I How to Ask Girls to Homecoming

Time
165 E. Bagley Road - Berea, Ohio 44017
November 2013 Issue
King Dan Sates
Queen Jamella Hunter
All homecoming court photos
courtesy of Dave Cornelius.
Tayler Reese, 11
Sophomore Attendents:
Taylar Diver
Joey Bachie
Cassidy Lavelle
Alex Dargay
Jacob Fudale.
Junior Attendents:
Stacey Alderman
Steven Bachie
Tayler Reese
Kenny Sladick
Ryan Queen, 12
Stacey Alderman, 11
Brianna Kalnasy, 12
Senior Attendents:
Cate Hill
Eddie Harper
Brianna Kalnasy
Carrie Mueller
Alex Brown
Hayley Novak
Ryan Queen
Claudia Sladick
Dylan Nguyen
Amber Videc
Tate Biddinger
Kenny Sladick, 11
Eddie Harper, 12
Tate Biddinger, 12
The Historic Royalty
of BMHS
Homecoming Court
Cate Hill, 12
I
period, they put on the kiss Harshman added.
t’s that time of again!
Even though his
BMHS Homecoming is cam [on us]. The team mascot behind us held up a sign girlfriend didn’t realize
right around the corthat read, ‘Alyssa, Will You what was going on, Harshner. Boys, you better find
man said that after she
a date and a way to ask that Go to Homecoming with
got out of the car, she said
Me? –Mike’,” Early said.
special someone!
“yes.
Early said that his
“[Being asked in a
Sometimes, you
special way does] matter to girlfriend, Alyssa, saw
don’t
have
to go too far
them
on
the
JumboTron
me…I want him to come
out of your way to make it
and started smiling. He
up with his own idea that
special.
said she turned around to
makes me feel like he put
“If it was just a
read the sign and said, “Of
a good amount of thought
friend, I would just ask. If
into it to show that I’m spe- course I will!”
it was a girl [that] I like, I
cial to him,”
would get chocoSophomore
late and flowers,”
Angelica
Thompson said.
Rahe said.
Guys don’t
Junior
sweat
too
much.
Liz Skok has
Not all girls will
a different
turn you down if
point of view
you don’t ask them
than Rahe.
in a special way.
Skok says that
“[It] debeing asked
pends who it is
in a special
honestly. Like if
way does
they did it in front
not matter to
Junior Michael Early surprising asked his girlfriend to homecoming over the
of a large group of
her. Either
Kiss Cam at a Lake Erie Monsters Game
people,
I would [say
way, no mat- Photo courtesy of Michael Early
yes] because it would
ter how she
be
really
rude and mean…
“Seeing her smile
gets asked, she would still
but I would like to feel
and feel special at the end
go with that someone. It
special when it’s something
of it made it worth the
would be a plus if that
that only happens once a
hassle
and
effort
in
the
someone knew that food
year,” Rahe said.
end,” Early said.
was the fastest way to her
Don’t feel too bad
Junior Mitchell
heart.
about yourself if you get
Harshman said that he
“Well since tacos
turned down. Thompson
asked his girlfriend to
are my favorite food, I
said that it would be unforhomecoming
in
the
Roehm
would want to be asked
tunate to get turned down,
with a party box from Taco Athletic Complex parking
but he would ask someone
lot in the morning as they
Bell,” Skok said.
that he has a greater chance
Some guys take the arrived for school.
“I made three signs, with. However, Thompson
more traditional route.
said that it’s not too imporone
asking
her to home“I’m a classy guy.
tant to go with a date. Alcoming, one saying yes
[I would bring] a bouquet
though, he added, it would
and one saying no. Then
of flowers and ask if she
be nice to have one.
[would] go to homecoming [two friends and I] went
Having a date
to school early the next
with me,” Junior Tommy
shouldn’t
stop anyone from
morning
to
Roehm.
