Volume 5—Issue 2
October 2009
PHOTOSPREAD
PAGE
2
ABOVE: Field hockey takes on Nerinx. The girls worked really hard on making the game fun to watch.
ABOVE: The Dance Team performs for Show Me St. Louis… Michael Jackson style.
ABOVE RIGHT: Environmental Club watches Wall– E in the Board Room. Wall– E’s main message is to be aware of the environment and RECYCLE!
LEFT: Maddie Stadler of JV volleyball gets ready for a serve.
LEFT: Audrey Dombrowski presents the Golf trophy to Coach Brooks. The girls did really well this year, bringing home bronze at state.
VOLUME
5
ISSUE
2
ABOVE: The Cheerleaders performed for Show Me St. Louis. They brought school spirit to the Pep Rally. BEAR
FACTS
WORLD NEWS
PAGE
3
Ketsana Causes Disaster in the Philippines caused the country dozens of landslides, its worst flooding in four decades and a death toll of more than 600. A majority of Manila and its surrounding regions were submerged in water. The floods were so great that the level of water reached up to nine feet in some areas. With water this high, many citizens were left with no choice but to stay on the Two homes in Manila damaged by the storm and subtop floor of their houses. merged in muddy water. Photograph By: Dustein Sibug In an AOL News article, n September 27, 2009, a severe one resident by the name of Jeff Aquino tropical storm by the name of claimed that floodwaters rose to his Ketsana, known as Typhoon On- home’s third floor. His family spent their doy among the Filipinos, brought massive night on their rooftop without food or rainfall to Northern Luzon in the Philip- water, and they were not the only ones. pines, killing 240 people, according to Many were forced to sit on their roofAOL News. Its main target was the coun- tops because it was the only place where try’s capital, Manila. A whopping 16.7 they could find safety. With cities subinches of rain hit the country. This merged in water, children, people who amount exceeded the rainfall brought by couldn’t swim and people who couldn’t Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf shore in reach safety fast enough easily went miss2005 and the country’s average rainfall ing under the muddy waters. The mornfor one month. This enormous amount ing after the storm hit, numerous bodies
O
drenched in mud were discovered in the Marikina River, in Metro Manila. Villages were washed away and covered in mud and debris. According to The New York Times, the storm didn’t “His family spent their only bring night on their rooftop flooding, but it a l s o without food or water. brought danThey were not the only gerous landones.” slides, killing more than 160 people north of Manila. The landslides washed away thousands of homes. For all of you that dressed down on Friday, October 9, you contributed to providing relief for those affected by the storm. 482 dollars were collected from the dress down day, and when those dollars are converted to Philippine pesos, 22,546 pesos will help them. It’s important to let the citizens of the Philippines know that people on the other side of the globe care about them, and by paying a dollar to dress down, that’s exactly what Ursuline girls did. Kimie Leach Bear Facts Staff Reporter
Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iran In early 2005, Iran was charged withholding information and secretly testing nuclear weapons. This report came after the Iranian facility Qum was found to be holding large amounts of uranium, a key component in the atomic bomb. The Iranian government has stated that the facility is working to create nuclear power by which their people can have better utilities, according to Time Magazine. The amount of uranium they are working with is too large to be used for nuclear power. On October 1, 2009, President Barack Obama ordered the Iranian government to open the facility to International Atomic Energy Agency officials who would inspect it for weapons of mass destruction. After heated arguments beVOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
tween the United States, the United Nations and the Iranian government, Iran agreed on October 25, 2009, as reported by Time. Throughout the years, however, Iran’s relations with other countries have been strained. The government has two basic principles: eliminate outside influences in the region and pursue diplomatic contracts with developing and nonaligned countries according to Time. “I don’t believe that Iran has long range missiles, but they may try to attack Israel and our other allies: Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Pakistan,” stated Ms. Nondorf. “The power of Iran’s government is in the hands of Islamic extremists. (This story continued on Page 4)
