take.
-—-
Father, whose shroud is larger—
hallowed be Thy name.
Is Thy Kingdom art? or aren’t Thou
in Heaven?
-—-
Neither as the rod or as the corpulent mule
the strike comes; it’s furious, brave and fat
like the politics of an old man
belching rivers of tobacco spit, tearing and tearing
at dirt— those amber estuaries,
their foaming foils that run throughout the sick,
resistant and grieving world.
-—-
Father, father, I’ve added words;
I’ve read the bedtime sayings of Agur:
A proverb, as from leech to daughter,
acts accomplice to what’s dry,
lacking in taste
or warmth or oracle-thickness—
a dark saying, as of Mark,
of Secret Gospel:
The convincing argument of glacial grunts,
the tense Indiana geography
was enough to bury me with it,
enough to split me as the hills— miles apart.
Under and under
the wisdomless deep
spits up fatherfire, funeralfire,
ash and ash.
Under and under
the trembling earth
quakes as my tomb
‘neath added words and addages Quentin Ellett
Devout Matholic
unnumbered.
-—-
They sawed off the booklights;
I was quite soggy, bootworn,
heavy. You payed the bill, I drank my fill
(tiresome as it was, a thankful hand
kept knocking) out underneath stars
by the babbling brook
as the door was unhinged, broken.
Inside and outside. Simultaneous worlds.
Divine Sanctuary
continued from page 13
gineered within the structure of a wholesome group which respects each storyline as a qualified consent of absolute determination which allows for the plentiful viewers of said films. Thus this
“group” is forever identified as a thrilling account of terror unbound while bridle rage rumbles. Then our personal lives are thus
derived from the very constitution of reality while trying desperately
to be moral as well.
Respecting what we have
educate himself with books, his mind could wander, and it was not
nearly as stressful as his other work. He worked for us for 10 years
(the exact time he told his interviewer when he applied). He did
enjoy his job as a custodian; he relished the chance to meet new and
nice people (like the teachers and us students).
Now we must remember the incredible luxuries enjoyed by
us students. The entire school is not run by teachers and principals
alone. Nay, we must remember the sacrifices and hard work done by
those who receive little thanks from many people. They work for the
people and by the people; theirs is the work that makes the world go
round.
16
Worker Cooperatives: the best kind of business?
Empirical studies vindicate a more democratic kind of management
In a typical
workplace, your
employers and
managers are
largely intracJ.A. Bedell table sources of
The New Kid
authority, who
decide all of
the company’s policies without requiring
anyone else’s input. But what if businesses
were more democratic, enabling you to
elect the ones who pay you? Or better yet,
what if you could vote directly on your
company’s policies with other employees?
If this sounds strange to you, you may be
surprised to know that such an arrangement already exists in a type of business
known as a worker cooperative. In a worker cooperative, employees either dictate
business policies through direct consensus,
or the managers and administrators are
elected by the workers. Shares are often
allocated so that each employee gets one
voting share, and through this method of
organization, the workers are the ones who
control the business.
“[W]hen unemployment in the
Basque provinces remained higher
than 25%, the Mondragon cooperatives had added 500 jobs to reach
an all-time high employment level
of more than 19,500.”
One might think that a worker cooperative is not as stable as the more commonplace corporate structures, because of
their dynamic policy-making. However,
a long-term study entitled “The Viability
of Employee-Owned Firms: Evidence
from France” published in volume 45 of
the Industrial & Labor Relations Review
showed that worker cooperatives have
a higher rate of survival than any other
kind of enterprise. Employee ownership is
also associated with other positive effects
One of the most successful cooperatives in recent history. The headquarters of Mondragon Photo
is located in the Basque region of Spain. Photo courtesy of the Mondragon Corporation.
according to evidence related by Douglas
Kruse, Ph. D. and a Professor at the School
of Management and Labor Relations, who
also serves as a Research Associate at the
National Bureau of Economic Research. In
his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives entitled “Research Evidence of
Prevalence and Effects of Employee Ownership”, he states that “Employee ownership
was linked to faster employment growth,”
and that it’s “associated with greater employment stability, which does not come at the
expense of lower efficiency.”