I
set
Thompson said.
up the ‘yes’ sign in the first enjoying this once-a-year
Some have already
event. Going to homecomparking spot and the ‘no’
put their creativity to the
ing with a group of friends
sign in the second parktest. Junior Michael Early
could be just as fun.
ing spot,” Harshman said.
asked his girlfriend to
“[Not having a date]
“She
pulled
up
15
minutes
homecoming at the Lake
doesn’t really matter to
later and pulled into the
Erie Monsters game!
me as long as I go with the
third spot where there was
“[My girlfriend],
no sign. I was kind of em- people I love and will have
Alyssa, [and I] went to the
barrassed… [I wish it was] a good time with,” Rahe
Lake Erie Monsters game
said.
more noticeable for her,”
and during the second
Claudia Sladick, 12
By Tayler Reese
Assisted by Michelle Lee
BMHS Crowned
Their First
Homecoming
King and Queen
Carrie Muller, 12
How to Ask Girls to
Homecoming
Titan Times
2
November 2013
Save Your Skin,
Spray Instead
By Jodie Waldron
Assisted by Cristina Ortiz
A
Hunt and Kinnaird assist some anxious Titan football players before practice at the Roehm Athletic Complex.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Lee
BMHS Trainers Go From
the Sidelines to the Spotlight
By Michelle Lee
Assissted by Taylor Reese
W
hether it’s a fall
Friday night
under the lights
waiting for kickoff, or a
winter game-time tip off for
basketball, a lot of preparation goes into being ready
for that moment. Athletic
trainers are at the heart of
it all.
Here at BMHS,
two athletic trainers, Jess
Hunt and Beau Kinnaird
are always active and present at all home sporting
events. According the the
National Trainers Association, the job of a full time
trainer is to maintain general treatment orders to be
reviewed by the teams physician. Jess and Beau fulfill
this role and also act as a
connection between family
physicians and specialists. “To find my job I
looked on the OATA website and found an opening
and applied for it at South
West. I knew I wanted to
do have a career and do
something in sports or be
on TV. I didn’t know when
I was in my communication
major that news reporters had to write their own
script. Therefore, I decided
I should go into something
with sports,” Hunt said.
Kinnaird said he
chose this field “because
I wore glasses and I was
too small, I couldn’t play
football in high school. I
decided that I wanted to
become the athletic trainer.” As football season is
coming to a close and basketball is quickly approaching, Kinnaird and Hunt are
preparing themselves for a
different kind of training.
“The difference between
getting ready for football
versus basketball is that
there are more kids for
football. Football has a
longer pre-season. Basketball is so much different,
it doesn’t require as much
maintenance, supply and
of course it’s inside,” Hunt
said.
“Obviously football
has more numbers and all
the kids workout throughout the summer. For the
kids who do not work out
through the summer and
just come and go, their fitness level is different and
those are the kids who usually get injured,” Kinnaird
said.
Hunt said that
picking between football
and basketball season is
like choosing between your
children, they both have
their ups and downs. Kinnard said that he prefers
basketball when it rains and
that more injury happens
in football. In basketball,
players mostly hurt their
ankles, knees or wrists. But
in football any bone can be
broken and anything from
a concussion to a cardiac
arrest can happen.
Being around the
kids all the times makes for
special bonds to form and
many amazing memories
between everyone.
“The most rewarding thing about my job is
when people are glad and
happy to see you. Knowing
that you can make someone’s recovery better is the
best feeling,” Hunt said.
Kinnaird said that
helping guys who want to
help themselves get better
is the most rewarding
thing about his job.
Hunt and Kinnaird don’t do it all alone
though. Seeing them on
the sidelines has inspired
students to be actively involved in student athletic
training. Sophomore Hannah Arnold said that she
wanted to help out and
be apart of sports and she
wants to go into sports
medicine. Her favorite part is being in the
environment and being
around all of the great
people.
“Just being able to
help as much as possible
is my favorite experience,”
Arnold said.
BW student Frank
Demarino also helps on
the sideline for the 2013
BMHS football season.
“I knew one of the
trainers and I thought it
would be cool to learn a
few new things,” Demarino said. Demarino says
that forming new friendships with all the guys is
the best part about it.
When people
attend Titan sporting
events they always see
Hunt and Kinnaird on the
sidelines helping as much
as possible. Their job to
make sure everyone is
properly equipped and
full of hard work. Next
time you’re at a Titans
sporting event be on the
look out and always feel
free to give them a smile
and a friendly thank you.
s homecoming season
approaches many girls
feel the need to attain
a faux sun kissed glow. Tanning can be very controversial
because of the controversial skindamaging effects.
Using tanning beds can
be harmful to the skin because of
the harsh ultra-violet [UV] rays
that many teen girls are unaware
of or do not take seriously. In doing so, they put their lives at risk.