Nuclear Facilities in Iran Graphic by: Caitlin Zera Source: The Daily Telegraph
BEAR
FACTS
N E W S
PAGE
Nuclear Weapons Crisis Heats up in Iran (Continued from page 3) This means that the government is extreme and is based on Islam, and because of our stand on Pakistan and our invasion of Islamic countries, the Iranians don’t care for the American government.” Perhaps the scariest ally of the Iranian government is Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Iran is suspected of having training camps for terrorists within their borders. “There is no real evidence that they directly support the Taliban and Al Qaeda that I know of, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they were trading weapons or providing money to terrorist organizations,” added Ms. Nondorf. Another aspect that motivates their government is the fact that they are extremely Islamic and live on the belief that all nations should follow Islam, which could compel them to attack others to convert them to Islam. Most Iranian citizens are not against Americans, but the conflict is with their government. If Iran does have weapons of mass destruction they are close enough to both Iraq and Afghanistan that they can use them to bring great harm to the American troops stationed in both countries. There is also a threat to Israel because Iran believes that Israel invaded Muslim Palestine and that Israel is an aggressor in the region. Iran does not recognize Israel as a sovereign state and instead recognizes the Muslim Palestine. Eastern European countries are also at risk due to how close they are to Iran. “Iran has been deemed an unstable country so when and if they ever get these weapons, Lord knows what they will do with them,” concluded Ms. Nondorf.
Nicole Farmer Bear Facts Staff Reporter VOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
4
Joycee Dugard: A Long Awaited Return Home
J
oycee Dugard was abducted in 1991 from a bus stop near her home in South Tahoe, California, at age eleven. She was held captive for eighteen years by Phillip Gorrido and his wife. They kept her in a compound in the back of their home in Antioch, California. Dugard, now twenty nine years old, has to try and get her life back to normal. Joycee has two daughters, Angel fifteen and Starlit eleven, with her alleged kidnapper Phillip Gorrido. Joycee and her two children are now living with her mom, Terry Probyn, in isolation or privacy. Despite what she has been through, Dugard is now leading a normal life. According to People Magazine, she rides horses, cooks meals and is thinking
about writing a book on her tragic story. Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped from her home in 2002 and held captive for almost a year, gives hope-filled words to Joycee. “I would just encourage her to find different passions in life and continually push forward and learn more and reach more for them.” Elizabeth, now twenty one years old, said, “And do not look behind, because there’s a lot out there.” These stories, as well as the Shawn Hornbeck abduction for four years, give hope to all the families out there missing loved ones.
Emily Price Bear Facts Staff Writer
Breast Cancer Awareness Women Supporting Women
Breast cancer awareness has taken this country by storm. Supermarkets are decked out in various shades of light pink, NFL players are sporting pink accents on their uniforms (pink shoes, pink arm bands), and even Ursuline held a pink-only dress out day to raise awareness. This month marks the twenty-fifth anniversary for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a project founded by the NBCAM organization in 1984 to raise awareness, share information and provide greater access to screening services. Even though mammograms and screenings aren’t required until age thirty, it is still extremely important to know the facts and start making healthy choices. According to NBCAM, breast cancer is defined as a malignant tumor that grows in one or both of the breasts. Earlier this year the American Cancer Society stated that an estimated 192,370 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States this year. And an estimated 40,170