Perhaps the greatest success story for this
business model is the Mondragon Corporation, a federation of worker cooperatives
founded in 1956 at the Basque region of
Spain. In 2012, Mondragon had a revenue
of 14,081 million € ($1,917,128,150) and
continues to thrive. It was the subject of
study by William Foote Whyte, a researcher
that served as the president of the American Sociological Association in 1981 and
worked at Cornell University, where he
wrote hundreds of papers on the subject of
worker cooperatives. In a book co-authored
with his wife Kathleen King Whyte entitled “Making Mondragon: The Growth
and Dynamics of the Worker Cooperative Complex” it is stated that, “[W]hen
unemployment in the Basque provinces
remained higher than 25%, the Mondragon
cooperatives had added 500 jobs to reach
an all-time high employment level of more
than 19,500.” Their employee base has
only quadrupled in the intervening years,
while Spain continues to struggle with
one of the highest unemployment rates in
Europe, reported to be at 24.7% in 2013
by Eurostat, a Directorate-General of the
European Commission. Most employees
at a worker cooperative have greater job
security, as Professor John Pencavel, from
the Department of Economics in Stanford
University states in his study “Participation and Productivity: A Comparison of
Worker Cooperatives and Conventional
Firms in the Plywood Industry”: “When
faced with adversity, the co-ops adjust pay
and avoid changes in their labor inputs and
output, by contrast, when confronted with
drops in output price, conventional firms
adjust employment and work hours (and
consequently output), and wages do not
change.”
In a worker cooperative, differing wage
levels are voted in by the employees. David
Herrera reports in his article “Mondragon:
See Would you Like on page 17
17
Sic Semper Tyrannis: The excess of the Electoral College
I vote, I count, well kind of. For those
of you who don’t already know, the popular
election for president is only to assist the
institution of the Electoral College. Many
people have campaigned for the abolition of
the afore stated institution (it is here, in this
camp, that I find myself). The arguments
are numerous: the alienation of 3rd party
candidates, the all or nothing mechanism of
vote casting, the disproportional representation of certain areas, the election of the
vice president (my own personal grievance),
the amplification of the importance of
an informed populous, and the possibility of rogue voters. The importance of the
Electoral College has been diminished by
the advent of the mass media and should be
dismantled in favor of direct election.
The arguments for the Electoral College
are stated as creating unity in the public,
allowing for the
catering of minority interests (I
have quite a bit
to say about this),
maintaining naAlan Duffy tional government
representation, and
Twinkletoes
encouraging a two party system.
The argument of unity is toppled when
one observes the state of politics today. The
fact that people are segmented into two or
three major groups causes massive hitches
in Congress that block important legislation.
One should also observe that the minority
interest has caused such debockles like the
Tea Party blocking compromise just this past
year, leaving the majority of the population out to dry. This is a massive problem
when people can only vote for one of two
parties that may cater to the demands of
the extremes either side than you may want
(the moderates, the socialists, the anarchists,
and the proponents of laissez-faire). The
maintaining of the national influence over
elections has not stopped the direct election
of Senators and members of the House.
The arguments for the dismantling of the
Electoral College are much more enticing.
The principle of the all or nothing votes
causing problems is well founded. This creates a winning percent of 50.1% to win as
many 55 (CA) for one state (two states split
the votes by district, Maine and Nebraska).
This has been a problem on numerous
occasions, most notably in 1968, and 2000.
In both cases
the full electoral
power was given
to one candidate
(Humphrey lost
by 511,944 and
the Dixi-crat won
over 9,000,000
and Bush won by
winning Florida
by an incredibly
small margin).
The dispropor- Bluto’s take on the Electoral College from Animal
tional votes are House. Photo from Daily Kos
obvious when one (www.dailykos.com)
looks to Washington D.C.’s 3 votes, equal to Montana, South
Dakota, and other states with small populations (DC has 600,000+ people where
Montana has 1,000,000+). The disproportionate value placed on the people in places
like Montana gives the voters of DC double
the influence in the end vote. This is simply
solved by simply eliminating the Electoral
College in favor of just hosting the popular
election (as we do every year).
See IT IS THE TIME on page 20
Would you like to elect your future boss?
In a cooperative setting, that scenario is guaranteed
a for-profit organization that embodies
Catholic social thought”, that the highest
ranking employee (the general manager) at
a cooperative in Mondragon Corporation
makes an average of only five times more
than the minimum pay for other workers,
and at most they make nine times as much
with the consent of the employees. In stark
contrast, the median American income in
2012 was $39,900 according to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, while an Associated
Press story entitled “Median CEO pay rises
to $9.7 million in 2012” showed that the
pay of the typical corporate executive is 243
times more than the average U.S. worker.