Skin cancer can take
many years to develop. The International Agency for Research
on Cancer [IARC] recommends
banning commercial indoor tanning for those younger than 18
years old to protect them from
the increased risk for melanoma
and other skin cancers.
“Girls want to look
good for a dance because it’s a
once a year thing,” Junior Cassidy Squires said in reference to
tanning.
Head Librarian Mrs.
Scriven has never been a fan of
tanning beds, she thinks that they
are dangerous to the skin and
can ruin both the collagen and
elasticity.
In the state of Ohio a
person under the age of 18 must
have a parent’s signed consent to
go in UV tanning beds.
“They do not agree with
tanning,” Senior Maria Carney said when asked about her
parents opinion of UV tanning
beds. Carney has never been in a
tanning bed and does not plan to.
Squires says that her
mom signed her up for tanning
because she has lighter skin;
when they go on vacation she
burns easily if she does not have
a base tan that she can achieve
by using UV beds.
However, WebMD.com
author Katherine Kam cautions
against this thinking.
“[People must] remem-
ber to keep using sunscreen with
an SPF of at least 30. Dermatologists say that many people mistakenly believe that their newly
bronzed skin will protect them
from sunburn and sun damage,”
Kam said.
According to the FDA
on WedMD.com, “Sunlamps and
tanning beds promise consumers
a bronzed body year-round, but
the ultraviolet (UV) radiation
from these devices poses serious
health risks.”
Kam agrees with the
FDA as stated in her WebMD.
com article “Sunless Tanning:
Baking Is Out, Faking Is In.”
She said, “There’s a better way
to get that golden glow. Fake it.
Bronzers and sunless tanners are
safer and faster and can achieve
results that are just as beautiful
as the real deal.”
Scriven thinks that
depending on the purpose spray
tans can be good, especially for
girls that are going to dances.
Many girls worry about
spray tans making them orange.
“I feel like spray tans
can be quick and turn out bad
and streaky,” Squires said.
According to Kam there
are two general types of sunless
tanning products to choose from
such as “cosmetic bronzers that
wash off like regular makeup and
sunless tanners that actually stain
the skin and fade as skin cells
slough off.”
Even research and
warnings do not keep some
people from using tanning beds.
Scriven has a great idea to make
tanning less desirable when getting a bronzed look.
“Tanning is a luxury,
which makes it taxable,” Scriven
said.
If possible skin damage,
and even cancer, will not make
people stop tanning than maybe
shelling out more money will.
2103 Midpark Graduate, Maria Lee, sports her spray tan before her senior prom.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Lee
Titan Times
3
November 2013
Why Athletes Need Superstitions
Athletes talk about their strange and interesting habits
By Adam Poschner
Assisted by Chad Ellis
of superstitions that these athletes can have, and some seem
uperstitions are very
common with both high more strange than others.
“I have a couple suschool and professional
athletes. They provide a sense perstitions, but my biggest one
is what I eat the day before
of routine and comfort that
can ultimately help them per- and the day of a cross country
form in their respected sport. meet,” Senior Miranda DiBi
There are many types asio said. “The day before I
have to
eat some
form of
pasta for
dinner
and I
drink two
bottles of
water before bed.
The day of
the meet
I always
have to eat
a bowl of
Wheaties with
bananas,”
DiBiasio
said.
Some
people
Miranda DiBiasio about to take a big bite of her pre-event
might
breakfast
find it strange
Photo courtesy of Miranda DiBiasio
for athletes to
S
do the same thing over and
over for their sports, especially when it would seem
that it would not perfect their
performance.
Mr. Kosar, BMHS
psychology teacher, said,
“With such pressure on
athletes to peform well they
will look for anything to give
them an edge over their competition. And if they find a
routine, a good luck charm or
a pre-game ritual they will feel
forced to repeat it in hopes
of performing well. Forcing a relationship between a
superstition and performance
is basically a confirmation bias
of the athlete. In other words,
he/she is trying to make
something out of nothing.”
These superstitions
are just mentally helpful to an
athlete, and many times it puts
them in a comfort zone that
they believe allows them to
perform better.
“Whenever I wear
my lucky earrings with my
uniform I always seem in
sync. They give me a sense of
consistency when I bowl,” said
Junior A.J. McCullough.