women are expected to die from the disease in 2009 alone. However, breast cancer can be prevented. The National Breast Cancer Foundation states that exercise, a healthy diet and reduced smoking and drinking prevent breast cancer along with many other diseases. Thousands of lives have been affected by breast cancer, even here at Ursuline. When asked what their thoughts were about the breast cancer movement, Colleen Wilson, `11, said, “[Breast Cancer Awareness] is very important to me because my grandmother is a survivor, and it’s so important to me to support her.” Ally Sykora, `11, said, “I’m always so happy to see people involved in the movement because my mom is a survivor, so I know first hand how it can affect a family.” The movement isn’t just about breast cancer though; it’s about promoting women’s health everywhere. Mrs. Owen, English Department, summed it up pretty well: “Breast cancer awareness is a life-long approach to good health. As women, we need to support other women and celebrate the growing success stories. Even at Ursuline, girls have been touched by the crises.” The battle isn’t won, but if we continue to work together, we will continue to get closer to finding a cure. Molly Sweeney Bear Facts Co-Editor-In-Chief BEAR
FACTS
N E W S
PAGE
Top 5 Thanksgiving Myths Many readers may be wondering why there's an article about Thanksgiving in the newspaper when it doesn't come around until the end of November. But most calendars reveal that Canada actually has it right; the first Thanksgiving occurred in mid-September or October. Not only do many Americans have this wrong, but there are many other Thanksgiving myths we think are true. 1) The main course was turkey. Myth! The main course was actually deer. They didn't have potatoes, pumpkin pie or forks either. 2) The Pilgrims always wore black with buckled shoes. Myth! According to UA history teacher Mrs. Bagley, the Pilgrims wore lilac, muted blue, beige and whatever colors were available to them. Pilgrims really only dressed in all black if they were extremely wealthy, and even then it was only if they were attending a special occasion. "Their shoes were made out of leather," Mrs. Bagley noted, "but I am sure when times were really tough in the beginning, some of them
probably wore no shoes at all." 3) The Pilgrims and the Native Americans sat down at a huge table, prayed together and passed around the food. Myth! According to George Mason University's History News Network, the Pilgrims and the Native Americans did eat together, but the meal was just set up randomly on any flat surface, and people dug in to whatever dish was closest to them. 4) The Puritans and the Pilgrims are the same thing. Myth! Somehow, over time, many Americans have thought the terms to be interchangeable. However, considering the two groups came to America at different times for different reasons, had different beliefs, and hated each other, it's safe to say the Puritans and the Pilgrims are polar opposites. 5) Thanksgiving was entirely a religious event, focused on the Pilgrim beliefs who wished to separate entirely from the Church of England. Myth! The first Thanksgiving was just a big harvest festival. It did not have anything to do with
Nobel Prizes
which improves the pictures taken by digital cameras. Without the CCD, astronomers and scientists also would not have any photos from the Hubble Telescope, according to nobelprize.com. The prize in Chemistry was also split between Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath. Using a method called X-ray crystallography, they correctly placed each of the hundreds of thousands of atoms in the ribosome. Nobelprize.com also noted that the Medicine award was awarded to Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak, making it the first time more than one woman has been awarded the Nobel Prize at the same time. They have discovered how chromosomes, a part of DNA, are protected by telomeres. Herta Müller won this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. She writes poetry and prose that depicts those deprived of property or rights.
Recently, the Nobel Prize winners were chosen. Nobel Prizes are awarded for excellence in Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Peace, Medicine and Literature. Once someone has won one such a prize, they are called a “Laureate” and considered masters of their respective fields. In addition to a diploma and a medal, each winner receives about one million dollars (from a fund set up by Alfred Nobel in his will), which they will not officially receive until the ceremony in December. This year, the Nobel Physics Prize was split three ways between Charles Kao, Willard Boyle and George Smith. Kao helped perfect fiber optic technology which allows people to electronically send and receive messages at the speed of light. Boyle and Smith created the charge-coupled device (CCD) VOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
5
religion, because if it did, the Pilgrims would not have even invited the Native Americans to join them. Plus, the Pilgrim faith was very old-fashioned, so "partying" at a sacred occasion would not have been acceptable anyway.