This problem is only growing worse as
time goes on; the Economic Policy Institute’s report “CEO pay and the top 1%”
shows that annual earnings for the top 1%
has increased 156% from 1979 to 2007,
while the top 0.1% was reported to have had
a 362% rise in pay. Furthermore, the pay
for the average CEO in particular increased
>725% from 1978 to 2011. It’s certainly
doubtful that corporate executives became
over 725 times more skilled over that period
of time, or that the financial acumen of
the wealthy is over three hundred and sixty
times greater than it once was. However, the
same report states that the bottom 90% only
had a 17% wage growth from 1979 to 2007.
The vast differences in pay are one of
the reasons that worker cooperatives aren’t
more common than they are, as it would be
incredibly unlikely that an elected executive could be paid so much more than the
average employee. In a worker cooperative,
all of the employees get a say in how things
are operated with no losses in efficiency, as
their business grows faster with the most
stability and job security compared to other
enterprises, even during times of widespread
unemployment. Although investors and
owners of the largest companies of today
are unlikely to cede their power to those that
work for them, worker cooperatives offer a
glimpse of the clearly superior alternative.
18
Syriana: A film that never ages
The French Assailant delves deeper within the construes of this thriller
Syriana is a film
worth mentioning to
the likes of heightened filmmakers and
viewers who take
deep criticism seriJohn Minniear ously while upholdFrench Assailant ing the truth to their
very heart’s desire.
There are four main storylines, linked by the
anxious, irregular heartbeat of Alexandre
Desplat’s score - each one subject to enough
twists and reversals to make plot summary
a treacherous exercise. While Bob (George
Clooney) is sorting out his midcareer issues
- his bosses, concerned about his maverick
tendencies, appear to want either to confine
him to a desk job or send him off to be
killed somewhere - some members of the
younger generation are finding troubles and
opportunities of their own. Bennet Holiday
(Jeffrey Wright) is a rising lawyer at a Washington firm who is called upon to run due
diligence in advance of a merger between
two energy companies. Bryan Woodman
(Matt Damon), a financial analyst living with
his family in expatriate luxury in Geneva, becomes the financial adviser to Prince Nasir
(Alexander Siddig), who is eager to succeed
his father as ruler of an oil-rich emirate
and inaugurate a program of political and
economic modernization. In Prince Nasir’s country, meanwhile, a young Pakistani
laborer named Wasim (Mazhar Munir) succumbs to the lure of radical Islam, seeking
refuge from the dusty oil fields and crowded
hostels in the tranquillity of a madrasa.
These five characters - Bob, Wasim,
Prince Nasir, Bennett and Bryan - add up
to a sort of composite hero, though their
heroism, collective and individual, is highly
ambiguous. Not one of them is in possession of a clear conscience or a singular
motive, and not one of them fully claims the
audience’s sympathy. Greed and ambition
sometimes coincide with idealism, and selfinterest shades into scruple. Each of the five
is afflicted by family problems - the mutual
disappointments
of fathers and sons
is the film’s principal psychological
motif - and throws
himself into the
world of money,
politics and power
as a way to escape
or salve his private
unhappiness.
Viewed in
hindsight, and as
a whole, “Syriana”
George Clooney thwarts terrorism at the cost of losing his mortality. Photo courtesy of www.reddit.com
can seem a bit
chilly and schematic. Mr. Gaghan handles the main characters
of free-market capitalism might as well have
with analytical detachment, leaving it to
“fall guy” tattooed on his forehead. All
the actors to supply each of them with a
of which is to say that “Syriana” is, in the
full measure of individuality. They prove
end, a movie. Rather than dispense with the
more than equal to the task, and it is hard
familiar signposts of Hollywood storytellto single any one of them out. At different
ing, it brings them to a state of heightened
points in the film - and with the repeated
attention and pushes beyond the clichés of
viewings it amply repays - you notice Mr.
heroism and suspense toward something a
Munir’s delicate, watchful sensitivity; Mr.
good deal more unsettling. Something you
Damon’s angry, boyish bravado; Mr. Siddig’s might even call realism.
icy mastery; or Mr. Wright’s stealthy ferocity.
Mr. Clooney, an executive producer as well
as one of the stars, pushes understatement
almost to the point of inscrutability. Is that
There were many winners and one noguilt we see in Bob’s eyes, or fatigue? Skeptitable shut-out at the 86th annual Academy
cism or fear?
Awards held on March 2nd.
There are too many fine supporting
Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock,
performances to list, though Christopher
captured six major awards on the evening.