Many of these superstitions come from past
experiences. Senior Marcus
Ruiz has always had the same
intricate meal ever since 9th
grade.
“The meal started
freshman year when my mom
packed it for me. That game
we destroyed Parma and I just
started having the same meal
before every game since then,”
Ruiz said.
Kosar explains that
superstitions with athletes
are simply what is called an
illusory correlation. Where
the two variables, an athlete’s
superstition and their performance in a game, are not actually related but still offer them
with a sense of security.
Some of the best athletes in the world have superstitions that are very surprising to most people.
According to the
article “10 Most Superstitious
Athletes” by Ryan Murphy,
tennis star Serena Williams
always brings her shower
sandals to the court, tying her
shoelaces a specific way and
bouncing the ball five times
Why Cheerleading Is A Sport
before her first serve and
twice before her second. She
will even wear the same socks
during a tournament run.
Murphy also states
that NBA star Jason Terry
wears the shorts of the opponent the day before a game
and he always eats chicken
before a game.
One of the more
interesting superstitions, according to Murphy, belongs
to a UFC fighter named Lyoto
Machida. Every day Machida
drinks his own urine, saying that he believes it has
medicine in it that cleanses his
body.
Many high school
athletes and professional
athletes have similar superstitions, while some are just out
of this world. One common
factor that they all have is that
their superstition helps them
feel comfortable and relaxed.
Without these quirks and routines many athletes will feel
out of place.
“Like the sports fans
commercials say ‘It’s only
weird if it doesn’t work.’ If the
athlete feels good knowing he/
she has their lucky socks on,
then go for it!” said Kosar.
What It Takes To Be A Competitive Cheerleader
By Jacqueline Tecco
Assisted by Carrie Mueller
R
ecent controversies
over whether cheerleading is a legitimate
sport has many wondering
exactly what it takes to be a
competitive cheerleader.
These cheerleaders
have proven themselves to
be real athletes over and over
again through their physical
ability, tough criticism from
their coaches or judges and
the fact that they compete
against other teams to win.
Cheerleaders are
required to practice their routines multiple times just to get
them perfect and participate
in conditioning drills just like
any other type of sports team.
Senior Brianna Kalnasy hitting her single
leg stunt at a compeition
Photo courtesy of the Kalnasy family
“The hardest part of
cheering on a competition
team is remembering all of the
little things and making sure
your moves match up exactly
with the rest of the (cheer)
squad,” BMHS cheerleader
Emily Vulpio said.
Competitions can get
really stressful for participants
due to the range of tough
scoring and expectations
placed upon them. Teams
compete at smaller competitions to try to get a bid at the
Worlds Championship held in
Orlando, FL. each year.
“(To be an elite competitive cheerleader) It takes a
well rounded cheerleader with
great tumbling, stunting, and
jump skills,” all-star competitive cheer coach Dee Haase
said.
Despite misjudgments by uninformed others,
the girls that take part in the
events all would agree with
each other that what they
do should most definitely be
considered a sport.
Vulpio said that she
considers competitive cheering a sport because of the
many skills and endurance
needed to be successful in the
activity.
Both the coaches
and cheerleaders put in a
large amount of effort in their
teams to achieve every goal
they strive for. Whether its
winning a single competition,
going to the World’s Cheer
Championship, or even simply
improving as a team altogether, the ones involved put in
the hours and cash to be able
to achieve what goal they are
aiming for.
“For my team, my
goal for them is to win because they deserve it with all
the work they have put into
their routine while balancing school, work and a life at
home,” BMHS competition
coach Dani Lee said.
Not only do cheerleaders have to consistently
work hard, but teams have to
abide by specific rules while
competing. Such rules can
lead to total elimination from
a competition or cause drastic
decrease in final score values,
which can be a devastating
crush to a team’s spirit.
Ultimate Athletics
coach Haase said that allstar cheering is governed by
USASF rules and includes
strict limitations on tumbling,
stunting and safety concerns.
Competitive cheerleading can be a difficult and
very dangerous activity to participate in. It has been found
that 60 to 70 percent of girls
injuries in high school sports
are accountable through
cheerleading. Although the
risk may be considered a steep
one, girls still find enjoyment
in being apart of such energetic and supportive teams.