Women at Plimouth Plantation Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Bagley Hopefully, now, when people think about Thanksgiving, they will think beyond the four day weekend and how they’re going to eat until their pants no longer fit. Sometimes Americans just need to take a step back and remember why we really celebrate Thanksgiving: to commemorate when the Native Americans and the Pilgrims united to give thanks for a wonderful harvest. Kelli Riddle Bear Facts Staff Writer The Nobel Economics Prize was given to Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson. Ostrom researched the effect common people have on the global market and why self-imposed rules (by a group of common people) work better than government-imposed rules. She is the first woman to receive this award. Williamson studied why some businesses work better if they are performed in firms rather than between individuals. Their work will help stabilize the global economy. US President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people. Interested parties will note that nominations were due 12 days after President Obama was sworn into office. For more information, visit www.nobelprize.com. Ann Slesinksi Bear Facts Staff Writer BEAR
FACTS
E N T E R T A I N M E N T
PAGE
6
Celebrity Look-A likes at UA Courtney Dierkes, a sophomore, looks like Taylor Swift. Brenna Foley, a senior, looks a lot like Amy Adams.
H
ave you ever wondered why people are so intrigued with the cover of a magazine or the newest blog on your favorite celebs fan page? Society admits that at one time or another they madly falling in love with a celebrity. Was it his or her appearance? What is it that attracts us to them? Is it money, fame, looks or something else? Many people love to look at celebrities, read about them and learn new style items. The appearance of an easy, stress-free lifestyle with endless amounts of money is alluring, but is it that simple? Or does one just make this other life out to be some golden paradise which people attempt to escape into? Such shows as the “Red Carpet” show celebrities in all their glamour, but spend some time at the supermarket, and you’ll see celebrities on the cover of the National Enquirer and quickly see that celebrities are as human as we are. For the longest time marketing firms have used celebrities to push
Kate O’Halloran, a senior, Looks a lot like Winona Ryder. VOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
items; fashion designers chase after the hottest celebrities, hoping that their new star power will result in sales of clothing, perfumes and other fashion accessories. It’s true; Hollywood does set trends, and celebs tend to have a great sense of fashion. Celebs do know about the latest styles and the new highend items, but should we be purchasing such items? Or do celebs just wear these items to get on the cover of People Magazine? Some celebrities use their stardom for political purposes, attempting not only to influence people’s purchases and what people watch on television, but to impact society’s political views as well. Colleen Lutman, a sophomore at U.A., said, “People find celebrities to be a higher source in which to find fashion and, ignorantly, political advice.” Other celebrities use their stardom to help out charitable causes by being the spokesperson for the group. Kalee Hudleston, an Ursuline sophomore stated, “We think of them as en-
Images: www.popeater.com www.101celebrities.com Forums.explosm.net
tertainment, and some do have charities.” Kalee is right; a lot of celebs do wonderful work for charities. Celebrities support the Candie’s Foundation which helps support and prevent teens from getting pregnant. They set up advertisements and national ads to help create a positive environment for teens to learn about pregnancy. Regardless of what activities celebrities are involved in, the consumer will continue to read about them, learn about them and listen to them mainly because it helps us to escape our everyday life. It gives people an opportunity to think about something else rather than the stress of our life. A lot of people want to be known, famous and rich, but when it comes down to it, celebrities are no different from people you see on the street.
Brooke Messmer Bear Facts Staff Writer
Mr. Bommarito, English teacher, l looks like Harry Potter. BEAR
FACTS
E N T E R T A I N M E N T
What’s New in . . .