Plummer, Chris Cooper, Amanda Peet,
The only major omission was Bullock not
William C. Mitchell and Shahid Ahmed all
deserve mention. A movie this crowded and winning the award for Best Actress. Cate
wide-ranging - the number of speaking parts Blanchett’s performance in Blue Jasmine
earned her the nod.
seems to be exceeded only by the variety of
12 Years a Slave earned the award for
locations - inevitably resorts to various kinds
Best Picture and Lupita Nyong’o won the
of shorthand. The secondary characters
tend to be stock figures. When a character is honors for Best Supporting Actress in her
shown working in his garden and then, later, first ever professional role for that movie.
And, Matthew McConaghey and Jarred Leto
swirling brandy in a snifter, you know he is
a bad guy. A man who shoots billiards in the were honored as the Best Actor and Best
Supporting Actor for their performances in
middle of the day can be counted on to be
Dallas Buyer’s Club.
feckless and self-indulgent, and anyone who
makes a high-minded speech on the virtues
Gravity wins big
on Oscar Night
19
What Would Will Do
Solutions of Simplicity
Disclaimer: The opinions of this writer are not the opinions of
the publication. None of the views presented in the article are meant
to offend anyone.
In our society, often times the red tape in democracy slows
progress to a ridiculous point. If I were in charge things would be
different. This is a collection of how I Will Harris would deal with
the issues in our world.
Gay marriage ban – If I were in charge, I would completely rearrange the institution of marriage and civil unions. You cannot
legislate marriage because it is a religious matter. The separation of
church and state would make a
We cannot legislate marriage, ban unconstitutional. First, all
nor can we legislate morality. couples would engage legally in
a civil union. This version of
the civil union would levy all
the benefits and tax breaks implied by marriage. After going through
the steps to have a civil union, each couple , hetero or homo sexual
will ask their church of choice whether or not they are willing to
perform the religious ceremonies for marriage in that church.
Marijuana legalizing – I would fully legalize marijuana. Each state
would open lounges for smoking pot only that way it wouldn’t be
in all bars. State parks would have areas where people may partake
in the plant. However any health issues including cancer will not
receive any public aid. To pay for medical bills directly tied to the use
of marijuana it is purely out of pocket and privatized health care.
We would be creating more jobs because the demand. There would
be companies who hire a lot of agricultural scientists who would
specialize in cannabis, people to tend to the plants and to guard the
facilities. The crime rate would then plummet, because we will have
taken away the necessity of a black market trade for the plant. Due
to the decline in drug dealers moving marijuana, it would be less
accessible to the youth. Rather than approaching the shady guy at
Same Sex Marriage
A right, not a a privilege. Photo coutesy of the Illinois Observer.
school, they would have to have someone purchase it for them at
the marijuana version of a liquor store.
Border reform – We need to be much more relaxed on letting people
in legally, however we need to tighten up the borders. I have no
problem with immigration, anyone who wants in should be allowed
in. However I believe that we should have documentation on every
person residing permanently or temporarily within our border. This
way everyone will get taxed, receive benefits, and be represented in our government
(which is irrelevant in this case due to my
omnipotent dictatorship).
While generally viewed negatively, a dictatorship is not universally evil. In this case,
See Will Would Do This on page 20
Will harris
he’s a jerk but
he’s our jerk
Is it a privilege or a right?
Should Indiana create a constitutional
amendment banning gay marriage?
Banning gay marriage in Indiana was the focal point of the 2014
Indiana legislative session.
Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma stirred the first controversy, removing the bill from the House Judiciary committee
when it seemed as if the bill would fail, and instead placed the bill in
the hands of the House Elections committee where he was sure it
would get passed.
These actions contradicted Bosma’s initial vow to treat this bill
just like any other bill. It was observed that Bosma displayed reservations concerning the amendment. Megan
Robertson, campaign manager for Freedom
Indiana, a state-wide coalition trying to defeat
the amendment said, “Bosma broke his commitment to Hoosiers to uphold the traditional
legislative process.”
Emily Tucker
Were the representatives biased? And if
Little Fat Girl
so, should they be allowed to vote on such an
amendment? Mitch Clark, the executive director of the American
Family Association, has declared, “…one or two legislators should
not stand in the way of allowing over a million Hoosiers to vote on
the future of marriage in Indiana.” Many Hoosiers believe that the
bill should simply be passed over to them; it’s their rights, after all.
Gay marriage is legal in Maine, Maryland, and Washington by
popular vote. Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont allow gay marriage
by State Legislature. Court decisions have granted the right of gay
marriage to the states California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, and New Mexico.