“What I love most
about cheerleading is being
together with a great group of
girls and being able to represent the school in a positive way,” Senior cheerleader
Brianna Kalnasy said.
The Ultimate Athletic cheerleading squad poses for their first picture together for the
2013-14 season
Photo courtesy of Dee Haase
Titan Times
4
November 2013
How to Save a Life: Preventing Teen Suicide
By Stephanie Schwarten
Assisted by Lucy Keating
T
eenagers are faced with
a lot more stress than
they used to be due to
schoolwork, jobs and the question
of what they’re going to do with
their futures looming over their
head. They are also now expected
to be in-touch with everything
happening around them at all
times and face more chances of
bullying because of social media.
With this rising stress, it’s not
surprising that the teen suicide
rate has also risen and something
clearly has to be done.
“So many lives are cut
short because of suicide and
it is so immensely important
that we do all that we can to
decrease the lives lost,” Emma
Nagy, president of the Suicide
Prevention Education Alliance
(SPEA)’s Youth Advisory Board
said.
Although many people
don’t talk about suicide, it has
become a huge problem among
teens. In fact, suicide is the second
leading cause of death among
ages 15 to 24 and according to
the Ohio Department of Mental
Health, over 20 percent of high
school students have seriously
considered suicide.
“Often
times,
individuals are embarrassed by
having depression and feel there
is a stigma of having a mental
disorder or seeking counseling,”
Nancy Ghali, counselor at
Strongsville
Psychological
Services said. “They may feel
ashamed or weak because they
cannot manage their symptoms
on their own.”
In order to decrease the
amount of deaths due to suicide
among teens, misconceptions
and the stigma surrounding
suicide and depression need to be
cleared up. So long as these exist,
most people will not be able to
recognize or take early signs of
suicide seriously and only realize
what is wrong when it’s too late.
“Creating
a
knowledgeable society is the key
to preventing suicide,” Nagy said.
Jenny Burke, Trustee
for SPEA, noted that some
misconceptions regarding the
subject are that those with
depression or thoughts of suicide
are just looking for attention or
simply need to give it some time
to get better.
“Wrong,
wrong,
wrong!” Burke said. “Never
ignore it when a person says he or
she is having thoughts of suicide
… clinical depression requires
treatment and often if depression
is untreated it will get worse.”
Before people can be
treated for depression, they
and those around them need to
be aware of the symptoms and
what to do about them. Some
symptoms of depression include a
persistent anxious or empty mood,
change in appetite and feelings of
hopelessness or desperation.
“Suicidal thoughts often
occur when an individual feels
that their life is unbearable and
that there is no hope that it will
ever get better,” Gahli said.
Once people are able
to recognize these symptoms in
others or themselves, they then
need to assess the danger of the
situation. They can do this by
asking questions such as ‘Do
you have a plan to die or take
your life?’ or ‘Do you ever feel
so badly that you think about
suicide?’
“If there is immediate
danger of suicide, stay calm, do
not leave the person alone and
call for help – dial 911,” Burke
said. “If there is not immediate
danger, but you have concerns
that someone is depressed, seek
out the help of a trusted adult.”
Once this is done, what
an average person can directly
do to help then is offer hope and
encouragement. Those going
through depression and thoughts
of suicide will not always feel
this way and can get better with
treatment.
SPEA has traveled to
over 132 Northeast Ohio Schools
and taught over 114,000 students
about these signs and the steps to
Always be on the lookout for friends who need a little support.
Photo courtesy of google.com
take when they are recognized.
However, many people are
still unaware and misinformed,
allowing suicide to still be a
major problem not just in Ohio,
but throughout the nation.
“A good majority of my
peers aren’t aware at all,” Senior
Kayleigh Berendt said. “I feel like
they belittle it, when it’s actually
a huge problem.”
In the end, it is up to
everyone themselves to take
suicide and depression seriously
and to learn how to recognize it
and take steps to prevent it.
“Would you ignore
asthma or diabetes? Of course
not!” Burke said. “Nor should
depression be ignored.”
Learning About a New Culture:
AFS Students Take The Challenge
By Ilaria Raguso
Assisted by Maria Carney
A
ugust 6, 2013 was a long,
hot day for the almost
600 Italian teenagers
who were waiting in line at the
Rome airport. They were nervous, yet excited, about beginning the next year of their lives
in a new country with a new
family and new surroundings.