Art: Amy Coyle A Bit of a Catch-Up Okay Twilight fans, it is that time of year again. The sequel, New Moon, hits theaters across the country at midnight on November 20, and this is
PAGE
the guide to everything and anything that will be going on. First off, here is a rundown of where Twilight left off. After nearly being killed by the sadistic vampire, James, Bella and Edward were reunited, and the last scene involved watching them dance outside to the song “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” by Iron and Wine. Fast forward a little bit, and Edward is gone; Bella is a mess, and Jacob is in the process of becoming a werewolf. Bella has Victoria, James’s crazy vampire mate, after her; so the werewolves are trying to save her and kill Victoria. That isn’t even the exciting part of the movie, but that should be enough to give a little bit of a clue to what New Moon will be about. Hardcore fans will probably want to see this movie at the midnight release and are possibly freaking out about getting a ticket. Good news,
7
Twilighters; tickets can be reserved at most movie theaters. Amy Coyle Bear Facts Staff Writer
New Characters and Familiar Faces The Good Guys Edward Cullen and Bella Swan- Rob and Kristin are returning to play their characters as hero and heroine, of Art Amy Coyle course. The Cullens- Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett- everyone’s favorite vampire clan. Jacob Black- Taylor Lautner was seen a little bit in Twilight, but he’ll make his first influential appearance in New Moon. He has been working hard to get buff for his role as the vampire-slaying werewolf, and he’ll finally get his chance with Bella. I’m sure none of the girls will mind having to watch him run around shirtless the whole movie. VOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
The Bad Guys The Volturi- The “vampire royalty.” They keep the peace and make sure anyone who is endangering the discovery of vampires is destroyed. This could make them bad guys or good guys depending on different points of view. Jane- Played by Dakota Fanning, Jane is one of the particularly nasty members of the Volturi. In the book she has the power to make everyone except Bella experience extreme pain by merely looking at them. Victoria- James’s lover/ mate (the creepy redhead). She wants revenge on Edward for killing James so she aims for Bella.
Images: Google
BEAR
FACTS
SPORTS
PAGE
What You Didn’t Know About Racquetball Racquetball is a very interesting sport that most people don’t even know about. At Ursuline, however, many girls could tell you anything you wanted to know about it. That is because they play for Ursuline’s own Racquetball team! The team consists of every class, freshmen to seniors. There are 30 girls on the team. The season has already begun with practice, and the girls are anxious for the competitive matches to begin. There are many veterans on the team, but also many new first timers, promising a good future for Ursuline Racquetball. There is a Varsity team and 3 JV teams. Within each team, the girls are seeded #1-5, and Varsity and JV 1 each has a doubles team. Most of the matches are played at either Vetta Concord or the JCC. Usually there are one or two matches a week, facing different schools each time. The matches for racquetball are best two out of three, first to 15. Once all the matches are completed, the coaches tally up how many won from each team for each seed, and then that is how to determine which school won that series of matches. Racquetball is an interesting sport to watch, and everyone should make an effort at some point this season to come out and support your very own Bear Racquetballers!
Laura King Bear Facts Guest Writer VOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
8
St. Louis City is Sports Central The Cardinals, The Rams, The Blues Celebrate their Seasons
S
t. Louis has always been a sports town whether it’s the Cardinals, Rams or the Blues. The Cardinals’ season just tragically ended with the National League Central Championship losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They played only 3 games in the playoffs, the Cardinals losing all three, but, all together, the Cards had a successful season, winning 91 games and losing 71. There were many new faces on the team this year who helped them with their successes such as Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa and Shane Robinson. Many old faces helped make their season great, too, like Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, just to name a few. Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols hit .327 with 47 homers and 135 RBIs in 2009. For the 2009 season the team leader in batting average was Pujols, and right behind him was Skip Schumaker. Pitcher Adam Wainwright was in the number one spot for the most strikeouts for the Cardinals this season with a hefty 212. This season the Rams have a new coach, Steve Spagnuolo; he was the defensive coordinator for the New