20
In pursuit of championships
The quest for a first-ever three-peat creates excitement
The varsity boys basketball team started their season with
multiple challenges. How would the team replace Justin Brent,
one of the major contributors to last year’s Semi-State run? Who
would step in to complement the formidable one-two punch of
Jordan Furlow and Anthony Jones? Could the team blend together a
complementary support team and make a run for an unprecedented
third straight sectional championship?
December was disjointed. And January didn’t start much better.
A mid-season match-up with rival Park Tudor changed the team’s
course. An overtime loss to the top rated Panthers gave the Sparkplugs all the confidence and swagger necessary to make a run. The
boys never looked backed and went on an eight game winning streak
leading into the sectional.
The first-round opponent was 18-1 Cloverdale. The boys defeated Cloverdale in an exciting opener 59-50. Would the boys reach
extend their winning streak to double digits? Could they capture a
school-record third straight sectional title?
What else happened this winter with Speedway sports? Senior Allison Nash capped her basketball career with a record-setting
performance in the opening round of the sectional. She willed the
Sparkplugs to a near upset of arch-rival Covenant Christian with a
45 point effort but the girls lost a lead in the last minute, falling to
their rivals. Nash ends her high school career as the all-time leading
scorer in Sparkplug history, eclipsing JoJo Daghe’s school record.
In wrestling, junior Matt Beyer captured an ICC championship. Seniors Colby Ward and Robby Sears led a small contingent
of wrestlers who went to battle in search of wrestling glory. Sears
capped his career with a Regional appearance.
In swimming, junior Sami Barry and senior Jake Petercheff set
school records in the 100 breaststroke. Both teams earned runnerup finishes in the ICC meet. And both teams capped their seasons
with multiple season-best times at the sectional meets.
In short, the winter season was filled with individual and team
exploits that continued a legacy of Sparkplug excellence.
It is an idea long past its time
The wasteful Electoral College serves no practical purpose
Continued from page 17
The election of the vice president is out
of all the normal voters’ hands. The office
of the Vice President of the United States is
chosen by the Electoral College. In practice
the act of voting falls along party lines, but
the College votes separately. Because of
anonymity, the vote can change in favor of a
candidate who is not on the Party “x” ticket,
but instead on the Party “y” ticket.
In the same vein as the prior sentiment,
the College can simply disregard the popular
vote entirely and vote as a consensus of all
the voters. This can be against party lines
or within party lines. This is the phantom
“rough voter” mentioned earlier. This has
been an issue in the past. As recently as 1988
West Virginia voted backwards (vice president was elected as president and vice-versa)
but did not change the outcome. The best
examples are from 1836 and 1872. In the
past century seven cases of rogue voters.
All of us know that the public votes,
but do they know what they are doing?
Many would argue that some people just
vote Democrat because their mom and dad
did. This is imperatively obvious when one
observes JFK’s election. His key to victory
was the black vote. Traditionally that vote
went to Republicans because of sentiments
from as far back as Lincoln. Now, I mean
no slander, the fact that the traditional black
vote went right was because of an uninformed voter base (for equity reasons, the
white south has traditionally voted Republican because of less government and guns).
If the vote came down to just popular vote,
the number of recognized 3rd parties would
increase and force people to hear the debate
from more than two pairs of squinting, glaring, and beady eyes in favor of three or four
pairs of squinting, glaring, and beady eyes.
It is the purpose of the Electoral College to
take care of an uniformed populous. It manages this feet by suppressing the very thing
that can cause an informed populous.
As stated above, the Electoral College
was created as insulation form an uninformed populous. This was simply because
the news in 1788. Now this is not a problem
with the advent of mass media and news
from all over the world reaching those who
wish to know about it in a fraction of the
blink of an eye.
The wasteful Electoral College is past its
due time. The original purpose of insulating for an uninformed populous is no
longer a needed function. The flaws of the
all-or-nothing voting system, disproportion
voting power, rough voters, segmenting the
Union, and discouraging alternate views (3rd
parties) also further damn the system. For
the betterment of our Union, the Electoral
College should be dismantled. As mentioned
before, “a House divided against itself, shall
fall.”
Will would do this
case, assuming I keep my sanity and do
not become plagued by greed and paranoia,
my solutions could do a lot of good. I
would like to restate for a final time that the
views presented in this article are not necessarily the views of the publication, or school
as a whole.

Issue 2 - Speedway High School

Transcription

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