These teenagers are all
members of the American Field
Service (AFS) program and chose
to spend a year away from their
own homes to experience the
world from another country.
“I came here in the U.S.
because I wanted to learn more
about the American culture, and
I am still learning. I love being
here, everything is so beautiful
and new to me,” Senior Alberto
Dutto said. Dutto is from Italy
and is currently living in Akron,
Ohio.
“I have a lot of new
friends. We go to football games
together and I am having a lot
of parties. People love Italians,”
Dutto said.
Learning about a new
culture as a foreign exchange
student requires total immersion
in a new country with a new language. Being a member of a host
family allows AFS students to
learn their culture and learn even
more about themselves. They not
only learn a new language, but
they make lifelong relationships
too.
Dutto said that his experience is going really well. He
is happy about his decision and
he loves the U.S. He also doesn’t
want to go back to his home
country of Italy because he loves
the U.S. and his host family.
“I think that the American culture is different from the
Italian one. For example everything here is bigger and the mentality of the people is completely
different. Here in Ohio people are
funnier and friendlier than Italian people,” Dutto said.
Behind this “journey”
there are many people working
hard to ensure all AFS students
and host families have a good
experience.
“I like being an AFS
Liaison when things are going
well between the student and
the family and the student is
adjusting well. When things are
not going well it is emotionally
stressful and upsetting for me as I
want everything to go well for the
family and the student,” Liaison
Jonette LaPalomento said. La
Palomento is retired, she worked
as a business to business sales
manager and sale representative
selling office products.
Volunteers are also
involved in some mandatory
activities with the students.
LaPalomento said that
she has many responsibilities related to AFS that are mandatory.
As an example she must legally
submit reports monthly on how
the student and the family are going and those are sent also to the
department of state and eventually to the corresponding agency
in the student’s home country.
“As fun activities we do
tours in some museums, trips
and stuff like that. I grew up in
New York City, but I have lived
in Cleveland for the last 34 years.
I love Cleveland and feel it is
a treasure trove of culture that
most Clevelanders rarely take
the time to enjoy and that is why
I like to share it,” LaPalomento
said.
Studying and living
abroad is a great, life-changing
achievement in each AFS students life.
“I believe the total experience enhances that student’s
strength of character, makes the
student even stronger emotionally and gives the student an
incredible sense of accomplish-
Giovanni with his host family in front of Mount Rushmore. Photo Courtesy of www.
intercultura.it
ment, self-worth and empowerment,” LaPalomento said.
Host families are also
involved in this great experience.
“Hosting a student is a
wonderful experience. It makes
you learn how the other countries are and you learn to be a
citizen of the world,” host mother
Lisa Cistolo said.
Cistolo would even allow her own children to become
AFS students
“I absolutely would
permit my kids to try. Being an
exchange student is challenging
and teaches you to be patient and
to improve your self-control in
difficult situations. People have to
be brave to undertake these kind
of experiences. You need also to
be a self-controlled person and
be ready to accept anything that
is offered to you,” Cistolo said.
Also the student’s parents are important, because they
allow their child to leave home
and live with another family in
another country.
“This is a great opportunity to learn more about ourselves and the world. My reason
to send my daughter overseas
was to help her to reach her
dreams,” Italian Mom Arcangela
Tarricone said.
Titan Times
5
November 2013
Balancing the Scales of School and Work
By Lucy Keating
Assisted by Stephanie Schwarten
W
ake up: 6 a.m.,
then school: 7
a.m.-2:30 p.m.,
followed by work: 3:30-8
p.m., and closing the day
with homework. Fill in the
blanks with eating and trying to have somewhat of a
social life.
This typical day in
the life of a working high
school student is obviously
overcrowded and easily
overwhelming. Once a job
is added to the mix, falling behind becomes almost
inescapable. But for those
who are able to set priorities and manage their time,
being a working student is
just another step towards
independence.
[who
“Students
have jobs] learn about commitment and responsibility,” Guidance Counselor
Sarah Kolis said. She also
explained that having a job
teaches students balancing
of finances and time management.
Whether you learn
or not,
experience
from
having a job is not an easy
task, especially when you
have more than just that on
your plate.
“I find myself having to budget my time more
wisely, picking and choosing what I need to do, rather
than just what I want to do,”
Junior Hallee Maver said.