York Giants when they won the Super Bowl two years ago. The Rams watchword this season has been “progress.” Fans and media alike have been using it ever since Steve Spagnuolo came through the door at Rams Park and even before stated by Andy Dapron at Stltoday.com. This year the team has lost many of its star players such as Tory Holt, Isaac Bruce and Jeff Wilkins. This year their defense has improved greatly but their offense hasn’t improved much, if any. The Rams lost their 16th straight, the longest skid in the NFL. They lost in two shutout games against the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. The Blues season is just getting into full swing. They are having a pretty good season so far, but they have only played six regular season games. They have won three of the seven games so far. Their season started October 2. On Saturday, October 17, 2009, they shut out the Ducks 5-0. Their season looks promising with stars T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Paul Kariya. Amber Grisham Bear Facts Staff Writer
Art by: Lauren Zera
BEAR
FACTS
SPORTS
PAGE
9
Summer Sports Wind Down: Seniors Reminisce Great job to all the sport teams and seniors! The fall sports are field hockey, volleyball, softball, tennis, golf, cross country. They practice every day and work hard. Golf: The golf team won the District title earlier this month. Andrea Frankiewicz was district champ, and Hannah Schmitz placed second. The team total was 327. On October 19 and 20 golf placed third at state. Andrea Frankiewicz p l a c e d 14th, and the team received The golf team after finishing 3rd at State. individual medals and a team trophy. Altogether the golf team was great, finishing higher than ever at state. Softball: Even though the softball season was cut short, the Bears had some outstanding games. In the 28 games that they played, the team went away with a win in districts to Cor Jesu 14-13 but fell to Nerinx 2-5. They placed 3rd in the MWAA I League. Softball practices are grueling. The girls start off with a warm-up jog and stretching and also do a sprinters’ warm-up. The softball team then heads to the cages for hitting for 40 minutes and does fielding both in and out for another 40 minutes. After sprinting hills at the UA field, they work on situational base running for 20 minutes. Morgan Kovachevich and Jess Sinak are senior athletes. Morgan played second base freshman and sophomore year and left field this year. Her favorite memory of the softball team was hitting an in-the-park home run her freshman year against JFK. Jess plays infield and pitcher. She said being a senior athlete is very different from the other years because it is her last chance. It was an emotional time for her. “I wouldn't trade my time on the softball team for anything.”
Volleyball: Volleyball has won 17 games this year under a new coach, Lori Brandhorst. There are 6 seniors on the varsity team, and they all love volleyball and have been playing it for 10-11 years. They all have played for Ursuline all four years, and their hope before their season ends is to make it to state. When I asked, “What is your favorite memory on the team?” Laura King, the Captain and setter, and Megan Cassani, an outside hitter, both looked at each other and said, “Winning districts and becoming the champs in 2007.” Lexi Linsenmen, middle hitter, said, “Megan, Julia and I got people to go watch districts, and I dressed up as a cheerleader.” On October 8, the early-out school game, the Bears crushed Visitation, 2-0. On October 21 they lost against our rival, the Nerinx Markers. Field Hockey: Field hockey practices every day, running shooting drills to fitness and scrimmages. They played Nerinx the same day as the volleyball games and won. Hayley Bollwerk, a senior, plays center midfielder, and it’s her fourth year playing. Her hope before the season ends is to win state. After falling one goal short last year, will the Bears be able to bounce back? Cross Country: Cross Country has a new coach this year from St. Peter Parish, Coach Mary Loida. She says meeting high school girls was different for her. The practices are one and a half hours where they do either short speed runs or long distance. They sometimes also have a fitness workout. The team has 5 The Cross Country team before a meet. seniors, and Coach Loida has one girl, Alicen Moser, in sectionals. Tennis: Tennis was made up of three seniors, ten juniors, four sophomores, and four freshmen. The number one and two singles and doubles players are seniors Emily Leshe and Tori Salthouse. Emmy Emerson, a freshman, said that the seniors on the team “were extremely helpful in improving our skills and good role models.” Congratulations again, to all the fall sport teams! Let’s hope the winter sports can be just as successful! Sarah Haenchen Maggie Eggleston Bear Facts Staff Writers
Current Seniors at districts in 2007.
VOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
BEAR
FACTS
STUDENT LIFE
PAGE
10
Junior Circus: The 11th Grade Balancing Act
F
or most girls at UA, Junior year seems to be the toughest year in high school. Junior girls are expected to keep up with the homework load, begin ACT prep, start looking at and preparing for college, and still be able to manage their time between homework, friends and any extra -curricular activities while still maintaining good grades. When everything that juniors need to accomplish in one year is laid out in front of them, it is very easy to get stressed out. As Ms. McCorry stated in an interview regarding the challenges of junior year, “You already have the answer inside you.” She continued explaining that as cliche as it may sound, it’s true. “Juniors know what helps them be successful and perform well [in school]. Pay attention to what strategies you’ve used in the past that have been successful and employ them.” Ms. McCorry also explained that the curriculum for juniors is constructed to be more intense in order to focus students on preparing
for college. In the interview, Ms. McCorry also gave lots of great tips to help not just juniors but every student. Simple things can have a great effect, such as staying organized and time management. Ms. McCorry was not the only one to have some input on the challenges of junior year. Seniors Mary Kate
“Don’t get wrapped up in all the work and forget about the fun or vice versa.” Buncher, Lisa Bueltmann and Michelle Hovis also had words to share about their junior years. Mary Kate explained that the hardest part of her junior year was being in different activities such as the UA play production and madrigals, Ursuline’s select chorus, and managing her time. She said she had a lot on her
plate which made time management extremely difficult. Michelle’s most difficult challenge was preparing for college and the homework load; with this Lisa agreed, “The teachers all say they are going to be ‘nice’ and give only forty-five minutes of homework, but when every teachers is ‘nice’ you still end up with a lot of work to do.” Despite how hard it may sound, junior year is still a lot of fun. So don’t get wrapped up in all the work and forget about the fun or vice versa. Mary Kate said that the best thing about her junior year was the service trip she went on over spring break to New Orleans. Michelle loved the field hockey games and going to state up against St. Joseph’s Academy. Lisa liked her Junior Ring. “It was really exciting and the dance was a lot fun.” So overall, if you can focus and stay organized, it is very possible to make it through junior year and be successful. Ally Hill Bear Facts Staff Writer
Ursuline’s Chapter of the National Honors Society Welcomes New Members The National Honor Society is up for a new and exciting year! The prestigious club has recently admitted 27 juniors and seniors. Their selection NHS pin presented to renew members at the process quires all appliInduction Ceremony Photo by Caitlin Zera cants to possess at least a 3.85 GPA and write an essay about leadership in their lives. These forms then go on to a faculty committee who personally review them and then admit VOLUME
5—ISSUE
2
those they feel eligible. Last October 27, these 27 students were inducted into the National Honor Society. Ms. Cochran, moderator of NHS, said, “Induction is an important aspect of membership as girls are honored in front of friends, faculty and family for their excellent achievements.” Induction takes place in the Chapel, and a guest speaker is always present. This year’s speaker was found by senior Colleen Dunn. Ann Wagner, guest speaker and mother of freshwoman Mary Ruth Wagner, was a former ambassador to Luxemburg and intended to motivate the students and show what true leadership really entails. This year’s NHS officers are
Mary Rose McFarland (president), Kim Mueckl (vice president) and Kathryn Wolf (Secretary/Treasurer). These girls are extremely talented and have many activities planned for the school year. National Honor Society planned to host a trivia night during the second semester to benefit TASK and, as always, will prepare a meal at the Ronald McDonald House in addition to making collections during WAVE WEEK. Ms. Cochran or Mary Rose would love to answer any questions about the upcoming events so student and faculty should feel free to e-mail and stay tune for NHS updates! Claire Fadel Bear Facts Staff Writer BEAR
FACTS
Double-breasted Plaid Scarf hoodie 12.90 at Heritage $22.80 at Forever21 1981
Congratulations Balloon Boy’s parents, you’re having the worstest month ever! Having your son hide in the attic for 15 minutes of fame blew up in your face, didn’t it? You should feel guilty that all those planes were searching for your son. Because of your little publicity stunt, you’ll probably have to pay millions of dollars. Next time you try to pull a stunt like this, make sure your son doesn’t announce on Larry King Live that it was all for show.
Congratulations Choir kids, your having the bestest month ever. The new show Glee has finally brought your talents to primetime television. With the excited interest in kids with talent we expect your rep to go up as the characters from Glee continue to bust out with great shows and great show tunes.