She also finds herself being
frugal with her money, and
thinks learning how to deal
with finances early is a positive to having a job while in
high school.
“I’ve gained social
skills and money-saving
tips, I’ve learned the difference between wants and
needs,” Maver said.
Balancing a job and
school sure seems to be a
challenge; some opt out of
having a job to focus their
main attention on school,
but is this a better choice?
“With all the AP
classes I’m taking; alongside extracurricular activities, and needing time to
relax on my own, I do not
believe I would be able to
balance a job and school
right now,” Senior Stephanie Schwarten said.
Schwarten stays balanced by doing assignments
ahead of time as much as
possible, leaving her to
do things she enjoys without having to worry about
homework.
She hasn’t seen any
of her friends fall behind
because of a job, but she
says “I don’t think so, I’ve
just notice them become
overwhelmed with all the
work and not being able to
have downtime.”
If a job is too much
for a student to handle; the
first person to usually notice
is the teacher.
Science
Teacher
Kelly Baumgartner said that
signs a student is usually
struggling include falling
asleep in class, missing assignments and just looking
overall worn out
“I’ll usually ask if
everything is okay and make
sure they know I’m available for extra help,” Science
Teacher Mrs. Baumgartner
said.
Balancing it all takes a lot out of someone.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
“I think it’s a good
lesson in time management,
but I don’t think everyone is learning that lesson,
some kids use it as an excuse to not turn things in,”
Baumgartner said.
If quitting your job
is not an option and you are
struggling balancing both
work and school, talk to
your manager about rearranging your hours and cutting back, allotting that time
for schoolwork to be done.
“When scheduling
work, school has to have
top priority and your boss
should know that,” mother
of a working student, Cindy
Keating said. “With having
to learn how to balance time
accordingly, [my daughter]
has definitely learned new
values through having a
job.”
Balancing
both
school and work definitely
test the ability to stay focused, but with the right
mindset, a student can manage their time wisely.
Excuses; A Student’s Best Friend
By Nick Fee
Assisted by Justin Appleby
Nick’s Dog Lucy eating homework.
Courtesy of Nick Fee
E
xcuses are part of
life and an even
bigger part of some
students’ school career.
Many students can say
they use excuses to explain
everything from incomplete
work, missing assignments
and even missed days of
school.
Statistics show that
around 70 percent of high
school students will admit
to using an excuse to get
out of assigned work or
even skipping a class due to
not completing homework.
“The excuses do not
change. The kids change
but the excuses are the
same,” substitute teacher
of 22 years Carl Hamilton
said.
In Mr. Hamilton’s
experience as a teacher he
has not heard too many
farfetched excuses such
as pets eating the assignment or fibs about ill family
members. He has, however,
encountered excuses relating to procrastination and
general laziness although
some students try to use
excuses relating to relationship problems and insomnia.
“I mean if you make
it believable . . .honestly it
sucks just blatantly saying
you didn’t do it,” Senior
Casey Staursky said.
Some students that
do use excuses think it is
better to tell little white lies
to get an extra day and not
upset the teacher. Staursky
said that most of the time
when he says he left his
work at someone else’s
house the teacher is more
likely to believe it than
when he says he did not
understand it.
While some students would say that making up an excuse is the best
way to handle a situation
where work is not completed on time, some students
prefer to be honest about
incomplete work.
“I use an excuse to
show that I had a reason I
didn’t do it, but if I just flat
out didn’t do it I say so,”
Senior Matt Earley said.
Earley tries not to
use excuses but if he has to
use them, he will only if he
has a real reason to not do
the assignment.
”I think most
students are honest and
straight forward about not
doing the homework,” Senior Garrett Witzke said.
Witzke will only
use an excuse one to two
times per quarter but he
still believes the truth is
the best way to explain a
failure to complete an assignment.
While most students
would say that making up
an excuse is the best way
to handle a situation where
work is not completed on
time, some do believe that
honesty is the best policy.
“When my homework is not done on time
I do not try to make up a
silly excuse why I don’t
have it completed. Instead
I tell the truth about why
it is not done. Telling the
teacher that I didn’t do it or
just forgot to may disappoint them, but in the long
run the teacher will have
more respect for me knowing I told the truth instead
of lie to them and might
give me another day to
do the work,” Senior Sam
Junke said
Junke also thinks
that waiting to do a project
that was assigned three
weeks ago in 3 days is a
bad idea.
Titan Times
6
November 2013
The Struggle
By Ameeah Berkowitz
Assisted by Jacon LaRocco
T
schedule.
“Yes, working is
hard enough; putting homework on top of it is just a
lot! Homework shouldn’t
exist,” Senior Samantha
Templeton said. Templeton
is a very committed employee to Panera Bread, and
often becomes overwhelmed
trying to balance her school
schedule with her work
schedule.
ake it back! Back to
when teens didn’t have
to balance between
earning an “acceptable” GPA
and a “decent” paycheck.
Back to when teens didn’t
have to stay up at all hours
of the night to finish an
assignment after working
a long shift at work. Now
teens have school, work,
sports and all of the responsibilities of
a young adult
without the title
of an adult.
Teens
have too much
on their plate
to worry about
balancing a
work AND school
schedule. It’s
to the point now
that teens don’t Samantha Templeton spending her spare time with
look at school the her father.
way they used to Photo Courtesy of Samanrha Templteon.
because there are
“The biggest chalso many additional tasks
lenge facing school and
added to their after school
a job is homework and it
wears you out. Maybe set
aside time for yourself,” Senior Justin Appleby said.
Working teens don’t
think of homework, or their
after school activities, as a
responsibility anymore. It’s
all about work, and how
many hours they can put in
that week or month.
When asked what
is the biggest challenge
faced while trying to balance
school and a job Senior Alafia Hairston said, “Deciding how to put in my work
hours.” Hairston works at
McDonalds and tries to balance it all by only working
weekends, but even then
his free time is limited.
The biggest problem
with teens being so focused
on working is that they
don’t have time to enjoy life
outside of school and work
because they’re too focused
on working. Teens should
be active in high school,
not worried about being an
adult because they have the
rest of their life after high
Justin Appleby performing with the BMHS marching band in his spare time.
Photo courtesy of Justin Appleby.
school to worry about working and being an adult.
“No! It’s: school,
work, sleep. If I do have
time [outside of school and
work] I spend it with family,”
Templeton said.
The biggest concern
for teens feeling the need
to work so much is that
their parents don’t find any
problem with it. In fact they
push them to work.
“They want me working 24/7,” Appleby said.
Templeton said her
parents support her, so it
does not affect how much
she’s allowed to work.
“No, They’re okay
with [how much I work],”
Junior Brian Gall said.
Although focusing
so much on a job can be a
threat to your high school
experience, it’s important
to keep both sides balanced.
“Yes, I definitely
have considered quitting
my job; but you just have
to find a happy medium
because both school and
money are important,”
Appleby said.
BEAT
What’s going on at BMHS?
Guidance Office
Athletic Office
• Distance learning
• Girls basketball team
through Naviance
are preparing to face
has been going great
Twinsburg (defendiing
throughout the school
state champs) Nov. 30
year!
@ Twinsburg!
• If you are college bound • Boys Basketball will
and you wish to take the
play their first game
ACT sign up for ACT
of the season at home
PREP classes which take
against John Marshall
place after school!
Nov. 29!
• Be on the lookout for
the Titans “Giving
Tree” this December
in the liibrary and
cafeteria! Money and
sifts will be donated to
Players of the week
Berea Rec Center!
Taylor Sasak, Soccer
Dan States, Football
Principal Office
Academic Dept.
Music Dept.
• The Turkey Trot will
• Get ready to bring your • “Center Stage” will pertake place Nov. 26 (it
form at the IX Center
charismatic enigma to
will be a PM TAP day)
Nov. 22 and will also
the stage this upom@ 1p.m.!
perform at Brecksville
ing February for the
• Be on the look out for
Broadview Hts. H.S.
Shakespeare ComUgly Sweater Day beShow Choir Invitational
petition hosted by
fore winter break!
on Nov. 26!
Ms.Papakonstantinou!
• We are proud of our
•
On Nov. 24 the band
• This in-school contest
students and staff for
will play at Browns
will be taking place
making this a tremenStadium!
Feb. 5, 2014!
dous and historical first • Make sure to memorize
year as Berea-Midpark
your favorite monoTitans!
louge well and show
the Titans what you can
bring to the table!
Cleveland Browns Stadium